In photos: Dao ethnic girls charm in traditional costumes

Dao ethnic girls in the northern province of Lao Cai reveal their true beauty through their attractive traditional costumes.
Their costumes can be seen in five different colours but red is often the dominant hue.
A complete costume includes blouse, scarf, shin-guards, headscarf and jewellery.
Dao women use batik to print patterns on their clothes.

Dao ethnic girls in Lao Cai’s Bac Ha

Lovely hats of Dao women in Bat Xat

Thanh Hoa to spend $1million on citadel

VIETNAM-The north-central province of Thanh Hoa will pump some VND22 billion (more than US$1 million) into the restoration of the Ho Dynasty Citadel and an upgrade of tourism infrastructure at the site, a provincial official has said.

Deputy chairman of Thanh Hoa People's Committee Vuong Van Viet said the projects would start soon and be completed by the middle of next year, when the citadel receives an official certificate marking its World Cultural Heritage status.

The 14th-century Ho Dynasty Citadel, located in Vinh Loc District, about 150km south of Ha Noi, was recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in June this year.

Most of the funding for the projects would come from the State budget while the private sector was also being encouraged to join hands, said Viet.

The biggest project, costing about VND10 billion ($457,000), was to preserve the Nam Giao praying platform in the old citadel, he said.

The site's official web link http://thanhnhaho.vn will also be updated to provide a better understanding about Viet Nam's capital under the Ho Dynasty from 1400 to 1407.

The heritage conservation centre will seek help from scientists to excavate a quarry on An Ton Mountain, where stone was taken to build the citadel, and surrounding relics.

Stretches of national roads 45 and 217 connecting the site to the provincial centre will be repaired and upgraded while more long-distance bus routes will be opened to serve the increasing number of tourists.

More tours to the citadel would be organised soon, said Viet.

The number of tourists to the site had risen by three times since it was recognised by UNESCO, but the figure remained very low, according to the director of the Ho Dynasty Citadel management board, Do Quang Trong.

It now attracts about 4,000 tourists a month, with international guests accounting for roughly only 1 per cent.

"Thanh Hoa has plans in place to invest in the Ho Dynasty Citadel to make it an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists," said Viet.

Known as Tay Do (Western Capital) to distinguish it from Dong Do (Eastern Capital or Thang Long - Ha Noi), the citadel, covering an area of about 150ha, was built in 1397.

The construction of the citadel was supervised by a top Tran Dynasty mandarin, Ho Quy Ly, who later took the throne in 1400 and moved the capital from Thang Long to the citadel.

Also called Tay Giai Castle, the citadel has four arched gates facing north, south, east and west. While most of the castle has been ruined, the gates have survived the passage of time.

The castle was built from huge stone blocks, each of which is 2×1×0.7m in size on average, without any glue or adhesive material.

According to the UNESCO, the citadel buildings "represent an outstanding example of a new style of Southeast Asian imperial city".

Apart from the Ho Dynasty Citadel, Viet Nam has six other natural and cultural heritages recognised by UNESCO: the imperial capital of Hue, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An Old Quarter, the My Son Sanctuary, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the Thang Long royal citadel relic site.
TravelWeekly Asia

USD62 million to preserve Hue royal citadel

The government of Thua Thien-Hue province has approved a project to preserve the Hue royal citadel, a world cultural heritage, at the cost of nearly VND1.3 trillion or USD62 million.

This is the largest-ever project to restore and preserve the Hue relic, performed by the Center for Preservation of Hue Ancient Capital.

With USD62 million, the outer layer of the Hue royal citadel, with a perimeter of 10km, will be repaired. Nearly 1,000 families who live in this area will be removed. The entire dike and ditch system as well as the citadel wall will be mended.

This project will be implemented from the end of 2011 to 2015. Of the VND1.3 trillion of capital, VND1.28 billion will be allocated from the state budget.

Hue was the capital city of the Southern Kingdom by all Nguyen Lords and officially became the capital under Tay Son' reign. For approximately 400 years, Hue has become a great landscape and architectural site. Hue' royal complex has been recognised by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The Hue royal citadel is situated on the northern bank of the Huong (Perfume) River, with an area of 500 ha and a system of three circles of ramparts, namely from outside to inside: Kinh Thanh (Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel).

This construction stared in 1805 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long and completed in 1832 under the reign of Emperor Ming Mang. Under Nguyen' reign, Kings have ordered to build ramparts, palaces and constructional works of royal. Over 200 years to now, it is still original with nearly 140 small and large constructions.

The citadel is square in shape and almost 10km in circumference, 6m high, 21m thick and 10 entrances. On the top of the walls that surround it, 24 bastions are established for defensive purposes. Besides, the citadel has an ancillary gate connecting the Tran Binh Bastion called the Thai Binh Mon (Peace Gate).

The Imperial City is located in the center of the citadel where established highest offices of Vietnam's feudalism and sanctums honoring the cult of decreased Emperors. The citadel, also has a nearly square form, with more than 600m long for each side, built of brick 4m high, 1m thick, around which is ditched a system of protection trench.

Access to the Imperial City can be made by four entrance gates. Noon Gate is only used for the King. Royal Palace consists of more 100 beautiful constructional works divided many sectors.

Located inside the Imperial City, behind the Throne Palace, the Forbidden Purple City is reserved for Emperor and his family. It was built early in Emperor Gia Long's reign in 1804 with brick walls 3.72m high, 0,72 m thick, about 1,230 m in circumference. Its front and back sides are 324 m each while either left and right side is more than 290 m including 50 architectural constructions of different sizes and 7 gates for facilities of entrance and exit.

Dai Cung Mon (the Great Place Gate) is in the front side for Kings. Can Chanh Palace (the place for every day working of Emperors). Can Thanh (Emperor's Private Palace), Khon Thai Residence (Queen's Private Apartment) reserved for the Queen. Duyet Thi Duong house (Royal Theatre), Thuong Thien (the kitchen for the King' food), Thai Binh Lau (King's reading room).

Besides, Hue is also famous for royal tombs and temples of Nguyen Kings. Seven tombs with different aspect are not only a wonderful arch but also combining beautiful, imposing nature and poetic of Hue.

Ancient Hue including Perfume River and Ngu Mountain, palaces and citadels, tombs and temples with hundreds of historic years are being embellished and recovered by material contribution of Vietnamese and International community in order to keep Hue City as cultural heritage of World.


Source: Dtinews

Touring Ba Na in a different perspective

Taking a tour of the peak of Ba Na Mountain in Danang City, visitors often follow a designated route that takes in the Linh Ung Ba Na Pagoda, the huge half-finished recreational complex on top of the mountain and the old suspension bridge over a stream that no longer exists.

Inside the French-built villa that was destroyed in wartime

Still, there is another place of interest there for curious tourists to drop by. That is the remnants of a villa built by the French. Early in the 20th century, French colonialists constructed hundreds of villas as vacation retreats on the peak of Ba Na, which is nearly 1,500 meters above sea level. All of them were destroyed in wartime.
Along the way up the mountain on a cable car, one can see the vestiges of some old luxurious French-built estates nestled in the thick jungle.
Halfway to the Linh Ung Ba Na Pagoda, visitors should turn right when they meet a T-junction, go up, then turn left just behind an abandoned building, and follow a narrow pathway until they see the remnants of a French-built villa. The visit to this structure is even more interesting if visitors are accompanied by a tour guide who can tell a story about what the French did in the past and what has been and will be developed in the entire area on the peak of the mountain that has become a must-see destination in Danang.

The fireplace in the villa

One of the windows of the villa seen from inside

Vietnamese people struggle for booking air tickets for Tet flights

Thuy Linh, a teacher in Tan Binh district of HCM City, said that she has been hunting for air tickets for the last month. Linh said that she and her 4-member family plans to return to Hai Duong province to celebrate the 2012 Tet. She successfully booked a ticket for the Hanoi-HCM City flight in August 2011. Meanwhile, she still cannot book the tickets for the HCM City-Hanoi flight.

Linh complains that she contacted nearly 10 booking agents in HCM City, but the only answer she got from the agents was that the tickets ran out.

Air tickets running out too soon

Hung, an officer of a media company in district 1 of HCM City, said that he has been trying to book tickets online for the HCM City-Hue City flight since mid August, when the air carriers released notice about the air ticket sale for Tet flights.

Hung has not found any tickets so far, but he remains patient enough not to “give up the game”. He said that he accesses to the websites of the air carriers once every several days, hoping to see someone who gives back tickets or wants to change the departure time. However, he has found no one.

Hung also called a lot of booking agents in HCM City, but he was told that the booking agents were running out of tickets. “I have been told to book business class ticket, worth 4.4 million dong, but I cannot afford such a high price,” he complained.

The people, who have the demand for traveling from HCM City to the cities in the central region or the north, all complain that it is very difficult to buy tickets for Tet flights. In 2011, the national flag air carrier Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar both began selling air tickets for Tet flights in August 2011.

On the official websites of air carriers, one would easily realize that tickets have run out for the flights from HCM City to Vinh, Da Nang, Hai Phong and Hanoi Cities on the days from 23rd to 29th of December of Lunar Year (January 16-22, 2012). The lack of tickets is also occurring with the flights from HCM City to Hanoi, the most popular air route.

In fact, air tickets still have been left unsold for some flights, but passengers would have to buy business class tickets worth 5 million dong, including tax.

To date, Air Mekong remains the only air carrier which has not announced the plan to sell air tickets for Tet flights. Truong Thanh Vu, Deputy General Director of Air Mekong, said that the airline is still drawing up the flight plan for Tet holiday which is expected to be released in November.

However, analysts say that one should not expect too much on the air tickets to be provided by Air Mekong. Due to the limited capability with the fleet of four aircrafts, the number of air tickets to be provided would not be high.

Information unclear

On October 10, Vietnam Airlines released a notice that from January 7 to February 12, 2012, the air carrier would provide 850 additional flights with 155,600 seats on 7 air routes.

The Hanoi-HCM City and HCM City-Hanoi flights, the HCM City-Da Nang and Da Nang-HCM City flights, for example, would have 142,000 more seats (110 percent of ordinary days). More flights on the routes from HCM City to Hai Phong, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Quy Nhon and Nha Trang will also be provided. However, it is still unclear when the air tickets for the additional flights would be available. Even booking agents also said they have no information about the time when airlines would begin selling tickets.

Meanwhile, doubts have been raised that airlines deliberately delay the announcement about the air ticket sale plan, because they are waiting for the proposal to raise the ceiling airfare to be approved. In mid September 2011, airlines proposed the Ministry of Finance to increase the airfare by 1.5 times, reasoning that the input costs have increased sharply.

If the proposal is approved, the highest airfare for the HCM City-Hanoi route would reach 8 million dong per ticket.

Source: NLD

Gastronomic week “A taste of Mexico” in Hanoi

There is no more colorful gastronomic recipe book in the world than the Mexican one, with ingredients as varied as purple onion, the fresh green of the avocado, red chilies, yellow peppers and the pink of the pine nuts.

On the occasion of the traditional Day of the Dead (November 2), the Embassy of Mexico in Vietnam, in collaboration with the Melia Hanoi Hotel will organize a Gastronomic Week from October 28 to November 3 at El Patio Restaurant (Dinner buffet from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm).

Despite this great diversity, it maintains a common line, an ingredient that appears in almost all dishes: corn, the protagonist in the preparation of tortillas, tamales, pozole, atole, among other foods.

The triad of the maize field -corn, beans and chili- defines the national culinary essence. Corn forms part of the creation myth, it is a source of life and has an intimate historical significance. Chili is a crucial element of Mexican cuisine and continues to be the ingredient no table can do without. Due to their high nutritional value, beans are a prime food in Mexican’s diet. Another pillar of Mexican food and culture is the delicious chocolate. As well as being a divine gift for civilizations such as the Maya, it was highly prized, for it was used as currency and was a beverage only for royalty.

Mexican Chef Alexandra Rendón Escobedo will delight Vietnamese, foreign and the most demanding palates with sumptuous ingredients and recipes of his country, said the Embassy of Mexico in Vietnam.

As a young Mexican Chef graduated from the Ibero-American University in Mexico City and from Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon (France), she has spent five years at the Club de Industriales, one of the Mexico's best cuisine clubs. She developed products for the Premier Commercial gourmet food line and currently produces a line of salad dressings. Alexandra has trained many young people in their kitchens and has a natural talent for teaching.

In addition to its characteristic spiciness and seasoning, Mexican cuisine now has an international touch of distinction by having been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010 meaning it is one part of the three most important cuisines in the world.

(Source: CPV)

Hai Phong Culture - Sports - Tourism Week opens

The second Hai Phong Culture – Sports – Tourism Week 2011 opened yesterday at the Hai Phong Exhibition and Fine Arts Centre in the northern port city of Hai Phong.

Under the theme 'Welcome Dawn at Sea', the event includes a variety of cultural and tourism activities, including an art and cultural exhibition, a culinary and brewage festival, arts performances and a tourism exhibition featuring fifteen booths from businesses in the Hai Phong Tourism Association.

The event, which runs until October 28, is co-organised by the Hai Phong municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hai Phong Tourism Association to welcome Hai Phong Tourism Year 2012.

(Source: Nhan Dan )

2011 Vietnam Rice Festival to be held in Soc Trang

The second Vietnam Rice Festival will take place in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang from November 8-11, announced the event’s organizing board on October 24.

 The festival aims to advertise Vietnamese rice and honour outstanding farmers, rice exporters and scientists who have contributed to the country’s rice production. It will also promote a trademark for Vietnamese rice and boosting tourism and socio-economic development in Soc Trang province.

The event coincides with the much anticipated Khmer “Ngo Boat Race” in the Mekong Delta, which is part of the annual Ooc Om Boc Festival – the ethnic minority group’s most important festival of the year.

Soc Trang expects to attract a large number of tourists for the occasion where they can take part in folk games, enjoy traditional food and learn more about the province’s cultural identity.

(Source: VOV)

The backbone of a community

A cultural activity deeply rooted in tradition connecting the physical and spiritual heart of a nation.

The phrase “Pho thi” – (street market) is an essential part and cornerstone of Vietnamese life. Traditionally the market would appear first, and then street would grow grow up around the market place. However, looking back a thousand years ago one would see markets not in buildings but rather they would be situated next to a rice field, near the beach or in the forest. People loved to gather together with own kind and form their own community. Maybe its because of the traditional fear of the sea that there was no record in history about the adventures to discover strange new lands, but the there are many writings about wars to protest the country. In spite of the slow and often painfully long progress Vietnamese people overcame and conquered the land and sea, establishing their homeland and built communities and market places. Since the Le Nguyen period until now, the roads were narrow, and there often went on foot and by waterway. That was the reason why there were only a few big commercial centers like Hoi An and Cua Dai or Van Don Business port, which first appeared during the Tran dynasty. In life, markets come and go depending on the demand of the people, and the market would always resemble something of the local identity and custom. The picture one gets of a Vietnamese market has always been a multi- colored picture, contributing to a distinct identity of a rice cultivating civilization.

From the very first establishment of a market place until now it has always seemed a strange concept. It is the place for meeting, chatting, and even arguing, fighting, teasing as well as flirting with each other.

In life today, modern trade centers, shopping centers, malls, and super markets are brightly lit with all the mod-cons of today. It’s a very different from the markets in the rural market, people come to buy things, chat and listen to the latest gossip as well as study about folk tales and legends. Not many people remember, “Hat xam” (one kind of sad song, sung by strolling blind musician) of the Northern area of Vietnam. However, ten years ago, “Hat xam” was very popular and was landed down from mouth-to-mouth by an unfortunate man or women in the market place. People from everywhere go to market to sell rice, vegetables, cattle and flows, farming tools, house hold stuff, and of course, visit the local food chop. The old people have a saying: “Smart men find future wives in the crowded market, and smart girls find future husbands in the military”.

However, it is also the place to deal with the material and spiritual aspects of life. Markets in urban areas frightened people because of the sometimes fierce haggling and sometimes dishonest seller’s. Most people like to go to the seller whom they have a good relationship with and trust. Visiting the rural market, a stranger might be surprised by the “Hat xam”, or the ways of flirting as well as the profound joking. There the also many kinds of snacks you can try as you shop in market. Women in the past enjoyed the crab vermicelli soup and the men enjoyed boiled pig’s trotters, pig’s head and local wine.

In the lowland area it’s women who usually go to the market, while in the highlands, the market is a place for every one of all ages. They often come in search of beautiful cloth to make their traditional clothes. On a dyke in the North, or in a rove paddy field in the Central or the South, we can see the common images of women wearing short jackets, “ao ba ba” –a loose-fitting blouse. In the highlands, each market-day is a colorful mosaic, you can find the Lo Lo people (ethnic people) dressed in the bright colored skirts, tied together with a floral-embroiled belt. For people in the highlands, going to the market it not only to buy things but also to show off the nice skirts, to have a drink with friends, to flirt secretly and share a love song. Even though modern life in the urban area to disappear like “Buoi” market, “Mo” market in Thang Long area. People in the East, North and West still try to keep the local markets going, like in Bao Lac, Dong Van, Pho Cao, Y Ty, Can Cau. There are also numerous markets in the highlands, some very difficult to find, nestled deep in the immense forests. Some markets have special days set aside each year to open the market. Khau Vai market has an opening ceremony twice a year. Nam Dinh province is famous for the Vieng market that has an opening celebration at New Year, where they specialize in selling plants. The Vo Cuong yin-yang market in Bac Ninh province celebrates their opening day at night on the 4^th, and early evening of the 5^th of January, according to the market to buy are paper votive objects, incense, betel and area, candle, and of course black chicken, which is indispensable as an offering to the gods. For a country that has experience many difficulties it has still successfully kept the 56 ethnic people living together in relative peace and harmony and created many interesting ways for them to buy sell and exchange.

Markets in the lowland are usually set up at the entrance of the village, on the dyke or some other convenient site for shoppers to come. Markets in mountainous area are held in the valley, near river areas are near the river the river bank or on a floating market. It is an unforgettable experience when you visit Cai Rang, Phong Dien market in the South West. The water ways form like a spider’s web, with thousands of different sized boats working their trade up and down the canals. All boats follow the high tide to buy and exchange things then deliver stuff to people in other places. Sometimes, you can find everything in the one market and only thing in some certain markets, for example, the U Minh forest market, which no longer exists, but the used to sell only honey. Other markets have spring up that are famous for selling specific things like market at the foot of That Son mountain in An Giang province, or the floral market in Luc Yen, Yen Bai. Going to the romantic, fantasy like city of Dalat and seeing the flower night market is a must come to Hanoi, it’s an amazing experience to go early in the morning to Nghi Tam flower market. It will take your breath away when; you see the endless array of flowers for sale.

Everyone should experience the Vietnamese local market, to get even a small insight into the life of the rich and diverse culture. Watch the interaction between buyer and seller, explore the amazing variety and enjoy the beautiful Vietnamese people going about their daily business.

The blue emerald

Nui Mot was a small lake nestling in a valley of the An Truong Mountains until the late 1970s, when a dam was built downstream to create a 1,200-hectare irrigation reservoir that snakes its way back through the high country.

 A corner of Lake Nui Mot

Still called Nui Mot, the largest and prettiest freshwater lake in the central region is the most popular tourist attraction in An Nhon, an inland district of Binh Dinh Province on the central coast.
We were lucky enough to be shown this jewel of the mountains.
From Quy Nhon, the capital of Binh Dinh, we took National Road 19 to An Truong Village in Nhon Tan Commune, An Nhon, where we turned left at the sign showing the way to the lake. From the turnoff, it was eight kilometers of sealed road to the Nui Mot.
The distance from Quy Nhon is only 30 kilometers but the road is narrow so the trip took us about an hour by motorcycle.
We continued on our bikes to the top of the dam wall 700 meters high. The cool air was invigorating and made the scorching sun of the summer dissipate before a breathtaking vista of blue water winding its way through green mountains.
It was just as picturesque around the pier on the lake, with big trees and huge rocks smoothed and arranged by Mother Nature in an amazing way.
From a construction site where a monument to the revolutionaries of yesteryear was being built, we walked up several hundred meters to Ong Dai Cave. This large and beautiful cavern sheltered communist soldiers in the war and was used to store food.
Back at the pier, we embarked on a tourist boat and began a 45-minute trip to explore Nui Mot. It felt so peaceful and relaxing as we floated in the middle of the vast reservoir. The forest and mountains on both sides were as pretty as a picture.
Our first stop of the lake cruise was Do Falls, which resembled a strip of silk floating in mid-air when viewed from below.
We made our way up the forest path to the waterfall, accompanied by the sounds of a bubbling brook, bird calls and leaves rustling in the breeze.
It took us 15 minutes to reach the splashing, silvery water that drops 40 meters to create Do Falls which is then joined by other creeks before emptying into the lake.
Taking a small path, I continued to climb to the top of the waterfall. My effort was rewarded. From my high perch I could see the whole of nature before me.
Around the waterfall were flat rocks and long grass under shady trees, making it an ideal place to enjoy some specialty dishes of fish raised in the lake and sip a strong local brew made and stored in ceramic pots.
After lunch, some of us put our feet up in the shade while the others went swimming in the cool water or took out the fishing rods they had brought along for a spot of angling. It was idyllic.
By Phuong Mai, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the October 21st issue of our print edition, Thanh Nien Weekly)