The magazine described Vietnam capital city of Hanoi as a “great place to get away for a romantic trip, experience Vietnamese culture, learn about their history, and have some delicious food.”

Hanoi and Nha Trang are listed among ten best cities in Asia for the newlyweds to go for honeymoon by the travel guide magazine The Travel.

“Hanoi is a city in Vietnam that is thousands of years old and has held an important place in the culture and history of Vietnam for a long time. This city is one that is still rich with culture, for people that want to really experience the best parts of Vietnam while being in the city.

Hanoi has just about everything that a happy couple going on their honeymoon could ask for. From ancient temples to museums and shopping centers, Hanoi has so much to offer for anyone that wants to visit this city. It’s a great place to get away for a romantic trip, experience Vietnamese culture, learn about their history, and have some delicious food.”  The Travel writes.

Besides, the coastal city of Nha Trang was also named in the list with enthralling beaches, ancient temples, and the remnants of the ancient Champa Kingdom along with the modern Vinpearl Amusement Park. Vietnam Insider reports.

According to The Travel, Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia that has become really popular with tourists over the years. With the country’s rich history, unique culture, and delicious food, it’s no surprise that this country is so attractive to so many visitors. There are a lot of fun places in Vietnam to visit and a ton of things to do, but when planning a honeymoon, one of the best places in Vietnam is Nha Trang.

No matter what you’re looking to do on your vacation, Nha Trang has it all. There are beaches, ancient temples, and the remnants of the ancient Champa Kingdom. Along with these things, Nha Trang is also home to Vinpearl Amusement Park.

The Travel’s list also features other cities in Asia including Chiang Mai (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia), Singapore, Kyoto (Japan), Luang Prabang (Laos), Tea Country (Sri Lanka), Roh Rong Island (Cambodia) and El Nido (The Philippines).

Air pollution in Hà Nội has risen to serious levels over the past two days.

AirVisual, an international air quality monitoring facility that generates data from public, ground-based and real-time monitoring stations, recorded on Monday that Hà Nội continued to be the most polluted city in the world with the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding the red-warning level. It reached the purple level with AQI of 272 at 6.30am.
Hoàng Dương Tùng, chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Partnership, said it was abnormal and needed careful research to find out why, he said.
Tùng warned that people should limit morning exercises that would lead to them inhaling more dust.
He added that monitoring in the country remained limited. Hà Nội has two fixed stations whereas HCM City has none.
Air pollution in Việt Nam is caused by fine dust, specifically known as PM2.5, which is particulate matter that can be found in the air and is incredibly small. A single particle has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres. At this microscopic size, when inhaled, they penetrate directly into the bloodstream and travel to important internal organs.
Direct contact with PM2.5 can lead to serious respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. A PM2.5 pollution index of 12 microgrammes per cubic metre is considered to be at a safe level. This index is equivalent to AQI level 50.
The AQI is a metric used by multiple governmental agencies to determine how polluted the air is. An AQI level above 100 is considered polluted or unhealthy for humans. Children and people with respiratory and heart diseases are recommended to avoid outdoor activities when AQI levels reach 150 or above.
Source: VNS

The Chem communal house is dedicated to the Saint Chem whose real name is Ly Ong Trong. He was a talented general under King Hung Due Vuong of Van Lang Kingdom and King An Duong Vuong of Au Lac Kingdom, now Vietnam. He defeated several aggressors, and on account of his leadership and warfare savvy, he was honored as Saint Chem – Vietnamnet

A temple dedicated to him was built in Chem, his home village. In the Vietnamese history, Saint Chem ranks third after Saint Tan Vien and Saint Giong. Since it was built in 791 AD, the Chem communal house has undergone several restorations.

The house has delicately carved pillars and roofs. Unlike other ancient communal houses, the decorative motifs on the two sides of the roofs are different and asymmetric.

Le Van Hieu, the guardian of the Chem Communal House said, “The house stretches along the north-south axis facing the Red river. Only a few Vietnamese communal houses are oriented in the same direction.

Its design embraces a royal architectural style with curved, piled roofs. In the forbidden palace, there are 10 statues made of aloe wood, the two biggest statues being dedicated to Saint Ong Trong and his wife. There are also several ancient items of worship and urns in the communal house.”

chem communal house, a special national relic hinh 1 Located on the bank of the Red River, the communal house is always at risk of succumbing to the effects erosion. In the early 19th century, the building, which weighs hundreds of tons, was elevated an additional 2.4 meters, to be the same height as the Red river dyke.

A Chem communal house festival is held annually on the 15th day of the 5th lunar month to pay tribute to Ly Ong Trong.

Le Van Phach, a local elder, said, “It is an age-old festival. This year’s festival is more exciting because the Chem communal house is named a special national relic.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism listed the festival a national intangible cultural heritage in 2016.

Nguyen Manh Thin, Head of the Sub-Committee for Chem Communal House Management said, “Saint Chem was Vietnam’s first diplomat and the first general of two countries. At the festival, the water procession is held with solemnity. We collect water from the Red river to bathe the Saint on the 15th day of the 5th lunar month. We organize a ceremony to pay gratitude and hold requiem for the dead.

During the Buddha worshiping ceremony, we release a flock of birds. After ritual ceremonies, we organize competitions of making sweet green bean cake, swimming, duck shooting, card playing, and singing exchanges.”

The People’s Committee of Bac Tu Liem district has proposed to Hanoi authorities a plan to upgrade the communal house and open a web page on the relic.

Trinh Cong Son Street to be pedestrianised

Hanoi’s Tay Ho District authorities announced that the Trinh Cong Son Street would undergo test pedestrianisation

The project is hoped to be as successful as the pedestrian streets around Hoan Kiem Lake and become another opportunity to use public space.
Nguyen Dinh Khuyen, vice chairman of Tay Ho District, said preparations were 95% complete. The authorities have met and gathered opinions from the locals in order to adjust the plan.
The project was proposed in 2015 and was supposed to be opened in last August with activities including street food and street performances. It was postponed to October 10, 2017, to mark the anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day but still couldn’t meet the date.
Locals complained that the kiosks, that were supposed to look like old houses, blocked their houses and made the street looks bad. They then raised concerns about litter and noise pollution when the street was pedestrianised.
Khuyen said they had worked and dealt with the complaints. The old kiosks have been removed and replaced with mobile kiosks. They also persuaded the locals that pedestrianising the street would help promote the district and create a shared public space in which everyone would benefit.
Trinh Cong Son Street will be pedestrianised from 7.30 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are 50 to 60 kiosks planned for the street but only 15 will be opened for the pilot programme which will last until the end of 2018. Most of them are traditional craft and food vendors that introduce signature foods of Hanoi such as green rice or shrimp cake.
Performers can register to play on the street and the authorities will set up a stage for various activities. The area will be divided into areas for traditional, modern and the music by songwriter Trinh Cong Son. It is hoped to be a tourist attraction when the lotus flowers bloom in May in the West Lake.
Many well-known singers have been invited to the opening night including Hong Nhung, Minh Quan and Nguyen Ngoc Anh.
Source: Dtinews

HCMC, the southern metropolis, took the 9th position when Hanoi secured the 7th spot, as shown in the Cost of Living Index 2018 conducted by Numbeo, the world’s largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide.

Valenzuela in the Philippines is the city with lowest cost of living in the region.

Aside from the two Vietnamese cities, the rest in the top ten are in the Philippines (PHL) and Indonesia (IDN).

Numbeo measures the cost of restaurants, house renting, groceries and the purchasing power to come up with the average index for the cost of living in each country.

The top five most expensive cities in Southeast Asia are Singapore, Bangkok of Thailand, Makati of the Philippines, Phuket of Thailand and Johor Bahru of Malaysia.

In February last year, Vietnam was ranked as one of the cheapest destinations by Forbes after the magazine interviewed 14 travel experts who made it their business to keep track of the best bargains around the world to make a list of the most affordable destinations to visit in 2017.

The country stood out as a low-cost travel destination in South Asia for affordable luxury resorts, healthy food at cheap prices and beautiful sights.

Three months later in May 2017, HCMC was named one of the most affordable cities for a couple’s night out by Expatistan.com, a database that compiles the global cost of living.

For a night out with a potential life-long love in HCMC, love birds have to shell out around $35, while in Singapore a date may cost them at least $80.

Source: Minh Nga

A group of Hà Nội expats is giving something back to the city they now call home.

Together they have launched Hanoi Christmas Kitchen, a project preparing and giving hundreds of gifts to the city’s less fortunate.

Started last year, the project has since attracted many more people.

Basic hygiene products such as toothbrushes, soap and towels are among the gifts that many have received from the Christmas Kitchen.

“We thought there were a lot of poor people in the cold in Việt Nam during December. At home, Christmas is the time when we give to people, so we thought why don’t we do something similar here,” said Naim Hydal, a Canadian musician who has been living in Hà Nội for nearly four years – and the initiator of the project.

“Why hygiene products? I think it’s a good thing to give, something that people need. I know some of the people that live under the Long Biên Bridge. They live in very bad condition so I hope to help them have a better outlook,” he added.

In addition, this year the group also prepared more than 250 free meals which they cooked themselves and delivered on December 9. The event was supported by Den, a café and bar in Yên Phụ Village, Tây Hồ District that provided the group with a kitchen as well as the location for the fundraiser. The volunteers prepared the ingredients and cooked all the meals themselves.

The gift packages and meals were delivered to poor patients and homeless people by members of charity groups called Ấm (Warmth), Sunshine as well as the volunteers from the Foreign Trade University before Christmas.

“Christmas Kitchen project is a simple idea. There is no corporation. We can do this as a group of friends. Everybody takes a role, for example, somebody went to local businesses or shops,” Hydal continued.

“Lots of restaurants donated quite a lot, which was probably one of the greatest things. And we also raffled to make money to buy all of the supplies and then contacted the charity groups.”

It took the volunteers nearly two weeks to prepare for the project by launching two events – one was held to raise fund on December 2, which included the venue vibes, live music, a raffle, carnival games, and games of chance all with prizes donated by businesses around Hà Nội. The second one, held on December 9, was for cooking all the food and wrapping gifts.

“It was my idea but everybody else joined in, particularly my friend Leah Fairchild, who did all the contacts for charities and the buying,” said the 36-year-old musician, who is a member of Rebel Monk band. “We all met here in Việt Nam. Everyone came together, even my band’s friends. We all play music and we all know each other, so everyone just helped out quickly, despite our limited time. The project is a big group effort.”

Last year, Hanoi Christmas Kitchen raised over VNĐ25 million (US$1,098), which was given to the charities the project was working with.

Hydal said he was lucky to a part of the expat community in Hà Nội, particularly as a musician performing in the city. This helped him know a lot of people always willing to help.

“I hope that the project will keep going with or without me. I hope the idea will stay for the generations.

“This is a growing city. There are big gaps between the rich and the poor, and people can really the see the difference. I believe we should always take care of each other. Charity begins at home and I now call this place my home, so I want to do something better for it.

“If you want to do something for society and people, you do not need a lot of money, but just a great business idea and a strong team. That is the blessing we have with everybody involved,” Hydal said.  — VNS

Founder: Hanoi Christmas Kitchen founder is Canadian expat, Naim Hydal. — Photo Facebook of Naim Hydal

Source: Luong Thu Huong

Link: http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/419780/expats-play-santa-to-ha-noi-homeless.html#mA3tmVZgBLaZqmgm.97