Monday, March 25, 2013

9 The most Popular Vegetables in Vietnam


Vietnam is well known as a paradise of delicious dishes. Unlike English, Vietnamese prefers to eat vegetable rather than eat meat. Vietnamtourism.org.vn makes a list of popular vegetable in Vietnam for tourists to consult when visiting our country.

1. Water spinach- Morning glory ( rau muống)
Water spinach is the most common vegetable in Vietnam as the tropical climate creates favorable conditions for its growth and the veggie does not require much care. Used to be known as rustic veggie of the poor, water spinach has become an intergal ingredient in

Some Vietnamese cuisines such as sauteed garlic spinach. In the south, morning glory is often chopped into thin chips and eaten raw as salad or verved with many kinds of noodles. For most Vietnamese, water spinach is considered as important as rice in their daily meals.
2. Cabbage ( bắp cải)
Cabbage is one of the indispensible that Vietnamese housewives take to their top list of ingredient in the cold season. It is a round vegetable with large greens or white leaves. It is common knownledge that cabbage is a good source of vitamins disease preventative properties. Cabbage looks like lettuce but the favor is subtly diffirent. Its gently sweet taste could certainly charm vegetarian lovers.
3. Bamboo shoots ( măng)
Coming to Vietnam, the image of green bamboo trees surrounding rustic villages seems to be engraved in tourist's mind as an unforgettable beauty. Not many guests know that bamboo shoots are regarded as valuable source of food. According to scientific research, eating bamboo shoots is one of the best ways for you to lose weight and maintain good general health as they high in dietary fiber and vitamins as well as mineral substance. While fresh bamboo shoots are commonly used in some kinds of soups in Vietnam, its fermented state is prefered to be eaten with a lot of dishes as a kind of Vietnamese Kimchi.
4. Chayote ( su su)
Chayote is gettting popular in the north of Vietnam. It could be easily processed into totally diffirent kinds of dishes as everything in the chayote fruit is edible. The roof and leaves are often sauteed with garlic while the sweet flesh is prefferred to be boiled and served with roasted peanuts. Both dishes are emerging specialties in Vietnam.
5.Kohirabi ( su hào)
Kohirabi is veggie of the cabbage family whose thick round white stem is eaten. It is said that should you are keen on broccoli stalks, you would definitely like Kohirabi. It tastes sweet and super crunchy. While hot Kohirabi soups with pork pone or chicken are bound to warm your belly in the winter, boiled kohirabi is likely to bring you a cool feeling in the summer, not mention to fermented kohirabi with the crunchy flavor remained.
6. Biiter melon ( mướp đắng )
Through the name, we could certainly image how it tastes. However, the rough surface and the bitter flavor are unable to prevent Vietnamese from enjoying the veggie. So, just try it and find your answer. Chopped bitter melon if often stir-fried with eggs, but the most favorite dish could be bitter melon soup, integral part of the menu for the summer in the south. This specialty is taken into Tet holiday menu as it is Vietnamese firm belief that sadness will pass and the happiness will come over after biterness has been eaten.
7. Ceylon spinach ( mồng tơi)
Ceylon spinach has appeared in poems and folk verses of a rustic attractiveness in Vietnamese little villages. the veggie seems remind people living far away their countries of their passed days gathering with their family members around cozy plain meals. The perfect combination of the veggie with crab meat, jute, and luffa creates a mouth-watering soup, a cool dish for hot days in the summer.
8. Cucumber ( dưa chuột)
Hardly any submarine in Vietnam does not have sliced cucumbers as the main ingredient inside. It is certainly an idea veggie for summer due to its mild, almost watery flavour or light melon taste. While raw cucumber is also integral part of most kinds of salads in Vietnam, pickled cucumber is another delicacy in Vietnamese cuisines.
9. Chinese broccoli ( ngồng cải)
Many types of soups in Vietnam has chinese broccoli as the main ingredient. With a subtly bitter flavor and long-lasting sweet taste, the veggie is commonly đippe into broth to enrich the flavor of hotpots. In addition, it can be eaten raw in salads, stir-fried with beef or mushroom and boiled as a normal vegetable. however, the veggie should be washed thoroughtly before processed due to the fact that Vietnamese farmers currently spray many kinds of pesticides onto the veggie.
http://travel.org.vn/food-drink/vietnamese-food/2013/05/nine-most-popular-vegetables-of-vietnam.html

Lo Dieu rock reef awaits tourist footprints

Nguyen Thi Binh An Peaceful scenery in Lo Dieu Located in Lo Dieu Hamlet, Hoai My Commune, Hoai Nhon District in Binh Dinh Province, Lo Dieu Wharf was an important spot for Vietnamese revolutionary ships that transported weapons for the province’s Military Base No 5.
Rock reefs in Lo Dieu Beach are formed into many weird shapes The process of formation and nature has turned the rock reefs into strange and weird shapes that can arouse the rich imaginations of tourists.
Seen from above, Lo Dieu Beach looks like a giant bow leaning back onto the mountain and facing to the sea with a rice field in the middle. Now Lo Dieu is also famous for the popular Bang Bang sand dunes. Coming to Lo Dieu, tourists have to pass through winding trails but will be rewarded by its romantic surroundings.

Moreover, during summer, the clear blue water and smooth golden sand will give tourists a place to relax and a chance to indulge in nature and forget daily stresses. A view of Hon Trong (Waiting Rock) – Photos: Binh An The highlight of the area is Hon Trong (Waiting Rock), a rock in the shape of a woman waiting for her husband who has gone fishing.

On the mountain wall facing the sea, tourists will see Ong Temple which is dedicated to worship whales and was used as a hiding-place for weapons in wartime. Every two years, local fishermen will make rituals and give offerings at the temple to skeletons of whales to pray for a good catch and safety in the sea.

                                                                                                   Provide by Vietnam travel guide

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Dam Da- A new land waiting for exploration of tourists in Vietnam travel


Meanwhile such names as Hoa Tien grotto, Tien Phi grotto, Mai Chau valley, Hoa Binh hydroelectric plant on the Da River are tourist highlights, Dam Da located in Phu Lao commune, Lac Thuy district, Hoa Binh province seems to be an obscure historical site.

This is a vast complex of temples, pagodas and caves, including Trinh temple (also known as Quan Trinh), Mau temple, Tien pagoda and others. Dam Da hosts annual festival in the fourth month of the lunar year, attracting many pilgrims from the province and neighboring regions.
Dam Da
In the complex, Tien Pagoda has been recognized as a national historical cultural site which attracts many visitors joining tours in Vietnam to come here for sightseeing or worship. Nguoi Xua Cave (including Tien Cave and Ho Cave) is renowned as a national archaeological location with many vestiges of ancient Vietnamese people, contributing a great deal to the study of Vietnam’s history.

Scattered around the complex are temples and pagodas such as Trinh Temple, Mau Temple and Tien Pagoda, which are dedicated to worship legendary characters such as Au Co Mother, Lac Long Quan Father, Hoang Bay Mandarin and Tam Toa Thanh Mau.
Dam Da Hoa Binh
Besides its cultural and historical values, Dam Da is marked by its natural spectacular caves. It also has over 20 mysterious caves including Tam Toa, Thuy Tien, Cung Tien, Hoang Muoi and Co Chin, etc. In the caves, stalactites in diverse colors and shapes hang. As the caves’ entrances are situated halfway up the mountains, tourists in Vietnam travel have to trek to reach them. One will find it extremely difficult to list all the caves here. Travelers will be totally taken by surprised at the gigantic and illusory stalagmites and stalactites when coming into each cave.
Chua Tien festival
During spring, particularly from January to March, Dam Da-Hoa Binh is most crowded when there is Chua Tien festival. Conveniently, tourists can combine a trip to visiting Perfume pagoda nearby – a famous attraction in My Duc district, Ha Tay province (now part of Hanoi.)

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Conquering " the roof of Da Lat”



Lang Biang is the highest mountain in Lam Vien plateau with 2,167 meters above sea level. The mountain is in Lac Duong (Lam Dong) and is about 12 kilometers far from Da Lat city. The moutain’s name - Lang Biang - has origin from the love story of K’Lang and H’Biang. 

Tragic story
According to the legend, K’Lang is in Lat tribe and H’Biang is in Cil tribe. K’Lang chanced on H’Lang when they went for  hunting and picking fruits in the forest. When H’Lang got in an accident, K’Lang bravely saved her from the flock of wolves. Therefore, they esteemed and loved each other. However, because of the curse between two tribes, H’Biang could not get married to K’Lang. However, they still tried to  overcome all of strict customs to be able to live together. When they became husband and wife, they were chased by their family, so they went to a hilltop to earn their living.

When H’Biang got sick, K’Lang found all treatment methods but H’Biang did not recover. He had to come back his tribe to tell them her illness and find a way to save her. Unluckily, H’Biang died because of saving K’Lang from the poisoned arrow of their tribe.
K’Lang cried a lot after his lover’s death. His tear flowed into a big stream, now it calls Da Nhim (crying stream). Then he died. After K’Lang and H’Biang’s deaths, H’Biang’s father were very regretful, he decided to united two tribes into a tribe called K’Ho. Lang Biang has been chosen to be the symbol of Da Lat city.
Conquering the top
Chinh phục "nóc nhà Đà Lạt" 1
With the guide of Hot Ha Sien, in the first stage, we conquered the hill “Yen Ngua”. When being 650 meters far from the hilltop, we had a challenge with the abrupt mountain slope. Ha Sien said: “Thanks to JICA (Japan), this section of the road was built stairs to be easier to travel”. After an hour and 45 minutes, we reached the roof of Da Lat at the height of 2,167 meters. The top of mountain area is only about 50 square meters. People took some photos with the landmark and Da Lat panorama.
Chinh phục "nóc nhà Đà Lạt"
To travellers who are not brave enough to conquer the top of 2,176 meters, they can turn left from the ranger station to go to the top of radar at the height of 1,950 meters. There are the symbols of K’Lang and H’Biang, catering service and photography here.
leo núi Lang Biang
To someone being lazy of walking, they can go to the service of hiring a Jeep in the mountain foot with 240,000 VND. Beside a hillside near the foot of mountain, there is a 100-year valley that is designed as an eco-tourism area.
Lang Biang is an interesting destination for going for a picnic, adventuring, exploring the nature and the local people’s culture.

                                                                                                        Provide by Travel to Vietnam 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Pristine Xuan Dai Bay in Phu Yen


From Phu Yen’s Tuy Hoa City, head north on Highway 1 for 45 kilometers and you will see Xuan Dai Bay in front of you, like a watercolour painting. The bay is ringed by a mountain chain stretching some 15km, providing a dramatic scenic backdrop. With a water surface area of approximately 13,000ha, the entrance to the bay, by the mouth of the Ky Lo River, is 4.4km wide and varies from 7m to 18m deep.


Listed among the most beautiful bays in the world, Xuan Dai Bay is a remarkable sightseeing spot in Phu Yen Province, offering both sea and mountain views. Recently, Xuan Dai Bay has become a famous destination attracting not only local people, but also foreign travellers who love relaxing on the beach.

Xuan Dai Bay

From Phu Yen’s Tuy Hoa City, head north on Highway 1 for 45 kilometers and you will see Xuan Dai Bay in front of you, like a watercolour painting. The bay is ringed by a mountain chain stretching some 15km, providing a dramatic scenic backdrop. With a water surface area of approximately 13,000ha, the entrance to the bay, by the mouth of the Ky Lo River, is 4.4km wide and varies from 7m to 18m deep.
Few bays have the topographical variety of Xuan Dai, with secluded inlets interspersed with mountain cliffs.  There are dozens of coves of various sizes and depths. Xuan Dai Bay is best viewed from the surrounding mountains, or islands and peninsulas, such as Ong Xa, Nhat Tu Son, Yen, Mom, Ghenh, Da Mai, Tai Ma, and Den. All are big, beautiful and pristine. Nhat Tu Son Island looks like the Chinese character for the number one, making a horizontal slash on the sea. Yen Island is famous as well, depending on your viewpoint you can see its shape as a sail, or as a tiger sitting carefree on the ocean.


Tourists can swim or take leisurely walks on wild stretches of beach to view the unique features of Xuan Dai Bay. Binh Sa, also called Dai Beach, is the most impressive, a gently curving beach stretching for 5km lined by poplar forest. All around the bay there are rugged islands emerging from the water surface, green with plants throughout all four seasons.
From the tops of the islands, visitors can see fishing villages with rows of coconut trees along the shore of Xuan Dai Bay and, in front of you, fleets of fishing boats bobbing gently on the sea. Visitors can also see the local people pass by on the way to their daily work on the sea.


Some areas around Xuan Dai can be quite difficult to be reach, as the landscape is still wild and primitive. The best time to visit is from November to April.

Provide by Vietnam travel guide

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The ancient village of Duong Lam

JICA and a group of experts from Vietnam and Japan have teamed up to preserve an old village in Hanoi called Duong Lam.
A conference was held on the issue by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of Cultural Heritage on May 7. One official from the department said Duong Lam is among few villages in Vietnam that still has this style of old houses.
He said, “If no drastic measures are taken soon, the houses in Duong Lam may not be saved.”
The village\'s gateway
“One of the most important things is to educate the citizens, so that they understand the great cultural value of these houses. Hopefully they will voluntarily preserve them,” he added.
The Management Board of Duong Lam, along with Tay Son People’s Committee, are considering seeking UNESCO’s recognition of the village as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
The oldest house
Ms. Duong Bich Hanh, an official of UNESCO in Hanoi, said it would require great deal of time, patience and even money to pursue efforts to seek for UNESCO recognition.
“It is also essential to take into account the views of local citizens, and gain their support for the process, because their lives would be impacted by UNESCO recognition,” she said.
Gate of the oldest house
Duong Lam has been recognised as a National Heritage since November 28, 2005.
The Hanoi municipal government has also given the village official recognition. It has around 300 houses that are more than 100 years old, the oldest of which is 342.
An ancient well