Bouquet Wrapping with Leaves

A florist shop in Saigon has just switched plastic package to leaves, called dong, that has drawn the attention of customers, especially, eco-friendly buyers who want to boycott the plastic package. Once reading the use of leaves to wrap flowers on a newspaper, the owner decided to use dong which are leaves to be used to wrap sticky rice cakes. The initiative is to raise awareness of environmental friendliness and meet the expectation of "green" clients.

The leave wrapping, in fact, lowers the cost of flower boutiques less three times than the one of plastic as leaves are cheap. In addition, the bright green of dong enhances the beauty of flowers as you see in the above photo.

Recently, many outlets in Vietnam such as Co.op Mart, Big C and a lot of use leaves to wrap their products that have received many appraisals as well as positive feedbacks of their clients. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Newspaper

The Fist Visit by a train of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un to Vietnam.

In a visit and summit in Vietnam with US President Donald Trump, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un took an over-60-hour train from Pyongyang via China to Dong Dang Railway. The train arrived in this railway station, Lang Son Province, at 8:00 a.m. with a warm and wholehearted welcome by the Vietnamese.

Chairman Kim appreciated the well-organised and enthusiastic reception of Vietnam. His visit plays an important role in the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and North Korea. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

A Nude Couple posed for a nude photo in Dalat City

Some shots of a nude couple have recently raised both eyebrow and praise of Facebook users. This couple posed for photos in woods and a lake whose environment prove that it is Dalat City, a must-visit tourist attraction in the Central Highland of Vietnam.

Many believe that it is an art collection of photos and does not defence the customs as both of them took photos in deserted places far away from crowded areas. They highly appreciate the artistic aesthetics of this shoot that happens in misty setting and romantic environment. However, some criticize these photos as they consider that it is a shame for a tourist country.

Up to now, the identity of this couple is unknown and the studio that realised this album remain quiet.

The photograph courtesy of Thanh Nien News

Hoi An Town ranks among the cheapest destinations in the world.

Hoi An Town is one of three destinations in Vietnam which rank among the cheapest destinations in the world for backpackers according to the 2019 backpacker index designed by the Price of Travel, the world's largest database of travel costs. The other two are Hanoi and Saigon whose minimum cost are $18.29, and $19.47 respectively, meanwhile Hoi An Town is $21.2.

Hoi An Town inherits the culture and culture of China, Japan and Europe and was a South East Asian commercial port dating back the 15th to the 19th century. Nowadays, it is a tourist attraction where the 21th-century curse of air pollution and traffic congestion is absent. The town only takes a tourist some hours to visit but they enjoy specialties of the middle Vietnam gastronomy and unique constructions.  

One thing about Hoi An Town you should know if Hoi An is in your planned trip is that Hoi An has no airport and railway station. The only way to go to Hoi An is a means of the vehicle. You can take a taxi from a neighbouring city Da Nang where there are daily flights from major airports in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Hoi An offers many sorts of accommodation that suit your pocket and style. 

The photograph courtesy of Thanh Nien Online

A Must-Eat dish before leaving Hanoi: Cha Ca

During the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un. It was a media-attracted event to find a solution for the peace on the Korean peninsula. That is a reason why all eyes were on Hanoi and drew the attention of many foreign visitors and reporters to come to Hanoi. They have an opportunity to enjoy such delicious Vietnamese signature dishes that CNN advises not to leave Vietnam if not yet eating these dishes.

One of Vietnam's specialities is Cha Ca (Fried Catfish Dish). The name of the dish has an interesting origin. It takes after the name of a street. In the Old Quarter in Hanoi streets are named after vocation or trade they host. In reality, this food is not only favourite in northern Vietnam but most of the regions in Vietnam. In Cha Ca Street sits a restaurant, named La Vong, which only serves this kind of gastronomy.

The ingredients include catfish, dill, onion, turmeric and galangals. First of all, fish squares are marinated with turmeric and some additives, then they are fried in a pan and tossed with dill, onion and galangals. Last, it is served and added with herb, peanut, hot chillies and vermicelli. 

The photograph courtesy of VN Express

You may not know a hidden cave near Dalat City

Da Lat is noted as a romantic city that is a must-visit resort town on holidays for local visitors. One thing that regular tourists may not discover is a hidden cave at the foot of Thac Voi (Elephant Waterfall). It is Hang Gio (Wind Cave) whose entry was formed by rough-hewn steps meandering under the canopy of big trees. Its entrance, at some points, is narrow enough for one person to get in at a time, creeping at foot of ancient trees.

A reason that people don't see the cave is it is covered in spray when visiting Thac Voi whose name originated from a legend of love. A love story is about the daughter of a village chief who had fallen in love with a son of another village chief. Their love affairs happened in wartime, thus a man had to join the army to fight against evaders. Unfortunately, a man died in a battle that made a girl got distressed and sang sorrowful songs. She kept singing until her last breath. A herd of elephants heard this voice day and night and turned stone once her voice disappeared. A sudden explosion broke a mountain into two and a strong source of water fell off.

A photograph courtesy of VN Express

Saigon's Heritage Site

According to architectural experts and researchers, many cultural and architectural heritage sites in Vietnam are in dire need of preservation. In a forum that took place in an event named Saigon Pho, literally translated as "Saigon Street", many ideas referred to the protection of these architectural landmarks.

The Saigon riverbank is considered as a landmark that reflects a historical dependence upon a river. Something should be done to stand out the old and new neighbourhoods on both sides of a river.

In Saigon, many iconic French colonial heritage sites like Saigon Post Office, Le Hong Phong High School, Headquarters of Saigon Branch of the State Bank, and Municipal Theatre that are in dire upkeep.  

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Lantern Festival or Tet Nguyen Tieu

After a lunar new year comes the Lantern Festival or Tet Nguyen Tieu that the Chinese community organises activities such as lantern hanging in streets or union processions. The Lantern Festival takes place on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to mark the first full moon of a year. It is one of the biggest celebrations in South East Asian countries that include Vietnam.

On this day, district 5 in Ho Chi Minh City is a hub of activities. Thousands of people flock to pagodas or buddhist temples to pray for happiness, prosperity, and longevity. While other festival goers pour out into streets to enjoy dragon procession in colorful streets. Some people are clad in clothes of famous characters in Chinese novel in a "Journey to West".

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

The Second Kim and Trump Summit in Hanoi

One week earlier a schedule of the summit, Hanoi is poised for a high profile meeting between two state heads of the USA and North Korea. The second historic meeting in less than one year will take place on February 27 and 28. Before those dates, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft landed at International Airport Noi Bai to carry a chopper and other equipments to serve this visit of President Trump.

Following the preparation is a contingent of foreign journalists of news agencies and media outlets who want to capture the celebration of this summit. On down streets in the capital, workers are planting trees and putting up banners and flags, creating an impressive atmosphere of a big event.

The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel and Government Guest House in Hanoi are supposed to be the accommodation of two leaders, thus, the measure of security is tightened.

A barber's shop in Hanoi provides a free cutting for those who want to copy President Trump or Chairman Kim's distinctive locks.

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

"Lights off, ideas on" Campaign in Vietnam

The campaign "Lights off, ideas on" started from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm in Hanoi to encourage millions people across the country to turn off the electricity for one hour to join a worldwide environmentally friendly event on March 30.

The campaign is to raise awareness of individuals, communities, and businesses on environmental issues to switch off the power usage for one hour, named Earth Hour, which was launched in Sydney in 2007 by Worldwide Fund for Nature, and becomes an annual event organised in 187 countries and 7000 big and small cities all over the world.

Vietnam held the 11th edition of Earth Hour at Indochina Hotel in Hanoi, with presence of many celebraties such as Vietnamese star footballers, models and television anchors. 

As an ambassador of Earth Hour 2019, Miss Phuong Khanh (a person on an above photo) worked with many local communities in environmentally friendly activities, including reducing the usage of plastic bags, sorting garbage, turning off unnecessary power usage.

The world-acclaimed event has been observed in 2009 by Vietnam's Government that demonstrates the interest and concern of the government and its people in this regard. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre News

Vietnamese Egg Coffee

During the summit between two state leaders of US President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, international reporters of news agencies and media outlets had many opportunities to discover Vietnam's gastronomy. One of them that has spellbound coffee drinkers is Vietnamese egg coffee.

Ingredients of an egg coffee include:

• 1 egg
• Tree teaspoons of Vietnamese coffee powder (Vietnamese coffee powder is available on Amazon
• 2 teaspoons of sweetened-condensed milk
• Boiling water

How to make it.

1. Make a cup of Vietnamese coffee
2. Crack an egg and discard the white
3. Put the yolk and sweetened-condensed milk in a deep bowl and whisk vigorously until you end up with a frothy, fluffy mixture like the one above. Add a tablespoon of coffee you make in and whisk it.

Hanoi Turns charming with red and yellow leaves

Hanoi turns attractive in the eyes of local people and tourists as well in mid-February. Most trees along streets in Hanoi, namely Bang (Terminalia catappa), Loc Vung (Barringtonia acutangula), and Bang Lang (Giant Crapte myrtle), usually shred leaves during this time. Earlier this duration, leaves turn red or yellow, that catch the attraction of people as the falling of leaves creates a scenic and romanic beauty on walksides and roadways. Some of citizen are clad in traditional dress (Ao Dai) to selfie to post on their personal social media. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre Online

Moments of Spring

This is one of the selections of photo describing activities before the Lunar New Year holidays across Vietnam. Farmers spend hours watering flowers to sell city dwellers to decorate their houses on these traditional holidays. The photo depicts a farm in a village of flowers in southern Vietnam that is open to the public on the first days of the lunar new year. 

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Moss-Covered Rocks

Normally moss covers something to make them old, dirty or disgust feeling while a set of moss-covered rocks sitting in a seashore of the central Vietnamese city Da Nang brings to local youngsters interest in finding out their impressive Instagram photos.

Nam O Beach is emerging as a  new "check-in point" for young backpackers to discover rocks alongside the beach, covered with moss. This state starts after the Lunar New Year came to an end last week. An interesting thing is that moss-covered rocks are not slippery as one may think but they are soft to touch. According to some experienced tourists, a good time to visit this area is the early sunrise when the tide is low and rocks rise above water under sunshine. At that time, the landscape seems to have a pristine beauty of unspoiled nature and the green colour of moss catches the attraction of viewers. 

The photograph courtesy of Tuoi Tre News

"Napalm Girl" was awarded German peace prize.

Behind Ms Phuc, Phan Thi Kim, clad in a Vietnamese tradition dress, is a black and white photo by American-Vietnamese photographer Ut, Huynh Cong, with nickname Nick Ut. A photo described a naked girl running and screaming after being burned in a napalm bomb attack on June 8, 1972. The girl is Phuc. One year later, this piece of art won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photograph.

Back to Phuc, 55, now living in Canada, she has devoted her life in a humanitarian path to providing medical and psychological assistance to child victims of war. With her great contribution to global peace and relief for children maimed by war, Phuc received a the prize as a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO with a cash award of 10,000 euros.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

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