French ruled period advertisement Vietnam

Discovering advertisements in the French-ruled period

June 3, 2012

LookAtVietnam РThrough these advertisements, readers will discover interesting things in the life of the upper class in Vietnam one century ago. These advertisements come from a French magazine, Extr̻me-Asie, published in April 1927.

Advertisement for a photo shop, set up by Mr. Khanh Ky in 1907.

Fresh meat advertisement.

Advertisement for a pharmaceutical firm, established in 1920 by Louis Sarreau.

A ‘super-car’.

The advertisement for Langbian Palace Hotel in Da Lat.

An umbrella shows the position of the user and owning a ‘famous-brand’ umbrella is the dream of many people.

Advertisement of Brossard & Mopin, the oldest financial firm in Indochina.

This is advertisement of the Colonial Financial Corporation.

Soft drink was quite popular in the French-rule period.

Advertisement of the Charner shopping mall in Saigon.

Advertisement for an antique shop.

The Indochina Bank.

Advertisement for rubber products.

Belle Indochine

Less common foreign languages now attract more learners | Look At Vietnam

Less common foreign languages now attract more learners

April 28, 2012

LookAtVietnam – Following the movement of learning English, French and
Chinese, Vietnam now witnesses the movement of learning less common foreign
languages, because the language skills could be an advantage for Vietnamese to
look for jobs.

The 10 scholarships for the summer training courses in Thailand offered every
year are the main reason that prompted Nguyen Kim Phuong, a student of the
German language faculty of the Hanoi University, to start learning Thai
language.
Phuong complained that she meets so many difficulties with the learning. The
textbooks used for teaching and learning are just photocopied versions, while
reference books and dictionaries could not be found at libraries and bookstores.
As very few people are learning Thai, Phuong cannot find anyone to consult with
every time when she has problems with the learning.
She said she sometimes feels disappointed with the learning and intends to give
up the hard work.
Vu Hoang Quan, a Spanish Language Faculty’s student of the Hanoi University, is
learning Italian language, because he loves Italian football, Italian culture.
Quan believes that he has aptitude for foreign languages, but he admits that he
usually mistakes Spanish for Italian words.
When learning Italian, Quan also meets a lot of big challenges. Lacking
materials and the environment to practice skills are the two biggest problems.
Having the Latin letter system, but the complexity of Portuguese grammar has
made many young learners puzzled.
Though facing so many difficulties, young people believe that they would have
more opportunities to find good jobs, if they have fluent foreign language
skills. Therefore, a lot of students now rush to enroll in less common foreign
language faculties. Especially, no high requirements have been set up for the
students to the faculties, while the learning of the foreign language has been
encouraged.
The Hanoi University, the biggest foreign language school in Vietnam, enrolls
students for 10 foreign language faculties. Students need to have 21 marks from
the university entrance exams at least to be able to obtain a seat at the
faculties. Meanwhile, the University of Foreign Languages, an arm of the Hanoi
National University, requires 22 marks.
Foreign language schools in Vietnam all have opened their doors widely to the
learners of less common foreign languages. However, local newspapers still have
quoted head hunting companies as saying that the workers who can speak the
foreign languages fluently are seriously lacking in all business fields.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism VNAT, by May 2011,
Vietnam had had 5272 international tour guides having practice cards. Of this
amount, only 171 tour guides speaking less common languages, including Spanish,
Thai, Italian, Lao, Bulgarian, Indonesian, Romanian and Hungarian.
Tran Hai Yen, the lecturer of the Portuguese Language Faculty of the Hanoi
University, has affirmed that those, who can speak Portuguese, now have the
chances to find good jobs. The military telecom company Viettel, for example, is
expanding its business to Mozambique, therefore, it needs the staff who can
speak Portuguese.
Viettel regularly asks the school to introduce the Portuguese speakers to the
company. Therefore, the school is considering increasing the number of students
to the faculty by 20 students this year.
Pham Van Kim, MA, from the Hanoi National University, has affirmed that in the
context of the global integration, students would have more opportunities to get
jobs if they have foreign language skills. Kim said that Arab language skills
would be a big advantage for the students who want to work for state agencies
such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security or
Ministry of National Defense.
Source: Tien phong

French bands to play in Hanoi | Look At Vietnam

French bands to play in Hanoi 

April 2, 2012

A Stradivaria concert

The French cultural center in Hanoi L’Espace will organize a baroque concert on April 10.
The Stradivaria Ensemble will perform Stabat Mater, a baroque masterpiece by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1726), with conductor Daniel Cuiller at 8 p.m.
The band consists of a soprano, a contra-tenor, a violinist, a viola artist, a cellist, a positive organist and a flutist.
Tickets priced at VND100,000 (US$5) are available at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street.
Smooth, another French band who plays a mixture of pop, electro and soul, will perform at the center on April 5 at 8 p.m.
The band has a lead singer who also plays the guitar and the keyboard, a bass singer, and a drummer.
Tickets cost VND120,000 ($6) apiece.
L’Espace members and students enjoy half prices in both concerts.

Thanh Nien News 

French Government honors Actress Vietnamese

VietNamNet Bridge - Pham Linh Dan has received the noble Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres Medal (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) of the French Government.

Linh Dan (first from the right).

From France, the famous actress informed VietNamNet of her good news. The medal awards ceremony was organized solemnly in Paris on April 5.
Since 1957 many world famous stars have received the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters medal, including legendary singer Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Hollywood stars George Clooney, Leonardo Di Caprio, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Sharon Stone, Bruce Willis, etc.
She is known most for her role as an orphan of the Nguyen Dynasty adopted by a French plantation owner in the 1992 Oscar-winning French epic Indochine, starring alongside Catherine Deneuve. Linh Dan received a César nomination for most promising actress for that performance.
Despite appearing in a few other productions afterwards, Linh Dan eventually decided to take a decade off from acting, focusing instead on her studies. She studied commerce and worked as a senior marketing manager in Vietnam after graduation.
In 2005, Linh Dan made a return to acting with her role in the BAFTA and César winning French film The Beat That My Heart Skipped, opposite Romain Duris for which she was nominated again for the most promising actress César award and won.
Since then she has appeared in lead or supporting roles mostly in films such as Dante 01, Pars Vite et Reviens Tard (Have Mercy on Us All), Mr. Nobody, Le Bruit des Gens Autour, Le Bal des Actrices and Tout Ce qui Brille.
She starred in her first Vietnamese production when she appeared as Cam in the 2009 film Choi Voi (Adrift) by director Bui Thac Chuyen, which won the FIPRESCI award at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.
She had a cameo role in the 2010 Wachowski brothers produced action thriller Ninja Assassin, playing an assassin sent to kill the film’s hero played by the Korean singer Rain.
Linh Dan returned to Vietnam last October to attend the first Vietnam International Film Festival in Hanoi. She may play in another Vietnamese movie in the near future.
Hoang Vy

Vietnam favorite destination of French & European

LookAtVietnam -
Four Vietnamese tourist companies - La Palanche Voyages, Luxury
Travel, Vietnam Originale and Cle Voyage - joined in the 2011 Le Monde à Paris
(MAP) International Tourism Fair from March 17-20.

Photo: Vietnam+

MAP is one of the biggest tourism fairs in Europe , together with the annual Top
RESA Tourism Fair which is held in September.
This year’s fair highlighted special festivals from different countries
throughout the world, such as carnivals of Brazil, Belgium and the northern
region of France; harvest festivals of Croatia, Spain, Turkey, and Greece; and
water festival of Myanmar.
More than 100,000 visitors flocked to the four-day fair, which featured over 500
booths of well-known travel firms, hotels and restaurants worldwide.
Director of La Palanche Voyages Nguyen Xuan Hai said his company has considered
France a strategic market to directly introduce its services to French as well
as European holidaymakers.

Vietnam has been a favourite destination of French and European tourists thanks
to its political and security stability well as its cultural diversity, he said.

* Queen Mary brings tourists to Nha Trang

The
world’s largest cruise liner, Queen Mary 2, with over 2,430 tourists aboard,
visited Nha Trang Bay in the southcentral province of Khanh Hoa on March 21.

The tourists, mostly from the United Kingdom,
Australia, the United States and Canada, came to see scenic and relic sites and
enjoy having special food and shopping in the locality.
On the afternoon of the same day, the cruise
liner left Nha Trang Bay for Thailand.
Statistics from the Khanh Hoa tourism sector show
that in the first three months of this year, Nha Trang Bay welcomed 13,000
arrivals on 12 international cruise liners.

VNN/VNA/VOV

Dilapidated Hictoric Buildings

LookAtVietnam -
Historic buildings in two localities that functioned as commercial port towns
during the Nguyen dynasty are in a severely dilapidated condition.

Safe as houses? This unique two-storey wooden house in Gia Hoi Old Town is in a bad shape, but local authorities remain unsure how best to protect it. (Photo: VNS)

The Bao Vinh Town,
which hosted a busy port in 18th century, had 39 old buildings standing at the
end of the American War.

Meanwhile, Gia Hoi, a
bustling port town in early 19th century, had 140 old buildings featuring
traditional Vietnamese, Chinese as well as French colonial architecture.

These buildings have
been so badly damaged by the rampant urbanisation of last two decades, that only
15 of them still stand in Bao Vinh, while Gia Hoi has 55.

Residents complain
that they are caught in a bind. One the one hand, they cannot repair their
houses to make them safe or expand it to meet their needs because authorities
have banned such actions. On the other hand, the authorities themselves have
taken no action to preserve the old buildings.

“Many old houses in
Bao Vinh are in ruin and vulnerable to floods and hard weather,” said Nguyen Van
Bon, chairman of Huong Vinh Commune.

A conservation project
to protect the two towns was set up by Thua Thien Hue Province in 2003, but only
three houses were repaired with funds from the French Parliament. In Gia Hoi,
one pagoda had its gate and entrance restored.

Experts have called on
authorities to act before it is too late.

“Architecture reflects
history, so there is a need to protect Bao Vinh and Gia Hoi. Authorities should
promptly come up with ways to deal with the conflict between conservation and
locals’ benefits,” said Nguyen Viet Tien, chairman of the province’s Planning
Association.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa,
former director of the province’s Culture Department, said it was not possible
to restore Bao Vinh as an old town because not many old house remained in it.

“But Gia Hoi has
unique architectural values with a national-heritage pagoda, a Hindu temple, the
house of a Japanese karate master, overseas Chinese club house, French colonial
buildings and palaces of royal family members. It would be interesting to
restore the old town,” he said.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News

Without the Old Quarter, visitors would not linger

“One of Hanoi’s attractions is its old streets, not its high-rise buildings. Without the Old Quarter, foreign visitors would not stay in Hanoi more than one day because they have nothing to see. The Old Quarter makes Hanoi different from other cities,” remarked an Italian diplomat.

At a seminar on how to preserve Hanoi’s Old Quarter on September 10, Cesara Bieller from the Italian Embassy in Hanoi shared that he was very sad whenever he returned to Hanoi and saw old buildings had been ruined. If Hanoians don’t preserve these ancient houses, the city will have to build ancient-style houses in the next 20 years in the suburbs.

Dao Ngoc Nghiem, former director of Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture, observed that 15 countries were willing to help Hanoi’s Old Quarter, but it seemed that Hanoi authorities and the people had neglected these expressions of goodwill.

After many years, only four out of 200 old houses in Hanoi have been restored with State and foreign assistance, including houses at 38 Hang Dao, 51 Hang Bac, 87 Ma May and 28 Hang Buom. These houses have become attractive destinations.

Many houses in the Old Quarter are disappearing because of repairs by owners. Nguyen Thi Hanh, who lives at 116 Hang Gai street, noted that many well-educated residents have moved to other places or lease their homes for others to do business. The new residents don’t have an awareness of preserving old houses. Some even tore down the old houses to build modern hotels.

Hanoi Old Quarter management board has issued regulations on architecture in case residents want to repair their houses.

PV

Artifacts of Oc Eo culture at Ba The Mountain museum

Vestiges of Oc Eo culture at Ba The Mountain

Last update 16:30, Tuesday, 22/06/2010 (GMT+7)

,

VietNamNet Bridge – In 1942, in Thoai Son District, An Giang Province, a French archaeologist discovered many artifacts of the Oc Eo culture which were attached to the legendary kingdom of Phu Nam dating back nearly 1,500 years. The antiques were kept in a cottage in the rice field where they were discovered before the local authorities brought them to the top of Ba The Mountain in Oc Eo Hamlet, Thoai Son District.

HCM City museum opens Oc Eo, Champa culture exhibits

Rare $6 million Buddha statue on display in HCM City

On the way back to root

A view of the house displaying antiques of the Oc Eo culture at Ba The Mountain in An Giang Province.

These antiques reveal secrets of a strong and prosperous kingdom that originated in South Asia. After about 1,500 years of the displacement of nature and history, this culture has fallen into oblivion.

In 2002, the government built a winding concrete road lined with trees to the top of Ba The Mountain to serve tourism.

At the top of the mountain is Son Tien Tu Pagoda which was built in 1933. Standing in front of the pagoda is an eight-meter high statue of Quan The Am and next to it a three-meter high slab of granite with a diameter large enough to separate a circle of four or five people. On this huge stone’s surface is a footprint which is bigger than a normal human footprint. People call it a ban chan tien, or a fairy’s foot.

About ten kilometers from the pagoda is a house that looks like an Indian temple with a front door facing east following the Hindu pattern. This house contains many antiques related to the history and culture of Ba The-Oc Eo. In front are two statues of human bodies with elephant heads and with linga and yoni in hand.

The antiques are divided into three groups. One includes ceramic vases, metal pots and terracotta cups. The second includes bricks, walls, pillars and statues of humans, Buddha and animals. The final group features terracotta tombs, stone molds as some stone jewelry.

“I seem to live in the past of Phu Nam’s time. I can imagine how their life was, the way they built houses, cooked and practiced religious rituals and festivals. It is amazing when artifacts of a vanished nation still exist,” said an unidentified visitor to the relic.

VietNamNet/SGT

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 8/5 Vietnam

Book on Dien Bien Phu victory published in France; Over 300 journalists to attend 2010 Hue Festival; Hanoi to host National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010; World cuisine festival attracts 50 countries

Book on Dien Bien Phu victory published in France

A book entitled “Dien Bien Phu – seen from the other side” has been published in France by the World Publishing House (Nouveau Monde).

The book, written in French, reviews the memories of those who participated in or witnessed the battle and mentions the historical documents relating to France’s war in Vietnam.

It is a valuable book which provides French people with the truth about the war won by Vietnamese people after enduring so many sufferings and inflicting heavy losses on the French, says historic professor Jean Pierre Roux.

Professor Roux emphasised that the victory at Dien Bien Phu was praised around the world and had an important influence on other French colonies in Asia, Africa and South America.

Overseas professor Ngo Manh Lan says that the book reflects the war in a very objective way and that it is very important in order to influence French public opinion.

The book has received a lot of attention in France.

Over 300 journalists to attend 2010 Hue Festival

Three hundred journalists from 43 domestic and foreign press agencies have registered to cover the 2010 Hue Festival.

In recent times, wide coverage has been given by domestic press agencies, including Radio the Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television, the Thanh Nien (Young People), Tuoi Tre (Youth) and Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspapers.

During the 9-day festival, major events will be held in Thua Thien-Hue province to turn it into a festival city.

Ngo Hoa, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the organising board, said he hopes that the festival will receive extensive coverage.

Hanoi to host National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010

The National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010 will be held at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts in Hanoi from November 30 to December 20.

The event is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Vietnam Fine Arts Association.

This exhibition representing Vietnam’s fine arts industry is one link in the chain of big festivals Vietnam is celebrating in 2010.

On display will be representative works from the 5-year period 2006-2010 to gauge fine arts development during the process of national industrialisation and modernisation towards global integration.

German books exhibited in Hanoi

An exhibition of more than 400 German books opened in Hanoi on May 5.

On display are books about literature, art, philosophy and economics written by famous authors from Germany, Switzerland and Austria – all translated into Vietnamese.

The exhibition, organised by the Goethe Institute and the National Library, creates an opportunity for translators and publishers to promote cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Germany.

The Head of the Goethe Institute, Almuth Meyer Zollitsch, says the exhibition aims to help Vietnamese readers, especially students, better understand German literature, culture and society.

Responsible Tourism Initiatives introduced in Vietnam

40 travel agencies and leaders of the Hanoi, Quang Nam, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri provincial Departments for Culture, Sports and Tourism attended a seminar on “the introduction of Responsible Tourism Initiatives in Vietnam” in Hue City on May 4.

The seminar, organized by the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), is designed to respond to challenge facing the developing tourism industry.

It is also aimed at providing information on environment management and attracting the participation of poor people in cultural and tourist activities.

A recent SNV survey of five major tourist attractions in Vietnam shows the visitors’ satisfaction at high level, but also their concern about tourist-related problems like garbage dumping in public places, environmental pollution and benefits poor people.

World cuisine festival attracts 50 countries

The World Cuisine Festival will be held in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province from July 21-25.

Almost 50 countries and territories from around the world and three provinces and cities in Vietnam have registered to take part in the event.

It will take place along a 3km stretch of Vung Tau beach. The organising board hopes that the festival will be listed as a Guinness world record as the culinary festival occupies a wide space and that it will become an annual event for Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Visitors will have the chance to taste special dishes and enjoy live concerts featuring different cultures around the world.

“Don’t burn” screened in Paris

“Don’t burn!” – a film by director Dang Nhat Minh, was shown on May 1 at the Vietnam Culture Centre in Paris, a Vietnamese and French audience.

After the film, they had the opportunity to join in discussions with the director. They expressed a great respect for Dang Thuy Tram, the central character and also the army doctor who dedicated her life to the country during the American war.

The film was premiered in France late last month during the Vietnamese film festival to celebrate the country’s 35th anniversary of Southern Liberation and National Reunification.

“Don’t burn” is expected to be screened in other large cities around France such as Lyon and Toulouse.

Delta delights in Chau Doc | Look At Vietnam

From the top of Sam Mountain, you can see the whole of Chau Doc Town and Tinh Bien District, and even all the way to the That Son (Seven Mountains) range in the distance.

At the summit, marked by a former French Military base built in 1896, the view of the Bassac River is stunning.

You can see the dark river flowing into agricultural channels in the endless expanse of rice paddy before it reaches Chau Doc, a colorful town peppered with the marks of history: traditional Vietnamese homes,French villas, old pagodas and new government buildings – even a four-star resort on the riverside.

The low-rise, French colonial structure of the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel blends in with its natural and man-made surroundings including a 200-year-old Vietnamese-style house nearby.

The hotel overlooks the intersection of Bassac River and Mekong River, dotted with its famous floating fishing villages, floating markets and ethnic Cham communities.

Once down from the mountain and in the bustling town, a walk down any lane immerses the traveler in the sights and sounds of life in the remote outpost deep in the MekongDelta near the Cambodian border.

Deep in the Chau Doc Market, the Quan Cong Temple is a rewarding visit. Its flamboyant Taoist murals and effigies are mostly in praise of a ruddy-faced Quan Cong, worshiped by thedelta ’s ethnic Chinese-Vietnamese population. Cong was a Chinese general who was involved in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty.

Ba Chua Xu Pagoda, dedicated to the region’s patron Buddhist saint, is also a favorite destination, especially in the spring when the Ba Festival is held, attracting huge numbers of local devotees, Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from all around.

While visiting, contrast Ba Chua Xu Pagoda with the lesser-known Tay An Pagoda on Sam Mountain. Its architecture is sometimes fancifully described as Hindu-Muslim. However, a definite Islamic influence has been brought

to the Chinese architecture by the local Cham population. The interior contains a small army of colorful effigies.

On the streets in town, the xe loi (peddle-pedicap) is still preferred by both tourists and locals. Chau Doc residents are known for being very warm and approachable. Though some xe loi drivers are a bit pestering, most are genuinely friendly. They don’t speak much English, but they do their best to entertain foreign tourists.

At the market place, you discover why they call it Chau Doc – Vuong quoc mam (Chau Doc – the kingdom of fermented fish). Although mam (fermented fish products) of all kinds are sold and displayed everywhere, fresh thot not (palmyra palms) fruits, thot not sugar, and other specialties made with thot not are also popular.

Wide-eyed Khmer families and smiling Cham people with colorful brocades invite you to try the sweet white juice of the thot not fruit. The fruit looks like coconut, but is smaller and sweeter.

Tourists can cross the Bassac River by taking a short boat ride to the island village of Chau Giang, but first they should not miss the small floating village en route, complete with its underwater tra and basa catfish cages.

The village is made of modified house-boats – trap-doors in the floor provide access to nets under the boat where fish are raised.

You can feed the schools with dried food and take pictures of the thousands of fish gathering to eat.

The floating village has everything a normal village has: gasoline stations, grocery stores. Children, of course, are good swimmers at the young age of four, while pet cats and dogs are not afraid to jump from house to house.

A visit to Jamiul Azharas, the most beautiful of An Giang Province’s ten mosques, is also a must.

The mosque, built in 1958 on the foundations of an old wooden house of worship, is the heart of a 350-year-old village.

Chau Doc, the town engulfed in thousands of thot not trees, is worth a visit for anyone who wants to leave noisy Ho Chi Minh City behind and enjoy all aspects of Mekong Delta life.

GETTING THERE

Deep in the Mekong Delta, Chau Doc Town is 280 km (174 miles) south-west of Ho Chi Minh City near the Cambodian border.

The town can be reached by car (six hours), boat, or airplane to Can Tho City’s Tra Noc Airport, and then by driving a car to Chau Doc).

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien

Total finds oil in Vietnam

COURBEVOIE, France, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- French supermajor Total announced a new discovery of light crude oil off the coast of Vung Tau

in the south of Vietnam in the Mekong delta region.

Total, through its Total E&P Vietnam subsidiary, announced it discovered oil in its Lac Da Nau offshore prospect in block 15-1/05. The prospect is located more than 65 miles east of Vung Tau and about 40 miles off the coast.

The well is the first exploration well drilled and the first discovery in the block. Test flow rates reached 4,200 barrels of light crude oil per day.

Vietnam holds more than 500 million barrels of proven oil reserves, most of which is located in offshore fields.

Total lists its share of production in the region at around 246,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2008.

Vietnam tourism advertised on French TV

A film crew from France’s TV5 channel has shot the Vit Co Xanh ecological village in northern Hoa Binh province and Sao Bien yacht in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province.

This film will be broadcasted on TV5’s Tourism Discover programme, which introduces unique tourist sites to the French-speaking community. The film will be on TV5 Quebec (Canada) in January 2010 and on global TV5 Monde in March 2010.

In Vietnam, apart from shooting the world natural heritage site at Ha Long Bay, the French film crew paid special attention to the community tourism model, with Vit Co Xanh ecological tourist site as the example.

French film makers came to Vietnam under the sponsorship of Vietnamese travel company, Vietnam Adventure.

France is a key market for the Vietnamese tourism industry. Around 300,000 French visitors come to Vietnam annually to discover culture, history and ecological tourism.

VietNamNet/TTXVN

Third foreigner dies after Vietnam boat accident

HANOI — A third foreign tourist has been confirmed dead after a pleasure boat overturned during a storm in Vietnam's picturesque Halong Bay last week, police said Sunday.

Local immigration police officer Pham Van Truong said a total of two British tourists, a Frenchman and a local guide died in the accident on Thursday and that a Vietnamese tourist was still missing.

"There was very heavy rain at the time of the accident," he said.

A French tourist on the boat said there were 31 people on board, including South Africans, Japanese and Australians, as well as the Britons and Frenchman who died. Police had earlier said there were 32 on board.

Halong Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin about 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of the capital Hanoi, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.

Its 1,600 islands and islets form a spectacular seascape of mostly uninhabited limestone pillars made famous by the 1992 French movie "Indochine".

Numerous tourist boats that ply the waters of the bay offer sleeping and dining facilities.

Last year 2.65 million tourists, including 1.71 million foreigners, visited Halong Bay, according to the provincial tourism department.

- French woman falls in love with Vietnamese aromas

Dame Clemence perfume has appeared at some small cosmetic stores in Hanoi and also at sauna centres of five-star hotels in Hanoi. The fragrances of citronella, ginger, perrila and pomelo have surprised foreign visitors.

Coming from the world’s capital of perfume, a French woman, Clemence Barbier, is charmed by Vietnam’s simple fragrance of pomelo and citronella.

On her first trip to Vietnam Barbier realised that her life would change.

A small house on the bank of Hanoi’s West Lake is Barbier’s perfume “enterprise”. From this small house, hundreds of perfume bottles bearing beautiful names like “Dong Xuan Market’s Secret”, which uses cinnamon and ginger as major materials, Sauna a Sapa, using citronella, or Da Lat’s Leaves, using lemon fragrance, are produced.

Five years in Vietnam is enough for Barbier to have absorb Vietnam’s aromas. In this house, she has created the juice of Can Tho’s fruits, cool Sapa and peaceful Hanoi.

“I’m hypnotised by this land. Here nature favors me too much and I only need to keep them and send them everywhere so international friends can understand more about Vietnam,” she said.

The French woman is familiar with the scorching sun in Vietnam, the burning sensation on the face because of hot and dry westerly winds from Laos and wet days of early spring. Early discomfort with the hot and wet weather in Vietnam has disappeared and she is attracted by the animated life and friendly Vietnamese people.

Weather complications have created an abundant and diverse system of plants in Vietnam. In this tropical country, Barbier waits for pamello flowers in spring, jasmine in the summer, milk flower in the autumn and cinnamon in the winter.

The French women’s passion for fragrances is satisfied in Vietnam. Each trip is a new discovery for her.

Barbier doesn’t remember how many trips that she has taken in Vietnam. But her small house is now a world of Vietnamese aromas.

Sensitive to scents

When she was a little girl, Barbier was very sensitive to fragrances. She and her younger sister liked to play the game of guessing fragrances whenever their parents organised parties at home, with around 20 guests.

In the cold weather, guests wore big coats. When they came, they took off their coats and left them on the rack in the family’s dining room. Barbier was always the winner in these games when she could name the owner of any coat after smelling the perfume fragrance from the coat.

At the age of 13, 14, she wandered for hours around perfume stores. Once she tried 20 kinds of perfume and she could distinguish them easily.

With the passion for fragrances, Barbier became a chemistry engineer. She only studied fundamental knowledge at the university and she learnt to distill perfume herself.

However, the perfume industry in France is a closed industry, with family companies. After two years, Babier couldn’t find a job in the fragrance industry. She decided to go to India to work as a French teacher.

Returning from India, she studied further in chemistry and went to Laos. She met a Frenchman who produces perfume in Hanoi by chance, and she went to Vietnam.

She has been working diligently to produce perfume from Vietnamese plants. She hopes that through her products, many people will learn about Vietnam’s wonderful natural treasures.

Come to Vietnam to feel!

The French woman was surprised that Vietnam has many materials for making perfume but it imports a lot of perfume products. Vietnam is a hot and dry country but Vietnamese people are fond of using French perfume, which is suitable for cold and dry weather.

In the northern province of Hoa Binh, Barbier met with some people who grow and distill perfume from pamelo flowers. However, Vietnamese plant pamelo for fruits, not for flowers to process perfume.

Clemen travelled around Vietnam to feel the difference of weather in each region. She has produced different kinds of perfumes which are suitable for the weather of various areas.

She plans to market her products, branded Dame Clemence, in HCM City, not only in Hanoi. She said users can buy a famous perfume brand in Los Angeles or Shanghai, but Dame Clemence products from Vietnam will only be found in Vietnam. People will have to go to Vietnam to enjoy “Dong Xuan Market’s Secret”, “Sauna a Sapa” or “Gourmandise Can Tho,” she said.

VietNamNet/TP

French man to travel around Vietnam on horseback

- Thierry Posty, a French adventurous traveller who has been touring more than 100 countries on horseback, is in Hanoi to prepare for a cross country trip.

“This is the first time I came to Vietnam although I have come to Asia several times,” the 51-year-old traveller said. “I have heard about the Vietnamese land and people and hope that I will better understand about the nation after the journey,” said the French man, a psychologist, who alternates his job and riding journeys.

Thierry began travelling around France at the age of 18 and has ridden more than 65,400km on horseback after over 33 years of globetrotting. “I love nature and want to make friends with people. I want to explore the world in my own way,” he explained.

During these journeys, Thierry brought mainly food and medicine. “Up to three-fourth of my luggage are for my special companion,” he explained. He usually rode 40km each day and only used maps instead of the global positioning system (GPS). “I had to ask between 5-7 people for the direction but it is also my joy,” he said.

Following Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China will be his next destinations, said the French traveler.

VietNamNet/VNA

Beating the hustle of Ha Noi’s Old Quarter in a 1936 Citroen

a Noi was the last stop on English businessman Colin Embree’s tour of Southeast Asian countries.

Just cruising: The city’s Old Quarter is often graced with this 1936 Citroen Traction Avant car.

He decided to tour the city’s Old Quarter in a 1936-Citroen Traction Avant car and the half-day tour left him with unforgettable memories of Ha Noi and its people.

The car is one of four used to show tourists around Ha Noi.

Like most visitors to Ha Noi, the middle-aged Embree explored the Old Quarter and visited the Van Mieu (Temple of Literature).

He then enjoyed a romantic dinner with Vietnamese foods at the Wild Lotus restaurant, an exquisitely renovated French villa, in Nguyen Du Street.

"I enjoyed learning more about the history of Ha Noi. I saw how people live, eat and work in the Old Quarter. It’s a great experience which I recommend with pleasure."

Embree found the tour on the Ha Noi-based Luxury travel company’s website. He thought touring in the old black car would be much more charming than the usual tours.

The French-made four seater is one of two cars owned by Tran To Oanh, who runs a stone fine arts shop in Hang Bac Street.

She started car service earlier this year. "I bought one from a priest in Hue and the other from a Taiwanese businessman to start a collection of old cars.

"I suggested to my husband last year that we use them to serve tourists, rather than leaving them in a showroom," Oanh said.

"It’s an interesting service to run alongside our fine arts and handicraft business in Ha Noi.

"I knew the Sofitel Metropole hotel had two cars like us. We also rent cars for weddings as a new style for couples."

Labyrinth: A section of Ha Noi’s Old Quarter with its characteristic architecture and narrow streets, popular with tourists.

The cars were restored last year and air conditioning added to make them as comfortable as ordinary cars. Oanh said they were restricted about 50km/h.

"I’m sure the cars will offer new emotions because it’s difficult to find such old cars in Viet Nam and the restoration was expensive," she said.

Seeing an old car around the city surprises many people, especially in the Old Quarter because people expect to see them in museums.

"Tourists will explore Ha Noi’s old traditional streets by seeing people living and shopping in Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets, as well as the Dong Xuan Market," said Luxury company manager Pham Manh Ha.

Car adds interest

"We offer the service as an alternative. Most foreign tourists will find different ways to tour the city but the old car makes it more interesting."

Tourists can book a half-day tour around Ha Noi in the old car in the afternoon. The driver picks them from their hotel and then winds through old streets and the Dong Xuan Market before stopping at the Temple of Literature.

"Tourists can have many options. Some want to view Long Bien Bridge, which the French built more than a century ago. It usually takes about five hours to tour the main places in Ha Noi," said tour manager Nguyen Cuu Hung.

"We offer a package tour in the old car at US$149 for two, which includes dinner with a set menu Vietnamese meal at an old restaurant. It’s a special tour because tourists get the enjoyment of old style service in a traditional city," he said.

To learn more about this pkg, contact Chuck Kuhn at this blog

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

French tourists to enjoy 25% discount tours to Vietnam

Vietnam Airlines, and well-established Vietnamese tourism companies, are working with French partners to design a tourism promotion programme which will provide special discounts to French tourists who want to visit Vietnam.
The programme will be launched during two periods, from April 21st-June 19th and from August 21th-October 20th in 2009. Under progamme, many tours will be offered with discounts of up to 25%. The programme is an effort to help the implementation of the national tourism campaign known as “Vietnam’s Impression”, being organzied by the Ministry of Culture, Sport & Tourism from January to September this year.
Detailed information of the programme will be made available by Vietnam Airlines via e-newspapers and websites which are popular in France such as Le Monde, Courrier International, Yahoo Voyage, Telerama and the airline’s French website
Vietnam Airlines is also planning a tourism promotional event April 28th-29th at the Pierre Cardin Fashion House in Paris under the theme “Vietnam’s Sea Travel Festival 2009”.
Source: TBKTSG
Translated by Hoang Anh

Vietnamese Poet receives French Medal

Vietnamese poet and translator Tran Duong Tuong Friday received the prestigious French “Officier des Arts et des Lettres” order (Order of Arts and Literature) for his contributions to French culture and literature.
France’s Ambassador to Vietnam Hervé Bolot held a grand ceremony in Hanoi to present Tuong with the prize.
Tuong has translated into Vietnamese many French books by such authors as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Raymond Queneau.
The 77-year-old has also translated many Vietnamese books into French to introduce Vietnam to international friends.
Tuong is also a reporter and critic.
France’s Order of Arts and Literature is awarded to artists to recognize their contributions to arts and literature.
Reported by Huu Tho

Dalai Lama presented with Jewish prayer shawl during visit to France

PARIS (EJP)---The Dalai Lama, who ended last weekend a 12-day visit to France, received a Tallit, a traditional Jewish prayer shawl, from a French Jewish official.
Hubert Allouche, an official of CRIF, the umbrella representative group of Jewish organizations in France, was among the few guests to attend last Friday the inauguration by the Tibetan spiritual leader of a Buddhist temple in Roquedonde, in southern France.

The 73-year-old Dalai Lama presented Allouche with a long white silk scarve, a Tibetan gesture of welcome, hospitality and respect.

The CRIF representative in his turn offered the Tibetan leader the Tallit. “It was for me a great honor and a great satisfaction,” Allouche said.

“I told the Dalai Lama that our two people are linked by a community of fate. That we are attached to our culture and our faith. The bridges between Judaism and Buddhism are numerous. Such a meeting is a sign of great fraternity.”

Allouche added: “The Dalai Lama said he feels a sincere affection towards the Jewish people.”

France’s first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Human Rights Minister Rama Yade also attended the ceremony.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy declined a meeting with the Dalai Lama during his visit, sparking accusations from opposition Socialists that "the only guiding principle (of Sarkozy's policy towards China) appears to be not to displease Beijing."

His office said, however, that Sarkozy will meet with the Dalai Lama before the year's end.

Beijing had cautioned Sarkozy that meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader would have "serious consequences" for bilateral relations, and warned France to deal prudently with the "important and sensitive" issue of Tibet.