“I am a real backpacker”

So said Thomas Johnson, an Australian guest on a three-week tour around Hanoi, whose back always carries a big bag full of things he bought from different shops in the capital city.

I met him near Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake while he was busy making a hard bargain to buy souvenirs.

Thomas told me during his three-week stay he was making the best of his time to discover the elegant places of the city. Hanoi is an ideal place to settle for a long time, because the city life is really comfortable, with a stable work environment and friendly people, he said. However, there are some things he needs time to mull over, such as the traffic and the habit of eating on the pavement.

Thomas could not hide his surprise when enjoying some Vietnamese traditional food. He said he never imagined Hanoians could cook many different delicious dishes from the same ingredients. He cited Pho as an example. “With a common ingredient – rice – many attractive dishes are created, such as beef noodle and chicken noodle, with various styles of cooking,” he said.

The Australian visitor also wanted to know more about Hanoi’s tourist attractions. He travelled around the Old Quarter, visited the foreigners’ market near Ho Tay (West Lake) and many traditional craft villages, including Bat Trang ceramics, Van Phuc silk, Chuong conical hats and Ngoc Ha flower. “Wherever I go, I am always tempted by special hand-made products, such as Ao dai (Vietnamese women’s traditional dress), conical hats, ceramics and other handicrafts. That is the reason why my backpack is always heavy with a lot of things,” he said with a smile.

Mentioning “foreigner”, local people might think of something new and modern, but not in this case. He said that he did not use taxis, but liked to go around by cyclo as he found this means of transport very special, comfortable and convenient. “When sitting on it, you can watch the beautiful streets and understand more about Hanoians’ daily lives,” he said.

Getting tired after walking around the capital, he ordered beer and coffee at a bar in Ta Hien Street, not far from Hoan Kiem Lake.

Thomas said that it was quite convenient to stay in Hanoi where he could buy everything such as food and souvenirs, even on the pavement. “In Hanoi, you can pick up things you need at first sight,” he said.

However, Thomas complained that the traffic in Hanoi was heavy and complicated, especially at rush hour. “Although the Hanoi streets are quite large, they seem to be unable to regulate the flow of vehicles. So it’s dangerous to cross and road. Please wait for the green light and use the zebra crossing as quick as you can, and keep your eyes wide open,” he said.

Thomas was also worried about food hygiene and safety when seeing many people eating on the pavement.

The Australian visitor said he would come back to Vietnam as soon as possible to enjoy the hidden charms of the S-shaped country, and his next destination would be Ho Chi Minh City. “I’ve heard a lot about the great leader of Vietnam and wish to visit the city named after him to explore the southern part of Vietnam,” he said.

Cai Luong folk opera performance with English translation

Cai Luong (southern folk opera) was performed with English language translation by the Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre at the Chuong Vang (Golden Bell) in Hanoi on February 17-18, and drew a large number of foreign tourists.

Actors and actresses performed the opera in the Vietnamese language, while foreign visitors could hear an English language translation on headphones, said Mrs. Nguyen Thanh Van, deputy director of the Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre.

The English translator is an expert both in the language as well as having a deep knowledge of Cai Luong, which enables foreign audiences to understand the traditional art form better.

The theatre also presented to visitors short dramas, Cham dances, Quan Ho duet singing and other kinds of folk music.

Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre has cooperated with travel companies to bring tourists to the stage and enjoy Vietnamese culture.

(Source: CPV)

See Cham Islands by helicopter

The first chartered helicopter tour of the year will transport a group of 22 tourists from the US, Australia and France from Da Nang to Hoi An's Cham Islands this weekend.

A 24-seat Russian-made MI-17 chopper will take off from Da Nang International Airport on Feb. 18 and land on the Cham Islands 30 minutes later.

Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a flyover of central Da Nang city and explore the Cham Islands landscape.

In the afternoon, tourists will enjoy a swim over the colourful coral reefs and have time to relax on the pristine beach.

The tour will end at 2pm after a fresh seafood lunch.

The package is being offered by Vitours.

(Source: VNA)

Good ties boost investment, trade, tourism between Cambodia, China

he bilateral relations between Cambodia and China in terms of investment, trade and tourism have become stronger in the past year thanks to the two countries' good relations, said officials Friday.

Cambodia attracted China's investments of 1.19 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, up 71 percent from 694 million U.S. dollars in a year earlier, according to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).

China's 22 investment projects last year focused on property development, mineral business and processing plants, motorcycle assembly factories, gold mining, rice mill and garment factories.

The bilateral trades amounted to 2.5 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 73.5 percent, the highest growth rate among the bilateral trade between China and other ASEAN countries, according to the statistics provided by the Chinese Embassy.

Chheng Kimlong, an economics lecturer at the University of Cambodia, said the strong bilateral relations between the two countries are the most important factor resulting in sharp rises in the bilateral trade and investment.

In addition, he said, Cambodia has a number of potential sectors for investors and the country remains peaceful and political stability."These factors in combination with Cambodia's constant supports and incentives to Chinese investors, more and more Chinese see Cambodia as safe place for their investments," he said.

Cambodia attracted 247,200 Chinese tourists last year, an increase of 39 percent--the highest growth rate among foreign visitors to this impoverished country, said Tith Chantha, director general of the Tourism Ministry.

He said the sharp increase in Chinese visitors to Cambodia was due to attractive tourism sites, broad promotion and increasing direct flights.

"We hope that Cambodia will receive at least one million Chinese tourists by 2020," he said, adding that to achieve the target, the ministry has encouraged more training courses for Chinese speaking guides and urged hotels, restaurants and other entertainment facilities to use Chinese language.

Source - peopledaily.com.cn