“Being a fisherman at Vam Sat for one day” is the name of an eco-tour that gives travelers interesting experiences on their visit to Can Gio District, HCMC. The tour is served by Vam Sat Ecological Resort.

Located by the East Sea coast and 50 kilometers southeast of the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, Can Gio District has many things for tourists to discover, from rivers to mangrove forests and the life of locals, especially fishermen.

To visit Can Gio from the city center, tourists can choose to take either a car or a speedboat at Bach Dang Quay in District 1. If they go by car, they will stop to take a speedboat at the quay at Dan Xay Bridge. The speedboat will bring them to sightsee the riverscape, the typical flora of salinity-intruded forests and to study fishing methods of Can Gio fishermen. During the tour, visitors will have opportunities to discover diverse things and participate in different activities of locals.

First, travelers together with local fishermen will row a boat to place traps under the water for catching sea-crabs. While waiting to collect the traps, they will row a smaller boat around in the mangrove forest to visit Doi Nghe Conservation Park and return to the former place to collect the traps after 30 minutes. Local fishermen will show tourists how to choose crabs with good flesh and tell them about the world of crabs. Tourists can grill the crabs to eat on the spot or enjoy dishes from these crabs at lunch.

To continue the journey, tourists must get on board a wooden boat to go for studying how fishermen of Vam Sat, an area in Can Gio, dive to catch oysters. Diving to catch oysters is among the characteristic fishing methods of local fishermen. Tourists will also see how oysters are raised, catch and grill oysters to eat on the spot. They can of course join the farmers to catch the oysters.

Emptying a pond to catch fish by draining its water is also an interesting activity for tourists to experience. To join the work, they are provided a set of bà ba (a traditional southern-style costume) and a nm (a fishing instrument made of bamboo). They step down into the pond and use a tin can to empty the water before catching the fish.
Another way of catching fish is to cover an area with nets. About four people walk into a pond, use a net to surround an area with fish, and pull the net ashore to catch the fish.

Tourists can also join local people in producing salt from seawater. They can roll up their trousers and step into the salt field to rake the salt and shoulder the salt to cottages on the shore. In addition, tourists can join in planting mangroves to expand the coverage for forests. Employees of Vam Sat Ecological Resort will instruct tourists how to plant the trees.

To experience strong sensations, vacationers can feed crocodiles in challenge. They fix a bait to the fishing line and stand on the boat in midstream to hold the rod and “fish” crocodiles. If they stay overnight at the resort, they can join local people to hunt for ba khia (a species of crab with three stripes on their back), grill fish to eat and sing songs by a camp fire.

Source: SaiGonTime

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Muong villagers preserve and develop traditional culture

The Muong ethnic minority people in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh persist in preserving unique traditional values of both tangible and intangible heritage.

Giang Mo village, surrounded by vast green forests, is ideal for people to escape from the constant noise and traffic congestion of cities.

Located in Binh Thanh commune, Cao Phong districts, some 12km from Hoa Binh City, the village leans against Cham Mountain, with small houses built on stilts along the Cai stream.

A winding paved road takes visitors to the local Muong community with a total of more than 100 houses on stilts, which has become a popular destination for tourists.

At first sight they are in all impressed by the friendly and hospitable smiles appearing on the face of villagers, who say, "Please climb up to have a cup of tea with us!"

Tourism services have gradually improved the living conditions of Muong villagers but their traditional lifestyle and customs remain with the passage of time. On this account, the village has been considered as a Muong culture centre.

Along with intangible heritage like songs, dances and other cultural values, the Muong families keep very old things like water pipes, rice mortars (powered by water stream), crossbows and farm tools, mostly made of natural materials like timber and bamboo. Some families still weave cloth with traditional looms and hope to hand down the skills of making colourful brocade items to next generations.

Villager Dinh Van Duc says they receive guests everyday and treat them with tea, wine, fruit and rice cakes.

According to village chief Nguyen Hau, Muong villagers began to develop tourism services in 1995.

"After the Hoa Binh Hydro-electric power project got off the ground, our village has become a tourism destination," he says.

Another villager, Nguyen Thi Mai, says, “We still live on farming. While many men go to work far from home, women and children stay to receive tourists.”

Our stilt houses are different from those of the Thai and Tay," she says.

Hau’s 80sq.m house on stilts has a thatch roof, with four main pillars made of 6m-high chò (parashorea) trunks. Its beams have decorative images based on Muong legends. Under the roof is an altar for Heaven and ancestors.

He says the village has 111 households in which 40 families provide tourism services.

From October to the next April, the village receives about 1,000 international and domestic tourists each month," he adds.

Luckily, each corner of the village remains in good shape. On the walls, people hang gongs, two-chord fiddles, flutes, and animal heads. Many things are old but have been carefully preserved by their owners.

The village has its own regulations to protect the Muong against social ills and encourage them to preserve their traditional wooden houses.

In recent years, many families have restored their traditional brocade weaving and knitting crafts.

Beautiful items are hung tidily on the walls for visitors to touch and take photos; if they want to purchase any items they will be given a generous discount by family members.

They like visitors to taste traditional dishes like steamed sticky rice, chicken served with sour bamboo shoots, boiled pork laid on banana leaves, and rice wine.

The most exciting moment comes when the house owner plays the vertical flute over a bottle of wine made from bananas, or a jar of Can (sweet rice wine), that people drink through long bamboo tubes.

Children like to take foreign visitors to a large wooden house, where the village's art troupe performs folk songs and dances.

"Although I don't understand the Muong language, I think the melodies are beautiful," says Francois d’Alzon, a French tourist.

"Everyone is open-hearted and friendly, and the air so fresh that if I decide to settle down here I will live to the age of 100," he says with a broad smile.

“Foreign tourists love the village so much. Some French have offered money to villagers to help build our 700m-long paved road," says the village chief.

The way to Giang Mo: From Hanoi, tourists travel 80km along National Highway No 6 to Hoa Binh City, then another 12km to Giang Mo Village, in Cao Phong district.

Source: Vietnam Net

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A Frosty Sapa To Remember

In winter, Sapa welcomes guests with its cold weather temperature that can go down to one Celsius degree now and then 

Although tourists are accustomed to the chilling cold weather in Hanoi, they will find it hard to instantly adapt to the sensation frozen to the marrow in Sapa. It is not only cold and misty, but also so cloudy that no one can see everything just one meter ahead. All seem to be covered, even the highest stone church in the downtown area is hidden in the dense mist. So, tourists will feel difficult to find the way to go around.

Sapa welcomes guests with clouds and coldness but no one wants to wrap themselves in blankets to enjoy the warmth at hotels or guesthouses. From the old to the young one, from locals to tourists, all rush to the streets and grope their way in the heavy fog. They want to experience the weather, forests and special landscapes that Mother Nature offered to Sapa. They want to exercise to warm up their bodies and try their strength before the nature.
Therefore, the rhythm of the life in Sapa is always bustling and alive in the cloud and frost. From the central town to famous tourist attractions such as Ham Rong Mountain, Cat Cat Village, Ta Van Village, a fairy waterfall or an ancient rocky field, are full of visitors. People admire drivers in Sapa. No one can see anything ahead but thanks to their memories of every bend and every stump on the road, drivers still bring travelers to the destinations safely after several times the hearts of tourists jump up and down in their first trip to Sapa.

Arriving in the highland town, tourists will be impressed by the splendid landscapes and professionalism in doing tourism business of the people in Sapa. Ham Rong Mountain is kept clean, and trees are well taken care of. Cat Cat Village has many souvenir shops and local sellers are always friendly and happy to local and foreign visitors.
Homestay product has better changed the life of Dao and Day ethnic minorities in Ta Van Village. A large number of houses there were repaired and decorated beautifully, and each house has its clean toilets. Prices for homestay are not expensive. It costs VND50,000-60,000 a tourist for one night stay. Foreign visitors who want to eat three meals with the host and stay one night at a local house have to pay nearly US$12, or some VND250,000, each.
All show that Sapa people are more aware of the importance of luring visitors to come back than those in other tourist sites nationwide. Sapa people protect their scenic spots well and decrease charges of some tourist destinations, and says ‘no’ to overcharging visitors at hotels and restaurants during the peak season.

Japanese sakura flowers are blooming at the Sapa People’s Committee and visitors can take photos or take a walk around this place as there is no barrier between governmental offices and tourists.

However, it is regrettable that Ham Rong Mountain and Cat Cat Village are managed by travelcompanies, and admission fee is decided by these winning bidders. Some shops on Ham Rong Mountain sell made-in-China souvenir items instead of domestically-made ones. The intervention of a travel firm has turned Ham Rong with many impressive mountains into a seemingly artificial garden that erodes the natural beauty of this scenic spot. A garden with 12 animal designations painted in red and blue was set up. The garden also has a Mickey Mouse statue and snakes wearing felt hats, which have no relations with ancient sakura stumps or houses on stilts of ethnic minorities.

Cat Cat Village is thinly populated but its land is divided into small lots for lease. A souvenir shop owner has to pay VND2 million a month for a small land lot. Most of souvenir items are made in China. There is only one stall standing lonely at the end of the road and selling dyed cloth weaved by locals.

Sapa tourism business is not as chaotic as other places, thanks to good services and the hospitality of local residents and tour guides. Clear-headed people in doing tourism business make the roads leading to tourist attractions easier and beauty spots more attractive to visitors.

The most striking factor in Sapa is its culture and people, but they seem to fall into oblivion. Typical roofs of houses in Cat Cat Village seem to be lost in the commercialization process. Roads are opened but in remote villages, under the extreme cold weather, children still wear very thin clothes and worn-out slippers, or even go to school on bare foot. And at nights, many kids huddled themselves in the chilly wind of one Celsius degree to dance with khèn, a local music instrument, to make fun for guests so as to earn some money for their families.
At first, commercialization in doing tourism business may reap success but the poverty of locals still exists. They still meet difficulties in earning money, so they have to sell goods at tourist sites or look for the kindness of travelers instead of wearing new clothes, joining festivals, playing traditional games and luring tourists from other regions.

Ethnic people cannot tolerate cold weather better than visitors from afar. And travelers cannot leave Sapa without a cold feeling in their hearts. When will ethnic minorities in Sapa feel the warmth and sufficiency of the benefits from the tourism industry in which they play an important role?

Source: SaigonTime

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Vietnam is so Wonderful on the International Fashion Catalogue

Being attracted by the simple beauty of Vietnam, Free People, a well –known fashion magazine the U.S has selected Vietnam as the location for their March catalogue performance.

On the website www.freepeople.com , bloggers spent winged words to describe the beauty ofVietnam as an interesting country with blending of busy modern cities and peaceful villages. They experienced in Vietnam through the most natural way from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, Sapa and Hoi An:

  

“ For our March catalog, our team traveled across the global to Vietnam, embarking on a journey that would take them on planes, boats and night trains, through rice fields and mountains and across ancient bridges, capturing it all on film as they went. It is one of my favorite catalogs to date – in every image there is so much to look at, from the colors and the clothes and beautiful models to the breathtaking landscape and atmosphere of Vietnam. You can feel the energy and joy one feels when traveling emanating from each page: from the Temples, rice fields or journey on boats in Ha Long Bay..”.  

A person who is an avid traveler said that: “the view of Free People’s Travelogue was a warm way to vicariously see Vietnam from my cozy home office”.

The log is fill with wonderful photos and specially, a three – minute clip titled “a taste of Vietnam” by a young American Chief, Daniel Klein has made amazing for many people for a so beautiful Vietnam and so delicious food.

 
 

Clip A taste of Vietnam

 

With a cute warning that you should not see the clip if you are hungry or you could not enjoy it inVietnam, Daniel seems to be a true guider about culture, beverage, and Vietnameses. The clip appeared on webside on Intrepid Travel and is his most favorite. He also remind travelers to enjoy street food when you come to Vietnam.

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Capital city weekenders enjoy tranquility at Dai Lai Lake

You can relax on a sand bank, swim or row out to nearby islands, or even climb up to discover wild caves. It sounds good, doesn't it?"

 

 

Serenity: Visitors paddle along the lake in swan boats.

Yes, it does. When my close friend asked me to accompany her to Dai Lai tourist resort, where she would be taking wedding photos, I agreed, thinking I would be able to help her and visit the site at the same time. That's how I ended up by the lake at the foot of the Tam Dao mountain range.

The 525ha Dai Lai Lake and its beautiful natural environs are located in the suburbs of the capital, 50km from the inner city and an easy 10km from Noi Bai International Airport.

Dai Lai has diverse terrain including lakes, hills, valleys, and mountains large enough to accommodate a great hoard of tourists on holidays. On weekends, they can be found swimming, strolling, fishing, and participating in water sports or other activities along the shoreline.

Dai Lai means a "great source of water" in the language of the San Diu ethnic group who reside near the lake.

  
 

 

Free-wheeling: Families cycle near Dai Lai Lake.

The climate and weather in Dai Lai are rather stable thanks to the surrounding mountains. The average temperature is 28OC in summer and 16 degrees Celsius in winter, more pleasant than Ha Noi and neighbouring regions.

Dai Lai is being turned into a regional and international tourist area, with golf courses, villas and commercial centres.

Animals that can be spotted include monkey, wild boar, deer, sandbar deer, fox, squirrel, porcupine, python, snake and several protected bird species. 

The lake lies next to Than Lan (Lizard) Mountain named after its shape which imitates two lizards huddled with their heads together. Legend has it that the two giant lizards fought over a precious stone but lost it where Ngoc Thanh Village stands nowadays. They were transformed into a mountain as punishment for losing the pearl.

Tourists often soak themselves in the clean green water of the lake in the early morning hours, before climbing up Than Lan Mountain to enjoy the panoramic view of Ha Noi's urban area in the glow of dawn.

 

 

Tumbling waters: Tourists hike upstream to Doi (Bat) Cave near Dai Lai Lake.

Our host Nguyen Quoc An suggested that Co Island in the centre of the lake should be our afternoon spot. We reached the island after a half-hour boat ride. Although tourists have frightened away most of the storks, smaller birds still chatter above our heads and call to each other to come home. The site seems poetic and peaceful at sunset.

We gather around a camp-fire, eating, dancing and singing together. It's really unforgettable.

"Tourists flock to the site during the summer months to escape the heat further south," An said. "Couples or adventurers seeking solitude are the most common visitors during the rest of the year."

Intrepid cyclists and off-road drivers can travel the 15km from the lake to Nhe Mountain Pass where they can enjoy a spectacular sight. From there, the footpath is clear along Lanh Stream up to Doi Cave.

Near the cave, the current becomes strong and the path hard to access due to large rocks. An easier way across the pine hills has been put in place to help tourists reach the cave without slipping and falling.

True to its name, Doi Cave is home to many bats. After a challenging trek to the cave, tourists can relax by swimming at a small pond beside the cave's entrance. It's absolutely safe since the water does not rise above chest level, even during the rainy season.

My friend was finally satisfied with her collection of wedding photos. As for me, I had a meaningful and interesting trip.

It was so easy to have a wonderful and enjoyable weekend that I'll definitely go back. And who knows, maybe I'll be taking wedding photos myself there soon.

Source: Vietnam Net

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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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