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Social Headlines January 30
Leaders
pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh
Party
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on January 28 offered incense in tribute
to President Ho Chi Minh at House No. 67 in
The
house, located within the President Ho Chi Minh relic site, was named after
the year 1967 when it was constructed. This is where the beloved President
worked and passed away.
Talking
with the relic site’s officials and staff, the Party leader described the
site as a tourist destination and a holy venue where people pay tribute to
Uncle Ho.
He
noted with pleasure the increasing number of tourists to the relic site and
urged the staff to set bright examples by studying and following the moral
example of President Ho Chi Minh.
Earlier,
on January 27 President Truong Tan Sang also burnt incense to commemorate the
late President at House No. 67.
Bidding
New Year wishes to the relic site’s officials and staff, the State leader
asked them to well perform the task of protecting and preserving valuable
objects in the house for future generations.
The
President Ho Chi Minh relic site welcomed 2.5 million visitors last year,
mirroring the President’s great influence on people nationwide and international
friends, said its director Nguyen Van Cong.
Meanwhile,
many units and localities in the central province of Nghe An and other
localities paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his homeland in Kim Lien
commune, Nam Dan district.-
Vietnamese
around the world celebrate traditional New Year
Various
celebrations have been held all over the globe to mark the approaching Lunar
New Year (Tet), the most important annual festival of Vietnamese people.
In
He
extended Tet wishes to embassy officials and staff in the Year of the Horse,
and expressed his hope that Vietnamese agencies and localities will
strengthen cooperation in various areas with
Ambassador
Ngo Anh Dung acknowledged the governor and
Meanwhile,
more than 400 international friends, including Japanese politicians and
representatives of foreign embassies attended a get-together in
Ambassador
Doan Xuan Hung reviewed
He
took this occasion to thank the government and people of
The
distinguished guests enjoyed a special art performance by Vietnamese embassy
staff and sampled traditional Vietnamese dishes.
In
Ambassador
Tran Xuan Thuy commended Vietnamese residents for their practical
contributions to the homeland.
He
presented certificates of merit to community representatives in recognition of
their outstanding contribution to developing the community in
Trinh
Dang Ngoc, president of the Vietnamese community in
In a
cosy atmosphere, participants tasted traditional Tet dishes and enjoyed art
performances by embassy staff and Vietnamese students.
On
January 28, Vietnamese people in
Ambassador
Vu The Hiep underscored new progress in the Vietnam-Algeria ties with the
success of the 10 th Inter-Governmental Committee.
He
extended his best New Year wishes to the Vietnamese community in
The
same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in
Speaking
at the event, Ambassador Le Huy Hoang reiterated that Overseas Vietnamese are
an indispensable part of the nation. Supporting for the OVs in integrating
with the host countries remains a priority of the country, he added.
Also
on January 28, Vietnamese people in
The
monument, inaugurated in 2008 to celebrate the 118 th birthday of the late
leader, commemorates his visits to
In
order to bring the Tet atmosphere of the homeland to Vietnamese people in the
Addressing
the event, Ambassador Pham Huu Chi wished the Vietnamese community in the
RoK, especially guest workers in the country, a happy New Year.
He
spoke highly of the workers’ contributions to the economic development of
both
On the
occasion, Ambassador Chi also informed that the two countries have signed a
memorandum of understanding allowing more than 10,000 Vietnamese labourers to
work in the RoK in 2014.
He
also visited and presented gifts to some outstanding Vietnamese-RoK families
in the host country.
Free
wifi for one hour
The
central city of
The
local people and tourists at major centres and streets in the city, including
living quarters, schools, beaches, tourism sites, hospitals, shopping malls,
bus and railway stations, airports and entertainment centres will able to
avail of the extension of service from January 28 to February 9.
The
city launched the free Wi-Fi service, with a maximum of 20,000 connections at
a time, for local people and tourists last year.
Police
hunt suspect in woman's murder
The
local police in Central Highland's
Initial
investigations showed that the suspect had also allegedly searched and robbed
the couple's house.
The
injured husband was taken to the
The
police are investigating the case.
Ha
Noi pushes smoke-free zones in hotels, restaurants
Ha
Noi's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism wants to promote smoke-free
restaurants and hotels this year, said the vice director of the department,
Mai Tien Dung.
The
department would encourage restaurants and hotels not to allow smoking in
crowded areas and then, eventually, ban smoking at the larger ones.
The
move is being made not only to improve the city's image in visitors' eyes,
but also to conform with the nation's Law on Tobacco Harm-Reduction.
A
representative from World Hospital Organisation's Office in Ha Noi, Le Duc
Truong, said that many countries banned smoking in restaurants and hotels to
ensure a healthy environment. Already, a few in
At
present, Ha Noi has 317 hotels, six hostels, five tourist apartment blocks
and four luxury apartment blocks with a total of nearly 16,000 rooms.
Last
year, the city received 2.5 million foreign visitors - 22.9 per cent higher
than in 2012, nearly 14 million domestic visitors - 13 per cent higher than
in 2012. This year, the number of foreign visitors is expected to increase by
15 per cent.
Accidents
kill 24 on first day of Tet
Twenty-four
persons were killed in 55 road accidents across the country yesterday, the
first day of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, reported the National
Committee for Traffic Safety.
The
accidents also injured 43 persons.
On the
same day, the traffic police registered nearly 4,100 cases of traffic
violations across the country, with the total fines collected being
approximately VND1.2 billion (US$56,400). The police temporarily detained
four cars and 656 motorbikes for breaking traffic rules.
Yesterday
morning, a bike collided with a truck and both vehicles broke through a
barrier along the
However,
no traffic jams occurred on streets and roads vulnerable to traffic
congestion during the last working days before the nine-day Tet holiday.
According to the committee, the hotline set up for the festival has received
many complaints of traffic violations by coaches over the past few days. The
committee has asked the transport departments of localities to inspect and
impose strict punishment for the violations.
VN
to experience temperature spikes after Tet
The
country will experience a temperature spike after Tet holidays, according to
a report by the Central Hydrological and
Provinces
in the north and northeast will be experiencing early-morning fog and sunny
afternoons on January 28-29. The areas will be experiences low temperatures
of 15-18 degrees Celsius and high temperatures of 22-24 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures
will increase to 24-26 degrees Celsius from January 30 to February 1 while
precipitation reduces.
Dien
Bien, Lai Chau and Son La provinces will experience morning fog and
temperature highs of 30 degrees during the day on February 2-3.
Than
Hoa and Thua Thien Hue provinces will experience temperature lows of 17-19
degrees Celsius and highs of 23-26 degrees from January 28 to February 1. The
provinces will experience light precipitation and a temperature drop of 2
degrees early February.
The
central highlands provinces will experience dry weather at 25-28 degrees
Celsius. The southern provinces will experience dry, hot weather at
25-32 degrees Celsius.
Last
respect paid to British close friend of Vietnam
Vietnamese
Ambassador to the UK Vu Quang Minh on January 27 attended a memorial service
held in the English city of
Born
in 1921, Sharp was involved in a movement in
In 1965,
she became a supporter of the Medical Aid Committee for
From
1989 to 2009, as the MSAVLC Honorary President, she visited
Sharp
contributed much to the cooperation between the MSAVLC and the Highland
Education Development Organisation in training 1,500 midwives in eight
northern mountainous provinces of
Speaking
at the memorial service, Ambassador Minh said that over the last 50 years,
Madeleine Agnes Sharp had been a close friend of
She
was granted the Friendship Order of the
Meanwhile,
She
was presented with the member of the Order of the
Signatories
to the plan were Vietnamese Minister of information and Communication Nguyen
Bac Son and Lao Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Bosengkham
Vongdara, who was on a visit to
During
their talks, both sides discussed measures to tighten their cooperation in
information, communication, culture and sports.
The
same day, the Lao Minister was received by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister
Vu Duc Dam, who said the two countries need to work closely together to put
the 2014-15 cooperation plan, contributing to strengthening their special
relationship.
Vongdara
thanked
He
proposed Deputy PM Dam direct Vietnamese ministries and agencies to
collaborate closely with the Lao ministry to make bilateral cooperation more
productive.
The
Lao delegation also worked with Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) and Vietnam
Television (VTV) to outline future cooperation plans.
Tet
flowers bring colour to Ho Chi Minh City
As Tet
approaches once more, flower shops in
This
year,
In the
flower market at September 23rd Park, besides traditional decorative plants
such as apricot trees, peach blossom, orchids and daisies, a lot of varieties
of plants with strange shapes at not too high prices are showcased.
Apricot
symbolises Tet in the south. This year, small and medium apricot trees range
from 300,000 - 1 million dong, not much higher than last year.
Peach
blossom, available in the north during Tet, is transported from the north, as
well as from the Central Highlands city of
Due to
the lingering economic recession, many customers just come to browse.
Therefore, sales are far from sellers’ expectations.
Choosing
flower or bonsai pots to decorate houses is the Vietnamese traditional practice
during Tet celebrations. Every street seems to be more colourful when flower
markets erupt.
Localities
deal with cross-border illegal poultry trade
The
northern mountainous
The
strain of H7N9 virus appeared in several Chinese provinces which border with
Ha Giang and the strain of H5N1 virus was spotted in some Cambodian provinces
which border with Tay Ninh, therefore, they face high risks of bird influenza
infection.
The
provinces’ health sector strengthened supervision to quickly detect disease
cases, while asking preventative medical centres to manage people who enter
Vietnamese provinces from neighbouring countries.
According
to Director of Ha Giang’s Department of Public Health Tran Duc Quy,
quarantine units at border gates, health centres and hospitals in the
province arranged doctors and health workers to manage cases of severe acute
respiratory syndrome and pneumonia in communities, thus making diagnoses more
quickly and applying treatment without delay to minimise fatalities.
All
medical stations and general hospitals in 11 districts and cities have made
necessary preparations in terms of medical equipment and medicine in case the
disease arrives.
Localities
have been ordered to keep a close watch on the situation and absolutely
remove any pockets of disease, reporting to Ha Giang’s health department to
deploy prevention measures where necessary.
The
Department of Industry and Trade, the customs office, public security
officials, and the High Command of border armies in Ha Giang and Tay Ninh
have also been urged to effectively implement poultry market management by
seizing illegally traded poultry crossing border areas.
The
two health departments have also intensified the popularisation of
information on avian influenza risks to local people, encouraging them to
well implement sanitation and decontamination to ensure food safety, thus
reducing the risk of the disease spreading, especially in the Tet holidays.
Vietnamese Tet
in
The
traditional lunar New Year festival, an indispensable part of Vietnamese
people’s spiritual life, is also widely celebrated by international friends,
especially Russians.
A
group of young Russian dancers from Magia Contemporary Dance Theatre want to
acquire the Tet taste following a summer tour in
Choreographer
Anatasia Suvorova suggested a special party for the Tet celebration and the
initiative was supported by all group members.
With
assistance from a Vietnamese girl, they prepared Dong leaves, sticky rice and
pork to make Banh Chung – a typical savoury cake for the Tet holiday. They
even purchased mushrooms, minced pork, sprouts, pepper, and rice cake papers
to make spring rolls.
They
displayed a tray of fruits and decorated a peach branch for the special party
at Moscow-based Ha Long Restaurant.
Likewise
the girls wore traditional Vietnamese long dress (Ao Dai) to welcome in the
New Year, which made a lasting impression on them.
Suvorova
said after her group’s performance tour in
She
was deeply impressed by how meticulously Vietnamese prepare for Tet and
worship ancestors, she added, something that is not done in
Kristina,
a 17-year-old student from the dancing group, also found it exciting to make
Chung cake and spring rolls. She marvels at the idea of returning to
In a
diplomatic area in west
Meanwhile,
a group of young Russian friends who were learning the Vietnamese language
were also captivated on learning of how Vietnamese prepare for Tet.
Kostia,
a young girl working at a police office, found it challenging and rewarding
as she learned the intricacies on how to make Chung cake.
“This
is the first time I have participated in such a wonderful activity,” she
said. “I came to
Tet
has steadily been gaining in popularity with international friends, and
serves as a cultural bridge connecting overseas Vietnamese and foreign friends
with the homeland.
New
bridges open over
Cai
Lon and Cai Be, two major bridges on the 6.3-kilometre Tac Cau Bypass, were
opened to traffic in the Mekong
The
700-metre
General
Director of the Cuu Long (
He
said the two bridges have been opened to traffic early to facilitate movement
of transport in the region and to help people travel before Tet.
Earlier,
people had to take Xeo Ro – Tac Cau ferries across the Cai Lon and the Cai Be
rivers.
According
to Cuu Long Co, the first phase of the Southern Coastal Corridor Project aims
to construct 108.8 kilometres of the highway, comprising a new section of
81.6 kilometres and an upgraded section of 18.2 kilometres.
The
construction of the Southern Coastal Corridor Project requires an investment
of VND8,159 billion (US$398 million), with the capital coming from ODA loans
provided by the Korean Government and the Asian Development Bank,
non-refundable aid funds from the Australian Government and counter-capital
from the Vietnamese Government.
The
construction of the project started in May 2011 and is scheduled to be
completed in late 2014.
Tet
comes early to needy people
While
the whole country is entering into the festive mood for the Tet holiday, its
biggest in the year, many poor households in
This
year, more gifts have been given earlier to a broader range of beneficiaries,
in order to inspire some local cheer as the New Year dawns. Many of the most
disadvantaged have even been presented well-built houses to live in.
Vo
Thanh My, Chairman Fatherland Front of An Phu commune, Cu Chi district said
the house means a lot to the needy households in remote areas like An Phu
commune as it will make them feel more stable in life, thus working better.
A
beneficiary, Trinh Ngoc Quy, An Phu commune, Cu Chi district expressed his
happiness to now have a well-constructed house as his old and dilapidated
shelter could barely cover his family from wind and rain.
To Chu
Thi Hong To, who has to raise three children in Can Thanh town, Can Gio
district, the house is like a dream come true, thanks to the helping hand of
the local social organisations and union.
Many
other households in Thạnh An Island district now have new houses to shelter
them from storms and winds, giving them a warmer Tet holiday.
Houses
worth nearly 1 billion VND have been presented to 27 poor households in the
city, while gift packages have also been given to 1000 needy families.
Besides
giving Tet gifts and houses,
Delicious
Chung cakes keep enterprising community busy
On the
days before Tet, the atmosphere in Hùng Lô commune, Việt Trì city heats up,
literally. The streets around the community, located in the
All
family members, from children to the elderly, hurry to make the delicious Tet
mainstay in time for the festival.
Chưng
cake is a traditional Vietnamese dish that is an integral part of the lunar
New Year celebration. It is made from glutinous rice, pork and green bean
paste, and then wrapped in a square of “dong” (arrowroot) leaves, which gives
the rice a green tint after being boiled for ten hours.
Hung
Lo may be the only commune in Phu Tho that still maintains the trade of Chung
cake making all year round. However, on these festive days, the commune seems
to be covered by the green colour of dong leaves and the white of rice.
The
Hung Lo incarnation of the cake is famous for its taste, as locals very
carefully choose all of the ingredients. The cakes, once completed, will be
delivered to markets, supermarkets and retailers across the province.
Nguyen
Tien Duc, Chairman of the Hung Lo commune People’s Committee, said Hung Lo
commune has 1,900 households, 30 percent of which earn their living due to
traditional trades, such as vermicelli processing and Chung cake making.
Chung
cake is believed to have been invented as long as 4,000 years ago. Legend has
it that the 18 th Hung King could not decide on the tricky matter of his
successor.
Finally,
he decided that whichever of his sons invented the most delicious and
symbolic new food would become the next ruler. And so, Prince Lang Liêu made
round and square Day cakes, representing the Sky and square Chung cakes
symbolising the Earth. These were decided by his father to be the best
creation, and Lang Lieu overcame his brothers to take the throne.
Due to
its quality, Hung Lo Chung cake is offered to Hung Kings during the temple
festival dedicated to them in the third lunar month every year. The worship
of Hung Kings was honoured by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity in December 2012.
In the
coming time, the cake will be chosen as a unique product and promoted within
the tourism sector. This move is expected to help Hung Lo enjoy rapid
socio-economic development.
Community
role in mangrove forest management
According
to Nguyen Quoc Dung, Forestry Inventory and Planning Institute, there are
several reasons behind the decline of mangrove forests. They include the
changing use of forest land for aquaculture, the overexploitation of wood and
natural resources as well as environmental pollution and climate change.
At
present, forest protection is facing difficulties due to the lack of
synchronous technical solutions, inter-ministerial collaboration and
sustainable financial mechanisms for the management and restoration of the
mangrove forests. More importantly, the activity has not yet mobilised
community involvement.
In the
central
Nguyen
Van Dinh, Vice Chairman of the Da Loc communal People’s Committee, said his
commune had 200 hectares of submerged forest prior to 2007.
Thanks
to the support of domestic and international organisations, additional 300
hectares have been grown, raising the total area of mangrove forest in the
commune to 500 hectares. The commune plans to grow 200 hectares more from now
to 2020, Dinh said.
Living
in the coastal region, Vu Duc Thuan in Thanh Hoa province’s Hau Loc district
understands the value of submerged forest to his livelihood. He has raised a
total of 500 ducks with feed sourced from the forest, which has helped double
his income.
He
revealed the he can save money that he would spend on food for ducks thanks
to the mangrove forest. The ducks can eat snails found in the forest and
produce good quality eggs.
The
mangrove forest in the locality also helps protect the coastal ecosystem and
benefits local people. When harvest is over, the locals can earn 50-100,000
VND a day from catching crabs or fish living in the mangrove forest.
Dung
said the State has issued policies to encourage the community to join hands
to protect mangrove forests by giving them the rights to manage, protect and
benefit from the forests. This is an effective way to restore and develop the
mangrove forests in our country in a sustainable manner.
However,
the policies are still part of the general forestry guidelines. There should
be separate policies and mechanisms for mangrove forests. Added to this,
local people and authorities should be educated to raise their awareness of
protecting and developing the mangrove forests.
Tet
flowers, trees find few buyers
Even
though Tet is just days away, many people in
Apart
from necessary food, several types of Tet flowers and ornamental trees,
including apricot, peach, as well as fruits are being sold on roadsides and
in parks.
Nguyen
Van Hao, from Phu Nhuan District, together with his family walked around to see
flowers and ornamental trees at a park. When the seller said the apricot tree
is priced at VND5 million (USD236.57), he walked away.
“I
think it’s still a bit early to buy apricots at those prices. If prices were
reasonable I would buy one. I might decide to buy another type of ornamental
tree instead,” said Hao.
Even
though apricot trees are typical for Tet in
One
grower and seller of these trees said that the best-sellers this year are the
very large ones that cost tens of millions of VND. These usually go to large
companies or well-off families.
Peach
and kumquat trees from the northern region arrived for Tet. Even though
prices fluctuate, it seems that these have not sold well either. The sales of
many flowers for Tet have also been unimpressive.
“It
seems to be a bit early for people to buy flowers now because they might
wilt,” said Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, owner of a flower shop.
Fruit
sales are also lagging. “Our fruit shop has been open for four days,
but have very few customers. I don't dare to buy more for fear that demand
will not increase in the next few days,” said Huynh Thi Hoa.
Despite
this, many supermarkets have been overcrowded as people flock to buy
necessities for the holiday.
Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/Nhandan/Dantri
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Thứ Năm, 30 tháng 1, 2014
Thứ Tư, 29 tháng 1, 2014
|
Art & Entertainment Headlines January 30
The
Tet flower festival opens at 29 March Park in the central city of
Over
1,000 artworks made of flowers will be on display, along with other
activities such as calligraphy, painting exhibition, a bird-singing contest
and cuisine pavilions.
Artists
from
Two
locations have been prepared for launching fireworks along the banks of the
Book
Road Festival opens in HCMC
State
President Truong Tan Sang on January 28 attended the opening ceremony of the
State
President Truong Tan Sang (6th from R) cuts the ribbon to open the
Under
the motto ‘
The
books in the festival were divided into four categories including ‘Books and
Culture’, ‘Books and Knowledge’, ‘Books and
Among
200,000 titles offered by Fahasa, the ‘Books and Culture’ category introduced
a vast number of titles on southern folk music don ca tai tu, which was
recently recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
There
will also be a number of don ca tai tu musical instruments to increase the
public’s awareness of the intangible heritage.
The
General Publishing House introduces a series of books featuring the late
General Vo Nguyen Giap and documentation of
The
event would run until February 3./.
Hue locals shop
flowers for Tet
Thousands
of local residents in
The
fair meets locals' need of flowers and flora, including trees, plants, cut
flowers and flower in pots, and offers
As Tet
tradition, people buy fresh flowers for home decoration. This tradition is
for the wish of a brighter new year and for respect to their ancestors by
decorating the altar with fresh cut flowers.
However,
local plantations failed to have the flora bloom in time due to extreme
weather in the locality last year. This has driven the import of many other
flowers.
According
to owner of Hoang Thao plantation in the outskirts of
Le
Tuan Nhan, a grower of chrysanthemum in Hung Thuy District said unpredictable
weather prevented the growth of his plants, resulting in short bodies of the
plants.
Consumers
hesitate with the flowers grown at the locality and they turn to Taiwain
origin varieties of water rail, poinsettia, torch lily, and orchid; as well
as kumquat trees and peach blossoms from other provinces.
According
to shops selling flowers of tulip and lily grown in foggy Da Lat City in the
Central Highlands, they run busy business as consumers favour these kinds of
flowers.
Quang
An flower market on
As a
big and well-known market in the capital city, the market place is getting
busier and busier prior to Tet, the most important holiday of Vietnamese
people.
Though
situated outside the dyke of the
This
year, the market offers more varieties of flowers, which are transported from
different areas: peach blossoms and chrysanthemum from Nhat Tan, Tu Lien
kumquat, apricot blossoms from
Quang
An market took shape from a temporary market in Nhat Tan district established
to sell flowers grown at some well-known flower villages by
When
Tay Ho district was set up in 1996, the market was moved to its present
location in Quang An district.
From
Quang An market, which is open at night to early morning, except for Tet
holidays, flowers are distributed to elsewhere in the city with most of the
buyers being wholesale dealers.
In the
pre-Tet period, the market is busy not only with flower dealers but also with
young customers who come to enjoy the bustling atmosphere or buy flowers to
decorate their home.
Visiting
the flower market has become a hobby for many Hanoians as the freshness of
colorful and fragrant flowers displayed there is a special treat to their
souls.-
Vietnamese
artists rock guitar festival in Sri Lanka
A pair
of talented Vietnamese musicians successfully represented
Nguyen
Thanh Vinh and Nguyen Van Phuc wowed the crowd at the event, the fourth of
its kind, along with 40 other leading guitarists from
The
two Vietnamese stars and other guitarists performed different classical
genres such as Flamenco, Acoustic, Jazz,
Vietnamese
Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ton Sinh Thanh, along with many diplomats and senior
officials attended the opening ceremony which took place at the Royal
Institute in
Phuc
impressed the audience with his rendition of three pieces: “Nguoi Ha Noi”
(Hanoian), “Sonata’s Chapter No 3” by Leo Brouwer and “Fuocco” by Roland
Dyens. Meanwhile, his partner Vinh received thunderous applause after playing
a repertoire of Vietnamese and Italian songs.
On
January 26-27, the two artists performed in the major Sri Lankan cities of
Tomb-sweeping
tradition in
Whenever
the Lunar New Year (Tet) comes, normally from the 23rd of the lunar December
to the New Year eve, Vietnamese families visit their ancestors’ tombs and
clean gravesites.
Everyone
has his/her own job with someone uprooting weeds while the other grows
flowers on ancestors’ gravesites or decorates the grave stones.
Vietnamese
people believe everything, including the deceased’s tombs, should be clean
and bright in celebration of the traditional New Year and to have God bless
you.
The
tradition seems more significant for old people today in busy cities, who are
afraid of young generations’ negligence of the family value in the busy
modern life.
80-year-old
Thu Lien in
That’s
why tomb sweeping tradition bears strong family identity with big families
always fixing a concrete date and writing down in the family records for
younger generations to follow, thus strengthen the family unity and value.
At the
gravesites, family members often sum up the family major events during the
year for their ancestors and invite the dead to “fly home” to enjoy Tet with
the alive.
After
the tomb sweeping day, Vietnamese families often prepare a six-dish tray of
food on the last day of the lunar December to welcome ancestors back home for
Tet. A send-off party will be held on the third or fourth day of the lunar
January, accordingly the local or family tradition.
Tet
atmosphere envelops girdle cake village
Banh
Trang or ‘girdle cake’ is an integral part of Tet to Vietnamese people,
especially those living in the Mekong Delta. In the run up to the Lunar New
Year, the atmosphere in Thanh Hung girdle cake village in Giong Rieng
district, Kien Giang province gets heated as locals hurry to make enough
cakes to provide for consumers during the holiday.
Founded
more than 80 years ago, Thanh Hung girdle cake village has 80 households
still maintaining the traditional trade.
Preparation
starts at the beginning of the 12 th lunar month, with all production
facilities stocked up with ingredients, including rice flour, copra and fuel
to make more cakes than on an average day. Therefore, locals’ income also
increases.
“We
prepare enough rice and fuel for the orders we receive. We also employ more
labourers than usual,” said Nguyen Hoang Liem from Thanh Hung commune, Giong
Rieng district.
Thanh
Hung girdle cake is famous for its delicious taste. On these days, more and
more dealers come to this trade village to order huge quantities of this kind
of cake. The product will travel to all localities across the Mekong Delta
region, in particular, An Giang, Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces. It is mainly
used to make spring rolls.
“On
Tet days, we can sell more girdle cakes than normal days as consumer demand
is higher,” said Le Thi Nga, Thanh Hung commune, Giong Rieng district.
The
trade of making girdle cake not only helps locals get out of poverty and
improve their lives, but also maintains a traditional cultural identity of
Vietnamese people.-
Northern
Vietnamese food tingles taste buds in HCM City
As the
nation’s economic hub,
“Vietnamese
culture has significant meaning whenever Tet comes. For people whose
hometowns are in the north, a family meal provides such a lot of warmth, Dang
Hong Nga from
After
many years of experience bringing northern flavours southwards, Lê Chiến
Thắng, owner of a store in
Special
offerings such as oranges, Buddha’s hand fruit and “diễn” grapefruit always
sell well on the occasion. Each Buddha’s hand fruit costs approximately one
million VND. A Buddha’s hand fruit is segmented into finger-like sections and
it has spiritual meaning. He had to order this kind of fruit in the northern
mountainous
As Tet
is approaching, the number of customers is increasing. Foodstuff prices have
all increased around 10 percent compared to the normal days, while transport
costs have also been on the rise, he said.
In the
heart of the dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, these dedicated food stores continue
determinedly with their work, quietly bringing northern Vietnamese Tet
flavours to people who opt not to go home for the New Year celebrations.-
Tourist
Areas in the
Tourist
areas in the
Can
Tho City in the Mekong Delta officially opened its first
The
province’s leaders are determined to invest more in tourist areas including
Nguyen Sinh Sac Monument to honor Ho Chi Minh’s father, flower village of Sa
Dec, Huynh Thuy Le Home Dec Town, and Tram Chim National Park where thousands
of Sarus cranes reside.
There
is no increase in price for tourism, said Director of Kien Giang Tourist
Center Nguyen Dinh Trung.
An
VNA/VNS/Nhandan/VOV/SGGP
|
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