Monday, September 22, 2014

Kon Tum's wooden church

Kon Tum's wooden church makes Central Highlands worth a visit

A Roman Catholic wooden church – a vestige of the French colonial period – is one of the most famous landmarks of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.
 
Located in the nameshake capital of Kon Tum, the church was built in 1913 by a group of French priests. Photo credit. Vietnam News Agency (VNA)

The church’s architecture combines elements of the Central Highlands’ stilt house design and a large French-built seminary which hosts a small museum on local hill tribes. Photo credit. VNA

The church's floor is made entirely of wood and sits about one meter above the ground. Photo credit. Vietnam News Agency

A column in the church features splendid carvings. Photo credit. VNA


Kon Tum residents attend service in the church. Photo credit. ViNA

The church's main hall. Photo credit. VNA

A painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Photo credit. VNA

A stained-glass window in the church. Photo credit. VNA

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

bảo hiểm nhân thọ


bảo hiểm nhân thọ
Life Insurance
人寿保险

bảo hiểm
Insurance
保险

Sunday, September 14, 2014

单词

过 Qua
快 Nhanh
慢 Chậm
告诉 Nói(cho biết), bảo
火车 Tàu lửa
地铁 Tàu điện ngầm
步行街 Phố đi bộ
省 Tiết kiệm
速度 Tốc độ
对 đúng
浪费 Lãng phí
再说 Hơn nữa
晕车 Say xe
地图 Bản đồ
换 Đổi
打车 Gọi xe
衣服 Quần áo
够 Đủ
次 Lần

刚 Vừa mới
回来 Trở lại, trở về
礼物 Lễ vật
飞机 Máy bay
中心 Trung tâm
飞机场 Sân bay
摩托车 Xe máy
 三轮车 Xích lô
电车 Xe điện

兜风 Hóng gió
危险 Nguy hiểm

Saturday, September 6, 2014

中秋 Trung thu

中秋 Trung thu

秋景今宵半, Thu cảnh kim tiêu bán,  
天高月偣明。 Thiên cao nguyệt bội minh.  
南樓誰宴賞, Nam lâu thuỳ yến thưởng,  
絲竹奏清聲。 Ty trúc tấu thanh thanh.

杜甫, Đỗ Phủ

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Ngày quốc khánh

Ngày quốc khánh
National Day
国庆日
2 / 9 / 2014 

Visa waivers to 9 more nationalities

Vietnam may grant visa waivers to 9 more nationalities

Relevant agencies are seeking central government approval to waive tourist visa requirements for France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada.

The proposal was made by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Transport to draw more visitors from those markets, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

A survey conducted by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) found that Western European visitors often spend more money and stay longer than others.

Meanwhile, Australian and Kiwi visitors often visit during traditional low seasons.

In addition, Canada has remained one of the fifteen leaders in providing tourists, while India remains an important source of visitors, the survey found.

According to VNAT, international tourists often spend between US$1,200-1,500 per trip; a visa exemption is expected to significantly increase tourism revenues.

Vietnam currently offers a 30-day visa waiver for tourists from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc (except for Bruneians who receive a 14 day waiver). Visitors from Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and Russia get a 15-day waiver.

Statistics from tourism promotion agencies in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia show that tourist arrivals increased with visa waivers.

Thailand currently grants visa exemptions for 61 countries and territories. Malaysia exempts visa requirements for visitors from 155 countries and territories and Singapore exempts visas for visitors from 165 countries and territories.

In June, the Vietnam Business Forum, a consortium of international and local business associations and chambers of commerce, urged Vietnam to relax its visa procedures following a dip in tourism arrivals that followed deadly anti-China riot in May.

China’s deployment of a giant US$-1billion oil rig in Vietnamese waters on May 2 triggered peaceful anti-China protests that erupted into violence in central and southern Vietnam two weeks later.

Despite “significant growth” in visitor arrivals in the first four months of this year, the riots reversed the trend, according to the findings of a report presented by the VBF at a June meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Hotels have seen many tour operators cancel trips through the end of June and many multinationals have continued to restrict travel to Vietnam, the report said.

“Whilst Russian visitor arrivals have been largely unaffected, the main impact has been on visitors from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia,” it said.

The VBF’s Tourism Working Group also conducted a small-scale survey showing that just 18 of Vietnam's 640 hotels lost over $1.8 million--or 14,945 room night cancellations--through July.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~

Trekking through Tu Lan: the cave less traveled by

Trekking through Tu Lan: the cave less traveled by


Water flows through the Tu Lan cave system in Quang Binh Province.

If one defines caving tourism in Vietnam as Phong Nha – Ke Bang, Tu Lan is the girl next door.

Lesser known and far wilder than the well-lit caves frequented by busloads of tourists, the Tu Lan system sits inside the limestone mountain range that surrounds the Tan Hoa valley commune in Minh Hoa District.

The valley lies north of Phong Nha on the Ho Chi Minh Road in the central province of Quang Binh. Golden corn fields pop out of the thick jungle green when one visits between April and June.

Tu Lan was discovered by local fishermen in 2009 and explored by members of the British Cave Research Association in 2010.

The 200-hectare karst cavern lies lower than its neighbors in Phong Nha – Ke Bang national park so streams twist through its center.

There’s only one way into Tu Lan; you have to swim.

But that is gentle enough compared to the next part: climbing over cliffs that have been standing there for hundreds of millions of years.

There are five more stretches --both swimming and climbing-- inside the system, where the path rises and falls, widens and narrows.

Natural rewards pull you through, like drying your soaking clothes in the wind and sunshine on the high cliffs.

Inside Tu Lan, many rocks look almost man-made--rounded and patterned as if drawn on by cavemen. Some things look as if they must have been placed there on purpose -- like the oblong stalagmites that surround a swimming hole.

The dry cave at the end of the system features a vast roof that lets the sun shine through two large openings illuminating scores of glittering stalactites inside.

Jungle trekking on the way to the Tu Lan cave system in Quang Binh Province. Photo: Ryan Deboodt

Oxalis Adventure Tours is the only firm licensed to provide caving and trekking tours in the area.

They've added wood stairs and panels to aid you through the most precarious parts of your journey.

The rest is left to you.

The company pledged on its website to keep the cave system as natural as possible by adding no construction or housing to ensure every visitor feels like the first person in the cave.

Oxalis takes bookings for one day to six day treks.

They're categorized from very easy to very hard.

The company supplies a helmet, trekking boots, a headlamp, a life jacket, climbing gloves and rope.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~