Halong Bay Vietnam

A pleasant city in Northeastern Vietnam, Halong City is perhaps best known for the UNESCO World Heritage listed Halong Bay on it's doorstep. The bay is truly a natural wonder. Thousands of limestone islands tipped with thick jungle rise dramatically from the ocean, like the dragons fabled to have made their homes here thousands of years ago.

As the number one tourist attraction for the Northeast, Halong Bay attracts thousands of foreign tourists every year. Halong Bay is at it's best in the warm months, when a cruise will give you that perfect holiday feeling. The food on the boat is delicious, the cabins large and comfortable, and lounging on the top deck with a cold drink with the magnificent backdrop of the bay is an unforgettable experience, especially at sunset .

One of the great natural wonders of Asia, Halong Bay is the single most popular side trip from Hanoi. The beauty of the bay and its 3000 islands is so awesome that an excursion there should be considered an essential part of any visit to Northern Vietnam. A one or two day trip also makes a delightful and inexpensive romantic getaway if you meet someone special.

After five hours on a hellish road (which is slowly being repaved), you will be rewarded with some of the most spectacular and memorable sightseeing of your trip. Hire a boat in Halong City or Hong Gai to take you as far from shore as possible, and simply meander among the islands, fjords and inlets. There is plenty to explore in the 4000 square kilometer body of water, and it is easy to find peaceful places to swim, fish, or just relax without seeing another soul, yet surrounded by majestic scenery.

Despite what geologists may claim, the bay was actually created when an immense dragon plunged to Earth here before recorded history. Its mighty tail carved the great stone seabed violently before the creature flew away to the place where legends are born. This fable does not seem so far fetched as you sail among thousands of limestone outcroppings, which look like so many blades thrust deep into the mist from below the sea. Many are barren, weathered and rocky. Others are cloaked in vegetation so dense that it is impossible to see the stone beneath. At dusk, they all take on mysterious shades of gray, mauve and olive.
Several of the larger islands have extensive caves, which are open to visitors for about a dollar. Although they are poorly lit and have slippery pathways, they offer a little adventure to liven up a long, lazy day of boating.

The water is warm, clean and clear, so swimming is always a pleasure here. Be prepared with swimwear and a towel. (Going au naturalle will be horrifying to your boat crew and should not be considered an option.) On most boats it is necessary for you to bring your own beverages, even though the crew may cook your lunch aboard.

Travel agencies in Hanoi offer an overnight trip, including all transportation, two days of sailing on the bay, accommodations in a modest hotel and four good meals, all for under $25. If you have an extra day, you can add a night the wildlife sanctuary on nearby Cat Ba Island.
Abbreviated excerpt from The Men of Vietnam.

Vietnam targets 1 million Chinese visitors

The Vietnamese tourism authority said it expected about 1 million Chinese holidaymakers to visit the country this year, double last year's number.

Nguyen Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) attributed the rise to a series of promotional campaigns run in major Chinese cities over the last two years. He said China was a key market for the country's tourism industry.

According to VNAT, in the first six months of this year, 437,000 tourists from China visited Vietnam, 92.5% more than the same period last year.

La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCM City Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the number of Chinese holidaymakers visiting the south of the country was rising by 25% annually.

Travel firms have also reported significant growth in visitor numbers from China. Lien Bang Travelink said the number of tourists using the company's services had increased by 30% since the beginning of the year compared to the same period in 2009.

Tu Quy Thanh, the company's director, said Chinese tourists previously used to spend three to four days primarily in the north of the country but that now they were fanning out and travelling to the central and southern regions.

Thanh added that high-end travellers from China were now spending more money than their counterparts from the West.

However, Thanh said that communication problems were a source of concern and that Vietnamese travel firms were finding it difficult to find Chinese partners.

He also said that Vietnam could not compete with regional countries such as Bangkok or Singapore in terms of shopping malls or medical facilities. He also said that other countries such as Indonesia , offered a greater array of cultural attractions, and that Japan was a better destination for luxury products.

However, he said that Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and HCM City were holding their own in terms of cultural appeal and proving increasingly attractive to Chinese holidaymakers.

(Source: VNA)

Hoi An ancient town

The ancient town of Hoi An, 30 km south of Danang, lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Occupied by early western traders, Hoi An was one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century.

Hoi An has a distinct Chinese atmosphere with low, tile-roofed houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets still remains almost intact. All the houses were made of rare wood, decorated with lacquered boards and panels engraved with Chinese characters. Pillars were also carved with ornamental designs.

Tourists can visit the relics of the Sa Huynh and Cham cultures. They can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the romantic Hoi An River, Cua Dai Beach, and Cham Island.

Over the last few years, Hoi An has become a very popular tourist destination in Vietnam.

Light Bright

NO FLUORESCENT LIGHTS. NO MOTORCYCLES. NO TELEVISION. ON THE 14TH DAY OF EACH LUNAR MONTH, THE RIVERSIDE TOWN OF HOI AN GIVES MODERN LIFE THE NIGHT OFF.

In a wood-fronted shops a woman in traditional dress sits at a desk, bathed in the light of a lantern made from a simple bamboo fish-trap. Outside, two old men are absorbed in a candlelit game of Chinese checkers. These scenes, straight out of the 19th century, still take place in Hoi An, a sleepy riverside town in the central province of Quang Nam.

Hoi An has long been a cultural crossroad. More than five centuries ago the Vietnamese nation of Dai Viet expanded its territory southwards, encroaching on the Indianized Kingdom of Champa, which covered much of what is now central Vietnam. Hoi An, located on the Hoai River, emerged when Japanese and Chinese traders built a commercial district there in the 16th century.

These diverse cultural influences remain visible today. Visitors will find Hoi An's Old Quarter lined with two-storey Chinese shops, their elaborately carved wooden facades and moss-covered tile roofs having withstood the ravages of more than 300 years of weather and warfare. These proud old buildings, which back onto the river, remind visitors of another era, when Hoi An's market was filled with wares from as far afield as India and Europe. Colourful guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian provinces, stand quietly, a testament to the town's trading roots.

While Hoi An's old-fashioned charm is always visible, on the 14th of every lunar month modernity takes another step back. On these evenings the town turns off its street lamps and fluorescent lights, leaving the Old Quarter bathed in the warm glow of coloured silk, glass and paper lanterns. In ancient times, Vietnamese people made lamps out of shallow bowls filled with oil. Later, foreign traders introduced lanterns, ranging from round and hexagonal designs from China to diamond and star shaped ones from Japan.

Let there be light

When developing plans to preserve their town's ancient character, Hoi An residents decided to revive the practice of using coloured lanterns. Starting in the fall of 1998, one night each month is declared a "lantern festival". On the 14th day of each lunar month, residents on Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Le Loi and Bach Dang streets switch off their lights and hang cloth and paper lanterns on their porches and windows. Television sets, radios, street lights and neon lights are turned off.

In the ensuing quiet the streets of Hoi An are at their most romantic, the darkness broken only by jeweltoned lanterns in all manner of shapes and sizes.

Strolling through the lantern-lit streets is like walking into a fairytale. It is all the more picturesque since motor vehicles are banned from Hoi An's Old Quarter. On Trai Phu Street, stop at the beautifully preserved Faifo Restaurant to sample some traditional Chinese-style pastries. Or walk on to the Treated Café, where bamboo baskets, commonly used to wash rice, have been transformed into unique lanterns. These basket lamps are but one example of people's creativity as they experiment with new shapes and materials, including lights made from hollow bamboo tubes.

A Warm Glow

The 14th day of the lunar month is a Buddhist day of worship. Residents place offerings of food and incense on their ancestral altars and visit one of Hoi An's many pagodas. The scent of incense and the sounds of people singing add to the town's enchanted atmosphere. On these evenings, visitors will get a rare glimpse into another era. These nights are a welcome reminder of life's unexpected beauty.
(Source: www.vietnamtourism.com)

Vietnamese Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan)

Vietnamese Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan)

Time: The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month of the previous year to the 3rd day of the first lunar month of the new year. Place: Nation-wide. Objects of worship: grandparents and ancestors. Participator: The biggest national festival that attracts to people through the country. Characteristics: - Nice clothes, or traditional costumes. - Ritual of ancestral worshipping and a rite to see Tao Quan (Kitchen God) off. - Best wishes for a prosperous New Year and family gathering.

Tet is the biggest and the most sacred festival. It is the most attractive to a majority of the Vietnamese.

Tet falls on a time when the old year is over and the New Year comes by lunar calendar. This is also the time when the cycle of the universe finishes: winter ends and spring, the season of birth of all living things, comes.

Tet is an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. It is a time when one pays respect to his/her ancestors and grandparents who have brought up him/her. It is an occasion when everyone sends each other best wishes for a new year, stops thinking about unhappy things and says good things about each other.

On the 23^rd day of the twelfth month by lunar calendar, there is a rite to see Tao Quan (Kitchen God) off. The rite to say goodbye to the old year is held on the 30^th or 29^th day (if that month has only 29 days) of the twelfth month by lunar calendar. The rite to welcome the New Year is held at midnight that day. The rite to see off ancestral souls to return to the other world is often held on the 3^rd day of the first month by lunar calendar when the Tet holidays finish and everybody goes back to work.

There are various customs practiced during Tet such as ancestral worshipping, visiting a person’s house on the first day of the new year, wishing Tet wishes, giving lucky money to young children and old people, wishing longevity to the oldest people, opening rice paddies or opening a shop.

(Source: www.vietnamtourism.com)

Vietnamese Religions

The major religious traditions in Vietnam are Buddhism (which fuses forms of Taoism and Confusianism), Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, Caodaism and the Hoa Hao sect.

Buddhism

Buddhism was first introduced to Vietnam in the 2nd century, and reached its peak in the Ly dynasty (11th century). It was then regarded as the official religion dominating court affairs. Buddhism was preached broadly among the population and it enjoyed a profound influence on people's daily life. Its influence also left marks in various areas of traditional literature and architecture. As such, many pagodas and temples were built during this time.

At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of decline. The ideological influence of Buddhism, however, remained very strong in social and cultural life. Presenty, over 70 percent of the population of Vietnam are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices.

Catholicism

Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century. At present the most densely-populated Catholic areas are Bui Chu-Phat Diem in the northern province of Ninh Binh and Ho Nai-Bien Hoa in Dong Nai Province to the South. About 10 percent of the population are considered Catholic.

Protestantism

Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam at about the same time as Catholicism. Protestantism, however, remains an obscure religion. At present most Protestants live in the Central Highlands. There still remains a Protestant church on Hang Da Street in Hanoi. The number of Protestants living in Vietnam is estimated at 400,000.

Islam

Islamic followers in Vietnam are primarily from the Cham ethnic minority group living in the central part of the central coast. The number of Islamic followers in Vietnam totals about 50,000.

Caodaism

Caodaism was first introduced to the country in 1926. Settlements of the Cao Dai followers in South Vietnam are located near the Church in Tay Ninh. The number of followers of this sect is estimated at 2 million.

Hoa Hao Sect

The Hoa Hao Sect was first introduced to Vietnam in 1939. More than 1 million Vietnamese are followers of this sect. Most of them live in the south-west of Vietnam.

Mother Worship (Tho Mau)

Researchers describe the Vietnamese mother-worship cult as a primitive religion. Mother, Me in the Vietnamese language, is pronounced Mau in Sino-­script. The mother worship cult might be originated from the cult of the Goddess in ancient ages. In the Middle Ages, the Mother was worshipped in temples and palaces. Due to the fact that it is a worshipping custom and not a religion, the Mother worshipping cult has not been organised as Buddhism and Catholicism have. As a result, the different affiliations of the cult have yet to be consistent and different places still have different customs.

The custom of Mother worship originated from the north. In the south, the religion has integrated the local goddesses such as Thien Y A Na (Hue) and Linh Son (Tay Ninh).

In fact, the Mother worship cult was influenced by other religions, mainly Taoism.

(Source: www.vietnamtourism.com)

Vietnamese traditional costumes

Traditional costumes of the Vietnamese people tend to be very simple and modest. Men wear brown shirts and white trousers. Their headgear is simply a piece of cloth wrapped around the head and their footwear consists of a pair of plain sandals.
For formal ceremonies men would have two additional items, a long gown with slits on either side, and a turban, usually in black or brown made of cotton or silk. In feudal times, there were strict dress codes. Ordinary people were not allowed to wear clothes with dyes other than black, brown or white. Costumes in yellow were reserved for the King. Those in purple and red were reserved for high ranking court officials, while dresses in blue were exclusively worn by petty court officials. Men's dress has gradually changed along with social development.

The traditional set of a long gown and turban gave way to more modern looking suits, while business shirts and trousers have replaced traditional long sleeved shirts and wide trousers. Traditional costumes still exist and efforts are increasingly being made to restore traditional festivals and entertainment which incorporate traditional costumes.

Young women wear light brown-colored short shirts with long black skirts. Their headgear consists of a black turban with a peak at the front. To make their waist look smaller, they tightly fasten a long piece of pink or violet cloth.On formal occasions, they wear a special three layered dress called an "ao dai", a long gown with slits on either side.

The outer garment is a special silk gown called an "ao tu than" which is brown or light brown in colour with four slits divided equally on its lower section. The second layer is a gown in a light yellow colour and the third layer is a pink gown. When a woman wears her three gowns, she fastens the buttons on the side, and leave those on the chest unfastened so that it forms a shaped collar. This allows her to show the different colors on the upper part of the three gowns. Beneath the three gowns is a bright red brassiere which is left exposed to cover the woman's neck.

Over time, the traditional "ao dai" has gone through certain changes. Long gowns are now carefully tailored to fit the body of a Vietnamese woman. The two long slits along the side allow the gown to have two free floating panels in the front and at the back of the dress. The floating panels expose a long pair of white silk trousers.

An elegant looking conical palm hat, which is traditionally known as a "non bai tho" (a hat with poetry written on it), is worn as part of a woman's formal dress. This traditional conical hat is particularly suitable for a tropical country such as Vietnam, where fierce sunshine and hard rain are commonplace.

To make a conical hat, a hat maker chooses young palm leaves that have been been dried under continued sunshine. Attached beneath the almost transparent layers of dried palm leaves is a drawing of a small river wharf. Below the drawing, there is a piece of poetry to be recited by the hat wearer.

In recent years some foreign fashions have been introduced to Vietnam; however, the traditional "ao dai" remains preferable to women in both urban and rural settings.

In general, Vietnamese clothing is very diverse. Every ethnic group in Vietnam has its own style of clothing. Festivals are the occasion for all to wear their favorite clothes. Over thousands of years, the traditional clothing of all ethnic groups in Vietnam has changed, but each ethnic group has separately maintained their own characteristics.

In the mountain areas, people live in houses built on stilts, wear trousers or skirts and indigo vests with design motifs imitating wild flowers and beasts. In the northern uplands and the Central Highlands, the young women have made skirts and vests with beautiful and coulourful decoration in a style convenient for farm work in terraced fields and to travel on hilly slopes and mountain gorges.
(Source: www.vietnamtourism.com)

Vietnam Climate

Vietnam is located in both a tropical and a temperate zone. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences, but has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. Regions located near the tropics and in the mountainous regions are endowed with a temperate climate.

The monsoon climate also influences to the changes of the tropical humidity. In general, in Vietnam there are two seasons, the cold season occurs from November to April and the hot season from May to October. The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern is almost unnoticeable, averaging 3ºC. The most noticeable variations are found in the northern where differences of 12ºC have been observed. There are essentially four distinct seasons, which are most evident in the northern provinces(from Hai Van Pass toward to the north): Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Every year there are 100 rainy days and the average rainfall is 1,500 to 2,000mm. The humidity ranges around 80%. The sunny hours are 1,500 to 2,000 and the average solar radiation of 100kcal/cm² in a year.

Because Vietnam is affected by the monsoon, that why the average temperature is lower than the other countries which are located in the same longitude in Asia. The annual average temperatures range from 22^oC to 27^oC. In comparing with these countries, the temperature in winter is colder and in summer is less hotter in Vietnam.

Under influence of monsoon, and further because of the complicated topography, the climate in Vietnam always changes in one year, between the years, or between the areas (from North to South and from low to high). The climate in Vietnam is also under disadvantage of weather, such as typhoons (advantage there are 6-10 storms and tropical low atmosphere in year, floods and droughts are threaten the life and the agriculture of Vietnam).

Hanoi
In Hanoi there are four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. But it is able to be divided into two main seasons: the rainy season from May to September (it’s hot, heavy rain), and the dry season from October to April (it’s cold, little rainfall). The annual average temperature is 23.2^oC, but in winter the average temperature is 17.2^oC. The lowest temperature ever recorded was 2.7^oC in 1955. The average summer temperature is 29.2^oC, with the highest ever recorded being 42.8^oC in 1926. On average, there are 114 rainy days a year with around 1,800mm of rainfall.

Haiphong

It's one province in the North then Haiphong is influenced by a tropical monsoon climate too. There are 4 seasons and the annual average temperature is between 23^oC and 24^oC. Rainfall total is between 1,600 and 1,800mm. The weather is warm throughout the year.

Quang Ninh

The climate is symbolic of the climate of North Vietnam; featuring all four seasons. In summer (from May to September), it's hot, humid and rainy, while monsoons flourish. In winter (from October to April), it's cold, dry, and sees little rainfall.The average temperature is over 25^oC. Annual rainfall totals between 1,700 and 2,400mm.

Thua Thien Hue

It features a tropical monsoon climate, featuring all four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The spring is cool and warm, the summer is hot, the autumn is cool and the winter is cold. Average temperature is 25^oC. The best time for tourists is from November to April next year.

Danang

Its climate is tropical, with two distinct rainy and dry seasons. The average annual temperature is between 28^oC and 29^oC, and storms hit the area every year in September and October.

Khanh Hoa

The climate here is oceanic tropical monsoon, but is quite mild. The average annual temperature is 26.5^oC. Annual rainfall totals over 1,200mm.

Lam Dong

The climate here is cold, with an average annual temperature of 18^oC. Dalat is a city town, the climate is temperature and there are the beautiful natural landscapes with the waterfalls, lakes and pine groves, and is well known as Vietnam’s flower city.

Ho Chi Minh City

The climate is divided into two seasons, with the rainy season lasting from May to November. The average annual temperature is 27.5^oC without winter, and yearly rainfall totals 1,979mm. Tourism is convenient for all 12 months of the year.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau

The climate here is tropical monsoon. The average annual temperature is 27^oC, rarely stormy, rich in sunshine. Vung Tau is without winter so resorts can active throughout the year.

(Source: www.vietnamtourism.com)