“I spent a long time trying to bring this dish to Saigon and still make sure it would retain the flavor of my hometown,” said Quang Huy, owner of pho kho Gia Lai in Binh Thanh District.

Pho kho Gia Lai is a variety of the staple Vietnamese dish from the central region

The term Gia Lai refers to a Central Highlands province of Vietnam and, while the endless battle rages between acolytes of northern pho (clear broth, no added extras) and southern pho (greens galore, clouded broth), pho kho Gia Lai offers an intriguing alternative.

It shares a number of common characteristics with its southern and northern neighbors.

Pho kho Gia Lai also primarily consists of meat, rice noodles and savory broth. Gia Lai noodles are somewhat chewier than the polar varieties.

It is a dish with both pork meat and beef.

Unlike northern pho, both pork and beef bones are simmered over a small flame for five to seven hours to create the broth. The dish itself is typically accompanied by tender beef, thinly sliced and briefly cooked in the broth.

The pork meat is minced or chopped, and placed on top of a bowl of steaming noodles, and sprinkled with fried shallots.

Like southern pho, pho kho Gia Lai comes with fresh greens and bean sprouts.

But the dish is served a bit differently.

Central diners receive a bowl of chopped meat over noodles and a separate dish of meat swimming in broth.

Here in Ho Chi Minh City, a squeeze-bottle of hoisin sauce (a savory, dark, ketchupy condiment derived from soy beans, sweet potatoes and wheat) is usually within hands reach and is typically used to dip the beef in.

In the Central Highlands, the hoisin sauce is indispensable.

It’s usually tossed directly in with the noodles along with a spritz of chili oil and lemon juice. If you’re feeling like a true

Highlander, add some thin chili slices to give the meal a real kick.

A bowl of pho kho Gia Lai is VND25,000 to 30,000.

Pho kho Gia Lai is available at the following places in Ho Chi Minh City:

* 288 No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District

* 194 Dang Van Ngu Street, Phu Nhuan District

Source: thanhniennews

The Huc Bridge over Hoan Kiem Lake

The article said Hanoi’s beauty bears the styles of both Vietnam and France. The author wrote that since 1882, an ‘ideal’ city was built next to the Old Quarter. This city is full of green trees and has ancient pagodas and pretty villas whose architecture style can be found in France’s Cote d’Azur, the author wrote.

The article entitle ‘1000-year-old Hanoi’ read the best way for sightseeing in Hanoi is wandering o­n its streets and roads which combine Asian and European beauty.

It was suggested tourists visit the Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi, next to which are the streets characterized by their crafts’ names such as Hang Chieu, Hang Duong, Hang Quat and Hang Vai. Making reservation at a Hanoi hotel around the Old Quarter area is probably a good idea as it is best to explore these attractions on foot.

It also mentioned Hanoi’s beauty at dawn, when old people practise tai chi chuan, children go to school and local people rush to work – all viewed from Sofitel Metropole Hotel. After this, tourists can taste the famous Pho noodle soup at local shops.

The French feature praised Hanoi’s cuisine and spoke about many hospitable restaurants decorated in a sophisticated way. o­ne of them is a restaurant in Ba Dinh district, which serves many dishes from the country’s three regions.

Source: hanoitimes

Tam Dao is just 86km northeast of the capital. The town, occupying 253ha, is 900m above sea level in the heart of Tam Dao National Park – the largest in the north.

The 80km mountain range has three prominent peaks, which is why it is named Tam Dao. The middle peak is called Ban Thach (Stone Table) and stands a proud 1,388m. The left peak is named Thien Nhi (Sky Market) and is 1,375m tall, while that on the right, named Phu Nghia, is 1,400m above sea level.

A hill station for all seasons: An aerial view of Tam Dao District. Visitors can experience spring, summer, autumn and winter every day in the popular former French hill station.

The French hill station is famed for the wraith-like mist that shrouds the town most mornings. By midday the fog lifts to reveal a mind-boggling panorama of hills and forests. The afternoons are typically cooler, while at night a chilly wind makes heavy clothing a must. In fact, each day in Tam Dao is like the four seasons of the year – summer, autumn, spring and winter.

Leading up to the town is a thin ribbon of road 20km long rising from the plain, while a silvery stream circles the town like a silk scarf around the slender neck of an enchantress.

The town is an ideal hideout for authors, which is why an annual writing competition is held in Tam Dao.

Rustic ruins: A vestige of French architecture still remains in Tam Dao.

Adding to the splendour of Tam Dao are the vestiges of old French colonial houses dating from the early 20th century harking back to the days of European rule. In all, there are about 200 colonial buildings still standing, but few can remember the days of the French. Local culture official Do Dinh Chuc introduced me to Nguyen Huu Duyen and Luu Ngai. Duyen, now in his seventies, who is a descendent of one of the first families to settle in Tam Dao, some 104 years ago. Ngai used to work as a maid in one of the French’s villas.

That said, both remember only too vividly 1946 when locals applied the scorched-earth policy and destroyed the last vestiges of colonial rule during the Vietnamese war of resistance against the French.

Further information can be gleaned from the sixth volume of Indochina magazine published in June 1914. The magazine reads: “In 1904, a delegation sent by the Office of the General Governor of French Indochina sought a suitable place in the Tam Dao mountain range to build a summer resort.

“The delegation reported that they had found a suitable locality at a height of 930m. After two years of careful examination, the office began work in 1906 on the hill station.”

The French occupied the town for the next three decades before it was totally destroyed in the war of resistance. In its heyday, the town had 143 stone-built villas, some owned by wealthy Vietnamese such as Ho Dac Diem, Hong Khe and Phu My.

The architecture in Tam Dao is reminiscent of Sa Pa, Da Lat and Ha Noi, a blend of the old and the new, and gave the nostalgic colonialists a taste of home.

The stone walls were typically 60-120cm thick. The slate for the roofs was imported from Toulouse and Marseille.

Little now remains.

Duyen and Ngai said life for them and the other 6,000 Vietnamese in the region was hard. Most served the wishes of their colonial masters. They were not allowed to settle in the town. Instead they were forced to live 2km away.

Today Tam Dao has 60 hotels and guest houses that are owned by 17 families. The district received about 1 million tourists in the first six months of this year, which is a 50 per cent increase against the same period last year.

The remaining 200 inhabitants earn a living from farming and growing su su (the local name for chayote).

“Chayote here are more delicious than those in other places such as Sa Pa,” said Do Quoc Hai, a tourist from Ha Noi, while eating a bowl of chayote that had been stir-fried in oil and garlic.

Green chayote trellises laden with fruit can be seen everywhere. About five tonnes are picked each day. In fact, the unique taste of the fruit has become synonymous with Tam Dao. And when visitors reluctantly have to return to the noise and pollution of the city, a basket of the fruit is a happy reminder of the halycon days in the hills.

Source: VNS

Bun is one of the most popular dishes of traditional Vietnam food. Almost every area has a separate domain with its own characteristics. If North Vietnam has bun cha (fried fish paste noodle)and bun oc (shellfish noodle), Hue has bun bo (beef noodle) and bun thang (noodle served with mixture of pork, chicken, and pork paste) then the south has bun ca (fish noodle) and bun mam (fermented fish noodle).

Bun mam or noodle sauce is special for its soup made from fermented fish. But the flavors do not win people over at first. In fact, most people do not like it the first time they try it. But eventually these same people come back again and again for more. Soups made from noodle sauce are cooked with coconut milk which sweetens the taste.

Noodle sauce is served with vegetables such as water lily together with aromic vegetables and seafood hot pot dishes of fish, shrimp and squid and beef. Eaten with a little lemon and a little pepper, the flavor is sour, sweet and spicy in your tongue. After a nice bowl of noodle sauce, a cup of lotus tea is the perfect chaser.

Noodle sauce is a southern dish and in Ho Chi Minh City there is a little restaurant specializing in noodle sauce and hot pot sauce called Vy Restaurant at 190/19 Su Van Hanh Street, District 5.

(Collected by Vietnamtravelinfo.)

Dong Van Stone Plateau in the northern mountains of Ha Giang province, mostly made of limestone and home to the fossils of thousands of ancient animals, has been inducted as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks.

All the way up to Dong Van plateau

The Vietnamese delegation attending the European Geoparks Conference in Lesvos, Greece, announced the news last Saturday.

The plateau, in Ha Giang Province, is the country’s first geological park and second in Southeast Asia after Langkawi Geological Park in Malaysia.

Dong Van was among six sites approved at the conference.

The plateau, which has remained untouched for hundreds of millions of years, has mammoth rocks that spread over four districts – Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac, and Dong Van – and is around 1,000m high.

It is made up of at least 80 percent limestone and has the remains of thousands of species of ancient creatures that lived here 400-600 million years ago.

The 574-square-kilometer plateau is also home to several cultures that sprung up over the centuries and now has 250,000 people belonging to 17 ethnic groups living there.

The GGN is a UNESCO program established in 1998 and managed by the UN body’s Ecological and Earth Sciences Division.

It seeks to promote and conserve the planet’s geological heritage and encourage sustainable research and development by the concerned communities.

National geological sites gain worldwide recognition and profit through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, experience and staff with other Geoparks.

Source: Tuoitrenews

A long bridge across the Ma River is just one of the picturesque features on the trip to the Suoi Muong bamboo path

If it’s all about the journey and not the destination, there is a “journey to a journey” involving quite a few ups and downs, not to mention twists and turns, that awaits the nature lover in Vietnam’s northern region.

The destination is a path, 40 kilometers long, that winds its way through a dense bamboo grove in Thanh Hoa Province.

In order to reach the Suoi Muong bamboo path, there’s a long way to go, past high mountains and deep valleys. A motorbike is an indispensable accessory.

Let’s get going from Hanoi and head to Hoa Binh, where Muong Lat Street along the Lao border leads to the mountainous western part of Thanh Hoa.

The first village on the road is named Thanh Son, where backpackers can tuck in for the night in local homes after a simple supper.

As we go further, more villages appear, as do the first bamboos.

Here, the road is named Suoi Muong after a local stream.

Along the red-soil road, which gets narrower toward the end, are tall, dense bamboo grasses that cast their green shadows on the Ma River flowing alongside.

Then the bamboos disappear, and the Mau Village market comes into view, several minutes from the pier across the Ma River.

Stationed at the pier is a woman in her sixties. Her teeth are dyed in black, a beauty aid for Vietnamese women in the old times and a tradition to protect their teeth.

“I row until four in the afternoon, then go home to rest,” said the ferrywoman who has been doing this job nearly 20 years and knows everyone in the area.

A 40-km path that entertains with a never-ending play of light and shade and a concert of bird cries and rustling leaves is an unusual destination, but those who reach there aren’t complaining

GETTING THERE: From Hanoi take the Ho Chi Minh Road to Thanh Hoa, around 155 kilometers away. Trains and buses are also available.

There are close to 30 streams, big and small, in the area and they put in an appearance after every turn along Suoi Muong road that is 100 kilometers long. But not every stream has a boat to take you across. Sometimes, people have to wade into the water first and lead others waiting to take their bikes across.

And the adventure is only the beginning. Some parts of the road are piles of rock, some are slippery soil, some are in between the cliff where the bikes have half a meter width to drive on.

The bike driver needs to be firm and the pillion rider should be ready to jump off at all times to help push the motorbike.

It can be discouraging, but if you’re in a mood to take things on, the tough road is the perfect challenge.

The Ma River continues to flow alongside, playfully switching from the left to the right and vice versa. On some parts of the road, the river is so close you can lean over and wash your hands in the flowing waters.

It’s best to make this journey early May, when it’s not raining and the bamboos are in their post-spring prime.

November or December is also good as the monsoon has passed and the bamboos throw in a dash of yellow.

The journey is an absolute no-no during the first days of rainy season as the road gets very muddy, the rocks get very slippery and the streams get very fierce.

Every 10 or 15 kilometers on the road is a village where such necessities as instant noodles, eggs, soaps, cookies and sweets can be procured.

Most villages are home to ethnic minority groups who invariably bade visitors passing by their stilt houses to come in and rest, freshen up and even use their ovens to cook.

Not far from Chieng Nua, one of the villages, is a cemetery on a cliff that dates back to the 11th century. The place is also home to vestiges of the Dong Son Culture, a prehistoric Bronze Age in Vietnam, and temples worshiping heroes of the Lam Son revolution during the early 15th century against Chinese invaders.

The journey can take longer, but patience is rewarded when, almost unnoticed, the magnificent bamboo path is there in front, casting a mysterious aura and allure.

Long and slender, the leaves sparkle in the sun and make joyful rustling and creaking sounds as the breeze blows through them. The play of light and shade is soothing and exciting at the same time. Where does the path lead?

But that’s it. There is nowhere to go but where the path takes you. In fact, the path is “home”. You have arrived.

Source: Thanhnien

Each car carries seven passengers, and the 30-minute tours begin every fifteen minutes between 7am to 9.30pm daily. Passengers can board at two terminals: across the street from the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre on Dinh Tien Hoang Street and in front of Dong Xuan Market. Tickets cost VND15,000 (US$0.75).

Eastern promise: The O Quan Chuong (Quan Chuong Gate) has long been an inspiration for artists and is one of the stops along the electric car tour.

The cars are operated by Dong Xuan Joint Stock Co, which began offering two tours in July. But, after two months, the cars now follow only one route, making brief stops at 13 iconic cultural and historical spots in the Old Quarter.

“It’s fun, it’s cheap and it is a very quick way to browse through all of the many streets of the Old Quarter,” said Mark Geller, an Australian tourist.

“Foreign travellers, who were the target customers for the tours, have only accounted for 20 per cent of ticket sales,” said Pham Tuan Long, an official of the Old Quarter management department.

“This tour not only gives us a quick view of all the major streets and cultural spots in the Old Quarter but also an experience with greener technology,” said Pham Thanh Thuy, 27, a tourist from HCM City. “I really like this car – it runs very quietly. It’s the perfect way to travel around the Old Quarter.”

Bach Ma Temple on Hang Buom Street is another stop on the tour. The temple's festival takes place in the second lunar month.

“I very much adore this,” says Tran Van Hung, 67, a Hang Buom Street resident. “I get on these cars three or four times a week. I love to take my grandchildren with me.”

Among the stops on the tour on the house in which President Ho Chi Minh wrote the nation’s Declaration of Independence, now a museum in which visitors can learn about the history of Viet Nam; Cau Dong Pagoda, which was originally built during the Ly dynasty beside a stone bridge that spanned To Lich River; and Hang Luoc Street, which follows what used to be the banks of the river. Early in the 19th century, the river was filled in to broaden the street. Hang Luoc Street is also the location of the annual Tet flower market, an annual tradition that has been going on for centuries. Each year, the best blossoms from all over the country are gathered here for the nation’s biggest holiday.

The tour also visits O Quan Chuong (Quan Chuong Gate), which has long been an inspiration for artists, representing the spirit of Ha Noi’s historic architecture. The gate was first built out of clay in 1749 but was rebuilt in brick in 1881. The gate used to lie near the Red River, but the city gradually encroached on the river as it expanded.

The tour moves on to Dong Xuan Market, the mother of all Ha Noi markets. It has absolutely everything you might need, from jewelry, clothing and footwear, to household appliances and dried and fresh food. Surrounding the market are many restaurants, which have been famous for their delicious treats for years. Many of these eateries have received rave reviews from gastronomic writers such as Nguyen Tuan or Vu Bang.

E-ticket: Tourists enjoy Ha Noi via battery-operated cars.

Nguyen Thu Huong, deputy head of business planning for the Dong Xuan Joint Stock Co, says the company has been very pleased with the success of the battery car services.

“It’s been so successful that we are thinking of expanding the tours to other tourist spots in Ha Noi, such as West Lake,” Huong said.

Source: VNS

Visa fees will be exempted for all international travellers coming to Viet Nam if they travel with international travel companies that have registered with the national marketing campaign Viet Nam-Your Destination.

The exemption will be offered between October 1 and the end of the year. Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department under the Viet Nam National Administration for Tourism (VNAT), said it would provide the tourism sector an opportunity to attract more foreign tourists to Viet Nam in the next three months.

Service providers win tourism awards

Nine tourism and transportation service providers in Viet Nam along with 18 companies in Laos and Cambodia were presented the Tourism Alliance Awards 2010 during the sixth International Travel Expo in HCM City last week.

In Viet Nam, HCM City was the biggest winner. The city’s Saigontourist was the Inbound Tour Operator of the Year; Vietravel, the Outbound Tour Operator of the Year; Caravelle Hotel, the Business Hotel of the Year; Park Hyatt, the Luxury Hotel of the Year; Palace Hotel Sai Gon the Budget Hotel of the Year; and Li Bai (Sheraton Hotel), the Restaurant of the Year.

Both of the other Vietnamese winners were located in Nha Trang. The Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay, the Resort of the Year; and Evason Ana Mandara, the Spa of the Year. Vietnam Airlines won the Airline of the Year award.

The organisers said 80 service providers in Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam were nominated for these awards.

Lao carrier launches HCM City flights

Lao Airlines will launch its Vientiane-HCM City air route with a stopover in Pakse Airport in Champasak Province on October 19. The three weekly flights from Vientiane to HCM City will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while the HCM City-Vientiane flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The return HCM City-Pakse ticket is priced at $259, and the return HCM City-Vientiane ticket costs $501, including taxes. Lao Airlines will operate 72-seat ATR72 aircraft for these flights.

Thailand, VN join forces on tourism

The Tourism Authority of Thailand in HCM City (TAT) announced at the International Travel Expo 2010 last week the launch of the joint tourism development programme titled One Million Tourists in 2015.

The programme, which is co-organised by TAT and Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, includes the exchange of information and the media, supporting each other to do roadshows, and a joint promotion to foster the relationship between two countries.

According to TAT, in the first seven months of 2010, Thailand welcomed more than 240,000 Vietnamese visitors, while 120,000 Thai tourists have already booked trips to Viet Nam.

Go-ahead given to int’l yacht race

After receiving approval from the Government, Saigontourist Travel Service Co is co-ordinating with the Hong Kong Royal Yacht Club to organise the fourth international boat race from Hong Kong to Nha Trang between October 20 and 27.

Since 2004, the Hong Kong Royal Yacht Club and Saigontourist have organised these biennial events. The 656-nautical mile race in 2008 attracted 13 yachts.

Ancient city bans pavement parking

The ancient city of Hoi An is prohibiting all vehicles from parking on the pavement starting this month – a decision deemed necessary by the municipal People’s Committee as the city becomes a bigger site of culture and tourism.

For the short term, the policy applies on the 13th, 14th and 15th nights of every lunar month. These dates coincide with the dates on which certain projects will take place, including “Streets reserved for pedestrians and non-engine vehicles” and “Ancient city nights”.

Parking is now allowed in reserved areas only. There is no fee for Hoi An residents and typical parking fees are halved for visitors, committee said.

Thanks to a number of implemented programmes, the number of tourists has increased significantly over the past year.

(Collected by vietnamtravelinfo.)

Being a little different from the official Tet Vietnam or Vietnam Lunar New Year festival, the Cham New Year festival expresses the unique rituals and culture of this ethnic minority group. If you have a chance to attend this festival, you will surely enjoy the traditional and cultural activities that can only be seen at Cham people community once every year.

Ninh Thuan province has nearly 70,000 Cham people, including around 40,000 Balamon followers.

Poklong Giarai is a group of Cham temple towers which was built in honor of the legendary king Po Klaung Garai, who ruled Champa from c.1285 to 1307 A.D.

The towers were constructed during the early 14th century during the reign of King Jaya Simhavarman III, and are thus classified as belonging to the Pô Klông Garai or Late style of Cham architecture (14th-17th centuries).

The complex was built on the site of an earlier temple and originally comprised six towers: a main tower at the centre and five lesser towers, all facing eastward. However, the two towers in the south west and north east respectively have long since fallen into ruin. The main tower was dedicated to revered local King Pô Klông who, according to legend, won a contest with Prince Pô Đam to see who could construct a temple in the shortest time.

All four remaining towers were extensively renovated by Polish conservation agency PKZ in the period 1981-1990 and are now in the care of local experts. Particularly noteworthy are the central kalan, with its intricate decoration and elegant roof towers, and the mandapa, with its horse-saddle shaped roof. During numerous excavations at the site a number of gold and silver bowls have been found. Each year during the 8th and 9th lunar months (September-October) this temple complex is one of the most important venues for the ceremonies of the Kate (Chăm New Year) Festival.

Source: vietnamnet

Vietnam’s first tourism television channel hit the air on Saturday October 9 on Vietnam Cable Television.

Vietnam - The hidden charm

The channel is run under cooperation between the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnam Television and will offer official tourism bulletins and information about Vietnam.

The channel will initially run for 18 hours from 6am to midnight consisting of a bulletin and seven special features on Vietnam tourism, historic destinations, luxury options and food. The channel is initially offered through cable and satellite transmission and will be extended to Internet Protocol television and mobile television early next year for audiences abroad with English subtitles.

“The channel coverage will be initially nationwide before reaching international areas, help enterprises and institutions promote their tourism products and tourism activities in Vietnam,” said Nguyen Manh Cuong, deputy head of the administration.

A VNAT report in September revealed the number of international tourists coming to Vietnam by the end of September was around 3.7 million, a year-on-year increase of 34.2 per cent against September of 2009. Of which, the number of international tourists for tourism and resting purpose was 2.3 million, posting the highest year-on-year increase of 143.3 per cent against figures in September of 2009. Most tourists came from China, South Korea, the US and Japan.

“The inflow of international tourists is increasing and Vietnam is among nations benefiting from politic disorder in Thailand, which push international tourists to go to alternative markets,” said Cuong.

With this channel on air, interested tourists will have a chance to obtain useful travel information from an official source, whether they are looking for Vietnam travel tips, famous destinations, traditional food or Vietnam hotels.

Source: VIR