Da Nang- the most worth living city in Vietnam

If you’re an avid traveler? Are you looking for some stunning beaches for the summer holiday? Or even a heaven with different various kinds of local food at a reasonable price? The answer to all of this question is Da Nang, of course! Don’t hesitate to check it out. Da Nang will not leave you disappointed.

Plan your Da Nang tour at CLASSIC CENTRAL VIETNAM 5D-4N

Take a break from the white sand beaches

Actually located in the central region, midway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang looks like a lonely planet with its stunning, isolated beaches, peaceful vibe and some of the friendliest people in Vietnam. The best time to visit and enjoy the sea is the summer, from April to September, try to avoid October and November unless you want to see heavy rains even tropical storms every day.

Voted as one of the world’s most luxurious beaches by Forbs Magazine, Da Nang beaches acquire a reputation for travelers from all over the world. There are leading types of accommodation along the beaches. Besides swimming and chilling on the beaches, it also offers various choices of activities such as fishing, water sports or even taking wedding photos.

Joining yoga in Da Nang beaches- source: internet

Renting a scooter to discover more complete

The street in Da Nang is pretty much pedestrian friendly so moving around on a scooter is a good idea. Motorbike and scooter rental services are always available in the most hotels and guest houses here.So you can be easily able to get one, discover every small corner and enjoy the peaceful vibe. Son Tra peninsula (monkey mountain) or Linh Ung pagoda are two places that have made a strong impression on visitors when they paying a trip to Da Nang by motorbike. If Son Tra is a lonely mountain with a fairy tale behind, Linh Ung is a symbol of local people that will protect a city from typhoons and natural disasters. Riding along the beach road as far as you can, you will fall in love immediately with rustic charm on two sides and prominent location and have a chance to see some monkeys.

See more: top 5 destinations for holiday deals to Vietnam

Making some nice memories together on a motorbike

Take a foodie tour

It is often said that: “the world is an opened book”. If you don’t dare to take the first walk, it seems that you just see the cover of it. For me, life is either an adventure with the variety of having fun and unforgettable experiences or nothing. Culinary takes the essential role in any trips. It is the culture, tradition and the one that reflects quintessence of its very own land and people. Vietnam is home to many kinds of delicious food and each city has its own cuisine’s culture. If you’re riding a motorbike as above or walking on foot and getting tired or hungry, why don’t you take a break and let’s try the local food here? From My Quang (especially Quang Noodle with frogs) to Cao Lau, chicken rice or bánh xèo (sizzling cake), it will be absolutely easy to find an available restaurant at any time of the day. With a reasonable price, nothing can beat the street food here. You’re such a softie when coming to this place.

Those mouthwatering food are waiting for you

There are 3 popular mountain resorts in Vietnam: Sapa, Dalat and here Ba Na Hill. This place was discovered over a century ago by the French and now, it is the famous entertainment complex. You have to take a cable car to the top which is around 1500 meters above sea level. Up there, you will explore French village, pagoda, amusement park, French garden and some Europe architectures from different regions. The view from above is extremely amazing. When you arrive up there, a new world seems opened in front of you. The entertainment complex is an ideal choice if you come with your children. The temperature will go down in the evening so don’t forget to bring your jacket.

Enjoy lemon tea in CauRong bridge

If you’re a big fan of lemon tea in St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi, let’s try it again on the sidewalk in the evening next to “Cau Rong” Bridge. There are tons of riverfront bars, restaurants, and cafes offering terrace seats that overlook Vietnam’s longest bridge. If you visit Da Nang on Saturday and Sunday evening, The Dragon Bridge will show you a dazzling display of lights, fire, and water in 2 minutes that no first-time visitor to Da Nang should miss out on. What is better than taking a seat on the charming little coffee shops or booking a boat tour in order to both enjoy this special show and relax on your own.

 

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Wedding Ceremony in Vietnam

Wedding, where the two people or a couple are united in marriage, is always a special ceremony. Each country/culture/ethnic groups/religions have a different way to celebrate this day.Vietnam is known as a multi-culture with the diversify of different 54 ethnic minorities. Each group has its own way to celebrate the wedding, and the modern weddings are also changing nowadays with more flexibility. Even the Vietnamese people or the Kinh people, are the majority ethnic group that comprising 86 % of the population, living in the different region has the very  different ways to celebrate the wedding.

Although the long periods of Chinese domination and influence have placed the Vietnamese culture, and with many difficulties during the decades of war, Vietnamese people nowadays has been keeping the traditional culture for the weddings, that are shown in the attire, the engagement, the main wedding, the food, etc. Today let’s see how Vietnamese prepare and what the bride and groom have to do in their most important day of their lives.

Before the Wedding: the Engagement

In the past, under the feudalism, parents have the right to choose the partners for their children. An engagement ceremony usually occurs months before the wedding, with the arrangement of the parents and extended family. Sometimes children were consulted, but it was nearly always the parents’ final decision. The bride and groom haven’t got the chance to meet until the day of their engagement.

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However, things have changed significantly in the last few decades. Vietnamese women and men now can have their own decision for who they date, and marry based on love rather than arranged marriages. The engagement nowadays usually been arranged only one day before the wedding. The date and time usually be picked up carefully. On this day, the groom’s family will come to bride’s family with round lacquered boxes known as betrothal presents. It composes of areca nuts and betel leaves, tea, cake, fruits, wines, jewelry and other delicacies which covered with red cloth and carried by unmarried girls or boys. The number of boxes depends on the wealthy of the groom’s family, but it must be even numbers (3,5,7 or 9).

Bride and groom in the Engagement day

The engagement plays an important part and can not be skipped. It is the time the parents and closed relatives of groom and bride meet and talk in person and discuss how to do the things properly on the next day. The bride usually wears traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai in red, while the groom wears Ao Dai for men or suit.

The Wedding

On the wedding day, young couples have tended to choose a hotel to celebrate, especially in big cities. Invitation cards are sent one or two weeks before the wedding date. Relatives and guests of both groom and bride attend the wedding wear nice clothes but it does not have to be too formal. The bride and groom can choose the theme and style they want to decorate and in the high season (usually in Autumn and Spring), they need to book the services months before.

Wedding Ceremony is organized at the hotel profesionally

Guest brings along an envelope with the money inside and give it directly to the bride and groom, or put in in a red box on the welcome table. The money is reffered as a gift and symbol of prosperity, health and happiness, and will help the young couple in setting up a new start for themselves independently after the wedding.

The guests then enjoy the well-prepared food with the traditional dishes such as the sticky rice, boiled chicken, rice, soup,  seafood, etc. The menu varies depends on the local region but food are usually well prepared and served.

If the bride or groom’s house is large enough to celebrate the wedding at home, guests will be invited to their homes for the meals.  House is specially decorated in the traditional way with main colors in red. The number of guests can up to 300-400 people so each family need to ask for help from their relatives and neighbors to welcome them.

After the party, groom’s family will transfer to bride’s family with the cars decorated with flowers. Groom usually wear suits and bride wear the white dress in Western style on this day. The groom first has to come to the bride’s ancestors, then both of them stand or knee down in front of the alter and burn incense sticks, then asking permission to bless their marriage and their future family. The couple then bows to the bride’s parents giving thanks for raising them, then they bow each other to show the respectation.

During that time, relatives and guests enjoy the teas, sweet and snacks. They sing the happy songs about love for bride and groom. The couple has to walk around to greet and say thanks to the guests for their attending. The parents of groom then ask the permission of bride’s parents to let them marriage and allow their daughter to become their daughter in law. Usually, Mom of the bride will give her daughter the jewelry before saying goodbye to their beloved little girl.

Wealty family hires luxury cars for the wedding

The couple then transfers to groom’s house to repeat the same procedure. Usually, bride’s dad and some closed relatives and friends come along with the bride. When in the groom’s home, parents of the groom and bride’s dad will give them advice about marriage and family to the couple. Mother in law also give the bride the gift box with jewelry with hope it will bring luck and prosperity.

Mother in law give jewelry to the bride

Due to Western influence, the wedding now usually follows the concept of exchanging wedding rings and giving the kiss in front of guests, then taking photos with the guests.

After the Wedding

The guests leave with good wishes for the couple. The wedding usually occurs for 2 days, and then the bride and groom can have a honeymoon trip or not, due to their interest and work timetable.

New husband has to come back to his wife’s home and stay for 1-2 days before the wife moves into their husband’s family to live with their parents in law, or move to the new place to start the marriage life.

If you have a chance to be invited to a Vietnamese wedding, it would be very interesting to learn and understand Vietnamese in further. And don’t forget to bring the lucky money for the bride and groom.

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Citadel of the Ho Dynasty – a forgotten World Heritage of Vietnam

Have you hear about this Wolrd Heritage in Vietnam? I guess that most of you did not hear about this Citadel. It appear some travel books but the information is limitted and not much writers mentioned about this one. Even in Vietnam, not much local people care about this places. On my post, I will show you some reason why it is forgotten and some useful information about this places. However, there are some historical and political reasons but I am not able to mention on my post. However, when you visit it, you will know why goverment forget this ancient Citadel.

Etrance Gate made from stone of Ho Citadel

Citadel of Ho Dynasty, one of the most distinct architectural constructions from stones in Vietnam, situates in Vinh Loc District, Thanh Hoa province. It was built by Ho Quy Ly in the spring of 1397 and became the center for economy, politics and society in 7 years between 1400 and 1407. Being threatened by the enemy in the past, the citadel was erected for the war to come and was a prime example of of a new style of South-east Asia imperial city. The total area of this historical site is 5000 hectares including 3 areas: Inner Citadel, La Thanh War and the Nam Giao Alter. Its location was followed by feng shui principles, lying in the conjunction of Tuong Son and Don Son mountains in a plain between Ma River and Buoi River. The wall and its four gates were constructed from immense stone blocks 1,5 meters in length, some are 6 meters and 10 to 20 tons in weight; some stone blocks even weighs up to 26,7 tons. Over the past 600 years, the wall remains nearly intact without any type of adhesion which amazes modern researchers the most.

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The stone walls still remain nearly intact without any type of adhesion

Moreover, Ho Citadel was built in three months, this demonstrates the talent as well as excellent creations of the old artists. Additionally, the sophisticated traits are demonstrated by cravings of dragons, a symbol of Ho dynasty’s power. However, the dragon’s head was stolen a long time ago for some mysterious reasons. It is rumored that the head was cut down by the enemy in order to illustrate the perdition of the Ho dynasty or it was demolished by someone who disagreed with the Ho dynasty. Citadel of Ho dynasty was listed as one of the World Heritage by UNESCO in 2011 and the site is attracting more and more tourists every year.

Many rumours about this dragon with stolen head but till now, the real reason and story is a mystery

Although there was an increase in the number of tourists to the site, this was not considerable compared to the historical and cultural value of the Citadel. Regardless of the world recognition, Ho Citadel has not received proper concern from tourism organizations. What is more, roads to the site need upgrading so that it is more accessible for both domestic and international visitors. One more reason that might hinder the tourism development of the site is the incompatibility with other surrounding highlights of Vietnam. Besides, it is located in the North Center of Vietnam, a new tourism area, which is not so famous and not many attractive sites for foreign tourists

Nice over-view picture of a large area inside Ho Citadel

Visiting the citadel, you can walk, drive or cycle through the arches into the citadel. Within the complex, the quiet scenery of the country side also makes you feel peaceful since you can enjoy the fresh atmosphere of rice fields, lotus ponds, farmers and buffalos working on the fields.

I believe that this ancient and historic Citadel will be attractive more and more tourists in the future but it will be still far. I have a route for you if you want to visit this site. You wil visit Ninh Binh, staying over-night there. In the moring, you wil start a trip to Pu Puong – a hidden gem of Vietnam, then atfter 65km from Ninh Binh you will stop to visit Ho Citadel on the way heading to Pu Luong.

 

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Back to Hoian

I decided to book air tickets to return Hoian for the 3^rd time on a day of mid-October. However, this is the first time of mine to visit the enchanting town during its rainy season and especially when reading the weather forecast news warning that if central Vietnam would be anyone’s travel plans over the next few days, they may want to consider delaying the travel — or, at least, keep updated to the latest information pertaining to the weather due to the effects from Typhoon Khanun.” (Boarding Area).

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Having been kept updated by the local weather forecast channel about the weak influence of this storm and believing that the daily rain will not dilute the beauty of this region, I still started my trip as planned and was so lucky to enjoy Hoian without rain or storm but with a pleasantly sunny and cool weather throughout my chilling days.

After strolling around the old streets of Hoi An, I thought of doing something else near the town for more fun experiences. My great day was to rent a bike and ride around on two wheels to visit Thanh Ha Pottery Village, Bay Mau Palm Forest and relax by An Bang Beach.

1. Thanh Ha Pottery Village

Finishing a nice breakfast with Mi Quang (Quang Noodle with shrimp and pork), I headed 3 kilometers out of Hoian town to Thanh Ha Terracotta Park and Pottery Village to see the historical village and made a pottery on my own as a souvernir.

The Thanh Ha village was famous for its pottery, bricks and tiles. You will be amazed to know the unique Yin – Yang tiles which can still be seen on many roofs in the old city of Hoi An were made from this old village. Coming to the terracotta museum, you will have a chance to see the whole building of red bricks and clay in the region.

I must admit that I was lost in the World Square garden of miniature of iconic monuments from all over the world. This was really a great way to learn new places and to check my memory. Besides world famousTaj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, Stonehenge, Sydney Opera House, Pyramids, the Whitehouse, the Angkor Wat, I figured out the little  replica of Hoi An Old Town with lovely old houses which were all made by clay and by the artisans in village.

Though the indoor exhibition was quite attractive with objects and images about the long history development of 500 year history at Thanh Ha, I could not stand going down to the outdoor area where I can see the nice hand-made pottery products and made one by myself. Needless to say, this is an ideal site for both adults and children where you can create any masterpieces of your imagination.

Having made the pottery without previous knowledge and experience but thanks to the great help of the nice artisan, the vase/pot came out surprisingly nice and it cost only 30,000 VND for this worth.

2. Bay Mau Nipa Palm Forest:

Leaving the Thanh Ha village, I continued my day trip to Bay Mau Nipa Palm Forest where is regarded as the Little Mekong inside Hoian.

Located 5 km from Hoian and surrounded by water of 3 major rivers in Hoian: Thu Bon River, Truong Giang River and De Vong River, the hidden coconut forest is really a wonderful destination for tourists to sit in the basket boat and go through the natural coconut waterway. In the past, the forest was an important historical where the guerrilla force relied on coconut forests to cause more damage to the enemy in wars and became a place of shelter, refuge to many officials. Nowadays, it is really nice place for people to explore the tranquil coconut palm while seeing the sunset at Thu Bon River.

Welcomed me on boat, the friendly boat lady gave me an amazing gift made of the coconut leave, that is the ring with shape of a grasshopper! The rowing boat went through the forest and along the river for around 30 minutes. At the end of the ride, I was astonished again by the unique performance of a boat man right in his basket boat while enjoying a great round by my boat’s old lady that was a little dizzy but so much fun.

3. Relax at An Bang Beach

The end of my day trip today was An Bang Beach, a lovely beach that is only 3 kilometers from the town and it is where you will find less vendors, more peace with clean water, smooth sand, gentel waves and pure atmosphere.

While the Hoian ancient town is peaceful, the beach is somehow vibrant by the pace of life showing on a huge number of bamboo basket boats along the beach. Like in Bay Mau forest, these boats are still used as a mafor means of fishing for daily life.

As the ideal time for swimming at Hoian beach is from April to September during the summer of Central, I just stopped at An Bang Beach to have a big fresh seafood dinner that definitely satisfied a hungry soul like me.

Though the trip was taken during the rainy season, I enjoyed myself very much in a great weather. So my best advice for anyone who is planning to Hoian these days would be to get updates from local weather channels, book accommodation through any channels that allows for late cancellations or for last-minute delay until the weather is better and take advice from locals where living right at place. It is certain that you can even still had good days while during rainy time. Therefore, I believe you may also have a lot of fun experience to Hoian and do not hesitate to share with me your great time there!

Happy traveling!

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A local experience in Sapa – Authentic Red Dao herbal baths

Sapa is not only famous for the colorful mountains, terraced rise fields, passes up and down, but also well – know by The Medicinal bath of the Red Dao Ethnic

Coming to Sapa where is not only famous for the colorful mountains, terraced rise fields, passes up and down, but also well – know by The Medicinal bath of the Red Dao Ethnic. This is a long-time medicine that the local people here, every day they go into the forest and cut the medicinal plants to use for bath because according to their experience, these plants can treat many illness.

According to legend, on the last day of the year the Dao boiled leaves from the forest for medicinal bathing before welcoming the new year in. As this practice proves both effective and salubrious, a majority of Kinh people have considered it a unique feature of Red Dao culture. The Red Dao’s medicinal bathing has become one of the northern mountainous province‘s attractions, even though it is still a mystery to foreign tourists who first set foot in Sapa.

After a long day trekking, it’s good chance to go to the bathhouses of Ta Phin village. We went to Dao’Spa – Sapanapro, one among a handful of Dao women in Ta Phin who offers the service. Take this chance, I would like to share about a must-try experience while visiting Sapa:

How to make herbal water of the Red Dao

The number of ingredients in Red Dao herbal water can vary from 10 to 100, depending on the purpose of the users and how experienced the bath maker is. Nonetheless, there are some crucial types of herb. According to local people’s guidance, wild fokienia wood, also known as “Pemou wood”, is believed to be the best material to make the tub used in herbal bath since Pemou wood aromatic essential oil will be extracted by hot water, making it a wonderful scent which may last for even a few days.

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Based on the number of users, the amount of herbs used will be different. Normally, herbs is washed carefully and boiled for 3 hours until the water turns into red color with romantically typical scent.

They will boil these dried plants and bark in a water filled giant wok, over a charcoal fire, of course will take takes several hours to prepare. After several hours of brewing, the water is transferred to a wooden barrel tub. Taking this herbal baths, having just entered the bathroom, you will immediately caught a whiff of fragrant herds, enjoy the beautiful smell of these natural medicines. You can relax and soak your bones in traditional bath and wash away your aches, pains, worries and woes all at once in the privacy of our bathhouse.

According to local people here, for this herbal bath in Sapa, each herb remedy for bathing includes approximately 120 kinds of herbs, plants and bark used for the baths. But of that total there are 39 which are popular and about 10 which are indispensible. The herbs are boiled for 3-4 hours in 30-37^oC to extract the essence, and then mixed in water to serve tourists. Average time to take herbal bath is 30 minutes.

The forests in tranquil Ta Phin, Vietnam, are lush with medicinal plants which are a valuable resource to the resident Red Dao ethnic minorities.

Like the sound of a warm herbal therapy bath in the lovely Sapa. With a grant, social enterprise Sapanapro was able to upgrade its spa facilities, allowing the ethnic Red Dao people to better commercialise their herbal remedies and improve their livelihoods

With a grant, social enterprise Sapanapro was able to upgrade its spa facilities, allowing the ethnic Red Dao people to better commercialise their herbal remedies and improve their livelihoods

Positive effects of using Red Dao herbal bath

According to the wisdom of the Red Dao people, an herbal spa is especially helpful for physical and mental fatigue, as it relaxes your body and renews your energy by enhancing overall circulation, soothing your daily tensions. For women, the herbal bath promotes skin beauty by opening pores, removing dead skin and impurities, and leaving the skin soft, clean, and silky smooth. The bath also relieves some chronic illnesses including rheumatism and joint pain. Herbal bath can help customers, with essential oil of local herbs, reduce negative effects of alcohol in the body, musculoskeletal pain, rheumatism and improve their health. On top of that, Sapa herbs can also a simple natural treatment for skin disease such as ulcer, acnes and psoriasis, etc.

Such a beautiful view from bathroom ^_^

Instruction for bath with traditional medicines (or herbal bath):

First Step: Please soak slowly your feet into water get familiar with temperature, and then put slowly your body until the water surface touch your chest. (Effects of traditional medicines will decrease if you put more water to decline temperature)

During bath time: You can use small bucket or towel to pour water to the part of body above water surface. (Eg: head and shoulder). You can use bathing water to wash your face and hair. You will sweat after 5-7 minutes to soak into water, especially in period 7-10 minutes. (Don’t worry, it’s normal sign)

Final Step: After 15-20 minutes, when your heartbeat and breathing rate increase. Please out of the bathtub, dry your body. (Don’t bath again by other water because it will decrease effects of traditional medicines).

Note: Careful control of temperature and time herbal bath in the following cases:

– You have gotten heart diseases or high blood pressure.

– You get drunk or drink too much alcohol.

– Pregnant women

If you soak your body in bathing water too long (more than 25 minutes), you can lose your balance in some minutes or being sleepy. This phenomenon is called “medicines drunk”. In this case, just call receptionists or staffs to help you. After 5-10 minutes, you will be fine.

Made from longstanding types of herb in Sapa, this service of Red Dao people is a must to any tourist. If you have a chance to visit Sapa, consider giving this amazing bath a try. It’s relaxing indeed.

 

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The best places for live music in Hanoi

Traveling to Hanoi, visitors would definitely be interested in exploring the city nightlife and having some fun when the evening comes. Beside wandering on the streets and trying street food, live music lounges are also a perfect option for a night in Hanoi. The capital city of Vietnam is one of the live music lover’s paradises and the most difficult thing is deciding which gig to go to. There are certain recommendations that should not be skipped.

1. Swing Lounge

(Swing Lounge – source: Internet)

Located right by the Hoan Kiem Lake, Swing Lounge is a retro-inspired café and bar in the capital. You will be impressed by old French architectural design of the venue which may attract you with its elegant beauty.  You can visit in a day for a coffee or a bite or by the night for live music. The cabaret style show alternates between performances from some famous singers and bands of the local music scene to lesser known cover acts. Plus, the set list is a mix of Vietnamese old time favorites, more recent Viet-pop songs as well as iconic Western tunes. Don’t be so surprised when the heartfelt edition of Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you” comes on.

(Live performance at the Swing lounge, source: Internet)

2. Hanoi Rock City

This group of musicians, DJs and artists has been bringing big sounds to Hanoi since 2010. Their focus is mostly on giving a leg-up to emerging acts however; they do dedicate some nights to making sure their audiences get a chance to catch the latest international acts.

(Band performance at Hanoi Rock City, source: Internet)

Hanoi Rock City boasts an impressive line-up of electro, experimental, reggae, rock and alternative acts that will most definitely raise the mood of any gig lover. Located in the Tay Ho District where is the living spot of a lot of foreigners, Hanoi Rock City has a vibrant atmosphere and pleasing prices.

3. CAMA Atk

CAMA are the spots “dedicated to bringing the best of independent music to Vietnam”. With over 60 international acts to date, CAMA are certain to become any indie kid’s hero for their work.

(CAMA Atk at night, source: Internet)

Giles Cooper, the founder of CAMA, says he started the collective simply because there was no live music on offer in Hanoi. Cooper saw that as a gap in the market that sorely needed to be filled and he has certainly done an impressive job in doing so.

(The tranquility inside the CAMA, source: Internet)

“The luxury of choice is starting to emerge in Hanoi,” Cooper says, “More people are stepping up to the plate and doing things.” Artists, musicians, venues and promoters are putting so much effort than ever to bring local and international acts of all genres to the audiences in Hanoi.

CAMA host gigs at their very own venue, CAMA ATK. Conveniently located in Hai Ba Trung, CAMA ATK looks like a mixture between a 1920s speakeasy and a grungy 90s den. The venue tends to be quite during the week, but can get noisy on weekends when live music performance goes on.

Swing Lounge is a place for romantic souls, CAMA’s shows tend to be for the more specific music lover, whereas Hanoi Rock City is perfect for those who just love any music that’s loud and live. So which is your favorite one? Let’s get up and join in with Indochina tour.

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Vietnamese lacquerawe – The unique traditional crafting

Sophisticated. Natural. Glossy. When traveling to Vietnam tours, tourists are attracted by handcraft products, and lacquerware products always on top ten of the list, indeed.The art of lacquerware dates back to China some 10,000 years ago. Lacquer in Vietnam also has a long history since 3rd and 4th centuries B.C. Some lacquered items were found in the ancient tombs, firstly in household items and wares such as the links in the planks of fishermen’s boats,  the household basket ware, furniture and so on. Since Vietnam has been under the Chinese and French colonial period, it absorbed multiple influences of foreign techniques but still, keep its uniqueness. Lacquer traditionally comes in three colors – brown, black and vermilion.  By the 1930s, Some Vietnamese artists started to use a new technique known which gives a richer mix of colors. During the Renovation in 1980’s and 1990’s, the younger generation of Vietnamese artists introduced some innovative experiments, that marked a big step to the modern lacquer art.

The old lacquer painting in 3 main colors – brown, black and vermilion

Nowadays, to create a beautiful lacquer product, artists, craftsmen, and laborers has to work through over 20 steps with patience, responsibility, and hard work. It requires the patient skills of craftsmen in the 1^st step to construct the body of product smoothly. Then the artists with more advanced techniques will apply artwork on products, using many ingredients such as the silver leaf, eggshell, pearls, etc. To make the handcrafted product becomes valuable, it’s very important to choose the right color to harmonize with the art and decorative work. There are 2 coats of color paints and 4- 5 vanished coats to be coated on the products which made all of the art & decorative work appears in the different look, deeply with its own texture.

Making lacquer products requires special techniques

The product then will be sanded and washed two times for cleaning all dust and mark on the product.  The high-quality lacquer products require no falling paint mark and must by shiny and having perfect look before polishing. The surface must be clean and shiny like a mirror with no traces to express the characteristics of lacquerware: The marvelous features, its attractiveness, and its eye-catching ability.

Modern design lacquer decorations

There are more and more products using lacquer technique. Travelers who are in love with this special art can buy furniture products, accessories, decoration, paintings, etc.

Nowadays, the most famous villages producing and exporting lacquerware products are located in Hanoi (Ha Thai village) and Binh Duong Province in the South (Tuong Binh Hiep Village).  Tourists can easily find the small lacquerware souvenirs in shops or look at some online websites: woac.com.vn and lacquerhomevn.com

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Tam Thanh Mural Village

It’s hard to find anywhere in Vietnam that is as diverse, colorful, and easy-going as Hoian. For hundreds of years, it has remained the same, sitting on the banks of Hoian river, with its ancient mossy roofs and peaceful pace of life.

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Hoian is an extremely safe for solo traveller like me and you won’t be lonely in this ancient city. I like to roam the streets, try dozens of foods or sit for hours in a small café to watch people across streets, and activities. Wander around one of the local markets to shop for leaf hats, wooden clogs, silk, sand pictures, embroidery items, bamboo flutes, and other handicrafts and souvenirs. After a fun day of activities, savor such delightful Vietnamese cuisine as fresh local seafood, noodle soup, and prawn pancakes, which are served at a variety of restaurants.

Overview from Cua Dai Bridge in Hoian

Follow the river, and head down to Cua Dai bridge to enjoy the sun and the wind, visit Tam Thanh fishing village on the coast of centre Vietnam. Riding about an hour south from Hoi An (42 kilometers from Hoi An) along the coastal road, I arrived in Tam Thanh village, the Mural village of Tam Thanh now is a home to some quaint mural village, which tell stories about ordinary villagers and their way of life in the mountains and coastal regions of the country. Coastal people are always generous, they will spend hours showing you around the village. They will show you every mosaic on the walls, tell you about their boats, the sea, the net and their family.

You can see more:

The beauty of Hoian in the flood season

Early morning – Hoian ancient town

Road into Tam Thanh Village

Tam Thanh explodes out of pastoral sepias into pinks and blues, yellows and deep violets. The main street is a regular kaleidoscope where every house has its own unique color and character. Murals of local people decorate the larger walls and smaller paintings trail down the alleyways inviting visitors to explore.

With the tagline ‘art for a better community,’ the mural village project has started an important discourse in Vietnam about the accessibility of art in everyday life regardless of one’s socioeconomic background. Inspired by Korean mural villages, the Tam Thanh Mural Village is a joint initiative by the Korean Community Art Exchange Program and the Vietnamese People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to bring art to the people.  The murals are meant to reflect the local culture, people, and nature. With the blessing of the local people, the volunteer artists have been able to turn garden-variety construction into a cohesive work of living art.

On the other than that, I loved the beach here which is the home to untouched seaside, local villages, and amazing countryside landscapes. That is a great place to just sit down, chill and relax with a bicycle ride around the beautiful Tam Thanh Mural village. If you like, you may stay one night here to avoid the crowds of beaches in Hoian and Danang. Tam Thanh Beach Resort and Spa will provide nice accommodation with the natural living by the peaceful of beach. Offering the view of Tam Thanh beach, a-step-to-the-beach restaurant, front beach bar, swimming pool with sea view, spa services are completely near by.

Explore natural landscapes that have retained their untamed beauty!
_Lucas_

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Say “Mingalabar” to paradise – NGAPALI BEACH

Myanmar, stretching 2,500 kilometers from the eastern Himalayas in the north to palm-lined beaches of the Andaman Sea, Pagodas are encountered at every step. Not only Yangon’s 2500-year old Shwedagon Pagoda or ancient Bagan with more than 2,000 Buddhist monuments tower over green plains, but also beautiful Ngapali destination (pronounced Napally and said to be named after the Italian city of Naples).To get further information, you can click: Indochina tour

With its pristine, palm-tree-fringed white sand, the clear waters of the Bay of Bengal, and a host of sophisticated accommodation, Ngapali is premier beach getaway

With its pristine, palm-tree-fringed white sand, the clear waters of the Bay of Bengal, and a host of sophisticated accommodation, Ngapali is premier beach getaway

Ngapali is located on the Bay of Bengal coast in Rakhine State, its main feature is an idyllic stretch of white sand and palm tree-lined coast, with a number of resorts spread out next to traditional fishing villages. The beach stretches about 3 km with soft white sand fringed by coconut palms. Unlike today’s beaches of Asia, it is free of noisy beachside bars, crowded people and hawkers persuading you to buy their things. There are only natural scenic beauty of the blue sea, white sand and the lovely sun. The sea is cobalt blue, without any dangerous marine animals and clean.

Do you like peace and tranquility, and visit places “far from the madding crowds?” As many of us now live in crowded cities with the stress and strain of over-population, we need periods of relaxation away from urban areas, and go back closer to nature. We just take a short 45-minutes flight from Yangon and 9 km (6 mile) drive by private transfer from Thandwe Airport to Mya Pyin Village. Renowned for its beauty, Ngapali Bay offers a warm tropical climate throughout the year. Escape to paradise on the soft white sands of our vast beach facing the bay of Bengal, with dark green forested hills as a patchwork backdrop of paddy fields. It serves as the best ground for sunbathing and recreation such as beach strolling, cycling and so on.

Ngapali is pronounced Napally and said to be named after the Italian city of Naples

Ngapali is pronounced Napally and said to be named after the Italian city of Naples

The best time to visit  

The best time to go to Ngapali beach is from October to May. From June to September (monsoon season): It is raining a lot, really a lot. During the monsoon season the weather can be very rough, the sea is not very quiet and the rain can be also 24hours. Most of hotels and small restaurants are closed during this period. Please be aware as well of the limited flight schedule between May and September.

How to Get to Ngapali Beach

By Air: Thandwe Airport is located about eight kilometers north of Ngapali Beach and is a 10 minute car journey away from most of the area’s resorts and hotels. Daily flights connect Ngapali and Yangon — the journey takes about 50 minutes.

Thandwe Airport is a domestic airport with no international flights. If you’re travelling from any other Southeast Asian country, you’ll need to travel to Yangon first before making your way to Ngapali Beach.

By Bus: Ngapali Beach is accessible by bus from Yangon. The journey takes about 14 hours and can be quite bumpy and comfortable due to Myanmar’s road network. Most travellers to Ngapali Beach travel from Yangon to Thandwe by air due to the far shorter travel time.

Ngapali Beach is in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar. This is flight from Yangon to Ngapali

Where to stay

Ngapali has the biggest number of luxury beachfront resorts. Room-renting services here are diverse. You can choose from a small hut on the beach to luxury villas. The number of mid-range or budget beach hotels is now shrinking as the new international tourism boom entices owners to redevelop older hotels to meet the more exacting standards of the international market – and thus collect the much higher room rates. Both room rates and standards in Ngapali are already well above other beaches in Myanmar and as this beach continues its up-market march, it is destined to remain the country’s premier beach destination for some years to come.

There are many hotels, resorts in Ngapali with prices ranging from luxurious to budget for your choice.

Here is the map of Ngapali beach so you can get an idea of where each hotel, resort is.

Activities

Ngapali is about relaxing and enjoying the sun, but other activities include taking trips on local fishing boats; kayaking; snorkeling or scuba diving amongst the brightly coloured fish; and cycling or motor biking down the beach and around some of the local villages. This place offers a wide range of activities and adventures, including private boat trips to Pearl Island, snorkeling, e-bicycle rentals for exploring nearby villages, excursions to Kin Pun Chone Village where the Elephant camp is located, visits to local art galleries and Thandwe Market.

Scenic view on Ngapali beach at sunset

• Relaxing: Indulge yourself by sitting back and unwinding with ice cold beer or a tropical cocktail while enjoying the sun. You also can take a traditional bullock cart ride along the beach.

• Kayaking; snorkeling or scuba diving: Explore many bays and mangroves, dance along with large schools of brightly colored fish.

• Bird watching around Nghet Pyaw Chaung Lake. There are 30 species of birds in this area.

• Playing golf: Ngapali has a beautiful 9-hole golf course located some kilometers North of the beach, between main beach resorts and the airport.

• Visiting fishing villages: There are two fishing villages here; one in the South of the hotels, and another further South into the next bay. You can delve into traditional local life in these villages. The first one can be reached by foot; you can explore the other by using a bicycle, motorbike or being in a fishing boat tour.

• Visiting Thandwe: If you like some time away from the beach, then visit Thandwe. Located 7 km from the beach, this little town has 3 interesting pagodas, a bustling market, a traditional longyi-weaving factory.

• Visiting a dead monk: Salone Monastery is the home to a late Buddhist monk who put himself in the meditative state of death over 10 years ago. Since then, his mummy has been kept under glass.

• Have hot air balloon ride: You can get on a hot air balloon for amazing views of Myanmar’s wildest and least-known reaches.

Fishing Village

Local women in fishing villages on Ngapali beach

Travelers called Ngapali Beach “a touch of paradise,” rating the stretch of sand for its relaxing atmosphere, gorgeous sunsets, and local village feel.

Come to see its charm where you will find serenity and peace of mind amidst beautiful scenery.

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Hue countryside trip within a day

Hue has long been famous for its historical vestiges inside the ancient city namely as Imperial Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, Kings’ Tomb of Khai Dinh, Minh Mang, Tu Duc. However, if you have chosen to extend your trip up to 2-3 nights in this peaceful city, here are several traditional villages on the outskirt of Hue that you can embark on only for a day trip to discover more about its own stunning cultural values.

If you get further information about Hue, you can click: Indochina tours Vietnam

1. Thanh Toan Village

Thanh Toan Village is 8 km east of Hue city in Thuy Thanh commune is one of the most beautiful villages in Hue. This village has become popular for tourists due to its beautiful roads, peaceful rural landscape and specifically the tile-roofed bridge named Thanh Toan which is an ancient architectural monument of extreme value in terms of history and culture.

Thanh Toan Bridge linked the two halves of the village

As locating not far from the city, tourists can visit this village by bike to leave the hustle and bustle of the city life behind. On the way, it is possible to cross beautiful rice paddy fields and meet friendly local farmers that both make Thanh Toan village an ideal and peaceful place to visit.

Having reached Thanh Toan village, visit Thanh Toan Bridge built in 1776 is one of the top memorable things. Considered as the sister bridge of Hoi An’s famed Japanese bridge, this bridge is classified as a rare relic and to have high artistic value in types of ancient bridges in center Vietnam because of its tiled-roof architecture.

The relaxing moment on the Thanh Toan Bridge

Beside the bridge is the village market which is small but offers everything that worths to see. Tourists will be immersed in a space of culinary specialties like Hen rice (baby clam with rice), fish-pancakes and a wide variety of rice noodles. On the other side of the bridge is a showroom displaying agricultural tools: plows, harrows, sickles, scoops, and rice mills where adults and children can both experience the daily activities of local people as well as taste sample local food.

2. Sinh Village

Located in Phu Mau commune, about 9 km to the east of Hue, Sinh Village is regarded as the homeland of Hue folk paintings as this village has made folk paintings for the central region for more than 400 years.

Making paintings is not a professional job of the local people in Sinh Village because the farmers make use of their time during crop intervals to create these beautiful fine arts. The peak season of Sinh folk paintings is from the 10th lunar month to the next February and Sinh paintings are mostly used during the traditional lunar New Year festival and in some special worshipping ceremonies. Locals buy Sinh paintings to practice their belief and religion by hanging them at the ancestors’ altar or decorate their house. The main topics that Sinh paintings express are characters, objects and animals which are peaceful and harmonious with the locals’ real life.

While Dong Ho folk paintings in the North (Hanoi) have just four or five main colors, Sinh paintings have more depending on the artists’ imagination. The five main colors of Sinh paintings represent the five elements of the earth: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth and these colors are made from natural materials found in the jungle of the West Hue. Papers used are made from clam shells taken from Tam Giang lagoon. The shells are ground into powder, mixed with glue, and then pasted on paper to make shell paper.

Visitors to Sinh Village can get a chance to make their own painting, from printing to hand coloring. After your “masterpiece” is completed, it is rolled up in a bamboo tube to be protected. It is certain that Sinh paintings are the favorite souvenirs for tourists who pay a visit to Hue.

3. Thuy Bieu Village

Thuy Bieu village is an ancient village situated on the southern bank of Perfume River. Merely 7km from Hue city centre, Thuy Bieu is a hidden gem of untouched nature and culture and is mostly famous for its mild sweet Thanh Tra, a special kind of pomelo with refined fragrance and green skin. Its local name is Thanh Tra or “green tea citruit” as its flesh is juicily light green.  When spring comes, the village is filled with its aromatic white flower and when autumn comes, it is time for locals to collect the ripe pomelo. Locals even celebrate “Thanh Tra Festival” that is as important as “Cherry Blossom Festival” in Japan every spring.

Despite all ravages of wars and time, Thuy Bieu still remains intact which can be seen by its rustic settings of small cottages hidden in large luxuriant gardens, long gates and fences carved out of ornamental trees. All are typical of Hue countryside as many hundred years ago. The local villagers earn their living mainly by rice cultivating, gardening and handicraft making so visiting Thuy Bieu Eco village, just walking into famous gardens for growing Thanh Tra, visitors can immerse themselves in the cool atmosphere and the peaceful countryside of Hue land. Do not forget to taste the sweet, fragrant and cool favors of the renowned Thanh Tra pomelo when you in Thuy Bieu.

You can choose to do a cycling around the village to visit some handicraft families such as the incense making family, the joss paper making family and the paper painting family to discover the daily life of local people while they are working strenuously with joy and enthusiasm. The other interesting activity that attracts tourists to Thuy Bieu is a cooking class for anyone loves cuisine. You may be guided by the professional chef to Thuy Bieu local market and spend time to stroll around & buy necessary foods for cooking class.  After preparing a local lunch by yourself under the instruction of our chief, you cannot wait to taste the Hue traditional dishes that you have prepared.

I believe you may find my suggestions helpful for your free day in Hue. Happy traveling!

 

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