Rice Fields captured from above

An image of rice fields captured from above looks like a picture of mosaic. This is one of the pieces of work that participated in the photographic contest organized from 20 - 22 October in Hanoi. This competition hooked the attention of young photographers who have passions for photography.

The contest depicts the beauty of nature, culture, and people. In each a photo, the author wants to convey their messages towards Vietnam. It is a sort of the tourist promotion to introduce Vietnam to not only local people but also international tourists.

The competition presented 50 pieces of work of 30 young-generation professionals that come from across Vietnam. Most of them live in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This is a window of opportunity for professionals to express their talent in this art field.

For more photos, click here

A photo of Tuoi Tre Online

Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie

In a beauty contest that was held on January 6, 2018, in Hanoi, H'Hen Nie was crowned as Vietnam's Beauty Queen. This is first-ever an ethnic minority girl who is selected in the final contest. 

The crowning of H'hen Nie is an inspiration for ethnic minority people whose custom is to get married very early. H'hen Nie refused an early marriage as her parents' wish and left her homeland for a city. She succeeded in an entrance examination into a college of economics and pursue her educational path. Her success in this competition is a mirror to encourage ethnic minority people to crack down an early marriage custom to study.

In an interview, H'hen said we would achieve what we desire or wish. This saying comes from her heart. 

If you are interested in more photos about the beauty contest, click here.

A photo of Thanh Nien Online 

Hang En Cave, Quang Binh Province

Hang En Cave is a must in your trip trekking in a visit to Quang Binh Province. Get off beaten roads and experience an outdoor adventure on your holiday trip. The first condition for you to join this kind of trip is you get fit enough to be able to walk 12 miles during a two-day period. You have to carry gears on your shoulder while going through a humid and hot jungle. A pleasure you find here is sleeping in a camp, eating food cooked on firewood by local people. You may feel inconvenient to live separately from the world as you are disconnecting with your friends, family member via phone, internet or living without electricity, running water even you are blood sucked by leeches.

If you endure these minor hassles, you are paid off by exploring a wonderful and unforgettable trip into the most beautiful cave in the world.   

A photo of VN Express Online

Homestay in Dalat City

Hotels in Dalat City often run out of rooms on big holidays or room rates go high that causes inconvenience for international and local tourists. Another kind of accommodation business that comes up is homestay.

The rate of homestay is affordable. It helps clients particularly international tourists have opportunities to learn more about a lifestyle of inhabitants in Dalat City.

The area of homestay arises from the center of city to the suburban. The ideal renting is to lease the whole house that includes two or three twin rooms. The well-known homestay is La Nha, Le Bleu, The Hobbit, Tre, Indigo, Xom, Cui...The rate is USD 10 per night.

A photo of VN Express Online

 

A Dairy Farm in Dalat City

This is a dairy farm in Da Lat City. In November and December, tourists will visit to see sunflowers fields. During this visit, tourists are invited to go through a process of manufacturing fresh milk and yoghurts. Visitors who want to come should have an ID card on hand.

The farm is in Don Duong District. If you want to go, from the center of Da Lat City you take National road 20 in the direction of Du Trong District around 25 km, then meet the intersection Bong Lai, turn left, go 10 km, you will see the farm.

A Photo of VN Express online

Lap An Lagoon, Da Nang City

Lap An Lagoon stretches from the foot of Phu Gia Pass to Hai Van Estuary. In addition to small roads surrounding this lagoon, tourists find a huge magnificent Bach Ma Mountain (White Horse Mountain). This is an ideal place for photographic amateurs or professionals. The good time for this pleasure is from March to June when the sun is shining.

Lap An Lagoon is also a habitat for aquatic plants and many animals which includes oysters that have high nutrient values. It is a favourite food by tourists. Lagoon residents call it "jewel of heaven" and live on feeding and selling oysters.

Currently, the lagoon is approved to build a walking street which consists of six areas such as tree area, water part, performance area, art fountain, eateries and marina club.

With an impressive plan of tourist development of this site, the lagoon should be a must in a holiday trip.

A photo of VN Express online

Ecosystem Reserve in Cu Chi Tunnel

Cu Chi Tunnel is well known for a network of underground tunnels which were used by Vietnamese militia to fight against the US-backed army during a war. Nowadays, it is used as a holiday destination for local and international tourists to explore the war history of Vietnamese communists. During a tour in the underground tunnels, tourists have meals of cassava and sweet potatoes fighters had at that time.

A photo above depicts a community house where the ethnic minority group Cu Chi uses for their cultural purposes. Tourists find many kinds of entertainment here such as fishing, horse riding, duck catching, and sailing.

Cu Chi Tunnel is not far from Ho Chi Minh City, about 45 km northwest Ho Chi Minh City.

A photo of VN Express online

Dam Trau Beach, Con Dao Island

Dam Trau Beach is little known as a holiday destination for local and international tourists. It sits in Con Dao Island where movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie spent their holidays along with their adopted children. Their presence hooked the attention of the public and is a kind of promotional way. Their holiday spending here ensures the attraction of this island.

Thanks to the strict management of the local authorities, Dam Trau Beach still retain primitive although there exist fine resorts which look down at the dazzling beige soft sand and turquoise waters. The water around here stays calm that is for young families to spend their new year holidays.

The beach that is bathing in the sunshine along with a fragrant aroma of eaglewood brings to the relaxation to tourists.   

From April to October, people witness hundreds of tortoises come up to the coast to lay their eggs. Workers of the reserve centre incubate tortoise's eggs and release them into waters.

A photo of VN Express 

Sapa resort

Sapa is well-known as a holiday destination for international and local tourists. On season's greetings, flocks of people pour in here to enjoy the same cold climate as that in western countries. There is no place where tourists meet a diversity of ethnic minority people in Vietnam. This population lives on slash and burn culture. Since the tourism has been developed here, more people change their livelihood into tourist business. Some become tourist guides with a level of English that makes themselves understood.

A photo of Sapa resort illustrates a level of the tourist development in Sapa. Bungalows look down on endlessly expanding forests.

A photo of VN Express online

Buffalo fighting in Hanoi

The year of 2017 is coming to an end is the time when many local authorities in Vietnam are organizing many traditional festivals to welcome the coming of the New Year. Some are deserved to retain because they remind the young generation of their history, and culture that this population will ignore due to the invasion of western culture. Others should be eradicated because of the violence, cruelty, for instance, buffalo fightings are often held in North Vietnam for entertainment.

In 2018, Hanoi City Authorities will not issue any licence to buffalo fightings. This is a success of animal-protecting people. The buffalo fighting is criticized by international and domestic civil society associations.

However, this festival still happens in some provinces, particularly in North Vietnam.

A photo of Tuoi Tre online

Hoi An Ancient Town welcomes the New Year

In these days, Hoi An Ancient Town is preparing a festival to welcome the New Year. Every household decorates their front houses with domestically hand-made lanterns. The city government designs a model of early 20th-century Hoi An where domestic and international tourists explore a quiet Hoi An.

The local authorities organize the performance of art groups along main streets to present traditional culture. The business of vendors and peddlers is banned to yield their space for this festival and the traffic is not prohibited in some street. The city will cut off the electricity in some places.

On the eve of the New Year, tourists feel a calm Hoi An without the sound of modern music, lights of services or business operation.

Lighting in households is encouraged to use lantern instead of fluorescent lights on that night. On the Hoai River, there are no motorboats but tourists paddles on the river to enjoy the romance of the city. 
A photo of Tuoi Tre online 

Isle Cham, Phan Thiet City

Isle Cham is around 1.5 km, thus it takes nearly one hour to walk. This isle seems to separate from Phan Thiet City and still remains primitive. There is not an electric grid system, the isle sinks in the blackout every night. Solar energy appliances are commonly used in this area.

The ideal time to travel here is from May to September when there is no storm, the sea is calm with turquoise water and breezes.

To explore this isle, a tourist takes a bus from Lien Huong or Ca Na Townships. There is not a hotel but two restaurants where tourists order seafood and vegetable.

A photo of Tuoi Tre online   

Dalat City is a must on season's greetings

Dalat City is a destination for international and domestic tourists at the end of the year as its climate is mild. Tis an "Enropean" city in Vietnam due to its climate. The city organizes a festival of flowers to welcome the coming year and tourists as well. There are activities of culture and art on these days to hook the attention of people across the country.

However, a flow of people pours into the city that makes the rise of hotel and service rates. The price mounts but the service descents. The result is that many complaints about the city after each event arise.

If you want to see more photos, click here.

Photo of  VN Express online

Moc Chau Province on the season's greetings

The season's greeting is upon us. Most of us promise to lose weight in the coming days but girls in ethnic minority girls in Moc Chau Province are clad in traditional clothes to welcome the coming new year. Their clothes are full of colours that stand out in the setting which includes fields, green trees, hills, and mountains.

These days are their days-off when they set aside all farming work to enjoy moments of rest yearly. Children go visit their friends, teens go meeting up with their opposite-sex friends for datings while their parents take advantage of free time to do some errands at home.

This is a picture of lifestyle in the rural area in Vietnam at the end of a year.

For more photo, click here.

The photo of VN Express online

  

Festival of Flowers in Dalat City

The season's greetings is upon us is the time the festival of flowers in Dalat City was organised on December 23 to welcome domestic and international tourists to Dalat City.

In front of Lam Vien Square and near Xuan Huong Lake takes place the festival of flowers organized by Hasfarm, a flower giant supplier in the South of Vietnam. This year, they use the ancient vehicle such as Vespa, Honda and decorate them with flowers.

To organize this festival, 14 craftsmen from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City join craftsmen of Hasfarm to decorate these vehicles all four days long.

If you are interested in more photos, click Festival of Flowers.

Photo of Thanh Nien online
 

Railway Coffee

A coffee shop makes use of the railway to put some more tables and chairs on it. The owner doesn't care the safety of guests. This coffee is in Hanoi.

Protection fences are not built on two sides of a railway in Vietnam to prevent people walk back and forth when a train is on way. A train goes through residential areas. Sometimes deadly accidents come up to deprive of the loss of life.   

Homestay in Hoi An Ancient Town

Homestay is a model of business in Hoi An Ancient Town where the local government has just released some stipulations on this sort of business. The business owner must be a citizen of this town. They are permitted to build a not-more-than-two-floor house. A house must include a living room, kitchen, bedrooms for tourists. Total rooms are not allowed exceeding 7 rooms.

Nowadays, there are 842 business households with the total number of 13,212 rooms for rent. This is an interesting form of tourism many want to learn about rural life, cultural activities in the locality.

A photo above depicts a tourist riding a buffalo, a familiar scene in this area where a farmer ride this animal to plough a field.

Photo and source by VN Express
 

Lap An Lagoon

Lap An Lagoon is called another name as An Cu that sits near 1A National Route passing Lang Co Township. Lap An Lagoon occupies a nice view location: sitting at the foot of Phu Gia Pass, surrounded by Bach Ma Mountain (White Horse Mountain) and in front of it being Lang Co Beach.

It would be an ideal spot for professional and amateur photographers to capture breathtaking views from March to June when they found here light clouded sun under scorching heat.

Photo and source by VN Express.

Hang Dong Village, Son La Province

A photo above depicts a breathtaking scene of Hang Dong Village at sunrise. Clouds are wandering in the sun. It is a goal backpackers leave very early in the morning for Hang Dong Village to hunt for the dawn of clouds. To start trips this village, many have to take muddy roads that easily enable road slippering. Their heart is filled with anxiety and interest as well. Anxiety is because they hear sounds of mud under their vehicle wheels and don't know if their car is slippery. Interest is they want to enjoy clouds on sunrise at this village.

It is not easy to witness natural spellbound sights. An experienced witness said these sights happen if there must be light showers, low temperature at night and sunny high all a day long. 

Source and photo by Tuoi Tre Online

Flower channels in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City has organised flower streets in downtowns annually for years. Some people think it seems to be getting bored with this event. Ideas for establishing yearly flowers streets are same. There are three different spaces displaying cultures of three regions of Vietnam (the South, the Middle Vietnam, and the North). Each space features images of rural life, iconic landscapes of an individual region. The repetition of such a kind of the festival lessens the attraction of the public. It's time to make a change.

Ho Chi Minh City possesses a system of plentiful channels that go around the city. This is an advantage Ho Chi Minh is endowed. According to Mr My, an entrepreneur of a tourist company, he proposes to organise flower markets on Ben Nghe Channels which are bordered with two avenues Vo Van Kiet and Ben Van Don. These events should be held on greeting seasons, the lunar new year. This is an approach to encourage the public to take tours on a boat to enjoy floating flower markets.

This idea is one of the measures to develop the traffic on the water. Ho Chi Minh City is facing current congestion on the daily basis. The local government seeks solutions to break down this problem. The proposal of establishing flower markets on the water should attract the attention from the public and relevant authorities.

Photo of VN Express.