Thursday, May 31, 2012
Dong Thap Pictures
Vietnam Pictures - Đồng Tháp is a province in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. Dong Thap
is 165 km away from Ho Chi Minh City, bordered by Pray Veng province (Cambodia) in the North with a length of more than 48km; Vinh Long and Can Tho in the South; An Giang in the West; and Long An and Tien Giang in the East. |
“Banh gio” – Pyramidal rice dumpling
Vietnam Information - Not everyone can eat "banh gio". Yet, it is very easy to get addicted to it. That is true!
This simple dish sold in country markets has become a favorite breakfast of many Hanoians. People can find this dish in small stands on any street in Hanoi. The stands are always crowed with diners. Hanoians can enjoy this dish at any time, at breakfast, lunch or post-lunch.
Although pyramidal rice dumpling is simple, it is very good and healthy, especially its appealing fragrance. This white and smooth dumpling is wrapped in green banana leaf, which is regarded as the quintessence of heaven and earth.
The pyramidal rice dumpling is made from a few ingredients including plain rice flour, minced lean meat, cat’s ear, onion and mushroom. The process of stirring and kneading flour is the most important, which decides the deliciousness of the dumpling. Processing the dumpling flour is a secret handed from generation to generation. Some famous makers of pyramidal rice dumpling said that they bought flour in Ha Dong District but still kept secret what kind of flour was. Therefore, it is not easy to make delicious rice dumplings.
After soaking in water, flour is dried, which is similar to the kind of “banh te” (rice cake). This flour is continously dissolved in water when being cooked. After 45 minutes, the flour turns pure white and viscid, which means it is well-cooked. Then the flour is placed on phrynium leaf and wrapped with meat. These rice dumplings are then put into the boiling water for 20 minutes. After that, pyramidal rice dumplings are picked up. People can feel the fragrance of the filling, rice flour and the special smell of phrynium or banana leaf. It is so great to serve this dish with sour vegetable pickles, which makes good taste; therefore, some people can eat two or three dumplings at a time.
Sitting in crowded stands, feeling hungry and enjoying this dish, you will find it a pleasure in life...
Although pyramidal rice dumpling is simple, it is very good and healthy, especially its appealing fragrance. This white and smooth dumpling is wrapped in green banana leaf, which is regarded as the quintessence of heaven and earth.
The pyramidal rice dumpling is made from a few ingredients including plain rice flour, minced lean meat, cat’s ear, onion and mushroom. The process of stirring and kneading flour is the most important, which decides the deliciousness of the dumpling. Processing the dumpling flour is a secret handed from generation to generation. Some famous makers of pyramidal rice dumpling said that they bought flour in Ha Dong District but still kept secret what kind of flour was. Therefore, it is not easy to make delicious rice dumplings.
After soaking in water, flour is dried, which is similar to the kind of “banh te” (rice cake). This flour is continously dissolved in water when being cooked. After 45 minutes, the flour turns pure white and viscid, which means it is well-cooked. Then the flour is placed on phrynium leaf and wrapped with meat. These rice dumplings are then put into the boiling water for 20 minutes. After that, pyramidal rice dumplings are picked up. People can feel the fragrance of the filling, rice flour and the special smell of phrynium or banana leaf. It is so great to serve this dish with sour vegetable pickles, which makes good taste; therefore, some people can eat two or three dumplings at a time.
Sitting in crowded stands, feeling hungry and enjoying this dish, you will find it a pleasure in life...
VIETNAMESE ETHNIC GROUPS
Vietnam is a multi-nationality country with 54 ethnic groups. The Viet (Kinh) people account for 87% of the country’s population and mainly inhabit the Red River delta, the central coastal delta, the Mekong delta and major cities. The other 53 ethnic minority groups, totaling over 8 million people, are scattered over mountain areas (covering two-thirds of the country’s territory) spreading from the North to the South. Among ethnic minorities, the most populated are Tay, Thai, Muong, Hoa, Khmer, Nung...
At present there are 54 different ethnic groups inhabiting Vietnam, in which Kinh (Viet) people make up nearly 90% of the whole population, and 53 other ethnic groups represent over 10%.
Dam Sen Park
Vietnam Information - “Oh my kids did have a wonderful time at Dam Sen Park, and keep asking me to bring them back some day!”, smiled a young mother when asked about Dam Sen park in Ho Chi Minh City.
Most families visiting Ho Chi Minh City much enjoy interesting games in Dam Sen Park, the ideal place of interest for small children. Opened in 1999, it now covers more than 50 ha on the corner of Lac Long Quan and Hoa Binh Street, and comprises various areas. Annually, it has several new water slides added.
Most families visiting Ho Chi Minh City much enjoy interesting games in Dam Sen Park, the ideal place of interest for small children. Opened in 1999, it now covers more than 50 ha on the corner of Lac Long Quan and Hoa Binh Street, and comprises various areas. Annually, it has several new water slides added.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Palanquin processions at Hung Kings Temple Festival
Vietnam Information - The palanquin processions from six surrounding hamlets to the Hung Kings Temple historical complex took place at the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho province on March 29, with the participation of diplomatic delegations and representatives from UNESCO Vietnam and the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations.This is part of the ongoing Hung Kings Temple Festival 2012, which started on March 26 in Phu Tho.
Hung King Temple Festival
Vietnam Information - Every year, a large number of visitors from all over the country participate a national festival - Hung King Temple Festival - an incense offering ceremony in honor of Hung Kings, who were instrumental in the founding of the nation.
Legend associated with the Hung Kings
It is said that thousands of years ago, Lac Long Quan (King Dragon of the Land of Lac) had superhuman strength and liked to stay near water. He succeeded to the throne of his father, and governed the Lac-Viet tribe. De Lai, king of a northern tribe, with his daughter Au Co made a trip to visit the south.
Admiring Lac Long Quan's talent, De Lai married Au Co to Lac Long Quan. Au Co became pregnant and gave birth to a membranous sac. The sac kept getting larger and larger, and burst on the seventh day. Surprisingly, there were one hundred eggs in the sac, which hatched into one hundred beautiful babies. The children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co were the ancestors of Vietnam, and so the Vietnamese are known as "Dragon and Fairy descendants." The eldest son of Lac Long Quan and Au Co, who was with this mother, established himself at Phong Chau, now the southern part of Phu Tho Province, and made himself king. That was King Hung I whose realm was made up by 50 tribes. The 18 Hung kings then ruled the country from 2879 to 258BC.
Legend associated with the Hung Kings
It is said that thousands of years ago, Lac Long Quan (King Dragon of the Land of Lac) had superhuman strength and liked to stay near water. He succeeded to the throne of his father, and governed the Lac-Viet tribe. De Lai, king of a northern tribe, with his daughter Au Co made a trip to visit the south.
Admiring Lac Long Quan's talent, De Lai married Au Co to Lac Long Quan. Au Co became pregnant and gave birth to a membranous sac. The sac kept getting larger and larger, and burst on the seventh day. Surprisingly, there were one hundred eggs in the sac, which hatched into one hundred beautiful babies. The children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co were the ancestors of Vietnam, and so the Vietnamese are known as "Dragon and Fairy descendants." The eldest son of Lac Long Quan and Au Co, who was with this mother, established himself at Phong Chau, now the southern part of Phu Tho Province, and made himself king. That was King Hung I whose realm was made up by 50 tribes. The 18 Hung kings then ruled the country from 2879 to 258BC.
Chợ Lớn (Big Market)
Vietnam Information - Whoever staying in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam often pays a visit to Chợ Lớn (or Sai Gon’s China Town), a super vast market town, to be attached to a crowded space of Sai Gon life
Whenever Chợ Lớn (or Cholon in some documents) is referred to, everyone may immediately think of a Cholon – China Town inside Ho Chi Minh City. It is the name of the Chinese district in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon), the largest Chinatown district in Vietnam. It lies at the West bank of the Saigon River, Tran Hung Dao Boulevard, comprising several markets, in which Binh Tay Market is the central one. Today, Cholon has become part and parcel of every itinerary to this significant city.
Cholon now covers a vast area from the residential quarters in Districts 5 and 10 to the vicinity of Districts 6 & 11. The Hoa people living there still preserve their age-old cultural, architectural, and religious values. The classical beauty of their architectural style finds expressions in rows of tile-roofed houses, which seem to be caught forever in a brownish gray color.
Whenever Chợ Lớn (or Cholon in some documents) is referred to, everyone may immediately think of a Cholon – China Town inside Ho Chi Minh City. It is the name of the Chinese district in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon), the largest Chinatown district in Vietnam. It lies at the West bank of the Saigon River, Tran Hung Dao Boulevard, comprising several markets, in which Binh Tay Market is the central one. Today, Cholon has become part and parcel of every itinerary to this significant city.
Cholon now covers a vast area from the residential quarters in Districts 5 and 10 to the vicinity of Districts 6 & 11. The Hoa people living there still preserve their age-old cultural, architectural, and religious values. The classical beauty of their architectural style finds expressions in rows of tile-roofed houses, which seem to be caught forever in a brownish gray color.
Monday, May 28, 2012
The Story of Tấm and Cám
Vietnam Information - Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl named Tấm. She was very young when her mother died. But despite her mother’s absence, Tấm was a very happy girl since her father, who loved her dearly, devoted his days raising her and looking after her. But things changed when Tấm’s father fell in-love with a wicked lady, whom he married and later gave birth to a daughter named Cám.
Vietnam People
Vietnam Information - The Vietnamese people (Vietnamese: người Việt or người Kinh) are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The heat is on in Saigon
Pho Ga in the market: Clear, clean-tasting rich broth
As much as I try to get it out of my mind, lyrics from the classic Broadway musical by Schonberg and Boublil play like a broken record: “The heat is on in Saigon! The girls are hotter than hell … One of the girls here will be MissSaigon, Go! The tension is high, not to mention the smell!”
I have been dying to go to Vietnam to eat every possible Vietnamese mint-lemongrass-laden dish they offer since I tried my very first bo bun in Paris. In my mind there were two parallel, coexisting worlds of Vietnam: the grimy image of the underworld and hard-lining Viet-Cong soldiers fuelled by tales of the fearless bui doi, the horrors of the Vietnam War portrayed in Hollywood and immortalized by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (capitalized into a very popular nightclub, by the way). Then on the other hand there’s the fragile freshness of their cuisine, adorned with all sorts of leaves, herbs and spices, cooked with restraint and sophistication, prepared in an idyllic country scene best portrayed by Kim from Miss Saigon in an ao dai on a bicycle.
I have been dying to go to Vietnam to eat every possible Vietnamese mint-lemongrass-laden dish they offer since I tried my very first bo bun in Paris. In my mind there were two parallel, coexisting worlds of Vietnam: the grimy image of the underworld and hard-lining Viet-Cong soldiers fuelled by tales of the fearless bui doi, the horrors of the Vietnam War portrayed in Hollywood and immortalized by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (capitalized into a very popular nightclub, by the way). Then on the other hand there’s the fragile freshness of their cuisine, adorned with all sorts of leaves, herbs and spices, cooked with restraint and sophistication, prepared in an idyllic country scene best portrayed by Kim from Miss Saigon in an ao dai on a bicycle.
Funny pictures of Vietnamese old people
Vietnam Information - Though they are old, young people have to
admire them for their ‘teen-style.’Funny pictures of Vietnamese old
people | Funny pictures of Vietnamese old people.
Hello, can you hear me?
A styled Buddhist monk.
The old man says goodbye to his young girlfriend?
The background: a young style, a teen style.
Old women are chatting.
Recalling of the old time.
Water Puppet
Vietnam Information - If you are ever in Hanoi it will be regretful to miss the Water Puppet Theater - even if you think you are not a puppet kind of person. Water Puppets literally means “puppets that dance on the water”. This show is not just geared for kids, but meant to delight adults as well.
History:
Vietnamese Water Puppet originated from the Red River Delta of Vietnam in the tenth century. Some of the earliest troupes are in Nguyên Xá commune, Đông Hưng district, Thai Binh province. Water puppetry is deeply imbued with the cultural characteristics of the people of this area. This unique art first appeared around the 15th century, when post-harvest, artists who were also farmers would gather to perform and relax. The custom remains today in many localities in the Red River Delta such as Dao Thuc, Phu Da, Dong Ca, Nguyen Xa, Dong Ngu, Nhan Hoa and Nam Chan.
History:
Vietnamese Water Puppet originated from the Red River Delta of Vietnam in the tenth century. Some of the earliest troupes are in Nguyên Xá commune, Đông Hưng district, Thai Binh province. Water puppetry is deeply imbued with the cultural characteristics of the people of this area. This unique art first appeared around the 15th century, when post-harvest, artists who were also farmers would gather to perform and relax. The custom remains today in many localities in the Red River Delta such as Dao Thuc, Phu Da, Dong Ca, Nguyen Xa, Dong Ngu, Nhan Hoa and Nam Chan.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam Information - Here, new buildings, there, persons in a hurry… It is the picture of a busting, dynamic but beautiful and friendly city – Ho Chi Minh City, the Chief Southern Centre of Vietnam!
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Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral |
CNN lists Hanoi among Asia’s top ten street food cities
Vietnam Information - Hanoi has been named by CNN as one of ten greatest street food cities in Asia.
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| “bun cha que" (source internet) |
The list, published March 23 on the US agency’s travel page CNNGo, introduced ten typical street foods in Hanoi, including the famous "pho" - noodle soup with either beef or chicken, best had at 112 Van Phuc Street, and Vietnam’s popular drink, iced coffee, at 6 Hang Bac.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
An Tiêm and the Watermelon
Vietnam Information - Centuries ago, Vietnam was ruled by King Hung Vuong the Third, a king greatly loved by the people for his kindness and generosity. Having only one daughter, he decided to adopt a boy. His devotion to his people made him decide to adopt the child of a very poor family from a distant island, and named him An Tiêm. Loved, cherished and raised as if his own, An Tiêm grew to become a wise and skilful young man. His wisdom earned him the respect of everyone in the kingdom, and the king himself.
Hai Van Pass
On the north – south nation highway, Hai Van Pass is an impressive landscape. It is like a giant dragon, lying on Highway 1 on the border between Thua Thien-Hue Province and Danang City.This is the highest pass in Vietnam (500m above sea level). This rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea. Hai Van means "Sea Clouds", since the peak of the mountain is in the clouds while its foot is close to the sea. In the past, Hai Van Pass was known as the Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam frontier. In the early 14th century (11306), Che Man, a king from Cham Pa, offered two mountainous administrative units of O and Ri as engagement gifts to Princess Huyen Tran, daughter of King Tran Nhan Tong. On his way to see off the Princess in the Quang area in a Summer sunny noon, the King and his entourage were on horse back for almost half a day but could not reach the top of the pass. Facing upwards, the King saw a rampart of mountains in dim clouds, and at the foot of the pass, an immense ocean, of waves. Though sorry for his daughter's difficult journey, the king was comforted by the closer ties between the two nations.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ: The Legend of Ancient Vietnam
Custard Apple (Mãng Cầu)
Custard apples ripen in July, but not all at the same time. Firm custard apples are densely grown in the south, mainly in Ninh Thuan and Ba Ria areas. Custard apple trees deliver fruit after three or four years of growth.
The beauty of Vietnamese queens
Let’s discover the classic beauty of Vietnamese queens through rare photos.
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Ho Thi Chi, King Khai Dinh’s wife. She
was daughter of senior mandarin Ho Dac Trung of the Nguyen Dynasty. She
was famous for her beauty and intelligence. She could play several kinds
of musical instruments, speak French and Chinese fluently.
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| Princess Thuyen Hoa, King Thanh Thai’s younger sister with modern beauty. |
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| A concubine of King Thanh Thai, the 10th King of the Nguyen Dynasty, who was on the throne from 1889 to 1907. |
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| Princess Ngoc Han in a sketch. She was a princess of the Le Dynasty, who then became the wife of King Quang Trung. |
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| Queen Nam Phuong of King Bao Dai, the last King of Vietnam. |
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Mong Diep, a concubine of King Bao Dai.
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Monday, May 21, 2012
Ben Tre
Vietnam Information - A pristine hick area with pure ecological environment created partly by the green of coconut tree lines and large fruits gardens has made Ben Tre a nation’s precious green ecological complex in southern Vietnam
"Who’s standing there looking like a coconut shadow, with long hair gone in the wind? .. That is Ben Tre’s girl...” is the famous song about Ben Tre, a green land with coconut trees, fruits gardens, rivers and canals...
Ben Tre province (a delta province) is located at the end of the Cuu Long River Delta. It has borders with the East Sea to the east, with 60 kilometer-long coastline. The province is 2,322 sq. km2, around 85 kilometers far from Hochiminh City.
Ben Tre is featured with a plain geography, which is scattered around by sand dunes and adorned by rice fields, fruit plant gardens, and numerous rivers and streams, canals and arroyos. The four Tien Giang river branches, including My Tho, Ba Lai, Ham Luong and Co Chieu rivers, split Ben Tre into 3 islands of Minh, Bao, and An Hoa. All contribute to an ecological system of rivers, canals, arroyos and green trees, facilitating transportation, hydro-electricity, and more importantly, ecological tourism potential.
Ben Tre province (a delta province) is located at the end of the Cuu Long River Delta. It has borders with the East Sea to the east, with 60 kilometer-long coastline. The province is 2,322 sq. km2, around 85 kilometers far from Hochiminh City.
Ben Tre is featured with a plain geography, which is scattered around by sand dunes and adorned by rice fields, fruit plant gardens, and numerous rivers and streams, canals and arroyos. The four Tien Giang river branches, including My Tho, Ba Lai, Ham Luong and Co Chieu rivers, split Ben Tre into 3 islands of Minh, Bao, and An Hoa. All contribute to an ecological system of rivers, canals, arroyos and green trees, facilitating transportation, hydro-electricity, and more importantly, ecological tourism potential.
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