Primer for the Tet surviving.
Most expats get out of Dodge for Tet, and for good reason: While the new year is a wonderfully chilled holiday, the country virtually shuts down overnight, leaving behind exorbitant prices on everything from q-tips to cumquats and motorbike taxi rides.
If this is your first Tet in Vietnam, here’s some useful information on surviving:

Duration: The first day of Tet falls on Thursday January 22 this year. While you should count at least four days for virtually all stores and non-emergency services to close nationwide, Tet is like the price of a kilo of dragonfruit – totally negotiable depending on where you are in Vietnam.

Hanoi and HCM City should be back in operation by Monday, but people in the countryside generally take advantage of the new year to put down their hoes and binge drink for a week. Expect plenty of homemade ruou (rice wine) on offer in the countryside – especially the potent dregs by day six – and limited accommodation in areas off the tourist loop.

Family Visits: More Christmas than New Year’s Eve, Tet is a family holiday that sees most Vietnamese returning to their hometowns to see their family and friends (though increasingly city youth are heading to resort towns like Hoi An).

Inviting foreigners to a home is not unusual and is seen by some as lucky.

Normally, they say a fundamental principle of Vietnamese character is that an invitation from a southerner comes from the heart; but when a northerner invites you into his home, it’s a gesture with as much sincerity as an apology from Slobodan Milosevic.

Tet seems to be a unique anomaly to this rule. If you’re invited to visit a home, do go and be sure to bring your appetite and enough gifts in tow.

Note that the superstitions surrounding Tet place symbolic importance on the identity of the first visitor to a family’s home. Usually the man of the match is a young married stud with several children, a wife who’s a cross between Pamela Anderson and Delia Smith and loads of money. Otherwise, it’s some male relative who’s been lucky enough to skirt the chicken flu.

Make sure you don’t drop in on a family unexpectedly. Waiting for the second day of Tet to drop by is probably a safe bet.

Gifts: Giving gifts around Tet is pretty simple: anything in a red box or edible will likely go down well. Something from your “home country” could add a nice touch on a gift for a receiving family.

For work colleagues, any of the slew of colorfully wrapped liquors, boxed chocolates or sweet biscuits should suffice. Some businessmen dish out millions of dong on pricey apricot, peach blossom or cumquat trees for officials in the hopes of currying favor, but a simple gift basket should be enough for those above you on the food chain.

It is customary to pay employees double their monthly earnings for Tet.

Children typically receive crisp new bills of dong for good luck in the new year, though toys and other gifts can be given to acquaintances. In the countryside 1,000-2,000 VND of li xi (“lucky money”) per child should cover it, though more demanding city kids may expect 5,000-10,000VND. Always put the money in an envelope before giving it to children.

Carrying a few extra envelopes of li xi to give to street children is a good idea that will certainly be appreciated.

Fending off Starvation: Avoid having to eat exorbitantly priced bowls of pho every meal and stock up on food before Tet begins.

Like the stereotypical Chinese joint on Christmas day, only a few restaurants and bars catering to westerners will remain open over Tet. Expect limited menus and higher

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.

My Son Sanctuary, the world heritage site in the central province of Quang Nam, has opened to tourists at night, based on a tour called “My Son Fanciful Night”.
Tourists travel to the site on a brightly lit path in the middle of the forest and mountain. The place where a spiritual self-purification ceremony takes place is lit with candles and five other places are lit with coloured bulbs, suitable for performances and shows of Cham Brahmin costumes.

In addition, there is also a system of lights that illuminates the towers of the sanctuary. All the sound and light system is arranged in a typical way, creating a fanciful My Son at night.

Having visited the site, tourists can stay there to enjoy fresh air of the forest and mountain night. At present, there is a guesthouse serving tourists in its 10 rooms. Speciality dishes of Quang Nam province are also served.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of Quang Binh province in north-central Vietnam. It protects one of the world's two largest Karst regions with several hundred caves and grottoes Phong Nha - Ke Bang is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of Quang Binh province in north-central Vietnam. It protects one of the world's two largest Karst regions with several hundred caves and grottoes
The park covers a total area of 857.54 km² which are divided into three zones, a "strictly protected zone" (648.94 km²), an "ecological recovery zone" (174.49 km²), and an "administrative service zone" (34.11 km²).
Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park was first nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. It was recognised as a world natural heritage site at the UNESCO's 27th general assembly session being held in Paris from June 30-July 5 2003. At the session, delegates from over 160 member countries of UNESCO World Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong Nha-Ke Bang park and 30 others worldwide to the list of world heritage sites

Scientists report that there are still hundreds of hectares of primary forest in the inaccessible limestone karst as well as on the high mountain peaks. However, most of the forest in the nature reserve is restricted to ridges and hill tops, while valley bottoms have been cleared for wet rice cultivation and lower slopes for shifting cultivation of maize and cassava.
Three orchid species thought to be new to science were recently discovered at the site, and the site may be of importance for the conservation of a number of other plant species of conservation concern. However, because the remaining forest at the site is heavily disturbed and fragmented, and continues to be degraded as a result of human activities, it is unlikely that Pa Co-Hang Kia is of high importance for the conservation of bird and mammal species.

Ba Na-Nui Chua Nature Reserve is centred on Mount Ba Na, a 1,487 metre-high mountain on the border between Da Nang city and Quang Nam province. Mount Ba Na is situated to the south-east of the mountain ridge that stretches across central Vietnam, from the Annamite mountains to the Hai Van pass. However, Mount Ban Na and the montane habitats it supports are isolated from this ridge by intervening areas of lower elevation.
Streams and rivers originating in the north-west of the nature reserve feed the Ca De river, which flows into the north of Da Nang bay, while those originating in the south and east of the nature reserve feed the Yen river, which flows into the south of the bay.

In the 1920s, a group of Vietnamese intellectuals formed the Huong Ky Film Company in Hanoi. It produced documentaries on the funeral of Emperor Khai Dinh and the enthronement of Bảo Đại. There was also the silent feature, Một đồng kẽm tậu được ngựa (A Penny for a Horse). The first sound films were produced from 1937 to 1940, with Trọn với tình (True to Love), Khúc khải hoàn (The Song of Triumph) and Toét sợ ma (Toét's Scared of Ghosts) by the Asia Film Group studio in Hanoi with the participation of artist Tám Danh. The Vietnam Film Group, led by Trần Tấn Giàu produced Một buổi chiều trên sông Cửu Long (An Evening on the Mekong River) and Thầy Pháp râu đỏ (The Red-Bearded Sorcerer).
Two other films, Cánh đồng ma (The Ghost Field) and Trận phong ba (The Storm), were made in 1937 and '38 in Hong Kong with Vietnamese actors and dialogue, but both were financial failures.
The government's Ministry of Information and Propaganda formed a film department around 1945 and documented battles in the First Indochina War in the documentaries Trận Mộc Hóa (Mộc Hóa Battle) in 1948, Trận Đông Khê (Đông Khê Battle) in 1950 Chiến thắng Tây Bắc' (North West Victory) in 1952, Việt Nam trên đường thắng lợi (Việt Nam on the Road to Victory) in 1953) and Battle of Dien Bien Phu|Dien Bien Phu]] (1954).

For those who like shrimp paste made with Ca Cuong (oil taken from a flying insect) Bun Thang (chicken vermicelli soup) is a fine choice. It is said that no less than 20 spices are used to flavor the broth. While this may be an exaggeration, the preparation of Bun Thang is a meticulous process. Imagine white noodles, white chicken, reddish lean pork pie, yellow chicken skin, shredded fried egg, shredded salted shrimp, some fried turnips, salted egg yolk, onions, and spicy herbs combined in one colorful bowl.
Few can resist Cha Ca (vermicelli with fish and spring onions fired on a charcoal brazier). Perfect on a rainy afternoon in late summer, this dish is most delicious when eaten while watching the falling rain. The dish typically involves snake-head fish, although hemibagrus from Viet Tri is especially delicious. Pieces of fish are mixed with shrimp paste, galingale, saffron, pepper, dried onions and oil, stuck onto bamboo skewers and grilled over charcoal. A plate of fennel and spring onions, small pieces of coin vermicelli, a plate of roast peanuts and grilled pancakes, a cup of wine from van village, a bowl of shrimp paste mixed with lemon juice and belostomanid essence (obtained from a beetle), and pieces of grilled fish form a feast. Nutritious without being too heavy, Cha Ca is a dish that no visitor to Hanoi should miss.
Tuck into a bowl of vermicelli and you'll find that on old Vietnamese saying rings true: "Eating brings one the happiness of the gods
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More information at Trafest.com.
Email: roninreturn@yahooo.com

Eating Dog meat is more popular in the north than in the south. This is a kind of traditional dish, and it's the most famous in Nhật Tân district on the dyke road out past the flower market.
I went to this restaurant with two foreign friends who live in Hà Nội on such a very special day for Vietnamese. Yes, it was Independence day, the 2nd of September. People seemed to be surprised to see us there, but we were there anyway.
The food was good for me of course and my friends said it was an interesting experience. Cooked Dog meat is just like other dish in Vietnam, served with different herbs and ingredients according to a very special recipe. What we ordered was Grilled dog with galangal and lemongrass, Boiled Dog in a bamboo stock, Stewed Dog with finely chopped lemongrass, Steamed Dog black pudding with peanuts, apricot leaves and sweet basil, Stir fried Dog meat with finely chopped lemongrass, ginger and chilli, Steamed Dog meat over Dog stock, but our favorite was Boiled Dog leg in Dog bone stock with young bamboo. All of these dishes have to be eaten with "mắm tôm" (fermented shrimp sauce), chilli, chopped lemongrass, fresh apricot leaves and squeezed lemon.
We ended up paying 180,000Vnd for three people with five beers and a coke which is really cheap.
Duck egg in Vietnam's meals
Duck eggs are good for your health and puppies' as well. This idea maybe wierd but this is the reality in Viet Nam- Bloody popular!!!
When you eat duck eggs on the last day of the month, it erases your bad luck but it'll bring you bad luck if you eat them early in the month. It's just the same as dog meat. I usually have at least six duck eggs every week but i don't really believe in any superstitions. I eat them because I like them.
Some people like to eat young duck eggs but others love to eat them when they are a bit old, meaning you can see the whole baby duck with feathers, eyes and claws. They are traditionally eaten with shredded ginger and Vietnamese mint, salt, pepper and chilli sometimes.
Let's try one day and you might be surprised

A French architect imagined this layout in 1922, but it took stimulation from the country’s most prominent golf supporter (Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam) to spur its ultimate construction later in the decade

Today, it’s the top-rated course in Vietnam — for its classic design chops, for the incredible rise and fall of its terrain and for its flawless bentgrass conditions. Indeed, Dalat Palace is one of the few bentgrass layouts in SE Asia, thanks to Dalat’s cooler, 1,500m-high climate.

The course itself, measuring 7,009 yards (6,409 meters) from the tips, is an uninterrupted string of inventive, demanding golf holes. Its twists and undulations are breathtaking and the landscaped outlying areas are a flower maven’s delight, with bougainvillea, red salvia, impatiens, mimosa and hydrangeas.

The course was abandoned after WWII and revived in 1959. In early 1966, several months before he beat Arnold Palmer to win the U.S. Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club, Billy Casper played the course on a tour of Vietnam organized by the U.S. State Department. The course was abandoned again in 1975, after the reunification of Vietnam, and initiated its second comeback in 1993 with a multi-million dollar restoration and expansion by a group of American investors.

Through four consecutive surveys (2001, 2003, 2005 & 2007), Golf Digest has hailed the Dalat Palace GC as the top course in Vietnam in its world renown Planet Golf Survey. Asian Golf Monthly, in its 2007 survey, recognized the course as one of the top-10 in all Asia. The club is also a member of the Finest Golf Clubs of The World (London).

A full practice facility complements the golf course, with an open 290-yard driving range, a putting green and practice bunkers.