Saturday, December 24, 2016

Merry Christmas 圣诞快乐


Sunday, December 18, 2016

nhà nghỉ - tiệm cơm



nhà nghỉ 客栈 Guest House
tiệm cơm 饭店/饭馆 Restaurant (mainly rice)

Hanoi – Siem Reap route introducing next year

Vietnam budget carrier to open Hanoi – Siem Reap route next year

Vietjet is poised to launch a new service connecting Hanoi and the Cambodian city of Siem Reap next year, the low-cost carrier announced Friday.

The new route, scheduled to be in service from March 30, is looking to meet increasing travel demand of individuals, tourists and entrepreneurs between the two well-known cities, Vietjet said in a press release.

The Hanoi – Siem Reap route is operated daily for 1 hour 45 minutes per leg, with its flight takes off from Hanoi at 3:55 pm (local time) and lands in Siem Reap at 5:40 spm (local time).

The return flight departs 6:40 pm (local time) and arrives at 8:25 pm (local time).

Promotional tickets of the route are available now from only VND399,000 (US$17) each.

Conveniently located in the Southeast Asia with many World heritages of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, etc, Siem Reap has become one of the favorite tourist destinations in Cambodia.

The city is also voted one of the world’s most friendly cities thanks to its famous Apsara dance, hand-made shops, typical cuisine and serenity and antiqueness.

~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~

Saturday, December 17, 2016

逃生锤 Emergency hammer

búa thoát hiểm 逃生锤 Emergency hammer
xin quy khách lưu y  请乘客留意  Passengers please take note
giữ vé để kiểm soát 保持车票为检验 Keep the ticket for inspection
mất vé phải mua lại 遗失车票要补回  Lost ticket to be purchased again
thoát hiểm 脱险/逃生  Escape from danger
quy khách 顾客/乘客 Passengers / Guests
lưu y 留意  Take note
giữ vé 持有车票  Keep the ticket
để 为 For
kiểm soát 检验 Inspection
mất vé 车票遗失  Lost of ticket
phải 是 Yes
mua lại 再次买过 Buy again
mua 买 Buy

lại 再次 Again




Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Cold spell to bring temps as low as 6°C to northern Vietnam

Cold spell to bring temps as low as 6°C to northern Vietnam



An enhanced cold front has reached the northern part of Vietnam and is forecast to bring temperatures as low as six degrees Celsius to the region.

A cold spell entered the northern border of Vietnam on Tuesday evening and is anticipated to extend its effects on northern, north-central, and central provinces, the National Center for Hydro- meteorological Forecasting has said.

Temperatures in the affected regions from November 29 to December 4 are expected to average between 12 and 15 degree Celsius.

Mountainous areas will experience chillier weather, with temperatures between nine and 11 degrees Celsius and as low as six degrees Celsius in higher altitudes.

Hanoi will become frigid at night and during the early morning as temperatures range from 13 to 15 degree Celsius.

Under the influence of the cold front, medium to heavy rainfall will hit the areas from the central city of Da Nang to the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

Quang Nam and Phu Yen can anticipate the heaviest rainfall, between 200 and 400 millimeters, posing a risk of flood and landslide.

Rain will then shift toward the north-central part of the country, affecting provinces from Nghe An to Thua Thien- Hue.

The cold spell is also forecast to cause rough seas near the Gulf of Tonkin with winds at 49km per hour and squalls of up to 74km an hour.

The northern part of the East Vietnam Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, will experience seas between 1.5 and three meters high caused by winds of 39 to 61km per hour.

~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~

Quang Binh to promote tourism on TripAdvisor

Vietnam’s Quang Binh to promote tourism on TripAdvisor



A section of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province

Authorities in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Binh will advertise the locality’s tourism on TripAdvisor in 2017 following their recent consensus this week.

Quang Binh officials said on Friday that they had reached agreement with TripAdvisor on promoting the province’s tourist industry on the travel website.

There has been little international advertising for Quang Binh so far due to a limited budget although the province has huge potential, Tran Tien Dung, deputy chairman of the local People’s Committee, said.

This has resulted in very few international tourists visiting the province, Dung added.

Thus provincial leaders have decided to turn to TripAdvisor for publicity.

Matthew Zatto, destination marketing sales manager, Southeast Asia, with TripAdvisor, suggested that Quang Binh authorities should build a system of information on the current tourism services, provide tourist information on all websites, including those of local companies, about destinations and connecting tours, and choose a keyword for the local tourist industry so visitors can easily search for it on the Internet.



A chamber in Son Doong Cave. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Quang Binh officials have tasked relevant agencies and bodies with proceeding first with these suggestions before signing an official contract to promote the province’s tourism on TripAdvisor.

Quang Binh is famous for the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and which houses Son Dong – the largest cave in the world now.

~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~

Sunday, October 16, 2016

yêu cầu


yêu cầu 要求 request
không 不 no 
xả rác 丢垃圾 littering
trong  在 in
bãi xe 停车场 car park

Thursday, October 13, 2016

giữ trật tự yên lặng


giữ trật tự yên lặng 

维持秩序和安静
Keep order and quiet

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Coffee shop with a bus twist in Central Highlands

Coffee shop with a bus twist in Vietnam’s Central Highlands

A Vietnamese woman from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has designed a coffee shop utilizing an old bus, providing a unique experience to customers.

The Bus Coffee, located in Buon Ma Thuot City, simulates a modern-looking bus station, featuring sidewalks, stations, and road markings for buses.

The highlight of the venue is a yellow bus at its center. The vehicle’s interior has been refurbished with wooden seats and tables, giving it a retro feel.



The coffee shop design simulates a bus station. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The person behind the creation is Phan Nguyen Hoai Thu, 32, the owner of the coffee shop.

Thu said that she searched many places for a bus that fit her needs and eventually found one at a scrap trading center in the neighboring province of Dak Nong.

“The important thing was that the bus’ frame had to be in good condition for long-term safety, and that the bus was long enough to install seats and tables,” she explained.



“Passengers” enjoy drinks while viewing the surrounds from the windows. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The bus has two air-conditioners, one at each end, while its original steering wheel and driver’s seat have remained.

The original entrance and exit doors have also been retained, allowing waiters and “passengers” to board and disembark from the bus.

“As the main concept centers on the bus, a lot of the fixtures and furniture in the venue are made from parts of the vehicle,” the coffee shop owner said.

Tables and planting pots have been made from used tires.

The unique coffee venue has been welcomed by scores of young customers and received positive feedback because of its comfort and friendly atmosphere.



Tables and pot plants inside the venue are made from used tires, creating a unique experience. Photo: Tuoi Tre

“Customers can easily find a seat that suits their preference thanks to the iconic design of the bus, allowing them to enjoy a window view,” Nguyen Phan Hoai Thuong, a student of Tay Nguyen University, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“Today social networking is still on the rise, which means there is a great thirst for sharing visual information among people, especially the young,” Thu said, explaining why she came up with the design.

“Thus, something familiar but unique and endearing fits what customers need, checking in on social networks or saving their moment with photos of their families and friends.”

~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~

Monday, October 3, 2016

quán hai sản tươi sống


quán 店 shop
hai sản 海产 / 海鲜 seafood
tươi sống 新鲜 fresh



Sunday, October 2, 2016

Cấm sờ


Cấm sờ 禁止触摸 Prohibit touching
có điện 有电  Have electricity
nguy hiểm 危险 Dangerous
chết người 致人死 kills people

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Hanoi to ban vehicles around Hoan Kiem Lake to attract tourists

Hanoi to ban vehicles around Hoan Kiem Lake to attract tourists



A corner of Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Thang

Hanoi is set to ban all vehicles on streets around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake every evening from Friday to Sunday starting September 1 to make it tourist-friendly.

They will be pedestrians-only from 7 p.m. to midnight, and relevant agencies will assign personnel to regulate traffic and prevent possible congestion elsewhere as a result, according to Hanoi Transport Department.

Several bus routes will be modified to avoid the banned areas.

Around the area, there will be 18 parking lots for buses and cars and 57 for motorbikes with a capacity of more than 600 cars and 2,700 motorbikes.

The capital got its first walking-only street in 2004 when a section of Hang Dao Street was made off-limits to vehicles.

A decade later more walking streets were designated in the old quarter: like Hang Buom, Hang Giay, Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ma May, Dao Duy Tu and Ta Hien.

From September 1 the city will also lift a midnight curfew on restaurants, bars, cafés, karaoke parlors and others in another move to promote tourism.

They will be allowed to remain open until 2 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Hue plans audio guides, free Wi-Fi for tourists

Hue plans audio guides, free Wi-Fi for tourists



The Nguyen Citadel in Hue. Photo: Ho Cau/VNAThe Nguyen Citadel in Hue.

The former imperial city Hue is going to install an audio guide system in five languages to serve visitors at its attractions.

Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Center for Preservation of Hue Former Citadel Relics, said audio guides are being planned for major tomb sites and the royal citadel.

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 until the end of feudal Vietnam in 1945.
v Hai said the system will be developed with private investment and tourists will have to pay to access the guides, apart from entrance tickets.

It is unclear when the new service will be launched and which other languages, besides English, will be chosen.
v The center is also going to introduce e-tickets and free Wi-Fi at the sites soon.

Thua Thien-Hue Province, which is known for the imperial city, pagodas and other natural attractions, received around 58,000 tourists during the National Day weekend between September 2 and 4.

Foreign visitors during the first eight months increased 36.5 percent from a year ago and accounted for more than half of nearly 1.8 million tourists coming to the province.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Monday, August 29, 2016

Shoeshine scammers target foreign tourists in downtown HCMC

Shoeshine scammers target foreign tourists in downtown HCMC



Two men polishing shoes for a foreign tourist in HCMC. Photo: Trac Rin

A 15-strong gang has been scamming tourists in downtown Ho Chi Minh City by shining their shoes without being asked before demanding an extortionate amount of money, threatening those who do not pay, a Thanh Nien investigation has found.

On August 11 for instance, two foreign men were sitting on a bench in September 23rd Park when two men suddenly approached them and polished their shoes without saying a word.

The tourists did not turn them away but were shocked to be asked VND1 million (US$45).

The two men threatened the tourists until they paid them the money.

Thanh Nien found similar incidents occurring elsewhere in the city’s downtown.

On August 11 a foreign man was about to cross Le Lai Street when a man insisted on polishing his shoes though the former said no.

A Thanh Nien reporter managed to join the shoeshine group and found there were 15 men who had moved to the city from Thanh Hoa Province.

They rent rooms on Hoang Sa Street, District 3, and usually take buses to the downtown area.

A member, who claimed he could earn VND2 million in a morning, said they often go in pairs so that they could threaten the victims easier. One would polish shoes and demand money while the other would keep an eye out for police and voluntary youths, he said.

Dinh To Hoa, deputy chief inspector of the city Department of Tourism, admitted that her agency is aware of the scam. Authorities have recorded more than 2,500 cases of hawkers and shoeshine boys hassling tourists, she said.

“[My] department has coordinated with relevant agencies to step up patrolling. They will also be punished if caught on street cameras.”

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Central Vietnam destinations join forces in unique tourism project

Central Vietnam destinations join forces in unique tourism project



A corner of Hoi An Town in Quang Nam Province. Photo credit: Dao Loan/The Saigon Times

The website The Essence of Vietnam was launched Friday to promote tourism in Quang Nam, Da Nang and Thua Thien-Hue in the first joint campaign among the favorite localities.

It was part of a well-coordinated project backed by the EU to boost tourism in the central coast destinations, known for the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hue Citadel, Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary, as well as tropical beaches and national parks.

“We chose the name The Essence of Vietnam because the area is located in the central region and is home to world heritage sites and beautiful beaches,” Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of Da Nang Tourism Department, was quoted by The Saigon Times as saying. Da Nang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue have been sharing stalls at several travel fairs recently, he added.

Cuong said the new project will also connect nearby localities and promised there will be "new and diverse tourism products." According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the country attracted nearly 900,000 international visitors in August, up 34.4 percent from a year ago.

Nearly 6.5 million visitors have come to Vietnam so far this year, an increase of 25.4 percent from the same period last year. Significant increases were reported from major source markets including Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Thailand, Laos, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden and Japan.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Monday, July 18, 2016

Da Nang fireworks competition will get bigger and better

Da Nang fireworks competition will get bigger and better



A fireworks display on the Han River in Da Nang. Photo credit: Da Nang Fireworks

The biennial Da Nang International Fireworks will be held every year from 2017 and will last for three weeks instead of only two days as in the past.

Sun Group will organize the event in March when the central city celebrates its liberation day March 29, Da Nang's government announced Friday.

The city began to host the annual event in 2008 but it became a biennial competition in 2013 due to financial difficulties. There have been mix results and the competition in some years failed to attract as many tourists as expected.

Sun Group now believes it can successfully run the event every year.

According to the group, eight teams are expected to compete next year, including Da Nang and past champions.

There will be other events to attract tourists including a food festival, paragliding shows and an international music festival, a company spokesperson said.

Sun Group said it will spend around VND50 billion (US$2.25 million) for the 2017 competition.

Official statistics showed the number of tourists visiting Da Nang during the fireworks event surged from 50,000 in 2008 to 460,000 last year.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Vietnam eyes $30 bln tourism revenue by 2020

Vietnam eyes $30 bln tourism revenue by 2020

The tourism sector targets annual revenues of US$30 billion and a 10 percent share of GDP by 2020, according to a plan by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Vietnam earned VND338 trillion ($15.1 billion) last year as it attracted more than 7.9 million international visitors and 57 million domestic tourists. It attracted more than 4.7 million international visitors in the first half of this year, a 21 percent increase year-on-year.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien said Vietnam hopes to attract 14-15 million international visitors a year by 2020 and create around 3.5 million jobs in the tourism sector.

“Those targets are totally feasible because we are going to have many opportunities for development. The target is equal to only half of Thailand’s while our recent investment will bring effects.”

Thien was introducing the plan at a conference held between the central government and authorities from nine major tourism localities nation-wide.

Many officials said there should be changes in the mindset of officials to achieve the target of turning Vietnam into a tourism country within four years.

Van Thi Bach Tuyet, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said there is a lack of coordination between tourism and other agencies.

“In HCMC, waterway tourism faces barriers after the transport sector did not think about tourism when building low bridges.”

Dang Dinh Dung, Da Nang’s deputy mayor, said almost every city and province wants to promote international tourism in their locality without thinking about Vietnam as a whole.

Mindset, not money

Thien said the government only approves spending of around $2 million a year for tourism promotion, which is even lower than Vietnam Airlines’s budget to promote its image.

“Besides, the tourism promotion department and tourism offices abroad should be re-established.”

But Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said changing the mindset of tourism management officials should be the major focus because money is not the primary element for development.

“The Hue Citadel earns less than $5 million a year while Cambodia’s Angkor Wat earns $360 million and Hawaii earns $65 billion. Why do we earn such meager amount?”

According to Asia Pacific Tourism Association, only 6 percent of international tourists visiting Vietnam come for a second time. “The primary issue is the way to develop tourism, not money or the number of personnel,” Hue said.

Dung said the government exchequer should not be used to promote tourism.

“Tourism companies should spend their own money for effective tourism promotion. Only then will they learn about the market’s demands and what they should do.”

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

HCMC asking hotels, shops to open toilets to tourists

Ho Chi Minh City asking hotels, shops to open toilets to tourists



A public toilet in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1. Photo: Huu Nguyen/VnExpress

Ho Chi Minh City is encouraging shops and hotels to open their toilets to tourists and list the facilities on online maps.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, the city’s vice chairman, at a meeting Monday asked the tourism department to discuss the initiative with local businesses in the downtown area.

Once the businesses agree to let the public use their toilets, the Science and Technology Department will make sure that tourists can easily locate them, Tuyen said.

Officials from District 1 said many businesses in the area have promised to join the program.

The city has built new public toilets at several parks over the past few years but the number is still small. Most other public toilets at bus terminals or markets are old and dirty.

The city hopes to welcome 5.1 million foreign visitors this year, up from 4.7 million last year.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Vietnam delays work on largest airport until 2021

Vietnam delays work on largest airport until 2021: report



A digital rendering of the planned Long Thanh Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai, around 40 kilometers to the northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

State-owned Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has confirmed that complex preparatory work will delay the construction of the country's US$15.8 billion airport near Ho Chi Minh City. In its recent report to the Ministry of Transport, the manager of 22 airports said work on Long Thanh Airport will likely start in April 2021, news website Dau Tu reported Tuesday. That will put the project in Dong Nai Province at least two years behind the original schedule. It is taking ACV longer than expected to finish all the pre-construction tasks for the megaproject, described as the "biggest ever."

The selection of consultants for the project's feasibility study, for instance, will not be completed until January next year, about nine months behind the previous deadline.

Long Thanh Airport, about 40 kilometers from HCMC, is designed to serve 100 million passengers and five million tons of goods annually.

It is expected to replace the country's currently biggest airport Tan Son Nhat, which reached its full capacity of 20 million passengers a year in 2013.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Saturday, July 2, 2016

câu lạc bộ thời trang


câu lạc bộ 俱乐部 Club
thời trang 时装 Fashion
nữ - nam 女 - 男 Woman - Man
giảm giá 减价 Reduce price

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Tết Đoan Ngọ 端午节


Hanoi taxi firms race to launch mobile apps as Uber, GrabTaxi thrive

Hanoi taxi firms race to launch mobile apps as Uber, GrabTaxi thrive



A taxi with Vinasun App in Da Nang. Photo credit: Da Nang Today

Several taxi companies in northern Vietnam are rushing to create their own mobile apps for cab hailing for fear of losing their market share to foreign services Uber and GrabTaxi, news website VnExpress reported Tuesday.

An executive of a popular taxi company was quoted as saying that it has been running its new app on a trial basis, and results so far are positive.

The app will be officially launched this month with more than 3,000 taxis operating around the northern region, he said, adding that his company will introduce "the most competitive" fares for the new service.

With an initial cost of around US$500,000, the locally-developed application is compatible with all smartphone operation systems, according to the executive.

Another $1 million will be invested into future upgrades, he said.

Khuc Huu Thanh Hai, director of Dat Cang Transportation Trading and Services Joint Stock Company, which operates Dat Cang taxis in Hai Phong, said with the current "harsh competition" between traditional taxi services and foreign hailing services, local businesses cannot ignore the technology.

However, he said, compared to Uber and GrabTaxi, which were both launched in Vietnam last year and operate more like middlemen, local taxi companies have the advantages of operating their own cars.

Dat Cang plans to launch its cab-hailing app with more than 300 taxis in the first quarter next year. It will maintain a call center for customers who do not use smartphones, according to Hai.

It is not the first time local taxi companies publicly declare their competition against the foreign rivals.

Local media recently reported that many taxi companies in Hanoi ordered their drivers to stop picking up passengers via GrabTaxi, out of concerns that they will lose their own brand values.

They said passengers who use the booking service often know taxis which serve them collectively as GrabTaxi, and that some "dubious" drivers in the GrabTaxi's network can hurt their reputation.

Previously, in May, the Ho Chi Minh City-based Vinasun Corporation launched its Vinasun App in several southern and central provinces and cities.

Meanwhile, the transport ministry last month revealed its plan of creating its own Uber-like car booking service, promising that it will only collaborate with licensed companies.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Foreigner falls victim to another robbery by fake cop in HCMC

Foreigner falls victim to another robbery by fake cop in Ho Chi Minh City



Foreign tourists in Ho Chi Minh downtown. Photo: Tran TamForeign tourists in Ho Chi Minh downtown.

The Ho Chi Minh City police are looking for a man suspected to have impersonated a police officer to steal an American tourist’s bag.

Kumar Bloomstein, 23, was riding a motorbike in District 2 Thursday afternoon when a man approached him, introduced himself as a criminal investigator and said he suspected Bloomstein was involved with drugs.

He ordered the American to come along to a police station, and when they approached one on Mai Chi Tho Street, the man told Bloomstein to leave his bag and go fetch his passport to prove he was in Vietnam legally.

The tourist went to his hotel in District 1, but when he returned the man had disappeared with his bag, which contained two tablets and a camera.

The robbery happened two days after a German tourist was robbed in a similar manner in the same area.

The police have not arrested the suspect in the first case yet, and it is still not clear if it was just the same person.

Vietnam’s tourism market has seen a strong recovery this year, with a 20 percent increase in foreign arrivals in the first five months.

Ho Chi Minh City hopes to welcome 5.1 million foreign visitors this year, up from 4.7 million last year, but safety issues could make that goal hard to achieve.

A Moroccan man was stabbed late last month while fighting off two men who snatched his wife’s purse in the city. He is recovering.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Monday, May 30, 2016

Quang Binh Province announces hotline to support tourists

Quang Binh Province announces hotline to support tourists

Authorities in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Binh recently announced a hotline to improve service to tourists.

The hotline, which was officially put into operation on May 19, includes two phone numbers, (052) 3833399 and (052) 3503399.

The Tourism Promotion Information Center under the Quang Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will receive calls from tourists and provide them with timely support.

Besides accepting feedback regarding local tourism services and ensure security for visitors, the hotline is also intended to support lost and found cases and answer questions related to tourism.

Information that is beyond the consideration of the center will be transferred to the relevant units to ensure a timely response.

~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

HCMC gets hop-on hop-off tourist bus service

Ho Chi Minh City gets hop-on hop-off tourist bus service



A hop-on hop-off bus in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Mai Phuong/Thanh Nien

Hop-on hop-off, a city bus service that is popular in many places around the world, has made its debut in Ho Chi Minh City after a six-month trial period.

With a ticket that costs VND199,000 (US$8.8) and is valid for 24 hours, tourists can get off at any destination around the downtown area like Ben Thanh Market and Independence Palace, according to operator Anh Viet Media TV & Tourist.

A tour of the Cho Lon area, a.k.a Chinatown, in District 5, including Thien Hau Pagoda and Binh Tay Market, costs another VND100,000 ($4.4) if bought in combination or VND149,000 if bought alone.

The buses, which ply from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., are equipped with Wi-Fi and audio guides in English, French, Korean and Spanish.

Maps of their routes can be found at http://www.hopon-hopoff.vn/en/hinh-anh-hopon-hopoff/.

Hop-on hop-off is the third tourist bus service to be launched in the city since March after two routes linking downtown with Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

HCMC expects to receive 5.1 million international tourists this year, more than 10 percent higher than last year.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Saturday, May 21, 2016

thực đơn



thực đơn 菜单 menu
cơm trưa 午餐 lunch
văn phòng 办公室 office