Friday, August 26, 2016

Hoi An ancient town, a peaceful moment

Located on Thu Bon riverside tranquillity, Hoi An ancient town exuded the deep and simple traditional beauty in the modern life.


Visitors come to Hoi An can easily feel the gentleness of old streets in sunshine harmonize with old whitewash color make the space more vibrant charm, and the lightness has settled deeply into every quiet street in the peaceful life below ancient roofs.


One day in ancient town, visitors will be glided gently on water surface with small boats operate from early morning to late afternoon, sometimes to late night to walk around Thu Bon river, feel the special experiences about life in ancient town. Per floating trip on the river costs from 30.000 to 50.000VNĐ, instead of this, visitors can enjoy old town within 30 minutes. Also, in the crowded peak season the cost can ranged to 100.000VNĐ.


Different from other famous places, Hoi An is not too crowded hustle but it is attractive with deep old beauty. When the night comes, old streets become sparkling in the falling lights, it's become more special in the flower garlands and colorful lanterns night, with light from houses, riverside become sparkling and shimmery as fairy tales.


Hoi An is considered one of nine most romantic cities on the world. Formerly, this ancient city used to be a busy international trading port, the meeting place for merchant ships of Japanese, Chinese and Westerner during 17th and 18th century.

Nowadays, Hoi An is changing gradually and become one of favourite place attracts tourists. In the eyes of foreign tourists, it's a unique harmony between deep charming beauty of ancient remnants with the modern of new age.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The reason President Obama enjoy Bun Cha Hanoi when he had a Hanoi tour

During the visit to Hanoi, President Obama'd spent one his evening to make a Hanoi tour and enjoy Bun Cha Hanoi.

Bun Cha Hanoi (Hanoi vermicelli and grilled chopped meat) was a meal has existed long time. Just the name is associated with capital is enough to see how delicious and attractive Bun Cha's tasty is. Perhaps so, in the second evening when arriving to Vietnam, President Obama had come to a Bun Cha stall on Le Van Huu street (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) to enjoy this dish.

Reportedly, one of reasons for President Obama enjoying the dish characterized Hanoian's culture is to make an appointment with famous chef of CNN, Anthony Bourdain. Both tasted Bun Cha, spring rolls and beer, talking about the food and culture here. This is a TV show of chef Anthony Bourdain that US President participating.

After that, on Instagram of chef Anthony Bourdain had posted the picture of President Obama ate Bun Cha with comment about his chopsticks skill. That picture was received quickly over 60 thousands individuals like on this famous chef's personal instagram.



The Bun Cha shop where Mr Obama and chef Anthony Bourdain enjoy their meal had has over 20 years of age. This shop is loved because of the clean, airy space. Each serving Bun Cha has cost is 40.000VNĐ. Shop was transmitted from generation to another in the family.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Why does Pho Vietnam stand on top of world meals

A proud thing is Pho Vietnam's topped in list of 40 must try foods on the world.

Business Insider've just proposed list of 40 tasty foods on the world that we must try least once in our life. The pride is Pho (the Vietnamese noodle soup) topped this list.

It's not suprising when Pho was voted number 1 food by a foreign site. Behind every bowl of Pho is delicious spices and ingredients, even attractive traditional secret.

A traditional Pho in North Vietnam

Pho is the signature dish in traditional culinary of Vietnamese people. Pho appears everywhere, from rural roads to urban lanes, street food stalls, local shops to luxury restaurants and even from street vendors. People eat Pho as breakfast or lunch, dinner or supper but never feel bored by Vietnamese noodle soup contains special taste nobody want to leave.

Don't know the time exactly since Pho was made, just know, some supposes pointed out that the first appearance of Pho was in Nam Dinh province, but Hanoi is the place had made this folk dish became famous. Some other supposes recognized Pho is a typical Hanoian cuisine. Pho not only makes Vietnamese interested, foreigners also are interested in Pho as tasty foods they enjoy daily.

A Pho stall

People love Pho because the delicious broth combine with quintessential ingredients. Pho's smell is so characteristic that anyone who'd enjoyed it would be unforgettable. Chewy, soft, whitish, small thread noodles were absorbed by water. The success of cook is making all of the ingredients blended together. Tasting one of them, people can imagine how fresh is the rest.

In summer or winter, in the cool of autumn of  August or warm sunshine of spring, people are able to eat Pho. Every season or everytime in day, Pho eating always created the exciting feature. The distinctive flavor that only Pho enthusiasts can feel.

A foreign diner tastes Pho

Although people know how to cook Pho but not everyone can cook deliciously. The broth is most important. It is cooked from beef bones broth. Meat for Pho can be beef, chicken. Thread noodles must be thin, soft and chewy. Spices and ingredients are scallions, pepper, vinegar, sliced lemon. Delicious taste of broth is decided mainly from spices. However, the formula of each type of broth used in each Pho stall is kept secret.

Pho is the pride of Vietnamese cuisine. Many Vietnamese people live in abroad, they also bring this pride to foreign diners. Viet Pho shops are no longer strange in foreign countries.

(Travel Vietnam)

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Talk about personal life and Hanoi tourism with Miss Hanoi Tourism 2012 - Duong Thi Ha Giang

You can view my older post to look 3 other Vietnamese sexy beauties who were winners in Vietnam beauty pageants about travel: http://goo.gl/RwURwk

Duong Thi Ha Giang is one of great Vietnamese girls. The student girl of Diplomatic Academy has an impressive height compare with Vietnamese's normal: 1,77m (5.8 feets). We have a private talking with her about her life and Hanoi tourism, which she delegated after she become winner of Miss Hanoi Tourism 2012.

hanoi tourism
Duong Thi Ha Giang in bikini round of Miss Hanoi Tourism 2012

Adventure Indochina Travel: Hi Giang, you were the winner of Miss Hanoi Tourism 2012, can you share your feeling at that time?

Duong Thi Ha Giang: I was really surprised. Actually I had stood in top 5 already, but my heart had been beaten stronger when I heard my name was announced.

Adventure Indochina Travel: What is changed in your life after beauty pageant.

Duong Thi Ha Giang: Workload is increased doubly and I have more friends. It's a new challenge but is a new joy, too.

hanoi tourism
Duong Thi Ha Giang is so sexy with red bikini

Adventure Indochina Travel: Why did you decide attend Miss Hanoi Tourism, Giang?

Duong Thi Ha Giang: There are many beauty pageants with their own meaning. For exam: Miss Oil, Miss Auto Pro, etc. Every pageant is the place for people express themselves but Miss Tourism is pageant for promoting Hanoi tourism and encouraging people to travel Vietnam, showing a Hanoi harmonize between ancient and modern features and honoring beauty of Hanoian girl in new age. I saw Miss Travel was suitable for a Diplomatic Academy student. Besides, I've been interested in tourism activities, especially Hanoi tourism.

hanoi tourism
Miss Hanoi Tourism 2012 - Duong Thi Ha Giang

Adventure Indochina Travel: Has this contest leave deep and memorable thing in you?

Duong Thi Ha Giang: I had memories throughout the journey of the contest. The deepest impression activity was a visit the chidren in Vung Vieng fishing village. The little scrawny body of the children made me thinked of my sometime wretched childhood. They had the cute smiles. It made me and the others feel this contest had more meaningful and I wanted to have more sense of responsibility to community.

Adventure Indochina Travel: Did you have any trouble in the contest?

Duong Thi Ha Giang: Yes, certainly. I had some trouble with health, schedule in school and exams, etc. There were times I wanted to give up, but my friends and teachers'd encouraged me so I could step to the final round.

Adventure Indochina Travel: What was the most useful thing that you had learned from this contest?

Duong Thi Ha Giang: This contest's helped me have more knowledges and experiences. I've had more new friends, and meet other situations. I've reduced 3 kg, idle time and become stronger.

hanoi destination
Ngoc Son Temple

hanoi destination
One Pillar Pagoda

Adventure Indochina Travel: Can you share some missions you will perform after you crowned?

Duong Thi Ha Giang: I will take 19 album photos at beautiful landscapes and tourist attractions in Hanoi. If there are any promotional activities of Hanoi tourism in particular and Vietnam tourism in general, I'm pleased to join. Hanoi tourism is always special period when you travel Vietnam. I wish people in all around the world will know about Vietnam and Hanoi tourism with image of friendly and hospitality Vietnamese and Hanoian.

Adventure Indochina Travel: Thanks Giang for your sharing. Wish you're always successful on your way.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Play Pokemon Go when travel Vietnam

People all around the world are crazy with Pokemon Go of Niantic. This virtual reality game is the game allows people find, use pocketball to catch and practise pokemons from real map base on their location. This game make people feel pokemon catching is very real, and they must move to find another one. Especially, pokemons appear depend on environment. You can easily catch a vegetal pokemon when you walk slowly in a park, or aqua one when you stand on bank river. Vietnam is one of countries can play Pokemon Go officially, and that's so great if you can travel Vietnam and catch dozens of pokemon. It's mean you can go along Vietnam from North to South to visit many places and catch every pokemon you like.

pokemon go vietnam
Catch Pokemon in Vietnam

There are many famous places in your Vietnam tour to visit and help pokemon-trainer find. With wifi or data mobile, you can play on terraced field of Sapa, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, on a Vietnam cruise or caves when you travel Halong Bay. Play Pokemon Go when travel Vietnam is easily, but remember, don't stick your eyes to screen when you're passing a road or break suddenly into policestation and forbidden ground.

vietnam travel map
Vietnam travel map

And don't use cheat or hack game. It will make game more boring when you don't have any challenge to pass and influence another.
Now, take your backpacker and let's go to catch them all!

Friday, August 5, 2016

Beauty of 3 Miss Ocean Vietnam and get luck when book a Halong Bay tour

Vietnam is located between South East Asia and East Asia. This land is like a key connecting two regions. The intersection of cultures and races, Vietnam has features of both of regions. That's why you can find white skin, tenderness of East and the wild, mystic of South East in Vietnamese women. When you travel Vietnam, don't forget look at the Vietnamese girls. Far East beauty's always make you stun.

Halong Bay - Place for Vietnam beauty pageants

Vietnam have many beauty contests yearly, and many Vietnamese girls have attended Miss World recent years and won many rewards. You can see them on TV or Internet. But the fact is: There are many kind of contests, it means there are many winners. There are other beauties in Vietnam not only the girl in Miss World show. And Miss Ocean Vietnam is one Vietnamese beauty contest which many people love so much.
The winner in Miss Ocean Vietnam will be friendly ambassador for natural environment and travel for Vietnam and maybe prepare for Miss Ocean World or Miss World. Most of Beauty pageants is organise at Halong Bay, on the luxury cruises and beachs. If you are lucky, travel Vietnam at the time there is a Vietnamese beauty contest, don't hesitate, join a Halong Bay tour to have opportunity view real beautiful Vietnamese girls.
There are 3 Miss Ocean Vietnam who are voted most beautiful in recent years:

1. Nguyen Thi Loan - Miss Ocean Vietnam 2010
She has the sexiest body in all of Miss Ocean Vietnam. Nguyen Thi Loan is a girl come from village in Thai Binh province, North Vietnam. She has attend more Miss Ethnic Vietnam 2013. You'll be stunned when see her. Maybe join a tour to Thai Binh when have Vietnam tour with hope to meet her is good idea, right?



Nguyen Thi Loan - Miss Ocean Vietnam 2010 with Halong Bay tour

2. Dang Thu Thao - Miss Ocean Vietnam 2015
White skin, beautiful and elegant are the words they said about Dang Thu Thao. The winner in Vietnam beauty pageant 2015, young girl with black eyes color from Bac Lieu province usually appears in white clothing. But she is so sexy, too.



Dang Thu Thao - Miss Ocean Vietnam 2015 with Halong Bay tour

3. Pham Thuy Trang - Miss Ocean Vietnam 2016
Youth is advantage of Pham Thuy Trang, She is a student, she love emerald water and want to visit Descending Dragon land once, she register attend Miss Ocean Vietnam 2016 to have a Halong Bay tour once in her life, and maybe her passion help her become winner.


Pham Thuy Trang - Miss Ocean Vietnam 2016 with Halong bay tour

If you are beauty lover, specially natural beauty, Vietnam is the best choice. Travel Vietnam in general or book Halong bay tour in particular to try your luck.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Sapa - see a peaceful moutainous town when travel Vietnam



Sapa welcome tourists with peaceful and beautiful landscape. It looks like something magical about closing your eyes sleeping all night aboard a train and waking up to an entirely different landscape. Vietnam is the country like that. You can be in a bustling city on your scooter, and then you can find yourself walking on the street of a small village beside green fields, all people travel Vietnam have the same feel.

Sapa with majestic scenery and tasty food make you want to stay here forget the time. Fresh mountain air make you feel this place is separated from outside world, that burned by smog and horn sound. This is 1 of 3 great must see places you need to come when travel Vietnam.
You can trekked pass to villages as Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van... of Hmong and Dzao. You can see terraced field everywhere in Sapa, they surrounded all of moutainous villages create a mixed green yellow picture about nature of north west Vietnam. Have lunch with an ethnic family, then walk around to enjoy landscapes, look local house architecture and normal life in Sapa. They always smile, very happy and friendly. Some wares you've never seen before, weaving looms of Hmong and Dzao, rice mortar...Things're looked so old but good enough to keep their life to be happy everyday. Overnight in Dzao's house and have real life like them.

Life here go by in peace day after day. People's still living with their fields, cattle and trading at the market. Many children drop out of school to help family take care smaller siblings at home, even working on fields or become touts who'll follow you for hours to sell souvenir with self-taught English skills. And when travel Vietnam, you can face the touts everywhere. In addition to the terraced fields and villages, Sapa has one unspoiled nature with waterfalls and forest. There is a bamboo forest you need going through to visit other villages or comeback Sapa town. And Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall) is very nice for a quick visit.

It will be remiss if we don't mention Fansipan, the Vietnam’s highest mountain. It's hard to climb to the top of Fansipan, but the reward is a panorama encompassing the mountain ranges of northern west Vietnam, south to Sonla province and north to the peaks of Yunnam in China.
Travel Vietnam is a long journey to discover the difference, Sapa is one of it. You will receive authentic values of S shaped land.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Vietnam traveling in my eyes - Not only a slashing war, but also a worth living place

Did you surely watch many great sights with featured things from other lands on movie, on your iPad, in your school? Maybe you had seen Vietnam, many times. In people's mind and historical books, Vietnam appears as a humanity's slashing battle with its war. But I really want to advise you: Forget it! Forget that obsolete war. It's the most desirable destinations of tourists today.
Easily to describe Vietnam step by step, It lies vertically from North down to South, with a long beautiful beach. In my view, that is a lucky country. No many countries in Asia have enough all seasons and type of weather, geography like Vietnam, and you can find familiar things but new fresh here. I can introduce traveling famous places which I have been there in my journey in Vietnam. Travel Vietnam is the greatest experiences in my nomad life. It's really become my 2nd home.

Sapa is the first. If one is looking for a unique place that cannot be found anywhere else in Vietnam, Sapa is just the right choice. Though Vietnam is known for its beach landscape with luxury resort, the mountainous area is no less charming. In middle of winter, Sapa is cold, and snow come down here (imagine there is snow in a South East Asia tropical country).
Resides at an elevation of 1,600 meters above the sea level, Sapa is a mountainous district in the northwest of Vietnam, located about 38 km from Lao Cai City and 376 km from Ha Noi – the capital city of Vietnam.
Sapa is not a place to look at on pictures – once you come, you will see how reality is even more picturesque than the polished photos.
There is Vietnam's highest moutain near Sapa name Fansipan - the roof of Indochina, it's 5km as the crow flies from Sapa but an arduous three-to five day round trip on foot.
Terraced field
Terraced field in Sapa

Homestay
Homestay in Sapa
Next place is the thousand years capital of Vietnam: Hanoi. Vietnam's capital is speeding up to make up for time lost to the ravages of war and a government that as recently as the 1990s kept the outside world at bay. Its streets is full with scooters and motorbikes amid the din of horn sound, and all around layers of history reveal periods of French and Chinese occupation in the past. It's interesting if you can have Hanoi city tour one day on a scooter or bike.
hanoi motorbike tour
Travel Hanoi by scooter
Pass the original streets of the Old Quarter (Pho Co), observe real farmers from countryside's selling their fresh fruits and wares, while city folk breakfast on noodles, practise Tai Chi at dawn on the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake, or play chess with goateed grandfathers.

Ha Long Bay (or Halong Bay), in northeast Vietnam, is known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped by rainforests. Sea kayak tour expeditions take visitors past islands named for their shapes. The region draws scuba divers, rock climbers and hikers, the latter favoring mountainous Cat Ba National Park. Specially, cruise is a best way to see sights and have attractive activities. When you want a Vietnam Cruise tour, there is only best choice is cruise in Ha Long Bay.
kayaking
Kayaking in Halong Bay
sung sot cave
In Sung Sot Cave, Ha Long
Ha Long Bay (Descending Dragon Bay) is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Vietnam’s most popular places to visit. Ha Long Bay covers an area of 1,500 km2, including 1,960 limestone islets and karsts which rise majestically out of the emerald blue waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.

Hue is the old capital of Vietnam under Nguyen dynasty. With a Hue city tour, you can feel Hue is romantic and tranquil, this deeply evocative capital of the Nguyen emperors still resonates with the glories of imperial Vietnam, even though many of its buildings were destroyed during the Vietnam War. Hue owes its charm partly to its location on the Perfume River – picturesque on a clear day, atmospheric even in less flattering weather. Today the city blends new and old as sleek modern hotels tower over crumbling century-old Citadel walls.
hue citadel
Gate of Hue Citadel
The major economic center in central Vietnam: Da Nang. Da Nang is Vietnam’s third largest city, with population of around one millions. Stroll along the Han riverfront and you'll find gleaming new modernist hotels, and apartments and restaurants are emerging. In the past, Da Nang was where the Sahuynh culture flourished during the Iron Age, over 3,000 years ago. The Cham museum in Danang houses the world’s largest and finest collection of the Cham sculpture, with over 300 sandstone pieces exhibited in a building constructed in 1915. Da Nang has a beautiful and natural beach, it means you can visit beach without noise from the crowd.
There is a famous ancient town near Da Nang, It's Hoian. Hoian is the important port connect Vietnam with outside world in feudal era.
my khe beach
My Khe beach in Da Nang
hoi an
Visit Hoi An on boat
Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC) or the old name is Saigon, the center the South of Vietnam. This is the most active city. HCMC is always hot, there is not winter here. You will be thirsty very fast and feel tired under sunshine, that's why Saigonese like ice tea and sweet dishes. Voice and taste dishes is the difference points compare Saigonese with Hanoian.
The ghosts of the past witnessed a city in turmoil, but now the real beauty of the former Saigon’s urban collage is the seamless blending of these two worlds into one exciting mass.
ben thanh market
Ben Thanh Market at HCMC
There are a lot of other places, you will know about them in my other posts. I have a very important experience when travel in Vietnam. If you have any problem or question, don't hesitate to ask Vietnamese people or travel agents. Vietnamese people is very friendly and kindly, you can have a good support from them.
Things are very cheap (beer, food,...). Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular will be the place I want to stay long time.
See you in next post!