Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

When public interest is equated with private greed
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A man uses his mobile phone in Lenin Park, Hanoi. Many parks across Vietnam have been taken legally or illegally for projects to build hotels and trade centers.
While many countries in the world are currently working to restore green spaces with more trees and parks in their metropolitan cities, Vietnam seems to be bucking the trend.

Here, we do the opposite. We take more and more green spaces away, in a “development” process that is fuelled by rapacious greed encouraged by a flawed developmental vision.

Take Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s southern hub and also its largest city, for example. At the moment green areas cover some 535 hectares of land in the city, down 50 percent from that of 1998.

One person is estimated to have less than one square meter of green space, which is almost nothing in comparison to the rates of many developed countries where they reach up to 20-25 square meters per person.

While the city in recent years has announced plans to increase its green area, such plans can’t be compared, in quantity and scale, to the projects to build trade centers, buildings, hotels and skyscrapers.

In fact, many parks across the city have been transformed, legally or illegally, for buildings and hotels. Like the city’s first-ever water park, Saigon Water Park, in Thu Duc District, for example. In 2009 it caused a stir when its investor first closed it for an overhaul, but later built villas there without the municipal authorities’ approval.

Sometimes the “magic” is made by authorities themselves, like the project for a 46.87-hectare park in Binh Chanh District. It was first approved more than 12 years ago, but even before construction was started, the city allowed its investor to set aside four hectares for apartment buildings.

A survey by the city’s Department of Construction last year also pointed out that many park projects had been turned into buildings or residential areas.

The same situation has been seen in Hanoi, where the public in 2009 were upset when part of the Thong Nhat Park was taken for building the Novotel Hanoi, a four-star hotel.

Commercial projects are not only eating up parks and land areas assigned for parks, but also open areas which should have been used for green spaces.

For example, the HCMC authorities have recently approved the US$300-million golf complex at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Another golf complex covering 117 hectares is also being built within the Gia Lam Airport in Long Bien District, Hanoi.

But what’s worse here is that the project not only takes up rare airy spaces in the crowded cities, but also poses threats to national security and flight safety, according to experts.

Some people argue that all this is an unavoidable part of the urbanization process.

However, I would say it’s evidence of irresponsible and near-sighted planning by the agencies in charge of the country’s development policies.

It also shows how selfish businesses are by putting their benefits as priority over the public’s, health and safety.

If policy makers and people in charge don’t change their mindsets and their vision for the country’s development, this process will get us nowhere. Worse still, this “development” will lead the country to a dead end where people will have no choice but to live with pollution and various threats as part of their daily life.

By Nguyen Hang, Thanh Nien News

[jackbl]

Will we ever learn?
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It seems that lessons on safety and responsibility are never learnt in Vietnam. Or, they are learnt and almost immediately forgotten.

After every accident that kills, the “usual suspects” are trotted out with monotonous regularity: investigations show it was human error, neglect of safety measures, and so on; investigations have been launched, or are ongoing; people have been arrested and may be charged with negligence. “Concerned agencies” will launch awareness programs and measures will be taken to improve safety and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.

But they do happen.

Again and again.

In May, we had a boat accident that killed 16 people in the southern province of Binh Duong. The boat was found to have structural faults, putting it at risk of capsizing in strong winds, and the port where it operated was found to have never been licensed. How and why it operated undiscovered for months or years is never properly explained.

Now, last Friday, we had a factory fire in the northern city of Hai Phong that killed 17 and injured 21 workers of a leather footwear factory. Immediately after the accident, the police arrested six people on charges of violating labor regulations.

Initial information showed that the accident happened because burning ashes from wielding dropped on some spongy material. Worse still, agencies found that the factory had no back door, while the front door was blocked by the big fire, so the victims were trapped inside.

Many were burned to death on the spot. Some succumbed later in the hospital to serious burn injuries.

With all that has happened with previous fatal accidents, there is a slim chance that, this time, law enforcers will take into consideration the responsibilities of officials and agencies that licensed the badly-designed factory.

If people in charge had spent some time inspecting the factory before granting the license, there is no way that the 150-square-meter factory, where 40-50 workers worked with flammable materials but had no emergency exit, would get a license.

In fact, we can extend it to every sector under the licensing process.

There is no way an industrial park would be licensed without a proper waste treatment system. There is no way underground tunnels can be dug for discharging untreated effluents into rivers or other water bodies for more than 15 years without being discovered at the outset. There is no way mining projects would get licensed, knowing they would destroy the environment and livelihoods of people, without ensuring every environmental and socio-economic impact is taken into consideration. There is no way cassava or sugar planter can get licenses without adequate pollution-mitigating measures in place. There is no way that resorts and golf courses will be allowed to deface naturally beautiful landscapes with the horrifically Orwellian “eco-tourism” moniker.

This is not rocket science. It is common sense and an obvious, glaring truth that we are repeating our mistakes in a serial fashion. The current approach is to jump from situation to situation instead of preparing and executing long-term preventive solutions.

We need lasting solutions, not short-term emergency responses.

It is inexplicable that “concerned agencies” fail to grasp some of the basics despite eerily similar accidents happening many times in different fields.

There is a case to be made, however, that in the matter of accidents, the issue goes beyond culpability of officialdom or the citizenry to a question of when Vietnam as a nation can develop a “security culture” where the key principle is prevention, not problem-solving.

The culture should find expression in each and every individual so that she/he is aware of risks and unafraid to express feelings of insecurity. As a priority, laws should be established to protect people’s right to express such feelings.

These first steps are essential for developing a security culture in Vietnam.

By Thanh Nguyen

[haha_123]

Today I received a sms from my Vn gf in Vn:

Bx buon qua ox qua day voi bx du, followed by another sms
Bx buon qua ox qua day coi bx di.

Can somebody explain to me what she meant by "qua day"?
Thank you so much.

[deptrai4u]

Originally Posted by haha_123

Today I received a sms from my Vn gf in Vn:

Bx buon qua ox qua day voi bx du, followed by another sms
Bx buon qua ox qua day coi bx di.

Can somebody explain to me what she meant by "qua day"?
Thank you so much.

Qua day means come over here!

[haha_123]

Originally Posted by deptrai4u

Qua day means come over here!

Thanks for the explanation, Bro Deptrai4u.

[jackbl]

Many young people “refuse” to denounce corruption
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VietNamNet Bridge – One third of interviewed young people say they witnessed corruption related to healthcare, traffic police and business, but 40 percent of them did not denounce corruption acts.

On August 8, the Germany-based Transparency International and the Center for Community Support Development Studies, under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, announced the results of their survey of integrity among Vietnamese youth.

The young responders said they are aware of the significance of integrity and uprightness but they are still ready to act against these values for their own benefits, such as being admitted to a high-quality school or getting a job at a thriving company.
Among these older respondents, 43 percent said they would do the same.

41 percent of young respondents said that accusations of corruption wouldn’t matter.

Most of the young people with the highest educational levels feel pessimistic about the efficiency of denunciation, while most of those with the lowest educational background say denunciation is not in their affairs.

A large part of the young respondents said honesty usually results in disadvantage and that an honest person is often seen as an idiot.

“We can see that education on combating and preventing corruption is unsuccessful in developing a generation of youth who are ready and equipped with sufficient knowledge to fight corruption,” said managing director Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien of the TI’s office in Vietnam.

Young people are not at fault when they hold such views, said Dr. Dang Canh Khanh, former director of the Youth Research Institute. Khanh said what should be responsible is social mechanisms that encourage dishonesty.

Prof. Nguyen Minh Thuyet, former vice chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, says that the survey is interesting and close to the truth. He also says that this is a big issue of society.

“The survey shows that many young people did not denounce corruption because they see it is ineffective but without denunciation, many big corruption cases will not be exposed. Actually, fighting corruption is still ineffective and corruptors are often in high position,” says Prof. Thuyet.

PV

[jackbl]

They forget to mention there are also many pubs and lounges of japanese concepts around this area. e.g are Quan Nho and Bin Bin

Little Japan in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
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Unlike the capital Ha Noi with its 1000-year-old moss-covered scenery, or the quiet and romantic ancient capital Hue, Ho Chi Minh City is young and modern at only 300 years of age. Life in Ho Chi Minh City features the cultural value of both history and humanity, which have been crystallized and sublimated through the interaction of many different cultures.

Following the general trend of national openness and global integration, a community of Japanese people has come to live together in Ho Chi Minh City, quickly adapting to city life and forming a new international residence now called Little Japan. Perhaps now, such names as Yumi, Nagomi, Sashimi, and Toyota - written on lanterns, wooden pillars or signs have become more familiar to the eyes of locals.


Very different from the Western Backpacker Area in Ho Chi Minh City, the parade of restaurants in Little Japan is quiet and a little deeper as it moves backward past tight-closing doors. On this stretch of Le Thanh Ton street, only 800 metres long, there are about 20 Japanese restaurants. These Japanese restaurants not only serve the community of Little Japan but also attract domestic and foreign customers living and working in this vital city. The environment of the restaurants make Japanese customers feel at home, as do the dishes, which use ingredients imported from their native country.

It is not only Japanese but also Vietnamese people who love Japanese culture. Nguyen Truong Hai, a Sous-Chef working in a Japanese restaurant, said: “I knew Japanese cuisine just by chance. Previously, I had a passion for Japanese language and culture. I found Japanese cuisine very interesting and attractive; so, I learned to be a Japanese cook. The more I learned, the more I found Japanese cuisine to be plentiful and diverse. Among Japanese dishes, it is said that sushi is still always the unforgettable specialty to many customers.”

Nowadays, according to unofficial statistics, there are nearly 300 Japanese households living in the Little Japan area around Le Thanh Ton street. These international residents living in Vietnam have stable jobs and intend on a long stay. It is said that Little Japan in Sai Gon is very different from other Japanese areas all over the world. Here in Saigon, Japanese and Vietnamese families, as well as other foreign families, seem to exist in a more open atmosphere .The lack of borders between the Japanese and the Vietnamese has made the Japanese community in Saigon become more diverse.

Jade Gantier (Ngoc), a French student, said: "I really love to eat sushi and maki, along with many other dishes whose names I don’t know but are very tasty. I come to Japanese restaurants with my friends here 2-3 times a week.”

Safety, quiet and easy-living is what Japanese people have commented on when speaking of life in Ho Chi Minh City. Moreover, they have the warm affection of their Vietnamese neighbors. Just as many people think, the best way to cope with life change is the promotion of culture and tradition of a nation, in order to preserve its happiness, success and achievements. The Japanese have done it thoroughly and nicely in Vietnam.

Nowadays, the relations between Japan and Vietnam have been set up on the basis of economic development. According to the latest survey by the Japanese External Trade organization, Vietnam is the first choice of Japanese investors when seeking investment opportunities in Asian countries. It is reasonable to believe that Little Japan could develop further in the near future, not only in Saigon, but also in other major Vietnamese cities.

[jackbl]

For Bros who are living with family in hcmc.....

A weekend getaway with family
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Our family love to go out of town once in a while and last month we decided to go to an eco-friendly resort in Dong Nai. This hidden beauty is not very popular amongst tourists nor expats. Vuon Xoai or Mango Garden is just an hour of taxi-ride from our house in Phu My Hung, Ho Chi Minh City. Once you know where to find this place, it’s going to be much easier for you to just ride on your bike on the next visit.


We spent our weekend at the resort and the trip was comfy especially for the kids. Near enough to our home and close enough to nature, it was absolutely refreshing to see green around us. Saturday was awesome; it was quiet and peaceful the whole day.

It costs VND 500,000 (US$25) for a bungalow overnight. Our accommodation had an air-conditioner, 2 double beds, a TV, a fridge, and a decent bathroom. There was no WiFi or cable connection inside the room. We did feel we were in a very remote area and there was no reason to stay in so we quickly explored outdoors. We visited the serene lakes, the spacious playground and invigorating swimming pool.

We all had a mouthful of their savory crocodile and flavorsome ostrich dishes on our first meal in their restaurant and it was divine! Food never tasted this good, I thought. We also watched the three black bears bathe, play and eat within the compound of grass, bushes and a creek. Dinner consisted of big palatable fried fish and the sweet-and-sour gustatory ‘running chicken’ (free-range chicken). Mind you, these foods are a rare commodity in Saigon, pigging out was necessary. Spending time with family in nature, eating healthy food was so relaxing.

Came Sunday and it was madness! Guests, in big groups arrived and crowded the picnic areas. Then I reckoned Sunday is the special day when the Vietnamese spend quality time with friends or families at any site such as the park, a mall or a resort.

Mango Garden has much to offer since it is packed with activities for adults and kids to play. There’s grass-skiing, four-wheeled cart sliding (similar to a go-kart but without the steering wheel), and cycling which my boys enjoyed a lot. They also explored the lake with the water-pedal boat then they went up close to a duo of monkeys on a man-made island but they were too tired to try canoeing. You can also ride on an ostrich (which we didn’t dare to do). Despite their exhaustion, my boys had the time of their lives! My younger son cried a bit after a crash from the cart slide plight but most of the time, we were filled with laughter.

As our finale, we all went around on our rented bikes greeting the ostriches, the deer, the antelopes, the four-foot long fish which Animal Planet refers to as “Monster Fish” and the other animals. On the whole, the experience was revitalizing, the view stunning; what I enjoyed the most was taking photos. I had a blast!

Now, before you get too excited in going to the place, there are some reminders though. Firstly, you should know that nobody speaks English there so it will come in handy if you have a Vietnamese friend with you or be sure to have your Vietnamese friend’s mobile number on your phonebook so you can call him to translate for you. Also, after you pay for the accommodation, they’d give you tickets for the swimming pool and breakfast. We didn’t know this so we ended up paying for the pool although it wasn’t really expensive. Thirdly, it is a must to bring a mosquito repellant. Another thing is, if you go there by taxi, ask for the driver’s mobile number or you should have at least Mai Linh’s or Vinasun’s contact number to pick you up when going back home. Last but not least, bicycles at Mango Garden were rusty and not well-maintained thus it would be best if you bring your own bicycles with you on the car/taxi.

There you go! I hope you will visit Mango Garden and add another memorable experience in Vietnam. This is really a good place to hang out with friends, to go on a date with your boyfriend/girlfriend or spend time with the family.

Tara Vargas (Filippino, teacher, blogger)

[jackbl]

Dear TS, this is for you.......

An unpackaged holiday in Nha Trang
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Nha Trang, on Vietnam’s south-central coast, carries a contradictory reputation: many people, guidebooks included, say it is home to the country’s best beach; while a recent National Geographic survey rated it as the worst beach destination in the world. With all of that in mind, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited Nha Trang for the first time over the recent holiday weekend.


I arrived early in the morning, after a long overnight bus ride up from Saigon, and my friends and I hit the beach almost immediately. We grabbed some chairs on the beach in front of the Louisiane Brewhouse, and my first reaction was to wonder what the critics were talking about: the sky was a brilliant, azure blue, the water was calm and clear, and the mountains surrounding Nha Trang Bay were stunning. Even though we were there on a holiday weekend, the beach was surprisingly empty. Sure, the sand was incredibly hot, but running from the water to the chairs wasn’t that big of a deal.

After spending a couple hours on the beach, several of us rented motorbikes from our hotel, the excellent Pho Bien, and cruised north onto the city’s coastal road. When I travel, I try my best to avoid any form of guided or package tour, not just in Vietnam, but anywhere. Occasionally, these types of tours are fine; for example when you want to learn more information about a place, such as Angkor Wat. Most of the time, however, I prefer to do my own exploring. This is the best way to interact with a country, since you can stop and go wherever you please, meet everyday people that you wouldn’t meet on a tour, and experience the location in your own way. Our bike ride proved to me, once again, that this is the way to go.

The strip along the coast was nearly empty, so traffic was of little concern as we took in the incredible views that the new road provides: shockingly blue water, scenes of fishing villages and their fishermen, and impressive mountains looming over the sea. We zoomed along until we reached Highway 1, which is a chaotic mess of honking trucks and buses, and turned around. That is the best way to travel: no set itinerary, no hour that you have to meet the tour guide, no restrictions on how long you can look at something.

The only tour-based activity I did on the trip was a day-long snorkeling adventure, and that’s only because it would be impossible to do on my own. We booked through Amazing Snorkeling Tour, and my only interaction with a tour outfit was a good own. Our guide for the day was friendly and helpful, the boat safe, and the underwater scenery excellent. The trip also included lunch on the boat, and what a meal it was! A huge feast consisting of stir-fried noodles with vegetables and tofu, fried spring rolls, steamed fish in tomato sauce, water spinach, fried chicken, rice, squid mixed with green peppers, omelets, and bananas, left us stuffed and very happy. I went on a similar trip on Koh Tao, in Thailand, earlier this year, and I believe the trip in Nha Trang was better.

While all of the previously mentioned activities were excellent, there is certainly reason to criticize some aspects of Nha Trang. Tran Phu, the main road running between the beach and the hotels, is very dangerous to cross during rush hour. There are no stoplights and, same as almost everywhere else in Vietnam, motorists have little inclination towards stopping for pedestrians. I live here in Saigon, so I’m well trained in the art crossing a Vietnamese street, but I imagine many first-time visitors to the country would be intimidated by the traffic.

Street-side hawkers are also an annoyance. I’m fine with them trying to sell me cigarettes, a book, or sunglasses on the sidewalk, but it is frustrating when you have to constantly wave them off while you are enjoying a meal at one of Nha Trang’s excellent restaurants. The staff at most establishments I visited didn’t seem to care when someone wandered all the way to the back of the restaurant to bother us at our table. The city should implement some kind of rule confining hawkers to the sidewalk.

The final annoyance is trash. There aren’t enough trash cans (or rubbish bins, as many here call them) on the streets or near the beach, which leads to huge, unsightly piles of garbage being stacked up by night’s end. One sight I distinctly remember came on my last night in Nha Trang: there were several vendors on the beach selling cans of beer from coolers, and next to them were dozens of discarded cans. I hope they were cleaned up by the morning, but I’m not sure if they were. There is also trash in the water, which is an ugly sight, not to mention dangerous for the marine life in the area. Sadly, this is another problem that is prevalent throughout the country; an issue that could certainly be improved simply by placing more trash cans in public areas. Whenever I bought a bottle of water, it took some serious effort to find a proper place to throw away the plastic that is wrapped around the bottle cap. That shouldn’t be the case.

Even taking these issues into account, I had a great time in Nha Trang. In many ways, it was far less touristy than I was expecting. Moto and cyclo drivers are far more persistent in Saigon, and few tour operators are pushy about advertising their product. The natural scenery should be enough to sell the area on its own. If you’re adventurous enough to do some exploring on your own, and know how to pick a good tour when necessary, you should love Nha Trang. World’s worst beach? Not a chance.



Michael Tatarski (American, teacher)

[jackbl]

TS, this is for you....

Birds steal the show in Tram Chim boat tour
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VietNamNet Bridge - Flocks of birds of all colors fly just above the water surface of swamps and canals or high in the sky in Tram Chim leading visitors to the heart of the national bird sanctuary in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

Various bird species hover above grass-plots and areas of blossoming white and pink lotus when tourist boats approach.

A boat tour often takes in the grass-plots and the tree-lined canals criss-crossing the serene national bird sanctuary as these are home to both common and rare bird species, including herons, storks, pelicans, spot-billed ducks and water chickens.

The boat captain dictates where he will take his guests depending on the season. From February through to the end of April nature lovers have the chance to see red-headed cranes that are in the World’s Red Book of Threatened Species, fly back from Vietnam’s neighboring countries to their sanctuary.

Of course, it takes great effort and a lot of luck to see, with your own eyes, the extremely rare cranes. But these long-necked, long-legged birds are not the only attraction in the sanctuary covering more than 7,310 hectares in the heart of Dong Thap Muoi (Plain of Reeds) and lower catchment of the Mekong River.

According to the Eco-tourism and Environmental Education Center of Tram Chim, the sanctuary is the habitat for more 230 birds species with 32 listed as rare including herons and pelicans besides 130 species of native plants, 130 species of freshwater fish, as well as various species of turtles, eels, snakes and pythons.

A trip to Tram Chim in the rainy season is also special as when the lotus blossoms on and around canals, spreading its fragrance to the fresh air to lift the spirits of visitors on both rainy and sunny days. From a high tower inside the bird sanctuary, tourists have a spectacular panoramic view.

As many tourists flock to Tram Chim in summer, you should call the center early on (067) 3827436 (067) 3827436 or email to [email protected] to reserve a boat and book a room if you want to spend the night.

Source: SGT

[jackbl]

Phu Quoc Island may have a casino
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VietNamNet Bridge – The southern province of Kien Giang plans to allocate 130 hectares to a resort with casino on Phu Quoc Island. However, investors must have at least $4 billion of capital.

Kien Giang’s Vice Chair Dang Cong Huan on July 30 said that local, central officials and international investors met to discuss this project.

The plot of land designed for this project is located in Da Chong ground in Bai Thom commune. Kien Giang will choose a foreign investor which commits to invest at least $4 billion in the project, in the form of bidding.

The casino must cover around 30,000sq.m, which is sufficient to arrange 200-400 gambling tables and 2,000 gambling machines.

The resort must have an international-standard convention center and five-star hotels with around 3,000 rooms.

Huan said that the local government would collect the land fees once, for up to 70 years of duration. The casino will be licensed for less than 30 years.


Some projects halted

On the same day, deputy head of Phu Quoc Investment and Development Management Board, Nguyen Van Sau, said Kien Giang has revoked licences granted to three investment projects on the island.

The revoked projects are: a 10ha eco-resort project in Bai Truong Commune by Dong Nam Trading and Construction Ltd; the 4ha Duong To Resort by Phu An Ltd; and a project to build an aviation trading centre by Vietnam Airlines.

Sau said these projects were cancelled either because they no longer matched the development masterplan for Phu Quoc Island or because the project owners failed to show financial capacity to implement them.

Under the masterplan for socio-economic development of Kien Giang Province by 2020 approved by the Prime Minister on July 26, Phu Quoc Island will be developed into a centrally-administered special economic zone by 2020.

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, the island is part of Kien Giang province. The district of Phu Quoc includes the island proper and 21 smaller islets. Phu Quoc is called a “Tourist Heaven”.

Phu Quoc has a diverse terrain, with mountains, forests, a plain and beaches of many kinds. It has about 100 mountains, some of which are more than 550 meters high. The island has temperate weather, so trees are abundant.

Forests cover a big area. The jungle has many precious hardwood trees. Next to the jungle is a cinnamon forest. Phu Quoc's cinnamon is thick and contains a lot of oil. In the lower hilly regions, people grow pepper, coffee, rubber and coconut. Phu Quoc's pepper is fragrant and hot and is a valuable export item.

Animals are another resource. Phu Quoc dogs are famous for their cleverness. Phu Quoc's honey is as pure as amber and has the smell of cinnamon because bees build their hives in the cinnamon forest.

Apart from pepper, another specialty of Phu Quoc is fish sauce. The fish sauce is produced mainly from anchovies and has that fish's special flavor. The sea of Phu Quoc is stocked with fish, squid, shrimp and crabs.

Phu Quoc has many beautiful pristine beaches. The sea water is pure and has the color of sapphire. The marine life at many of the southern beaches is fantastic. Several islets are suitable for swimming, diving and fishing.

From Saigon, tourists can get to the island's Duong Dong Town on a 40 minute Vietnam Airlines flight. They can also go there by boat from Rach Gia or Ha Tien, another town of Kien Giang.

Under a 10-year-development plan, the province, situated 250km south of HCM City, will upgrade the stretch of National Highway 80 between Lo Te and Rach Soi, build a coastal road south of HCM City as well as the Ha Tien – Rach Gia – Bac Lieu Highway. These projects are expected to boost development of the Rach Gia and Phu Quoc airports.

By 2020, Kien Giang will establish the Kien Luong Town and the Ha Tien City, as well as two new districts – Thanh Hung District from Giong Rieng Town, and Soc Xoai from Hon Dat Town.

PV

[jackbl]

Vacation, vacation
==============================

Dear readers,

We guess you get quite tired striving hard after a work week so let’s take a break and talk about something everyone loves: vacation!

Earlier last month, we have our readers introducing some holiday destinations in Vietnam and we did receive several good stories.

Young English teacher Michael chose to go to the beach in Nha Trang with his friends on a tour organized by themselves.

“Most of the time, [..] I prefer to do my own exploring. This is the best way to interact with a country, since you can stop and go wherever you please, meet everyday people that you wouldn’t meet on a tour, and experience the location in your own way,” Michael talks about his travelling style.

Although he did not think Nha Trang as one of the worst beach destinations in the world as rated by National Geographic, Michael still noticed the place’s ugly side caused by trash everywhere:

“There aren’t enough trash cans on the streets or near the beach, which leads to huge, unsightly piles of garbage being stacked up by night’s end [...] There is also trash in the water, which is an ugly sight, not to mention dangerous for the marine life in the area.”

While Michael went to the sea, Vietnamese reader Quynh Trung spent his holiday in the mountain. Da Lat in the central highland province of Lam Dong is said to be a romantic city due to its blooming flowers, foggy roads and a cool climate. However, Trung introduced a more adventurous way to discover Da Lat: a motorbike tour downhill to Nam Ban town.

“On our way to Nam Ban, we saw Cam Ly Waterfall and numerous green houses growing flowers. At a T-junction we turned left to head to Ta Nung Valley and soon found ourselves immersed in the greenness of a forest, surrounded by fragrant pine trees. As we set off to discover this captivating land, the wilderness gradually gave way to organized coffee plantations where we tumbled downhill toward a residential area of Nam Ban Town,” Trung described his thrilling trip.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? If you have 3-4 days off, why not plan a trip to Nha Trang or Da Lat, two sites in Vietnam famous for their scenic landscapes, and discover a part of beautiful Vietnam that you have not seen?

For those who are busy with work this summer and cannot afford a long vacation, do not worry. Tara Vargas, a Filipino travel blogger and a mother of two boys, introduced us a getaway very close to the city: Mango Garden in Dong Nai province, one hour ride from Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7.

“There’s grass-skiing, four-wheeled cart sliding (similar to a go-kart but without the steering wheel), and cycling which my boys enjoyed a lot. They also explored the lake with the water-pedal boat then they went up close to a duo of monkeys on a man-made island but they were too tired to try canoeing. You can also ride on an ostrich (which we didn’t dare to do). Despite their exhaustion, my boys had the time of their lives! My younger son cried a bit after a crash from the cart slide plight but most of the time, we were filled with laughter,” recalled Tara of the fun trip with her family.

If you’re a parent reader and just realized you haven’t taken your kids on summer vacation, maybe Mango Garden is a good choice for a weekend outing with your beloved ones.

Voilà, we hope we have provided you some ideas on where in Vietnam to travel with your partner, friends or family. Summer is going to end soon, so what are you waiting for? Whether you take a long or short vacation, we hope that you will have a lot of fun and enjoy great moments with people you love.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

[jackbl]

越南湄公河上 生活就在水中央
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　　湄公河三角洲上有好多个水上市场。这些水上市场与曼谷的水上市场各有不同，因为他们针对的买家不是游客 ，而是当地商家，所以更有一份无需媚俗于游客的纯朴。

　　我们所去的那个水上市场叫着丐让(Cai Rang)，从住宿的芹苴(Can Tho)出发，大约一个小时的船程就可抵达。据房东兼船夫兼导游说，这个水上市场每天自清晨开始到午间，船 只都会稳稳地停泊在河面上，不论晴雨，大家都会处之泰然地做着买卖，因此我们也无需特别赶早。然而，带着赶 集心情，吃过早餐后的8点左右，我们已迫不及待地催促着赶紧启程了。

　　越南水上批发市场

　　船只在湄公河各支流穿窜，两岸风光看不尽，一些本地较不容易见到的热带植物如木棉、牛奶果等巍巍站立在 河岸两旁，而红树林也稳稳地盘踞在水边。船只一路往前，阴凉的树影下，混浊的水流上，让人有种奔赴亚马逊的 微惊与遐思。

　　摩托船艇毫无困难地在浊水中前进，但见上游不断有浮萍漂流下来，有的零零星星潇洒地直奔前程，有的却拖 拖拉拉成团成扎，流经桥墩时就紧紧缠抱着不肯再走，后来流经的就自然依附其上，因此把水路堵成一道绿色的围 栏，原本畅行无阻的船艇就被挡得无法往前，看看后退又得绕上一大圈；旅人焦虑的思绪还没写在脸上，船夫已见 惯不惯地跳下船，在齐腰的水面上，熟练地用双手把那些紧捆的“萍串”给拉扯出来往旁丢去，瞬间空出一条水路 。原先大家还担心着这一折腾，会否错过了市场上的热闹？其实是杞人忧天，因为这些障碍物对有经验的船夫来说 根本是司空见惯，所谓靠水吃水，还不三两下子就把它摆平？


　　抵达目的地，只见整个宽广的水中央，停泊着数不尽的载满货物的船只，但大家都各有地盘似的，静静地做着 自己的买卖，一点市场上的吆喝熙攘声都听不到。因此我们得以安静的心情，让船在这个大卖场里环绕进出，左拐 右观，来回捕捉生活的见证。时逢越南旱季，无风无雨亦无阴。才没多久，大家的汗滴已一颗颗没完没了地自额头 往脸颊脖子随地心吸力朝下直淌，艳阳炙人下，才了解导游为什么坚持要我们戴上越南特有的竹笠，才明白为什么 很多越南女性总以棉织品把自己包裹得只剩下双眼，也才明白越南女性为什么肌肤赛雪！

　　丐让是个批发性质的水上市场，供需品的买卖双方是来自四面八方的当地人。主要销售米粮蔬菜类，很多是直 接从农家收购到此批发买卖，也有人卖着自家田里的农产品。当天所见包括胡萝卜、萝卜、南瓜、沙葛、黄瓜、莲 雾、马铃薯、西瓜、黄梨、番薯等应时果菜。但是不管船家卖的是什么，那些货物都是清洗得异常干净排列得非常 整齐，高叠如一堆堆的小山头。


　　高挂竹竿做买卖

　　有趣的是，每一艘做买卖的货船上，都在船头或船尾高高撑起一根竹竿，竹竿上挂着的瓜果蔬菜，就是那艘货 船所卖的农产品，这样一来，远处就可一目了然，想进货黄梨的就把船开向高挂着黄梨的船只，想买番薯的就开向 高吊着番薯的那艘，以此类推。不但方便，而且省时，又不必浪费大家的时间在河面上兜兜转转影响水上交通。竹 竿挂货，在蓝天白云的俯视下，形成艳阳河上一道非常独特的风景。而这一切，相信是做买卖的小商人想出来的自 然妙方，应该不关什么交通部长运筹帷幄后才定出来的把式。

　　看着那些把货物堆积得满满高高的货船上，船家在艳阳下挥汗抛掷货物的干劲，不能想象他们有的竟是连夜开 了数百公里的水路，远道而来。因为根据船名，可以看出这些货船来自哪一个乡镇，想不到就那么一艘普普通通的 木板船，竟可在摩托的仆仆声中，不远数百公里而来，可见生活之不易。

　　也有人为了方便，以船为家，但见船上虔诚地供着船家膜拜的佛像，祭拜的鲜花在朝阳下静望众生，点燃的香 枝烟丝袅绕，是船家祈求神明保佑风调雨顺的明证。被当着客厅的船舱里有电视机、收音机等现代化设备，厨房里 锅钵齐全，洗好的衣服，男人的女人的，自在地晾在船尾等待风干，生活上必需的，在这小小的方寸 里应有尽有。

　　还有的船只，俨然水上厨房，袅袅炊烟中，一碗碗地为做买卖的人提供五脏庙的饱足。这里，不像分秒必争的 商业阵地那样令人精神紧张，倒像自家庭院般，饿了渴了，都有可亲的邻人为你送上温暖的粗茶淡饭 。

　　生活，就在水中央。

《联合早报》

[teta]

k e it di lam. thuog thoug o nha r di lam ah. nghi thi ve we choi voi gia dinh can bro help me translate thks

[KangTuo]

Originally Posted by teta

k e it di lam. thuog thoug o nha r di lam ah. nghi thi ve we choi voi gia dinh can bro help me translate thks

no i work little. mostly at home already go work. if rest then go back province visit family.