Travel guide

Open from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next day, the shop is a favorite late night haunt for many of the capital's night owls. The restaurant's daytime set up of 7-8 tables expands with an additional 10 tables on nearby sidewalks during the busiest hours of 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Up to 80 diners can dine at the shop during this time. Three sellers, 58-year-old Kim Oanh, her sister Kim Cuc, and the sisters' sister-in-law, manage the restaurant at No.3 Tran Phu Street. The business is separated into three distinct shifts, each of which is overseen by one of the trio. On average, the shop sells about 400 to 500 bowls of pho per day. According to Oanh, each shift she and her employees serve customers while simultaneously preparing food for the following day. The shop was opened by Oanh's grandfather to serve north-south train commuters in the early 1970s. The business was then passed on to her mother. After her mother passed away, Oanh and her sister took over the business in 1998. Duong … [Read more...] about Eaters enjoy train sounds at Hanoi pho joint

Ian Paynton advises foreigners to be cheerful when visiting Vietnam, according to the The Insider website. Vietnam is emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s most popular tourist destinations for international travelers and experts. More than 100,000 foreign experts are living and working in Vietnam. Ian Paynton, a British native, resides in Hanoi. He first traveled to Vietnam in 2007, and three years later, he decided to leave London for the Southeast Asian country for resettlement. Paynton has told The Insider seven dos and don’ts of a Vietnam visit for foreign tourists. Here are seven travel tips: Do not go around town while wearing swimsuits According to Paynton, the beauty of Vietnam lies in elegance, so foreign visitors should not wear scanty swimwear while traveling to beaches, rivers or waterfalls. This is considered a taboo at temples and pagodas. In 2016, a foreign visitor was forced to leave a place of worship as the traveler wore shorts and a bra-styled shirt. … [Read more...] about Foreigner shares dos and don’ts of travel etiquette in Vietnam

Digital transformation is one of the important solutions for tourist sites and travel businesses to build tours and attract visitors to Hanoi. Hanoi has completed the data sharing of more than 300 tourist attractions in the city, as one of the measures to encourage tourism businesses to renovate their travel services. Visitors scan electronic tickets at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. Photo: Minh Anh Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, said that through the integrated database, domestic and foreign tourists can dig into information about destinations before setting out. He added: "Tourism businesses can reach out to potential customers, expand new services to meet market trends, and optimize human resources, operating costs, and time thanks to the application of digital technology." Recently, a large number of tourist sites in Hanoi have actively applied new technologies in product development and operation management. … [Read more...] about Hanoi improves travel experience by digitizing tourist sites

Banh dua sau rieng - Coconut cake with durian Banh dua, or coconut cake, is a Teochew (Singaporean-Chinese) cuisine that many people in Saigon associate with their childhoods. The ingredients for the durian version are quite simple: flour, eggs, granulated sugar, coconut, and durian filling. Coconut cake with durian is one of the most intriguing flavors available. Coconut cakes are cut into smaller pieces and placed in a plastic container when purchased. Photo courtesy of Banh dua Tan Da The flat, circular cake is 20 centimeters in diameter. It has a thin, light-brown crust. The green cake with white shredded coconut flesh is particularly eye-catching when you cut the cake into pieces. The coconut cake is soft, spongy, not too sweet, and buttery. You can find the cake at Banh dua Tan Da shop at 45 Tan Da Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. The price of the durian-filled coconut cake is VND75,000 ($3.18). The shop has fillings such as coconut, ca dé (made from … [Read more...] about Durian dishes to add to your bucket list

Below is a list of Hue's four most popular dishes that define the noodle section of Hue cuisine. Bun bo - Hue-style beef noodle soup Herbs and bean sprouts are added to Hue-style beef noodle soup. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tran Among all the popular dishes that originated in Hue, bun bo boasts the most widespread popularity throughout Vietnam and even abroad as well. You can easily find this beef noodle soup sold everywhere, from street stalls and local markets to luxury restaurants. In most other cities across Vietnam, the vermicelli used in bun bo are thick. But in Hue, you can savor different types of vermicelli, including thick noodles and smaller thinner noodles. Some foreigners compare these finer noodles to angel hair pasta from Italy. A piece of pig trotter, one or two sizable pieces of blood pudding, a beef roll, and thinly sliced boiling beef are the most common ingredients in a bowl of bun bo . The price ranges from VND20,000 (84 cents) per … [Read more...] about Hue’s fantastic four noodle delicacies

As a popular tourist attraction in Hanoi, West Lake used to be home to tour boats, floating restaurants, and other tourist boat services. In 2016, Hanoi People's Committee shut down the lake’s tourist dock and ordered a halt to boat services there due to declining environmental standards and fire hazards. But then, tour boats and floating houses left abandoned by the dock fell into a state of decay. Last year, Hanoi authorities dismantled the abandoned tour boats and floating restaurants along West Lake and restored the area to its original appearance. The lake is famous for the density of historical relics, pagodas and rows of restaurants and coffee shops along its shores. The area surrounding the lake is one of the city's most vibrant centers for international cuisine, and it is also home to a large expat community. City authorities also want to launch more tourism activities on the lake such as concerts, hot air balloon rides, paragliding, and a golf course. … [Read more...] about Hanoi to resume tour boat services on West Lake

The unnamed porridge shop in Tan Phu District sells porridge cooked in the style of the Teochew people, who originated in southeast China, which is served with shrimp, fish, pork intestines, and trung bien -mangrove sea worms. Tang Khanh Toan, the shop owner, said that the business started in 1983, and was passed down by his father. The eatery first started selling porridge on Au Co Street, which is one kilometer away from the current location at 104/22B Trinh Dinh Trong Street, Phu Trung Ward. The current location has also been the family's home since the 1990s. The porridge is quite popular among the Chinese community in Saigon. Mangrove worms are used in traditional Chinese medicine to raise testosterone levels and enhance health. According to the owner of the restaurant, many people confuse trung bien with sa sung , or peanut worms, because of the similar shape. Mangrove worms are cleaned inside out thoroughly and used within the day. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh … [Read more...] about Mangrove worm a staple in Saigon’s beloved porridge

In the early days of March, Giang A Sua, director of the Mang Mu cooperative, conducted a fact-finding tour to Lung Cung village to explore its tourism potential. He expects to become a tour guide for groups coming to admire the beauty of “ son tra ” or “tao meo”, signature trees of the northwestern region that bloom in late March. Located at an altitude of over 2,000 metres above sea level, Lung Cung village has a total area of nearly 60 square kilometres and over 200 households. It is depicted as a paradise of flowers during the spring. “Son tra” or “tao meo” in particular bring high economic values to villagers. Local people are also able to preserve traditional houses with roofs made from hundred-year-old wood. Local authorities have mobilised resources over recent years to cement roads to Lung Cung village, and have encouraged people to promote their cultural values to develop community-based tourism. Endowed with natural beauty and local people with the … [Read more...] about Yen Bai unleashing tourism in village “oasis”

One of the highlights of Hanoi's friendliness is the shade provided by its many trees. Hanoi has made efforts to expand its green cover from the city center to its suburbs and ring roads, which has helped make the capital one of the most tree-covered cities in the world, according to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to the US travel website Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guide platform, "Vietnam's charming capital has aged well, preserving ancient architecture amid modern development. Lakes, parks, shady boulevards, and more than 600 temples and pagodas add to the appeal of this city, which is easily explored by taxi." The website added that Hanoi is a welcoming and modern capital, yet retains ancient cultural values. One of the highlights of Hanoi's friendliness is the shade provided by its many trees. The city boasts old streets with typical trees, such as Phan Dinh Phung and Lo Duc streets, … [Read more...] about Hanoi among cities with most trees in the world

With the fresh flowers blooming in all parts of Hanoi, Hanoians often remind each other that Summer is just around the corner. March is the time for Hoa Gao or Bombax Ceiba, which literally means "rice flower" in Vietnamese. All the old leaves fall off, leaving the tree with only flowers. The trees now look like a burning torch with hundreds of red flames. The enchanting red color of the blooming flowers reminds Hanoians of their childhood. The quiet happiness of the old days when the street was still almost empty and modern high-rise buildings had not yet obscured the beauty of Bombax Ceiba. Once a year at the end of March, the "rice flower" trees at Thay Pagoda in Sai Son Commune, Quoc Oai District, Hanoi, bloom, creating a unique beauty for the ancient Buddhist temple. The bright red color of the flower helps to dispel the gloomy weather of the late Spring days and lights a small fire of joy in the … [Read more...] about Bombax ceiba tree blooms in streets to herald Summer in Hanoi