Vietnam Heritage Jul-Aug 2014 by Vietnam Heritage

ISSN 1859-4123

6 6:4 :4 J JULY-AUG ULY-AUG 2 2014 014

Reinventing the wheel p.12

“The Soul of Vietnam” On the occasion of the 10th Vietnam National Heritage Day, 23 November 2014, the Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards is launched. The competition seeks out photos about the natural and cultural heritage of Vietnam for publication on the Vietnam Heritage magazine, website www.vietnamheritage.com.vn, iOS application. 20 exhibitions of selected works from the contest will be held in over 10 cities. This year, the contest has four topics: Nature, Tangible heritage, Intangible heritage and Life. 30 PRIZES FOR SINGLE PHOTOS AND SERIES INCLUDE: 05 First Prize: One Canon EOS 700D camera kit and one Canon PIXMA MG6470 printer 05 Second Prize: One Canon SX 600 and one Canon PIXMA E560 printer 05 Third Prize: One Canon Ixus 145 camera and one Canon PIXMA iP2770 printer 10 Runner – up prizes: Canon PIXMA E400 printer 05 JUNIOR VIETNAM HERITAGE PHOTO AWARDS 2014: (Prizes for photographers aged under 18): Canon Selphy CP910 printers Entries must be in digital format, either coloured or black and white, 5MB or smaller, 300 DPI. Entries close on 20 September, 2014. Entries must be sent to vietnamdisan@gmail.com or vnheritagemagazine@gmail.com The Panel of Judges: Photographer Hoang Quoc Tuan – Master FIAP, Photographer Doan Thi Tho – EVAPA, FIAP, Photographer Nguyen Dong – EVAPA, Film Director Nguyen Quoc Hung – Film Master, Deputy Director of TV studios TFS – HCMC Television, Photographer Hoang Giang Hai. The Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday 23 November 2014, at The Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City. There will also be a winning-photo auction at the Awards Ceremony. Money raised from the auction will be given to support training programs of Saigon Children’s Charity. Vietnam Heritage will have the right to publish any photograph entered and will pay for it at the magazine’s usual rate. ORGANISER: VIETNAM HERITAGE MAGAZINE

Main Sponsor

Transportation Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

content

No 6, Vol.4, July-August 2014 COVER STORY History 8 Cycles of history 12 Reinventing the wheel 14 Schoolgirl Guerrilla Music

16 When the amateurs took France-with music 18 Chapi of the Raglai

Literature

20 Weak flesh,willing heart Archaeology

22 Terracotta treasures Architecture

24 Mysteries in stone Religion

28 Lucky money Culture

12 14

30 The two-edged sword of chastity People

32 The passing of ‘Mr Cricket’ 34 What the papers say 35 Asides 36 Events 39 Value for money 42 Buyable 43 Directions 58 Laid back

16 32

Cover photograph: Photos from the archive of Philippe Chaplain

Published by the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam

Vietnam Heritage Editorial Office:

Publication licence No: 1648/GP-BTTTT from the Ministry of Information and Communications of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for the English-language edition of The Gioi Di San (The World of Heritage) magazine Editor-in-Chief: Le Thanh Hai; Public Relations Director: Bui Thi Hang; Sub-editing: Erik Johnson; Assistant: Kha Tu Anh; Production: Nguyen Hoang Kim Long; Contributing Photographers: Nguyen Ba Han, Hoang Quoc Tuan, Hoang The Nhiem, Huynh Van Nam, Le Hoai Phuong, Nguyen Anh Tuan; Ngo Nguyen Huynh Trung Tin; Tran Viet Duc Correspondent: Pip de Rouvray; Advertising and Circulation: Green Viet Advertising JSC Advertising and Subscriptions Service: Email: ads.vietnamheritage@gmail.com; Thuy Phuong 0166 79 70 706 Email: subs.vietnamheritage@gmail.com Hanoi Advertising and Subscription: The He Moi MHN Viet Nam Co.Ltd, Mr Song Hao: 0903 476 999 Contact in the US for subscription and advertising: 2628 Sturla dr. San Jose, CA 95148 Vietnam Heritage is published monthly, produced in Vietnam and printed at Army Printing House No 2. © All rights reserved.

15A/28 Le Thanh Ton, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam l 1/1 Hoang Viet, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (84-8) 3827 2749 Fax: (84-8) 3823 7798 Email: vnheritagemagazine@gmail.com vietnamdisan@gmail.com l

www.vietnamheritage.com.vn Vietnam Heritage Vietnam Heritage

vietnam heritage - July-august 2014

•5

A natural well in Y Ty Commune, Lao Cai Province, 2012. Photo from Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards 2013.

Photo: Ngo Thi Thu Ba

history

Cycles of history By Duong Trung Quoc

From symbol of the bourgeois to war machine to tourist attraction, the cyclo rolls on

Cyclos in front of the Cathedral, Hanoi, 1954 Photo from the archive of Nguyen Ba Ngoc

he patent for the pedicab, which first appeared in Marseille, France, was registered in the 1930’s. Its first recorded appearance in French Indochinese colonies in the Far East was in 1936, when two men took turns to drive a cyclo in a marathon from Phnom Penh to Saigon in order to prove the superiority of the vehicle. Before that, there were rickshaws, introduced in the late 19th century from Hong Kong to Hanoi

8 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

by a French ambassador. The image of a sweating coolie, bent over to pull a rickshaw with a master or a passenger on it was described by the famous Nguyen Cong Hoan as a ‘man-horse’ or ‘horse-man’. It made one feel uneasy, as social awareness and democratic spirit was being elevated. Shortly after the liberation of Hanoi (1954), they were eliminated as a symbol of the ‘man-exploitingman’ way of life that the new regime wanted to eliminate. Only then came the stardom of the cyclo. Before the August 1945 revolution, there were only a few cyclos. During the Occupation (19471954), because the war increased the city’s population, Hanoi’s few tram routes multiplied. Taxis and

private cars were still rare; bicycles were the main means of getting around. Our cyclos are nicer than their counterparts in neighbouring countries. There, the cyclist is seated in the front, and the passenger’s view is blocked by his back. Cyclos in some other places have the cyclist seated at one side like the motored three-wheelers, but even then a side view is blocked. The cyclos used in Hanoi seem more elegant because the passenger is seated in the front, the cyclist at the back, so we don’t see the fatigue of another person and can enjoy a complete view. If the cyclist happens to be good-natured and loves to tell tales about people and places in town, the ride can be

history

wonderful. Fabulous writer Nguyen Tuan, back from visiting Saigon after the country’s reunification, remarked that the cyclos there looked smarter, with shining frames and spotless white seats, but the seat is too narrow in the back and is very uncomfortable for couples. He also said that the motored cyclos in the South carried heavy loads and run like tanks. Hanoi folks can’t stand them. Cyclos are the most civilized, polite and convenient vehicles. Cars are closed and too fast, you can’t see a thing, he said. He said he dreamt of seeing the leisurely cyclos coming back to Hanoi streets along with peace in the country. He had to dream it because the cyclo’s fate is uncertain. As a means

of public transport, during the socialist reforms, they had to become public property. Moreover, the changed social attitude made the passengers feel uncomfortable sitting while another person worked and sweat. It felt like exploitation, although well-paid exploitation. So the cylcos soon became mostly cargo carriers. They were redesigned to be sturdier, with less comfort, the cushion replaced by a wooden bar, the arms widened to support bulkier things and two hooks added to the footrest to facilitate pulling uphill. The cyclo got its fame during the American bombing of the North Vietnam. It became an efficient aid for production and battle. It carried goods where motored ve-

hicles couldn’t go. It evacuated people. It carried the wounded to hospitals. It carried arms and ammunition to battle fields. It even carried American airplane wreckage along the streets to boost the spirit. The cyclo has its place in the museum of wartime Hanoi. Then came the Doi Moi. Many notions changed. Life’s demands became more and more diverse. Foreign tourists now come in waves. Our folks have more means to play with antiques-cyclos included. They are renovated, shined to be used for betrothal ceremonies. A betrothal procession on cars looks rich, but spiritless, while playful young boys and girls, carrying colourful trays and boxes of offerings and fruits, together with lll

Clockwise from top left: Cyclo at Dong Xuan Market, Hanoi, 1955; Cyclo in Saigon, 1961. Photos from the archive of collector Philippe Chaplain; Cyclos in Hanoi, 1980. Photo: John Ramsden. Photo provided by Nguyen Anh Tuan

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

•9

history serious seniors, on open cyclos, in bright day light, merrily and orderly moving along the streets… Nothing can be sweeter than that. The image of those processions immediately caught the eyes of the tourists, and the cyclos became an iconic means of transport of Hanoi, just like the horse-drawn carriages around Xuan Huong Lake in Dalat, or the brightly red double-decker busses of London. In recent years, long processions of cyclos wandering in the streets of Hanoi, mostly around the old quarter, became a familiar and cheerful sight. Hanoi streets are not only tighter than those of London, but also much more crowded than those of Dalat. That’s a headache which has many times made the city’s authorities want to ban the cyclos to ensure smoother traffic. There was once even a plan to eliminate them completely. Many have expressed regret if that will really happen one day. It reminded me of Nguyen Tuan’s story again, and his conversation with a Saigon cyclist. He asked, ‘In the war time were you afraid of the Americans?’ ‘No, they don’t pay, I kick their butt.’ ‘Afraid of hunger?’ ‘No! Hard to get rich, but if you are not lazy, it’s not hard to get by.’ ‘Then what are you afraid of the most?’ ‘Change of street names! Loss of orientation!’ he said. Not only the cyclists, but everybody is afraid of the ‘loss of orientation’. But that’s exactly why we still have a glimpse of hope that the days of the cyclos are not over.n

lll

From top: Cyclos in Hanoi, 1954. Photo from the archive of Nguyen Ba Ngoc; Tourists on cyclos in

Tra Que Village, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province. Photo: Mai Thanh Chuong; A wedding procession on cyclos in Hanoi. Photo: Nguyen Anh Tuan 10 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

history

Reinventing the wheel By Phan Cam Thuong

rior to the twentieth-century, the means for conveying goods among the Vietnamese were quite primitive and belonged to the sorts of those societies most underdeveloped in the world at that time. In order to transport many things or those that were heavy, the sole form of transport was by boat. Indeed, the principle conveyance for construction rock along with major stones was for people to use rollers to carry them onto rafts and then take them to their destination via waterways. Trade on the waters by riverboat became a professional activity because so many rivers and streams crisscrossed the country and, from the rivers, people could make it to reAbove: A single-wheeled mote locations. handcart, near Hanoi, 1908 Transport over land by buffalo Photo from the archive of cart, oxcart, and horse cart was actucollector Philippe Chaplain

The long, slow journey of the push cart

12 â&#x20AC;˘ vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

ally not that prevalent, since buffaloes and oxen were rather costly. Hence, shoulder poles and carrying goods on the head were a characteristic way of life. Vietnamese farmers could shoulder quite a load; thirty to forty kilograms was normal, while the heftier bore fifty to seventy. Shouldering water, paddy, firewood, and goods was an everyday activity, so nearly everyone could do it. One of the most common transport means used was the singlewheeled handcart. It was the most ancient vehicle in the Orient; perhaps over two thousand years of age. They were quite primitive and included two long shafts attached at the front to a wheel made from the slice of a wooden log. The two shafts extended to the rear so that a person could hold them with both hands and push the cart forward. Goods

were laden atop the two cart shafts. Thus was the simplistic design of the pushcart, although, in the process of transporting goods along with people, it had been improved several times. With horse carts, the solid wheel was quite heavy and generated a great deal of friction, so the speed was not very high. Hence, people improved upon it by switching to a hollow wheel that included a circular rim and a central axle connected by spokes. Pushcarts, too, were thus improved. Nevertheless, in ancient Vietnamese villages, just making the spokes was rather difficult, so they used solid wheels all the way up until the twentieth century. As the iron and steel industry developed, pushcarts made from iron also became prevalent on construction sites. The two shafts were attached to a barrow. At the head of

history the shafts was an iron wheel with spokes and a lubricated axle. Yet, this cart still screeched whenever the wheels turned, so it was chiefly referred to as the ‘squeaky-wheeled cart’ (xe cut kit). In the book ‘Le Tonkin en 1900’ by R. Rubio (Paris, 1900), there are some photographs of Northern peasants transporting goods with the single-wheeled hand barrow. People set a bamboo floorboard on the two shafts so that the cart could be laden with a lot of goods, even two large barrels. Beneath the shafts, near the person pushing them, were two supporting legs. When at rest, the legs held the cart in place while keeping it standing. This hand barrow was also illustrated in the technology books of the Annamese and Henri Oger. The Chinese people, in their utilization of pushcarts, made an ingenious innovation. They affixed a pole and sail to the cart; if they went in the direction of the wind, the sail facilitated pushing the cart further and faster. Many products such as the water-wheel, water mill, wheel, and turntable, are essentially considered the discoveries of agricultural societies. Nevertheless, whether imported from abroad or invented domestically, these products were seldom innovated and were applied multifariously, especially in the olden village communities of an agricultural form, where they endured for a long time. The wooden solid-wheeled pushcart was a characteristic Vietnamese-fashioned product; despite humanity’s having switched to the spoked wheel all the way back in ancient Greece during the fifth to fourth centuries prior to the common era. Perhaps it retained the original features from the time when people [first] thought up this kind of cart all the way up until the nineteenth-century. Even after this cart disappeared

from conventional farming life, its form remained unchanged. The ball-bearing wheelbarrow was a second kind of product, which was a type of double-shafted handcart for either pushing or pulling. Later on, this handcart became prevalent in rustic villages during the war and was called the ‘innovated cart’ (xe cai tien). At first, it was just like the buffalo and horse carts, except that it was not pulled by domestic animals, but humans. The business of running handcarts to pick up and drop off customers developed in Hanoi and Saigon during the French colonial period. In fact, it also developed throughout Asia, including China and India. Western gentlemen and dames as well as wealthy, important officials rented litters to travel in the mountains and forests, while they rented hand-pulled rickshaws in the cities — a story reflected in the writer Nguyen Cong Hoan’s ‘Horsemen and human horses’ (Nguoi ngua, ngua nguoi)*. As late as the 1970s, many labourers in Hanoi still employed themselves to pull handcarts for delivering goods. These hand-pulled carts were called ‘loading tricycles’ (xe ba gac). As for the hand-pulled rickshaws, they came to an end by the 1950s and were replaced by bicycle propelled rickshaws. In the rural villages, the ‘loading tricycle’ was an important means of conveyance for firewood, paddy, straw, and even people who needed to go to the hospital. Later on, because the wooden wheels were too weighty and made getting around difficult, people improved upon it by installing gas tires and streamlining the vehicle. Women, too, could pull them, as they did during the war whilst the men all went into battle.n *‘Human horses’ was a derogatory term for rickshaw pullers and drivers

From top: Hanoi, 1905. Photo from the archive of collector Philippe Chaplain; A handcart. Photo from the book ‘Le Tonkin en 1900’ (Bắc Kỳ Năm 1900), R.Dubois, published in Paris, 1900. Photo provided by Nguyen Anh Tuan; A single-wheeled handcart. Photo from the book ‘Indochine profonde’, J.P.Dannaud, 1954. Photo provided by Nguyen Anh Tuan

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 13

history

Schoolgirl Guerrilla By PiP de RouvRay

Vo Thi Sau being led to her execution. Picture in the Con Dao Museum. Photo: Pip de Rouvray

nyone who has been in Vietnam for more than a few days should be familiar with the name Vo Thi Sau. Every town, small or large, will have one of its main streets named after her. Many schools also bear her name in order to provide inspiration to generations of children. She died in January 1952, aged only nineteen, executed by the French as a political prisoner. This happened on remote Con Son Island. On my recent visit to the Con Dao islands, I went to pay my respects and learn as much as I could about the girl whose heroine status is revered in Vietnamese minds. Although she left no offspring, she is worshipped by many as an ancestral spirit. The basic biographical details are that, at the age of fourteen, Vo Thi Sau threw a grenade at French 14 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

military in the market of her home town of Dat Do in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province, killing a captain and injuring twelve others. Later, at sixteen, she unsuccessfully tried to assassinate a Vietnamese canton chief responsible for many executions, was arrested and incarcerated for three years before being transported to Con Dao. I visited four places associated with the young heroine. First port of call was her memorial hall, just a short walk along the promenade from our beachfront hotel. The building is traditional; red-tiled and yellow-walled. It stands in a beautiful garden and in front of it is a silver-coloured statue of the eternally young lady, standing defiant. Inside, at the altar, my wife Mai paid her respects, bowing and burning incense sticks. To the side of the shrine, there are two pictures

etched in bronze. One is of her ‘action directe’ in the market place and the other of her capture. Proof of her sainthood had already been given to us. The night before we had been watching a World Cup game. My wife's team (The Netherlands) looked set to lose by one to nil. She invoked Vo Thi Sau. Would you believe it? She responded with two late goals for a Dutch victory. Next, we crossed the road to the new museum, which has a display telling the story of Vo Thi Sau. There are paintings, photos and a revolutionary bust. My daughter pointed out a song and a poem about her written by fellow prisoners. ‘We learn these at school’, she said. Explanations are given in Vietnamese and good English. Both the museum and the next place are free of charge. It is clear the Vietnamese want as many peo-

ple as possible to know about her and other martyrs. Many would pass by unaware of the third place associated with the maiden. There is a clear sign in Vietnamese to indicate that a traditional one-storey house on Le Duan Street, just behind the Saigon Con Dao Resort, holds a display of her memorabilia. I was moved by pictures of her Mum and Dad. Having a fourteen-year-old daughter myself, I really felt for them. I do not know how far she acted on her own, but to get hold of a grenade, there must have been adult involvement. As well as a great patriotic heroine, it would be good to remember the girl for having been a victim of a violation of the International Rights of the Child. No cause, however noble, deserves the sacrifice of a child and the moral issue of what circumstances-if any-merit the taking of human life is difficult enough, even for an adult. The most distressing exhibit of all I found was the paper in French including her name among those listed executed in the month of January, 1952. This building was the old police station to which she was taken to spend her last night alive. Lastly, one should not miss a visit to her grave. Originally, it was a rough tablet made by fellow prisoners. I was surprised they were allowed to do this, as the remains of many of the thousands murdered by he French were just dumped in the woods by the beach nearby. There is a sign to commemorate this. She is buried in the Hang Duong (Poplar Tree) cemetery on the outskirts of town. She has fittingly been re-interred in a fine marble tomb. You can not miss it, as many pilgrims gravitate to it and there is permanent mist of incense smoke above it. If you come at night, you may see a young Frenchman beside it. No, it is not the phantom of The French Governor come to beg forgiveness, but M. Edouard Grosmangin, General Manager of the Six Senses who often brings guests along with him here for night-time vigils. Four places, then, which you must put on your Con Dao itinerary. You will learn a lot from these little visits and you will be moved by the heroic tragic story of a young girl who gave all for her country, holding her head high right to her untimely end.n

Lady in pastel shades By Ritch Pickens

t is always worth popping your head into the lobby of the Sofitel Saigon. One corner of the voluminous hall is usually given over to an exhibition of paintings or photography. The other day I was invited there for a 'vernissage', or in English, a 'varnishing'. New word for you? It certainly was for me. It simply means a small party to which a privileged few are invited in order to see a preview of an art exhibition. The artist in question is Mr Bui Tien Tuan. The exhibition is entitled 'Frivolity 2.0'. The show consists of a dozen or so frames a graceful lady flaunting herself in various poses. I was not the only one to notice a similarity with those pictures of Japanese ladies of the Meiji Restoration that once very much in vogue in Europe. Yet here the face is very much Vietnamese. The artist paints in ink and water colours on silk canvass. He is very much a colourist, using pale pastel hues mainly of red and black. Interestingly, he leaves the exposed skin parts unpainted-leaving just the silky white of the canvass. After all a young woman's skin ideally should be as smooth as silk. The poses are varied. You see the girl sleeping, dancing, sweeping her arms in almost karate fashion, reclining, pulling back her hair and pouting, and seemingly show-

ing off a new dress. The facial expression on each of these wide ranging frames is varied. In some, she appears aggressive and menacing. The small group I was with all agreed that she looked her most serene in the two sleeping pictures. Another point of interest is that he paints arms and limbs out of proportion-of exaggerated length. The artist, his wife and young daughter were in attendance. It was clear he had used his wife as his model. Once again, the Sofitel whilst being a very French hotel has shown it engages fully with local culture. It shows its business attitude is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Win Win Winâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The hotel itself gains a lot of kudos from showcasing Vietnamese artistic talent. The artist himself and his agent reach a wider audience than in a dusty gallery. Furthermore, this a place frequented by the well-heeled, who may well wish to purchase one of these freshly original and beautiful paintings. Finally, the public in general is given a free show. If you find yourself in the area and can spare a little time why not give it a whirl yourself? Frivolity 2.0 Art Exhibition by Bui Tien Tuan in co-operation with the Craig Douglas Art Gallery is on show at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel 17 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1 from 10 July until the end of September, 2014.n

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

â&#x20AC;˘ 15

Photo: Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel

art

music

When the amateurs took Francewith music By Ha DinH nguyen, Hoang Kim anD Do Tuan

Nguyen Tong Trieu’s southern amateur music band in the Colonies Fair in 1906 (Marseille). Photo from the archive of collector Philippe Chaplain

ver a hundred years ago, Southern Vietnamese amateur music stunned French audiences in Paris and Marseille. Today, it is designated as a UNESCO World non-material cultural heritage. Late in the 19th century, the amateur band of Mr Nguyen Tong Trieu grew famous. Mr Trieu, born in 1876, was a virtuoso of kìm (a string instrument) that stole many hearts, including that of Mr Viang (a French functionary). Mr Viang arranged for a band from My Tho, in the south of Vietnam, to attend the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. An event that shook the ‘City of Light’ was that a Vietnamese (called Annamese at the time) music band played the ‘Indo-Chinese Dance’ to accompany the ‘Beauty Queen’ Cléo de Mérode’s dance. Among the materials collected by the Indo-Chinese Project (including Nguyen Le Tuyen, researcher of Australia National University, Professor Yves Defrance, University of Rennes, writer

16 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Reformed Theatre music has enchanted international audiences for two centuries Ngo Thi Hanh, art director Huy Moeller and researcher Nguyen Duc Hiep), was an article from Le Monde Artiste of Oct 14, 1900. It read that The Annamese band at the Indo-Chinese Theatre is the only group that didn’t want to leave before the Fair closed (The Paris fair lasted for five months). It was a matter of course, the article related, because they attracted the largest number of visitors. Indeed, here, under the piercing music of the band, Miss Cléo de Mérode danced with tormenting slow steps, like in a dream. Writer Maurice Talmeyr gave more details: ‘I attended a show at the Indo-Chinese Theatre. 16 An-

namese musicians sit and play, the instruments hold between their knees strange and bitter instruments. Blurred waxed faces of the squatting musicians, soft, but piercing and mildly sour music and echoes whirling with the dance, it was all very nice. But which star was performing in front of me in the Indo-Chinese settings? Miss Cléo de Mérode! Yes, it was Miss Cléo de Mérode with her headband! The music is truly Annamese, one can’t be mistaken, as are the faces of the musicians, especially that of their group leader. He wore a black long dress, his body amazingly slim, as slim as the lively bow in his hand. He looked like old, curved ivory. But he could speak French and tell me about the musicians in his group…’ After the Paris Fair, Mr Trieu’s group was invited once more to France to perform at the Colonies Fair in 1906 (Marseille), and they again had resounding success. Since 2005, the amateur music movement has boomed. The Association of South Vietnamese Clas-

music

sical music in South California regularly organizes the Phung Hoang prize to select new talents, boosting the spirit of amateur music groups. The Reformed Theatre and Ancient Tunes shows on Vietnamese language TV in southern California also became more frequent and spread to many other American states. In Paris, the couple Tran Quang Hai and Bach Yen have been making great efforts to promote Vietnamese music to the world during the last 30 years by organizing shows, introductory lectures and seminars in schools and universities, and participating in world ethnic music festivals. Actress Ngoc Giau shared her impressions, ‘I often perform

abroad. Recently I went to Paris to perform at Guimet Museum (National Museum of Asian Art) and to be interviewed on three TV channels in Paris. I was impressed and deeply moved by the way they honoured Vietnam’s amateur music (Reformed Theatre). I was even more so at how the Vietnamese in France cherished national culture. They have amateur music groups that include many young enthusiasts. They whole heartedly support any artist coming from Vietnam. You can have any instrument, or anybody to join your show, just ask.’ Singer Huong Lan also remarked, ‘About 20 years ago, there were no Reformed Theatre shows, no amateur music groups overseas. It’s different now. In the US, young

people who spent part of their childhood in Vietnam, as well as middle-aged and old people love amateur music very much. Overseas Vietnamese don’t have their own theatre but a guitar with dimpled frets would suffice for them to perform at any gathering, whether at home, in a garden, or in a restaurant. Recently my husband and I, while having noodles at Phuoc Loc Tho market, California, felt so warm and happy to see a group of middle-aged people with a guitar singing some beautiful songs, not exactly professionally, but full of emotions for the Father land. They made my tears well up, because wherever they go, our Vietnamese folks always hold on to their national cultural identity.’n

Performance of southern amateur music, Dat Do District, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, 2011. Photo from Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards 2013. Photo: Pham Thi Ai Nghia

Among the pioneers who went to break the southern ground, many used to be members of the royal orchestra at Hue court. After hard day’s work, they grouped together, with their musical instruments, to play music as a means to relax. Thus amateur music as a genre was born. As time passed, it became a specialty of the West Southern Vietnam. Artist Nguyen Quang Dai (Ba Doi), a musical mandarin at Hue court, is considered the founding father of the genre. During the late 19th century, he spread court music and amateur music all over Gia Dinh and neighbouring areas.

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 17

music

Chapi of the Raglai By Hong Loi

Making Chapi. Photo: Hong Loi

The vanishing chapi may one day be heard no more

ike other ethnicities in the highland, the Raglai retain a rich folk heritage, which includesthe playing of the ma la (which produces a gong-like sound), the sarakel flute, epic songs, a tomb-moving ceremony and a new rice festival. But at the centre of it all is the humble chapi. Perhaps whoever comes to visit the Raglai would ask to see the chapi, because it gave composer Tran Tien the inspiration to write ‘Chapi Dream’ with its simple and sincere (but still tormenting) words: ‘Up there, they live a peaceful life/ Even the poorest has a chapi/ When 18 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

the strings touched, the tune fills the Raglai hearts…’ The chapi is made of a section of an old bamboo, normally about 30-35 centimetres in length, eight centimetres in diameter. It’s an instrument unique to the Raglai, but very popular among them. It is their life’s company deep in the mountains. Chamale Au from Ma Noi Commune, Ninh Son District, Ninh Thuan Province, is among the top chapi makers and players. Early in the morning, when the jungle roosters are just clearing their throats, Chamale Au has already brought old bamboo sections to the Raglai Ethnic Cultural Festival in Ninh Thuan. He told us that the bamboo has to be very old, with a thin and shiny cortex, and it has to grow on hilltops. Those that grow below absorb too much water, which makes the sound hoarse. With the tip of a knife, he prises the outer layer to make 12 thin strings. He then inserts bamboo bridges to separate them evenly from the tube. Behind the bridge, each pair of strings is fixed together by a coin-like piece of bamboo. Two ends of the tube are bound with rattan to hold the strings tightly. After that, the joints at two ends are pierced through to let the tune out. The musician holds the chapi at an angle, the upper end pointing outward, the lower end leaning on his belly, to improve the resonance and to make the sound warmer.

The chapi tunes, low and high, carry the Raglai love to the forests and mountains and give them a human soul. It takes the craftsmanship and passion of the maker and the innermost vibration of the player’s heart to the heights and depths of the void. For the whole duration of the fair, Chamale Au sits quietly in a corner, caressing his chapis. Oblivious to the noise and rush around him, his fingers softly gauge every sound, his ears feel every nuance. The chapis are tuned to the sounds of the ma la. So, like the ma la, chapi sounds correspond to the members of a family. The sounds of parent string pair, son string pair and daughter string pair combine together into a delicate chapi tune. The Raglai consider the chapi a reduced ma la, which can be played by just one person and is easy to carry. To them, ma la is the most important instrument, which plays a role in all community activities. But not every household can afford a set of ma la. Each set used to be traded for two buffalos, which was a huge fortune in Raglai life. So one can say that ma la is the instrument of the rich, and chapi is for the poor. Nowadays, chapi has become a popular instrument among the tribes living on the tail of Truong Son in the South of MidVietnam. Chapi has long been the song of the Raglai’s heart. At one time, every family had one, and everybody could play it. They played it in the fields, in the forests, under the sun and in moonlight. The chapi tunes made them happy to feel the breezes between heaven and earth,

music

relieved their pain and hardship and helped them stand firm in life. Now, in the time of TV’s and mobile phones, young people are disconnected from the chapi. Nowadays, chapi tunes can often only be heard in cultural shows performed by old folk artists. In a recent seminar on conservation and development of Raglai culture in Bac Ai District (Ninh Thuan Province), folklore administrators and researchers have proposed some solutions. They also expressed worries that chapi makers have no followers. Currently, Raglais in Ninh Thuan Province, mostly the old people, are still making and playing chapis. But in Khanh Hoa Province they can be fingercounted. Facing the threat of chapi disappearance, the authorities and some Raglai from Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces have proposed ways to revive and conserve it. Composer Ho Hoai Son,

a devoted chapi lover, shared his thoughts, ‘We always considered chapi as a Raglai musical instrument, and forgot that it was a symbol of a culture. Now is the time to commercialize it, to make chapi not only a show toy, but also a live cultural product, a souvenir for tourists.’ Recently, Khanh Hoa Province made efforts to conserve and develop ethnic cultures of its minorities. The project is currently at phase 1 (2012 2015): inventory of ethnic cultural values, including the chapi of the Raglais. The task of phase 2 (2016-2020) will be to make use of the heritage to build and further develop ethnic cultures and promote them, while at the same time combining cultural conservation with tourism development in certain regions. Only that way, the chapi tunes will truly be the music of the forests and mountains which can resonate in domestic and foreign visitors’ hearts.n

Above: Tunning in Chapi. Photo from Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards 2013. Photo: Pho Ba Cuong Below: Choosing a Chapi. Photo: Hong Loi

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 19

literature

From left: ‘Khong Guc Nga’ (Never Give Up) by Nguyen Bich Lan, Writers Association Publishing House, 2013; Writer and translator Nguyen Bich Lan

Weak flesh,willing heart TexT and phoTos by nguyen phan Que Mai

n my recent visit to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum in Hanoi, I saw a group of foreigners admiring a permanent display section that featured the eight most amazing modern Vietnamese women. They stopped for a long while in front of the picture of a fragile-looking woman – the youngest amongst the eight. The girl’s name is Nguyen Bich Lan, whom I have known personally during the past four years and well enough to say that her life story has inspired thousands of other people to overcome their difficult circumstances. Born in 1976 in a small village in Thai Binh, North of Vietnam, Bich Lan led a normal life until she was thirteen years old. Then one winter day, as she crossed several rice fields on her way to school, Bich Lan’s feet collapsed under her. She was thrown into a ditch and couldn’t get up until a classmate rushed towards her and pulled her out of the muddy water. For months before, Bich Lan

had been losing weight, and now she found herself unable to stand, let alone walk. She was confined to her room and lay there, watching life drip slowly past her. Countless trips to doctors and medical experts brought only frustration. Bich Lan’s father struggled with his own issues, despite of his love for Bich Lan and his determination to save her. One more painful year went by. No doctor was able to diagnose Bich Lan’s illness. Her father left his ailing family, disappearing from their lives for the next ten years whilst his wife, having taken unpaid leave from work, travelled far and wide seeking out treatment to save their daughter’s life. Thus abandoned, her mother was left alone in a battle to save Bich Lan and to raise her other two young children. Bich Lan’s family sank further and further into poverty. When Bich Lan was finally diagnosed with her illness, the world seemed to shut down on her. There was no known cure for her condition - muscular dystrophy, a disor-

20 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

der that weakens the body and hampers movements. The doctors whom she consulted believed she couldn’t live much longer as eventually her illness would cause a fatal dysfunction of her vital organs, including her heart and lungs. It would be easy for Bich Lan to crumple and let desperation consume her. But during her darkest moments, Bich Lan saw in herself a burning desire to keep living. Not just to exist, but to live a meaningful life. In the prison of her room, Bich Lan undertook the task of educating herself by reading books. One day, upon watching her younger brother learn English, she decided to give it a try. She studied day and night, and when she finished her brother’s text books, she asked everyone if they had English books and whether they could lend them to her. Without access to the Internet or CDs, Bich Lan learnt English pronunciation by listening to cassette tapes. The English voices on those tapes became her new friends. They

literature seemed to hold the keys to doors which Bich Lan needed to open to discover herself. Rather than lying there to wait for the death that doctors had predicted, Bich Lan wanted to rise up, take charge of her fate and relieve the financial burden of her mother. She opened the first private English class in her village. Her students didn’t mind that she had to struggle to hold a piece of chalk with her two hands. They loved her lively instructions and fun methods of teaching. Her classes became popular as her students obtained good marks on their English exams, but after a while Bich Lan became seriously sick and had to stop teaching. Determined to never give up, Bich Lan valiantly fought against her circumstances and started to translate English books into Vietnamese. Her first book of translation, Daisy Thompson’s Never Doubt My Love, commissioned by the Women’s Publishing House, was published in 2002. From then on, Bich Lan has worked as if each moment was her very last. Despite her very frail physical condition, over the last twelve years, she has

successfully translated thirty books, ranging from meaningful best-sellers such as Nick Vujicic’s Life without Limits to the poetic prose novel Sold by Patricia McCormick. Most of the books she chose to translate embody powerful social messages which are needed to transform our world into a better place. With her incredible talent and dedication, Bich Lan has turned hard-to-translate world classics such as William Faulkner’s The Wild Palm and JP. Donleavy’s The Ginger Man into Vietnamese works of arts. Hearing about Bich Lan, one wonders how such an extremely ill person, whose weight stands at a mere thirty kilograms, who never finished high school nor attended any English course, could emerge as one of the best literary translators of Vietnam? How could someone who never attended any translation workshop win the most prestigious literature prize in Vietnam: the Literary Award by the Vietnam Writers' Association for her translation of Vikas Swarup’s Slumdog Millionaire? Bich Lan’s literary success, however,

hasn’t been limited to translation. She is the author of hundreds of poems and short stories; many of them have appeared on national newspapers and magazines, in collections of selected short stories. Her memoir, Living in Expectation, is also now one of the best-selling books in Vietnam. Written in a vivid and beautiful language, the memoir takes readers on an unforgettable physical and mental journey through the rural life of post-war Vietnam, through the country’s medical network and its web of complicated family relationships. By experiencing the author’s personal struggle against death and desperation, readers will emerge with powerful lessons about living life to the fullest. Bich Lan’s story is unique, yet she is not so different amongst millions of Vietnamese who are working hard each day to strive towards their goals. While Vietnam is famous for its beautiful scenery and delightful culture, I think it’s the courage and bravery of Vietnamese people that makes this country so special, and so worth experiencing.n

archaeology

Terracotta treasures TexT and phoTo by Thai Loc

Mr Ho Tan Phan’s terracotta collection

mong the several tens of thousands of archeological artifacts drawn up from bottom of the Huong River in Hue, about 1,000 are rare, valuable artifacts from the era of the Sa Huynh culture from around 2,500 years ago. The collection, which is owned by Mr Ho Tan Phan, is regarded by some as unequalled and has continued to grow over the years, thanks to a group of fisherman who are largely untrained in artefact recovery. Mr Ho Tan Phan initiated his cultural historical research in the years before 1975 by seeking out texts, especially Han Nom (Sino-

River artefacts reveal that Hue may be older than previously thought

22 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Vietnamese) materials. Once, by coincidence, Mr Phan’s wife, who specializes as a midwife for the boat fishermen, was gifted an ancient terracotta jar to bring home instead of cash. Once they inquired, they learned that the boat fisherman had found it at the bottom of the Huong River. The boat fishermen frequently go diving in search of scrap materials all along the rivers around Hue and often come across numerous terracotta and porcelain objects, which Mr Phan then purchases. The most striking things in the collection are the prehistoric terracotta artifacts. These items, which the divers take to be ugly, consist mainly of kinds of utensils like pots, glasses, bowls, plates, jars, and funerary items (jars and urns). Aside from that are many objects, the utility of which is yet unknown. All of

them bear a variety of characteristic patterns, from cord patterns to engraved line and printed patterns. Nguyen Anh Thu, M.A., cultural heritage lecturer at the University and Culture, Hanoi National University, said, ‘The largest number of terracotta objects in Ho Tan Phan’s collection are clay and porcelain items that date from the Champa period. Among them, I am particularly drawn to the terracotta traces of early Champa, when the region was at the heart of the Lam Ap Kingdom (2nd-6th C.). The amount of Champa terracotta and porcelain in the collection is so vast and diverse that not only I, but also many scholars, come to see them with the intention of using them as materials for numerous university and graduate student dissertations.’ It can be said that Mr Phan’s collection is one of Vietnam’s

archaeology largest private ‘museums’ that retains valuable artifacts and reflects almost all historical periods from prehistory and early history (Proto-Sa Huynh Culture and the Sa Huynh Culture) up to the Early Champa period (1st3rd C.), the Champa period, the Champa-Dai Viet period (13th-14th C.), and the Dai Viet Culture period (14th C. onward). With the revelation of Sa Huynh cultural artifacts, a layer of sediment beneath the Huong River and a more ancient visage of the lands of Hue may gradually be uncovered. Before the year 1975, anyone wanting to research the cultural history of Hue in ancient times faced quite a difficult task. The bibliographic sources virtually failed to make mention of it and artifacts had not yet been uncovered. Perhaps for this reason, scholars normally held the notion that Hue had a rich cultural history, but just how rich, few could clearly say. People also typically noted the several thousand years of the Nguyen Period, and many mentioned the region’s history over about seven centuries, reckoned from the

start of the fourteenth century, but the early centuries of this period were only touched upon in a cursory manner. The Champa Culture period in the region had not yet been thoroughly researched. In the early twentieth-century, when the grave site of prehistoric peoples was uncovered in the Sa Huynh (Quang Ngai) sandbanks, people reckoned that the cultural space of the Sa Huynh prehistoric peoples extended south from Quang Ngai. After 1975, the Sa Huynh cultural space was finally stretched out to Quang Nam and Danang through the many archeological excavations that uncovered the cultural layer there. In the 2000’s, a large mass of archeological artifacts from the same period were found beneath the Huong River, along with artifacts excavated in Huong Tra County in Thua Thien-Hue. Scholars came to the conclusion that Thua Thien-Hue was also a principal region of the Sa Huynh culture. Associate Professor Lam Thi My Dung, PhD, the director of the Anthropology Museum and head of the archeological depart-

ment at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University, commented, ‘It can be said that Ho Tan Phan’s collection of artifacts reflects a process of formation, congregation, and interaction among many classes of inhabitants from the Sa Huynh-Champa-Dai Viet period in the river valley region of the Huong River and that it evokes many new questions for historians and cultural scientists of this area, putting these lands in relation with other areas of land in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.’ Based on his long-term research of the terracotta artifacts in his possession, the researcher Ho Tan Phan summed up, ‘Through comparison and collation with artifacts excavated from beneath the earth in the vestige sites of Con Rang and Con Dai (in Huong Tra County, Thua Thien-Hue), the terracotta artifacts from the bottom of the Huong River contribute to elucidating the prehistoric and early historical periods in the lands of Thua Thien-Hue, meaning that the history of the Hue region must be extended for an additional several thousand years!’n

By Ha Vu Trong

Quang Tri Province

eritage sites dedicated to the Holy Mother Mary in the world have become pilgrimage sites for faithful Catholics like (the French) Lourdes, (Portuguese) Fatima, (Spanish) Plaza del Pilar, and (Mexican) Guadalupe, etc. In Vietnam, a few kilometres from the town of Quang Tri in Hai Lang District and about two kilometres outside National Highway 1, one comes across La Vang, which has long since become the most important sacred land for pilgrimage among Vietnamese Catholics. At the end of the eighteenth century, with the king’s royal decree banning the religion, Catholics sought refuge there. They believed that the image of a woman cradling a child appeared to protect them, and they took her as an emanation of none other than the Holy Mother. Today, every year, La Vang receives over half a million pilgrims. The La Vang Temple was built

24 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

in 1928. The important period in the construction of La Vang took place from 1961-1963, by the decision of the Episcopacy of South Vietnam, which recognized La Vang as the National Centre of the Holy Mother. From the level of a shrine, La Vang was elevated with the approval of the Vatican to a basilica. This period of construction was marked by the dismantling of the earlier French priests’ models that were heavy with Westernized characteristics in order to move towards subjects and structures that were symbolic of ideas from the native culture. In terms of the design plan, there were contributions from renowned experts of the time, such as the architect Ngo Viet Thu and his design for a sanctuary with three artificial banyan trees (made of concrete and steel rods) 21m high lying upon a polygonal stone hill and a stone terrace leading upwards so that the faithful could stand and pray—thus recreating a scene based

on the oral tradition of ‘the Holy Mother manifests on a patch of grass beneath a banyan tree.’ Below the centre of the sanctuary is an altar made of marble from Ngu Hanh Son (‘Five Elements Mountain’, a.k.a. ‘Marble Mountain’) and a statue of the Holy Mother, situated high at the centre of the main sanctum, bestowing beneficence. Nevertheless, this sanctuary with three banyan trees had just started the work of completing the cement and steel rod components when it came to a standstill at the end of 1963. Over 40 years passed while the sanctuary remained in its unfinished state. The group of statues of the Fifteen Mysteries on Rosary Square may be regarded as an assortment of sculptures of top-tiered value in the history of Vietnamese modern art. During the reconstruction of La Vang Temple, the assortment of statues on these holy grounds were

The statue of the Sorrowful Mysteries. Photo: Ha Vu Trong

Mysteries in stone

religion

the creative project of Le Ngoc Hue (a.k.a. Bernard Hue, born in 1936 in Hue), along with the effective collaboration of his talented student, Mai Chung. At that time, Le Ngoc Hue was a professor at the Hue Vocation College of Fine Arts. Having just graduated and returned from the Montpelier Fine Arts College in France in 1961, he breathed the fresh air of Modernism into Vietnamese sculpture. The collection of statues was carried out from 1961 to 1962 and included 15 statues on pedestals that were made of synthetic materials from white cement and laid symmetrically along the two sides of a stone paved path and scattered about a carpet of grass leading from the three-entrance gate into the premises of Rosary Square. In 1972, Rosary Square was upturned and holed by bombs and gunfire. A number of the statues of the Fifteen Mysteries in the collection were devastated. Only the three artificial banyan trees on the Holy Mother platform still stood firmly intact. Since 1995, Rosary Square has been rebuilt close to its original state with a surrounding barrier, grass field, horticultural plants, and high-voltage lights. The path is also a palanquin pathway lined with bricks that runs straight from the three-entrance gate up to the ritual platform. Le Ngoc Hue’s themes for the fifteen statues correspond to contemplations of the Fif-

teen Mysteries of the Rosary, which consist of the Five Joyous Mysteries, Five Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Five Glorious Mysteries. This theme is especially fitting for holy grounds dedicated to the Holy Mother in comparison to the conventional theme regularly seen on virtually all church premises, the ‘Fourteen Views of the Crucifix.’ ‘Rosary’ means a ‘garland of roses.’ Every word of the prayer ‘Hail Mary’ or ‘Ave Maria’ is like a pretty rose that combines into a basket of flowers or crown to present to the Holy Mother. Reciting the ‘Hail Mary’ is a contemplation that follows the order of the Mysteries or actual life events, suffering, death, the glory of Jesus Christ and the participation of his mother Mary. In artistic terms, the group of La Vang statues, for the first time on a large scale, conveyed a modern abstract style founded on Vietnamese sculpture. Here was the combination of streamlined and stylized geometric forms that achieved a level of both abstraction and realism, as well as that of the modern Western artistic movement that tried to recreate the primitive art of world cultures. The purport of the collection of statues still retains a symbolic character and suggestiveness that draws closer to the masses and contemplative faithful on pilgrimage. Thus, the statues could not achieve a degree of ‘pure’

The statues of the Joyful Mysteries Photos: Ha Vu Trong

abstraction like in the works of master sculptures such as that that the likes of Brancusi, Henry Moore, and Barbara Hepworth. The notable thing here is that not only did Le Ngoc Hue stylize the forms, but he also endeavoured to bring lines into the sculptures so as to create a light/dark shading effect between the pieces and shapes with a cadence full of poetic flavour—just as if they were a vehicle to lead one’s vision to focus on the inherent significance of each statue upon contemplation. In the prayers of the rosary that are recited daily, the Fifteen Mysteries are divided into three sets. In each set are five different topics to contemplate (each topic is recited with ten ‘Hail Marys’). In order to supplement these contemplative Mysteries, people match them with a model virtue for each of the Mysteries (such as humility, universal love, penury, and immaculateness). Based on this, each ‘set,’ in terms of sculptural form, succinctly captures the conceptual pith of each topic: 1.The Five Joyful Mysteries: Contemplating moments in the life of the Holy Mother Mary; these are topics rich with emotions and intimacy, such as the scene in which the angel [Gabriel] reveals the news [that Mary lll

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 25

religion would conceive the Son of God] or the feelings universal among women [like childbearing] and the love between a mother and child. The sculptures primarily use arrangements and curved lines that are full of femininity as well as round, gentle and harmonious forms as when movements and clothing glide rhythmically in circles. 2.The Five Sorrowful Mysteries: This series of statues primarily utilizes a model of geometric shapes that establish bold and powerful dispositions truly appropriate for portraying the anxiety and agony in both the body and the heart of Jesus Christ during his travails such as the scene of his prayer in the Olive Garden [(Gethsemane)] and the scene of his punishment and suffering when being nailed [to the cross]. 3.The Five Glorious Mysteries: Mirthful, sublime and reverent, these topics’ sculptural forms, from here on, involve few harsh characteristics. Aside from the statue ‘The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus,’ which retains a style of disposition and expression that unifies with the Five Sufferings, the remaining statues return to forms of an abstract character with round features replete with femininity in order to portray immaculateness, especially in the statues that represent the Holy Mother. It must be recalled that Le Ngoc Hue had been on the committee of experts on fine art during the 1st Fine Arts Exhibition that included 22 countries and was organized in Tao Dan Park in Saigon in October 1962. At the exhibition, Le Ngoc Hue and Diem Phung Thi were the two most important Vietnamese whose works participated. The two coincidentally united through the image of spiritual pillars oriented towards

lll

a desire for peace, the family and the ancestors: Le Ngoc Hue with his ‘Pillar of Peace’ and Diem Phung Thi with his ‘Pillar of the Divine Creature,’ which can be likened to totem poles or the sepulchral statuary pillar houses in the Central Highlands, which day and night stand vigil between the living world and the other world, the abode of the ancestors. There is nearly no information about Le Ngoc Hue’s artistic activities from the year 1963 after he went to France. The works that Le Ngoc Hue left behind for the world, despite having been over such a short time span, will continue to shine for a long time because they bear a Christian spiritual value of experiential morality and that of modern art. The collection of statues is rosa mystica—fifteen marvellous roses that garner human emotional states, from the woeful to the sublime, and transcend worldliness through the redemption of religion and art. Moreover, the statues lie in a space and time that coalesces the essence of the spirit through history’s vicissitudes. For this reason, it is no coincidence that Quang Tri was the place that for 21 years separated the North and South at the 17th parallel; the place that experienced the vicissitudes of the 200year conflict between the Trinh and Nguyen regimes; the place that was given the appellation ‘Road of Melancholy’ during the war of 1946-1954; and, finally, the place that bore the worst devastation during the 1960-1975 period with the ‘Highway of Terror’, not to mention ancient cities that were left without a single brick laid upon another… but then [ultimately Quang Tri] became a place that garnered the essence of artistic sublimation.n

26 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

mythology

Lucky

money By Thai hoa

Worshipping Gods of Wealth at Quan Am Pagoda, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Diep Minh Cuong

elief in the worship of the God(s) of Wealth is one of the latest beliefs to appear, but today it is among one of the most prevalent in Vietnam. It can be seen everywhere, from community houses, Buddhist pagodas, hermitages and shrines, to individual families, especially those involved in commerce. This belief is even seen at the head of the streets, at the end of marketplaces, and the places where motorbike-taxi drivers park to receive customers. The reason for this phenomenon is that the function of the God(s) of Wealth is to bestow riches and issue wages, as well as deliver a warm, well-fed life, lucky purchases and profitable sales, and

28 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

an abundance of assets to people in a life in which the commercial economy now plays an increasingly important role. Belief in the God(s) of Wealth is an abbreviated way of referring to the God of Wealth and the God of the Earth. Together, these two deities adorn the shrines that are set close against the ground and turned to face the main entrances of houses. Of the two Gods, the God of the Earth is the one that is an amalgamation of the three Vietnamese, Chinese, and Khmer cultures. The God of the Earth is commonly seen in the image of a ‘deity who wears short trousers, goes shoeless, and bares his chest and stomach while being decked in a Southern ‘ba ba’, or buttoned shirt, and winding the diagonallycut headscarf of Southern peasants in ancient times[around his head].’ As for the God of Wealth, he is none other than the Righteous God of Fortune and Virtue (Phuc Duc Chanh Than), also known as the Chinese people’s ‘Lord of the Earth’ (Tho Dia Cong), whom the Vietnamese have adopted. The God of Wealth was origi-

nally a traditional cultural characteristic of the Chinese people that appeared during the Song Dynasty and developed robustly up until the present day. Throughout the centuries, among Chinese common folk, the God of Wealth became more than just one deity, but rather an array of deities who satisfied people’s pecuniary needs. When the Chinese migrated to Vietnam, particularly to the lands of the South, they brought this belief with them and widely worshipped the god(s) in their society houses. As for the Vietnamese, in ancient times, the concept of many gods of fortune appeared; gods who were dedicated to bestowing riches and issuing wages as well as guarding over the human sphere. The gods figured in numerous legends about ‘abiding with kindness and meeting with auspices’ (i.e. good deeds returned in due kind). However, these fortune deities never had a concrete name or image. It was only through a process of commingling and living with the Chinese and the cultural exchange between Vietnamese

mythology and Chinese communities that the Vietnamese adopted the Chinese people’s image of the Righteous Deity of Fortune and Virtue and took faith in the God(s) of Wealth as their own. Besides this specific image of the God(s) of Wealth, the Vietnamese also adopted the votive tablets and ‘eye-opening’ sanctification rituals (in which eye dots were painted on images or statues of the deities), as well as the prescriptions and taboos for arranging the worship shrines. But the peculiar thing is that, when the belief of the God(s) of Wealth was adapted to the Vietnamese—i.e. combined with the God of the Earth—the belief then in turn influenced the Chinese people themselves at a time when they, too, came to worship the two gods side by side in homes and shops. Today, it is quite hard to determine the precise moment when the God(s) of Wealth were worshipped in Vietnam, especially as the God(s) of Wealth were assimilated into the system of household protector deities— that is spirits who watch over families. Nev-

ertheless, based on the few sparse source documents that still remain, researchers Huynh Ngoc Trang and Nguyen Dai Phu, in their work Than Tai: Tin nguong va tranh tuong (The God of Wealth: Beliefs, Portraits, and Statues), forwarded their assessment that the God(s) of Wealth were worshipped in Vietnam since the end of the nineteenthcentury and then became prevalent close to the start of the twentieth-century—a period in which the commercial economy began to develop and commerce increasingly held an important position at a time when ‘money and gold became signs of wealth rather than ‘rice and farm land.’ It was then that ‘people needed a new image specifically responsible for issuing wealth—the God(s) of Wealth.’ Thus, although it only appeared during approximately the last 100 years, belief in the God(s) of Wealth became prevalent and increasingly tended to expand. The god(s) was/were reverently and earnestly worshipped with the hope that, owing to the deity’s (or deities’) vouchsafement, they would issue wealth and fortune. Since that

time, common folks not only worshipped the God(s) of Wealth on Tet, but also all year round, particularly for families who specialized in commerce. This was because the latter believed that it was only when they considerately attended to this deity (or these deities) that the deity would guard over them. Early in the morning, people usually present offerings of coffee and cigarettes, etc. to the God of Wealth and the God of the Earth, and then light incense and pray that the God(s) of Wealth will vouchsafe crowds of customers, fortuitous and profitable commercial dealings, and harmoniousness both inside and outside (the home or shop). During Tet, the role of the God(s) of Wealth is increasingly esteemed. People wipe the altar shrine, change the water, and offer flowers, pastries and fruit. Should the god’s (or gods’) statue be damaged, they invite a new one into their homes. People believe that in the coming year, all shall be in good order and that it is only once the God(s) of Wealth is/are cleaned that they may thrive in business.n

culture

The two-edged sword of chastity

Illustration by Phan Ngoc Vinh

By Phan Cam Thuong

ust as women’s roles in matriarchal and patriarchal societies are completely different, so is the notion of virginity. Matriarchy in Tay Nguyen highland tribes means that property ownership belongs to women. Women initiate their own marriage, and in many tribes, men live at their wife’s house. However, men’s role is not insignificant, because they are the main labour force, warriors and village elders, which means they decide the dynamics of the community. Maybe that’s why they had a custom

whereby, when the eldest man in a family dies, a younger man in the family has to marry his wife, so she can’t leave and take away what she owns. Otherwise, the other men may have to leave the house. In the Dam San epic, following this custom, Dam San had to marry the sisters H’Nhi and H’Bhi, his grandfather’s wives. Although both of them were about his age, he was frustrated because there was no love. We still don’t understand this custom completely. To the Kinh (Viet) people, the role of the first daughter-inlaw is very important. It is to

30 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

continue the family line and keep peace in the family and community. She owns nothing, but after having a son, she becomes the executive in the family. Chastity is therefore her highest virtue. Morality, happiness and success of future generations depend on it. And so, in choosing a bride for their firstborn son, the Viet strictly follow the rules and rituals that Confucianism defined and imposed upon women’s lives. Extramarital pregnancy was a crime, persecuted by the village. The harshest punishment for the sinner was to be tied naked to a banana raft and thrown into a river. Looking deeper in to history and folk stories, we see that ancient Viet did not have the notion of chastity. There are plenty of examples of bastards who later became saints. Thanh Giong’s mother conceived him just by stepping in a giant foot print. Monk Khau Da La made a young girl conceive just by unknowingly stepping over her. There are also many stories about freedom of sex; the most typical is the story about how Princess Tien Dung by chance met naked Chu Dong Tu on the sandy beach. In Da Hoa temple, which is devoted to them, we learn that he even had a second wife. The Muong people, our nearest cousins, don’t have the notion of virginity, at least theoretically. Muong chieftains have many wives, and when one

chieftain visits another, the host often orders one of his concubines to make the guest feel at home. This sounds so foreign to the Kinh (Viet) ears. A Muong house, without partition, shows that sexual activity has only one purpose, which is to spread the seed. Muong women have to learn to do all private tasks inside their sarong. The virginity-related customs are hard to examine in the various tribes. Before the inauguration of Confucianism, was it important to the Viet people? The ancient Truong Yen festival even had a love-making scene between King Le Hoan and Queen Duong Van Nga on a raft. In the Rooster Festival (Phu Tho Province), men and women, dressed like hen and cock, do a chicken copulation show. After that, during the day, they are free to have sex. There are many other similar traditional festivals. It makes one question the depth of Confucianism’s penetration into our villages during the feudal era. We think that these customs have existed only since the 15th century. During 500 years of existence, it has carved some order and beauty in the Vietnamese family, but it also imposed harsh dogma upon women. The conflict between women’s liberation and family morality, not thoroughly studied and understood, has caused so many impasses in our society today.n

people

The passing of ‘Mr Cricket’ By Phuoc Buu

Late writer To Hoai Photo: An Thanh Dat

he last representative of the golden generation of Vietnamese literature gave his final breath in Hanoi on July 6, leaving the literature community mourning. After almost 70 years of writing, he left 150 works in various genres, from short stories, multi-series long stories, memoirs, novels, film scripts, essays and commentaries. He had a great number of famous works, namely ‘O Chuot’ (Hunting Mice), 1942; ‘Nha Ngheo’ (Poor 32 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Family), 1944; ‘Vo Chong A Phu’ (A Phu Spouse), 1952; ‘Truyen Tay Bac’ (Stories of the Northwestern Region), 1953; ‘Mien Tay’ (The Western Region), 1967. The author kept working in his old age and published in ‘Ba Nguoi Khac’ (Three Others), in 2006. The most well-known work by To Hoai is ‘De Men Phieu Luu Ky’ (Adventures of a Cricket), 1941, which has been favourite of kids generation after generation and still continues to be so today. Every Viet-

namese kid knows about the book and thus To Hoai was sometimes referred to as Mr De Men (Cricket). To Hoai (Nguyen Sen) was born in 1920 into a family of craftsmen on the outskirts of Thanh Oai District, Ha Noi, near the To Lich River. He grew up in his mother's native village, Hoai Duc, in Ha Dong Province (now part of Cau Giay district in Hanoi). His pen name, To Hoai, came from To Lich and Hoai Duc. Besides this pen name, the writer also em-

ployed other names, such as Mai Trang, Mat Bien, Thai Yen, Vu Dot Kich and Pham Hoa. To Hoai made his living at various jobs, from being a teacher for children, to selling goods, to being an accountant for traders. Hoai’s literature career began in the early 1940’s, but he devoted his life fully to writing in 1954. He received a number of awards for his literary works, including the Ho Chi Minh Award in Literature and Arts in 1996, and Bui Xuan Phai – For the Love of Hanoi Award in 2010. Despite his fame, To Hoai was said to be nice and friendly to everybody. He was also a dedicated writer and had a lot of influence on younger writers. ‘He had a very good memory and gave every phenomenon in life a close look in order to make his works come alive to audiences in all walks of life,’ said poet Bang Viet in a local newspaper. ‘He worked dedicatedly every day. To Hoai assigned himself daily work and worked on it diligently.’

Poet Tran Dang Khoa said the author was a ‘live dictionary’ because of his knowledge in many fields. ‘I asked him about Hanoi and he knew as much as a scholar.’ People said broad knowledge and carefulness helped To Hoai to have lively descriptions of characters in his works. Adventures of a Cricket tells stories of a cricket that leaves his nest at a young age to travel to many places and learn things through different situations and people. Some critics said the cricket is a symbol of the author’s teenage years. The book has been translated into English and available in several countries, including the US under the name of Diary of a Cricket. In memory of the noble author, local publisher Phuong Nam Books will hold a workshop on his life and career. The publisher also plans to reprint To Hoai's colossal works of literature by July of next year to mark his death.n

Photo: Internet

people

what the papers say ($207,600), were sent as personal items from Nigeria, via Doha, and then to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

Consulting service for alternative orientations

Wildlife for sale outside national park Thanh Nien News, 3 June A restaurant in Tam Dao in northern Vinh Phuc Province engaged in advertising the flesh of an endangered lizard was fined VND750,000 (US$35) for caging and showing the lizard on the sidewalk for advertising purposes. A kilogram of the lizard sold for VND700,000. The lizard was said to be trapped in the nearby jungle. A squad of police officers and forest rangers went to the restaurant and seized the 4.2 kilogram lizard. But the fine was too low, according to experts. Vietnam’s conservation policies listed the lizard among animals whose trapped, caged and commercial trade must be prohibited. On the menus of the restaurant and those nearby, wild squirrels, deer, and civets were also shown. Meanwhile, cages packed with turtles, lizards and bamboo rats lined several streets in Tam Dao. The sellers said the animals had been all trapped in the jungle.

More ivory siezed vietnamnews.vn, 11 June Customs officers from the AntiSmuggling Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Tan Son Nhat Airport Customs Division seized 77 elephant tusks allegedly transported from Nigeria in early June. The tusks, weighing 110 kilograms, worth around VND4.4 billion 34 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Thanh Nien News, 12 July The ICS Centre launched Vietnam's first consulting service for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals (LBGT) in 11 July in Ho Chi Minh City. The service offers consultations to LGBT people about how to talk to their parents about their sexuality, commonly called ‘coming out’, and deal with possible reactions from their parents and other family members. According to ISEE, Vietnam has 1,65 million LGBT people, or three percent of the population aged from 15 to 59.

Riots hurt tourism thanhniennews.com, 12 June A business group has urged Vietnam to relax its visa procedures following a dip in tourism that followed anti-China riots in May, Despite ‘significant growth’ in visitor arrivals in the first four months of this year, the riots reversed the trend, according to the findings of a midterm report presented in early June in Hanoi by the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF), a consortium of international and local business associations and chambers of commerce. Hotels have seen many tour operators cancel trips through the end of June and many multinationals have continued to restrict travel to Vietnam, the report said. To lure back frightened tourists, the VBF proposed that ‘visa-exemptions [be] expanded to include countries that can potentially account for significant tourism revenue, such as EU member states, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.’

Free beach trip thanhniennews.com, 20 June Nearly 200 passengers of a VietJet Air flight on 19 June found themselves at the wrong airport, some 140 kilometres away from their destination. Their hour-long flight was supposed to take them from Hanoi to Dalat, but it somehow ended up in Cam Ranh Airport near the central beach town of Nha Trang.

Bamboo house wins prize thanhniennews.com, 19 June A Vo Trong Nghia architect has received the AR House Awards in London in June, on behalf of the company he founded, Vo Trong Nghia Architects, and its Japanese partners, Masaaki Iwamoto and Kosuke Nishijima. The prize of £10,000 (17,000) is given by the UK's Architectural Review for the best one-off house. The winning house includes five separate prismatic blocks, each of which contains a tree planted on its roof. The design beat hundreds of other buildings for the award. It was finished in April, on 350 square meters in Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Binh District and was the first in Vietnam built with a bamboo framework.

That explains a lot vietnamnews.vn, 20 June Nationwide health check-ups for coach and taxi drivers have been carried out on more than 127,000 drivers so far, and uncovered 400 cases of heroin abuse. Some 1,300 also failed to meet health criteria for commercial transport, according to the latest report from the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam. In a move to improve the quality of public transport, the Ministry of Transport required transport firms across the country to work with local health centers to conduct check-ups on coach and taxi drivers.

asides Royal Vietnamese art exhibition opens in Paris Thanh Nien News, 2 June Artefacts dating back to various feudal Vietnamese dynasties were on display in Paris at the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet on 9 July, according to the Vietnam National Museum of History. Entitled ‘The Flight of the Dragon – Royal Art of Vietnam,’ the exhibition featured 89 artefacts dating back to the Dong Son, a Bronze Age culture centred at the Red River basin in northern Vietnam, as well as Vietnam’s last Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). The objects were selected from the archives of the Vietnam National Museum of History, and transferred to the Guimet museum officials from June 18-22. Highlights of the exhibition include a collection of precious Nguyen-era objects carved with images of a dragon, including a golden book, a golden seal and imperial crowns and diadems made of gold and gemstones. The exhibition runs until 15 September.

Choose your side vietnamnews.vn, 6 June Pop singer Thu Minh was invited to attend the official launch of #WhoseSideAreYouOn, a new project of the United for Wildlife campaign, at the Google Town Hall in London on 9 June. The latest campaign asks the next generation to decide which side they are on: the side of critically endangered species or the criminals who kill them for money? Minh joined footballer David Beckham, tennis player Andy Murray, rugby player Francois Piennaar and other celebrities at the ceremony.

99 species vietnamnews.vn, 9 June As many as 99 new species have been found in Vietnam, according to a World Wildlife Fund report released in early June. The report, titled ‘Nature’s Mysterious Mekong,’ which was announced to celebrate World Environment Day on 5 June, said that a total of 367 new species had been discovered in the Greater Mekong in 2012 and 2013. The region spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,

Thailand, Vietnam and China’s south-western Yunnan province. The discoveries place Vietnam as the country with the third highest amount of new species on the list, after Thailand with 117 newly discovered species and China with 116.

Taste of Vietnam tuoitrenews.vn, 15 June After almost one year in the making, ‘Taste of Vietnam’, a television series on Vietnam’s culture, tourism and gastronomy hosted by American chef Robert Danhi, will air on HTV7 at 9 p.m. every Friday, starting 18 July, with 26 episodes. In the show, Danhi will be featured preparing more than 90 Vietnamese delicacies right on the beach, in the forest or in the paddies, and showcasing the cultural and culinary highlights of the places he has travelled.

New flora, amphibian species Vietnam News, 16 June One flora and two amphibian species have been discovered in the central provinces of Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong, creating more demand for the protection of biodiversity around the provinces. Russian and Vietnamese scientists in the Hanoi-based Vietnam–Russia Tropical Centre have discovered Miguelia cruenta, a new orchid species, in Hon Ba Nature Reserve in Khanh Hoa. At the nature reserve, the scientists have also found a new amphibian species, spotted toad Kalophrynus honbaensis, which is named after Hon Ba site. In a trip to the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong, the scientists discovered another new toad species – the bamboo toad Kalophrynus cryptophonus – living in bamboo trees at a height of 800 metres above sea level. Scientists expect better conservation of nature for the protection of the species and other potential species in this rich biodiversity site.

Nguyen documents discovered cinet.gov.vn, 10 July Officers in the provincial museum in central Ha Tinh Province have discovered eight titled documents issued by kings under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). The documents

were found in a village in the province’s Nghi Xuan District. Issuance of the documents was during many royal reigns; that of Thieu Tri in 1846, Tu Duc in 1850 and 1880, Dong Khanh in 1887, Thanh Thai in 1890, Duy Tan in 1909 and Khai Dinh in 1924. The documents are decorated with dragon patterns and Chinese-Vietnamese Nom characters printed on poonah. All are in good condition.

Royal welcome for Nguyen antiques Vietnam News, 11 July Items that were once used by kings and royal family members during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) are to be returned by France and displayed in Hue. They were a royal bed that was used by the 10th emperor of the dynasty, King Thanh Thai (1879-1954), and a royal cart that was a gift from the king to his mother for transporting her inside the royal garden within the Imperial Palace in Hue. The royal bed is made of wood, measures 191cm high, 212cm long and is 140cm wide and displays the royal family's carved pattern. The cart is 136cm high, 230cm long and 102cm wide, and built of wood and metal. Both items were signed by the Vietnamese artisans who built them. The items are expected to be displayed in Vietnam as national treasures.

LGBT community gets book Tuoi Tre News, 11 July A book featuring mini-stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons debuted in July 11 in Ho Chi Minh City. Titled ‘Xoac Cang Doi Mua Xuan’ (Splitting Her Legs, Waiting for Spring), the book, consisting of about 50 short stories, was published by the Centre for Studies and Applied Science in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents with the support from the Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City in the hope of raising people’s awareness on voices of the LGBT community. The book was launched at Ca Chep Bookstore at 211-213 Vo Van Tan Street in District 3.

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 35

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)

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

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.

Ca trù, an ancient Vietnamese musical form with a singer accompanied by threestring 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 Ancient Vietnamese songs A ca trù, an ancient Vietnamese song form, is performed by Hanoi Ca Tru Club at Kim Ngan Temple, 42-44 Hang Bac St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi, at 8 p.m. every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Tickets $10 (VND210,000). Contact: Ms Le Bach Van at 0913544876, Email: bachvancatru.vn@gmail.com Water puppetry Saturdays and Sundays The Museum of Ethnology

36 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

will hold water puppet performances at 10 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, involving farmers from Chang Son commune in Hanoi’s Thach That District. An attractive element of water puppetry played in Chang Son is that performers use strings to control the puppets instead of rods. Before shows, they must practice for several months to be able to control the strings. The hardest technique is to control many puppets at the same time without tangling the strings. Museum of Ethnology, Nguyen Van Huyen Road, Cau Giay Dist. Admission is VND40,000 for adults, free for children. EXHIBITIONS Ceramic relics Until 31 August Ceramic statues are among the earliest form of art in human civilisation. In Vietnam, they appeared thousands of years ago and are still popular today. Over time, the materials, forms, and technical and decorative quality of ceramic statues have improved and developed. The oldest ceramic statues trace back to the Phung Nguyen, Dong Dau and Go Mun civilisations of 4,000 years ago and take the shape of humans and animals. This exhibition displays about 50 objects dating from the Ly Dynasty and the Nguyen Dynasty and is divided into three groups: life, religion, and architecture. The exhibition runs until 31 August at Vietnam National Museum of History, 1 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi. Tickets are VND40,000. Hanoi artist to show work Until October

Born in 1958 in London and based in Hanoi, artist Simon Redington is holding an exhibition until October at 21 North Club in the West Lake area. His work over the last 25 years has had a continuous thread to it; a vibrant jagged energy that is redolent of the past and a visceral insight that simultaneously informs and embraces a contemporary edge. Artworks comprising woodcuts, posterstyle prints, oil paintings and sculpture express his concern about key issues in modern society, including war and peace, consumerism, and social evils. Simon has been working over the past ten years in London, Hanoi and Paris as a printmaker, woodcarver, and painter. Free entry. 21 North Club, 49 Lang Yen Phu, Tay Ho District, Hanoi. MUSIC Hope Concert with Tango 29 July World-renown conductor Le Phi Phi, together with artists from the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra, will hold the annual ‘Hope Charity Concert’, featuring tango music, at 8 p.m., 29 July at Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi and 8 p.m. The concert is to raise funds to support disadvantaged students throughout the country. Some of the pieces of tango music considered to be the best, such as La Cumparsita, Verrano and Adios Nonino, will be performed. Conductor Le Phi Phi was the permanent conductor of Macedonia’s orchestra from 1993 to 2000, performing in hundreds of shows in the country and around the world. Tchaikovsky by Phi Phi 19 and 20 August A two-night performance of conductor Le Phi Phi, piano soloist Guigla Katsarava and artists from the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will be performed at 8 p.m. on 19 and 20 August at Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi. The shows feature music of composer P.I.Tchaikovsky, including Piano Concerto No.1 and Symphony No.6 ‘Pathetique’.

events Tickets: VND200,000, VND350,000, VND500,000. For free delivery, call 0913489858. OTHER To connect loves Until 30 July ‘Hanh trinh xuyen Viet - Ket noi yeu thuong’ (Journey through Vietnam - To connect loves) will take place until 30 July. There will be 339 Vietnamese students and internationals bicycling the same route: Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City (1,800 km). They will ride their own bicycles from the North to the South, showing their spirit and love toward beautiful and peaceful Vietnam. The program includes charity activities for disadvantaged children in each province along the journey. Cyclists will eat and sleep in local pagodas for free. Contact: Mr Tuan Anh, tel: (04) 62662043, email: xuyenviet2014@gmail.com, dapxexuyenviet.com

from 17 to 19 July in Phan Rang – Cham Tower, Ninh Thuan Province. There will be a parade, a photo exhibition, coracle racing, music performances, a fireworks show at 8 p.m. on opening day at 16 April Square, a kite-flying contest, a cooking contest and 100 booths introducing grape products from domestic and foreign companies. Days will be celebrated from 13 to 15 August.

TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCES

Water puppets HUE It’s a fruit 22 to 24 August

Everyday Water puppet shows are on every day from 5 p.m. to 5.45 p.m. and 6.15 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Lang Viet Restaurant, 36 Pham Ngoc Thach St, Ward.6, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: 0903 955 634 (Mr Khang). Ticket: VND150,000 EXHIBITIONS ‘Coming of Age’ Until 18 July

The Thanh Tra festival will be held from 22 to 24 August at Thuy Bieu Ward, Hue. Thanh trà, a kind of small pomelo, is one of specialties of Hue. The festival aims to introduce the potential economic of Thuy Bieu Ward, kinds of fruits at Thuy Bieu, and Hue cuisine to visitors. There will be rural fairs, traditional games, pomelo cooking contests and a bird contest.

NINH THUAN A vine affair 17 to 19 July

QUANG TRI Holy mother 13 to 15 August La Vang Temple, in Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province, has long since become the most important sacred land for pilgrimage among Vietnamese Catholics. The La Vang Temple was built in 1928. This year, the 30thMarian

Young artists Until 27 July

HO CHI MINH CITY

The International Grapes and Wine Festival 2014 will take place

The exhibition ‘Out of Nowhere’ is on at Saola till 27 July. The exhibition is a range of media from painting and photography to installation and video by ten young artists based in Saigon. Saola, 1 Le Thi Hong Gam St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Open: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday Summer gallery Until 31 July

SAPA Charity run 20 and 21 September The second Vietnam Mountain Marathon, organized by the Danish Embassy and Novo Nordisk, a pharmaceutical company specializing in diabetes, and Topas Ecolodge Resort, will take place on 20 and 21 September in the picturesque town of Sapa in the northern province of Lao Cai and host four races, measuring 10km, 21km, 42km, and 70km. Each runner joining the marathon will donate $20 as part of their race entry fee to local charity organization Sapa O'Chau that provides education to local minority groups in Sapa. More information at www.vietnammountainmarathon.com

Mau St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3821-0966

‘Coming of Age,’ a group exhibition including paintings, sculptures and installations by fourteen Vietnamese artists, is on at Craig Thomas Gallery until 18 July. Craig Thomas Gallery, 27i Tran Nhat Duat St, Tan Dinh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12 6 p.m. and Sundays 1 - 5 p.m. 3 +1 Until 26 July Tu Do Gallery is holding a ‘Summer Painting’ exhibition of four artists, including Nguyen Duy Linh, Le Thanh Thu, Vo Xuan Huy and Kato Shojiro from Japan until 26 July. The paintings feature oil on canvas, pigment, linen paper and lacquer on wood. Tu Do Gallery, 53 Ho Tung

A group exhibition, ‘Summer Galleria’, is on at San Art until 31 July. The artworks include installations, sculpture, hand-drawn illustrations and paintings, and focus on ideas of heat, light and transformation. San Art, 3 Me Linh St, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3840-0183. Open: Tuesday to Saturday 10.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. ‘Shadow’ art Until 23 August Galerie Quynh is hosting a group exhibition, ‘In the shadow of appearances’ until 23 August. The artworks can be considered as a kind of visual or metaphorical palimpsest with the act of erasing, layering, rewriting, repo-

vietnam heritage - july-august

• 37

events sitioning and reimagining. Galerie Quynh, Level 2, 151/3 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Open: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. ‘Frivolous’ silk Until the end of September

‘Frivolity’ or ‘Phu Phiem’, a solo exhibition of silk paintings by Vietnamese artist Bui Tien Tuan, will be displayed until the end of September at Sofitel Saigon Plaza, 17 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. The subjects are mostly portrayed nude with the skin not painted or coloured, emphasizing his belief in the intimate and symbiotic relationship between silk and skin.

Viet, Thai Van Ngon, Truong Van Y, Nguyen Van Anh, Nguyen Tien Chung and Nguyen Sang. The paintings include water-colour on paper, water-colour on paper sticker, gouache on paper, silk painting, pencil drawing on paper and lacquer. Every five or six months, the City Star Cellar will change the subject of exhibition. City Star Cellar, 13 Bui Thi Xuan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Open: 9 a.m. to midnight. MUSIC Morning music Every Saturday There is a music performance at 8 a.m. every Saturday at the facade of the Opera House, 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City, by artists from the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music. Broadway on the Saigon 19 July

Hope Concert with Tango 1 August World-renown conductor Le Phi Phi, together with artists from the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra, will hold the annual ‘Hope Charity Concert’, featuring tango music, at 8 p.m., 1 August at the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, D.1, Ho Chi Minh City. See Hanoi section for more information. Symphony No 5 9 August

Net Xua Until further notice

City Star Cellar is displaying over 200 antique objects and over 30 paintings in an exhibition called ‘Net Xua’. The objects are from many civilizations such as Dong Son, Champa and Dong Nai, and ceramic objects are from the period of Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen and Mac Dynasties. The paintings are by Nguyen Phan Chanh, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Luu Cong Nhan, Ta Ty, Trinh Huu Ngoc, Nguyen Gia Tri, Nguyen Tien Chinh, Bui Xuan Phai, Tran Trung Tin, Luu Van Sin, Nguyen Duc Nung, Hoang Anh, Nguyen

Music of Lyon, France. She is a great admirer of Jazz legends such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong, who were her influences. Aside from performing regularly as a classical concert pianist, she developed skills as a jazz singer and has been featured in both kinds of festivals and concert halls. She performed in prestigious Parisian Jazz Clubs like Le Petit Journal Montparnasse and Le Lionel Hampton Jazz Club at Meridien Hotel Paris. She has also performed in Morocco, Turkey and Sri Lanka. Sofitel Saigon Plaza, 17 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City

Excerpts from famous Broadway musicals, including ‘Notre Dame de Paris’, ‘Romeo and Juliette’, ‘Cats’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Les Miserables’ will be performed at 8 p.m. on 19 July at Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tickets: from VND200,000 to VND400,000. VND80,000 for students. Jazz chanteuse Until 20 July Gabrielle Jenselme, a French classical pianist and Jazz singer will perform 8 p.m. nightly from Tuesdays to Sundays until 20 July at Boudoir Lounge, at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza, to offer guests sweet melodies, from beautiful French notes to swingy Jazz classics. Gabrielle completed her studies at the National Conservatory of

38 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Conductor Le Phi Phi, Boris Kraljevic and Le Ho Hai, pianists and artists from Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will perform ‘Beethoven’s symphony No 5’ at Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City, at 8 p.m. on 9 August. Tickets: from VND200,000 to VND400,000. VND80,000 for students. Modern dance 19 and 20 August The Vietnam premiere contemporary dance ‘Out of Context’ will be showed by Les Ballet C de

la B from Belgium at 8 p.m. on 19 August at Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, Dist.1 and 8 p.m. on 20 August at Ben Thanh Theatre, 6 Mac Dinh Chi St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. The show is directed by Alain Platel. Tickets: from VND200,000 to VND400,000. VND80,000 for students. Westlife alumnus to perform 16 September Shane Filan, a former member of Westlife, will be in Vietnam and perform one night on 16 September at Cargo Bar, 4 Nguyen Tat Thanh St, Dist.4, Ho Chi Minh City. The visit is on the campaign of ‘You & Me’ tour to advertise for his album. OTHER Taste of Vietnam

Every Friday from 18 July After almost one year in the making, ‘Taste of Vietnam’, a television series on Vietnam’s culture, tourism and gastronomy hosted by American chef Robert Danhi, will air on HTV7 at 9 p.m. every Friday, starting 18 July, with 26 episodes. In the show, Danhi will be featured preparing more than 90 Vietnamese delicacies right on the beach, in the forest or in the paddies, and showcasing the cultural and culinary highlights of the places he has travelled.

value for money 130 Minh Mang Road, Hue Tel: (054) 3885-461 www.pilgrimagevillage.com Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa has a promotion ‘Stay 2 nights pay 1.5’ & ‘Stay 3 nights pay 2’ till 31 October. The promotion is applicable to Vietnamese.

HOTELS Novotel Halong Bay 160 Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3848-108 www.novotelhalongbay.com

Novotel Halong Bay has an accommodation promotion at VND1,500,000 per room per night with breakfast and a 15 per cent discount for food and spa. The promotion is applicable for Vietnamese and runs till 30 September. The price includes service charge and VAT.

StarCity Halong Bay Hotel Halong St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong, Quang Ninh Province Tel: (033) 3846-058 www.starcityhalongbay.com StarCity Halong Bay Hotel has a ‘Family Getaway Package’ at VND1,372,000++ per night in a Deluxe Bay View Room, including breakfast, a set menu dinner, a food and beverage voucher valued VND200,000 and a 15 per cent discount on internet rate for extra nights.

Hanoi Daewoo Hotel 360 Kim Ma St, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-5000 www.daewoohotel.com Hanoi Daewoo Hotel is offering a special price at VND2,099,000++ per room per night in a Deluxe Room with breakfast and poolside barbecue buffet dinner. The special is applicable from Fridays to Sundays until the end of July.

Huong Giang Hotel Resort & Spa 51 Le Loi St, Hue Tel: (054) 3822-122 info@huonggianghotel.com.vn www.huonggianghotel.com.vn Huong Giang Hotel Resort & Spa is offering a two-night package at VND3,569,000 in a Deluxe River View Room for two persons with breakfast, a half-day Hue tour, one dinner, a 25-minute sauna and Jacuzzi. The package runs until 30 September.

BW Premier Indochine Palace 105 A Hung Vuong St, Hue Tel: (054) 3936-666 www.bwp-indochinepalace.com

BW Premier Indochine Palace is running meeting packages in July. VND279,000 per person for a full-day meeting package and VND179,000 per person for a half-day meeting package. Surcharge is VND370,000 per person for a set lunch or dinner. The prices include service charge and VAT.

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 www.centarahotelsresorts.com/cdv

Novotel Nha Trang Hotel 50 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 6256-900 www.novotel-nhatrang.com Vous Spa, at the Novotel Nha Trang Hotel, has a spa package until 31 July. It costs VND1,490,000 including a body massage, a facial and a body scrub.

Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa 26-28 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3880-000 www.sheraton.com/nhatrang Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa is running a family package until 30 July for those who book at least two nights. It costs VND2,900,000++ per room per night in a Deluxe Ocean View with breakfast and a 25 percent discount on laundry service.

Boutique Hoi An Resort

Novotel Saigon Centre 167 Hai Ba Trung St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-4866 www.novotel-saigon-centre.com Novotel Saigon Centre has a weekend special deal for those who book from Friday to Monday till 30 September. It costs VND 1,850,000++ per room per night including breakfast and free use of swimming pool, fitness centre, sauna and steam bath.

Royal Hotel Saigon 133 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-5914 www.kimdohotel.com Royal Hotel Saigon is offering a wedding package at VND4,000,000 a table with a sixcourse menu and free flow of drinks. The package is valid till 31 December.

RESORTS AND SPAS Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa

Sandy Beach Non Nuoc Resort Danang Vietnam, Managed by Centara has a ‘Honeymoon Package’ until 31 December. It costs VND5,900,000 per Bungalow Garden View for two nights with round-trip airport transfers, one bottle of sparkling wine, breakfast, a romantic candlelight dinner, a 45-minute spa treatment, a 10 per cent discount on Food & Beverage and a 15 per cent discount on other spa services. Group 6, Block Tan Thinh, Ward Cam An, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province. Tel: (0510) 3939-111 www.boutiquehoianresort.com Boutique Hoi An Resort is offering ‘Stay 4 nights and pay for 3 nights only’ special for those who book on its website from 21 August to 30 September. The rates start from VND3,300,000++ per Superior Room per night for two. The rate includes buffet breakfast, shuttle bus to Hoi An and free use of bicycle.

Palm Garden Beach Resort & Spa Lac Long Quan, Cua Dai, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3927-927 www.palmgardenresort.com.vn Palm Garden Beach Resort & Spa has launched a new spa named ‘Pool Spa’ at the poolside. The spa is offering ‘Buy one get one free’. The prices start from VND345,000 for a 30-minute foot massage or a 20-minute head massage. Open: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunrise Hoi An Beach Resort Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An Town, vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 39

value for money Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3937-777 www.sunrisehoian.vn Sunrise Hoi An Beach Resort is offering a promotion ‘Stay 3 pay 2’ and ‘Stay 4 pay 3’ for Vietnamese and expats until 31 August. VND3,095,000++ per night in a Deluxe Room including breakfast. Those who book at least four nights will get a set menu or BBQ party on Saturday or Sunday. Guests will have a chance to win many prizes in the lucky draw at the resort.

AVANI Quy Nhon Resort & Spa Ghenh Rang, Bai Dai Beach, Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province Tel: (056) 3840-132

Phu Quoc Island Tel: (077) 3982-988 Le Spa, at the La Veranda Resort, has a special offer till the end of September; those who book any body treatment will get a complimentary 30-minute Indian head or a complimentary 30-minute foot reflexology.

OTHER Hoang Ngoc Resort has a ‘Special Summer Promotion’ until 31 October. VND680,000 per room per night in a Superior Garden Room based in twin share. The promotion includes breakfast, dinner and use of tennis court from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Surcharge is VND100,000 per person per night on Friday and Saturday. Surcharge VND250,000 per person per night for holidays from 31 August to 2 September. The prices include service charge and VAT.

In June, Mr Chong Chwee Oh (Steve Chong), from Singapore, was appointed to the position of General Manager of Sandy Beach Non Nuoc Resort Danang Vietnam Managed By Centara. He has had over 45 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has worked with multiple leading hotels in various management roles such as Hilton Singapore, Shangri-la Singapore, Asia Hotel Bangkok, and Ambassador Hotel Bangkok.

Seahorse Resort & Spa

AVANI Quy Nhon Resort & Spa is offering a 30 per cent discount for those who book three nights, a 35 per cent discount for those who book four nights and a 40 per cent discount for those who book at least five nights. VND2,310,000++ ($110++) per room per night with breakfast.

Bamboo Village Beach Resort & Spa 38 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3847-007 www.bamboovillageresortvn.com

Km11, Ham Tien Ward, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3847-507 www.seahorseresortvn.com Seahorse Resort & Spa is offering a ‘Summer Promotion’ until 31 October with the price at VND1,899,000 a voucher including one night’s stay in a Deluxe Room, breakfast, lunch, two mocktails, round-trip transfer at Phan Thiet Railway Station, a 10 per cent discount at Hippocampe and Non La Bar, a 5 per cent discount at Seahorse Bistro and a 40 per cent discount for spa services.

The Pegasus Resort Ke Ga Bay, Ham Thuan Nam Dist., Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3683- 072 www.thepegasusresort.com The Pegasus Resort is offering a honeymoon package till 20 December at VND3,350,000++ ($160++) for two nights in a Deluxe Bungalow Sea view with breakfast, a bottle of wine, fruits, one candlelit dinner and cocktail at pool bar.

Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa Bamboo Village Beach Resort & Spa is offering a ‘Hello Summer’ package until 31 October for only VND1,789,000 per room per night for two in a Deluxe Room with breakfast and a 20 per cent discount on spa services. The price includes service charge and VAT.

Hoang Ngoc Resort 152 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3847-858 www.hoangngoc-resort.com

Le Lai St, Dalat, Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3555-888 www.anamandara-resort.com Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa has a ‘Dalat Highland Retreat’ package with the price starting at VND2,690,000 per room per night for two in a villa room, Studio or Suite with breakfast, morning yoga class and a lunch or a dinner or a 60-minute spa treatment. The package runs till 30 September.

La Veranda Resort Tran Hung Dao St, Ward 7, Duong Dong Town,

40 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Mr Phan Minh Tri has been appointed to take on the position of General Manager at Michelia Hotel. Mr Tri has more than 10 years’ experience in managing business hotels and resorts. Mr Tri started his hospitality career with Vinpearl Resort and Diamond Bay Resort before moving to Michelia Hotel Nha Trang. Mr Roger Baldwin was designated as Area Director of Sales & Marketing of Minor Hotel Group Vietnam in April. He worked for Hyatt Hotels & Resort, Hilton Park Lane and Grand Chancellor Hotels. In May, Bamboo Village Beach Resort & Spa, in Phan Thiet, was rewarded ‘Certificate of Excellence 2014’ by Trip Advisor, the world's largest travel site. This marks the resort’s second consecutive year receiving this honourable reward.

FOOD PROMOTIONS Hotel Nikko Hanoi 84 Tran Nhan Tong St, Hai Ba Trung Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3822-3535 www.hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn La Brasserie International restaurant, at the Hotel Nikko Hanoi, is offering an international lunch buffet from Monday to Thursday

value for money in July at VND490,000, including one glass of draught beer, soft drink or fresh juice and weekend seafood dinner buffet from Friday to Saturday at VND700,000 including free flow of wine, draught beer and soft drink.

First Grill Restaurant 21 Hoang Viet St, Ward 4, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3844-1199 www.firsthotel.com.vn

Pullman Danang Beach Resort Khue My Ward, Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang Tel: (0511) 3958-888 Restaurant Epice, at the Pullman Danang Beach Resort, from 5.30 p.m. every Saturday, is serving a seafood buffet along with roasted sucking pig. VND650,000.

Friday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with 20 different items in the menu. VND200,000++ per person. Those who buy a bottle of wine at VND1,500,000++ will get complimentary access for two persons.

Hard Rock Cafe Kumho Asiana Plaza, 39 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City ,Tel: (08) 6291-7595 Hard Rock Café has launched new menus from Monday to Friday. ‘General Lunch’ menu serves Asian dishes, including Vietnamese pork chop, calabash & squid salad, fish sandwich, beef luc lac and pan-seared fish. The prices start from VND145,000, including free soup and free flow of drinks. ‘Classic Lunch’ features ‘American’ dishes, including grilled apple burger, Caesar salad, linguine bolognaise, hickory- smoked pulled pork sandwich. VND250,000 including free flow of drinks. Also, Hard Rock Café offers ‘Free Shuttle Service’ to all of its guests from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily (except public holidays).

Metropole Wedding Convention Centre 216 Ly Chinh Thang St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3526-2288 From 26 July to 25 August, Metropole Wedding Convention Centre of Liberty Group serves a vegetarian buffet with over 65 dishes, blending International and Asian styles. Lunch buffet, 11 a.m. – 1.30 p.m., VND170,000 and dinner buffet, 5.30 p.m. – 9 p.m., VND 230,000. The prices are not applicable on a full moon. Buy 10 tickets, get 1 free.

First Grill Restaurant, located in a 6,000 square metre with lush trees, features a swimming pool, a tennis court, Northern stilt houses and outdoor kitchen. The restaurant boasts a variety of seafood and dishes from north, centre and south prepared by executive chef Do Quang Long. Diners have a chance to enjoy his food, which brought him many prizes in competitions. Chef Long also was a winner of the Iron Chef Vietnam Season 1.

Windsor Plaza Hotel 18 An Duong Vuong, Dist.5, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3833-6688 www.windsorplazahotel.com

PARKROYAL Saigon 309B – 311 Nguyen Van Troi St, Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3842-1111 Garden Brasserie Restaurant, at the PARKROYAL Saigon, is serving Sunday Brunch from 11.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. with International dishes. VND599,000++, including free flow of draught beer and soft drinks, activities for children at the kid’s zone and use of swimming pool from 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. Children from 6 to 12 years old enjoy half price.

Sofitel Saigon Plaza 17 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3824-1555 Boudoir Lounge, at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza, serves tapas buffet every Monday to

Café Central An Dong, at the Windsor Plaza Hotel, serves premium US beef prepared in variety of traditional styles including grilled, roasted, and even succulent beef Wellington. Lunch buffet, Monday to Saturday, VND318,000++ and Sunday, VND338,000++ Dinner buffet, Monday to Friday, VND488,000++ and Saturday, Sunday, VND545,000++ Those who own a Windsor VIPCard will get 30 per cent off the bill every Tuesday and two children under 10 years old per family eat free of charge every Sunday.

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 41

buyAble

Natural stone necklace, VND350,000

Seagrass bag, VND215,000

Agate stone necklace, VND315,000

Seagrass handbag, VND225,000

Lu's Handmade

Seagrass clutch bag, VND250,000

42 â&#x20AC;˘ VieTNAM HeriTAge - july-AuguST 2014

240 ly Tu Trong St, ben Thanh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Facebook: lu's Handmade

directiOns sapa, halOng, haiphOng 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 VND700,000 ($33) 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.sapa.muongthanh.vn Royal Hotel 54B Cau May St, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3771-131 Email: hoanggiasapa@gmail.com www.royalsapahotel.com From VND340,000 ($17)

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 Halong Hidden Charm Hotel Block 22D, Tuan Chau Villas, Halong Tel: (033) 3842-360 Email: infor.halonghiddencharmhotel@gmail.com

www.hiddencharmhotel.com.vn From VND600,000 ($29) 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 VND1,200,000 ($57) 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 VND2,772,000 ($132) Saigon Halong Hotel Ha Long St, Bai Chay Ward, Halong Tel: (033) 3845-845 info@saigonhalonghotel.com www.saigonhalonghotel.com From VND950,000 ($45) StarCity Halong Bay Hotel

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

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

Thu Huong Restaurant Halong St, Halong Tel: (033) 3845-142 BARS & CAFÉS Emeraude Café Royal Park, Ha Long St, 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 Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Catba Princes Hotel

303 Nui Ngoc, Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong City Tel: (031) 3888-899 Email: sale@catbaprinceshotel.com www.catbaprinceshotel.com From VND527,500 ($25) Catba Sunrise Resort Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong City Tel: (031) 3887-360 Email: info@catbasunriseresort.com www.catbasunriseresort.com From VND3,520,000 ($168) Harbour View Hotel 12 Tran Phu St, Ngo Quyen Dist., Hai Phong Tel: (031) 3827-827 Email: info@harbourviewvietnam.com www.harbourviewvietnam.com From VND2,772,000 ($132) ENTERTAINMENT Do Son Casino Zone 3, Do Son town, Hai Phong Tel: (031) 3864-888

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 43

CENTRE O

1 Hanoi Emotion Hotel 2 Capital Garden Hotel 3 Daewoo Hotel

4 De Syloia Hotel 5 Fortuna Hotel Hanoi 6 Green Mango 7 Sunway Hotel Hanoi 8 Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel 9 Joseph’ Joseph’ss Hotel 10 1 0 Little Hanoi 11 1 1 MAison d’Hanoi Hanova Hotel

12 1 2 Melia Hanoi Hotel 13 1 3 Movenpick Hotel Hanoi 14 1 4 Nikko Hanoi Hotel 15 1 5 Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

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

6 10 1 0

11 1 1 9 1 15 1 5 13

12 1 2 8 4

14 1 4

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 - july-auguSt 2014

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 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 United Kingdom 31 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3936-0500 United States 7 Lang Ha St, Dong Da Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3772-1500

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 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 No 2606 Thang Long International Village, Tran Dang Ninh St, Cau Giay Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3783-3570 www.amegatravelvietnam.com Buffalo Tours 94 Ma May St, 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 26 Tran Nhat Duat St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3828-2150 www.exotissimo.com Email: go.vietnam@exotissimo.com Oriental Sails 16A Ly Nam De St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3926-4009 Email: sales@orientalsails.com www.orientalsails.com Topas Travel 52 To Ngoc Van St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3715-1005 Email: sales@topastravel.vn www.topastravel.vn

directiONS haNOi HOTELS Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Baoson International Hotel 50 Nguyen Chi Thanh St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3835-3536 Email: sales@baosonhotels.com www.baosonhotels.com From VND1,570,000 ($75) De Syloia Hotel 17A Tran Hung Dao St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3824-5346 Email: desyloia@hn.vnn.vn www.desyloia.com From VND1,806,000 ($86) 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: contact@hoteldelopera.com www.hoteldelopera.com From VND4,140,000 ($197) 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 Email: hotel.hanoi@moevenpick.com www.moevenpickhotels.com/hanoi From VND3,139,500 ($149.50) Hotel Nikko Hanoi 84 Tran Nhan Tong St, Hanoi Tel.: (04) 3822-3535 reservation@hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn www.hotelnikkohanoi.com.vn From VND4,200,000 ($200) Pullman Hanoi 40 Cat Linh St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3733-0808

Email: getcloser@pullman-hanoi.com www.pullmanhotels.com From VND2,448,600 ($115.50) Prestige Hotel Hanoi 17 Pham Dinh Ho St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 6299-9888 Email: sales@prestigehotels.com.vn www.prestigehotels.com.vn A new four-star international standard hotel, on a tree-lined street in the heart of Hanoi, 15 minutes walk from the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. Modern luxuries, impeccable service and excellent value for the business or pleasure traveller. 80 rooms including elegant suites and an executive apartment, conference facilities, business centre, a restaurant, a fitness centre, a rooftop swimming pool and a cocktail bar. 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 VND2,289,000 ($109) 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) As a ‘resort within the city’, Sheraton Hanoi Hotel is on the West Lake. Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi 15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3826-6919 Email: h1555@sofitel.com www.sofitel.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 APARTMENTS Fraser Suites Hanoi 51 Xuan Dieu St, Quang An Ward, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3719-8877 sales.hanoi@frasershospitality.com hanoi.frasershospitality.com Somerset Serviced Residence Vietnam 49 Hai Ba Trung St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-2342 www.somerset.com Luxurious apartments and properties for hiring 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 Tan My Embroidery 66 Hang Gai St, Hanoi Email: tanmyhuong@fpt.vn Tel: (04) 3825-1579 Viet Culture 1 Trang Thi St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3934-7417 Vietnam Quilts 13 Hang Bac St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3926-4831 www.vietnam-quilts.org Traditional embroidery and other handicraft cloth products FURNITURE/ INTERIOR Dome Au Co 9 Au Co St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3718-5866 Email: sales@dome.com.vn

MUSEUMS 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 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 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 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 VND25,000 ($1.19) 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

Dome Yen The 10 Yen The St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3843-6036 STORE Annam Gourmet 51 Xuan Dieu St, Quang An Ward, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3718-4487 www.annam-gourmet.com Annam Gourmet’s motivation is to “Enjoy Life. Eat and Drink well.”

Elite Fitness & Spa 51 Xuan Dieu St, Tay Ho Dist., Hanoi Tel: (04) 3718-6281 Email: info@elitefitness.com.vn www.elitefitness.com.vn Spa de Palace Fortuna Hotel Hanoi, 6B Lang Ha St, Hanoi Tel: (04) 3831-3333

vietNam heritage - july-auguSt 2014

• 47

directiOns ninh Binh, nghe an, quang Binh, hue, danang, hOi an NINH BINH

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

Phu Loc Dist., Thua Thien Hue Province. Tel: (054) 3695-888 reservations-langco@banyantree.com www.banyantree.com BW Premier Indochine Palace

Tel: (054) 3882-222 Email: info@imperial-hotel.com.vn www.imperial-hotel.com.vn VND2,300,000 to VND29,400,000 ($110 to $1,400)

Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang Tel: (0511) 3958-888 Email: info@pullman-danang.com www.pullman-danang.com Novotel Danang Premier Han River

Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa

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

105A Hung Vuong St, Hue Tel: (054) 3936-666 Email: rsvn@bwp-indochinepalace.com www.bwp-indochinepalace.com From VND3,024,000 ($144) 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

(TELEPHONE CODE: 052)

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

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)

49 Le Loi St, Hue Tel: (054) 3823-390 Email: info@centuryriversidehue.com www.centuryriversidehue.com Hue Riverside Boutique Resort & Spa

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

HUE

Huong Giang Hotel Resort & Spa

HOTELS, RESORTS Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Banyan Tree Lang Co Hotel Cu Du village, Loc Vinh Commune,

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

Oxalis Adventure Tours Phong Nha Commune, Son Trach Village, Bo Trach Dist., Quang Binh Province Tel: (052)3677-678 www.oxalis.com.vn (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 UNESCO World Heritage in 1993. Hue is also known for its particular cuisine.

Vedanā Lagoon Resort & Spa Zone 1, Phu Loc Town, Phu Loc Dist., Hue Tel: (054) 3681-688 Email: info@vedanalagoon.com www.vedanalagoon.com

Sandy Beach Non Nuoc Resort Danang Vietnam, Managed by Centara

RESTAURANT

HOTELS, RESORTS

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)

130 Minh Mang Road, Hue Tel: (054) 3885-461 Email: info@pilgrimagevillage.com www.pilgrimagevillage.com

36 Bach Dang St, Hai Chau Dist., Danang. Tel: (0511) 3929-999 Email: H8287@accor.com www.novotel-danang-premier.com

(TELEPHONE CODE: 0511) HOTELS, RESORTS 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

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

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 VND4,683,000 ($213)

Imperial Hotel 8 Hung Vuong St, Hue

Pullman Danang Beach Resort Vo Nguyen Giap St, Khue My Ward,

48 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

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

directiOns quy nhOn, nha trang 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 Golf Hoi An Hotel

Hoi An Pacific Hotel & Spa

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

321 Cua Dai St, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3923-777 Email: info@hoianpacific.com www.hoianpacific.com From VND1,113,000 ($53) Sunrise Hoi An Beach Resort Au Co Road, Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3937-777 Email: sm1.north@och.vn www.sunrisehoian.vn Palm Garden Beach Resort and Spa

187 Ly Thuong Kiet St, Cam Pho Ward, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Tel: (0510) 3861-171 Email: sales@golfhoianhotel.vn www.golfhoianhotel.vn 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 VND2,656,500 ($126.50) 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 VND2,184,000 to VND2,772,000 ($104 to $132) Hoi An Historic Hotel

QUY NHON

(TELEPHONE CODE: 056)

AVANI Quy Nhon Resort & Spa Ghenh Rang, Bai Dai Beach, Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province Tel: (056) 3840-132 Email: quynhon@life-resorts.com www.life-resorts.com From VND1,995,000 ($95) Royal Hotel and Healthcare Resort Quy Nhon 1 Han Mac Tu St, Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province Tel: (056) 374-7100 Email: reservation@royalquynhon.com www.royalquynhon.com VND1,155,000 to VND1,365,000 ($55 to $65) MUSEUM 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

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 VND 4,158,000 ($198) River-Beach Resort & Residences Hoi An

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

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) 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) Le Belhamy Hoi An Resort & Spa Ha My Beach, Hoi An Tel: (0510) 3941-888 Email: reservations@belhamy.com www.belhamy.com From VND2,835,000 ($135)

Champa Island Nha Trang Resort & Spa

($179 to $364)TRAVEL 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 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.

Diamond Bay Resort & Spa Song Lo, Phuoc Ha, Phuoc Dong Dist., Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3711-711 Email: info@diamondbayresort.vn www.diamondbayresort.vn Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang Beachside Tran Phu St, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3524-705 reservations-nhatrang@evasonresorts.com

www.sixsenses.com/evasonresorts/ana-mandara/destination InterContinental Nha Trang Hotel

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. HOTELS, RESORTS

5 Cua Dai St, Hoi An Tel: (0510) 3927-888 saleshoian@river-beachresort.com www.river-beachresort.com From VND1,350,000 ($65)

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

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 Best Western Premier Havana 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 VND2,415,000 to VND4,830,000 ($115 to $230) Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Ninh Van bay, Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3524-268 Email: reservationsninhvan@sixsenses.com www.sixsenses.com/resorts/ninh-vanbay/destination From VND17,629,500 ($839.50)

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 49

directiOns phan rang, phan thiet 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 From VND3,565,000 ($170) Some Days of Silence Resort & Spa Dong Hai, Ninh Hai, Ninh Hoa, Hon Khoi, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3670-952 Email: generaldepartment@somedaysresort.com www.somedaysresort.com 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) Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang Hon Tre Island, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province Tel: (058) 3598-598 Email: info@vinpearlluxury-nhatrang.com www.vinpearl.com 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

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

PHAN RANG

(TELEPHONE CODE: 068)

HOTEL, RESORT Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Saigon Ninh Chu Hotel & Resort Khanh Hai Town, Ninh Hai Dist., Ninh Thuan Province Tel: (068) 3876-011 Email: sales@saigonninhchuhotel.com.vn www.saigonninhchuhotel.com.vn VND1,575,000 to VND4,200,000 ($75 to $200)

SHOPPING Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company

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 VND2,200,000 ($105) DuParc Phan Thiet Ocean Dunes & Golf Resort 1 Ton Duc Thang St, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3822-393 Email: reservation@phanthietresorts.com www.phanthietresorts.com From VND1,500,000 ($71)

Allezboo Beach Resort & Spa 8 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3743-777 Email: info@allezbooresort.com www.allezbooresort.com From VND1,400,000 ($66) 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

Pandanus Resort

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)

(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. HOTELS, RESORTS

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)

Hoang Ngoc (Oriental Pearl) Beach Resort & Spa

PHAN THIET

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

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

Muine Bay Resort

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

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

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) Saigon - Suoi Nhum Resort Thuan Quy, Ham Thuan Nam Ward, Binh Thuan Province 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 VND2,520,000 ($120) Seahorse Resort & Spa

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 VND1,550,000 ($74) 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)

50 â&#x20AC;˘ vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Km 11, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3847-507 Email: info@seahorseresortvn.com www.seahorseresortvn.com From VND1,440,000 ($68) Sea Links Beach Hotel Km 9, Nguyen Thong St, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province

directiOns dalat, hO chi minh city Tel: (062) 2220-088 Email: sales@sealinksbeachhotel.com www.sealinksbeachhotel.com From VND1,995,000 ($94)

Email: resa.phanthiet@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia From VND3,633,000 ($171) Villa Aria Mui Ne

Sea Lion Beach Resort & Spa 12 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3743-390 Email: info@sealionresort-muine.com www.sealionresort-muine.com Sunny Beach Resort & Spa 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 VND1,743,000 ($83) 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 VND1,699,000 ($80) 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) 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 The Sailing Bay Beach Resort 107 Ho Xuan Huong St, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet Tel: (062) 3836-555 Email: resort@thesailingbay.com www.thesailingbay.com From VND2,571,000 ($122) Mui Ne Unique Resort

White Sands Resort

(TELEPHONE CODE: 08) CONSULATES

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.

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

Victoria Phan Thiet Beach Resort & Spa Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3813-000

02 Hoang Van Thu 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

HOTELS

20B, Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province Tel: (062) 3741-617 Email: info@muineuniqueresort.com www.muineuniqueresort.com Reservation contact in Ho Chi Minh City, 57 Pham Viet Chanh St, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, Dist.1 Tel: (08) 3925-4196 Email: sales@muineuniqueresort.com

Saigon-Dalat Hotel

Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa Le Lai St, Dalat, Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3555-888 Email: reservation-dalat@anamandara-resort.com www.anamandara-resort.com From VND1,700,000 ($81) Dalat Edensee Resort Tuyen Lam Lake, Zone VII.2, Dalat, Lam Dong Province Tel: (063) 3831-515 Email: reservation@dalatedensee.com www.dalatedensee.com VND2,331,000 to VND4,662,000 ($111 to $222)

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

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

â&#x20AC;˘ 51

directiOns hO chi minh city 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 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 Turkish Airlines 76A Le Lai St, Room 4, 8th Floor, AB Tower, Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3936-0360 - Ext 121 Email: saigon@thy.com.vn www.turkishairlines.com

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 Asiana Travel Mate 113C Bui Vien St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Tel: (08) 3838-6678 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. Exotissimo 80-82 Phan Xich Long St, Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3995-9898 www.exotissimo.com Saigon Tourist 45 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3827-9279 www.saigon-tourist.com 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) Caravelle Hotel 19-23 Cong Truong Lam Son St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-4999 www.caravellehotel.com 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 First Hotel

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 Grand Hotel Saigon

Mövenpick Hotel Saigon

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 Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon 2A-4A Ton Duc Thang St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3823-333 Email: info@legendsaigon.com www.legendsaigon.com From VND4,221,000 ($201) 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 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 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

New Epoch Hotel 120 Cach Mang Thang 8 St, Dist.3, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3932-6169 Email: reservation@newepochhotel.com.vn www.newepochhotel.com.vn From VND1,155,000 ($55) Northern Hotel Saigon

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, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3520-9999 Email: saigon@ihg.com www.intercontinental.com/Saigon From VND5,845,455 ($278) Kelly Hotel 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 VND966,000 ($46) An elegant and cosy hotel with good

52 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

service. Within walking distance to Ben Thanh market, Independence Palace and several museums. Vietnamese food is served at reasonable prices.

11A Thi Sach St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3825-1751 Email: reservation@northernhotel.com.vn

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

directiOns hO chi minh city www.novotel-saigon-centre.com From VND2,959,000 ($140) 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.parkhyattsaigon.com From VND8,436,000 PARKROYAL Saigon 309B – 311 Nguyen Van Troi St,Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3842-1111 enquiry.prsgn@parkroyalhotels.com

www.parkroyalhotels.com From VND2,173,500 ($103.50) 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 VND1,050,000 ($50) Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon 8-15 Ton Duc Thang St, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-0033 Email: reservation@renaissancesaigon.com www.renaissance-saigon.com From VND4,105,500 ($195.50) Royal Hotel Saigon 133 Nguyen Hue St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3822-5915 Email: hotel@royalhotelsaigon.com www.royalhotelsaigon.com From VND1,932,000 ($92)

www.silvercreek.com.vn From VND1,207,500 ($57.50) Sofitel Saigon Plaza

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 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 ($184) Tan Son Nhat Hotel 200 Hoang Van Thu St, Ward 9, Phu Nhuan Dist, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3844-1039 Email: hotel@tsnhotel.com www.tsnhotel.com From VND785,400 ($37) Windsor Plaza Hotel

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

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)

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

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

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.sheraton.com/saigon From VND8,740,000 ($416)

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

Silver Creek City Resort 112 An Phu Dong 11, Dist.12, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3719-9533 Email: reservation@silvercreek.com.vn

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

Vietnam House Restaurant 93 - 95 Dong Khoi St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3829-1623 www.vietnamhousesaigon.com BARS & CAFÉS Elle Cafe 45 Ngo Duc Ke St, Bitexco Financial Tower, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 6291-8769 Caffe Molinari 5 Le Duan St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3910-6903 Email: molinari@vnn.vn www.caffemolinari.com 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

COOKING CLASSES Mint Culinary School 778/45 Nguyen Kiem St, Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3844-5500 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 GALLERIES 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 Cactus Contemporary Art 17/12 Nguen Huy Tuong St, Ward 6, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 7300-1270 Email: info@cactusartgallery.com www.cactusartgallery.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

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.

Galerie Quynh 65 De Tham St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3836-8019 www.galeriequynh.com

Shin 122 Ly Tu Trong St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City 53A Nguyen Du St, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: 0909352369 Shin is famous for fashion clothes and leather bags.

Sàn Art 3 Me Linh St, Ward 19, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 3840-0183 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

SPA Vspa & Skincare

MUSEUMS

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 20 per cent off all treatments when you show us a copy of Vietnam Heritage

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,

vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 53

CENTRE OF HO

1 Duxton Hotel Saigon 2 Equatorial Hotel 3 Grand Hotel 4 Intercontinental Asiana Saigon Hotel 5 Kelly Hotel

6 Lotte Legend Hotel Saigon 7 Majestic Hotel 8 New W World orld Hotel 9 Oscar Hotel 1 0 Park Hyatt 10 1 1 Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon 11 12 1 2 Rex Hotel 13 1 3 Sheraton Saigon Hotel & TTowers owers 14 1 4 New Epoch Hotel

2 1 4 14

15 1 5 Ngon 138 Restaurant 16 1 6 V ietnam House Restaurant Vietnam

1 7 V 17 -Spa V-Spa

4 2

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

15 10 5

13 1

16 9 3

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, Phu quOc 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.

Email: sales@grandhotel.com.vn www.grandhotel.com.vn From VND2,058,000 ($98) A four star hotel, 125 km from Saigon, built in 1890s with the French architecture, near the beach and few hundreds metres from Vung Tau Hydrofoil Terminal. 66 rooms and 17 apartments, three meeting rooms seated from 20 to 250 and wedding services.

HOTELS, RESORTS

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) Petrosetco Hotel 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)

Mường Thanh Vung Tau Hotel No 09, Thong Nhat St, Ward 1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3835-567 Email: sales@vungtau.muongthanh.vn www.vungtau.muongthanh.vn From VND1,890,000 ($90)

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) Newly refurbished rooms conveniently located near Vung Tau ferry terminal. Catering to Asian and European tastes with Malaysian cuisine specialty.

Grand Hotel Vung Tau

Romeliess Hotel

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

2 Nguyen Du St, Ward.1, Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3856-888

Vietsov Petro Resort

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 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.

www.romeliesshotel.com A new three-star hotel at the Back Beach, the ‘best beach in Vung Tau,’ with nearly 50 rooms overlooking the beach! Many promotions at www.romliess.com

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

Phuoc Thuan Commune, Xuyen Moc Dist., Ba Ria-Vung Tau Tel: (064) 3782-266 Email: info@vietsovpetroresort.com www.vietsovpetroresort.com 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

Long Hai is a beach town, 30km northeast of Vung Tau and 124 km southeast of HCMC. The Grand Ho Tram Strip

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 Email: 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 Email: resa.chaudoc@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia From VND3,169,000 ($149)

Phuoc Thuan, Xuyen Moc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Tel: (064) 3788-888 Email: info@thegrandhotramstrip.com www.thegrandhotramstrip.com

Victoria Nui Sam Lodge Vinh Dong 1, Nui Sam, Chau Doc, An Giang Province Tel: (076) 3575-888 Email: resa.nuisam@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia

CON DAO

MUSEUM

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) Six Senses Con Dao has been selected as one of 2013's 25 Best Ecolodges by National Geographic Traveler

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

56 • vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

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.

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 ei-

directiOns Overseas ther 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.

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).

HOTELS, RESORTS

GRENOBLE Kim Ngan 22 r Nicolas Chrier Tel: (33-4) 7649-0847 Serves Vietnamese food with prices starting at €8 per dish

Note: Prices at many hotels depend on occupancy and change daily Eden Resort Phu Quoc

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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

www.edenresort.com.vn 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) La Veranda Resort Tran Hung Dao St, Ward 7, Duong Dong Town Phu Quoc Island Tel: (077) 3982-988 Email: 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

(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

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

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

(Telephone code: 61)

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 Kieu Nga Lemongrass Restaurant 514 12th Ave Seattle, WA 98122 Tel: (1) 206-860-8164 Moonlight Café vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

• 57

Photo: Bach Ngoc Anh

Photo: Nguyen Viet Thang

Photo: Ngoc Huong

laid back

Clockwise from top left: Tug of war, Viet Tri, Phu Tho Province; In Ba Ria-Vung Province; Ba Na children, Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Bang District, Gia Lai Province; A piece of wall art in 15B Le Thanh Ton alley, Ho Chi Minh City; Sewing fishing net, Bac Lieu Province

58 â&#x20AC;˘ vietnam heritage - july-august 2014

Photo: Pip de Rouvray

Photo: Ly Hong Van