Shopping fun at Dalat Market

Tuesday,  August 31,2010,21:56 (GMT+7) “Ham lam, ba lam, bon lam…” (meaning VND25,000; VND35;000; VND 45,000). It is the voice of the sellers that you hear when you visit Dalat market in the evening. We spent some late evenings in the market listening to all the spruikers competing for the customers’ attention. In the evening, after 6p.m. the market that locals call Hades market was bustling with activities from selling woolen products such as coats, hats and scarves, to the street food vendors. In the cold weather and light drizzling rain that had people dressed in coats, the tourists could not resist the smell of the grills or the cups of hot milk. Hades market is thronging every day in the streets around the main market in Dalat.

Dambri, the girl longing for love

Monday,  August 30,2010,22:50 (GMT+7) Once upon a time, in a village near a big river, there was a young couple who were deeply in love. They wanted to spend their life together but the girl’s father was a rich village chief who wouldn’t allow his daughter to marry the young man from a poor family. The chief then forced the boy to leave the village causing his daughter great sorrow. She came to the river to cry every day, longing for her lover to return but he never did. The girl died in desperation, turning into green leaves on the hill and her tears flowed into the river forming a beautiful waterfall that was named Dambri or “Longing for love”.

Big buffets for National Day
	Friday,  August 27,2010,17:37 (GMT+7) Some hotels and restaurants under Saigontourist in HCMC are preparing special food programs for Vietnam National Day on September 2.

Hanoi in autumn
	Thursday,  August 26,2010,22:24 (GMT+7) The scorching days of summer have gone. Cool breezes signal the autumn coming that lifts the spirit of Hanoians.

A change of pace in Buon Don
	Wednesday,  August 25,2010,22:00 (GMT+7) On summer holidays, after a trip to the sea, you can travel to the highlands to discover nature and breathe the air of the forests. Buon Don Town in Buon Ma Thuot City in the highlands province of Daklak is a nice country retreat.

Century old cathedral in Phu Yen
	Wednesday,  August 25,2010,21:58 (GMT+7) Amidst the greenery and serenity of a small quiet commune of An Thach in Phu Yen Province stands Mang Lang Church, a building that has weathered over a hundred years in the harsh central region.

Vegetarian buffets for Vu Lan festival
	Monday,  August 23,2010,22:25 (GMT+7) In the seventh month of lunar calendar, Vietnamese traditionally eat vegetarian food to express gratitude and filial piety to parents and forefathers during the Vu Lan festival or Ghost Festival.

Off the beaten track to Binh Dinh’s beaches
	Monday,  August 23,2010,22:23 (GMT+7) When people mention Binh Dinh, they think of the land of martial arts. However, Binh Dinh is endowed with many spectacular landscapes, historical and cultural sites and stunning beaches.

Cruise the old quarter by electric buggy
	Thursday,  August 19,2010,23:54 (GMT+7) A driver identified as Tuan walks around the electric buggy to collect VND15,000 (less than US$1) from each of his guests before he sits behind the steering wheel and starts the 35 minute trip around the Old Quarter and Guom Lake.

Blue seas and unspoiled beaches
	Tuesday,  August 17,2010,22:15 (GMT+7) Beaches in the North are always crowded so the romance of nature seems to be lost. However, for beachgoers looking for somewhere relatively untouched, Co To Island’s beaches in Quang Ninh Province are the perfect spot.