Vietnam was introduced as an ideal destinations for coming holiday by Lonely Planet Traveller Magazine. Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, Hoi An are considered as tourist attractions that cannot be missed.
via Top 5 Vietnam tourist attractions praised by foreign newspapers.
On December 12, Vietnam was introduced as an ideal destinations for coming holiday by Lonely Planet Traveller Magazine. Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, Hoi An are considered as tourist attractions that cannot be missed.
1.Ha Long Bay: the most beautiful seashore
Lonely Planet Traveller knows well about the legend related to Ha Long Bay: “once upon a time, a friendly dragon lived with people in the sky of Ha Long Bay. When the invaders came from other beaches, the Jade Emperor sent the Dragon down to the earth with the duty of making a natural barrier to protect Vietnamese. The dragon landed along the seashore, which made big rocks like fish scales. Now it becomes one of seven wonders in the world”.
Islands on Ha Long bay have different shapes. The famous islands here consist of: Hon Con Coc, Hon Trong Mai, Ngoc Vung island, Ti Top island, Tuan Chau island. Interestingly, when visitors come here after exploring islands and cave systems, they can stay overnight on seawater – cruisers in Ha Long bay.
2.Hanoi: an ideal capital for exploring
Skipping the noise of horn and overcrowded streets in rush hour, Hanoi is a friendly and safe city with quiet old town. Especially, there are streets named after the traditional trade villages here. Moreover, enjoying street food in Hanoi is very interesting.
3.Sa Pa: the best walking tourist attraction
Lonely Planet Traveller refers to Sa pa as the city of weather wheel with 4 seasons a day. Fog can cover all space in early morning, the sunshine is bright at midday, sometimes, there is a drizzling rain in the sunset and it is cold in the evening.
There is nowhere but Sa pa having the world-class landscapes with the distant mountains, the tottery terraced fields, colorful flowers, the sound of pan-pipe and passionate songs, bustling highland market-days…
4.Hoi An: the best place for enjoying cuisine
Hoi An is a small town with big meals. In early morning, stepping to streets, you can smell the fragrance of coffee mingled with the good smell of baked meat and sauce. The harmonization of yin and yang and the balance of hot – cold, meat – vegetable, sour – sweet – salted and other spices are the typical feature in Hoi An cuisine. Although the dishes are simple, you only enjoy one time, you will remember forever as the way you remember the friendliness of people here.
5.Mekong delta: a place to experience life of waterways
Tay Nam Bo is famous for isles full of fruits like: rambutan, pomelo, mango, star-apple, plum… However, visitors not only want to enjoy nature and fruits, but also explore the lives of people in that nature, especially the scene of market-day in Cai Be, Cai Rang floating markets….
On each boat, people set up a pole and hang goods they want to sell on that pole. Taking a glance, it is easy for buyers to see goods they need to buy. The scene of trading at floating market is bustling.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang is a national park in the center of Quang Binh province in north-central Vietnam. It protects one of the world’s two largest karst regions with several hundred caves and grottoes. Its name derives from Phong Nha cave, the most beautiful one, with numerous fascinating rock formations, and Ke Bang forest. The plateau is probably one of the finest and most distinctive examples of a complex karst landform in Southeast Asia.
Let’s see how beautiful it is!
According to Vietnam’s state-run news agency, the country’s southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau attracted some 650, 000 visitors with its numerous beautiful beaches from Feb. 9 to 17, up by 10 percent over the same period last year.
Many of the tourists came from Russia, South Korea and Japan, said the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Meanwhile, the capital city of Hanoi in the north has received 2.08 million tourists during the period, including 60,000 foreigners, an increase of 11 percent from the same period last year.
According to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, President Ho Chi Minh relic complex, Ngoc Son Temple, the Hanoi Old Quarter and the Museum of Ethnology were favorite destinations of tourists.
From Feb. 9 to 18, Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay in eastern Quang Ninh province received around 350,000 person- times, an increase of 17 percent over 2011.
During the period, the central Da Nang city hosted nearly 150, 000 visitors, with 48,000 of them are foreign tourists who came mostly from China, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, the United States and Thailand.
Notably, visitors came to Da Nang by air and sea routes increased dramatically. During the first three days, over 40 flights brought 5,160 foreign visitors to the city, up 26 percent over the same period last year.
The country’s Saigon tourist travel service company revealed that as many as 47 cruises ships with 42,000 tourists abroad will dock at Tien Sa port in the first quarter of this year, up 31 percent over 2012.
Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said that at present, the world travel trend is shifting from the Europe and the United States to Asia, especially the Asia-Pacific region.
Benefiting from the shift, Vietnamese tour operators and accommodation providers in recent years have been involved much in promoting the image of the destination to lure more tourists.
In 2012, Vietnam has increased almost 500 accommodation facilities, including 60 accommodation facilities rated from 3 to 5 stars which concentrated in the central coastal region.
Furthermore, the tour operators and accommodation suppliers also work closely with the airlines services to open direct flights to facilitate attracting visitors.
Last year, Vietnam’s tourism sector served over 6.84 million foreign visitors and some 32.5 million domestic tourists, pocketing 160 trillion Vietnamese dong (7.67 billion U.S. dollars).
However, besides the results achieved, the potential to promote the tourism sector is still not being fully tapped due to limited budget and poor management.
At present, Vietnam’s tourism sector has to face a hard reality that up to 80-85 percent of international tourists never turn to Vietnam after their first visit. It is high time for the country’s authority to take drastic treatment to deal with the issue.
In a movement, the Vietnamese prime minister in January has approved the master plan on Vietnam tourism development to 2020, vision 2030.
The overall objectives to 2020 are to develop tourism to be a key economic industry with high professionalism, modern and fairly synchronously-developed tourist infrastructure; high quality, competitive and diversified tourist products imprinted with unique traditional cultural characteristics.
The specific objectives are to develop seven tourism zones with specific tourism products, 46 national tourist areas, 41 national tourist spots, 12 tourist cities and other key tourist spots.
Vietnam set target to welcome some 10 to 10.5 million foreign tourists and 17 to 18 million domestic travelers by 2020 with the revenue of 18 to 19 billion U.S. dollars, contributing to 6.5 percent to 7 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
From a distance, Lung Cu is a spectacular sight in Ha Giang and referred to as “A high forehead of the motherland.” Tourists in Vietnam travel getting the chance to visit this Northern mountainous province don’t miss an attractive- tourist destination- Lung Cu where you can take in the imposing beauty of landscapes and the diverse ethnic groups living. Especially, you can see the Lung Cu flagpole, inspiring a deep sense of pride in Vietnamese.
Driving over 400km from Hanoi following National Highway 2 and 4C, the rocky plateau of Dong Van awaits visitors in Vietnam travel, with mountain paths like blood vessels sticking to the land standing between them and the summit of Lung Cu.
From a distance, Lung Cu is a spectacular sight, with the view dominated by giant boulders and the national flag flying above Dragon Mountain, all set to the backdrop of magnificent forests.
The flag tower itself stands proudly 1,600m above sea level. Its design is an imitation of the Hanoi Flag Tower, with eight bronze drums guarding the sides of the octagonal tower. The national flag adorning the top of the 135-stair tower has an area of 54m², symbolizing the unity of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups.
From the top of Dragon Mountain, the paddy fields and earthen-walled houses dot the sumptuous panorama, interrupted by two lakes that are said to be the dragon’s eyes. Even though people say that Lung Cu is a ‘thirsty’ land, the lakes never dry out.
The houses in Lung Cu also betray the superstitions of the people who live in them. Charms hang over the doors to expel demons and evil spirits, and the ancestral altar is carefully placed opposite the main door. The houses are usually open plan, but when newly-weds are welcomed into a family, the hosts use fabric to make a private compartment for them to enjoy.
Lung Cu Commune is home to nine villages, situated at a height of between 1,600-1,800m above sea level. In the winter, the weather is very cold, and sometimes it even snows. There are seven ethnic groups in Lung Cu. They are very friendly and hospitable. Visitors to their houses are considered distinguished guests, even if they are strangers. A bowl of their maize wine will soon warm you up.
Most ethnic people in the area cultivate rice and the Mong and Lo Lo still preserve the traditional weaving industry with flax fibres.
Lung Cu is also the land of the peach, the plum, tea, honey wine and Thang Co (horse meat hot pot). The bustling markets where the honey-yellow sunlight has never changed, the cheerful, shy smiles of the ethnic girls in colorful, handmade dresses, the playful grins on the children’s faces, and the welcoming nature of the people as a whole never fail to charm visitors in Vietnam travel.
Travelling along the Yen River near the Huong (Perfume) pagoda at this time of year, visitors are impressed by a carpet of water lilies blossoming in cold weather.
The river in Hanoi’s My Duc district has garbed itself in the romance of winter’s blossoming red and blue water lilies (nymphaea nouchali).
Tourists on a boat enjoy the beauty of the lilies
A 58-year-old local catching shrimp
The lilies infatuate many passionate photographers
In contrast to most women ethnic, Cong women don’ t known how to weav, just bring cotton to exchange cloth. However, the Cong women and men are good at knitting. What a special thing!
Name of ethnic group: Cong (Xam Khong, Mang Nhe, and Xa Xeng)
Population: 1,676 people (Year 1999)
Locality: Muong Te District in Lai Chau province and along the Da River.
Customs and habits: The Cong live in houses built on stilts. Each Cong lineage has a leader, its own social taboos, and its own manner of worshipping their ancestors at the altar. According to customs, young men and women can each take initiative in marriage. People of direct relations can only get married to their seventh generation relative. The man’s family actively proposes marriage.
After the betrothal, the man lives with his future wife’s family for several years. Women wear their hair knotted in a chignon on top of their heads which shows that they are married. The wedding is often celebrated once the couple has had children.
The man must then offer pieces of silver money to his wife’s parents. The woman’s family must prepare a dowry for the bride to bring to her husband’s house. Every year, each Cong Village holds a communal ceremony where several rites are performed to pray for bumper crops.
Culture: The Cong language belongs to the Tibet-Burman Group. The Cong folk arts are diverse. Their songs are characteristically composed of smooth melodies with alternating songs that are sung at communal ceremonies.
Economy: The Cong use a slash and burn method of cultivation. The Cong grow cotton which is used to barter for other cloth. Other handicraft activities include basketry and, particularly, red dyed rattan mat making.
Tet in Vietnam can’t lack of “Giò”, an attractive traditional dishes.
If tourists in Vietnam travel are invited to eat a Vietnamese Lunar New Year’s meal, it isn’t dificult to you encounter “Giò” dishes.
On the Tet traditional tray of food according to Vietnam Culture, with traditional dishes such as Chung Cake, chicken meat, spring rolls and so on, “giò” is one of the dainty morsels. Today, when “giò” almost become daily food and there are more various and attractive dishes on the tray, delicious dish of “giò” cannot be missed…
There are many types of “giò” such as: giò lụa (pork-pie), giò bò (beep dumpling), giò bì (pork and skin paste), giò mỡ (lean and fat pork paste), giò xào (fried pie), etc. Each type has a particular taste but the most important thing to make “giò” dish really attractive is that the fragrance of banana leaves and fish sauce combined in the piece of “giò”.
Giò xào (fried pie)
In all kinds of “giò”, fried pie is the easiest one to prepare, so families often make it themselves when Tet is coming. The main materials are parts of pork such as: ear, nose tongue, pork cheeks and “mộc nhĩ” (cat’s ear). The materials must be subjected to premilitary treatment, boiled through hot water, sliced, mixed with spices, pepper and fried.
After wrapping the fried pie, keep it in the refrigerator so that all the materials link together. The pie that is delicious must be wrapped carefully, raw materials must not be too dry and the dish will stir fragrance of the spices.
Giò bò (beep dumpling)
Beep dumpling
Also processed as fried pie, beep dumpling is often added for more fat so that it is not too dry. When cutting a piece of beep dumpling, it is slightly pink as the color of the beef. Especially, pungency and fragrance of pepper feature the typical characteristic of beep dumpling.
Giò lụa (pork-pie)
Pork is chosen to make pork-pie must be lean, delicious and fresh meat. It is continuously ground until the meat is fine. These days, the meat is ground by machine, which makes the process more quickly and helps to save the maker’s strength.
Pork-pie
However, the pork-pie is make in the traditional way remains the delicious flavor that is different from the one ground bymachine, since the makers must use more strength so they take proper care of their product. Fish sauce for making pork-pie must also be tasty and fragrant. When being cut, the pie must has the color of ivory-white and the surface has some small holes, surely that the pie is so delicious!
Giò bì (pork and skin paste)
Pork and skin paste is a local specialty of Pho Xuoi (Hung Yen Province). It is also made from uncooked pork-pie and pork skin that are sliced, then wrapped into small ones like fingers. Pork and skin paste is delicious, it means that pieces of pork skin must be white, clean, boiled, cut into small ones and mixed with uncooked pork-pie. The piece of pork and skin paste is so crispy and crunchy.
Tourists in Vietnam travel once try to taste these kinds of “giò”, it is certaintly that you cannot forget the tasty flavor and fragrance of the dainty morsels…
The humble snail has pride of place in Vietnamese cuisine, especially in Hanoi. A kind of snail living in ponds and lakes that grows to the size of a golf ball is used to make a uniquely delicious dish called bun oc (snail noodle soup).
Hanoians usually eat bun oc for breakfast or lunch, particularly in winter. When it gets cold, it is hard to imagine anything more delightful than slurping down a bowl of steaming hot and spicy soup with the chewy but tasty snail in it.
Bun oc is mostly loved for its broth, a blend of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Thach Lam, a famous writer, once wrote in his book, Hanoi 36 Old Quarters: “Sour and hot snail broth … makes one shed tears more earnestly than does love.”
The best snails for this dish are oc buou and oc nhoi, two large, rather rounded snails with streaks of color.
After boiling the mollusks, the cook pulls the meat out of the shell and fries it with onions, fish sauce, and MSG.
The broth is made from the water used to boil the snail and cooked with tomatoes to make it sour and pig bones to make it sweet. Tofu, vinegar, cooking oil, pepper, salt, sugar, and dried chili are then added to the consommé.
The snails are placed in a bowl of rice vermicelli and the broth is poured over them.
Bun oc is accompanied by a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs like lettuce, coriander, perilla, knotweed, and basil.
It is said in Hanoi that women frequent bun oc stalls more than men. It could be because the dish is not fatty and can be eaten as a snack between meals.
For Hanoians, the dish is the most sought-after food during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays when they are usually glutted with meat.
While a bowl of hot snail noodle soup is perfect for winter, bun oc nguoi (nguoi means cold) is the dish of choice in summer. When customers order for cold bun oc, the vendor will give them a plate of rice vermicelli, a bowl of boiled snails, and a small bowl of dipping sauce.
The snails are served with vermicelli dipped in the dipping sauce which is a mixture of fish sauce, vinegar, ginger, and chili.
Bun oc can be found in small shops along streets and alleys or on a pavement where a vendor has been plying his or her trade for years.
It is not clear why snail noodle soup is much more delicious at street stalls than at home, but street vendors keep their recipes secret.
In Hanoi the most famous streets for bun oc are Mai Hac De, Hoe Nhai, Hang Chieu, and Hang Khoai and the area near West Lake (Ho Tay).
H’mong (Mong) people don’t wait for New Year Eve. For them, the first coo of the cock in the 1st early morning is the landmark to start a new year.
The H’mong includes many groups: Mong Do (White Mong), Mong Lenh (Flower Mong), Mong Si (Red Mong), Mong Du (Black Mong), Mong Sua (Mong Man). Now the H’mong popularity is about 558,000 people, gather in high mountain regions of Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Son La, Cao Bang, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces.
H’mong people have their own calendar, according to researchers, maybe they follow the calendar of Di ethnic group (China). Based on the calendar, their New Year Holiday is estimated in later November, earlier December in Vietnamese official lunar calendar. However, nowadays, almost H’mong groups enjoy Lunar New Year of Kinh people except for a small group, such as H’mong living in Moc Chau, that still remains their own Tet as well as the national one.
In December 25th and 26th, H’mong people start resting for Tet. They cover all producing devices, for example, the lu (lũ) closing formality is hold before closing the lu ron (lũ rốn), mill is unstitched, there is a large paper to implement formality with chicken, corn cake, wine…
Formerly, H’mong people don’t make chung cake (sticky rice cake). Now chung cakes are made but it maynot be in their Tet hanquet. They consider meat, wine and corn cake three dishes which can’t be lacked in the hanquet.
In 30th evening of midnight, they worship family ghosts (ancestors) with a pig, a cock ( a virginial one is the best). After that, they kill the pig and the cock (some rich families can kill a pig for meat in 28th and 29th). The cooked meat is worshiped then they enjoy the meal with wine until hearing the first coo of the cock.
From 1st on, H’mong people wear new clothes, shoes to go out. Papao throwing is one of Tet games that they are very interested in; besides that, there are more activities such as khon (khốn) dancing, u (ụ) dancing, pipe singing, folk music singing, horses racing, cross-bow shooting..
Especially, talking about H’mong Tet, it can’t be lack of Sai San Festival, also known as Gau Tao Festival ( praying festival). If a family have weak members or find it hard to have baby, they will set up a big symbolic tree in the start of village grass. Although this festival is known to be held by a family (the family is called the symbolic host), it’s a communitial festival, sometimes a village evenly take part in the festival of other one.
Gau Tao Festival is organized to respect ancestors of harvest, cattle and to pray for babies. The festival can long 3 days if it’s held every year or 9 days if the time period is each three year. This festival is the biggest one of H’mong people in year and it best demonstrates the features of H’mong culture in Tet holidays. In this festival, after ceremony part, there are charm-transferring (giao duyên) singing and playing favourite games activities as told below.
Charming Vietnam 