Wanderlust Tips Team, Author at WANDERLUST TIPS • Page 142 of 191

First 12 open-top double-decker buses inaugurated in Da Nang

The first batch of 12 open-top double-decker buses has started service at Coco Bay entertainment-cum-hospitality complex in the central coastal city of Da Nang.

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Each decker has 54 seats, with 12 seats on the lower deck and 42 seats on the upper deck.

The service, called Coco Bus Tour, has two routes with the first departing from Da Nang airport to the south of the city with 25 stops, while the second route will be put into operation in September 2017 to the north of the hub, from the airport to Son Tra peninsula with about 18 stops.

There are 30 open-top bus services a day, with an interval of 30 minutes between 07h00 and 22h00. The listed price is VND250,000 (about USD10.98) which can be used for either route within 24 hours and allows passengers to hop off and hop on at any stop.

The tour will run free of charge until the end of August 2017, and will offer a 50% discount from September to November 2017. The project was jointly developed by Empire Group and local car maker Truong Hai. Earlier, in July 2017, the two businesses tested the operation of the 12 buses to serve tourism in the city.

Vietnamtourism | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Ha Long Bay was listed among top 50 natural wonders of the world

Ha Long Bay has been listed among top 50 natural wonders in the world by CNN Travel.

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According to CNN’s Travel, Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam has thousands of small islands and standing stacks, or karsts, overgrown with green shrubbery, protrude from Halong Bay, a peaceful bay.

The popular way to explore is in a traditional Chinese trading ship — the brown-paneled sails of the junks have become as much a part of the landscape as the towering rocks.

Most visitors to Halong Bay come via Hanoi — 170 kilometers away, or five to six hours on a public bus. Private cars can be hired. Even rented helicopters make the journey.

Some of other places in the list include Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen, Norway; Gran Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia; Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania; Paria Canyon, Arizona, United States; Volcanic eruptions at Stromboli, Italy; Mud volcanoes of Gobustan, Azerbaijan; Jeita Grotto, Nahr al-Kalb Valley, Lebanon; Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail, Wales; Pangong Tso Lake, India-China.

PULPIT ROCK, PREIKESTOLEN, NORWAY

With a 604-meter drop from a flat plateau down to Lysefjord with no safety railings, this is not a place for vertigo sufferers.

Keep well back from the edge and you can still enjoy the fantastic scenery over Kjerag peak, which itself drops 984 meters.

Preikestolen is south of Jorpeland. From the designated car park it’s a 90-minute hike to the viewpoint.

GRAN SALAR DE UYUNI, BOLIVIA

The Gran Salar de Uyuni in southern Bolivia takes in more than 10 square kilometers of salt. It feels more like a desert than a lake.

The flat, white landscape causes optical illusions and reflects colors. There’s even a hotel made almost entirely of salt and an island where giant cacti grow in the middle of the salt lake.

Gran Salar de Uyuni is 533 kilometers south of La Paz and 200 kilometers southwest of Potosi.

GOROGORO CRATER, TANZANIA

The Ngorogoro Crater is Africa’s Eden. Created when a huge volcano exploded 2-3 million years ago, the 300 square kilometer caldera now offers the best chances of seeing Africa’s wild animals.

Lions, rhino, leopards, elephant and buffalo are the “big five” present among around 25,000 animals, and nearly every species present in East Africa, which call the area home.

Besides that, the crater itself offers dramatic vistas, especially at sunrise.

From Kilimanjaro International Airport you can fly or drive the 55 kilometers to Arusha, from where you can organize tours and accommodation inside and outside the crater.

PARIA CANYNON, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES

The Paria River in northern Arizona carved its own smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Some of the rock formations, including The Wave, are just as spectacular.

Visitors need a permit from the Bureau of Land Management — the permit for an overnight trek comes with a “human waste bag,” so if you want to visit this natural wonder, you’ll have to prepare to pack your waste.

The Paria Contact Station is 69 kilometers east of Kanab. You can hire a guide through the Bureau of Land Management.

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AT STROMBOLI, ITALY

Part of the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily, Stromboli is a small volcanic island with several hundred brave inhabitants.

Unlike most volcanoes, Stromboli’s is constantly spewing lava fountains, gas and ash. Fascinating for volcanologists, but also great for day-trippers who fancy seeing live lava action.

For natural fireworks, take a boat trip around the island at night. Arrange boat tours from harbors on the north coast of Sicily (Messina, Cefalu, Palermo).

MUD VOLCANOES OF GOBUSTAN, AZERBAIJAN

Mud lovers trek to Gobustan’s strangely Martian landscape, 65 kilometers south of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, where thick gray mud regularly spews from small volcanoes.

The mud is thought to have medicinal qualities, so don’t be surprised if you see people stripping down and lathering themselves in the goo. Look out for the area’s Roman inscriptions and the petroglyphic rock art.
About 70 kilometers west of Baku.

JEITA GROTTO, NAHR AL-KALB, LEBANON

Eighteen kilometers northeast of Beirut, Jeita Grotto is comprised of underground limestone caves were inhabited in prehistoric times and continue to attract human visitors with their vivid colors and stalactite formations. The biggest stalactite in the world is here.

The caves consist of a network of chambers — with an upper and a lower gallery — stretching out for nine kilometers and accessible by an underground river.

The nearest town is Juniyah, just a few kilometers away. Cave tours last two hours.

PEMBROKESSHIRE COAST PATH NATIONAL TRAIL, WALES

This path twists 300 kilometers from St. Dogmaels to Amroth in southwest Wales. It’s often wet and windy, but if you strike lucky on a sunny day this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Scented gorse and crimson heather brighten the way.

Paths are signposted — join the path on the coast between St. Dogmaels and Amroth. Details on guided walks and activities can be found on the National Trails website — including self-guided walks with baggage transfer.

PANGONG TSO LAKE, INDIA-CHINA

This saltwater lake deep in the Himalayas at an altitude of 4,350 meters lies astride a disputed border area between India and China-governed Tibet.

Don’t let that put you off — the rarefied air make the colors and clarity of the lake intense.
Pangong Tso is reached by a mountain road from the Indian town of Leh, but you’ll need to get a permit via a registered tour guide.

Get to Leh by road from Jammu, or by plane from Delhi. At Leh arrange a permit and travel by road 4-5 hours to the lake. Permits and tour guides can be arranged through reputable travel agents such as Kuoni.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Life in the Mekong, Can Tho 20 years ago

The peaceful and colourful life of simple and sincere people in Cantho was captured by the photographer Harry Gruyaert in 1994.

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Harry Gruyaert is a Belgian photographer born in 1941. He studied Film and Photography from 1959 to 1962. He spent time working as a freelance photographer in Paris, then working for the famous photo magazine named Magnum.

In 1994, he visited Vietnam and recorded the ordinary moments of people in the Can Tho River. In the picture, there was a girl rowing on the Hau river. The photographer said he was fascinated by the living of sincere workers in the land. His pictures reflect Can Tho people‘s lives in 1994.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Golden waves on the terraces in Mu Cang Chai

There will be many exciting activities during Culture Tourism Week and National Landscape Festival 2017 for discovering Mu Cang Chai’s terraces.

Tam Thanh Art Village won the Asian prize

Tam Thanh community art village in Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province has been awarded the 2017 Asian Townscape Award.

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Tam Thanh Art Village was officially inaugurated in June 2017 on the occasion of Quang Nam heritage festival 2017. It hosts around 500 visitors each day, and 2,000 tourists on weekends.

The Asian Townscape Award, designed by UN-Habitat, Asian Habitat Society, Asian Townscape Design Society and Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Centre, aims to honour cities, regions and projects which made significant contribution to building landscapes which support satisfying and sufficient living environments for Asian people. In 2017, the prize honours 15 cities, including four cities in China, three in the Republic of Korea, four in Japan and four in Southeast Asia. The ceremony will be held in Yinchuan city on September 28th-29th.

The village was shaped to seek sustainable solutions to improve the living environment and create livelihoods for local residents on the basis of the core values of the locality. It has a 6km coastline and a tranquil environment, and from the village tourists can easily access Tam Ky and Hoi An cities. In 2013, Hoi An historic town centre was chosen for the 2013 Townscape Award by the UN-Habitat Regional Office in Asia.

Vietnamtourism | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

The Best Cocktails in the World

Colin Field, head bartender at the Ritz Paris’s Bar Hemingway, and Damon Boelte, head bartender and co-owner of Grand Army in Brooklyn, help us trace the history of a handful of classic cocktails—like the Bronx and the Manhattan above—that put their namesake on the map.

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1. THE BRONX AND THE MANHATTAN

The Bronx…

In the early 1900s, the Waldorf-Astoria’s bartender Johnnie Solon enhanced the traditional martini’s orange bitters with a splash of orange juice. The name is said to have come from Solon’s visit to the newly opened Bronx Zoo, whose wild creatures reminded him of some of his own patrons after too much drink. The Bronx, which once rivaled the Manhattan, was made popular, according to Field, by legendary barman Frank Meier, who started at the Hoffman House Hotel on Broadway and 25th, later ending up at Paris’s Bar Hemingway.

2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Blanc vermouth
1 oz. Freshly squeezed orange juice
Serve up.

…And the Manhattan

The drink is reputed to have been created in New York for American socialite Jennie Jerome, a.k.a. Winston Churchill’s mother, for a party she supposedly threw at the Manhattan Club in honor of Samuel Tilden’s gubernatorial election in 1874. But according to Field, “she was about to give birth to the future prime minister, so she couldn’t have been in the club.” More likely is that it was invented by a bartender there, “for, but not in the presence of, Jerome,” Field says.

2 oz. Rye whiskey
1/2 oz. Sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Blanc vermouth
3 Dashes of bitters
Serve up, stirred.

2. THE JAPANESE COCKTAIL

“It’s a brandy old-fashioned of sorts,” says Damon Boelte of one of the first cocktails in the 1862 edition of Jerry Thomas’s How to Mix Drinks to be listed by name rather than by ingredients. Though the drink dates from the1860 Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States and is thought to have been inspired by the representatives who lived near and drank at Thomas’s bar in downtown Manhattan, there is nothing even remotely Japanese about the ingredients. The moniker, however, presages the ebb and flow of America’s fascination with Japanese culture in subsequent years.

2 1/2 oz. Louis Royer Cognac (106 proof)
1/2 oz. Orgeat
3 Dashes of bitters
Serve up with a twist of orange.

3. QUEEN’S PARK SWIZZLE

It’s no wonder that this mojito-like cocktail, which originated in Port- of-Spain’s now-defunct Queen’s Park Hotel, was invented in the 1920s. That was the height of Prohibition and Trinidad’s heyday as an upscale winter escape—a moment when Americans would travel far and wide to booze liberally.

8–12 Muddled mint leaves
2 oz. Aged gold rum (the higher the proof, the better)
3/4 oz. Lime juice
3/4 oz. Simple syrup
Pour over mint and ice and swizzle; serve with several dashes of bitters.

4. SINGAPORE SLING

“A very beautiful example of how a bartender or a bar can become the lighthouse of a hotel,” says Bar Hemingway’s Colin Field of the iconic mixture invented in 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, the Hainanese-born barman at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The drink is so popular at the property’s Long Bar that the staff makes some 1,200 of them a day.

1 1/2 oz. Gin
1 oz. Orange juice
3/4 oz. Lemon juice
1 oz. Curaçao
1/4 oz. Benedictine
A splash of seltzer
A drizzle of Cherry Heering
Shake and serve over ice.

5. THE FRISCO

The origins of the drink have, unfortunately, been lost to time. “All I can say about the Frisco is that I love whiskey, I love Benedictine, and I love that town,” Boelte says. It is often served as a sour (with lemon juice) and shaken.
1 1/2 oz. Rye whiskey
1 1/ 2 oz. Benedictine
A dash of bitters
Stir and serve up with a peel of orange or lemon.

6. THE ETNA SPRITZ

So called for the unobstructed view of Mount Etna from the seaside terrace of the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, the cocktail is bar manager Alfio Liotta’s decidedly Sicilian riff on the Aperol Spritz.

1 1/2 oz. Campari
1 1/2 oz. Sicilian orange liqueur
1 1/2 oz. Sicilian sparkling wine
A splash of soda
Stir with ice; garnish with a slice of Sicilian orange and its zest.

7. THE FRENCH 75

Named after the 75-millimeter field artillery cannon used during the First World War, the original French 75 was created in Paris in 1915 by “a chap called Henry of Henry’s Bar,” Field says, at a now-shuttered hotel by the same name. As with cocktails themselves, which, he adds, were “invented by Brits but made famous by Americans,” it was the Stork Club in New York that popularized the drink.
1 1/2 oz. Gin
3/4 oz. Lemon juice
1/2 oz. Simple syrup
Shake with ice and top with Champagne and a lemon twist.

Cntraveler | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Different views of foreigners when visiting Vietnam

A 32-year-old girl originally named Kate from the Boston, New York summarized from so many posts on two sides of the argument about Vietnam. Just take a look to know what foreign travelers think about Vietnam.

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WHAT WOMEN SAY ABOUT VIETNAM

To get more opinions, Kate reached out to her female blogger friends who have been to Vietnam. Most of them had a complicated view of the country as a whole, alternatively enjoying and not enjoying it. As she read piece after piece, common themes began to emerge.

The experience of traveling Vietnam, though difficult at times, is overall a net positive. Steph from Twenty-Something Travel eloquently described how Vietnam was difficult to travel at times, but ultimately a wonderful, rewarding destination. And for a different side of Vietnam, Lash from Lash World Tour visited the northwest highlands of Vietnam and its Hmong villages and found that even this ethnically different region of Vietnam was as beautiful and challenging as the rest. Scams abound — primarily (though not exclusively) in the north. But they’re not bad enough to write off the entire country.

Bethaney from Flashpacker Family had a very rough time in Vietnam the first time around — but on her second visit, she grew to love the country. She also gives tips for Vietnam travelers. While Lillie from Around the World L had a bad experience when she was groped by her motorbike driver out in the middle of nowhere, she shrugged it off as an isolated incident and loved the rest of the country.

The food is exceptional. While the food of Southeast Asia gets almost universal acclaim, Vietnamese food is on another level. Jodi from Legal Nomads just settled into Saigon for a three month stay. She’s fascinated by Vietnam so far and in love with the food culture.

Getting to know the people of Vietnam is the single most rewarding thing you can do.

Aleah of Solitary Wanderer spent awhile in Saigon and enjoyed it thoroughly — it felt like home to her then, and still does now. Her fondest memories are of the people she met. Kate from 30 Traveler was lucky enough to be invited to a Vietnamese wedding! She described the kindness of the people she met in Vietnam here. Vietnam is an enormously important country to visit for its cultural and historical context.

According to Lillie from Around the World L, “My month in Vietnam was half wonderful and half super-stressful. It’s important for people to visit Vietnam. It’s a very influential country in world history on many, many levels, and remarkable in many ways.” She explains why in this piece.

As for Kate, she thought her post that sums up Vietnam best is Coming to Terms with the Vietnam War. It was very difficult coming to Vietnam as an American and witness how my country destroyed so many lives in the name of a war that never should have happened.

KATE MCCULLEY’S EXPERIENCES IN VIETNAM

Kate said she read a post called “Why I’ll Never Return to Vietnam” of a backpacker named Nomadic Matt. Many of his readers were in complete agreement; many more disagreed. So she tried to help a reader deciding whether or not she should skip Vietnam on her Southeast Asia trip.

She got asked this question all the time. That post of Matt’s freaked out a lot of people — particularly the female travelers who write to her. But considering how far that post of his has spread, she felf sad that people had skipped a wonderful, beautiful, delicious country just because one popular travel blogger didn’t like it.

She said she love Vietnam. In her impression, Vietnam is a fantastic country and if you skipped it, you would be missing out on a lot. The food, in her opinion, is the best in Southeast Asia. The scenery is gorgeous, featuring everything from beaches to mountains to terraced rice paddies. The cities are fun, diverse, and fascinating, and there are so many activities in Vietnam, from getting custom designer sneakers in Hoi An to sailing through Halong Bay or cruising Nha Trang to drinking snake blood in Hanoi.

That said, Vietnam can be difficult. Scams are quite prevalent in Vietnam, though all of the scams she personally witnessed took place within Hanoi. Most of the scamming is in the form of overcharging you or not giving you everything you paid for.

Her personal advice? Go to Vietnam — but keep your eyes open. Give Vietnam a chance.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Melia Hanoi introduces new speed dial number and September promotions

In this September, Melia Hanoi Hotel offers customers a wide range of exciting culinary and entertainment offers. In addition, Melia Hanoi also introduced to new speed dial number # 7666 for more convenience when contacting.

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SEPTEMBER PROMOTIONS

At El Patio Restaurant:

– Birthday promotion: On your month of birth, enjoy the discount % equivalent to your age while celebrating at El Patio Restaurant at Melia Hanoi. Your party will even be more fun with a special birthday cake personally prepared by Ms. Le Phi Phuong – Pastry Chef. Remember to present your identity card to enjoy such privileges.

– Seafood Extravaganza: Every Friday and Saturday dinner, the chef team at El Patio Restaurant is proud to present most expanded gastronomic selection of seafood in town, featuring the freshest and most luscious ingredients.

“Dine 4 pay 3” promotion applied from 6pm to 10pm Every Friday & Saturday

VND 825,000++/adult (without drinks)
VND 890,000++/adult (including free flow of draught beer and soft drinks)
VND 1,170,000++/adult (including free flow of 6 red wines & 3 white wines)

International daily buffet dinner applied from 6pm to 10pm From Monday to Thursday

VND 560,000++/adult (without drinks)
VND 625,000++/adult (including free flow of draught beer and soft drinks)
VND 905,000++/adult (including free flow of 6 red wine & 3 white wine)

At Cava Lounge:

– Summer refresher menu: Beat the heat with a new “Refresher Summer Treat” menu especially off-ered by Meliá Hanoi at Cava Lounge for this hot season 2017. From sweet and fruity to light and creamy, few things are as refreshing as the cooler mocktails, infused iced tea and delicious sorbet that guarantee to cool you o¬ff while the weather heats up.
– Live Music: Sway to the sounds of the great song selection brought by our in-house band in a cozy atmosphere at Cava Lounge. The charming voice of Tina from Cuba every Wednesday and Friday will make your evening more special. Time: From Tuesday to Friday, 7pm – 9pm
– Happy Hour: Start your evening off in style and get 1 complimentary drink when ordering from our great selections of drinks. Time: Everyday from 6:30pm – 8:30pm

MELIA HANOI INTRODUCES NEW SPEED DIAL NUMBER *7666

Meliá Hanoi Hotel has currently launched a new speed dial number *7666. From now on, whenever you want to call Melia Hanoi, just simply pick up your phone and dial *7666 correlating to *ROOM! Our operator will be very pleased to offer proper assistance. (Applied only for phone in Vietnam network).

Moreover, download ONE SMART STAR APP through to QR code to explore our visual IVR (phone call, booking engine, website, navigation, email, promotions and many more).

Melia Hanoi’s General Manager, Guillermo Pantoja happily shares: “It’s about takes one step closer to our customer. People get used to using smartphone apps nowadays. So with new speed dial number, it will be faster and easier for you to check up info or our news without any difficulty. We do hope it’s going to be useful with you”.

Melia Hanoi Hotel

Address: 44B Ly Thuong Kiet Street
Speed dial number: *7666 or *ROOM
Tel: 04 3934 3343 (ext. 7405), fax: 04 3934 8688
Email: marcom@meliahanoi.com.vn

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Unique souvenir shops in Hanoi

Let explore every corner of Hanoi with Wanderlust Tips Travel Magazine to find lovely and unique souvenir shop around Hanoi.

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1. GINKGO AND MADE IN VIETNAM PRODUCTS

It is no coincidence that the Ginkgo are so popular with foreign visitors. Here, you can choose for yourself a lot of beautiful fashion items such as T-shirts, skirts, bags, backpacks, purses, flip flops … All drawings, texts on the products has Vietnamese style. Ginkgo’s main products are T-shirts with simple text such as “Vietnam”, “I love Vietnam”, or pictures of electric poles, motorcycles, bicycles or traditional dishes. All of them highlight the unique culture of Vietnam that many foreign visitors feel impressed.

Besides, the products are designed with simple yet dynamic, modern style which is suitable with many people. Manufacturers also focus on the use of good and environmentally frienly fabric material. This is what makes Ginkgo’s products different.

Starting from a small 6m2 store on Pham Ngu Lao Street in Ho Chi Minh City, Ginkgo now has nine shops across Vietnam. Visitors now can buy products of Ginkgo in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hoi An or Hanoi. These products are not only a meaningful souvenir to bring home, but also a great item for young fashion lover.

Addresses in Hanoi: 44 Hang Be | 79 Hang Gai | 35 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

2. KAY DECOR & GIFT CONQUERS ALL GIRL’S HEARTS

As its name would suggest, the store’s main items are items or pretty souvenirs to decorate your home. Stepping into the Kay Decor & Gift, the customers and especially the ladies will be overwhelmed by the abundance of products displayed on the shelves and on the way. On one corner, there are dishes, cups, bottles, jars; on the other corner. there are clothes, shoes, bags, hats; and also a corner filled with artificial colorful flowers…

If you are a devotee of cute things, then you can spend all day to “dive” in the Kay Decor and Gift without feeling bored. Here, you can find everything to decorate your room with any color tone, or buy gifts for your best friend and choose a nice dress to appear at the birthday party on the weekend.

Address: 10 Tran Nguyen Han, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

3. CUC VAI (FABRIC BUTTON) – PARADISE OF HANDMADE LOVERS

For the handmade lovers, Cuc Vai is an address that can not be ignored. Located on Khuc Hien Street, it is home to a lot of beautiful items such as bracelets, rings, wood carvings, pottery, pillows and leather items such as handbags, purse.

Most of the items on sale are made of craftsmen. For girls who want to make their home a beautiful place with the small things then they can come to Cuc Vai to admire, prepare and learn how to make mademade things. Your house will probably become warmer and more beautiful when being decorated with Cuc Vai’s products.

Address: 10 Khuc Hao, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

4. ASTER BOTIQUE – SMALL HOME OF PRETTY STUFFS

Aster Botique is the place selling handicrafts made from fabric, products here always look simple yet gentle and elegant.

Coming to Aster Botique, you will have chance to admire a world of beautiful personal items. From the keychain, tiny phone decorations to the small accessories like the headband, purse … even the bag, the backpacks, all of them are made carefully and skillfully by the owner. Besides, there are the stuffed animal made of cloth like cats, elephants.

Although the store is not large, but everyone when stepping into the Aster Botique also find their own things. The products here besides satisfy the passion of the handmade fans can also become lovely souvenir gifts.

Address: 82 Nui Truc Lane, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

LN&TH | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Plowing rice paddies with water buffalo in Vietnam

Tourists to Hoi An are taught to control the buffalo with a very distinguished language of the farmers. And to everybody’s amazement, the buffaloes become incredibly obedient.

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A SPECIAL TOUR IN VIETNAM

In the afternoon, the smoothly sandy road in Thien Dang rice paddy leading to Tra Que vegetable village is congested with packs of high-spirited tourists. Some are posing photos, the others are recording video clip, and many of them eagerly yell at the buffaloes wading in the pond with tourists on their back. Meanwhile, other buffaloes are pulling a cart filled with “blue-eye blonde-hair” tourists from all over the world, gracefully strolling through shiny golden rice fields. Coming to Hoi An, travellers have a variety of choices beside visiting the ancient town, relaxing in high standard sea resorts or world class golf resorts or enjoying tasty local seafood. Tour agency can also provide you a one-day tour to become a true farmer with planting vegetable, catching fish, plowing on the fields, and especially riding a buffalo around Hoi An countryside. These activities never fail to strongly impress any tourist.

Mrs. Carlene Penkett (40 years old, Canadian, staff of the United Nations on environmental protection) decided to take a tour to Vietnam with her husband and 2 sons Cole Penkett (11 years old) and James Penkett (7 years old), with a view to trying riding a buffalo. According to Mrs. Carlene Penkett, her family was having a vacation in Hong Kong while she read a piece of information about a special tour in Vietnam which allows tourists to be a true farmer, leisurely riding the buffaloes on immense rice paddy. Accordingly, she decided to shorten her current tour in Hong Kong and take a flight to Hoi An.

‘I hope my children can gain more experience with the daily life, and the unique lifestyle in Hoi An meets every requirement I have got. I strongly advocate such environmentally-friendly tourism that nourishes the love for the nature and other animals’, shared Mrs. Carlene Penkett. Mrs. Carlene’s husband – Mr. Paul Penkett (currently working for a large bank in Canada, whose headquarter is in Hong Kong), claimed that he had enjoyed unforgettable moments becoming a real farmer in Hoi An. This experience is really remarkable compared to his usual business in luxurious buildings or extravagant accommodation. ‘I love those mild buffaloes, and also the farmers owning them. They are truly sincere and rustic. Everything is so lovely’, Paul said with a wide smile.

Hoi An is now a familiar destination with international tourists. However, the ‘riding a buffalo’ experience has only become popular for the recent 3 years. Despite its newly introduction, it has always been of great interest on tourism networks. On the Tripadvisor Profile of ‘Jack Tran Hoi An Eco-Tour’, there are thousands of comments from international tourists about their wonderful experience with the buffaloes. Malanne, an account on this network, wrote: ‘That was the most beautiful day in our lives. We came here to become a real farmer with the buffaloes. This destination in Hoi An was the highlight of my trip to Vietnam with my family. It only took us a couple of hours and 20 USD for each person, which was all you need for a perfect experience. We learned how to ride as well as control a buffalo. At the end of the day, we all knew how to give orders to a buffalo so that it will be amazingly obedient.’

TEACH THE “BUFFALO LANGUAGE” TO TOURISTS

The first thing you need to successfully ride a buffalo is to master in ‘buffalo language’. In such way, you can manipulate a buffalo, giving orders to it to move forward or backward, turn left or turn right, or stop. Mr. Le Viet Nhien (Cam Chau District, Hoi An City) is the owner of 14 buffaloes which are now used for tourism purposes. He said that the tourists need to memorize the ‘oral command’ to successfully control the buffalo. He further explained: ‘Since it was still a calf, the buffalo was taught to obey its owner’s words. When you say ‘dờ’ /zә/, it will stop walking immediately. If you want it to turn left, say ‘dí’ /’zi/, or ‘quá’ /’kwa/ when you want to turn right. Of course, you will also need to reinforce your oral command by moving the rope (which is connected to the nose of the buffalo) toward the direction you want.’ Before the tourist climbs to the back of the buffalo, Mr. Nhien will instruct them with the help of a skillful translator.

The buffaloes of Mr. Nhien are named after the chessmen, including ‘castle buffalo’, ‘bishop buffalo’, ‘knight buffalo’, etc. The most difficult challenge in this business is not correctly feeding them, but to make them obedient in a constant good manner. Otherwise, it can easily get mad and butt their horns towards people. Mr. Nhien told that these buffaloes should be trained to plow on the field before using them in tourist service. The plowing work will acquaint them with ‘oral commands’ from their rider so that they can recognize and follow your words. ‘If you provide them with sufficient food and water, they will become lazy and spoiled, just like humans, because they don’t have any motive to work hard. You should put them into hardship in order to teach them to obey.’ – Mr. Nhien shared his experience. Also according to him, the next challenging task is to correctly select a suitable breed. He said that the breed of animals is similar to the physiognomy of human. That is the reason why the local people here share that: ‘If you buy a buffalo, look at its breed. If you marry a girl, look at her family.’ He smiled and said: ‘I am not very sure about how to choose a good wife, maybe they just say it for fun. But that sentence is totally correct in the case of buffaloes. A good buffalo majorly depends on its breed.’

Mr. Nhien tends to choose strong and good-tempered buffaloes which can be recognized by the hair swirls on their body. It will be best to choose those with a swirl on their forehead, between the horns. Those with a swirl around their tail will be discarded. A good buffalo can also be recognized by its ears next to its horn and its hind legs not bunched together. In short, Mr. Nhien summarized his experience in choosing a good buffalo as follows: “Those with swirl on head, sell it. Those with swirl on forehead, raise it. Those with swirl around tail, butcher it.” Besides, one of his most concerns is that the male buffaloes do not get on well with perfume and other smell characterized by Western tourists. Thus, before using them for tourism, these buffaloes need to get acquainted with this by letting them smell old clothes. ‘Another dangerous problem is a male buffalo trying to impress a female buffalo. To win the female buffalo, the male will gallop and then gore another male, which will definitely blow the person on its back away. For this reason, we need to separate the male buffaloes away from the female ones.”, Mr. Nhien further discusses the key secrets.

This special ‘buffalo riding’ tour in Hoi An conveys the image of the traditional water rice culture in Vietnam. At present in Hoi An, there are about 7 to 8 packs of buffaloes serving tourism purposes. Everything about this emergent service looks really promising. According to Mr. Ho Tan Cuong, Vice Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the exploitation of this unique tourism service is extremely effective in Hoi An. The symbol of a friendly buffalo will become a major attraction to international tourists. And this is also the opportunity to further develop other tourism products.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet