Snack food in Hanoi: less is more

With the fast approach of winter in town, most Hanoi lovers are seeking new places for snack food and their most iconic wintry dishes are nem chua ran (fried fermented pork), banh mi thit xien (grilled pork with toast), or banh chuoi (fried banana cake).

The best food shops in Hanoi are tucked away in very small places, or on really narrow stretches of pavement. It is a common thing to see formally dressed gentlemen sitting in low chairs for their breakfast bowl of pho—an interesting Hanoi eating style. But we are not talking about pho or bun cha, since these great dishes have been introduced to the world many times over. This beautiful city has a lot more to offer those who want to eat like a local.

Pieces of Nem chua are peeled from their banana leaf wrappings, skewered on bamboo, and grilled over charcoal. Customers sit on plastic chairs while eating and watch the bustle of the streets. The spicy, sour, sweet, and peppery flesh tastes especially apt in winter’s freezing air. This dish is especially popular among teenagers, who are lucky enough to remain undaunted by its somewhat oily nature. Two very popular addresses for nem chua ran are along the very narrow Tạm Thuong (Hang Bong street) and the areas around Nha Chung.

The second dish on my list of favourites is thit xien nuong. The hot meal is typically authentic Vietnamese fast food, easily found in Quang Trung or Ta Quang Buu Street. If you have a chance to visit the Quang Trung location in the afternoon, you should not be surprised by the crowds enjoying their snack food. Fresh and lean pork is grilled until it becomes soft and aromatic. It is a perfect match with toast and pickles.

Unlike the savoury nem chua ran and thit xien nuong, the banh chuoi delivers crispy banana-scented sweetness. The banh chuoi is a popular Vietnamese dessert recipe. Its main ingredients include banana, oil (or fat), and flour (usually wheat flour), as well as salt, sugar, eggs, honey, or butter. It is easily found in the Old Quarter or even made at home.

These three dishes celebrate the purity of simplicity in the quintessential style of Northern Vietnam. They’re a delicious fast track to much-needed winter warmth, and once you sample even a little, you will always return for more. So goes the saying “less is more”.

People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province has ratified the proposal that has been jointly prepared by the Quang Ninh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Vietnam Airlines to hold the Halong week 2012 for the first time. This will be a significant event boosting the image of Quang Ninh tourism.

Accordingly, People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province has assigned this department to sign the cooperation agreement with Vietnam Airlines to draw organizing plan for this event which will take place on November 27th – 30th. There will be a series of activities focusing on the European tourist market.

The organizing board will undertake some of the surveys on tourism products on Halong bay, tourism spots on the bay, and a tourism workshop will be held with the participation of the representatives from travel agencies, tourism enterprises, as well as European reporters.

(Source: Quang Ninh Newspaper)

History of the name “Halong Bay”

The Dutch Government has decided to invest in the newly completed Life Heritage Resort Ha Long Bay, with the goal of generating sustainable job opportunities for Vietnamese in the tourism sector.

Life Heritage Resort Halong Bay, the four-star resort, which celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 4, 2011, is a collaborative venture between the owners of Life Resorts Vietnam and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Private Sector Investment Programme (PSI).

Established to provide financial support to groundbreaking investment projects in emerging markets, the PSI currently sponsors the progress of numerous small business and rural enterprises around the globe.

“Our main goal in joining resources with Life Resort Ha Long Bay is to have a positive impact on sustainable economic development by offering job opportunities and valuable training that we hope will translate into higher incomes for the local people,” said Mrs. Saskia Jongma, member of the board of NL EVD International, which is implementing the PSI.

Life Heritage Resort Ha Long Bay marks the PSI’s first major cooperative project in Vietnam, as well as its first foray into assisting the country’s tourism industry.

Following more than half a year of on-the-job staff training, Life Heritage Resort Ha Long Bay sailed the first of its fleet on overnight cruises last October.

(Source: CPV)

The world’s renowned travel guide, the Lonely Planet, has rated Vietnam ’ Mekong Delta region ninth out of the 10 best value destinations for 2012.

Vietnam ’s rice basket, the Mekong Delta is a watery landscape of green fields and sleepy villages, everywhere crisscrossed by the brown canals and rivulets fed by the mighty Mekong River ,” the Lonely Planet said in its website

The inhabitants of this region – friendly and easygoing people – have long toiled on the life-sustaining river, with the fruits of their labour depending on natures cycles that govern the waterways.

The delta, which produces enough rice to supply the domestic market and a sizable surplus, was formed by sediment deposited by the Mekong River over many years. The process continues today, with silt deposits extending the shoreline by as much as 80m per year. The river is so large that it has two daily tides.

Lush with rice paddies and fish farms, this delta also nourishes the cultivation of sugarcane, fruit, coconuts and shrimp.

Although the area is primarily rural, it is one of the most densely populated regions in Vietnam and nearly every hectare is intensively farmed.

“The uniquely southern charm with its welcoming introduction to life along the river is the real draw, and visitors can explore quaint riverside towns, sample fruits bartered in the colourful floating markets or dine on home-cooked delicacies before overnighting as a homestay guest,” it said.

Other highlights include visits to local orchards, flower markets and fish farms. There are also bird sanctuaries, beach getaways and impressive Khmer pagodas in the region.

In addition to highlighting the Mekong Delta as one of the tope ten best destinations, the travel guide also said that Vietnam is always a good value destination for tourists.

The nine other top destinations include the northeast of the US , San Francisco , Japan , Tajikistan , Porto in Portugal , Lesotho in southern Africa, Iquitos in Peru , Ohrid in Macedonia and Merida , Mexico .

Earlier, the US Tourism Association (USTOA) named Vietnam as top destination for 2012.

(Source: VNA)

Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, announced the New7Wonders Foundation on November 12 after the first count of global voting ended a day earlier.

In alphabetical order, the seven winners are the Amazon, Ha Long Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River and Table Mountain.

The New7Wonders of Nature campaign have been carried out over the past four years, starting with more than 440 locations from about 220 countries.

The New7Wonders of Nature have been chosen from the 28 finalist candidates, according to Bernard Weber, founding president of Switzerland-based New7Wonders Foundation.

According to the foundation, the results are provisional and based on the first tally of votes. The votes still need to be checked, validated and independently verified.

Once the voting validation process is complete, in early 2012, New7Wonders will then work with the confirmed winners to organize the official inauguration events.

The foundation also noted that it is possible that one or more of the provisional winners will not be confirmed during the validation process. New7Wonders will issue a media update if that occurs.

“When the New7Wonders of Nature are confirmed, they will join the man-made New 7 Wonders of the World in becoming part of global memory for humankind forever,” Weber said.

Ha Long Bay is located in the northern province of Quang Ninh. It features thousands of limestone karsts and isles of various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120-kilometer long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometers in size, with 1969 islets.

Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Others support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks.

Another feature of Ha Long Bay is its abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands. For example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

Source: Thanh Nien News

Halong Bay has received a certificate to participate in the final round of voting for the honour of being named as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Bernard Weber, Chairman of the New Open World organisation, which is hosting the vote, handed over the certificate to Quang Ninh province on Sept. 27.

Weber said Halong Bay’s natural beauty made a strong impression on him the first time he visited the site. He also promised to vote for Halong to become a new natural wonder of the world.

According to Pham Minh Chinh, Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee Secretary, many methods for voting will be utilised in the final stages, including via SMS message.

He said Quang Ninh province will invest in tourism infrastructure and services and take measures to protect the environment in Halong Bay with the aim of turning the site into an attractive destination for domestic and foreign visitors.

The final result of the voting campaign for the New 7 Wonders of the World will be officially announced on November 1.