Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Enjoy Broad Bean Porridge With The Sweet Flavor
Broad bean porridge is the delicious dish with the sweet flavor and very familiar with the rural areas of Vietnam. It is also the dish that many people love.
| Broad bean is a kind of climbing plant. It only needs a simple trilles from some branches of tree to cling. It is easy to plant broad bean, since the tree grows very fast. Very soon from the sowing– time, the tree will rebound from the ground. Broad bean is very sweet, fragrant and nourishing. When broad bean is old and dry, its seeds will be taken out and used for cooking sweetened porridge.  The process of making broad bean sweetened porridge is quite simple. Firstly, the bean must be soaked into water to become soft. Then, lightly remove the thin peel of the seed; make sure that the seed will not be broken. Next, steam the bean and embalm it with sugar in about 15 minutes. Then, pour water and cook it with small fire. Mingle tapioca flour with water and slowly pour it into the pot. To make the dish more tasty and fragrant, add some garlic, a little salt and some fragrant pandan leaves. All the steps from stirring and spooning must be done carefully and lightly in order not to make the beans broken. When the dish is done, it looks so appetizing with the white and well – rounded bean floating on the yellow syrup. Broad bean sweetened porridge is attractive for the greasy taste and the fragrance of the bean, as well as the refined sweet from the combination of syrup and the bean. Some people also prefer to enjoy broad bean sweetened porridge with other kinds of sweetened porridge. However, it is highly recommended that the dish should be enjoyed when it is iced. Also, serve it with coconut milk and the dish will show how tasty it is. |
Hanoi's Coffee Culture, Like No Other
Sai Gon has coffee on high floor, and under ground, etc., whereas Hanoi has street coffee and traditional cafeteria. The competition between Trung Nguyen coffee system, modern Cappuccino coffee and traditional coffee is still equal. This reveals that the Hanoians retain some uniqueness of their ancient lifestyle.
| Coffee and the Hanoians The Hanoians drink a lot of the dark, caffeinated beverage and prefer sipping their stronger blends outside in front of a small shop with some sweet milk and a  spoonful of sugar. Every morning, on hot days of summer and cold and dull days of winter, you can easily see some here with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.For many Hanoians, the most important factor of a café is not its luxuriousness but the quality of the product. Old people love cafés which have been around a long time, located on old streets or inside deep alleys. Office workers like cafes with romantic and quiet styles like those in Pho Co Quarter. Young people prefer the noisy and busy atmosphere of modern and luxury or pavement cafés. Street Coffee… Soaking up the rhythms of the street and embracing Hanoi from all of its sides, from old to new ones, and from traditional to modern & quirky ones, you will tenderly recognize that, nothing can be better refresh us after hardworking hours than a cup of coffee on a street near Sword Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake). Basking with sunshine in the afternoon when there’s less noise from automobiles, Hanoi ends a day and opens a new paradise for culture experiences. Taking over a legacy from bygone years with the involvement of an irresistible French factor, the Vietnamese have embraced café culture in a great way. There are so many famous coffee shops in Hanoi, like Nang café (6 Hang Bac), Nhan (39D1 Hang Hanh), Quat (Quan Thanh), Quynh (Bat Dan) to Giang (Hang Gai and Lam (60, 91 Nguyen Huu Huan)… Chairs are small, literally child-sized, and are sometimes made of blue plastic or painted wood. The tables are covered with glasses of ca phe den (black coffee) or ca phe sua da (iced coffee), which come with their own picturesque drip top. Not only just for connoisseurs, these places are idea for having gossip, meeting old friends, talking to pass time of day, stealing precious moments for romantics …  Now, let’s follow a coffee connoisseur… A good example of the authentic Hanoi cafés is Hang Hanh, an atmospheric slender street veering off the city’s central Hoan Kiem Lake. In the afternoon, one may find himself inexplicably drawn to its’ wall-to-wall cafés which unfold below the shady boughs of leafy trees. Here, the annoying young and cool Vietnamese often sit and watch the world in front of their eyes. In late afternoon, with the last rays of sunshine, the place starts to buzz. At weekends, it is positively heaving with dating couples or gangs of youths desiring to be couples. If this sounds too frenetic, a more subdued place like Giang Café can be chosen! Though situated in a busy tourist shopping street, the tiny confined Giang Café attracts the serious permanent coffee lovers and soccer addicts.
Cyclo cafe in Hanoi
My next stop is Lam café - the perfect refuge for artists, poets and thespians to refresh their minds for creativeness. Situated on a shaded street, it will bring you the relaxed moments by the simple but artistically-decorated bamboo furniture, colorful framed oil paintings on the wall, ceiling fans as well as wooden table with a lot of tiny china teapots.Yet, if you ask me about my favorite one, I will not hesitate to answer that it is Quynh Café. Down in a quiet side street, this unassuming cafes’ entrance is marked by a simple red lantern and ornate ironwork doors. Stepping inside, you not only see the bamboo furniture on tiled floor but also the tiny plants adorn wooden shuttered windows. Looking on damp-streaked walls, you may surprise with wooden arrows and trumpets, farming implements and ancient hunting pistols. Breathing the cool air from the antiquated table-fan, wallowing in soft French background music, you will desire to stay longer... Coffee drinking from another approach The resurgence of tourism to these fragrant shores has led to the resurrection of the wonderful old ambience of former colonial times in many Hanoi cafés. Delightful cafés are now housed in elegant French-style villas with exquisite silk prints, meticulously polished wooden floors and pot-planted courtyards or serve delicious food all day and evening. Street cafés like the La Terrasse du Metropole on Ngo Quyen and Le Phung Hieu or Highlands Café, 84 Nguyen Du are the typical examples! Hanoi’s coffee culture calls on coffee addicts from every corner of the globe! |
Cat Ba National Park
Geographically, Cat Ba National Park is located in Cat Hai district, Hai Phong city. Belonging to Cat Ba island, the national park incorporates some of the small islands and marine water and covers 26,300ha, in which 17,300ha is on the main island and 9,000ha is of the adjacent inshore waters.
A pleasant feeling from physical features…
Most of the rain water flows into caves and grottoes and follows underground streams to the sea. There are several small lakes and ponds in the hills; the largest is Ech Lake- a permanent water body with an area of 3ha and a depth of about 50m. Ninety percent of the main island is between 50m and 200m above sea level, for example Cao Vong (331m) and Hien Hoa (302m), while only 10% of the island is below 50m in elevation.
…to climate
Featured by tropical monsoon with pronounced wet and dry seasons, the park receives the annual rainfall from 1,700mm to 1,800mm. The annual temperature at sea level is 25oC to 28oC associated with the moderate annual relative humidity is 85%. The ideal time is April and October as you may encounter the rain, even typhoons and tropical storms if you come to the park from May to September as well as some drizzle during January, February and March.
Biodiversity values
Due to the abundance of suitable moist niches within the limestone forest, Cat Ba National Park has a rich and plentiful snail fauna. It supports a diversity of natural habitats, including forested hills, small freshwater lakes, freshwater swamp forest, mangroves, sandy beaches and coral reefs. In detailed, among 839 vascular plant species have been recorded at the national park, there are 25 species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam.
Due to the isolated nature of the island and high levels of hunting, the diversity and abundance of mammals in Cat Ba are low in comparison with other national parks in Vietnam. Among the fauna of the park, the most popular are ungulate and primate, in which monkey is between 104 and 135 individuals, including only 50 to 75 adults. Also, the limestone habitat at Cat Ba National Park is an idea environment for a number of invertebrate species.
Satisfy your knowledge with human history clues.
Not only those typical characteristics, Cat Ba National park has been considered as a cradle of culture with many traces of ancient humans. Stone tools and bones found at the sites indicate that primitive man was living in the caves and grottoes on the island between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago. The example is Cai Beo Cave which is about 1.5km south-east of Cat Ba Town, has been studied intensively.
Come to the park and take actions with the local government in conservation matters! Do you know that the forests on the island are particularly valued for maintaining the water regime as well as containing important genetic resources and support ing the food chain of economically important aquatic animals such as fish, shrimp, bivalves and arthropods? That the reason why, local government as well as local people have tried their best to appeal the awareness and help from people come here to protect this vulnerable chain for further biodiversity development. Not only stop at a certain matter, as regard the whole national park, the main purpose are to preserve natural ecosystems and genetic resources, restore the native flora and fauna through replanting, re-introduction and habitat improvement as well as promote outdoor recreation and environmental education for the general public in collaboration with the tourist industry.
Amazing, exciting, surprising…
Each year, Cat Ba Island receives large numbers of domestic and overseas tourists. A significant proportion of these tourists visit the national park, either on foot, along one of the hiking trails, or by boat through the marine component. The national park can, therefore, be considered to be making an important contribution to the island's economy.
Cat Bat is a great place for hiking and outdoor activities. However, if you are not an experienced hiker, trails at Cat Ba might be quite a challenge for you to trek. In this situation, a sophisticated tour guide is highly recommended for the purpose of safety. Exploring Cat Ba, you will see one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam and the copious ecosystem. Other attractions such as limestone formations, numerous waterfalls, caves and grottoes are waiting for your arrival!
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Thursday, October 25, 2012
Tay Do Night Market
Come to Tay Do night market, visitors will enjoy an interesting travel tour. The market likes a complex picture, really illustrating the daily life of residents in the downstream of famous Me Kong Delta.
About 1km far from the centre of Can Tho city to the west of Hau river, located in Can Tho International Trade Fair Centre, Tay Do market is not only the trading centre of Southern provinces but also attractive entertainment and tourism destination.
Although the Tay Do night market was just activated few years ago, it is considered a typical, special and fascinating cultural travel destination in Can Tho which attracts not only local people but also visitors from far. Formerly, Tay Do market is a wholesale market, exchanging products with many locales in and out of the country. Besides the task of product exchanging, there are cuisine and entertainment services there. Because of its large scale and importance to the local area, Tay Do market becomes a large trading centre of Southern provinces.
The architecture of Tay Do night market is harmonious with the landscape around and has the emphasized Southern style. The market is scientifically divided into stalls which are clear, neat, and aesthetical. Roads in the market are plasticized and clearly wide.
The products in Tay Do night market are very various, meeting the requirements of residents and tourists in selecting products. Besides trading activities, there are modern entertainment services in Tay Do night market such as: games, outside music shows and other programs.
Come to Tay Do night market, visitors will enjoy an interesting travel tour. The market likes a complex picture, really illustrating the daily life of residents in the downstream of famous Me Kong Delta.
Top breakfast foods in Vietnam
Breakfast is something we often ignore when talking about cuisine. Want to find out what Vietnamese people eat for breakfast? Let's have a taste of Vietnamese breakfasts follow you feel they are really delicious foods when coming to Vietnam.
1. Pho
Pho is soup with rice or wheat based noodles that's flavored with a meat such as beef, chicken, or pork . Fresh ingredients are added to the soup or act as a topping for the soup. These ingredients may include : chopped chilies, roasted peanuts, shallots, basil, lime, bean sprouts, cilantro. Vietnamese parsley and garlic. A fish or chile sauce is almost always served with the soup. Best variety of Pho are Pho Bo Tai (rare fillet) and Pho Ga (boneless white chicken meat), Pho Bo Gau, Pho Bo Tai Nam and Pho Sot Vang. Lemon and chilly are indispensible for the best taste of Pho.
2. Bun (Rice Vermicelli)
Bun is made of rice flour but instead of flat triangle shape like Pho, Bun has small and circular shape. Recipes to make Bun’s broth are even more diverse than Pho, which result in different vermicelli dishes, most varity of Bun are Bun Cha (vermicelli and grilled chopped meat), Bun Rieu (vermicelli and crab meat soup), Bun Ca (vermicelli with fried fish), Bun Thang (varied vermicelli) and Bun Oc (vermicelli and snail), of which Bun Bo (vermicelli with beef) is specialty of Hue. Specific trait of Bun is an adequate sour taste the main ingredients of their soup are tomato, garcinia cowa and lemon lime. If you walk along some streets and stop at one rice vermicelli vendor in Hanoi or Sai Gon, you will have many chances for tasting various dishes of rice vermicelli with unforgettable flavor.
3. Mien (Cellophane Noodles/ Glass noodles)
Mien has a similar shape to Bun; however, this Chinese originated noodle is not made of rice flour; seaweed and cassava flour are used instead. That is the reason why Mien is a less-calorie food as well as a vegetarian favorable by on-diet people. Basically, main components of Mien’s broth is the same with Pho, but its spices are sourer and maybe more fishy because Mien usually eaten with sea-foods. Mien Luon (Mien with eal) is the most popular type of Mien in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi. Other variables of Mien are Mien Cua (Mien with crab meat) or Mien Ga (Mien withj chicken), Mien Ngan (Mien with goose meat).
4. Xoi (Sticky Rice)
Pho and Xoi are popular for breakfast in Vietnam. Even in the smallest lanes in Vietnam ones can find a street-stall selling Xoi in the morning or recognize one or two people carrying a basket of Xoi, covered by banana leaves. This sticky rice varies from simple low-price, some of them are Xoi Do Xanh (Xoi with green beans), Xoi Gac (Xoi colored with Gac’s oil), Xoi Ngo (Xoi wih corns), Xoi Com, Xoi Lac (Xoi with peanuts) or for commoners to higher ranks like Xoi Trung (Xoi with egg), Xoi Cha (Xoi with meat rolls) or Xoi Pate (Xoi with past ).
5. Cháo (Congee/Porridge)
Congee or rice porridge is one of the most common meals in Vietnam for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Cháo is very to cook since almost every electronic rice-cooker has porridge cooking function. Although it is considered as the poor’s food, but Cháo could be much fancier when cooked with a variety of meats. There are some kind of Chaos are Chao Ga (chao boiled with a whole chicken with bones to get the tastiest broth), Cháo Vịt (porridge with duck); Cháo Lươn (porridge with eel) and Cháo Cá (porridge with fish).
6. Trứng Vịt Lộn (Balut)
Trứng Vịt Lộn is actually duck’s embryo still laying in its shell going through fertilization process and then boiled in steamy heat. Because of this characteristic and its appearance, this dish is listed among the most terrific food for Western visitors. Nevertheless, if ones can manage your fear to taste it one time, you may find it thousand times more delicious than normal chicken egg as well as a huge amount of protein good for your heart. In Vietnam. It is favored by most people and appears in every breakfast stalls.
7. Banh Mi (Vietnamese Bread)
The sandwiches made from bánh mì include meat and soy fillings such as steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, spreadable pork liver pâté, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss, canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, head cheese and fried eggs. Accompanying vegetables such as fresh cucumber slices, cilantro (leaves of the coriander plant) and pickled carrots and daikon in shredded form. Spicy chili sauce is normally found in bánh mì sold by vendors in Vietnam.
8. Banh Cuon (Rice Flour Steamed Rolls)
Rice seems to be the mother of many Vietnamese delicious foods, yet, another specialty made of rice flour: Banh Cuon. It is covered by a thin, wide sheet of steamed rice flour and its core filled with seasoned ground pork, and minced wood ear mushroom. Banh cuon is usually served with Cha Que and special dipping sauce named “nước chấm” made only for Banh Cuon.
10.Banh Bao
Banh bao is a simple but delicious food; it’s basically a large, round dumpling filled with various ingredients include pork, onion and sausage mushrooms. The most popular version in Saigon is a mixture of ground pork, hard-boiled quail egg and Chinese sausage. The ground pork is formed into a meatball and then the eggs and chunks of sausage are added.
The mixture is then wrapped in a slightly sweetened flour dumpling and steamed to perfection. On the street, banh bao is served directly out of the steamer so you’ll want to give it some time to cool before you dig in, or you may burn your mouth.
10. Vietnamese's 'banh'
In this section we won’t discuss about an individual type of food but dozens of them. Because it is Vietnam food offers too many breakfast cakes and each of them is as popular and tasty as one another. Some most common cakes can be named as Bánh Chưng Rán, Bánh Nếp, Bánh Tẻ, Bánh Giò, Bánh Khúc, Bánh Rán, Bánh Tôm, Bánh Đúc, or Bánh Dày. There are still many more Vietnamese traditional cakes can be used for breakfast which may cost a whole essay to list out not to mention trying all of them. These are often savoury and easy to pack (like mochi in Japan) and often stuffed with mung beans. Tourists can find them in many street food stalls and from the ladies wandering the streets with a pile of Banh on their shoulder.
Pho cuon: A favourite dish for hot summer in Hanoi
The summer in Hanoi is extremly hot and often seems like a chore to face a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup (Pho) or a plate of rice. One cool and refreshing alternative is Pho Cuon, a food similars to fresh spring rolls, but basically different in a number of ways.
Many people believe that such dishes, by inducing sweat, really help lower ones body temperature and help fight the heat. Not everyone feels that way. One cool and refreshing alternative is Pho Cuon, a food similars to fresh spring rolls, but basically different in a number of ways.
The most famous places to find the dish are located on Truc Bach lake,opposite West Lake, Hanoi's largest lake. There are lots of places that offer Pho Cuon around the lake, but the easiest way to find are on Trúc Bạch road, on the north end of the lake, or Tran Vu on the south end.
Pho Cuon consists of a slightly cooked rice paper shell the same thickness as a Pho noodle. Inside this soft shell is a selection of herbs and greens - mainly cilantro, lettuce and mustard leaf - and thinly sliced beef that has been cooked with garlic and generous amounts of pepper. It is served cold with a bowl of fish sauce, boiled water, garlic, carrots, raddish, vinegar, chilli and some sugar for dipping.
Once dipped in the sauce the taste of Pho Cuon contains many of the fundamental elements of Vietnamese cuisine: slightly sweet and spicy but light and fresh. The dish is served cold and has the effect of a hearty salad on one's appetite leaving plenty of room for a few cheeky beers or to try some other delights that many of these restaurants offer like Pho Chien.
Pho Chien is similarily light summer fair; it uses the same rice noodle paper as Pho Cuon but is sliced into squares, stacked, and deep fried. It is topped with the same garlicky beef as well as field cabbage and recommended that one dip it in the Phở Cuốn sauce.
Hours can easily slip by sitting cross legged on bamboo mats as one enjoys the cool breeze of the lake and a few plates of Pho Cuon with friends. Tourists with Vietnam travel guide see a different, more relaxed side of Hanoi, as old men fish and young couples paddle along leisurely in swan boats. It is the ideal place to wile away one's time under the shade of a tree and await the cooling relief of evening.
The Pho Cuon restaurants on Truc Bach are open from morning till about nine or ten at night. The cost for a plate of about ten Phở Cuốn, a plate of Pho Chien, and four beers is just around VND200,000 (US$10). For the relief it offers from the heat, it's a steal.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Buu Phong Temple
Buu Phong Temple located on Buu Long mountain in Binh Dien, Tan Buu, about 4 km from the city of Bien Hoa is a historic 17th century Buddhist temple in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam.
There are 100 steps up the side of the hill from the road to the entrance of the temple. At the entrance is a large arched triple gate. At the front of the temple, there are inscriptions of verses on the wall. In front of the temple is a statue of Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva, erected in 1963.
Inside the highly decorated main hall is a historic statue of Amitabha Buddha. There is also a stupa behind the main hall where a sample of the relics of Gautama Buddha are enshrined.
Today, Bửu Long mountain has become an important tourist and historical attraction of Dong Nai Province. In the surrounding area, there are further stupas and statues which depict three key moments in the life of Gautama Buddha: his birth as Prince Siddhartha at Lumbini, his enlightenment under the bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya and the entering into nirvana at Kusinara.
Visitors in Vietnam tourism are warmly welcomed at the Buu PhongTemple and may watch ceremonies and take photos from the galleries. But tourists are only asked to wear trousers or skirts covering the knee, remove their shoes before entering, and remain as quiet as possible during ceremonies.
Visiting Linh Son pagoda in Dalat
The road to the pagoda is different from others with some horse gnawing grass, unlike with noisy streets below with much traffic.
Located on a hill of 4ha on Nguyễn Văn Trổi Street, nearly 1 kilometer northwest of Da Lat city, Linh Son pagoda was built from 1936 to 1940 through donations from Buddhists everywhere, especially the efforts of Võ Đình Dung and Nguyễn Văn Tiếng.
The entrance path is in the shade of pine rows and immeasurably high rubbers. Right at front yard, tourists in Vietnam tours can see the statue of Avalokitesvara standing on the lotus throne, the octagonal three-storey tower on the left, and the miniature mountains with beautiful bonsai trees on the right.
There is a lake standing out in relief of green grass patch, colorful water lilies, gold fish swimming carefree, making a cheerful sight. 
The pagoda bears EastAsian architecture, with two simple down-roofs; on the top a pair of dragons meandering in worship of the Sun. Alongside the step path to the sanctuary, there are also a pair of open-mouthed dragons engraved elaborately, a symbol of Dragon Deity preserving Dharmas.
The Buddha’s altar inside is decorated solemnly. The sanctuary is used for the worship of Buddha Shakyamuni deeply meditating in ecstasy on the lotus throne. The statue was cast of brass in 1952, weighting 1250 kg.
Most Venerable Thích Từ Mẫn has been the highest superior since 1964 and Buddhism’s Managing Council of Lam Dong province has its office here.
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