Trash-to-Treasure Apricot Flowers

The photos above compare the real apricot and fish-scale one that has been made by a Vietnamese undergraduate Biet, Le Ngoc. Through the duration of drawing apricot flowers, he discovered that beside the color, the scale is eerily similar to apricot blossom petals, leading to his attempt to fashion the scale into apricot flowers. The unexpected success of this effort inspired him to take a shot at peach flowers, a popular lunar new year decoration in the northern Vietnam. The life expectancy of this fake flowers lasts five or six years.

The process of production is not really hard. After drying and dying the scale, he used silicon adhesive to connect scales to a dry apricot branch. The most important stage is crafting the scale. He dipped scales into water for a month to test their integrity.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Tra Su Mangrove

Tra Su Mangrove Forest is home to a variety of birds and other animals such as storks, bats, snakes, and turtles. Sitting in near Chau Doc Province, Tra Su, a sanctuary, covers a area of approximately 850 hectares and plays a key role in contributing the conservation of wetlands in the Mekong Delta. The local authorities invested their money to protect this area that turns out a hotplace for researchers and enthusiasts to learn more about the nature. Particularly, a flooding season that is approximately from August to October of the lunar new year is time to explore the cajeput forest.  

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Nui Coc Lake

Nui Coc Lake nests in Thai Nguyen Province. It is known for the spectacular beauty and romantic love that inspired composer Pho Duc Phuong to compile a love song. The legend of Nui Coc Lake says that a couple of young people, a girl named Cong and a man named Coc, fell in love very much. However, both of them were facing a setback the girl's family created as they didn't want them to get married. Both of them had a plan on a secret marriage in which the man returned his hometown and the girl came later. The man waited for a long age and turn in Lake Nui Coc. Hearing bad news about Coc, the girl fell heart-broken and bewailed till a death.

Since tourism has been developed, you will enjoy a tour on a boat to see a panorama of the whole lake and explore many islets during a journey.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Ben Tre Province

Ben Tre is so-called a capital of coconut which produces coconut candies. It is also known for a calm, serene town where city dwellers find a quick break away from the hustle and bustle of a city. In addition to living homestay, you have an opportunity to explore a traditional craft of making coconut candies. You visit family businesses to eye the procedure of production and participate in it under the instruction of workers.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Plum Flower Season in Moc Chau

Moc Chau is known for its white plum seasons or so-called white heaven on earth. This is one of Moc Chau Province's characters. Plum trees cover a valley or even a village. In January, the travel here gives you a feeling of soaking yourself in a white paradise.

In reality, the plum blossom starts early or late, depending upon weather, around from January to February. Its peak blossom only spans three weeks, then wither later for bearing fruits in April. After the coldness of winter, plum buds start opening up under the warmth of spring, providing an opportunity to capture picturesque scenery. It's a pleasure to walk under the shadow adorned by white plum trees

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

5 Reasons to Visit Hanoi in Spring

The Traveller Magazine just announced Vietnam is one of the most trending destinations of 2019. Below are reasons to visit Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam in spring. 

Weather in Hanoi includes four distinct seasons. Spring is time to travel Hanoi as it has lots of festivals celebrating the coming of a new year. While winter and summer are cold and hot that you don't want to go out, spring is warm and pleasant to walk on street sides to see ancient style houses.

Flower festivals are must-see events that give an opportunity to capture photos of fascinating preach trees along with charming long dresses and colourful lanterns.    

Spring is time to welcome the Lunar New Year. Blackboard flowers, Ban flowers bloom along two sides of streets 

Spring is also time for religious pilgrimages to pray for happiness, prosperity, and longevity. 

Trending Worldwide Destinations

The Travel Magazine has just released 6 trending worldwide destinations for new year's travels in 2019 that includes the Balkans, Mongolia, Vietnam, Egypt, Sao Tom & Principle, and The Arctic.

Vietnam is a place that gives you an opportunity to enjoy the scenic landscape, long-standing culture, lovely food, hospital people, and a diversified range of travelling activities. Vietnam provides various types of tour packages that suit your pocket from backpackers to tour making families. You can start your journey in Hanoi and end in Saigon or vice versus, experiencing bustling cities across Vietnam. Tours are customised to match a tourist's need and budget.

The photograph courtesy of Living + Nomads

Today's Hoi An

Hoi An is recognised as one of the UNESCO World Heritage's sites as it has drawn the attention of the public due to impressive historical and cultural relics, a wide range of shops, and a tranquil riverside setting. It nests in central Vietnam, a coastal city that was considered as a commercial port that brought Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, and Indian traders here to do settle down. They spent a lot of their wealth on temples and clan houses.

Nowadays, Hoi An wears a quite new appearance with a combination of Vingroup high-class real state properties that include 500 five-star apartment looking down at a river or towards a city sky.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Hanoi in a photograph

A total of 50 pieces of photography depicts Hanoi in twelve follower seasons, organised by the Hanoi administration. All entries circle around the theme: "I Love Hanoi", describing typical types of flowers such as flamboyant, apricot, white daisy and peach.

Hanoi's climate includes four distinct seasons. Autumn and spring are time for travelling. While the winter in Hano bitterly cold cuts meat, the summer is covered by a hot and muggy sky. Hanoi boasts as a land of thousand-year history and culture, a place to organise festivals to retain its cultural values when the spring comes in the corner. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Ban Gioc Waterfall

The photo above depicting Ban Gioc Waterfall in Cao Bang Province is worth a wander. Sunset at this waterfall is an excellent opportunity for photographic professionals and enthusiasts to capture the beauty of nature if they view from the opposite side to the waterfall. On paddy fields, you see buffaloes ploughing and farmers threshing paddy to bring their produce to a market. Apart from these fun scenery on fields, Ban Gioc Waterfall is one of the main tourist attractions to tourists.
 
Cave Bac Po gives a little interest to travellers, but this waterfall is worth a try to discover the magic beauty of nature. In addition to these, on weekends, minority ethnic people like Tay, Nung,... group into a market spanning along a some-mile road. They are clad in traditional wear to sell their products in the market. To know these events, once checking-in a hotel, you ask them about this schedule to observe a kind of impromptu market.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

H'hen Nie is called timeless beauty by Missosology

H'hen Nie, Miss Universe Vietnam of 2017, overcame 112 other women from different countries to top the shortlist of the timeless beauty by Missosology. Winning the Timeless Beauty Accolade of 2018 added another feather to her cap. She is the first Vietnamese and third Asian who was crowned the Timeless Beauty since its inception in 2010.

Her account of a path to achieving the glory has spellbound readers. Born in an ethnic minority family, she used to refuse a marriage that, by custom, had been offered at 14. With her tiredless effort, she graduated at a university and diversed her destiny in the art of beauty. After holding the title of  Miss Vietnam 2017, she participated in many international prestige pageants and won many of them. An admirable contribution to her home community is to spend part of her prize money to build a library for students in this far remote region.

The photograph courtesy by Tuoi Tre Online

VIetnam to fight Indonesia in youth champion semifinal

After completing a group-stage match against Thailand in null-score draw, Vietnam advanced in a group A as a group leader and will face Indonesia that stands as the B-group second finisher. Young star Marinus Mariyanto scored for Indonesia two goals against Cambodia who already got 6 points before this match and positioned as a B-group leader.

Vietnam versus Indonesia competition will happen at 15:30, 24 Sunday February while host team Campuchea will face Thailand at 18:30 on the same day.

The 2019 AFF U-22 Youth Champion is the first edition of under 22 tournament in South East Asia that includes 8 teams.  

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

The First Test of VinFast Car Safety in Europe

According to VinFast source, Vietnam's indigenous car manufacturer plans to test their car safety parameter in Europe on March 6 to ensure that their flaship product meets international standards. The company executive stated VinFast Hai Phong factory manufactured the first body shell of the Lux A2.0, a sedan that meets the highest quality requirements.

Vinfast, the first conglomerate of the car industry in Vietnam, boasts its first two car models, a sedan ands SUV. Both of them showed up at the Paris Motor Show last October that has caught the attention of the media and enthusiasts. 

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Spring in Sapa welcomes tourists

In addition to Fansipan Mountain, Sapa has attracted tourists with endless tea plantations dotted by cherry trees, particularly in spring. Spring in Sapa starts in January with warm climate (average temperature is about 15 - 18 degrees C). Sapa gives an attractive appearance of the beauty of nature with the blending of pink cherry flowers and white pearl flowers. It is a fantastic opportunity for photographic professionals and enthusiasts to capture breath-taking images for their collections. 

Travelling in Sapa brings tourist a chance to strike up conversations with the ethnic minority people who have the hospitality.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Valentine's Day Gift in Vietnam

It is said that Vietnamese men seek way to their sweethearts through stomach on this special day. The photo above depicts a bouquet-shaped cake. Under an unspoken law, days designed for women such as Valentine's Day, Women's Day, are an opportunity for men to express their love towards their loved ones by offering them delicacies like cakes or chocolates. In addition, it is a chance to show their humorous wisdom rather than solely love.

The photo above describes a heart-shaped fried sticky rice cake a young man cut a sticky rice cake into a shape of heart and cooked to for his girlfriend. This gift is not expensive but original to express his sense of humour. Another man pushed humour a bit further by making a combo of these fried cakes. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Duck Massage

A new type of massage business arises in Vietnam, particularly near Phong Nha Cave, Quang Ninh Province. A 20-year man imitates this kind of business that has attracted many international tourists in Thailand.

He raises around 120 ducks in a farm, named Duck Heaven, where tourists come to hold feeds to feed ducks, ducks eat on their hand, giving a feeling of touches of their pecks. That's very interesting and relaxed.

For newcomers, the owner gives the instruction to them how to feed ducks. A Polish tourist has fed ducks for the first-ever, saying that she couldn't image hundreds of ducks approach her to eat that gives her an amazing experience.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Da Lat City was overcrowded during Tet

Da Lat City is a popular tourist attraction during The Lunar New Year as is blessed with a year-round cool climate. Annually the exodus of thousands of visitors to this city made all the hotels fully booked. This year, the local administration banned any vehicle with 16 seats and above from entering the Prenn Pass that sits in the southern entrance of Dalat in a bid of avoiding overcrowding in the city and massive traffic congestion.

However, a lot of tourists came to Dalat by motorbikes or personal cars, leading to a traffic jam in many main streets in the city. Around 1400 hotels and hostels were run out of books that made many tourists set up tents near Xuan Huong lake despite the temperature of 15 degrees Celsius.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

A Reverse Exodus After the Lunar New Year

Tet is one of the greatest traditional events in Vietnam. As usual, millions of city-dwellers left their city for their homeland before the Lunar New Year holiday that lasted more than one week. The photo depicts a huge reverse exodus from suburban to a city that created a massive traffic jam on the day before the one they will be back to work. Vehicle honks were produced loudly and repeatedly as buses, cars, container trucks stuck for hours so that many passengers were no longer patient and left their bus to walk rather than sitting in immobile buses.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Three tourist hotspots in Vietnam

The three cities, including Saigon, Hanoi and Ha Long, are respectively ranked 39th, 51st, and 53rd among the world's 100 travel destinations, says a Euromonitor International Report. This report predicts that Saigon is expected to host 5.8 million visitors this year, up to 5.9 per cent against a year earlier.

According to the Telegraph, Saigon has cracked various lists of top attractions for solo and retiree tourists due to cheap prices for backpackers. Following it, Hanoi will be anticipated to receive 4.6 million visitors this year. 

Flower Street

When another lunar new year is coming around the corner, Flower Street Nguyen Hue is established to celebrate a special traditional event that has attracted domestic and international visitors. The street is officially opened for the public on Feb 2, 2019. Thousands of people from every corner of the city poured in the street to admire characteristics of this year's flower display and to selfie to post their personal social media. The street named Ho Chi Minh is 720 metres long has a title "Stable steps to further advance".

Tet is an opportunity for the Vietnamese to gather such as a year-end party, new year party, and praying. Normally, those are a chance for people to drink. They encourage together to drink as much as possible, leading to traffic accidents due to getting drunk to drive.  In addition, the influence of drinking too much on these days may take the effect on their health later.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online