Jun 11, 2013

Tourism year to focus on Highlands, VietNam

The mountains and forests of the Central Highlands will come into sharp focus at the year-long National Tourism Year 2014 event, organisers said last Friday.

Riding elephants is a popular tourist pastime in Central Highland provinces. - Photo Sy Huynh

Accordingly, the event, held in Lam Dong and other provinces in the region throughout next year beginning December 27 this year, will have "High Mountains and Thick Forests of the Central Highlands" as its main theme, said Nguyen Van Huong, director of the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
He was speaking at a meeting held in Da Lat on Friday between representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the organisers of the national tourism year.
The tourism year will comprise nine programmes and 17 events, 13 of which will take place in Da Lat, the capital city of Lam Dong, and four others in Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Dak Nong provinces.
Major events of the National Tourism Year 2014 will include the Cultural Week to Celebrate the UNESCO Viet Nam Heritage Festival, a festival of brocade arts, a Central Highlands fashion show, a festival of Central Highlands wooden statues; and an international gong festival.
A festival marking the 120th founding anniversary of Da Lat City and the Fifth Da Lat Flower Festival will also be held to promote tourism in Lam Dong province, Huong said.
A series of sporting events including an elephant race, a boat race, and several folk games will also be held during the year.

A Central Highlands Ethnic Minority Food Festival will be the gastronomic highlight of National Tourism Year 2014.
The Central Highlands has been recognised as a land of mysterious mountains and forests with a significant population of ethnic minorities whose varied customs and lifestyles are an anthropologist's delight.
The region is also home to some of the most endangered species in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia, such as the Indochinese tiger, the gaur, the wild Asian water buffalo and the Asian elephant.

Its rich and unique natural beauty and cultural diversity make it an ideal site for tourism development.
Hoang Thi Diep, Deputy Director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, said the National Tourism Year 2014 aims to encourage localities in the region to develop tourism as a way to boost the economy and improve the living standards of local residents.

Speaking at the Friday meeting, Hoang Tuan Anh, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said National Tourism Year 2014 will be an international event that introduces images of the natural landscape and people of Viet Nam's Central Highlands in general and Lam Dong - Da Lat in particular, to local and international friends.

Anh asked organisers of the event as well as Lam Dong authorities to enhance tourism management and stop fraud and overcharging for products and services provided to tourists, making Da Lat City and Lam Dong Province a safe and attractive destination in 2014 and the years to come

SOURCE: VNS

Ban Thach river, Tuy Hoa city, VietNam

Ban Thach River, starting in Hon Du, a branch of Truong Son mountain range at the height of 1,104m, Ban Thach River, 60km long, flows through the communes of Hoa Da, Hoa Dong and then out of Da Nong estuary. Due to flood water from streams in floody season, the river flows swiftly. In dry season, the river bed is shallow with lackluster water-flow, which is merely beneficial to agriculture.

The river section from Hon Gio mountain called Da Den flows between Hon Trong and Hon Chao. By Ngoc Lam area, the river is called Banh Lai. At Hoi Cu area, the river gets a branch from Cuc Kich pass bordering Khanh Hoa named Bau Sac River. From Hoi Cu, the river is called Ban Thach, flowing into the sea at Da Nong estuary. The catchment-area is 590km2.

The river derives from the south of the province, with stream flowing into the North-East, almost perpendicular to the mountain range of Ca pass, next redirecting SouthWest-NorthEast, then towards the NorthEast-SouthWest at Dong My, and down to Da Nong estuary. In the dry season, the flow turns SouthEast-NorthWest, pouring out to sea at Phu Hiep estuary. The river flowing direction is different from the other rivers in the province. The upstream slope is very high, up to 75%; with slope of only 2% in the delta. The river’s basin area is not large but heavy rainfall in the upstream often causes severe floods in the Southern area of Tuy Hoa city. The total amount of flow is 0.8 billion m3, power reserve is about 30,680 kilowatts. Along the river, there are such irrigation projects as Nam Binh pump station, Phu Huu dam, An Sang dam, Dong Khon lake and other planning positions, including Da Den dam, My Lam lake, Phuoc Giang lake ...

As legend has it, Ban Thach River is the mecca of crocodiles. In Minh Mang King's time, mandarinate in Phu Yen reported that lost of people here were attacked by crocodiles as those killing tigers. The residents living along the sides submitted lots of crocodile leathers to receive awards. According to Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi, Ban Thach river may be Phan Dinh river, which was mentioned in Geographic Journal by Nguyen Trai in the 15th century. Warlord Ly Thuong Kiet had to stop his horse beside the river full of truculent crocodiles. To secure the troops’ safety while crossing the river, Ly Thuong Kiet had to demand the King to ordain three crocodile-leaders here three divines of Hieu Thuan. However, according to scholar Hoang Xuan Han in Ly Thuong Kiet work, Phan Dinh river may be Tu Mao river, or Tan An river, which flows down to Quy Nhon estuary.

More Picture in Ban Thach River

The picture of Hanoi’s old apartment blocks

The picture of Hanoi’s old apartment blocks. Hanoi has many old apartment blocks, which were built in the period from 1954 to 1965, such as Kim Lien, Nguyen Cong Tru, Tho Lao, Quynh Loi and Van Chuong, or in the period from 1965 to 1986 like Truong Dinh , Trung Tu and Giang Vo.

Kim Lien was the first apartment blocks in Hanoi that was arranged in the form of sub-regions, with the system of kindergartens, schools, stadiums, department stores for each group of apartments. Nguyen Cong Tru was also built in this type. Meanwhile, Van Chuong apartment blocks were designed with schools and kindergartens.

In the period 1965-1986, Hanoi began to develop prefabricated apartments. The first two-storey prefabricated apartments were built in 1971-1972 in Truong Dinh, Yen Lang. After that five-storey prefabricated apartments were built in Trung Tu, Khuong Thuong, Giang Vo, Vinh Ho... It can be said that the apartment architecture reflects the economic conditions in each period.

Through ups and downs, a number of old apartment blocks have been demolished to build modern high-rise buildings. However, some old apartments are still the home to thousands of people in Hanoi. Most of them are severely degraded.
Let’s have a look at the daily life at Hanoi’s old apartments:

A woman measures, preparing to make a new door for her toilet.

A woman lights a fire with their coal cookers, preparing dinner.

Apartment building B1 in Van Chuong.

Children play on the yard.

Waiting for a haircut.

Children play on the yard.

Hanging out the washing on the balcony.

Kids play badminton.

The living room is the most spacious room but sometimes it is used as the bedroom too.

An old man brushes his teeth in the morning on the balcony.

Old ladies.

Small shops are an integral part of old apartments.

Taps in the toilet.

The corridor to an apartment.

Although the space is very narrow, many people still make use of the rare space to plant flowers and trees.

Having a wash in the morning on the first floor.

Water in the old apartments is always a problem. Many families have to store water.

Source: AN NINH THU DO

Inauguration of world's largest dragon-shaped steel in Da Nang (Dragon Bridge)

This morning, March 29, the Dragon Bridge over the Han River in Da Nang was inaugurated and opened for traffic on the occasion of Da Nang’s 38th anniversary of the liberation. Located 1km away, the sail-shaped Tran Thi Ly was also put into operation.

The Dragon Bridge.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang, head of the Central Committee for Internal Affairs – former Chair and Party Secretary of Da Nang Nguyen Ba Thanh and Da Nang’s officials cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Dragon Bridge.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly praised Da Nang’s synchronous development of infrastructure of Da Nang, especially the rise of the city's traffic system after 38 years of liberation that anyone can notice.

Dragon Bridge - Da Nang

"This achievement is the result of the determination of Da Nang’s leaders and the consensus of the local people. The Government always supports Da Nang to become the center of economic, cultural, and economic development in the central and Central Highlands region as well as the country", the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

Being kicked off in July 2009, the Dragon Bridge has a total length of 666 meters and 37.5 meters in width, with six lanes. The total investment is more than VND1.7 trillion (around $85 million). The dragon simulates the shape of the dragon in the Ly Dynasty, which flies to the East Sea with steel spans totaling 568 meters in length and nearly 9,000 tons in weight. This is the architecturally unique bridge designed by the Louis Berger Group (USA). It is also the only the bridge with single steel arch design in Southeast Asia at present.

More photo about Dragon Bridge in Da nang city

The Dragon Bridgeat night

The news by Vietnamnet, Source Picture by People.

Hanoi nostalgic over film cameras

Hanoi nostalgic over film cameras. The photos taken with old film-based players, the Sword Lake scene dreamy colors of the past between the current time.