Que Huong Hotel in Nha Trang

On the recent trip to Nha TRang with my aunt I had the chance to stay at a hotel whose name is so lovely Que Huong. Que Huong Hotel is an international three star hotel, situated on the picturesque and romantic Tran Phu Boulevard of the municipal beach.
Que huong hotel is small hotel in size of only 60 rooms, but with ideally location, fully equipped facilities, excellent services and courteous hotel staff, Que huong hotel is idea hotel for your vacation at beach city Nha trang. The hotel has 60 rooms with well equipments of facility: AC, direct dial phone, color TV, in-house movie, mini bar and private bathroom with hair dryer. The restaurant of the hotel offers you both European & Oriental food, specializing in seafood. Meanwhile, Coffee Shop and Bar of hotel is the place for you to come for coffee, soft drink and cocktails. It also has Que huong club and karaoke lounge and Internet and email access.
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Sapa hotel

So great! My trip to Sapa last week was so nice and I had a good time at Sapa Hotel. This hotel is a 3-star Hotel with up-to-date equipment and luxurious and perfect services. Its wonderful and romantic terrain - encompassed by a tranquil blue-watered lake at the front and the stunningly splendid Hamrong Mountain at the back - attracts a great deal of tourists coming to the town. Its outstanding French-style architecture harmonizes beautifully with the fascinating holiday resort discovered in the French colonial period. Their 28 rooms and suites with a magnificent view over Sapa are superbly designed so that people can have the most refreshed, relaxed and entertained time in Sapa. Business Center provides the full range of business assistance services. PCs with broadband Internet connection facilitate fast Internet surfing, email, instant messaging, secretarial services, office softwares, internatinal facsimile, printing, photocopying, photo scanning.
Meetings at the hotel can be fun and unconventional. Customized to enhance specific strategic or relationship goals, different meeting set-ups table settings can enhance your conference or convention. With flexibility in mind, the catering and conference service professionals will ensure that planners experience effortless planning.
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Mountain View Hotel in Sapa

We spent 3 days last week at Sapa and we had a good time at Mountain View Hotel. This was built in the year 2000, Mountain View Hotel was one of the first hotels to be built facing down the Sapa valley. The owner and staff are hospitable, helpful and it has reasonably priced rooms. It is a favourite with budget travellers from all over the world This Ninh Hong. 23 rooms with magnificent views through large bay windows. Features include cable TV, telephone, large comfortable beds, and bathrooms with hot shower. Some deluxe rooms have fireplaces. Hotel restaurant serves a range of delicious and healthy Vietnamese, Asian, and European foods. Packed picnic lunches for trekkers are also readily available. The Mountain View Hotel is located in the center of Sapa, at the corner of Sa Pa market & Cau May Street. It’s about a 20-minute walk to Catcat Village & a 10-minute walk to Ham Rong Mountain
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Hoang Ha hotel in Sapa

To avoid the heat in Hanoi, we went to sapa last week and we had a very good time at Hoang Ha hotel in this town. Hoang Ha hotel is a new 2 stars hotel located on the advantage position of Sapa to get the panoramic view of the town and the landscapes of the mountains. It is quite quiet but really easy to access. Big and nice restaurant provide speciallities of the locality. Hoang Ha has 48 tasty rooms of different kinds: VIPs, Deluxes, and Superiors. All rooms are clean, opened and comfortable and have balcony view down to town and the mountain. The thing I like most is the helpful staff who keep a broad smile all the time to us. They even spent sometime to introduce beauty spots to us. We keep in touch with each other until now.
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Green Bamboo hotel in Sapa

During the trip to Sapa, my friends and I decided to stay at a hotel with a very Vietnamese name Green Bamboo hotel. One of the first hotels in Sapa, built in 1995 in French architecture, Green Bamboo Sapa has been known as one of the best scenery hotel and most unique architecture in Sapa with green and beautiful gardens surrounded. Since 2001, Green Bamboo has belonged to Sapa Travel Co. Ltd. It is located on the same ground with Bamboo Sapa Hotel. All 26 standard rooms (16 m2) have the basic amenities to meet your needs. They include Satellite TV, gas heater and private bathroom with hot shower. There are 4 triple rooms, 10 double rooms and 12 twin rooms.
Most rooms have balconies overlooking great views to Fansipan and Muong Hoa valley, featuring color television, private bathroom with cold and hot shower. The 250 seat restaurant serves high quality Western and genuine Vietnamese specialties. You can also look forward to great views of the Muong Hoa Valley and imposing Fan Si Pan Mountain. Live music & dance show by ethnic minority people living in Sa Pa such as H'Mong, Red Zao, Xa Pho and Day. Fridays and Saturdays only


Cheers!
Thanks!

Thanh Binh hotel in Hoi An
Being attracted by a very cute name, I decided to stay at Thanh Binh hotel and I really had a good time. Thanh Binh I Hotel at the center of the Hoian Ancient Tow, by the quiet, airy park and near some interesting palaces at Hoian Town. It has 16 larges guest rooms, which equipped the most modern standard equipment, reasonable price for tourists when stay and work at the Hoian Town. Restaurant specializes in serving Western- Asian and local dishes. It is a convenient and quiet location for those coming to the ancient town and enjoying the regional taste. The swimming pool bar serves cocktails, cold beers and a snack. It has 32 large guest rooms, which are all modern and have open space to international standard. Nineteen of them are designed in the warm oriental style and all of them include a luxury bathroom
Van Loi hotel in Hoi An
Three days at Hoi An was really a good memory and I had a good impression on the hotel where I stayed. Van Loi Hotel is located on the romantic bank of Thu Bon River, just away 5 minute walking from Hoian ancient town to the South West. It is a 5-floor hotel with a lift, a swimming pool, 2 floor-terraces have capacity of 400 seats, with traditional folk-song and musical instrument show. You can see the whole view of Hoian ancient town, Marble Mountains, Cua Dai beach, Cham Island, Hoai River, Thu Bon River and the whole forest of areca. The reasonable prices of various services such tour guide, boat trip on rivers and to Cham Island-Cua Dai beach that provided by our experienced and friendly staff, all is to meet your needs and expectations as well. The rooms are well-equipped and have a good view over the town.
Golden Sand resort in Hoi An
Satisfaction was my feeling after spending two days at Golden sand hotel on my business trip last month. At the time of opening on 30 March 2005, Golden Sand resort is the only one five star resort in Hoi An. Managed by Swiss-Belhotel group with professional service staff, an impressive care to customers are the idea resort for vacation.
Golden Sand resort is located in Cam An beach, just 5 km from the little town of Hoi An. The private beach of the resort last up to 400m, and the width of the shore up to 100m, make the resort is very large in size of up to 4 ha.
Relax on this fantastic beach resort and you will enjoy the choice of the spacious white sandy beach relaxing under a Beach Umbrella or choose to lie beside the 150-meter swimming pool that boasts two pool bars. All 102 rooms of first stage equipped with luxury amenities: AC and fan, satellite TV, safe deposit box, kettle, coffee & tea making facilities, luxury bathroom, and mini bar.
Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort
Opened in April 2001, Victoria Hoi An is one of the 5 hotels in Vietnam managed by Victoria Hotels and Resorts. Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort is situated 5 km from the little town of Hoian, along a stretch of white sand beach, one side of the resort facing the river delta and the other side, the sea. Referring to Hoian history and mix of cultures, Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort is built like a small fisherman's village, with small streets and water ponds, small houses with clay-tiled roofs and round Chinese cloth lanterns.
A special care of the individual senses and feelings has been taken to provide to each guest a warm and restful environment. 100 luxury rooms of resort are decorated in a choice of Victoria or French and Japanese. All rooms equipped with luxury bathroom, mini bar, AC and fan, satellite TV, safe deposit box, Coffee & tea making facilities and Balcony.


thanks!

The first village to specialise in making drums is thought to be Doi Tam Village in Ha Nam Province.

In 966, the King Le Dai Hanh chose to come to Doi Tam Village to plough in an annual ceremony to encourage industriousness in his people.

When the villagers learnt of the coming honorary visit, they dreamt of way to best welcome the king. Brothers Nguyen Duc Nang and Nguyen Duc Dat suggested welcoming the King ceremoniously, to the beat of a huge drum fashioned by local hands.

Upon the king’s arrival, the drum beat resounded through the land as a peal of thunder, earning admiration of neighbouring villages. The King was much delighted with the welcome and rewarded the village accordingly. He also requested the Doi Tam Village to keep making drum as its craft.

Since that time, the village acquired its traditional job. The two Nguyen brothers were honoured as the founders of the industry, and were conferred the title Trang Sam (Thunder Scholars).

Fashioning the drums involves three key steps: preparing leather for the drum surface, make the drum-barrel, and making the side cover.

The female buffalo is said to have the finest leather for making drums. It is smoothed and soaked with an anti-decay deodoriser.

Once dried, the outside layer is used to make larger drums, and the inside layer is used to make miniature drums for children.

The craftsmen then carefully choose the wood to make the drum-barrel, the best of which is found in the grapefruit tree, soft, durable, and unlikely to warp or crack.

The wood is sliced into sections, of size and degrees of curvature determined by the side of the drum. The parts of the drum are joined by varnish and layers of cotton netting.

Finally, the buffalo skin is stretched as tightly as possible over the surface of the drum and secured with nails made of bamboo.

Doi Tam Village makes many types of drums, including drums used in festivals, in cheo (Vietnamese operetta), and in schools. Thousands of drums are made for each Mid-Autumn Festival.

Legend of Lanterns light – one of Vietnamese toys on Mid-autumn festival

Lanterns, another charm of the full-moon festival, are made from bamboo and paper. Bamboo forms the frame, which is then covered with colourful paper.

The lanterns reproduce images of rabbits, stars, fish or frogs. Each of these figures has its own legend, adding mysticism to the inherent beauty of the lanterns.

Frog-shaped lanterns recall the folk saying "The frog is God's uncle. Beat him, and God beats back". The toy is representative of people's dream of plentiful rice harvest.

A lantern in the shape of a carp fish brings the legend of the carp, which passed the rain gate in a competition and transformed into a dragon. People recognised the shape as the hope that their children will surmount all challenges, and be successful.

The Don Festival, called Buon Don in Vietnamese, is expected to take place from March 22-26 in the Buon Don District, said director of York Don Park, one of official members to join the festival.
This is an annual traditional festival of the Don Village, which will also show visitors performances of gongs, UNESCO’s oral and intangible heritage of humanity.
Sports competitions such as football, volleyball and a dug-out canoe race will be held at the festival as well, said organisers.
So far, many central and local media agencies have registered to report the event, according to the organising board.
The festival is an opportunity for Vietnamese and foreign tourists to come and learn about the Don Village and York Don Park of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

Cheers,
Thanks!

Well I'm going to say thank you even if no one else does! Great info tiboy8x, keep it coming. Vietnam is somewhere I haven't been to yet... next year maybe.

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“Not all those who wander are lost.” Tolkien.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The park is part of the Annamites eco-region. According to the results of initial surveys, the primary tropical forest in Phong Nha - Ke Bang 140 families, 427 genera, and 751 species of vascular plants, of which 36 species are endangered and listed in the Vietnam Red Book. The forest is also home to 98 families, 256 genera and 381 species of vertebrates. Sixty-six animal species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book and 23 other species in the World Red Book.
In 2005, a new species of gecko was discovered here by a group of Vietnamese biologists together with biologists working for the park, Cologne Zoo in Germany and the Saint Petersburg Wild Zoology Institute in Russia.

Kon Ka Kinh National Park has an important role in upstream watershed protection for several large rivers that provide water for irrigation and domestic use for a number of districts in Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces. Additionally, the west of the national park forms part of the catchment of the Yaly hydroelectric power station.
The national park is of importance to local people as a source of natural resources, such as firewood honey and rattans. Also, the national park supports at least 110 plant species with known medicinal uses. Use of plants in traditional medicine is widespread amongst local people, although the commercial potential of these species remains largely unrealised.
The national park contains scenic landscapes and other natural features of interest to visitors.

After Reunification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam, studios in the former South Vietnam turned to making Social Realism films. Vietnamese feature film output increased and by 1978 the number of feature films made each year was boosted from around three annually during the war years to 20.
Films from the years following the war focused on heroic efforts in the revolution, human suffering created by the war and social problems of post-war reconstruction. Films from this time include Mùa gió chướng (Season of the Whirlwind) in 1978 and Cánh đồng hoang (The Wild Field) in 1979.

The shift to a market economy in 1986 dealt a blow to Vietnamese filmmaking, which struggled to compete with video and television. The number of films produced in Vietnam has dropped off sharply since 1987.
Still, a number of filmmakers continued to produce film that would be seen on the arthouse circuit. These include Trần Văn Thủy’s Hà Nội trong mắt ai? (Hanoi Through Whose Eyes?, 1983) and Chuyện tử tế (Story of Good Behavior, 1987) and Trần Anh Trà’s Người công giáo huyện Thống Nhất (A Catholic in Thống Nhất District, 1985), Trần Vũ’s Anh và em (Siblings, 1986), Ðặng Nhật Minh’s Cô gái trên sông (Girl on the River, 1987), Nguyển Khắc Lợi’s Tướng về hưu (The Retired General) and Ðặng Nhật Minh’s Mùa ổi (Guava Season, 2001).
Trần Văn Thủy's Tiếng vĩ cầm ở Mỹ Lai (The Sound of the Violin at My Lai) won Best Short Film prize at the 43rd Asia Pacific Film Festival in 1999. Đời cát (Sandy Life) by Nguyễn Thanh won best picture at the same festival the following year.
Bùi Thạc Chuyên's Cuốc xe đêm (Night Cyclo Trip) won third prize in the short film category at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000.
Better known, however, are European productions in Vietnam, such as The Lover and Indochine, as well as films by Việt Kiều directors Tran Anh Hung and Tony Bui.
Tran's first feature, The Scent of the Green Papaya won the Golden Camera at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993 and was the first Vietnamese film nominated for an Oscar in 1994. His other films include Xích lô (Cyclo, 1995) and Mùa hè chiều thẳng đứng (Vertical Ray of the Sun) in 2000.
Tony Bui's Ba mùa (Three Seasons, 1998) won prizes at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998.
Another European co-production, Mùa len trâu (The Buffalo Boy) by Nguyễn Võ Nghiêm Minh, has won numerous awards at film festivals, including the Chicago International Film Festival in 2004.
In recent years, Vietnamese filmmakers have moved in more commercial directions to try and regain audiences lost to television and DVDs.
One of the most successful films of recent years at the Vietnamese box office has been Phi Tiến Sơn’s Lưới trời (Heaven's Net), a film about corruption that closely mirrors the trial of Ho Chi Minh City gangster Nam Cam.
An even bigger film was 2002's Le Hoang's Gai nhay (Bar Girls), which depicted Ho Chi Minh City's titillating and seedy nightlife while also warning of the dangers of HIV and AIDS. Featurng the first government-approved topless scene, it spawned a sequel, Lọ lem hè phố (Street Cinderella) in 2004. Another film along these lines is Nữ tướng cướp (Gangsta Girls).
There are also comedy-romance films, such as Hon Truong Ba Da Hang Thit (Truong Ba's Soul in Butcher's Body) in 2006 Khi dan ong co bau (When Men Get Pregnant) from 2004

Dear travelers on the road,
Stop to admire the view of put an end to your sadness.
Please buy our paintings, so brightly colored,
With their cozy scenes of pigs and chickens.
Five centuries ago, young girls from Dong Ho village would sing this verse to attract travelers passing by the village's gates. Dong Ho, which lies beside the Duong River some 40km northeast of Hanoi, has long been famous for its rustic prints. Using etched wooden blocks, generations of artisans have produced these distinctive prints, once essential decorations during the Tet Lunar New Year festival.
Now in his late 60s, Nguyen Dang Che can trace his family's involvement in the print-making business back 20 generations. The walls of his small studio are lined with over 100 carved blocks, some of which are 200 years old. Like his ancestors, Mr. Che makes his own paper from the bark of the do tree, then brushes it with a paste made from crushed mussel shells to give it an iridescent shine. The paints themselves are also derived from natural ingredients: red from clay and rocks; orange from gardenia flowers; black from charred bamboo leaves; and the blue from indigo leaves.
As the old folk song suggests, these traditional prints often feature common barnyard animals like roosters, buffaloes, goats, cats, and pigs. Come New Year, people would adorn their homes with cheerful prints that portrayed scenes and animals associated with good luck, family, fertility, happiness and prosperity.
Yet as well as being decorative, these prints were intended to convey popular fables, social values or historical struggles. Some are both instructive and humorous. One popular print, known as "Mouse Wedding", depicts a fat cat demanding bribes of fish from a mouse bridal party.
According to scholars, the popularity of these prints probably peaked in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the past, no less than 17 extended families in the small village of Dong Ho made these enchanting prints. Today, just two families are engaged in this painstaking craft. The rest of the village has turned to a more lucrative pursuit, turning out paper votive offerings.
Pass by Dong Ho today and you'll be met, not by singing maidens, but by rows of ceremonial paper products, set out in the sun to dry. Visit in the 12th lunar month,, however, and it's possible to catch a glimpse of Dong Ho's past. On the 6th, 11th, 12th, 21st and 22nd days of the 12th lunar month, Dong Ho hosts a Tet market. Here, prominently displayed, you'll find the festive prints that made Dong Ho famous.
Getting there
From central Hanoi, cross the Red River over the Chuong Duong Bridge. Go straight for about 1km, then turn right on Highway 5. After 8km, turn left towards Phu Thuy commune. Drive 7 km until you reach Dong Cong Street. Turn Right on Ho Street. Dong Ho village lies off Ho Street, some 35km from central Hanoi.
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More information at Trafest.com.
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