A Mong boy smiles in Pa Co Commune, Hoa Binh Province.

Wander a tea tree forest the local Mong communities have been cultivating for hundreds of years.

Most seasoned travelers in Vietnam already know the enchanting White Thai communities of Mai Chau Valley in Hoa Binh Province.

But in the same lush valley, a group of ethnic Mong communities have begun opening their doors to tourists in Pa Co Commune.

Boasting the same rigid mountains and rich rice fields as Lac and Pom Coong hamlets, where the White Thai have been welcoming home stays for years, Pa Co also offers a centuries’ old tea forest that’s still cultivated today.

About 73 kilometers southwest of Hanoi, Mai Chau is only reachable via one of Vietnam’s most scenic drives.

After exiting the city, the road hikes up into the green limestone mountains, revealing fresh rice paddies and fruit orchards below. In the summer, each orchard is a different color as the fruits begin to ripen.

Behind the crowded shops that flank certain parts of the road, crystal clear canals and patches of jungle shine in the distance. As you approach Mai Chau Valley, traditional stilt houses can be seen interjecting themselves between the modern homes. As the road descends into Mai Chau Town, the difference is clear: modern homes along the road, stilt houses in the valley’s rice paddies.

A little over a decade ago, Mong locals in the area still lived as nomads. But now, many have settled in Pa Co Hamlet to farm tea or enter the tea processing trade in nearby Tra Day Hamlet. Here, locals offer tourists the local specialty, Shan Tuyet tea, made from trees that have been growing in Mai Chau’s highest mountains for hundreds of years.

According to Pha, director of a local tea processing business, Pa Co Hamlet is famous for its tea trees, about which the Mong communities still tell a local legend. According to the story, the trees appeared on Pa Hang Mountain hundreds of years ago when yellow -beaked phoenixes scattered tea seeds throughout the area because they liked eating tea tree fruit. It is said that the trees in the northwestern mountains of Vietnam were their favorite. The tea trees grew incredibly fast and soon formed a forest thanks to both the superb tea-growing climate and the special seeds scattered by the phoenixes.

Pa Co’s tea forest still has more than 1,000 old trees. These days, tourists can visit Pa Co to walk through the forest and sample the Mong’s centuries’ old tea recipes.

Source:vietnamnet.vn

Passenger buses continue to avoid new rest stops that have been set up to offer a safe and comfortable travelling experience, according to the Ministry of Communication and Transportation.

Buses stopped at Lac Long Rest Stop on National Highway No5. New rest stops with modern facilities have been set up to accommodate travellers.

Some of the bus drivers and passengers have complained about the services offered at the new roadside stations.

In March, the ministry began working with the Viet Nam Road Agency and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency to set up the roadside station initiative nationwide.

Thus far, three northern provinces, Ninh Binh, Bac Giang and Hoa Binh, have each built one roadside station, which offers meals, drinks, sanitation services and small parks for taking a walk.

The ministry’s roadside station programme was set up to help reduce corruption that exists between bus drivers and restaurants located along national highways.

Many drivers of passenger buses stop at the restaurants to accept free meals from them.

In addition, travel agencies often demand that buses stop at a specific time to allow passengers a rest, thus requiring an unavoidable stop at some of these facilities.

Many of these restaurants along national highways offer poor services at exorbitant prices, and often allow entrance only through a fenced area.

Some of them have physically assaulted travellers who refused to purchase food or meals, the ministry has said.

Vu The Binh, director of the National Administration of Tourism’s travel department, said the lack of professional roadside stations had hindered the development of tourism along the nation’s highways for many years.

The three roadside stations were built with Government and JICA funds, but the stations were expected to operate independently and earn their own revenue.

However, the managers of the stations, who are government employees, said sales were too low to cover all expenses, including electricity and water costs.

Yahusiro Tojo, deputy senior representative of JICA in Viet Nam, said financial support from the Government, businesses and investors was needed. Citing Japan’s experience with managing 850 roadside stations since 1993, Yahusiro said JICA would offer training to road station staff to improve services.

Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy director of the Viet Nam Road Agency, said the Government should create a policy to offer subsidies to the new roadside stations, citing national roadway laws that contain provisions on such stations.

Dinh Thi Lan, manager of one of the stations in Hoa Binh province, said inter-provincial buses were bypassing the station, and only local buses stopped to buy food and take a rest.

Dang Van Mieu, deputy director of Ninh Binh Bus Station Enterprise, said the roadside station there was located behind houses which were supposed to have been moved or destroyed. The house owners have refused to participate in site clearance, he said.

“How can passengers feel comfortable when they can’t access the restroom or facility?” he said, adding that drivers must take a side route to enter the station premises.

Nguyen Binh Minh, a driver on the Ha Noi-Ninh Binh route, said the meals were not good at the station, and that passengers had complained about poor services from waiters.

Workers at the Bac Giang province station said they offer quality services, but many passengers eat at other restaurants nearby and use the station for sanitation services and its park.

Officials in Hoa Binh and Bac Giang provinces have told station mangers to outline new business plans to improve services.

Dinh Thi Lan, manager of Hoa Binh’s station, said she was asking for financial support from the province.

Source:vietnamnet.vn

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta welcomes about 3.5 million tourists every year.

“The plan is being drawn up because the industry needs co-operation between the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, tourist businesses and tourist business associations,” said Dr Do Cam Tho of the Tourism Development Institute under the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism.

The goal of the master plan, which covers the 2010-15 period with a vision towards 2025, is to develop the region’s socio-economic, cultural and tourism development. Officials from those localities have been working together to upgrade or build new tourist infrastructure as well as encourage other economic sectors to invest in the industry.

Under the master plan, each locality would place an emphasis on its own tourist features that are not similar to others.

Joint activities

Businesses and national tourism promotion agencies must co-ordinate activities for the industry to prosper, Tho said.

Other joint activities include training personnel, building a tourism promotion centre and websites, and improving the quality of tourism products and services.

Under the plan, Kien Giang province’s Phu Quoc island, known for world-class beaches, is slated to become an international-standard eco-tourism area.

The draft plan for the island calls for luxury entertainment services, five-star hotels, casinos, conference halls, exhibition and trade centres, training centres and centres for advanced scientific research.

Also planned are duty-free zones for air and sea ports, craft villages and a centre for hi-tech agricultural production for tourism.

Officials working on the master plan said infrastructure in the quadrangle area, including bridges, roads, airports and ferries, needed to be upgraded or newly built.

More three to five-star hotels and attractive recreational facilities should be built, they said.

Tourism products were still poor and very few craft villages attracted foreign visitors, officials said.

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta welcomes about 3.5 million tourists every year.

The quadrangle of An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau and Can Tho employs 3,000 people in the tourism sector, but only 50 per cent have received formal training.

To meet the increasing demand of tourism in the region, the Delta needs at least 10,000 employees, and they should be professionally trained, according to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism.

Source:vietnamnet.vn

Near the Chinese border in the northwest province of Lao Cai and around 376 kilometers from Hanoi, Sa Pa, founded as a scenic resort by the French in 1903, is best known for its wild, unspoiled landscapes.

Sa Pa’s scenic highlights include Hoang Lien Son National Park and the awe-inspiring 3,143-meter-high Mount Fan Si Pan – the highest mountain peak in Indochina. Every year, the area attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world who come to marvel at Sa Pa’s lush vegetation and spectacular scenery.

Nestled around 1,600 meters above sea level, Sa Pa is cloud-covered and cool year-round, with occasional snowfalls in the winter.

It is said that visitors who come to Sa Pa in the summer can experience up to three seasons in a single day. In the morning and afternoon, the weather is cool like that in the spring and autumn, while at noon, it is as sunny and cloudless as a warm summer’s day.

Visitors often travel to the city of Lao Cai by train before heading by coach to Sa Pa. Upon arrival, tourists can learn about the area’s sprawling rice paddies and observe the ethnic H’Mong and Dao peoples who wear a brilliant array of colorful, traditional clothing.

Stunning terraced fields

According to a survey carried out by US-based Travel and Leisure magazine, Sa Pa’s verdant terraced fields were ranked among the seven most beautiful in the world.

The most beautiful terraced field area is Suoi Thau, which is cultivated by the Dao people.

The other fields voted most beautiful by the magazine’s readers include those in Banaye (the Philippines), Yuangyang (Yunnan, China), Ubud (Bali, Indonesia), Annapurna (Nepal), Mae Rim (Chiang Mai, Thailand), and Longji (Guilin, China).

Sa Pa’s terraced fields belong to the ethnic H’Mong, Dao and Giay people, and are located in the Muong Hoa Valley of Lao Chai District. The area totals around 10 square kilometers and tourists can visit to learn about the process of rice planting and cultivation.

The fields were described by Travel and Leisure as “Ladders to the sky” because of their astounding natural beauty.

“It’s the best place in Vietnam with a rich cultural heritage and splendid landscape,” said a Singaporean tourist.

“The scenery and people were amazing,” echoed a tourist from the UK.

Lao Cai’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also proposed that provincial authorities and the culture ministry should carry out research and compile information on Sa Pa’s terraced fields, Hoang Lien Son National Park, and an ancient rock bank to submit to UNESCO for recognition as world cultural heritage sites.

“This is a difficult task but we are trying to turn Sa Pa’s terraced fields into a world heritage site for the many foreign travelers who love Sapa and Vietnam,” said Tran Huu Son, the department’s chief.

Cultural diversity

Home to several ethnic groups like the H’Mong, Red Dao, Kinh, Tay, Giay, Hoa, and Xa Pho, Sa Pa is a mosaic of cultures and traditions. Many visitors enjoy learning about the ethnic people’s daily activities, traditions and beliefs.

Tourists are often astonished by the many billowing red headdresses worn by women of the Red Dao minority, visible all over town.

The H’Mong and Dao people make up the largest ethnic groups in the region. Their villages may appear simple and old-fashioned from afar, but many people now own mobile phones and regularly access their email from communal computers.

While some of the older generations of the ethnic minorities have had little formal education and are illiterate, most of the younger generations receive schooling and have a good command of English, French and a handful of other languages.

Tourists can also choose to go on two treks while staying in Sa Pa. The first is a 7 km journey, which takes about four hours and includes a stop for lunch. The other is a full-day adventure, covering around 17 km and following the perimeter of the rice paddies, through forested areas, past the doorsteps of tribal people’s homes, and across rivers and waterfalls.

Watching the locals go about their daily business is also an interesting experience. The children in Sa Pa work extremely hard-tending buffaloes, working in the fields, and caring for their younger siblings. Many of the young girls learn the timeless art of embroidery from their mothers.

The ethnic girls often marry young, at around age 14, and depend on the skills learned from their mothers to start new families of their own.

Sa Pa is also famous for its “love market,” which takes place on Saturday evenings. This cultural tradition once served as a way for ethnic locals to meet, socialize, and find a partner to marry.

In the past, young girls from the Red Dao hill tribes used to come to Sa Pa and sing songs to find partners. The girls would sing while hidden in the dark and when a boy found them – if they liked each other – they would disappear into the forest for three days and would then marry at a later date.

But with the development of tourism, the original love market, with its purpose of uniting young couples, has faded away. Visitors can still visit the area on Saturday nights, however, and be treated to a lively market atmosphere.

With its astonishing beauty and diverse peoples, Sa Pa is a remarkable travel destination and well worth a visit.

Source:vietnamnet.vn

Under the current laws, foreign-invested travel firms can only take foreign tourists around Vietnam, while bringing tourists abroad is the ‘playing field’ of domestic travel firms only.

However, Vietnam will allow travel joint ventures to provide outbound tours during a set period, from August 10, 2009 to December 31, 2010. Vu The Binh, Head of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said that it is now a difficult period for travel firms in the context of the global economic recession, therefore, VNAT has opened the door of the market, allowing travel joint ventures to undertake outbound tourism services.

In Circular No 498, VNAT stipulates that the management agency will have meetings with concerned agencies and travel firms every six months to review the operations of the firms.

Binh said that VNAT will also join forces with relevant agencies to inspect tours to discover and punish travel firms that violate the laws. Travel firms which provide outbound tours have to submit regular reports to VNAT every six months or make unscheduled reports to the agency when instructed.

VNAT has asked travel firms to strictly obey the current laws in providing outbound tours, including the regulations on purchasing insurance policies for tourists, sending tour guides along with delegations of tourists and signing contracts with foreign partners.

If travel firms commit violations in tourist management, VNAT could revoke firms’ right to take tourists abroad.

The decision will be valid until the end of 2010, after which a review of the operations will be carried out. After that, VNAT will send a report and make proposals to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Prime Minister on the next years’ plans.

Source:vietnamnet.vn

A captivating experience awaits visitors who choose to explore the Hoa Lan resort area on boats.

It probably makes perfect geographical and/or topographical sense that where there are springs there are waterfalls.

But to have springs, waterfalls, mountains, plains and the sea all in one place is a package deal that is difficult to resist, and this is what Hoa Lan Spring Tourist Resort offers.

Hoa Lan Spring is located in a mountain range about 18km north of Nha Trang. It is fed by many small springs from different mountains in the range. Along the six kilometer long waterway are plenty of wild plants and orchids. The spring merges with the Nha Phu Swamp that is connected to the mountain range by a smooth land area of about 20 hectares.

It is in this area that the Hoa Lan Spring Tourist Resort stands.

For visitors, the waterfalls by themselves are worth the trip. Set amidst the wilderness are many rapids and waterfalls, each with its own shape and beauty. The tallest fall cascades from a height of 350 meters, and the highest mountain peak is double that.

Since the mountains, springs and waterfalls are located on the coast, visitors can also bathe in the sea or just listen to and watch the waves sitting under a hut.

After sunset the resort offers the entertainment of a camp fire around which visitors can gather, sing, dance, tell stories and drink ruou can (ethnic wine in jar with straws). It is a perfect way to round off the evening.

Situated on the Heo Islet, the resort can be reached in about 30 minutes by motorboat from the tourist wharf of Nha Trang Town.

Apart from its diverse terrain, the resort also hosts relics of Cham ethnic people. The rock at the foot of the spring, for instance, carries an ancient Cham inscription announcing that a Cham king once stopped here.

The resort has several other attractions including an orchid garden with many varieties from Vietnam and other countries, a section with water entertainment and sports, a 400-seat restaurant, guest houses, and an entertainment park for children.

A really special treat is to row a kayak from Hoa Lan to the Mong Mo springs and the estuary, a trip that will imprint the scenic beauty of the place forever in one’s mind.

Source:VietNamNet/TN

Chu Ru women dance after honoring the Rice Goddess in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong

“Red symbolizes sweat, blood, and the energy needed to grow rice,” says Ya Hang, a 53-year old leader of the ethnic Chu Ru community in a remote Lam Dong Province village.

Hang and several other men from Proh Commune, Don Duong District, squat in the hot Central Highlands’ sun, carving two long bamboo poles.

“Black symbolizes natural calamities, which may steal farmers’ livelihoods at anytime,” Hand says as he decorates his pole with colorful hand-made flowers. “Yellow symbolizes matured rice arriving in our homes after the harvest.”

The poles are but one component of the biannual colorful Goddess of Rice Ceremony, in which the villagers give thanks for their rice harvest. The yard outside the village’s central wooden hut is littered with the makings of the ceremonial poles. The shorter pole, just less than two meters long, is called the female pole and decorated with three rings of red, black and yellow flowers. The male pole, just over two meters long, is decorated with nine rings of flowers,

The tip of the male pole is adorned with the sacred bird, Polang. The Chu Ru say the bird is a benevolent god that can drive away evil spirits that come in the form of other birds.

The Chu Ru are a matriarchal clan, and gender roles play an important part in their society.

“Only married men can make these poles,” says Hang as he plants one of the two poles firmly in the ground in front of the hut. After the other pole is planted near the entrance, the ceremony is ready to begin.

Sage says

Local shaman Ya Phu is the center of the offering ceremony. Villagers invite him to organize all kinds of sacred rituals, including weddings and funerals, as they believe he can communicate with gods and even evil spirits. Also a farmer, Phu is paid for his services in the form of chicken meat, some rice wine and beads.

The sacred hut in front of which the ceremonial poles have been placed is built of wood, bamboo and straw. The walls are angled toward the east and west. The hut’s entrance faces the southeast.

When dusk arrives, the village gathers in front of the hut. Everyone is dressed in traditional clothes and leaders carry torches.

The shaman leads a procession around the hut. Behind him stroll men carrying food offerings to the gods and a set of three gongs. At the end of the group, people carry large jars of wine.

In the hut, the gongs are leaned against the western wall. The Chu Ru believe that all life and growth originates in the east and therefore their offerings are always set on the eastern side of the hut. The offerings include cakes, chicken, pork, betel nuts, areca leaves, boiled eggs, rice, porridge and bananas. There is also one bowl of sacred, uncooked rice, in the middle of which a chicken feather stands upright.

The Chu Ru believe the Rice Goddess lives in the rice basket of each family in the village, so at the end of the ceremony, each household carries home a handful of the sacred rice to place in their family basket.

Soon, a clean live boar, tied to a bamboo pole, is brought into the hut.

People pour water from the nearby stream into the wine jars, which are only partially filled with wine and herbs. They then pour the mixture onto the pig’s head before slaughtering it.

Ya Phu pours candle wax into a bowl of burning coals, the first official invitation to the gods.

He then sits facing east, with the village elders sitting behind him, asking the gods to allow the ceremony.

Journey to the other side

Phu rhythmically rings a series of bells and chants prayers, inviting gods to come to the village for ceremony.

The shaman then leans backward in a trance-like state. This symbolizes that he is riding a horse to the gods’ world, and that the road is rough.

Phu informs the gods that the rice has been harvested and brought home. He tells the gods that the village is hosting a ceremony to thank them. On behalf of villagers, he prays for strong crops in the future and good health for everyone.

If there are any flaws in the ceremony, the shaman will have to punish himself by ritualistically drinking wine or water, or hitting himself with a whip.

After Phu speaks to the gods, two trays of pork from the newly-slaughtered pig are laid in the yard for the gods. Two more trays of meat are placed as offerings in the hut, alongside chicken, rice, wine and a bowl of porridge. One last piece of pork is hung above the gong set.

Prescience

To end the ritual, the shaman throws chicken legs and wings into the air. He then predicts the future by reading the way they have fallen, as which side it has landed on and which direction it is facing are said to be omens.

Now, the sounds of drums and gongs begin, informing people from other villages that the Chu Ru are about to celebrate.

Soon the traditional Rokel pan-pipe begins and the drums and gongs grow louder. The group moves outside and 10 young men and women dance energetically to the music.

With graceful hand gestures and glistening eyes, the women perform a dance to invite the gods to join the party.

Slowly, the dancers reach to the hut. Their howls are mighty and wild and the ambience turns mystical in nature.

People invite each other to enjoy wine, which they drink together through straws out of large communal jars. Under the bright moonlight, the whole yard smells of wine.

The village drinks, eats and dances until sunrise.

VietNamNet/TN