Day: February 6, 2022

Bookings for hotel rooms during Lunar New Year (Tet) festival have surged since early January, especially in four and five-star resorts.

Amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, most holidaymakers wait until later to decide where to spend the Tet holiday, resulting in higher demand in the days just before Tet compared to the same period last year.

Vice Chairman of the Sa Pa Tourism Association in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai Tran Thanh Thuy said almost all hi-end resorts in Sa Pa have over 90 percent of their rooms booked from the second day of the first lunar month. Hotels in the downtown have also been fully booked.

He attributed the high rate of hotel occupancy to the closure of many hotels last year, resulting in a shortage of supply. Compared to normal days, service prices in hi-end resorts will rise by 30-40 percent together with incentives such as free tickets for children and credit accumulation for dining and beverages.

In Hoa Binh, Avana Retreat resort is fully occupied on the third and fourth day of the first lunar month and all premium rooms have been booked on the remaining days of the Tet holiday. Occupancy rate reaches more than than 70 percent in Serena Resort Kim Boi.

The situation is similar in Alba Wellness by Fusion in Hue, and five-star resorts in Ha Long (Quang Ninh), and Thanh Hoa like Vinpearl or FLC.

The southern market is also vibrant with many rooms in luxury resorts fully booked during Tet. Prices also increase by about 10 percent compared to normal days.

CEO of WE Travel agency Nguyen Duc Viet said tourists are paying attention to traditional destinations such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An and Ha Long. Moreover, luxury cruise is also a favoured choice on the occasion.

He said the number of tourists will surge this year as many have been accustomed to living with the pandemic and vaccination rate is high./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Apart from stilt houses and seemingly endless terraced paddy fields, “shan tuyet” tea, a famous specialty of Phin Ho village, is one of the special things visitors cannot forget once setting foot in Tay Con Linh Mountain in the northernmost province of Ha Giang.

Phin Ho is a mountainous village in the most remote area of Thong Nguyen commune, next to Tay Con Linh Mountain, which is more than 35 kilometres from the centre of Hoang Su Phu district. Located at an altitude of 1,500 – 2,000 metres, it boasts a cool climate all year round with an average temperature of 14 – 22 degrees Celsius, much rain, humidity of over 80 percent, and frequent fog, which are favourable for growing herbal and “shan tuyet” tea plants.

Dao ethnic minority people harvest the Phin Ho tea mainly from natural trees, many of which grow on high mountains surrounded with fog, even ice and snow, for hundreds of years, giving them strong vitality. Also thanks to that cool and fresh environment, the “shan tuyet” tea in Hoang Su Phi district, including in Phin Ho, is famous for its pure and delicious taste.

The tea has big leaves that are 3 – 6 centimetres long, buds and young leaves covered with soft fur as white as snow. The Phin Ho “shan tuyet” tea boasts distinctive aroma, a moreish flavour, and green water colour while its sweetness still linger after the drinker takes a sip of the beverage.

The old tea trees that grow at an altitude of over 1,000 metres and constantly produce new leaves and buds are the main source of income for residents in surrounding communes.

In the past, due to old-fashioned farming and processing techniques, their tea was sold at only 5,000 – 6,000 VND (over 0.2 USD at the current exchange rate) per kg of fresh tea buds, leading to a modest production value of 10 million – 12 million VND per hectare each year.

Over the last 10 years, authorities of Hoang Su Phi district have paid attention to tea development. The Dao ethnic people in Phin Ho village have worked together to set up a tea cooperative and gradually make their tea specialty known far and wide.

The local administration has organised annual training courses to equip farmers with tea cultivating, caring, harvesting, and processing techniques under organic standards, involving more than 2,700 households.

Authorities have coordinated with the farmers’ union to establish and maintain groups of tea farmers in Nam Ty, Tung San, Ho Thau, and San Sa Ho communes. These groups have also received training in farming and harvesting techniques thanks to support from the tea cooperative.

Since 2016, a number of policies have been issued by the district’s administration to promote tea cultivation, upgrade equipment for the Phin Ho tea processing cooperative and the Hoang Su Phi agricultural and forestry product processing cooperative, and develop packages and labels for the tea products rated three stars and higher under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme.

The district is currently home to 4,654ha of tea farming land, 3,589ha of which is harvestable, generating 14,000 tonnes of fresh buds annually.

There are eight tea production and processing cooperatives in the district, with a capacity of at least 3 – 5 tonnes per day. Besides, there are 20 large-scale processing facilities and 300 smaller ones owned by local households. They have also paid attention to label and trademark registration to advertise and boost the sale of their products.

At present, each hectare of tea creates an income of about 35 million VND, rising more than three-fold from 10 years ago, helping to lift all tea farming households in Phin Ho out of poverty. Meanwhile, workers of the Phin Ho tea processing cooperative earn a monthly per capita income of 5 – 15 million VND, five times higher than the time this cooperative was just established.

Two products of the cooperative obtained the national five-star rating in the OCOP programme in 2020.

Achieving the OCOP certificates and the 2020 National Quality Award will create a chance for the cooperative to further improve its management by applying the best production and business practices, helping enhance its competitiveness amid the country’s regional and international integration process./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, home to a large number of water and migratory birds, is a typical rivermouth wetland ecosystem in the north of Vietnam.

The reserve is considered a potential ecotourism destination. There, visitors can explore the magnificence of nature and experience the special culture of rivermouth areas.

The home of wild, rare birds

The Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve consists of the northern part, which is the coastal area of the Red River mouth (commonly called the Ba Lat Estuary), and the southern one – the coastal area of the Day River mouth (also called the Day Estuary). It was recognised as a world biosphere reserve on December 2, 2004.

Stretching over 105,000 hectares, the reserve covers southern areas of Vietnam’s northern coastal region that are located in the mouths of the Day, Red, and Thai Binh rivers, in Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh provinces.

Its two core zones are the Xuan Thuy National Park and the Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve. They are surrounded by a buffer zone, a transition zone, and a corridor zone.

The reserve holds great significance to biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia, especially the protection of wild and rare bird species. It was recognised by UNESCO as the habitat of a large number of rare water and migratory birds and a typical rivermouth wetland ecosystem in the north of Vietnam.

In particular, it is also the first biosphere reserve in Southeast Asia to apply the co-management model among three provinces in a large coastal area from Thai Thuy district of Thai Binh to Kim Son district of Ninh Binh.

This place is home to about 200 bird species, including nearly 60 migratory species and more than 50 water species. Many of them have been named in the IUCN Red List such as the black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor), Saunders’s gull (Larus saundersi), spoon-billed sandpiper (Tringa orchropus), and Swinhoe’s egret (Egretta eulophotes).

Given this, the Xuan Thuy National Park was recognised as a Ramsar site – a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention – in 1989. It is also the first Ramsar site in Southeast Asia.

The Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve boasts thousands-of-hectares of mangrove forests, wetlands, alluvial grounds, and river mouths, providing the habitat for about 500 aquatic animal and plant species.

It is also highly important to natural disaster response and climate change adaptation and acts as a “safety shield” for the sea dyke system, helping to protect residents in coastal areas of Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, and Nam Dinh.

Potential for ecotourism development

Thanks to its rich biodiversity, the reserve holds considerable potential for ecotourism and countryside tourism.

To experience the wild nature there, from the Xuan Thuy National Park, visitors can sail along the Vop River to reach the Ba Lat Estuary or visit the lighthouse on the coast of Tien Hai district (Thai Binh province) and the islets of Con Ngan, Con Lu, and Con Xanh.

There, visitors can learn about the life of rare migratory bird species and enjoy beautiful landscapes of mangrove forests.

If they are lucky, tourists will have a chance to see migratory birds seeking food on rivers and living harmony with humans in shrimp farms. Walking through natural forests and setting foot in shrimp farms, they can both watch wild birds and aquacultural practices of locals.

Coming to fishing villages in the reserve, travellers can also see local residents making nets or producing fish sauce, explore the busy life of fishermen of the Giao Hai fishery wharf (Nam Dinh province), and visit the Giao Hai fish market.

Conserving and sustainably developing the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve is an important goal receiving special attention from local communities, scientists, the Vietnamese Government, and international organisations.

The provinces of Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Ninh Binh look to enhance their joint management over the reserve so as to concurrently protect biodiversity, maintain sustainable livelihoods, and adapt to climate change.

Developing an environmentally friendly economy, especially green and low-carbon economic models, is considered a good and feasible measure for the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, helping the conservation and promotion of a world biosphere reserve’s values achieve long-term and sustainable effectiveness./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The ‘Pa Dua Tpeng’ Festival, also called ‘Pha Bau’ Festival, is a cultural event featuring folk performances from the Khmer ethnic community in Loc Khanh commune of Loc Ninh district, in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

The Khmer people of Loc Khanh commune reside near natural ‘bau’ (lakes) that range from just over one hectare to several hectares in size. A lake located near a village is considered the common asset of that village’s community and the local elders manage the body of water on behalf of the community.

‘Bau’ management not only ensures a reliable source of drinking water for livestock but also conserves the lake’s aquatic wildlife – a valuable food resource for local people. They believe that resources from the ‘bau’ have been granted to local residents by the deities, so they must manage and make use of the lakes in a strict and respectful manner.

Under local law, anybody who catches fish in the ‘bau’ without permission from the elders will be dealt with severely. Khmer people select an individual to be in charge of protecting the ‘bau’ and informing the elders of the appropriate time to hold the festival. Locals are permitted to catch fish in the ‘bau’ during the ‘Pa Dua Tpeng’ Festival.

The festival is often held in the third lunar month, before Chol Chnam Thmay – the traditional new year festival of the Khmer people. At this time, the ‘bau’ has dried up and the fish and other aquatic species have grown big enough to harvest and serve their purpose in the rituals of the festival and make enough food for the locals.

This traditional festival has been practised for generations of Khmer people. Previously, it was organised in different lakes like K’Poot, Sa Let, Ca Loc and Sen. However, only the festival in Loc Khanh commune has been preserved as many of the other lakes now serve other purposes.

Throughout the festival, the Khmer pray for peace, good health and a bumper crop harvest. The festival takes place at the Ong Ta Temple and around the ‘bau’ where the main rituals and festival activities take place.

Offerings to the deities include the head of a pig, raised naturally by a local family and chosen by the village elders. To join the festival, families have to prepare food and tools for catching fish. Following rituals at the Ong Ta Temple, they move to the ‘bau’ to continue with more rituals and activities as part of the festival.

At the ‘bau’, offerings are arranged to the west while the elders look eastward to perform rituals.

Those who catch big fish are believed to receive blessings. They then offer the fish to the elders as a mark of respect to elderly people and to thank them for their great contributions to the community over the years.

Fish can be cooked and exchanged by families at the festival or brought home to eat.

After the fishing part of the festival is complete, local residents perform folk songs and dances to bring the curtain down on the celebrations.

With its typical Khmer values, the ‘Pa Dua Tpeng’ Festival in Loc Khanh commune has been recognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.

Lam Bac, an elderly in Soc Lon hamlet, said he and the Khmer community are excited about the recognition and hope that the festival’s heritage will be preserved for many more generations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 6 sent a letter of congratulations to British Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee marking her 70-year reign.

The same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also cabled his congratulatory letter to his UK counterpart Boris Johnson.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue sent messages of congratulations to Speaker of the House of Lords of the UK John McFall and Speaker of the House of Commons of the UK Lindsay Hoyle

Vietnam and the UK set up their diplomatic ties in 1973./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Two national treasures – a wooden burial jar with a bronze drum as a lid and an animal figure dating back thousands years ago – are among about 1,300 artifacts and 500 scientific documents on display at the Binh Duong Museum in Thu Dau Mot City, the capital of southern Binh Duong province.

A wooden burial jar with a bronze drum as a lid discovered in Phu Chanh commune, Tan Uyen town was recognised as a national treasure by the government in 2018.

The artifact was uncovered around the end of 1998 by Nguyen Van Cuong, a villager living in Vinh Tan commune, on a paddy field in Phu Chanh at a depth of around 1.8 – 2.5 metres.

Shortly after getting Cuong’s reports, the Archaeological Research Centre of the Institute of Social Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City cooperated with the Binh Duong Museum to conduct a dig at the site which discovered an intact wooden burial jar and several artifacts inside.

The fragrant rosewood jar is about 61 centimetres high with its mouth at a diameter of 46 – 50 centimetres, patterned with natural wood veins. The bronze drum is close to 40 centimetres high with a drumhead diameter of 47.5 centimetres and base diameter of 44 centimetres.

The concentric drumhead has a 10-point star and it is simply decorated with the pattern of peacock feathers and inverted V-shaped details.

According to the Binh Duong Museum, the artifact is dated between the second and the first century BC (nearly 2,000 years ago).

This is a new type of tomb, the first to be discovered in an archaeological site in Vietnam and the world so far.

The use of a wooden jar with a bronze drum as a coffin is a new piece of information while studying the lifestyles of ancient resident communities in the southeastern region, according to a museum’s representative.

It is a way to show off the wealth and power of its owner and reflect the richness of his community.

The artifact is believed to be made by skillful wood carvers whose craftsmanship suggests the quite developed craft of woodworking in their time.

Apart from the wooden burial jar, Binh Duong is keeping another national treasure called Doc Chua animal figure which was made around 3,000 years ago. It was found in Doc Chua archaeological site also in Tan Uyen town in 1977 and obtained the national status in 2013.

Made of bonze, the figure is 5.4cm high and 6.4cm long, and quite intact.

The animal figure stands on a rectangular base, with four nodes bending towards its legs. On the top of its head and ears are sharp broken edges which suggest the animal probably used to have two horns.

The two sides are decorated with a trapezoid-shape pattern, with a round mark looking like a sun in the middle of each side. It also has a quite large tail, a tall neck and four long legs which stand on the back of some kind of reptiles with a broken head.

Archeologists have yet to be able to confirm which animal the Doc Chua figure represents.

Still, the bronze figure in the shape of an four-legged animal standing on another was a very unique ancient artifact that has never been seen anywhere in the southeast region before.

The figure has a certain value in cultural and historical studies of burial in prehistoric times.

So far, a total of 164 artifacts have been recognised as national treasures in Vietnam./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Face-to-face learning will be resumed for pupils from the first to sixth grades in 18 suburban districts and towns of Hanoi from February 10 after a long time of online learning due to COVID-19.

On February 5, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung signed a document agreeing with the Department of Education and Training’s proposal to allow pupils from the first to sixth grades to come back to school.

The city People’s Committee asked the department to coordinate with the Department of Health to guide the district-level People’s Committees to observe anti-pandemic regulations during in-person learning activities.

Hanoi’s suburban localities are Ba Vi, Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, Me Linh, My Duc, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai, Soc Son, Son Tay, Thach That, Thanh Oai, Thanh Tri, Thuong Tin and Ung Hoa.

Meanwhile, pupils of grades one to six in 12 urban districts and those in high-risk areas will continue to study online, while preschool children will stay home.

Schools are requested to meet safety requirements against COVID-19. Only fully vaccinated teachers can lead in-person classes.

Students will spend only half of a day at school. The city requires schools not to conduct day-boarding services or open canteens.

The Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of districts were asked to prepare plans to respond to COVID-19 infections in schools. They are authorised to decide on the closure of schools if necessary.

Also on February 5, the Government decided to purchase 21.9 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-12.

Earlier, the Hanoi People’s Committee had decided to allow students from grades 7 to 12 to return to school from February 8./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency