Lac Hamlet – interesting destination for Home-stay tour

Lac Hamlet located in Hoa Binh Province, approximately 135km from Hanoi and 60km from Hoa Binh City. The town is situated between tall cliffs and is surrounded by bright-green paddies, making it a sight to behold; the beauty of the place is enough reason for many tourists to stay longer than expected.
 

At sunset, it was slightly cold and tourists took a stroll on the path in the hamlet to enjoy the sweet scent from the paddy fields and buy some goods from the Thai people. In front of each stilt house, people put some small tables for displaying their brocaded products, such as purses, handbags and Pieu scarves (a traditional scarf of the Thai people).

They also hung an abundance of long cloth rolls and Ao com (a short traditional shirt of the Thai People) with distinctive patterns. In addition, unique products like wooden bells for buffalos, bamboo flutes, bows and cross-bows and knives were also displayed for sale. All the products were hand made by the Thai people.

Drumbeats can be heard during the night as the hamlet’s band and many families organise a bamboo pole-dance performance. A dancing team often includesbeautiful girls who have learned dancing, singing and even a foreign language to receive tourists. Each performance often ends with a bamboo dance. The girls often invite guests to drink ruou can (wine drunk from a jar through pipes).

Viet Nam stakes East Sea claim

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam spokesperson Le Hai Binh.

HA NOI — In response to the Position Paper of the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Matter of Jurisdiction in the South China Sea Arbitration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam spokesperson Le Hai Binh stated:
"Once again, Viet Nam reiterates that Viet Nam has full historical evidence and legal foundation to reaffirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, as well as other legal rights and interests of Viet Nam in the East Sea.

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

Tay An pagoda, a mixture of Vietnamese and Asian architectural styles

Tay An is an ancient pagoda with a mixture of Vietnamese and Asian architectural styles. Lying on one side of the Sam Mountain, under the lights, the pagoda itself looks like a monk dressed in yellow, heading to Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province.

If tourists in Vietnam travel want to explore and find about  ancient pagoda culture of Vietnam, you could visit Tay An pagoda, which was designed in a similar style to Indian ones, the front of the pagoda has an oval dome and its roof is in the shape of a sailboat. Nevertheless, designs inside the pagoda basically follow the style of traditional Vietnamese Buddhist pagodas. The Dai Hong Bell is of particular interest as it was made of gold and copper under the Tu Duc’s Reign and is now over 111 years old. Somehow it has even managed to keep the sound of its voice ringing clear after all these years.

Vietnamese MINI-PANCAKE Recipe (Bánh Khọt / Bánh căn)

The mini pancakes are made with a unique pan that looks like a thick cupcake pan. The pan holds the banh khot as they fry in oil. Banh khot is a great street treat for a snack or light meal.

ngredients

• 500 g shrimps peeled and deveined
• *For the batter*
• 370 g rice flour 2 1/3 cup
• 30 g corn starch 1/4 cup
• 330 ml beer or club soda
• 420 ml water
• 150 g left-over cooked rice (1 cup), blended
• 240 ml coconut milk 1 cup
• 1 tsp tumeric powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• *For serving*
• scallion oil
• Fresh greens: mustard leaves, mint, corriander, etc.
• picked daikon and carrots or pickled green papaya
• Light dipping fish sauce “nuoc cham”
• vegetable oil to fry

The Chàm towers in Mỹ Sơn

Mỹ Sơn 
I am wearing a white Áo Dài
(traditional dress) and sitting at
 the main tower group of Mỹ Sơn.

Mỹ Sơn Holy Land (Thánh địa Mỹ Sơn) near Đà Nẵng and Hội An in central Vietnam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It used to be an imperial city during the Chăm dynasty (Champa kingdom) from the 4th to the 13th century. Mỹ Sơn is also the only site in South East Asia which experienced such a long development period (for 9 centuries). Up to present, it has played an important role in the architectural heritage of the Chăm ethnic minority group in Vietnam.

Mỹ Sơn is a large complex inside a valley, which was built to celebrate the divinity of the King. The 71 towers of red and brown bricks were divided into 13 groups and used symbolic architecture to reflect the various facets of the King's divine nature. However, after the wars, most of the buildings had been destroyed. There remain only some brick towers and ruins, but they still look very special.

I visited Mỹ Sơn for the first time in July 2003 on a business trip. At that time, my Company was awarded the Contract to build an exhibition house at the entrance of the site. The project used a

Most unforgettable vacation with travel agencies in Vietnam

Are your looking forward to a holiday on some of the best Vietnam travel destinations? You are probably scouting for travel agencies in Vietnam to help you get the best discounts, travel advisories, and hotel accommodations.

Vietnam is a great place for a getaway. However, you have to choose the right Vietnam travel agency if you want the experience to be stress free and memorable. More importantly, you need to get the right amount of security given that you are traveling to a different country.

To choose the right Vietnam travel company, there are a couple of things that you need to consider. For one, you have to know if the agency is legal or not. There are plenty of travel agencies in Vietnam online. However, not all of these companies operate legally. You have to be careful with fraudulent agencies since the last thing you need is to spend your hard earned money on fake tour operators in Vietnam.

Me Cung Grotto in Halong Bay

Me Cung Grotto has been recognized by archaeologists as one of the vestiges of the pre-Halong new Stone Age culture that existed between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago. 

Two kilometers south-west of Ti Top Beach is the Me Cung Grotto or Bewitching Grotto. It formed on Lom Bo Island, and seen from afar, the entrance is like the roof of a house denting the island’s side.

After a narrow crack only allowing one person through at a time, many partitions appear. These chambers are somewhat small and narrow, but very refined, and with many stalagmites and stalactites bearing beautiful forms.

Vietnam strongly objects to Taiwan’s survey on Ba Binh Island

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly objected to Taiwan’s illegal survey work on Ba Binh Island, part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea. 

Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Hai Binh

The objection was released by the ministry’s deputy spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang at a regular press conference of the ministry in Hanoi on Thursday, in reply to questions on Vietnam’s response to the fact that Taiwanese defense officials have made a survey trip on the island.

Dare you eat this? Bizarre Food in Vietnam (Eps. 1)

Warning: This video may contain scenes that are disturbing for some viewers. Do not watch if you are sensitive.

Video by: Helen

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

Ho Chi Minh City - ongoing dynamic & enchanting

Ho Chi Minh City is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It's a bustling, dynamic and industrious centre, the largest city in the country, the economic capital, and the cultural trendsetter. Yet within the teeming metropolis are the timeless traditions and beauty of an ancient culture. 

If you have visited a number of cities in Vietnam but forgot Ho Chi Minh City, you have not known much about Vietnam for real. It is considered the capital of the Southern area of Vietnam. 
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, or by the abbreviations HCMC or HCM, is the largest city in Vietnam. One  of  the  most important  commercial  and tourist centres in Vietnam.  All the accoutrements of economic success – fine restaurants, flash hotels, glitzy bars and clubs, and shops selling imported luxury goods – are here, adding a glossy veneer to the city’s hotchpotch landscape of French stones of empire, venerable pagodas and austere, Soviet-style housing blocks.

These are some tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City:
Ben Thanh Market 
Saigon Post Office & Notre Dame Cathedral
Reunification  Conference Hall
Museum of Ho Chi Minh City
War Remnants Museum
History Museum & Zoo
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
Zoo and Botanical Garden
Cu Chi Tunnel

Saigon from above. Photo by John Harper

Hanoi Chicken Vermicelli Soup

Hanoi Chicken Vermicelli Soup (Bún Thang) originally comes from North, but already found a new home in many places in South, esp. in Ho Chi Minh City where has been considered as the largest food hub.

Hanoi Chicken Vermicelli Soup (Bún Thang) originally comes from North, but already found a new home in many places in South, esp. in Ho Chi Minh City where has been considered as the largest food hub. People now consider it as the Traditional Vietnamese Food. Easy to find this dish around the city.