All in Vietnam :: Hotels, Travel, Destination, History, Myths and Legends ...

The golden ax

2011-12-24T15:32:00.001+07:00

There was once a very poor man who lived near the forest. He was able to earn enough for a bare existence by cutting firewood, which his wife would barter for rice in the market place.

One day, when this man was cutting wood at the river's edge, the ax slipped from his hands and fell into the water. Although the woodcutter searched for it everywhere, it was not to be found. Discouraged, he sat down on the bank, lowered his head sadly, and wondered how he would be able to earn a living in the future. When the man raised his eyes again, he saw a little old man standing in front of him. The newcomer asked the woodcutter the reason for his unhappiness. The latter described what had happened and added that the lost ax had been his most valuable possession. Only with it would he be able to earn his daily rice.

"I am the dragon of this river," said the old man sympathetically, "and I am going to help you. If you will wait here for a minute, I will recover your ax for you."

With these words the old man plunged into the water. A few moments later, he reappeared, holding a golden ax in his hand.

"Is this your ax?" he asked.

"No," replied the woodcutter, "that is not mine. My ax was made of iron and had a wooden handle."

The river-dragon plunged into the water again and then emerged holding aloft a silver ax.

"Is this ax yours?" he asked.

Again the honest woodcutter replied in the negative.

The dragon then submerged for a third time. When he reappeared, he was holding a very ordinary iron ax in his hand.

"Is this your ax?" he asked the woodcutter.

"Yes," came the reply, "that is mine, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your assistance."

"You are an honest man," said the river-dragon then. "For that reason, in addition to this iron ax, I am going to give you one of silver and one of gold as well."

It was difficult for the simple woodcutter to find words with which to thank his benefactor. He picked up the three axes and returned to his cottage.

The evidence of all this new wealth soon aroused the speculation of the woodcutter's neighbors. With the exception of one man, however, they all wished him well.

This man was full of envy and was greatly desirous of obtaining for himself a golden or silver ax. From the woodcutter he obtained an exact description of the place on the river bank where the miraculous event had taken place. The greedy man then found an old, rusty ax and went there with it. He threw the iron ax into the water and pretended to be greatly troubled because of its loss.

The little old man appeared before the man and asked the cause of his trouble. Falsely the man described his loss and begged for the old man's assistance.

"You shall receive justice," was the reply. Thereupon, the old man plunged into the river and reappeared with a golden ax in his hand.

Before the dragon even had time to ask the question, the man shouted, "That's my ax. Give it to me at once."

"You are lying," replied the dragon angrily. Raising the ax high in the air, he struck the liar a blow on the neck, killing him instantly.

Since that time, no one has ever tried to obtain a golden ax or even a silver one from the river-dragon's hoard.

Note. This story is probably of Buddhist inspiration but Confucianists would also approve of its moral: Greed is indicted and punished; honesty is rewarded. It also illustrates Vietnamese belief in the supernatural river-dragon, a generally beneficent creature, who is said to inhabit the depths of every stream and to be able to assume human shape at will.

Sue God For Rain

2011-12-24T15:31:00.001+07:00

Once upon a time, there was no rain for long, long time. The ground cracked all over, all plants withered, animals had to suffer from thirsty.

There was so great a toad that he tried to find way to the heaven to let God know what life on theearth stood. He departed his trip and on the wayto the heaven he was supported and followed by a crab, a bee, a fox, a bear and a tiger.

At last they all were at the place they wanted to come. The toad saw a drum at the heaven's gate so he asked the crab to hide himself in the jar of water then told the bee to take shelter behind the door. After all he suggested the rest to wait outside and came back when needed. Then the great toad marched forward and took the drumstick and beat the drum far-resoundingly. Thunder genie was asked to come out to see what happened. He immediately turned back and said that there was no one but a little toad himself beating the drum. The news was annoying God so he asked a cock to peck the obstinate toad. However, this cock was unlucky one, he was killed by the fox after he fulfilled the duty. Suddenly a dog appeared and tried to attack the fox but it was the right time for our bear showed his power. The poor dog was hurled down right away and died an instant death.

The failure was instantly broken to God. He was extremely angry and sent Thunder genie out to punish troublemakers at gate. The genie violently came out with his thunder maker, unfortunately he was attacked by the bee as premonition. The genie was so frighten that he had to jump into the jar of water and immediately jumped out because it was impossible for him to continue suffering pain from the crab's sharp pincers. At last the tiger showed himself so bravely that made the violent genie stood as a stone status.

God was in an awkward situation so he had to invite the great toad and all of his friends into the court. The toad after that told God that there was no rain in the earth for four years. Everything had faced death. If things went on like that, there would be nothing survive.

God was very much afraid of the earth's rebel so he immediately made rain and carefully told the toad just to grind his teeth if the earth needed water. From that day on it may rain if toad grinds his teeth so there is a Vietnamese saying:

"Toad is god's uncle
Beat him, god beats back".

The Mountain of the Woman who is waiting for her husband

2011-12-24T15:30:00.001+07:00

Long time ago, in a village on the highland region, lived two orphans,one was a young man about twenty years old, the other was his seven years old sister. Because they were alone in this world, they were all one for the other.

Long time ago, in a village on the highland region, lived two orphans, one was a young man about twenty years old, the other was his seven years old sister. Because they were alone in this world, they were all one for the other. On a beautiful day,

On a beautiful morning, he found his wife sitting in the back yard drying her long black hair under the sunshine. At the time when she glided the comb on her hair that she lifted with her other hand, he discovered a long scar above the back of her neck. Surprised, he asked her for its cause. Hesitating, she began to tell the story crying:

I am only the adoptive daughter of the merchant. Orphaned, I lived with my brother who, fifteen years ago for unknown reasons, injured me with a blow of an ax and abandoned me in the forest. I was rescued by the robbers who sold me to this merchant who had just lost his daughter and who was sorry for my situation. I don't know what happened to my brother and it is hard for me to explain his insensitive act. However we love each other so much.

The husband overcame his emotion and asked his wife for information concerning her father's and brother's names and her native village. Taken by remorse while keeping for himself the frightening secret, he was ashamed and horrified himself. He tries to stay away from his wife and his son by taking advantage of the military draft to enroll in the army and hoping to find the delivery on the battleground.

From the day of his departure, in ignorance of the truth, his wife waited for him with patience and resignation. Every evening, she took her son in her arms and climbed up the mountain looking out for the return of her husband. She made the same gesture for entire years. On a beautiful day, reaching the top of the mountain, exhausted and stayed standing, her eyes fixed to the horizon, she was changed into rock and immobile in her eternal wait.

This mountain, known as "Núi Vọng Phu" (or The Mountain of the Woman who is waiting for her husband ) is located not far from Lạng Sơn, quite close to the Sino-Vietnamese border. At the top of the mountain is a rock bearing the shape of a standing woman holding her child in her arms. This resemblance is striking when the sun sets on the horizon. The tale of this mountain is so touching it becomes thus one of the legends preferred by Vietnamese and gives so much inspiration to Vietnamese poets.

The Story of Luu Binh and Duong Le

2011-12-24T15:29:00.003+07:00

Long ago there were two very close friends. One named Luu-Binh, came from a wealthy family; the other, named Duong-Le, came from a pool family.

Knowing that Duong-Le did not have enoughmoney to study, Luu-Binh kindly invited him to come and live with him to help him. Conscious of his poverty, Duong-Le was hard working and industrious while Luu-Binh, satisfied with his wealth, was wasteful and lazy. As expected, when the final examination arrived Luu-Binh failed while Duong-Le succeeded. He then became a high-ranking official and lived comfortably in a big house in the capital.

Luu-Binh went on with his idle, wasteful and extravagant way of life. Soon he had squandered all his fortune and was still not graduated. Reduced to bare poverty, Luu-Binh then remembered his old friend, now a high ranking official. So he made the trip to the capital and called at Duong-Le's to ask for help. Duong-Le pretended to be cold and indifferent because he knew his friend too well. If he helped him at once he would be always lazy.

"You're not my friend. All my friends are rich and important people not poor and ignorant like you." he shouted at Luu-Binh contemptuously. He then called: "Guards! See the man out. Give him some leftover rice and salt!"

Ashamed and disappointed to see that his friend was not too proud to remember their lifelong friendship, Luu-Binh sadly returned to his village, determined to study hard so that he would one day erase this shame.

In the meantime Duong-Le told his beautiful third wife, Chau-Long to dress as a girl selling silk, to go to Luu-Binh`s village, get acquainted with Luu-Binh and then propose to stay with him. She would be selling silk and supporting him while he was studying. She also promised that they would become husband and wife once he successfully completed his studies. Encouraged by that promise, Luu-Binh studied hard day and night. It was not long before the examination came again and Luu-Binh passed it. As soon as he heard the result he hurried home to share the good news with Chau-Long only to find that she had disappeared. Later on, Luu-Binh, too, was invited to serve as a high ranking official. But he did not forget the shame Duong-Le had caused him in the past. So he went to Duong-Le's to seek revenge. Duong-Le treated him completely differently when he arrived. This time he greeted him with open arms. He did not mind his friend's harsh words. Patiently waiting for his friend to calm down, Duong-Le then called his wife Chau-Long out to introduce her to his friend. Only then did Luu-Binh realize that Duong-Le, a true friend, had really helped him complete his studies. Both friends ran to each other and hugged each other tightly.

The story of Truong's wife

2011-12-24T15:29:00.001+07:00

The temple to Truong's wife is located on the side of the Hoang river, village of Vu dien, district Ly Nhan, province of Ha Nam. Here is her story. She married a man of the Truong family. After a half a year, he was conscripted to go and fight a distant war. When he left, she was pregnant. She gave birth to boy, which she name Dan. During her husband absence, as she sat with her child, she would point to her shadow and would tell him that that was his father. After three years, her husband was released from service and came home. The boy by then could talk. When he called him, he replied: You are also my dad? How can you talk now? My dad used to be silent. He came at night. He would sit when mom sat. He would move when mom moved. The husband was struck by what his son has revealed to him. He became suspicious, then questioned his wife and did not believe when she denied having been with another man. He gave her such a hard time that in despair she jumped in the Hoang river to kill herself to prove her faithfulness. Then one night, as he sat with his child, he pointed to the shadow of his father on the wall and said: My dad has come back, see! It finally struck the husband that his wife has used her shadow to provide the boy with as a surrogate father. As he came to recognize the injustice he did onto his wife, he built a altar on the river edge so that he can make offering to help free her soul. The people of the village subsequently built a temple in her honor. King Le Thanh Ton (1442 - 1497) on a tour of this province passed the temple and this inspired the following poem about her temple: This column of incense smoke by the whirlpool Is this the temple of the wife of Truong. When the oil lamp is out, do not listen to the child, Why the river to bring her misfortune. Witnesses of her faithfulness are the sun and the moon Why is it necessary to have an altar to redress the injustice Passing by we learn the ins and outs of this story Truong you have been too harsh! King Le Thanh Ton reigned from 1460 to 1497. He was one of the enlightened King of the Early Le dynasty. He made political reforms and also was a patron of the arts. He founded the 'Tao dan nhi thap bat tu', the 28-star literary society, and was their leader.

The temple to Truong's wife is located on the side of the Hoang river, village of Vu dien, district Ly Nhan, province of Ha Nam. Here is her story.

She married a man of the Truong family. After a half a year, he was conscripted to go and fight a distant war. When he left, she was pregnant. She gave birth to boy, which she name Dan. During her husband absence, as she sat with her child, she would point to her shadow and would tell him that that was his father. After three years, her husband was released from service and came home. The boy by then could talk. When he called him, he replied:

You are also my dad? How can you talk now? My dad used to be silent. He came at night. He would sit when mom sat. He would move when mom moved.

The husband was struck by what his son has revealed to him. He became suspicious, then questioned his wife and did not believe when she denied having been with another man. He gave her such a hard time that in despair she jumped in the Hoang river to kill herself to prove her faithfulness.

Then one night, as he sat with his child, he pointed to the shadow of his father on the wall and said:

My dad has come back, see!

It finally struck the husband that his wife has used her shadow to provide the boy with as a surrogate father. As he came to recognize the injustice he did onto his wife, he built a altar on the river edge so that he can make offering to help free her soul. The people of the village subsequently built a temple in her honor. King Le Thanh Ton (1442 - 1497) on a tour of this province passed the temple and this inspired the following poem about her temple:

This column of incense smoke by the whirlpool

Is this the temple of the wife of Truong.

When the oil lamp is out, do not listen to the child,

Why the river to bring her misfortune.

Witnesses of her faithfulness are the sun and the moon

Why is it necessary to have an altar to redress the injustice

Passing by we learn the ins and outs of this story

Truong you have been too harsh!

King Le Thanh Ton reigned from 1460 to 1497. He was one of the enlightened King of the Early Le dynasty. He made political reforms and also was a patron of the arts. He founded the 'Tao dan nhi thap bat tu', the 28-star literary society, and was their leader.

Why Ducks Sleep Standing On One Leg

2011-12-24T15:19:00.004+07:00

Many people must have wondered why ducks are accustomed to sleep in the funny way that they do - with one leg lifted. The Vietnamese have an interesting explanation for this.

After Heaven had completed the creation of the world, there were four ducks who found that they only had one leg each. it was difficult for them to walk, and sometimes they were unable to find enough food. They became very morose when they saw how easily other fowls and animals moved about on two legs.

One day the four unfortunate ducks held a meeting and discussed their ignoble condition. They had arrived at a point where life on one leg could no longer be endured, so they decided to lodge a complaint to Heaven. But they were entirely ignorant of Heaven's location, and they did not even know how to draft a petition.

One of them suggested that they should turn to the rooster for help. The others protested that his penmanship was so bad that no one in Heaven would be able to read the petition. But there was no one else to whom they could turn, so after having quacked and grumbled for some time, the four of them went to find the rooster, who was only too eager to help and readily scratched out the desired petition.

The ducks read the petition and then held another meeting to decide which one of them should carry it. The way to Heaven was long and tedious and beset with many pitfalls, so that none of the one-legged ducks was enthusiastic about undertaking the journey.

The rooster, who was standing some distance away, overheard the lively discussion. He coughed discreetly, and approaching the group, delicately asked whether he might be of further service. They were very pleased and accepted his offer to help.

"Not far from here there is a temple," he suggested, looking wisely down his beak "and it happens that I am acquainted with the god of the place. He could convey your petition to Heaven, and I can give you a letter of introduction to him."

The ducks were loudly grateful whereupon the rooster put on his spectacles and wrote out a suitably worded letter for them.

The ducks then proceeded to the temple, and as they entered its precincts, they suddenly heard a loud, imperious voice wanting to know why the temple's incense burner had eight legs instead of four. The voice continued by demanding that the four extra legs be removed immediately.

As the ducks heard this, their hope rose. They did not know what an incense burner was, but they understood that four of its legs were to be removed immediately. They hurried into the temple. The god was still frowning at the incense burner when they entered, and he looked at them unsmilingly.

"Your lordship," said one duck, who had become the spokesman for the group, "here is a letter for you from our friend and neighbor, the rooster and also our petition. It's about our need of four legs; as you see we have only one leg each."

The god replied that what had been given them at creation was final, and that their petition would serve no purpose. At these words the four duck fell silent. But then one, younger than the others and more desperate, spoke up and said what was on the minds of all four.

"Your lordship," he stammered, "you spoke just now of removing four legs from the incense burner...."

The god looked at him wide-eyed for an instant and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. In the end he agreed to give the ducks the four extra legs.

"But mind you," he said, handing them over to the ducks and winking at the incense burner, "these legs are made of pure gold and are very precious; guard them carefully."

The ducks were ready to promise anything. They took their legs with indescribable joy. They bowed and thanked the god. They attached the extra legs to their bodies and soon they were able to move about like their fellow creatures. But at night when they went to sleep, they would pull up the leg given them by the temple god so that no one could steal it. Other ducks, seeing this, assumed it was the proper way to sleep and in imitation began to lift one leg before retiring for the night. And so the custom has remained to this day.

Vietnamese Legend: Partridge Bird

2011-12-24T15:18:00.003+07:00

This story is an attempt by Vietnamese people to explain why a partridge sounds the way it sounds.

Gather around me with some cookies, will you?

A long time ago there was a boy who lost his dad at a young age. His mother mourned over the death for a period of time then decided to remarry. Since the child did not have any other relatives on either side of his family, he was forced to go with his mother to live with her and his stepfather.

The stepfather was a brutal and ill-bred person. He viewed both the mother and child as just people living and eating in his house, nothing more. In the stepfather's eyes, the boy especially was an eye sore since he was not old enough to do anything to help around the house.

The bitterness and hatred the new husband had for the child continued to grow as the days went on. When something went wrong for the stepfather, he would take his anger out upon the little boy. Soon, every day the child was bruised and purple all over.

There was nothing special in the man's house and in fact is he had nothing at all. His living wages were based off going into the forests and getting wood to sell. The woman he just married, on the first day after coming home with him, the man makes her go and chopped down wood so he could sell it in the market.

Unfortunately, that year there was barely any rain, which made finding food become harder. Before the drought, a batch of lumber was able to feed the family for a few days but now it was barely enough for a meal. That the little boy was still young and had no life skills to help during this time became a thorn to the stepfather.

"The child only eats and causes me trouble. He does nothing but burden me," thought the man.

He begged and pleaded with the wife to sell the child to someone else so they could take care of him. No matter what the husband said, the mother refused the idea without a second thought. His mother would rather die with her son than be apart from him.

The desire to kill the child of his wife was all the stepfather could think of. A person's life at that time was worth less than a weed cutter. Furthermore, the man could care less about the boy. The number of people starving continued to increase rapidly as a big batch of wood was now only worth one bowl of rice.

One day when the wife left for the market, the husband used that time to take the child to woods. He lured the small boy by saying, "Do you like to climb the guava trees and catch butterflies? Up in the forests you could do that to your heart's content."

Upon hearing this, the boy begged the stepfather to take him along on the trip to the woods. Amazed by the scenery, the little boy happily trotted behind his stepfather not knowing what tired is. The man led the child deep into the forests. When they arrived to where there were a lot of guava trees, the stepfather told the kid, "Here are the guava trees and your bowl of food. I'll come find you later."

With that being said, the man left the boy without a worry and went off somewhere far away to chop down woods. Later that afternoon, as the man stepped into the house he was shocked to see that the child was home before him. As fate turned out, when the boy was wandering aimlessly in the depth of the woods he came upon a group of monks returning home from their pilgrimage.

The boy was then led home by the monks and with the help of the bowl of rice he was able to have enough energy to return. The stepfather became more and more frustrated as the child told his story. He snapped at the boy.
"So that was the reason why I could not find you?"

And, the legend was born...

That week the stepfather tried another attempt to lure the boy to go with him to the woods. This time he purposely led the child into the unknown part of the forest where no one even dared to enter. When he crept away from the small boy, the stepfather thought to himself.
"If he does not die from the wild beast than he will die from wandering. If that still does not kill him then he will surely die from hunger."
As the afternoon went by and he waited for his stepfather returned, the boy began to despair and started to cry out but only the echo of the forest would reply to him. He ran to search in every direction and corner but the child did not even see a person's shadow.
When the boy became hungry and tired, he took out the bowl of food his stepfather had given him but to his surprise, below a thin layer of rice and vegetables there was only dirt underneath. He was so hungry, the boy started to pick the rice that was covered in dirt and put it into his mouth.
In the end, the boy started to become extremely hungry. He grabbed his bowl and ran everywhere screaming, "Stepfather, where are you? Rice of dirt with pickled eggplant (which translates to Bat cat qua ca). Rice of dirt with pickled eggplant!" His crying did nothing except startle the birds that were resting in the forests. Then the boy died and turned into a partridge bird, who always says, "Bat cat qua ca! Bat cat qua ca!"
After waiting and not seeing her son return, the mother would cry hysterically every day. Knowing that her husband was the one that harmed her son, she would insult him to his face. The mother forced her husband to go find her son and not to come home until he did. Otherwise, if he did not show up with her son then she was going to take him to court.
The stepfather could do nothing except follow his wife's orders and into the woods he went. He searched and searched. All of a sudden in the silent forest, he heard a scream that kept saying, "Bat cat qua ca!" A chill went down his spine as the man heard the saying. It was as if the boy had come back to haunt him for his evil deed.
The continuous echoing scared him, making him ran aimlessly in the forest trying to get away from it. Everywhere he went the voice kept getting nearer and surrounding him. "Bat cat qua ca." Its echo kept haunting the stepfather, causing him to keep on running until he was drained and collapsed onto a rock. A few days later, a group of woodcutters found his body still lying on the edge of the woods.
Another sad story. I tried to make it lighter but it's the best I can do and it still came out depressing. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed it.

Good night.

Vietnamese Legend of The Moon Boy

2011-12-24T15:15:00.004+07:00

And, the story begins...

Once upon a time in a rural region there was a man named, Cuoi, who was a lumberjack. His only possession was his ax. Like any other day, Cuoi took his ax into the deep forest in search of trees to chop down. After going across a small stream, Cuoi was surprised to come upon a lion's den. Looking back and forth, he only saw four cubs prancing in front of the cave.

Cuoi at once jumped upon the cubs and hit his ax onto each of the baby animals. In that moment the mother of those cubs arrived home. A loud, terrifying roar came from behind him, and Cuoi only had time to throw his ax and climb onto the top of the nearest tree in front of him.

From the top looking down, Cuoi saw the mother lion hovering over her cubs, who already had taken their last breaths. The mother only kneeled by her children for a short amount of time before she got up and left them to lay there. It turned out the mother went to a nearby tree close to the one Cuoi where was hiding, to take some of its leaves with her mouth then return to where her cubs were.

With the leaves in her mouth she started to chew and place it into her kids' mouths. After waiting a while, her cubs started to move, then their tails began to wag, and not much later all of the kids were able to jump up and down playfully as normal.

Realizing that the tree from which the mother lion took the leaves was in fact the miracle medicine (herbal) tree, Cuoi waited until the mother led her cubs away to another place to slowly crawl down. Once he got to the ground, he walked toward the tree and began to dig the roots out to take home.

Along the way, Cuoi came across an elderly man lying unconscious on the grass. Cuoi stopped to look but the old man had already died. He immediately put the tree down. Then without any hesitation, Cuoi pulled some leaves off the branch and began to chew it.

Cuoi put the chewed leaves into the elder's mouth, and then tried to get it down his throat. Slowly the old man's skin began to glow, blood rushed back to his cheeks, and his eyes started to open. The elderly man could not stop thanking the boy for rescuing him and asked him to tell the story of what had happened.

With sincerity, Cuoi told everything that had occurred. After listening, the old man cried out, "Heaven! I have heard of this tree and it's known as the magical tree of resurrection (rebirth). I'm such a fortunate man to meet such a thing. Son, take good care of the tree and heal the world. Remember to never use dirty water on the tree, otherwise the tree will fly up into the sky."

Once the old man was done talking, he got up with his cane and left. This left Cuoi by himself to continue off with the tree, which he planted in the corner of his garden so he could easily care for it each day.

Cuoi always remembered the elder man's words and everyday he would water the tree with clear spring water. Ever since Cuoi had the precious tree, he had saved countless lives. Whenever he heard of someone who just closed his eyes, Cuoi would rush to take some of the leaves to him. Rumors of Cuoi and his magical power began to spread everywhere.

Once day, Cuoi was crossing a river and a dog was lying dead. With his compassion for the animal, Cuoi retrieved the dog to dry land and took a few leaves out in order to save the dog. The dog was very grateful towards Cuoi so it would tag along him happily. From then on, Cuoi has another loyal yet clever companion.

In another incident there was a wealthy old man who lived in the next village and came rushing to find Cuoi. He begged him to rescue his daughter who had just died of drowning. Cuoi was happy to follow the man home and gave him the leaves to save a life.
One leaf later, the face of the man's daughter began to glow with a rosy color. All of a sudden, her eyes opened and she got up. The wealthy man noisily celebrated his daughter's recovery and told Cuoi he could have anything he likes. Cuoi looked and only want to marry the young lady to be his wife.

Why don't you stop for a sip of tea? Let's continue...

Knowing Cuoi was her savior, the girl agreed to be his wife. The wealthy old man also agreed to let his daughter be Cuoi's wife. The couple lived happily and peacefully together. However, in the region there were plenty of guys who had taken an interest in the wealthy man's daughter first.
Now seeing the blossoming flower suddenly in the hands of a lumberjack, the men started to resent Cuoi and plotted against the couple. One afternoon when Cuoi left for the forest, the guys came and attempted to kidnap his wife. They did not realize Cuoi's wife would strongly resist so the men decided to kill her right there.
After killing her, the men were afraid they would be caught since they knew Cuoi could resurrect his wife. As a result, the killers decided to tear her stomach open. They then took her intestines and threw it down the river before they left. When Cuoi finished chopping wood, he came home only to see his wife had been long dead.
Cuoi dashed to pick some leaves off the tree and chewed it, but no matter how much he chewed and put into his wife's mouth nothing happened. With no vital organs he could not save his wife to make her come back to life.
Seeing his master sorrowfully crying, the dog came close and begged him to take its organs so he could put it into the mistress's stomach. Cuoi has never tried to replace a person's guts before but he took the risk anyway.
He closed his eyes, gutted the dog, and placed the intestines inside his wife's body. Then he just waited to see what happened. As it turned out the organ replacement had worked and Cuoi's wife was alive once again.
Because of his master, the dog died. Cuoi tried to make a clay replica of the intestines and put it into the animal's stomach along with some of the chewed leaves. He was surprised that the method actually worked and the dog stood up, wagged his tail, and ran into Cuoi's arms.
From then on Cuoi could not believe that his wife's personality and actions began to change as each day went by. Ever since her organs were gutted, when she was asked to do something, she would go do something else. It caused Cuoi to become madder inside as each day passed by.
Cuoi became very worried since he lost track of how many times he would ask his wife, "If you need to pee then go to the West. Do not pee on the East side because that is where the tree resides." His wife did not remember so his request would always go out the other ear.
One evening when her husband was still out finding wood, the wife was picking vegetables in the East part of the garden when she had to go the restroom. She then made a quickie in the corner next to her husband's precious tree. As soon as the wife was done peeing, the ground began to shake and rumble.

All the fruits and vegetables in the garden started to fly up as the wind keep gushing through. A part of the tree's root already came out of the ground and it started to lift itself up into the sky. Meanwhile, at this time Cuoi has just set foot into the gate.
With a glance over what was going on, he noticed his precious tree was about to fly off and next to it was his wife screaming violent while jumping up and down. Cuoi sprinted toward the tree anxiously. He dropped his stack of wood and jumped toward the tree to attempt to hold it down. Except at that moment the tree was no longer in the ground and was already a head above.
The only thing Cuoi could do is at that split second was to hook his ax into the root of the tree since he could no longer stop it. He was persistent not to let go of the root so the whole tree itself was lifted into the sky along with Cuoi, and it kept on going until it had reached the moon.
Since then, Cuoi has been living on the moon with that tree of his. Up to this day, when you look up at the moon you will see Cuoi's shadow sitting under his precious herbal tree. People said that each year the tree will have only one leaf fall off of its branches.
Whoever finds the leaf can use it to save a person who has died. Even the dolphins know about this so that is why when the leaf falls into the ocean you will see them try to get it. Whichever dolphin finds it will treasure it and use it as medicine to save drowned bodies.
Great story, don't you think so? Personally, I did not write this story. So, I have to give thanks to my sister. Excellent work. Thank you for staying all the way until the end. We truly appreciate your time.

Good night, everybody.

Legend of the Mosquito

2011-12-24T15:04:00.002+07:00

Let the story begin...

There once was a husband and wife who loved each other dearly and affectionately. On the day of the couple's wedding, they had sworn to never leave one another. If one day something unfortunately happen where one of the couple died, then the other person would join and accompany the one dead to the underworld.

Not long after the couple was married, the young wife suddenly died of unknown causes to the shock of those around her. No one could have described the pain and sorrow of the husband. After the wife's death, the husband attempted suicide every chance he got but all attempts ended in failure under the careful watch of his family.

Near the day of the wife's burial, a monk showed up to tell the young man of a method to bring his wife back. The young man was eager to hear what this monk had to say so he listened to every single word and realized that the method was not difficult at all. All the husband had to do was to be a live healthy person who would persevere and then it would succeed.

What the idea was is that the live person had to cuddle with the deceased to transfer warmth to her three times a day, every day. If this method was followed exactly without stopping every day for three months and ten days, then the dead will come back alive.

The husband was very gracious to the monk and began to do exactly what he had said, with the hope of his love coming back to him. Each day he hugged his wife, trying to transfer his heat and warmth into a cold, dead corpse.

Only three days after he started, the corpse had begun to smell from decomposition. The smell spread throughout the neighborhood. Everyone around the area began to assemble into an angry mob and wanted the family to bury the body. As a last resort, the young man begged the town to help him build a boat so that he could take his wife to another place.

Many people from the village were more than happy to help him in this mission. Within half a day the husband was able to leave with his beloved wife's body. The boat continued to drift endlessly along the river and the husband still held onto his wife each day without stopping.

Although everything seemed hopeless, the man was filled with anticipation for his beloved, who looked as if she was just sleeping peacefully. After awhile on the boat, the couple had finally reached a new place with a green, open space where the husband began to set up camp and find food.

Coincidently while the young man was out getting wood, he met an old man with a cane wandering underneath the open sky as if he was just taking a leisure walk. From head to toe the old man didn't seemed out of the ordinary except for his hair and beard, which were white as snow. "Why would an old man be wandering out in a place like this?" Finding this odd, the young man pondered as to who exactly was this person standing in front of him.

A miracle...

The only explanation the young widower had was that this old man must be Buddha! He then immediately got onto his knees and begged the elderly man to help his wife come back to earth. As expected, the old person was in fact Buddha himself. Buddha saw how much the young man pleaded and how dedicated he was towards his wife, so he decided to give the young man a chance.
All the young man had to do is prick one of his fingers and let exactly three drops of blood fall into his wife's mouth. Once the drops fell into the wife's mouth, she opened her eyes as if she just woke up from what was like a slumber and everything seemed like a dream.
Before the couple went home Buddha asked, "This young man has given you three drops of his blood so that you can revive. Then, can you tell me if you love him?"
As the young woman was about to reply, Buddha intervened, "No worries, if you no longer love your husband then all you have to do is return the three drops of blood to him." With that being said, Buddha saw how anxious the couple was to go home so he sent for his humongous crocodile to lead the way.

Will somebody call "Cheater"?

After half a day had gone by, the crocodile started to become hungry so the creature told the couple to wait for him on land and rest while he got some food to eat. Hand in hand, the husband and wife came across a small inn and entered it to order food. In the inn, there was a particular rich, handsome, young man who noticed the young wife.
The wife, herself, was a beautiful woman who could not be compared to anyone the rich man ever saw, which made her a desirable object. Since the rich man was a merchant, he began trying to "sell" his merchandise by showing the most expensive fabrics and jewelry while saying that the materials were in fact at a low price. All this was in order to catch the attention of the gorgeous wife.
He slowly got to the couple's table and said that his boat was near the inn itself, and it was filled with priceless artifacts for a very cheap price. However, when the husband heard this, the offer did not appeal to him one bit. Once done eating, the young man took his wife and left the inn, ignoring the persistent rich man and arriving to the spot where they were suppose to meet up with the crocodile.
The couple waited underneath the shade and talked for awhile then fell fast asleep. Hours went by, yet the husband and wife were still sleeping due to tiredness. Being completely unaware of what was going on around them, the couple did not realize the rich man followed them.
Waiting was what the rich man did until he was certain the husband was dead asleep. Then he crept toward the wife and woke her up. The rich man made her a tempting offer by saying that his boat was right there by the river and that he had the perfect jewelry that he wanted to give to her.
"My boat is only ten feet away. You do not have to go anywhere far and can come back to your husband at anytime." said the rich man.
Once the wife heard this, she began to sway to the rich man. She got up and followed the man to his boat. In the blink of an eye, under his master's order, the boatman began to leave shore and disappear from the horizon. During that same time the crocodile returned from the river depth and noticed only the husband was laying there sleeping.
The creature woke the young man to ask where his wife had gone but the husband did not know how to answer. In his moment of confusion, the young man blamed the crocodile for eating his wife while he was sleeping. To prove his innocence, the crocodile told him to go inside his stomach and search to see if the woman was in there.
It turned out that all that was in the crocodile's stomach was a pile of fish bones and stones. Realizing he was wrong, the husband apologized to the creature and began searching for his wife on the beach. She was nowhere in sight and the husband began to despair as to where his wife could be.

Feeling sorry for the man, the crocodile told him he could get on his back and then they could search for the woman. In their search, the crocodile chased after any boat came across their path and asked if anyone had seen a beautiful young woman anywhere. After many detours, one boat told the young man and creature that the woman they had described just passed them. Hearing this, the crocodile swam after the boat as fast as he could.
When they arrived, both man and creature saw the young wife was in the rich man's boat.
The husband told the wife, "Wife, just jump to me... I cannot live without you... I will make you happy and we will live in luxury."
Yet the woman replied, "Go home without me. I have disappointed you. Please forgive me."
She then gave him a bag of gold telling him, "Take this bag and just think of me as already dead from that time ago."
Angry and disappointed, the young man threw the bag into the ocean and told the crocodile to take him to see Buddha. When Buddha met up with the two, he rushed the creature to chase after the rich man's boat so that the broken hearted man could ask for his three drops of blood back. After Buddha got done talking to the woman and made her prick her finger to give back the three drops of blood, she automatically fell down and died.
The rich man did not understand what was going so he panicked and threw the body into the ocean. Due to the blood miracle, the woman had been transformed into a mosquito. From then on, because of always lacking blood the mosquito has to search and steal a little bit from a person in order to live.
Hope you enjoyed the long story.
Have a good night everybody.

Night Markets in Saigon

2010-08-29T15:53:00.000+07:00

While they may not be as bright and shiny as malls or supermarkets, night markets have their own character and are popular destinations for local people and travellers alike. For many travellers the day is just too hot to spend shopping, and the cooler night air offers an ideal opportunity to grab some souvenirs, while for locals the evening is an ideal time to meet and gather outside and share a meal or a drink under the stars.

There is an enormous variety of goods on offer including clothes, footwear, hats. hair clips, jewellery, watches..etc The prices are normally cheaper than day markets or supermarkets as the sellers pay less for the rent, so there are some great bargains to be had. As well as the choice in souvenirs there's also a great range of food, with many street vendors setting up shop to take advantage of the passing trade.

Some night markets specialise in cheap goods for students and workers, and are located out of town near universities and textile factories, such as the huge Ky Hoa night market on Cao Thang in District 10, where many student live. In these markets the prices are often cheaper than in town and less bargaining is necessary; many people also come to these markets and buy wholesale to stock their shops in town.

The food in Ky Hoa is delicious and surprisingly cheap, just $1 for a bowl of noodles or a plate of broken-rice with grilled pork and fried egg, plus a glass of sugar cane juice on the side. You will find a similar atmosphere at Binh Tay / Cho Lon, Hoa Hung and Ba Chieu night markets.

Ben Thanh Night Market
These markets are all within a 20-30 minute drive by taxi from the centre, and offer a authentic glimpse into real, living night markets, but for those who are short of time or energy Ben Thanh is ideally situated in the centre of Saigon and offers a taster of the larger night markets out of town. Although the shopping may be limited to souvenirs and tourist tat, there is still a wide choice of food and a great atmosphere.

There are at least 20 street-side eateries around the market building, with hundreds of diners gathering to feast on a wide range of the best dishes from all over Vietnam. You may spot 'Bún chả' or 'Phở', delicious noodle dishes from Hanoi, 'Banh Nam', little steamed cakes in banana leaf from Hue, or Bánh xèo, crispy rice pancakes from the Mekong Delta, as well as plenty of other delicacies. You can order delicious fresh grilled seafood, or tasty barbequed pork - with such great choices, you can't go wrong!

One of the best things about eating at Ben Thanh is that you can watch the chef cooking in front of you, and take in every delicious smell and sound, allowing you to enjoy the food with all your senses. The restaurants are also not exclusively tourist traps but offer authentic food and atmosphere - on any night the clientel may be 60-70% Vietnamese families and friends rather than exclusively tourists.

Eating and drinking on the street is very popular in Vietnam, and night markets offer a great window into the life of the city. If you have a chance we highly recommend joining the crowds to eat on the street for an atmosphere and experience that can't be matched by a hotel restaurant.

Night markets in Saigon - addresses
Ben Thanh Market, Le Loi, District 1
Ba Chieu, 40 Dien Hong, District 1
Hoa Hung, 539a Cach Mang Thanh Tam, District 10
Cho Lon, Hai Thuong Lang Ong, Ward 11, District 5
Ky Hoa - now moved to Thong Nhat Stadium, 138 Dao Duy Tu, Thanh Binh
All the night markets open from 5 pm and close at midnight.

Cat Tien National Park

2010-08-29T15:52:00.001+07:00

Cat Tien National Park, located 150 kilometres north of Ho Chi Minh City, covers an area of 720 square kilometres and protects some of Vietnam's most endangered species of plant and animal life. For visitors to Vietnam who enjoy the outdoors, Cat Tien National Park is a must-see destination.

Plant and Animal Life at Cat Tien

Cat Tien National Park was initially protected by Vietnam in 1978. Consisting of two adjacent segments, Cat Loc and Nam Cat Tien, the park stretches over three different provinces and is surrounded by agricultural land.

The park's forest is one of the last tropical rainforests left in Vietnam, and as such it is a haven for a diverse array of otherworldly trees, brightly-coloured butterflies, endangered reptiles and amphibians, and mammals ranging from monkeys to rhinoceroses.

The rhinos are a particular point of pride for the park. In 1992, a herd of Vietnamese Javan Rhinos were discovered in the Cat Loc area, one of only two remaining herds in the wild. Unfortunately, like so many mammals once plentiful in Vietnam, the rhinos used to be the most populous species in Asia, but was hunted into near extinction in the nineteenth century. Although European hunters were initially to blame for the depopulation of the rhinoceroses, today the animals are threatened by traditional Chinese medicine. One poached rhino horn can earn as much as £20,000 on the black market, making the rhino herd a very tempting target for impoverished local farmers.

Other threats to the park include illegal logging and the local population's push to open more acreage to agriculture. The visits and donations of foreign tourists provide much-needed funding to help the park conserve its unique forests and unique animals. Visiting Cat Tien National Park, then, provides not just a fun outdoor adventure, but also a way to contribute to the conservation of one of Asia's last untouched tropical rainforests.

Some eco-tourists enjoy participating in the park's conservation initiatives, which include sponsored tree replanting. For just £13, visitors can plant a tree in the park to help keep it green.

Visiting the Villages Around Cat Tien National Park

After you have a chance to plant a tree and snap a photo of a rare rhino or golden gibbon (one of the park's many primate species), you might decide to supplement your natural sight-seeing with some cultural sight-seeing.

The people living in the central valley of the Cat Tien National Park reserve include the Chau Ma and the Stieng. These ethnic communities, located mostly to the south of Cat Tien, have lived in the area for many centuries. A day trip into one of these rural villages may provide interesting insight into the way of life of these traditional farmers, as well as a unique opportunity to understand a very different part of Vietnam.

For the eco-tourist in Vietnam, Cat Tien National Park, including the larger area of Nam Cat Tien and the smaller Cat Loc, are important destinations. Offering a chance to see some of the rarest flora and fauna in Southeast Asia, a visit to Cat Tien National Park also reaffirms the importance of preserving ancient ecosystems from extinction. Visiting Cat Tien gives the European tourist a chance to give back to a region that Europe has greatly benefited from over the past few centuries.

Museums in Saigon

2010-08-29T15:51:00.001+07:00

Vietnam has a fascinating 2,000 year history and there is plenty to learn about the country's past and how it affects life today. Sadly, however, while there are some excellent museums in Vietnam not all live up to the same standard - many are lengthy photo galleries with few English translations of the contexts or history behind the photos, leaving the visitor bewildered even if they have some prior knowledge of the subject.

That being said, if you choose the right museums on your trip you can learn a great deal and begin to appreciate more the rich history of this country.

The Museum of Vietnam's History
(Inside the gates of the HCMC Zoo/Botanical Gardens, Le Duan, District 1)
Possibly one of the best museums we've seen in Vietnam, the natural history museum of Ho Chi Minh City manages to chart the country's history from prehistoric times and 10,000 year old artifacts to the wars with China and the numerous dynasties that have shaped the development of the Vietnamese nation over time. There are some fantastic examples of sculpture and art from the Cham and Oc Eo civilizations, statues of Buddhas from across the region, collections of porcelain and art from various historical periods and a even a mummy found preserved in Saigon. The narratives on the walls throughout the museum also go some way to helping the visitor understand the many periods of Vietnamese history, with only a few gaps. Highly recommended.

The War Remnants Museum
(28 Vo Van Tan, District 3)
Practically required viewing for any visitor to Ho Chi Minh City, the War museum is an comprehensive collection of photographs, video and other evidence detailing the horrors of war and the aftermath of unexploded ordinance, agent orange and other legacies of the combat. Remarkably the museum manages to avoid being overly political, instead pointing the finger at the senseless nature of war itself rather than focusing too closely on assigning blame. It is a sombre and moving experience, but it is highly recommended both to help understand what Vietnam went through and as a reminder of the importance of campaigning for peaceful solutions to differences between nations.

Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum
(Duc Chinh Street, District 1 - Behind the bus station opposite Ben Thanh Market)
Housed in a beautiful old building from the colonial era, the Fine Arts Museum has an interesting collection of works from both contemporary and traditional artists, as well as a fascinating collection of statues and artifacts dating back as far as the first century AD on the 3rd floor. Well worth a visit.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum
(1 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4)
Just over a bridge from the downtown areas of Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi (the traffic is vicious so we'd advise jumping in a taxi rather than walking over the bridge!) on the banks of the river is a museum devoted to Ho Chi Minh. It is set in an attractive building and garden with good views of the river, and contains a potentially fascinating collection of photographs detailing the life of Ho Chi Minh. Sadly this potential is lost as so many of the photos captions, even when translated, fail to explain the significance of events or meetings depicted in photographs, making the experience somewhat bewildering for those that have not already studied the life of Ho Chi Minh (which, of course, most Vietnamese people have)
While the photos themselves are interesting, the museum is not really recommended unless you have a lot of time on your hands or a strong interest (and prior knowlege) in the man that lead Vietnam's campaign for independence.

Phong Nga Ke Bang National Park and Caves

2010-08-29T15:49:00.000+07:00

Long before Phong Nha-Ke Bang (also spelled Phong Nga-Ke Bang) National Park came into existence, the Champa people were using its caves for various purposes. The Champa were people of ancient Cambodia and Vietnam who ruled most of southern and central Vietnam from the seventh century through the mid-nineteenth century. Carving out inscriptions on steles and altars inside the caves, the Champa left their mark in the magnificent caves many years before modern Vietnamese and British scientists would begin to explore the caves. Later explorations discovered Neolithic axe heads in the area, showing that use of the caves date back even before the time of the Champa people.

There is no overstating the magnificence of the caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. The park was created to protect the world's two largest karst, or limestone, regions. Inside the limestone topography are over 126 km of cave systems, with over 300 caves and grottos (grottos are caves that have been inhabited or used by humans). For anyone visiting Vietnam with the slightest interest in caves, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a must-see destination.

Phong Nha Cave

The cave from which the park takes its name is Phong Nha cave, which is considered by many to be the best cave in the world. At 7,729 metres long, with 14 grottos and a 13,969 metre-long underground river, Phong Nha cave has been a site of mystery and wonderment for natives and visitors alike for centuries. With towering ceilings that can reach 40 metres above the water level and rock formations that excite the imagination, Phong Nha is open to tourists up to 1,500 metres.

Son Doong Cave

Son Doong cave isn't new, but it is newly discovered. In 1991, a local man stumbled upon the cave for the first time in modern memory, but unfortunately he couldn't remember how to get there until January 2008. The man assisted British scientists to find the cave mouth, and they have been exploring it ever since. Son Doong cave is currently the largest known cave in the world. Unfortunately, due to precarious conditions inside the cave, it is not yet open to tourists. In the future, hopefully visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of the enormous cave; the biggest chamber is over five kilometres long, 150 metres wide, and 200 metres high.

Tien Son Cave

While Phong Nha and Son Doong may be known for their size, Tien Son cave is known for its beauty. Created tens of millions of years ago, the stalactites and stalagmites inside Tien Son twist and turn into fairy-tale shapes. Tien Son is located right next to Phong Nha, making it easy for visitors to take a look at both caves.

Other Park Features

As if the spectacular caves at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park weren't enough, the park is also a great place for mountain climbing, hiking, and eco-tours of the surrounding Ke Bang Forest. With sharply sloping mountains reaching heights of over 1,000 metres, you don't have to be a spelunker to find a challenging adventure at Phong Nha-Ke Bang.

There's a little something for every visitor of every age at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. For anyone who enjoys the outdoors and natural wonders, this park should make it onto your Vietnam itinerary.

Cua Dai Beach

2010-08-29T15:48:00.002+07:00

Not far from Hoi An is the lovely Cua Dai Beach. Over 30 km in length, the white sand beach stretches nearly to Da Nang and is one of the most popular beaches in Vietnam with foreign tourists. The beach is dotted with classy, western-style hotels and resorts, including the Swiss-Belhotel Golden Sand Resort. In all, the beach is a great place for a romantic holiday or a laid-back family holiday.

White Sands and Gentle Surf

If you're a surfing enthusiast, seek out bigger waves in Australia or Hawaii. Cua Dai Beach is not a beach for thrill-seekers. Instead, with pristine, white sands and moderate, gentle waves, Cua Dai Beach is better for moonlit strolls and floating around in the water. Because of the monsoon cycles in Southeast Asia, swimming is really safest from April through October; swimming at other times is not advised.

Unfortunately for westerners, the beach has gotten so popular with European tourists that most of the prices along the beach are rather inflated. However, by western standards, the prices are still relatively inexpensive. For a small fee, you can hire a deck chair, then relax in the sun and enjoy the sand and the sound of the waves lapping onto the shore.

When you get hungry, there is plenty of fresh seafood to be had from the beach's many kiosks. Run by the locals, these little restaurants offer fantastic food that's extremely fresh, unique, and difficult to find elsewhere. You can cool down with a pineapple drink, which comes highly recommended.

The Cham Islands

Another popular Hoi An area attraction accessible from Cua Dai Beach are the Cham Islands. The eight small islands make a great day trip, and together they form one of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The Cham Islands Biosphere Reserve, also called Cu Lao Cham Marine Park, preserves corals, certain crustaceans and molluscs, and seaweed species that are unique to the islands. Besides the marine biodiversity, the terrestrial ecosystems include magical mangrove forests, rocky hills, and rich beaches.

The largest island, Hon Lao, is the only inhabited island of the eight. Scuba divers and snorkelers looking for an undiscovered diving spot can still find one off the coast of Hon Lao. For those who prefer to stay dry, the road between Bai Lang and Bai Huong villages is a great place to hike through the Cham Islands extensive, virgin forests.

Cua Dai Beach is one of Vietnam's most popular beaches for good reason: it's gorgeous, close to the well-loved town of Hoi An, filled with quality accommodations, and close to one of Vietnam's most unique wildlife reserves. As well as making a great day trip from Hoi An it can be a lovely place to stay too, making the most of the beach and popping into town when you are feeling energetic.

Cham Island, Hoi An

2010-08-29T15:48:00.001+07:00

East of Hoi An, Vietnam, are the Cham Islands, eight islands of pure tropical paradise in the South China Sea, or East Sea as it is known in Vietnam. In 2001, the Cham Islands received 300 foreign visitors; in 2005, they received 800 visitors; the government's forecast suggests that by 2015, 125,000 foreign visitors will make the trek to Cham annually. In other words, at the moment the Cham Islands off Hoi An are undiscovered, unspoiled gems – but it won't stay that way for much longer, so visit while you still can.

The largest and only inhabited island is Hon Lao. The largest village on Hon Lao is Bai Lang, home to 2,400 people. The second largest village, Bai Huong, is home to only 400 people. With eight bays and coral reefs, Hon Lao is a great place for scuba divers and snorkelers looking for a less commercialised diving spot.

A Brief History of the Cham Islands

The Cham Islands take their name from the Champa Kingdom that was created in Hue in 200 AD and ruled the southern portion of Vietnam for several centuries. Well into the eighteenth century, Hoi An remained one of the region's most significant seaport.

The rugged mountains of the Cham Islands prevented much colonisation, and even though Hon Lao and several of the other islands are heavily forested, the natural resources of the islands went largely untapped. Today, the Forestry Protection Department of Quang Nam protects the lush virgin forests.

Scuba Diving in the Cham Islands

The waters surrounding the Cham Islands include 135 species of coral, 202 species of fish, 4 species of lobster, and 84 species of mollusks. With such an ecologically diverse marine environment, together with the marine protected area status that's been extended to include all eight islands, it's easy to understand why scuba divers and snorkelers are eager to visit the Cham Islands.

The Cham Island Dive Centre comes complete with their own guesthouse to offer accommodations to visiting divers. The dive instructors and guides have a reputation for being very knowledgeable – not just about the local diving spots but also about the history and culture of the Cham Islands themselves. Courses on scuba diving are available through the Dive Centre, ranging from beginners to advanced levels. Most of the instructors are Brits, while others are English-speaking Italians and French.

After a fascinating dive in the morning, you can relax on the semi-private white sand beach in the afternoon – definitely one of the most beautiful in Vietnam. And if you don't want to stay in the Cham Islands, or if you already have a hotel in Hoi An, you can be back in Hoi An by dinner time. While the Cham Island Dive Centre is not as well-known as other dive centres in Vietnam, it is just as professional, and a trip to the Cham Islands for a dive is certainly worth it.

Hiking in the Forests

With such extensive and unmolested forests covering more than a quarter of the Cham Islands, hiking through the forest sounds like a good idea but is not officially sanctioned. Because the Cham Islands remain very undeveloped, there are no easily accessible, safe hiking trails through the forests. However, there is a road that links Bai Lang and Bai Huong. This road is a safe place to walk, and you might spot one of the island's famous monkeys on your trek!

Getting to the Cham Islands

If you'd like to visit the Cham Islands, plan your trip for the summer months. Water levels make it extremely difficult to access the islands from September through December, and from January through April the islands are only sometimes accessible. From May through August, however, the Cham Islands are always accessible. You should also be aware that weather conditions have a tendency to change during the day. The mornings are the calm period, but stronger winds and waves begin around one in the afternoon. For traveling to the islands, you'll need your passport in hand to make it past the checkpoint, plus a dive or snorkeling permit (easiest to travel with a dive operator who already has these permits).

Once you're on the island, there's not much to see or do beyond the excellent scuba diving, snorkeling, and beach lounging. In Bai Lang, you'll find a few authentic Vietnamese restaurants, and in the smaller village of Bai Huong you can find a coffee shop or two. Other than that, don't expect to find much shopping or dining in this part of Vietnam.

The remote Cham Islands are a must-see for any diver visiting Vietnam. Visit now, before westerners discover the Cham Islands and turn it into another Asian tourist haven.

The History of Hoi An's Ancient Town

2010-08-29T15:47:00.001+07:00

Today, westerners know the Vietnamese city of Hoi An mostly as a tourist destination. Thanks to its proximity to the Marble Mountains and lovely China Beach, Hoi An draws many visitors each year. But at one point in its history, Hoi An was far more than a tourist destination; in fact, it was one of the most important seaports in all of Southeast Asia.

Early History of Hoi An

Hoi An was first settled by the Champa people, a Malay-Indonesian people who arrived in Vietnam from Java originally around 200 BC. In the first century AD, the Champas founded Hoi An. At that time, the city was called “Lam Ap Pho”, or Champa City.

The Champa Kingdom was a large and powerful one, and although My Son (which no longer exists except for a few ruins) was the Cham's spiritual capital, Hoi An was its commercial capital. In the first century, Hoi An was the largest harbour in Southeast Asia. From Hoi An, the Cham gradually built control over the spice trade, bringing great wealth to the city. From the seventh to the tenth centuries, Champa-dominated Hoi An ruled the trade in spices and silks, with their influence stretching as far west as Baghdad. The Cham exported aloe and ivory, and supplemented their trading income with calculated acts of piracy and caravan raids.

The Decline of the Champa Kingdom

Unfortunately for the Cham and Hoi An, great wealth brings great jealousy. Riches, combined with raids, didn't make for good relationships with their neighbours. The Cham frequently came into conflict with the Viet people north of their kingdom, and the Khmer people in Cambodia. Fighting between the Cham, Viet, and Khmer weakened the kingdom, and finally in the thirteenth century, Kublai Khan, the Mongolian warlord, invaded and occupied the Champa Kingdom. In the late fourteenth century, the strong Cham leader, Che Bong Nga (“The Red King”) managed to unite the Cham one last time and led a brief resurgence. In the fifteenth century, the Cham fell once and for all to the Viet people.

Hoi An's Return to the World Stage

Under the leadership of the Nguyen dynasty, Hoi An gradually began to recover, and rose to prominence once again. During the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries, Hoi An, which at that time was called Hai Pho (meaning “seaside town”), once again became the most important port in Southeast Asia. With a Japanese settlement on one end of town and a constant influx of Chinese, Dutch, and Indian merchants, Hoi An was a centre for global trade before such a term existed. In the early eighteenth century, Japanese and Chinese traders in particular considered Hoi An the best place to go for trading in all of Asia. A key stop on the Silk Road, Hoi An exported its ceramics as far afield as Egypt.

Fall of the Nguyen Lords

But Hoi An was destined to slip into decline and obscurity once again. The Nguyen dynasty eventually became opposed to open trade, in an attempt to limit the influence of foreigners in the nation – an ongoing problem that would plague Vietnam for the next two centuries. The closed trade policy led to Hoi An's stagnation, and by the time the Nguyen lords changed their policy, Hoi An's decline had already become irreversible.

Simultaneously, French influence in Danang was rapidly increasing, making Danang the new centre for trade in Vietnam. Furthermore, the new trading vessels constructed during the eighteenth and nineteenth century required a deeper port, something that Hoi An couldn't offer.

Although Hoi An's days as an important trading centre were over, there was a benefit to its decline: as other cities in Vietnam modernised and followed the European lead in culture, style, and wealth, Hoi An remained an example of a traditional Vietnamese port city. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Hoi An was all but forgotten, allowed to continue its ancient traditions with little influence from the modern, European-dominated world.

Hoi An Today

As a result of its isolation, Hoi An remained a small city with its history intact. In 1999, UNESCO named Hoi An a World Heritage Site, because it was such a well-preserved example of a 15th - 19th century Asian trading port. With UNESCO's recognition came tourist recognition, and the last decade has seen a different kind of commercial resurgence for Hoi An, as western tourists gradually rediscover the charm of this old Vietnamese city. Today, Hoi An is a common stop along the trail for backpacking adventurers, and meanwhile, a number of bars, restaurants, and internet cafes have opened to cater to tourists. Many craft shops can be found in Hoi An, including traditional Vietnamese ceramics and fabric production. In particular, Hoi An has become known for its tailors, who can produce custom-made clothes for a fraction of what it would cost in the west.

In short, if you're planning to visit central Vietnam, Hoi An should definitely be at the top of your list. Rich in history and culture, and only a stone's throw from China Beach, the Marble Mountains, and the Champa Islands, Hoi An remains one of the only gems of Southeast Asia not yet overrun with tourists.

My Son Cham Ruins, Hoi An

2010-08-29T15:45:00.000+07:00

My Son Ruins

Mankind builds marvelous and imagination-defying cities and structures, then erases them again as the centuries, along with the fickle loyalty of scholars, priests, kings, and common people render them either obsolete or irrelevant. The ruins of My Son in Vietnam, not far from Da Nang and Hoi An, fall into this category.

My Son was once an impressive place, a holy valley of impressive Hindu temples and burial grounds of the royalty of the Champa people. My Son was the Vietnamese equivalent of places like Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Egypt's Valley of the Kings. In its heyday, My Son included over seventy temples, along with a number of monuments with inscriptions in both Sanskrit, the holy language of ancient India, and Cham. In 1999, UNESCO named My Son a World Heritage Site.

History of My Son

The My Son site dates back to the fourth century AD, when the Champa king, Bhadravarman, erected the first temple there. He named it Bhadresvara, which was a combination of his own name and the Hindu god Ishvara, another name for Shiva. On the temple, the king added a request for subsequent generations to respect the temple and not destroy it. For many centuries, his request seemed to work; for generations after Bhadravarman's death, the My Son site was the hub of spiritual activity for the Champa people. Even when the original temple was destroyed in a fire two hundred years later, a later king made sure to rebuild it. The temple lasted in one form or another until it was obliterated during the Vietnam War.

In the fourteenth century, the Champa were conquered by the Viet people, for whom the modern country is named. The disappearance of the Champa also meant the gradual dissolution of the My Son site, which the jungle slowly started to reclaim. Ignored and largely forgotten, My Son was discovered again at the turn of the twentieth century by a French scholar.

In the 1930s, the French began to restore the My Son temples. The French scholars and archeologists were able to identify a total of seventy-one temples, with various groupings of temples belonging to different eras of development of the Cham kingdom.

My Son Today

Unfortunately for both visitors and world history, much of what remained of My Son in the twentieth century was bombed out of existence by American B-52 bombers during the American Vietnam War. The temples that had been so lovingly restored by French archeologists and local people were quickly devastated by the American bombs. In fact, local people are still wary of the area surrounding the My Son ruins because of the still unexploded bombs and land mines.

Nevertheless, My Son is still one of Vietnam's most important historic sites. Visitors with any interest in Southeast Asia's history will enjoy the bus trip from Da Nang or Hoi An to the ruins. Most tours of the My Son ruins range in price from £30 to £47, depending upon the size of the group and the city of origin.

Vietnamese Table Etiquette

2008-01-28T13:04:00.000+07:00

The fish gaped at me. Its glassy bubble eyes regarded me with equanimity. My Vietnamese hostess had just placed a fish the size of a pig on the table in front of me with the bullet-shaped head aimed at my sternum. Everyone around the table stared, smiling, nodding and watching my reaction.

Unnerved, I could only manage a goofy grin. Did they expect me to eat the fish head?

"Eat. Please eat," urged my hostess. The chopsticks in my hand clattered like reeds in the wind. Fish head, eyes and gills lay before me, all unacquired tastes.

"It's not much," said my hostess. The fish was longer than my arm. "It's a simple dish, not much flavor." It looked more elaborate than any Thanksgiving turkey I'd ever had. "Eat. Eat."

My mind raced. How to decline without offending? How to eat that gargantuan head without vomiting? Then it struck me - my grandmother's lesson in etiquette. I was the guest of honor, hence the fish head. It was positioned to honor me with the choicest meat, the part just behind the head above the gills.

I sampled the fish and complimented my hostess vociferously, and the meal continued without a hitch.

Knowing a little Vietnamese table etiquette can take a foreigner a long way when dining as the honored guest of a Vietnamese family. Despite forms or circumstances, an invitation to dine with the family is not often extended casually. Here are a few rules of thumb to keep a guest in favorable view with the host and hostess.

Always bring a present when invited to dinner. Flowers are acceptable as long as they are not white, the color of death. Common gifts are sweets and teas.

Dining Vietnamese style is a practice of interaction, an interplay of gestures and forms. For example, when dining is at its most formal, a guest seldom has to serve himself. The host and hostess will see to it that the guest has more than enough to eat including the first sampling of each plate. But the guest should never be the first to sample a dish unless the host insists.

Sampling is a better term to describe dining the Vietnamese way. One never takes more than a single helping from any plate without first trying all the other dishes on the table. A tablespoonful constitutes a helping. If serving spoons are not provided, at most two trips of the chopsticks to the serving dish represent one serving. Most important of all, never dwell on any one dish and always compliment the food after the first taste. Also avoid eating too much meat, as it's considered the most expensive ingredient of any dish. Never reach for food until rice has been served and the host has given the signal to begin. The only exception is at a banquet where rice may not be served.

Don't pour dipping sauces directly into the rice bowl. One hand should always be touching the rice bowl while eating even if the bowl is not picked up. Polite convention demands using both hands when offering or accepting anything--a dish, a cup or a pair of chopsticks. A little polite nod is always expected when passing or accepting something at the table.

It is generally considered more elegant to hold the chopsticks as far away from the business ends as possible. This naturally requires more skill and dexterity. A child learning how to use the chopsticks usually begins holding the utensil closer to the business ends and migrates upward with experience. In some situations, it is common to hold the chopsticks at midpoint so that the chopsticks can easily be turned and both ends can be used. The slim ends are used to put food into the mouth. The thicker ends are used to pick up food from the communal plates.

"Chopsticks" is a Western barbarism. In Chinese this utensil is called kuaì-zi, in Japanese hashi, in Vietnamese doi dua. A host of chopsticks etiquette rules govern the proper usage.

Chopsticks should not touch the lips, teeth or tongue. Never pick up more than one morsel with the chopsticks. Another point to remember is that it is regarded crude to move food from the communal plate directly to the mouth. The morsel should first be transferred to the individual's rice bowl before eaten.

The ideal sequence is one bite of rice for every two bites of meat, fish or vegetables. The reverse is appropriate when the entree is a delicacy or the portion is small. It is very distasteful to shift the food on the serving plate to search for a choice item. At the same time, the chopsticks must not show hesitation while moving to pick up a morsel. The chopsticks must not pick up the morsel by piercing it. Also, returning a morsel to the plate after picking it up is very bad form.

If chopsticks mastery is lacking, a request for forks--but not knives--is acceptable. Vietnamese have a saying adopted from the Chinese: "We sit down to eat not to cut up carcasses." Vietnamese use deep ceramic spoons and consider sipping from the spoon more sophisticated than placing the spoon into the mouth.

Whereas a second or third serving may be declined at a Western table without offense, it is considered almost rude to decline the hostess' offers at a Vietnamese table since custom requires the hostess to be persistent in her solicitation. It is wise then to feign fullness early and acquiesce gracefully at the first two or three offers of additional servings.

When memory fails at the table, the best solution is a forthright apology and declaration of etiquette ignorance coupled with adept imitation of the host's table manner.

If you happen to be visiting Vietnamese friends during Tet, it is wise to note how much stock Vietnamese (no matter how rational they are) place on taboos and superstitions. This is the one time of year when a well-intentioned but ill-informed gesture may well turn out to be a brick in the road to hell for the recipient. For the rest of the year, whenever something inopportune occurs, the culprit's name will be spoken with no small amount of rancor. The culprit is considered not as the harbinger of bad luck but bad luck itself.

The list of taboos and superstitions is tedious and long, however, there are a handful that are considered crucial social knowledge. Foremost is visitation. It is extremely important not to visit or telephone anyone on New Year's Day without an invitation. When an invitation is extended, it should be accepted graciously for it is a great honor. People only invite those they respect, love and consider to be good luck. This and a number of other taboos are rooted in the belief that New Year's Day activities set precedents for the rest of the year.

Also, things should not be lent on this day (so don't ask); people fear they might be lending things for the rest of the year. Things should not be broken, especially in someone else's home. Greetings should not be delivered in the bedroom; people fear this may mean they will be sick most of the year.

In Vietnamese culture, food is so inextricably tied to the concept of prosperity that most of the presents people exchange are food: rice cakes, fruits, nuts, sweets, wines and teas. When visiting friends in their homes during the Tet festival, remember to bring small food gifts. These will be greatly appreciated because Vietnamese take food gifts as tokens of good luck and prosperity signifying that they will have plenty to eat in the coming year.

One way to bring brightness and glory into someone's household is to greet him or her on New Year's Day with a long and eloquent speech of good wishes and blessings. Something along the line of: "I wish you and your family a prosperous New Year filled with joy, love, harmony and good fortune. May the Light of Heaven shine brightly upon your household. May your cupboard be filled. May you come into great wealth. May your health be strong and vibrant. May all things turn out according to your desire."

And whatever else the person may wish for. But if the formality seems too much, a simple "Happy New Year" will do: Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

The Vietnamese Zodiac

2008-01-28T13:00:00.000+07:00

In Vietnam, the calendar was devised based on the regularly changing phases of the moon. Most Vietnamese, even city dwellers and overseas Vietnamese, have a lunar calendar in their homes to consult for festivals and auspicious dates. Because of the use of the lunar calendar, the actual days of the New Year vary from year to year.

The equinoxes and solstices that marked the beginning of the European seasons were taken as the midpoint by the Asian calendar with the result that each Vietnamese season begins six weeks earlier than its European counterpart.

Each year is "sponsored" sequentially by one of the twelve animals of the Vietnamese zodiac: the rat comes first, then the ox or buffalo, followed in order by the tiger, cat, dragon, snake, horse, goat or ram, monkey, cock, dog, and lastly, the pig. Of these animals one is mythical (the dragon) and four (rat, tiger, snake and monkey) are wild, shunning contact with humans. Seven are domesticated. Every twelve years, the sponsorship reverts to the same animal. The years 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 are dragon years.

In addition the Vietnamese use another set of names by repeating a cycle of 60. The 60-year cycle is made up of combinations of the twelve animals representing the earthly signs of the Vietnamese zodiac and ten heavenly or celestial signs usually called "stems". The Asian calendar forms a cycle of 60 years similar to the western century of one hundred years. The 60-year cycle begins when the first of the twelve zodiac signs is joined with the first of the ten celestial "stems". When each of the ten "stems" is matched with an animal, the result will be 60 different sets. The celestial "stem" attached to the zodiac animal provides modifying influences on the characteristics of the animal. For example, the year of the dog sign can be "modified" by each of ten different associated "stems".

Each year has import for humans who have converging or diverging signs. These examples are given in the order that they occur in the year. Each of the following animals sponsors a two-hour period of time of the 24-hour day.

A RAT year prophesies a year of chaos. Rat people are charming and attractive to the opposite sex, although they have a fear of light and noise. Rat people are active and dynamic but can be fussy about little things. Rats can have a positive side because if there are rats, it is a sign that there is grain in the storage bins, so rats can represent a bountiful harvest. Because it is a nocturnal animal and can be heard scurrying about at midnight, the period of time between 11pm and 1am is called the rat hour.

The BUFFALO symbolizes industriousness and patience. The year is one of slow, steady progress and patient strength; traits suitable for a scientist. He is the traditional symbol of spring and agriculture because of his association with the plow and his pleasure in wallowing in mud. People of that year are thought to possess the characteristics of that animal: steady, placid, but stubborn when crossed. The buffalo hours are from 1 am to 3 am when buffalo are feeding and the day's farm work begins.

TIGERS are quick to anger, indecisive but can be flexible and accommodate their personalities to suit the circumstances. He is the king of the jungle, nocturnal and evokes images of darkness and stormy weather. The period from 3am to 5am is the time when the tiger returns to his lair after prowling at night.

CATS are smooth talkers, talented and ambitious and will succeed in studies. They are in conflict with the rat. A cat person has a supple mind and patient personality and knows how to wait for favorable conditions before taking action. Cat hours are between 5am and 7am, when cats begin their prowling.

The DRAGON in eastern mythology can be protective and a symbol of the male (yang) principal of the universe of royal authority. The dragon is in its element everywhere; under water, on the ground and in the air. It is a water sign and a propitious sign for agriculture. Dragons are sincere, energetic but short-tempered and stubborn. They are symbols of power, wealth and prosperity and of royalty. There is a saying "In the year of the dragon, everyone keeps his food for himself". Famine usually appears in these years. His hours are between 7am and 9am.

SNAKES speak little but have tremendous wisdom. They are associated with the damp earth. Snakes symbolize the eternal revolution of the ages and the succession, dissolution and regeneration of humanity. Snake year people are considered calm and gentle, profound, compassionate, but may fly off the handle at times. They are determined and persistent. His hours are 9am to 11am.

HORSE year people are smooth talkers and given to compliments and generosity, therefore, they are popular, but rarely listen to advice. Its propensity to kick evokes images of a quick-tempered personality. The horse's speed has caused him to be compared with the sun that traverses the earth daily. In legend, the sun is associated with fiery steeds. The Greek myth related to this is of Apollo driving the chariot of the sun across the skies each day. The horse is invested with purity, nobility and wisdom. It is esteemed for altertness, intelligence, strength and is a friend to man. Noontime, when the sun is the highest, is the horse hour.

The GOAT people are calm and shy, unassertive and self-effacing. They are clumsy in speech so they are poor salespersons, but are compassionate for the less fortunate, and help others. They are often taken advantage of because of their natural kindness and timidity. His hours are between 1pm and 3pm.

The MONKEY is an erratic genius. They are clever and skillful when making financial deals. They are cheerful, skillful, curious and inventive, but they may drive people away by talking too much and being contemptuous of others. Their weakness lies in their tendency to be erratic and inconsistent. The time between 3pm and 5pm is the monkey hour.

The ROOSTER year represents a period of hard work and activity as the rooster is busy from morning to night. His comb is a mark of high intelligence and of a literary spirit. People born in the year of the cock are considered profound thinkers. At the same time, he is a symbol of protection against fires. Pictures of a red cock are hung in houses for that reason. People born in the cock year earn their living from small businesses they practice with diligence like a "cock scratching the soil for worms". Because ghosts disappear at sunrise it is believed that the cock drives them away with his crowing. A white cock is sometimes placed on the coffin of funeral processions to make the way free from demons. The cock controls the hours between 5pm and 7pm.

The year of the DOG indicates future prosperity. Worldwide, the dog is used as a guard against intruders. Pairs of stone or ceramic dogs are placed on each side of the entrance to villages and temples as guards. The dog year will be secure and protected. The hour of the dog is 7pm to 9pm when people of rural Vietnam have gone to bed and leave the dog to keep watch.

The PIG symbolizes the wealth of the forest because the boar maintains his lair in the woods. Boar year people are chivalrous and gallant, honest, courageous, but headstrong and short tempered, impulsive, studious and well informed. The hour of the pig is between 9pm and 11pm.

Editor's Note:
This chapter was excerpted from Tet, The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, by Barbara Cohen & Huu Ngoc, The Gioi Publishers, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Happy Lunar New Year! Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

2008-01-28T12:56:00.000+07:00

Planning a Celebration?

Sequence of the Tet Celebration

Do it right. Here's a step-by-step sequence of the Tet Celebration

Preparation.During the week before Tet, some families visit the graves of parents and grandparents. Fresh earth is placed on top, weeds removed from around it and incense is burnt to invoke the souls of the dead from the other world to return to visit the family home.

The Kitchen God (Ong Tao or Mandarin Tao) is also called the Hearth God, the Stove God or the Household God. This god who was privy to the family's most private business and intimate secrets for the ending year, returns to Heaven to make his report to the Jade Emperor. This report includes the year's activities of the household in which he has lived. On the 23rd day of the 12th month, a farewell and thank you dinner is given to the Kitchen God by the household. The Kitchen God will need a week for his mission to Heaven.

Folklore has made the spirit of the hearth into a picturesque character, a buffoon who is the butt of crude jokes. Although he is a messenger of the Jade Emperor in Heaven, he is depicted as so poor as to be unable to afford much clothing. He wears an important mandarin hat but goes about with bare legs because he has scorched his pants in the hearth fire. Another version tells that he was in such a rush to get back to Heaven that he forgot his pants and ascended in only his underwear. Efforts must be made to put him in a proper mood to secure a favorable report to the Jade Emperor of the family's activities. Offerings are made to him. These gifts certainly aim at influencing the outcome of the report. But no one considers such gifts to be crass bribery. Such pleasantries merely sweeten the god's way, as perhaps cookies placed by the fireplace will please Santa Claus, who might be tired from delivering so many gifts on Christmas night.

The paper carps, horses and clothing (hats, robes and boots) will be burned by the family and thus transformed into a spiritual essence usable by Ong Tao in the world beyond. Like Santa Claus, the Kitchen God is loved and respected. Both have the capacity to bring fortune and happiness into the home depending on the previous year's behavior. Although beliefs about the Kitchen God have changed over the years, he remains an important figure in the rich texture of Vietnamese New Year. The Kitchen God travels on the back of a brightly colored and powerful paper horse or sometimes a grand bird with great wings, such as a crane. Or he might ride on a carp with golden scales. Paper images of these vehicles are purchased at Tet or a living specimen of fish is bought and later set free. The day of his departure is marked by the calls of fishmongers from the countryside carrying baskets of fish hanging from their shoulder poles and calling "Fish for sale, fine mounts for the Household Gods to make their ride!" Live fish held in tanks of water and plastic bags are released into ponds, lakes, rivers and streams to impress the god with the kindness of the household. In Hanoi, the Sword Lake is a favorite spot for releasing Ong Tao's fish-vehicle. In some cases, three fish are released to account for the possibility that one must please all three Hearth Gods.

Most frequently we hear of only the Kitchen God, but many legends support the trinity of Kitchen Gods. Ong Tao represents the blending of all three.

In the old days, and still in some countryside homes, cooking occurs over clay tripods. Three stones were all that was needed to hold up the pot over the fire. Few people spend time thinking about the nature of the Kitchen Gods or the specific meaning of the items that are associated with them. The three Hearth Gods are represented at Tet by three hats and shops sell sets of three miniature paper hats: two men's hats and one woman's. These are burned as offerings to Ong Tao. The God will also need a new pair of boots to wear as he travels to Heaven. Two favorite gifts for the triad of household deities are gold and wine.

In the central part of Vietnam, cooking tripods or blocks that make up the family hearth, even if they are still usable, are ritually discarded when the God leaves. One week later, new blocks will greet his return or the arrival of his replacement assigned by the Jade Emperor.

After the Kitchen God has left, preparations for the New Year festivities begin in earnest. The week before New Year's Eve is a period of Tat Nien. Tat Nien (literally meaning the end or 'to extinguish the year') is the celebration of the last session of a period, such as the last class of school, the last bus home, the last day in the office, even the last bath, all with parties and great ceremony. There is a festive holiday atmosphere before New Year's Eve with dragon dances.

Some families set up a Tet tree in the week before New Year's Eve. The Tet tree called cay neu, is a bamboo pole stripped of most of its leaves except for a bunch at the very top. The Tet tree has Taoist origins and holds talismanic objects that clang in the breeze to attract good spirits and repel evil ones. On the very top, they frequently place a paper symbol of yin and yang, the two principal forces of the universe. Sometimes a colorful paper carp flag will fly from the top. The carp (or sometimes a horse) is the vehicle on which the Hearth God travels to make his report. This tree is more common in the countryside now than in the city. It is ceremonially removed after the seventh day of Tet.

Sweeping and scrubbing is done in advance as tradition discourages cleaning during the holiday itself. During this time, shops and restaurants close while the cleaning spree proceeds in earnest. On hands and knees, the floors will be scrubbed; bronze will be polished to a brand new finish. Closets will be ransacked for old clothes to be tossed out. Shoppers swarm the streets at temporary Tet stalls that have sprung up, lit with tiny gaily-flashing lights. Everything needed for the celebration from food to decorations is at hand and in abundance at these Tet markets.

Two items required for the proper enjoyment of Tet are flowering branches and the kumquat bush. For the sale of these and other flowers and plants, a lively flower market is held in the center of the ancient quarter of Hanoi on Hang Luoc Street. A massive flower market was organized on Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City and attracts crowds who walk up and down the street admiring the flowers, meeting old friends and making new ones. However, this was moved out of the center in 1996. Throughout the country on bicycles of roving vendors, flowers create great splashes of color. In the south, the bright golden yellow branches of the mai apricot are seen everywhere. In the north, the soft rose-colored dao peach flowers decorate homes and offices. A truck driver will adorn his truck with a dao branch to cheer him on a long-distance run.

Miniature kumquat bushes about two or three feet tall are carefully selected and prominently displayed. To carefully choose a kumquat bush, the buyer must pay attention to the symmetrical shape, to the leaves and to the color and shape of the fruit. The bushes have been precisely pruned to display ripe deep orange fruits with smooth clear thin skin shining like little suns or gold coins on the first day. Other fruits must still be green to ripen later. This represents the wish that wealth will come to you now and in the future. The leaves must be thick and dark green with some light green sprouts. The fruits represent the grandparents, the flowers represent parents, the buds represent children and the light green leaves represent grandchildren. The tree thus symbolizes many generations. Guests will caress the light green leaves about to sprout and compliment the discerning host who chose so carefully. The Sino-Viet pronunciation of the word for orange sounds like the word for wealth and the tangerines signify good luck.

Crowds of shoppers at the markets become thicker and more frantic each night, holding up traffic as they jostle each other to reach the counters with the best buys. Prices are a bit higher, but then thriftiness is not considered a virtue at Tet. Everyone is wishing each other Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

One must purchase the sugared fruits, banh chung and the colorful decorations before the afternoon of Tet.

While shoppers roam the streets, banh chung patties wrapped in leaves are steaming in giant vats. The outside has taken on a lovely light green tinge after being boiled inside a wrapper of leaves. Banh chung in the north is a square patty measuring seven inches and two inches thick, filled with shreds of fatty pork surrounded by a dense mixture of sticky rice and mashed ground green beans. In the south, a similar dish is cylindrical. It is given as a gift at this time of year and has a similar long life and social significance as the western Christmas fruitcake. These are frequently called sticky rice cakes, but are unlike sweet cakes in the western sense. There is however, a sweet version made without meat but with sugar added called banh ngot (sweet rice patty).

Suddenly, as if by command of some magic wand, the spree of activity, the light, the noise, all vanishes. By early evening, markets and shops are abandoned. Shops, stalls and restaurants are locked leaving a notice hung on the door announcing the date of reopening. Special dishes must be completed that are expected to serve the family and its guests for the first three days of the new year. People desert the outer world and disappear on the requisite trip to their home villages and inside their homes for intimate family celebrations.

* * *

Giao Thua. As midnight approaches, all eyes maintain a close look on clocks and watches. The Giao Thua ritual occurs at that most sacred moment in time. At midnight on the last day of the year, every Vietnamese family whispers similar fervent prayers. Bells ring and drums beat in temples. The old year gives over its mandate to the New Year. The words Giao Thua (Giao means to give and Thua means to receive) mean a passing on or a receiving and handing down of life, and the recognition of that gift by the present generation. It marks the magical transition time from one year to another. Those who practice Buddhism will pray in the pagoda.

In the Gia Tien (family ancestor) ritual or calling of the ancestors, invitations are extended to the deceased relatives to visit for a few days in the world of the living family. They are lured home and kept happy until they leave. The head of the household lights incense and folds hands at heart level in the position of prayer. The prayer may proceed as follows: "In the year of&. And the date of&. Make these offerings and invite all of our ancestors to join in eating Tet with us."

The past generations are invited to share the family's joys and concerns to enjoy a meal with the living, to catch up on the family news and to lavish riches and honors on their descendants.

"I pray to the Heavenly King, the Jade Emperor, to his assistants and to the Earth God and the guardian spirit and to any other spirits present. On behalf of the &family, we offer you incense, gold and silver, fruit and flowers, alcohol and fixings for the betel quid. We are all here to make these offerings so that the next year will be free of disasters and harmful occurrences and that the family will prosper. Please bless us all, young and old, with happiness, prosperity and long life. (Here he might mention some events of the past year such as the birth of a child, someone's new employment or the successful entrance of a child into a good school). Please forgive us any transgressions we may have unknowingly committed against you or others."

Bowing motions, called Le, are performed at least three times and the ceremony ends when all have prostrated themselves (or in more modern families, folded hands and prayed) before the altar. After the "money for the dead" and other paper gifts are burnt in the courtyard, the family watches the ashes dance away on warm currents of air, a sign that the dead have received their gifts. The spiritual presence of the ancestors will be palpable during the days of Tet.

In recent times, a new tradition has evolved to celebrate the important evening of the new year. Those who are not at home praying at this momentous time may be socializing with friends. In the cities, there will be community fireworks displays that will draw the young from their homes into the square or park. Although firecrackers are now illegal in Vietnam, some kind of loud noises will be made. It can be the banging of cans, the use of electronic popping firecrackers or human voices whooping it up. People will break off branches and twigs that contain newly sprouted leaves to bring a sense of freshness and vitality into their home. This follows a Buddhist tradition of bringing fresh new leaves and "fortune bearing buds" into the home from the pagoda.

* * *

First Morning or Head Day is reserved for the nuclear family, that is, the husband's household. Immediate family members get together and celebrate with the husband's parents. A younger brother, if the parents are not alive, will visit his older sibling. Faraway sons and daughters journey to be with their parents on this day. Children anticipate a ritual called Mung Tuoi, or the well wishing on the achievement of one more year to one's life. With both arms folded in front of their chest in respect, they thank their grandparents for their birth and upbringing.

Reciprocally, the grandparents will impart words of advice or wisdom to their grandchildren, encouraging them to study seriously, to live in harmony with others. The promises made by the children are similar to New Year's resolutions made during the western New Year. Adults will make silent promises to themselves to improve their lives, habits and relationships in the coming year. The children accept small gifts, usually crisp bills. Ideally, part of the gifts will be saved for future "investment," and part spent for Tet amusements. The words on the little red envelope in which the bill may be tucked read: Respectful wishes for the New Year. When there was a king ruling Vietnam, the mandarins of the royal court formally wished the King and Queen, "Happiness as vast as the southern sea; longevity as lasting as the southern mountains." Each trade and professional guild in Vietnam has a founder or guardian spirit and on this or one of the next several days, the craft workers will make offerings to their guild ancestor.

The family displays the offerings of food on the altar table for the first meal for the ancestors since they have returned to the world of the living. The head of the family, dressed in fresh clothes, steps respectfully in front of the family altar and presents the offerings of food, liquor, cigarettes, betel fixings, flowers and paper gold and silver. He lights three sticks of incense, kneels, joins hands in front of his chest, bows his head and prays. The names of the deceased of the family up to the fifth generation are whispered as they are invited to participate in the feast prepared for them.

After the ceremony, the entire family sits down to enjoy the meal typically consisting of steamed chicken, bamboo shoot soup, banh chung and fresh fruits. They reminisce with their ancestors.

The Vietnamese do not say "celebrate" when speaking of Tet; the words "to eat" are used as in the expression, "Will you eat Tet with your family?" or "Where will you eat Tet this year?" It does not refer to the filling of one's stomach, although in the old days, when hunger was a constant problem, Tet time was a time of plenty during which one could eat one's full. "To eat" here means more to be nourished by, or to partake in the mutual communion with others, a spiritual eating or being nourished.

There is a Vietnamese saying related to ancestor worship: "Trees have roots; water has a source; when drinking from the spring, one must remember the source." Thanks are offered to those ancestors who labored long ago to dig irrigation channels and remove mountains for this generation to have an easier life. The present is only one link in the cycle of coming back to the past as one looks to the future.

The second day of Tet is for visiting the wife's family and close friends. Some shops have opened and a few lottery stands are busy selling chances to people who feel lucky. Everyone is out on the street parading around in their new clothes.

On the third day of Tet, the circle of connections becomes larger and is extended to the broader community outside the family by visits to teachers, bosses or a helpful physician. The Vietnamese visit teachers and physicians although long out of school and long cured of their illness. This may be the time to have one's fortune told to see what the coming year will bring. These days in Vietnam, there are fortunetellers using computer software. People are also especially interested in the significance of their first dream of the new year.

The evening of the third day marks the departure of the ancestors by burning votive objects such as gold and silver, for them to take with them on their journey back to Heaven.

Now the connections to the world beyond the family can take place. The non-family member who will be the first visitor is carefully chosen. The "first footer" is an auspicious guest who is considered to be good luck for the family. The first non-family visitor to the house brings in the year's luck. This figure's karma will charm the household for the entire year and determine the luck of the family. It is customary to invite a respected person to visit at that time, so that this turn of luck is not left to fate. This person, whose aura is believed capable of promoting the fortune of the household in the following year, is usually someone healthy, successful and prosperous. Some Vietnamese lock their doors to all chance visitors until after the visit of the chosen "first footer."

On the fourth day, banks and shops reopen. Transactions, although slower, will be conducted more cheerfully than usual. Offices open and work resumes. Careful attention is paid to the resumption of activities. The first outing is the first time in the New Year that a family leaves their home. A propitious time is chosen in advance for this outing and one sometimes asks the advice of fortunetellers.

Formerly, scholars initiated their new brushes and paper with a small ceremony with the wearing of new clothes. This also requires an auspicious hour. The theme of the proverb or poem is considered carefully and newly purchased high-grade paper was used. Today's students are less formal in their initiation rites, but most enjoy a new pen and a fresh notebook for the New Year. Everyone determines to do what he or she can to help fate along to make the next year most successful.

In the countryside, there are rituals to enliven the land out of its winter's rest. The Rites of Dong Tho activate the soil to bring it alive from its sacred rest. When there was a king in Vietnam, he symbolically initiated the harrowing of the first furrow of the planting season in a royal rite.

A hundred years ago, on Hang Buom Street, a ceremony was performed right after Tet called the Beating of the Spring Ox. This ceremony initiated the breaking open of the agricultural land and chased away the winter cold. A ceramic image of the ox was beaten with sticks until it broke into pieces. Everyone scramble to grab and take home a piece of the sacred ox.

On the fifteenth day of Tet (called Ram Thang Gieng), the first full moon, there are ceremonies in Buddhist temples. This is considered the most auspicious day of the Buddhist year. "Paying homage to Buddha all year long is not as effective as praying on the 15th day of the first lunar month." The devout flock into pagodas, their eyes stinging with the blue haze of incense. After prayers, shared blessed offerings from the temple keeper are stuffed into bags carried with them for that purpose. Over the years, this Buddhist sacred day has transformed into a holiday of other cults.

It is also called Tet Trang Nguyen or the feast of the first laureate. There is a legend associated with its beginnings: the emperor once staged a banquet on the full moon to which the most prominent scholars of the kingdom were invited. They drank exquisite liquor and each man composed a formal poem on a theme chosen by the emperor. On that day, many families celebrate Tet all over again by eating banh chung.

This is also called the Little New Year or full moon New Year and celebrated by farmers following an indigenous practice of welcoming Spring at the first full moon. Later, it became infused with Buddhist meanings.

The Vietnamese traditionally celebrated Tet from the fifteenth day of the twelfth month to the fifteenth day of the first month.

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Excerpted from Tet: The Vietnamese Lunar New Year by Huu Ngoc and Barbara Cohen

West Lake & Hoan Kiem Lake

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West Lake

HoTay (West Lake) &Duong Thanh Nien (Youth Road) : Youth Road can be compared to a beautiful bridge spanning across the two large bodies of water - West Lake to the northwest and Truc Bach Lake to the southeast. Covering an area of nearly 500 hectares, Ho Tay was also called Dam Dam (Misty Pond), Lang Bac (White Waves)...

.Oral tradition has it that HoTay derived from a low-lying area upturned by a golden buffalo, so the stream derived from Ho Tay was named Song Kim Nguu (Golden Buffalo River). As for Truc Bach Lake, legend has it that in the old days, Truc Bach Lake was where lived the abandoned ladies-in-waiting who were forced to weave silk. Therefore, beautiful silk was called Truc Bach (Silk of the Truc village). As the biggest lake in the city, HoTay is surrounded by many areas reputed for their traditional occupations :Yen Phu and Nghi Tam (silkworm-breeding and silk-weaving villages in the past), Quang Ba, Nhat Tan (peach-growing village), Buoi (paper-making village). In Tay Son times, Nguyen Huy Luong wrote Tông Tay Ho Phó (Eulogy for West Lake) so as to highlight the landscapes of the West Lake and Nguyen Hue (future Quang Trung)'s glorious merits. Now, Ho Tay has been earmarked for the city's major tourism development center.

Hoan Kiem Lake

* Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of Restored Sword) : The name of this lake is derived from a legend having it that a fisherman named LeThan caught a sword blade when drawing the fish-net. Than decided to offer it to his commanding general Le Loi (future Le Thai To). Afterwards, LeLoi found a hilt fitting that blade very well. This sword had always been on his side during 10 years of resistance against Ming aggressors. After winning over the foreign aggression, King Le Thai To returned to Thang Long Citadel .One day, aboard a royal boat, he took a cruise in the Luc Thuy lake. Suddenly, a giant turtle emerged and came towards him. The king withdrew his sword, and pinpointed with the sword the direction of the coming turtle for his soldiers' attention.

All of a sudden, the turtle caught the sword between its teeth from the king's hand and submerged. The king thought that during the resistance against Ming aggressors, the genius had offered him this sword to help him defeat the enemy. At that time, the peace was returning, and the genius appeared to take back the sword. Consequently, King Le Thai To decided to name the Luc Thuy lake Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of Restored Sword). In the middle of the lake is Thap Rua (Turtle Tower). The lake abounds in big turtles aged five or six hundred. When there are the changes in weather, they often emerge or expose themselves at the foot of the Turtle Temple.

Ngoc Son Temple

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Ngoc Son Temple

* Den Ngoc Son (Ngoc Son Temple) : Initially, the temple was called Ngoc Son Pagoda. Later, it was renamed as Ngoc Son Temple, because it was dedicated to the saints. Saint Van Xuong was a person considered the brightest star in Vietnam's literature and intellectual circles. Tran Hung Dao was worshipped because he was the national hero who led the Vietnamese people to a resounding victory over the Mongol aggression. The temple as it is seen today was attributable to the restoration efforts of Nguyen Van Sieu, a great Hanoian writer. He had a large pen-shaped tower (Thap But) built at the entrance to the temple

On the upper section of Thap But, there are three Chinese characters Ta Thanh Thien which mean literally that to write on the blue sky is to imply the height of a genuine and righteous person's determination and will. Behind Thap But is Dai Nghien (Ink Stand). The Ink Stand is carved from stone resembling a peach, which is placed on the back of three frogs on top of the gate to the temple. Passing through Dai Nghien, visitors will tread on the wooden bridge called The Huc. The Huc is literally understood as the place where beams of morning sunshine are touching.

Besides, Ha Noi has such attractions as Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, History Museum, Revolution Museum, Army Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Palace of Friendship....

Festival Hai Ba Trung

Den Hai Ba Trung (Hai Ba Trung Temple) is also called Dong Nhan Temple, because it is located in Dong Nhan village, Hai Ba Trung precinct. Built in 1142 under the reign of King Lý Anh Ton, it is dedicated to the two Vietnamese heroines Trung Trac and Trung Nhi. On the 5th and 6th days of the lunar second month , there is a grand festival at this temple to commemorate the two national heroines.

Golden Lotus Pagoda (Kim Lien Pagoga).

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Golden Lotus Pagoda (Kim Lien Pagoga).

* Chua Kim Lien (Kim Lien Pagoda) : Legend has it that in the 12th century, Princess Tu Hoa, daughter of King Lý Than Ton , led her ladies-in-waiting to this area. They cultivated mulberry and silkworms to make silk. Later, a pagoda was built right on the site and by 1771, it was named Kim Lien (Golden Lotus).

Quan Su Pagoda

*Chua Quan Su (Quan Su Pagoda) was built in the 17th century. It is located in the street of the same name. Since 1958, Vietnam Buddhism Association has used this pagoda as its head office.

Quan Thanh Temple

* Den Quan Thanh (Quan Thanh Temple) : The three ancient Chinese characters which are still seen today on the top of the entrance to the temple mean Tran Vu Quan. Literally, the temple is dedicated to Saint Tran Vu. Temples are places for worshipping saints while pagodas are dedicated to Buddha and faithful disciplines. Saint Tran Vu was a legendary figure which was a combination between a legendary character in Vietnam's legend and a mystic character derived from China's legend. In Vietnam's legend, he was a saint who had earned the merits of assisting Thuc Phan (future King An Duong Vuong) in getting rid of ghost spirit during the construction of CoLoa Citadel. An Duong Vuong Temple in CoLoa Citadel (Dong Anh district) is also named Thuong Temple. Inside it, there are An Duong Vuong's bronze statue (cast in 1897) and a big arbalest symbolizing the magic arbalest in the old days. In China's legend, Saint Tran Vu was a saint who had made many contributions in safeguarding the northern border. Quan Th¸nh Temple was built during the reign of King LýThai To (1010-1028). Special attention should be paid to the black bronze statue of Saint Tran Vu. Another object of no less significance is a smaller black bronze statue of Old Trong, a chief artisan of the bronze casting team who had made the giant statue of Saint Tran Vu and the great bell on top of the entrance.

One-Pillar Pagoda

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One- Pillar Pagoda

Chua mot cot (One-pillar Pagoda) : Its original name was Dien Huu (long-lasting happiness and good luck). Legend has it that King Lý Thai Tong was very old and had no son of his own. Therefore, he often went to pagodas to pray for Buddha's blessing so that he might have a son. One night, he had a dream that he was granted a private audience with Buddha with a male baby in his hands. Buddha, sitting on a lotus flower in a square-shaped lotus pond in the western side of Thang Long Citadel, gave the king the baby. Months later, the queen got pregnant and gave birth to a male child*. To repay gift from Buddha, the king ordered the construction of a pagoda which was supported by only one pillar resembling a lotus seat on which Buddha had been seated. The pagoda was dedicated to Buddha.

Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) was built in 1070 as a dedication to the founder of Confucianism. Six years later, Quoc Tu Giam - the first university of Vietnam - was built in the premises of Van Mieu. Quoc Tu Giam was the first school for princes and children of royal family members. In 1482, King Le Thanh Tong ordered the erection of steles with inscription of all the names, birth dates and birth places of doctors and other excellent graduates who took part in examinations since 1442. Each stela is placed on the back of a turtle representing the nation's longevity. During Nha Nguyen (Nguyen Dynasty), Temple of Literature was moved to Phu Xuan (Hue Royal City).

Hanoi capital

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Ha Noi is the capital of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Ha Noi lies in Red River Delta and is situated in a tropical area having a strong monsoon influence. The name of Ha Noi (Interior side of a river) has been derived from an ancient language which is literally known as a land area located in the inner side of Red River. It does not mean that the city is inside the river, but it is embraced by about 100 km of the Red River dykes. Ha Noi has nine inner precincts (Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Cau Giay, Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, Long Bien, Hoang Mai) and five suburban districts (Tu Liem, Thanh Tri, Gia Lam, Dong Anh and Soc Son).