Vietnam heritage no 47 april may by Vietnam Heritage

3:5 3:5 APR-MAY APR-MAY 2015 2015

ISSN 1859-4123

CULTURAL HERITAGE ASSOCIATION OF VIETNAM

War stories

CONTENT No 3, Vol.5, April - May 2015

COVER STORY History 9 Prisoner of conscience 10 Mothers for the Fatherland

Culture

12 The bull also rises

Photographer

14 Lover of the land Art

16 Smiling lion, wooden fish Tradition

18 Sacred begging Medicine

20 The history of herbs Travel

22 Unexpected adventure in Sapa 24 Allure of the land of the fabled mountain

Jewelry

26 A legend of the famed Melo pearls Hospitality

29 ‘Liberty’: More than a word

Food

30 ‘In search of ancient flavours 32 What the papers say 34 Events

38 Value for money 42 Buyable 43 Directions 58 Laid back

Cover photograph: Scouting a mountainous area to transport food and ammunition, 1970. Photo: Doan Cong Tinh

Published by the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam

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VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

•5

Notre Dame Cathedral after the first rain in April, 2015, in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Dinh Hien Hoang

War stories

Priso

An anti-war activ

Doan Cong Tinh

Mai Nam

Doan Cong Tinh

These photos are some of the 40 photos which are on at L’Espace till 10 May. The exhibition, titled ‘War Reporters’ (Phong Vien Chien Truong), is organized on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam. The photos are taken by Vietnamese photographers including Doan Cong Tinh, Chu Chi Thanh, Mai Nam and Hua Kiem. They covered the Vietnam War in the Northern part of the country. The exhibition offers the audiences new insights in the Vietnam War. L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien St, Hanoi. Free admission. Clockwise from top, left: Scouting a mountainous area to transport food and ammunition, 1970; Nguyen Thi Hien, a leader of a group of six women who transported food for the Vietnamese People’s Army protecting Ham Rong Bridge, Thanh Hoa Province, from bombing by American aircrafts, 1966; A soldier of the North Vietnamese Army helping his wounded comrade during a B-52 bomb attack by American in Quang Tri Province, 1970

ore than forty years later, I can still hear Senator McGovern’s words sailing into the frigid Washington afternoon from a podium none of us could see, as there were so many of us. ‘We are all prisoners of war,’ he said. Philosophically among the truest words ever spoken by an American politician. The Vietnam War did imprison America. It built around itself a wall to keep sanity out. It incarcerated history in an airless room called the Domino Theory, for which three million Vietnamese and fifty-eight thousand Americans lost their lives. But the war did free those of us who opposed it from the prison of imagining war as an abstraction. The faces of fleeing Vietnamese, of fearful Vietnamese, of dead and wounded Vietnamese, were our dinner companions (intruders, some might say) during the nightly news. We digested their images of suffering as we digested our food. For many years we ate the war in Vietnam without our being able to spit it out. Every night, we would hear of the day’s ‘body count.’ As if the war was a factory and bodies were its inventory. I could not stop thinking about those ‘bodies.’ Who did they belong to? What kinds of lives were lived in those bodies?

HISTORY

ner of conscience BY ROBERT HIRSCHFIELD

ist looks back at his days in New York Lives that dreamt, grew bored, grew angry, told jokes, wrote poetry, had wives, had calluses? A dangerous line of thinking. I knew others infected by it. It lead us into dark, disaffected, disruptive corners of ourselves, which in turn lead us (at least those of us who lived in Manhattan at the time) to Times Square one night, near the army recruitment office. We began by shouting the usual slogans that no one ever paid any attention to. Then we did something everyone paid attention to, especially ourselves, as such a thing had never been done before. We took out a Viet Cong flag and unfurled it under the shining lights of Broadway. We had crossed a forbidden border, and we all knew it. People rushed us from all sides grabbing at the flag, cursing us for waving it, for waving the flag of the enemy. To feel like a stranger in your own country, hang out beneath the wrong flag in a time of war. Even an undeclared war. We walked around like characters in a Dostoyevsky novel, patrolling our unhappy underground, railing against a national mindset that could co-exist with napalm, Agent Orange, tiger cages, carpet bombings. Unlike other Americans who opposed the war, and there of course were many who did, for

us an essential connection had been broken between ourselves and the makers of American policy, between ourselves and the cold warriors in the media, like the Alsops, who wrote in support of that policy whose results could be seen every night on TV in the terrified eyes of villagers. The truth of the Vietnam War, unlike the wars we fought ever since, entered our living rooms and kitchens thanks to the reporters and their cameras. The intimacy of devastation. The networks may have been on America’s side, but the cameras supported the Vietnamese. To see is to know. And to know is a burden. Some burdens can’t be put down. Some burdens break one down. The Weathermen blew up buildings, robbed banks, killed policemen. Charlotte, my girl friend at the time (we were all in our twenties and thirties) committed suicide to protest the war. She was naturally disorganized, and the suicide note she sent to the Fifth Avenue Peace Parade Committee, was sent to the wrong address. No one who knew her was surprised. I got into blood arguments with relatives. (Well, one or two maybe. An uncle here, a cousin there. My cousins, for the most part, lined up on the left. Our parents all went through the

Great Depression. The America of the sixties and seventies was not the America of today.) I insisted on knowing how people could go through their lives as if nothing were happening. Had they no shame, no feeling? I was a prisoner of anger. Even now, I still identify parts of this city with that time. When I am on the Upper West Side, around 94th or 95th Street, I think of Charlotte’s room in the run down Narragansett Hotel, where my girl friend would take out maps of Vietnam to show me where exactly a factory had been bombed, a school levelled. Her room was piled high with books about Vietnam, with articles from every major and minor magazine and newspaper dealing with Vietnam. She knew the names of low-level Viet Cong leaders. She spoke of the ‘DRV’ the way one speaks of family. Being with her was like being in a Vietnamese room, with all its tears and mournful cries. I had never before known a person to grieve for a country. With Charlotte, you always knew that you were loved second best. She was not the girl friend you dream of, but it was she who introduced me to

Robert Hirschfield

‘Uncle Ho’s’ poetry, who told me how he’d mimic the gestures of Chou En Li behind his back. She was a one woman Vietnam search engine before the Internet. Near my house on the Lower East Side is where the Catholic Workers set up to serve the poor. The radical priests, Dan and Phil Berrigan, came there to denounce the war. Daniel Ellsberg, author of the Pentagon Papers, spoke there with bitter regret of his one- time support for the war. Maybe one day someone will write a novel about Moratorium Day in Manhattan when secretaries went to work wearing black armbands to protest a war that had gone on far too long and with no good reason. I sometimes wonder what became of those women. I sometimes wonder what became of my city, where people can now sleep so easily through our latest series of foreign wars. The war in Vietnam shook some of us awake. Some of us have never gone back to sleep.n

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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HISTORY

Quang Nam Province

Mothers for the Fatherland

am Hill of Tam Phu Commune, Tam Ky town, Quang Nam Province, has a Memorial of the Heroic Vietnamese Mother, the biggest of the country, a token of gratitude to the infinite sacrifices of Vietnamese mothers during the wars for independence and unification of the Father Land. Finished on 24 March, 2015 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of liberation of Quang Nam Province, the Memorial was classified by the Prime Minister as a national cultural monument. The Memorial was built in the image of Vietnam heroic mother Nguyen Thi Thu of Dien Thang Commune, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province. She lost nine sons, one son-in-law and one grandson in the wars against the French and the Americans. The construction began in July 2009 with a VND411 billions investment, following a deeply nationalistic design sketched by artist Dinh Gia Thang. It took the architects, engineers, artists and workers six years to finish it. 10 â&#x20AC;˘ VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY NGUYEN VAN GIA PHUC

A memorial honours the mothers who gave so much for freedom The 18.5m tall bow-shaped granite statue is 101m long and symbolizes a motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s protective embrace. At the front, 30 stone candles represent the 30 years she waited for the day of liberation, when her children would come back to her. Leading to the monument are eight sandstone pillars with reliefs depicting heroic Vietnamese mothers from all over the country. There is also a pond and a stone garden with carved poems. Behind the monument is one half of a museum housing steles that show pictures and tell life stories of nearly 50,000 Vietnam heroic mothers and their contributions to the country. Inside the granite monument is the other half that has a reception and exhibition room, plus an archive area. On the two sides of the monument are

two flower carpets with decorations characteristic of the 54 ethnicities of the country.n

Top: The Memorial of the Heroic Vietnamese Mother in Quang Nam Province Below: A poem carved on the stone at the Memorial

CULTURE

Cao Bang Province

The bull also rises

n Bao Lam District of Cao Bang Province, cows are highly valued because they help reduce poverty. Men love to take their cows to the fair just to show off. So, the people’s committee of the district chose the 20th of the first lunar month every year to organize a Beauty Cow Queen and Bull Fight festival. This has become the merriest and most crowded event of Cao Bang Province and the Northern highlands. Mr To Manh Hung from the district Dept. of Agriculture and Rural Development said, ‘to the H’mong, the cows are the most valuable asset. All households have them; some even have dozens of them. The H’mong take good care of their cows. They build them roofed stables to keep them warm, and grow grass to feed them. For generations, Bao Lam has been famous

for the breed of H’mong hunch cows. The bulls are strong both in the paddy fields and in the fighting rings. The locals have a saying, ‘the cows support the poor’. That’s because cows are cheaper and easier to grow and breed than buffalos. The H’mong only keep cows. They don’t keep buffalos. Their cows are big and strong, with a big hunch on the back. The bulls are so ferocious they can beat even the buffalos. In 2000, the district was formally established. H’mong, Nung, Lo Lo and San Chi people are the majority of the local population. Before then, each household lived on a mountain and depended on rain to grow rice and corn. Famine and poverty were chronic. The H’mong and Nung had a good tradition of cow culture, and beef was expensive, but each house-

12 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DO QUANG TUAN HOANG

hold only had a few cows. So the local government created good conditions for them to develop their cow culture. After 10 years, the district has tens of thousands of cows. Over 60 per cent of households grow them, and most have income from VND20 to VND100 million a year. I hiked the mountains for two hours to come to Na Cut Village, an exemplary site. Over 30 houses dwell deep in the forest, without asphalt roads and electricity. But all households had motorbikes and motor mills that ran on oil. Stables were built from wood panes, and were clean and neat. Grass and fermented food piled up nearby. The huge cows and bulls seemed to enjoy the food enormously. Since 2008, on the 20th of the first lunar month every year, the district government organ-

izes a cow festival. Most of the top prizes go to the Nam Mioong Village, Quang Lam Commune. Hearing this, I crossed Gam River by Na Bang Bridge and climbed up to the place. My companion told me that most of the 50 households of the village were passionate about bull fighting and they all kept and trained some fighter bulls. And the best, they said, were those of the village chief Ly A Tu and his two sons. While still some distance from his gates, I heard the sound of chopping. Two young men were chopping elephant grass and leaves for huge bulls, who ate like grinding mills. Ly A Sinh, Ly A Tu’s son, said that they were all fighters, each weighing from 500kg to 700 kg. So they consume a lot, faster than grass can grow, he said.

Clockwise from left: Making a bargain; Taking bulls to the market; Counting money without fear of thieves

The whole family had to collect their favourite leaves in the forest to fill their needs. Contemplating the robust bulls, the father and sons told me about their beloved pets. As the story goes, the bond between the H’mong and these animals is ancient. They lived high up in the forest-covered mountains, so the bulls often had to defend themselves from tigers and bears. That created their ferocious and spiritual nature. The H’mong cherished them as their guardians, made them clean and neat stables from strong wood and fed them well. Mr Tu was ecstatic, ‘You have to choose a young bull and train it for six years. The head must be big and hard, horns straightforward, eyes big, keen and sharp, chest wide, fur glossy, legs long and lean, and tail reaching the soil. Such a bull can fight all its life. Beside the elephant grass, their diet should include some special leaves to improve their strength and endurance.’ The bull must fight regularly, for the H’mong

love bull fights. Anybody who has a big bull would seek a fight when farm work is over, on a festive day, or even at a bazaar. Before a show, the bulls rest for a month or two. They are fed with corn and forest leaves, and their horns are sharpened. Well-trained bulls have high skills, instincts, spirit and wit. A clever fighter bull would let the other bull attack first, waiting for the adversary to get tired, and then it would go for a knock-out. Some even understand their owner’s hints. This depends on the owner’s experience and affection. Ly A Tu family’s bulls, sometimes only weighing 600-700 kg, can often beat opponents who are much heavier. In 2014, the Beauty Cow Queen and Bull Fight festival attracted over 20,000 locals and visitors. The organizer selected 32 bulls, divided into category A (over 440 kg) and B (under 440 kg) for the show. They also let 11 cow-calf couples compete to encourage and reward herders’ work. Criteria includes perfect health, strong build, glossy fur and skin, quick, sharp eyes, broad chest and shoulders, straight back, big hips, tall, straight and sturdy legs, soft neck movement, natural gait, firm stomach, no sagging, and well-developed genitalia and breasts. Mr Vu Ngoc Luu, district head and chair of the organizing committee of the 7th cow festival of 2014 told me, ‘A special thing about the Bao Lam bull fight is that they come home after the fight and go on working the fields and training for the next year’s competition. They are not slaughtered like in the buffalo fights organized by other provinces.’n

HO CHI MINH MUSEUM Ho Chi Minh Museum is a memorial-type museum, a part of the Historic-Cultural Legacy Complex which includes Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Living Quarters and Ho Chi Minh Museum. The museum was opened on May 19th, 1990, the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Ho Chi Minh. The museum building is shaped like a 20 m tall white lotus. The exhibition space is 4,000 m2, showcasing over 2,000 documents and artefacts (from nearly 17,000 items stored in the museum’s basic collection) that introduce the life and legacy of Chairman Ho Chi Minh, in connection with Vietnam’s and the world’s history. There is also 600 m2 for topical exhibitions and cultural activities. The museum’s library has over 8,000 titles, its archive – about 35 documents for Ho Chi Minh-related research. The Exploration and Experience Space of the museum is an area of 150 m2. Every year, Ho Chi Minh Museum receives over a million visitors, among whom more than 1/5 are foreigners. Contact information

Address: No 19, Ngoc Ha St, Ba Dinh, Hanoi Tel. : (84.4) 38463752 - 38463757 - Fax. : (84.4) 38439837 http://www.baotanghochiminh.vn Visitor contact Education Bureau, Ho Chi Minh Museum Tel. : (84.4) 38463757 - 38463752 ext.: 176

Lover of the land urfing on-line, I stumbled on a picture of golden sunrays penetrating carefree cotton clouds which wander aimlessly over rugged mountains. Impressed, I slowly scrolled through them all, one by one. The page contained thousands of photographs taken not only in Vietnam, but also in Nepal, China and Tibet. I imagined that the page owner must be very weather-worn, passionate and patient enough to hike all the mountains along the country down to the intricately-tattooed Mekong river delta, out to far away little islands, and back up to the mysterious heights of Tibet, only to take pictures. My fascination took me to him, Mr Hoang The Nhiem. He received me in a room with a large cutting-edge picture printing machine. He looked rather a seasoned scholar, nothing of the man I imagined. The man told me about his professional photography destiny. ‘After finishing my studies at the Polytechnique Institute, I

14 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

‘I love to take pictures of the beautiful, but am ready to face the ugly. I want to show the truth and let people think about it,’

started working in ocean trading. I sailed around the world and was overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of ever-changing nature. In 1995, I decided to quit drifting to dedicate myself to artistic photography. A few years after that start, he bought four motorbikes and left them at his acquaintances’ in different cities around the country. ‘Since then, I went to all places in Vietnam. Sometimes I stayed for months. You have to plough a land over and over again and then maybe with luck, you will get its feel into your picture. I always study carefully the geography, climate, cultural elements and local customs of a place before I go there,’ he said.

BY DANG KHOA

‘Some places such as Sapa are beautiful but the weather is unpredictable. I went there almost 30 times.’ Obsessed with Sapa, he spared no time and effort to study the elements that make the weather there so coquettish. ‘The mountains, rivers and vegetation remain almost the same. Only the clouds and the winds are unpredictable. The photographer who understands the nuances of these may make beautiful pictures that impress.’ Loving Sapa, Mr Nhiem understands any change of the clouds and winds there. ‘I know when sunlight accentuates the uncatchable beauty of the clouds, when the clouds filter the brightest rays of light, and when the clouds and the sun mingle in a mythical carnival of the gods,’ he shared. He loved most the clouds and sun on the Fansipan peak, the rooftop of Indochina. He hiked up there many times, despite the unruly weather and treacherous trails. When I asked how many pictures he had taken, he said the number must be in the tens of thousands.

‘Among those posted on the web which one is your favourite?’I asked. He hesitated a moment, ‘I love them all. They are all my children,’ he said. ‘Each one of those was chosen among hundreds, even thousands of pictures of the same content.’ In Mr Nhiem’s photo library I saw many which showed destroyed forests, black polluted rivers and beaches that became cemeteries of marine life. ‘I love to take pictures of the beautiful, but am ready to face the ugly. I want to show the truth and let people think about it,’ he said. And his hunts were not limited to Vietnam. He went places around the world. I asked, ‘How do you find Vietnamese beauty and culture, compared to other countries?’ He said, ‘Vietnam has a lot of beautiful places and our culture is very diverse. For example, compared to a big country such as China, with a very old culture, Vietnam is very beautiful and unique. Panoramically, Vietnam may not be as beautiful as China, but from a middle distance and close up,

Vietnam has countless beauties that can’t be mistaken for any other country. Culturally too, Vietnam is more special, more exotic.’ ‘Did technical knowledge you learned from college help you in any way with artistic photography?’ ‘Of course, a lot. Perhaps my advantage is that I know well the functionalities of digital cameras,’ he said.n Hoang The Nhiem was born in 1960, in Saigon. He started professional photography in 1995, specializing in scenery and tourist photography. He published two collections, ‘Call of Seasons’ (four volumes) and ‘Sapa Colours’, and has had private exhibitions in Vietnam, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Singapore and the US. He won many domestic and international prizes, most notably: two National Outstanding prizes for photographic books (in 2003 and 2011) and three National Outstanding pictures prizes (in 1999, 2000 and 2012). Website: www.hoangnhiemphoto.photoshelter.com

Top: Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina with an altitude of 3,143 m, Lao Cai Province, Northwestern Vietnam. Photo: Hoang The Nhiem Below: Mr Hoang The Nhiem VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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ART

Smiling lion, wooden fish

ecently, I was invited to visit the home and gallery of internationally-known Vietnamese artist Le Kinh Tai. After a ride through narrow streets and over one-lane metal bridges, we arrived at the artist’s home in Nha Be, a distant suburb of Ho Chi Minh City. I was looking forward to seeing the work. Each visual artist has his or her own sensory language, just as poets and writers have their own verbal imagery. Cracking the visual code, so to speak, can be as exciting as understanding Chaucer in the original. Upon arriving, I entered a huge threestory gallery whose plain white walls were covered with paintings of strange creatures. Under the unusual forms was a whole world of thought, emotion and perception to be absorbed and appreciated. I spent the next hour carefully studying the paintings, looking for that elusive key to the artist’s soul. I first noticed what appeared to be a friendly lion done in hues of yellow and soft ochre. There was something familiar about it—not from Animal World; more like school and street celebrations for Tet. Then I noticed two words on the painting: Kỳ Lân. The kỳ lân is a traditional mythical animal, a composite of several real animals, and is the creature represented in the múa kỳ lân, what is commonly known in English as the ‘lion dance.’ A kỳ lân is supposed to bring good fortune, but almost hidden in the background of the painting were the words ‘I don’t care’ in English and some Vietnamese words having no meaning but echoing the sound of the English phrase. Stepping back for a better view, I noticed the splashes of red on the painting looked very much like blood. This was no friendly lion! As I began to study other creatures on the walls with their big teeth, bulging eyes and elongated bodies, the artist’s use of the kỳ lân as a motif and metaphor was becoming clear. A young kỳ lân frolics in a sea of colour, a human child in the background. A large kỳ lân with a deceptive smile gathers followers, 16 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

BY JONATHAN BAR-ON

some seemingly inspired by his charisma, others following blindly, unthinking, and some with him for their own sinister purposes. How many people in the world want a leader to ‘save’ them rather than finding strength and meaning in their own souls? On a large double canvas, a voracious kỳ lân has devoured human beings; their fragmented remains are enclosed in individual cells of the monster’s body, separated from the real world and from each other. Is it the portrait of a materialistic society? Does it represent a cold, machine-like economy? Or perhaps the hold of outmoded, stultifying traditions. I asked the artist Le Kinh Tai about the variety of toothy grins ranging from friendly to sinister in many of his paintings. He replied somewhat sheepishly, ‘I only paint at night. First, I take a shower, go to my studio in my underwear and begin to paint. Sometimes I smile with gratitude for the good things in my life. Sometimes I grit my teeth in rage at all the needless suffering, poverty and blindness in the world.’ In artist Le Kinh Tai’s world, even the fish have teeth. Two striking paintings of wooden fish are found high on the walls. On one is written ‘Wooden Fish’ in both English

Photo: Jonathan Bar-On

and Vietnamese, and one warns ‘Stop eating, don’t touch.’ There are several folk tales related to people so desperate for food they carved wooden fish, dipped them in salt or fish sauce and pretended to eat them with their rice. One tale tells of a miserly teacher who fed his students only rice and a large salted wooden fish for his students to nibble on. They say he served the same fish for three years! Today the term ‘wooden fish’ often refers to the ostentatious lifestyle of the nouveau riche who try to prove they are ‘better’ somehow by sporting luxury cars, homes and other symbols of wealth while frequently drowning in debt. Their hollow, materialistic lives do not satisfy. They are like wooden fish. The Year of the Goat is celebrated in another of Le Kinh Tai’s large canvases. Is the goat smiling or leering? Its shifty eyes tell us to beware. The wealth of colours suggests a myriad of possibilities for the new year. One of Le Kinh Tai’s most charming pieces is a painting of a six-legged chicken that is, in a sense, a self-portrait. The face has a happy, dreamy quality reminiscent of the artist’s own face and is called simply ‘Daydreaming.’ In the corner of the painting is the word ‘Fly.’ The artist confessed he painted it

ART

Photo: Pham Minh Thong

after receiving an invitation to the 2009 International Artists’ workshop in the USA. Artists from fifty-six countries on five countries were given studios and a chance to paint for two months. One artist was then chosen to represent each continent. Le Kinh Tai’s works were chosen to represent Asia in the international exhibit. When asked what artists or styles had influenced him the most, Le Kinh Tai mentioned two Vietnamese artists: Bui Xuan Phai, whose ‘phố Phái’ (paintings of Hanoi streets) are world famous, and Tran Luu Hau, whose vivid use of colours is echoed in the artist’s own work. One final piece that perhaps sums up something of the artist’s goals was a smaller painting. In it, the chicken has learned to fly. On its back are two children. It is appropriately titled ‘For my child.’ Le Kinh Tai’s paintings have a message relevant to both the present and the future that is specifically Vietnamese but with universal implications. Through irony and metaphors he speaks to the Vietnamese people. I am sure I missed much of the meaning and symbolism in his paintings, but his passion for people, for children and the future of Vietnamese society is clear.n VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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TRADITION

Sacred begging

uan Yu (Gong) is a deity in Chinese mythology, a remarkable figure in popular Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism. Confucianism considers him the ‘Martial God’ (whereas the ‘Intellectual God’ is Confucius himself). In Buddhism, he is a dharmapāla named Gia Lam Bodhisattva, and in Taoism, he is the ‘Great Triple Wrath King’. These three religions, together with folklore and historical records, have created a figure of Guan Gong which is ‘Righteous’, ‘Refined’, ‘Sacred’ and ‘Solemn’. Under the Ming-Qing dynasties, Guan Gong became one of the most important gods in Chinese culture and his temples were built everywhere. And so, Chinese immigrants brought him to Vietnam to be one of the three main

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY NGUYEN THAI HOA

Gods (together with Ancestral Ghost and God of Moral and Happiness) in their spiritual life. In business, disputing parties often challenge each other to take oath at Guan Gong’s altar. ‘As His Godliness witnessed’, to a Chinese, is an oath more sacred and more reliable than any written contract. In Ho Chi Minh City today, the biggest temple dedicated to Guan Gong is Nghia An Temple, or simply, ‘His Godliness Temple’ of the Cháozhōu Chinese. Here, Guan Gong’s altar is the central one, with his servants Quan Binh and Chau Xuong on his sides. By Chinese tradition, Guan Gong is usually celebrated on 13/1, 13/5 and 24/6 each lunar year. But at Nghia An temple, the most important and lavish celebration is on the 15th of the first lunar month. This

18 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015

is a big festival for the Chinese community. They come here to burn incense for the memory of their ancestors and to beg for health and prosperity. People from everywhere come to Nghia An Temple with various tribute items, among which, a set of paper dresses is a must. These items can be bought at the gate and in the courtyard of the temple. As a tribute item, chickens are forbidden because cocks were a benefactor of Guan Gong’s. On this occasion, many traders also come to the temple to borrow money. The money is extracted from the temple treasury and put in a red envelope (the sum is purely symbolic; just VND500 or Above: Guan Yu, in the middle. Opposite: Performance of Tiều songs

TRADITION VND1,000). Each packet, called ‘heaven’s gift,’ contains two envelopes, two tangerines and one joss-paper note. The borrower must burn incense, pray and then come to ask for heaven’s gift from the temple’s managers. The lending term is one year or shorter. At the due date, the borrower has to come to the temple to pay back the ‘loan’ with interest by putting twice the borrowed amount into the contribution box and give sacrificial items to the god. Among the wealth-begging activities during the Guan Gong celebration, the most anticipated is the lantern auction (which usually takes place the evening of the 18th of the first lunar month. These lanterns may be ordered from the Chinatown or from China itself, and in 2014, the initial bid was VND10 million each. According to Mr Vuong Quoc Quang, office head at the temple, at exactly 8 p.m.,

the temple managerial board begins auctioning nine lanterns representing the nine Gods worshiped at the temple. The MC calls the name of the god represented by the lantern being auctioned, and of course, the highest bidder wins the lantern. In my observation during 2013 and 2014, each lantern was won by hundreds of mil-

lions of dong. The ninth lantern, which represented Guan Gong, was the most sought-after item. In 2013, it was auctioned for 668 million, and 2014, 768 million. As a matter of course, the bid amount always contains the digit ‘6’ or ‘8’ or both. In Chinese, ‘6’ rhymes with ‘wealth’ and ‘8’ rhymes with ‘flourish’, so ‘68’ would be understood as ‘Wealth Flourishing’. According to the temple’s records, in 2013 and 2014, the total amount received from the auctions each time were around VND4 billion. Besides the auction of lanterns, during the celebration days, the temple organizes lion dances in daytime and Tiều songs in the evenings. In 2014, they even invited two troops from Guangdong to perform shows every night, attracting people from all walks of life.n

MEDICINE

The history of herbs

ito Museum displays over 3,000 objects, from the Stone Age to the 20th century, involved in Vietnamese traditional medicine. The museum was founded in 2007 by the Fito Pharma Company. The museum is not an immense and majestic palace with iron fences and security. It features a five-storey house with two bamboo trees in front of its façade. Inside the museum, I felt intimate with the simple and natural Vietnamese architecture. At the ticket box, I was impressed by a lift overlaid with wood. Also, I was very interested to see drawings excerpted from old medical books and yellow-paper medicine ads from the 1900’s hanging on the walls at the wooden stairs. The museum is decorated with animal 20 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

and pattern carvings on wood pillars, rafters, roofs, doors, shelves and sets of tables. Hanging on the walls are carved wood and colour paintings depicting the acts of examining, preparing medicine, prescribing, preparing the herbs and gilded wood paintings featuring famous physicians who devoted themselves to developing of Vietnamese traditional medicine. Vietnamese discovered plants for treatment diseases in the Hung Vuong Dynasty (2879-258 BC). Vietnamese knew how to use ginger, garlic and other herbs for disease prevention and treatment. They chewed betel with lime and areca to keep the body warm and protect from tooth decay. During the Tran Dynasty (1226-1399), the government organized trips to collect medicinal plants. Also, they planted herbs in Duoc Son (Med-

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY TU ANH

icine Mountain), Hai Duong Province, to make medicine. Duoc Son was the first national medicine garden in Vietnam. From the 4th to 10th centuries, Chinese medicine deeply affected Vietnamese medicine. At first, two branches conflicted with each other. Between the 10th century and the 20th century, they combined together to form Vietnamese Traditional Medicine. At that stage, Western medicine also appeared. One room showed two statues of the

MEDICINE

greatest physicians Tue Tinh (14th Century) and Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac (18th Century) who were well-known as the founders of Vietnamese Traditional Medicine. As in the past, those who reached the pinnacle of any career would be honoured as a god or saint and so it was with these two. Tue Tinh was a monk and the author of many medical books. At 22, he passed an examination, but he refused to work as a mandarin and went into a pagoda to become a monk and treat people. He began the idea of taking Vietnamese herbs through the statement, ‘Vietnamese herbs for Vietnamese’. Hai Thuong Lan Ong (1720 – 1791) was the author of ‘Hai Thuong Y Tong Tam Linh’ (Medical origins with morality and skills of Hai Thuong), considered as an encyclopaedia of Vietnamese traditional medicine. On the occasion of 250th anniversary of his birthday, UNESCO recognized him as a world cultural celebrity due to his contribution to traditional medicine and culture of Vietnam and the world. In Hanoi and Ho Chi

Minh City, streets specialise in selling traditional medicine are named Hai Thuong Lan Ong or Lan Ong. One room was an old house from the 19th Century, which was moved from Hanoi. The house was in a northern style, made of wood, tilted roof and with a small, lush garden. Pointing to a bat swinging on the roof the guide told me: ‘Bat faeces can increase sexuality ability in men.’ One room displayed a model of a small wooden traditional pharmacy in the 19th Century, including a cabinet with 81 drawers containing herbs and a counter for preparing herbs with a weight, mortar and pestle, papers and abacus. Another room showed many things with a variety of shapes, sizes and made of stone, wood, ceramic, terracotta and metals. They were mortars, pestles, lime holders, lime pots, balances for weighing herbs, bowls for taking medicine, wine jars containing tonic wines, coins for ‘rubbing the wind’, boat-shaped drug grinders and med-

ical herb slicer. At the top floor, one room displayed Cham statues, linga and yoni. The guide told me if one is looking for a girlfriend or boyfriend, they should just touch the statue of linga or yoni, and woman who wants to get pregnant should just pour water on the top of linga, wait for it to flow down the yoni to the base and then drink it.n

Fito Museum

41 Hoang Du Khuong St, Ward 12, Dist. 10, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3864-2430 Ticket: VND50,000 Opposite, top: A model of a wooden traditional pharmarcy Opposite, below: A drawing showing vital points in the arm Clockwise from top left: A stone drug grinder; A medical herb slicer; A wooden statue using a drug grinder; An area displaying sacks of herbal medicine; A wooden statue using a medical herb slicer VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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TRAVEL

Unexpected adventure in Sapa

eople don’t automatically put the words ‘Sapa’ and ‘adventure’ in the same sentence. And I don’t blame them. You go to see mountains covered in paddy fields, little Vietnamese villages in all their glory, beautiful people dressed in traditional clothes, colourful markets, bamboo forests, and everything else that makes Sapa what it is, but you don’t go there for adventure. When I went to enjoy Sapa with my cousin, we were not planning on gray and cloudy days. We were not planning on continuous drizzle. We were thinking about beautiful sunsets and a clear horizon. But that’s not what we got, and it made our trip unforgettable. We booked ourselves a train to Lao Cai Province. We were picked up by a little van. The driver drove the wet, curvy roads like he was being chased by the police. It was nerveracking, to say the least. After arriving at our little hotel and taking a shower, we went for breakfast. I assumed it wasn’t going to be anything special, judging by the rooms and the shower. But I was wrong. We walked up to the top floor, where there was a balcony looking out over the valley; seeing those mountains covered in rice fields was amazing. 22 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

BY LOES HEERINK

We booked a private tour with the Sapa Sisters, a group of local woman who give personal tours. While arranging this, we were asked what we were looking for in a tour. And I asked for the “least touristic route” we could get. A small woman, Tam, dressed in traditional clothing and plastic sandals, picked us up after breakfast. She was a big contrast to me and my cousin with our comfortable trousers and hiking shoes. We took a small backpack and left the rest of our belongings at the little hotel. To my surprise, our guide was carrying a fivemonth old boy on her back. He goes with her to work every day. We walked along the highway through the little village until we were close enough to the rice fields. Now, most tourists keep walking along the highway, but not us. We took a left turn and landed immediately between those fields. Due to the drizzle, the paths between the fields were muddy and slippery. This caused us to struggle to stay on the path without falling. The rice fields are levelled differently, so we had to climb up and down the fields, jumping up and down the path every now and then, holding on to whatever we could, while jumping from one path to the other.

Pretty soon, Tam found two bamboo sticks and cut them into walking sticks for us, to help us keep balance. The difference between and her and us became painfully clear after that; she, with her baby boy and sandals, was not having any difficulties. We in our good hiking gear and walking sticks were trying not to slip and fall into a rice field. At some crossings, Tam asked us if we wanted to take the less difficult or more difficult route. And of course, we kept on choosing the difficult one. We hiked through more and more remote areas. Up and down more mountains. And there were more and more slippery slopes. In the beginning we were just struggling not to fall. But after a while, the struggle became more of competition between me and my cousin. We both knew our guide wasn’t going to slip off the path and slide down the mountain or fall into a rice field.

We were literally walking through the rice fields, down those little dirt roads in between the fields and crossing little streams and bamboo forests as we went up and down the mountain. We all know what happens to dirt roads when it’s drizzling. Luckily, nobody got hurt and eventually we didn’t even fall. We did have a ton of laughs about the possibility of one of us ending up sliding off the mountain a couple of metres or ending up face down in a rice field. Oh, the joy I had exploring beautiful Sapa. I didn’t only get to see those rice field covered mountains everybody

is talking about. I got to experience them. During breaks, we enjoyed the view. Our guide gave us loads of information about the area-that it was quite normal for cousins to get married, for instance. I took this tour a while ago. And the one thing I remember most is how much fun we had walking those slippery slopes. Yes, Sapa is gorgeous and breathtakingly beautiful. But for me, that will always be the second thing coming to mind when thinking of Sapa.n

Lao Cai Province

Opposite: The tour guide and her newborn. Photo: Loes Heerink Top: Terrace fields in Sapa Photo: Nguyen Thi Kien Trinh

Below: Children in Sapa. Photo: Loes Heerink

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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rom the top of a high building in Saigon, if the weather is clear and you face northwest, visible on the horizon is a lone mountain. Mountains for me have a magnetic quality. I feel the desire to conquer them; this one particularly, as it has the mysterious name of the Black Lady Mountain. Black Lady Mountain is situated near the town of Tay Ninh. Tay Ninh has two main tourist draws. Firstly, the mountain itself has a temple complex and remnants from the ‘American War’. Secondly, a tour of Cao Dai Grand Temple complex makes a trip worthwhile. Most folk would do this on a day tour from Saigon, perhaps even doing the Cu Chi tunnels on the way out or back. However, I would recommend taking a more leisurely approach, as we did, by staying at Hoa Binh hotel for a couple of nights. It is governmentrun, so do not expect anyone to leap to carry your bags, but we had a well-appointed VIProom which came with a balcony and a superb view of the mountain for only 600,000 dongs per night, including taxes and extras you do not find in Saigon such as bird songs and fresh air. With its simple Vietnamese rice dishes, I can vouch the food we tasted here was also clean, good and cheap. On the afternoon of our arrival, my sonin-law, Lam, turned up with his motorbike to take me to the Cao Dai complex. It is large, 24 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Allure of the land of t with dual-lane roads running through it and occupying eight hectares. Lam was the right person to go with, as his family are Cao Dai adherents. Housed on this land is a school, a large garden nursery, part of the original forest conserved as a monkey sanctuary and a mausoleum to a founder. There are in fact, two temples. The smaller, often left off the itinerary, is dedicated to the Divine Mother, but it is beautiful and worth a look at. The ‘Kingpin’ attraction is the Grand Temple of the Divine Father. Cao Daism, the religion of the era of improved transportation, is syncretic in nature, drawing on elements of all the world's great religions. The architecture of the Grand Temple with apse, nave and columns borrows heavily from that of a church. Much of the very ornate decoration is oriental, featuring dragons, snakes, storks and figures in Eastern garb. Some people, including Graham Greene, have found it Disneyesque, but I disagree. For me it is colourful, cheerful and aesthetic. Look up to the vaulted ceiling to see a heaven painted sky-blue with fluffy white clouds and a scattering of stars. In the lobby, a mural gives a summary of the religion. It is

of the three ‘signatories of the third alliance between God and Mankind’. They are author Victor Hugo, Sun Yet Sen and the homegrown prophet Nguyen Binh Nhiem, writing the Cao Dai mantra of ‘God and humanity, love and justice’ in French and Chinese onto a shining celestial tablet. The next day was New Year's Day and traditionally a day for visiting pagodas. The Nui Ba Den, or Black Lady Mountain, was packed. All human life was here, from little old ladies in sandals down to four-year-olds clambering gleefully up the steps. Though steep in places, the wide staircase with railings goes all the way up and there are plenty of benches to take a rest. Many tea and souvenir shops were also open, making for a carnival atmosphere. Proceeding at a leisurely pace, it took Lam and I just under an hour to reach the Lady of the Mountain Pagoda and ten minutes more to reach another housed around a cave. We descended via the new cable car. We sat back and enjoyed superb verdant views of the sugar cane and rice fields, orchards and rubber plantations. To one side, we could also see the blue of Lake Dau Tieng, which ac-

the fabled mountain cording to Lam, is Vietnam's largest. Also, we could something like a bobsleigh run twisting and turning through the trees. This is the slideway. I would have loved to have taken that, but it was closed for repairs. Once near the base, Lam took me along a path and over a footbridge to a cave, which had once been occupied by liberation forces. There are realistic mock-ups of fighters planning a raid, communicating by radio and preparing food. If you climb all the way to the summit, you can see the remains, including bunkers and the heliport of the American Camp Ba Den. What of the legend of the Black Lady? There appear to be several different ones. One is of a woman who, upon being attacked by robbers, opted to save her honour by jumping off a cliff. I have heard that one more than once on my travels in China. Another Khmer legend has her as a young woman who wished to devote her life to Buddhism. Rather than obey her father's command to get married, she committed suicide on the mountain. Back at the in-laws' house, my wife had returned from a shopping trip. She was full

BY PIP DE ROUVRAY

of praise for the Tay Ninh Market. It is huge, occupying two hectares, and is privately run. In Mrs de Rouvray's opinion, it surpasses the Ben Thanh Market and is, of course, a great deal cheaper. On the subject of food, in Tay Ninh Province, closer to Saigon and on the same road, sits the town of Trang Bang. In this area, you will see many roadside stalls selling Banh Trang Bang, a double-layer rice paper. The process of preparing it is complex and involves, among other steps, grilling it over a peanut shell fire and finally leaving it out overnight to be wetted by the dew. It can be used as a wrap for a salt and shrimp roll. You might also want to stop in this town to try a pork noodle soup, which includes the rice paper along with herbs and is called Banh Canh Trang Bang. On our final day in Tay Ninh town, I took a stroll down the 30th of April Boulevard to the Tay Ninh Provincial Museum. All explanations are in Vietnamese and it is not a modern museum. Nevertheless, it is interesting and offers insight into Vietnam's past at provincial level. Much of it is devoted to the grim story of the twentieth century, from

party and liberation forces formation to the struggles against the French and the Americans, Tay Ninh being the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Khmer Rouge incursions Tay Ninh into the province and massacres are also documented. There is a poignant photograph of scared, captured Khmer female fighters-no more than girls. Also interesting are artefacts from farming history and reminders of the Cambodian and Oc Eo civilisations that preceded Vietnamese settlement here. Finally, there are displays dedicated to four ethic groups that inhabit the province, namely the Khmer, Cham, Chinese Han and Ta Mun. And so, we climbed into our car and said farewell to Tay Ninh, making a vow to return, perhaps to explore the lake area or to see the province's remote National Park. If you have a couple of days, I would urge you to see Tay Ninh as a mini-destination and not merely as a day trip. It offers a chance to escape the motorbike rush and see the real Vietnam as well as a glimpse at a home-grown religion and a romantic mountain.n Left: Balck Lady Mountain. Photo:Than Tinh Right: Inside the Cao Dai Complex. Photo: Thu Ba VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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JEWELRY

A legend of the famed Melo pearls Oriental Studies researcher Daria Mishukova discusses the unique value of pearls in Vietnamese culture

Oriental Studies researcher, Ms Daria Mishukova, has studied Vietnam for more than 15 years. She has published many Ms Daria Mishukova research papers on linguistics and Vietnamese culture in Vietnamese, Russian and English. Among her writings about Vietnam, the most popular is the book ‘Vietnam - The Land of Dragons and Fairies’. Her articles about Vietnamese customs and traditions, lifestyle and culinary attract a lot of readers of lifestyle and travel magazines, including in-flight magazines for Russian flights to Vietnam. Currently, Daria is based in Vietnam as the branding and marketing director of local jewellery company Long Beach Pearl. This new experience helped create her newest new passion: pearls. With her academic background in Vietnamese and Oriental studies, Daria found a lot of interesting information about the role and value of pearls in Vietnamese culture and history:

26 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

‘I was surprised to learn that when Vietnamese writers wrote about pearls, they mostly quoted foreign sources like Chinese and Greek legends and rarely mention Vietnamese legends about pearls. Everybody in Vietnam knows the story An Duong Vuong - My Chau – Trong Thuy, but mostly read it in children’s picture books. When reading the story in original version, as related in the ‘Complete Annals of Dai Viet’ (‘Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư’), we find that it is an extremely beautiful legend about pearls. ‘Complete Annals of Dai Viet’ is considered the most important historical book from the very beginning of Vietnamese history to the period of the Le Dynasty. The most popular and well- known version of the book is the edition

which was completed in 1697. In the book, when King An Duong Vuong drew his sword out and cut off his daughter My Chau’s head, her blood leaked into the sea, was eaten by an oyster and thus the precious pearl was born. As an oriental studies expert, I believe that the legend of pearl origination from ‘Complete Annals of Dai Viet’ can be listed in the top ten most interesting pearl stories of the world. Vietnamese people should know it and feel proud. These very simple stories show how much the beauty of pearls was appreciated in Vietnamese culture. Melo pearls were even given sacred meaning by royal dynasties of Vietnam. That is why pearls can be considered as one of very special gemstones for Vietnamese people.’

More about Melo pearls: Very few Vietnamese know the fact that the last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, was an admirer and collector of Melo pearls. One of his pearls is listed seventh in the record of the most famous single pearls of the world. The pearl was granted its own name, ‘Sunrise Pearl’. It weighs 397.52 carats, has a diameter of 37.97 x 37.58 mm and is considered as the largest and roundest Melo pearl in the world. Melo pearls have beautiful flame-like structures. They were considered sacred gemstones, symbols of the concentrated energy of the dragon. Consequently, Melo pearls could not be defiled by drilling, and were never worn. Only the Emperor’s family and perhaps a few privileged dignitaries ever caught a glimpse of them. In October 2010, in Dubai, a Melo pearl weighing 224.30 carats was sold to a private collection for $722,500

ADVERTORIAL

The Award Ceremony of Canon Photo Marathon Junior 2015

CANON’S FRIENDSHIP DAY 2015: a joyous photography event for children

he 28th of March marked a milestone for Canon Vietnam; hosting its first photography event for children to have fun with photography and make new friends through photos. Using the framework of International Friendship Day, Canon successfully held the Canon Image Bridge Exhibition and the brand new photography competition Canon Photo Marathon Junior 2015. The Canon Image Bridge Exhibition displayed photos taken by children in Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan in hopes of helping them to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers and enhancing the spirit of friendship and inter-cultural exchange. Canon Photo Marathon Junior 2015 was a one-hour photo contest with the theme, ‘The Joy of Working’. Contestants could choose to submit up to three of their best works, and these photos were rated on correct and creative expression of the topic, colours and brightness, and photo arrangement.

After careful deliberation from a pool of more than 500 participants, Pham Nhat Nam, a ninth grader from Minh Duc Secondary School, was awarded Special Prize. Nam's photo deeply impressed the panel of judges by well displaying great levels of creativity and professionalism that was greater than that of a junior photo competition standard. Overjoyed by the award ceremony, Pham Nhat Nam shared: ‘I am completely surprised that I scored the Special Prize, so I want to share this prize with my brother, who is both my teacher and my motivation to pursue photography. I hope that in the future, I can become a professional photographer to take more beautiful photos.’ Overall, Canon has given prizes with a total value up to VND200 millions. The Special Prize was worth more than VND50 millions, including a Canon EOS 1200D DSLR camera, a Selphy 910 photo printer, an English scholarship at Apollo English Centre, and two round-trip tickets to Bangkok, Thai-

land of Turkish Airlines. Other awards were given to talented junior photographers on the day, including: First prize went to Christine Deticio, who received an SX 700 HS compact camera and an E560 photo printer. Second prize went to Pham Do Anh Quan, who received an SX 600 HS compact camera and an MG 3570 photo printer. Third prize went to Ngo Thuy Tien, who received an Ixus 265 compact camera. The Most Creative Photo Award went to Vu Tran Quynh Tram, who received an Ixus 265 compact camera. Additionally, all prize-winners were awarded with a VIP Pass to Vietopia, and Canon also handed out 10 consolation prizes. Mr Nick Yoshida, CEO and President of Canon Marketing Vietnam, merrily said: ‘We are thrilled to have been able to provide an opportunity for building the talent of Vietnam’s photographers, as well as a platform for the development of the future generation.’n

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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A first impression lasts forever 2014 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

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10 Best 4-star Hotels HCM City Department of Tourism First Hotel-New Wing

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HOSPITALITY

‘Liberty’: More than a word

BY PIP DE ROUVRAY

hrough the mists of time, I remember Wednesday afternoon literature classes at school and the drowsiness that they used to invoke. Occasionally, the drone of the teacher’s voice did wake me up, though. One line that still comes to mind was from a strongly-worded protest poem; ‘Freedom is more than a word, more than the ... tyrant’s dishonoured cheque’. It came to me the other day when I was asked to investigate the Liberty Hotel and Liberty Central brands. They have been expanding their portfolio of three and four-star lodgements greatly recently. I poked my head the other day into the brightly-lit lobby of the recently opened Liberty Central Saigon City Point. It seems to have been an instant success, with a hive of activity to witness and the bar, which fronts the pavement, is already one of the mostfrequented in town. In order to learn more, I went to visit M. Michel Serrano, the Chief Executive Officer of ‘Odyssea Hospitality’, the Vietnamese company which manages these names. Mr Serrano sees Vietnam’s rapidlymoving tourism mirroring that of Thailand some twenty years ago. He strongly affirms that the volume is in the three-to-four star market. There may be more prestige for a company in the luxury end, but it does not take rocket science to see that hotels

achieving eighty to ninety per cent occupancy can be more profitable than half-full five-star ones. ‘Liberty’ is good at location. The name should be familiar to anyone who has been in HCMC for even just a short while. ‘The Liberty Central Saigon Riverside’ is prominent among the big names on Ton Duc Thang Street. ‘The Liberty Greenview’ and ‘Liberty Parkview’ give touches of class to Pham Ngu Lao. ‘The Liberty Central Saigon Centre’ is on Le Thanh Ton, the city’s trendiest fashion street. ‘Liberty 2’ on Ham Nghi is handy for Ben Thanh Market. ‘Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint’ as already mentioned, has anchored a position as hostelry of choice for its class in the heart of District One. Then, in the new avenues of fast-developing district 7, one will find ‘The Liberty Saigon South’. Now, the drive is on to allow people to enjoy what the brand has to offer, which is becoming as widespread in Vietnam as Holiday Inn is in other countries. This will begin with the opening of Liberty Hotel Nha Trang on May the 15th. Mr Serrano is at pains to point out that price is another important factor, especially these days with quick access to information. The Revenue Management officer has a job akin to driving a car, Serrano explains. He/she needs to make minute-by-minute decisions to ensure customers get best

Mr Michel Serrano value for money and that the hotel maximises its occupancy. However, in this labour-intensive industry, it is in human resources that the success lies. Mr Serrano cites the Saigon Tourist training facility as an example of an excellent hotel school, but says much more is needed. Training enough staff to cope with the rapid expansion of tourism is a major concern. Mr Serrano tells me Vietnam in particular needs quality staff at the higher management level. ‘It is a tough job, requiring many competencies to manage a hotel, but there are enough ambitious Vietnamese out there to make the grade,’ he tells me. Also, in this area, Mr Serrano is concerned with productivity. He approaches this like the CEO of a Formula One racing team seeking to clip off thousandths of seconds in order to win a race.’ ‘Liberty’ then is a Vietnamese company, well-positioned in its sector. It has employed as its helmsman an expert with great experience in the region and in the business in order to ensure international standards. It recognises that the bulk of people coming to visit Vietnam are not those with money to burn, but people needing affordable comfort with first-class service and seeking value for money. Thus it is that ‘Liberty’ is more than just a by-word for quality it is a guarantee!n VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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FOOD

In search of anci

anh cong cakes (bánh mảnh cộng), shaking fried cakes (bánh rán lúc lắc), van am ground beef cakes (mọc vân am), and tomato cakes (bánh cà chua) are delicious Hanoi pastries. However, today they only exist in the memories of folks in their seventies. They’re familiar street dishes, but now the old methods of cooking them have been lost. Enter Nguyen Phuong Hai, the director of the Vietway Cooking Centre in Hanoi. He laboriously searched for the ancient flavours of these foods - for to him, these delectable dishes are products of heritage. Hai relates that his path towards food and drink was quite coincidental. He flunked his university law exams because he was short half a point, so he learned how to be a chef as a means of taking care of himself for five years before retaking the exams. However, ‘the craft chose him,’ and the more he studied, the more captivated he became. Ever since he became attached to the kitchen, Hai has recalled the times of his youth, when he got to eat tasty dishes cooked by his maternal grandmother. Hai’s maternal grandmother is over 90 30 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

years old this year. She was a female student in the first class of Dong Khanh Academy, where she got to study homemaking from talented teachers and the best female workers of that time. She invested so much just to teach her grandchild all that she knew. She moreover gifted him a cook book that Hai has held on to for decades. The book has already faded. It was penned by Van Dai, who wrote prose rather than lists of recipes. Owing to that, Hai learned of many odd, sophisticated dishes that he’d never heard of before. Sometimes a dish existed only vaguely in his grandmother’s memory, but she managed to guide her grandchild so that he could go seek it out. For many dishes, Hai had to fumble about and ask many aged Hanoians before he was able to make them. Every time Hai is able to prepare a dish, he invites his grandmother to try the dishes and then makes them over and over again until his grandmother tastes them and says that they’re properly done. The numerous aged folks who still recall the old ways of cooking in Hanoi are his exacting critics. He invites them to watch how he prepares the dishes and then to eat his cooking.

Only after receiving affirmative nods from them does he preserve the recipes. Throughout their over thousand year history of interaction with many cuisines such as Western and Chinese cuisines, refined Hanoians knew how to filter out the best, most appealing things about the cuisines of each country and modify them to create dishes that are unique to the people of Hanoi. Hai passionately talked about wonton soup (mì vằn thắn), a dish that originates in China. If cooked the Chinese way by putting in a bit of Chinese medicinal herbs, then it wouldn’t suit the Vietnamese. So the Vietnamese modified it by simply simmering bone broth until very sweet and then putting in dried prawns, dried pork skin, and a touch of fresh mushrooms so that it creates a broth that is refreshing, sweet and light, rather than rich in the flavours of Chinese medicinal herbs. Or take braised pork and eggs (thịt kho trứng); when properly done the Chinese way, it is braised with soy sauce, whereas the Vietnamese braise it with fish sauce (nước mắm) and mainly Vietnamese spices. The flavour of fish sauce is totally

ient flavours

FOOD

BY VU THUY

distinct from soy sauce and makes the dish richer and more appealing. Take French Bordelaise beef. The Vietnamese put cinnamon, anise, cardamom, and spices quite suitable for beef that only the Vietnamese possess. Then they substitute white wine for red wine to change it into a ‘Bordelaise’ beef dish that is very delicious to eat with bread. Hai said that Hanoi, too, has its own unique, characteristic dishes like bún thang (Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodle soup with chicken, eggs, and pork), bún chả (rice noodles with grilled meat), chả cá Lã Vọng (La Vong’s fried fish and rice noodles in a charcoal brazier), nem rán (fried meat rolls), and nộm đu đu bò kho (papaya salad with braised pork, nuts and spices). However, almost all of them seem to have been modified, so they no longer retain their ancient flavours. Cooking is never easy, especially when having to look for the ingredients while getting a feel for the recipe. Many dishes made by Nguyen Phuong Hai required a period of time to learn that must be reckoned in years before finally achieving success. As for banh ran luc lac, which has a

mung bean filling that ‘runs’ in the centre, when Hai made them following the instructions in his grandmother’s book, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. Of 100 of them, 20-30 were ‘deaf.’ Then, by coincidence, an acquaintance pointed out to Hai that he should put ripe bananas into the flour. However, Hai wasn’t clear about the proportion to put in. He measured out the amount and, when he put in a lot, it turned out sour, while, when he put in a little, it didn’t ‘shake.’ He spent an entire year of making fried cakes, giving them to students and school teachers, and constantly eating them before succeeding at the authentic recipe. Some dishes were difficult like ‘dragon beard’ (long tu), for which Hai searched for forever on end without coming up with anything. That’s one of the dishes among the ‘eight treasures’ (bát trân) on the banquet platter of the Hanoians in the olden days that comes from the bowels of braised fish. The fish bowels are soaked in rice water so that they are tender and white. They are purified in alcohol so as to rid them of the rancid odour and cut into five pieces. Once scissors are taken to cut the

From left: Bún thang (Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodle soup with chicken, eggs, and pork); Chè long nhãn hạt sen (Longan and lotus seeds sweet soup). Photo: Vu Thuy; Bún chả (rice noodles with grilled meat). Above: Chef Nguyen Phuong Hai

bowels so that they are bristly at the two ends and deep fried in aged fat, the resulting bristliness is called ‘dragon beard.’ Not stopping with hunting for precious Hanoian dishes, Phuong Hai created a manual ‘Traditional Hanoi Dishes’ (Mon an Ha Noi co truyen) with recipes for 36 Hanoi dishes. Aside from that, Hai successfully recreated approximately 100 dishes. The talented chief stated that he still has 200 more dishes to go and that he wants to find out how the Hanoians of old prepared them. With the delicious dishes that he has amassed, Hai wrote a book and teaches the dishes to numerous young students at the Vietway Cooking Centre as a means to retain the refined flavours of the people of Hanoi. Hai’s classes are filled with the elderly, youthful, big and small as well as Western men and women. From Hai’s small classes, some dishes that had been lost once again show off their colours and flavours on the dinner table of many Hanoians.n

Vietway Cooking Centre

No 2, Lane 233, Xuan Thuy St, Cau Giay Dist., Hanoi; Tel: 0904 093 777 VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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WHAT THE PAPERS SAY Vietnam to bring more tourists to Spratly

HCM City to get first pedestrian street next month

Thanh Nien News, 30 March Nguyen Hue Street will become HCM City’s first walking street on 20 April. Authorities plan to completely ban trucks on the street and all motor vehicles between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Trucks can get permission in individual cases to use the road. The plan to upgrade the street is expected to cost $20 million and will turn the 670-meter downtown street into a cultural hub, with 3D art events and water fountains at night. The street runs from the People’s Committee office to Bach Dang Wharf on the Saigon River.

Champa relics discovered at construction site

Thanh Nien News, 31 March Archaeologists said they have discovered Cham relics and structures dating back to the 9th century in the central province of Quang Nam. The Institute of Archaeology’s official said they have unearthed 20 pits along the construction site of Danang-Quang Ngai Highway since January this year. A number of structures have been found at the unearthed area of 2,000 square meters, including a 60-meter-long wall system and box-like structures. The structures are believed to be rooms in which Brahman monks gathered to pray and perform religious rituals. Archaeologists also discovered bricks, tiles, Cham terra-cotta relics and ceramic items of various origins. 32 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Thanh Nien News, 2 April Ho Chi Minh City has instructed tourism companies to plan new tour services to Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands, after a Hai Phong company became the first to bring tourists there last December. Saigontourist and Tan Cang Offshore Travel Joint Stock Company were ordered to offer a reasonable price to attract tourists to the islands. In February, the Ministry of Transport announced a plan to launch civilian flights to Truong Sa this year.

Helmet laws to be enforced

Thanh Nien News, 3 April Next week, traffic police nationwide will pull over motorbike drivers whose children are not wearing helmets and ask them to pay a fine, according to the National Enforcement Action Plan launched in early Aril. The rule is applied to children aged six or above.

Strong public opposition against ‘tree massacre’ in Vietnam capital

Tuoi Tre News, 27 March A number of architects and netizens in Hanoi and elsewhere are working on a documentary to protest against the capital’s plan to fell 6,700 trees. A documentary called 6,700 People for 6,700 Trees has recently been launched by Am-Architecture Movies Club. The makers decided to make the film amidst the heated public outcry against Hanoi authorities’ plan to cut down 6,700 of the city’s 120,000 trees from 2015 to 2017 at an estimated cost of around $2.82 million. Since the city started carrying out the plan on 19 March, many people have protested it because some of the trees which have been felled – as many as 500 – included those that were still growing well.

Traffic ban

Tuoi Tre News, 30 March The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has announced a ban on traffic on two street sections in District 1 from 30 March to 6 May, 2015. The ban is aimed at ensuring safety and security for the construction of a stand that will serve a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Reunification Day (30 April). Accordingly, vehicles of all kinds are banned from travel on a section of Pasteur Street, running from Han Thuyen Street to Alexandre de Rhodes Street; and a section of Le Duan Street, running from Pham Ngoc Thach Street to Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street.

Company named largest salangane producer

Tuoi Tre News, 30 March Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Co. has been acknowledged to boast the most natural salangane islands and the highest yields of salangane nests in Asia. The company received the certificate for those achievements from the Asia Book of Records, a New Delhi-based record organization. Based in Nha Trang, the capital of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, the company currently manages 32 salangane islands, which are home to 169 natural caves, within the Khanh Hoa waters. It also jointly runs several such islands in the waters spanning from the northcentral province of Quang Binh to Con Dao off Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, some 100 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City.

Baby elephant dies in central Vietnam

Tuoi Tre News, 25 March A baby elephant weighing about 100kg has been found dead, with a patch of skin flayed, four missing feet, and a part of the tail cut off in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. The Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre on Wednesday said the dead elephant was found in the Ea H’Leo District.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY Local residents said a herd of about 20 elephants flocked to the forest area to search for food recently. As the animals looked fierce, nobody dared to approach them, locals said, adding that after these elephants left the commune, they found one of them lying dead in the subzone. When alive, the elephant was worth VND700 million ($32,830).

Experts pinpoint impacts of reclamation

Tuoi Tre News, 31 March A large project, now suspended, to build a residential area by encroaching on the Dong Nai River flowing through the province that carries its name has met with criticism by many experts. Local experts have continued to express criticism of a multimillion-dollar project to build a residential area by reclaiming land from Vietnam’s longest river due to its potential adverse impact on the environment, even though the developer has suspended it. The 8.4ha project is intended to develop a residential area along one bank of the Dong Nai River by reclaiming land from it.

Sea water intrudes into coastal rice fields

Tuoi Tre News, 31 March Hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice fields in coastal areas in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam have been badly affected by the deep intrusion of sea water into rivers and canals. In Soc Trang Province, the salinity measured this year was 0.8 percent. At this time last year, it was only 0.4 percent. In Hau Giang Province, the salinity in river water is increasing by 0.05-0.1 percentage points per day and travelling 2-3km deeper into rice fields a day. In Kien Giang Province, salinity has penetrated 30-35km from the mouths of the Cai Be and Cai Lon Rivers. The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting of Ca Mau Province also announced the salinity degree of water in major rivers in the province is higher than last year’s. The provinces have been known as Vietnam’s rice granary for decades.

VN tops Southeast Asian alcohol consumption

Tuoi Tre News, 2 April Vietnam ranks first in Southeast Asia in terms of beer and wine consumption growth. A report by the Hanoi-based Health Strategy and Policy Institute said Vietnamese spend around $3 billion a year on beer and $744.2 million on wine. Each Vietnamese person drank an average of 3.8 litters of wine a year in the 20032005 period, and 6.6 litters in 2010, according to the institute.

Local firm offers tours to cave system

Tuoi Tre News, 2 April A local company has launched tours to Vietnam’s volcanic cave system, which also boasts Southeast Asia's longest and secondlongest grottos. The system, located in Krong No District of Dak Nong Province in the Central Highlands, consists of 12 caves. The He Tre Co., a travel firm based in Ho Chi Minh City, has just begun operating tours which allow tourists to explore Caves C3 and C6 of the system. Dak Nong authorities are conceiving a project to build a geological park (geopark) that houses the 12 volcanic caves, with a view to obtaining UNESCO recognition of the place as a global geopark in the future, a senior official said following its discovery. The project will be submitted to the prime minister and relevant agencies for consideration, the official said.

American Centre re-opens

Tuoi Tre News, 3 April The U.S. Consulate General’s American Centre in Ho Chi Minh City now re-opens its doors to welcome a larger number of visitors with updated, modern facilities after being closed for four months for renovation. The renovated American Centre, still located on the 8th floor of Diamond Plaza at 34 Le Duan Street, District 1 is now divided into different areas, each of which has a specific purpose and set of activities. The place features new lounges where visitors, especially students, can find relax while watching movies or accessing the Internet.

It has a special area where readers can sit on large, smooth couches and view the city through the windows. Besides 18 computers, the lounge also includes 30 iPads which visitors can use to read documents, including e-books and magazines on a digital platform. The American Centre, which opens to the public from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, now has its library with approximately 2,500 books and 750 DVDs which can all be loaned free of charge.

Post office building gets new coat

vnexpress.net, 5 April HCM City reopened the city’s historic post office building after a restoration process. City authorities have conducted a project to fix several ruins inside the building and repainted it. Earlier, managers of the post office had the building repainted, but faced public opposition over the work as the new paint colour was different from the original one. City authorities later ordered a testing campaign of colours, with consultation from experts. The building was constructed in 1886 by the French colonialists and has been used as a post office up to now.

Move to raise visa fees

english.vietnamnet.vn, 3 April The Vietnamese Ministry of Finance wants to increase the single-entry visa fee for overseas Vietnamese and foreigners from $20 to $45. The news has resulted in double the number of people seeking passports since February against the same period of last year, according to the HCM Police immigration unit. But the ministry clarified that the fee for Vietnamese people to acquire a passport remains unchanged at $10. Passport renewal will also remain at $20 and passport extension fees at $5 for locals. The ministry suggested that fees for visas of less than six months and more than six months for overseas Vietnamese and foreigners be raised from $50 and $100 to $65 to $255, respectively. Visa-granting fees for travellers arriving by ship will remain unchanged at $5. VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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EVENTS HANOI

TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCES Cheo singing performances Cheo, a kind of popular opera / traditional music, is shown at 8 p.m. every Friday at the Kim Ma Theater, 71 Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi. English interpretation offered. Price: VND150,000 per person. Tel: (04) 3764-8079/ 0904549-579 (Ms Ngoan) Ancient folk form Quan họ is a folk song form that originated in the northern province of Bac Ninh in the 13th century. The form took on elements of other genres as it spread throughout the country, incorporating a dialogue style of singing in the 18th century, the period when Vietnamese literature blossomed. As a folk art with a highly collective nature, Quan họ songs alternate from group to group with singers keeping up the conversation by exchanging songs. There is no accompanying instrumental music. Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk music company offers Quan họ performances on request; an hour costs around VND30 million. Performance venues can also be requested. Contact Mr Quy Trang, head of Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk music company, at mobile 0913-073-326. Street songs of the poor and blind Every Saturday night Hát xẩm is a minimalist style of Vietnamese singing, traditionally performed by the poor and the blind and especially wanderers, usually accompanied with a simple đàn nhị (two-string violin) or đàn bầu (single-string zither). Hát xẩm is a Vietnamese blues from the 13th century. It is making a comeback, after several decades. Artists at the Centre for Research on and Development of Vietnamese Music now perform xẩm at Dong Xuan Market, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, every Saturday night. Free. Ca truø Ca trù, an ancient Vietnamese musical form with a singer accom-

panied by three-string đàn đáy and other instruments, is performed at 87 Ma May Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, at 8 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, by artists from Ca Tru Thang Long Club, www.catruvietnam.net. Price: $10 (VND210,000). Reservation is necessary. Tel: 01 223 266 897 EXHIBITIONS 8 days a week Till 25 April The exhibition themed ‘The 8th Day’ is on at Sofitel Plaza Hanoi till 25 April. The exhibition showcases paintings by female artists from Hanoi, including Duong Thuy Duong, Dang Tu Thu and Nguyen Thi Minh Tam. Every week has only seven days, but to the artists, there is an 8th day beyond common knowledge and perception. It is where and when they bask into their own imaginary worlds, fuel their dreams and get inspired for their creativity. Sofitel Plaza Hanoi, 1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi. Tel: (04) 3823-8888

The secrets of the underground Till 30 April An exhibition by Ngoc Nau, titled ‘The Land of Energy’, is on at the Cuc Gallery till 30 April. The exhibition is the first step of a long-term project for the mining localities in Thai Nguyen Province where the artist was born. Nau is ‘longing to unravel the secrets of the underground.’ Nau’s artworks in this series introduce a new art practice of many emerging contemporary artists to portray concepts of the past, present and future: very curious and experimental, researchbased and intuitive. Cuc Gallery, Fifth Floor, Women Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hanoi. Tel (04) 3825-9936 A quarter of a century in Vietnam Till 8 May

tion of photographers working in the battle against America, including Doan Cong Tinh, Chu Chi Thanh, Mai Nam and Hua Kiem. The exhibition will last from 14 April to 10 May at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi. Tel: (04) 39362164. Free entrance. What art is up to lately Until 9 October, 2015

Smile! Till 26 April

The exhibition, entitled ‘Smile! Temporary Art’, is on at Manzi till 26 April. The artist brothers Hubert Froidevaux and Jacques Froidevaux from Switzerland explore the endless possible uses of humour in various art forms: object, sculpture, installation, light box, postcard and graphic print. The artists deal with relevant topics such as environment, globalization, education and consumerism. Free entry. Manzi Art Space,14 Phan Huy Ich St, Hanoi

34 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Art Vietnam Gallery presents the photographs of Catherine Karnow’s 25-year journey in Vietnam. The exhibition is sectioned into periods of time from the somber years of the early 90’s, the General Giap era, the ‘Doi Moi’ years, Agent Orange/Amerasians, and finally, the New Vietnam. Each era holds its own special place, reflecting the moment captured by the lens of a sensitive camera attuned to the idiosyncratic atmosphere. The exhibition runs till 8 May. Art Vietnam Gallery, Second Floor,24 Ly Quoc Su St, Hanoi. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tel: (04) 3928-5190 War stories From 14 April to 10 May On the occasion of 40th anniversary of Independence Day, L’Espace presents a photo exhibi-

Vietnam Fine Arts Museum presents an exhibition, ‘Modern Arts’ by various artists till 9 October, 2015. The exhibition includes 28 artworks of oil painting, lacquer painting, silk painting, paper painting, synthetic material and sculpture. The museum hopes to give the audiences a comprehensive overview about the developing modern art of Vietnam through the richness of its styles and materials. Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc St, Hanoi. Tel: (04) 3733-2131. Open: 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry fee: VND20,000

MUSIC Catch the Drops 18 April The Drops, a Jazz trio, is performing at L’Espace at 8 p.m. on

18 April. They are a popular band in France with a debut album ‘Falling from the sky’. After two years of touring around the world, their second album, ‘Spray’ launched. The band includes Christophe Panzani, saxophonist; Federico Casagrande, guitarist; and Gautier Garrigue, drummer. Ticket: VND160,000. L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi. Tel: (04) 3936-2164 Farmer at Le Club Till 30 August

African-American Jazz diva Kathryn Farmer will perform from Tuesday to Sunday at 8.45p.m. till 30 August at Le Club of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, 15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi.

FESTIVALS Father of the water puppets 23 April to 25 April Tu Dao Hanh, the legendary founder of Vietnam’s water puppets, will be remembered at Thay Pagoda festival from 23 April to 25 April. The festival includes incense offerings, cheo folk theatre, a water puppet show and a recital of Tu Dao Hanh’s remarkable feats. Thay village, now called Thuy Khue Village, is in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District, Hanoi, 25 km from the city centre. The village and Mt Sai Son behind it provide great views of Long Tri Lake with its water puppet stage and two wooden bridges with tiled roofs. Cooking snakes and frogs 11 May Le Mat Village Festival takes place on 11 May at the village in Viet Hung Ward, Long Bien District, Hanoi, and honours Hoang Duc Trung, who won merit by

taking poor people from Le Mat to the capital to reclaim wasteland and build 13 barracks to the west of Thang Long Citadel. The festival involves a water procession from the village well, catching fish and offering them to the gods, as well as feasts and processions.

NINH BINH PROVINCE

Folk games 26 April to 28 April Truong Yen Festival, beginning on 26 April at Truong Yen Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, about 92km south of Hanoi, honours the kings Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh. The festival’s two most solemn rituals are a water procession and the offering of sacrifices. The festival includes folk games, wrestling, boat races, swings, chau van traditional music, poetry, writing Chinese characters, stick dancing, dragon dancing and human chess.

PHU THO PROVINCE

Foundation of the nation 22 to 28 April One of the nation’s biggest festivals, established to honour the Hung Kings, who founded Van Lang, the predecessor of modern Vietnam, is the Hung Temple Festival which takes place from 22 to 28 April at Nghia Linh Mountain, Hy Cuong Commune, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province, about 95km from Hanoi. At the same time, ritual ceremonies will be held at Hung Temples in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and other provinces. The festival, called Viet Tri, features incense offerings, xoan and ca tru songs, bronze-drum dancing, bamboo swings and nem con (throwing a sacred ball through a ring).

Day is the centre of the cult of Princess Lieu Hanh. In popular tradition, the princess is honoured as the Holy Mother, one of the four immortal Vietnamese heroes. The others are Tan Vien, who guards against floods; Giong, a legendary three-year old boy who became a national hero in the struggle against foreign invaders; and Chu Dong Tu, an example of hard work building a happy and prosperous life despite early poverty. The main ceremonies of the Phu Day festival are the Holy Mother procession and a display of Chinese characters. Other highlights include a wrestling competition, cockfighting, human chess and performances of chau van. The Phu Day area has 19 temples and pagodas over three km.

HUE

Craft festival 28 April to 3 May Hue Traditional Craft Festival will be held in Hue from 28 April to 3 May. The event includes a performance by the artists from 40 craft villages in Vietnam, a food fair with Hue specialties and an exhibition displaying ancient objects of traditional crafts. This year, there will be a participation of artists from Gyeongju in Korea and Saijo in Japan. The event will take place in area of Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street to Tu Tuong Park, 3-2 Park and Hue Cultural Museum.

DANANG

Conflagrations, again 28 and 29 April

NAM DINH PROVINCE

Princess cult 21 April to 26 April The annual Phu Day festival will be held on 21 April to 26 April on Kim Thai Commune, Vu Bau District, Nam Dinh Province, about 100 km from Hanoi. Phu

The Danang International Fireworks Competition will take place on the evening of 28 and 29

EVENTS

April at the Han River with the participation of five teams including America, Australia, Poland, South Africa and Vietnam. Each team will perform fireworks show of 20 to 22 minutes.

HOI AN

Top singers to compete 29 April to 3 May The 4th Vietnam International Choir Competition 2015 will be held in Hoi An from 29 April to 3 May. The event is organized by INTERKULTUR, the world's leading organizer of international choir competitions and festivals. This event includes over 1,500 artists of 45 choirs from 15 countries.

NHA TRANG

Mother of them all 9 to 11 May Po Nagar Festival will be held at Po Nagar Tower, Vinh Phuoc Ward, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, from 9 to 11 May. The festival commemorates the local Mother Goddess who, according to Cham legends, created the homeland, founded the race, introduced the rice plant and taught the people how to cultivate it. The goddess has since become sacred to the local Vietnamese inhabitants. The festival involves washing the goddess’s statue and changing its robes, dancing for the goddess, ghe (boat) races and boi folk songs. Water Puppetry Afternoon and evening everyday Nha Trang Water Puppetry Theatre stages 16 performances per week, which depict stories of Vietnam’s pastoral life and history and re-create traditional dances. On the performing list are excerpts from famed plays and tunes in ‘tuong’ (traditional Vietnamese opera) and ‘bai choi’ (the central Vietnamese region’s folk game and art), folk songs and dances of ethnic communities living across the province, and traditional music performances. The theatre hosts three shows

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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EVENTS

at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and two shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the remaining days. Nha Trang Water Puppetry Theatre, 46 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province.

HO CHI MINH CITY

EXHIBITIONS Expat Vietnamese Till 9 May

A solo exhibition by Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai is on Sao La till 9 May. Thanh Mai is an internationally award-winning artist, based in Hue. The exhibition consists of four interrelated serial artworks in various media, which draw on one year of extensive research by the artist in several small fishing communities in Siem Reap and Pursat, Cambodia as well as in Long An, Vietnam. ‘Day by Day’, the title of the exhibition is a phrase the artist borrowed from villagers living in a small fishing community in Siem Reap Province, Pursat and Long An Province. The villagers’ frequent use of this phrase ‘drew the picture of their future’. The exhibition presents a set of circumstances that are highly specific to the case of Vietnamese in Cambodia, yet also of broader relevance, intersecting with universal questions of citizenship and migration. Sao La, 1 Le Thi Hong Gam St., Dist, Ho Chi Minh City. Parking lot at 3 Le Thi Hong Gam St (next to The HCMC Fine Arts Museum). Pedestrian photos Till 3 May 40 black-and-white paintings by photographer Nguyen Thanh Tung is on Workshop Café, 27

Ngo Duc Ke St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. The photos feature city’s icons including Ben Thanh Market, Ben Nha Rong (Dragon Wharf), the People’s Committee edifice, Caravelle Hotel, Dong Khoi Street, Saigon River Tunnel and the Nhieu Loc Canal. Moreover the photographer captures street corners, landscapes, and the daily life of city dwellers. The exhibition runs till 3 May. The movement of wood Till 29 June

Wood-flux – a wooden flow – seems to be a contradictory phrase-for how can something as sturdy as wood also stream so fervently? Such a concept indeed recalls a Japanese genre of woodblock prints on silk and paper – ‘Ukiyo-e’ – meaning ‘pictures of the floating world’. Inspired by the calibre of Ukiyo-e woodblock and the textile pattern of Phuong My’s Spring Summer 2015 collection, artist Nguyen Huu Tram Kha showcases various fascinations of a ‘Wood-flux’ at Phuong My Flagship Store, 81 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City, till 29 June. MUSIC Give your heart a break 9 May American singer/actress Demi Lovato will perform from 9

36 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

a.m. to 11 p.m. on 9 May at Phu Tho Stadium, 1 Lu Gia St, Dist.11, Ho Chi Minh City. The show will feature the performances of up to 80 Vietnamese singers. AO! AO Show is on at Opera House at 6 p.m. on 17, 20, 21 April and 8 p.m. on 18 April.

A O Show is a new kind of art performance, acknowledged globally as new type of circus. 60 minutes of using bamboo and basket boats, traditional music of Don Ca Tai Tu, visual creations and lighting, and audiences see themselves walking on a small walkway of sweet and breezy Southern Vietnam, and wandering past the surging dunes of the Southern Central only to find themselves front of a lotus swamp. Tickets range from VND504,000 to VND1,176,000. Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3829-9976

FESTIVAL Conflagrations 30 April To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, there will be a parade and

fireworks on 30 April in Ho Chi Minh City. At 6 a.m., a military parade with various forces of the army will be performed at 30/4 Park, District 1, near the Reunification Palace. At 10 p.m., fireworks will be shown at Bitexco Financial Tower, the Ben Duoc Memorial Temple in Cu Chi District, the Nga Ba Giong Memorial Temple in Hoc Mon District, Lang Le – Bau Co Historical Relic Site in Binh Chanh Province, the Can Gio Football Field in can Gio Province, Ethnological History and Culture Park in District 9, Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11 and the Go Vap Flower Village Park in Go Vap District. Burning effigies 11 May Lady Thien Hau Pagoda at 710 Nguyen Trai St, Dist. 5, HCMC, is one of the oldest Chinese pagodas in Saigon. Many Chinese people are expected to come to its festival at on 11 May, where they will admire effigies of Ong Thien (the Good God) and Ong Ac (Evil God), each some 3m long. The effigies are ritually burned at the end of the festival.

MEKONG DELTA

Whale of a time 24 to 28 April Nghinh Ong Festival is held at Ong Nam Hai Tomb (Tomb of the Whale), Vam Lang Commune, Go Cong Dong District, Tien Giang Province, Mekong Delta, from 24 to 28 April. The festival involves a boat decorated with lights and flowers welcoming the whale, followed by a procession from Vam Lang to Xoai Rap River. The procession includes singing and playing musical instruments.

VALUE FOR MONEY HOTELS

Novotel Halong Bay

160 Halong St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3848-108 www.novotelhalongbay.com

Tel: (08) 3823-2833 www.lottehotel.com/saigon Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon has a ‘Business Package’ till 30 September. It costs VND 3,250,000++ per night in a Deluxe Room including breakfast, complimentary three pieces of laundry per day, valet shoe-shining, fitness club and outdoor swimming pool with hot Jacuzzi, free hotel-city shuttle service and a 10 per cent discount on food and beverage.

RESORTS AND SPAS

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Novotel Halong Bay has a ‘Spring Break Package’ till 31 May. The price is VND1,800,000 per night per Standard Room including buffet breakfast, a voucher of 30 per cent off spa treatments and a voucher of 15 per cent off food and beverage. The promotion is applicable for those who book and pay three days in advance. The price includes service charge and VAT.

Movenpick Hotel Hanoi

83A Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3822-2800 www.moevenpick-hotels.com/hanoi

15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3826-6919 www.sofitel-legend.com Le Spa du Metropole at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is offering a 90-minute spa treatment including a 30-minute Clarins body exfoliation with bamboo powder and a 60minute relaxing body massage with aroma therapy. It costs VND2,000,000++.

Michelia Hotel

4 Pasteur St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3820-820 www.michelia.vn Michelia Hotel is offering a ‘Family Holiday Package’ at VND4,299,000++ including twonight’s stay in a Superior Premier Room, buffet breakfast, a dinner, a voucher of 30-minute massage for family and a 20 per cent discount on airport transfer service.

Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon 2A-4A Ton Duc Thang St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City

38 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

VietStar Resort & Spa

Nui Thom, Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen Province Tel: (057) 3789-999 www.vietstarresort.com

Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh

Van Long Reserve, Gia Van Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province Tel: (030) 3658-333 www.emeraldaresort.com Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh is offering ‘Smart Saver’ starting from VND3,300,000 per room per night for two with breakfast, lunch or dinner, free entrance to kid’s club, free one-hour use of mini-golf course and two-hour bike rental. The offer runs till 31 May.

La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa

Movenpick Hotel Hanoi is offering a promotion for those who book ‘Business Saver Package’ including three pieces laundry per day, a 20 per cent off at Lounge 83 and Mangosteen Restaurant and free transportation one way.

Those who organize their wedding at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa will earn Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points and redeem free honeymoon nights at any 47 Hyatt hotels and resorts in the globe. $10,000 (VND210,000,000) earns 60,000 points, getting a minimum of two free nights. $20,000 (VND420,000,000) earns 90,000 points, getting a minimum of three free nights. $30,000 (VND630,000,000) earns 120,000 points, getting a minimum of four free nights. $40,000 (VND840,000,000) earns 150,000 points, getting a minimum of five nights. The offer is valid till 31 December, 2017.

5 Le Loi St, Hue Tel: (054) 3837-475 www.la-residence-hue.com La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa is offering a 30 per cent discount on accommodation for Vietnamese residents and expatriates. The offer runs from 15 April to 30 September.

Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa

Truong Sa St, Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Danang Tel: (0511) 3981-234 www.danang.regency.hyatt.com

VietStar Resort & Spa is running a ‘Holiday 30/4 Package’ at VND2,289,000++ per room per night in a Superior Room with breakfast, lunch or dinner, round trip airport transfers and complimentary electronic car to Bai Xep Beach. The promotion is applicable for those who book at least two nights and valid from 25 April to 2 May.

Ana Mandara Villas Dalat

Le Lai St, Ward 5, Dalat, Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3555-888 www.anamandara-resort.com Ana Mandara Villas Dalat has a ‘Summer Family Escape’ till 31 August. It costs VND3,150,000 per night in a Villa Studio with breakfast, a credit of VND500,000 for food and beverage, round-trip airport transfers, a 20 per cent discount on spa, a 10 per cent discount on food and beverage and a 10 per cent discount on excursion. The offer is applicable for those who book at least two nights. Surcharge is VND630,000 for bookings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The price includes service charge and VAT.

Binh An Village Resort

Tuyen Lam Lake, Ward 4, Dalat Tel: (063) 3800-999 www.binhanvillage.com Binh An Village Resort has a ‘Summer Package 2015’ for VND2,519,000++ per room per night in a Suite Room with breakfast, lunch or

- Imperial deep-fried spring rolls or shrimp mousse on sugar cane. -Stir-fried chicken with lemongrass and chili or stewed caramelized river pike in clay pot. A class requires at least two students.

OTHERS

dinner, shuttle bus to Dalat centre, free biking, fishing and kayaking on the lake. Surcharge is VND630,000 per room per night for bookings on public holiday. The promotion is valid from 3 May to 30 September and applicable for those who book at least two nights.

Dalat Edensee Resort

Tuyen Lam Lake, Zone Vii.2, Dalat , Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3831-515 www.dalatedensee.com

Grand Mercure Danang

Green Island, Hai Chau District, Danang Tel: (0511) 3797-777 www.accorhotels.com/7821 Grand Mercure Danang has been given the ‘Award of Excellence’ by Booking.com, a world leader in booking accommodation online. The award is based on reviews of guests over the past year. The Grand Mercure Danang has achieved an overall review score of 8.6 on Booking.com, with thousands of reviews by guests from around the world, who have consistently praised the outstanding hospitality, superior comfort and world-class facilities of the hotel.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Sherwood Residence is the first luxury serviced apartment in Ho Chi Minh City to be certified by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. It offers 228 full-serviced two and three-bedroom apartment units along with 12 penthouse suites for short and long-term stay. Sherwood Residence is managed by Windsor Property Management Group Corporation (WMC Group) which is one of the largest hospitality and property service companies in Vietnam, managing a portfolio of restaurants, hotels, serviced apartments, and commercial shopping centres.

FOOD PROMOTIONS

Hotel Nikko Hanoi

84 Tran Nhan Tong St, Hai Ba Trung Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3822-3535 www.hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn

Palm Garden Beach Resort and Spa

Dalat Edensee Resort has many promotions for those who book from 25 April to 3 May. VND5,990,000 per room for two nights for two in a Mimosa Superior with breakfast and a dinner. VND7,990,000 per room for three nights for two in a Mimosa Superior with breakfast, a dinner and a massage. VND9,990,000 per room for four nights for two in a Mimosa Superior with breakfast, a dinner, a body massage and a city tour. The resort has many activities including rowing, archery, fishing, tennis, volleyball, swimming, gym, karaoke, billiard, yoga class and cooking class. The prices include service charge and VAT.

COOKING CLASS

Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City

242 Tran Binh Trong St, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City; Tel: (08) 3839-7777 www.equatorial.com Orientica Seafood Restaurant, at the Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City, has a Vietnamese cooking class at VND940,000++ per person from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Students can choose to prepare a menu with two choices, including: - Vietnamese crystal spring rolls or lotus stem salad with shrimp.

Lac Long Quan St, Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An Tel: (0510) 3927-927 www.palmgardenresort.com.vn Palm Garden Beach Resort and Spa has launched a flight check-in advance service at the resort. Guests can check in their flights, choose available seat on the flights and print a copy of their boarding pass. The service is available from 24 hours up to 2 hours before the flights departure time and applicable for all Vietnam Airlines domestic and international flights from Danang Airport.

Novotel Saigon Centre

167 Hai Ba Trung St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-4866 www.novotel.com With seven meeting rooms from 10 to 320 people, Novotel Saigon Centre has a ‘Summer Break Meeting Package’ with prices starting from VND399,000 per person including a halfday meeting, tea break and full use of conference equipment.

Sherwood Residence

127 Pasteur St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-2288 Email: info@sherwoodresidence.com www.sherwoodresidence.com Sherwood Residence has recently won the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for 2015. This award recognizes Sherwood Residence for its distinguished services and facilities, as well as its review status amongst the TripAdvisor community. Additionally, Sherwood Residence was recognized by TripAdvisor as a ‘Top 10 Hotels for Families – Vietnam’ in 2015.

Taoli Chinese Restaurant at the Hotel Nikko Hanoi is serving a six-course Vietnamese set menu at VND300,000++. Also, the chefs at the hotel will bring Japanese diners a gourmet rolling cake created by a different recipe with rice flour, cream and Matcha green tea.

The Press Club

Corner of 59A Ly Thai To and 12 Ly Dao Thanh St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-0888 www.hanoi-pressclub.com In April, the chefs at The Press Club has created a three-course menu featuring a Nicoise salad and tuna spring rolls served with red wine dressing, quail eggs and green beans, chicken scallopini with Parmigiana and tiramisu and orange sauce. VND320,000++ including a complimentary glass of iced tea or lemonade. Also, vegetarians can choose an assorted green salad served with a red wine dressing, walnuts, croutons and green beans and vegetarian lasagna for starter and main course.

Novotel Nha Trang Hotel

50 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 6256-900 www.novotel-nhatrang.com Come and enjoy buffet dinners with free flow of beer and soft drinks at Square RestauVIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

• 39

VALUE FOR MONEY

rant at the Novotel Nha Trang Hotel with different themes through the week: ‘Seashore Night’ from Sunday to Wednesday, ‘Beef and Burgundy’ on Thursday and ‘Nha Trang Seafood market’ on Friday and Saturday. VND525,000++. The hotel is running a promotion: ‘Dine 4, Pay 3’. Buffet dinners are not available from 27 April to 2 May.

Phu Hai Resort

Km 8, Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Hamlet 5, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3812-799 www.phuhairesort.com

The Geneva Restaurant and Pacific Terrace at the Phu Hai Resort offers a wide range of Vietnamese, French, Italian specialties and seafood. The restaurants have dinner buffets on weekends from 6.30 p.m. – 10 p.m. at VND350,000. Also, the Nautilus Pool Bar at the hotel serves drinks and snacks for lunch while guests can enjoy the swimming pool.

Caravelle Hotel

19-23 Cong Truong Lam Son, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-4999 www.caravellehotel.com To celebrate Reunification Day and Labour Day, Nineteen Restaurant at the Caravelle Hotel will serve a dinner buffet on 30 April and 1 May, including fresh oysters and seafood, salads, soups, superior steamed fish, live grilling stations and tempting desserts. It costs VND1,118,000++ per person.

Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City 242 Tran Binh Trong St, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3839-7777 www.equatorial.com

40 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City will host a buffet dinner party at Chit Chat Restaurant to celebrate the Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary on 28 April, Reunification Day on 30 April and International Labour Day on 1 May. The buffet features chilli crab, kaki furai, grilled lobster and international cheese board. The price is VND840,000++. Also, Orientica Seafood Restaurant at the hotel serves ‘All you can eat Dim Sum’ at VND398,000++ from 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.

Food Connexion Restaurant at the Pullman Saigon Centre serves Vietnamese Cuisine buffet lunch with a variety of dishes from the South to the North, 11.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m., at VND480,000++ including tea and coffee. Also, the restaurant has International buffet dinner including over 80 various items. The buffet dinner starts from 6p.m.to 10p.m. at VND888,000++ including International wines, beer and soft drinks.

Sofitel Saigon Plaza

17 Le Duan Boulevard, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3824 1555

Hotel Nikko Saigon

235 Nguyen Van Cu St, Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3925-777 www.hotelnikkosaigon.com.vn Ming Court Restaurant at the Hotel Nikko Saigon offers ‘All You Can Eat Dim Sum’. Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 2.30 p.m., at VND400,000++. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at VND500,000++. The prices include free flow of tea.

Kim Do Hotel

133 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-5914 www.royalhotelsaigon.com Kim Do Hotel serves gala buffet dinner from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. on 30 April and 1 May including over 45 seafood dishes and free flow of beer, soft drink and fruit juice. Also, there will be live music, lucky draw and game shows at the party. VND299,000 for children and VND599,000 for adults. Those who buy tickets before 25 April will get a 25 per cent discount.

Pullman Saigon Centre

148 Tran Hung Dao St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3838-8686 www.pullmanhotels.com/7489

L’Olivier Restaurant at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza is offering a la carte brunch, from noon to 3 p.m. every Sunday, at VND1,288,888++, including free flow of Taittinger Brut and Taittinger Nocturne Champagne, Blood Mary, red/ white wine, juice and soft drinks. Advantage Plus members will get a 10 per cent discount on the bill.

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers

88 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-2828 www.sheraton.com/saigon

Saigon Café at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers serves North Atlantic Seafood Buffet every Saturday night in April from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., including grilled Canadian lobsters, lemon sole topped with seafood ragout, superior Haka and Saithe fish with potato and cheese. There will be many more seafood specialties at the seafood bar and cook-to-order station with live flower crab and scampi, fresh oysters, prawn and squid skewers, salmon or sea bass fillet, and especially Atlantic Brill Plaice fish and Greenland Halibut. VND 1,050,000++ including free flowing house wine, coffee and tea.

BUYABLE

Ceramic teapot, VND350,000 and cup, VND70,000

Ceramic, VND665,000 a set

Pillow cover, VND945,000 and ceramic bowl,VND145,000

Bag, VND350,000

Ceramic vase, VND454,000

Ceramic box with wooden lid, VND158,000

AUTHENTIQUE HOME 113 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City . Tel: (08) 3822-8052 71/1 Mac Thi Buoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel (08) 3823-8811 www.authentiquehome.com

DIRECTIONS SAPA, HALONG, HAI PHONG EMERGENCIES Police: 113 Fire: 114 Ambulance: 115

SAPA

(TELEPHONE CODE: 020) Sapa is a former French hill station in northwestern Vietnam, in Lao Cai Province, near the Chinese border. A number of minority cultures including the H’mong, Dao and Tay live in villages in the countryside around Sapa. HOTELS, RESORTS Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Cat Cat View Hotel 46 Fan Xi Pang St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871-946 www.catcathotel.com VND735,000 to VND3,780,000 ($35 to $180) Cha Pa Garden Boutique Hotel & Spa 23B Cau May St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3872-907 Email: hotelchapagarden@gmail.com

www.chapagarden.com From VND1,470,000 ($70) Chau Long Sapa Hotel

Topas Ecolodge Thanh Kim Ward, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (04) 3715-1005 reservation@topasecolodge.com www.topasecolodge.com From VND2,300,000 ($110) Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa Xuan Vien St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871-522 Email: resa.sapa@victoriahotels.asia

www.victoriahotels.asia From VND3,657,000 ($172) RESTAURANTS Buffalo Bell Restaurant 25 Cau May St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3873-455 Delta Restaurant 33 Cau May St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871-799 Fansipan Restaurant 23 Cau May St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871-556

HALONG

(TELEPHONE CODE: 033) With around 1,600 islands and islets in the Gulf of Tonkin, Halong Bay, about 170 km east of Hanoi, is well known for its limestone seascape. Overnight boat trips out of Halong City are a popular way to see it. HOSPITALS

Bai Chay Hospital Gieng Day Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3846-557 www.benhvienbaichay.vn

24 Dong Loi St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871-245 Email: resa@chaulonghotel.com.vn www.chaulonghotel.com.vn From VND2,100,000 ($100) Holiday Sapa Hotel 16 Muong Hoa, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3873-874 Email: info@holidaysapa.com www.holidaysapa.com VND588,000 to VND2,100,000 ($28 to $100) Mường Thanh Sapa Hotel No 044, Ngu Chi Son, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3887-766 Email: sales@sapa.muongthanh.vn www.muongthanh.vn From VND900,000 ($43) Royal Hotel 54B Cau May St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3771-131 Email: info@royalsapahotel.com www.royalsapahotel.com

Traditional Medicine Hospital Cot 8, Hong Ha Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3838-113 Vietnam-Sweden Hospital Thanh Son Ward, Uong Bi Commune, Halong Tel: (033) 3854-037 www.bvubqn.tk TRAVEL

Halong Tourism 1 Halong St, Halong Tel: (033) 3846-272 Quang Ninh Tourism Company Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3846-350 Syrena Cruises Hung Thang new urban area, Bai Chay, Halong Tel: (033) 3847-043 Hanoi Sales Office: Syrena Tower, 3th Floor, 51 Xuan Dieu St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3719-7214 Email: se@syrenacruises.com www.syrenacruises.com HOTELS, RESORTS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily

Asean Halong Hotel Hau Can St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3640-034 Email: sm@aseanhalonghotel.com www.aseanhalonghotel.com From VND1,600,000 ($76) Halong Hidden Charm Hotel Block 22D, Tuan Chau Villas, Halong Tel: (033) 3842-360 infor.halonghiddencharmhotel@gmail.com

www.hiddencharmhotel.com.vn From VND350,000 ($17) Halong Palace Hotel 1, Block 20 Dong Hung Thang, Hoang Quoc Viet St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3619-819 Email: info@halongpalacehotel.com www.halongpalacehotel.com From VND3,800,000 ($181) Halong Plaza Hotel 8 Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3845-810 Email: info@halongplaza.com www.halongplaza.com VND1,500,000 to VND3,800,000 ($71 to $179) Heritage Halong Hotel 88 Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3846-888 Email: saleheritagehl@gmail.com www.heritagehalonghotel.com.vn VND2,310,000 ($110)

equipped rooms, with many breathtaking views of Halong Bay RESTAURANTS

Co Ngu Restaurant Halong St, Halong Tel: (033) 3511-363 Jumbo Vietnam Floating Restaurant 119 Le Thanh Tong St, Halong Tel: (033) 3624-888 Sea Food Restaurant Halong St, Halong Tel: (033) 3845-822

Halong Gold Restaurant Halong St, Halong Tel: (033) 3845-142

BARS & CAFÉS

Emeraude Café 6A Le Thanh Tong St, Hon Gai, Halong Tel: (033) 3849-266 www.emeraude-cruises.com Royal International Gaming Club and Villa Bai Chay, Halong Tel: (033) 3848-777

HAI PHONG CITY (TELEPHONE CODE: 031) HOTELS, RESORTS

Mường Thanh Halong Hotel No.7, Block 20, East of Hung Thang, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3812-468/ (033) 3819-777 Email: info@halong.muongthanhhotel.vn www.muongthanhhotel.vn From VND1,400,000 ($67) Novotel Ha Long Bay 160 Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3848-108 Email: info@novotelhalong.com.vn www.novotelhalongbay.com From VND2,625,000 ($125)

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Catba Princes Hotel

Saigon Halong Hotel Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3845-845 info@saigonhalonghotel.com www.saigonhalonghotel.com From VND950,000 ($45)

303 Nui Ngoc, Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong City Tel: (031) 3888-899 Email: sale@catbaprinceshotel.com www.catbaprinceshotel.com From VND500,000 ($24) Catba Sunrise Resort Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong City Tel: (031) 3887-360 Email: info@catbasunriseresort.com www.catbasunriseresort.com From VND3,045,000 ($145)

StarCity Halong Bay Hotel

168 Halong St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3846-058 Email: sm1.north@och.vn www.starcityhalongbay.com In the centre of Halong, StarCity Halong Bay Hotel offers 152 well-

Avani Hai Phong Harbour View 12 Tran Phu St, Ngo Quyen Dist., Hai Phong Tel: (031) 3827-827 Email: haiphong@avanihotels.com www.avanihotels.com From VND2,772,000 ($132) ENTERTAINMENT

Do Son Casino Zone 3, Do Son town, Hai Phong Tel: (031) 3864-888

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

• 43

A Ba Dinh Square D1 1. B aD inh S quare Ba Dinh Square, Square, where where President President Ho Chi Vietnam’s Minh M inh declared declared V ietnam’s independence independence in historic SSeptember eptember 1945, is a ccomplex omplex of hist oric sit es, including Ho Chi M inh’s Mausoleum, Mausoleum, sites, Minh’s the One Pillar Pillar P agoda, the P residential P alace Pagoda, Presidential Palace and the stilt house wher e the former former where P resident liv ed and worked. worked. Open: 7.30 – President lived 10.30 a.m. Tuesday Tuesday tto o Thursday, Thursday, 7.30 a.m. – 11 a.m. w eekends. weekends. 2. H oa L oP rison Hoa Lo Prison E3 ‘La M aison Centrale’ Centrale’, the prison prison on Hoa Lo Lo Maison SStreet treet in Hanoi, w as built by by the FFrench rench in was 1896 and became the place place where where generagenerations of V ietnamese fr eedom fighters fighters were were Vietnamese freedom held ter, captured captured A merican airmen airmen held.. La Later, American w aited out the war war in this ccompound, ompound, which waited they nicknamed nicknamed the ‘Hanoi H ilton’. Open: 8 – Hilton’ 11.30 a.m., 1.30 – 4.30 p .m. daily. daily. Closed p.m. M onday. Monday.

CENTRE O

3. S ’s Cathedral Cathedral E2 Stt Joseph Joseph’s FFresh resh missionar ies built this cathedral cathedral in the missionaries la te 19th century. century. The The small but beautiful late panes of stained glass were were created created in Paris Paris in 1906. Also Also of note note is the or nate altar, altarr, with ornate its high g ilded sidewalls. sidewalls. Open: 5 a.m. tto o7 gilded p .m. M onday tto o SSaturday, aturday, 4 a.m. tto o7p .m. p.m. Monday p.m. Sunda Sundayy F3 Opera House House 4. Hanoi Opera D esigned by by a French French ar chitect along the Designed architect lines of the Paris Paris Oper House, it is embel Operaa House, embel-lished with w onder ful G othic statuary. statuary. FFor or wonderful Gothic man decades, Hanoi Opera Opera House has been manyy decades, a centre centre ffor or theatre, theatre, traditional traditional music and danc e, symphonies, symphonies, traditional traditional and classical dance, music his, the lar gest theatre theatre in V ietnam, music.. TThis, largest Vietnam, w as ccompleted ompleted in 1911 on the site site of a lar ge was large pond beside Tay Tay Long Long City City ga te in to the gate into ancien Thang LLong. ong. ancientt capital of Thang Cot Co Co T ower D2 5. Cot Tower C ot Co Co Tower, Towerr, the so-called so-called Flag Flag Tower, Tower, is Cot no w part part of the Vietnam Vietnam M ilitary History History now Military M useum complex. complex. TThe he TTower ower was was built in Museum 1950, under the Nguyen Nguyen D ynasty,, with the Dynasty, help of FFrench rench engineers. engineers. The The tower tower has 36 flo wer-shaped windows. windows. A op of the flower-shaped Att the ttop ttower ower flies the flag of V ietnam. Open: 8 – Vietnam. 11.30 a.m., 1.30 – 4 p .m. daily. daily. Closed p.m. M onday and Friday. Friday. Monday

STREET GUIDE

Ba Trieu...................E3, E4 Bac Son.........................D1 Bach Dang.....................F2 Bach Mai........................E4 Bat Dan..........................E2 Bich Cau........................C2 Buoi................................A1 Cat Linh..........................C2 Cha Ca....................E1, E2 Cua Bac.........................D1 Cua Dong.......................D2

Da Tuong.......................E3 Dang Tat.........................D1 Dao Duy Anh.................D4 Dao Duy Tu.............E1, E2 Dien Bien Phu................D2 Doc Ngu.........................A1 Doi Can.............A1, B2, C2 Duong Thanh.................E2 Gam Cau........................E1 Giai Phong.....................D4 Giang Vo.....A3 ,B3 ,B2,C2

Hai Ba Trung.....E2, E3, F3 Ham Long......................E3 Han Thuyen....................F3 Hang Bac.......................E2 Hang Bo.........................E2 Hang Bong.....................E2 Hang Buom....................E2 Hang Can.......................E2 Hang Chuoi....................F3 Hang Cot........................E1 Hang Da.........................E2 Hang Dao.......................E2

Hang Dau.......................E1 Hang Ga.........................E2 Hang Gai........................E2 Hang Khay.....................E2 Hang Khoai....................E1 Hang Ma.........................E1 Hang Quat......................E2 Hang Trong....................E2 Hang Chieu....................E1 Hang Luoc......................E1 Hao Nam........................C2 Hoa Ma...........................F3

Hoang Dieu.............D1, D2 Hoang Hoa Tham............... ....................A1, B1, C1, D1 Hoang Van Thu..............D1 Hoe Nhai........................E1 Hung Vuong............D1, D2 Huynh Thuc Khang........A3 Kham Thien.............C3, D3 Kim Ma..............A2, B2, C2 La Thanh.................B3, C3 Lang Ha..........................B3 Nguyen Chi Thanh.........A3

Le Dai Hanh...................E4 Le Duan............D2, D3, D4 Le Hong Phong.............D2 Le Lai..............................F2 Le Thai To.......................E2 Le Thanh Tong...............F3 Le Van Huu....................E3 Lieu Giai........................A2 Lo Duc......................F3, F4 Lo Su..............................F2 Luong Ngoc Quyen.......E2 Luong Van Can..............E2

OF HA NOI D

4 2

Ly Nam De..............E1, E2 Ly Quoc Su....................E2 Ly Thai To.......................F2 Ly Thuong Kiet........E3, F3 Mai Hac De..............E3, E4 Ngo Quyen.....................F3 Ngo Si Lien....................D2 Ngo Thi Nham................E3 Ngoc Ha.........................C1 Ngoc Khanh...................B2 Nguyen Canh Chan......D1 Nguyen Cong Hoa.........B2

Nguyen Dinh Chieu............ .................................E3, E4 Nguyen Du..............D3, E3 Nguyen Huu Huan........ F2 Nguyen Khuyen.............D2 Nguyen Luong Bang.....C3 Nguyen Thai Hoc....C2, D2 Nguyen Thuong Hien......... ........................................D3 Nguyen Van To..............E2 Nha Chung.....................E2 Nha Tho.........................E2

Nui Truc..........................B2 Pham Dinh Ho................F3 Pham Ngu Lao...............F3 Phan Boi Chau.......D2, D3 Phan Chu Trinh..............F3 Phan Dinh Phung..........D1 Phan Huy Chu................F3 Pho Duc Chinh...............F3 Pho Hue...................E3, E4 Phu Doan.......................E2 Phung Hung............E1, E2 Quan Su..................E2, E3

Quan Thanh...................D1 Quang Trung...........E2, E3 Quoc Tu Giam...............D2 Son Tay..........................C2 Thai Phien......................E4 Thanh Cong...................B3 Thanh Nien....................D1 Tho Nhuom.............E2, E3 Thuy Khue.......................... ....................A1, B1, C1, D1 To Hien Thanh...............E4 Tong Dan........................F2

Ton Duc Thang..............C3 Tran Hung Dao................... ...........................D3, E3, F3 Tran Huy Lieu................B2 Tran Khanh Du...............F3 Tran Khat Chan..............F4 Tran Nguyen Han..........F2 Tran Nhan Tong......D3, E3 Tran Nhat Duat..............E1 Tran Phu........................D2 Tran Quang Khai............F2 Tran Qui Cap.................D2

Tran Quoc Toan......D3, E3 Tran Thanh Tong............F3 Tran Xuan Soan................. .................................E3, E4 Trang Thi........................E2 Trang Tien................E2, F3 Trieu Viet Vuong......E3, E4 Trinh Hoai Duc...............C2 Tue Tinh.........................E3 Yen Phu..........................E1 Yersin..............................F4 Yet Kieu..........................D3

DIRECTIONS HANOI HANOI

(TELEPHONE CODE: 04) EMBASSIES

Finland 31 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3826-6788

Algeria 13 Phan Chu Trinh St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3825-3865

France 57 Tran Hung Dao St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3944-5782

Argentina 41A Ly Thai To St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-5263

Germany 29 Tran Phu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-3836

Australia 8 Dao Tan St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-7755 Austria 53 Quang Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3943-3050 Bangladesh Villa D6B 5 – Khu Vuon Dao Ngo 675, Lac Long Quan St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3771-6625 Belarus 52 Ho Tay St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3829-0494 Belgium Hanoi Tower, 49 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-6179 Brazil T72-14 Thuy Khue St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3843-2544 Brunei Villa 8-9 No 44/8-44, 9 Van Bao St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3726-0001 Bulgaria 5 Nui Truc St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-2908 Cambodia 71A Tran Hung Dao St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3942-7636 Canada 31 Hung Vuong St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3823-5500 China 46 Hoang Dieu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi. Tel: (04) 3845-3736 Cuba 65 Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3942-4775 Czech Republic 13 Chu Van An St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi; Tel: (04) 3845-4131 Denmark 19 Dien Bien Phu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3823-1888 Egypt 63 To Ngoc Van St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3829-4999

Hungary 12th floor of Deaha Building, 360 Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3771-5714 India 58-60 Tran Hung Dao St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3824-4990 Indonesia 50 Ngo Quyen St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3825-3353 Iran 54 Tran Phu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3823-2068 Iraq 66 Tran Hung Dao St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3942-4141 Ireland 8th floor of Vincom Tower B, 191 Ba Trieu St, Ha Dong Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3974-3291 Israel 68 Nguyen Thai Hoc St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3843-3141 Italy 9 Le Phung Hieu St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3825-6256 Japan 27 Lieu Giai St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3846-3000 Laos 22 Tran Binh Trong St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3942-4576 Libya 298B Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-3379 Malaysia 43-45 Dien Bien Phu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3734-3836 Mexico Coco Villa T-11, 14 Thuy Khue St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3847-0948 Mongolia 5 Van Phuc, Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-3009 Myanmar 298A Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-3369

46 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Netherlands 6th floor of Deaha Building, 360 Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-5650 New Zealand 63 Ly Thai To St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3824-1481 North Korea 25 Cao Ba Quat St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-3008 Norway 8th Floor, Hanoi Tower, 49 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3974-8900 Nigeria 44/1 Van Bao St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3726-3610 Palestine 6 Dang Van Ngu St, Dong Da Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3852-4013 Philippines 27B Tran Hung Dao St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3943-7948 Poland 3 Chua Mot Cot St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-2027 Romania 5 Le Hong Phong St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3845-2014 Russia 191 La Thanh St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: 3833-6991 South Africa 31 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3936-2000 South Korea 4th floor of Deaha Building, 360 Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-5111 Spain 15th floor of Deaha Building, 360 Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3771-5207

MEDICAL CENTRES Acupuncture Institute 49 Thai Thinh St, Dong Da Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3563-1069 Hanoi French Hospital 1 Phuong Mai St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3577-1100 International SOS Clinic 1 Dang Thai May St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-0666 Thuy Tran Otolaryngology Clinic 6 Do Quang St, Cau Giay Dist., Hanoi (6/61 Tran Duy Hung Avenue) Tel: (04) 3556-6124 Mobile 098 368 0276 Email: thuyent12@yahoo.com www.taimuihongthuytran.com Vinmec international hospital 458 Minh Khai St, Hai Ba Trung Dist, Hanoi, Tel: (04) 3974-3556 AIRLINES Air France 1 Ba Trieu St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3825-3484 Qatar Airways Hilton Hanoi Opera Building, M floor, 1 Le Thanh Tong St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3933-6767 www.qatarairways.com Singapore Airlines 17 Ngo Quyen St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi. Tel: (04) 3826-8888 Vietnam Airlines 25 Trang Thi St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3823-0320 TRAVEL

Amega Travel Hancorp Plaza, 72 Tran Dang Ninh St, Cau Giay Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3783-3570 www.amegatours.net

United Kingdom 31 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3936-0500

Buffalo Tours 10th Floor, 70-72 Ba Trieu St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3828-0702 www.buffalotours.com Emeraude Classic Cruises 46 Le Thai To St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3935-1888 www.emeraude-cruises.com Email: info@buffalotours.com Exotissmo 3rd Floor, 66A Tran Hung Dao St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3828-2150 www.exotissimo.com Email: go.vietnam@exotravel.com

United States 7 Lang Ha St, Dong Da Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3772-1500

Topas Travel 52 To Ngoc Van St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3715-1005

Sweden 2 Nui Truc St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3726-0400 Thailand 63-65 Hoang Dieu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3823-5092 Turkey 14th Floor, HCO Building, 44B Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Tel: (04) 3822-2460

DIRECTIONS HANOI Email: sales@topastravel.vn www.topastravel.vn HOTELS Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Fortuna Hotel Hanoi 6B Lang Ha St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-3333 Email: fortunahanoi@fortuna.vn www.fortuna.vn From VND1,920,000 ($91) Hanoi Daewoo Hotel 360 Kim Ma St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-5000 Email: sales@daewoohotel.com www.daewoohotel.com Hanoi Emotion Hotel 26 – 28 Hang Bot St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3848-9848 Email: info@hanoi-emotion.com www.hanoi-emotion.com The hotel also provides Vietnamese, Japanese and International cuisine Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel 1 Le Thanh Tong St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3933-0500 Email: hanoi.opera@hilton.com www.hanoi.hilton.com Hotel de l’Opera 29 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 6282-5555 Email: H7832-RE@accor.com www.hoteldelopera.com Melia Hanoi Hotel

44B Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-3343 Email: melia.hanoi@melia.com www.melia.com Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi 83A Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3822-2800 hotel.hanoi@moevenpick.com www.moevenpickhotels.com/hanoi From VND3,622,500 ($172.50) Hotel Nikko Hanoi 84 Tran Nhan Tong St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3822-3535 mc.nikko@hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn www.hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn From VND4,620,000 ($220) Pullman Hanoi 40 Cat Linh St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3733-0808 www.pullman-hanoi.com From VND2,448,600 ($115.50)

Silk Path Hotel Hanoi 195-199 Hang Bong St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3266-5555 Email: info@silkpathhotel.com www.silkpathhotel.com From VND2,173,500 ($103.50)

Tan My Embroidery 66 Hang Gai St, Hanoi Email: tanmyhuong@fpt.vn Tel: (04) 3825-1579

Sheraton Hanoi Hotel 11 Xuan Dieu St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3719-9000 reservations.hanoi@sheraton.com www.sheraton.com/hanoi From VND4,956,000 ($236)

Mekong Quilts 13 Hang Bac St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3926-4831 www.mekong-quilts.org

Ho Chi Minh Museum 19 Ngoc Ha St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3846-3752 www.baotanghochiminh.vn Open: 8 a.m. to noon (Monday and Friday), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (other days) Entry fee: VND25,000

Dome Yen The 10 Yen The St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3843-6036

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long 12 Nguyen Tri Phuong St/ 9 Hoang Dieu St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 37345427 hoangthanhthanglong@gmail.com www.hoangthanhthanhlong.vn Open: 8.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed on Mondays) Entry fee: VND30,000

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi 15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3826-6919 Email: h1555@sofitel.com www.sofitel-legend.com From VND6,090,000 ($290) Sunway Hotel Hanoi 19 Pham Dinh Ho St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3971-3888 Email: reservation@sunwayhotel.com.vn www.hanoi.sunwayhotels.com RESTAURANTS Com Chay Nang Tam Restaurant 79A Tran Hung Dao St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3942-4140 Green Tangerine 48 Hang Be St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3825-1286 www.greentangerinehanoi.com Serving French food with a Vietnamese cuisine Hoa Vien Brauhaus 1A Tang Bat Ho St, Hai Ba Trung Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3972-5088 www.hoavien.vn The restaurant has been famous for its production of Czech beer Le Tonkin Restaurant 14 Ngo Van So St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3943-3457 www.letonkinrestaurant.vn Serves Vietnamese food

BOOK STORE

Infostones Bookshop 41 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3826-2993 Email: sach41trangtien@gmail.com Thousands of magazines and books by hundreds of publishing houses worldwide SHOPS

Craft Link 43 and 51 Van Mieu St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3843-7710 Email: craftlink@hn.vnn.vn Ha Dong Silk 102 Hang Gai St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3928-5056

Viet Culture 1 Trang Thi St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-7417

FURNITURE/ INTERIOR Dome Au Co 9 Au Co St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3718-5866 Email: sales@dome.com.vn

SIGHTSEEINGS

Ba Dinh Square 36A Dien Bien Phu St, Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi Ba Dinh Square, where President Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s independence in September 1945, is a complex of historic sites. Cot Co Tower 28 Dien Bien Phu St, Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi Cot Co Tower, the so-called Flag Tower, is now part of the Vietnam Military History Museum complex. The Tower was built in 1950, under the Nguyen Dynasty, with the help of French engineers. The tower has 36 flower-shaped windows. At the top of the tower flies the flag of Vietnam. Hanoi Opera House 1 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi Designed by a French architect along the lines of the Paris Opera House, it is embellished with wonderful Gothic statuary. For many decades, Hanoi Opera House has been a centre for theatre, traditional music and dance, symphonies, traditional and classical music. This, the largest theatre in Vietnam, was completed in 1911. Hoa Lo Prison ‘La Maison Centrale’, the prison on Hoa Lo Street in Hanoi, was built by the French in 1896 and became the place where generations of Vietnamese freedom fighters were held. St Joseph’s Cathedral 40 Nha Chung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Fresh missionaries built this cathedral in the late 19th century. The small but beautiful panes of stained glass were created in Paris in 1906. Also of note is the ornate altar, with its high gilded sidewalls. MUSEUMS

Hanoi Museum 2 Pham Hung (next to Vietnam National Convention Centre), Me Tri

Commune, Tu Liem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 6287-06 04 Opening hour: 8 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free entrance

Vietnam National Museum of History 1 Trang Tien St, Hanoi 216 Tran Quang Khai St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3824-1384 www.baotanglichsu.vn Open 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.Closed every first Monday of months Entry fee VND 20,000 ($0.95) for adults and VND10,000 ($0.48) for children Vietnam Fine Arts Museum 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3733-2131 Email: btmtvn@vnfam.vn www.vnfineartsmuseum.org.vn Open 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry fee VND20,000 ($0.95) Vietnam Military History Museum 28A Dien Bien Phu St, Hanoi www.btlsqsvn.org.vn Open 8 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Closed on Mondays Entry fee VND30,000 ($1.43) Vietnam Museum of Ethnology Nguyen Van Huyen St, Cau Giay Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3756-2193, www.vme.org.vn Open 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays Entry fee VND40,000 ($2) Women’s Museum 36 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3825-9936 www.womenmuseum.org.vn Open 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Closed on Mondays Entry fee VND30,000 ($1.43) SPA

Elite Fitness & Spa 51 Xuan Dieu St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3718-6281 info@elitefitness.com.vn www.elitefitness.com.vn

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DIRECTIONS NINH BINH, NGHE AN, QUANG BINH, HUE, DANANG NINH BINH

(TELEPHONE CODE: 030) Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh

UNESCO World Heritage in 1993. Hue is also known for its particular cuisine.

Huong Giang Hotel Resort & Spa

HOTELS, RESORTS Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily

Van Long Reserve, Gia Van Commune, Gia Vien Dist., Ninh Binh Province Tel: (030) 3658-333 Email: info@emeraldaresort.com www.emeraldaresort.com

Banyan Tree Lang Co Hotel Cu Du village, Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc Dist., Thua Thien Hue Province. Tel: (054) 3695-888 reservations-langco@banyantree.com www.banyantree.com BW Premier Indochine Palace

Ninh Binh Legend Hotel Tien Dong Zone, Ninh Khanh Ward, Ninh Binh City Tel: (030) 3899-880 Email: info@ninhbinhlegendhotel.com

www.ninhbinhlegendhotel.com From VND1,575,000 ($75)

NGHE AN

(TELEPHONE CODE: 038) Mường Thanh Song Lam Hotel 13 Quang Trung St, Quang Trung Ward, Vinh, Nghe An Province Tel: (038) 3737-666 Email: sales@songlam.muongthanh.vn

www.songlam.muongthanh.vn

QUANG BINH

(TELEPHONE CODE: 052) HOTELS, RESORTS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Bao Ninh Beach Resort Ha Duong, Bao Ninh, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province Tel: (052) 3854-866 Email: sales@baoninhbeachresort.com.vn www.baoninhbeachresort.com.vn From VND1,120,000 ($53) Sun Spa Resort My Canh, Bao Ninh Commune, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province Tel: (052) 3842-999 Email: info@sunsparesortvietnam.com www.sunsparesortvietnam.com From VND1,870,000 ($89) TRAVEL

105A Hung Vuong St, Hue Tel: (054) 3936-666 Email: info@bwp-indochinepalace.com www.bwp-indochinepalace.com From VND2,940,000 ($140) The hotel is surrounded by lush green gardens that make it an outstanding landmark in Hue and give the city the feel of a resort. This luxurious, international standard hotel is created to appeal to Vietnamese and international visitors to Hue. Century Riverside Hotel Hue 49 Le Loi St, Hue Tel: (054) 3823-390 Email: info@centuryriversidehue.com www.centuryriversidehue.com Hotel Saigon Morin

30 Le Loi St, Hue Tel: (054) 3823-526 Email: info@morinhotels.com.vn www.morinhotel.com.vn From VND2,173,500 ($103.50) Hue Riverside Boutique Resort & Spa

Oxalis Adventure Tours Phong Nha Commune, Son Trach Village, Bo Trach Dist., Quang Binh Province Tel: (052)3677-678 www.oxalis.com.vn

Imperial Hotel 8 Hung Vuong St, Hue Tel: (054) 3882-222 Email: info@imperial-hotel.com.vn www.imperial-hotel.com.vn From VND2,940,000 ($140) Lang Co Beach Resort 463 Lac Long Quan st., Lang Co Town, Phu Loc Dist, Thu Thien Hue Province Tel: (054) 38 73 555 Fax: (054) 38 73 504 Email: langco@dng.vnn.vn www.langcobeachresort.com.vn Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa 130 Minh Mang Road, Hue Tel: (054) 3885-461 Email: info@pilgrimagevillage.com www.pilgrimagevillage.com Vedanā Lagoon Resort & Spa Zone 1, Phu Loc Town, Phu Loc Dist., Hue Tel: (054) 3681-688 Email: info@vedanalagoon.com www.vedanalagoon.com RESTAURANT

Thien Tam Vegetarian Restaurant 110A Le Ngo Cat St, Thuy Xuan Ward, Hue Tel: (054) 3898-220 www.thientamrestaurant.com Thien Tam Vegetarian Restaurant features a Hue garden house with a simple design and a serene atmosphere. The restaurant serves a variety of Hue vegetarian food, from royal to local dishes, at a reasonable price. The menu has many choices, with prices starting from VND45,000 per dish. The restaurant also serves as an art playground for Hue artists. Guests have chance to get their portraits drawn by the owners at a reasonable price. Vegetarian cooking classes are also available. The restaurant is about 1-2 km from Tu Duc tomb

DANANG

(TELEPHONE CODE: 0511)

HUE

(TELEPHONE CODE: 054) Hue is a city on the Perfume River in lowland central Vietnam and was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Many imperial structures remain. They were named part of

51 Le Loi St, Hue Tel: (054) 3822-122 info@huonggianghotel.com.vn www.huonggianghotel.com.vn

HOTELS, RESORTS

588 Bui Thi Xuan St, Thuy Bieu Dist., Hue Tel: (054) 3978-484 Email: sales@hueriversideresort.com www.hueriversideresort.com

48 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Grand Mercure Danang Lot A1, Green Island, Hoa Cuong Bac, Hai Chau Dist., Danang

Tel: (0511) 3797-777 Email: H7821@accor.com www.accorhotels.com/7821 Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang Tel: (0511) 3981-234 Email: danang.regency@hyatt.com www.danang.regency.hyatt.com From VND5,225,000 ($243) Pullman Danang Beach Resort Vo Nguyen Giap St, Khue My Ward, Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang Tel: (0511) 3958-888 Email: info@pullman-danang.com www.pullman-danang.com Novotel Danang Premier Han River 36 Bach Dang St, Hai Chau Dist., Danang. Tel: (0511) 3929-999 Email: H8287@accor.com www.novotel-danang-premier.com Sandy Beach Non Nuoc Resort Danang Vietnam, Managed by Centara

255 Huyen Tran Cong Chua St, Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang Tel: (0511) 3961-777 Email: cdv@chr.co.th www.centarahotelsresorts.com/cdv VND1,785,000 to VND5,670,000 ($85 to $270) Ho Chi Minh sales office: 4th Floor, Ben Thanh TSC Building; 186-188 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3914-7940 Vinpearl Luxury Danang Truong Sa St, Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang Tel: (0 511) 3968-888 Email: info@vinpearlluxury-danang.com www.vinpearl.com MUSEUM

Danang Museum of Cham Sculpture 2, 2 Thang 9 St, Danang Tel: (0511) 3572-935 www.chammuseum.danang.vn Open 7.15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry fee VND30,000 ($1.43)

HOI AN

(TELEPHONE CODE: 0510) A major port town from the 15th to 19th centuries, Hoi An has well preserved vestiges of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese cultures. The buildings are now often used for tailor’s shops. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An is a little over 30 km south of Danang, on the central coast.

DIRECTIONS HOI AN, QUY NHON, NHA TRANG HOTELS, RESORTS Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Anantara Hoi An Resort 1 Pham Hong Thai St, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3914-555 Email: hoian@anantara.com www.hoi-an.anantara.com Golden Sand Resort & Spa Hoi An Thanh Nien Road, Cua Dai Beach Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3927-555 info@goldensandresort-spa.com.vn www.goldensandresort-spa.com.vn VND3,759,000 to VND7,644,000 Ancient House River Resort Hamlet 2, Cam Thanh Village, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3930-777 Email: sales@ancienthouseriver.com www.ancienthouseriver.com From VND2,310,000 ($110)

Sunrise Hoi An Beach Resort Au Co Road, Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3937-777 Email: sales@sunrisehoian.vn www.sunrisehoian.vn Palm Garden Beach Resort and Spa

Lac Long Quan St, Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3927-927 Email: info@pgr.com.vn www.palmgardenresort.com.vn From VND4,485,000 ($214) River-Beach Resort & Residences Hoi An

Hoi An Beach Resort 1 Cua Dai St, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3927-011 info@hoianbeachresort.com.vn www.hoianbeachresort.com.vn From VND3,415,500 ($163) Hoi An Riverside Resort & Spa 175 Cua Dai St, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3864-800 reservation@hoianriverresort.com.vn www.hoianriverresort.com From VND1,650,000 ($79) Hoi An Historic Hotel

www.evason-resorts.com

Quang Trung Museum Block 1, Phu Phong town, Tay Son Dist., Binh Dinh Province Tel: (056) 3580-320 Open 7 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Entry fee VND10,500 ($0.50). Free for children under six

NHA TRANG

(TELEPHONE CODE: 058) On the central coast, Nha Trang is a city originally known for beautiful beaches but these have lately been found to suffer from pollution due to modern life, development and tourism, like other popular resort areas in Vietnam. It has large numbers of foreign tourists, island-hopping, scuba diving, sightseeing and lounging on the beach.

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily 5 Cua Dai St, Hoi An Tel: (0510) 3927-888 saleshoian@river-beachresort.com www.river-beachresort.com From VND1,350,000 ($65) ($179 to $364)TRAVEL

MUSEUM

Kiman Hotel & Spa

MUSEUM

Hoi An Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation 10B Tran Hung Dao St, Hoi An Tel: (0510) 3862-367 www.hoianheritage.net Open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Champa Island Nha Trang Resort & Spa 304 2/4 St, Vinh Phuoc, Nha Trang Email: sales@champaislandresort.vn www.champaisandresort.vn Hotline: 0123 6009 777 With architecture reflecting nearby Po Nagar temple, Champa Island Nha Trang offers exquisite cuisine and many entertainment services that promise a memorable stay in Nha Trang Bavico International Hotel 02 Phan Boi Chau st, Nha Trang city, Vietnam Tel: (058) 62 66 555 Fax: (058) 62 66 556 reservation@bavicohotelnhatrang.com

www.bavicohotelnhatrang.com. Best Western Premier Havana Nha Trang Hotel

QUY NHON

HOTELS, RESORTS

Royal Hotel and Healthcare Resort Quy Nhon 1 Han Mac Tu St, Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province Tel: (056) 374-7100

Green World Hotel Nha Trang 44 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3528-666 sales@greenworldhotelnhatrang.com www.greenworldhotelnhatrang.com InterContinental Nha Trang Hotel 32-34 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang Tel: (058) 3887-777 www.intercontinental.com Michelia Hotel 4 Pasteur St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3820-820 Email: sales@michelia.vn www.michelia.vn From VND2,200,000 ($105) Mường Thanh Nha Trang Hotel 6 Duong Hien Quyen St, Vinh Hoa Ward, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3552-468 Email: info@nhatrang.muongthanh.vn www.nhatrang.muongthanh.vn From VND1,400,000 ($66) Novotel Nha Trang Hotel 50 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 6256-900 Email: rsvn@novotel-nhatrang.com www.novotel-nhatrang.com From VND2,100,000 ($100) Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Ninh Van bay, Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3524-268 reservations-ninhvan@sixsenses.com www.sixsenses.com/resorts/ninh-vanbay/destination From VND18,837,000 ($897)

38 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3889-999 Email: info@havanahotel.vn www.havanahotel.vn

Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa 12-14 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3820-999 Email: info@sunrisenhatrang.com.vn www.sunrisenhatrang.com.vn VND2,520,000 to VND4,305,000 ($120 to $205)

Diamond Bay Resort & Spa Nguyen Tat Thanh Blvd, Phuoc Ha, Phuoc Dong Dist., Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3711-711 Email: info@diamondbayresort.vn www.diamondbayresort.vn

Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang Hon Tre Island, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3598-598 Email: info@vinpearlluxury-nhatrang.com www.vinpearl.com

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily

461-463 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3920 430 Email: kimanhoianhotel@gmail.com Website: kimanhoianhotel.com Le Belhamy Hoi An Resort & Spa Ha My Beach, Hoi An Tel: (0510) 3941-888 Email: info@belhamy.com www.belhamy.com

Galina Hotel and Spa 5 Hung Vuong St, Loc Tho Ward, Nha Trang Tel: (058) 3839-999 Email: info@galinahotel.com.vn www.galinahotel.com.vn

Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa 26-28 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province. Tel: (058) 3880-000 reservations.nhatrang@sheraton.com www.sheratonnhatrang.com

(TELEPHONE CODE: 056)

AVANI Quy Nhon Resort & Spa Ghenh Rang, Bai Dai Beach, Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province Tel: (056) 3840-132 Email: quynhon@avanihotels.com www.avanihotels.com/quynhon From VND3,024,000 ($144)

Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang Beachside Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3524-705 reservations-nhatrang@evasonresorts.com

HOTELS, RESORTS

Rose Travel Service co..ltd 37 - 39 Ly Thai To St, Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3917-567 Email: sales@rosetravelservice.com www.rosetravelservice.com.vn

10 Tran Hung Dao St, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3861-445 Email: reservation@hoianhotel.com.vn www.hoianhotel.com.vn From VND2,127,500 ($101)

Email: reservation@royalquynhon.com www.royalquynhon.com VND1,155,000 to VND1,365,000 ($55 to $65)

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• 49

DIRECTIONS PHAN THIET Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang Hon Tre Island, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3598-188 Email: info@vinpearlresort-nhatrang.com www.vinpearl.com White Sand Doclet Resort & Spa Population group 9 Dong Cat, Ninh Hai Ward, Ninh Hoa Town, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3670-670 Email: info@whitesandresort.com.vn www.whitesandresort.com.vn

www.allezbooresort.com From VND2,100,000 ($100) Anantara Mui Ne Resort & Spa 12A Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-888 Email: res.amui@anantara.com www.mui-ne.anantara.com Bamboo Village Beach Resort & Spa

TOUR

Nha Trang Limousine 93 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Nha Trang Tel: (058) 3516-612 or 09868 33555 Email: hieu@everbluetravel.com.vn www.nhatranglimousine.com

38 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3847-007 info@bamboovillageresortvn.com www.bamboovillageresortvn.com From VND2,835,000 ($135)

SHOPPING

Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company 248 Thong Nhat St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3822-472 yensaokh@yensaokhanhhoa.com.vn www.yensaokhanhhoa.com.vn

Hoang Ngoc (Oriental Pearl) Beach Resort & Spa

Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3812-799 Email: info@phuhairesort.com www.phuhairesort.com Mom Da Chim - Lazi Beach Resort Ly Thai To St, Tan Tien, Lagi, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3874-458 Email: contact@lazibeachresort.com www.lazibeachresort.com From VND1,900,000 ($90) Muine de Century Beach Resort & Spa 16 Huynh Thuc Khang St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3743-668 reservation@muinedecentury.vn www.muinedecentury.vn From VND1,701,000 ($81) Muine Ocean Resort & Spa 10 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-616 Email: sale.muineocean@gmail.com www.muineoceanresort.com From VND1,050,000 ($50) Muine Bay Resort

MUSEUM Alexandre Yersin Museum Pasteur Institute, 10 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3822-406

PHAN THIET

152 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province . Tel: (062) 3847-858 Email: info@hoangngoc-resort.com www.hoangngoc-resort.com VND1,600,000 to VND6,090,000 ($75 to $287)

HOTELS, RESORTS

Full Moon Village Suoi Nuoc Beach, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3836-099 reservation@fullmoon-village.com www.fullmoon-village.com VND2,100,000 to VND6,300,000 ($100 to $300)

(TELEPHONE CODE: 062) Sitting on the coast about 200 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Thiet is a beach city with many resorts and hotels.

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Allezboo Beach Resort & Spa 8 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3743-777 Email: info@allezbooresort.com

Phu Hai Resort Km8, Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Phu Hai

Quarter 14, Mui Ne Ward , Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 2220-222 Email: info@muinebayresort.com www.muinebayresort.com VND2,205,000 to VND6,195,000 ($105 to $295) Park Diamond Hotel Nguyen Tat Thanh St, Hung Long Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3835-666 Email: reservations@parkdiamondhotel.vn www.parkdiamondhotel.vn From VND990,000 ($47)

Tel: (062) 3683-240 info@saigonsuoinhumresort.com www.saigonsuoinhumresort.com From VND1,700,000 ($81) Sandhills Beach Resort & Spa Km6, Tien Binh hamlet, Tien Thanh Commune, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3846-789 Email: info@sandhillsresort.com.vn www.sandhillsresort.com.vn From VND1,070,000 ($51) Saigon Mui Ne Resort 56 - 97 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-044 Email: saigonmuineresort@hcm.vnn.vn www.saigonmuineresort.com.vn From VND1,908,000 ($90) Seahorse Resort & Spa

Km 11 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3847-507 reservation@seahorseresortvn.com www.seahorseresortvn.com From VND1,680,000 ($80) Sea Links Beach Hotel Km 9, Nguyen Thong St, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 2220-088 Email: sales@sealinksbeachhotel.com www.sealinksbeachhotel.com From VND1,995,000 ($94) Sea Lion Beach Resort & Spa 12 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3743-390 www.sealionresort-muine.com Sunny Beach Resort & Spa

Pandanus Resort

www.phuhairesort.com 50 â&#x20AC;˘ VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Quarter 5, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province. Tel: (062) 3849-849 Email: pandanus@pandanusresort.com www.pandanusresort.com From VND1,575,000 ($75) Saigon - Suoi Nhum Resort Thuan Quy, Ham Thuan Nam Ward, Binh Thuan Province

64-66 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-355 Email: info@sunnybeach.com.vn www.sunnybeach.com.vn From VND2,940,000 ($140) The Cliff Resort & Residences Zone 5, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3719-111 reservation@thecliffresort.com.vn www.thecliffresort.com.vn From VND2,667,000 ($127)

DIRECTIONS DALAT, HO CHI MINH CITY Mui Ne Unique Resort

Tel: (063) 3831-515 info@dalatedensee.com www.dalatedensee.com From VND2,450,000 ($117) Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa

20B, Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-617 Email: info@muineuniqueresort.com www.muineuniqueresort.com From VND2,898,000 ($138) Victoria Phan Thiet Beach Resort & Spa Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3813-000 Email: resa.phanthiet@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia From VND3,633,000 ($171)

Le Lai St, Dalat, Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3555-888 Email: reservation-dalat@anamandara-resort.com www.anamandara-resort.com From VND3,150,000 ($150) Saigon-Dalat Hotel

Cuba 45 Phung Khac Khoan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-7350 France 27 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-7231 Germany 126 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-2455 India 55 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-7853 Indonesia 18 Phung Khac Khoan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3825-1888 Japan 13-17 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City; Tel: (08) 3822-5314 Kuwait 24 Phung Khac Khoan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City, tel: (08) 3827-0555

Villa Aria Mui Ne

Laos 93 Pasteur St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-7667

60A Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province; Tel: (062) 3741-660 Email: info@villaariamuine.com www.villaariamuine.com From VND2,520,000 ($120) White Sands Resort KM8, Nguyen Thong St, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-175 Email: frontoffice@whitesandresort.com www.whitesandresort.com From VND1,344,000 VND ($64) MUSEUM

Cham Culture Exhibition Centre Song Mao intersection, Phan Hiep Commune, Bac Binh Dist., Binh Thuan Province; Tel: (062) 3641-456 Open: 7.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday Free entrance

DALAT

(TELEPHONE CODE: 063) Dalat, founded in 1893, has Frencharchitecture, pine forests and a perpetually cool climate. It is in the southern Central Highlands, about 300 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. HOTELS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Dalat Edensee Resort Tuyen Lam Lake, Zone VII.2, Dalat, Lam Dong Province

180 Ba Thang Hai St, Dalat, Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3556-789 Email: hotel@saigondalat.com ; resvn@saigondalat.com www.saigondalathotel.com Located in the heart of Dalat, SaigonDalat Hotel is a four-star-standard hotel, comprised of 160 luxurious and comfortable rooms with air-conditioning throughout and other modern amenities. Four restaurants, two bars, one tennis court, one indoor swimming pool, one fitness centre and one beauty salon and spa help make your getaway experience complete.

HO CHI MINH CITY (TELEPHONE CODE: 08) CONSULATES

Australia 5B Ton Duc Thang St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-6035 Belgium 91 Nguyen Huu Canh St, Ward 22, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3512-7968 Cambodia 41 Phung Khac Khoan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-2751 Canada Metropolitan, 235 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-9899 China 175 Hai Ba Trung St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3829-2457

Mexico 11 Tra Khuc St, Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3848-6290 Netherlands 29 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-5932 New Zealand Metropolitan, 235 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-6907 Panama 7A Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3825-0334 Russia 40 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3930-3936 Singapore Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-5173 South Korea 107 Nguyen Du St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-5757 Switzerland 42 Giang Van Minh St, Dist.2, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3744-6996 Thailand 77 Tran Quoc Thao St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3932-7637 United Kingdom 25 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3825-1380, (08) 3829-8433

United States 4 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-9433

HOSPITALS

Columbia Asia Gia Dinh International Hospital 1 No Trang Long St, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3803-0678 FV Hospital 6 Nguyen Luong Bang St, Dist.7, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 5411-3500 Stamford Skin Centre 254 Dien Bien Phu St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3932-1090 Email: info@stamfordskin.com www.stamfordskin.com AIRLINES

Air France 130 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-0981 All Nippon Airways 115 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3821-9612 American Airlines 69 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3933-0330 Asiana Airlines 39 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-8710, (08) 3829-3038 British Airways 170-172 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3930-2933 Cathay Pacific Airways 72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-3203 Emirates Airlines 170-172 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3930-2939 Japan Airlines 88 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3821-9098 Jetstar Pacific Airlines 112 Hong Ha St, Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3955-0550 Philippine Airlines 2nd Floor Saigon Royal Building 91 Pasteur St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-2105 Qatar Airways 1-5 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-3888 Royal Brunei Airlines 787 Tran Hung Dao St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh CityTel: (08) 3924-5100

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

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DIRECTIONS HO CHI MINH CITY Singapore Airlines 29 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-1588 Thai Airways International 29 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-2809 United Airlines Suite 708 Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-4755 Vietnam Airlines 115 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3832-0320 Vietjet Air 8Bis Cong Truong Quoc Te, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-0123 www.vietjetair.com TRAVEL

Caravelle Hotel 19-23 Cong Truong Lam Son St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-4999 www.caravellehotel.com

Grand Hotel Saigon 8 Dong Khoi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3823-0163 Email: info@grandhotel.vn www.grandhotel.vn Built in 1930, the Ancient Wing of Grand Hotel Saigon offers a cozy and elegant atmosphere. The Luxury Wing, opened in November 2011, adds a modern style. 230 rooms and suites, a ballroom, recreation area, VIP Lounge, Western & Asian restaurants, Bars & Grand Café at Roof Garden First Hotel

Trails of Indochina 10/8 Phan Dinh Giot St, Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City; Tel: (08) 3844-1005 Email: dosm@trailsofindochina.com www.trailsofindochina.com Transviet Travel Travel House, 170-172 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3933-0777 www.transviet.com.vn HOTELS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Catina Saigon Hotel 109 Dong Khoi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-6296 www.hotelcatina.com.vn From VND1,690,500 ($80.50)

42-44 Thu Khoa Huan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3823-3364 Email: info@kellyhotel.com.vn www.kellyhotel.com.vn From VND750,000 ($36) An elegant and cosy hotel with good service. Within walking distance to Ben Thanh market, Independence Palace and several museums. Vietnamese food is served at reasonable prices. Liberty Central Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City 17 Ton Duc Thang St, Dist.1 Tel: (08) 3827-1717 177-179 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1 Tel: (08) 3823-9269 Email: frontdesk.lcc@libertyhotels.com.vn

www.libertycentralhotel.com 18 Hoang Viet St, Ward 4, Tan Binh Dist, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3844-1199 Email: first.hotel@hcm.vnn.vn www.firsthotel.com.vn

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon

242 Tran Binh Trong St, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3839-7777 Email: info@hcm.equatorial.com www.equatorial.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/equatorialhcmc Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City is an international 5-star hotel, located where the borders of the city's four main districts intersect; hence in the heart and true centre of Ho Chi Minh City. Tan Son Nhat International Airport can be reached conveniently within 30 minutes, while the city's major commercial and entertainment area is only a mere 8minute drive. Hotel Nikko Saigon 235 Nguyen Van Cu St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City, tel: (08) 3925-7777 reservation@hotelnikkosaigon.com.vn www.hotelnikkosaigon.com.vn From VND4,830,000 ($230) InterContinental Asiana Saigon Corner Hai Ba TrungSt. & Le Duan Blvd,

52 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

www.northernhotel.com.vn From VND1,505,000 ($71) Three-star boutique hotel, 99 rooms in Superior, Deluxe and Suite categories, a short walk from major entertainment and shopping venues. Novotel Saigon Centre 167 Hai Ba Trung St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3822-4866 Email: H7965@accor.com www.novotel-saigon-centre.com Palace Hotel Saigon 56-66 Nguyen Hue Blvd, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-2860 Email: sales@palacesaigon.com www.palacesaigon.com Park Hyatt Saigon 2 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3824-1234 Email: saigon.park@hyatt.com www.saigon.park.hyatt.com From VND 7,887,850 ($376) PARKROYAL Saigon 309B – 311 Nguyen Van Troi St,Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3842-1111 enquiry.prsgn@parkroyalhotels.com

Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City

Exotissimo 261/26 Phan Xich Long St, Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3995-9898 www.exotravel.com Saigon Tourist 45 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-9279 www.saigon-tourist.net

Kelly Hotel

Duxton Hotel Saigon 63 Nguyen Hue Blvd, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-2999 enquires@saigon.duxton.com.vn www.duxtonhotels.com

Asiana Travel Mate 113C Bui Vien St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3838-6678 www.atravelmate.com Buffalo Tours 81 Mac Thi Buoi, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-9168 Email: travelagency@buffalotours.com www.buffalotours.com.vn Buffalo Tours operates in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. The Buffalo Tours portfolio caters to all types of tours.

Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3520-9999 Email: saigon@ihg.com www.intercontinental.com/Saigon

www.parkroyalhotels.com

253 Nguyen Van Troi St, Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3844-9222 Email: hotel.saigon@moevenpick.com www.moevenpick-hotels.com From VND2,100,000 ($100) Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon 2A-4A Ton Duc Thang St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-3333 www.lottehotel.com New World Saigon Hotel 76 Le Lai St, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-8888 Email: saigon@newworldhotels.com www.saigon.newworldhotels.com New Epoch Hotel 120 Cach Mang Thang 8 St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3932-6169 Email: info@newepochhotel.com.vn www.newepochhotel.com.vn From VND1,155,000 ($55) Northern Hotel Saigon 11A Thi Sach St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3825-1751 Email: reservation@northernhotel.com.vn

Ramana Hotel Saigon 323 Le Van Sy St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3843-9999 Email: info@ramanasaigon.com www.ramanasaigon.com From VND1,690,500 ($80.5) Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon 8-15 Ton Duc Thang St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-0033 www.renaissance-saigon.com Royal Hotel Saigon 133 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-5915 www.royalhotelsaigon.com From VND1,092,000 ($52) Rex Hotel 141 Nguyen Hue St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-2185 Email: rexhotel@rex.com.vn www.rexhotelvietnam.com From VND4,620,000 ($220) Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers 88 Dong Khoi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-2828 Email: sheratonsaigon@sheraton.com www.sheratonsaigon.com

DIRECTIONS HO CHI MINH CITY Sofitel Saigon Plaza

mestic and international dishes. A meeting place to enjoy delicious house-made pastries and cakes and a cup of coffee from selected premium blends. Kim Lam Restaurant

17 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3824-1555 Email: h2077@sofitel.com www.sofitel.com From VND3,864,000 ($262) Silver Creek City Resort 112 An Phu Dong 11, Dist.12, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3719-9533 Email: reception@silvercreek.com.vn www.silvercreek.com.vn From VND1,050,000 ($50) Sonnet Saigon Hotel

14 Truong Dinh St., Ward 6, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3930-1999 reservation@sonnetsaigonhotel.com www.sonnetsaigonhotel.com From VND925,000 Windsor Plaza Hotel

18 An Duong Vuong, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3833-6688 services@windsorplazahotel.com www.windsorplazahotel.com RESTAURANTS

Beef No.1 Restaurant 1 Hoang Viet St, Ward 4, Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: 0935891818/ 0919898253 Chit Chat Restaurant Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City, 242 Tran Binh Trong St, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3839-7777 Email: info@hcm.equatorial.com www.equatorial.com New daily menus for lunch and dinner buffets, all served in a relaxing atmosphere. Eight live cooking stations with over 60 varieties of mouth-watering do-

23 Dong Khoi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 6299-0879 Email: kimlam@galaxyfood.com.vn www.kimlam1galaxyfood.com The restaurant serves Vietnamese food from the North, Centre and South with emphasis on artistic garnish. It has three floors and can hold one hundred and twenty people. The restaurant is a treasure trove of Vietnamese culture with art objects serving as the decor

Sax N’ Art Jazz Club 28 Le Loi St, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-8472 www.saxnart.com Thao Nguyen Café Floor 7 and Rooftop of Restaurant Ngon 138 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-9666 Open from 7 a.m. until 10.30 p.m. SHOPS

Handed by crafts from Vietnam 47 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: 0908 447 282

Cactus Contemporary Art 17/12 Nguen Huy Tuong St, Ward 6, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 7300-1270 info@cactusartgallery.com www.cactusartgallery.com

Lemongrass Restaurant 4 Nguyen Thiep St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-0496 www.bongsencorporation.com

Lu's Handmade 240 Ly Tu Trong St, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Facebook: Lu's Handmade

Mam Son Restaurant 35 Ton That Thiep St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3915-3653 Vietnamese food

Thegioidecor.vn 123 Bis 2 Tran Quoc Thao St, Ward 7, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: 0123.236.1111 Email: thegioidecor.vn@gmail.com www.thegioidecor.vn Tropic Shop 89 Dong Khoi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-3714 www.ofcvn.com/tropic SPA

Vspa & Skincare

Caffe Molinari 5 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3910-6903 Email: molinari@vnn.vn www.caffemolinari.com

Craig Thomas Gallery 27i Tran Nhat Duat St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Mobile: 0903 888 431 Email: cthomasgallery@gmail.com www.cthomasgallery.com Open: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Mondays and Sundays Galerie Quynh Level 2, 151/2 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3824-8284 www.galeriequynh.com Sàn Art 48/7 Me Linh St, Ward 19, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 6294-7059 www.san-art.org Opening: 10.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. every. Closed on Sunday and Monday Tu Do Gallery 53 Ho Tung Mau St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3821-0966 www.tudogallery.com Opening: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. everyday SIGHTSEEINGS

Vatel Saigon Bistronomique-Lounge 120 Bis Suong Nguyet Anh St, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 5404-2220 www.vatelsaigon.com BARS & CAFÉS

Artists Long & Ngoc Gallery Grand Hotel (at the lobby), 8 Dong Khoi, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City TeL: (08) 2246-6839 Mobile: 0908 229 708 Email: ngoclongfineart@yahoo.com Apricot Gallery 50 Mac Thi Buoi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-7962

Kobe Teppanyaki Restaurant 13A Tu Xuong St, Ward 7, Dist 3, Ho Chi MInh City Tel: (08) 3932-0187

Elle Cafe 45 Ngo Duc Ke St, Bitexco Financial Tower, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 6291-8769

GALLERIES

Dong Duong 123A Bui Vien St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: 0943925348

IPA Nima 85 Pasteur St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3824-2701 IPA Nima is well-known for its bags.

Orientica Restaurant Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City, 242 Tran Binh Trong St, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3839-7777 Email: info@hcm.equatorial.com www.equatorial.com A Teppanyaki restaurant with an openpreparation counter, guests will be able to view spectacular food preparation before their very eyes.

Email: sales@vca.com.vn www.vca.com.vn Saigon Cooking Class 74/7 Hai Ba Trung St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3825-8485 www.saigoncookingclass.com

15B/25 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-9484 Email: reception.vspa@gmail.com www.vspa.com.vn

Notre Dame Cathedral Cong Xa Paris Square, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Built in 1877, and the Cathedral opened to the public in 1880. The bricks used to build this marvellous structure were shipped from Marseilles. In front of the cathedral is a statue of the Virgin Mary. The cathedral has six great bells, each weighing 26 kg, located in the two belltowers and examples of stained glass designed in the Gothic style

Mint Culinary School 778/45 Nguyen Kiem St, Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3844-5500

Ben Thanh Market Le Lai St, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City The original market was located on the bank of the Ben Nghe River by the old Gia Dinh Fort. In 1859, when the French

COOKING CLASSES

VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

• 53

CENTRE OF HO

ndependence P alace 1. IIndependence Palace D3 TThe he original original was was built in 1865 called Nor odom Palace Palace and the Palace Palace of the Norodom IIndochina ndochina Governor Governor General. General. After After bombs destr oyed it in 1963, a new palace palace was was built destroyed called Doc Doc lap (I ndependence ) Palace Palace and (Independence af ter 1975, it was was renamed renamed Thong Thong Nhat Nhat after C onfference Hall. Hall. It It is now now open to to visitors visitors to to Conference see some fascinating fascinating insights, insights, such as a war war rroom oom and communication communication centre centre in the basemen t, Centre Centre Hall, Hall, and rooms rooms where where the basement, P resident’s family stayed. stayed. Ticket: Ticket: VND30,000 President’s Notre Dame Cathedral Cathedral 2. Notre E2 Built in 1877, and the Cathedral Cathedral opened to to the public in 1880. The The bricks bricks used to to build this marvellous marvellous structure structure were were shipped from from M arseilles. The The cost cost of construction construction was was a Marseilles. whopping 2.5 million Francs. Francs. In In front front of the ca thedral is a statue statue of the Virgin Virgin Mary. Mary. TThe he cathedral ca thedral has six great great bells, bells, each weighing weighing cathedral 26 kg, kg, located located in the ttwo wo bell-towers bell-towers and e xamples of stained glass designed designed in the examples G othic style style Gothic Vietnam History History Museum 3. Vietnam F2 Built in 1927, this museum displays displays remains remains and relics relics in order order to to depict depict periods periods of the ccountry’s ountry ’s development development since since the country’s country ’s ffoundation. oundation. 25,000 precious precious antiques antiques are are on displa y, including Buddhist statues statues of South South display, East Asia, Asia, pottery pottery of Vietnam Vietnam and Asian Asian ccountries, ountries, mummified bodies. bodies. Ticket: Ticket: VND15,000

STREET GUIDE

3 Thang 2..........A2, A3, B2 Alexandre De Rhodes........ ........................................E2 An Duong Vuong....A4, B4 Ba Le Chan....................D1 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan...... ........................................C2 Ban Co...........................B3 Ben Chuong Duong........... .................................D4, E4 Ben Van Don...........D4, E4

Bui Thi Xuan..................C3 Bui Vien...................C4, D4 Cach Mang Thang Tam..... ......A1, B1, B2, C2, C3, D3 Calmette.........................E4 Cao Thang.....................B3 Chu Manh Trinh.............F2 Co Bac.....................C4, D4 Co Giang............. ...C4, D4 Cong Quynh............C3, C4 De Tham........................D4

Dien Bien Phu..................... A3, B2, C2, D1, D2, E1, F1 Dinh Tien Hoang............E1 Do Quang Dau...............C4 Do Thanh.......................B3 Doan Cong Buu.............C1 Doan Nhu Hai..........E4, F4 Dong Du.........................F3 Dong Khoi................E3, F3 Hai Ba Trung....................... ...........................D1, E2, F3 Hai Trieu.........................F4

Ham Nghi.................E4, F4 Han Thuyen....................E2 Ho Hao Hon...................C4 Ho Tung Mau...........E3, E4 Ho Xuan Huong.............C2 Hoa Hung.......................A2 Hung Vuong...................A4 Huyen Tran Cong Chua..... ........................................D3 Huynh Thuc Khang........E3 Huynh Tinh Cua.............D1 Ky Con.....................D4, E4

Ky Dong...................B2, C1 Le Duan...................E2, F2 Le Hong Phong.................. ...........................A2, A3, A4 Le Lai.......................C3, D3 Le Loi..............................E3 Le Quy Don....................D2 Le Thanh Ton...................... ...........................D3, E3, F2 Le Thi Hong Gam............... .................................D4, E4 Le Thi Rieng............C3, D3

Le Van Sy.......................B1 Luong Huu Khanh.........C3 Ly Chinh Thang.......C1, C2 Ly Thai To......................A3 Ly Tu Trong......................... ...........................D3, E3, F2 Ly Van Phuc...................E1 Mac Dinh Chi...........E1, E2 Mac Thi Buoi..................F3 Mai Thi Luu..............E1, F1 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia............ ...................C1, D1, D2, D3

CHI MINH CITY D

2 1

Ngo Duc Ke....................F3 Ngo Thoi Nhiem ....C2, D2 Ngo Van Nam.................F2 Nguyen Binh Khiem.............. .....................................F1, F2 Nguyen Cau...................D1 Nguyen Cong Tru............... .................................D4, E4 Nguyen Dinh Chieu............ ......B3, C2, C3, D2, E1, F1 Nguyen Du..............D3, E3 Nguyen Hue.............E3, F3

Nguyen Khac Nhu.............. .................................C4, D4 Nam Quoc Cang.....C3, C4 Nguyen Phi Khanh.........E1 Nguyen Sieu...................F3 Nguyen Son Tra................. .................................B3, C3 Nguyen Tat Thanh..........F4 Nguyen Thai Binh............... .................................D4, E4 Nguyen Thai Hoc....D3, D4 Nguyen Thanh Y............E1

Nguyen Thi Dieu............C2 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai........ .................................B3, C3 Nguyen Thien Thuat........... .................................A3, B3 Nguyen Thong........B2, C2 Nguyen Thuong Hien........ .................................B2, C3 Nguyen Trai.............B4, C4 Nguyen Trung Ngan......F2 Nguyen Trung Truc........E3 Nguyen Truong To.........E4

Nguyen Van Cu..............B4 Nguyen Van Thu......E1, F1 Pasteur................................ ...............D1, D2, E2, E3,E4 Pham Ngoc Thach.........D1 Pham Ngu Lao........C4, D4 Pham Viet Chanh...........B3 Phan Ke Binh..........E1, E2 Pho Duc Chinh...............E4 Phung Khac Khoan.......E2 Suong Nguyet Anh........C3 Thach Thi Thanh.....D1, E1

Thai Van Lung................F3 Thi Sach.........................F3 Thu Khoa Huan.......D3, E3 To Hien Thanh................A1 Ton That Dam..........E3, E4 Ton Duc Thang..............C3 Tran Binh Trong......A3, A4 Tran Cao Van.................E2 Tran Dinh Xu...........B4, C4 Tran Hung Dao.......C4, D4 Tran Minh Quyen...........A3 Tran Nhan Tong.......A3, A4

Tran Phu.........................A4 Tran Quang Dieu...........B1 Tran Quang Khai.....D1, E1 Tran Quoc Thao......C1, D2 Tran Quoc Toan......C1, D1 Truong Dinh............C1, C2 Tu Xuong.......................C2 Vinh Vien........................A3 Vo Thi Sau........C2, D1, E1 Vo Van Tan..............C3, B3 Vuon Chuoi..............B2, B3 Yersin..............................D4

DIRECTIONS VUNG TAU, LONG HAI, CON DAO, CAN THO, CHAU DOC invaded Saigon and overtook Gia Dinh Fort, Ben Thanh Market was destroyed. It was rebuilt shortly after and remained standing until it was moved to its present location in 1899. Now, Ben Thanh market is a trade centre and a favourite tourist destination, offering a wide range of Vietnamese handicraft, fresh fruits and local specialities.

road or by a 90-minute hydrofoil boat from HCMC. Sitting on a peninsula that sticks out into the East Sea, Vung Tau does not have the most beautiful, or cleanest, beaches in Vietnam but can act as a quick getaway from the buzz of the city.

Chinatown – Cho Lon This is a bustling town with over 400,000 Chinese Vietnamese. It was set up at the end of the 18th century when the Minh Dynasty in China was overthrown. Many Chinese faithful to Minh came to Vietnam for help, peace and business. Chinatown has many shops and private workshops. The most interesting places are Binh Tay market, Soai Kinh Lam fabric whole-sales market, the street of herbal medicine located on Hai Thuong Lan Ong and Thien Hau Temple on Nguyen Trai Street.

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily

MUSEUMS

Fine Arts Museum of Ho Chi Minh City 97A Pho Duc Chinh St, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-4441 www.baotangmythuattphcm.com Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays. Ho Chi Minh City Museum 65 Ly Tu Trong St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-9741 www.hcmc-museum.edu.vn Open daily 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Independence Palace 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-3652 www.dinhdoclap.gov.vn Open daily, 7.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Southern Women Museum 202 Vo Thi Sau St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3932-7130 The History Museum 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-8146 www.baotanglichsuvn.com 8 a.m. - 11.30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday

HOTELS, RESORTS

Mường Thanh Vung Tau Hotel

The Imperial Hotel & Residences Vung Tau 159 - 163 Thuy Van St, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3628-888 Email: info@imperialhotel.vn www.imperialhotel.vn MUSEUM

White Palace 6 Tran Phu St, Ward.1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3852-605 Open daily 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

LONG HAI

No 09, Thong Nhat St, Ward 1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3835-567 sales@vungtau.muongthanh.vn www.vungtau.muongthanh.vn From VND1,890,000 ($90) Grand Hotel Vung Tau 2 Nguyen Du St, Ward.1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3856-888 Email: sales@grandhotel.com.vn www.grandhotel.com.vn From VND2,058,000 ($98) Petrosetco Hotel

Long Hai is a beach town, 30km northeast of Vung Tau and 124 km southeast of HCMC. The Grand Ho Tram Strip Phuoc Thuan, Xuyen Moc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. Tel: (064) 3788-888 Email: info@thegrandhotramstrip.com www.thegrandhotramstrip.com

CON DAO

Six Senses Con Dao Dat Doc Beach, Con Dao Dist., Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province Tel : (064) 3831-222 reservations-condao@sixsenses.com www.sixsenses.com/resorts/ con-dao/destination From VND14,490,000 ($690)

TIEN GIANG

The Island Lodge

12 Truong Cong Dinh St, Ward 2, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3624-748 Email: sales@petrosetco.com.vn www.petrosetcohotel.vn From VND1,085,700 ($52) Petro House Hotel 63 Tran Hung Dao St, Ward 1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3852-014 Email: info@petrohousehotel.vn www.petrohousehotel.vn From VND1,260,000 ($60) Palace Hotel

War Remnants Museum 28 Vo Van Tan St, Ward 6, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City, Tel: (08) 3930-5587 Email: warrmhcm@gmail.com Open daily 7.30 a.m. to midday and 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

A popular beach resort town for residents of Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau is about 128 km southeast of HCMC. It can be reached either by

Romeliess Hotel 31 - 33 Thuy Van St, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3613-366 Email: sales@romeliss.com www.romeliesshotel.com

1 Nguyen Trai St, Ward 1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3856-411 Email: sales@palacehotel.com.vn www.palacehotel.com.vn From VND2,062,000 ($97)

56 • VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

390 Ap Thoi Binh, Thoi Son Ward, My Tho City, Tien Giang Province Tel: (073) 6519-000 Email: contact@theislandlodge.com.vn www.theislandlodge.com.vn

CAN THO

(TELEPHONE CODE: 0710) Can Tho is the largest city in the Mekong Delta, about 170 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, and acts as the area’s economic, transportation and cultural centre. Sitting on the Mekong River, Can Tho is popular for its nearby floating markets, canals and rivers that can be explored by boat. HOTELS, RESORTS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Golf Can Tho Hotel 2 Hai Ba Trung St, Tan An Ward,

Ninh Kieu Dist., Can Tho Tel: (0710) 3812-210 golf4.cantho@vinagolf.vn www.vinagolf.vn Victoria Can Tho Resort Cai Khe Ward, Ninh Kieu Dist., Can Tho Tel: (0710) 3810-111 Email: resa.cantho@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia From VND3,700,000 ($175) MUSEUM

Can Tho Museum 1 Hoa Binh St, Tan An Ward, Can Tho Tel: (0710) 3820-955 Open: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.); Saturday and Sunday (8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. to 9 p.m.). Closed on Friday. Free admission

CHAU DOC

(TELEPHONE CODE: 076) HOTELS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Victoria Chau Doc Hotel

1 Le Loi St, Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province Tel: (076) 3865-010 resa.chaudoc@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia From VND3,169,000 ($149) Victoria Nui Sam Lodge Vinh Dong 1, Nui Sam, Chau Doc, An Giang Province Tel: (076) 3575-888 resa.nuisam@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia MUSEUM

An Giang Museum 11 Ton Duc Thang St, My Binh Ward, Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province Tel: (076) 3956-248 Open hour 7a.m. to 11a.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Monday Entrance fee: VND42,000 ($2)

PHU QUOC

(TELEPHONE CODE: 077) Phu Quoc Island, off the southern tip of Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand, has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. White-sand beaches, scuba diving around coral reefs or exploring the protected jungle. Accessible by either the Rach Gia hydrofoil boat or a 50-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City. Modest family-owned

bungalows on the beach to fivestar resorts. HOTELS, RESORTS

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Chen Sea Resort & Spa Phu Quoc, Centara Boutique Collection Bai Xep, Ong Lang, Cua Duong, Phu Quoc Island Tel: (077) 3995-895 Email: cpv@chr.co.th www.centarahotelsresorts.com From VND3,381,000 ($161) Eden Resort Phu Quoc

Cua Lap Hamlet, Duong To Ward, Phu Quoc District, Kien Giang Province Tel: (077) 3985-598 reservations@edenresort.com.vn www.edenresort.com.vn La Veranda Resort

Tran Hung Dao St, Ward 7, Duong Dong Town Phu Quoc Island Tel: (077) 3982-988 contact@laverandaresorts.com www.laverandaresorts.com VND5,082,000 to VND8,694,000 ($242 to $414) Sai Gon Phu Quoc Resort 1 Tran Hung Dao St, Phu Quoc Island Tel: (077) 3846-999 Email: sgphuquocresort@hcm.vnn.vn www.sgphuquocresort.com.vn VND2,499,000 to VND4,011,000 ($119 to $191)

CANADA

(Telephone code: 1) Xe Lua 254 Spadina Ave, Tonronto, Ontario Canada M5T2C2 Tel: (1-416) 703-8330 Xe Lua has been open since 1996 and serves phở for $6 a bowl Open: 11.30 a.m. to 12 p.m Chau Kitchen and Bar 1500 Robson St. Vancouver, British Columbia Tel: (1-604) 682-8020 www.chaukitchenandbar.com Serves Vietnamese dishes with prices starting at $7 per dish.

FRANCE

(Telephone code: 33) CLEMONT-FERRAND Kim Anh 6 Bis r Elie Gintrac Tel: (33-4) 7391-9364 Serves traditional Vietnamese food, from €12.80 per dish Open 11.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed on Sundays). GRENOBLE Kim Ngan 22 r Nicolas Chrier Tel: (33-4) 7649-0847 Serves Vietnamese food with prices starting at €8 per dish

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Telephone code: 1) CALIFORNIA-CA Emerald Restaurant Pacific Gateway Plaza 3709 Convoy Street, Ste 101, San Diego, CA 92111 Tel: (1) 858-565-6888 Serves Vietnamese food

DIRECTIONS PHU QUOC, OVERSEAS Kieu Nga Lemongrass Restaurant 514 12th Ave Seattle, WA 98122 Tel: (1) 206-860-8164 Moonlight Café 1919 S Jackson St Seattle, WA 98144 Tel: (1) 206-322-3378 Massachusetts-MA Saigon Hut 305-307 Meridian St. Boston, ] MA 02128; Tel: (1) 617-567-1944 Xinh Xinh 7 Beach St (Washington St.) Boston, MA 02111 Tel: (1) 617-422-0501

UNITED KINGDOM

(Telephone code: 44) Little Saigon Restaurant 6 Bigg Market, Newcastle upon Tyne, England Tel: 01912330766 Vietnamese dishes

AUSTRALIA

(Telephone code: 61) La Mint 62–64 Riley St, East Sydney NSW 2010 Tel: (61) 293-311-818 Email: service@lamint.com.au www.lamint.com.au Open: Wednesday to Friday, noon to 2:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday, 6 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. French and Vietnamese dishes

INDONESIA

(Telephone code: 62) Pho 24 Pondok Indah, Plaza I, Jln. Taman Duta 1Blok UA 35 Jakarta Selatan Tel: (62) 0217-505-909 JIn. Wolter Mongonsidi No. 71, Kebayyoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan Tel: (62) 0217-278-8411 Pacific Place Mall, 5th Floor, SCBD, JIn. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 52-53, Jakarta 12190 Tel: (62) 0215-140-0531

Hung Ky Mi Gia 5237 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115; Tel: (1) 619-229-2188 Serves noodle varieties with prices starting at $5 per dish Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. International Restaurant 1 4444 – A University Ave, San Diego, CA 92115 Tel: (1) 619-281-9999 Little Saigon 7 Linden Ave (Railroad) South San Francisco, CA 94080 Tel: (1) 650-589-1398 New York-NY Saigon Grill 620 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024 Tel: (1) 212-875-9072 Serves over 100 Vietnamese dishes including vegetarian options Open 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Mai Lan Vietnamese 505 N State St Syracuse, NY 13203 Tel: (1) 315-471-6740 www.mailanrestaurant.com L’Annam 121 University Pl New York, NY 10022 Tel: (1) 212-420-1414 VIRGINIA-VA Minh’s Vietnamese 2500 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA 22201 Tel: (1) 703-525-2828 Prices start at $15 per dish Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed on Mondays) WASHINGTON-WC Ho Bac 1314 S Jackson St Seattle, WA 98144 Tel: (1) 206-860-8164 VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

• 57

LAID BACK

Photo: Ls Trung

Photo: Tran Viet Dung

Photo: Ls Trung

Photo: Vu Quoc Bao

Clockwise from top left: Climbing on a sugar palm tree to collect the sweet drink from inflorescence, An Giang Province; Spider Man in Hanoi; Bringing votive papers to a pagoda, Hanoi; At a bus station in Ho Chi Minh City; A seller cigarettes smoking cigarette in Hanoi

58 â&#x20AC;˘ VIETNAM HERITAGE - APRIL-MAY 2015

Photo: Ls Trung