Children in border village study in tents

In a needy village, which lies along the Vietnam-China border in Nam Ban commune, Sin Ho district, Lai Chau province, there are five tents built along a stream where 40 kids from mountainous villages board to study.

These children come from poor, remote villages in Lai Chau. Most of them are H’mong people whose houses are a 6-8-hour walk from the school. They are 5th and 8th grade pupils.

Every week, kids return home to take rice. All the year round, their food is rice, salt, wild vegetables, dried fish and some small fishes caught in the nearby stream.

H’mong people currently know how to plant cardamom, till the field, breed cows and goats but many people are illiterate. H’mong parents tell their children to try to study to return home and teach villagers to read, write and calculate numbers.

(Source: VNN)

Acctive Expo’08 – World of cosplay

Monsters, beauties, heroes and villains turned out in force and in complete manga and anime dress for a cosplay festival in Hanoi - the Acctive Expo’08.

Following Japanese manga and anime (Japanese comics and printed cartoons), cosplay (costume play) appeared in

Vietnam in 2003-2004 and has quickly become a creative and costly pastime of Vietnamese youth. The Acctive Expo’08 is the second festival of its kind and drew thousands of manga fans.

(Source: VNN)

VN’s marine tourism development not matching its potentials

Vietnam’s marine tourism resources, including natural resources and human cultural resources, are very plentiful and diverse and have a high potential value for tourism. However, Vietnam’s marine tourism development does not match its potentials.

Vietnam is a coastal nation at the eastern edge of the Indochinese Peninsula, with over 1,000,000 square kilometers of forest and more than 3,000 big and small islands, mainly located off the northwestern shore of the Gulf of Tokin (Quang Ninh – Hai Phong) along with the two offshore archipelagoes of Truong Sa and Hoang Sa.

Vietnam’s coastal area overflows with sunlight and an abundance of white sand beaches together with beautiful vistas of forest, river deltas, seashores, the ocean and islands, as well as having unique sea socio-cultural factors. All of which are provide great marine tourism potential for Vietnam.

However, Dr. Le Trong Binh, Head of the Institute of Tourism Research and Development, says that marine tourism development has not been equal to both the resources that the nature offers and the cultural heritages created by the Vietnamese people in coastal areas, because there are too many inadequacies in infrastructure investment and the development of tourism areas, as well as tourism types and tourism products.

Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Sea and Islands General Department, states that marine resources are shared resources because they are usually open to all for exploitation. Profit contradictions between marine tourism development and the development of other sectors of the economy along beaches and on islands are increasing. This is due to a lack of co-operation between different sectors in using and managing the resources of coastal areas, the ocean and islands. Some areas have great marine tourism potential, but ports, docks or aquaculture zones, which cause negative impacts on tourism, have been built there.

Moreover, the participation of local communities in developing and managing marine tourism is still limited and passive. Law enforcement of land use laws along the ocean and off-shore is weak, and policies on ocean environmental management are not synchronized. Cultural standards of people living in coastal areas and on islands, as well as tourists’ awareness, are rather low, so marine tourism development in the direction of industrialization and integration still meets numerous difficulties.

Dr Le Trong Binh, Head of the Institute of Tourism Research and Development: Promote communication and broadcast on mass media. In the Plan on Vietnam tourism development until 2010 and vision to 2020, what field does the tourism sector give priority?

Dr Le Trong Binh: In the short term, priority is given to develop sea in Quang Ninh-Hai Phong, Central Northern, Thua Thien Hue-Da Nang-Quang Nam, Binh Dinh - Khanh Hoa - Binh Thuan, Ba Ria- Vung Tau, Kien Giang areas, which are given priority infrastructure structure to have enough capacity to welcome foreign tourists. Apart from that, it is notable to diversify and improve quality of tourism products, invest to develop new and unique tourism products of each area to meet demands of domestic and international markets.

Communication and broadcast on sea tourism have not long since paid due attention, how does it renew in the incoming time?

Dr. Le Trong Binh: The Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNTA) will intensify communication and broadcast tourism on domestic and foreign mass media. VNTA has worked with CNN to promote Vietnam’s sea tourism, in which Ha Long Bay is focused. VNTA will also sign agreements on promoting Vietnam’s tourism with foreign mass media; making traditional products and organizing programs, events and fairs and conferences, exhibitions in Vietnam and foreign countries and boosting international cooperation in tourism promotion, advertisement, investment and development.

According to you, which measures to develop sea tourism stably?

Dr Le Trong Binh: Firstly, communicating to raise people’s awareness of important role of sea and island resources. Secondly, Inspecting and assessing the real situation of resources fund of sea and islands to classify value and capacity of each sea area to preserve and exploit in the most suitable way. Secondly, issuing a synchronic mechanism and institution to manage, invest and preserve, limiting overlap of related laws to ensure sustainable development.

Assc.Dr Nguyen Chu Hoi, deputy head of the Vietnam Sea and Islands General Department: Lack high-grade tourism products and services.

Due to not pay due attention to diversification of tourism types, Vietnam’s sea tourism so far still lack high-grade, unique, qualified and prestigious tourism products and services in domestic and foreign markets. Vietnam has not any international-standard general sea tourism area. Island is one factor to develop sea tourism, attracting tourists but it so far has not any model that is invested and exploited effectively and sustainably. Space on island completely differs from mainland but localities use socio-economic development and management model in mainland to apply on island. Moreover, traditional sea cultural values such as fishery festival, buffalo fight festival and famous historical-cultural relics in coastal areas such as temples, fishing village cultures, economic achievements over exhibition fairs in coastal cities are attractive for tourists but have not been exploited properly.

Mr Luu Nhan Vinh, director of Vietnam Tourism Company in Hanoi: participation of local people is very important.

Our sea tourism products are now not unique for localities or the country. In tourism sites, there are still vendors asking tourists with insistence to buy their goods or garbage leaves surrounding sites.

In order to develop tourism sustainably, participation of local people is very important, which will create specific, different and lively tourism products. To do that, it is necessary to cooperation between departments and sectors in promoting tourism, increasing meets and exchanges between travel companies with local people. Through that, local people understand their rights and responsibilities in tourism promotion.

From now to 2010, the tourism sector strives to increase 10-20 percent of number of international tourists year by year, and reach 5.5-6 million arrivals by 2010, of which sea tourism attracts around 80 percent of Vietnamese tourists and makes 70 percent of revenues. In 2010, revenue from tourism is expected to fetch 4-5 billion USD, two times higher than that of 2005.

(Source: CPV)

Outlook for Quan Ho’s recognition by UNESCO positive

Quan ho documents are about to be submitted to UNESCO for consideration of the folk singing style as a world intangible cultural heritage. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice Head of the Cultural Heritage Agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, talks about the submission.

Could you tell us about the progress of Quan ho’s submission?

The documents will be submitted to UNESCO by September 30. In the past few weeks, we have technically completed the documents, and if we can finish early, the documents could be sent in the next 1-2 days.

Have the documents been corrected technically or has the content also been changed?

Since late August, we have adjusted the content, especially after we received the National Heritage Council’s opinions. The adjustment is not simply the change from “Quan ho cultural space” to “Quan ho folk singing”. We made adjustments a long time ago when we learned about UNESCO’s new standards and new form of recognition.

In the past, UNESCO recognised intangible and unwritten cultural heritages of mankind. Accordingly, UNESCO could recognise sets of cultural elements in a space, but now they ask for submissions of specific heritages to avoid submissions for sets of cultural elements in an overly-large geographical region.

The National Heritage Council didn’t say much about the name of the documents, but focused on what we should call it, Quan ho Bac Ninh or only Quan ho. If we call the heritage Quan ho Bac Ninh it will be difficult for the agency that considers the documents because Quan ho is also in Bac Giang.

Different from Hue court music, Quan ho is spread over a vast area. Is it difficult for Vietnam to prepare Quan ho documents and to preserve it?

Certainly the preservation of Quan ho is different from Hue court music. Hue court music is in a specific community while Quan ho exists in two provinces with many villages. We are also working on the submission of documents for Ca Tru, which is in 17 provinces from the north to the central region. Each form of heritage requires a different approach and preservation strategy.

The change of name forces Vietnam to research more deeply the “folk” aspect of Quan ho. Will we be able to get it done in a timely fashion?

The new requirement is we have to prove Quan ho is the central component and surrounding components contribute to create an environment for Quan ho, and we have to highlight the artistic values of Quan ho.

The documents must be no more than 20 pages and the specific values of Quan ho must be described in 200 words. It is most difficult to find the right words.

The second difficulty is our preservation must match UNESCO’s requirements: having the participation of the people, the masters of heritage, in the existence of Quan ho. The preservation plan must have the people’s contribution and it is the same for submission.

Do you believe that Quan ho will be recognised by UNESCO?

I totally believe it will because Quan ho is lively and our protection measures are feasible and would bring into full play its values in a sustainable manner.

Quan họ singing is a Vietnamese folk music style characterized both by its antiphonal nature, with alternating groups of female and male singers issuing musical challenges and responses, and by the fact that most of the songs in the repertoire deal with topics of love and sentimentality as experienced by young adults.

The quan họ style originated in what is now Bac Ninh province around the 13th century, and has traditionally been associated with the spring festivals that follow the celebration of Tet (the Vietnamese New Year).

(Source: TP)

First nude calendar published in Vietnam

“Spring Time”, the first calendar with artistic nude photos licenced in Vietnam, was introduced on September 25 by the HCM City Culture and Arts Publishing House.

The calendar uses seven nude photos by photographer Thai Phien: “No title”, “Spreading Wings”, “Line”, “Cool Stream”, “Shoot of Rock”, “Spring Melody” and “Angle”.

No Title

Spreading Wings

Line

Cool Stream

Shoot of Rock

Spring Melody

Angle

(Source: VNE)

Atop a mountain, a smile radiates peace

The Ta Cu Mountain is imposing as it rises out of a 25,000-hectare primary forest, but the spectacular view, fresh sea breeze and beatific smile of the dying Buddha sets the stage for an inward journey.

We had a choice – take the cable car or a three-hour hike through the forest. Like many others, we decided to take the cable car. A trolley took us and other visitors from the entrance gate to the cable car station at the foot of the mountain.

The panorama of the city spread out below us as the cable car took us up. A meandering river ran past vast paddy fields, red-roofed houses and green trees. The scenery of the city was hidden from view as the cab got higher. We were surrounded then by high and low hills covered with various kinds of trees and plants standing so close, they seemed to be joined to each other. In the far distance mountain ranges emerged hazily from the sea. When we got nearer to the top, we could see almost nothing as white clouds obstructed our view.

We got out of the cable care and began to walk through the forest, and then climbed over a hundred steps to get to the ancient temple built by a Buddhist monk named Tran Huu Duc in 1872. The temple is now under reconstruction. Climbing further, we reached the site where a set of three seven-meter statues of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas of the Mahayana-tradition stood in eternal meditation.

In the middle was Amitabha, the Buddha of the Pure Land, flanked by Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara on his right and Mahasthamaprapta on his left. As we rested awhile, the songs of birds resounding from the vast green forest behind the statues augmented the tranquil ambience.

Even further up, on the top of the mountain, lay the 49-meter long, 10-meter high statue of Sakyamuni Buddha created by sculptor Truong Dinh Y in 1962. No construction machinery or equipment had been used to build the statue. It was a true labor of love. The statue is of the dying Buddha, reclining on his right side. The compassionate and peaceful smile on the exalted face touches Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

Many people tried to climb up to sit or stand on the feet of the Buddha statue to take photos. No matter what they did, however, a silent smile always appeared on the Buddha’s delusion-free countenance.

As we soaked in the scenic beauty and fresh sea breeze, from far below, the temple sent up the melodiously vibrating echoes of the ringing bell to soothe away all our daily problems and tensions. At that moment, we seemed to forget all our regrets about the past as well as worries about the future, and stand as one with nature. It was easier then to reflect and realize that true happiness was simply the inner peace within our self in the present moment.

We climbed down the mountain, trying to retain images of the captivating scenery on both sides in our mind. At the foot of the mountain was a banana forest producing very long bunches of the fruit. The flesh of bananas in Ta Cu is especially sweet, my traveling companions decided. It seemed a fitting way to end the trip, savoring the fruit of a fertile soil that had given us food for reflection and introspection.

Located in Ham Thuan Nam District of Binh Thuan Province, about 28 kilometers southwest of Phan Thiet City and 167 kilometers north of HCMC, the Ta Cu Mountain stands 474 meters above sea level. The Ta Cu or Linh Son Truong Tho Temple is perched at the height of 400 meters. A two-way journey by cable car costs VND55,000 per adult.

(Source: SGGP)

What’s On September 15 - 21

Exhibitions

Hanoi

Maison Des Arts

31A Van Mieu St, Tel: 7478096

- Photos, paintings, video & sculpture exhibition entitled Long Bien Bridge's Memory, till Oct 11.

Exhibition House

29 Hang Bai St.

- Japan - The Country of Cherry Blossoms photo exhibition by veteran photographer Le Vuong and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Nguyen Phu Binh, till Sep 16.

Ho Chi Minh City

Cao Gallery

80 Pasteur St., Dist 1.

- Exclusive collection of contemporary art, open daily.

Tu Do Gallery

53 Ho Tung Mau St., Dist 1.

- Contemporary paintings, daily 9am-7pm.

Thien Van Stone Gallery

6 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan St., Dist 3.

Collection of precious stones including rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, zicon and jade on display and for sale, open daily.

Performances

Hanoi

Ha Noi Opera House

1 Trang Tien St, Tel: 9330131 ; 5651806

- Night of autumn classical ballet entitled Chopinian and Firebird, with choreographer F.Chopin & Lars Andersen and the dancers of Viet Nam National Opera and Ballet, at 8pm, Sep 15 & 16.

- Autumn concert, conductor Wang Ya Hui, violin soloist Nguyen Cong Thang, oboe soloist Phan Viet Cuong and the Ha Noi Philharmonic Orchestra, at 8pm, Sep 21.

- Symphony concert, conductor Tetsuji Honna, solo alto Anna Einarsson with Viet Nam Symphony Orchestra, at 8pm, Sep 22 & 23.

- Korean Chorus, combination of German Classics and Korean Songs echoed in a church hail performed by the Seoul motet Choir, at 8pm, Sep 25.

All tickets available at the Ha Noi Opera House or book at www.ticketvn.com. or 0913489858

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

57B Dinh Tien Hoang St,

Tel: 8220268

Water puppet extracts at 4pm; 5.15pm; 6.30pm; 8pm; 9.15pm. Tickets: VND20,000-40,000.

Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology

Nguyen Van Huyen Rd.,

Tel: 7562193

- Ca Tru performance on the fourth Sun of month.

- Water puppet performance at 10am; 11.30am; 2.30pm; 4pm. Tickets: VND10,000-20,000.

National Circus Theatre

67-69 Tran Nhan Tong St.

Tel: 8220277

Shows at 10am, 8pm everyday. Tickets: VND40,000-50,000.

Ha Noi Cheo Club

15 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St.

Tel: 9437361

Vietnamese popular opera accompanied by traditional orchestra. Performances on Mon & Fri at 8pm. Ticket price at VND50,000.

Viet Nam Tuong Theatre

51 Duong Thanh St,.

Tel 8287268

Five scenes from traditional Tuong plays, at 5pm, Wed & Thu. Ticket prices at VND50,000.

Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Hotel

15 Ngo Quyen St. Tel: 8266919

Le Club Bar

- French singer Nadia Cambours' jazz repertoire from the 1920s and 30s, every Tue-Sun, till Oct 22.

Ho Chi Minh City

HCM City Labour Cultural Palace

55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Dist 1.

Water puppetry performance, 6.30pm and 8pm, Sat & Sun.

Caravelle Hotel: Sai Gon Sai Gon Bar

19 Lam Son Sq, Dist 1,

Tel: 08 8234999

- Live music 8pm onwards.

- Performance by the Latino band Badneighbours, every Mon night.

Majestic Hotel

1 Dong Khoi St., Dist 1.

M-Bar

- Live music entertainment by the Filipino band 8.30pm-11pm.

Catinat

- Romantic piano music with cocktails&soft drinks, noon-7pm.

Sheraton Sai Gon Hotel & Towers

88 Dong Khoi St., Dist 1.

Tel: 8272828

Nightspot

- Live music by the Canadian band Saint O, 8.30pm onwards, Tue-Sat.


Cinemas

Hanoi

MegaStar Cineplex

191 Ba Trieu St,

Tel: 9743333

Photo: Internet
- Run Papa Run (China, OV)

- Death Race (US, OV)

- Vantage Point (US, OV)

- Mamma Mia (US, OV)

- The Good, the Bad, the Weird (US, OV)

- The Dark Knight (US, OV)

- Wall-E (US, OV)

- The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (US, OV), till Sep 18.

National Cinema Centre

87 Lang Ha St,

Tel: 5141791

- Run Papa Run (China, OV), till Sep 18.

- Death Race (US, OV), till Sep 18.

- Vantage Point (US, DV), till Sep 18.

- Mamma Mia (US, DV), till Sep 18.

- The Dark Knight (US, DV), till Sep 18.

- The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (US, DV), till Sep 18.

Dan Chu Cinema

211 Kham Thien St,

Tel: 8516702

- Mamma Mia (US, OV), till Sep 18.

- The Dark Knight (US, DV), till Set. 18.

August Cinema

45 Hang Bai St,

Tel: 04 8253911

- The Dark Knight (US, DV), till Set. 18.

- Vantage Point (US, DV), till Sep 21.

- Blonde Ambition (US, DV), Sep 19-21.

- Prom Night (US, DV), Sep 19-21.

Ngoc Khanh Cinema

521 Kim Ma St,

Tel: 7712750

- Run Papa Run (China, OV)

- The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (US, DV)

- The Triangle (US, DV)

- The Good, the Bad, the Weird (US, DV), till Sep 18.

Ho Chi Minh City

Galaxy Nguyen Du Cinema

116 Nguyen Du St, Dist 1,

Tel: 08 8235235

- Vantage Point (US, OV)

- The Dark Knight (US, OV)

- Death Race (US, OV), till Sep 19. Buy-one-get-one every Tue.

Galaxy Nguyen Trai Cinema

230 Nguyen Trai St, Dist 1,

Tel: 9206688

- Death Race (US, OV)

- The Dark Knight (US, OV)

- Vantage Point (US, OV), till Sep 19. Buy-one-get-one every Tue&Wed.

Megastar Cineplex Hung Vuong

126 Hung Vuong Dist 5.

Tel: 2220388

- Vantage Point (US, OV)

- The Good, the Bad, the Weird (US, OV).

- Wall-E (US, OV)

- Mamma Mia (US, OV)

- The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (US, OV)

- The Dark Knight (US, OV)

- Death Race (US, OV)

- Mr. Woodcock (US, OV)

- Spiderman 3 (US, OV)

Dining Out

Hanoi

InterContinental Hanoi Westlake

1A Nghi Tam St., Tay Ho Dist; Tel: 2707047

Cafe du lac

- Contemporary French brasserie: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Buffet set menu & a-la-carte, daily 6am to midnight.

- Seafood dinner buffet, every Fri, 6pm-10.30pm.

- Sunday Brunch, 11.30am-3pm

Le Gourmet

- International and local breads, pastries and cakes.

Milan-Saigon

- Italian and Asian foods. Dinner from 6pm-10.30pm.

Diplomat Lounge

- Open from 10.30am-11pm. Happy hours nightly.

Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel

1 Le Thanh Tong St,

Tel: 9330500/550

1/Chez Manon

- Germany and Pacific Rim Wine Flight menus, available for lunch & dinner, 4-course set menu matched with 3 regional wines.

- Sparkling Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 11.30am-3pm.

- Opera Terrace BBQ, every Sun, from 3pm-9pm.

- Oktoberfest: Traditional German buffet and girl at $26++; German beer and wine buffet at $18++.

2/Ba Mien

- Vietnamese Wine Flight menu.

- 60-Minute Business Lunch, Mon-Fri.

- Moon Festival Menu: 4-course set menu.

3/JJ's Sports Bar

- Weekend Pizza Party, Fris & Sats.

4/Lobby Lounge

- 19 Wine Buffet with live musical entertainment from 5.30pm-10.30pm.

- Wine Flight Teaser menu - a selection of appetisers, main course and desserts, daily.

Thang Long Opera Hotel

1C Tong Dan St. Tel: 8244775

- Lunch buffet, Mon-Fri.

- Vietnamese a-la-carte and set menus for dinner.

Hanoi Daewoo Hotel

360 Kim Ma Rd, Tel: 8315000

1/ Cafe Promenade

- Weekend BBQ buffet, Fri-Sat.

2/ La Paix

- Business Lunch set menu.

- Daewoo Pizza at $9net.

3/ Edo

- Weekend dinner buffet with a large selection of Japanese dishes.

4/ Silk Road

- New a-la-carte menu.

- New dim sum lunch buffet.

- Chef's Recommendation menu.

5/ Lake View

- A wide selection of beverage, coffee, drinks.

6/ Le Gourmet

- Freshly baked bread, pastries, cookies, chocolates ad gourmet specialities.

Ho Chi Minh City

Parkroyal Saigon Hotel: Garden Brasserie

309B-311 Nguyen Van Troi St, Tan Binh Dist, Tel: 8421111

- Singapore food promotion featuring delectable buffet delights, fresh seafood & New Zealand beef and lamb for lunch & dinner. Sep 15-21.

- Buffet featuring Asian & Western cuisine with daily changes of menu for breakfast, lunch & dinner, daily at 5am-10am, 11.30am-2.30pm & 6pm-10pm.

Sheraton Sai Gon Hotel & Tower

88 Dong Khoi St, Dist 1, Tel: 8274002

Sai Gon Cafe

- Enjoy international dinner buffet with delectable dishes including seafood and grilled meats, daily 6pm-10pm.

Li Bai

- Asian Sunday dinner buffet with aromas and exotic flavours of Asian cuisine, every Sun, 6pm-10pm.

- Set menus and "Wines of the World" for dinner, 6pm-10pm, till Oct.

New World Hotel Sai Gon

76 Le Lai St, Dist 1, Tel: 8230710

Parkview Restaurant

- International buffet for breakfast, lunch & dinner, with a variety of specialities & premium wines across the world.

Barbecue Garden

135A Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Dist 1, Tel: 8233340

- BBQ specialties with over 60 dishes of Vietnamese and international recipes, daily 7am-11pm.

- Set menus for daily breakfast and lunch.

Ming Dynasty Restaurant

23 Nguyen Khac Vien St, Dist 7. Tel: 4115555

- Authentic Chinese cuisines: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bird sanctuary’s future up in the air

Who will have the honour of owning a garden home to a large flock of wild storks? It is the largest stork garden in Vietnam, with more than 10,000 storks and 3,000 night herons, and its current owner, a retired teacher, Dang Dinh Quyen, has had that honour.

Each evening, his 3ha garden is covered with the white of storks. Located in Tan Phuc hamlet, Dao My commune, Lang Giang district, in the northern province of Bac Giang, this stork garden is at risk because of the ignorance of local authorities, attacks of bird hunters, and the discouragement of the owner, who has been taking care of and making friends with storks for nearly 30 years.

Where did the birds come from?

In the early 1980s, Dao My was a thinly populated area. Quyen’s house in Tan Phuc hamlet was next to a low hill of bamboo and sandalwood trees. In front of the hill was an immense lagoon surrounded by rows of bamboo. Birds, especially storks, gathered there in dense flocks.

When the lagoon was divided into small parts to allocate to families, farmers chopped down bamboo and drained the lagoon to create fields. Storks moved to nearby hills of sandalwood trees but they were hunted everywhere. However, as a habit, they still held on to this area. They finally found their shelter when they migrated to Quyen’s hill.

Quyen said in 1982, several hundred storks began residing in his garden. He thought it was lucky to have birds coming to his garden so he didn’t drive away the birds, but grew more trees to serve them. Gradually, storks and herons flocked en masse to his hill and numbered around 4,000 heads in 1984. Hunters appeared, using hackbuts and airguns to kill storks. One time while trying to protect his storks, Quyen was nearly hit by hunters’ shots. Storks went to Quyen’s garden because he protected them and allowed them to perch in his trees.

Some locals supported him, some sneered at him but Quyen thought storks chose his garden as their home so he was responsible for protecting them.

“Once, a stork was caught in a trap and returned to my garden with the trap. Other storks tried to help the unlucky stork escape from the trap but they couldn’t. Storks were scared and ran away. My garden was quiet for more than one month but finally they returned to me,” Quyen recalled. Quyen said he could tell interesting stories about storks for several days.

It is strange that while Quyen’s garden is next to his neighbour’s garden, birds only perch in Quyen’s trees, though his trees and his neighbour’s trees are next to each other.

In the early 1990s, local residents chopped down bamboo and sandalwood trees to grow litchi since litchi was more lucrative. To protect the birds, Quyen didn’t follow the movement and planted litchi around his garden only.

The 3ha stork garden currently has over 10,000 white and grey storks and around 3,000 night herons. In the breeding season, from April to September, some birds migrate to other places since they don’t have enough space to build their nests but they return to the garden several months later. The number of birds suddenly increases in the winter.

To earn some money, Quyen previously grew some litchi trees around the garden but to keep his storks, he recently had to cut down 200 litchi trees to grow bamboo and sandalwood to create more space for storks.

His effort to protect storks was honoured by the “For the Environment” award of the Ministry of Science and Technology (currently the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment).

Storks and sufferings

If Quyen had wanted to profit from storks there would not have been such a stork garden. His spiritual and physical sacrifice has been great. Loving storks, Quyen has had to pay a lot. He has four sons but none of them have helped him take care of the storks. His wife, Dang Thi Minh, doesn’t like storks because they don’t benefit her family, but make her husband tired and busy. She has often been upset and asked him to sell the garden.

When the bird flu epidemic occurred, many people advised Quyen to drive away the storks to not be infected with bird flu but he couldn’t. Quyen and his storks were unharmed by bird flu.

As the flock developed bigger, Quyen’s 3ha garden became narrower. Quyen had to plant many new trees to replace trees that died of stork feces but lack of land for storks was a worry for Quyen. After retirement, Quyen devoted his whole time to storks. He stayed in a small house in the garden and he often had sleepless nights patrolling the garden.

The owner of the largest stork garden in Vietnam, which could have yielded a lot of money, is very poor. He still remembers the day he received 13 foreign guests. Quyen repeatedly asked them to sit down. One of the guests replied in Vietnamese: “Co ghe dau ma ngoi” (We have no chair to sit on). Quyen was ashamed. At the time, he was living in a bare tent.

Since Quyen received the Ministry of Science-Technology Da Nang Environment’s “For Environment” award in 2001, his house in Dao My commune in the northern province of Bac Giang has been inundated with visitors.

It is not uncommon to see fancy cars of government officials parked outside his house – all eager for a peek at his burgeoning sanctuary. Quyen told his wife: “You see! If I had packs of gold, I would have not had the chance to see so many distinguished guests as I do now.”

One local official, so besotted with the elegant birds, told Quyen: “I’m willing to pay to see some storks living in my garden”.

While his neighbours saw the praise heaped on him and the cavalcade of dignitaries rolling up to the gate, few saw the losses he was incurring. At the time, a kilo of litchi fetched VND12, 000 at the market, but Quyen didn’t cash in his 3ha garden for fear of disturbing the birds.

Suggestions were made to sell tickets to visitors, but it didn’t sit right with Quyen. After 30 years in the stork game, his family is still very poor.

“He will die one day in that garden with nothing to show for it. It is the best to sell it and free us from the trouble,” said Quyen’s wife.

His wife knows first-hand the sacrifices his family has made to look after the birds. Every day, she travels 10km to the market to off-load fruit, while her husband forbids the sale of the expensive and ancient trees that dot his farm.

At the Ngoc Nhi stork garden in Ba Vi, Ha Tay, stork meat is sold to tourists. The owner of another stork garden asked Quyen to sell him birds. Quyen’s wife was initially pleased, but was quickly rebuffed by her husband for entertaining the idea.

Over the last 30 years, Quyen has welcomed thousands of storks into his garden. During that time, he has had to fight off poachers and bear the economic losses of not being able to farm his garden while the storks rule the roost. But, he has also tapped into a wealth of knowledge about the birds and has been invited to give lectures on the subject.

Quyen said if he had had more money, he would have bought more land to turn his garden into a stork preservation area, which would have been an ideal destination for students. But he was never able to do this because he never received the assistance of the authorities.

State assistance needed

As protecting the environment and nature has become a significant target, Quyen’s stork garden should be protected by the state. If they continue neglecting the Quyen’s of the world, a greater number of sanctuaries will disappear.

Quyen said he asked for help from many local agencies but received little. He says he received VND45 million from a German environmental organisation after he was presented the environmental award, VND6 million from his district government and VND8 million from Bac Giang province. He invested the funds in walls, sentry boxes and more trees.

Tired, poor and frustrated, the tipping point came recently – he finally put his stork garden up for sale to anyone with more than VND700 million ($43,500) to buy it.

“Before I decided to sell the garden, I told local officials that I would donate the sanctuary to the state. I hoped they would manage it so it would attract more birds, but they didn’t want it,” Quyen said.

Quyen plans to sell the garden to a man from Hanoi for nearly VND1 billion, but is concerned about the bird’s welfare after he leaves them.

(Source: LD)

Tourism growth in downtrend

Global economic regression has clearly affected the Vietnamese tourism industry. In the first five months of the year, the number of international visitors coming to Vietnam rose by 16.6%; the figure for June, July and August was lower by 15% year on year.

Infrastructure makes no progress

Another worry for the tourism industry is the reduction of visitors from big and wealthy markets and segments: cruise tourists down by 19%, Japanese visitors 4.2%, South Korean 6.3%, American, British and Canadian over 3%, and Chinese 8.3%.

The trend in Vietnam is the general trend in Asia.

When the US dollar devalued recently, many European tourists chose the US instead of Asia. The prices at Asian restaurants were also more experience, influencing the attractiveness of Asia.

The Vietnamese tourism industry hopes that the number of foreign visitors coming to Vietnam will increase in the last months of 2008 to compensate for the reduction in the past three months.

However, Vietnam’s attractiveness also suffers as the prices of tours to neighbouring countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have risen 5-10% in the last year while tours to Vietnam have risen 15-30%, mainly due to the increases of room rates and air fares.

Vietnam’s aviation and hotel industries have developed very slowly in recent years so shortages of hotel rooms always happens in the tourism season while there are few choices for air routes and prices.

Speaking to TTG Asia, a travel newspaper, Richard Brouwer, Managing Director of the Diethlem Travel Group of Switzerland, forecast that the situation will get better for the tourism sector of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries in October-December 2008, or the tourism season. If during this time Vietnam has more local flights, Diethlem will organise more tours to Vietnam.

Yet, as Vietnamese airlines lack aircrafts and the aviation industry is facing a lot of difficulties, it will be difficult for local airlines to open new air routes and increase numbers of flights. Jetstar Pacific currently has had to temporarily suspend the HCM City-Hue, HCM City-Nha Trang air routes. Many travel agents have had to stop offering tours to Con Dao and Phu Quoc islands since they can’t reserve tickets to these destinations.

At least in the next two years, there will be no big changes in the number of hotel rooms so this will be still the disadvantage of the tourism sector.

HCM City plans to have an additional 950 luxurious rooms at the end of 2009 but only Kumho, Grand and Que Huong 1 hotel projects totalling more than 500 rooms can be completed before next year’s tourism season; other projects like Time Square, Givral, expanded Majestic, Kim Do and Continental hotels are not likely to finish before 2010.

In Hanoi, since mid 2005, there have been an additional 500 rooms of 4- and 5-star level, raising the total number of luxurious rooms to 2,400, while the demand is estimated at 7,000 rooms by 2010. Luxurious hotel projects that have commenced this year will be completed in 2010 at the earliest.

Hotel and resort projects in the central region, such as Vegas, Vinacapital, Hyatt Regency Da Nang Resort and Spa, Pulchra in Da Nang will become operational after 2010.

Opportunities in difficulties

Besides the above disadvantages, some other objective factors will benefit Vietnam. Presently, the attractiveness of Thailand’s tourism is falling because of its political instability and the prices at coastal resorts have highly increased. Since June the number of visitors at resorts in Pattaya and Phuket has decreased 5-10% year on year.

A manager of a Swiss travel group, Kuoni Group, forecast that the number of normal tourists will decrease while MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) tourists will rise. Vietnam has many things that are attractive to MICE tourists so it can grasp this opportunity by further advertising.

Vietnam is also attractive to tourists in the region. In the January-July period of this year, visitors from Singapore rose by 17.5%, Malaysia 21.6%, Philippines 55.1%, and Thailand 41.4%.

According to a recent report of the Singaporean Tourism Association, Vietnam is becoming a popular destination for Singaporean tourists. Despite economic recession, the number of Asian people who travel overseas has still increased this year and nearby destinations are their top choices.

Recently, the number of Hong Kong people travelling to Malaysia has dropped but those visiting Vietnam in the January-July period increased by 11.2%. If Vietnam well advertises its tourism and understands the need of Hong Kong tourists, Vietnam can partly earn compensation for its reduction of revenues in the past months.

In 2007, Malaysia, which has 22.5 million people, welcomed 20 million foreign visitors, Singapore (4 million) hosted 10 million international visitors, Thailand (63 million) had 15 million visitors, Vietnam (85 million) welcomed only 4.2 million visitors.

That wide gap will not be quickly shortened even as Vietnam’s tourism industry reaches annual growth rates of from 10-20%. In fact, with the growth rate of only 6.9% in the past eight months, that gap seems to be getting wider.

(Source: SGDNCT)

Restaurant like home

Tucked away in an alley, Oc Bo Restaurant is a retreat from the rat race and a place to enjoy some tasty moments with family and friends.

Oc Bo has a friendly atmosphere afforded by its simple decoration and design. It also provides large tables for 10 in quiet corners.

Oc Bo serves Mekong Delta specialties such as garlic snails, seafood spring rolls, grilled fish and cuttlefish, crab curry, fish and seaweed salad.

Diners can also enjoy special dishes such as sake hotpot, seafood fried rice and various kinds of cold beer.

Affordable prices and smiling waitress are other reasons to make Oc Bo a dining destination. There’s even a guitar for anyone interested in playing it.

Oc Bo Restaurant
Address: 450/1 Le Van Sy Street, Ward 14, District 3, HCMC
Prices: VND30,000-40,000 (US$1.80-2.40) a dish

Sapa street grills

Sapa’s bewitching beauty and ethnic mountain groups make it one of Vietnam’s favorite tourist haunts.

On chilly northwestern evenings, there’s nothing like sitting down on Sapa’s grilled food street with a bowl of strong Bac Ha wine and a plate of fragrant grilled food.

The 100 meter stretch of grills is on Ham Rong Street, in the shadow of an old stone church, near the bustling Western backpackers’ quarter.

The stalls open at dusk. Here, locals traditionally sold the charcoal grilled dishes in small baskets, but a variety of new stalls have appeared.

The dishes are spiced and prepared differently, so you can mix and match.

Aside from the common favorites such as corn, sweet potatoes, cassavas, birds and chicken, you can enjoy other dishes, from grilled sour tofu and grilled round rice cake with tiny shrimps to grilled chicken eggs and grilled violet sugarcane.

Heo cap nach (carried-under-the-armpit pig) is the most famous item on the menu.

The meaning of the name is a little strange but easily explained: ethnic people raise their pigs freerange and carry them to market under their arm to ensure the pig’s meat is sweet and tender.

Although the majority of customers are tourists, the grill street continues to be a meeting place for locals because of its friendly and cozy atmosphere, delicious and diverse foods, and reasonable prices, VND3,000-10,000 (US$0.20-0.60) per dish.

Sellers accept both Vietnamese and American money.

Sapa has luxury restaurants that serve foreign and Vietnamese cuisines.

Many tourists, however, prefer the dimly lit stalls, as a way, perhaps, to reveal the hidden corners of their mind when in a foreign land.

Restaurant introduces pho-ndamentals

At Hoa Hoi, the noodles are cooked any way you like and always hot as pho…

Pho Hoa Hoi Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City serves up 40 kinds of regional pho recipes from all over Vietnam.

Owner Thien Trang had the idea of opening up the pho-catessen in the bustling southern metro after over-hearing a group of kids having an enthusiastic conversation about pho and its regional differences in the north, south and Mekong Delta.

Twenty-something Trang spent six months researching the diverse varieties of pho and perfecting their flavors.

Now her shop serves 40 kinds of the dish including dry pho, pho rolled with shrimp paste, stir-fried pho and Nha Trang-style pig’s leg pho.

Hoa Hoi means anise, which is one of the most important ingredients in pho broth, says Trang, who many locals know as “pho girl”.

The establishment also serves anise juice, a popular delicacy from the northern highlands.

Trang hopes to begin opening franchises in the next two years.

Pho Hoa Hoi

Address: 21A Bui Thi Xuan St., Dist. 1, HCMC.

Price: VND29,000-VND39,000 (US$1.8-2.4) per bowl of pho.

Moon cakes

These are a sweet specialty found throughout Viet Nam in Mid-Autumn. If a cake is perfectly made, one can finish the entire treat without feeling bloated. If not. then even one slice can seem too much. The recipe determines how delicious, rich, or soft a cake is and how long it will last without spoiling.

Moon cakes are made with a variety of tastes, old and new. According to the manager of the Long Xuong Bakery in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Chinese people living around Chợ Lớn made the first moon cakes. A traditional Chinese moon cake should Taste sweet and fatty and should smell of therapeutic herbs. Some experienced bakers make the filling of these cakes with Chinese dried sausage, roast lean pork, and fish fins. They mix the ingredients with herbs and spices, especially dried ginger, in a special formula that offers both salty and sweet tastes.

Moon cakes made in northern Viet Nam are also sweet but less rich than those from the south. Their fillings often smell of lemon leaves, mandarin orange, and grapefruit peels. Deo (soft) moon cakes made in Ha Noi are especially delicious. The fragrance of grapefruit flowers emerges as soon as you bite into the coating of sticky-rice paste.

Some moon-cake producers in Ho Chi Minh City such as Kinh Do, Dong Khanh, Ai Hue, Hy Lam Mon also add mixtures of coconut and milk, taro root and milk, durian, green bean, and cocoa or hazelnuts. A few local bakers add whisky to give their cakes' filling a special taste. Thanh Long in Ho Chi Minh City even makes diet moon cakes that are cholesterol-free and taste less sweet.

Other cakes bear influences from beyond Viet Nam. The Equatorial Hotel makes Malaysian-style cakes from red beans and sesame oil. or lotus seeds and sweet-smelling leaves. They cover the cakes with a coating of chocolate. Hong Kong's Saint Honore Cakes also come in many flavours, including soybeans with orange flavour, white lotus, black beans, and lotus seeds with tea.

Most moon cakes are either round or square. However, some are shaped like pigs or fish.

Moon cakes can be eaten right after they are made, but they definitely taste belter when eaten at the right time. Traditionally, a moon cake is served three days after baking so that the oil in the filling can seep into the coating, making it soft and creating a delicious, rich taste. Newly baked cakes tend to be dry and hard. Today, however, according to Luu Lap Chanh. owner of Hy Lam Mon Bakery in Ho Chi Minh City, modern technology and new recipes allow the oil to seep into the coating in just twelve hours, although this makes the cakes less tasty than the traditional three-day method.

Moon cakes are often packed with sugar and calories. According to the Kinh Do Confectionery Company in 116 Chi Minh City, a 200-gram cake filled with green beans contains as many as 700 kilocalories. whereas an adult needs about 2.000 kilocalories a day for basic health. A moon cake has all the ingredienis for putting on weight: starch, fat. and sugar. Sugar accounts for between 40% and 60% of a cake's weight. Thus, an average 200-gram cake may contain more than 100 grams of sugar. Cakes that are high in sugar, roast pork, fatty meat, and oily fillings provide even more calories.

Moon cakes are easy to keep. During normal weather conditions, they can last fifteen days. Some vacuum-packed cakes, those packed in airtight boxes with humidity or oxygen absorbers, and
those treated with ultraviolet rays may last longer, but ihey still should be eaten within one month. Consumers should be careful about cakes that are kept in normal conditions yet seem to last several months; !he producer may have used an anti-mold agent, which is believed to be harmful to health.