Oct
11
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Image of Sapa in the mists
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VietNamNet Bridge – Deep within the valleys and mountains of Vietnam’s furthest Northern reaches lies the remote hill town of Sapa
Most often viewed through the seemingly never ending carpet of mist, Sapa is a visual feast unmatched in Vietnam; on the one hand remote and distant and, on the other, searingly developed and commercial.
Certainly, part of Sapa’s aloof appeal must lie with the difficulty in reaching this former French hill station.
Disembarking from the overnight train from Hanoi at Lao Cai station, visitors are treated to their first taste of Sapa’s visual richness in the sometimes dizzying forty minute minibus ride to the market town itself. Just caught through the thick morning mist, glimpses can be snatched of mountains as rich and green as anywhere on earth, with valley walls tiered with rice paddies like enormous wedding cakes stretching out into the clouds.
Of course, it would be wrong to suppose that Sapa first found life through the arrival of Europeans, or even the Vietnamese. Rather, this area has long been home to the various hill people who still live and work within this breathtaking landscape.
Today, Sapa’s narrow streets are both temporary home and business place to the H’mong, Dao, Giay, Pho Lu, and Tay people, whose traditional ethnic dress marks them out from the multitude of nations who come to Sapa to lose themselves in its landscape.
The women of these groups - who still speak of ‘the Vietnamese’ - think little of walking the twenty five kilometers to Sapa, their handmade goods carried on their backs in traditional wicker baskets to barter and trade with tourists. The hill people have proved themselves remarkably astute businesspeople and, while they might struggle with literacy, a working knowledge of English, French and a smattering of other languages is well within their reach. The trade in handicrafts has been a relatively lucrative one for the hill people, their own internal economies seemingly now permanently skewed towards the tourist trade.
Sapa itself has also, quite literally, found new shape within the reflection of tourist’ expectations, it’s guesthouses and hotels lining the valley walls, each competing for the best views of the dazzling vista below. One unfortunate side effect of this competition for awe, has been the lax enforcement of the height limits at which buildings might be built to, leaving a nasty question mark over the future of Sapa’s already fading serenity.
However, if Sapa itself might be starting to give way in the face of advancing commercialism, its landscape remains stubbornly unflinching in the face of growing tourist numbers. Outside of Sapa, small boys ride their water buffaloes, the ethnic minorities work on their handicrafts and farmers toil in the gravity defying rice fields. There are endless ways of exploring the countryside of Sapa. However, one of the most rewarding can be to hire a local guide, often from one of the ethnic minority groups, who know all the places your guidebook has never have heard of.
Most guides, by their very nature, are also skilled mountaineers and are just at ease taking visitors on a three day ascent of Fansipan as they are taking them around Sapa’s surrounding villages. Alternatively, for those who prefer to immerse themselves in nature’s bounty with their knuckles white, there are any number of outlets offering cheap motorbike rental.
Commercial interests and the ever expanding appetites of 21st Century tourism may be starting to take their toll on Sapa, but the town itself, its people and its breathtaking scenery remain a highpoint on any Vietnam itinerary. See it while you can.
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Oct
11
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Toursim developing of provinces
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VietNamNet Bridge – The Ha Noi tourism sector had a role to play in assisting northern Bac Giang and Lang Son provinces train hospitality workers and enhance service, a workshop was told on Sunday, Oct 7.
Monk Thich Thanh Vinh (left) at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda
in the northern province of Bac Giang introduces a sample in the collection
of over 3,000 woodblocks carved by Buddhist Sutras in the early 14th century.
Bac Giang Deputy Chairman Nguyen Van Linh said tourism development was among five key socio-economic programmes in the province.
Bac Giang was a "greenhorn" among the likes of Ha Noi and Lang Son, though it was endowed with beautiful landscapes, like Khuon Than Lake, Cam Son Lake and rainforests in Khe Go and west of Yen Tu range, Linh said.
Ha Noi tourism department vice director Truong Minh Tien said Bac Giang had potential and could offer a visit to the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, an over-1,000-year-old building housing a collection of 3,000 wood blocks carved by Buddhist Sutras in the 14th century, which had received World Documentary Heritage status by UNESCO.
There were also eco-tourism routes to Khe Go forest, Mo Streamline and Khuon Than Lake, Tien said adding it was feasible for Ha Noi to co-operate with Bac Giang to promote tours.
Lang Son culture department vice director Be Thi Thu Hien said co-operation among localities in developing tourism was essential.
Ha Noi is the centre of economy, culture, science and technology; Bac Giang is in the midlands between plains and mountainous areas; Lang Son is a northern mountainous border area with various tourism sites and border gates to China and other ASEAN countries.
Hien stressed the need for the three localities to figure out which areas to co-operate in development tourism products and infrastructure.
A representative from the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism said the three localities should focus on key sites to attract investment in facilities friendly with the environment and to promote local ethnic features.
The localities were also advised to modernise roads.
The workshop, which was held in Bac Giang on Sunday, gathered dozens of participants working in tourism in the three localities.
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Oct
11
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Looking at the most attractive museum in Hanoi
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VietNamNet Bridge - Modern design, eye-catching display, rich contents, the Vietnam Women's Museum is appreciated by many foreign visitors as the most attractive tourist destinations in 2012 because it "provides the real insight into women".
Women’s Museum most attractive tourist destination in Hanoi
The Vietnam Women's Museum is located on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, with an exhibition area of nearly 2,000 m2 and the storage system of more than 25,000 documents, artifacts, reflecting the contributions of Vietnamese women in the history and contemporary life.
Recently, this museum was granted the certificate "most attractive tourist destination in 2012" by TripAdvisor - the world's largest travel website, and ranked top among 80 major tourist attractions in Hanoi.
Visitors are fascinated at the first sight at the front glass wall in the
museum courtyard. The vivid colors containing hidden beauty urge
visitors to explore the site. This innovation started from 20/10/2010,
after the museum closed for four years to repair and upgrade its display system.
In addition to the artifacts and pictures depicting Vietnamese women in the
past and at present, the creative and modern layout help the Vietnamese
Women's Museum become an interesting destination in the eyes of international friends.
The display contents are deeply humane and authentically reproduce
the image of women in all aspects of life.
The museum becomes a historical movie, where visitors can see different episodes of different topics, from women in the family to women in history, women's fashion...
The museum is decorated by many brightly colored walls.
Each story is a page contains many images that viewers can
feel by their hands and their eyes.
Every little corner in the museum is a screen with 3 subtitle languages,
taking visitors to the distant lands without the help of guides.
Many booths also use projection screens and headphones for visitors to
find out the topics that are not described fully through photos and artifacts.
The museum regularly organizes exhibitions of artworks, photos,
memorabilia of Vietnamese women living in the past and present.
This is also a venue for public programs, educational activities,
and cultural exchanges between the public and Vietnamese women
as well as women in the world.
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Low occupancy doesn't make hotel rates decrease
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11/10/2012 08:36:56
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More and more visitors visit central coastal region
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11/10/2012 08:34:41
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The attraction of Binh Thuy home's antique
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11/10/2012 08:32:52
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Travel firms with the plan to sell tour in flooding season
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11/10/2012 08:31:09
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Getting the kinks out
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11/10/2012 08:28:28
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Hongkong travel agencies toward out of central area
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11/10/2012 08:26:38
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Develop Green tourism
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11/10/2012 08:23:47
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Food art at children's exhibition
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10/10/2012 08:58:00
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Finding Old classic drama scripts
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10/10/2012 08:56:30
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