Cua Van Among World's Most Beautiful Villages

Cua Van village in Ha Long Bay has been recognized as one of the most beautiful villages around the world by Journeyetc.com, a travel blog that provide useful guidance on and latest information about the travel market.

In a recent article featuring the world’s 16 exceptionally charming villages, Journeyetc.com said tourists will be amazed at the historical sites and the cobble stone streets of the village. It is definitely one of the most scenic around the world, it said, advising visitors to admire the majestic lime stone hills of Ha Long Bay, take photos of the floating fishing village and colorful raft houses, and immerse themselves in the rustic lifestyle of Cua Van. Also in the blog’s list are beautiful villages in Switzerland, New Mexico, Italy, Tunisia, Japan, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, England, Hawaii, Georgia, Canada, Indonesia, Bermuda, and Chile.

British tourists to Vietnam increasing sharply

According to a new report released by the UK’s Post Office, Vietnam is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for British tourists.

The VND was the fastest-growing foreign currency in the United Kingdom this past summer, according to the Post Office Travel Money’s Fastest Growing Currencies report for June-August.

The Fastest Growing Currencies review by the Post Office, a retail postal service company that provides postal and banking services in the UK, measures demand for travel to global destinations of British holidaymakers based on currency sales.

The annual review revealed a year-on-year growth of 68 percent in currency sales - suggesting a boom in Vietnam holidays, fuelled by the introduction of direct flights last December and a host of new beach resorts.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines began service between Gatwick and Hanoi in December 2011, the first direct flights to Vietnam from Britain, reducing the journey by several hours.

Another reason for the sharp increase of Britons vacationing in Vietnam is the recent opening of new holiday resorts. Anantara Mui Ne officially opened its doors in April this year, while the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort made its grand opening in June 2012.

More international chain hotels are expected to open in Vietnam in the near future, including the Hilton Da Nang, which plans to welcome its first guests in 2013, and Movenpick Hotels & Resorts’ Quy Nhon due to open 2015.

The review also revealed that the other top two growth destinations for British vacationers are Brazil and Hungary, with currency sales for the Brazilian real up 66 percent year-on-year, and the Hungarian forint up 59 percent year-on-year.

Parallels & Fireworks in Tet

When Tet is coming, everybody is so busy shoping, cleaning and decorating houses. Vietnamese people cannot miss the Tet with parallels and fireworks, so interesting...

Composing, challenging and displaying parallels represents an elegant cultural activity of the Vietnamese people. On the occasion of Tet, parallels are written on red paper and hung on both sides of the gate, the pillars or the ancestral altar. Each pair of parallels has an equal number of words with contrasting or corresponding meanings and lines of verses. They show a keen intelligence, perception of nature and social life, uphold morality and a yearning for the well-being of all people. The red is symbolic of auspicious and powerful vitality, according to popular belief. Mingling with the green of the Chung cake, the pink of the peach blooms, the yellow of the apricot blooms, and the red of the parallels is sure to make the Spring warmer and cosier.

Fireworks sparkle and sound, exciting in the transitional period between Lunar New Year’s Eve and Day. The most exciting element in the celebration of Tet is the lighting of fireworks. These explosions are believed to drive off ghosts and evil spirits and leave good luck in the new year. As thousands of people partake in the fantastic firework shooting displays which are set off at  different locations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at midnight of the first day of lunar January. The level of volume and excitement rises to a fury. This level of emotion is the most memorable part of Tet and also the part, which makes it such a marvellous experience.

"Fat pork, salted onions, parallel sentences written on red paper. Long bamboo poles planted upright, strings of fireworks, and square glutinous rice cakes", these all make a meaningful Tet holiday for Vietnamese people...

Rice cooking competition

One of the meaningful acitivity in Vietnamese Tet festivals is rice cooking competition. A rice cooking competition is held to encourage women to take more responsibility in their traditional work.

During Tet holiday, a number of villages in northern and central Vietnam hold rice cooking contests that may sound simple, but follow strict and complex rules. Contestants cook in the open air while in a bamboo boat floating on the village pond. Charcoal, the usual fuel, is prohibited. Instead, each competitor receives some dried sugar cane, which burns only with difficulty. The challenge increases if it is windy and raining. Each contestant must set her rice pot in exactly the right place to take advantage of the wind and avoid extinguishing the fire.

The competition begins precisely at dawn. Hundreds of boats are tied up along the pond bank since as many as 200 young women may participate. After a salvo of 

drumbeats, competitors step into their boats, bringing along cooking tripods, rice pots, some damp straw and fuel. They row to the centre of the pond, make a fire and wash the rice.

A second salvo of drumbeats sounds, punctuated by three final beats, the competition starts. The cooking may be done in one pot after another or by using all pots al the same time. The tiny, light boat sways with the competitor's every movement, keeping the craft stable while cooking is like performing a circus act. The competitor who finishes first wins, but quality also counts. People from many villages watch from the pond bank, mothers who have trained their girls for months impatiently wait for the results of their efforts. Other women take advantage of the occasion to look for prospective daughters-in-law who are both good cooks and can also face difficulties with calmness.

The contest for boys is no less rigorous. Each boy must stand ready with all the necessary items (rice, water, matches and firewood) on a light boat moored the pond bank. At a given signal he paddles with his hands to the opposite bank, where a row of pots is placed on tripods. He must stay in his unmoored boat while cooking the rice on the bank. The least loss of balance tosses him over into the water.

The finished rice must meet particular criteria of taste and consistency.

Strange foods - why don’t you try?

Western culture considers that eating a dog is not good, but there will be no problem with other sorts of animals, as long as they are not called pets. However, for the vast majority of people on Earth, cultural values are very different. Some strange foods are considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures including China, Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Indeed, these food are very tasty and protein rich. May be you should try them some day if you are not vegetarian.

Dog meat is consumed in Vietnam to varying degrees of acceptability, though it predominantly exists in the North. It's a winter food which believed to keep you extraordinarily warm on cold nights.  Dog meat is eaten in a variety of ways, from grilled, stuffed in spring rolls, stir fried, to added to soups. There are multiple dishes featuring dog meat, and they often include the head, feet as well as internal organs. Dog meat restaurants can be found throughout the country. If you are in Hanoi and you are eager to try this dish, please come to a restaurant on Nhat Tan Street - Tay Ho District. Typically, a chef will choose one of seven ways to cook dog, collectively known as "cầy tơ 7 món". You can choosesteamed dog meat, dog sausage, steamed dog in shrimp paste, ginger and rice vinegar, grilled dog meat, bamboo shoots and dog bone marrow or fried dog in lemon grass and chili. Here, you can see groups of customers who seated on mats spending their evenings on sharing plates of dog meat and drinking alcohol.

Dog meat is supposed to raise the libido and sometimes considered unsuitable for women. In other words, eating dog meat can serve as amale bonding exercise. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon for women to eat dog meat. The consumption of dog meat can be part of a ritual life which usually occurring in the end of the lunar month for reasons of astrology and luck. Restaurants which mainly exist to serve dog meat may only open for the last half of the lunar month.

Some kinds of snake dishes

Snakes are a common novelty and relished food. You can drink the wine as well as eat the flesh on several occasions. When I visit one of my Vietnamese friends, he caught a cobra outside his front door and shared it with me on evening. Actually, there is very little meat on a cobra, so the skin is eaten as well. In the village of Le Mat, which famous for its snake restaurants, I tried snake meat in a number of ways, including in soup (both the taste and texture was like crab meat) and spring rolls (tastes like chicken). Furthermore, snake blood is supposed to be healthy with many benefits as well as a natural form of Viagra. So what is its taste like? I was surprised that tasting a fried meat actually a bit like custard. There is no fat and extremely lean and tender. After trying snake, you will surely be back for more.

Lizards and frogs (best grilled) are standard fare in Phan Thiet. Some of my friend said that he had never tried frog until he came to Vietnam, but now he like it a lot. If you ever order a frog dish in Vietnam, pay attention to the bones! During rainy season, Vietnamese people catch toads and boil them up. They merely cut out the stomach organ and eat the rest-skin, guts and all.

frog porridge

frog dish

I watched my friends eating trung vit lon for many months before trying it myself. These fertilized duck eggs are allowed to partially develop and then, they are hard-boiled. Crack the top off, suck out the juice and then spoon out the colorful morsels with pinches of pickled carrots, garlic, radish, turnip, some mint leaves, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Experience had taught me that in Vietnam, food nearly always tastes better than it looks. When traveling, you always want to experience the culinary delights that you never see at home. Eating different and unusual food is a big part of what makes your holiday memorable…

Bồn bồn - A wild and tasty plant

Bồn bồn, a wild plant first popular in Ca Mau, has since conquered southern Vietnam with its distinctive sweet taste.

It would be a shame if someone visited the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau and came away without trying dishes made from bồn bồn.

Bồn bồn (cattail, or bulrush) is a reed-like wild plant with long, firm leaves, olive-green, three-sided stems and drooping clusters of small spikelets. It usually grows in swamps or wetlands, and is known to be useful for land restoration and as an ingredient in food.

Some parts of Ca Mau Province are high in alum and are therefore not good for growing rice paddy, only bồn bồn.

Many families do grow the wild plant as a crop.

Bồn bồn salad with shrimp and meat is a popular dish

The root produces an edible tuber that is considered delicious and healthy. It is distinctively sweet, crunchy, crispy, and soft. It tastes a bit like lotus root and bamboo shoot.

At first people only used it as a pickle. But gradually, as locals began to migrate, they took the plant with them and it made its way into many dishes.

Some of the most popular are braised anabas with pickled bồn bồn, bồn bồn with sour catfish hot pot or sour snakehead hot pot, stir-fried bồn bồn with shrimp, and bồn bồn salad with shrimp and pork.

Pickled bồn bồn remains popular. To pickle it, one uses only the inner white portion of the stalk. Remove the tough outer layer and soak the white portion in salt water with some condiments.

A week later the pickle is ready: it is slightly sour and crispy, and looks like the rustic dish it is. It is delicious if stir-fried with shrimp, meat, or fish, or cooked in sour soup with fish. Also popular is pickledbồn bồn along with braised anabas, catfish, and snakehead fish.

Stir-fried bồn bồn with shrimp is possibly the tastiest of the lot and also easiest to make. The distinctive sweetness of the wild plant remains intact when cooked with little or no condiments.

To make the dish, peel shrimp and get the inner white portions of the stalk and clean them. Pour a little oil on the pot over heat, add some onion for flavor, add the shrimp and then the bồn bồn, and stir-fry together with some condiments.

The dish is served with hot rice.

Bồn bồn salad with shrimp and meat seems to be the most popular dish in restaurants. It is a combination of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet tastes, all essential aspects of southern cooking. Some make the salad with pickled bồn bồn to get many flavors, while others prefer fresh bồn bồn to enjoy the plant’s distinctive sweetness. The tuber is a bit crispy but not tough, the fresh leaves do not fall apart, and the dish seems to melt in the mouth. Black tiger prawn and soft meat with a little fat is often used to make the salad even more delicious. It is served with shrimp crackers as an appetizer at family parties and wedding banquets.

Bồn bồn can be combined with dried shrimp, beef, and pork to make simple but tasty meals at home. Depending on the other ingredients, and how long and how thick the bồn bồn is, one can cook numerous delicacies with the plant.

If customers cannot enjoy bồn bồn delicacies in the Mekong Delta, they can find it at restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. Or buy it from markets or supermarkets and cook it themselves.

Bồn bồn costs around VND50,000 a kilogram.

DaNang, a seaside & riverside city

Some foreign tourist ever said to me: “Da Nang city, well, a magnificient landscape – full of mighty mountains and sparkling rivers – has indeed lured me”

Location

Da Nang is the fourth largest central city of Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh city, Ha Noi and Hai Phong. It has an area of nearly 1,260 km², and a population of 752,493 people. Together with Hue, Da Nang is the city in the South Center Coast, on the coast of Southern Asia Sea, the middle of Vietnam.
The city itself has neither the atmosphere of Hanoi nor the hustle-bustle of Ho Chi Minh City, but has its share of sights, and is close to the charms of Hoi An and the imperial capital of Hue. Why do they call it the seaside & riverside city? Because Da Nang is a picturesque city by the Han river, and by the coast of the East Sea with distinctive attractiveness in comparison with other sea cities, luring hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world!

Climate

Danang is in a typical tropical monsoon zone with high temperature and equable climate. The city’s weather is a combination of climatic features of northern and southern Vietnam, with the northern having the more distinct influence. There are two seasons; the wet season lasting from August to December and the dry from January to July. Cold spells occasionally occur in winter, and are not severe and short. The annual average temperature is 25.9^oC. The highest temperature is 28-30^oC in the months of June, July and August. The lowest is 18-23^oC in December, January and February.

Magnificient landscape

The city is in the site of the East Sea and Han River with special different charms. Nature has offered the city a great position among three World heritages generously: ancient royal capital Hue, ancient city Hoi An and Holy land My Son. Thanks to this, Da Nang plays an important role in hosting, serving and transferring visitors. Not only being in the middle point of three world heritages, but also does it have numerous unforgettable beautiful scenes.

Danang has the high and dangerous Hai Van Pass with full of perilous obstacles, engraved “the most grandiose beauty spots in the world”.Son Tra peninsula with numerous small beaches and island - an ideal rendez-vous for tourists, which is surrounded by Da stream, Bai But, Bai Rang, Bai Bac, Bai Nom - the beautiful alluvial plains which bring relaxing moments for tourists on being ingulfed in the splendid dawn and the quietness of crepuscle in a picturesque land. The eco-tourism resort Ba Na - Mo Stream is considered as Dalat, Sapa of Central Vietnam and the legendary Marble Mountains – “a beautiful landscape of the southern heaven and earth”. 

Mentioning about Danang, tourists can not forget the poetic Han river and its bridge - the first swing one in Vietnam. This is the great pride of Danang people. The Han River bridge - the symbol for new vitality and the developing desire of the city - was built with the contribution of all the city's people. It seems that all poetic features of the Han River can be only expressed deeply in the space of Han river bridge with full of wind and ventilation. It not only facilitates transport and potential for tourism, wakening economic prospects of a vast area in the eastern city but is a cultural spot of Danang people today left behind for the future generations.

Danang is also endowed with sea - the vast tourist source of inspiration. In addition to beautuiful and clean stretching beaches, Danang seaport is one of the most well-known seaport in Vietnam.

Besides the magnificient sceneries, the city is the home to the Museum of Cham Sculpture as well as the ancient pagodas of Hai Chau Pho Da Long Tho, where tourists can hide themselves in an artistic and religious life!

Festive space

Da Nang people are very keen on participating in the city traditional festivals. It is an opportunity for everybody to come to dedicate their prayers for good weather to facilitate the argricultural seasons and to be more loser, for the ancestors' support and to pray for  for good luck to their close relatives and friends. Danang festivals have a lot in common with those of the coastal areas in Central Vietnam but bear lots of specific features and distinctive beauty of the region. In the festive days, with the whole colorful area and thrilling songs of praying peace, ardent rhythm of "bai choi". The festivals in Danang City were originated long time ago,passed from generations to generations such as Cau Ngu festival, Avalokitecvara festival, Hoa My village festival, An Hai village festival etc. Time went by, many festivals were not generated such as "Pastor festival" - a very special one for pastors only, naughty children with muddy legs and bareheaded.

Countryside beauty

Besides the bustle of the city center, there are ancient villages and traditional trade villages hiden by the range of bamboos in the city's suburban areas of Da Nang. Outside the city, Phong Nam ancient village, Tuy Loan ancient village have a vast view of rice fields, small paths under bamboo shade and sometimes feeling peaceful atmosphere of hens' sound in the afternoon. In the village, there still remains the old-aged communal houses through ups and downs of the city history. However, there are sacred holy atmosphere but to be very close to the spirit of Quang Nam and Danang people. 

Da Nang, the city on the site of Han river, is a fascinating romantic coastal and friendly destination that deeply worths a visit! If you do not spend at least a day here, you may feel regretful!

Bao Son Paradise

The newly-open Bao Son Paradise Park in Hoai Duc District of Hanoi is the biggest entertainment and tourism complex in the North. Opened to the public in early September of 2008, the park help to quench local people’s thirst for entertainment and relaxation. 

Perspective of the multifunctional complex

The 20ha entertainment and tourism complex, built at a total cost of US$50 million by the Bao Son Investment and Construction Group, consists of four main areas: traditional craft villages of Viet Nam, a replica of Ha Noi’s ancient quarters, the eco-tourism area and a culinary section offering cuisine from all corners of Viet Nam. The park opens up a new world for local visitors with a harmonious blend of both traditional and modern features.

Close eyes to each area...

The traditional craft village section features replicas of the 15 most well-known craft villages of Viet Nam, including Phu Lang pottery village, Van Phuc silk village and villages specializing in making craft products such as gemstone-inlaid pictures, bamboo and rattan-made handicrafts and embroidery. It reflects not only their craft methods but also their local setting and background.

The ancient quarter section features the daily activities of Hanoians during the early years of the 20 century. There are more than 20 old-style attached houses with roof tiles. Each house resembles a shop that sells various things such as clothing, watches, art works and beverages, displaying the lifestyles and business practices of old-school Hanoians.

The largest area of the park is the eco-tourism area which features an ocean world of more than 2,000 species of fish from different continents, including sharks, sea-calves and skates alongside various types of euphorbia. It also consists of a royal garden which boasts around 500 varieties of rare and precious orchids of Viet Nam and Southeast Asia and a museum displaying a large cross-section of butterflies and flowers from different countries around the world.

The culinary section offers visitors a wide range of choice from traditional Vietnamese dishes to Asian and European dishes. It features 31 food stores selling traditional specialties of all regions throughout the country such as pho (noodle), cha ca Hanoi (Hanoi-style grilled fish) and banh tom (crisp shrimp pastry), all of which can be found on street corners the length and breadth of the nation.

This Vietnamese version of Disneyland also hopes to attract both local and foreign tourists, particularly kids through its many games in the entertainment section, including a Ferris wheel, a discovery spacecraft area, a swimming pool and a 3D cinema. Children can watch exciting, fun-filled dolphin and seal shows, in two daily showings in the weekday and four showings on Saturday and Sunday. It also features a modern and multifunctional complex for public performances with a large stage and a viewing area for more than 7,000 people.

A scene of craft product making in the park

Promoting Vietnamese culture...

Bao Son Paradise Park provides you plenty of opportunities to learn about Vietnamese culture. You can glimpse into the past lives of Hanoians by crossing O Quan Chuong (Quan Chuong Gate) and stepping into the late 19th century and early 20th century. Here, you can buy traditional products on display in nearly 20 houses designed in traditional styles from that time in the old quarter.

Traditional craft villages in the park feature products typical to craft villages. Besides, there are banyan trees, water wells, and communal houses on display at each craft village. Moreover, you can enjoy performances of traditional songs, dances and music, and water puppetry. Bao Son Paradise Park also includes a 500-seat theatre, which can host variety shows and cultural exchange programmes. Its premises also feature an open-air and multipurpose stage which offer large entertainment shows and local as well as regional events.

The park was officially put into operation on September 7, 2008 and has so far attracted tens of thousands of visitors. "The park, about 12km from the heart of Hanoi, offers diverse entertainment services suitable for all ages," said Trinh Hoang Nam from Hanoi. Bao Son Paradise deserves the first international-standard theme park in North Vietnam!

Hanoi Cathedral

Hanoi Cathedral is famous not only for its architecture but its beautiful scenery as well. 

Hanoi Cathedral is at No.40 Nha Chung Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. It was built on the site of the former Bao Thien Tower, which was famous in the ancient capital of Thang Long under the Ly Dynasty (the 11^th and 12^th centuries).

Hanoi Cathedral, also known as Saint Joseph's Cathedral, was inaugurated on Christmas Day 1886, two years after its construction. Its design is similar to the architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Many catholic rituals have been held there. A ritual ceremony dedicated to Jesus Christ is held in this cathedral every year on March 19.

The special thing is that space around Hanoi Cathedral is an ideal meeting place for local residents in Hanoi, especially youngsters, to get away from the bustle and noise of the city. When it gets darker, groups of friends flock to the space to enjoy themselves. To enjoy this kind of entertainment, you can feast and drink with your friends in this open space. The bell striking from the church at meditative moments sways your mind. That is a great and romantic feeling. Young people have flocked to the cathedral because the church view and tranquil street corners will fuel their romantic liaison. Couples hand in hand show their love. Others regard it as a playground for chatting or a stage for music performances. 

Many famous artists and movie stars can be seen in this special place. Pianist Pho An My has the habit of sitting in the church yard to enjoy a cup of tea with ice and play her favorite pieces. “It is not necessary to go to the theatre to enjoy a music concert; a pageant show will undoubtedly bring a wind of change to the audience”, said the famous artist.

If you are a young person in Hanoi or nearby, you should not miss a chance to discover the underlying real scene of the city by once setting your foot into the space of Hanoi Cathedral.

Tram Chim National Park

Covering an area of 7.600 ha, Tram Chim National Park is established in 1999 and situated in Tam Nong District, Dong Thap Province. It is designed to preserve the typical submerged in-land eco-system that develops mainly in Ha Tien; the Plain of Reeds and U Minh areas.

Topography and hydrology

Tram Chim National Park is located 19 km to the east of the Mekong River, at an elevation of about 1m. The topography of the national park is flat, slopes slightly to the East. In the past, several natural streams and rivers flowed from west to east, distributing water from the Mekong River to the plain of reeds. Now, these streams and rivers have been replaced by a system of canals flowing through the national park.

Prior to canalization, the plain of reeds was seasonally flooded with standing water for continuous periods of up to seven months per year. Since canalization, flood waters drain more rapidly and the national park is flooded for less than six months per year. Water levels in the canals begin to rise in June, at the beginning of the rainy season. Between September and December, the national park is inundated to a depth of 2 to 4 m, with a peak in October.

Since the mid-1980s, 53 km of dykes fitted with sluices have been constructed around the national park, with the aim of impounding floodwater for longer as well as reducing the lowering of the water table during the dry season. The national park is fragmented by canals into five management zones; the water level of each can be managed separately.

Biodiversity values

The vegetation of Tram Chim National Park comprises a mixture of seasonally inundated grassland, regenerating Melaleuca forest and open swamp. Melaleuca is distributed throughout the national park, both in plantations and in scattered patches in areas of grassland or open swamp. There are five widespread grassland communities at Tram Chim, of which the community dominated by Eleocharis dulcis and wild rice Oryza rufipogon is of the highest conservation significance. Tram Chim is one of the few places in the Plain of Reeds where community is likely to survive to any extent, and, therefore, one of the most important sites for the conservation of wild rice in Vietnam. The other grassland communities are dominated by Eleocharis ochrostachys, Panicum repens, Ischaemum rugosum and Vossia cuspidata.

The Park is in the lowest area of the Mekong River water logged plain submerged and in the centre of Dong Thap Muoi. With a system of swamps, grass-plots and crossing canals, the 7,612 ha Tram Chim National Park has become an ideal habitat of more than 100 vertebrates, 40 species of fish, and 147 rare and precious species of birds, especially the red-head cranes. Hence, it is also an ideal place for scientists to research into the life of migratory birds. To date, at least 88 bird species have been recorded at Tram Chim National Park. The site is famous for the population of Sarus Cranes that inhabits the site in the dry season. In 1990s, hundreds of Cranes spent the dry season here. However, due to some inappropriate development in late 1990s and early 2000s, maximum counts of cranes fell dramatically to some 82 birds in the 2005 dry season. In addition to Sarus Crane, the globally endangered Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis has also been recorded atTram Chim National Park. The status of this secretive grassland specialist at Tram Chim is not fully known but it is likely that birds vacate the area during periods of substantial inundation in the late wet season. Local people believe that the species breeds at the site, and claim to have found both eggs and young of the species but this has yet to be confirmed. A number of other globally threatened and near-threatened bird species regularly occur at Tram Chim, including Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala and Asian Golden Weaver Ploceus hypoxanthus.

Other wetland bird species of note recorded at Tram Chim include Cotton Pygmy Goose Nettapus coromandelianus, Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis and Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus. Because of its importance for globally threatened and bird species, Tram Chim qualifies as an Important Bird Area.

Efforts to conserve.

In 1985 when red-head cranes appeared in Tram Chim National Park, scientists held a workshop in China to find out measures to preserve them and develop Tram Chim National Park in Tam Nong Natural Site into a typical cultural and ecological tourist area in Southeast Asia.

Since then, many international organizations have participated in researching into red-head cranes in Tram Chim, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) and others.

In February 1994, Tram Chim officially became the national nature conserve zone under the Prime Minister’s decision, where the State invested more than VND 4bil, the Bhrem Fund of Germany granted US$15,000 and the UK and Danish Embassy donated US$ 60,000 to the protection of the “Red-head cranes’ house” and the improvement of Tram Chim’s buffer zone.

In 1995, ICF wanted to conduct surveys on the breeding sites of red-head cranes and in March 1998, scientists began putting electronic tracking rings worth US$10,000 on cranes to observe their migration and reproduction. The activity was funded by the Japanese Government with the participation of American, Japanese and Vietnamese scientists. The signals received from red-head cranes provide good information for scientists to research into the red-head cranes’ migration and reproduction.

Leaving out this park is an actual pity!

Tram Chim is 40 km by road from Cao Lanh town in Dong Thap province. Within the national park, you can hire boats to reach good birding sites. From January to May each year, when sky is clear, visitors will see from the horizon many black spot coming. It is crane flock returning after months of emigrating to evade flood. This is also the season for photographing cranes in the dawn and sunset

Tram Chim National Park is one of the best developed and most well-known sites for ecotourism in the Mekong Delta. The national park already has basic tourist facilities, and previously received many visitors. There are some small guesthouses in Tam Nong town with basic facilities.

Tram Chim National Park, with natural history of collective ecology of geomorphology, hydrography and underwater creatures, is an ideal rendezvous place of tourists from all over the world.

Enjoy Sa Dec Flower Gardens!

Enjoying an excursion to Sa Dec Flower Gardens, you will surely admire the vast lotus and bonsai in here. A forest of flowers of all colors and aroma are always available...

Being one of flower centers of South Vietnam, Sa Dec Flower Garden is specialized in growing flowers and ornamental plants. Located in Tan Qui Dong Commune, Sa 

Dec Town, the garden occupies 60 hectares with 3,600 laborers. When Spring comes, Sa Dec bonsai village also starts its festival. Cars from everywhere come in crowds. All type of flowers and bonsai hasten to go to Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces to boast their beauty in Tet Holiday.

Situatated by the bank of annually windy Tien River of fertility and sun, flower village of Sa Dec is the homeland of hundreds “uncanny flowers and strange herbs”. Here, you can see scarce and priceless bonsai of hundreds of years old. There are simple trees close to life of laborers like thistle, areca, fig, benjamine fig, ochna atropurpurea and so on. However, through skillful, industrious, talent hands of artisan-artists, they became priceless bonsai with beautiful and uncanny forms.

In this village, you will have an opportunity to contemplate at any moment a forest of flowers of all colors and aroma. Especially, here keep about 50 kinds of roses: velvety rose, lotus violet Grada roses, pink Cleopatre roses, Bridibat roses of dark brick color,  Fortini rose - which are red inside and yellow outside, Elizabet flesh-colored roses, orange maccaras roses, Metsai roses of white color, etc.

Ornamental flowers not only give colors and aroma, but also are used to decorate interior, to make landscape of parks, offices, cultural constructions, and dwelling house. Besides, some of them are used for treatment.

Sa Dec flower village, one of attractive tourist attraction, indefinitely satisfy tourists when you visit Dong Thap Province, which is also very famous for lotus – a kind of flower with pure beauty.

Hoang Lien national park

Hoang Lien National Park, just outside Sapa town, is unique for experiencing nature at close hand. The Park encompasses approximately 30 km2 of scenic mountainous landscape, including Vietnam's highest peak, Fansipan (3142m). The Park contains temperate and sub-temperate forests which cover the Hoang Lien mountain range. The forest and surrounding vegetation provides habitats for a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Many of these are found only in north-west Vietnam and are of great biological significance.

Hoang Lien National Park

Hoang Lien National Park is located in the Hoang Lien mountain range belonging to Sapa and Than Uyen districts, Lao Cai Province and includes Vietnam’s highest peak, Mount Fansipan (3,143 m). 

The park supports a wide variety of habitat types: elevations below 1,800m support lower montane evergreen forest; elevations between 1,800 and 2,500m support upper montane evergreen forest, elevations between 2,500 and 2,800m support sub-alpine forest, while the vegetation above 2,800m is dominated by stands of dwarf bamboo with scattered, stunted trees. Below 1,000m, the forest has been almost entirely cleared and replaced with anthropogenic habitats, including secondary grassland, scrub and cultivation. Secondary habitats are also found at higher elevations. 

The park supports a high diversity of animal groups. 347 bird species have been recorded in and around the nature reserve, including 49 species that are restricted in Viet Nam to north-west Tonkin. The park also supports approximately one third of Viet Nam’s known amphibian species, the highest recorded amphibian species richness of any protected area in Viet Nam. Several amphibian species are currently known only from the site, and around 10% of the national park's amphibian species are globally threatened. Invertebrate diversity is also very high, and many species of invertebrate discovered at the site are known from nowhere else in the world.

Cao Bang Province

Area: 6,724.6 sq. km. Population: 513.1 thousand habitants (2010) Capital: Cao Bang Town.Districts:Bao Lac, Bao Lam, Ha Quang, Thong Nong, Tra Linh, Trung Khanh, Nguyen Binh, Hoa An, Phuc Hoa, Quang Uyen, Ha Lang, Thach An.Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Tay, Nung, Dao, HMong, San Chay...

Geography Cao Bang Province is located in the Far North- East, shares borders with China on the north and east, Bac Kan and Lang Son provinces on the south, and Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang provinces on the west. The topography is complicated so inter-transportation is limited. Climate: Cao Bang has temperate climate. There are 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter. The average temperature is 25 - 28oC in summer and 16 -17oC in winter. Snow sometimes falls in winter on high mountains such as Trung Khanh, Tra Linh. Tourism The cool weather combines with many high mountains, beautiful sightseeings to form the convenient for relaxing tour and discovery tour. Famous sites include Thang Hen Mountainous Lake in Tra Linh, Ban Gioc Fall and Nguom Ngao Cave in Trung Khanh. Among of them, Ban Gioc Fall probably is one of most beautiful waterfall in Vietnam. Several sites where Uncle Ho lived and worked before the August 1945 Revolution include Pac Bo, Coc Bo Cave, Lenin Stream, and Khuoi Nam Stream. In Cao Bang, the traditional festivals have specific characteristics of ethnic groups, for example, Long Tong Festival, Inviting the-Moon-Mother Festival (Moi Me Trang). Ethnic groups Many ethnic groups live together here. It creates plentiful traditional culture. Tay group makes up a large amount of population. They have own handwriting (Tay-Nung language group). The Tay's special culture is showed in village festival, vi andthen singing. Transportation Cao Bang is 272km north of Hanoi following National Highway No.3. Cao Bang has National Highway No.4B and 3 linking to Lang Son, Bac Kan, Ha Giang provinces and to China. There are direct buses from Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Lang Son.

Hoang De Citadel

Hoang De citadel was the last capital of the Champa Kingdom where the Cham Kings lived between the 11th and the 15th centuries. Several pieces of stone walls, moats, and granite-tiled roads remain from the Citadel.

Location Located at 27km north-west of Qui Nhon City in Nhon Hau Commune, An Nhon District, Binh Dinh Province.
Characteristics: The citadel was built at the end of the 10th century, during the reign of Emperor Yangpuku Vijaaya.

Hoang De Citadel

This was the last capital of the Champa Kingdom where the Cham Kings lived between the 11th and the 15th centuries. Several pieces of stone walls, moats, and granite-tiled roads remain from the Citadel.

statues of small lions

Inside the Citadel, there are ancient Cham remains, such as square wells and statues of small lions and elephants. Next to the back door is Thap Thap Hill (Ten Tower Hill), on which there are ten Cham Towers. Of note is the 20m-high Canh Tien Tower with white-stone statues of a snake, two elephants, and monsters on the corners. There are many remains and objects related to Cham culture and the Tay Son movement in Thap Thap Di Da Pagoda and Nhan Thap Pagoda, two ancient pagodas situated to the north and south of the citadel.
In 1778, Nguyen Nhac proclaimed himself the Central Emperor. He established the capital, which he named Hoang De Citadel, expanded the citadel to the east, and built many grand monuments. In 1799, the citadel was occupied by the Nguyen Dynasty, and rebaptized Binh Dinh Citadel. In 1814, the Nguyen Dynasty destroyed the old citadel and built a new one about 5km south of the old citadel.
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Swallow Island in Binh Dinh

Phuong Mai Island, which local people usually call Swallow Island (Yen Island), is located near Quy Nhon city, eastern Binh Dinh. It contains a mountain which looks like a dinosaur standing imposingly to defend strong winds and big waves.

Not only creating a wonderful aquarelle picture, the nature also awards people here with a treasure that is swallow – an extremely specious specialty wanted worldwide.

Swallow Island has an interesting, fascinating landscape thank to ancient caves with hundreds - of - meters - high rock canopies, high and dangerous cave inner space which are suitable living places for swallows to build their nests

Come to Swallow Island in spring, people will have a chance to see flocks of swallow flying crowdedly in the sky and chirping to call each other. This kind of bird lives in flock but usually live in a couple.

According to document of researchers, there are two main types of swallow in the Quy Nhon Swallow Island: yen co (yến cỏ) và yen sao (yến sào). Yen co is bigger than yen sao, build their nests by using grass, junk from top of mountain. Yen sao is specious one which has small bodies like sparrow but flies strongly. They find the food by flying as well as catching the food on sea; they can fly continuously in ten hours without stopping.

The nests of yen sao are not made of grass but their saliva; each day they generate a little of saliva, pull this to make threads, crank threads to form nests. After a period, the nests are dry, looks like ears sticking to cave ceiling and cliffs. When finishing the nests to fit the body entirely, swallow starts to breed.

Visit Swallow Island, besides contemplating the charming scenery outside, tourists can also go further inside the cave to enjoy the majestic beauty created by the nature. On the cliffs, interfering with water drops, there are tiny white points; the scene looks like a summer night sky having a plenty of stars. The swallow nests are arranged tightly, making a long string; somewhere the swallows spread their wings and blow their breath to warm their children; sometimes there is a voice of young birds calling mothers to feed. The sound of waves, water dropping, wings flapping, swallow voice… all mix together, making up a strange rhythm that lets people feel like they are lost in a fairy place.

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The 4 best resort in Hanoi

If you have a plan to visit Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, you don't miss some most famous resorts as follow, which are best places for relaxing, and picnicking in Hanoi

1. Asean Resort - Hòa Lạc, Thạch Thất, Hà Nội.

Address: 21A Hoa Lac, Thach That, Hanoi

Grass Skiing

The resort, located  about 35km from the center of Hanoi, is quiet cool, lots of trees. For those who want to go no far from Hanoi but require a quiet, clean place, this is the perfect place for tourists in Vietnam tours to choose for weekend trips with friends and family.

While other resorts favored by the flavor of the sea, the resort attracts tourists by the types of natural services such as: hot water pools, Ninh Kieu hot springs, grass skiing, etc.

However, the price of this resort of the highest ones  in many resorts around the capital. The plus point is whether the public holiday prices here are not "high" up. On average, every room here from 3.5 million to VND 21 million / night (prices are accompanied by such services as dining, entertainment, spa ...).

2. Van Minh Resort - Chúc Sơn, Chương Mỹ, Hà Nội

Address: Chuc Son town, Chuong My district, Hanoi.

Located at the entrance of the Capital, the National Road No 6 to Hoa Binh and about half hour driving from Ha Noi, Van Minh Resort is a complex resorts, nearby two national sceneries are Tram Pagoda, and Tram Gian Pagoda. This area has 40 rooms overlooking to the countryside and Xu Doai mountains.

The price of Van Minh Resort is from VND960.000 a day or more depending on the type of room and room area.

 3. Tan Da Resort - Tản Lĩnh, Ba Vì, Hà Nội

Address: Tan Linh commune, Ba Vi district, Hanoi

Just one hour driving from Hanoi to check in Tan Da Spa Resort where is the perfect location for escaping couple in holidays (2 or 3 nights) or family group at weekend and Meeting, Incentive, Events and Conference groups.

The resort was designed in opening space, peaceful and tranquil-a new envision for the mélange of nature and human beings,  a deep feeling of living amidst a blue and cloudy sky of the marvelous Tan Vien mountain-Da River of the legendary story of the God of Mountain and the God of River. It’s main purpose to offer relaxation and refreshing rest. 

Tan Da Spa Resort offering 53 rooms designed by the ancient architecture of the country villages typical of Bac Bo countryside (Viet Ancient House) and the houses of “East meets West” (Lac Viet House). Visitors can live and really feel the culture traits of the old Viet people amidst a green and fresh space with green and yellow bamboo clumps, trellises of gourds, water wells…

The interior decorations were simply built with a combination of bamboos and wood…to give the visitors the feeling of escaping from  daily pressure of work and of enjoying hours of living in a peaceful atmosphere.  However, the rooms are also equipped with modern gadgets such as cable television, fridges, air-conditioners, mini bar, Wifi Internet, Room Service...

And especially relax in the hot an cool mineral water pool in the resort to balance yourself 

After a day in the hot mineral water of the nature source and have some special wine and cuisin of the forest, mountain, guest will find a balance self in Tanda Spa Center  with various service package to get health better such as Foot masssage, Facial treatment, body massage, Hot stone massage, soaking baths with natural miner water, red wine, champagne, stout, fresh goat milk, fresh cow milk, green tea.

Da Ong Club is where you can relax and enjoy with your group in karaoke, Singer room, Double bikes, tennis, billiards, badminton, electric cars for     Vietnam tour,  the funny Swan boat, motorboat to relax on the lake and you can do fishing on the lake also. 

Room prices are from VND1, 5 million to VND 6.5 million / night depending on room type and room area.

 4. Hoang Long Resort - Thạch Thất, Hà Tây

Address: Thach That , Ha Tay district, Hanoi

Situated on an area of ​​2 square kilometers in Thach That, Ha Tay, about 1km from Tay Phuong Pagoda, Hoang Long Resort is designed elegant, rustic space  and is  a very peaceful resort.

The strong point of the Hoang Long Resort is eco-tourism area with various services. A further utility of the Hoang Long resort is a play area for kids. If any family with young children, there is  a spacious area  which named Vuon Co Tich will make the boys and girls enjoy  being playful relaxed under the shade of trees and very interesting game, etc.

if tourists in Vietnam travel are a lover of plants, you'd be amazed at the collection and look how many plants throughout the region are gathering in Vietnam Hoang Long Resort.

The prices of Hoang Long’s rooms are in quite reasonable because it is newly built resort but you can be completely assured of quality service.

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