Spectacular Underground in Vietnam

“Vietnam may be focused on building upwards, but what’s happening underground is perhaps more exciting than the latest skyscraper…” said CNNGO, a well- known website  in Asian Tourism.

Here are some of  unique sites or “heaven underground” of Vietnam:

1. Son Doong Cave ( in Vietnamese: Hang Sơn Đoòng, meaning Mountain River Cave )

The biggest natural cave in the world- Son Doong belongs to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Bo Trach Distric, Quang Binh Province. Covering an area of 85.754 ha, Son Doong is recognized as one of the World Heritages by UNESCO.

 

The cave was found and named by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991and was made well-known to the public by a group of British scientists from the British Cave Research Association in 1991.

Son Doong is 8,5km in length, 200m high. It beats out the previous world record holder, Deer Cave in GunungMulu National Park in Malaysian.

2. Ha Long Bay

Halong Bay is on the Western Coast of the Bac Bo Gulf, located in Cam Pha , Van Don Town.

Being recognized by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage : on 17^th,December 1994 for aesthetic value; on 2^nd December 2000 for value of geology and geomorphology. On November 2011, Ha Long was voted for one of new seven wonders in the world by New7Wonders including Amazon, Ha Long Bay, Iguazu Fall, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princera underground river, and table mountain.

 

With the coast of 120km in length and 1.553km2 wide, Ha Long Bay has 1.969 islands and limestone islets. One of the most popular caves in Halong Bay is Sung Sot cave, also known as “Surprise Grotto”. The spacious cave is on the itinerary for most overnight junks and boats on Ha Long Bay. It may be compared to Phong Nha –Ke Bang National Park but is still worth exploring.

3. Cu Chi Tunnel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The tunnels of Cu Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

The construction began being built in the 1940s on the web of subterranean paths and eventually the system spread out over 250 km, stretching all the way to the Cambodian border. There were hospitals, separate quarters for living, dining, sleeping and military planning inside. 
 

 

Today only two sections are open to the public, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc, situated 70km to the northwest of Saigon. The tunnel becomes an attractive tourism spot.

According to Wackyworld, the tunnel Cu Chi has been recognized as one of the most five strange undergrounds of the world including: the Manche Tunnel, also called the Channel Tunnel linking United Kingdom with Coquelles in northern France and the Tunnel through Tokyo Bay, Japan.

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Farmers learn English on street

There are farmers who are illiterate but they can speak English very well, so they have numerous customers.
 
 In the afternoon, Mrs. Hoa, 60, from Cua Dai ward, Hoi An city, and several women who wore old conical hats, talked with nearly ten of foreign visitors. The tour guide had nothing to do. “Local people have a standard pronunciation of English,” he said.

 

Mrs. Tran Thi Dieu, 79, an amateur tour guide on Thanh Toan bridge, Hoi An town.

 “That is Pidgin English. We do not learn English at any class. To sell goods and invite visitors to travel on the Hoai River… we have to speak English. To learn English, we have to go to the street to listen to how tourists speak, and imitate them,” Mrs. Hoa said.
 
 Hoa used to be a fisherman. Since Hoi An became a tourist center, she has turned to be a boat rower on the Hoai River, serving foreign tourists.
 
 The woman said at first, she did not have any client because she did not know how to invite them to use her boat. She was determined to learn English. However, she is illiterate so she could not attend English class. Several neighbors told her to go to the street to talk to foreign tourists and learn from them.
 
 “Learning Pidgin English was very quick. If I spoke incorrectly, they would correct it. When I was free, I asked my colleagues to teach me,” Hoa added.
 
 She said that at present, she could introduce to tourists about the lifespan of ancient houses, the specialties of Hoi An and the city’s history.
 
 Like Hoa, most of traders and service providers in Hoi An can speak English. Anyone who do not know English go to the street to learn it from tourists. Whenever foreign visitors go past, they invite tourists to buy goods or use their services in English. If tourists do not stop, they also say “Good luck!” to them.
 
 Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cang, 55, has been a xe om (motorbike taxi driver) in Hoi An for five years. He is not only a xe om driver but also a tour guide.
 
 “I’m elderly, so it is difficult to learn English, even Pidgin English. Besides listening to tourists, I have to practice pronunciation and suitable gestures to draw the attention of visitors…,” Cang said.
 
 He said that he spent a year on the road to speak with tourists and learn from tour guides to have his current English.
 
 Cang said that in Hoi An, each person learns Pidgin English based on his/her own need. For example, Mrs. Quynh who sells whistles can only tell tourists the price of whistles ($1/whistle). Mrs. Ngoc can invite tourists to taste her noodle, etc. However, xe om drivers and cyclo drivers have to study more English to tell the way and be tour guides. Some of them can speak 3-4 foreign languages.
 
 At present, students from universities in Da Nang also go to Hoi An town to expand their English by talking with foreign tourists.
 
 Tran Quoc Hao, from the Duy Tan University, goes to Hoi An every weekend to talk with tourists. Many tourists are willing to talk with him for hours.
 
 “I learn English in the university but directly talking with foreigners is the best way to study,” Hao said.
 
 He said that though he was trained of English methodologically at school, he was inferior to Hoi An’s residents in pronunciation or flexibility.
 
 Mr. Vo Phung, director of the Hoi An Culture-Sports Center, said that Hoi An is a very busy tourism center. Local people meet with foreign visitors everyday, so their English keeps developing. 
 
 “Not only traders but also normal people in Hoi An learn several sentences of English to help visitors whenever they ask the way. This makes Hoi An more amazing,” Phung said.
 

Source : VietNamNet
 

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Ten wonderful floating villages in the world

1. Ko Panyi Village, Thailand
Ko Panyi (also known as Koh Panyee ) is a fishing village in Phang Nga Province, Thai Land. The village includes 200 households living in houses which was built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen.

The village has a floating soccer field for children. Inspired by the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the people here built the pitch from old scraps of wood and fishing rafts. Number of visitors has increased recently, although, Ko Panyii people still live primarily on fishing industry as tourists only visit much it in the dry season.

2. Floating fishing village, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Well-known as one of the World Heritages by UNESCO, Ha Long Bay has many islands and islets. This beautiful Bay is also famous for  many floating fishing villages with about 600 residents who sustain through fishing and fish cultivation activities.. Visitors often travel to enjoy life in some villages such as Vong Vieng village, Cua Van village, Ba Hang village, or Cap De village…

Ha Long is very rich of marine resource which the fishermen live on. They often start their work in the early morning and sell achievement for large boats carrying fresh fish to markets on land.

3. Giethoorn village, Netherlands
Giethoorn is a small village in Overijssel province. Giethoorn used to be known as “Venice of the North” or “Venice of the Netherlands” with 7.5km canals through the village.

In the old part of the village, there were no roads (nowadays there is a cycling path), and all transport was done by water over one of the many canals. The boats in here are made with a special electric motor to avoid disrupting peace and romance of this beautiful village.

4. Floating Islands of Uros, Peru
The Uros live on forty-two self-fashion floating islands  in lake Titicaca. They use bundles of dried totora reeds which grow in the lake to make reed boats (balsa mats) and to make the islands themselves. The reeds at the bottoms of the islands rot away fairly quickly and the water could fill the islets. Therefore, new reeds and new layer has to be added to it every three month, which makes exciting for tourists when walking on the island.

The larger islands often attract more visitors, so local people in here live mainly on selling souvenir and other services. Meanwhile, smaller islands have no tourists that people still work hard with fish industry to save life.

5. Wuzhen town, China

This floating province is well-known for rich history of 2000 years. The village still remains ancient stone bridges, stone paths and wooden sculptures.

6. Kampong Ayer, Brunei
Located behind Brunei Bay, the water village was built on stilts is home to 39.000 residents.

Kampong Ayer looks like a small city which has schools, hospitals, restaurants, stores, churches and “water taxis”. From a distance the buildings look old but they are indeed well-equipped with air-conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing, and electricity…
People started living in Kampong Ayer over 1300 years ago. Several households also grow trees and raise chickens.

The floating community of Kampong is a tourist spot. The two floating communities form the totality of Kampong is Kampong Patau-Patau and Beboloh. Tourist coming here can experience a unique connectivity through both villages by way of interlined walks.

7. Zhu Chang town, China
Zhu Chang town is one of the most famous floating city in China, about 30 km far from Suzhou city. It’s beauty makes amazing for many tourists here.

For each 0,5m2, more than a half of the buildings were built from Ming and Qing Dynasty.
The whole town is a picture full traditional color with carefully preserved heritage. Zhu Chang is also known as the “Venice of the East”.

8. Ganvie village, Benin
Ganvie is located on Lake Nokoue near Cotonou Capital. This is the largest village on lake in Africa with 20000 people. It is also an attractive tourism spot.

Local people live on tourism services and also on fishing and fish cultivation.

9. Kay Lar Ywa stilt village, Myanmar 
Kay Lar Ywa is water village located on Inle lake. Residents of this village are Intha people. They support themselves through the tending of vegetable farms on floating gardens. They often grow tomatoes and beans on their garden.  Also the Intha are known for their leg-rowing techniques.

10. Tongli town, Jiangshu, China
Tongli is a town 20 km far from Suzhou, built in the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of 600 years. Over 40 percent of the local architecture was constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Tongli has 49 stone bridges, a lot of green gardens and pagodas. Most of building here are located on the both side of the river, which make the town more poetic.

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Hanoians welcome tourists with open arms

Hanoians welcome tourists with open arms

Canadians Andrew and Marith Kull had intended to find a good restaurant for their final evening in Hanoi, but they changed their plans after hearing about a tour to a local house, which they described as "the perfect end to our trip".

The couple and their children were among the first tourists to go on the Hanoi Home Visit Tour, initiated by a non-profit organisation called Students in Free Enterprise (SiFE) of Hanoi University.

The tour provides foreigners with a chance to visit ordinary families and learn about their traditional features and customs so that they will have a better understanding of Vietnamese culture.

Mai Quang Huy, a junior at the university's Faculty of Business Administration, said: "While travel agencies offer tours to historical and cultural destinations, we want to help foreigners experience a family dinner in Vietnam."

The students started the tour in May last year with a team of just five, but quickly recruited more students with a good knowledge of Vietnamese culture and the English language to act as tour guides. "Unlike professional guides, they are in charge of interpreting for both host and guest," Huy said.

Guests are taken from their hotels by car to a Vietnamese home where they are introduced to their host. They are shown around the house by the host who likes to talk about his house with pride of place given to the ancestral altar and prayer room.

Marith Kull recalled her trip to a house on Thuy Khue Street last July. "As we were walking through the little alleyways to their house, it reminded me of the homes in Europe. When we arrived at the house, we were greeted by the whole family. The grandparents showed us how to pour traditional tea, then we talked about different lifestyles and later had a tour of each room in the house. After that, we enjoyed a lovely Vietnamese -style dinner with lots of laughter and fun."

Usually, traditional Vietnamese food such as stir-fried morning glory, spring rolls and stir-fried dishes with bean sprouts are on the menu. The remaining dishes depend on the hosts, and sometimes suggestions by guests. When registering for the tour, tourists should list any food allergies they have to avoid any problems.

Elsebe and Anthony Vetten from South Africa considered their dinner as one of the most unforgettable moments in the capital. "The food was excellent. We asked for the recipe for the spring roll dipping sauce and will make it here on our next trip."

Pho Minh Thu, whose family has lived in Hanoi for generations, claims to have received many visitors. All her guests get a general view of past and present-day Hanoi, and a meal full of traditional dishes cooked by her mother – an original Hanoian, including bun thang (vermicelli with chicken, pork and egg) and bun nem (vermicelli with spring rolls).

"I can't remember how many guests have visited my house. Most of them were surprised that members of my family still gather in my parents' room in the evening and talk until bedtime, even though we have our own rooms. An American accountant shared the same opinion as a lot of Vietnamese people, comparing her relationship with her mother-in-law to fire and water. I think that through our conversations, the tourists have learned from us while we learn from them," she said.

Vu Thu Ha, a student at the Faculty of International Studies, has gained a lot of insight into the similarities and differences between Vietnam and western countries during her three tours. "Some tourists talked to me about the terrible traffic in their countries and the attraction of big cities for immigrants, similar to Hanoi. A few told me about going to church at the weekends while I shared the meaning of the ancestral altar in Vietnam," she said.

The tourists also learn about aspects they wouldn't see on a conventional tour. "I learned that a traditional house is made of multiple homes and most houses have a prayer room. I also learned that Vietnamese people do not eat a lot of pho, but they were nice enough to make it for us," Marith Kull said. "I always ask a lot of questions and feel a bit intrusive, but on this tour, they welcomed all of our questions."

Having traveled to 28 countries, the Kulls have come across home stay projects, but never home visits. Marith Kull hopes to take another tour when she returns to Hanoi, and share the fabulous experience with their friends. "Having Vietnamese food with a traditional family is a better experience than eating in a restaurant. You really get to know the people and their kindness," she said.

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Tram Chim National Park has become the 2000th Ramsar Site of the World

Tram Chim National Park has become the 2000th Ramsar Site of the World

On 25^th February, Tram Chim National Park in Tam Nong distric, Dong Thap province has been recognized as the 2000^th Ramsar Site of the World and the 4^th ofVietnam by Ramsar Convention – the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Ramsar Convention was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 to recognize the fundamental ecological functions of Wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value; and stimulate conservation and sustainable utilization of Wetlands. In 1989, Vietnam was the first country in Southeast Asia to ratify Ramsar Convention and became the 50^th member of the Convention.

Covering an area of 7.588 ha, Tram Chim National Park was established in 1999 and has become one of eight most important bird protection areas in Vietnam today.  The National Park has met eight in nine standards of Ramsar Convention for wetland. This is also a place to remain biodiversity of the whole Dong Thap Muoi Area.

Tram ChimNational Park has become an ideal habitat of more than 100 vertebrates, 40 species of fish and 147 species of water birds of which 13 are listed as rare birds of the world. The most distinguished resident bird is the Sarus crane (a kind of red-headed crane with scientific name as Grus Antigone Sharpii ) which accounts for 60% number of cranes moving to Mekong Delta each year.

Vietnam has got 4 Ramsar Sites so far: Xuan Thuy Natural Wetland Reserve in the northern district of Nam Dinh Province, which was recognized in 1988; the Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains in Cat Tien National Park, selected in 2005; Ba Be National Park in northern Bac Kan province, recognized in 2011 and Tram Chim National Park.

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