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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Vietventures Travel Vietnam


Vietventures Travel Vietnam - Since 1999
Established since 1999, as a professional of cultural tours, Vietventures has chosen the best that Vietnam can offer. The traveler, looking for authenticity will be fully satisfied.

Besides, we offer a wide range of services, including discovery tours, trekking tours in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Our dynamic team has a long experience in organizing events, conference, and incentives. It is well prepared to personalize, create and surprise you and your guests in order to enhance your image in the eyes of your partners. We conceive, design, and realize your special events, help you through all stages of organization with a permanent worry for details and quality in order to give you the key of success.

This concept remains valid for group tours as well as individual travelers "à la carte”. With our suppliers, we maintain the best relations from human and commercial points of view. This can only contribute to enhance our quality of services.

Travel Vietnam Blog
GM Tran Thi Mong Hong at the tourism exhibition 
Our key points
- Well established company
- Thanks to our seniority
- Exhibitor in professional and public trade fairs (ITB, REISELIV, IFTM, ATF, PATA Travel Mart etc.)
- Committed to responsible tourism
- Maximum 24hr response
- Rigorous quality control standards
- Competitive pricing structure
- Regular feedback from clients and service providers
- We know the country
- We regularly keep you informed about the situation of the file
- Keep you free of all worries of organising and logistics

Travel Vietnam Blog
Mr. Phillipe, Ms. Hong, Ms. Lien and Logan Bui at Top Resa 2010
If we can grow on this touristic market, it is thanks to the loyalty of our customers. We wish to thank them with all our heart.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui

Travel Vietnam Blog
Ho Tram Beach, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Photo by An Bui


Vietventures fam trip in Ho Tram - Jun 2012

Travel Vietnam Blog

Travel Vietnam Blog

Travel Vietnam Blog

Travel Vietnam Blog

Travel Vietnam Blog

Travel Vietnam Blog

Travel Vietnam Blog


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Land of the rising sun

Dai Lanh is one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam and its easternmost point

Although it is not known as well known as Nha Trang, Mui Ne, or Phan Thiet among foreign tourists, Dai Lanh Beach, some 80 kilometers to the north of Nha Trang, offers unique views and experiences that make it a fine destination for a day trip.

The gently curving beach, which is mostly surrounded by mountains, is four meters long and slopes gradually, allowing people to swim far out into the water. The water is calm and very clear, and the sand is white. A stream nearby offers children a good place to swim.

Tuan Le coconuts, grown by farmers in Van Ninh District, where the beach is located, is believed to be among the best in Vietnam.

Seafood lovers should take a boat trip to a nearby fishing village, where fresh fish, squid, and snails are always available. Spicy squid hot pot with a variety of squids is a highly recommended specialty there.

Dai Lanh beach became famous in 1836 when King Minh Mang, the second Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) ruler, ordered its picture to be carved into the nine cauldrons placed in the yard of the imperial citadel in Hue.

Later, in 1853, King Tu Duc, the dynasty’s fourth sovereign, made “Dai Lanh” nationally popular by ordering its development, allotting funds for infrastructure and other works.

It was once named one of the most beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia by the World Tourism Organization.

Not far the beach is Cape Dai Lanh in Dong Hoa District in neighboring Phu Yen.

Surrounded by mountains belonging to the transnational Truong Son Range, the country’s easternmost cape, also known as Varella Cape, is famous for a 26.5-meter high lighthouse built by the French in 1890 during their colonization.

The lighthouse, with a staircase with 108 steps to the top, offers a perfect vantage point to observe the landscape. It is recommended that tourists stay overnight at the lighthouse to observe the sun rising over Vietnam.

Cape Dai Lanh itself is a landscape worth discovering. Thanks to a stream that separates it from the mainland, the cape looks likes an island. At the foot of the mountain range is Mon beach, which is like a miniature version of Dai Lanh Beach.

One popular adventurous activity in Dai Lanh is accompanying fishermen to catch ca chinh (eels) dubbed “sea serpent” in Vietnamese folklore due to its fierce nature.

An eel could weigh just five to seven kilograms but defeat the efforts of a man weighing 10 times that to subdue it. Some can weigh dozens of kilograms and measure nearly 1.5 meters long, so it is advisable to go fishing in groups of three.

Since the eel usually lives in deep caves, fishermen have to wait for the tide to rise gradually before using chum, or ground fish, as bait to lure it out.

Though eels fetch millions of dong, not many fishermen try to catch them because the process is difficult and time-consuming and depends much on luck. Moreover, its bite has anticoagulants.

Nevertheless, adventure lovers should not miss the experience when they are in Dai Lanh.


HOW TO GET THERE?
Nha Trang – Dai Lanh Beach:

By train: Take N12 that plies the Nha Trang – Tuy Hoa route, and get off at Dai Lanh Gas Station, Van Ninh District. It leaves Nha Trang at 6.30 a.m. every day. On the return trip it arrives at Dai Lanh at 3.44 p.m.

From there, take a motorbike or car to the Ca mountain pass. The beach is located at the end of the pass.

By car: Book tickets at the Nha Trang branches of Mai Linh Company (phone: 058. 359 0606) or Thuan Thao Company (Phone: 058. 3 560 818 - 3 560 828).

To Cape Dai Lanh:

From Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen: Go by car or motorbike along the Phuoc Tan – Bai Nga Street for around 30 kilometers.

From Nha Trang: By car, go along the Ca mountain pass for 100 kilometers to reach the Khanh Hoa – Phu Yen border. From there go along the Phuoc Tan – Bai Nga Street for another 12 kilometers.


Source Thanh Nien News




Annual fruit fest opens at Suoi Tien Theme Park in HCMC

The 16th Southern Fruit Festival opened June 1 at the Suoi Tien Theme Park in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9.

The festival, which will remain open throughout the three months of summer, is held by the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the HCMC Tourism Association.

Over 1000 tons of fruit of all kinds are expected to be consumed by millions of tourists during the annual festival.

As in previous years, this year’s festival includes a floating fruit market, fruit competition and exhibition, fashion show, food booths and a fruit parade that was held during the opening ceremony.

Around 65 kinds of fruits displayed at the festival will be sold at between VND3,000-10,000 per kilogram lower than market prices, organizers said.

Travel Vietnam Blog

By Phuong Anh, Thanh Nien News

A garden in the city

I came across Kaffee Stude by chance when I was a bit early for another interview nearby.

It’s a lovely garden café and restaurant with comfortable outdoor and indoor areas amid the old villas of Tu Xuong Street, District 3.

At first impression, the place reminds me of a holiday spent watching the time roll away in a forgotten orchard surrounded by ivy-covered walls.

Serenity is the word that comes to mind as the big white umbrellas, long white French chairs and wooden tables with grey silk cushions rest above tiny yellow leaves lying lazily on the stone floor. In the middle of the garden, between the four umbrellas, there is a cherry tree with white pebbles under it.

It was a cool morning and I choose a table under the cherry tree. In the summertime, the tiny pink cherry flowers swing in the breeze and on the opposite wall, the blooming red flowers are bright and vibrant.

The garden is a different and more peaceful world than outside on Tu Xuong Street, where motorbikes and taxis race by.

My favorite part of sitting at Kaffee Stude was watching little birds fly down from the trees to find food on the ground.

I watched as a taxi stopped in front of the restaurant and a family walked out, about to enter the opposite restaurant. But a little girl in pink was drawn to Kaffee Stude and ran into the garden to satisfy her curiosity (probably hoping that her parents would change their choice of restaurant).

The indoor area also offers a cozy atmosphere with white furniture and transparent silk ceiling lights, highlighted by beaded and handmade Indian fabric paintings on the wall. On another side of the wall, there are photos of women from different corners of Vietnam wearing real silver necklaces made by ethnic minority communities in the mountains of northern Vietnam.

Kaffee Stude plays classic jazz, which suits the dreamy style of the garden. The menu is an unusual mix of common staples and unique dishes, and I ordered ostrich steak (VND53,000) and tea for breakfast.

After only a few minutes, the waiter brought me the hot ostrich steak still sizzling on a hotplate beside bread, a small dish of salad and a small bowl of pickles with chilly. She arranged them on a yellow bamboo placemat.

It was the first time I had ever tried ostrich meat. It’s similar to beef but more tender, soft and flavorful. Though it was morning, I ordered extra bread to enjoy every last drop of sauce leftover on the hot plate.

After I finished the tea, the waitress brought me some ice water with a slice of lemon and continued filling the glass each time it became empty.

The menu offers a selection of Italian, French, German and some Vietnamese dishes.

For appetizers, there is bruschette (choice of tomato, mushroom or eggplant – VND71,000 for three pieces and VND112,000 for five pieces); garlic bread (VND43,000); calamari with strawberry sauce (VND93,000); cheese sticks (VND83,000); verrine avocado & salmon (avocado, crème, smoked salmon – VND120,000).

The menu also includes sections on salads, stews, pastas, grilled dishes and rice and noodles.

After breakfast, I was already thinking about my next lunch there, wanting to try the pork ribs with pear (VND125,000) or the rabbit in red wine (VND142,000), or Turkish lamb (VND249,000), or baked sea bass with lemon butter cream (VND132,000).


By To Van Nga, 
Source Thanh Nien News

Where houses have no doors

Hoa Binh Province
A northern village offers home stays and a simple but beguiling way of life.

Foreign visitors to Lac Village in Hoa Binh Province often linger for days once they realize how good their homestay is in the picturesque destination.

The remote village in Chieng Chau Commune, Mai Chau District, is around 135 kilometers west of Hanoi. Most of its residents belong to the Thai ethnic group, with Vietnam’s major ethnic group, the Kinh, making up the rest.

Of the 116 families here, 31 host visitors.

The living space in the houses is two meters above the ground, with the portion beneath having the kitchen and space to show off local products.

It only costs around VND100,000 (US$5) for a night’s stay and a dinner spread made using local ingredients.

Ha Cong Tim, a local, said: “There are not as many Vietnamese tourists as foreign, who stay at least three days to learn about local people’s daily life. They are very excited about sleeping in a stilt house.”

Extra meals will have to be ordered in advance since locals do not have refrigerators or store food, which means meals are always fresh.

The village is famous for its sticky rice dishes. But it is not very sticky and can be eaten with the hand. It is usually served with chicken straight from the garden, fish from the stream, and vegetables from the forest.

Meals are complemented with a bottle of wine which everyone drinks using bamboo straws.

At night visitors are entertained by singing and dancing by the very people who served them food earlier.

Some locals speak English, French, and Chinese.

Many visitors said they did not feel like visitors but like a relative.

Ha Cong Nham, the 85-year-old village head, said the village was built in the 13th century, and people live mainly on weaving and farming their terraced paddy fields.

But the cheap and friendly homestay services have turned the village into a tourism hotspot in recent years and fetched locals decent incomes. Many now own cars.

The road to the village travels over Cun Hill and Thung Nhuoi Pass, but that does not deter foreign tourists from coming here to enjoy its clean, fresh air and stilt houses.

There are no hotels or resorts here. The central government only allowed visitors to stay here overnight in 1993 following many pleas by Hoa Binh authorities.

Since then the village has remained in a festive mood most of the time, with word-of-mouth publicity bringing hordes of tourists.

Younger people in the village have started to move out to set up nuclear families, but most of the wooden houses remain large and well decorated.

There are 40 houses that do not accommodate visitors but offer sightseeing tours of local handicrafts such as weaving and making souvenirs like arrows, crossbows, and rattles.

Visitors can rent a colorful local dress for a day for a mere VND10,000-20,000, or half to one dollar.

The village has a “5-No’s” slogan: No beggars, no street vendors, no getting drunk, no karaoke parlors, and no thieving.

Amazingly, none of the houses have doors to close at night or wardrobes to lock in things. The village looks exactly the same at night as it does during day, just quieter – no one moves anything into their houses because of nightfall.

Foreigners often stay long enough to learn the basics of weaving, making simple souvenirs, and join locals on their terraced fields.

They also pedal to nearby markets to see herbs – such as black turmeric for stomach problems and banana seeds for kidney stones – exotic birds, and orchids.

Most markets open very early in the morning, selling fresh vegetables and fruits that are plucked overnight.


By Nguyen Van My
Source Thanh Nien News