Vietexplorer2024

Sa Pa – A Mountainous Escape For those seeking a mountainous retreat, Sa Pa Town in Lao Cai Province is an excellent choice, and the best part? It’s just a short distance from Hanoi. With affordable sleeper bus or train tickets ranging from VND250,000-400,000 ($9.9-15.8), travelers can easily embark on their journey to this captivating destination. To make the most of your budget, consider booking a combo deal that includes round-trip bus tickets and cozy accommodation at homestays or three-star hotels for as little as VND1.5-2 million ($59.2-79) each. Witness breathtaking views from the Fansipan peak in Lao Cai Province. Photo : SG If you’re craving spectacular vistas and luxurious four-to-five-star services, be prepared to spend around VND900,000-2.8 million ($35.5-110.5) per night for an unforgettable experience. During Tet , a visit to the Fansipan peak is a must. Many consider it lucky to stand at the “Roof of Indochina” on the first day of the new lunar year, takin...

Duong Quang Minh, a teacher from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, came up with the idea for this campaign. The goal is to help parents integrate a reading habit into their children’s daily routines. The campaign provides practical guidance and a roadmap that has been proven successful in many families. The program is divided into several sessions that will take place throughout 2024. It will kick off with 12 interactive workshops scheduled from January 1 to February 7. Le Thi Thuy Phuong reads a book with her daughter in Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Supplied Following the introductory workshop, parents are encouraged to participate in a competition to create a reading corner within their homes. “Creating this space doesn’t require a lot of shopping or a big investment. It can be done with items that are already available in the household,” said Minh. “Having a designated book corner in each home has been proven to significantly increase children’s engag...

Hanoi is looking forward to organizing cost-effective and practical festive events in 2024, without any religious fanaticism, as discussed at a meeting on January 23. Huong Pagoda Festival in 2023. Photo: The Hanoi Times The local authorities have been instructed to prioritize safety during these events and ensure that the festivals align with the local socio-economic development. Tran Thi Van Anh, the deputy director of Hanoi’s Department of Culture and Sports, emphasized that the ritual activities should reflect traditional cultures, and visitors should be mindful of their behavior and actions to uphold cultural values and preserve relics. The deputy director also stressed the importance of training relic managers and staff on how to receive visitors and maintain the local environment, safety, and tradition preservation. During the meeting, representatives from local communes and districts in Hanoi expressed their commitment to making their festivals unique and appea...

During their state visit to Vietnam, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, visited the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Elke Büdenbender went behind the scenes and talked to the artists to gain a deeper understanding of the art of water puppetry and their work. As part of their visit to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, the first ladies of Vietnam and Germany received special gifts from the theatre. Water puppetry is a traditional art form in Vietnam that dates back to the 11th century. The shows depict scenes from rural life, including landscapes, bamboo trees, and traditional activities like fishing and rice cultivation. The wives of the Vietnamese and German Presidents posed for a photo with the artists at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Vietnam and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1975 and elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in 2011. The year 2024 is significant as it leads up to the 50th anniver...

Part of their work is checking the status border landmarks planted on the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. The guards say this is a sacred task they undertake every day. Long An borders SvayRieng and PrayVeng provinces of Cambodia, with a total length of 133km, of which two thirds lie on land. Long An has Binh Hiep international border gate, My Quy Tay national border gate, three auxiliary border gates, along with a number of trails and open crossings with Cambodia. The Long An Border Guard Command dispatches teams patrolling along the border every day. In addition to patrolling the border, local border guards create the best possible conditions for people to across the border for trade exchanges and relatives visits. They pay special attention to entry and exit procedures at border gates to ensure security along the border. Inspection has been enhanced, especially during the Tet holiday. The border gu...

Fansipan mountain is located in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and the height of its peak is 3,147.3 metres. It is the highest mountain in the Indochinese Peninsula which comprises of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, leading to its nickname of “the Roof of Indochina”. Fansipan is tucked away in the scenic Muong Hoa valley, an area known equally for its photogenic rice field terraces and excellent hiking trails, according to Singaporean website Women’s Weekly. The climb to the summit can be conquered in a couple of days with the help of local guides, or a 20-minute cable-car ride from the centre of Sa Pa, a quaint town that itself is worth attention. The cable-car ride has led to the peak now being slightly more touristy compared to a decade ago, particularly as it has been extensively renovated for accessibility and as a showcase of Vietnam’s culture, the website noted. The massive statues and temples at the peak are an impressive sight nonetheless, as are the vi...

This also marks the first time that the space of Tet Book Street festival has been held on Le Loi street, stretching from Nguyen Hue to Quach Thi Trang roundabout in District 1. Upon addressing the opening ceremony, Lam Dinh Thang, director of the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City, emphpasised that this year’s Tet Book Street consists of three main areas with a range of diverse activities, adding that there was the largest number of publishing units participating the event after 13 years of organisation. On display at the festival were a range of books on topics relating to late President Ho Chi Minh, the 135th birthday of President Ton Duc Thang, and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement. This year has seen Tet Book Street organise a space dedicated to Vietnamese book art, introducing limited edition books of art and history, including the Taber Dictionary, published in 1838 in Calcutta. Most notably, visitors have ...

During this time of the year, nature has brought us many extraordinarily different types of flowers blooming everywhere. If you have the opportunity to set foot in a new land in the right flower season, you will surely have a great time and experience beautiful natural beauty for the most unique Instagram pictures. It is not just for the wonderful photography, but these flower fields also leave a memorable trait in the visitor’s hearts. Here are the types of flowers that you will easily find in the spring, and enjoy your journey with your friends and family in this New Year holiday. Get lost in the white plum forest in Moc Chau Photo: Gia Han Moc Chau is the widest and dreamiest plateau of the Northern mountainous region located in Son La Province which is far about 200 kilometers from Hanoi to the west. Moc Chau entices visitors with its magnificent traditional villages of Vietnamese minor tribes, its many gorgeous flowers ranging from plum flowers to cherry blossoms, a...

Armenian Ambassador to Vietnam Vahram Kazhoyan. Armenian Ambassador to Vietnam Vahram Kazhoyan: Interesting and profound Vietnamese Tet In 2023, I welcome the third Lunar New Year in Vietnam. Every year before Tet, I go to the flower market to buy kumquat trees, apricot trees, and peach flowers. The kumquat tree I bought in my first year in Hanoi is still grown in my yard. For me, the Hanoi flower market is full of Tet atmosphere. The familiar streets and corners are bustling every day thanks to hundreds of blooming flowers. On Tet holiday, my family visited Tran Quoc Pagoda, an ancient pagoda with beautiful architecture, located on the east side of West Lake. We come here, listening to the monk preaching the sutras, and feel the peace and purity. To me, Tet has two biggest meanings: the beginning of a new year and the occasion for family reunion. This is similar to new year in our country. In Armenia, new year is held from the evening of December 31 to January 1 as an ...