Hanoi cancels Phuc Tho Buffalo Fighting Festival
A buffalo fighting festival in Phuc Tho District has been cancelled this year because of controversy over concern it promotes cruelty to animals.
Nguyen Khac Loi, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, signed the order banning the festival on January 27.
The Phuc Tho Buffalo Fighting Festival attracted considerable local and international media attention last year when 76 fought, with the winning beast publicly slaughtered, ostensibly as an offering to deities, but the meat was sold at high prices.
In response to widespread criticism about the cruelty of the event, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Anh Tuan, asked localities not to organize events that might incite violence.
Embassy brings detained fishermen home from Malaysia
A delegation from the Embassy of Vietnam in Malaysia has visited the 86 Vietnamese fishermen being detained in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak.
The delegation briefed the fishermen on the policy of the Party and the State as well as their return procedures.
They also worked with the authorities of the detention camp on measures to bring 57 out of the 86 fisherman home before the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival which will begin on February 7.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Pham Cao Phong presented gifts to the fishermen and called on them to observe the laws of Vietnam and other nations, including the host country.
He pledged to accelerate the procedures for the last 29 to go home as soon as possible.
The Ambassador also called for better communication to raise the public awareness of international law, domestic laws and regulations, particularly among fishermen working offshore in other nations’ waters.-
Lao officials pay Tet visit to Nghe An
Officials from several Lao localities paid visits to the bordering districts of Thanh Chuong and Que Phong in the central province of Nghe An on the occasion of the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
The officials, from the Saychamphone district in Bolykhamxay province and Xamtay district in Houphane province, have extended their best New Year wishes to people in the Vietnamese localities.
Nghe An has 419 km of borderline with three Lao provinces – Xiengkhouang, Bolykhamxay and Houphane.
The neighbouring provinces have coordinated effectively to maintain security and order along the border and boost socio-economic development in each locality.
In 2014, trade between Vietnam and Laos reached 1.3 billion USD, up 14.2 percent from 2013.
In the first half of 2015, it reached 686 million USD.
Japanese expert hails 12th National Party Congress’s success
The 12th National Party Congress’s theme has devoted space to national protection, making it different from previous events, a Japanese expert has said.
Talking with Vietnam News Agency reporters, Prof. Furuta Motoo, an expert on Vietnam from the University of Tokyo, noted that the Congress’s focus on national defence mirrors the rapid, complicated and unpredictable developments of the regional and international situations.
According to Furuta, Vietnam does not pursue a policy of confrontation but attaches importance to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment while safeguarding the nation.
Lauding the external guidelines put forth by the Congress, the Professor expressed his belief that they will contribute to preserving peace and stability in the region and the world at large.
Another spotlight of the Congress is democracy, he said, quoting the Political Report presented at the event as saying that democracy in the Party is the nucleus to promoting democracy in society.
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s re-election as the Party chief demonstrates that the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) attaches importance to the sense of inheritance and stability.
Under the leadership of the CPV, Vietnam won victories during wars against French and US forces and gained stable socio-economic development over the past 30 years of reform, the expert noted.
Regarding Vietnam-Japan ties, Furuta noted his belief that Vietnam’s foreign policy will help enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries and that personnel training will be a promising area of cooperation for the two countries.-
Expatriates celebrate traditional Lunar New Year
Vietnamese diplomatic representative agencies in many countries have hosted a myriad of activities to join expatriates in celebrating the traditional Lunar New Year festival (Tet), which is only one week away.
In London, more than 300 Vietnamese people, including businesspersons and students, and their British friends gathered at an event held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK on January 31.
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao said the homeland reaped a number of massive integration and development achievements last year, which were greatly contributed by overseas Vietnamese.
He asked the expatriate community to expand their efforts to consolidate solidarity, integrate into the local society, popularise Vietnam’s images, and deepen the Vietnam – UK strategic partnership.
Participants at the gathering enjoyed traditional Tet dishes and spring-themed songs performed by Vietnamese students.
At a similar function in Jakarta on January 31, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Hoang Anh Tuan reviewed highlights in bilateral relations, including two-way trade at 5.4 billion USD in 2015, which is expected to hit 10 billion USD in 2018.
The same day, Vietnamese people in China’s Hong Kong and Macau shared the Tet joy at a celebration in Hong Kong under the host of the Vietnamese Consulate General.
On January 30, expatriates in Singapore also marked the year’s biggest festival at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy. The embassy and the Vietnamese people’s liaison board there used the occasion to launch a programme calling for spiritual and material support for soldiers on Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
Pre-Tet get-togethers were also held by the Vietnamese embassies worldwide, including in Italy, Slovakia, Israel, Austria, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada.
Hoa Binh, Laos’s Houaphane province step up friendship relations
Vietnam’s northern province of Hoa Binh and Laos’s northeastern province of Houaphane agreed to enhance ties based on mutual respect and rights in line with the two nations’ policies and international conditions.
The agreement was made during a meeting between authorities of the localities in Hoa Binh on January 31.
The leaders of the two provinces informed each other of the results of Vietnam’s 12th National Party Congress, the eighth Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and socio-economic development in each locality in 2015.
Hoa Binh province’s economy is growing at an average pace of 10.3 percent per year. Its strengths are in agro-forestry, building materials and eco-tourism.
Meanwhile, Houaphane province has great potential to develop hydropower plants, mineral exploitation, industrial trees and animal husbandry. Being a resistance base of the two countries during wars against the US, Houaphane province has a number of relic sites.
On the same day, the Houaphane delegation paid a visit to the Cao Phong orange plantation area and the historic relic site in the provincial Military Command, where the preparatory congress for the second Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party took place.
President pays pre-Tet visit to Ha Tinh province
President Truong Tan Sang urged the central province of Ha Tinh to adopt new farming methods with a priority on productivity during his pre-Tet visit to the locality on January 30.
During his meeting with provincial leaders, the President pointed out the challenges facing Ha Tinh, particularly the agricultural sector, in the context of integration that creates a new legally binding environment.
Ha Tinh should offer an open mechanism in order to maximise its advantage as the locality expands to become the country’s major steel refining centre, he said.
During his tour of Duc Tho district, the State leader informed the local Party Committee, authorities and people about the outcome of the 12th National Party Congress.
He lauded Duc Tho district’s economic transformation that has helped raise the average per capital income and reduce the poverty rate in the locality.
The President urged the district to continue its agricultural restructuring efforts and take advantage of opportunities afforded by the integration process in order to compete with farm produce imported from foreign countries.
The same day, President Sang visited officers and soldiers of the Military Zone 4 where he praised them for their contributions to protecting national sovereignty and economic development in Ha Tinh, as well as their external relations with Laos.
While in Ha Tinh, the leader burnt incense in tribute to late Party General Secretaries Tran Phu in Tung Anh commune, Duc Tho district; Ha Huy Tap in Cam Xuyen commune, Cam Xuyen district; and Le Duan at Ke Go Lake.-
Free gifts, coach tickets for the needy ahead of Tet
President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan presented 120 New Year (Tet) gifts to families of war heroes, Agent Orange/dioxin victims and poor students in Giao Thuy district, in the northern province of Nam Dinh on January 30.
He also took the occasion to ask the provincial authorities to do their best for the cause of sustainable poverty reduction.
The same day, nearly 60 coaches departed from Ho Chi Minh City carrying poor students to their native regions and homes, so they can be reunited with their families ahead of the Tet festival.
The programme, co-hosted by the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Youth Union, the Support Centre for Ho Chi Minh City Students, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper and PepsiCo. Vietnam, offers free travel tickets to 5,000 poor students, workers and people living with disabilities in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
On January 31 and February 2, the next set of coaches will depart from the three cities.
Initiated in 2002, the programme has brought New Year joy to as many as 37,100 people.
Gift-giving activities were also held in the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho, the central province of Quang Nam, Ho Chi Minh City, the southern province of Hau Giang and other localities.
Nghe An urged to soon bring 12th Party Congress Resolution into realit
President Truong Tan Sang asked the central province of Nghe An to promptly bring the 12th National Party Congress’s Resolution into reality during his trip to the locality on January 31.
It is necessary for Nghe An to raise competitiveness of its products and attract more investment in order to firmly advance on the path of integration, the President said.
Bordering Laos, Nghe An should help the neighbouring country in luring investment and training officials, he suggested.
The leader also underlined the need for the locality to be creative to ease pressure caused by the international process with a view to turning itself into a moderately developing province as desired by late President Ho Chi Minh.
While in Nghe An, President Truong Tan Sang paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the Kim Lien Relic Site and national hero Mai Thuc Loan in Nam Dan district.
He also paid homage to late Party General Secretary Le Hong Phong in Hung Nguyen district.
Son La : Over 2,000 households gain electricity access prior Tet
Over 2,300 households in Na Nghiu commune, Song Ma district in the mountainous northwestern province of Son La were hooked up to the national power grid on January 30, Son La Power Company reported.
Several new transmission lines, transformer stations and electricity meters have been installed by the company to bring power to local households.
Chairman of Na Nghiu commune’s People’s Committee Lo Van Xuan said the locality is one of the most impoverished communes in the district.
To date, 25 out of 39 villages in the commune have access to the national power grid, helping to improve local living standards, he added.
The province now still has 527 off-grid village with 36,965 households. It is aiming to connect an additional 8,300 rural households to the grid in 2016.
The Son La Power Company plans to provide electricity to 72 out of the 313 off-grid villages by the end of 2016.
Son La province aims to bring national power access to 98 percent of its ethnic minority villages by 2020.
The locality is home to the Son La Hydropower Plant, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia; the Huoi Quang Hydropower Plant; and the Nam Chien Hydropower Plant. There are also 48 small-scale plants which have capacities of 3 to 30 megawatts.
The Son La Hydropower Plant has a designed capacity of 2,400 megawatts and is capable of generating nearly 10.25 trillion kWh per year.
Vietnam attends Cuba workshop on hero Jose Marti
A Vietnamese delegation led by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha attended a workshop held recently in Cuba to honour national hero Jose Marti.
Addressing the event, Ha said Vietnam and Cuba share the aspiration for peace, progress, development, solidarity and a world where each person can “live with everyone and for the interest of everyone”, as desired by Jose Marti.
The official reiterated Vietnam’s commitments to fulfilling all 17 UN Millennium Sustainable Development Goals set in 2030.
He also made proposals to help each country’s legislative body contribute more to the realisation of the goals.
The workshop, organised by the Cuban National Assembly and UNESCO, saw the participation of 500 scholars, social activists, legislators and politicians from 50 countries worldwide. The event marked the163rd birthday of Jose Marti (January 28, 1853).
Jose Marti was a prominent thinker, cultural figure and a staunch revolutionary in Latin America in the late 19th century. He led the Cuban struggle for independence in late 19th century and died on the battlefield on May 19, 1895.-
Festival highlights national culture, Buddhism
A series of vibrant activities promoting national culture and Buddhism are taking place at a festival that opened at Pho Quang Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City on January 30.
In addition to a Buddhist art space featuring statues and bonsai trees, the festival also combines a traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere through a countryside corner and a calligraphy corner, among others.
Over 400 art works including paintings, photographs, sculptures and antiques are on display at the festival. An exquisite wooden sculpture depicting the Great Buddha Sakyamunia meditating under a Bodhi tree is also on show for the first time.
According to Venerable Thich Nhat Tu from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s HCM City chapter, the festival aims to popularise Buddhism and preserve traditional cultural identity.
It will run until the middle of the first month of the lunar calendar.
US Ambassador arrives in Hue on cycling tour
US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius on January 30 arrived in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue concluding an 8-day cycle tour that departed from Hanoi to promote educational exchange and environment protection awareness.
The 840km bicycle trip “US – Vietnam: A New Journey” aimed to underscore the importance of economic growth, health care and cultural heritages, educational exchange and environmental protection to mark a new period of bilateral ties.
The ambassador said he and his entourage were warmly welcomed by very hospitable residents.
Since departing Hanoi on January 24, he has stopped by Cuc Phuong national park in Ninh Binh, Lam Kinh temple in Thanh Hoa, an orphaned children’s centre in Ha Tinh, Phong Nha caves in Quang Binh and Hien Luong bridge in Quang Tri.
Buyer beware for car rentals at Tet
The demand for self-driving cars during the nine days of Tet (Lunar New Year) in Ha Noi is on the rise, but several terms and conditions regulated by car owners have plagued customers.
Showrooms providing self-driving car services refuse to offer short-term rentals. A car owner named Duc Long told the Hai Quan (Customs) newspaper that the rental contract must last at least seven days.
Minh Phuong from Thanh Xuan District said he only wants to hire a car to return to his countryside for four days, but he cannot afford the rental cost for seven days.
Another staff member named Minh, who works at a car showroom on Thanh Xuan District’s Nguyen Xien Street, said customers must pay one-and-a-half times more than the regular price if they want to rent a car for a short period of time.
With Tet approaching, the number of customers requesting five- to seven-seat cars has risen by one-and-a-half times. As the demand surges, the rental price also goes up by 20 to 50 per cent, said Nguyen Manh Duc, a car owner on Doi Can Street.
According to a survey by Hai Quan newspaper, the rental price ranges from VND1million ($45) to VND4million ($178) per day depending on the size of the car. This means customers have to pay about VND10million ($450) at minimum if they agree to a seven-day contract.
Customers have complained that they are easily tricked by unreasonable conditions in the fine print. The Duy, a customer from Dong Da District, said the contract often limits distance and allows 250 to 300km per day. If they go over the limit, they will be fined between VND10,000 ($0.4) and VND20,000 ($0.8) per kilometre.
Many drivers were fined because they did not read the terms carefully, he said.
Another customer told Hai Quan (Customs) newspaper that he accidentally hired an old Matiz car last year without realizing its registration had expired. He was fined VND2million ($90) and his vehicle was kept by the police for 30 days.
Despite high rental prices, 70 per cent of cars have been reserved weeks before the holiday, a manager of a rental car company in Hoang Mai District said, adding that customers who deposited money in advance would be prioritised.
Breast cancer prevention in VN reaches positive results
As many as 17,000 women received breast cancer examinations during the past three years in Viet Nam, as a result of a breast cancer prevention and control project, the results of which were released at a conference on Friday.
It was Viet Nam’s first-ever comprehensive breast cancer prevention and control project, according to the Ministry of Health.
Under the project “We care for her”, which was run from 2013 to 2015 in Ha Noi, HCM City, Hue, Da Nang and Can Tho by the Supportive Fund for Cancer Patients-Bright Future Fund and the Roche Company, nearly 600 doctors from central and district hospitals received training on breast cancer prevention and treatment.
Five breast cancer patient clubs were also founded.
Two forums for breast cancer patients were organised with 400 patients and medical workers participating.
Associate professor Nguyen Thi Xuyen, Deputy Minister of Health and chairwoman of the Supportive Fund for Cancer Patients-Bright Future Fund, said that early discovery of breast cancer was vital.
“I believe that increasing understanding about breast cancer is the best prevention and really hope that breast cancer is no longer a big problem to women and they can live a happier life with more information and early detection,” she said.
Inge Kusuma, head of Vietnam Hoffmann-La Roche’s Representative Office, said that she was proud of the results, which exceeded expectations.
But many women across the country needed knowledge about their health, not only about breast cancer, but also other diseases such as ovarian cancer and cervical cancer, she said.
“Please take action together for our beloved women today so that they will not have to worry about the disease tomorrow,” she said.
During this year and the coming years, the project will continue to conduct education programmes to increase awareness of common cancers among women
In Viet Nam, more than 12,500 women suffered from breast cancer in 2010. The number is estimated to reach more than 22,600 by 2020.
Transport fares fall in Ha Noi
Following falling petrol prices since early 2015 and requests for lower transport fares, many transport enterprises started reducing fares with an average rate of 7 per cent.
It would not be reasonable for transport enterprises to not reduce fares amid falling petrol prices, said Ta Hoang Long, a resident of Kim Ma Thuong ward, Ha Noi.
Chairman of Huong Lua Taxi Company, Dinh Van Sau said customers’ expectations for reduced fares was reasonable and the company planned to lower fares by VND500 per kilometre.
Nguyen Minh taxi company also started lowering fares from VND11,200 (US$0.5) to VND10,800 ($0.48) per kilometre since last week, according to Director of the company, Nguyen Hong Minh.
The company itself decided to reduce fees to protect customers’ benefits amid reductions in petrol prices, said Minh.
On the other hand, the move to lower fares was in compliance with Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance’s directives, said Minh.
“However, it is necessary that transport enterprises be allowed to determine fares by themselves. This is how market mechanisms work”, Minh added.
Chairman of Ha Noi Transport Association, Bui Danh Lien also suggested transport prices be managed under market mechanisms so that transport enterprises could enhance their competitiveness by lowering fares and improving service quality.
In Ha Noi, more than 40 transport enterprises planned to lower fares with rates ranging from 2 per cent to 11 per cent, according to Lien.
There was a gap in reduction rate among transport enterprises because some enteprises had not raised fares despite previous increases in petrol prices, said Lien.
For example, Linh Anh taxi company in Son Tay district has maintained the rate of VND9,500 (43 cents) per kilometer since 1999.
While petrol prices account for only 20 to 30 per cent of transport fare decreases, other costs including drivers’ income and road tolls started increasing from January 1 of 2016, according to Lien.
In addition, it often takes about 15 days for an enterprise to complete price adjustment procedures while petrol prices fluctuate quickly.
A fall in taxi fares would not help to raise the volume of customers because it was the availability of taxis rather than a slight reduction in fares that mattered to customers, said Minh.
Fisherman suffering heart attack rescued
Doctors and staff from Da Nang-based Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre No 2 (MRCC2) found and rescued a fisherman suffering a heart attack in the sea off the coast of Da Nang yesterday.
The centre said the fisherman, Tran Quoc Tri, 19, from Nghia Phu commune in Quang Ngai city, working on a fishing ship, had a heart attack. He suffered convulsions before falling into unconsciousness at about 10pm on Saturday.
The victim was given first aid and brought to the MRCC2 port yesterday morning. He has been in treatment at the city’s general hospital.
Schools need to better vocational training methods
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) has acknowledged that while the quality of vocational training has improved, there remain areas of inefficiencies, as many vocational schools are not operating at full capacities.
In a written answer to a question raised by Nguyen Van Phuc, a National Assembly deputy from Ha Tinh Province, as to why many vocational schools built at the costs of billions of dong remain idle, even while Viet Nam still lacks skilled and trained workers, the ministry blamed the situation on the fact that the majority of these schools are private and cannot enroll enough students.
Further, poor training methods were cited as the reason that many vocational school graduates cannot find jobs.
A report by MOLISA indicated that 14 vocational schools were established from 2011-15 which provided 3-year training, but were unable to enroll students in 3-year and 2-year training courses. Among them, Dai An Vocational Junior College, LICOGI Technology and Vinalines College, are all privately owned and set up in 2008, 2010 and 2011, respectively, but have not been open for classes because investors cannot arrange for the needed capital, as earlier promised.
Additionally, the Farmers’ Association’s Central Committee and nine localities across the country have purchased equipment that has not been used because it does not fit into the training curricula.
The Ministry have committed to work with ministries, agencies and localities to supervise the schools to make sure the investments are properly applied. According to the MOLISA, there are 190 vocational junior colleges throughout the country, 280 intermediate vocational schools and 997 vocational centres.
Answering queries on the ability to balance the Social Insurance Fund, MOLISA said studies conducted by the ministry and relevant agencies pointed out that Pension Fund and Death Benefit Funds would not have the capacity to balance between collection and payments in the future.
To ensure the long term sustainability of the fund, the ministry has proposed carrying out a wide range of measures, including receiving payments in accordance with the contribution; adopting innovative practices in the management of social insurance and improving the effectiveness of investments.
Regarding the retirement age, the government has submitted to the National Assembly a draft Law on Social Insurance, which suggests increasing the retirement age to 62 for men and 60 for women as part of the solution for assuring the fund remains healthy.
However, the National Assembly has passed the 2014 Law on Social Insurance, which retains the current retirement ages of 60 for men and 55 for women.
In response to Phuc’s question on measures to limit labour-related accidents, the MOLISA said it has focused on policies on occupational safety and hygiene, especially the Law on Occupational Safety and Health which was approved by National Assembly on June 25, 2015.
The Law stipulates that employers are obliged to build, organize and actively coordinate with concerned agencies and organizations to ensure maintaining standards of occupational safety and hygiene at workplaces under their responsibility.
They also are required to compensate workers following labour-related accidents, as well as occupational disease insurance for workers, and implement health care and the detection of occupational diseases.
The Ministry has worked with other ministries, agencies and localities to implement measures to limit work-related accidents and strengthen supervision at high-risk areas, such as construction, mining exploitation and key projects.
Many activities have been conducted by MOLISA, including organizing training on occupational safety and health for employers and workers so employees know about their right to work in safe conditions and employers understand their responsibilities.
The national week on occupational safety and health has been held each year, in a bid to raise awareness for employers and employees.
Quake hits Quang Nam’s power plant
An earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale hit the Song Tranh Hydropower Plant No 2 in Quang Nam Province’s mountainous Bac Tra My District at about 7am yesterday.
It was the second earthquake in the month of January after the first measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale hit the area on January 24th.
Director of the hydropower plant Vu Duc Toan confirmed that the quake did not damage the reservoir or the hydropower plant dam.
Several earthquakes measuring 2.6 to 3.6 on the Richter scale struck the area in 2015.
About 25 tremors were recorded near the hydropower plant from October 3 to November 16 in 2012.
Hanoi says to resume tourist hotline following complaints
Hanoi’s Tourism Department has pledged to resume a hotline to receive complaints from tourists, after several months of inactivity.
The hotline 0941.33.66.77 will operate around the clock soon, it said.
The department’s director Do Dinh Hong said the hotline, launched in 2013, has been suspended since September last year, when the Tourism Department was separated from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The media has raised questions about the hotline last month after many tourists complained that they failed to contact the agency to report rampant shoeshine scams targeting foreigners.
Many tourists said the hotline was inactive while the landline of the tourism department was always busy.
Apart from shoeshine scams, tourists in Hanoi are also concerned about taxi scams and rip-offs.
In a recent move, the tourism department has said that it will coordinate with local police to tackle such issues and set up tourist information counters to improve its image.
Recommendations for expats staying in Vietnam for Tet
As the Vietnamese Lunar New Year approaches, local tour operators have begun offering a number of activities in the hope of providing foreign tourists, as well as expats, with local experiences during the country’s biggest national holiday.
The Lunar New Year, which Vietnamese people call ‘Tet,’ falls on February 8 this year.
Deluxe Tours Group in collaboration with Vietnam Is Awesome will have one-day tours to the southern province of Vinh Long from February 8 to 15 (the first through eighth days of the lunar calendar’s first month).
On the tour titled “Cai Be – Vinh Long 1 Day,” tourists will boat on the Cai Be River, visit local house boats, and enjoy tea and traditional Vietnamese jams while chatting with local people about the Tet holiday.
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the local bakeries that produce ‘com’ (pop rice – a favored junk food in southern Vietnam) and ‘banh trang’ (rice paper). During the visit, they will not only see how the dishes are made, but also sample the final product.
An Australian couple walks by yellow apricot flowers displayed during Tet holiday at the 23/9 Park in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.
An experienced guide will then take visitors across the Mekong River to witness local fishing and hear stories of daily life in the region.
Visitors will join a local family to experience traditional Tet holiday customs like offering lucky money to children and walking along the village to watch the Lunar New Year celebration.
At the end of the trip, participants will visit Tien Chau Pagoda in Vinh Long to experience ‘hai loc’ (collecting young buds to wish for luck in the new year).
Saigontourist, another tour operator, will also continue to offer its traditional Tet tours. As usual, the company gives many options to tourists who want to experience the holiday the way the Vietnamese do.
According to the organizer, the half-day “Tet with Saigonese” tour will bring tourists a chance to indulge themselves in the festive atmosphere of Ho Chi Minh City during Tet while visiting the flower fair it Tao Dan Cultural Park.
They will join with local people to pray for good luck and happiness at Xa Loi Pagoda (or Giac Lam Pagoda, Lang Ong Temple) and Thien Hau Temple, then take a cyclo ride around an area laden with Chinese and witness different traditions such as unicorn dance, traditional games, and more.
Participants will then come to local homes to continue Tet festivities by being greeted with the happy wish “Chuc Mung Nam Moi”(Happy New Year), offered traditional dishes, and invited to join games with the family members.
Two foreigners from Belarus are pictured reading descriptions of the meaning of Vietnamese customs and traditional activities during Tet holidays at the 2016 Tet Viet (Vietnamese Tet) Festival at the Univers.
The tour will run from February 8 to 11 (the first to fourth days of the Lunar New Year).
Meanwhile, the full-day tour “Tet in the Mekong Delta” will give visitors a full-day excursion to My Tho, a peaceful town on the bank of the Mekong River, 75km south of Ho Chi Minh City, to explore Thoi Son Islet, Vinh Trang Pagoda and experience the daily life of the locals.
The tour features a stroll through the season’s flower fair, a cruise on the Mekong River, a visit to the watermelon market, a stop at a local home living on floriculture, a traditional lunch with the locals, and a cooking practice session of ‘banh tet’ (a kind of country cake made of sticky rice and green peas).
Tourists are required not to wear shorts or sleeveless shirts in pagodas or local homes during the tours.
For those who enjoy trying local eats, the “Traditional Meal” tour of Saigon Hotpot should be considered.
Tour goers will have the chance to learn how to cook and enjoy Vietnamese traditional meals hosted in locals’ houses, as well as get to know Vietnamese food and family culture after being taken to a local market.
A “Traditional Meal” tour is offered for a group of more than 10, and can be rearranged according to tourists’ plans.
During the Tet holiday, the tour can offer more Vietnamese Tet holiday’s traditional foods at tour goers’ request.
To many Vietnamese people, Tet is a time to enjoy delicious foods, so why should expats not enjoy the traditional food for themselves?
The Time Bistro Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 is planning to offer a free buffet to about 20 expats and foreigners who want to experience special Vietnamese food for Tet.
A young Korean is seen cutting a sticky rice cake with strings made from plants at the 2016 Tet Viet (Vietnamese Tet) Festival at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the event’s organizers, the menu will include dishes like spicy mayo prawns, pomelo salad, fresh clam soup with dill, ginger poached chicken with rice and sweet melon soup.
Special Tet dishes will include ‘banh tet,’ ‘dua muoi’ (pickled vegetables), ‘cu kieu’ (pickled leek) and ‘tom kho’ (dried shrimp).
The event is scheduled to take place at the restaurant at 44 Nguyen Hue Street at 11:00 am on February 5.
Advanced registration to get the restaurant’s confirmation on attendance is required.
8 luxury cars burnt in Saigon garage fire
Eight luxury cars and hundreds of mobile phones were destroyed in a massive fire in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on January 30. No casualties have been reported.
The blaze reportedly broke out in an auto garage on Cong Quynh Street in District 1 at around 11 a.m. on January 30 before spreading to a nearby mobile phone store.
8 luxury cars burnt in saigon garage fire hinh 0
Firefighters brought the fire under control at around 12:30 p.m.
The flames consumed eight luxury cars, including two Bentleys and two Mercedes Benzes, as six other cars were moved out of the garage safely.
The garage’s owner estimated that the blaze caused tens of billions of dong of damage.
Hong Thi Bach Yen, manager of the The Gioi Di Dong store, said the fire ran so fast that her staff failed to move a large volume of mobile phones, laptops and tablets worth around VND9 billion (US$405,000) in total out.
An investigation into the cause of the blaze is ongoing.
Tho Xuan airport’s civil aviation area inaugurated
A ceremony was held on January 30 at the Tho Xuan airport, the north central province of Thanh Hoa to inaugurate its civil aviation area, four months ahead of schedule.
The event was attended by Politburo member and Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang, Vice Chairman of National Assembly Uong Chu Luu.
The project was conducted with a total investment of around VND600 billion funded by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam.
The project consists of numerous small parts including a passenger terminal, aircraft and car parks, signal aerospace and instrument landing system, meteorological observation system, lighting system and ground equipment system.
The passenger terminal was designed with two floors with total area of 5,000 square metres. It can serve 600 passengers during the rush hour and has a designed capacity of 1.2 million passengers each year.
The operation of the civil aviation area will meet the higher travel demand of passengers, contributing to the Vietnamese aviation sector’s development, particularly Tho Xuan airport’s growth.
Tho Xuan domestic airport is currently used for both civil and military purposes. Since it was opened for civil purposes in 2013, the number of passengers to the airport has significantly increased with 570,713 in 2015, up 250% against 2014.
The airport is now serving nearly 90 flights per week from Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific connecting Thanh Hoa with Ho Chi Minh City and Buon Ma Thuot.
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri