Pictures of Vietnam cuisines on American magazine

The American Journal - Martha Stewart Living - a famous magazine dedicated to American women, has published a series of pictures of Vietnamese cuisine.

Soup with consomme pouredfrom a caremic pot.

Salad with minced pork, shrimp and grapefruit.

Salad with chicken.

Salad with vermicelli and grilled pork.

A table with many Vietnamese dishes.

 

Vietnamese bread.

Martha StewartLiving introduces many different kinds of bread. 

The difference is in the stuffing with a variety of materials.

Beef steak and asparagus salad.

 

A cup of coffee in Vietnam style.

Vietnamese cuisines are impressive because each dish goes with different sauce.

Vietnam has many kinds of spring rolls.

Beef vermicelli.

Beef noodle.

Shaved ice, litchi syrup mixed with ginger juice, served with sesame cakes.

Grilled shrimp with herbs, added with crushed peanuts and a little of lemon juice.

Grilled pork.

Fried vermicelli served with saute shrimp and mint leaves.

Grilled pork served with watermelon and cucumber salad.

 

Rice noodle with salad for hot summer days.

Crispy spring roll.

Chau Doc (Mekog Delta)

Chau Doc on the edge of the Mekong Delta is the stepping stone to Vietnam for travellers arriving from Cambodia. We arrived on the back of motorbikes that had collected us at the Cambodia/Vietnam border near the town of Tinh Bien which is 30km from Chau Doc (see Vietnam-Cambodia border crossings).

They dropped us at the very nice Trung Nguyen Hotel which overlooks the main market in the town centre. Nice, clean rooms with very helpful receptionist at just $10 a night. Another good budget option is the Thuan Loi Hotel which is right on the river where the ferry from Phnom Penh docks. The Song Sao Hotel is a good mid-range option located almost next to a small bookshop called 'the English Bookstore'. The charming owner loves to practice his English and will take you on private tours of the river.

Instead we chose to take a tour with the owner of the 'English Bookstore'. We met at his shop at 7am and walked down to the river where his friend's boat was waiting for us. First of all we headed south east along the river beyond the Victoria Hotel and met up with the approaching floating market. Our boat got right into the action and we were able to step onto one of the trader's boats as they sold all manner of fresh fruits and vegetables.

From here we crossed the river and went to see the floating fish farm houses which have fish cages under the living area. We then visited a Cham village and its mosque before returning to Chau Doc. This 2.5 hour private tour cost us just $7 for the two of us.

Sam Mountain

The other main tourist attraction of Chau Doc is Sam Mountain which is 6km from town so you'll need some transport. On our first night we were 'stalked' by one of the cyclo riders who seemed to pop up no matter which street we were on. He wanted $5 to take us to the mountain so we agreed to meet him the next afternoon and head there for sunset.

The cyclo rider picked us up at 3.30pm arriving with his wife and Downs syndrome daughter. The poor bloke works 24 hours a day to support his family as as his wife has to stay at home to look after their child. They could put her in a government school but then they'd never see her again. The cyclo man just puts his situation down to Lord Buddha and just gets on with it with a big smile on his face. A lesson to us all!

A couple of moped riders gave us a push on the way to the base of Sam Mountain then our man showed us around Tay An Pagoda, the Temple of Lady Xu and the Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau. The moped drivers then took us to the top of Sam Mountain (for a small fee) then waited for us so that we could watch the sunset over the endless padi fields with Cambodia in the distance.

It was a hard cycle back in the dark without the help of the mopeds, even more so when we got a puncture. When we paid the rider more than he'd asked for and paid for his puncture to be repaired ($7.50 in total) he seemed quite concerned and informed us that we'd given him more than we'd agreed and wanted to be sure that we were aware of it!

Ba Vi National Park offers escape from hustle of Hanoi

Ba Vi National Park offers escape from hustle of Hanoi

In spring, the forest is highlighted with striking colours of wild peach blossoms and apricot flowers, while in summer the dense forest is dryer and brighter with light sunshine beaming down through thick layers of leaves. Autumn covers most of the trees with yellow coats and winter seems to bring a fresh cool air to the space.

Located in the middle of the northern plain, Ba Vi (Three Peaks) is mentioned in the ancient legend of the Mountain God Tan Vien, and is said to be his final resting place.

The highest peak, known as King Peak, is 1,296m, followed by Tan Vien Peak (Mountain God) at 1,227m and Ngoc Hoa Peak at 1,131m. There is a temple dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh on King Peak and another to worship the Mountain God on Tan Vien Peak.

At the entrance to the park is Tien Sa Tourism Site, where a 20ha lake is surrounded by a 120ha forest.

The site is divided into several themed zones to suit various ages, including a water park of 3,000sq.m with three swimming pools and nine slides and a games area of 2,500sq.m.

Young people can enjoy boating or play tennis, football, volleyball and badminton.

Following the sloping zigzagging 12km road from the park gate, visitors will have a chance to see the rich local flora and fauna. The park is home to more than 1,200 kinds of plants, 21 of which are mentioned in Vietnam ‘s Red Book of rare and threatened species. There are also 63 species of animals.

Some old vestiges of the French occupation have recently been opened to the public at 1,000m above sea level thanks to the upgraded road leading to the ruins.

According to a French document dating back to the 1930s, the French planned to build three resorts at heights of 400, 600 and 1,000m above sea level, and were particularly keen on developing the highest one. Between 1932 and 1944, they built various facilities like a hostel, playground, church, orphanage and military basement which can still be seen today.

A jail was also built in the 1930s capable of holding up to 200 prisoners, and some of the implements used to torture the prisoners are now on display.

A new trekking route has been opened leading up to some of the parks oldest trees, mostly Bach Xanh (calocedrus macrolepis). Hundreds of them flourish at an altitude of 1,000m, and the tree offers fine wood with a gentle fragrance which is easily processed into furniture and houses.

At the end of the road, climbing over 1,000 steps leading to the temples on King Peak or Tan Vien Peak is another unforgettable experience.

From King Peak, the scenery looks like a huge painting with giant “strokes” of green grass fields, yellow rice crops and the Da River zigzagging through the undulating hills.

Cham Island – a place to discover

Cham Island – a place to discover

Considered as a beautiful pearl of Hoi An in the central coast province of Quang Nam, the Cham Island has many interesting things to explore.

Situated about 15 km from Cua Dai beach, Cham Island comprises eight islets. It is endowed by nature with terrific advantages: nice weather all year round, unspoiled and beautiful beaches and great landscape. Visitors can discover and enjoy many things on the island.

In 2009, the island was recognized as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO. It has more than 1,500 ha of natural forest and more than 6,700 ha of water surface, and is home to a critical ecosystem that includes coral reefs, seaweed and sea grass beds. The area is also rich in marine resources, including many species of ecological and economic importance.

Given these advantages, the Pearl of Hoi An has attracted tourists who are interested in adventures and nature discovery. Picnic, camping and scuba diving are among the top choices of visitors. Many positive reviews have been given by international visitors on the famous tourism forum tripadvisor.com. A New Zealand tourist who visited Cham Island in July wrote: “We had a great day out with the team from Cham Island Diving. Not only reasonably priced, but a brilliant seafood lunch, beautiful relatively quiet beach stop and great snorkeling spots.”  A Hong Kong visitor commented: “Great atmosphere, beautiful beach and fun diving!”

Some other tourists said Cham Island diving was worth of 5/5 points.

Besides a rich ecosystem, the Cham Island Marine Protected Area’s ancient monuments absolutely captivate tourists. The excavated ruins are proof of the former cultural and trade exchanges between Cham Island and countries in the region. The island was once a transshipment point of international merchant ships on the maritime silk road found in the 13th century. Famous vestiges such as Hai Tang Pagoda, Cham Well in Cam village, Temple of the Founder of the Edible Birds Nest Industry, Mausoleum of the Tutelary God reflect the prosperity of the ancient Cham and Vietnamese people thousands of years ago.

For those who like tranquility, unspoiled countryside and relaxation, the island is an appropriate destination. Its beaches which are almost untouched by humans are as beautiful as those on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province in the country’s south. Visitors can enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine. However, the island is less known due to insufficient promotion and inconvenient transportation.

Visitors can also stay overnight at a fisherman’s house. The islanders are friendly and honest. Visitors will enjoy savoring rustic but delicious dishes made with wild vegetables, fish, squid and pickles and listen to the home owner’s fishing trip stories or legends about the island.

Those who want to go to Cham Island to simply enjoy fresh seafood could take a squid catching or fishing tour. Travel agents and fishermen will take them to a fishing ground. Caught fish and squid will be served at a restaurant or right on board.

Sword Lake(HoGuom) overflowed, many Hanoi streets flooded

Heavy rain all day long on August 8 flooded Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Thai To, the streets around the Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake. The other "black spots" such as Dien Bien Phu, Le Duan, Nguyen Khuyen ... were also 40-50 cm deep.

Owing to heavy rain all day long, the Sword Lake overflowed.

Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Thai To streets were also flooded.

Workers were mobilized to prevent flooding in the city center.

Water flooded the sidewalk...

...making Dien Bien Phu Street more immense.

Nguyen Khuyen Street.

Part of Tho Nhuom Street was blocked to enable faster drainage.

Tran Hung Dao Street.

Flooding made many vehicle break down...

Prolonged congestion at Cua Nam.

Nguyen Xien Road was 40 cm deep.

A bus stop on Nguyen Xien Road.

A foreign tourist at the Sword Lake (photo VOV).

Police vehicles carry motorcycles through flooded road
Rain stopped but at noon August 9 the Road 70 in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, was still heavily flooded. The authorities sent vehicles to the site to help people.