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Vietnam Open Tour News & EventsTHURSDAY 06 AUGUST, 2009 |
 Hanoi plans special tours to celebrate millennial birthday Hanoi will organise seven special tourism programmes to celebrate the millennial birthday of the capital city in 2010, according to the Hanoi Cultural, Sports and Tourism Department. Those tours aim to provide visitors with an insight into the history of the capital city, as well as the new developments of Hanoi . In particular, the “Journey to Vietnamese ancient capital cities” will take visitors from Hanoi to Phong Chau in the northern midland province of Phu Tho where the nation’s legendary founders – the Hung Kings – set up their capital, and then to the old seats of government of past dynasties including the Ho, the Le and the Nguyen. There will be also a tour that focuses on Buddhism and the Ly dynasty which was known to have played a major role in popularising the religion in Vietnam . The tour covers famous pagodas, including Luy Lau, Yen Tu, Huong, and Tay Phuong and Thay pagodas. The city’s tourism industry is working on programmes that feature museums in Hanoi like the Museums of History, Fine Arts, Military History, Ethnology and the Truong Son Trail, as well as traditional craft villages and ancient villages and citadels. In addition, the tourism department is planning tours highlighting martial arts. The newly-emerged ecotourism area in Ba Vi will also become a destination on offer. VietNamNet/VNA Trek Xuan Son
The misty mountains of Xuan Son. With an area of 15,048 hectares, Xuan Son’s main attraction is a 1,300-meter high limestone mountain covered in dense jungle. Xuan Son forest has over 700 botanical species and 365 kinds of animals. The National Park also contains one of the most beautiful cho chi (Parashrea Stellata) forests in the northern region. The park’s landscape is amazing with three misty 1,000- meter-high-mountains Voi, Ten and Can rising skyward. There are hundreds of grottos, streams and more-than-50- meter-high waterfalls. A not to be missed site is the 10-kilometer-long Dong Tien (Fairy’s cave) full of stalactites, making Xuan Son one of the recent top northern tourist destinations. Visitors can also experience traditional customs of ethnic people like the Dao and Muong who live in the forest. Some tours offer meals in the stilt houses before going trekking in the National Park that was established in February 2002. Trek with local guides to Ban Du (Du Village), Phu Tho Province’s most remote area and the administrative station of both Xuan Son Commune and the National Forest. Another seven kilometers along the path is Xom Coi (Coi Hamlet). This is the last of the hamlets in the forest and tourists can do homestays with the hospitable ethnic people. Just a tip - watch the weather before starting your trek, as it’s best if it’s sunny day. To visit Xuan Son National Park from Hanoi - follow Highway 2 to Phu Tho Province’s famed Den Hung (Hung Kings’ Temple). From the temple, drive 40 kilometers on Highway 32 to the southwestern Thanh Son District. Keep going straight another 30 kilometers to arrive at the Xuan Son gate. For more information check out the official website: www.vuongquocgiaxuanson.com.vn. VietNamNet/Thanh Nien Boating along the Giang river As the birthplace of national icon Ho Chi Minh, Nghe An province has been emblazoned in the consciousness of the Vietnamese people for several generations. But today it is attracting attention for a different reason - its potential for a great holiday.
Off the beaten track: The Giang river in Nghe An province. The 100km-long river hugs the peripheries of Pu Mat. This majestic stretch of water, sometimes calm, sometimes fierce, is a gift endowed by nature to this impoverished district. It’s also a top destination for the intrepid tourist. To get there, we travelled more than 300 km from Ha Noi along the Ho Chi Minh Highway then over 40km down Highway 7 to get to the town. From there, we continued another 20km to the lower reaches of the river to visit Pha Lai Dam, the largest irrigational work in Con Cuong district. According to the language of the Thai ethnic people, Pha Lai translates as "flower of the sky". From here, we hired a dug-out canoe and started our journey upstream. Not for the faint-hearted Although the river is not very deep, this trip is not for the faint hearted. In some parts there are rocky patches with powerful rapids so its best to keep your wits about you. Sometimes the water is so shallow you have to get out and carry the boat across the rocks. But it’s an excellent work out. After paddling through the forest for a few hundred metres, we came across the first signs of civilisation - rafts of wood floating on the water. According to our guide, these belonged to local Dan Lai people, an ethnic minority who live a self-contained and primitive existence in the mountains around Con Cuong. The Dan Lai live in wooden stilt houses with roofs made of palm leaves. As we passed by some of them, we decided to stop so we could have a chat with local people and learn about some of their customs. We were greeted by an old man named Quyet who invited us to have a look inside his house. When we entered, we were surprised to see he didn’t have a bed. To our wonder, he said: "For thousands of years, the Dan Lai people have never slept on a bed, we sleep sitting by the cooking fire." "This custom originated from early times," he said. "Long ago, there were a lot of tigers in the area. If people were not constantly on alert, they could easily fall prey to these cunning predators. To protect themselves, people here devised a method of sleeping sitting up so they could get up quickly and run into the forest if anything happened." Quyet said there were several ways people can sleep sitting up. "One way is to support your head with your hands, or you can also use a wooden cane. Dan Lai women even give birth sitting up." After our stop off, we were back on the water, absorbing the tranquility of the countryside. You really can’t beat the feeling of skimming along the water on a canoe. Once through the rapids, there are stretches of water that are as flat as glass, and you can relax to soak in the view - huge trees whose branches swoop down towards the water, and patches of grassland appearing in the clearings. The foliage was alive with wild animals and in the quiet sections, we could hear their cries. As for animals in the water, there is one creature that many fishermen would like to see up close. It is the mat fish, delicious, nutritious and very common in these waters. Our trip took more than three hours to Co Phat village, and cost us VND500,000 (US$28), but for another VND800,000 (US$45) you can head out to the upper reaches of the river and spend the whole day on the water. If you really want to make an adventure of it, it is also possible to ask the local Dan Lai people if you can stay at their house for an agreed price. With the sights, smells and sounds of nature caressing you as you glide along, you have to admit there’s no better way to escape the stress of the city and get close to nature for a day. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News Hot weekend in Nha Trang Tired of seeing the busy streets of Saigon, I took a nine-hour bus ride out of the city to spend a weekend in Nha Trang. Nha Trang is a village, with long stretches of beach within the town proper where tourists and locals alike can relax sunbathing, if not swimming. Along the beaches are scattered cottages put up by tourism related establishments, which allow individuals to feel protected from the sun while sleeping in the open. To add adventure to a stay at the beach, one can parasail or listen to the parasailers scream as they fly 100 to 200 feet above the sea. As the heat of the day gives way to sultry night, I can't help but start thinking of the places yet to be explored and the activities to be experienced in the company of friends. There are western and local restaurants serving spicy and sumptuous meals at affordable prices on Tran Quang Khai and Hung Vuong streets. Also, for budget travelers, food stalls can be found everywhere offering local foods served in typical Vietnamese style. From restaurants and food stalls, Nha Trang's various bars that serve cold beer and different fusions of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages are just the trendy places to hang around as we cool our dry throats. Chilling out at the rooftop bar of Ha Vvan Hotel is perfect for tourists who want to see the entire city while sipping its cold beer. If you want to play your own music while playing pool or sitting at a table with your choice of cocktail, there's the Red Sun bar on Nguyen Thien Thuat street. Saturday night in Nha Trang is not complete without taking your shoes off and dancing on the sand to Sailing Club's Saturday night fever disco on the beach. The party night beach experience at Sailing Club made me tick my calendar on Saturday, so I'll be there when the music drums next time. Come and join me, enjoy the bonus of getting tan and spend a hot weekend in Nha Trang. VietNamNet/SGT
Hilltop harvest celebrations
Dragon dance is one of the more common dances performed during the harvest festivities Hau Duc Nhanh, a young man of the ethnic San Chi community in Phu Luong District, wakes up before dawn. He gets up early everyday to go the rice fields but today is a special occasion. The highland air is chilly in the morning. Nhanh washes quickly and puts on his traditional costume because he has been chosen by the village to perform the ceremonial tac xinh dance with other young men in the biannual New Rice Festival. The San Chi people celebrate the festival, called Slech thlin may at the beginning of summer and at year’s end, marking the summer-fall and the winter-spring crops respectively. At 7 a.m., people from Nhanh’s community and neighboring areas assemble at an open space in front of the village. They form a procession, led by elders wearing ceremonial robes. Behind the elders are young men carrying food trays and alcohol to offer to the gods. They are followed by some local officials and villagers who wear their most beautiful and colorful clothes. The procession heads to the Earth Lord temple, located a short distance away in the forest Village chief Hau Van Dao, 66, burns incense and reads prayers to many deities, thanking them for a good harvest and also praying for a good crop next time. At 8 a.m., Nhanh, wearing his yellow costume, and another young man, Hau Tien Dac wearing a red outfit, start the dance, gyrating to the energetic rhythm of the music, the crowd watches and cheers. Symbolic dance Nhanh says tac xinh dance has seven basic movements symbolizing the San Chi people’s farming life. “The moves imitate looking for paths through the mountains, clearing paths, sharpening knives, clearing land for cultivation, planting rice seeds, caring for the rice, harvesting crops, celebrating bumper crops, and bowing to the gods,” he says. “We believe the more enthusiastic and precise the dancers and musicians perform, the more the gods would bless us for better crops,” he said. “The dance should be performed exactly the way that it has been handed down through the generations,” says village elder Dao. Local Party Unit Chief Hau Van Luong said the name tac xinh is derived from "tac xich" in San Chi language, it means "edible," or “allowed to eat.” The dance also symbolizes fertility along with agricultural production. “The dance also aims to commemorate ancestors. It is the bridge to link the universe with human beings, to link the world of the living to the underworld, the previous generations with the next generations. It also reinforces the villager’s belief that they can conquer nature,” Luong said. Main performances of tac xinh can consist of two, four or six men. In past only men could perform but now it is open to women. Local musicians keep the rhythm for tac xinh dancers by using bamboo poles and a special “earth-drum.” The “earth-drum” is a hole, 60cm deep with a 50 cm diameter covered with tree bark. Musicians use a bamboo pole to beat on the bark to create sound. Each player holds a 1.8m long bamboo pole in one hand to beat on the “earth-drum” to create sound “xich.” They hit the pole with another smaller bamboo stick to create the sound “tach.” The dancers perform a series of dance movement following a series of sounds “tach tach xich – tach tach xich – tach xich.” Other instruments such as cymbals, wind instruments and small drums, are also played. Local communal official Le Minh Thao said the dance praises the hard working life of the San Chi. “The dance is really an art of the ordinary people. It has originated from daily life and work. It has turned working lives into cultural values,” he said. The San Chi tribe is a part of the San Chay ethnic minority people who farm the mountains and forests of the northern highlands. They have many rituals related to their farming tradition and their relationship with nature. The New Rice Festival is the most important among San Chi cultural and religious activities. People hold the festival to say thank you to heaven, earth, and the deities who gave them rain and favorable weather, good crops and prosperous healthy people. The ceremony is also a chance for the San Chi to celebrate before entering a new season. Festivities While the rituals and ceremonial dance must conform strictly to tradition, the subsequent festive activities are open for everyone. Dances during the festival including the dragon dance are simpler, mostly reflecting community life. Villagers also play traditional games, including throwing con (a colorful ball) through a ring on top of a high bamboo pole and top spinning. A few young men also challenge each other to standing-on-their-head competitions. The event, especially the dances, has helped many young people meet and then become couples, said Hau Duc Nhanh. “That’s why we consider the festival like the sweet fruits of harmony between Yin and Yang, between the nature and human beings,” he said. While the dancing continues, people invite each other to enjoy rice wine and food - laughter echoes through the village until midnight. Delta province places bet on potential for tourism The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Ben Tre is seeking VND1.5 trillion (US$84.5 million) in investment funds for seven projects to further develop its tourism potential.
Despite current economic difficulties, Ben Tre province had allocated VND10 billion for the tourism sector during the first six months of this year. "However, the sum was not enough to solve the internal difficulties in its hospitality industry, Duc said. Lack of typical tourism products, human resource shortages, inadequate accommodation and insufficient tourism infrastructure were problematic for the province in attracting visitors, he noted. Currently, the province has 35 hotels, only one of which has a three-star rating. This lack of good accommodation causes problems for local authorities trying to host large events in the province, according to the provincial People's Committee vice chairman, Nguyen Quoc Bao. "Therefore, the province is trying to attract investors for three-and four-star hotels," Bao said. In order to attract more arrivals, Viettravel Deputy General Director Trieu Cong Tinh Thanh suggested the province engage in tourism promotion by building unique products out of coconuts to lure tourists. For the seven tourism projects needing investment, support was needed from domestic investors and also from consulate offices in HCM City to find suitable investors, said a representative from Saigontourist. In the first six months of this year, the province hosted over 240,000 visitors, 100,000 of whom were foreigners, an increase of 11.5 per cent over last year that was mainly attributed to the new Rach Mieu Bridge across the Tien River. Revenue from tourism was estimated at VND105 billion ($6 million), a yearly rise of 30 per cent. Ben Tre's plan for tourism development by 2015 would require about VND1 trillion ($61.2 million) to implement; the figure required would be VND2.49 trillion ($140.3 million) by 2020. Under the plan, the province aimed to attract 780,000 tourists by 2015. By 2020, 1.16 million tourists are planned for, hopefully bringing in VND1.82 trillion (over $100 million) in revenue for the province. "Top priority is being given to developing the tourism sector, and favourable conditions for investment in the sector are being created," said the provincial People's Committee chairman, Nguyen Thai Xay. The province would continue to streamline its administrative procedures by applying its "one-door" policy, offering investors effective assistance while implementing their projects and some incentives such as land rental reduction. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News Fruit and history: a journey through Ha Tien
The entrance of Mac Cuu Mausoleum. Mac Cuu was a revered governor and his mausoleum is a famous tourist spot in the Mekong Delta’s Ha Tien Town. The choices are modest yet intriguing-ripe yellow mangosteens and red forest lichees, also called truong fruit, are abundant. If fruit fails to satisfy the appetite, there are numerous fresh seafood stands along the road to downtown Ha Tien. Moving into the actual town, small alleys near the Mac Cuu Mausoleum offer a unique and exciting glimpse of local culinary life. Banh khot (pancake filled with shrimp and flavored with coconut flesh juice) and black-bean soup with palmyra sugar (which is traditionally served with ice) are offered at most local eateries. Because of Ha Tien’s historical heritage, Cambodian-style steamed glutinous rice with durian flesh leaves are also available. For the history buff, Mac Cuu Mausoleum is one of Ha Tien’s well-known places of interest. It marks the annual death of Mac Cuu (1655-1735), a talented district governor. Cuu was revered for “taming” the physical landscape of Ha Tien. The transition from dense forests and roaring rivers to planned communities and irrigated fields was almost instantaneous. Under his watch, Ha Tien and the surrounding provinces boomed, becoming immensely productive. Services are held on the 27th day of the fifth lunar month, which usually falls on May or June. A visit to the Chieu Anh Cac Pavilion, which is situated in the mausoleum, is not-to-be-missed. The pavilion radiates a sense of calm. The leaves whistle on a summer afternoon and the lotus pond ripples in the wind. The area surrounding the mausoleum has an ancient feel. The roads and houses are reminiscent of rural areas in the north. After leaving Ha Tien, a stop at Xa Xia Border Gate, nearly 10 kilometers from the town, is necessary. You can try the Cambodian-style bun rieu (rice vermicelli with field crab juice) at a small restaurant near a quaint local rice field. The dish is overwhelmingly flavorful and it’s a staple of local Khmer cuisine. News for Monday 27 July, 2009 View all news for Monday 27 July, 2009 on one page Recent News
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