Hung King Temple sees a million visitors during Tet

Visitors offer incense at Hung Kings Temple (Source: VNA)

More than one million of visitors from across the country visited the Hung Kings Temple historical site in the northern province of Phu Tho during the Lunar New Year festival (Tet).

It has become a tradition for the Vietnamese people to express their gratitude to the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the nation at the beginning of the year.

On the occasion, about 10,000 -15,000 visitors arrived in the site every day to respectfully commemorate the Hung Kings.

According to the site’s Director Nguyen Xuan Cac, some temples such as Ha Temple and Gieng Temple in the site were improved to provide better services to tourists.

Several other works in the site are expected to be completed soon in order to celebrate Hung Kings Temple Festival in 2012, which falls on March 10 in the lunar calendar, or March 31 in the modern calendar this year ./.

vietnamplus.vn

Hue Festival features foreign performers

Hue festival performance in 2010 (Source: VNA)

Twenty-four foreign art troupes from 14 countries will take part in Hue Festival 2012.

Three of the troupes, Carabosse fire performers, Combo Box jazz concert and Ego street festival come from France.

The festival, themed “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development -The Rendezvous of Historical Cities,” has also attracted Bathiholic from Japan, GuGak from the Republic of Korea, and Max Vandervorst from Belgium.

Artists from East Asia and Latin America will also appear for the first time at the festival.

Hue Festival 2012, which will take place on April 7-15, is within the framework of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

The 13th annual conference of the League of Historical Cities (LHC) will also take place in Hue, attracting representatives from 80 cities in 55 countries./.

vietnamplus.vn

Lim festival to open with a new record

The Lim Festival will commence in the northern province of Bac Ninh on Saturday this week – the 13th day of the first lunar month. The festival is expected to reach the national record for the greatest number of people singing Quan Ho (a love duet) and wearing traditional clothes, according to Deputy General Secretary of the Association of Bac Ninh Quan Ho Lovers Vu Hong Duong.

The festival will be held on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda is dedicated to Quan Ho creator, Hieu Trung Hau. It is aimed at preserving and reviving the valuable, ancient art of love duet singing, recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

About 3,000 people from provincial Quan Ho clubs are expected to participate in making the national record. The delegation will gather at Nguyen Dang Dao Senior Secondary School in Lim Town and marching to the hill to sing Quan Ho songs.

Love duets are an art form combining various elements, including music, lyrics, costumes and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between the singers. The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

An array of folk games and cultural activities such as wrestling, blind man's bluff, earthenware pot breaking, cock fighting, calligraphy and bonsai showcasing will be held during the festival.

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Pig hunting festival in Phu Tho Province

Pig hunting festival has been a long-running tradition in Ha Thach Village, Ha Thach District, in the northern province of Phu Tho, held every 5th day of the lunar January.

The festival is also known by the name “Ong Cau”, which refers to the tradition of soldiers hunting wild pigs in the old capital city of Van Lang. The custom was recently resumed by villagers in 1996.

The ong cau is a male pig which has a black mane, and is sought after by locals during the several months leading up to Tet. On the 23rd of the lunar month of December, villagers choose a local house for building a “house” for the pig. The household must be successful with well-off, law-abiding citizens.

The “house” of ong cau is made with a bamboo frame, and covered with palm leaves to keep out the cold. Weapons, such as knife and spears, are displayed around the house.

The pig is kept at there from the 23rd of the lunar December (the Day of Kitchen God) until the 5th day of the lunar January. Then the villagers release the animal in order to chase and hunt it.

This year, Nguyen Van Chinh was selected to raise two ong cau. The pigs were brought to Chinh’s house on the 23rd of lunar December.

When the festival begins, the pigs are put into the iron cages for later release to the hunting ground.

Cheering

Ong cau taken to the hunting grounds

Hunting

Capture

Exciting atmosphere

After capture, the pig is covered with cloth

Ong cau taken to temples near the Red River

Worship on the night of January 5th on the lunar calendar

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Ha Long Bay boats do not have to be painted wholly white: authorities

More than 500 tourist boats in Ha Long Bay will be decorated with white details instead of being repainted white totally to “renovate” the site’s tourism sector, the VnExpress newswire quoted a local official as saying Saturday.

Vu Thi Thu Thuy, vice chairwoman of the People’s Committee in the northern province of Quang Ninh made the statement about one week after the committee announced that all the boats will have to be painted white as of this April 30, an order objected to by local businesses, tourists and the public.

According to Thuy, changing the color of the bay’s tourist boats into white was one of the necessary moves to improve local tourism and create a “new face” for Ha Long Bay.

However, the province didn’t mean to set white as a uniform color for local tourist boats, so it didn’t regulate how much white the boats need to be, she said, adding that local businesses can devise their own styles.

Doan Van Dung, chief the Association for Ha Long Tourist Boats, which previously sent a letter to the provincial authorities to express its disagreement on the decision, told VnExpress that the new decision has relieved local businesses from difficulties.

They are now not facing the financial burden of following the authorities’ order, because it would have cost them tens of millions of dong to repaint their boats and been a time consuming process as well, Dung said.

It is not as difficult to repaint just a few details, in terms of cost and time, according to Dung.

“Brown is still the main color; white is only added as a decoration,” he said.

But, Dung also said that since the color of Ha Long Bay’s boats is the image of tourism and the country so every change needs to be considered.

To create a synchronized brand name for the boats, local authorities need to consider more carefully what percentage of a boat needs to be in white, Dung said.

On January 5, the Quang Ninh People’s Committee asked all boats in the bay to be painted white, saying failure to follow the order by April 30 will result in revocation of operating licenses.

Authorities said the move was aimed to tighten government control over tourist transport, and to renovate the image of local tourist boats after the bay was named on the preliminary list of seven new natural wonders of the world by the Switzerland-based New7Wonders Foundation last November.

However, soon after the order was made, local businesses objected to it saying it would cost them too much, while tourists said local authorities should focus on improving services instead of changing the unique brown color of local boats.

By Thanh Nien News

Bribing the Kitchen Gods

A local woman is offering food, carps and clothing for the Kitchen Gods

On the 23rd of the last lunar month every year, the large kitchen in Ms Ly Thi Phuong’s house in Hanoi’s Gia Lam District becomes extremely busy.

The 56-year-old prepares for something important for most Vietnamese - a gala farewell party for the three Kitchen Gods who will ascend to heaven to report on the family’s actions in the past year and ask for the Jade Emperor’s blessing and support for it in the coming year, before returning on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

The Kitchen Gods comprise of two male and one female deity. According to legend, a man left his wife because he was too poor. She then married another man while her old husband became a beggar. One day her old husband came and begged for food without realizing it was her house.

They recognized each other, and the man felt so ashamed that he jumped into the stove and died. The wife felt so sorry for him that she did the same, and her new husband followed suit too. Hearing about their faithful love, the Jade Emperor permitted the three of them to live together in the kitchen as Kitchen Gods.

There are many legends about the Kitchen Gods, but this one is the most popular.

Many people think the custom of worshiping these deities came from China. However, Nguyen Vu Tuan Anh, director of the Center for Research in Principles of Ancient Oriental Astrology, believes it is an old Vietnamese custom.

“The farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods has always been closely linked with Tet,” he wrote in a recent article for VietNamNet.

“And the story about Tet was first told during the reign of the sixth Hung King in the 15th century BCE. Therefore, it can be established that our ancestors were the first to worship the Kitchen Gods.”

The gala farewell party for the three Kitchen Gods this year falls on January 16th, 2012

Vietnamese believe that the Kitchen Gods are the guardian spirits of the kitchen who will bless the family members and bring them health, happiness, and prosperity.

“We always prepare a big farewell party and offer the best food for the three gods in our home,” Phuong says.

“They have helped us take care of our kitchen and blessed us with good health, and we really appreciate their blessings. Normally I make some traditional Tet dishes like pork pie, spring rolls, boiled chicken, dry bamboo shoot soup, and onion pickles.”

Since her two daughters are in office, Phuong normally prepares for the party alone.

“Vietnamese men including my husband rarely join in the cooking.

“So I usually prepare for the party alone, and if the day falls on a weekend my daughters help.”

The dishes are arranged on a tray and placed on the altar for the Kitchen Gods, which is normally beside the altar for ancestors, at noon.

There are also votive offerings like paper clothing (three pairs of boots, three hats, and three robes) and money. One more important offering is the carp which are placed in a small basin.

“I always buy votive offerings on Hang Ma Street which is filled with the stuff since early in the lunar month.

“Today, many people also buy paper mobile phones, motorbikes, and cars to make the gods’ trip easier.

“But it is believed that the Kitchen Gods make their trip by carp. Therefore, the most popular tradition is for every family to release a large carp or three small ones in lakes and rivers for them.”

Kitchen busy during Tet

After the Kitchen Gods leave for heaven, people clean up their kitchen and start to store food for Tet.

Though foods are available nowadays, people still have the habit of storing some popular items like dried foods, drinks, vegetables, and meat for Tet.

“I think this habit originated during our difficult times in the past when Tet was our only holiday during the year,” Phuong says.

“At that time, since everyone wanted to enjoy the holiday, markets and shops were not open, and we had to store all the necessities in advance.”

Phuong also recalls that until the early 1990s people in rural areas, like in her own village, even had to store fire, as at that time, the people had few things that can generate fire like match or lighter. So after cooking, Phuong said she used to bank fire by rice husk for the next cooking session during the New Year’s days.

“There were few kinds of fuel for cooking at that time, so we considered fire one of the most important and precious things.

“Every family had to ensure they had fire for Tet because asking others on New Year’s Day was taboo.

“Besides, no one was willing to give away this precious thing on that day.

“Before we got the lighter, we used to bank fire by rice husk which was one of the popular fuels at that time.

“The kitchen was therefore warm all year round.”

Nowadays fewer and fewer stoves can be seen in kitchens since gas stoves and electric cookers have become popular. Nevertheless, the kitchen retains its coziness for families, especially during Tet.

By Phong Lan, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the January 13th issue of our print edition, Vietweek)

Vietnam ranked top emerging destination in 2012: survey

Ha Long Bay

Vietnam topped the list of emerging destinations for international tourists in 2012, according to a survey by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA).

Vietnam was cited as the “off-the-beaten-path” or emerging destination that will gain popularity in 2012, followed by India, Ecuador and China.

USTOA revealed the results of its annual survey of active members at its Annual Conference and Marketplace in Marco Island, Florida, on December 10-13.

Recently, Hanoi and Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam were named among the top 10 destinations in Asia for 2011 in an online poll conducted by Hong Kong-based travel and trade journal, Smart Travel Asia.

Hanoi is ranked equal sixth with Shanghai (China), while Hoi An was jointly rated seventh with Rajastan (India) and Seoul (South Korea), according to the poll organized by the magazine. The magazine is regarded as a leading authority on the regional travel industry.

The online poll, which was conducted from May to July 2011, reflected the responses of more than 1 million people from all over the world.

Thanh Nien News

Phu Van flower village before Tet

Phu Van, a famous flower village, near Phu Ly City in the northern province of Ha Nam, has seen a very exciting atmosphere these days when Tet is nearing.

Traders from different localities nationwide have flocked to the village to find flowers for Tet, while local people busy themselves taking care of the flowers. This Tet promises to be a great crop.

Phu Van is the flower hub not only for Ha Nam but also for the neighbouring provinces of Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Thai Binh.

Nguyen Thi Hue, a flower grower, shared, “Unlike the previous years, the weather has been quite favourable. Most kinds of flowers have done quite well and bloomed on schedule. Currently, daisies and gerbera blossoms are coming earlier than roses, so we have to slow down the progress to keep the flowers in good condition for Tet.”

Phu Van is also well-known for kumquat, with trees priced up into millions of VND.

Tran Van Nam, another experienced grower, said, “This year the weather is not too cold, which is good for growing kumquat trees. But, the fruit tends to be quite small due to the lack of rain in May and June."

This year, the average price of a kumquat tree is of VND2-3 million (USD95-142.85). The price is up to VND2-10 million (USD95-475.37) for a tree with nicer shapes.

Prices for flowers also rise around the Tet holiday.

Some photos of Phu Van flower village:

Daisy fields

Farmers take care of flowers

Kumquat gardens

Rose gardens promise a great crop

Violet beds

dtinews.vn

Russian TV channel spotlights Vietnam

TV channel Russia-2 broadcast a one-hour program on January 2 introducing Vietnam’s country and people.

The programme “Top Gear”, described a trans-Vietnam motorbike tour by three foreigners who departed from Ho Chi Minh City and went through the Central Highland city of Dalat and then the central cities of Nha Trang, Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Vinh. They dropped in the capital city of Hanoi before making their final leg in the northeastern city of Ha Long.

Through their trip, the foreigners had a chance to enjoy the most special dishes of the Vietnamese cuisine, study the customs and daily life of Vietnamese people and see the most popular sites in the country.

The tour’s members saw with their own eyes the hospitality, hardworking, cleverness and creativeness of the local people.

“Top Gear” is expected to promote Vietnam’s country and people, contributing to attracting more Russian visitors to Vietnam.

dtinews.vn

Popular ancient cafe perched on plateau

Situated 1,000m above sea level, the old cafe in Dong Van town is a favourite spot for visitors. It lies 150km northeast of Ha Giang City and 500km north of Hanoi.

Tourist destination: The old cafe in Dong Van Town provides a cosy place for clients. — VNSPhotos Hoai Nam
Relaxed: Friends sip coffee in a warm space.

The old cafe building in rocky plateau town of Dong Van town was built in 1912 and became a coffee bar in late 2008 after a boost in tourism and UNESCO recognising Dong Van Karst Plateau as Vietnam's first Global Geopark.

The Ancient Town cafe has become a popular destination for all tourists, and its central position at the end of the only ancient street in the town, near the old market, makes it very accessible.

However, the cafe owner wants to preserve the house as an open-door museum rather than a coffee bar.

"I've spent a lot of money restoring the old house, which was in ruins in the late 1990s, as its original design is over a century old. The house is actually a local treasure of the town," said owner Hoang Anh Tuan, who was born and grew up in Ha Giang Province.

"The cafe is a really interesting stop for visitors coming to the town, and tourists can explore the house while tasting coffee and getting an overview of the old street through the windows," Tuan said.

He added that he uses Central Highlands coffee and sells it for only one dollar per cup and also offers different types of fruit juice.

Nguyen Trong Nhan, a Tay ethnic man, said he has worked and lived in the cafe since last year.

"The Central Highlands coffee requires a coffee-pot, which takes visitors five minutes to taste. We let tourists explore the house and understand its history, while waiting for a hot cup of coffee," the 20-year-old said.

"Visitors can order 20 different drinks at the cafe, but the story of the 100-year-old house always lures domestic and foreign tourists."

The 20-year-old cafe worker said he offers a simple cocktail called Malagjista, which is mixture of sugar, lemonade and local maize wine.

An old woman from the town said the cafe was built by an ethnic Tay man named Luong Trung Hung, who won the construction tender from the old market in 1908.

He began building the house two years after the market was completed in 1908.

The 100sq.m two-storey house sits at the foot of Don Cao Mountain and looks southeast to the market 20m away. The house's architecture shows harmony between French, Chinese and local ethnic Mong design.

The three-arch entrance is from the early 20th century French style, while the indoor decor derived from masons in Sichuan, China.

A wall was built from earthen bricks and from blocks of rock. Molasses, lime, straw and soil were used to bond the blocks together.

"The house is mixture of local Mong, Chinese and French influences and all visitors are interested in the house's architecture and preservation. As the cafe's receptionist, I often introduce visitors to the history of the house during their coffee-break from the town," said Duong Thi Chien, who comes from Hung Yen Province.

The house's roof is formed by four panels of double terracotta tiles, creating a 20sq.m of ventilation in the middle of the house.

Stone blocks pave most of the first floor, while the second floor is all pine boards and wooden walls.

"The hosts reserve three bedrooms on the second floor for guests at the back of the house and the U-shaped corridor is a place for drinking tea," said Can Ngoc Minh, another of the cafe's staff members.

"The air ventilation is a very special part of the house because it both air-conditions and lights up rooms with sunlight."

He also said visitors can sit on chairs to enjoy the Central Highlands coffee or sit cross-legged on the ground.

Cafe owner Tuan added that travellers can stay at the house, even if it's not as comfortable as a hotel room.

"Bedrooms at the cafe are warm, but some guests find it slightly uncomfortable as there is no toilet on the second floor and because the house is a busy cafe," Tuan said.

He said the cafe local ethnic Mong men and women often perform khen (bamboo panpipe), leaf-horn and dance during the weekend. usy time in Dong Van town as it hosts travellers who flock to the rocky plateau on Sunday mornings when the market is on.

The market includes long pavilions built from in the early 1900s, and is situated along the town's ancient street. A row of 20 old houses similar to the market pavilions sit opposite the street made with similar materials.

Tourists often see thang co (a soup of horse, goat or buffalo meat) made in the Dong Van market on Sunday morning and can find out what makes the food so special for the Mong people.

With nearly 2,000 people living in the district, the famed weekly market is a veritable cross-section of Mong life, brimming with thang co and maize wine.

dtinews.vn

Da Lat Flower Festival 2012 opens

The Da Lat Flower Festival 2012, the fourth of its kinds, opened in Da Lat, the Central Highlands Lam Dong province on December 31.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the five-day event, Vice National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that Da Lat is leading the country with an average annual income of more than 80 million VND per hectare.

The Central Highlands resort city of Da Lat is covered in flowers as the biannual flower festival is in full bloom.

The festival will last through January 3 with a wide range of flower displays as well as cultural and artistic activities.

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Thanh Hoa uncovers its past

Thanh Hoa tourism officials are hoping the ancient citadel built during the Ho dynasty (1400-07) that was recognised as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in June will attract more holidaymakers in the time to come.

Arches: The south entrance of the citadel, with three curved gates, used to act as the main entryway, a departure from the traditional model influenced by the Chinese. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Tuan

Away from it all: The citadel area offers real escape from normal hustle and bustle to not only tourists but also locals. — VNS File Photos

Roots: The ruined stone pillars confirm the existence of various palaces inside the citadel as recorded in history books.

The citadel, mentioned in Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu (The Complete Annals of the Great Viet), was built during the reign of King Tran Thuan Tong (1397) by Royal Mandarin Ho Quy Ly, who acceded to the throne in 1400.

According to researcher Trinh Sinh, archaeologists were stunned by the huge building work. Thousands of huge rectangular stone blocks weighing between 10 and 20 tonnes were stacked seven high, and no mortar was used. The first two layers were below ground to support the structure.

Curved stone gates face east, west, south and north were found to be intact. The south entrance, which consists of three curved gates, acted as the main entryway, and its design was a departure from the traditional model that was influenced by the Chinese.

In 2008, archaeologists found the remains of the Nam Giao open-air platform used for religious ceremonies and uncovered a stone path leading from the platform to the south entrance.

In 2004, Vietnamese and Japanese archaeologists found floor tiles, symbolic lotus flower engraved stone feet and ceramic objects inside the citadel. They also unearthed stone cannon balls.

Two stone dragons on both sides of a staircase were the only remains of the Hoang Nguyen Palace. The ruined stone pillars confirm the existence of the Nham Tho, Phu Duc and Dong Cung palaces and Thai Mieu (Ancestors Worship Temple) inside the citadel, as recorded in history books, archaeologists said.

Recently, archaeologists discovered stone for the citadel was cut from An Ton Mountain, about 1km from the citadel's western gate.

Other significant attractions in the area include Nhoi Mountain, which lies 40km from the citadel; Ru Than Mountain, 4km away and Bong Mountain, 20km away.

Japanese and Vietnamese archaeologists found at An Ton Mountain layers of crushed stone believed to be left when workers cut blocks from the mountainside for the citadel's walls.

"The thickest layer of crushed stone reaches 1.4m," said Tran Anh Dung, who is responsible for excavation work on An Ton Mountain. "It means that the amount of stone cut from An Ton Mountain was considerable, considering the building of the grandiose citadel."

Unfinished stone blocks were also found on the mountain, which lead archaeologists to conclude the stones were worked on the mountain before being transported to the building site.

According to Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the Thanh Hoa Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, authorities would officially add the citadel to existing tourism sites in the province such as Kim Son Cave, Cam Luong Stream, the Lam Kinh royal complex and Sam Son Beach.

Provincial authorities relocated families living inside the ruins of the citadel so the site can be turned into an archaeological park, Do Quang Trong, director of the Ho Citadel Preservation Management Centre said.

Training courses are also being run for residents in Xuan Giai, Tay Giai and Dong Mon villages – which lie near the southern gate – to teach them about the citadel's history, as well as basic English.

The local culture department also plans to offer more homestay tours to Ho Citadel, Trinh Lord Palace, Giang Pagoda and Kim Son Cave.

Trong said most tourists visiting Ho Citadel tended to be independent travellers rather than package holidaymakers. He added that the peak tourism month was June, when about 6,000 visitors came to the site.

"We have invited many travel agencies to set up tours to bring tourists here," said Nguyen Huu Nhan, deputy director of the culture department, "Yet the tours, for some reason, have not been properly exploited. That's why most of the guests who come here are history lovers and back-packers."

Cao Ngoc Nong, originally from Thanh Hoa but now living in Hanoi, said tourism services at Ho Citadel needed to be improved.

"There is nothing to keep tourists at the site longer after visiting the four gates, listening to historic stories, seeing some antiques and visiting some surrounding villages," he said.

Nong said he has organised some tours to the citadel but he said tasting some of the local delicacies in Vinh Loc District, which lies nearly 10km from the site, was usually the most popular excursion.

He also takes visitors to Cam Thuy Fish Stream, Ho Citadel, followed by a night in Vinh Hoa Commune in Vinh Loc District.

"The citadel usually takes just two to three hours to take in," he said. "But delicacies at Vinh Hoa Commune can keep people entertained for one to two days."

He said visitors also enjoy swimming in the local river, hunting for mussels, fishing, visiting old houses, using old farm tools and making sticky cakes at the local market.

Local snacks like che lam (sweet cake made of roasted sticky rice powder and ginger), roasted grasshoppers, nem chua nuong (baked fermented meat rolls), mussel and fish dishes are "unforgettable to city-dwellers", he said.

Journalist Mai Thi said there were hardly any guest houses, entertainment spots and souvenir shops near the citadel.

"Why don't local authorities encourage locals to make souvenirs from local stones to make miniature citadels, for example?" she said.

Researcher Sinh said he was sure more tourists would visit the area when they got to hear about its many attractions.

dtinews.vn

Ice crystallises Mau Son Mountain

Mau Son Mountain Peak in the northern province of Lang Son was covered in ice at 03:00am on January 5, as a result of the recent freezing weather, stiff winds and drizzling rain.

The temperature in the area plunged to below 0 degree Celsius and a layer of ice began to form, coating the trees and turning the mountain into a crystallised winter wonderland.

Photos of the ice on Mau Son Mountain:

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