Posted by admin on February 17, 2011 under Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News | 
(VOV) – A special festival, Red Spring 2011, will take place at My Dinh National Stadium on February 20 for volunteers to donate an estimated 5,000 units of blood for humanitarian purposes.
About 20,000 people are expected to register for donation, said Dr Nguyen Anh Tri, Head of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.
The event is expected to alleviate the serious scarcity of blood after the Lunar New Year festival, when many students and young people return to their homes from big cities.
This year’s festival will have more participants than the last, Mr Tri said, adding that many buses will be used to pick up donors.
The festival has become an annual socially significant event.
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on February 16, 2011 under Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
The fourth Traditional Craft Villages Festival 2011, themed “Vietnamese kitchen in Hue’s garden”, will be held from April 30 – May 3 to highlight the culinary and beverage culture, and bonsai.
This was announced by the Hue Municipal People’s Committee on February 14.
The event will be organised in three areas at Ngo Mon Square (Noon Gate), Dai Noi (Royal Palace) and the Huong (Perfume) River bank.
Notably, the southern special dishes made from chicken, pig, rice and snails, as well as songs and dances will be performed at the festival.
This festival will introduce the bonsai across the country and open two showrooms about antiques from eating and drinking culture.
The Traditional Craft Villages Festival 2011 will popularize Thua Thien-Hue province and Hue city in particular to domestic and foreign friends.
Source: VOVnews
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on February 11, 2011 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
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| People in traditional costumes prepare for a buffalo to do the first furrow at Tich Dien Festival in Ha Nam Province on Wednesday – Photo: Hoang Ha |
In Vietnamese folk culture, there is a saying: ‘Thang gieng la thang an choi (The first lunar month is the month to play and enjoy the festive time). In Lunar January everywhere around the country is buzzing with traditional cultural festivities. Typical of a wet rice civilization, Vietnamese people believe that when spring comes, the fun of harvest time also comes. People spend time with family, worship their ancestors and the gods of heaven and earth and go on a pilgrimage to the pagodas to pray for happiness, prosperity and luck for the whole year. That’s why traditional festivals bloom during this most beautiful season of the year. Here are some festivals happening during the first lunar month.
Huong Pagoda Festival
The Huong Pagoda Festival which opened on Feb. 8 (the sixth day of the first lunar month) in Hanoi’s outskirt district of My Duc, so far has attracted over 15,000 Buddhist pilgrims and tourists. The festival’s organizing committee and tourists planted five sakura trees donated by Japanese monk Yoshimizu Dai Chi at Tam Bao garden in Thien Tru Pagoda.
The Huong Pagoda Festival is the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam, lasting three spring months. It welcomes more than 1 million pilgrims and tourists each year. Nearly 200 high-quality boats have been added to the fleet of more than 4,000 boats to serve tourists during this year’s festival. While drifting on the river, tourists can enjoy traditional music shows.
A poetry night named “Tam Xuan” (the soul of spring) will be organized next Wednesday (Feb. 16 or the 14th day of the first lunar month), a Buddhist Culture Week and a Buddhist antique exhibition will start on Feb. 19. The highlight of the culture week is a ceremony to float flower garlands and colored lanterns on the Yen Stream featuring 2011 lotuses. The Huong Pagoda Festival runs until the end of March.
Dong Da, Soc Temple and Co Loa festivals in Hanoi
The culturally rich capital boasts over 100 festivals. The Dong Da Festival on the fifth day of the first lunar month (February 7) commemorates the battle of Emperor Quang Trung against invaders of the Qing dynasty. The highlight of the festival is a Fire Dragon dance. A group of young men wearing close-fitted white clothes, with red stripes and belts, and blue puttees, raise the dragon to their heads and perform the dance of the “hovering dragon.” Additionally, there are traditional martial arts, unicorn dancing, dragon dancing, wrestling, human chess, cock fighting and religious rites.
The Soc Temple Festival on the seventh day of the first lunar month (February 9) commemorates Thanh Giong, one of the four immortal gods of Vietnamese folk culture. People from eight communes in six districts around the Soc Temple gather to celebrate the offering ceremony to pay tribute to Thanh Giong. After being acknowledged as the intangible cultural world heritage in 2011 by UNESCO, the festival has gained much attention from local people and both domestic and foreign tourists. Catherine Muller, head of the representative office of UNESCO in Vietnam, told the Vietnam News Agency at the opening day that she appreciates the community spirit of the festival and this ancient festival has been well restored and promoted.
The Co Loa Festival from the sixth to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month (from February 8 to 18) at Co Loa Commune in Dong Anh District commemorates King An Duong Vuong who came to the throne in 257 BC. Local and neighboring people join in an offering ceremony in eight communes and enjoy various entertainment activities like traditional wrestling, volleyball, human chess, love duets, water puppetry, cock fighting, swinging and rice cooking among others.
Tich Dien Festival in Ha Nam
Locals and tourists on Wednesday (the seventh day of the first lunar month) flocked to Doi Son Commune, Duy Tien District in Ha Nam Province to celebrate the Tich Dien Festival (field ploughing festival) to commemorate the first ploughing festival since the year of 987 under the reign of king Le Dai Hanh. During the festival people participated in both cultural and sports activities like volleyball contest, swinging game, foot bridge challenge and tug of war among others. The highlight of the event was 15 big buffalos ploughing a field.
Lim and Ba Chua Kho festivals in Bac Ninh
The province has the Lim Festival, a famous folk music festival, from the 11th to the 13th day of the first lunar month. People come to enjoy the festival and see the performances of “lien anh” and “lien chi” (male and female farmers) who sing quan ho (love duets) and other types of songs in the pagodas, on the hills, and in the boats. Moreover there’s a weaving competition for girls who weave and sing quan ho songs at the same time. The Lim Festival also includes all the ritual stages, from the procession to the worshipping ceremony. The Lim Festival is a special cultural activity in the North. The festival celebrates the “Quan Ho” folk song which was recognized as Vietnam Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.
Ba Chua Kho Festival which will be held on the 14th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 16) at Co Me Village, Vu Ninh Commune, Bac Ninh City, Bac Ninh Province is to commemorate Ba Chua Kho or The Queen of Stock and to pray for property and good luck.
Gau Tao and Long Tong festivals in Lao Cai
This highland province has the Gau Tao Festival of the H’Mong ethnic people from the third to the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Long Tong Festival of the Tay people in the rice fields near their village on the fifth or 15th day of the first lunar month, and the dancing festival of the Red Dao ethnic people on the first and second days of the new year.
Moreover, there are other festivals like Gia La Festival in Duong Noi Commune, Hoai Duc District, Hanoi from the sixth day to the 14th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 8 to 16); the Sai Temple Festival in Thuy Lam Commune, Dong Anh District, Hanoi on the 12th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 14); the Va Temple Festival in Trung Hung Commune, Son Tay Townlet, Hanoi on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 17) and the Tam Thanh Pagoda Festival in Lang Son City, Lang Son Province on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Feb. 17).
Posted by admin on January 26, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
Various art activities to welcome the Party and Spring will be held from January 25 to February 20 at the Hanoi Ancient Citadel.
The information was released by Mr Nguyen Van Son, Director of the Preservation Centre for Co Loa Relic, Hanoi Ancient Citadel.
The organization board will introduce over 50 oil paintings reflecting life, culture, gastronomy, trade villages and trade streets in Thang Long – Hanoi from the 17th century to the 19th century, themed “Thang Long – Hanoi”.
Additionally, a documentary photo exhibition will be held with more than 100 photos about Thang Long – Hanoi sub-titled: scenery and urban areas; ancient streets; life and change; and colonial urban areas.
The organization board will also organize an exhibition and performance of calligraphy, themed “Spring in Thang Long Royal Citadel 2011”. Visitors will have the chance to contemplate over 100 unique ornamental plants.
Source: VIR
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on January 24, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News, Vietnam's World Heritage |
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO will organise a ceremony to grant UNESCO certificate to the saint Giong Festival as a world heritage in Hanoi on January 22.
The saint Giong Festival was the third cultural heritages in Vietnam recognised by UNESCO in 2010 along with the 82 doctorate steles in the Temple of Literature and Thang Long Royal Citadel.
It is an annual traditional festival held in many provinces across the country to commemorate the glorious victory of the legendary saint Giong, one of Vietnam’s Four Immortals, the four chief cult figures in the pantheon of genii worshiped by the ancient Vietnamese people.
The ceremony aims to promote the festival as well as the country and people to international friends and improve public awareness to preserve the priceless cultural value of the heritage.
Source: VOV
Posted by admin on January 21, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the South, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
Tet Festival in the south remains an attraction for people living far from their homeland. They will never forget beautiful images of boats full of flowers, lucky money bags, piles of watermelons on streets and sparkling street lamps at night during the Festival.
Celebrating Tet Festival in a simple way is advocated by a large number Saigon dwellers but every family will still have a tray with 5 kinds of fruit, while sticky rice cakes, apricot and peach blossoms and kumquat trees are essential things for Tet.
The first signals of Tet come from decorations on major streets in the City’s center such as Le Loi, Nguyen Hue, Dong Khoi and Le Duan, where both local residents and visitors traditionally vist during Tet holidays. This year, “Nguyen Hue flower Road” is designed specially to reflect the development of the City.
In particular, sticky rice cakes are seen everywhere; legend has it that these cakes were offerred by the youngest son of King Hung to his father and since then they became essential food for the whole nation during the traditional Lunar New Year Festival. The cakes are made of sticky rice, green bean paste and fatty pork.
This year, a flower festival is designed to mark the 100th anniversary of the day when Uncle Ho left the country, seeking ways to save the country from foreign domination. 600 artisans were involved in making 8,000 objects, and visitors will also have opportunities to take part in various art performances and interesting traditional games.
During Tet Festival, local residents and visitors can take part in various activities at Suoi Tien Tourist Areas and Dam Sen Park.
Flower festivals are traditional passions for many people in Ho Chi Minh City. During the Tet holiday, local residents usually buy pots of daisy flowers and big watermelons, symbols for luck and happiness.
Despite the fading of some Tet traditions, the customary Tet Feast to offer to the ancestors is an absolute must for every Vietnamese family on New Year’s Eve. It is the time for all members of the family to celebrate Tet together.
After making offerings to the ancestors, many people go to pagodas on the first night of the Lunar New Year Festival. Then, they come home with incense to offer on their family altars. At this time, wishes and lucky money are presented to the old people and children.
However, at present many other people prefer to travel during Tet holidays while others prefer joining activities in public places instead of celebrating Tet at home. In fact, many people from different places have come to work and live in Saigon and brought along their own typical ways of celebrating at Tet; this makes Tet in the City more interesting, attractive and diverse.
Source: qdnd.vn
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on January 18, 2011 under Vietnam festival, Vietnam tour, Vietnam travel News |
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An increasing number of well-off Vietnamese have chosen to celebrate Tet abroad. That trend is expected to continue this Lunar New Year.
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Viet Nam’s first eight day Tet ( Lunar New Year) holiday has created favourable conditions for local and overseas Vietnamese to enjoy the longest Tet, starting on February 3.
Popular destinations abroad at this time of year when the weather is cool or cold in much of the country are Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Hong Kong – where the weather is more inviting. Meanwhile, those with relations abroad often take the opportunity afforded by the long annual holiday to visit family and friends in the US, Australia and Europe.
Hon Thom on Phu Quoc Island in the southern province of Kien Giang attracts thousands of tourists a year.
My Hanh, who works for a foreign firm in Viet Nam, said her four-member family plans to enjoy Tet in Thailand.
“My two daughters and I are shopping addicts so we are very much looking forward to going to Thailand. We plan to spend all day and night shopping during our four days in the country,” Hanh said, adding that celebrating Tet abroad offers a welcome escape from domestic chores.
Hanh said that when she celebrates Tet here in Ha Noi she has to spend days shopping for food in overcrowded markets.
“I have to work very hard and it’s exhausting. This Tet will be different. Apart from being able to shop for clothes, I will have time to relax and read books, which I adore doing,” she said.
She said “I’ve already asked my mother-in-law to help me prepare traditional dishes to worship our ancestors for the last evening of the old lunar year and the first day of the new year,” Hanh said.
Meanwhile, Hoang Quan, who lives in Ha Noi’s Tu Liem District, has booked a holiday in Japan where his daughter is studying.
Visitors enjoy colourful flowers on a bank of Xuan Huong Lake in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat.
“I had to book a five-day tour to Tokyo at the start of this month to be sure of being able to get tickets in the run-up to Tet,” Quan said.
“My wife is a pagoda goer so it’s a good chance for her to explore and see how things differ in Japan,” Quan said.
Despite being relatively well off, he still worries about hefty shopping bills.
“It doesn’t matter. We will spend our time shopping at the Japanese yen 100-per-item shops.”
Duong Quang Phong and his family from Los Angeles plan to return to Viet Nam for Tet.
Phong said he had already booked a seven-day tour to Phu Quoc Island beginning on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
“Our six-member family will celebrate Tet on the island by ordering banh chung (square sticky rice cake) and many other traditional specialities such as nem ran (fried meat roll), dua hanh (pickled welsh onion) and canh mang (bamboo shoots cooked with pig’s trotters). We’ve rarely tasted these dishes since we settled in the US in the 80s.
“Spring tours over Tet will be more comfortable and interesting because tourism sites will not be as crowded as during the peak season in summer. The cool weather in the south will make our tour more enjoyable. We are looking forward to exploring the island’s natural beauty, as well as relaxing,” Phong said.
Like Phong, other overseas Vietnamese plan to return to Viet Nam for the holiday. Most have booked tours to popular destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Hue, and Hoi An, said Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of Ha Noi Redtour.
“Despite the fact that prices are 5-10 per cent more this Tet compared with last year, almost of our tours have been fully booked,” he said.
To meet increasing Tet demand, Viettravel, Fiditour and Ben Thanh Tourist have put on extra tours from the 28th and 29th of the 12th lunar month until the 4th of Lunar New Year.
Saigontourist is expecting 15,000 visitors, an increase of 15 per cent compared with last year, a company manager said.
But Hoan warned that holiday-makers should be wary of unlicensed tour operators. He said they were typically 20-25 per cent cheaper than those offered by mainstream operators, but that standards were suspect.
“Some of them have even tried to ‘resell’ their customers to other tour operators for a profit,” Hoan said.
Last year, the country’s tourism sector welcomed 5 million foreign travellers and 28 million local guests.
Source: VNS
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Posted by admin on January 15, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the Central, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
A conference on tourism promotion for the central Province of Thua Thien-Hue has been held in Hanoi to introduce tourism services and cultural programmes to the Province this year.
The Hue Traditional Crafts Festival, to be celebrated from April 29 to May 3, will be the key event for tourists this year and will build on the achievements of previous festivals. It will specialise in the arts of bonsai and gastronomy with the theme of Vietnamese gastronomy in the tranquillity of Hue’s gardens.
Festival goers will be immersed in the conspicuous cultural ambience through Vietnam’s divine culinary and bonsai arts. Cuisines from distinct geographical regions across the country will be featured: the culinary specialities of the south, the delicate cuisine of Hue with its royal meals, vegetarian food and popular dishes to be served in the city’s splendid gardens, and the authentic tastes from the north.
Visitors will also have chance to meet prominent culinary researchers and experts, talented bonsai artists, antiques collectors and other artists in the country in the variety of fascinating artistic programmes and community activities.For the national year of tourism in 2012, hosted by Thua Thien-Hue Province, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will launch many tourism programmes.For example, the department will organise tours to discover the treasures of Hue and help tourists understand the legacy of the Nguyen dynasty by experiencing the culture and visiting pagodas.
Let’s Experience Hue will introduce tourists to Hue festivals, crafts villages and royal life. Tours take visitors on various routes through the provinces and allow them to discover the heritage of the city. For those who want to relax, there will be walking tours that take visitors to forests, to rest by Lang Co Beach and to discover ancient houses.”Thua Thien-Hue is an attractive destination for tourists as tourism is the key industry of the province,” said Phan Tien Dung, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
“In 2010, Hue received 1.5 million visitors, 700,000 of which were foreigners.”At the conference, a co-operation memorandum was signed between Hanoi’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department and its counterparts from Thua Thien-Hue Province and HCM City.A similar conference for the same purpose will take place in HCM City on January 19.
Source: VNA
Posted by admin on January 12, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
The Hạ Long Tourism Festival 2011 will kick off on April 29, 2011 and is expected to create a strong attraction with the people and international tourists, promote the campaign to vote for Halong bay as one of seven new natural wonders of the world and foster the link between sport activities and cultural ones.
As scheduled, Hạ Long Tourism Festival 2011 will take place in 4 days from April 29 to May 3, 2011 in Bãi Cháy tourism area (Hạ Long city), Móng Cái city, Yên Hưng district, Vân Đồn district and Uông Bí district.
Besides traditional programs such as Trần Quốc Nghiễn Temple Festival, art performances, food festival, Tuần Châu international beach volleyball tournament, exhibition on Hạ Long bay pictures, concert performances, Quảng Ninh open tennis tournament, Quảng Ninh international trade fair, etc., a wide range of new and alluring cultural activities is also about to be held during the festival.
Particularly, locals and visitors will have a good chance to enjoy amazing light art performances for the first time in Việt Nam at a special area which will be officially open within the week of festival.
Having been organized since 1998 and already become a special tourist product which lures the large participation of local people, domestic and international visitors.
Via this festival, the beautiful and impressive image of Hạ Long city in particular and Quảng Ninh province in general are enhanced, creating positive impact on the province’s socio-economic development.
In 2010, Hạ Long Tourism Festival attracted more than 500 thousand visitors within four days.
Source: quangninh.gov
Posted by admin on January 11, 2011 under Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News, Vietnam's World Heritage |
The Motherland Spring 2011 Program will take place in Thang Long Citadel, the world’s heritage, on January 28, 2011, according to the latest announcement by the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV).
The annual event, organised by the SCOV, is designed for overseas Vietnamese all over the world.
The Program 2011 aims at honoring the 1,000th birthday anniversary of Thang Long–Hanoi and the upcoming 11th Party National Congress.
Party and State high-ranking leaders, heads of foreign representative agencies will join the event.
Overseas Vietnamese people can contact with the nearest Vietnamese representative agencies for registration.
Those who are now staying in Vietnam can visit the SCOV to register and take invitation at the address: No. 32, Ba Trieu Street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi
