TRAVEL IN BRIEF 23/7

Quang Nam offers new eco-tours

Two new tourist destinations have opened in the central province of Quang Nam. The 60-ha Tra Nhieu community eco-tourism village in Duy Xuyen District’s Duy Vinh Commune produces traditional crafts like Ban Thach sedge mats and coconut leaf weavings.

The village retains the natural beauty of Viet Nam with 10ha of water coconut forest. During the tour to Tra Nhieu, visitors can learn cultural crafts, join traditional singing performances, and go fishing and sight-seeing on boats around the water-coconut forest.

Bay Mau Coconut Plantation, some 3km from Hoi An, used to be a military base during the wars against the French and the US and is well-known for diverse flora and fauna. Bay Mau villagers take pride in their traditional crafts, building huts and making utensils using coconut leaves and trees. Visitors can observe Bay Mau artisans at work.

Tours launch for Ha Noi’s big event

Tourist agencies across the country are preparing tours for the milleninum anniversary of capital Ha Noi in October.

ViHOTO/William ettravel is offering four tours lasting from four to six days each, to Trang An, Hoa Lu, Ha Long Bay, Yen Tu Mountain, Tuan Chau Island, Sa Pa, and other tourist destinations in the north. Vietran Tour has designed three tours to the Temple of Literature, Ngoc Son Temple, Ha Noi Opera House and the Viet Nam History Museum.

Hapro Co has seven one-day tours for VND200,000 per person and two two-day tours for VND600,000 per person. These tours are focussed on Ha Noi’s culture and history, such as Ha Noi’s 36 Old Streets, land and people, journeys to craft pottery villages in the Red River region, and craft villages and culinary stops.

Hanoitourist focuses on famous destinations including Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba Island, Tam Coc-Bich Dong, Bat Trang Pottery Village, Hue and Hoi An.

Australia launches new tourist site

The official website of Tourism Australia, Australia.com, is now available in Vietnamese.

The Australia.com home page contains locally relevant content in Vietnamese, according to a press release issued by the Australian Embassy in Ha Noi. For the year ending on March 31, 2010, despite the global financial crisis and outbreaks of H1N1, Australia received more than 37,000 visitors from Viet Nam, an increase of 9 per cent from the previous year.

Hoi An nights get new perk

A night market has opened in Hoi An on the bank of the Hoai River and opposite the famous Chua Cau (Bridge Pagoda).

Stretching 300m along Nguyen Hoang Street, it has 40 shops selling handicrafts, porcelain, lanterns, and traditional foods of Quang Nam Province where Hoi An is situated.

It offers a new attraction for visitors to the city, especially foreign tourists.

White lions roar into HCM City

Two South African white lions, a female and a male, are on exhibit at HCM City Zoological Garden. The lions, named Mi Mi and Mi No, are between 18 and 19 months old and weigh 90-100kg. Found in South Africa and India, white lion males can reach up to 140-150kg when they grow up (around three years old), while females range from 110-120kg.

Hotel Majestic celebrates the big 85

To celebrate its 85th anniversary, Majestic Hotel last week opened the new Cyclo Restaurant and plans to reconstruct the Majestic Club and Spa which are expected to be completed later this year. In 2011, the new luxury will expand towards Nguyen Hue Street and will have 205 rooms and suites. In the first six months of this year, the hotel welcomed 14,451 guests, a year-on-year increase of 14.3 per cent.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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Ten million tourists visit Mekong River Delta

VietNamNet Bridge - The number of visitors to the Mekong River Delta in the first six months of this year has reached 10 million, including 730,000 foreigners, increasing 8.7% over the same period of 2009.

The figure was reported at the conference on promoting tourismin the Mekong River Delta during the first six months in 2010, held recently in Kien Giang province by the Mekong River Delta Tourism Association.

According to the conference, this brought to the delta a total revenue of VND 1,521 billion (around US$ 80 million), an increase of 27.8% over the same period of the previous year.

It also underlined existing problems of tourism in the region which restricted the delta’s tourism potential, such as the shortage of high-quality and diversified tourism products.

The conference urged localities to strengthen co-operation to make full use of their tourism potential and make more interesting tours for visitors to promote tourism in the province and region in response to the National Tourism Promotion Programme 2010.

Participants also highlighted the role of the association for implementing the Mekong River Delta Tourism Development Project and boosting co-operation among the regional provinces to further improve tourism in the delta.

Delegates pointed out the urgent need to raise the professionalism of tourist staff through training courses and upgrading the Association’s website.

Source: Nhan Dan

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Ancient rural life in heart of Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge - Right in the heart of Hanoi, tourists can see and touch the simple life of the Vietnamese countryside several centuries ago by visiting the Museum of Farming Tools and Daily Life of Northern Farmers.

Tran Phu Son and a rice-grinding mill displayed at the museum.

The museum, covering 100 sq. m. on Van Ho street, was founded in 2004 by a retired publishing house employee, Tran Phu Son, who has spent more than 20 years collecting over 200 objects to display at the museum.

Flour mills, earthenware and copper basins dating back hundreds of years and rice-grinding mills from the 19th century are among the objects on display which are no longer in use today.

A bamboo bucket to water crop fields or a palm coat used to protect farmers against three different severe weather conditions: heat, cold and rain, provide a glimpse into life in the countryside many years ago.

The museum owner said he rummaged everywhere in the northern countryside to collect these objects essential for rural life in the past, to help young generations understand their ancestors better.

“All the exhibits are evidence of my devotion to keeping the past alive for the future. Anyone interested in studying the life of northern farmers will be welcome here,” said Son, who devoted over 40 years to the publishing industry.

Besides the museum on northern rural life, which is among the first three private museums in Vietnam, Son plans to establish another museum in Ho Chi Minh City , dealing with pottery from all parts of the country.

Source: VNA

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11-year-old interpreter

VietNamNet Bridge – Many travelers to Tra Vinh province will never forget meeting an interpreter who is only 11 years old. Tran Quang Khai is a fifth grader from Le Van Tam primary school.

“Once I carried him on my motorbike in Tra Vinh and he saw a foreigner who couldn’t communicate with a salesperson, so he got off the motorbike to help,” Khai’s mother Nguyen Nguyet Quang recalled about the first time she witnessed her son working as an interpreter.

Khai has worked as an interpreter for hundreds of travelers to Vietnam. He works with 5-6 visitors a day on average and travelers keep Khai’s contact information and give it to others.

“I’ve never received money from visitors because I wish to help them. Moreover, I can improve my English when I help them,” Khai said.

This boy has many international English certificates like Cambridge Young Learners English Test - STARTE; Cambridge Young Learners English Test - MOVERS; Cambridge Young Learners English Test – FLYERS and KET.

The boy is also an excellent student, having won 52 certificates of merit.

PV

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Corn noodles in Vietnam?

Corn noodles? Never heard of them - what are they, where can you get them and how do they taste? The corn noodles are really great!

Corn noodles

Corn noodles are made from corn and is very delicious and sweet-tasting if noodle makers use the corn from the Tuy An and Dong Xuan areas of the central province of Phu Yen.

For a long time, corn noodles were a traditional product of the Tuy An people. Over 90 percent of the population of Tuy An made corn noodles; however, in modern times young people have not followed family traditions. At present, only a few families remain making corn noodles in this area.

Visitors will have a chance to taste corn noodles during festivals or Lunar New Year. Corn noodle soup is quite different from other soups as the soup is cooked with Giang leaf and goby fish which is caught at the O Loan lagoon. If you do not have time to follow the traditional recipe, mixing fish sauce with chili then adding the mixed fish sauce to the broth and the corn noodles will make a satisfactory variation. If you prefer vegetarian cuisine, you can try the following recipe step by step to make your noodle soup pretty good!

The ingredients include: 1 large can tomato sauce, 1 large can cream corn, 1 small onion (diced onions), 1 package large corn noodles (flat), 2 tablespoons oil (just use pan spray), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste.

Corn noodle soup

Directions as follows:

In pot add oil and diced onions, cook until onions are done. Then follow the instructions for cooking the noodles, adding the water to the onions. Then add the cream corn and tomato sauce, followed by salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let it boil for a minute or two, adding the noodles and stirring.

Lower heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced, stirring often. As it thickens you may wish to reduce heat a little more to keep from sticking. Do not let it cook down to dry, as it will thicken more as it cools. You do not want it to runny so it will run over the plate, but thicken somewhat.

If travelling to Phu Yen, you should not miss the opportunity to taste the corn noodle soup at the Chi Thanh market in the An Dan commune. Most of tourists love these noodles, and they think the noodles are so delicious!

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