VietNam Travel: 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Majestic wins 2nd Class Labor Medal

An outside view of the Majestic Hotel Saigon in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: My Tran

The Majestic Hotel Saigon will receive the Second Class Labor Medal awarded by the State President on Thursday. It will also be awarded the prize “Golden cup for excellent profits and products 2010” by the online booking site Rakuten.com.

From 2005 to 2010, despite the economic slowdown the hotel met its targets with high average growth of 24% in annual turnover. The pre-tax profit in 2010 was more than four times the figure in 2005.

The hotel also has good environmental credentials with environmentally friendly products and green tourism development.

Nguyen Anh Vu, director of the hotel, said during 2011 the hotel will expand its operation into the third phase; building a twin tower with 24 floors, 336 rooms, a new ballroom and 12 conference rooms. The hotel will continue upgrading rooms into five-star standard and expand its business into Northeastern Asia to promote the brand name in the region.

The Majestic Hotel Saigon, under management of Saigontourist, was built in 1925. At 1 Dong Khoi Street in HCMC’s District 1, it has 175 rooms designed with French décor with Saigon River views.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

New bar at Sheraton Nha Trang rules the sky

The five-star international hotel, Sheraton Nha Trang has added a highpoint to the local bar-scene with the opening of the Altitude Bar on the hotel’s 28th floor making it the highest bar in the central coastal city.

Open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, the bar with stunning sunset views of one of the world’s most beautiful bays offers a wide selection of wines, champagne, cocktails, mocktails, juices, spirits, beers, coffee and soft drinks.

Michiel de Kleer, the hotel’s director of food and beverage (F&B), says both hotel guests and Nha Trang locals would enjoy the Altitude bar. “This is one of the best spots to watch the sunset in Nha Trang and enjoy the scene of the seaside city lit up at night.”

The hotel is launching a series of F&B and spa promotions in March. On March 8 or Women’s Day, every female guest will receive a rose and complimentary soft drinks when she has lunch at Steam n’ Spice, the dim sum and noodle shop on the first floor, and a special mocktail of the day with the dinner buffet at Feast.

One complimentary manicure or pedicure session will be given to female customers who purchase any spa package or 90-minute massage at the Shine Spa. For the entire March, guests can enjoy the Shine Romantic Package of a relaxing bath, 60-minute Shine Facial therapy and one-hour soothing Shine Aroma Massage from VND3.29 million for two persons.

Throughout March, guests who dine at Feast will stand a chance to win a prize of a two night weekend stay at Sheraton Saigon.

For more information and reservations, call (058) 388 0000 or email dining.nhatrang@sheraton.com.

Rest and relaxation in Vung Tau

Vung Tau Beach seen from the light house

I went to Vung Tau last week to unwind. The popular weekend getaway may not be famous like Nha Trang or Mui Ne with their stunning beaches, islands, islets and sand dunes. But Vung Tau has its own charms and is an amazing
escape at weekends for Saigonese who haven’t got the time to go farther.

It took me about three hours on motorbike. When I arrived the red sun was setting so I rode straight to the ocean and sat there until the aches and stresses of my long journey melted away.

Pilgrims climb the steps to the Jesus statue in Vung Tau City - Photos: Le Vi

I took a hotel room by the sea, then went down to the beach where couples were walking hand in hand. Some stalls were selling delicious fresh seafood. The wind blew in my face, a sea breeze for a city soul. The lights of boats in the distance were like stars on the water making the scene romantic and mysterious.

In the sand I saw words written, ‘I love you,’ ‘I miss you’ together with their names in hearts. I felt life was so beautiful and happiness was simple.

Early the next day, I woke up to go to the lighthouse to enjoy the dawn and admire the sun rising over the ocean. The view included Lon and Nho mountains and a bird’s eye look at the town.

Some local women were on their way to the market and some men were swimming while most tourists still slept. The day began in that way, simple and carefree.

After taking breakfast, I went to the Jesus monument where many Catholic pilgrims go everyday to pray.

As the sun warmed, I went back to the beach to swim. It was busy and disappointing as none of the girls were wearing bikinis, preferring instead to swim in their shorts and T shirts. Some of them wore long-sleeves and masks to protect them from the sun.

A lot of people sat at tables under umbrellas enjoying the seafood that the vendors cooked for them.

After a while I got tired of playing with the waves as the water is not very clean. So I said goodbye to Vung Tau feeling revitalized enough to return to the congestion of HCMC.

Saigontourist offers pilgrimage tours

Tourists at Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue City - Photo: Kinh Luan

In Vietnam, the first month of the Lunar New Year is time to make pilgrimages to pagodas to pray for a happy life, good luck and good health in the year ahead. Pilgrimage tourism is becoming a part of modern Vietnamese culture and an attractive tourist product for foreigners.

Pilgrimage tours to the north visit famous pagodas and temples, providing inner peace and interesting architecture such as Tran Temple in Nam Dinh Province, But Thap Pagoda in Bac Ninh Province, Temple of Literature, Tran Quoc, Ngoc Son and Quan Thanh Pagda in Hanoi.

Yen Tu Mountain in Quang Ninh Province is known as the mother land of Vietnamese Buddhism. The mountain is 1,068 meters high and is where the Truc Lam Buddhism sect was first based.

The highlight of the pilgrimage to the North is Huong Pagoda. The pagoda is in natural surroundings so pagoda visitors can explore the mountain, caves, streams and forest. Discover the mystique of the incense filled Huong Tich Cave, boat tours from Duc Wharf and the picturesqueYen Stream.

The Hung King Festival will be held at Hung Temple in Phu Tho Province April 6-12 with traditional artistic shows, ethnic rituals and indigenous foods.

In the South, most provinces have pagodas and temples such as Vinh Nghiem, Ong and Giac Lam Pagoda in HCMC, Dai Giac, Long Thien and Buu Phong pagodas in Dong Nai Province.

Binh Duong is famous for Ong and Ba pagodas. Dalat, the city in mist and pine trees, has Truc Lam Monastery Zen, Thien Vuong Co Sat and Linh Phuoc pagodas.

The interlacing canals of the Mekong Delta will transport you to floating markets, fertile orchards and fascinating pagodas like Ba Chua Xu and Thoai Ngoc Hau , Tay An and Nguyen Trung Truc in in Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province. Ha Tien, a province known for beautiful beaches, like Mui Nai, Bai No, Bai Ot, has Tam Bao, Thach Dong and Mac Cuu temples. If My Tho is famous for Vinh Trang Pagoda, Tra Vinh is well-known for Hang Pagoda.

Temples and pagodas in the Central are very imperial and elegant. Thien Mu Pagoda and Truc Lam Bach Ma Monastery Zen in Hue City, Long Son Pagoda and Cham’s Posah Inu Temple in Nha Trang City or Linh Son Truong Tho in Phan Thiet name a few. If visitors climb Ba Na Mountain in Danang City, there’s Linh Ung Pagoda.

Pilgrimage tours offered by Saigontourist Travel Service Company include a four-day tour to Huong Pagoda-Hanoi and Halong Bay priced at VND3.7 million to VND4.8 million, a four-day tour to Hanoi, Hung Temple and Halong Bay departing on April 12 and priced at VND3.7 million, a two-day tour to Do Temple and Yen Tu Mountain priced from VND1.6 to VND1.7 million, departing from Hanoi on Feb. 17, 19, 24 and 26 and March 3, 5, 10, 12, 17 and 19, a three-day tour to Linh Ung Pagoda priced at VND2.5 million to 2.9 million, departing from Danang on February 18 and 25 and March 4, 11 and 18, a four-day tour to Hoi An City to enjoy Nguyen Tieu Festival priced at VND2.7 million to VND3.2 million, exclusive of flight ticket and departing from Danang, a four-day tour to explore Hue City priced at VND2.7 million to 4.1 million, departing from Danang on February 19 and 26 and March 5, 12 and 19 and a four-day tour to Cai Be-Vinh Long-Can Tho-Chau Doc and Ha Tien in Mekong Delta priced at VND2 million to VND2.8 million, departing on February 17, 19, 24 and 26 and March 3, 5, 10, 12, 17 and 19.

Saigontourist Travel Service Company is at 45 Le Thanh Ton Street, HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3827 9279, email: info@saigontourist.net.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Lake reflects the heavens in An Giang

Teams compete every year in a dragon boat race - Photo: Lam Van Son

Bung Binh Thien (Peaceful Lake of Heaven), is a fresh-water lake in An Giang Province that is popular for weekend getaways.

Located in An Phu District, in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, the lake links the communes of Khanh Binh, Nhon Hoi and Quoc Thai. Fed by Binh Di River and Hau River, the natural lake is tranquil all year round.

It covers about 200-300 hectares and is four meters deep in the dry season. As it is connected to the Mekong River system its width triples in the rainy season, with the depth increasing up to seven meters. It is the largest fresh water lake in the southwest.

The stillness of Bung Binh Thien reflects the sky while water-lilies and lotus sway in the wind.

Bung Binh Thien is home to many ethnic Cham people who have maintained their amazing culture and traditional festivals such as Roya Phik Trok and Ramadan. On full-moon nights, young couples often take a boat and sing love songs.

The lake plays host to local boat races and water games in August. Tourists are welcome.

Cesar award winner to perform in Ha Noi

Friday, February 18, 2011

Artist recalls his boyhood in paintings

Artist Ton That Bang sings his song “Co gi dau” at the press conference at Phuong Mai Gallery in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: My Tran

A painting exhibition named “Memories: Leaves and Flowers” by artist Ton That Bang will open at Phuong Mai Gallery, 129B Le Thanh Ton Street in HCMC’s District 1 on Sunday.

The artist uses his brush to recollect his childhood in 30 oil paintings on canvas.

His memories are wooden horses, girls whose dresses are sewn of leaves and skirts weaved of reeds and an old woman with a giant leaf on her head. Some of the subjects stand solidly on the ground, others seem about to topple, while some are weightless. Coins and dices represent life as a game of chance.

Bang says, “Childhood is the time people embrace in their memories and heart. My memories are simple with my mother, my wife and my daughters. I owe them a debt of gratitude as they share everything in this life, protect me and support me to paint.”

The exhibition runs till February 28.

Ton That Bang was born in 1963 in Quang Tri Province and his paintings have been in many group and solo exhibitions in Vietnam, Australia, the U.S., the U.K., Hong Kong and Singapore. He is also a musician and poet.

Seventh House has a feminine touch

Customers relax at the Seventh House coffee shop - Photo: Thanh Hang

I discovered the Seventh House (Ngoi nha so 7) Coffee Shop one year ago and have since visited it alone or with my friends regularly. Words like “sophisticated” or “heartwarming” come close to describing it but the best description is definitely “feminine”. The word does not refer to pink wallpaper or “chick lit” novels, but the overall impression that it created on me.

‘Mysterious’ is the first feminine character of this café. Situated at the end of a small alley in HCMC, the coffee shop is a challenge to find the first time. Even though I know the way well, it’s hard to give directions to my friends. They think I’m joking when I explain, “The coffee shop is on Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street and down an alley across from the back gate of Marie Curie high school. There is a motorcycle-wash in front. Go straight to the end of the alley and go in the small white door.”

It’s not easy to approach a beautiful woman, but once you do, she’s a real fountain of pleasure. So it is with the Seventh House Coffee Shop. She is such a picky chick you will want to give up on her, but if you persist she’ll give you more than you expect.

Ring the doorbell and you enter a big room full of light from the giant windows above. Amazingly for a congested city, there is a small grassy field outside the house. I doubt that it belongs to the coffee shop owner. Sometimes a cat wanders over to a coconut tree there and rubs itself. Just imagine yourself lying on a soft cushion, drinking a strawberry smoothie, reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and observing a cat playing on the field, and you will know where the café’s femininity lies. And then the last sunlight will fade away outside, and there you will be listening to a love song coming from the guitar of a young boy sitting near you. This coffee shop really knows how to touch a woman’s heart - mystery, beauty, surprises and romance.

The Seventh House Coffee Shop is at 7 Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street, District 3.

Seventh House has a feminine touch

Customers relax at the Seventh House coffee shop - Photo: Thanh Hang

The Seventh House Coffee Shop is at 7 Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street, District 3.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Dao’s dance with devils

At the start of the ceremony, the leader of sorcerers begins with a dance to a slow beat

Spring means white man flowers cover Vietnam’s northern mountains, it also marks the time when Dao minority people hold fascinating festive activities to pray for fertile crops, prosperity and health for the New Year.

Nam An is a small village on a 1,000 meter high mountain in Ban Qua District in the northernmost province of the country, Ha Giang Province. There is a selection of different minority people living there but most are Dao. At Spring time, tourist can attend their festive activities, among which the Blessing and Fire jumping ceremony are the most interesting.

Old people said the Dao village deep in the jungle used to be frequented by devils and other dark powers. To protect them, villagers depended on a powerful man supported by sorcerers to meet the Almighty and ask him for blessings to fight against the demons. The blessing ceremony is the most important ritual that every Dao man has to take.

During the ceremony that takes about two hours, the most prestigious man, who has the most power and experience in rituals against devils in the village leads four or five sorcerers or more. They call for the Almighty to come and offer blessings for a certain man, no matter what his age. The blessing will bring him faith and power in the fight against devils, protection for his family and village against plagues and pests.

A dancer jumps into the burning coals - Photos: Pham Thai

The man and his attendants wear colorful brocatelle, in red, their beautiful traditional costumes. With a sacrificed animal, the leader reads a long prayer in Chinese to call for the Almighty’s participation. The sound of the music gets louder, the men now dance in a big circle with their hands beating small Chieng, a traditional musical instrument. Finally, the rituals reach a crescendo with the fire jumping ceremony, when all the sorcerers and the newly blessed man jump bare foot into a fire and glowing coals, to prove their courage against devils.

Traditionally, the blessing ceremony could last three days with rituals, dancing, singing, drinking corn and rice wine, but it now takes only takes one day. Tourism has brought with it influences that have made many changes to the most sacred ceremony of the Dao people. Tourists on organized tours can now request a ceremony to be performed any time of year.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Spanish-Vietnamese bicycle around the world

Guim Valls Teruel and Nguyen Thuy Anh will set out to complete their solar powered bicycle world tour from Hanoi this weekend - Photo: The organizers

A Spanish-Vietnamese couple, Guim Teruel and Nguyen Thuy Anh will become the first people to travel around the world using solar-energy powered bicycles, the Spanish Embassy in Hanoi announced on Monday.

The journey will promote renewable energies and the virtues of exercise.

Guim Teruel began his journey around the world alone, departing from Beijing in China. During his journey, he traveled 14,000km, passing through 11 countries and territories including China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and Vietnam.

He arrived in Vietnam in 2009 and was interviewed by Nguyen Thuy Anh, a reporter from Vietnam Television’s Channel VTV6. They fell in love and later got married in 2010.

Teruel and his wife will continue the journey from Hanoi on February 18 to London in the U.K., traveling through 20 more countries including Laos, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, Persia, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and Poland.

During their journey, the couple will write articles and film short video-clips of the places they have visited and send them to Channel VTV6 to broadcast, Thuy Anh said.

Teen anime fans throng festival

A stage adaption of Katekyo Hitman Reborn, one of the hottest manga and anime in the otaku community in Vietnam - Photo: Thanh Hang

The HCMC community of otakus – fans of anime and manga – gathered at their annual festival on Sunday at Le Thi Rieng Park, 835 Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, District 10. At the one-day event called “Teen and Otaku Festival 2011” the young comics fans bought Anime and Manga artbooks, posters, and gifts at 25 stands.

Other activities included Cosplay competitions, music contest and performances and a Manga knowledge test.

The festival was standing-room-only at some of the stalls as young people crowded to buy merchandise of their favorite characters. Thao Nguyen, 16, explained that the colorful artbook she bought came with the Nabari No Ou manga, and said she thought that VND250,000 was totally worth it. Another young girl in costume who asked the Daily to refer to her by her nickname Fuko had another way to show her passion for Manga. “I’m cosplaying as Enma-Ai in Jigoku Shoujo. I started to cosplay two years ago at fourteen because I wanted to be my favorite character in every way, from the costume to the gestures,” she said.

Another part of the festival was a cosplay competition that was held throughout the day. In two categories of group and single performance, the contest challenged the cosplayers to demonstrate the talents of their character. Some sang the soundtrack from the anime, some did the traditional dance, while others made stage adaptations of the manga or anime.

Hosted by Vang Anh Cultural Company and thegioitruyentranh.vn, previous festivals had received good feedback from anime and manga lovers.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Local hiphoppers perform in Hanoi, HCMC, Paris, Berlin

A play called “Faces,” created in 2008 will be on in Hanoi and HCMC late this month, followed by performances in Paris and Berlin.

In the dance/theatre performance, German-French choreographers Raphael Hillebrand from Germany and Sébastien Ramirez from France work with nine dancers from three hiphop crews, Big Toe, Milky Way and Sacred Crew and two musicians from Hanoi.

“The dancer’s masks raise questions about modern-day society. Do people wear so many different masks that, in the end, they are afraid to see their real faces?”

Faces that is produced by Goethe Institute Vietnam and the French Cultural Exchange Center, L’Espace, and supported by Fonds Elysée asks questions about the youth such as: What is the biggest dream in my life? Where will my future go if I become a hiphop dancer? What is love?

The show suggests there are many ways to preserve traditional customs and pass them on to young people. It merges traditional and contemporary music and dance. Faces reveals Vietnam to be dynamic, opening and modern, but also traditional and culturally rich.

The performance will be staged at Tuoi Tre Theater, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street in Hanoi at 8 p.m. on February 25 and at Ben Thanh Theater, 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street, HCMC’s District 1, HCMC at 8 p.m. on February 27.

Tickets are free at Goethe Institute in Hanoi and HCMC.

A generally disappointing venture

A scene at the circus show Xin Chao! in September 23 Park in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: The organizers

I am a fan of circuses, and the more traditional they are the better I like them. But Xin Chao!, though staged in the circus tent in Saigon’s September 23 Park on Pham Ngu Lao Street, is not a circus, but rather a pageant representing two episodes in Vietnam’s history plus an epilogue, all told in mime together with would-be-elegant costumes and lighting. There’s plenty of sound and fury, but in the end it doesn’t signify very much.

This show is neither a circus nor anything interestingly different. On the one hand you’re not going to learn much Vietnamese history from Xin Chao!, and on the other the thrills and splendour of the old circus are amost entirely absent. Various circus acts are incorporated to liven up what turns out to be a brief story (only Vietnam’s mythic origins and the ancient struggle with China are featured), but the music is unmemorable, whereas it’s the vibrant popular music that drives a traditional circus. Missing too is the circus’s sense of timing, and its characteristic panache.

It might be argued that, with harmonised costumes and lighting, this show adds an artistic dimension to the old routines. But it’s pointless to try to incorporate a sense of beauty into the genre because circuses are beautiful already, as the works of many old painters (such as Picasso) testify. And acrobats are the purest form of theatre there is.

Under a hundred patrons were present at Sunday’s performance, most of them foreigners. Indeed, the short last section of the show, supposedly representing Vietnam on Tuesday, could only be received with derision by any contemporary Vietnamese.

More attractive, because more authentic, is the animal-based circus from Hanoi that shares the venue over the Tet period. Only small animals are used (though there is a sleepy crocodile and a rather large snake), and the truth is that this is primarily a show for children. But the many children present when I attended responded to the event with clearly genuine, and extremely vocal, enthusiasm.

The prices for the two shows are very different - VND80,000 for the Hanoi circus and VND400,000 for Xin Chao! I could find no explanation for the difference except for the fact that more performers are involved in the latter. Neither of the shows, incidentally, is as enjoyable as that of the resident company, the excellent HCMC Circus, currently taking a break from its home turf.

Russia – key market for Vietnamese tourism

Russia is an important market for Vietnamese tourism and has high
expectations, said Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Travel
Association.

Over the past five years, tourists from Russia
have always been among the leading groups of foreign visitors with the
highest growth of 20-30 percent, according to statistics supplied by the
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

However, the
number of Russian tourists was still low in 2010 with about 100,000
visitors due to the geographic distance and a lack of promotions.

Tourists
from Russia like the coastal resorts and luxurious relaxing tourist
destinations. On average they also stay longer and spend more, around
1,600-1,700 USD, an annual increase of 50-80 percent, according to
estimates from Vietnam ’s travel agencies.

They are also interested in local products such as clothes, footwear, embroidery work, gemstones, handicrafts and silk.

Bui
Nguyen Tam Dang, Director of Vietravel’s overseas market group, said
that Russia has always been considered a market with huge potential.
In 2010, the number of Russian tourists welcomed by Vietravel rose by
20 percent against the previous years figure.

In Vietnam ,
Phan Thiet and Nha Trang in the central coastal provinces of Binh Thuan
and Khanh Hoa, are the leading destinations in terms of attracting
Russian tourists, said Dang.

Russia ’s airline Vladivostok Air
opened a direct route to Cam Ranh in Khanh Hoa province in late 2010
and could increase the number of Russian visitors to the central coastal
province by 50 percent in 2011, Dang estimated.

Travel agencies
operating in the Russian market say that Winter time is the high season
for Russian travellers. Their counterparts in Russia have also
promoted tours to Southeast Asian nations like Thailand , Indonesia
and Vietnam , instead of Egypt due to unstable political situation.

To
make the most of the opportunity, Vietravel says it is working with
service providers, especially hotels and resorts in Phan Thiet and Nha
Trang to attract more visitors from this promising market.

Localities
with the potential for maritime tourism like Da Nang City and Quang
Nam province in central Vietnam , are looking at ways of
attracting more Russian tourists.

Tran Chi Cuong, Head of the Da
Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Travel Management
Division, said that along with the continued investment in coastal
tourist sites, the city will focus on promotions in Russia in the
future.

Vietnam’s tourism industry will attend the MITT
international tourism fair in March in Russia, and is creating a project
to develop key markets, including Russia./.

Where the sun rises and sets on the sea

A tourist poses for a photo beside the marker for Vietnam’s southernmost point in Ca Mau - Photo: Dang Hoang Tham

Ca Mau at the southern tip of Vietnam has more than 300-kilometers of coastline where the forest meets the sea.

About 350 kilometers from HCMC, the Mekong Delta province is famous for mangrove forests and a bird sanctuary.

We visited the province during the Tet holiday on the recently upgraded National Highway 1A, which made the journey much more comfortable than in the past. Ca Mau City is a proud young city with busy streets and industrial and trade centers.

The Ca Mau Gas - Electricity - Nitrogenous fertilizer IZ in the U Minh Ha Forest is one of the large-scale projects there.

We continued our journey to the southern tip of the country on a cruise to Tan An Commune in Ngoc Hien District, which was where tau khong so (army ships with no numbers) were stationed during the war.

At the tip there is a marker with the coordinates of 8.37.30 North and 104.43 East to mark the southernmost point of Vietnam. The area has been declared nature reserve there and there’s a tourist park.

An interesting fact is that each year, Ca Mau expands another 100m out into the sea.

From a 21-meter-high watchtower, the panoramic view filled us with love for the country, gratitude for the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s freedom and pride for the beauty of the motherland.

The point at Ca Mau is the only place in the country where people can see the sun rise and set on the ocean.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Pancakes made from ostrich eggs

A pancake made from ostrich eggs served with fresh vegetables from the mountainside - Photo: Tuong Vi

Cam Mountain Tourism Park in An Giang Province serves banh xeo with a difference – a traditional Vietnamese pancake with ostrich eggs instead of chicken eggs.

Made with rice flour and the eggs from the ostriches that live at the tourist park, the pancakes are served with wild vegetables from the mountain such as kim that, la sung, cat loi, nganh nganh, dot bua, la vong and ma de. The aromatic leaves are all used to produce Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Every egg weighs from 800 grams to 1.5 kilograms and sells for VND250,000 each. A cook at the restaurant told me that she could make 50 cakes from an egg. Each pancake costs VND12,000.

In the cool climate of the mountain, the hot yellow pancake, the slight greasy flavor of the ostrich’s egg mixed with fried tiny shrimps, half fat and half lean pork, fresh bean sprouts, and green beans is delicious. The vegetables and the fish sauce give the dish a very special flavor.

Friday, February 11, 2011

First sailing school holds party

Vietnam’s first sailing school, based in Mui Ne, will hold its official launch party on Saturday night, February 12.

MANTA Sail Training Centre, which is managed by sailing instructor, Julia Shaw, aims to promote sailing in the coastal resort town and establish sailing as a national sport in Vietnam.

Shaw said she is trying to establish sailing here with international safety and standards in place at the outset while helping the Vietnam government register Vietnam as a member of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

Membership would mean ISAF support to develop the sport plus permit local sailors to compete in ISAF events and allows Vietnam to run international events on ISAF rules.

Before coming to Mui Ne, the sailing coach, who recently held sailing training at the National Sports University in HCMC, had tried to set up sailing as an alternative livelihood for fishermen on Con Dao as part of marine conservation efforts.

“I came across the perfect site in Mui Ne for a sailing school, sixteen months ago, after a review of sailing centers along the coast for government,” the sailing instructor said.

“We started setting up the school after basic renovations and drawing a national sailing plan based on a range of international guidelines which was reviewed by Bernard Bonneau from ISAF last July.”

“Recently I have been blessed with great staff for development,” she said.

There will be drinking and dancing at Saturday’s “Rock the Boat” party followed by a day of sailing.

The dinghies at the center cover the range of Olympic and regional racing classes viable for Vietnam to ensure junior and senior teams can enter and train for international events.

The party starts at 8pm at 108 Huynh Thuc Khang Street just after the Mui Ne Village sign.

Vietnamese kitesurfers head to Thailand for KTA contest

KINN team member, Ven, prepares during a four day training camp in Cam Ranh for the KTA championships in Thailand - Photo: Anny Barlow

Vietnam’s kitesurfing team, the KINN team will head off by bus on Friday to compete at Pranburi, Thailand for round four of the Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA) championships.

The three team members, “Kin” (Nguyen Ngoc Kim), “My” (Nguyen Duc Long), “Ven” (Nguyen Ngoc Ven), will travel via Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to arrive at the February 16-20 Thai event the day before registrations.

“For our two youngest members, Ven and My, who are both 18, it will be their first experience out of Vietnam. For Kin, his first experience was at last November’s KTA China,” team manager, Yoann Coutherut, who is also going on the trip, said.

“KINN team objectives for this season are to participate with all three riders at each of the remaining KTA rounds: Thailand, the Philippines, and Korea,” Coutherut said.

Kin who is 31 is currently first in the Asia KTA championship in Twin Tip (TT) Race Course and third in the Asia KTA championship in freestyle.

“We are hoping to retain the first place in TT Race course at the end of the championships and a place on the podium in freestyle would be very nice,” the team manager said.

“It is difficult to judge how the sport is developing in Vietnam as it is limited to Vietnamese guys that work on the beach. There is very little interest from Vietnamese girls so far.”

The KINN Pro Rider team also promotes the sport to young Vietnamese and helps the ones with potential to compete.

“Kitesurfing is developing well in Asia, and we are even starting to see the Chinese getting interested in this sport as well,” Coutherut said.

The last KTA round was held in Vietnam in Mui Ne, Jan. 12-16. Rounds one and two were in Turkey and China respectively.

Vincom Center shares moment of love with couples

To welcome Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), a romantic program named “Sharing moment of love with Vincom Center” is on at Vincom Center in HCMC’s District 1 until Feb. 14.

From now until the day for lovers arrives, come to the center for shopping or entertainment and have your photo shot with your beloved and receive gifts. After their photos are taken, customers can give their Facebook accounts to the center to have the shots posted on their Facebook wall.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 14, couples who come to the center will be presented a romantic gift and be invited to join in an exchange program about love at the M floor. Those who make friends through the Vincom Center Facebook will receive some special presents like heart-shaped chocolates, T-shirts, hats and pens attached with sweet messages. Additionally, with the permission from customers, Vincom Center will post their photos on its official website.

Apart from promotions, customers also receive gifts from stores at the Vincom Center and listen to love songs at the center.

The Vincom Center is at 72 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, HCMC, tel: 3911 1177.

Valentine’s Day with Saigontourist

A couple enjoys Valentine Day by the beach - Photo: TL

For Valentine’s Day, many city hotels under Saigontourist have delicious food programs for lovers to indulge in.

Grand Hotel Saigon (8 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel: 3829 4046)

The hotel’s Chez-nous on the ground floor will host the program “The night of couples” on February 14. Dine in the romantic surrounds by candle light serenaded by love songs and violin and guitar. Enjoy Western and Asian dishes together with chocolate deserts. Tickets are US$40 net/set for a couple, inclusive of a love cocktail and gifts.

Majestic Hotel Saigon (1 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel: 3829 5517)

The love party will be at the hotel’s Serenade Restaurant from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on February 14. Tickets are US$88 for couple, including Western and Asian menu, a couple of cocktails, a small bottle of imported liquor, a couple of love chocolates and roses. Guests staying at the hotel will be discounted 10%. A pianist, violinist and saxophonist will perform love songs by famous composer Trinh Cong Son plus dance shows of tango, waltz and cha cha.

Continental Hotel Saigon (132 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel: 3825 7679)

There will be a party just for couples at the La Fayette Restaurant on February 14 by candle light with piano and violin music.

The set menu cost VND900,000 per adult, inclusive of champagne, chocolate and roses. Happy hour from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. will be discounted 20%.

Dong Khanh Hotel (2 Tran Hung Dao Street, District 5, tel: 3923 6404)

The Dong Khanh Restaurant will prepare a buffet from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on February 14 with more than 30 Western and Vietnamese dishes and deserts made of ice-cream and chocolate. VND249,000 per adult and VND175,000 per child. Revelers will be given gifts.

First Hotel (18 Hoang Viet Street, Tan Binh District, tel: 3844 1199)

The Valentine party will be prepared at the hotel’s candlelit First Hot Pot Restaurant with romantic violin music. VND500,000 per couple, inclusive of one drink.

Bat Dat Hotel (238 Tran Hung Dao Street, District 5, tel: 3857 8252)

The hotel will offer a buffet of 45 dishes made in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine priced at VND279,000 per adult and VND199,000 per child. Buy 10 tickets get one free and one free cocktail for women.

Saigon Ship Hotel (Bach Dang Wharf, tel: 3823 0393)

Buffet featuring more than 30 dishes accompanied with performances of flute, guitar and Latin Eyes music band. Tickets are VND600,000 per adult.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Golf Card offers great discounts in Dalat

The Dalat Palace Golf Club is promoting a recently-launched benefit card scheme to allow customers to enjoy a range of deals and discounts to play golf and enjoy accommodation and services at the 5-star Dalat Palace Hotel and the 4-star Dalat Hotel Du Parc.

The holder of the Dalat Benefit Card, which retails at US$399 and is valid for a year, will receive big golf discounts, 20% off on rooms and 10% on massage/spa at both hotels, 10% on food and beverage at the golf club, and 10% on merchandise in the golf club pro shop.

“It’s a way of luring people back to Dalat,” said Lan Duong, general manager of the Dalat Palace Golf Club. “The thinking behind the Benefit Card was to offer visitors a value incentive to come up here and discover, or rediscover, what an experience we offer both in terms of the golf course and the hotels.”

The Dalat Palace Golf Club said golf had a presence in the area since the late 1920s, when a 9-hole course was laid out at the behest of Bao Dai, the country’s last emperor and an avid golfer. The course was completely renovated and expanded in 1995, when a new generation of golfers began falling for its mix of holes, landscaping and bent grass greens.

The benefit card has been introduced to encourage people to play and re-play their games. “Not only does the Card offer great value, it also encourages holders to really get acquainted with the place, something that is easier to do over 12 rounds rather than just the occasional visit,” Lan Duong said.

Lunar January is festival month

People in traditional costumes prepare for a buffalo to do the first furrow at Tich Dien Festival in Ha Nam Province on Wednesday - Photo: Hoang Ha

In Vietnamese folk culture, there is a saying: ‘Thang gieng la thang an choi (The first lunar month is the month to play and enjoy the festive time). In Lunar January everywhere around the country is buzzing with traditional cultural festivities. Typical of a wet rice civilization, Vietnamese people believe that when spring comes, the fun of harvest time also comes. People spend time with family, worship their ancestors and the gods of heaven and earth and go on a pilgrimage to the pagodas to pray for happiness, prosperity and luck for the whole year. That’s why traditional festivals bloom during this most beautiful season of the year. Here are some festivals happening during the first lunar month.

Huong Pagoda Festival

The Huong Pagoda Festival which opened on Feb. 8 (the sixth day of the first lunar month) in Hanoi’s outskirt district of My Duc, so far has attracted over 15,000 Buddhist pilgrims and tourists. The festival’s organizing committee and tourists planted five sakura trees donated by Japanese monk Yoshimizu Dai Chi at Tam Bao garden in Thien Tru Pagoda.

The Huong Pagoda Festival is the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam, lasting three spring months. It welcomes more than 1 million pilgrims and tourists each year. Nearly 200 high-quality boats have been added to the fleet of more than 4,000 boats to serve tourists during this year’s festival. While drifting on the river, tourists can enjoy traditional music shows.

A poetry night named “Tam Xuan” (the soul of spring) will be organized next Wednesday (Feb. 16 or the 14th day of the first lunar month), a Buddhist Culture Week and a Buddhist antique exhibition will start on Feb. 19. The highlight of the culture week is a ceremony to float flower garlands and colored lanterns on the Yen Stream featuring 2011 lotuses. The Huong Pagoda Festival runs until the end of March.

Dong Da, Soc Temple and Co Loa festivals in Hanoi

The culturally rich capital boasts over 100 festivals. The Dong Da Festival on the fifth day of the first lunar month (February 7) commemorates the battle of Emperor Quang Trung against invaders of the Qing dynasty. The highlight of the festival is a Fire Dragon dance. A group of young men wearing close-fitted white clothes, with red stripes and belts, and blue puttees, raise the dragon to their heads and perform the dance of the “hovering dragon.” Additionally, there are traditional martial arts, unicorn dancing, dragon dancing, wrestling, human chess, cock fighting and religious rites.

The Soc Temple Festival on the seventh day of the first lunar month (February 9) commemorates Thanh Giong, one of the four immortal gods of Vietnamese folk culture. People from eight communes in six districts around the Soc Temple gather to celebrate the offering ceremony to pay tribute to Thanh Giong. After being acknowledged as the intangible cultural world heritage in 2011 by UNESCO, the festival has gained much attention from local people and both domestic and foreign tourists. Catherine Muller, head of the representative office of UNESCO in Vietnam, told the Vietnam News Agency at the opening day that she appreciates the community spirit of the festival and this ancient festival has been well restored and promoted.

The Co Loa Festival from the sixth to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month (from February 8 to 18) at Co Loa Commune in Dong Anh District commemorates King An Duong Vuong who came to the throne in 257 BC. Local and neighboring people join in an offering ceremony in eight communes and enjoy various entertainment activities like traditional wrestling, volleyball, human chess, love duets, water puppetry, cock fighting, swinging and rice cooking among others.

Tich Dien Festival in Ha Nam

Locals and tourists on Wednesday (the seventh day of the first lunar month) flocked to Doi Son Commune, Duy Tien District in Ha Nam Province to celebrate the Tich Dien Festival (field ploughing festival) to commemorate the first ploughing festival since the year of 987 under the reign of king Le Dai Hanh. During the festival people participated in both cultural and sports activities like volleyball contest, swinging game, foot bridge challenge and tug of war among others. The highlight of the event was 15 big buffalos ploughing a field.

Lim and Ba Chua Kho festivals in Bac Ninh

The province has the Lim Festival, a famous folk music festival, from the 11th to the 13th day of the first lunar month. People come to enjoy the festival and see the performances of “lien anh” and “lien chi” (male and female farmers) who sing quan ho (love duets) and other types of songs in the pagodas, on the hills, and in the boats. Moreover there’s a weaving competition for girls who weave and sing quan ho songs at the same time. The Lim Festival also includes all the ritual stages, from the procession to the worshipping ceremony. The Lim Festival is a special cultural activity in the North. The festival celebrates the “Quan Ho” folk song which was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.

Ba Chua Kho Festival which will be held on the 14th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 16) at Co Me Village, Vu Ninh Commune, Bac Ninh City, Bac Ninh Province is to commemorate Ba Chua Kho or The Queen of Stock and to pray for property and good luck.

Gau Tao and Long Tong festivals in Lao Cai

This highland province has the Gau Tao Festival of the H’Mong ethnic people from the third to the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Long Tong Festival of the Tay people in the rice fields near their village on the fifth or 15th day of the first lunar month, and the dancing festival of the Red Dao ethnic people on the first and second days of the new year.

Moreover, there are other festivals like Gia La Festival in Duong Noi Commune, Hoai Duc District, Hanoi from the sixth day to the 14th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 8 to 16); the Sai Temple Festival in Thuy Lam Commune, Dong Anh District, Hanoi on the 12th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 14); the Va Temple Festival in Trung Hung Commune, Son Tay Townlet, Hanoi on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 17) and the Tam Thanh Pagoda Festival in Lang Son City, Lang Son Province on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 17).

250 compete in Ta Cu Mountain trek

Athletes trek to Ta Cu Mountain in Binh Thuan Province - Photo: Khai Nguyen

In the chill of the seventh morning of Lunar New Year on Wednesday, thousands of locals and tourists went to watch the trekking contest to Ta Cu Mountain in Ham Thuan Nam District, Binh Thuan Province.

The contest, organized for the fifteenth time, attracted 250 male and female athletes from Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Thuan provinces. The course covered 6,300 meters for males and 5,300 meters for females, of which are 2,300 steps to Linh Son Truong Tho Pagoda.

After 40 minutes, Ta Thanh Xinh in Binh Thuan won in the men’s open division, while Nguyen Ngoc Quang in Dong Nai and Tran Cong Binh in Binh Thuan came second and third, respectively. In women’s division, Nguyen Thi Diem My of Binh Phuoc won the first prize while Nguyen Thu Hiep of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Nguyen Thi Dung in Binh Phuoc pocketed the second and third prizes.

Binh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau won the team prizes.

In the individual division for men, Ta Thanh Xinh won, Tran Van Cong and Nguyen Hoang Duy came second and third. In the individual division for women, Huynh Ngoc Bao Tuyen came first while Nguyen Thi Hong Lin won the second and Huynh Thu Thu Thuy won the third prize.

Phan Thiet City and Tuy Phong District of Binh Thuan Province won team prizes.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Vietnam’s northernmost point

Lung Cu Town seen from Dragon Mountain

Standing on top of Dragon Mountain in the northernmost Ha Giang Province is the Lung Cu flag tower, flying the Vietnamese flag, delineating the border between Vietnam and China.

Ly Thuong Kiet, a king in the 11th century, built the first tower to declare the nation’s sovereignty from neighboring China. The tower was rebuilt under the French and has been restored many times since. Twenty nine meters high, it has six relief patterns of the Dong Son drum on the base. The national flag is a massive 54 square meters in area, representing the 54 ethnicities of Vietnam.

Tourists take photos under Lung Cu Flag Tower - Photos: Pham Thai

In order to reach the peak at 1,700 meters above sea level, there are 283 stone steps.

Eight years after the previous restoration in 2002, the tower went through another massive change, including 283 new descending steps and an internal staircase. The reconstruction, however, meant that vehicles can no longer go to the top of the mountain so visitors have to take the stairs.

Dragon Mountain, 24 kilometers from Dong Van District, presents a clear view of Lung Cu town and the corn and vegetable farms of the LoLo ethnic people.

The climb from Lung Cu Town takes one and a half hours. The town itself has little to offer in the way of souvenirs or other attractions for tourists.

Diver weddings give new meaning to ‘deep love’

Couples ready to take the plunge before their underwater weddings - Photo: Courtesy of Vietravel

The Vietnam Dive Center, Vinadive, will attempt a record for underwater group weddings on Valentine’s Day for nine couples simultaneously.

The official 30 minute ceremony will be held underwater with rings exchanged, signings, professional photographers and newlyweds exchanging kisses.

All the traditional rituals of a wedding ceremony, including Champaign opening and wedding cake cutting in front of families and friends will be held on board the Vinadive ship at Mun Islet in Nha Trang.

For Valentine’s Day, Vinadive, under Vietravel Marketing and Tourist Company, is offering the whole package for VND8 million per couple, a discount of VND2 million.

The costs include the wedding attire for the bride and the bridegroom, flowers, party for the newly weds at Con Se Tre restaurant, honeymoon suite at a five-star hotel, and two T-shirts. The day before, Vinadive instructors will teach the couples to dive.

In 2007, Vinadive set a record by celebrating the first underwater ceremony in Vietnam.

For more information, contact Vietnam Dive Center Vinadive at 23D Biet Thu Street, Nha Trang City, or call +84 058 3526 575 or hotline 0905 007 317 (Mr. Minh), email vietnamdive@vnn.vn, or access www.vietnamdive.com.

Where to celebrate the day of love

A couple write their names on a heart-shaped cookie at the Valentines buffet at the Windsor Plaza Hotel Saigon’s last year - Photo: Courtesy of the Windsor Plaza Hotel Saigon

For Valentine’s Day, impress your partner with romantic dining, accommodation and gifts.

Caravelle Hotel (19 Lam Son Square, Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3823 4999)

All afternoon on Valentine’s Day, the hotel’s Lobby Lounge will brew sweet nothings and a remarkable high tea. When the day wanes, both Nineteen and Reflections restaurants are set to prepare meals once enjoyed by Aphrodite herself. Each dinner comes complete with a flute of Mumm Champagne. Dinner at each of the restaurants costs nearly VND1.3 million++ while the high tea costs VND398,000++ per person.

Lobby Lounge & Restaurant Nineteen – Ground Floor – Caravelle Hotel

Reflections Restaurant – Third Floor – Caravelle Hotel

Duxton Hotel Saigon (93 Nguyen Hue Blvd., Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3822 2999)

Wine and dine your Valentine at the hotel’s The Grill Restaurant with romantic music by the Stroller Band, candlelit tables, heart-shape chocolates and flowers for the ladies. Valentine’s dinner buffet is priced at US$30++/person.

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon (253 Nguyen Van Troi St., Phu Nhuan Dist., tel: 3844 9222)

There will be romantic dinner menus at all the hotel’s restaurants.

The first 15 couples to book a table on this special day will receive a complimentary stay at the hotel’s brand new deluxe rooms. The price is at VND620,000++ per person including free flowing house wines, beer, soft drinks, coffee and tea. Valentine’s dinner is available from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Legend Hotel Saigon (2A-4A Ton Duc Thang St., Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3823 3333)

For this cupid celebration, the hotel’s executive chef Romeo Bantiling and his team will prepare a sumptuous international buffet serving an array of fresh seafood and a lavish spread of gourmet dishes at the Atrium Café. Ladies will be surprised with a special gift attractively arranged by the chefs for the night. The Valentine’s Buffet is priced at VND500,000++ for lunch and VND960,000++ for dinner. Children from 6 to 12 are half price.

Deli Corner from Feb. 12-14 offers a range of delicious chocolates and heart-shaped cakes for you to take away.

Park Hyatt Hotel (2 Lam Son Square, Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3824 1234)

Create precious memories over a private dinner at Opera Restaurant with Italian dishes prepared by Chef Michele Gulizzi, including a bottle of champagne and a special Valentines Day chocolate. The price is VND3.7 million++ per couple. A distinctive evening for two at Square One Restaurant is another choice at the hotel.

Renaissance Riverside Saigon Hotel (8-15 Ton Duc Thang St., Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3822 0033)

The hotel’s Kabin Chinese Restaurant offers Valentine’s Day dinner with an eight-course “couple menu” and a bottle of sparkling wine while Poolside Terrace and Riverside Café have their own ways to delight couples. Also includes roses and chocolates during dining.

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers (88 Dong Khoi St., Dist. 1, tel: 3827.2828)

The hotel’s Signature Restaurant offers a delectable seven-course degustation in truly intimate ambiance while Libai Chinese Restaurant offers a romantic dinner with a traditional flair. Saigon Café and Mojo coffee shop have something special for guests.

Sofitel Saigon Plaza (17 Le Duan Blvd., Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3824 1555)

Until Feb. 28, the hotel has the “Magnifique Romance” offer - a touch of French elegance to mark Valentine’s Day including a Valentine’s accommodation promotion, with double A/CLUB points, a bottle of champagne on ice and a romantic gift.

Windsor Plaza Hotel Saigon (18 An Duong Vuong St., Dist. 5, HCMC, tel: 3833 6688)

Sit down together to a magnificent Valentine’s buffet dinner with over 170 Western dishes at Café Central An Dong plus a gift from an angel and delectable heart-shaped cookies to decorate and declare your love for each other. The buffet price is only VND350,000++ per person. Ngan Dinh Chinese Restaurant’s chefs will prepare special dishes for one evening only on Valentine’s Day, including two glasses of wine and live music for around VND1.2 million++ per couple. TTOT Bar & Restaurant on level 25 also offers a lavish multi-course set menu for only VND550,000++ per person.

Vinpearl Nha Trang Resort & Spa (Hon Tre Island, Vinh Nguyen Ward, Nha Trang City, tel: 058 3590 611)

There will be a special program named “A moment of love – Speak for love” on Valentine’s Day featuring special buffets from Asian to Western cuisines for guests at Vinpearl Nha Trang Resort & Spa. The resort will be transformed into a paradise of multicolored flowers from the bedroom to dining table. Guests will receive a chocolate box from the resort to make their Valentine’s Day sweeter.

Saigon Domaine Luxury Residences (1057 Binh Quoi, Ward 28, Binh Thanh Dist., tel: 3556 6163)

This Valentine’s weekend, Saigon Domaine, a luxury serviced residence complex on the banks of the Saigon River on Thanh Da Island offers a special package. Guests who book a four-night stay (Feb. 11 -15) will get a special low rate of US$169 per night, with the fourth night for free. The package also includes a bottle of chilled champagne and fresh flowers in the room upon arrival.

The chef’s special Western set menu in the intimate al fresco setting of the River Garden is just US$19++ per person, and don’t miss the 25% discount off a romantic moonlight Thanh Da island boat tour.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Eco-tours offer green experience to visitors

Local residents offer tourism services and visitors can turn into
fishermen – that’s the ethos on the eco-tours initiated in 2006 by Hoian
Eco-tour Director Tran Van Khoa, who was born into a fishing family and
used to work in Hoi An’s Victoria Hotel as a receptionist.

A coracle (type of small boat) is dropped into the sea and Khoa
skilfully jumps aboard. He then explains to the tourists onboard that
local fishermen use coracles to catch fish and squid offshore.

He demonstrates how to steer it through the waves and receives a clap from five year old Ally Chris from Singapore .

Other members of the group are invited to try rowing the coracle. Many
of them are intrigued by the local fishing methods. Little Ally’s
mother, Elliott, insists on trying to cast a net into the sea. She draws
it back with only weeds, but she looks delighted, saying: "I have now
learnt how to net fish."

It is not difficult to find a
coracle or a buffalo on the Internet but if someone wants to experience
both interesting and exiting feelings when he/she tries the coracle or
rides a buffalo they need to have some experiences, said Erica Rubbs,
who is working for a non-governmental organisation in Myanmar , after
joining the eco-tour.

Every day, Khoa takes tourists
on cruises to try the coracles. They also visit the Bay Mau palm forest,
where soldiers sheltered in their fight against US invaders. Later they
can enjoy seafood delicacies served up by Khoa’s father.

Khoa also co-ordinates with the five-star Victoria Hotel to offer
special eco-tours, where tourists are encouraged to join in clean-up
activities in Bay Mau palm forest.

"Eco-tourism is
associated with no pollution, greenery and beauty," said Khoa, "There is
too much rubbish in the rivers, along the beach and in the forest. All
my customers are willing to join in a 15-minute clean-up and even the
other tours pick up rubbish to put in the bins on the boats." Within a
day, the tourists can experience farming techniques in Tra Que vegetable
village and then ride bicycles to Cuu Dai beach and try fishing from
Cua Dai Fishing Wharf .

"It’s an excellent way
to see the countryside and meet the people," wrote Tarja Halonen,
President of Finland , who took a tour in February in 2008,
together with her husband and their bodyguard.

Khoa’s
eco-tours have resulted from his own initiative and his whole family and
neighbours have helped. After graduating in English from Da Nang
College , Khoa worked in the Victoria Hotel . He soon realised that
foreign tourists were interested in his fishing village and its
surrounding natural beauty.

So he started the tour
business with 100 million VND (over 5,000 USD) capital. He designed his
own itineraries, and he was the sole guide, his father and mother help
to gear up the boats and serve the food.

Now there are
10 guides who speak mainly English and French and around 30 fishermen
provide and row coracles to serve big groups, earning up to 3 million
VND (more than 150 USD) a month.

"Eco-tourism is successful, because it requires little investment, but results in a higher financial turnover.

"Our eco-tours are especially appreciated as Hoi An has beautiful
scenery, many historic sites and hard-working, warm-hearted people,"
Khoa said.

The Business Traveller magazine has run an article
to commend Tran Van Khoa and his company. Together with the rich
cultural heritages, the efforts to preserve traditional values and
environment is the certificate of the young man on his love for people
and land in Hoi An where he was born and grew up, said the Asian Pacific
tourist magazine.

Hoian Eco-tour has become a famous tourist
trademark of Hoi An which received around 4,000 international tourists,
making up around one-third of the total foreigners to the city in
2010./.

Friday, January 28, 2011

New appointment at Victoria Hotels & Resorts

Hanno Stamm

Indochina’s luxury hotel group, Victoria Hotels & Resorts (under EEM group), has announced a key appointment for their head office based in HCMC.

Hanno Stamm has taken over the position of managing director previously held by Eric Simard since 2002. At the same time, Stamm will keep his current position as General Manager of the Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa.

With almost 20 years experience in hotel groups such as Accor and Radisson, the German national joined Victoria Hotels & Resorts in July 2002 as Rooms Division Manager of Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa. In 2003, he held the position of General Manager of Victoria Chau Doc Hotel followed by Victoria Can Tho Resort in 2004 and Victoria Phan Thiet Beach Resort & Spa in 2007. Hanno Stamm has been Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa’s General Manager since May 2009. He is also a graduate of the Swiss hotel management school, Les Roches.

The group operates six luxury Indochina retreats embracing off–the-beaten-track mountain and beach spa resorts in Vietnam, two colonial-style hotels in the Mekong Delta, and an elegant spa resort at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The agreement with Thien Minh Travel Joint Stock Company under which EEM was to sell its five hotel properties in Vietnam has been cancelled early January.

Can Tho gardener with golden thumb

Tran Thanh Liem tends to one of his golden watermelons that will be harvested on Friday

Farmer Tran Thanh Liem in Binh Thuy District in Can Tho City has a special talent growing gold in his garden. Liem has used his gardener’s green thumb to grow 100 pairs of yellow watermelons in the shape of gold ingots.

A pair of watermelons which weigh 2 to 2.5 kg each is priced from VND5 million to VND5.5 million. This is a new product for ancestral altar worshipping during Tet.

Liem told the Daily, “To shape the watermelons, I put them into a special mold 20 days prior to the harvest time.”

The talented farmer has also molded nearly 20 pairs of watermelons in cube shapes priced from VND2.5 million to VND3 million a pair. They have

A pair of watermelons molded into the shape of gold ingots is priced from VND5 million to VND5.5 million - Photos: Le Hoang Vu

already sold out so next year Liem will double the number of melons carved with “Van su nhu y” (everything to your liking), “Phuc Loc Tho” (happiness, prosperity and longevity) and “Chuc mung nam moi) (Happy new year) in the shape of gold ingots.

A moment to welcome Lunar New Year

Flower Markets

Three Tet flower markets are taking over the city’s three major parks: September 23 Park, Gia Dinh Park and Le Van Tam Park. The September 23 Park, across the roundabout from Ben Thanh Market, will be the city’s main flower market from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.

Other flower markets in the city are in Dist. 5 (two spots), Dist. 6 (two spots), Dist. 7 (three spots; specially in Dist. 7’s Phu My Hung area, flower market & festival is at Crescent Lake), in District 8 (10 spots), Dist. 10 (two spots), Dist. 11 (three spots), Go Vap Dist. (two spots), Tan Phu Dist. (one spot), Thu Duc Dist. (five spots), Binh Tan Dist. (three spots), Cu Chi Dist. (four spots).

Fairs for Tet Holidays

- From Jan. 21-26 at Phu Tho Indoor Stadium, 1 Lu Gia St., Tan Binh Dist., HCM City.

- From Jan. 25-30 at Van Ho Exhibition Centre, 2 Hoa Lu St., Hanoi.

- From Jan. 26-31 at My Dinh National Exhibtion Palace, Pham Hung St., Hanoi.

Firework Shows

Firework shows will take place at five of high range and two other of lower range during the 15 first minutes of the Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb. 3 at 0-0:15 a.m.

Caric Shipyard in Thu Thiem Ward, District 2, Administrative Centre project in District 7, Go Vap Cultural Park project in Go Vap District, Nga Ba Giong Memorial area of Heroic Martyrs in Hoc Mon District, Ben Duoc Temple of Heroic Martyrs in Cu Chi District, Ethnic Culture historical park in District 9 and Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11.

Ong Do Street

Annually, on Pham Ngoc Thach (in front of the Youth Cultural House) and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai streets (in front of the Labour Cultural House), dozens of young and old calligraphers (ong do) in traditional Vietnamese dress are displaying their calligraphy skills and selling Vietnamese or Chinese calligraphy written in black and yellow ink on red paper. They are New Year greetings wishing people happiness, wealth or longevity.

A calligraphy market will open on Pham Ngoc Thach Street from Jan. 21 to Feb. 2. Artists from the cultural house’s calligraphy club and neighbouring provinces will show off skills at the market.

Another calligraphy market on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 features artists including members of the Workers Cultural House’s Vietnamese Calligraphy Club and students from city universities.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street

Nguyen Hue Street will be decorated with flowers and ornamental trees, with this year’s theme being New Heights.

The core activity of the festival is the Nguyen Hue Flower Street on Nguyen Hue Boulevard, which will open for seven days from Jan. 31 (7 p.m.) to Feb. 6 (10 p.m.).

Lightings & Door-shows

Lighting up two main streets of Dong Khoi, Le Loi and Chi Lang Park from Jan. 26 to Feb. 14 to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Families living in these streets will be encouraged to decorate the front of their houses and participate in the Door-shows program from Jan. 31 to Feb 6.

Banh Tet Festival

The city’s 24 districts will organize the banh tet (cylindric glutinous rice cake) making contest to select the best cakes as token offerings to the Hung Kings and to produce 10,000 banh tet cakes for poor people to enjoy Tet on Jan. 28-Jan. 31.

Banh tet offerings will be made at the Temple for Hung Kings, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Ton Duc Thang Museum.

Tet Flowers Festival

Exhibitors and artisans will arrange and showcase flowers, decorative fish and birds, besides miniature models of well-known architecture works including Nha Rong Wharf made from flowers and foliages created by Japanese artists. Taiwanese exhibitors will also join the festival on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m.-Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.

The event will kick off in Tao Dan Park (55C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., Dist.t 1, HCM City) on Jan. 28, or five days ahead of the Lunar New Year. Apart from Tao Dan Park as the main venue, the organizer will also launch a minor flowers festival at Quoc Te Square, or Ho Con Rua as it is commonly referred to.

Homeland Spring

A special program with the performance of Vietnamese artists at home and abroad will take place at the southern gate of Doan Mon of the Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi on Jan. 28 to welcome Vietnamese expatriates who return home for 2011 Lunar New Year festival.

This year’s program is to celebrate the successful hosting of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the 11th National Party Congress. It is also to mark 100 years since Ho Chi Minh left Nha Rong Wharf on board a French ship to seek ways to liberate the country and 60 years since he returned homeland.

The program, jointly held by SCOV under the Foreign Ministry and other related agencies, will start with a incense burning ceremony at the Kinh Thien palace in the royal citadel.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

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