Century-old Dong Ba Market remains true to roots

Despite competition from modern supermarkets, Dong Ba Market in Hue City, in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, remains as bustling as ever.

Dong Ba Market in Hue City. – File photo 

"I don't feel that anything has changed because of the modern shopping trend. In fact, everything continues to go well," said Ngan Hanh, a conical hat vendor.

The 113-year-old market is a physical reminder of the former imperial capital's glory days. During the reign of Thanh Thai, the fifth king of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), Duoc Market - the biggest market in Hue City - merged with a smaller one near the citadel's Eastern Gate called Dong Ba.

The merger aimed to meet the growing demand of what was then the largest city in Vietnam.

"Hue was the royal capital city with a big population and many different occupations, including royal family members, mandarins, secretaries and soldiers," said cultural researcher Ho Tan Phan.

The market was rebuilt twice, in 1967 and in 1987. Today, it remains a city institution, as famous as Dong Xuan in Hanoi and Ben Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City and a fixture in many traditional songs, poems and paintings.

Visitors can find almost everything they need, from luxury watches imported from Europe to small bunches of cheap local herbs.

For Hue residents who typically buy groceries one day at a time and rarely buy produce that isn't local, the modern supermarkets that cropped up in the early 2000s are no replacement for the bustling wet market.

"Everyone who knows about Hue understands how carefully the locals, especially the older generations, select ingredients for a meal," said Nguyen Khoa Hoai Huong, chairwoman of the market's management board. "Dong Ba still meets their needs, so we're confident that the market can remain open and prosper."

Many Hue natives consider Dong Ba the best place to taste local specialties such as "bun bo Hue" (Hue beef noodle soup), "beo nam loc" (rice flour cakes) and "bun thit nuong" (vermicelli with grilled pork and herbs). The market also offers "che", a traditional dessert that can be made with anything from lotus seeds to sweet corn, taro and pomelo.

When school begins, children prepare for the new academic year by buying notebooks, new shoes and clothes at Dong Ba, while families and groups buy food for banquets and death anniversaries. During Lunar New Year, city residents and people from surrounding rural areas head to Dong Ba to buy their holiday items.

Tourists can find specialties and handicrafts from all over the province, including Tinh Tam lake lotus seeds, Hue sesame candy, Hue grapefruit, Hien Luong village scissors, Ke Mon jewellery, Sinh village paper and Thanh Tien Village paper flowers.

In 2008 and 2009, local authorities allotted half of its land to large supermarkets. But Dong Ba remains home to 2,700 stands, although the market's management board has made some changes to lure shoppers and tourists.

"We succeeded in getting sellers at Dong Ba to fix their price for each item. No more bargaining and price cheating here," Huong said.

Sellers are also required to have clear information on the origin of goods. The board has also invested in giving the market a local character. During special occasions like national holidays or the biennial Hue Festival, female vendors don traditional ao dai.

"It was my idea and it has really worked," Huong said. "Ladies told me that wearing +ao dai+ makes them act more elegantly and communicate in a more gentle way, which gives a nice impression to tourists."

Source: Vietnam Plus

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Ba Mun Island - green pearl in Bai Tu Long Bay

Located in Bai Tu Long Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, Ba Mun Island is one of the largest and most beautiful clusters of isles with the greatest abundance of flora in Bai Tu Long National Park.

Bai Tu Long National Park. – Photo: quangninh.gov.vn

It is also an extremely interesting destination for those who love adventure and nature.

It takes only 45 minutes on a high-speed boat from Cai Rong wharf in Van Don District to Ba Mun Island. The first impression tourists have when arriving at the island is pristine natural landscape with green forests embraced entirely by blue sea.

The east of the island (known locally as the “exterior”) is pummeled by strong waves with water spray launching tens of metres high, while the west (the “interior”) features tranquil scenery and calm water that ripples against the side of boats.

Ba Mun covers an area of about 1,800 hectares with diverse flora and fauna including rare and valuable species. The most prominent plants are Tram Do (Syzygium zeylanicum), as well as Lim (Erythrophleum fordii), Sen (Madhuca pasquieri) and Tau (Vatica fleuryana Tardieu).

It is notable that the Lan hai orchid (Cypripedioideae), which was mistakenly thought to be extinct a few years ago, still exists here. At present, this orchid species is found only in Lao Cai and Ba Mun.

Ba Mun has several rare species of animals, including the golden deer, which is still quite populous and the only population in northeast Vietnam. Golden deer often search for food at night. Therefore, it is hard to spot them during the day but visitors can see their footprints.

There are a lot of other species of animals such as antelope, monkeys, langurs and more, as well as sea and migratory birds. With its diverse fauna, Ba Mun Island is the largest wild animal reserve in the southeast region. For this reason, locals often call it “ Animal Island”.

On Ba Mun Island, there are seven large streams with unique names such as O Lon To (big pigsty) and O Lon Con (small pigsty), as well as Mieu Danh, Van Lau, Cao Lo streams, and Che flume. The water runs all year round and is very clean thanks to large coverage of the forest. This is a valuable source of fresh water amidst the vast sea.

Travelling to Ba Mun, tourists can explore on their own, following some natural trails on the island or patrol routes serving forest management. It takes at least 3 days to complete a tour of Ba Mun Island and 5 hours if going around the island by motorboat.

The island has a wildlife rescue centre belonging to the Bai Tu Long National Park. Tourists can contact the centre in case they need any support.

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Phuoc Tich ancient village fails to lure tourists

The 600-year-old village of Phuoc Tich in central Thua Thien Hue Province has lost half its natural beauty according to locals, and the rest is under threat from road and dyke works.

New roads and dykes have been blamed for ruining the natural beauty of Phuoc Tich Village in Hue.

Many even complain that the replacement of a grass road with bricks has changed the view of the village. "The brick road gives the feeling of a northern village and is unfamiliar to us," one said.

Hoang Tan Minh, head of Phuoc Phu, one of the two hamlets in the village, said the 1.5km road through the village was tiled with bricks in 2007.

Recently, authorities from Phong Dien District built a dyke on the bank of O Lau River, which borders one side of the village. The work destroyed the village's bamboo forest and ended the use of many jetties along the river.

Cultural researchers and locals raised their voice and authorities apologised for the carelessness, but at that time the work was almost finished.

Meanwhile, many villagers are upset at rules that prevent them from repairing their houses unless it is done in the old style.

They say they cannot be bothered about tourism, because little of it has happened anyway.

"Only one group of visitors has paid a visit to our village, so no one can live on promises," said Nguyen Thi Khanh Ly, co-host of the 200-year old homes with wooden pillars and beams (nha ruong) owned by Nguyen Duy Thanh.

Locals feel the village has little service to offer visitors. "It is not enough for tourists. Visitors can only see old nha ruong," said Le Trong Dao, another villager.

The general dissatisfaction has led experts to warn that eventually, residents will modify their houses according to their own desires.

Last year, the Viet Nam Institute of Arts and Culture Studies in Hue worked with the Belgian Wallonie Heritage Institute to preserve old houses and a traditional kiln. But, unfortunately, the pottery products could not find a market.

According to Nguyen Thang Long, a researcher at the institute, getting locals involved is crucial for maintaining the operation of the kiln.

He said that when they saw economic benefits from the kiln, their attitudes would change.

The village is about 50km far from Hue City on the national highway route leading to Ha Noi. It was classified as national heritage in 2009, after the recognition of old Duong Lam Village in Ha Noi.

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Wildlife trek in jungle offers both challenges and rewards

The adventurers first laid their boots on the soft jungle soil by 7.30am and before long the first challenge for them was set. How to cross a fast running stream without the use of a bridge?

Quick flow: Crossing a stream with a temporary bridge made from a tree trunk challenged the young trekkers.

Local guides and porters cut down a tree to build a temporary overpass, and the trek into Kon Ka Kinh National Park continued on.

"A log bridge replete with a handrail made by creepers allowed us to venture into the otherwise inaccessible jungle and return home safely." said local guide Dinh Khanh Toan.

"Streams run very fast in flood season and it makes for a dangerous crossing. Local porters, who are from the ethnic Ba Na group, are experienced with jungle trips, and we really need them for the trip, there are four streams to cross on the trek," Toan said.

"It's a bit nerve wracking crossing the temporary bridge. However, I slowly passed the first stream with help from local guide and porters," said a team member Nguyen Quang Sang.

Jungle adventure

K'Bang District in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai was the starting point for a jungle adventure that Sang and a group of 20 young people took. They trekked three days and two nights into the lush forest home of some fabulous wildlife.

The trippers could see some endangered primates – gray-shanked douc langurs – and other local wildlife living in the area.

"You can see wild boar, reptiles, Tibetan bear and deer. However, tigers have not been seen in the area for years," Sang said.

The group spent a day at the headquarters of park, 70km away from the district, in preparation for the jungle trekking. They then took a van from K'Bang District – the closest drop-off point to the park's centre.

They had on hand all necessary belongings for the adventure; food, sleeping bags, leggings, bush-whackers, hammocks, compasses and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers as well as some specialist equipment carried by the ranger.

The team, now swollen with the addition of local porters hired to carry some of the food, equipment and cooking tools, started the journey very early in the morning.

The van approached Ha Dung village, the team then took a 30-minute motorbike taxi drive to the trekking starting point because the 10km drive in is inaccessible to cars.

"The first few kilometres of the trek did not give us trouble as the terrain was quite low and easy. We walked with a fast pace through the first section of the forest," Sang said.

On the first day the team stopped by the second stream for lunch after a four hours trek. They quickly prepared a lunch of rice balls and canned food for a quick meal in 30 minutes.

"I had the first experience with unfamiliar and uncomfortable conditions away from home. It's very important to make a team line-up and follow discipline, if trailing behind in the jungle you could miss the trail," said tripper Hoang Duy.

"It's the first jungle trip for all of us, so the local guide and porters instructed us carefully during the trek," Duy said, adding that life in jungle is not easy.

It got dark in jungle in the late afternoon and the guide decided to make camp on a flat ground near the stream.

"The jungle trippers set a tent near a water source for the night's stay because they needed water to cook and wash. Anyway, trekking along the stream will lead us to the last stop or help us to find the way home in case you lose your way," said Sac, a Ba Na ethnic man.

"However, compass and GPS receivers will assist trippers when exploring the jungle. But we could see the stars (the Great Bear) to help us navigate in the right direction," the 27-year-old added.

The team took an hour to seek firewood to cook and keep warm at night as well as making preparations to prevent animals approaching.

Barbecue blaze: The adventurers on the trekking tour loved eating grilled meat.

Pork and chicken are a favourite for grilled dishes in jungle when it's very cold at night.

"It's quick to prepare dinner. Each member was assigned to make a dish for the wildlife lover's party. We roasted pork, chicken and cooked rice in a bamboo-tube over an open fire," said Hoang Thanh Huyen.

"Porters also carried in some jars of wine – a specialty drink of Ba Na ethnic group – in the Central Highlands region. We danced around the fire and had a very nice party," Huyen said.

"We have never had such exciting time in the jungle before," Huyen enthused.

"Sleeping bags were the best choice for avoiding mosquitoes. It keeps us warm when it's wet in the deep damp jungle," Huyen added.

The team slept in hammocks tied between trees under a canopy made of trees, leaves and some canvas.

Top of the rock

After having breakfast the next morning, the adventurers spent the second day climbing to a height of 1,400m above the sea level to the stand upon the White Rock precipice, the highest peak of the national park.

The trippers left heavy luggage at the camp because of the slopping paths, only food, snacks and water were brought for a spectacular lunch on the top of the rock.

"We were tired on the second day because of tough terrain. The path was not so long, but uphill gradient slowed our pace," Tran Ai Tam, the team leader said.

"We had to clear the way with bush-whackers, while others of us were sidelined to pick leeches out of our legs and hands," Tam said.

"The jungle has very high humidity and numerous animals living in it so it is a suitable environment for terrestrial leeches. However, the trippers use chemical sprayers or bag of salt to prevent leeches from sucking their blood," Tam, who has years of jungle experience, explained.

Tam said that climbing 400m up to the top of White Rock from the camp used up much time and power. The mount finally came into sight after five hours trailing up sloping terrain.

Sac, the local guide, said the mount gives an overview of the park when it's clear and sunny. They spent an hour enjoying lunch on the rock then the team returned to the camp.

On the second night the campfire party was fed left-overs of roasted pork, beef and chicken from the previous night.

"We could not store raw meat, so we cooked it all well for the second night dinner," said local guide, Phinh.

The team returned to the starting point by the next morning.

Local guide Toan suggested how to go about taking the tour. He also stressed that all trippers are prohibited from hunting or taking flora and fauna from the park.

"You should take a bus to Mang Yang District to book package tour in the park. Local guides and porters are available for days and nights trekking in jungle. Each porter asks only VND100,000 for a full day service, while a meal will be VND100,000 each," Toan said, adding entrance ticket costs VND80,000.

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In pictures: Romantic Yen Spring in the water lily season

When it comes to the Huong pagoda, people often refer to Yen Stream crowded with boats and pilgrims, boisterous voices but the scenery is different here in the fall.

The hectic and crowded atmosphere of the Huong pagoda festival is no more. The Yen Stream becomes peaceful and more romantic with tranquil space and blooming water lilies.

Without pilgrims, the stream is quiet.

The landscape looks like a water-color painting.

Water lilies usually bloom brightly in the morning and again in the afternoon.

The lilies are also picked as vegetables.

The clear water.

When the stream is not too crowded with tourists, the ducks dominate the stream.

The Hoi Bridge crosses the stream quietly.

Standing on the bridge, you can zoom out far away.

Some locals catch fish on the stream.

Many photographers traveled from Saigon to here just to take some pictures. This season, sometimes you just see a boat carrying travelers visiting the Perfume Pagoda, mostly foreigners and southerners.

The people indulge in tobacco smoke in small boats, ducks swim around... Specifically, you will be immersed in the colors of autumn and the bright color of lilies stretching across the stream. 

 

The autumn scene with clear waters, the deciduous trees is great for couples to take wedding photography.

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Hanoi, Saigon among world's cheapest cities for budget travelers in 2014

Priceoftravel website has published a list of the cheapest destinations in the world, including Hanoi and HCM City of Vietnam.

Hanoi ranks second in the list.

Recently, Priceoftravel published a list of the cheapest and most expensive cities in the world for backpackers in 2014.

The cheapest city is Pokahara of Nepal with an average cost of $14.32 per day. Hanoi ranked second with $15.88/day. Chiang Mai of Thailand came third with a total cost of $17.66/day.

Goa, India ranked fourth with $18.25 and HCM City came fifth with $18.27, followed by Kathmandu of Nepal ($18.46), Vientiane of Laos, Delhi of India, Luang Prabang of Laos and Bangkok of Thailand.

Priceoftravel also announced the most expensive cities for budget travelers, including Zurich of Switzerland ($122.22/day), Stockholm of Sweden ($109.69), Oslo of Norway, Interlaken of Switzerland, Venice of Italy, New York, London, Caracas of Venezuela, Helsinki of Finland and Copenhagen of Denmark.

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Vietnam eyes sustainable tourism

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's tourism industry hosted 6.9 million foreign and 32.5 million domestic tourists in the first 10 months of the year, the Conference on Responsible Tourism Policy heard yesterday.

Viet Nam's tourism industry hosted 6.9 million foreign and 32.5 million domestic tourists in the first 10 months of the year.— Photo binhdinh

The event aims to contribute to more intensive implementation of sustainable and responsible policy measures in tourism development and operation.

It also aims to stimulate public-private dialogue in policy design and to spread the incentives for tourism development at the provincial and destination level.

The director of the Viet Nam National Tourism Administration (VNAT), Nguyen Van Tuan, said the sector had a 10 per cent growth in comparison with the same period last year, earning a total of VND165 trillion (US$7.9 billion).

"We are expecting that the industry will reach its target two years ahead with a record of 7.4 million foreign and 35 million domestic tourists arriving by the end of this year," Tuan said.

"However, the tourism industry still faces big challenges of competitiveness and sustainable growth" he said.

The conference was organised by the European Union-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme (ESRT), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and VNAT.

The collaborative effort has drawn over 200 policy makers, tourism industry managers and professionals representing national and provincial organisations into discussions on how to ensure more intensive and efficient tourism development in Viet Nam.

Participants will discuss measures and instruments for responsible policy development, comparative practice implementation and experiences, internationally recognised labels for environmentally friendly tourism businesses, safe coasts, accessible resorts, energy saving hotels and tourist capacities.

Deputy Head of the EU to Viet Nam's co-operation and development section Bryan Fornari said tourism has become a key industry in Viet Nam with growing number of tourists.

Viet Nam has seen a sharp rise in tourism real estate investments during the economic downturn in spite of the otherwise stagnant property and construction market.

According to VNAT, over 4,300 new rooms have been opened in Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hue, Nha Trang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Nghe An over the past 10 months.

"According to our survey, a tourist in [northern] Quang Ninh province stays one night and spends only $30 a day, while a Russian tourist could pay $2,000 for their 20-day vacation in [central] Phan Thiet," he added.

"Hon Tre Island in [central] Nha Trang alone earned VND1.2 trillion ($57 million) – a third of total revenue of Quang Ninh province," he said.

He said good quality tourism services would draw investment into Viet Nam, but developing a responsible tourism policy is a huge challenge that needs involvement of ministries, agencies and local administrations.

He said that the industry also faces a tough competition from Thailand and Cambodia.

The VNAT's director, Tuan, said the country's tourism industry will focus on quality and branding rather than overheated growth which brought unstable and unbalanced development to local communities.

It also needs appropriate solutions on how to balance between growth and traditional culture; conservation as well as financial benefits for the community, agencies, ministries and businesses.

He blamed the chaos of hydro-power plant planning and coal-mining exploitation for destroying some destinations, and mentioned other issues affecting the overall industry.

"Negative images of street vendors, overstating the price of services in some places have damaged the tourism industry here.

"Shortages of skilled workers in hospitality and high-quality service also drawback the development of tourism industry," he said.

"We should keep an eye on how to improve the quality service and the brand name of destinations rather than hosting record number of tourists."

The central Quang Nam province is home of two UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites.

Here, My Son Sanctuary, and Hoi An City with world biosphere reserve Cham Islands, have been successful in promoting sustainable tourism.

The unique cultural relics found in the 2,000-year-old Cham monuments and its associated cultural festivals, folk songs and games, cuisine and food are another draw card in the area.

A survey showed that 27 per cent of international tourists come to explore the culture and history of the heritage in the province.

Industry growth in the province rose by 40 per cent during 2006-11, with arrivals to Quang Nam totalling 2.8 million last year.

Source: VNS

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