The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced the top ten culture, sports and tourism events in 2008.

1. The activities of cultural exchanges were held successfully, creating echoes and leaving a positive impression on international friends.

2. April 19 was considered as the Cultural Day of ethnic Vietnamese people under a decision signed by the Prime Minister. Days of culture, sports and tourism in 2008 were also held successfully across the country.

3. The Miss Universe Pageant ?08 was held for the first time in five major cities in Vietnam, with the participation of 81 beauty queens from 81 countries and territories across the globe.

4. The Hue Festival ?08, the Tay Son ? Binh Dinh Festival, the first fireworks display contest in Da Nang City and the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival ?08 were organised.

5. Cultural activities on the UN Day of VESAK 2008 in Viet Nam and the grand ceremony of commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of King Tran Nhan Tong who abdicated his throne and founded the Truc Lam sect to practice a religious life.

6. The film Bao Gio Cho Den Thang Muoi (The Love Doesn?t Come Back) was selected as one of the 18 best Asian films of all times. The collection of photos featuring the cultural traditions of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands won the World Cup of the 29th Black and White Photographic Art Contest.

7. Vietnam ranked 71st among 200 countries and territories taking part in the Beijing Olympic Games ?08 in China with a silver medal in the weightlifting. 8. Vietnam organized and competed successfully the World Junior Chess Championships, won 4 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals and ranked second among 81 countries and territories.

9. The national U22 football team won the trophy of the Merdeka Cup held in Malaysia. Vietnam qualified for the Southeast Asian Football Championship (AFF) Suzuki Cup ?08. Vietnamese mountaineers conquered Everest Mount peak.

10. Vietnam launched voting campaigns for Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha – Ke Bang national park and Mount Fansipan as new world natural wonders. It also successfully organised activities in the framework of the Year of National Tourism in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

(Source: TITC)

Artistic and floral creations will be on display, bringing colour to a 600-metre long street in the centre of Hanoi from Dec 28, three days before the festival officially begins to kick off the New Year’s celebrations. The five-day event, which will take place in Dinh Tien Hoang Street at Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake), will gather purveyors of flowers and floral artisans from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Lam Dong province’s Da Lat city, as well as craftsmen from Hanoi’s traditional villages.

According to Nguyen Thi Hoa, deputy director of the Vietnam Culture and Art Exhibition Centre, some 5,000 flowerpots and 20,000 cut flowers will be used for decoration at the event. Works of art will be created from flowers, or from a combination of flowers and traditional products, such as bird cages, wind bells, masks, drums and unicorns, Hoa said.

Two prominent works, a 9-metre fan made entirely of flowers and a 50-metre pottery street, a reproduction of 200 tiled-roof houses in the Old Quarter, are expected to be recognised as Vietnamese records during the event.

The festival has been organised as the opening event in a series of activities to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.

(Source: VietnamPlus)

The number of international visitors to Vietnam in comparison with previous years is decreasing, the growth rate accounts for only 1%, tourism made hundreds of products at a discount. However, in many hotels, many people are not sure that the project is feasible or not.

“The discounts also cause immediate difficulties for tourism, but if we do not have a promotional strategy, in the future though we want to have foreign tourists to reduce cost but threre will be no one any more,” Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy of Vietnam Tourism have said at the meeting recently. Mr. Cuong also said that reduction strategy may be extended in the coming year to help Vietnam’s tourism to be recovered.

Vietnam Tourism expect that in the beginning of 2009, they will officially publish a package promotion tour for foreign tourists and officially introduce to the travel companies, partnerships and foreign media in the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF). It is expected that they will select 15-20 major travel enterprises to construct more than 100 promotional tours committing the discount rate of 30-50%.

However, General Director of Majestic Saigon Hotel, Mr. Tao Van Nghe, said: “When applying hotel discount, we must consider the revenue gains, hotels can only register to participate, but commiting at the rate of 30-50% is so difficult. “

Representatives of Rex Hotel – Mrs. Mac Kim Thuy Huong – confirmed that: “The plan is suggested by Vietnam Tourism, that has put us to the commitment for implementing. Because this is the common strategy. However, we will select one of the suitable markets to commit discount applying while ensuring revenue for the hotel.”

“If travel companies do not agree to discount, hotels or a group of business partners do not participate, they will make the package discount tour incompleted”, Mr. Cuong emphatized.

Beside building product promotion system, Vietnam Tourism also proposed a series of methods to cope with the situation of tourism in Vietnam during economy crisis, such as: promoting the implementation of tourism advertisement campaign for Vietnam promotion, inviting delegations like Famtrip and Presstrip to visit the country, promoting the new destinations in Vietnam, attracting visitors from a number of important market, promoting the domestic markets and so on.

In Vietnam, Christmas was celebrated joyously with people thronging city roads right from Christmas Eve, which is often more important than Christmas Day!

Famous Cathedral in Hanoi

Christmas is one of the four most important festivals of the Vietnamese year, including the birthday of Buddha, the New Year and the Mid-autumn Festival. Although the Christians observed the religious rituals of Christmas.

Traditional Vietnamese religions are Buddhism and the Chinese philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. However, during French rule, many people became Christians, that occupy 8 to 10 percent of whose population. This is because the Vietnamese are a fun-loving, sociable people and the various Vietnam festivals and events are actually occasions for them to a gala time, all together. Christmas in Vietnam is a grand party.

History Of Christmas In Vietnam

Christmas in Vietnam has had a tumultuous history. The Catholics are a minority in Vietnam but they used to celebrate Christmas in Vietnam quite in peace right from the days of the French rule. That is until the Communists took over political power in 1975. The church-state relations soured during that time and the Catholics were relegated to celebrating Jesus’s birthday in privacy.

Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, church-state relations have not always been smooth. However, they have been improving since the introduction of economic reforms in the late 1980s. Liberalist policies adopted since the 1980s saw Vietnam warming up to western influences and ideals and Christmas in Vietnam came back triumphantly. Now Christmas is one of the major festivals in Vietnam, celebrated with much fanfare by all religious communities.

Phat Diem Cathedral in Ninh Binh Province is considered the spiritual home for the seven million Catholics who live in Vietnam, a predominantly Buddhist nation. Hundreds of Catholics gather for Christmas Eve Mass in the northern city of Phat Diem. Children staged a nativity play to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – or Kito, as he is known in Vietnamese — in front of the city’s cathedral, built in 1891.

Christmas In Vietnam

Christmas in Vietnam is a huge event, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the Vietnamese Christmas celebrations here are like any other city in the western world. The Christians in Vietnam attend a Midnight mass on Christmas Eve and return home to a sumptuous Christmas dinner. The Christmas dinner usually consists of chicken soup while wealthier people eat turkey and Christmas pudding.

Christmas tree at Fortuna Hotel (Hanoi)

On Christmas Eve, Vietnamese people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, especially young people, like to go into the city centre, where there is a Catholic Cathedral. The streets are crowded with people on Christmas Eve and in the city centre cars are not allowed for the night.

People celebrate by throwing confetti, taking pictures and enjoying the Christmas decorations and lights of big hotels and department stores. Lots of cafes and restaurants are open for people to enjoy a snack!

Vietnam used to be part of the French Empire and there are still French influences in the Christmas traditions. Many Catholic churches have a big nativity crib scene or ‘creche’ with nearly life size statues of Mary, Joesph, baby Jesus, the shepherds and animals. In some areas of Ho Chi Minh City, usually in Catholic parishes, people have big crib scenes in front of their houses and decorate the whole street, turning it into a Christmas area! These are popular for people to visit and look at the scenes.

Also like in France, the special Christmas Eve meal is called ‘reveillon’   and has a ‘bûche de Noël’ (a chocolate cake in the shape of a log) for desert. Vietnamese people like to give presents of food and at Christmas a bûche de Noël is a popular gift. Other Christmas presents are not very common, although some young people like to exchange Christmas cards.

The Yuletide spirit of giving and sharing has been embraced with an earnest by the Vietnamese. Generous as they are, the Vietnamese give out gifts and presents in plenty during the Christmas celebrations in Vietnam. However, the children are more keen to have their stockings and shoes stuffed in with goodies from Santa’s bulging sack. The European customs of Santa Claus and the Christmas tree were popular and children would leave their shoes out on Christmas Eve.

Tet Nguyen Dan, more commonly known by its shortened name Tet, is the most important and popular holiday in Vietnam. It is a relaxing and special occasion for everyone to think about the achievements of the past year and plan for the New Year. A “Mam Ngu Qua” (five-fruit tray) on the ancestral altar during Tet holiday symbolizes the admiration and gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors, and demonstrates their aspiration for prosperity.

For a long time, together with horizontal lacquered boards engraved with Chinese characters, parallel sentences written on crimson paper, ornamental kumquat and peach trees, and popular Hang Trong and Dong Ho pictures, the five‑fruit tray prepared for Tet has transcended its material value to become a spiritual symbol, an original national product in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese. At present, while many of the ancient spiritual values have sunk into oblivion, the custom of arranging the five‑fruit tray on the altar during the lunar New Year days is being jealously preserved as a fine legacy of Vietnam’s traditional culture. The buying of votive offerings and the decoration of ancestral altars during the traditional New Year days are closely connected with the rituals of worship practiced by the Vietnamese towards their ancestors. During these New Year days, in addition to such national dishes and products as “Fat pork, salted onions, parallel sentences written on red paper. Long bamboo poles planted upright, strings of firecrackers, and square glutinous rice cakes”, it is indispensable for each Vietnamese family to display a five‑fruit tray on the ancestral altar for Tet.

No matter whether rich or poor, on New Year’s Eve, it is also very important for the Vietnamese to select the best five-fruit tray. The fruits are placed on a red-lacquered wooden tray and arranged in a balanced cone and in harmonious colours. Fruits that may be laid out on the tray include bananas, finger citrons, watermelons, oranges, kumquats, coconuts, apples, persimmons or tomatoes, and chilis. Each kind of fruit has its own indication. A hand of green bananas or a finger citron, for example, symbolises one’s wish for the protection of supernatural powers and ancestors, pomelos and watermelons indicate fertility, and kumquats or persimmons connote wealth and prosperity.

Custom of the five‑fruit tray…

One theory says that the five fruits are symbolic of the five basic elements of oriental philosophy – metal, wood, water, fire and soil. Other theories regard the tray as symbolic of the fruits of a family’s hard work throughout the past year, which are consecrated to heaven and earth and their ancestors as sign of respect and gratitude.

A five-fruit tray, though varying from one region to another due to differences in climate and fruit crops, light up altars with their ample colours. In northern areas, five-fruit trays ornamented with pomelos, peaches, kumquats, bananas and persimmons are relatively smaller than those in southern areas with pairs of watermelons, coconuts, papayas, custard apples, mangos, and figs. Improvements in people’s living conditions in recent years have led to a greater sophistication in choosing fruits for the altar for the Tet holiday. A tray may contain more expensive, rarer fruits like grapes and pears, but all in all it is still a five-fruit tray, a nice offering of the Vietnamese people to their ancestors. It not only displays a life-long tradition but also sends a message of hope for happiness, good luck and prosperity for the new year.

The custom of displaying the five‑fruit tray as votive offerings at the holy place of the house has been reflected in many popular legends and tales. It has originated from ancient popular beliefs observed from one generation to another in their worship towards their forefathers. To this day, the Vietnamese still observe a long‑standing custom of placing the first ripe fruits harvested from the home garden on the altar and burning incense sticks in memory of their ancestors.

Preparation for a five‑fruit tray

Like other popular rituals, the preparation of a five‑fruit tray for Tet has become an established convention. Although it is called a five‑fruit tray, it does not necessarily contain exactly five kinds of fruit. Arranging fruits on the crimson, hourglass‑shaped wooden tray is really an art. One has to combine the colours and shapes of the different fruits in arranging them on the tray to make it look like a still life picture.

To ensure balance on the tray, one usually places the hand of bananas in the middle with the bananas pointing upright and the pomelo on the concave surface of the hand of bananas. Then one puts the oranges, sapodilla plums, apples, etc. in the gaps between the bananas and the pomelo. The last little gaps are filled in with little kumquats to create a full, compact tray of fruits. In colours, the fruit‑tray presents a harmonious combination of the different colours of fruits: dark green of banana, light yellow of pomelo, deep red of persimmon, reddish‑yellow of orange and kumquat, light green of apple, and dark brown of sapodilla plum. To complete the picture, the fruit‑tray will be covered here and there with some small, fresh leaves of kumquat.

The “Mam Ngu Qua” in Tet festival represent the quintessence that Heaven and Earth bless humans. This is one of the general perceptions of life of the Vietnamese, which is “Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây” (“When taking fruit, you should think of the grower”)

The three-day Vietnamese traditional martial arts festival in central Binh Dinh Province, father land of the “Viet Vo Dao”, is not only a way to popularize the Viet’s martial arts, but also a reflection of its prestige in the world.

Vietnamese traditional martial arts have been learnt in 100 countries and territories by hundreds of thousands of followers. It is now one of the world’s most popular sports.

Central Binh Dinh Province is the cradle of Vietnam’s martial arts and recognised as the birthplace of traditional martial arts in Vietnam from the time of the Tay Son-Binh Dinh martial arts school in the 18th century. It has proudly continued the tradition of producing some of the country’s best talent in the discipline.

The traditional martial arts festival begins with performances at Quy Nhon Town, the capital of Binh Dinh, and surrounding areas including King Quang Trung Museum, Hoang De (Emperor) Citadel and Nhon Hoi Economic Zone – which is symbolic of central Vietnam’s economic development.

“Viet Vo Dao”

“Viet Vo Dao”, based on the principle of harmony between hard and soft, was founded by grandmaster Nguyen Loc less than a hundred years ago during French colonization in Vietnam. Mr. Loc developed the martial arts mainly for self defense that uses force and reaction of the opponent to fight against him.

“Viet Vo Dao” is not just a way for health training, moral refinement, human sense of loving, but the martial arts also reflects the generosity of a heroic and sporting people. Vietnamese traditional martial arts attracted people of all generation to train. “Viet Vo Dao” techniques invovle kicks, throws, escape and levering, wrestling, punching, kicking, and even employ swords, sticks, and knives.

The founder Truong Thanh Dang spent  his whole life to understand, practice, research and consolidate the cultural heritage  and the martial  arts treasure into a unique, creative system.

Spectacular martial arts displays

With the will of a free independent country and their invincible  patriotism,  the Vietnamese  have developed a strong fighting spirit, which can be seen in the decisive  wars : “To escape from the humiliating misery and hardships of  slavery. They have to win  the enemies”

The Vietnamese traditional martial arts which is very rich in forms, was developed  based  on  the   bloody experiences acquired during  the courageous  fights to protect their country and  people .

Binh Dinh Province is famous for Vo Tay Son, also known as Vo Binh Dinh, an ancient martial art that was developed in the area. Ten out of 11 districts in the province have established martial arts training centres with nearly 100 clubs. The provincial traditional martial arts association manages 80 masters and attracts approximately 1,000 students in regular training courses.

Coming to Binh Dinh and attending the festival, you can join local teams and witness the showcase for their talent in martial arts, as well as Binh Dinh’s scenic beauty and distinctive, appealing culture. Participants demonstrated their various performances at the villages, allowing everyone to imbibe the unique aspects of martial arts in different cultures.

Moreover, the participants can also visit the province’s martial arts villages such as An Thai and An Vinh, where they can learn about the time-honored arts from successors of martial arts forefathers. The festival features enthralling events including battle drumming, international martial arts competitions and a beauty pageant with some of Vietnam’s most dangerous women.

Battle drum

Tay Son battle drumming has always been close to locals hearts. It is said that during battle, Nguyen Hue, who later became Emperor Quang Trung, used a 12 drum

system, which symbolized Asia’s 12 zodiac signs, to give battle commands, boost his soldiers’ morale and convert his enemies to good causes.

According to Tran Dinh Ky, director of King Quang Trung museum in Quy Nhon Town, Tay Son battle drumming is a special genre which blends military and artistic elements and is based on the traditional sound systems such as ho, xang and xe.

It is extremely difficult to express the “soul” of Tay Son battle drumming, which explains why few artists can perform it well.

A member of the King Quang Trung museum’s martial music troupe, Hoang Mai, a girl in her early twenties, has been selected as the main festival drummer and an icon to popularize the genre.

Beauty pageant

In the festival, beauties from martial arts schools in almost 40 countries participate in a beauty pageant titled “Hoa hau nhung mien dat vo” (Beauties from the Lands of Martial Arts).

“Female general Bui Thi Xuan, one of the leading figures in the Tay Son uprising who possessed both charms and great martial art skills, was chosen as the image of the contest,” a member of the organizing board said. “The contestants not only compete in physical attractiveness; they also show off their mental and physical strength by displaying their martial arts skills,” he added.

Tuong (Vietnamese classical drama) and particularly tuong from the province’s Dao Tan tuong theater, one of Vietnam’s tuong cradles, is also a part of the contest. In Binh Dinh tuong and martial arts share some of the same movements giving them a close connection.

Other highlights

The festival begins with a procession and flower offering, at King Quang Trung museum at 8 a.m, to honor Emperor Quang Trung, a shrewd king and a great national hero.

On the next day, tourists can ride in 22 sailboats, which symbolize 22 years of “doi moi” (economic reform), and let loose flower garlands and colored lanterns at Thi Nai Bay and Thi Nai Bridge.

There is also superb fireworks shows and traditional musical performances by local and international artists throughout the festival.

Another highlight is a traditional handicraft fair, with many stalls at the central park in Quy Nhon Town.

Visitors can also relish specialties such as the very strong Bau Da wine and Phu My nem (fermented pork roll) at the fair. An ornamental plant fair and competition featuring a wide variety of rare plants and bonsai from across the country is organized at the province’s Labor Cultural House.

Impression on the first national martial arts festival

The first national martial arts festival was held in Binh Dinh in 2006. Many domestic and foreign-based masters of “Viet Vo Dao” together with some 500 other enthusiasts across the world have come to the festival to take part in the return to the sport’s ancestral land to attending the first “Viet Vo Dao” festival.

Phan Tho, a “Viet Vo Dao” master permanently living in Binh Dinh, expressed that he feels satisfied to see the festival held in his homeland. He said this is his biggest happiness after spending some 70 years of training “Viet Vo Dao”.

Many other “Viet Vo Dao” masters as Tran Tien and Ho Hoa Hue and foreign-based masters are pleased with the festival.

The number of delegations and artists to join the year 2007’s festival almost doubles the year 2006’s numbers, which means traditional Vietnamese martial arts have grown in stature on the world scene…

A meeting to discuss urgent measures to attract international tourists was hold by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 10, 2008, in Hanoi. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh presided at the conference.

Attending the conference are leaders of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, High Command of Border Guard…; General Director of Viet Nam Airlines and a number of foreign representative offices, leaders from 12 tourism departments in the cities and provinces which have big tourism potential and representatives of many travel companies, hotels, and other tourism-related companies; leaders of departments of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and VNAT; many journalists, reporters of the central and local magazines and televisions.

By the end of November, 2008 Vietnam had received only 3.9 million foreign tourists, making it hard for the country to achieve its target of welcoming 4.8-5 million foreign visitors this year. Face with this situation, tourism-related sectors need to have immediate solutions to attract more tourists. The solutions will be implemented in 2009.

The delegates proposed several solutions for the short and long-terms in order to solve the difficulties and obstacles which effect directly or indirectly to the process of attracting, serving tourists come to Vietnam.

Stimulating domestic demand is one of the most important solutions to mitigate the global financial crisis’s impacts on tourism. Other measures include promotional activities, tax policies, and human resources and infrastructure development.

(Source: Tourism Information Technology Center)

Banh khuc is a traditional cake of Vietnam and so delicious!

The cake is a rice ball made of glutinous rice mixed with cudweed (khuc)-most important ingredient and filled with green bean paste, pork, and spices.

Cudweed grows during lunar January and February, when the drizzling rain lasts all day, and it can be found along the edges of rice fields. There are two kinds: “nep” and “te”. The latter is more flexible and fragrant and is preferred for making the cake.

First, the cudweed is washed, ground and then mixed with husked glutinous rice. Green beans, that are flayed and turned into paste after being cooked, are then added to the mixture. Finally, the cakes are sprinkled with grains of glutinous steamed rice.

As time goes by it is increasingly difficult to find cudweed as fields are eaten up by development. For now, you still can find “banh khuc” in Hanoi. However, some bakers may not be using cudweed and may substitute it with cabbage or water morning glory.

Wishing to have the chance to satisfy your hunger for “banh khuc”, you can visit cake stall at 69 Nguyen Cong Tru Street, that has been churning out “banh khuc” for years. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, the seller, has to hire locals in rural areas in Hanoi or in neighbouring provinces to seek out the elusive cudweed. In winter, it grows in abundance so enough has to be collected to last the summer. The surplus will be dried and stored.

If you are in the old quarter of Hanoi, you might hear someone cry “Ai banh khuc nong day?” (who wants hot “banh khuc”?). You can stop them and ask if the “banh khuc” is from Ngoai Hoang village in Ha Noi, a place that is famous for having the most delicious and tasty “banh khuc”. Then, you can buy one for tasting. The cake should be served hot and dipped into a mixture of roasted and crushed sesame seeds and salt…

The Da Lat Festival 2008 will be held from Dec. 4-7, 2008 at the Bao Loc town in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, which is an area known for its tea production.

The festival, which will focus on “Tea Culture”, will open with a ceremony highlighting the history and development of tea processing, with the help of 700 actors.

The event will be divided into parts, including the Jubilant Festival and exhibitions on Vietnamese brands of tea.

A beauty contest will also be held to respect the intellectual beauty, grace and morals of girls living in the realm of tea.

Tourists who attend the tea-drinking festival will have the opportunity to learn about the “tea drinking culture”. During the festival, tea will be popularized in different contexts, including the experience of drinking tea with flowers, poetry, music and painting.

A ceremony commemorating Da Lat City’s 115th anniversary will be held from December 17-21, 2008.

Nearly 350,000 domestic and foreign tourists attended the first Tea Festival held in 2006, according to the provincial Department of Commerce and Tourism.