Friday, October 31, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
The delicacies of the Mekong Delta's autumnal flood
The delicacies of the Mekong Delta's autumnal flood
Fall brings the flood and an abundance of delicacies to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Delta locals, who spend most their lives criss-crossing rivers, have grown accustomed to the annual rise of the rivers and have learned to make the best of things, by collecting an abundance of white fish and water lilies from flooded paddy fields.
A man from An Giang Province bunches water lilies for sale.
Nguyen Van Tuoi, a boy from An Giang Province, travels to neighboring Cambodia every day to pick water lilies for sale to help his parents put food on the table.
Cambodian water lilies are hauled to An Giang Province every afternoon before they are distributed across the Mekong Delta.
Ngo Thi Sam (L) and a family member empty nets full of "line," a common white fish, during the delta's flood season. The family makes VND500,000 (US$23,60) a day from their catches of the fish.
A woman runs her hands through a basket of "dien dien" (Sesbania sesban) flowers of which are fried and eaten. They are particularly abundant during the flood season. One kilogram can sell for VND25,000-30,000 ($1.18-1.41)
Thai Thi Be Sau from An Giang collects round two kilograms of "dien dien" flowers near her house every day to sell at a local wet markets.
Truong Van Phong and his wife makes VND200,000-300,000 ($9.4-14) a day catching and selling mussels.
Hundreds of fishing nets are set up in what is normally a rice paddy during the dry season.
A hearty catch.
Delta fishermen return from a day of fishing.
"Linh" fish in the hull of a rowboat
Freshwater crabs are another seasonal specialty.
At peak season, every wet market in the delta sells fresh crabs for less than $2 per kilogram
Many families also process and selling field rats, who lose their underground homes during the flood season and are easier to catch.
The season brings the best water mimosa, which is called "rau rut" in Vietnamese.
Lotuses also bloom during the flood.
Duy Phuong from Dong Thap Province cuts water hyacinth to sell for VND100,000 a day.
A vendor hawks water lilies 1.5 to 3 meters long down a rural delta road.
~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~
Fall brings the flood and an abundance of delicacies to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Delta locals, who spend most their lives criss-crossing rivers, have grown accustomed to the annual rise of the rivers and have learned to make the best of things, by collecting an abundance of white fish and water lilies from flooded paddy fields.
A man from An Giang Province bunches water lilies for sale.
Nguyen Van Tuoi, a boy from An Giang Province, travels to neighboring Cambodia every day to pick water lilies for sale to help his parents put food on the table.
Cambodian water lilies are hauled to An Giang Province every afternoon before they are distributed across the Mekong Delta.
Ngo Thi Sam (L) and a family member empty nets full of "line," a common white fish, during the delta's flood season. The family makes VND500,000 (US$23,60) a day from their catches of the fish.
A woman runs her hands through a basket of "dien dien" (Sesbania sesban) flowers of which are fried and eaten. They are particularly abundant during the flood season. One kilogram can sell for VND25,000-30,000 ($1.18-1.41)
Thai Thi Be Sau from An Giang collects round two kilograms of "dien dien" flowers near her house every day to sell at a local wet markets.
Truong Van Phong and his wife makes VND200,000-300,000 ($9.4-14) a day catching and selling mussels.
Hundreds of fishing nets are set up in what is normally a rice paddy during the dry season.
A hearty catch.
Delta fishermen return from a day of fishing.
"Linh" fish in the hull of a rowboat
Freshwater crabs are another seasonal specialty.
At peak season, every wet market in the delta sells fresh crabs for less than $2 per kilogram
Many families also process and selling field rats, who lose their underground homes during the flood season and are easier to catch.
The season brings the best water mimosa, which is called "rau rut" in Vietnamese.
Lotuses also bloom during the flood.
Duy Phuong from Dong Thap Province cuts water hyacinth to sell for VND100,000 a day.
A vendor hawks water lilies 1.5 to 3 meters long down a rural delta road.
~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Hoi An full moon festival makes top travel list
Hoi An full moon festival makes top travel list
Hoi An's full moon festival finishes 15th in the top '20 unforgettable things to do at night on your travels' ranked by roughguides.com
The ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam came in 15th on a roughguides.com list of the world’s top “20 unforgettable things to do at night on your travels."
“Banish thoughts of glow paint ravers on crowded Thai beaches, Hoi An’s full moon festival is a much more sophisticated affair. Every month on the fourteenth day of the lunar calendar, the town switches off its street lights as glowing silk lanterns, performers and food stalls fill the cobbled streets and the Thu Bon River is lit up with beautiful floats,” gushed the popular British travel site.
The Hoi An Lunar Full Moon Festival feature activities recalling the real life of Hoi An people centuries ago.
For the locals the night of the full moon is the time to honor their ancestors, setting up alters laden with fruit, flowers, candles and incense outside homes and businesses, and burning votive paper as offerings in exchange for good luck and prosperity.
The temples in town are awash with activity, monks hold candlelit ceremonies and the Fujian Assembly Hall on Tran Phu Street fills with local fishing families honoring Lady Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea who protects sailors from danger.
Hoi An was recognized by the UNESCO in 1999 as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The town sits on the ocean around 700 kilometers south of Hanoi. The nearest airport and train station are in Da Nang, a 30km drive away.
~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~
Hoi An's full moon festival finishes 15th in the top '20 unforgettable things to do at night on your travels' ranked by roughguides.com
The ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam came in 15th on a roughguides.com list of the world’s top “20 unforgettable things to do at night on your travels."
“Banish thoughts of glow paint ravers on crowded Thai beaches, Hoi An’s full moon festival is a much more sophisticated affair. Every month on the fourteenth day of the lunar calendar, the town switches off its street lights as glowing silk lanterns, performers and food stalls fill the cobbled streets and the Thu Bon River is lit up with beautiful floats,” gushed the popular British travel site.
The Hoi An Lunar Full Moon Festival feature activities recalling the real life of Hoi An people centuries ago.
For the locals the night of the full moon is the time to honor their ancestors, setting up alters laden with fruit, flowers, candles and incense outside homes and businesses, and burning votive paper as offerings in exchange for good luck and prosperity.
The temples in town are awash with activity, monks hold candlelit ceremonies and the Fujian Assembly Hall on Tran Phu Street fills with local fishing families honoring Lady Thien Hau, the goddess of the sea who protects sailors from danger.
Hoi An was recognized by the UNESCO in 1999 as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The town sits on the ocean around 700 kilometers south of Hanoi. The nearest airport and train station are in Da Nang, a 30km drive away.
~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~
Khmer pagoda, a must-visit of Bac Lieu
Khmer pagoda, a must-visit destination of Bac Lieu
Xiem Can Pagoda from the outside.
Xiem Can Pagoda in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu is a splendid architectural structure of the Khmer community and has long been a famous spiritual destination of the province.
Once visiting the pagoda, one will understand why it is listed among the biggest and most splendid Khmer pagodas in southern Vietnam.
Built in 1887, the pagoda is located on a spacious and airy campus with the gate turning to east. It has imposing architecture with Cambodia’s Angkor décor style.
The pagoda is not only a place to honor Buddha but also a center of Khmer culture and education. Before reaching the age of 18, Khmer children will be brought to the pagoda to learn about Khmer script, Buddhism and cultural characteristics of the Khmer community in three years.
During major Khmer festivals, Xiem Can pagoda is filled with locals and visitors who come to pray for luck and happiness.
~Thanh Nien News ~
Xiem Can Pagoda from the outside.
Xiem Can Pagoda in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu is a splendid architectural structure of the Khmer community and has long been a famous spiritual destination of the province.
Once visiting the pagoda, one will understand why it is listed among the biggest and most splendid Khmer pagodas in southern Vietnam.
Built in 1887, the pagoda is located on a spacious and airy campus with the gate turning to east. It has imposing architecture with Cambodia’s Angkor décor style.
The pagoda is not only a place to honor Buddha but also a center of Khmer culture and education. Before reaching the age of 18, Khmer children will be brought to the pagoda to learn about Khmer script, Buddhism and cultural characteristics of the Khmer community in three years.
During major Khmer festivals, Xiem Can pagoda is filled with locals and visitors who come to pray for luck and happiness.
~Thanh Nien News ~
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