What the papers say July - August 2015

No 3, Vol.8 ,July – August 2015 Unusual cold weather hits Sapa in northern Vietnam Viet Nam News, 6 July Sapa, the favourite resort town in northern Vietnam, is going through the second winter in only six months. The town became suddenly cold on Monday morning and many people had to wear extra coats to deal with the temperature, which fell to 12.6 degrees Celsius (54.7 degrees Fahrenheit) at 7 a.m., right in the middle of summer. The cold weather is even stranger considering the country has been going through the hottest year in a decade, with heat wave gripping northern and central Vietnam for months now. Fishermen complain over Chinese action Viet Nam News, 15 June The Vietnam Fisheries Association has denounced Chinese ships for obstructing the rescue of Vietnamese fishermen and attacking Vietnam's fishing vessels. In a recent statement sent to ministerial agencies, the association said the actions were inhuman and violated the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Vietnam's rescue vessel SAR 142 was blocked by a Chinese ship on May 31 while it was on the way to save a distressed fisherman on fishing boat QNa 90927 TS near Tri Ton Island of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam. Earlier, Vietnamese fishing vessel BD 96680 TS was attacked by a Chinese coast guard ship while it was fishing at 15 degrees of the north latitude and 112 degrees east longitude in Viet Nam's Hoang Sa waters. Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica to undergo years-long major  revamp Viet Nam News, 18 June A large-scale restoration, which may take several years, is expected to start on the 135-year-old Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica in three months. Restorers were poised to visit France and meet producers of coloured glass and tiles that may go well with the church's architecture. According to officials, damage is most serious in the edifice’s tile roofs due to accumulative rainwater, which leads to further structural impairments and imperils its overall force sustaining system. The bell tower, which is over 60 metres tall, also poses a safety challenge. Built in 1877 and opened to the public in 1880, the 135-year-old church has not seen any major restoration. Beached dolphin rescued in Vietnam beach town Viet Nam News, 22 June A dolphin found stranded on a beach of the resort town of Vung Tau was rescued and released back into the sea by local residents on Thursday. Beach residents found the dolphin, which is about 1.5 metre (5ft) long and weighed about 60 kg. As it looked weak, they decided to take it to a snail farming pond nearby to take care the dolphin. After four hours, the dolphin recovered well and was released back to the ocean. Rhino horn demand plunges  Viet Nam News, 25 June Rhino horn demand has decreased by 77 per cent in Hanoi and 38 per cent across Vietnam, more than a year after a campaign was launched to eliminate its use. The Humane Society International and the Vietnam Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora started the campaign in 2013. Vietnam needed to spread the message that South African authorities have injected poisonous chemicals into rhinos' horns to prevent them from being illegally killed there. According to the Vietnam Customs Department of Anti-smuggling Investigation, most rhino horn is transported by plane from South Africa. In the first 6 months of the year, the department seized four illegal rhino-horn traffickers. Hoi An faces risk of losing beach to coastal erosion Viet Nam News, 29 June Experts and authorities in a central Vietnamese province that houses a UNESCO-recognized old town have been spooked by the grim prospect that a stunning beach along its coastline could disappear altogether due to alarming soil erosion. Cua Dai Beach, which is a gem of Hoi An Town's tourist industry and a major draw to international tourists, is being wiped out by sea waves at an alarming rate. The beach has seen relentless, devastating coastal erosion since October last year, with the damage spiraling out of control recently. Experts at several seminars held to address the issue have unanimously agreed that the malady is mostly put down to hydroelectric dams, which block the silt and sand currents from upstream, and rampant sand mining along the Vu Gia-Thu Bon, a major river system in the area. Work-related lung disorders affect many Thanh Nien News, 26 June Nearly 28,000 people suffer from occupational diseases in Vietnam, reports released at a scientific conference on lung cancer and work-related lung diseases in Hanoi said on Wednesday. The number could be higher, the reports at the conference organized by the National Lung Hospital said, adding there were six work-related lung diseases. Nearly 2 million workers, or nearly four per cent of the country's workers, underwent health examination in 2012, the health ministry said. Royal Caribbean gives port upgrade Thanh Nien News, 6 July The US-based cruise line Royal Caribbean International has invested $5 million to upgrade a major port in Central Vietnam to bring more cruisers to the country. Work is scheduled to finish by the end of this month to make it ready for cruise ships of more than 360 metres long like the Quantum of the Seas, which is currently the second-largest cruise ship in the world and one of the most luxurious. John Tercek, vice president of commercial development at RCI, said that while improving its infrastructure, Vietnam also needs to promote itself as a cruise ship destination to attract tourists with deep pockets. He added that many cruisers have known about Brazil, Russia, Thailand and Singapore, but they are not very sure what to do when stopping by Vietnam. Killing festivals to be eliminated Tuoi Tre News, 6 July Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh has recently confirmed the elimination of brutal festivals in which animals are killed as a sacrifice to god. “As the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and a National Assembly deputy, I confirm that the barbaric animal sacrifice rituals in festivals, such as the pig slaughter festival in northern Bac Ninh Province or the buffalo killing fest in Phu Tho Province in the north-eastern region, must definitely be terminated and disposed of,” the minister said at a conference on reviewing the festival management during the first six months of the year held in Hanoi early this month. He also expressed his resolve to end those festivals, saying that if those events keep being organized, it will prove the state management agencies’ impotence and indifference to public opinion. Reserve recognized as World Biosphere Reserve Tuoi Tre News, 12 June The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) earlier this week recognized Lang Biang natural reserve in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a new World Biosphere Reserve. Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve, covering a total area of about 275,440 hectares, hosts rich biodiversity including many threatened species. The newly recognized biosphere reserve includes one large primeval forest area with a core zone in Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park, which is rated as one of four centres of biodiversity in Vietnam. Local and international scientists noted this area is home to 153 species in the Vietnam Red Book and 154 species listed on the Red List of the Switzerland-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Firm reconstructs sacred whale’s skeleton Tuoi Tre News, 15 June Ngo Xuan Pha, board chairman of Bao Toan Automobile Co., said that his company had rebuilt a whale’s skeleton, which measures 33 metres in length and four meters in width and 100 metric tons in weight. The company purchased the skeleton from a local residing on Phu Quoc Island. The reconstruction only brought the bones 30 percent back, as they have sustained irreversible damage after some 60 years of burial, according to authorities. The skeleton is currently placed inside the Nha Mat Complex in Bac Lieu City so that locals and tourists can admire it and pay their respects to the animal. Scholar gives rare East Sea records to State Tuoi Tre News, 16 June A Hue researcher has presented copies of rare Vietnamese royal chronicles to the National Boundary Committee under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The researcher believes the books could serve as evidence of Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagoes. He said Dai Nam Thuc Luc (Great South Real Record) was a trusted collection of documents that justified Vietnam's sovereignty over the two archipelagos. In the chronicles of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945)’s Minh Mang era, the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa are described as part of Vietnam territory. Other records show how the dynasty's emperors deployed personnel to the islands and controlled fishing in the area. Veteran musicologist Tran Van Khe dies at 95 Tuoi Tre News, 28 June Professor Tran Van Khe, known as the master of traditional Vietnamese music, died at the age of 95 early on Wednesday. Professor Khe, a veteran musicologist, academician, writer and teacher, as well as performer of traditional music, died at Gia Dinh People's Hospital. He was suffering from various illnesses of the lungs, heart and kidney. Professor Khe was born in 1921 in My Tho City in southern Vietnam. The researcher fulfilled his childhood passion for the music of his country by working his way through college in France in the early 1950s. He was the first Vietnamese person to get a doctoral degree in musicology in France. He was a professor at Sorbonne University in Paris and was a honorary member of the International Music Council (UNESCO). Vietnamese designer wins Japan's Fukuoka Prize for helping develop fashion Tuoi Tre News, 8 July Vietnamese designer Dang Thi Minh Hanh was named the winner of the arts and culture category of the Fukuoka Prize, which honors people for their contributions toward developing fashion and promoting outstanding culture in Asia. The prize aims at honoring individuals and organizations for conserving and developing the diversity of Asian culture. Hanh is the second Vietnamese to win the award after historian Phan Huy Le who collected the academic prize in 1996. Hanh is a fashion designer specializing in ‘ao dai’. She is well known for her creative, unique designs which impress both local and international enthusiasts. Jun Yanagi, an envoy of the Japanese Embassy, said that he has seen a lot of Hanh’s designs and is greatly moved because those are exquisite artworks which make him feel the beauty of Vietnamese women.

A season in an earthenware jar

-July 2011 -- One day, novelist Nguyen Quang Sang came to Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta and invited me for a meal. I went to see him, taking with me a jar of fermented fish (mắm), made in Vinh Hung, as a rustic present for a guest from the big city. But I was worried when the fermented fish was served. Sang was so famous for his literary gift, and I personally knew him as a connoisseur of dishes and wines. His companion that day was Hai, owner of a well-known restaurant in Saigon. After taking a roll with boiled pork and vegetables dipped in the mắm and a sip of rice liquor, the novelist thought for a moment and nodded, ‘Wonderful!’ And Hai, a big eater, ate only the mắm, among many delicious dishes. Fermented fish is exceptional because you never forget its taste and because on a table full of various dishes it always dominates. Residents in the Mekong Delta have reason to be proud of this food. Ways of making fermented fish differ from province to province. Production reached its peak about thirty years ago when fish were abundant and freezing techniques were not so widespread. Nowhere is the use of fermented fish more prevalent or the ways of making it more diverse than in provinces along the Mekong River. The Khmer people make their own fermented fish, called ‘mắm bò hóc’, from freshwater fish. The Vietnamese produce salty or sour fermented fish or shrimp. Three peoples in the Mekong Delta, the Vietnamese, Khmer and Chinese, are connoisseurs and producers. My elder and younger sisters clean fish and lay them them in the sun to dry then take them into the kitchen, where my mother spices them, usually with salt and roasted rice powder. The spiced fish are layered in big earthenware jars, covered with nipa palm leaves and clamped with thin bars of bamboo. Only after helping my mother for years had my sisters learned how to produce fermented fish, because it is difficult. The fish may become black and smelly in some jars because of faulty technique. The art is handed down generation to generation.  In provinces along the Mekong River, every family knows how to make fermented fish, because they need to. The art makes the best use of small fish that otherwise could not be sold. It has served instead of fresh fish in the rainy season when fields flood and the latter are difficult to catch. In the past, there were no fish farms to ensure a reliable supply of fresh fish in the Mekong Delta year round. Images of big jars and the smell of fermented fish in kitchens of rural houses remain in the memories of those who migrate away. A friend of mine who is from a rural town has achieved some fame in literary circles. He told me, ‘One day I was writing and my inspiration went high and words poured from my pen when I smelled fermented fish from a vendor of  rice vermicelli in fermented-fish soup. My limbs went numb. I sat there and felt homesick, remembering the rainy season in my village and my poor mother who raised us with rice balls and fermented fish. I burst into tears.’ Fermented fish is also present in all towns and cities in the Mekong Delta, and Saigon and Phnom Penh as well. Besides fermented fish produced for family use, there is an army of professional makers of fermented fish. After Tet Festival, they form groups of two or three, load their boats with jars and salt and row to Ca Mau at the southern tip of the Delta where they buy a section of ditch or a pond to catch fish or they go into mangrove forests to catch fish. They may stay there for months catching fish and fermenting them until all their jars are full. In Bac Lieu Province in the past there was a gypsy way of producing fermented fish. In Bac Lieu then, there were waste and flood fields of hundreds of hectares where only some kinds of high, wild grass could exist. Rumour had it that snake-head mullet there could weigh five to seven kilos. In the dry season, fermented-fish-makers would transport jars and salt to these fields, put up tents and catch fish. Fish takes from three to four months to ferment but the longer the better. Rural residents usually open their fermented-fish jars when the rainy season comes. At that time of the year, the land is green with various kinds of wild green vegetables and peasants start cutting grass and sowing rice. They usually prepare breakfast before dawn, and the smell of fermented fish springs from one kitchen after another. Mothers steam a fermented snake-head mullet and pack some rice balls for their sons to take to the fields. Rice balls and fermented fish constitute daily meals for all ploughmen. When the sons come home from work at dusk they are served fermented fish and wild geen vegetables. When the son comes home early and the cooking pot is not ready, he may pick a red chilli, get a fermented snakeskin gourami [a common kind of fish] and eat them with cold rice. When friends visit, they are served a dish of fermented shrimp along with sliced green ginger, stems of night-scented lily, winged bean and leaves of wild water mint, and they roast a walking catfish. At noon, when bored, boys and girls take some fermented fish on a small boat and have it with mangrove apples, to pass the time. In Tan Duc and Tan Thuan Communes, Dam Doi District, a fish-rich hollow in Ca Mau Province, locals produce a specialty called mắm lòng (fermented fish-entrails). It is usually served with garlic, red chili, vinegar and coconut meat. The dish is so delicious that, as the saying goes, it is served to relatives on the father’s side only. In Vinh Hung, Bac Lieu Province, a new kind of mắm has been produced and it can free you from worries about fish-bones. This famous fermented fish is what I offered to writer Nguyen Quang Sang.

                                                                                                                                              By Phan Trung Nghia

Tolerant insights inspire monk s paintings

An associate of mine told me that there is a monk who painted several hundred paintings in just one night. The paintings are not for sale, but rather only to give away or to be sold for charity. As an artist, I hardly get enthusiastic about painting ‘records’, but I did have to concede that her admiration was genuine. And then, to my true surprise, I got to meet the modest, peaceful man and to see the oil paintings, which followed an abstract orientation. Zen master Phap Hanh’s perspectives on art and liberation seemed to me to be closer to life than the mysteries and obscurities surrounding Buddhism. He sees life like a child, as for the first time. Perhaps it is because of this that his paintings convey an unrefined quality like that of a child’s dabbling with colour. Zen master Phap Hanh’s family has four monks and he has practised Buddhism for 30 years. However, his explications of religious tenets were simple and easily understood. I asked him about the cause that led him to paint. He smiled and immediately spoke: ‘I paint with a mind that flows with the natural universe, the way the autumnal sun brushes against the dawn, the mist mingles with the earth and sky, and branches of flowers bloom only to fade.’ ‘The essence of painting, according to me, is a path to seek out one’s true self rather than to arrive at Buddhism’s ‘no-self.’ Thus being, is there any contradiction between these two goals in your painting activities?’‘There is no contradiction whatsoever. The nature of the flow of the natural universe through the currents of the mind is precisely what Zen calls “no-self,” while painting typically only captures fleeting moments of nature’s stirring. When a painter endeavors to demonstrate his personal character and the aspiration behind each work of art, that is the original nature of the self.’ ‘So for you, painting is just an expedient, a “Dharma means”, by which one arrives at the state of no-self?’‘From my perspective, the purest essence of art is none other than no-self. I don’t think that anything is an expedient, that anything is the goal. I paint like breathing.’ ‘In order to reach liberation…?’‘No, in order to reach freedom…’ ‘So what’s the true nature of freedom, sir?’‘Freedom is letting go of preconceptions that constrict and mold the mind, to open up perspectives on the interconnected world that are clouded by accordance, resistance, good, bad, gain, loss, success or failure. Generally speaking, it is to let the mind be free from all dualities in order to live fully with transient reality.’ ‘And yet, you tend to do abstract painting. In painting, it takes an abstract mind to have an abstract style. And they say that you need plenty of realism before you can have an abstract mind. But for a bonze who infrequently makes contact with the realities of life and, as such, is it easy or difficult to arrive at abstract painting?’‘I find peacefulness in painting and I convey that peacefulness to everyone. I don’t define it as abstract or realistic.’ Photos: Tran Anh Tuan ‘But at least there must be some attitude towards reality that causes many people to become unsettled, for instance, the gap between rich and poor, injustice, and evil that obviously still exists, sir?’‘The conversion power of art is exceptionally great. If one paints, writes poetry, or composes music with all one’s sincerity towards art, then people who witness it will sense its beauty and sanctity. We should empathize in order to love, despite the ongoing existence of that which satisfies our wishes or is unrequited. That which meets our wishes we take delight in; that which falls short of our wishes we tolerate. It’s like a painting that has many hues; were it to have only one hue, then it would no longer be able to be called a painting. Thus, when we prefer this hue to the exclusion of that hue, and then compound it with correctness, erroneousness, good and bad, or even try to analyze it, the process becomes unending. The goal is to love with all your heart through tolerance, sharing, and forgiveness. I think that all religions share in this supreme meaning.’ ‘And do they share a concept about heaven or Nirvāna?’ ‘Heaven or Nirvāna is created for each person by their own mind.’ ‘Many people hold that art or religion is none other than a path for people to flee from loneliness. I don’t really believe this because, as a painter, it is only when I am most alone that I can produce art. For you, in the spiritual world, does loneliness bear any significance?’‘Truth is absolute solitude.’ During the interview master Phap Hanh told me the following story, ‘There was a small child, very small, who sold lottery tickets and who was hit by a rickshaw driver and knocked down. The two of them hurriedly gathered the lottery tickets, which were strewn across the street. The child suddenly uttered, “I’m fine. Go ahead and get back to work so as not to upset your work. I can pick them up myself and, anyway, I only got lightly scratched.’” Zen master Phap Hanh said that the child taught him more about a tolerant heart than a thousand book pages and that it was also at that moment that he suddenly saw an array of golden, clear sunlight. That array of sunlight followed him into his paintings. Listening to him speak, I admired the paintings hanging all over the room where Zen Master Phap Hanh sat. Virtually all of them featured a harmonization of colours and were full of improvisation, without a visible trace of calculation or contrivance. There was also no visible sense of sadness or happiness. All of them silently flowed, just as does life. I furtively thought that one must be quite solitary to come up with such uncontrived colours. The significance of the Zen Master seems not to lie in each painting, but rather in the silent movement outside the paintings that reminds people of the impermanence of life. And that, I believe, is where art and religion converge. Oil on canvas Zen master Phap Hanh Oil on canvas Zen master Phap Hanh Oil on canvas Zen master Phap Hanh

By Trinh Tu

Countrywide exhibition at the Craig Thomas Gallery

July – August 2015 Alone’, oil on canvas, by Lim Khim Ka Ty Trifurcation’ is not a word you come across every day, but there it was in the literature for the Craig Thomas Gallery’s latest exhibition. The customs, cuisines, language and even perhaps the character of the people of Vietnam differ in the three regions of North, Centre, and South. This extends, I learned recently, to Art-as the three main art schools of Hanoi, Hue and Saigon tend to produce artists who employ differing styles and techniques. As part of its sixth birthday celebration, the Craig Thomas Gallery currently is holding an exhibition of twenty-eight frames by fifteen artists from across the country. It is aptly named ‘One Country’. Along with other writers and art luminaries and art lovers, I was invited to the premier held at the gallery, which is housed in a charming villa at the end of a cul-de- sac in a quiet area of HCMC’s District One. In The Midst of Life’, collage, acrylic on canvas, by Ngo Van Sac All but five of these pictures are either portraits or feature people. I have noticed in general, Vietnamese regard a photograph without a person in it as a waste. This often seems to be the case for art, too. Two pairings facing each other were in stark contrast. A Hanoi artist has two pictures of angry policemen, while the duo opposite by an artist from Ho Chi Minh City depicts everything in the garden as fine, with children happily playing while a beaming Uncle Ho benevolently looks down upon them from a tree. The exhibition got off to a flying start as somebody bought a policeman painting- ‘Glorious’ by Nguyen Hung Son with a price tag of $6,000. The portraits can be realistic. One, perhaps reaffirming Vietnam’s reputation of being one of the world’s happiest countries, is of a smiling young lady under her conical hat. Another, entitled ‘Alone’ has another young woman, feet up on a chair eating rice at a table. The more abstract portraits play to the observer’s emotions with titles such as ‘Dreamy Age’ ‘Land of Memory’ and ‘In the Midst of Life’. There are also a couple of nude paintings, which amply illustrate the Spanish architect Gaudi’s dictum that ‘the straight line belongs to God; the curve to woman (slightly misquoted). Ho Chi Minh’ by Tran Quoc Tuan. Photos provided by Craig Thomas Gallery Regarding techniques and materials used, oil on canvas seems to the most popular. There is also mixed media and acrylic on canvas. Oil and lacquer on wood takes one back to former times while digital art on canvas brings us up to date. Acrylic on Do paper and lacquer, glass, and inox are perhaps the most unusual materials in use. I have noticed before Vietnamese artists as a whole love colour. The most favoured colours in this exhibition are shades of blue, red and gold. If you are interested in Vietnamese art and want the ‘big picture’, the Craig Thomas gallery is one place to find it. Mr Thomas has assembled a wide range of paintings that show what the country as a whole is capable of producing and is to very high standards. This exhibition rams home the point that variety is the spice of art as well as life in general. There is something here for everybody’s taste. Catalogue price range from $400 (VND8,400,000) to $10,000 (VND210 millions). The exhibition is on till 25 July.n Craig Thomas Gallery 27i Tran Nhat Duat St, Tan Dinh Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City Email: cthomasgallery@gmail.com www.cthomasgallery.com 12:00 - 18:00 - Tuesdays through Saturdays; 13:00 - 17:00 - Sundays and Mondays; Otherwise by appointment, call Craig at 0903 888 431 or Thu at 0937 112 341

By Pip De Rouvray

Stores on the water

No 3, Vol.8 ,July – August 2015  Cai Rang floating market, Can Tho City. Photo: To Hoang Vu The floating market is a typical cultural feature in south-west Vietnam, a.k.a. the Mekong river delta. Here, because there are multiple criss-crossing canals, convenient for travelling by boats, the locals came up with the idea of trading right there in the water. Floating bazaars became vital for the people, who spend most of their life on water. The bazaars always gather people, despite all the shopping centres, supermarkets and land bazaars that appear in multitudes. Today, they are not only a trading place, but also a tourist attraction. In the 1990’s, land transport in the delta was very inconvenient; cars and motorcycles were a luxury and the South-Western people only used boats for travel, visiting a friend, going to a function, going to work or for errands. At the age of seven, I went to the bazaar every day with my mom. Actually, in the countryside, travelling on water with children was not widespread, but my mom had to take me with her because there was nobody to watch over me, and I was a good swimmer besides. We went mostly to Cai Be bazaar in Tien Giang Province, which was five kilometres from our house. Before dawn, dad had to load baskets of oranges, limes and mandarins onto the boat. Then he went to work the fields for pay. Mom carried me, still sleeping, to the boat and we went to the bazaar in the morning cold fog. Mom was a strong and skilful rower, so five kilometres was no big deal to her. Phong Dien floating market, Can Tho City. Photo: Ly Hong Van The kilometre-long bazaar gathered along the Tan Phong isle, where the Tien River bordered Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre provinces. People traded mostly agriculture and food products. This is a famous trading hub between the three South-Western provinces. Each boat was a shop. They hung what they sold on a bamboo pole for a sign. It was a convenient way of doing business, because the people in this area were mostly illiterate. This custom is preserved until today. If longans are hung on the pole, it’s where to buy longans. If it’s bananas, the boat is loaded with bananas. But sometimes the thing hung there is not what is sold. If it’s clothing, it’s hung just to dry after being washed. Once I asked ‘Mom, whom do they sell coconut leaves to?’ Mom laughed, ‘Silly you, they sell boats, but it’s too big to hang on a pole, so they hang the leaves instead.’ At the bazaar, food was what I loved most. To know what they offered, one had to come near to see in the hold. Mom used to leave me on a food boat of an acquaintance, so I could enjoy noodles and sweets and she could do the buying and selling without me distracting her. Her work done, she would come and take me home. Life nowadays is much easier, but she still goes to the bazaar every day. The bazaar changes every time I come home and go there with mom. Cai Be floating bazaar now is so modern, the goods so diversified. Everything traded on land is also traded here. They even have many tourist packages that take tourists to the bazaar to see, watch, photograph and buy things. There are many other floating bazaars, no less attractive, such as Chau Doc of An Giang Province, Cai Rang and Phong Dien of Can Tho City and Phung Hiep of Hau Giang Province. They really add unique and colourful features to the trading culture of the West of Southern Vietnam.n *The article originally was printed in Van Hoa Phat Giao in issue 161 Selling fruits at Phong Dien floating market, Can Tho City. Photo: Ly Hong Van

By Nguyen Thanh Vu

Value for Money July - August 2015

No 3, Vol.8 ,July – August 2015

HOTELS
Baoson International Hotel
50 Nguyen Chi Thanh St, Dong Da Dist, Hanoi
Tel: (04) 3835-3536
www.baosonhotels.com
Baoson International Hotel, a four-star hotel, located in the centre of Hanoi, has a promotion from 15 July to 15 August. The prices start from VND1,480,000 per room per night including welcome drink and a 10 per cent discount on food and beverage at Rose Restaurant. Those who book at least seven nights will get free laundry service of 3 items or a massage voucher.

Möôøng Thanh Hoi An Hotel
Block 9, Phuoc Trach – Phuoc Hai New Urban Area, Au Co St, Cua Dai Ward, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province
Tel: (0510) 3666-999
www.hoian.muongthanh.vn
Mường Thanh Hoi An Hotel has a promotion at VND4,089,000 per room for two nights in a Deluxe Room with a 60-minute foot massage at White Sand Spa &Massage, lunch or dinner at Tra Que Restaurant and shuttle bus to Hoi An.

Green World Hotel Nha Trang
44 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St, Loc Tho Ward, Nha Trang
Tel: (058) 3528-666
www.greeenworldhotelnhatrang.com
Green World Hotel Nha Trang is running a summer promotion till 30 August. It offers a 35 per cent discount on published room rates, which start from VND2,200,000 per room per night.

Liberty Central Nha Trang Hotel
7-9 Biet Thu St, Loc Tho Ward, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province
Tel: (058) 3529-555
www.libertycentralhotel.com

LibertyCentral Nha Trang Hotel is offering a special rate at VND2,950,000 per room for two nights in a Premier Ocean View Room including breakfast, an egg tub at 100 Eggs Mud Bath, shuttle bus to 100 Eggs Mud Bath, and a 10 per cent discount on food and beverage. The offer is till 31 December and applicable to weekdays.
Möôøng Thanh Dalat Hotel
No 04, Phan Boi Chau St, Dalat,
Lam Dong Province
Tel: (063) 3578-888
www.dalat.muongthanh.vn
Mường Thanh Dalat Hotel has a ‘Summer Promotion’ at VND2,290,000 per room for two nights with a complimentary meal and a 10 per cent discount on city tour and food and beverage at the restaurant.

An Lam Saigon River
21/4 Trung St, Vinh Phu Ward, Thuan An Dist., Binh Duong Province
Tel: (0650) 3785-555

An Lam Saigon River is offering a ‘Summer Promotion 2015’, with prices starting from VND6,000,000 per An Lam Suite per night to VND15,910,000 per Riverfront Pool Villa 2 Bedrooms per night. The prices include breakfast, lunch and shuttle boat transfers to city. The promotion is valid till 30 September.

Alcove Library Hotel
133A Nguyen Dinh Chinh St, Ward 8,
Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 6256-9966
www.alcovehotel.com.vn
The Alcove Library Hotel offers a promotion till the end of July. Starting from VND1,200,000 per room per night in a Standard Room including a voucher for a 10 per cent discount at Bookmark Restaurant.

The Island Lodge
390 Ap Thoi Bình, Thoi Son Ward,
My Tho City
Tel:(073) 6519-000
www.theislandlodge.com.vn

The Island Lodge is offering a 50 per cent discount on the second night for those who book two nights. Those who book three nights get a 100 per cent discount on the third night. The offers are valid till 31 October. It costs VND3,150,000 per room per night including breakfast, service charge and VAT.

RESORTS AND SPAS
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
15 Ngo Quyen St, Hanoi
Tel: (04) 3826-6919
www.sofitel-legend.com
Le Spa du Metropole, at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, has a 105-minute spa treatment, including a 60-minute Vietnamese-inspired treatment and a 45-minute Clarins customized facial massage. It costs VND2,355,000

AVANI Quy Nhon
Resort & Spa
Ghenh Rang, Bai Dai Beach,
Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province
Tel: (056) 3840-132
www.avanihotels.com/quynhon
AVANI Quy Nhon Resort & Spa is offering a special promotion for those who book four nights. It costs from VND4,100,000 per room per night in a AVANI Deluxe Studio Room or AVANI Junior Ocean Suite with breakfast, two dinners, one kayak tour with picnic lunch, one mountain biking excursion with picnic lunch and roundtrip airport transfers. The promotion runs till 31 May, 2016.

La Residence Hotel & Spa
5 Le Loi St, Hue
Tel: (054) 3837-475
www.la-residence-hue.com
La Residence Hotel & Spa has a ‘Summer Getaway’ at VND4,200,000 per room per night in a Superior Room with a welcome Shirley Temple mock-tail and a dinner. The promotion is valid till 31 October.

Poshanu Resort
Quarter 5, Phu Hai Ward,
Phan Thiet City,
Binh Thuan Province
Tel: (062)3812-233
www.poshanuresort.com
Poshanu Resort is offering a special at VND1,850,000 per room per night for weekday (Sunday to Thursday) and VND2,050,000 per room per night (Friday and Saturday). The special includes breakfast, lunch or dinner, a 20 per cent discount on food at Champa Restaurant, a 10 per cent discount on beverage at Champa Restaurant, a 20 per cent discount on laundry service and a 20 per cent discount on spa treatment. It is valid till 30 September and is not applicable to holidays. The price includes service charge and VAT.
The Cliff Resort & Residences
Zone 5, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet,
Binh Thuan Province
Tel: (062) 3719-111
www.thecliffresort.com.vn
The Cliff Resort & Residences is offering a ‘Hello Sunny Package’ at VND3,890,000 for two nights’ stay in an Azul Sea View Room for whole family, including parents and 2 children under 12 years old. It includes breakfast, indoor and outdoor activities for kids and a voucher valued at VND200,000 for using in the resort. Those who book on weekday from Sunday to Thursday will get a 5 per cent discount on the rate. The package runs till 31 August. The price includes service charge and VAT.

Sandunes Beach Resort & Spa
5 Quarter, Mui Ne Ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province
Tel: (062) 3748-868
www.sandunesbeach.com

Sandunes Beach Resort & Spa has a ‘Summer Promotion’ at VND1,399,000 per room per night in a Deluxe Ocean View Room with breakfast, lunch or dinner, a 10 per cent discount on beverage at the restaurant and a 10 per cent discount on a Mui Ne tour. The offer is valid till 31 October.

Seahorse Resort & Spa
Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Ham Tien Ward, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province
Tel: (062) 3847-507
www.seahorseresortvn.com

SeahorseResort & Spa is offering vouchers valued at VND1,899,000. The voucher includes a one-night stay in a Deluxe Room with breakfast, lunch, free sauna from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., free tennis court from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., a 30 per cent discount on spa services, a 10 per cent discount at Hippocampe Restaurant and Non La Pool Bar, a 5 per cent discount at Seahorse Bistro Restaurant and shuttle bus from Phan Thiet Railway Station to resort. Those who buy 10 vouchers get free one voucher applying to weekend. Those who buy 5 vouchers get free one voucher applying to weekday (Thursday to Sunday) till 30 August or weekend from 3 September to 31 October. The vouchers are not applicable to public holidays and runs till 31 October. The price includes service charge and VAT. Guests can combine more vouchers for a long stay.
Also the resort has a two-night package at VND3,699,000 per room in a Deluxe Room with breakfast, lunch, dinner, shuttle bus from Phan Thiet Railway Station to resort, a 5 per cent discount on the price for those who book from Thursday to Sunday till 30 August and a 5 per cent discount for those who book from Monday to Sunday from 3 September to 31 October. The promotion is not applicable to public holidays.

Ana Mandara Villas Dalat
Resort & Spa
Le Lai St, Dalat, Lam Dong Province
Tel: (063) 3555-888
www.anamandara-resort.com

AnaMandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa is running a ‘Le Petit Summer Package’ for those who book at least two nights. It costs VND2,420,000 per room per night in a Le Petit Room with breakfast, a credit of VND840,000 for food and beverage or spa treatments, a 20 per cent discount on spa, a 10 per cent discount on food and beverage and a 10 per cent discount on tours. The package is till 30 September. Surcharge VND630,000 per room on weekend (Friday to Sunday) and holidays. The price includes service charge and VAT.

Binh An Village Resort
Tuyen Lam Lake, Ward 4, Dalat,
Lam Dong Province
Tel: (063) 3800-999
www.binhanvillage.com
Binh An Village Resort is offering a ‘Summer Package 2015’ for those who book at least two nights. It costs VND2,519,000 per room per night in a Suite Room for two with breakfast, lunch or dinner, shuttle bus to Dalat centre, biking, fishing and kayaking on the Tuyen Lam lake. The promotion is valid till 30 September.

Dalat Edensee Resort
Tuyen Lam Lake, Zone VII.2,
Dalat, Lam Dong Province
Tel: (063) 3831-515
www.dalatedensee.com

DalatEdensee Resort has a ‘Summer Revival Package’ till 31 October. It costs VND5,880,000 per room for two nights for two in a Mimosa Superior Room with breakfast, a dinner, two vouchers for a 60-minute treatment at La Roseraie Spa, sports and entertainment activities, round-trip airport transfers and a shuttle bus to Dalat City. An extra night is VND2,100,000 per room. The prices include service charge and VAT.

Six Senses Con Dao
Dat Doc Site, Con Dao Dist,
Ba Ria Vung Tau Province
Tel: (064) 3831-222
www.sixsenses.com/resorts/con-dao/
destination
Six Senses Con Dao is offering a special promotion with the price starting from VND7,500,000 per villa per night including breakfast, roundtrip airport transfers, free access to the children’s club and activity program. The offer is applied for Vietnamese residents and expatriates. It is valid till 31 October.

InterContinental Asiana Saigon
Corner Hai Trung St & Le Duan Blvd,
Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 3520-9999
www.intercontinental.com/Saigon
Spa InterContinental, at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon, has a 90-minute spa package ‘Cooling Treatment’ at VND1,420,000 , including cucumber body wrapping, a choice of an aroma therapy massage for body or Essential Mineral and Vitamin remedy to nourish the face.

Mango Bay Resort
Ong Lang beach, Phu Quoc Island
Tel: (077) 3981-693
www.mangobayphuquoc.com
Mango Bay Resort has a package ‘Stay 3 Pay 2’ till 31 October. The prices start from VND1,320,000 ($60) per room per night for two with breakfast and round-trip airport transfers.

OTHERS
Vietjet

17 June, 2015, at The Paris Air Show 2015, Vietjet President & CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao and President and CEO of Airbus Fabrice Brégier both signed the contract to purchase six more A321 jets worth a total of $682 million for responding to the airline’s rapid growth. Airbus’ A320 and A321 have become the world’s best-selling and most modern single-aisle products.

FOOD PROMOTIONS
Hanoi Daewoo Hotel
360 Kim Ma St, Hanoi
Tel: (04) 3831-5000
www.daewoohotel.com
Edo Restaurant, at the Hanoi Daewoo Hotel, serves Unagi (eel) dishes including Unagi Kamameshi, Unagi Kabayaki - grilled eel in Teriyaki from VND150,000 to VND1,200000 . Unagi Special Set Menu is at VND1,200,000 including a carafe of Japanese Sake imported from Japan.

Movenpick Hotel Hanoi
83A Ly Thuong Kiet St, Hanoi
Tel: (04) 3822-2800
Lounge 83, at the Movenpick Hotel Hanoi, serves an eclectic selection of cocktails and snack menu every Friday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. VND 180,000 including free flow of house wine, beer and soft drinks.

Novotel Ha Long Bay
160 Halong Road,
Bai Chay Ward,
Halong, Quang Ninh Province
Tel: (033) 3848-108
Square Restaurant at the Novotel Ha Long Bay is serving ‘Taste of Asia Buffet’ with over 70 dishes every Saturday, 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. VND525,000 for adults and VND262,500 for children. Accor Plus members will get a 10 per cent discount on the price.
Novotel Danang Premier Han River
36 Bach Dang St, Hai Chau Dist., Danang
Tel: (0511) 3929-999
www.novotel-danang-premier.com
Pier 36 Terrace Restaurant, at the Novotel Danang Premier Han River, serves BBQ buffet every Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a selection of grilled meat and seafood. It costs VND560,000 .

Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa
Truong Sa Street,
Hoa Hai Ward,
Ngu Hanh Son Dist, Danang
Tel: (0511) 3981-234
www.danang.regency.hyatt.com
Korean guest chefs from Grand Hyatt Incheon will cook at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa till 19 July. Chef Kim and Chef Um will prepare Korean dishes, including Haemul jab chae, tofu kimchi and Bulgogi. VND720,000 including two bottles of Bière Larue.

Palm Garden Beach Resort & Spa
Lac Long Quan St, Cua Dai Beach,
Hoi An, Quang Nam Province
Tel: (0510) 3927-927
www.palmgardenresort.com.vn
Palm Garden Beach Resort & Spa Hoi An is serving Quang Nam-style meals in Central Vietnam prepared by local chefs including boiled pork rolls in rice papers, fried Quang Nam spring rolls, Quang noodle, fish soup with star fruit, fish cooked with soy sauce. The price is VND300,000 per person.

Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa
26-28 Tran Phu St, Nha Trang,
Khanh Hoa Province
Tel: (058) 3880-000
www.sheratonnhatrang.com
Feast Restaurant, at the Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa, has ‘Spice Market Buffet’ every Saturday. The buffet features Indian, Thai, Middle East, western and international cuisines. VND639,000 including free flow beers and soft drinks.

Eastin Grand Hotel Saigon
253 Nguyen Van Troi St,
Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 3844-9222
www.eastingrandsaigon.com

Eastin Grand Hotel Saigon has ‘Saigon’s Best Dining Offer’ – ‘4 dine pay 2, 8 dine pay 4 and 12 dine pay 6’, till the end of August, for those who eat Thai-style buffet at Café Saigon, ‘All you can eat’ Dim Sum at Lotus Court Restaurant and ‘All you can eat’ sushi, sashimi at IKI Restaurant.
Café Saigon:
Lunch, Monday – Friday, VND399,000
Dinner, Friday – Sunday, VND799,000
Children below 16 enjoy half price
Lotus Court and IKI Restaurant:
Lunch and dinner, Monday to Sunday,
adults: VND399,000 . Children below 16 enjoy half price

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
88 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (08) 3827-2828
www.sheratonsaigon.com
Saigon Café, at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, serves a selection of hot pot every Friday night, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., in July. Guests can enjoy various kinds of broth including spicy tom yam goong, shabushabu ‘Japanese kale’ stock, double boiled vegetable broth and rich chicken broth with truffle oil served with thin sliced US beef strip loin, chicken thin sliced, beef and pork balls, octopus, salmon, alive scampi, alive flower crabs and king crab legs. There are also wide choices of noodle such as fresh rice vermicelli, egg noodle, rice vermicelli, glass noodle and udon served with different kinds of vegetable and mushroom. VND 1,100,000 including free flowing sparkling wine, house wine, coffee and tea

Tandoor Indian Restaurant
39A - 39B Ngo Duc Ke St,
Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 3930-4839
www.tandoorvietnam.com

TandoorIndian Restaurant, established since 1997, has moved to a new location on Ngo Duc Ke St., Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. This new location, which is just off Nguyen Hue Street, has a large dining area. Its architecture is plush and chic, giving a warm Indian dining experience.

Rates may be subject to 5-per-cent service charge and 10-per-cent VAT if there is no statement to the contrary.