Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Conversation with Ray Pu-lei Kuan: General Manager of Vietnam’s Air Macau representative office

Conversation with Ray Pu-lei Kuan: General Manager of Vietnam’s Air Macau representative office

Mr Ray from Vietnam’s Air Macau representative office shared with Wanderlust Tips some interesting information about Macau’s only carrier and a new image for the country they are presenting to the world.

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Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Conversation with Ray Pu-lei Kuan: General Manager of Vietnam’s Air Macau representative office

How long have you been working for Air Macau?

I am Taiwanese and have been working for Air Macau for over 20 years. During this time, I worked for many different offices of Air Macau but mostly places in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhuhai. I have mostly been in charge of sales departments.

And because outbound tourism from Vietnam increased 10 per cent last year, Air Macau’s leaders came up with the idea of launching a representative office in Vietnam. In the same year, I was sent to Vietnam to do market research multiple times. And that’s why I am here: to set up things for the Vietnam office. In the past six months, we have undertaken all the office set-up work including the office license application, legal procedures, and developed the local sales teams.

Why has Air Macau decided to open a representative office in Vietnam after four years flying here?

After a long time flying to Vietnam, we recognised Vietnam’s market potential. Air Macau is very small, but we are intending to expand our flight network in Vietnam including Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City. We would also like to increase our flights to Hanoi from one to two or three daily flights. Danang is also very popular with Taiwanese, Korean, and Japanese tourists. And we are aiming to go to Ho Chi Minh City – a modern city with a large market and many beautiful places close by especially islands. Vietnam has so many attractive destinations stretching from North through the Centre to the South.

Vietnam is witnessing fast-growing outbound tourism as I mentioned before. Besides, there are around 15,000 Vietnamese people living and working in Macau. And the number increases 8 per cent per year. If each person comes home once per year, that means more than 40 people fly a day. All of this ensures our chances to expand as we are aiming to cater to both labourers and transfer passengers. Because of that, we prefer to  fly to existing popular destinations rather than add new ones to our flight network.

Vietnam is developing very fast now. When I fly, it is not hard to recognise many Vietnamese people in the business lounge or business class on board. Vietnamese people now are willing and able to pay for good or even classy services.

What are the challenges Air Macau has in developing the Vietnamese market?

Firstly, visas are one of the biggest issues now. We hope in the future, the visa scheme will be loosened for Vietnamese people who want to travel to Macau. At the moment the visa to Macau takes time and Vietnamese people have to prove financial capability and many other conditions to apply for a visa to Macau. But the change may take some time as it involves legal policies.

Secondly, I see that in Southeast Asia, people don’t know much about Macau; they know more about Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. But once they get there people will realise that Macau is worth a visit. It can be called the little “Europe” of Asia without exaggeration. You will not see chaos or crowds like in many other emerging parts of Asia. Everything here is tidy and well arranged. We hope to bring the new and fresh image of Macau to people in Vietnam.

What does Air Macau have to offer to its visitors?

Macau is the added value we give our passengers. We don’t sell plane tickets only. Macau is of course a place of gambling. The income from casinos in Macau exceeds even Las Vegas, but Macau’s authorities are trying to change its image worldwide, because there are so many other things to enjoy here besides casinos.

Macau is a family destination, it is a place of heritage, shopping centres selling everything from high-end to middle-class brands, big hotels with great views and family space, and many leisure activities to enjoy with your loved ones. For those who love historical and cultural heritage, please note that Macau has both. Comprising over 20 ancient monuments and urban squares interwoven with the heart of the city, the historic district is collectively known as “The Historic Centre of Macau” and has been on the World Heritage List since 2005.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Conversation with Ray Pu-lei Kuan: General Manager of Vietnam’s Air Macau representative office

With an Air Macau boarding pass you receive many preferential rates for accommodation in Macau. As the only carrier in Macau, we get the great support from all the  authorities and partners in Macau.

Personally, what has been your difficulty when moving to work in Vietnam?

Actually, moving to Vietnam for work is a challenge for me because most of the time I have been working in China – the same language, the same culture. Now I am trying to adapt to a new living and working environment.

Lucky for me, living in Hanoi is quite easy. When my wife, my mother or my brother’s family came here, I took them to lunch or dinner with plenty of choice, which surprised them. I asked: “What would you like? Vietnamese food, Korean food, Japanese food, Chinese food or Italian food?”  Even though I am super busy right at the moment, it is not hard to find many kinds of food just several steps from my office. Sometimes I have fried spring roll, or pho bo, sometimes I eat Hue food nearby, or Southern Vietnamese food such as banh xeo.

The most difficult thing for me is the language. I have been working in a Chinese-speaking environment for quite a long time. You can see many Vietnamese language self-studying books on my bookshelf (laughs) as I am trying to learn basic words for daily communication. It is also the way to learn the culture because I will stay here for at least three years in my position, but I expect it will be much longer maybe 5 to 7 years. Another thing is traffic, but luckily I don’t have to move around too much as I work and live in the same building.

What are the new destinations Air Macau is targeting?

Beside Ho Chi Minh City, we are also planning to open new routes to Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Singapore. As I said before, we would like to come into already-developed markets where the volume of passengers is stable at high levels, and not develop new ones.

In the future, we will try to develop more long-haul flights and hope that Macau will not be just a transit place for a couple of hours but a transfer destination where people wish to stay longer.

Thank you for sharing with us many interesting points. I wish you and Air Macau great success in the future.

Wanderlust Tips

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Novotel Phu Quoc Resort has won “The Guide Awards 2016-2017”

Novotel Phu Quoc Resort is honoured to receive the award “Excellent resort of the year” at the ceremony of The Guide Awards 2016 – 2017 held at Novotel Phu Quoc Resort. After 2 years in operation, Novotel Phu Quoc Resort has won noble prizes which have recognized our great effort for building and developing the brand in domestic and international tourism market.

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This year, with remarkable criteria aiming to green value and sustainable development in tourism, The Guide Awards had made surveyed, evaluated, voted and honored 115 enterprises in Vietnam classified into 6 categories including: Resort (40 resorts), Hotel (37 hotels), Serviced Apartments (2 serviced apartments), Restaurant (18 Restaurants) tour operator (17 tour operators) and Shop & Healthcare Service (4 enterprises).

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Novotel Phu Quoc Resort has won “The Guide Awards 2016-2017”

On behalf of Tourism branch and Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, I congratulate enterprises winning the awards today. I’m also welcomed and appreciate highly Vietnam Economic Times during past 18 years making the effort to maintain this award”, Mr Nguyen Van Tuan had speech at The Guide Awards event, “Tourism needs contributions from community, and Vietnam Economic Times and The Guide has had practical activities to contribute to the development of Vietnam tourism”.

Mr Lee Pearce, General Manager of Novotel Phu Quoc Resort shared that the resort always makes effort to bring customers with high class service in the comfortable and luxurious space. “It’s the honour of all staff of Novotel Phu Quoc Resort to win The Guide Awards. And we will continue to improve quality of services better”, said Mr lee Pearce.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Novotel Phu Quoc Resort has won “The Guide Awards 2016-2017”

Sited on the Phu Quoc island – one of the most beautifully well-known islands in Vietnam for its naturally white sand and stretched beach where is only taken 10 minutes of driving from the Phu Quoc International Airport. Minimalism of contemporary vogue meets comfortable and elegant natural design in your own private hide-away. Around lush greenery garden accommodation or the beachfront bungalow are ideally placed to take advantage of spectacular scenery, either set turquoise sea over looking at the sunset. Enjoy three dining venues that each waking up your taste buds, three innovative bars and the ultimate chill-out lounge. Rest and rejuvenate with array of traditional and international treatments. Literally experiences will immerse you in a local culture heritage, cuisine and underwater discoveries that bring you to the tropical paradise.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg

Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg

Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg is back. After 3 years with 3 successful multiple-day events, the festival has gradually become the ultimate icon of the city of Hanoi, which represents the modern and sophisticated young generations. This year, the event will take place at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long from 10th – 12th November 2017, featuring 12 artists/bands from all over the world.

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As part of Hanoi’s long-term development plan implemented by the local authorities, Monsoon Music Festival in the long run will continue to expand to become one of the most prestigious international music festivals of the region. At the same time, Monsoon Music Festival will also drive tourism in Hanoi in effort to promote Hanoi as one of the appealing culture hubs for visitors nationwide as well as worldwide.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg

Monsoon Music Festival this year will continue to be sponsored by Tuborg – an international beer brand of Carlsberg Vietnam. The official name of the event is: Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg. Sharing the same musical values and adopting CSR practices to raise awareness of “drink don’t drive” behavior and better traffic manners are the core pillars of the two brands. We truly believe that together we will bring tempting musical events where people can unwind with their loved ones, whilst committed to contributing to the betterment of the society.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MONSOON MUSIC FESTIVAL 2017 BY TUBORG

Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg receives generous support from the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Hanoi Department of Culture and Sport, Municipal People’s Committee of Hanoi, Vietnam International Education Cooperation Department and The Department of Performing Arts.

Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg this year will take place over the course of 3 days. International singers and bands invited to perform at the event come from all over the world, including Denmark, Belgium, Germany, The United Kingdom, Korea, Slovakia, Israel and Estonia. This would not have been possible without the support from the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam, the Embassy of Israel in Vietnam, Goethe-Institut Vietnam, the British Council in Vietnam and MU:CON conference.

This year, the event will continue to provide festivalgoers with unique musical experiences. The audiences will get to enjoy live stage performances across various genres, including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Electronic from talented internationally established artists, including Lost Frequencies (Belgium), Ngot (Vietnam), Da LAB (Vietnam), Chris Minh Doky and the Electric Nomads (Denmark), Biuret (Korea), BUD (UK), I Wear*Experiment (Estonia), Garden City Movement (Israel), Lavagance (Slovakia), Lowly (Denmark), the other shi (Germany), and Lucky Duck: Dong Hung (Vietnam).

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg

Monsoon Music Festival also cooperates with other festivals and international organizations to introduce local artists to each other. This is also the opportunity to bring Vietnamese artists to perform at numerous international music festivals worldwide.

Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg will issue digital tickets only. These tickets will be redeemed for admission wristbands. The wristbands come in catchy colors and are very convenient for festivalgoers. And there are different types of tickets: VIP pass and regular pass (both single day and multiple-day). Prices will be set reasonably to suit every budget of the audiences.

From 25th September – 1st November: The price of Regular ticket is VND330,000 for single day admission pass, Regular multiple days ticket is VND660,000 for 3-day admission pass and VIP ticket is VND550,000 for Single day admission pass with an access to the VIP zone.

From 1st– 12th November: The price of Regular ticket is VND440,000 for single day admission pass, Regular multiple days ticket is VND880,000 for 3-day admission pass and VIP ticket is VND660,000 for Single day admission pass with an access to the VIP zone.

CSR THEME: TRAFFIC MANNERS

Monsoon Music Festival 2017 by Tuborg’s CSR theme this year is “Traffic manner” – which is set as the main theme over the period of 5 years from 2016 to 2020. The festival is committed to contributing to efforts that contribute to the betterment of the society through a series of ‘Traffic manners’- themed musical activities.

The aim of the theme is to raise awareness of better traffic manners and to ask people to join us on this project. Traffic manners can be defined as a collection of behaviors including: compliance with traffic laws, understand and follow driving etiquette rules, respect other people with polite behaviors, reflect on the basics of traffic safety and being careful to keep yourself and other drivers and pedestrians safe.

The festival will partner with Taxi Group to bring appealing offers to our festivalgoers. Guests of the event will receive promotional codes applicable on trips with Taxi Group so they can still enjoy the event to the utmost and still arrive home safely.

Monsoon Music Festival by Tuborg’s ultimate mission is to become a cultural icon of the city of Hanoi – something which inspires, encourages and empowers the local people to build a better society.

For more information, please visit:

Wanderlust Tips | Wanderlust Tips

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Vegetarian cuisine: The Blissful tranquillity of the Ghost Festival

Lunar July is a time when many families have a vegetarian month to pray for their parents’ health. In our September issue, Wanderlust Tips introduces 4 famous vegetarian restaurants known for their exquisite cuisine and airy space in meditative architecture.

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Although originating from religion, today practitioners, intellectuals and even many of the world’s greatest men such as Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson are all vegetarians. In Buddhism, there are two types of vegetarian diet: strict vegetarians who refrain from consuming animal products, and semi-vegetarian who occasionally eat meat.

In addition, in a Buddhist diet you also do not eat the five spices asafoetida, shallot, garlic, mountain leek and al-lium chinense, as they tend to excite the senses. Adopting a vegetarian diet during Ghost Festival or Yulan Month is to express gratitude for the parents, and to bless them with a healthy and peaceful life. In addition, it is believed that the vegetarian diet during Ghost Month can help avoid bad luck.

UU DAM RESTAURANT – HYPNOTISING DINERS WITH ETHEREAL FLAVOURS

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Vegetarian cuisine: The Blissful tranquillity of the Ghost Festival

Coming to Uu Dam Restaurant means to be cherished and nurtured like the Uu Dam flowers at the heart of Buddhism,” is what many customers say about this peaceful place. Located in one of the busiest streets in Hanoi and named after a kind of flower that appears once every three thousand years, Uu Dam restaurant always makes a strong impression in diners’ minds from the very first sight with its delicate space featuring Buddhist architecture. The three statues of the Buddhas of The Three Worlds, relief works, the atrium and the trees are arranged in harmony to create a tranquil and relaxed space.

Uu Dam’s dishes harmonise a modern and a traditional cooking style and they are not only beautifully presented but also very nutritious such as appetiser soup or lotus root salad or countryside salad. In addition to traditional Vietnamese dishes, Uu Dam has a lot of special dishes, combined with world cuisine such as fried rice with Macadamia and baked vegetables with olive dressing and cashew nuts for diners to choose from. The food menu of Uu Dam restaurant was built with the criteria of not using fake meat and the five spices that excite the senses.With its peaceful and cosy space and the essence cuisine of mother nature, Uu Dam is a place for you to forget all tribulations, setting aside the hustle and finding peace of mind.

♦ Address: 34 Hang Bai str., Hoan Kiem dist. , Hanoi
♦ Tel: 098 134 98 98
♦ Opening hours: 7am – 10pm

TINH NGHIEP RESTAURANT – THE FLAVOUR OF THE OLD CAPITAL’S CUISINE

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Vegetarian cuisine: The Blissful tranquillity of the Ghost Festival

Located in one of the most vibrant streets in Hanoi, Tinh Nghiep Restaurant with its quiet space separated from the noisy world outside and a beautiful garden with lots of green trees never fails to win customers’ hearts at first sight.

Due to the chef of Tinh Nghiep restaurant having been born in Hue, dishes from his hometown dominate the menu, which includes Vietnamese pancake, poached fern-shaped cake, lemongrass skewer and sweetened porridge. The food here is a combination of culinary and visual arts – it is not only frugal, delicious, cheap and good for your health, but also beautifully decorated. In addition, the restaurant has a number of other dishes with Hanoi flavours, such as noodles and sticky rice that can captivate even those who are not followers of a vegetarian cuisine.

Not only serving delicate vegetarian dishes, coming to Tinh Nghiep, diners can also read Buddhist prayer books or attend lectures and talks on Buddhism by Buddhist monks. Therefore, diners here not only feel comfortable when enjoying tranquil vegetarian dishes and hot green tea with scents of flowers, but also understand more about human life and find a getaway from the chaotic life to peace of mind.

♦ Address: 56A, Doi Can str., Ba Dinh dist., Hanoi
♦ Tel: 024 6259 3292
♦ Opening hours: 9am – 9:30pm

KHAI TUONG RESTAURANT – VEGETARIAN CUISINE WITH INTERNATIONAL INGREDIENTS

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Vegetarian cuisine: The Blissful tranquillity of the Ghost Festival

Open nearly 10 years, Khai Tuong Regetarian Restaurant has long become a familiar and ideal stopover place for both local diners and foreigners in Hanoi to enjoy delicious vegetarian cuisine.

The restaurant has a very rich menu with more than 200 recipes devised by the owner with fresh vegetables and fruit – she does not use any fake vegetarian meat. A special feature of this restaurant is that the chef uses a lot of foreign ingredients like fresh cream and cheese, so compared to other vegetarian restaurants, dishes here are more modern with flavours of the European cuisine. One of the signature dishes that make up the restaurant’s brand name and wins the hearts of many customers are the vegetarian hot pots such as porridge or mushroom with their unique flavours. A special recipe with pear, apple, Asian pear, sugar beets, sugar cane root, kohlrabi, carrots and luffa makes the porridge hotpot not only sweet, but also fragrant with scents of natural fruit and vegetables.

Not only does it focus on the taste of the food, the restaurant also has regular volunteer programs. Since being established, the restaurant always offers free meals for monks to express gratitude and create good luck.

♦ Address: 112 Kim Ma str., Giang Vo collective area, Ba Dinh dist., Hanoi
♦ Tel: 024 3726 4773
♦ Opening hours: 7am – 10pm

TIB VEGETARIAN – ENJOY VEGETARIAN FOOD, LISTEN TO TRINH’S SONGS

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Vegetarian cuisine: The Blissful tranquillity of the Ghost Festival

Tib Vegetarian is the only vegetarian restaurant in the Tib’s restaurant chain that was launched in 1998. The restaurant space, though laid out in a simple manner, still looks luxurious and nostalgic, breathing Hanoi’s ancient architecture style, unlike the hustle and bustle of Saigon.

Tib specialises in serving traditional Vietnamese vegetarian dishes, most of which are dishes originating from Hue. Most of the dishes are not cooked from dried ingredients like fake meat, but prepared from fresh vegetables, fruit and tofu. The dishes at Tib have four elements: scent, colour, taste and décor – from colourful hades rice, crispy tofu skin, and moreish jackfruit salad to potato hot pot. In particular, dishes here are not only diversified, but also decorated sophisticatedly and placed on unique plates. One of the things that diners enjoy about Tib Vegetarian is that they are always served hot dishes, whether it is on the 1st of the month, the full moon or the Ghost Festival. Moreover, diners who come to this place can relax with a hot cup of coffee or a glass of cool juice, and enjoy Trinh Cong Son’s beautiful music full of the philosophy of life.

♦ Address: 89 – 91 Phan Ke Binh str., Dist. 1, HCMC.
♦ Tel: 028 3911 5455
♦ Opening hours: 7am – 10pm

Thu Hoai | Wanderlust Tips

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Mooncake Tales: The spirit of the Mid-autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching fast as is evident at every corner and it is time for people to set aside the chaos of life to enjoy time with their family, admire the full moon, eat a piece of cake, sip a cup of green tea and listen to the moon cake’s tales full of deep affection for long-passed and present life.

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FROM THE FLAVOUR OF MEMORIES

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mooncake Tales: The spirit of the Mid-autumn Festival

In my memory, when the melodies of children’s songs began to rise up from the lips of the kids in my village, it meant the Mid-Autumn Festival was about to arrive and we would soon enjoy the pale skinned sticky cake that filled the air with the faint smell of pomelo and fragrant brown baked mooncakes with mixed nuts.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday that dates back thousands of years. It is not only a day for farmers to rest and have fun after a hard working period, the Mid-Autumn Festival in traditional East Asian cultures is also a chance for relatives and friends to gather and reunite and it is time for people to prepare festive offerings and to give offerings to ancestors, to express their gratitude for a successful harvest and pray for a good future.

TO EAST ASIA’S ULTIMATE CUISINE

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mooncake Tales: The spirit of the Mid-autumn Festival

Just like Mid-Autumn Festival is the common holiday of many Asian countries, mooncake is not a unique cake of any country. Culinary culture has characteristics of fast resonance, inheritance and integration, so for a long time, mooncake has been a cake bearing the spirit of reunion and blessing of peace, representing the Mid-Autumn Festival of some countries like China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar.

Japanese mooncake is the most beautiful and exquisite. The mooncake of the land of the rising sun is a glutinous ricecake – the white round cake symbolises the moon and is called Tsukimi Dango. Sophisticatedly, they decorate the cake like a cute Moon Rabbit, then build a tower of cakes and place them in front of the porch, by the window or wherever they can see the most beautiful moon and enjoy Tsukimi Dango with tea, molasses and roasted soybean flour Kinako.

Contrary to the belief of perfect roundness of the Japanese, Koreans believe the full moon can only wane and a crescent shape/half-moon will fill up, so it is the symbol of luck and growth. So during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Korean people make half-moon-shaped cakes known as Songpyeon. Besides using pure white sticky rice powder as the main colour, they also use green tea powder or wormwood leaf extract for green, pumpkin for yellow and strawberry juice for pink and then Songpyeon is steamed with some pine needles to add a specific and appetising aroma to the cake. Minh Ha who married into a family in Korea 10 years ago told me: “Making a Korean mooncake is not difficult. People here believe that any girl who can make a well-shaped and delicious Songpyeon will find a good, handsome spouse. Married women who are pregnant will give birth to a well-behaved and beautiful baby.”

And in China although mooncake here use the same basic ingredients such as crystallised winter melon, green beans, lotus seeds and salty eggs, each region has different flavours, colours and shapes. While the Suzhou mooncake is round, has a thin crust and is sweet with fatty filling made of green beans and salty egg, Guangdong mooncake has the same taste and texture as our mixed nuts baked mooncake. Taiwanese mooncake, the most distinctive mooncake I ever ate, is soft and shaped like a puff pastry. Filipino mooncake called Hopia has a rough crust, but is soft, creamy and sweet smelling inside. For a more special mooncake, you can taste Thailand’s durian mooncake.

VIETNAMESE MOONCAKE – JOURNEY FROM TRADITION TO MODERNITY

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mooncake Tales: The spirit of the Mid-autumn Festival

When we were little, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we always competed to see which hamlet had the biggest star lantern, the most beautiful fruit offering and shared the desire of enjoying sweet mooncake we only tasted once a year.For Vietnamese people like my family, mooncake is not simply a kind of food it is also the symbol of reunion. So during the Mid-Autumn Festival, every family regardless if rich or poor, there is a pair of cakes to offer the ancestors and the gods. In the past, we only had two kinds of mooncake, the pale skin sticky cake and brown baked cake with mixed nuts. The filling of pale skin sticky cake is made of crystallised winter melon, melon seeds, lotus seeds, roasted sesame seeds and Chinese sausage. While the crust of pale skin sticky cake is soft and fine, the crust of baked cake is sweet smelling, greasy, crispy and spongy. The filling of the baked cake is bigger and has diced fat to add a more delicious and greasy flavour to each piece of cake. The distinctive taste of the baked cake is lemon leaf flavour. Pale skin sticky cake is always round and the baked cake is square, symbolising heaven and earth.

In today’s busy life, it seems the meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually faded away. I rarely see any children excited about eating slices of mooncake or families gathering to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. Even the mooncake is changing; modern cuisine has produced many kinds of mooncakes with different types of special fillings and different designs. Today’s mooncakes are not only made with mixed nuts, but varied with many different flavours such as green tea, cheese, edible bird’s nest, cordyceps sinensis, abalone, ginseng and shark fin. If the modern mooncake is a glamorous, attractive western woman, then the traditional mooncake is like a gentle, delicate oriental woman. However it is shaped, the mooncake is made to bring joy and fullness to the Mid-Autumn Festival, that is the meaning we need to appreciate.

Since I am a nostalgic person, I felt regret that I won’t be able to find the scent of the past in the festival of today, but on one occasion I went out with my colleague, a native of Hanoi, wandered through the Old Quarter to buy a traditional mooncake and I realised that I was wrong. “The Hanoi locals aree loyal to the traditional mooncake. It’s not only quality, fragrant and more authentic, but it also recalls the memories of the traditional Autumn Festival,“she said.

Hiding in a world of colourful modern mooncakes, traditional mooncakes still have their own vitality like an underground stream never dry. Among the numerous modern bakeries, people still find small stalls with small signs in Hang Be, Ma May, Hang Than and Hang Duong Street where you can buy traditional pale skin sticky cake and brown baked cake to offer ancestors, the heaven and the earth. Because that small piece of cake is a silent yet sacred connection with the past and childhood memories.

My father said that in his memory, the Mid-Autumn Festival was so simple and warm. After hard days of harvesting, family members would gather together to celebrate the full moon. While trays of food were offered to the ancestors, the children were full of excitement, each group of children carried star lanterns around the villages. Followed by the drumbeat, the bustling laughter, every child tries its best to be careful with the lantern so that it does not catch fire from the candle inside. After finishing the lantern parade, we came to the tray, enjoyed fragrant grapefruit and tasted each piece of sweet cake and candy, which are gifts nourishing the soul of many Vietnamese generations, including me.

TRADITIONAL MOONCAKE SHOPS IN VIETNAM AND AROUND THE WORLD

1. NINH HUONG CAKE SHOP
♦ Address: 22 Hang Dieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
♦ Phone: +8424 3825 1148
♦ Opening hours: 9am to 8pm
♦ Price: from VND40,000 per cake

2. MRS. DAN CAKE SHOP
♦ Address: 52 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem, 126 or 554 Lane, Truong Chinh.
♦ Phone: +8424 3926 1042
♦ Price: From VND45,000 per cake
♦ Website: http://banhtrungthubadan.vn/

3.PHUONG DIEM THUAN CAKE SHOP
♦ Address: 108-110 Pham Phu Thu St., Ward 3, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City
♦ Phone: +8428 3854 4599 – +8428 3967 0388
♦ Price: From VND52,000 per cake
♦ Website: http://phuongdiemthuan.com/mobile/#

4. DONG HUNG VIEN MOONCAKE SHOP
♦ Address: 176 – 177 Bai Say, Ward 4, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City
♦ Phone: +8428 3967 0988 -+8428 3967 0989
♦ Price: from VND55,000 per cake
♦ Website: http://donghungvien.com.vn/

5. XING HUA LOU – 杏花楼
♦ Address: 343 Fuzhou Lu, near Shandong Zhong Lu, Shanghai, China
♦ Phone: +86 21 6373 1777
♦ Web: www.xinghualou.org

6. JIANG MAI TANG (FORMERLY L’ATELIER)
♦ Address: No. 6, Tower 20, Central Park, 6 Chaoyangmen Wai Dajie, Beijing, China
♦ Phone:+86 010 6597 0724
♦ Opening hours: 8am – 7pm
♦ Website: http://jiangmaitang.com/

7. YU AI
♦ Address: Lot 6596, Kawasan Perindustrian Kampung Balakong, Jln KPB 12 / B, Balakong, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia
♦ Phone: +603-8962 2233
♦ Email: customer.care@taithong.com.my.
♦ Website: http://www.yu-ai.com.my

8. FOH SAN
♦ Address: 51, Jalan Leong Sin Nam, 30300 Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.
♦ Website: www.princehotelkl.co
♦ Phone: +605 254 0308
♦ Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday from 6:30am – 2:30pm

9. THE BAKER’S COTTAGE
♦ Address: 24, Persiaran Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
♦ Phone: +603-7980 8086 / +603-2095 2293
♦ Opening hours: 9:30am – 10pm
♦ Email: tbcsales@thebakerscottage.com.my
♦ Website: http://www.thebakerscottage.com

10. BAKERZIN
♦ Address: 18 Marina Garden Drive # 03-03 Singapore 018953
♦ Phone: +65 6604 7370
♦ Price: From USD52.34 per box (about VND1,119,000)
♦ Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10am – 9:30pm
♦ Website: https://www.bakerzin.com

Thu Hoai | Wanderlust Tips

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

October issue of Wanderlust Tips Magazine will be a journey to the unknown to explore mysterious stories and secrets inspiring your curiosity and love for exploration.

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Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

Are you sure you have reached the end of the world and explored the most mysterious ways in which the world really works?

It will be the eagerness to travel on the Lama’s spiritual land and be enthralled by the eternal faith in the mysterious Tibetan land. Let’s experience these emotions through the journey of Nguyen Thai Duy: TIBET, THE MYSTERIOUS – ONCE AND FOREVER in Destination category.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

It will be the excitement to arrive on the Cape of Good Hope where connects two oceans, or discover gold mines that have made South Africa into the wealthiest country in the Dark Continent. You will see how impressive SOUTH AFRICA – THE RAINBOW NATION OF THE CONTINENT in the Destination Category.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

And it can also be the thrilling sensation when you hear the indigenous people telling about countless miraculous, haunting stories of familiar destinations where you seemingly got all the information just after a click. The article MYSTERIOUS STORIES ON THE ROAD by Mai Dong (Where the story goes category) is a collection of spiritual and haunting stories in many destinations. You can believe or not, but legends have been spoken by the local people through many generation.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

Follow the flow of new secrets to be revealed, Wanderlust Tips interviewed 5 travel bloggers. Living a life of travel, what did they do to afford those “wild” dreams? Read the article TRAVEL BLOGGERS – HOW MUCH DOES A DREAM COST? In Conversation Category, we will share the most sincere sharing of 5 famous travel bloggers: Tran Viet Phuong (Tran Trap), Tran Dang Dang Khoa, Tam Bui, Mai Phuong, Christopher Hell.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s October issue 2017: Journey into the unknown

Travel with the October issue of Wanderlust Tips to live a life of being emotionally intense, because ‘Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced,’ as philosopher Søren Kierkegaard has said.

Wanderlust Tips

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Live healthy like the Apatanis

Live healthy like the Apatanis

The journey to ziro was challenging and arduous, but the completely different way of life that i experienced in this peaceful wonderland gave me a sense of reward. Hidden in a pristine village is a modest, healthy lifestyle, close to nature in both the material and spiritual aspects of life. And perhaps that’s why the Apatanis are one of India’s most sustainable, long standing traditional tribes, remaining in isolation from the modern world.

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HEALTHY LIVING THANKS TO UNUSUAL SPECIALTIES

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Live healthy like the Apatanis

Come to Ziro and you will have a lot of unexpected surprises just by walking around the markets, or exploring the kitchen corners of the indigenous people, though at first glance everything may look meagre.

Visiting the musician cum devotee of culture named Hage Komo, we had the fortune to savour some 30-year-old smoked meat served with the traditional herbal salt of the Apatani, called tapyo. As Komo said, during major events like festivals or wedding ceremonies and birth rituals, the Apatani usually put a dish of tapyo with a chunk of smoked meat preserved for decades on the altar. And these two dishes are also specialties to treat guests from far away and show hospitality.

Tapyo is a special traditional herbal salt of the Apatani. Although they inhale smoke daily, the respiratory system of the Apatani is still very good thanks to tapyo. Tapyo is prepared using herbaceous species from around the villages: in the majority of cases these are types of grass such as sarshe or pepu. As said by people living in the village, pepu can be used for the treatment of coughs, fever and as an antipyretic.

To prepare tapyo, people have to go through a series of steps. The base plant material after being collected is sun dried, then burned. The ashes are then collected and kept in a conical shaped bamboo apparatus called sader. Water is added gradually until the filtrate starts dripping from the bottom where it’s collected in a cauldron. Filtrate is then added to the pot filled with starch-laden water from boiled rice and placed on the fire for 5 to 7 hours. “About 15 litres of water is required to attain the desired thickness with the filtrate gradually being added until the solution attains a depth of approximately 3 centimetres,” said Punyo Assu, Komo’s wife.

After cooling, the solid solution is put on a leaf from a plant locally known as Lolly. The leaf is rolled, wrapped and kept above a vessel of fermented rice beer for three days. After three days, when the wet substance has absorbed the vapour of rice beer and has reached the suitable temperature, it is ready to consume. “It is very good for your health, it has iodine and can cure many diseases,” Komo said.

We glanced at the dish of salt, it was wet, had a light red colour and resembled dried red clay. Curiously, I ate my first piece of meat dipped in the salt. Tapyo is salty and sweet, and it was not exactly my cup of tea. But Komo said: “This spice always stimulates our taste buds. We have no sea, so we have used it for hundreds of years. Now we do have mineral salts, but we still like to eat this salt. Normally, it is sold for 6 US dollars per kilogram.”

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Live healthy like the Apatanis

Besides the tapyo, we also tried Apatani’s 30-year-old smoked meat – it was black, very hard, and had a slightly unpleasant odour, but it is considered a great asset in every Apatani family. There are chunks of meat that have been preserved over half a century. And on every important occasion they use only a small piece of meat to offer ancestors and gods.

When we finished the meat, Punyo Assu brought out and baked some tiny fish, which were as small as fingers. Then he shared the fish with us. Michi Tajo explained that these fish were valuable food here. The fish are farmed in the field, but farmers cannot farm too much fish, that’s why in Ziro they are sold at high prices. We understood that we were lucky guests

NATURE – THE  SOURCE OF APATANI TRIBAL LIFE

When observing the living habits of the Apatani, I realised their life has a strong bond with nature. And in fact, the Apatani are one of a very few tribes left in the world worshiping nature. White flags bearing the symbol of the moon and the red sun are erected throughout the Apatani’s bamboo villages. This flag originated from a special religion called Danyi-Piilo practiced by the Apatani, praying to the Sun (Ayo Danyii) and the Moon (Atoh Piilo). “Danyii-Piilo is God, the source of light guiding human lives, the energy of life, and also the guardian of the creatures in the world,” Bullo Boga, an Apatani shaman said.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Live healthy like the Apatanis

In the spiritual life of the Apatani, the moon and the sun are like parents and represent truth, justice, beauty, morality, love and goodness. There are also rituals with special sacrifices to show respect and gratitude to Danyi Piilo. Apatanians have two major festivals, Myoko and Dree.

Myoko is the Spring Festival, celebrating friendship and prosperity. This festival is held over the course of 10 days from 20th to 30th March every year. On these days, men carry leaves from the forest to make a Nago (makeshift hut) for the ancestors to come, rest and watch the festivities. At the Myoko festival, the tribal shaman slaughters pigs, chicken and mithuns at dawn as a sacrifice. This festival is one of the most important ones for the community. The Apatani send their prayers for prosperity and love during the Myoko festival.

Unlike Myoko, the Dree festival is an agricultural festival, held from 4th to 7th July every year. The Apatani believe that Dree will help them have a successful harvest. At this festival, villagers sacrifice birds, eggs, chicken and mithun for the four main gods: Tamu, Metii, Danyi and Harniang. Tamu wards off insects and pests, Metii prohibits epidemics and other human ailments, Harniang keeps the soil fertile to prevent drought and Danyi protects the Apatani community and gives them a prosperous life.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Live healthy like the Apatanis

Having a close bond to nature there are mascots symbolising the power and prosperity of the Apatani tribe namely wild cows living in the forest, also known as gayal or mithun. In many families, you can see a mithun horn hanging solemnly in the middle of the house. The Apatani never call mithuns “it”, but always “Mr Mithun”. When we asked if they go to the forest to hunt for mithun, Taro corrected: “We do not hunt but invite him. Mithun loves salt, so it’s easy to seduce and tam him”. Mithun has a very high value in Apatani beliefs and thus, mithun sacrifice has been a longstanding custom in traditional local rituals like weddings.

Even though a girl living in the modern world like me found it hard to get used to many of the customs here or eat the specialties that the Apatanians have been cooking for generations, deep down I realised that the root of the enduring strength of this tribe is the bond with and respect for Mother Nature shown in every ritual, lifestyle and belief.

Mai Huong | Wanderlust Tips

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mu Cang Chai during monsoon season

Mu Cang Chai during monsoon season

Although many months have elapsed, I still remember that afternoon in the rain, the muddy motorbike, the fresh atmosphere and bright scenery of the mountain after the rain, and the pellucid smile of the little girl whose father is the owner of the house we stayed at. Every thing was so modest and peaceful.

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WE MUST FINISH WHAT WE STARTED

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mu Cang Chai during monsoon season

When the weather in Hanoi was hot, we chose to head to Mu Cang Chai as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city and because we knew that this highland was in one of the two beautiful seasons of the year – the monsoon season.

At the beginning of the trip something went wrong. After booking seats on a coach that did not pass by Mu Cang Chai on its way to Lai Chau, we had two options, come back home or stop halfway to catch another coach to Mu Cang Chai. With 30 seconds of thinking, us two young ladies decided to board the coach. At 4am when the sky was still dark, in the middle of nowhere, the coach dropped us at the crossroad of Hua Bo 2 Village (Son Binh, Tam Duong, Lai Chau). We walked into a small grocery store where the light was on but the owner was asleep, we sat waiting and wondered to ourselves: “Where are we?” After more than 2 hours, we got on a coach to Mu Cang Chai at 6am, and it turned out the distance from Son Binh, Lai Chau to Mu Cang Chai was not 40km as the previous driver said to us, but 100km.

Throughout the long journey, the driver constantly looked at me with concern on his face and he handed me a plastic bag in case I got sick over 10 times. Later reflecting back on the journey, besides the beauty of Mu Cang Chai, the sound rising from our stomachs is also one of the things remaining in my mind.

When arriving in Mu Cang Chai Town, after renting a room at an inn and eating breakfast, we rented a motorbike to start our first journey: Khau Phue – Tu Le Pass. Khau Pha Pass was named by Tai Dam people and means the Horn of Heaven (the horn rising to the sky).  Located at an altitude of about 1,200 metres above sea level, this is the highest of the four big passes in the Northwest. I heard the innkeeper say that in the past, Hmong people living in this area believed if they climbed to the summit of Khau Pha Pass, God would hear their prayers so when life was hard, they came here and prayed to God.

When arriving at the foot of Khau Pha Pass, the summer rain poured down heavily. The rain came with a fury and whipped our faces. Equipped with a raincoat, we continued to drive slowly. Driving around bends, the temperature dropped as we went up, although it is in the midst of the summer, the summit was obscured by thick clouds, restricting our vision. But perhaps the lucky gods were still smiling upon me, as there were very few big trucks running on the pass, sometimes there were only few Win motorbikes driven by ethnic people rushing trough the mass of raindrops.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mu Cang Chai during monsoon season

When we arrived at the top of the pass where a rest area is located, it only sprinkled and then stopped raining and the sun threw out her first beams. Thanks to that, I could admire the beauty of Phu Gia Valley in the monsoon season. In the bright golden sunshine, the brown colour of the soil, the green of the young rice, the yellow colour of the alluvium and the sparkling water creates a magnificent multi-coloured mural amidst the vast land.

Not as magnificent as the terraces in autumn when they are covered in a golden hue and the luxuriant ripe ears of rice. Mu Cang Chai’s terraced fields in monsoon season bring a very special beauty wearing the cold, modest and pristine colours which are authentic to the North West and in some places, the terraces have the green colour of young rice full of vitality.

After feasting our eyes on the beauty of Cao Phuc Valley, we drove the motorbike to Tu Le Pass. The fragrance of the young rice and the sweetness of Tu Le rice flakes still remained at the tip of our tongues as we slowly roamed through the small trails of Thai Lim Village – home of the Thai community, located at the lowest area of land by a stream, just below Khau Pho Pass. And of course, we did not hesitate to conquer steep and winding bends to reach Lim Mong – a Hmong people’s village where nestled at the heart of freedom and pride those are at home who used to live in high mountains, where the heaven meets the earth.

WHERE EMOTIONS FLOURISH

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mu Cang Chai during monsoon season

When we got used to the feeling of excitement of driving on the mountain, we returned to La Pan Tan to search for terraces called “round tray of sticky rice on the top of the ladder to heaven”. The road to La Pan Tan was really horrible, it was flooded with rugged red soil and has many bends and slopes, on one side is the mountainside, on the other is the deep canyon. At times, the road has steep slopes like a thrilling horror game, making my heart beat against my sternum. Sometimes, the motorbike seemed to be in a vertical position, climbing slowly up the slopes amidst the untouched mountain. Sitting behind my companion on the motorbike, my face turned pale, afraid of falling of the motorbike. It was raining again and the road was muddy. Sometimes motorbikes of the indigenous people passed by; they just revved up the engine to lumber up the mountain slopes, but did not forget to give us friendly smiles. The road is really a nightmare so if you do not have the courage to conquer this difficult road yourself, then you can choose motorcycle taxis driven by indigenous people.

La Pan Tan appeared right in front of my eyes with the wonders of terraced fields looking like the “fingerprint of the land”. Looking from above, the sparkling vibrant colours spreading across the hills made the scenery even more spectacular. The green colour of the young seedlings in the field is not as beautiful as the gold when it turns ripe but it is bright, fresh and full of vitality.

Youth is like a heavy rain. Even though you catch a cold from it, you still look forward to experiencing it once again.” And the feelings about our “reckless” journey keep my heart throbbing whenever the memories flood back. From La Pan Tan, we continued to drive along the muddy path and we planed to return to Mu Cang Chai Town. But unexpectedly, when we just got down to the foot of the pass, that catty lady called “weather” continued to coddle and it rained again. The rain became a downpour. So we were forced to nestle in a local house. The little house had its back to the highway, looking towards the mountain, with a pretty little gate.

The owner was enthusiastic and rustic. Using pigeon Vietnamese, with a little shyness, he told us many stories from the weather in the mountainous area to the colourful dresses of Hmong people. His little daughter looked at us with her round big pellucid eyes and sometimes gave us an innocent smile to welcome the guests from far away. At such a time, a melody suddenly rose in my mind “some people have a dream of wealth, some people have a dream of peace…”. For many people, perhaps the life of deprivation in this area is boring but looking at the way he smiled and told us the story about the farm, the way he hugged his dear little girl full of love, I saw the fullness and happiness in his heart.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Mu Cang Chai during monsoon season

From the experiences we had on the difficult road to Pan La Tan, our journey to explore Mu Cang Chai became easier. From Che Cu Nha to De Xu Phinh and Ba Nha Bridge, we continued to explore remote villages, drove up towering mountains, looked over sparkling terraced fields full of water in the afternoon light as the pure white clouds slowly floated in the sky. I occasionally met some groups of Hmong women walking on the precarious mountain road, some were very old, but they still carried bamboo baskets in smoke-black colour, walked agilely with hands folded in front of their chest, making them look whole and hearty. Another interesting thing about Mu Cang Chai is that you can catch friendly smiles everywhere, from small children playing on the side of the road to ethnic minority people who speak little Vietnamese. Whatever you ask, they will enthusiastically smile and answer, as if you have been their neighbour for a long time.

Mu Cang Chai has the two most beautiful seasons of the year, they are monsoon season in May and June, and the harvesting season in September and October. The monsoon season was over, but if you want to see Mu Cang Chai covered in the golden yellow of ripe rice in the sunshine of autumn, this September do not hesitate to put on a backpack and go. Besides admiring the captivating scenery when the golden yellow colour of the autumn covers the terraces in Mu Cang Chai, you can also see the spectacular annual paragliding festival themed “flying on the golden season” hosted by the People’s Committee of Yen Bai Province and the Northern Airlines Club and Vietwings Hanoi Club.

The panic clutched at my heart when I heard about the terrible flood damaging this town. After the flood, I knew they still kept smiles on their faces, the terraces will continue to turn green in the near future, but somehow deep in my mind, I am afraid that that these paradises will disappear one day. In the newspapers, it said that the Maldives may be buried beneath the tide, the Great Barrier Reef will disappear within two decades, romantic Venice will sink and the vast scale of the Amazon is reducing. Recently, Jiuzhaigou Village, Sichuan, China, which has been nicknamed “paradise on earth”, has been hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake and temporarily closed while tourist season is approaching.

I know that my steps will be more rushed, and I will have more journeys ahead, I will go with respect and a broader mind to see the spectacular.scenery of nature that may later be only visible on photographs or postcards.

W.TIPS

TRANSPORTATION

If you travel from Ho Chi Minh City, you should keep a lookout for the early tickets of Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air to get cheap deals. After arriving at Noi Bai airport, take a bus or taxi to central Hanoi to rest and eat. Then, from Hanoi you can choose to drive a motorbike, private car or travel by sleeper coach to Mu Cang Chai.

♦ By motorbike: From the centre of Hanoi, go straight on National Highway 32 over Trung Ha Bridge (Ba Vi), through Thanh Son District (Phu Tho), then pass by Nghia Lo Town, Tu Le Commune (Van Chan District) of Yen Bai City to De Xu Phin, when passing Khau Pa Pass, you will come to Mu Cang Chai. The travelling time is about 8 hours.

♦ By private car: You can take the Noi Bai – Lao Cai expressway to Yen Bai City and then drive to Nghia Lo. Or, you can take Noi Bai – Lao Cai expressway to Sa Pa, then go over Quy Ho Pass, Tan Uyen and Than Uyen in Lai Chau Province to Mu Cang Chai. It is best to change your routes when going back to gain more experiences.

♦ By coach: There are many high quality coach brands at My Dinh bus station for you to choose from like Hai Van (02437223588), Hung Thanh (0985694910 – 0985694901) and Thao Nguyen (0972226565 – 0942226565) or you can catch long-distance buses from Hanoi to Than Uyen, that go through Mu Cang Chai.

♦ How to travel in Mu Cang Chai: In Mu Cang Chai, you need to rent a motorbike to move more conveniently. Motorbike rental is from VND100,000 – 150,000 per day depending on the time.

ACCOMMODATION

Mu Cang Chai tourism has not developed so most of the accommodation facilities are guesthouses and homestays. You can choose to stay at Tu Le Town (Hoang Quan Guesthouse – 0216897126, Xom Vang – 02163897205, Pho Nui – 02163897115); Nghia Lo Town (Nghia Lo Hotel – 02163870106, Mien Tay Hotel – Nghia Lo – 02163870698) or in Mu Cang Chai Town (Son Ca Guesthouse – 0988981675, Suoi Mo – 0915842789, Buu Dien – 0975644965, Moon – 0912058899).

The average room rate is VND150,000 – 250,000 per room per day. During the high season, the price can fluctuate between VND 400,000 – 500,000 per room. If you choose homestays, the price per person is VND60,000 – 100.000 per person.

EAT

When you come to Yen Bai, you can enjoy local specialties such as: five-coloured sticky rice, sticky rice and Tu Le green sticky rice, Pa Ping Top baked stream fish, black square sticky rice cake, grilled chicken with clausena, stream crab and fried grasshopper.

Mu Cang Chai centre also has popular dishes such as vermicelli, noodles, rice and hot pot for people not used to ethnic dishes. Also if you like to eat fresh salmon, do not miss some of the famous restaurants on Khau Pha Pass.

CLOTHES

Weather in Mu Cang Chai is often difficult to predict and change continuously throughout the day. Therefore, you should prepare warm clothes, windbreakers and raincoats to avoid the risks of sudden rains.

If you go by motorbike, do not forget to equip yourself with standard helmets, arm and leg protectors, gloves and reflective stickers. When riding a motorbike in the rain, it is recommended to bring a raincoat, a hairdryer and a shoe cover.

SHOPPING

Assam apple, wild bamboo shoots, honey and Tu Le green sticky rice are all specialties of Mu Cang Chai and you can buy them as gifts for relatives and friends.

Thu Hoai | Wanderlust Tips

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | The dream of Phoenix Ancient Town

The dream of Phoenix Ancient Town

Sometimes i wonder whether what i have admired and experienced is a dream? The rows of tiled roof houses along the Tuojiang river, cobbled streets in the bright sunbeam throughout the town. The noise of crowds when the mantle of darkness is let down on earth or the quiet peace every morning. The singing of the boatmen on the river was warm yet powerful and courageous. Have i been awakened from a dream of Phoenix Ancient Town?

[rpi]

A JOURNEY OF SADNESS

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | The dream of Phoenix Ancient Town

Phoenix Acient Town has a history of 1,300 years and is located in the Autonomous Prefectures of the Tujia people and Xiangxi Tujia and Miao in Hunan Province in China. I arrived here on a summer evening in the middle of August. The weather in Phoenix was pretty cool. In the midst of the modern houses, Phoenix Ancient Town gradually appeared with shimmering lights around the houses and an ancient bridge. I eagerly pulled my suitcase on the rugged stone streets.

But when coming into the town, the excited feeling I imagined having on my first visit suddenly disappeared. I was shocked by a sense of loss while my eyes were still looking for a quiet mossy roof and the poetic Tuojiang River I always dreamed of. Instead, welcoming me was a noisy old town and brilliant lights.

It was 11p.m but the streets were still crowded and there were shops everywhere, and many buyers. Even in small alleys, the crowd of people caused traffic jams. By the riverbanks, the bars were open and played all kinds of different music. Perhaps a person who enjoys peace and nostalgia like me feels quite disappointed with this commercialisation.

Although the peak tourist season was over, I know that until November the town is still crowded because the weather is cool and pleasant. If the cold of the North does not bother you, you can go in late winter or early spring, when the last snowflakes are melting away on the branches and you can enjoy a more quiet time in Phoenix Ancient Town.

THE SOUL OF PHOENIX ANCIENT TOWN

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | The dream of Phoenix Ancient Town

Near where I stayed, there was a market and it was bustling. The market sold all kinds of fruit and the local breakfast, so it was quite convenient. Crossing the market, I saw the ancient roofs, two-storey wooden houses, curved roofs and beautiful and ancient carved windows. If this town was full of music at night, it was more peaceful in the morning when many shops had not opened yet. Tuojiang River was still drifting along and people travelled mainly on the two sides of the river, just talking while sightseeing and I took a lazy stroll.

I heaved a sigh of relief; perhaps this was the atmosphere I longed for after travelling more than 1.500 km and a little disappointment at the beginning.Once considered an important cita del, Phoenix Ancient Town has experienced many historic events, ethnic conflicts and became a mixed cultural citadel between the Han Chinese and the Miao. The architectural style of Phoenix Ancient Town is prominently evident in the siheyuan and houses or large bridges in the town, especially the Hongjiao Bridge. Hongjiao Bridge is located at the centre of the town, built in 1615 and it looks like a large house including two floors crossing Tuojiang River. The bridge columns remain intact from the Ming dynasty with engraved patterns. The ancient roof is covered with yin-yang tiles and has curved corners.

From here, the bridge divides the whole town into two parts: the old town and the new town. The old town has many architectural monuments preserved from the Ming dynasty. The new town has an ancient style of architecture, but the buildings are more modern, most of them are cafés and bars along the Tuojiang River.

Going deeper into the town to a wall made of red sand, there are many shops close to each other selling countless items: sparkling silver jewellery of the Mia people, fragrant wine bottles of the Han people, Tujia’s beautiful lanterns and typical dishes. Nearby, there are street vendors with heavy fruit baskets giving offers to visitors.

The smell of fermented tofu mixed with the smell of pastry spreading all over the streets creates a strange mixture of scents. The sound of hammers in a peanut candy shop mixes with the melodious singing from a nearby drum shop. Then in a corner, a salesman reads a poem with steady rhythm to introduce the famous noodles of the restaurant and though I did not understand its content in Chinese, the rhythm and expression of the young man made me laugh. Such images, sounds and tastes carved into my mind a distinctive yet peaceful memory of the Ancient Town.

WHERE THE TIME GETS TRAPPED

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | The dream of Phoenix Ancient Town

Just occasionally turn into an alley and you will find an extremely quiet atmosphere. Different from all the excitement in the centre of town, the homestays are pretty quiet and some tourists sleep in. In another alley, there are small cafés with countless wind chimes, wooden furniture and colourful decorations. Every house also has a small courtyard with green bonsais at the entrance.

Going to the end of the town, climbing up the soaring steps, I felt like I got lost in a distant place completely separated from the modern world. Here, there were only elderly people practicing Tai Chi and they concentrated on the exercises of breathing and performed beautiful movements.

From here, the whole charming scenery of the town is in full view. Buildings, siheyuans and temples with yin and yang roofs one after the other and surrounding the town are majestic green mountains, the ancient buildings reflected on Tuojang flows through the city creating a poetic and passionate setting.

It turns out that people all have their own reasons to fall in love and want to return to Phoenix Ancient Town. You can find both noisy and gaudy places and peaceful ones, it’s like getting lost in the endless cycle of time. Equip yourself with a special map made of rough antique paper and you will have full details about the road and the best attractions in town.

If time permits, you can explore Miao Village to better understand the cultural life of the Miao. Miao Village is an old village 30-40 minutes by bus from Phoenix Ancient Town. Come here and you will be sailing on the green Chiyou Lake, passing over the hills and mountains to the Tiaoyue Cave’s entrance, listening to the singing of the Miao children.

W.TIPS

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | The dream of Phoenix Ancient Town

VISA

A tourist visa for China is valid for no more than 15 days so you should carefully plan your trip. The fee is USD40 per person for 4 business days. If using a tourist group visa, the departure date, arrival date and the number of people must be absolutely accurate.

LANGUAGE

People here speak only Chinese, they do not speak English or any other foreign language. Signs or menus are also in Chinese. So if you want to communicate, learn some basic Chinese words like: Hello: 你好 (Nǐ hǎo), 謝謝 (Xièxie), How much is this?: 多少 錢? (Duōshǎo qián). In addition, you can also install a translation software on your phone.

TRAVEL

There are many ways to travel from Hanoi to Phoenix Ancient Town.

♦ Option 1: Take two flights Hanoi – Guangzhou and Guangzhou – Zhangjiajie and then drive 230km by car from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang.

♦ Option 2: Take a flight from Hanoi to Truong Sa and then drive 500km from Truong Sa to Phoenix Ancient Town.

♦ Option 3: Take a car or train from Hanoi to Nanning and then continue to take a train to Zhangjiajie and then drive from Zhangjiajie to Phoenix Ancient Town.

♦ Option 4: Take a car or train from Hanoi to Nanning and then take a flight from Nanning to Tongren Airport, which is about 50km from Phoenix Ancient Town.

ACCOMMODATION

There are not many hotels in town, especially in the old town. So you can choose a homestay run by locals. There are homestay rooms overlooking the Tuojiang River and homestays in the alley with lovely gardens. Homestay prices depend on the type of room you choose and when you go. Average price is from VND400,000 to VND700,000.

CURRENCY

VND and USD are not available and it is recommended to exchange VND to RMB as it is more profitable. You can bring USD as a precaution, but the exchange from USD to Chinese Yuan will be more profitable in Vietnam. 1CNY = VND3,400. USD1 = CNY6.5.

There are also ATMs for international cards like Visa and Mastercard. However, consider carefully when using because the exchange fee is very expensive. In China, it is now common to trade and pay with WeChat software on smartphones. It is very quick and convenient and many street vendors use it.

FOOD

The food in China is quite greasy and spicy and it is the same in Phoenix Ancient Town. If you cannot eat spicy food, you need to tell the restaurant.Chinese people have a habit of drinking hot tea so hot water is usually available in many places. If you want to drink cold water, restaurants also have cold water but without ice, it is difficult to find ice here, even in restaurants.

Fruit is pretty fresh and cheap. You can go to the market to buy peaches or kiwi. Prices range from CNY5-10 per catty. 1 catty = 0,5kg and the Chinese use this unit when buying and selling in the market.

Besides fruit, there are many delicious snacks you should try such as shrimp cake, milk tea and fruit juice.

SHOPPING

You can choose from many items like jewellery, house decor, musical instruments and food as gifts. Here you can bargain with the seller to buy them for only half or two thirds of the listed price.

OTHER

Some sites such as Facebook, Google or Instagram are blocked in China, so if you want to access them, you should download Betternet or Hotspot Shield VPN applications for your phone.

Van Ly | Wanderlust Tips

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Nostalgia for The Mekong Detal

Nostalgia for The Mekong Detal

When i begin to feel oppressed with high-Rise office buildings, crowds of people And the busy, noisy, dusty traffic, a Melody suddenly rises in my mind: “To those who travel to the Southern land. Blue sky and white clouds reflect on Cuu Long River. The great vast cajeput forest and green coconut palm trees … “. This song, from a Southern drama I watched as a little girl, reminded me of a childhood dream: to visit and explore the South, far away from the North where I was born and grew up.

[rpi]

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Nostalgia for The Mekong Detal

Unlike curious little Alice crawling from a rabbit hole, I entered Ho Chi Minh City from the door of an airplane. From the airport, there are many trips to the Mekong delta. Thirteen Mekong delta provinces and cities have rivers, canals, and lush green trees which provide unique features for the South. Tien River and Hau River are the two largest branches of Vietnam’s Cuu Long River; this river’s nine estuaries are often referred to as nine dragons, hence Cuu Long (Nine Dragons). These river mouths have formed a labyrinth of streams, channels and canals of the Mekong delta where each place has its own unique characteristic.

KINGDOM OF PALM TREES

Coming here, you must not miss the vast green palm forests. These are not coconut trees rising from the ground; they are wild nipa palms, considered a “specialty,” growing in the marshes.

Thoi Son Islet, also known as Lan Islet, is located by the Tien River downstream, in Thoi Son Commune, My Tho City, Tien Giang Province. This is one of the places in this region blessed with the most abundant palm trees. Amidst the green colour of the coconut branches, our sampan floated on the beautiful gentle flow of the canals. We went through a lot of natural poetic “arches” made of coconut branches bending towards each other. Without any engine noises, we were able to hear the sound of the boat paddles, gentle as a breath in the slow pace of life here. Sometimes we heard the song of the birds calling each other, contributing to the beauty of this wonderland.

The nipa palm forest is not only a unique feature of the Mekong delta, but also very useful for its residents. Nipa leaves are used for making house roofs, baskets; the petiole and mid rib are used for making rope, string, and carpet, or it may be sundried to use for fuel. In particular, nipa fruit provides a sweet juice for the summer. Part of the Arecaceae family, the nipa fruit looks like giant dry pinecones with numerous nuts. Its fruit only has flesh, no liquid. People usually mix its flesh with sugar and cold ice to make a sweet juice, it is one of the Mekong delta’s favourite drinks.

Besides the nipa palm, another example of how well our ancestors adapted and mastered nature is the sampan. When people immigrated to the South more than three centuries ago, on this land of water, the Vietnamese sampan, a dugout canoe, was created. The sampan is made of three planks which look like three joined leaflets. Thanks to its small, compact size, and light weight, the boat can easily crawl through narrow canals. Moreover, thanks to its small and narrow flat bottom, it can move quickly even in shallow water. Therefore, sampans are considered the “legs” of the Southwestern people. From birth to adulthood, they always go to by boat to visit each other. Today, though there are now roads built everywhere, the sampan is still used in many villages.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Nostalgia for The Mekong Detal

The Mekong delta also has another unique specialty, the hammock café. At first, hammocks were used by families for resting. Then, visitors asked to use the hammocks for a rest. After recognising the needs of these customers, shopkeepers decided to turn their cafés into more attractive and special places for visitors. Since its inception, hammock cafés have been very popular with tourists, especially motorcyclists. On the busier roads, there are more hammocks cafés; every ten or so kilometres, there are 5-6 hammock cafés. These cafés are quite simple, with nothing much more than a few hammocks hung on bamboo poles with thatched roofs. A small glass cabinet with some cold coconuts and a few glass cups are for anyone, including even the locals, the hammock café has become an indispensable part of everyday life. For tourists and travellers, the feeling they have when drinking cup of coffee and lying on the hammock will remain unforgettable on in the long journey of discovery.

A WORLD OF FLOATING MARKETS

Floating markets are one of the first things to appear on this land where all trade takes place on waterways. When visiting the Mekong delta, people should not miss these markets. One of the largest floating markets in the Mekong delta is the Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho.

Before coming to the Cai Rang floating market, we had a chance to admire the picturesque scenery of the Mekong delta on a boat departing from Ninh Kieu wharf. Along two river banks, small houses with metal or thatched roofs, on wooden or concrete pillars, looked like stilt houses in the water. A local said that only “rich” families were able to use concrete pillars. The poorer have no choice but use wooden pillars made from hopea odorata – a kind of wood that can withstand high temperatures and humidity for 10 to 20 years. If we come here in the rainy season, from June to December, we would not see these pillars because they are “hidden” under water, making all of these houses look like they are floating on the water, like a Venice of Vietnam. But actually, this Venice’s version is so poor that it makes us feel sad. Whether the pillars are concrete or wooden, you have to acknowledge the poverty of the Mekong delta, as people have said.

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Nostalgia for The Mekong Detal

And there are even poorer families who cannot build their houses by the river and thus live on fishing boats. When we came by, they were spreading nets or doing daily tasks such as washing dishes and drying clothes, while children were swimming around, splashing water, and laughing happily. Although living in difficult conditions, people here still retain their friendliness and love for life.

While smiling with the babies, I realised we had arrived at the market and were caught in “traffic jam.” Although the river is very broad and there are not too many farmers’ boats, the large number of tourists’ boats crowded the river. Our boat had to wait for a while to get near the boats full of vegetables such as potato, tomato, pumpkin, watermelon, pineapple, as well as boats selling food and drinks in the centre of the market. The noisy sound of the engine and the calls of the vendors created a bustling atmosphere. I was a little disappointed because I a bustling atmosphere. I was a little disappointed because I did not see any row boats, and there were only a few boats of farmers and sellers; also, the market was not as crowded as I imagined when I saw it on the Internet. “Everything changes,” Caroline Shaw, a tourist from England, said with a somewhat sluggish tone. “I came here 13 years ago. At that time, there were more boats, and most of them were row boats, and the goods were more diversified and colourful.” Still, she found the floating market very interesting and distinctive, as she had not seen anything like it in Europe. However, the boatman was worried that in the near future, the floating market will disappear as the road system develops and no one wants to go to the market on the river anymore.

Leaving the Cai Rang floating market, we once again passed by the small houses with the high-rise buildings in the distance. Life always has many contradictory aspects.

Back in the city, we strolled along the romantic Ninh Kieu Quay. Located at the confluence of Hau River and Can Tho River, Ninh Kieu Quay is the commercial centre of Can Tho City, where hundreds of boats pass by. Ninh Kieu Quay was built in the 18th century for trading purposes, but its beauty has made it become famous in many literary works. Especially at night, the glittering lights of the floating restaurants, reflecting on the river, make this place more beautiful. Perhaps that’s why so many people come here to enjoy the cool breezefrom the river. Along Phan Boi Chau Street and Phan Chu Trinh Street, there is a barbecue and junk food paradise as varied as Taiwanese night markets. From popular dishes such as grilled chicken leg and wings, grilled skewers, grilled vegetables, tofu, smoothies, and sweet dessert soups to regional specialties like tung lo mo – a Cham sausage – and grilled shrimp, octopus, and squid are all delicious. Prices are very reasonable, only half compared to Hanoi’s seafood.

MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES AT TRA SU

Wanderlust Tips Magazine | Nostalgia for The Mekong Detal

We were about to end our journey in Can Tho, but an American friend we met on the trip advised us to visit the Tra Su cajeput forest in Chau Doc, An Giang Province. He was extremely impressed and said he would return to Tra Su if he had a chance to visit Vietnam again.

Chau Doc is very remote area, very close to the Cambodian border. We were rewarded when we arrived at Tra Su: I was completely mesmerised by the immense green of 850 hectares of cajeputs growing in water. It seems that the green colour of thousands cajeputs is not enough to satisfy this land, so in the rainy season, nature also covers the surface of the water with a dense carpet of pistias, creating an extremely unique fresh, green world. The cajeput forest is home to 140 species of plants, 11 species of animals, and 23 species of fish, including rare species on a protected list. Here you can easily see the storks, coucals, and mallards, feeding or swimming in their kingdom.

We stopped at a leafy hut in the middle of the forest. From there, as we swayed in our hammocks, we could see Khmer villages in the distance. Here, we immersed ourselves in wild nature, a beautiful dream from which I do not want to wake up and return to real life.

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