Vietnam celebrates 39th Liberation Day

Wednesday marks the 39th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

Various activities are being held to mark the 39^th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh city hosted an exchange with historical witnesses and art performances in praise of the victory on April 30^th, 1975.

Ho Chi Minh city 39 years after the Liberation Day on April 30, 1075

Quang Tri province received the certificate of special national relics for the Hien Luong wharf, Ben Hai bridge, and Quang Tri ancient citadel. In his address, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communications and Education Dinh The Huynh said the recognition shows the Party, State, and people’s deep gratitude to the soldiers and people’s tremendous contributions and sacrifice for national independence. “The Party Committee, administration, and people of Quang Tri province should continue to develop its tradition to boost socio-economic and tourism development in association with relic preservation. The province should promote its image to more people inside and outside the country and implement the project to restore and preserve local cultural values.”

Quang Tri province celebrates the 39th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam (baolaodong.com.vn)

In Da Nang city, more than 200 cyclists joined a cycling tour on Son Tra peninsula. Thua Thien Hue province opened the 3^rd Tam Giang Lagoon festival featuring various games such as boat and junk races and a kite flying contest. Various activities to mark the event were held in Binh Duong, Hau Giang, and Vinh Long province.

Many newspapers in Vietnam have highlighted the significance of the victory 39 years ago. Quan Doi Nhan Dan, or People’s Army newspaper, reiterated that the victory in 1975 defeated the invasion war, eliminated the American neo-colonial rule, and triumphantly ended Vietnam's longest national resistance war.

 Source: vovworld.vn

Beautiful Saigon - Saigon 365 day photos

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), one of the most dynamic cities in Asia, is proud to be a favourite destination for many tourists.
Here! new buildings, there, persons in a hurry… It is the picture of a busting, dynamic but beautiful and friendly city – Ho Chi Minh City, the Chief Southern Centre of Vietnam!

Photos by Andy Le

Source: The most beautiful scenery in the world

Ben Thanh market

Corners in Saigon

Nha Rong Wharf

Nguyen Huu Tho street

Taken from District 7

Lotte Mart Supermarket in District 7

Saigon Time Square building

Saigon today

Saigon in afternoon

District 7 nowaday

Saigon Panorama

Saigon Panorama

Saigon downtown

 Vo Van Kiet street

Thu Thiem Tunnel

Saigon Pearl building

Location: rooftop of Saigon Pearl Building

Wharf warehouse

Saigon - a hidden dragon

Phu Dong traffic-circle

Sunrise city by day

The reflection of light

Early sunny morning

Life on Saigon river

Sunrise city buildings

The Saigon city in morning fog

Heavy rain

Morning fog

Under Mong bridge

Download Beautiful Saigon - Saigon 365 day photos

Nom Character

From an early period a special ideographic script known as chữ nôm was also devised for transcribing spoken Vietnamese.

According to annals dating from the late 13th century, the poets Nguyễn Thuyên and Nguyễn Sĩ Cố were the first to write in chữ nôm. At the turn of the century King Hồ Quý Ly (1400-1407) himself translated the Confucian classic Kinh Thi into nôm. Thereafter an increasingly large number of other works were composed in the new script.

The era of the Lê kings (14th and early 15th centuries) was a significant period of development for chữ nôm literature. Of particular note were the works of Nguyễn Trãi, scholar and strategist to Lê Lợi (later King Lê Thái Tổ, 1428-1433) during the resistance war against the invading Ming Chinese. Trãi, whose Bình Ngô Đại cáo ('Proclamation of Victory over the Ngô') remains one of the finest works of Vietnamese national literature, left an important collection of 254 poems written in chữ nôm known as Quốc Âm Thi Tập. Though chữ Hán was the official the language of the Vietnamese royal court, two Lê monarchs - Lê Thái Tông (1434-1442) and Lê Thánh Tông (1460-1497) - are remembered for their poems written in nôm; some 300 works of great historical and literary significance written by Lê Thánh Tông may be found in the anthology Hồng Đức Quốc Âm Thi Tập ('Collected Poems of the Hồng Đức Period'). However, nôm poetry did not really begin to break free from Chinese influence until the 16th century, a process signalled by the appearance of 100 remarkable works in nôm by Confucian scholar Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm (1491-1585), brought together as the Bạch Vân Thi Tập ('Compilation of Bạch Vân's Poems').

Sóc Trăng (Mekong Delta - part 2)

Kleang temple in Sóc Trăng 
This temple was built by Khmer people and

 it's also the oldest temple in Sóc Trăng province.

25 and 27 September 2009 - We left Cần Thơ and went south to Cà Mau, which is the southernmost province of Vietnam. On the way we stopped in Sóc Trăng and Bạc Liêu provinces for visiting some sites. There are 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta and its population is 17 million people, of which Khmer people make up 25%, Chinese 30% and the remaining are Vietnamese according to our guide. Most of Khmer and Chinese people live in Sóc Trăng, Bạc Liêu and Cà Mau provinces. I saw many Khmer temples along the National Highway No. 1 and various Chinese shops in the cities.

We arrived in Sóc Trăng city at 9am. It was raining so we decided to visit a shop and enjoy some types of local cakes before visiting 3 temples. An hour later, we left the shop and went to Mahatup temple of Khmer people, which is locally known as "the Bat temple" (Chùa Dơi), because a number of fruit bats hang off the trees near the temple. As soon as we entered the area, we could hear the sound of the bats.

Bánh bò - Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cake (Cow cake)

One of Vietnamese traditional steamed cakes known as Bánh bò, literally translated as "cow cake" is a popular dish in the central and southern Vietnam. While Banh bo from the south comes in a wide variety of colors, Banh bo in Da Nang City is only in white color and has a mild coconut taste. I believe that most of Vietnamese couldn't help but loved it when we were kids. Banh bo has become an unforgettable part of our childhood. It is sad to see how difficult to find a place for buying Banh bo nowadays as well as to see our traditional cuisine values fading with time. This recipe is a modern approach using active dry yeast instead of the traditional rice wine balls“com ruou”, with an attempt to revive this special steamed cake through you readers.

 Video by: Helen

Chanel Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HelenRecipes

 

Click here for full written recipe (Bấm vào đây để xem cách làm bánh bò)
http://danangcuisine.com/?p=900
Ingredients:
500g rice flour (~17.6 oz)
1 bowl tapioca starch (100g) ( ~1 US cup)
1 package active/instant dry yeast 7g (~ 1/4 oz) ( eg. Fleischmann's)
400ml coconut milk (~ 13.5 Fl.oz.)
1 ½ bowl sugar (300g) (~ 1 ½ US cup)
2 bowl warm water (~2 US cup)

Important note:
**Do NOT use sweet/glutinous/sticky rice flour**
**Do NOT use baking powder instead of yeast**
** For better result please use molds in small size and steam just 1/4 cup of the batter (60ml) for each cake
**The cakes taste the best freshly steamed. They normally turn hard by cold weather. In that case, just microwave the cakes 15 seconds before serving (or steam again for 2-3 minutes).
______________________________
Vietnamesische Gedämpfte Bienenwabenkuchen
Zutaten: (20-25 Kuchen)
500g Reismehl ** bitte kein klebriges Reismehl verwenden **
100g Tapiokastärke
7g Hefe
400ml Kokosmilch
300g Zucker
450ml warmes Wasser
Kokosmilch und Zucker in einem Topf leicht erwärmen bis der Zucker aufgelöst ist. Reismehl, Tapiokastärke und Hefe in einer Schale vermischen. Das Wasser hinzufügen und zu einem Teig verarbeiten. Diesen ca. 10 min gut durchkneten und dann das Kokos-Zucker-Gemisch hinzufügen. Alles mit einander verrühren bis der Teig sich aufgelöst hat. Etwa 1,5 h gehen lassen.
Den Teig in die Förmchen füllen (~60ml per Kuchen)
10 - 15 min dämpfen.

One of the darkest memories in the history of Vietnam - French Son La Prison

Son La Prison is considered as one of the most famous places, with a no less notorious name “Hell on Earth” to describe the frightened brutality of French colonialists to Vietnamese prisoners here.

The prison was built in 1908 at the center of Son La town and on top of Khau Ca Hill. The prison became a crucial place where numerous political prisoners were locked.  It was notorious at the time as a cruel and terrifying jail where resisting wills and patriotism on the mind of prisoners was diminished in the bloodiest methods. However, for revolutionists imprisoned inside Son La Jail, the place was a “college” where stamina, solidarity and combating spirit was enhanced. There were many stories about tenaciousness and courage of revolutionists who have resisted the colonial and perished at this place like To Hieu.

Inside the prison
Although the original construction was partially demolished after the two wars, Son La Prison has still conserved major features of it, especially jail system and torturing facilities inside. Impression of tourists with Vietnam travel guide  to outer sceneries might be nothing special, but most guests crossing the entrance and enter the prison will definitely be surprised with inside space because they cannot understand how French colonial can lock prisoners in the terrible place like this.

Ben Thanh Market - One of the Most Recognizable Symbols of Saigon

After being moved many times, Ben Thanh market is now standing in the center of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where tourists in Vietnam travel can conveniently find varieties of goods. Especially, the goods here are displayed in a very attractive way that always catches the eyes of the consumers. Anyone who has ever visited the city once recognized that Ben Thanh market is a symbol, a unique image of Saigon.

Ben Thanh Market is situated at the intersection of Le Loi Avenue, Ham Nghi Avenue, Tran Hung Dao Avenue and Le Lai Street, 700m south-west of the Rex Hotel. 

At first, the market was situated near the Ben Nghe River Dike. After being moved many times, it is now standing in the centre of the city where consumers or tourists in Vietnam travel can conveniently find all sorts of products.

According to Vuong Hong Sen, author of "the book Saigon of the Past", in 1912, the French filled a pond, the Boresse, into a solid foundation of 12,000m2 and built a market on it. The market was close to a landing stage (Ben) of the old city (Thanh), hence its name of Ben Thanh. The opening ceremony for the market in March 1914 was a big festive event.

At present, the front of Ben Thanh Market faces Quach Thi Trang Square; its rear faces Le Thanh Ton Street; its right, Phan Chu Trinh Street and its left, Phan Boi Chau Street. At all of its four sides, there are bustling trading shops.

Trần Nguyên Hãn statue oppsite Bến Thành market 

Located at the centre of the city, Ben Thanh Market is always loaded with varieties of goods, such as consumer goods, cakes and candies, food and foodstuff, and particularly high-quality fruit and vegetables. Goods are displayed in a very attractive way that always catches the eyes of the buyers. They meet all requirements for the customers' daily life or for their families. The market has four gates that are very convenient for the market-goers.

For all of its advantages, Ben Thanh Market is now one of the most attractive tourist sites in the city for both local and international tourists joining tours in Vietnam.

Source: vietnamtourism.org.vn

SAPA, THE FANCIFUL TOWN IN FOG

Sa Pa is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China.

The whole Sapa District is dominated by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range which is at the Eastern extremity of the Himalayas, being famous with the Vietnam’s highest mountain of Fa si pan at a height of 3,142 m above sea level.

The town of Sa Pa lies at an altitude of about 1,600 m, bringing in a cool and foggy site of Sa Pa.

Thanks to the height of 1,600 m above the sea level, the average temperature of the area is always 15-18°C, cool in summer, but a bit cold in winter

Sapa is famous both for its fine, rugged scenery and for its rich cultural diversity. 

Its naturally gifted beauty keeps attracting more and more people to spend their vacation there since then. Particularly, the place is the foremost choice for honeymoon couples!

Sunrise on Coc San Grotto

Silver Waterfall

Old Cathedral in Sapa

Heaven's Gate in Sapa

Costume of Ethnic Minorities

Grilled Corn and Baked Sweet Potatoes 

Sapa - the land of love

Ham Rong gardens

Terraced fields in Sa Pa

Panorama of Sa Pa towards the Fansipan

Source: The most beautiful scenery in the world