Documents on the Cham Islands and Ca Mau Cape have been submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for recognition as global biosphere reserves.

The two spots have been officially nominated for biosphere reserve status by UNESCO’s Vietnam Committee.

The nomination will be part of the 21st session of the International Coordination Council of Man and the Biosphere Programme, to take place on the Republic of Korea’s Island of Jeju from May 25-29.

According to the UNESCO Vietnam Committee, the two sites are likely to be added to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves as conservation areas that focus on sustainable development as well as environmental protection.

Truong Van Bay, vice chairman of Hoi An and a member attending the session, said the recognition would enhance the appeal of nearby Hoi An, a World Heritage site.

The Cham Islands consist of eight small islands and are about 20km offshore from Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province.

In the seabed of the archipelago there are 135 species of coral, including six species that were first recognised in Vietnam, and nearly 950 other marine species, including many endangered species in the Vietnam Red Book list.

The southern point of Vietnam in southern Ca Mau Province is well-known for its bird sanctuaries and is home to the cajeput and mangrove ecosystems.

Vietnam currently has six UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserves, including Can Gio Mangrove Forest, Cat Ba National Park, Cat Tien National Park, Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve and the Tay Nghe An Biosphere Reserve.

(Source: VNA)

“This immense area with wonderful features
Makes one wonder whether it is fairyland
Huong Son itself is fairyland
Which is seen in this earthly world”

The beautiful verse describes scenic spot of Huong Pagoda, designated by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site, which makes one can’t help having the feeling that is one were lost in a world of fairies. Huong Son attracts visitors not only with its wonderful landscape, but also with its sense of philosophy embodied inside its splendid caves, of which Huong Tich and Tuyet Son are the most impressive. Visitors are bewitched by the beauty of these cases which look half real and half unreal. That explains the reason why the cold weather cannot keep thousands of pilgrims and tourists away from the Huong Pagoda Festival, the nation’s longest and most elaborate annual festival.

Legend has it that the festival is held to worship a princess named Dieu Thien who incarnated Avalokitasvara and attained enlightenment there. As the princess was born on the 19th day of the second lunar month, that date is now observed by all Vietnamese Buddhists as a saint day. The shrine in which she practised her religion was discovered in the 15th century by three monks. The pilgrimage to Huong Son dwindled to a trickle during the war years and the temples and shrines were left vacant.. In 1770, Lord Trinh Sam wrote five Chinese characters to describe Huong Tich Cavern: Nam Thien De Nhat Dong (the most beautiful cave in Vietnam). The Huong Pagoda Festival started during the Le-Trinh Dynasty. In 1958, after the restoration of peace in North Vietnam, the Government and President Ho Chi Minh personally gave instructions for the repair of the pagodas and temples and the restoration of the festival. Annually, visitors to the festival to enjoy the beauty of the Huong Son limestone mountains at a time when apricot trees are in bloom and pay tribute to Buddha, specifically to Avalokitasvara, one of Buddha’s disciples.

According to the legend, a pilgrimage to Huong Pagoda in the spring will bring health, prosperity, good luck and happiness. And whether you believe in the story or not, there’s no disputing that a trip like this offers a perfect chance to get closer to both nature and Vietnamese tradition.

A meaningful pilgrimage

The festival is a traditional Vietnamese Buddhist celebration, held simultaneously in three locations: Huong Tich, Tuyet Son, and Long Van. The festival is most crowded from the 15th - 20th day of the 2nd month of the lunar calendar as this period marks the the main festival. However, since the first day of the lunar New Year, thousands of tourists and pilgrims have flocked to the sacred land to tour and pray for a prosperous and happy year. Spring is the idea time for bothVietnamese and foreigners come to Huong Son. Heading there, you have chances to live in a boisterous atmosphere of a spring festival amidst beautiful landscape. They seem to be free from all tiredness and sorrow and come to pay respect to the compassionate Buddha.

Unlike many other festivals, the Huong Pagoda Festival does not centre around traditional games, but rather romantic trips to caves, pagodas and temples and participation in ceremonies to beseech favours from Lord Buddha. The Venerable Thich Minh Hien rang the bell to officially open the festival at the Huong Pagoda, on the sixth day of the first lunar month. The opening ceremony began at the Thien Tru Pagoda with pilgrims and tourists invited to take part in the incense offering ceremony. In order to warning up the festival’s lively ambience in the chilly weather, the traditional raditional songs and dances took place before and after the ceremony. Visitors attending Huong pagoda festival usually make some wishes and when they are worshipping Buddha’s in the pagoda, they pray for their wishes to come true. The visitors bring offerings with them from home, including boiled chickens, boiled pigs’ heads and steamed sticky rice. After prayers, each person will take a small portion of the offering (called loc) which is then carried home for their family. Loc is a sacred and precious thing as it is believed to bring good luck to those who eat it. In addition, cultural activities and sporting contests are also held on the occasion of Huong Pagoda Festival: boat racing, climbing, folk song singing, etc. These festive activities take place throughout the festival.

A pilgrimage to the Huong Pagoda Festival cannot only be for religious reasons, but to see the numerous natural shapes that are typical of the landscape and the buildings that are valuable artifacts of the nation. When you make a pilgrimage to Huong Pagoda you are in the middle of nature at its best, with a gorgeous river, caves, and mountains.Therefore, people of different ages all so interested in the Huong Pagoda Festival…

Known as the city of love and romance, Da Lat has often been compared to a graceful girl of the Highlands. The city is most impressive for many kinds of beautiful flowers…

Da  Lat  rose is much favored not only in Da Lat itself, but also nationwide. Da Lat sells lots of its roses to the bigger cities, such as Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. You can find many Da Lat roses in Da Lat markets. The flower comes in all sorts of colors and shades, such as red, pink, velvet and yellow. The yellow roses, which bears the name of Josephine, wife of  the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, are much valued in Europe. They are also quite abundant in Da Lat. Da Lat brides love to decorate their weddings with the local white roses. Some other roses bear the names of  movie stars, such as Princess Grace of  Monacc (Actress Grace Kelly) because they have the colors of the dresses worn by these personalities. Some of Da Lat’s roses can last from seven to 15 days in vases.

The peach blossom is a sentimental symbol of Da Lat. It reminds many natives of springtime in northern Viet Nam. Though

slender, the peach blossom branch also exudes the solemnity and determination of the Vietnamese people. Flower connoisseurs often prefer peach blossoms that are bright red as rubies. Years ago, Da Lat used to have an entire forest of peach trees. Up until the 1970’s, one could walk along Cam Ly Springs. It flowed slowly from Xuan Huong Lake in the west to a cliff and dropped abruptly to make a majestic waterfall. Tourists could then see the brilliantly red shawl of peach blossoms up on the Da Cat Hill each spring. That forest now only remains in the memory of Da Lat elders and older tourists, as deforestation has nearly wiped it out completely. Fortunately, there are still quite a few peach trees grown near Xuan Huong Lake. They blossom during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (January-February).

Mimosa is popular in Da Lat not only because it appears in many places in town, but also because it has found itself into the hearts of locals and visitors through the lyrics of songwriter Tran Kiet Tuong: “Dear Darling Mimosa, where do you come from? Da Lat’s mountains and hills wave majestically… Da Lat with immense sky and water…”
The mimosa, which originally came from Australia, is three to six meters tall. It has bright yellow flowers and leaves that are green with a silvery luster. The tree blossoms two or three times each year and flourishes during the sunny seasons. Da Lat has two types of mimosa trees: long and short-leafed. Its scientific name is Acacia Podaly-riaefolia Cunn, Mimosaceae. According to folklore, Da Lat girls often like to place the mimosa between the pages of a book, then send it to their boyfriends. The flower retains its sweet scent, which is a reminder of her affection.

Jacaranda Acutifolia, also known as purple flamboyant or flame tree, is another special feature of Da Lat, because its flowers are purple instead of the characteristic red color of its brother in northern Viet Nam. The tree’s scientific name is Jacaranda

Acutifolia. belonging to the Bignoniaceae family. Since its leaves are very similar to those of the mimosa, the purple flame tree is also called J. Mimosaefolia. Moreover, as its leaves bear the shape of an egg, the tree is also called J. Ovalifolia. The purple flame trees in Oa Lat blossom toward the end of winter and through spring. In the past, the entire town had only four purple flame trees, including three in the town’s flower park and one on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street leading to Da Lat Market (in front of Thuy Ta Restaurant).
The purple flame tree came from Brazil. It is widely grown for ornamental purposes on roadsides and in parks in South America, Africa and Oceania. Vietnamese engineer Luong Van Sau was the first person to bring the purple flame tree to -Da Lat and grew it here. Mr. Luong Van Sau was also a member of the Societe Francaise des Roses. After him, other growers multiplied the purple flame tree in Da Lat.

Hydrangea is grown in  many places  in Da Lat, especially in private gardens, at offices and in parks. The flower has been associated with an old Roman story. According to legend, in southern Europe, a beautiful Roman princess had reached marital age. But she rejected all the proposals from the most noble and wealthy men. One day, while she was making an excursion outside the town, she saw a general being cheered by a crowd. She threw the flower she was holding in her hand, and it landed on the general. That’s how she selected her husband. The flower is shaped like a ball. Its four colors change with each cycle of growth. When it first appears, the flower is white. Then it changes into light green, then dark green and finally purple.

Orchid is another Da Lat attraction. Named “queen of the world of flowers,” the orchid is a common sight wherever you go in Da Lat. Among the world’s 100,000 species of orchids, Viet Nam already has many of which grow in Da Lat. Da Lat grows all four types of orchids found worldwide, including those on other plants and trees as parasites, those on high rocks and cliffs. Those in leaves and mud. Those on other kinds of vegetation.

Lang Biang and Da Lat have a very interesting kind of orchid, Ian hai. In Vietnamese, “hai” is a beautifully embroidered shoe that used to be worn by noble ladies. The flower is so named as it has the shape of a “hai”. It originates from the species P. Delnatii. The flower received attention and praise at an international orchid exhibition in 1995 in Tokyo, Japan.

Gladiolus is very popular among growers in Da Lat because it is easy to grow and yields high returns. As legend has it, a Roman general captured two  young prisoners and kept them in his house. His two daughters fell in love with   the   two   prisoners. When the  general  discovered this situation, he became   angry and made the two prisoners fight each  other  in a duel. However, the two young men  refused  to fight and fixed their swords into the ground. The general ordered them beheaded. Strangely enough, as soon as their heads touched the ground,   the   two swords turned into flowers the shape of a sword. In Latin, “gladiolus”  means  a  short sword.  Da Lat’s gladiolus has several colors ranging from white, yellow, to purple. However, the most abundant is red and the most valued is the same red as  Bordeaux wine. Da Lat sells its gladioli throughout the entire country, especially during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (January-February). The Vietnamese believe it symbolizes promise and love.

Pansy is popular in Da Lat not only because it adapts well to the local climate, but it adds to the romanticism that locals hold dear to their hearts. The flower has been grown in Da Lat since the French colonial days. Young sweethearts give each other the flower to express their warm feelings, just as its French name “pensee” suggests. The pansies are grown widely, especially around villas which bear its name such as Pensee 1, Pensee 2 and Pensee 6.

Wild sunflowers grow abundantly along Road No. 20, the passes of Bao Loc and Prenn and in valleys around the town of Da Lat. The

flowers also grow plentifully in other provinces of the Central Highlands on the western side of the Truong Son Range, such as Kontum, Gia Lai and Daklak. They are thus considered the typical wild flower of the Highlands of southern central Viet Nam. The wild sunflower tree is one to two meters tall. Its flower is bright yellow and has a diameter of 10 centimeters. The tree begins to flower toward the end of the rainy season and blossoms profusely in the dry season. One can say the dry season has begun in the Highlands when you see lots of wild sunflowers outside.

Do Quyen flower is grown in gardens or pots. It doesn’t shed its leaves. Its flower grows at the far end of the branch and has 3-cm long petals. Da Lat has four varieties of Do quyen: white, pink, red and orange. The most numerous are pink. Most of the do quyen varieties sold at the market are imported from overseas. However, the red one is native to Lang Biang Mountains.

Nature has granted Da Lat a graceful beauty making it an ideal tourist destination, of which land scape exudes a sweet fragrance and shows off var colors all year round.

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…

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.

The Khmer ethnic people annually celebrated their traditional Ok Om Bok Festival on the full-moon day (15th day) of the middle Winter to shows their gratitude to the Moon Goddess for giving them a bumper harvest and rich aquatic sources.

Ok Om Bok is now a popular festival celebrated not only in Soc Trang but also in other Mekong Delta provinces of Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Kien Giang and An Giang. In the Khmer belief, the Moon Goddess is the one who cares for the crops, aquatic sources and human life. Also called Festival of Worshipping the Moon, the Ok Om Bok Festival of each village takes place on the yard of a local pagoda, and the whole province’s Ok Om Bok Festival takes place at Ba Om Pond. The festival is one of the three typical festivals of the Khmer in the circle of one year. more…

For a country that is only a little larger than Italy, Vietnam has immense geographic and cultural diversity. Its varied climate and landscape range from four seasons of the mountainous north to year-round tropical temperatures of the lush south.

Vietnam’s cultural diversity stems from its intriguing history dating back more than 4,000 years. Its historical legacy includes a century of Chinese occupation, which has left a very strong foreign cultural influence, evident in the pagodas, local cuisine, and continuing practice of Confucianism. Vietnam’s regal past can be revisited in the former capital city of Hue, where the Citadel and Royal Tombs represent an era of cultural renaissance. The French colonial legacy is still evident in many parts of Vietnam, as illustrated by the distinctive yellow pastel-colored architecture of its villas and administrative buildings.

In Vietnam you can discover unspoiled beaches along the coastline stretching 3,200km north to south and mountainous regions where hill tribe people continue to live isolated from mainstream society. There are also pastoral landscapes of lush rice paddies and fresh vegetation, offering ample opportunities to observe the agrarian lifestyle of eighty percent of Vietnam’s population. Today, most of the country remains relatively unchanged although in major cities you will discover modern infrastructure and technology. Visitors can choose to travel at various levels of comfort, staying in anything from budget to deluxe accommodations, using public or private transportation, and dining local style or in the finer Vietnamese and international restaurants. If you are in for a cultural exploration, picturesque landscapes, warm hospitality, or an adventure of a lifetime – Vietnam is your destination!