In the fog, the historic lake of Hoan Kiem appears fantastical, like a water-colour painting. Ngo Minh Chau shares his photos:
Source: VNE
19 Mar 2009
Hanoi in “Golden Spring”
Hanoi has “golden autumn” and now it has “golden spring”. In autumn, trees change their leaves, but in spring, trees turn yellow but they look very healthy, with new buds. Photos of golden spring in Hanoi:
Photo from: Dan Tri
16 Mar 2009
The coffee trap
This shop is definitely not for people who are phobic of crawly things with hairy legs and compound eyes.
Café Nhen has set its trap for the city coffee lovers in Phu Nhuan District. The café which takes its name from the Vietnamese for “spider” has tried to recreate the air of an arachnid’s lair.
First-time customers to Café Nhen might baulk at entering when confronted by the stare of a giant fake spider. The doorway leads to a narrow cave-like passage lined with trickling water and creepers, which takes you to the main entrance where customers have to walk across a floor of staring human faces.
Darkness is Café Nhen’s style, so the furniture and decorations are mainly black and red lit with spooky yellow and red lights. The staircase is hung with web-like cloth and thread to make the arachnophobic shudder. Along the dark staircase, arms protrude from the wall holding lamps.
The upper floor of the café consists of three sections decorated with spiders. A cosy section with music for customers who need privacy and quiet is also available. There’s a mini-stage for music shows every Thursday and Saturday - singers accompanied by piano, guitar and violin.
As the café owner used to be a singer, his friends sometimes come to provide some light entertainment.
Drinks at Café Nhen are diverse and are given fun names such as Spider coffee, Dark Corner coffee, Spider Silk fruit juice, and Spider Egg cream. Prices range between VND25,000 and VND50,000 (US$1.40-2.90).
To explore Café Nhen, go to 288/5 Huynh Van Banh Street, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC.
Café Nhen has set its trap for the city coffee lovers in Phu Nhuan District. The café which takes its name from the Vietnamese for “spider” has tried to recreate the air of an arachnid’s lair.First-time customers to Café Nhen might baulk at entering when confronted by the stare of a giant fake spider. The doorway leads to a narrow cave-like passage lined with trickling water and creepers, which takes you to the main entrance where customers have to walk across a floor of staring human faces.
Darkness is Café Nhen’s style, so the furniture and decorations are mainly black and red lit with spooky yellow and red lights. The staircase is hung with web-like cloth and thread to make the arachnophobic shudder. Along the dark staircase, arms protrude from the wall holding lamps.
The upper floor of the café consists of three sections decorated with spiders. A cosy section with music for customers who need privacy and quiet is also available. There’s a mini-stage for music shows every Thursday and Saturday - singers accompanied by piano, guitar and violin.
As the café owner used to be a singer, his friends sometimes come to provide some light entertainment.
Drinks at Café Nhen are diverse and are given fun names such as Spider coffee, Dark Corner coffee, Spider Silk fruit juice, and Spider Egg cream. Prices range between VND25,000 and VND50,000 (US$1.40-2.90).
To explore Café Nhen, go to 288/5 Huynh Van Banh Street, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC.
Reported by Diem Thu/ Thanhniennews
The season of rice flowers
Hoa gao (rice flowers) are blossoming, dying village roads by red color. Here is the beauty of rice flowers.
Photo from: VNE
Music in Hanoi: A low note
Many music stars and winners of music competitions in Vietnam live in Hanoi, but the capital city’s music life is not as lively as HCM City’s.
Hanoi doesn’t have a music market: That is the comment of all visitors who love music when they come to Hanoi because it is very hard to find a place for music.
Quiet night clubs
Aladin, owned by People’s Artist, singer Thanh Hoa, is perhaps the night club that has the most music shows. As the only night club in Hanoi that focuses on revolutionary music, Aladin has a loyal audience. However, the names like Thanh Hoa, Anh Tho, Viet Hoan, Tan Nhan, Ho Anh Dung can only attract several tens of audience members each night. Aladin is only full during the weekend or when it organises really big shows.
Ho Guom Xanh (Green Sword Lake), which is considered the most hip music bar for youth in Hanoi, is very quiet. Like Aladin, this bar is bustling during the weekend or on holidays, when the bar invites “music stars”. On the weekdays, besides some sexy dances, Ho Guom Xanh is the stage for exclusive Ho Guom Xanh singers like Tra My, Anh Tu and Viet Dung.
Singer Thu Ba, music manager at Ho Guom Xanh, said this bar doesn’t have any special show for Hanoian singers in the coming time, but it will have shows for singers from HCM City such as Doan Trang and Ha Anh Tuan and overseas Vietnamese singers like Jimmy Nguyen and Huong Lan.
The Jazz Club of musicians Quyen Van Minh and Quyen Thien Dac is a rendezvous for jazz music fans in Hanoi. However, this bar is not crowded because jazz is not a popular genre of music. Most of the audience members at the Jazz Club are foreigners or students of music schools. It is very difficult for guests to find a bar with classical music in Hanoi.
“Leisure” singers
Economic slowdown has hit the music market in Hanoi, which was quiet to begin with. This International Woman’s Day (March 8), Hanoi had only two big shows on two nights, Ru Tinh and Yellow Daisy of March, which gathered divas like Thanh Lam, My Linh, Ho Quynh Huong, and Nguyen Ngoc Anh.
In HCM City, music stars appear very often at night clubs but in Hanoi stars like My Linh and Thanh Lam never sing at night clubs. Diva Thanh Lam said that when she releases her new album this June she doesn’t plan to sing in Hanoi.
My Linh, though she is busier than Thanh Lam, said she would attend the Pham Duy Music show on March 27 and the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 11. She said the quiet music market has had impacts on her life and she is now earning her living by other activities, such as playing in advertising clips.
Singer Ngoc Anh has given many shows, but not in Hanoi. She generally travels between Da Nang and Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and HCM City.
Free shows on TV
Explaining the quiet environment for music in the capital city, Thanh Lam said economic crisis has drastically hit the entertainment industry and it is very difficult to draw an audience to music performances at this moment. Show organisers don’t dare to venture the risk.
Another reason, she said, is that Hanoi has never been animated like HCM City. Most Hanoians don’t have the habit of enjoying live music at the weekend. Especially, in an economic crisis, they would rather stay at home and watch free shows on TV than go to see live shows.
Hanoi doesn’t have a music market: That is the comment of all visitors who love music when they come to Hanoi because it is very hard to find a place for music.
Quiet night clubs
Aladin, owned by People’s Artist, singer Thanh Hoa, is perhaps the night club that has the most music shows. As the only night club in Hanoi that focuses on revolutionary music, Aladin has a loyal audience. However, the names like Thanh Hoa, Anh Tho, Viet Hoan, Tan Nhan, Ho Anh Dung can only attract several tens of audience members each night. Aladin is only full during the weekend or when it organises really big shows.
Ho Guom Xanh (Green Sword Lake), which is considered the most hip music bar for youth in Hanoi, is very quiet. Like Aladin, this bar is bustling during the weekend or on holidays, when the bar invites “music stars”. On the weekdays, besides some sexy dances, Ho Guom Xanh is the stage for exclusive Ho Guom Xanh singers like Tra My, Anh Tu and Viet Dung.
Singer Thu Ba, music manager at Ho Guom Xanh, said this bar doesn’t have any special show for Hanoian singers in the coming time, but it will have shows for singers from HCM City such as Doan Trang and Ha Anh Tuan and overseas Vietnamese singers like Jimmy Nguyen and Huong Lan.
The Jazz Club of musicians Quyen Van Minh and Quyen Thien Dac is a rendezvous for jazz music fans in Hanoi. However, this bar is not crowded because jazz is not a popular genre of music. Most of the audience members at the Jazz Club are foreigners or students of music schools. It is very difficult for guests to find a bar with classical music in Hanoi.
“Leisure” singers
Economic slowdown has hit the music market in Hanoi, which was quiet to begin with. This International Woman’s Day (March 8), Hanoi had only two big shows on two nights, Ru Tinh and Yellow Daisy of March, which gathered divas like Thanh Lam, My Linh, Ho Quynh Huong, and Nguyen Ngoc Anh.
In HCM City, music stars appear very often at night clubs but in Hanoi stars like My Linh and Thanh Lam never sing at night clubs. Diva Thanh Lam said that when she releases her new album this June she doesn’t plan to sing in Hanoi.
My Linh, though she is busier than Thanh Lam, said she would attend the Pham Duy Music show on March 27 and the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 11. She said the quiet music market has had impacts on her life and she is now earning her living by other activities, such as playing in advertising clips.
Singer Ngoc Anh has given many shows, but not in Hanoi. She generally travels between Da Nang and Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and HCM City.
Free shows on TV
Explaining the quiet environment for music in the capital city, Thanh Lam said economic crisis has drastically hit the entertainment industry and it is very difficult to draw an audience to music performances at this moment. Show organisers don’t dare to venture the risk.
Another reason, she said, is that Hanoi has never been animated like HCM City. Most Hanoians don’t have the habit of enjoying live music at the weekend. Especially, in an economic crisis, they would rather stay at home and watch free shows on TV than go to see live shows.
Source: NLD
Discounts to attract visitors to ancient town
Tourism businesses in ancient Hoi An in central Vietnam will offer discounts of up to 30 percent to domestic and foreign travelers next month, Hoi An City People’s Committee Deputy Chairman Truong Van Bay announced.
During the first phase of the discount program from March 26 to the beginning of April, visitors will receive free meals when staying for more than two days at local hotels rated four stars and above.
Discounts of up to 20 percent on food and beauty services will be offered to tourists staying at hotels of two to three stars.
Holidaymakers will also enjoy discounts of between 10 to 30 percent at local attractions, shops and restaurants.
UNESCO-listed Hoi An is a popular tourist destination in central Vietnam, known for its charming ancient architecture, craft products and nearby beaches.
Hoi An welcomed about 450,000 visitors last year, 320,000 of whom were from outside the country, an increase of 6 percent on 2007.
During the first phase of the discount program from March 26 to the beginning of April, visitors will receive free meals when staying for more than two days at local hotels rated four stars and above.
Discounts of up to 20 percent on food and beauty services will be offered to tourists staying at hotels of two to three stars.
Holidaymakers will also enjoy discounts of between 10 to 30 percent at local attractions, shops and restaurants.
UNESCO-listed Hoi An is a popular tourist destination in central Vietnam, known for its charming ancient architecture, craft products and nearby beaches.
Hoi An welcomed about 450,000 visitors last year, 320,000 of whom were from outside the country, an increase of 6 percent on 2007.
Compiled by Hong Nguyen/ Vietnews
Fireworks to light up coastal city of Da Nang
Teams from Australia, Spain, China, the Philippines and Vietnam will compete in the second Danang International Fireworks Competition on March 27 and 28 in the central seaside city of Danang.
Each team will prepare a 20-minute fireworks display, to be accompanied by music.
This year’s event, Am Vang Song Han (Echoes on Han River), is being held by the Danang City People’s Committee.
More than VND16.1 billion (US$924,782) has been allocated to the competition by local businesses.
A grandstand capable of seating 6,000 spectators is being built in front of the main stage on the banks of the Han River.
The annual fireworks competition will be accompanied by a series of cultural activities including tuong (classical drama) performances, a food festival and floating displays of flowers and colored lanterns on the Han River.
The fireworks competition will be broadcast live on local channels, including VTV1, VTV4 and DVTV.
The first annual firework competition last year attracted 30,000 visitors to the city. It was named by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as one of the top 10 cultural, sports and tourism events of 2008.
Each team will prepare a 20-minute fireworks display, to be accompanied by music.
This year’s event, Am Vang Song Han (Echoes on Han River), is being held by the Danang City People’s Committee.
More than VND16.1 billion (US$924,782) has been allocated to the competition by local businesses.
A grandstand capable of seating 6,000 spectators is being built in front of the main stage on the banks of the Han River.
The annual fireworks competition will be accompanied by a series of cultural activities including tuong (classical drama) performances, a food festival and floating displays of flowers and colored lanterns on the Han River.
The fireworks competition will be broadcast live on local channels, including VTV1, VTV4 and DVTV.
The first annual firework competition last year attracted 30,000 visitors to the city. It was named by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as one of the top 10 cultural, sports and tourism events of 2008.
Compiled by Hong Nguyen/ Vietnews
15 Mar 2009
Galerie Royale opens in town
After three years of operations in Hanoi, Tam Son Company opened the 150-square meter Galerie Royale deluxe fashion shop at 37-39 Ton That Thiep, District 1. Tam Son is the main distributor of high-end fashion products from designers such as Kenzo, Hemes, La Perla, Emilio Pucci and Korloff. Sylvie Baradel, representative of Korloff diamonds in Asia-Pacific, said the selection of her company’s diamonds is extensive.
More photos at Galerie Royale:
Photo credit from: Galerie Royale
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