Vietnam Tourism: 2015

Friday, June 19, 2015

Sizzling hot teppanyaki a food-court favourite

Popular: Pepper Lunch Express, a teppanyaki restaurant at the food court at Diamond Plaza shopping mall in HCM City.

Fast-food chain Pepper Lunch specialises in a style of Japanese cuisine that uses a teppan pan (iron plate) to cook food at your table, Phuong Mai reports from a HCM City mall.

HCM City, one of the more popular destinations is Southeast Asia, attracts four million tourists each year, many of whom come to sample the wide variety of food for which Viet Nam is justly famous.

In recent years, the city's food scene has exploded. From high-end to low-end, restaurants offer both local and international specialities that suit the tastes of tourists and locals alike.

For those on a budget or short on time, food courts at shopping malls have become popular, both for their convenience and reasonable prices.

Small shops at Diamond Plaza, the city's first modern shopping mall that opened in 1999, sell food and beverages at prices ranging from VND50,000 ($2.30) to VND150,000 (US$7) per dish.

Filler: Beef pepper rice, the least expensive dish on the menu, consists of white rice, Australian beef, black pepper, corn, green onion and butter.

Located close to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Municipal Post Office, the shopping centre's fourth-floor food court is a welcome respite from the heat or rain, and a pleasant rest-stop for weary feet.

Its 15 shops offer Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Italian, and American food.

The fast-food chain Pepper Lunch Express specialises in Japanese teppanyaki, with 16 dishes, including steak, pasta, curry rice and its signature pepper rice, ranging from VND88,000 ($4) to VND168,000 ($7.7).

Although it serves a variety of meat dishes, many customers appear to prefer the beef pepper rice dish at VND88,000.

The dish, which arrives at your table on an iron plate where it continues to cook, also contains maize and green onion. The butter hidden in the mound of white rice adds a rich flavour, as does the restaurant's signature honey brown sauce.

Make it your own: A young diner mixes her dish to suit her taste. — VNS Photos by Phuong Mai

The maize is deliciously sweet while the beef, imported from Australia, is tender and juicy. The iron plate on which the dish is served helps to keep the food hot.

Apart from beef, the restaurant also has chicken and salmon dishes, including curry chicken pepper rice with cheese. Maize, green onion and cheese and the ever-present black pepper (for which the restaurant is named) contrast with the brown colour of the rice. The curry adds spice and fragrance.

Pepper Lunch

Address: Diamond Plaza, food court, fourth floor, 34 Le Duan Street, District 1, HCM City

Tel: (08) 62515669

Hours: 9am - 10pm

Comment: Delicious steak dishes served on hot iron plates. Affordable prices.

The main dish is accompanied by a bowl of miso soup. With such generous portions, the meal is more than enough for adults. But side dishes maize, cheese, fried egg or miso soup can also be ordered, priced from VND8,000-15,000 (40-70 cents).

Also on offer are steak dishes such as pepper steak and double Hamburg steak, a Japanese speciality, at VND208,000 ($10) and VND143,000 ($6.50), respectively. They are also served with side dishes of rice and miso soup.

Rounding out the menu are Japanese classics such as beef sukiyaki, BBQ beef yakiniku with egg, teriyaki pepper chicken, and teriyaki double salmon from VND138,000-168,000 ($6.30-7.70) per dish.

For drinks, green tea and mineral water are only VND15,000 ($70 cents).

With its reasonable prices and hearty portions, as well as quick service, Pepper Lunch Express has deservedly become one of Diamond Plaza's most popular food shops. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Ha Giang shows off buckwheat

HA GIANG (VNS) — The northernmost province of Ha Giang, which has the largest area under buckwheat in the north-western region, will organise the first ever buckwheat flower festival in early October when fields in full bloom and look most beautiful.

The festival will be held in Dong Van District together with a H'Mong panpipe festival, a tourism fair, and a photo exhibition about the Dong Van Karst Plateau, a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks.

Buckwheat flowers are small and turn from light pink to light purple several days after blooming. Their beauty has attracted a large number of tourists to Ha Giang's buckwheat flower fields in recent years.

The province plans to bring more under the plant in Dong Van District, including in seven communes that are popular tourism spots. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Where a special rice wine gets your goat

Spacious ambience: An overview of the Lang Chuon Hoi Quan. — VNS Photos Cong Thanh

by Hoai Nam

Born in Chuon, an ancient village in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, Dang Van Thanh and his partners opened a restaurant named after the village, Lang Chuon Hoi Quan (Chuon village restaurant) in downtown Da Nang City.

It is a goat meat restaurant and a rendezvous for gastronomes of traditional cuisine and the specialty drink from the ancient village.

The food is believed to be a cure for malnutrition and after a long illness, just like the cure that oriental medicine offers.

Meat goats that are fed for a few months at the farms in the suburbs of Da Nang, is used for cooking the best food as it is soft and does not have too much fat.

Male gastronomes often say this in whispers that goat meat is good for men's vigour when cooked along with some medicinal herbs.

"It is a traditional cuisine popular for generations among Vietnamese. Goat meat is an easy-to-cook dish that also smells delicious. It can be served steamed, barbecued, stir-fried or as a curry," the restaurant chef, Phan Van Sy, said.

"One often orders a thigh along with three dishes at a cost of VND600,000 (nearly US$30), while they taste other food at the restaurant," he suggested.

Goat thigh

Tran Tuan is a businessman who often comes to the restaurant with friends for a weekend party.

"Seafood is always a regular choice at home or at a restaurant. I, sometimes, for a change, visit different restaurants for beef, chicken, pork or goat," Tuan said.

"However, I have to find out which restaurant is the best for its cooking style. Each restaurant cooks a speciality that the chef has mastered, and we come not only for the food but for the fun and the rendezvous," he said.

Stewing: Goat curry hot pot

Tuan ordered a thigh for his group of four with three dishes - steam, grill and bamboo shoot hot-pot.

"It is a complete menu as we taste a thigh with delicious dishes, and you get the full piece for a reasonable price," he said.

Chef Sy sliced the 1.2 kilogram thigh into a filet to steam it with medlar seed, poor ginseng (acanthopanax), citronella, ginger and chilli.

"It is a mixture of yin and yang. Goat meat is cold and it needs warm and hot ingredients - medlar seed, citronella, ginger and chili - while ginseng provides the tonic element," the chef explained.

"It is a dish prepared very quickly, and served to visitors hot in five to 10 minutes. We suggest gastronomes use the steam with fresh water shrimp paste or salt with green chili and lime," he said.

Tuan said steam thigh filet was soft and meant for quick cooking.

"It is very tasty and delicious. The meat is very soft, and not tough. The flavour of the steamed meat is enhanced by medicinal herbs and citronella. I almost salivated when the dish was placed on the table," he said.

"The dish is often eaten with sliced green banana, fresh citronella and sweet basil as herbs stimulate digestion and are tasty," he said.

In the flesh: Grilled goat thigh is eaten with herbs, salt and lime at the Lang Chuon Hoi Quan (Chuon village restaurant) in the central Da Nang City's downtown.

Rice wine

Tuan said the dish must be used with sticky rice wine from Chuon Village.

He said the village has a history of 600 years of producing wine, naturally fermented with pristine material.

"The village, situated near the Chuon Lagoon, in the Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon system, was known as a place offering good rice wine to the kings of the Nguyen dynasty," Tuan said.

"Villagers still preserve the old recipe and the wine is the favoured drink of guests."

Dang Van Thanh, the owner of the restaurant, said he collected a very old brass pot that was used to make rice wine at the village.

"I set up a firewood stove and the pot at the restaurant to demonstrate the traditional production of rice wine from the ancient village," Thanh said.

"I also use a terra-cotta jar, which is a kind of cooling equipment used when the rice wine is being produced. We keep rice wine bottles in deep wells for months just as the wine was stored in the village centuries ago," he said.

He said the wine is not as strong as vodka, but it has the sweet-smell of sticky rice with low alcohol percentage.

The story of wine making was interrupted when the waiter offered the second dish.

The goat thigh, which was partly sliced for steam, with bone was grilled on a charcoal pit on the spot.

Lang Chuon Hoi Quan (Chuon Village restaurant)

Address: 78, Quang Trung Street, Da Nang

Telephone: 0511-3894678

www.facebook.com/Langchuonhoiquan

Hour: 8am to 10.30pm

Price: VND40,000-890,000 for a dish

Comment: Delicious food, reasonably priced and open air.

"It is primary cuisine that connoisseurs prefer," Vo Thi Thuy Tien, a staff member at the restaurant, suggested.

"Food lovers can cut every piece of the meat at the table or they can ask waiters to serve it," she said.

"The grilled dish makes for a change when you smell smoke and flavour of goat meat. The chef often soaks the thigh with citronella and chilli. You can smell the smoke of grilled herbs and meat," Pham Nhu Thanh, a visitor, said.

Thanh said the chef reserved the bone for making a sweet broth and bamboo shoot. The soup is eaten with rice noodles, or sometimes with rice and black bean soup offered at the party.

Sy, who has 10 years of experience in cooking goat meat, said the restaurant also offers a steamed chicken dish at VND230,000 per chicken.

"We offer guests steamed or grilled chicken set on bamboo trays with banana leaves. It reminds people of the cuisine and style from a village," he said.

He added that the restaurant also serves fish, frog and eel for different choices.

The restaurant, which is built with bamboo and timber decoration, has 100 seats.

It is quite reasonable for a meeting of family or friends on the weekend. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Hoi An develops farm tourism

HOI AN (VNS) — The Hoi An People's Committee has decided to develop tourism and services in An My village in Cam Chau Ward to create more new attractions for visitors to the ancient city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The tours will take in farming and fishing, with visitors doing work on farms like growing vegetables and rice and catching fish.

Located 3km from Hoi An and 1.5km from Cua Dai Beach, An My has paddy fields, natural ponds and vegetable farms. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Grapefruit village a good getaway

HCM CITY (VNS) — With its green orchards, fresh air and tranquil setting, Tan Trieu grapefruit village in the south-eastern province of Dong Nai is an ideal place for weekend tourism.

Situated 40km from HCM City, the village is in Tan Trieu Islet in Vinh Cuu District. The 1,114ha islet is surrounded by the Dong Nai River. Though fertile, the place is only suitable for grapefruits since it is often inundated.

The village grows various varieties of grapefruits, but the most popular is buoi duong la cam (a kind that is very sweet and has small leaves like orange). In recent years village households have turned their grapefruit orchards into eco-tourism sites.

Nam Hue tourism grapefruit orchard is one of the most famous of its kind in the village, offering tourists various dishes made from the fruit like grapefruit salad, chicken steamed in grapefruit, and grapefruit hot pot besides wine.

The wine is produced by the orchard owner Huynh Minh Hue and put in grapefruit-shaped pots.

Nam Hue also has a one-hour sightseeing boat tour around the islet. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Splendid gateways mark site of ancient West Lake village

Village hall: Voi Phuc (Kneeling Elephants) Communal House (Dinh) in Thuy Khue Street.

by An Quynh

Located in Tay Ho District and running along the West Lake's southern bank, Thuy Khue Street has preserved its typical rural Vietnamese features of ancient pagodas and village gates.

Previously, the villages around Thuy Khue Street were collectively referred to as Ke Buoi. Rapid urbanisation in recent times has brought many changes to the city, and Ke Buoi is no exception. The whole area has put on a modern coat, with high-rise buildings and villas continuing to replace old village houses and gardens.

However, the days of old are still preserved in the village gates which stand among the modern houses dotting the street. The moss-covered roofs of the temples and communal houses, together with the rough trunks and foliage of horse mango and Bodhi trees, have produced the ancient look of Thuy Khue Street.

If you take a ride along this street, starting at Buoi Market, the first village gates will appear on your left. Thuy Khue Street has the largest number of village gates in Ha Noi, clustered mainly on the section of the street near Buoi Market and Lac Long Quan Street. The gates are spaced a few metres apart in some areas, while some others are found dozens of metres away.

Interestingly, none of the gates look alike. Some have been recently restored, while others have preserved their ancient look and faded colours.

Portal into the past: The village gates on Thuy Khue Street have become regular places for the villagers to get together every afternoon after a busy day at work.

Despite their differences, the village gates on Thuy Khue Street have created a unique rural space in the big city. Each has been given a short but intimate name, such as Gieng, Hau or Chua. These gates bear the history of generations of residents, stretching back thousands of years. Some of the gates and the villages they lead to are up to 10 centuries old, such as the villages of Yen Thai, An Tho and Dong Xa.

On each gate, on either side, one can find two columns of engraved phrases in Han script.

One of the most beautiful gates in Ha Noi leads to Yen Thai Village, where the ancient red brick-paved path is still preserved and kept clean. The 200m path was built with funds donated by villager Thong Thao and has been kept in its original condition by the other villagers, despite the introduction of electricity and water systems in the village in recent years.

Another special gate on Thuy Khue Street is Nghe, shaded by a large ancient banyan tree. The gate was built in the traditional style, with one main door, two secondary doors (which are now concealed) and a roof. This image of a mossy gate next to an ancient banyan tree is intrinsically Vietnamese, arousing a strong sense of nostalgia and familiarity in Vietnamese people around the world.

Whats in a Nom?: Many of the gates have been restored with traditional Nom characters. Hau Gate was refurbished in 1998. — Photos soha.vn

According to the elderly, the doors of all the village gates on Thuy Khue Street were once opened at the crack of dawn to announce the start of a new day and would be closed at dusk.

Many of the gates have been restored and embellished; for example, Hau Gate was restored in 1998, and Ho Khau Gate was embellished and became a site for a marketplace every morning.

Behind each village gate stands an alley gate. Although they are much smaller, alley gates still exist to clearly demarcate the borders of different hamlets.

Guarded by these traditional gates to each village, the original rural lifestyle, perfectly preserved by the elderly for years, continues on unabated.

"Everyone recognizes the name of my hometown when I tell them that I'm from Buoi Village," 80-year-old Nguyen Van Tai said proudly.

"Native Buoi villagers have a unique soft voice, which is different from the voice of a native Hanoian," he continued.

"Speaking of Thuy Khue Street, people often think about Ke Buoi and, especially, Thuy Khue Village. The village was in former Thuy Chuong Precinct – one of 36 precincts of the Thang Long Citadel (presently Ha Noi) during the Le Dynasty (1427-1789), which was famous for its weaving and wine producing trades. My family also used to produce lotus-scented wine for generations," Tai said.

Although they have never been officially recognised as national relics, the village gates hold a special position in the hearts of villagers. No matter where they go, the villagers of Ke Buoi are always welcomed by the village gates when they return, and they have always felt very proud of this part of their national heritage. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Da Nang to start primate tours

DA NANG (VNS) — The Management of Son Tra Peninsula and Tourism Beaches in Da Nang and the Son Tra Forest Protection Division are carrying out a survey to start tours of the peninsula to shoot pictures of gray-shanked douc langurs starting early next month.

The tour will be between 4am and 4 pm when the monkeys often forage for food round Tien Sa Road. The gray-shanked douc langur is one of the world's 25 most endangered primates and also among the most strikingly coloured.

To go on a tour, people have to follow certain rules like wearing sport shoes to reduce noise when walking nearly 2km along Tien Sa Road to look for the animal and having a camera with a telephoto lens to ensure a minimum distance from the animals.

Son Tra has pristine natural sceneries with a blue sea and unexplored forests and a diversity of flora and fauna. — VNS

Source : vietnamnews[dot]vn

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Deputy PM lists 6 nightmares for tourists in Vietnam

Vietnamese tourism authorities changed the slogan “Vietnam - The Hidden Charm” in 2012 and a deputy prime minister may have inadvertently revealed why.

Foreign tourists bargain with cyclo drivers in Hanoi downtown. Photo credit: AFP

Vu Duc Dam, speaking to the media, has admitted that unsafe traffic, dirty food and environment, thieves, beggars, and overcharging by vendors have indeed hidden Vietnam’s charm.

Speaking about tourism during a break at the National Assembly Thursday, he admitted there are six things foreign tourists are “very scared” of in Vietnam, but said these can be fixed at little cost.

He said while the country needs a lot more infrastructure to boost tourism, it can first focus on tasks that do not need a lot of money, such as fixing some “haunting” problems.

He said the first problem for tourists in Vietnam is exorbitant prices, which is not just a matter of the pocket but also one that makes tourists feel “disrespected.”

The second problem is traffic, he said. “The traffic in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is very unsafe.”

The third problem is beggars and petty thieves,

he said, pointing out that a person on a tour wants to relax and explore nice things, “But when they come to Vietnam, they see beggars or those pretending to be beggars, and the image haunts them, even after they leave.”

He said the authorities can resolve the problem without having to spend a lot of money.

The fourth scare is food safety. Though street foods are one attraction that interests many foreign visitors, many do not feel comfortable seeing sellers pick foods with bare hands, he said.

The hygiene issue leads to the fifth problem, which is poor public sanitation, including littering everywhere and stinky toilets.

“Even at major tourism areas, people are not aware of the need to keep the environment clean.”

The last scary thing, he said, is the lack of hospitality on the part of some locals to foreigners.

Dam said Vietnamese people are generally friendly, but some are not, especially if they are vendors who cannot sell to a foreigner.

“In many places, vendors immediately make a disrespectful face when a foreigner refuses to buy. Though they cannot understand what you say, they can feel it.”

Vietnam has won global praise for beautiful scenes and nice people, but those problems are making it lose tourists to nearby countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, which receive several times more tourists every year, he said.

Thailand earns $60 billion from tourism every year, while for Vietnam it is only around $10 billion, according to official figures.

Dam said all the problems he mentioned are very specific and basically related to lifestyle, which people need to change.

“Only then can we be proud.”

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ITE to attract over 25,000 visitors

The 2015 International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC) which is scheduled to take place from September 10 to 12, 2015, will attract many participants from international travel organizations such as Tokyo Tourism Department (Japan), Brunei Airlines, Poland and Turkey Tourism Department & Philippines, said the HCM city’s Department of Tourism.

The ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and the city People’s Committee sent dispatches to 62 provinces and cities nationwide to announce the event. 900 travel enterprises and 3 and 5 star hotels, 20 tourism promotion companies registered to take part in the event.

The organization board expects to attract around 220 international travel agencies which focus on major tourism markets such as North European, South Asia, ASEAN and North American, Japan, Australia, Russian… and 100 regional tourist agencies including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

Besides, the International Travel Expo 2015 edition is estimated to welcome over 25,000 visitors.

Source: SGGP

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Ha Giang shows off buckwheat

The northernmost province of Ha Giang, which has the largest area under buckwheat in the north-western region, will organise the first ever buckwheat flower festival in early October when fields in full bloom and look most beautiful.

The province plans to bring more under the plant in Dong Van District, including in seven communes that are popular tourism spots.

Source: VNS

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Grapefruit village a good getaway

With its green orchards, fresh air and tranquil setting, Tan Trieu grapefruit village in the south-eastern province of Dong Nai is an ideal place for weekend tourism.

Situated 40km from HCM City, the village is n Tan Trieu Islet in Vinh Cuu District. The 1,114ha islet is surrounded by the Dong Nai River. Though fertile, the place is only suitable for grapefruits since it is often inundated.

The wine is produced by the orchard owner Huynh Minh Hue and put in grapefruit-shaped pots.

Nam Hue also has a one-hour sightseeing boat tour around the islet.

Source: VNS

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Da Nang to start primate tours

The Management of Son Tra Peninsula and Tourism Beaches in Da Nang and the Son Tra Forest Protection Division are carrying out a survey to start tours of the peninsula to shoot pictures of gray-shanked douc langurs starting early next month.

Son Tra has pristine natural sceneries with a blue sea and unexplored forests and a diversity of flora and fauna.

Source: VNS

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Demand for U.S. summer tours soars

Travel firms have reported increases of 30-50% in bookings for summer tours to the United States against last summer.

Speaking to the Daily, they said many more Vietnamese people have registered for tours to the U.S. this summer and already applied for U.S. visas.

Phan Dinh Hue, director of Viet Circle Travel and Service Company, said his firm saw a trebling of U.S. tour bookings against last summer.

“This is a phenomenon of outbound travels,” Hue said, adding U.S. tours are now more affordable.

However, Hue said customers will have to wait longer for visa interview appointments due to an upsurge in visa applications, instead of a couple of weeks as before.

Dang Trung Nghia, deputy general director of Fiditour, said bookings for U.S. summer tours at this company have jumped 40-50%. Many people have booked tours to sightsee, visit relatives or seek schools for their children.

“More flights, lower tour prices and relaxed visa requirements have spurred demand for U.S. tours,” Nghia said.

Some travel firms said prices have dropped around 10% at VND50-65 million (US$2,300-3,000) for a seven-day trip to the West Coast of the U.S. or over VND75 million for trips lasting more than 10 days.

Recently, some companies such as Saigontourist and Fiditour have cooperated with partners to lower prices to VND35-36 million for tours of six to seven days.

Nghia said a group of Fiditour guests returned to Vietnam over the weekend after a trip to the U.S. to do sightseeing and visit relatives at a price of VND35 million per person.

According to David McCawley, countrywide consular coordinator at the U.S. Consulate General in HCMC, there has been an overall rise of over 50% in the number of Vietnamese visa applicants this year compared to the previous year as more Vietnamese are coming stateside owing to growing ties between the two nations.

It is positive when more Vietnamese are traveling to the U.S. to study, attend conferences and visit families.

Currently, tourist visa applicants have to wait about seven weeks for interview appointments and whether a visa application is approved or not depends on the day of the interview for most cases. If their visa is approved, their passports will be delivered by mail in two to five days depending on where they reside.

McCawley said greater effort is being made to reduce the visa interview appointment waiting time by arranging interviews at weekends and expanding the visa renewal program.

“It is now possible to renew your visa by mail, with no appointment, if it expired less than 48 months ago,” McCawley told the Daily via email on June 8.

“I have several suggestions for Vietnamese applicants for U.S. tourist visas:

Plan ahead! Begin your visa application process and schedule your appointment as early as possible. You don’t need to wait until your plans are definite.”

Besides, McCawley advised applicants not to pay anyone to “help you get a visa” or believe anyone who tells them what they should say at the interview or present fake documents at the interview.

Source: SGT

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Bitexco tower- Symbol of prosperity

With its unique architecture, Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City has become a tourist attraction. Shaped like a lotus, the tower symbolizes Ho Chi Minh City’s prosperity.

HCM City, Bitexco Financial Tower, High-rise Buildings, Vietnam’s culture

Located in District 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Bitexco Financial Tower covers nearly 6,100 square meters and required an investment of US$400 million. On the tower’s 50th floor, there is a helicopter pad.

Vu Quang Hoi, President of the Bitexco Group, says the design of the tower was inspired by the beauty and charm of Vietnamese lotus flowers.

“It’s difficult for us to ensure both the economic benefit and cultural and architectural features for our project. We gathered the most elite experts and mobilized builders from the Republic of Korea to implement this project. The tower is well operated like other symbolic skyscrapers around the world and guarantees the best service for visitors,” Hoi noted.

The tower began operation on October 31, 2010 as the tallest building in Vietnam at that time and now ranks second after the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower which was completed a year later.

HCM City, Bitexco Financial Tower, High-rise Buildings, Vietnam’s culture

From its inauguration, the tower is now the 110th tallest skyscraper in the world and was ranked by the US Committee for High-rise Buildings as one of the world’s greatest skyscrapers.

Mr. Carlos Zapata of the US, the main architect of the project says that the design of the tower was not aimed at competing for its height but to show the vitality of the tower through the images of a lotus bud and conical hat reflecting Vietnam’s culture.

The tower is 262 meters high and is comprised of 68 floors. Thousands of reinforced glass panels were imported from Belgium and processed in the Republic of Korea.

Each panel is different from the next. 37,000 square meters of the tower are dedicated to office space and 11,000 square meters for shopping areas, recreation and services. The observation deck “Saigon Skydeck” on the 49th floor offers visitors a 360-degree view of Ho Chi Minh City.

HCM City, Bitexco Financial Tower, High-rise Buildings, Vietnam’s culture

Do Quoc Le is a member of staff at the tower. He noted, “With its outstanding height and observation deck, the tower has become a tourist attraction in Ho Chi Minh City. From the tower, visitors can have a panoramic view of the city. The tower demonstrates Vietnamese people’s wisdom, strength and potential”.

The tower sparkles at night in laser light and in recent years, the tower has served as a venue for magnificent firework displays.

Source: VOV5

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Hoi An develops farm tourism

The Hoi An People's Committee has decided to develop tourism and services in An My village in Cam Chau Ward to create more new attractions for visitors to the ancient city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The tours will take in farming and fishing, with visitors doing work on farms like growing vegetables and rice and catching fish.

Located 3km from Hoi An and 1.5km from Cua Dai Beach, An My has paddy fields, natural ponds and vegetable farms.

Source: VNS

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135-year-old Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral to get first-ever facelift

The 135-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City will be restored for the first time in the next three months, Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper reported.

The Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. Photo credit: Nguoi Lao Dong

The HCMC Archdiocese has confirmed the information, adding that it may take several years to finish the upgrading project, according to the report.

A representative of the archdiocese said the historical building looks fine from the outside, but the interior structure has degraded. Therefore, the project is necessary as it will ensure safety for parishioners.

He said the project will use long-lasting and damp-proofing bricks imported from France to replace the old bricks inside the cathedral. The project will not change anything in the original design of the cathedral.

As scheduled, a huge scaffold will cover the cathedral from the rooftop to the ground, so city dwellers will no longer be able to see it from the outside.

The Saigon Notre Dame was built by French colonists between 1863 and 1880. It has two bell towers, with a height of 58 meters (190 feet).

It is among the most famous sites in HCMC.

Old and rotten bricks of the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon. Photo credit: Nguoi Lao Dong

Tiles have fallen from the roof of the cathedral. Photo credit: Nguoi Lao Dong

The Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon in 1882. Photo courtesy of the HCMC Archdiocese

Source: Thanh Nien News

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Road to Moc Chau Plateau

Moc Chau plateau, located about 200 km west of Hanoi is one of Vietnam’s most attractive tourist destinations.

The plateau is usually cool in the summer with an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and dry in the winter.

The road from Hanoi to Moc Chau with its magnificent landscapes and down to earth hospitable people is truly an inspiration that will warm your heart.

Here are a few images we hope will entice you to go and see it for yourself.

Zigzag stretch of road to MocChau Plateau

A stopover for bikers

A small stilt house on the side of the road

Terrace fields

Grandmother and granddaughter washing clothes

Forest peach trees

Dai Yem water fall

Ban On Cave

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Renowned Vietnamese Pho restaurants in foreign countries

Travellers around the world can enjoy Vietnamese "Pho" Rice Noodle Soup at a number of restaurants run by overseas Vietnamese in many countries including the US, Switzerland, Australia, and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The restaurant owners keep the traditional flavour of the Vietnamese Pho as if they were in their homeland.

Here are some famous Pho restaurants:

Pho Bang in the US

The restaurant is located at Chinatown-the most crowded neighbourhood in New York City.

It is also listed as the best 10 Pho spots in New York City by Thrillist-a leading US food, drink and travel website.

According to the website, Pho Bang attracts visitors thanks to cheap price (about US$7-US$10 per bowl) with meaty and herbaceous flavour.

Customers can only pay an extra buck or two to request a super-sized bowl.

Maisond’Asie in Switzerland

Maisond’Asie (Asian House) has lured a huge number of international tourists and overseas Vietnamese living and working in the country.

The restaurant, located near the Geneva Train Station, is decorated with many Vietnamese traditional musical instruments.

Each bowl costs 17 francs (VND400,000).

Little Saigon in RoK

Little Saigon is one of the first spots in Seoul to serve Pho.

The service is friendly, abundant and responsive even on busy Saturday afternoons. Waiters stand around waiting to help at any time.

The price of each bowl is around 8,000-12,000 won (VND150,000-VND230,000).

Restaurant An in Australia

The restaurant serves traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup, northern style -Vietnamese Pho which is prepared with rice noodles topped with beef or chicken, fresh picked herbs and bean sprouts.

Each bowl costs AUD18 (VND 300,000).

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Hoi An one of 10 best cities in Asia: Smarter Travel

Smarter Travel, one of the largest online travel resources for independent advice for the budget-conscious traveller, has voted Hoi An as one of the 10 ideal cities for visiting in Asia.

Hoi An

The US site says, "A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hoi An Ancient Town remains a trading port, just as it was from the 15th to 19th centuries as it thrived in the spice trade. "The fact that it's so well-preserved attracts foreigners who come to see the poster child for traditional Southeast Asian ports.

"One-time merchant homes represent Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese styles and are now a mix of antique shops, eateries, and galleries."

Hoi An is ranked ninth in the list. The others include Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Siem Reap, and Taipei.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Tinh Bien – An Giang int’l trade fair kicks off

Nearly 200 exhbitors joined the 2015 Tinh Bien–An Giang International Trade Fair that opened on June 5 at the Xuan To industrial zone, Tinh Bien district, the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.

The fair, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and An Giang provincial People’s Committee, runs until June 10.

More than 400 booths feature a wide range of items from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia such as -forestry and aquatic produce, processed food and consumer goods, wooden furniture and interior designs, building materials and craft products.

A series of activities, including meetings on trade exchanges and investment for businesses, the Cambodian market survey programme, as well as folk games and special art performances, will also be held during the fair.

The fair presents an opportunity for domestic enterprises, especially those in the Mekong Delta region, to boost goods exports, promote their brand names, and investment cooperation with other partners in the Mekong Sub-region, and strengthen trade ties between the region and neighbouring Cambodia and other ASEAN countries.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Beautiful Vietnam through American tourist’s lens

An American anesthesiologist Stephen Wallace has shared some of his photographs on Vietnam’s landscapes and people taken during his recent trip to the country.

All photos are posted on the US online newspaper, Huffington Post.

Revealing his decision to return to Vietnam, Stephen Wallace said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of US Marines landing in full combat gear at Red Beach near Danang and the 40th anniversary of southern liberation, national reunification.

‘My country put the Vietnamese people through a hell that should never have happened”, he writes on the website. However, any animus once held for the United States has long ago evaporated. The Vietnamese are gracious, sincere, hardworking, wonderful people that are extremely happy our countries are now friends.’

Some photos highlighting Vietnam’s places of interest:

Near Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam

Hoi An

Near Sapa- a mountainous district of Lao Cai province

Little girl in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue

Ha Long Bay

My Lei Massacre Survivor

Khe Sanh Fire Base, Khe Sahn

Mekong River

North of Hanoi

82-year-old Veteran of the War with France, Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam

Long Bien Bridge

A vendor in Ho Chi Minh City

An old man in Ho Chi Minh City

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Lang Biang recognized as world biosphere reserve by UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on June 9 recognised Lang Biang plateau in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Lam Dong as a world biosphere reserve.

The recognition was announced at the 27th session of the International Co-ordinating Council (ICC) of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).

Addressing the session, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong provincial People’s Committee, Dr Pham S took pride in UNESCO recognition and committed to implementing relevant projects to effectively manage and conserve the Lang Biang biosphere reserve under the motto of the ICC MAB.

International delegates expressed their delight at the recognition of Lang Biang biosphere reserve. They also underscored the importance of Vietnam’s participation in MAB conferences.

Dr Pham S emphasised the need to develop and conserve Lang Biang biosphere reserve in the time ahead, focusing on international cooperation and human resource training as well as elevating the image of Lam Dong to international friends through tourism activities.

The 275,439 ha Lang Biang biosphere reserve with a core area of 56,000 hectares covers the entire Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park, south of the Central Highlands.

UNESCO recognition has brought the total number of world biosphere reserves in Vietnam to 9.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Free Hoi An guidebook app launched for tourists

A free app known as Hoi An Local Guidebook has been launched for tourists visiting the ancient city.

Hoi An

The app, developed by Le Quoc Tien, 24, is available on Google Play.

Tien said the bilingual application will be useful for tourists in Hoi An, and it's free to download.

He said tourists can explore tourism sites, food, maps, folk performances and their way around the city.

Last month, the city also launched a tourism promotion between May and August.

Hoi An, located in the central coastal province of Quang Nam, is an old trading port that dates back to the 15th century. Its architecture and layout reflect the indigenous and foreign influences that melted together to produce the unique character of the town.

The UNESCO-recognised world heritage welcomed 1.7 million foreign tourists last year.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Streaked Weaver - The first record for Northern Vietnam

Hi All!

With the kindly helps from friends (Sebastien and others), I got some new photos for me just around Hanoi (from end of April to 23 of May 2015). The highlight is the first record of Streaked Weaver for Northern Vietnam. Robson 2009 mentioned this species is locally common resident at central, south Annam and Cochinchina.

Some others includes the other views (from Sebastien's photos) of Fairy Pitta (second time for me in Vietnam) and white morph of Asian Paradise Flycatcher (first time with photos and perfect view) and so on..