No arms but much love | Look At Vietnam

No arms but much love 

July 7, 2012

 Nguyen Thi Son Duong and her grandfather Nguyen Van Thang, who says he is willing to donate his arms to her
It is hard for four-year-old Nguyen Thi Son Duong to keep her balance when walking around. She keeps falling, and once recently lost four front teeth.
The girl who lives in the northern Vietnamese province of Hai Duong does not have arms, but just stubs from the shoulders.
Her grandfather Nguyen Van Thang serves as her arms and is looking for a surgeon who can amputate his own arms and graft them on her.
The girl has asked him often to make her arms so that she can play, write, and help with the housework, he says.
“I have told her that when she is 20 and grown-up like me, I will ask scientists to cut my arms and give them to her.
“I just wonder if people can do that now.”
He has asked doctors at Bach Mai, a leading hospital in Hanoi, and was told foreign doctors may be able to.
Duong has learned to clean the house, pick vegetables, and paint with her feet.
Thang says: “She can also eat with her feet. But that would be dirty. As long as I am alive, I will not allow that. I will be her arms.”
Thang has prostate fibroids that once made his arms go numb. He went for several acupuncture sessions to cure it so that he can take care of Duong and give his arms to her later.
Call of devotion

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Nguyen Thi Son Duong picks water spinach, taking the young parts for cooking, with her feet.

Duong’s family was only informed of some “defect” six days before her birth. Earlier, after scans, doctors had said the baby was a healthy boy.
Thang said the village was hit by an epidemic that year. “Everyone had a fever and cold. Maybe she was deformed because her mother was sick.”
The girl and her parents live together with the families of her father’s three brothers and her grandfather. Thang has told the other couples not to have a baby so that everyone can focus on taking care of Duong at least until she is seven.
“She is suffering from one of the worst miseries possible on earth. The whole family has to be devoted to her to compensate for the bitterness she must be feeling,” Thang says.
“Her uncles also love her and know the family’s difficulties, so they would have voluntarily done it anyway.”
Thang has asked them to name their children Thuong Chi, or “love your sister,” when they have some later.
“This is a family of love.”
But it may not be a province of love, he says.
He has taken her to various agencies in his Lai Cach Commune in Cam Giang District, and to the provincial government to ask for providing her support.
Some people shed tears at seeing her and promised to do something immediately, but she only receives VND360,000 (US$17) a month.
Thang says he named the girl “Son Duong” (mountain goat) as he likes the strong animal.
“They have terrific endurance in harsh conditions. My girl will also be so.”

In the Valley of Love | Look At Vietnam

In the Valley of Love

May 20, 2012

Among
well-known tourist attractions in Dalat City, the Thung lung tinh ye or
Valley of Love appeals to abundant arrivals thanks to its romantic
landscapes.

 

The
plateau which is now known as Dalat City was discovered by French
bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin and was mapped in 1893. In the middle of
the 1910s, the urban area of Dalat was formed and gradually became a
resort center for French governmental officials and the rich French
people in Indochina. In 1930, the French named the green and romantic
valley “Vallé d’Amour” (“Thung Lng Tình Yêu” in Vietnamese and “Valley
of Love” in English). In the reign of King Bao Dai, the region was
called the Valley of Peace. Since 1953, it has recovered the name of
Valley of Love until nowadays. In 1972, a dam was built and Da Thien
Lake came into being. In 1998, the Da Thien Lake – Valley of Love was
recognized as a national landscape.
The attraction of the landmark is from natural and romantic features
of a green and charming space. The reclamation and investment of humans
also add more fascinating features for guests to contemplate sceneries
there. From a hill of flowers and green trees to tiny paths draw many
couples in love to come. Arriving at the valley, travelers will see the
image of two pairs of hands exchanging rings, a statue of couples
affectionate to each other, or even benches symbolizing well-match
couples.
Covering 242 hectares, the Valley of Love is an ideal venue for those
who love picnicking and camping. Poetic landscapes plus melodious
sounds of the pine forest in the wind, and the 13-hectare Da Thien Lake
make the scene there more stunning.
The Valley of Love has been chosen to host many interesting events
such as the Valentine’s Day (February 14), the Kissing Festival in 2008
attracting the participation of 500 couples, or the Dancing Festival in
2009. Since 2011, a special park, the Rose Park, which is a garden of
rose flowers of various colors, has been built on a romantic hill. There
are iron frames designed into two hearts as a place for couples to make
vows as well as append the love padlocks. And the keys are thrown into
the lake in the center of the park near the statue of love.
At the
foot of the hill is Da Thien Lake whose water is clear amidst the
beautiful greenery. Many couples hire boats to hang around on the lake,
and then sit under the shade of the immense pine forest to speak softly
love to each other. The hill in the valley is covered by green grass and
pine trees where guests can enjoy their private dreamland. Another path
leads tourists to Mimosa Stream flowing from the downstream of Da Thien
Dam surrounded by mimosa flowers. It is a heaven on earth as visitors
can listen to the singing of the stream while smelling the scents of
flowers.
The Valley of Love is deserved to be called a place imbrued with love
thanks to its natural beauty. The road around Da Thien Lake is covered
with shade trees and leads to Eden Hill, where there are a small garden,
tiny tents, and tables and chairs made from stumps. Sitting on this
hill, visitors can see the entire lake sparkling below.
In the Valley of Love, tourists can indulge themselves in the nature
and let their minds drift away with the pine trees’ songs. For those who
want to discover and conquer the height, they can go trekking or hire a
car riding to Vong Canh Hill. Crossing through zigzag paths to reach
Vong Canh Hill, tourists will contemplate a panoramic view of the Valley
of Love full of pine trees, flowers and lawns.
On Vong Canh Hill, guests can witness the perfume production process
of Miss Dalat Company and visit its perfume showroom. Travelers can buy
original souvenirs and over 100 types of perfume there. Leaving Vong
Canh Hill, tourists can take a walk around the valley and visit souvenir
shops to select their favorite gifts.
Many couples, even those who
have cohabited for almost all their lives, often go hand in hand to the
Valley of Love as though this were an exclusive venue for them only.
Many love promises have turned out to be beautiful love stories from
this love valley.
SGT

Love sans frontiers | Look At Vietnam

Love sans frontiers 

April 13, 2012

Vietnamese man waits to be united with North Korean love for three decades

Pham Ngoc Canh and Ri Yong-hui at their wedding in Hanoi in 2002
The sight of a grey-haired Vietnamese man walking hand in hand with his wife, a small woman from North Korea, has become familiar to residents of the Thanh Cong residential quarter of Hanoi.
Not many know that the made-for-each-other couple had to wait for over 30 years – a lifetime for normal people, and aeons for those in love – to be able to spend their days together.
For 23-year-old Pham Ngoc Canh who had arrived in North Korea to study chemistry in 1971, it was love at first sight. Ri Yong-hui, 24, was working in a glass-enclosed laboratory in the town of Hamhung, outside Pyongyang.
“My first thought was it would be wonderful if she were my wife,” he recalled. At that time, North Korea strictly banned contact between their citizens and foreigners. They exchanged notes and met in secret.
Every weekend, Canh took several bus rides and walked to visit Ri’s house, where she lived with her mother, about 15 kilometers far from his school. They had happy days until Canh’s scholarship ended, and he returned to Vietnam in 1973.
They didn’t dare to ask permission from governments to marry, Canh said. “I thought it was impossible at that time. We cried when thinking about leaving each other.”
Canh advised Ri to find another man to marry, because time passes so quickly, but in his heart, he hoped this would never happen.
Love survives despite separation
After he left, Ri felt sick for a month, and even attempted suicide. Her mother helped the pair keep in touch. As years went by neither got married, and kept exchanging love letters in Korean.
Their love continued to be a secret even when after Canh returned to Vietnam. All of Canh’s letters were sent to Ri under the name of her mother.
Ri worked in a fertilizer plant, while Canh found a job with a state institute in Hanoi. Canh founded the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Association, and worked as a cycling team coach, and a translator for two North Korean taekwondo coaches.

The couple, three decades earlier, in Pyongyang, North Korea
As a translator for sports teams, he visited North Korea and met his sweetheart in 1978 and 1982. At the end of that visit, Ri gave Canh a letter which said the time they had together was too short. “I will dream of you tonight. Will you dream of me too?”
Canh has saved all of Ri’s precious letters until now, but she was forced to burn his. If the letters were somehow exposed, she would be punished.
In 1992, Canh visited North Korea with a taekwondo delegation, but could not meet her. In her last letter in 1992, Ri said: “Years have passed and we have become old, but our love is forever young.”
For Canh, there were times of desperation when he was told that Ri had married or died. But he refused to believe that he lost his love.
Happy ending
In early 1990s, Canh began to take action to unite with his sweetheart. He took over 40 love letters spanning almost 20 years to the North Korean Embassy in Hanoi and appealed for help, but failed.
In May 2002, Canh learnt that Vietnamese president Tran Duc Luong would visit North Korea. Through contacts of his father, a retired diplomat, he wrote to the president and the foreign minister, appealing for help.
President Luong agreed to deal with the case.
After a few months, he received permission from the North Korean authorities to marry Ri. Quickly preparing everything needed for the trip, Canh rushed to North Korea. In their 50s, they met in September 2002, and held a wedding ceremony in Hanoi with 700 people in attendance.
Canh said he was not surprised to get the permission. “It was what I have waited for, for so many years.”
Now, in their 60s, they couple in a modest flat in Hanoi. Every day, he goes to work as vice chairman of the Hanoi Cycling-Sport Federation, while she teaches Korean.
Canh has taken his wife to all beautiful sites in Vietnam, including Ha Long Bay in the north, Nha Trang in the central region and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
After living in Vietnam for nearly 10 years, the North Korean woman now can speak a little Vietnamese and cook some Vietnamese food.
She is now used to living here, although it is very different from the place she was born and grew up in.
“I am very happy. Life here is very good,” she said. “It is all possible because of Canh.”
Canh had just one thing to say: “My feelings have remained the same, unchanged.”

By Bao Anh, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the March 30th issue of our print edition, Vietweek) 

Tunnel of Love-Vietnam

A mysterious network of caves by Chua Tien in Hoa Binh province have proved to be a popular spot for tourism

According to legend it was Lac Long Quan who fathered Vietnam. He was said to be descended from the dragons and possessed superhuman strength. One day, he made a trip out onto the water and there he met Au Co, a fairy princess. The couple married and Au Co gave birth to a sac with 100 yolks which turned into 100 infants.

The children were born at Chua Tien (Fairy’s Pagoda) in Hoa Binh province’s Lac Thuy district, an area also linked to Bac Son culture which dates some 10,000 years. Archeology digs have unearthed human bones and assorted stone tools.

The pagoda is in a limestone valley, home to beautiful caves and grottos, the most remarkable of which is Tien gottto (Fairy’s Grotto). However, most tourists head for Tam Toa grotto, the largest cave in the tourism complex.

You have to climb steps 300 metres up into the cave and crawl under the climbing liana. From just inside, the cave seems small and narrow. However, the further you venture in the more the cave opens up. As the full splendour of the cave is revealed, our travelling party is bowled over by this mysterious wonder of nature.

The artificial lights add to the magical mystery of the cave. On the walls and ceiling we can see giant bas-reliefs of strange figures that we have never imagined. The stalagmites have been transformed into an intricate, ornate body of work – I can see a kneeing elephant and a galloping horse. Looking to the ceiling, we are amazed by the living figures of the Heavenly court such as the Emperor of Jade and the God of Thunder, surrounded by fairies in gorgeous clothes. Each wall of the grotto is a wonder.

Each compartment of the grotto is a sculptural masterpiece. We wonder whether it is a work of the Creator or a being from another planet!

An old legend

The Tien grotto also has its own story. Legend has it that in days of yore, a young man named Din lived in such poverty that he could not find a wife, though he worked hard around the clock. Knowing Din’s plight, the Emperor of Jade sent his third daughter named Ba down to the earth to marry Din. For three years the couple lived in happiness but they could not conceive a child. As a deity Ba was not destined to stay forever. After three years she had to return to Heaven, leaving her husband as sad and as sorrowful as ever.

The Emperor of Jade felt sorry for Din and allowed Ba to return. But when she descended from Heaven she found that her husband had already left his home and died of sorrow on the mountain. Ba remained on earth, spending her days in a grotto and weaving cloth. This is now the Fairy’s Grotto.

It was said that any couple wanting to have children should visit the grotto and place a piece of cloth before Ba’s chamber. In the next morning, they would receive a perfect suit or dress. If it was a suit they’d have a son, if it was a dress they’d have a girl.

Growing tourism

In honour of the couple, the Tien pagoda festival is held from the fifth day of the first lunar month to the last day of the fourth lunar month. Each year, the complex is visited by some 200,000 people, mostly from the locality.

Over the past few years, tourism activities have begun to take shape here and the complex is managed by a private-owned company which was granted permission by the former Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

Not that everyone is happy about growing tourism in the area. “I think that the site is being commercialised and losing its sacredness,” says Ho Minh Van, a 55-year old from Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district.

“It’s good for local socio-economic development but altars dedicated to Budda and saints are improperly erected every where. Many shrines are nothing but boxes temporarily made of steel pillars and plastic sheets.”

“When I ask those working at the grottos, they say that they don’t know what the statues are but keep asking me to put some money into hom cong duc (donation boxes) placed in front of the altars, though I have already put my money into at least 15-20 boxes placed every where at the site!”

With growing numbers of visitors, the site is also under threat from pollution. “Rubbish can be seen all over the place and you can’t find a toilet anywhere,” moans Pham Thi Bich, a 60-year old visitor from Haiphong city.

2009 Cultural and Tourism Week to kick off in Sapa

Photo:Chuck Kuhn
The 2009 Cultural and Tourism Week will begin in the northern tourist resort town of Sapa on May 1, and is expected to attract a large number of visitors.

The 2009 Cultural and Tourism Week will begin in the northern tourist resort town of Sapa on May 1.
Various activities will take place during the week, including the love market in Sapa town and the cloud festival on Ham Rong mountain, which spotlights the traditional culture of ethnic minority groups, such as the Xa Pho, Dao, Mong, Giay and Tay.

A photography exhibition, “The Color of Sapa”, will also be on show during the week together with a musical program and a culinary arts fair.

The week will feature nearly one 100 types of orchid which are indigenous to Hoang Lien forest and mountain range in Sapa – the city in the fog.

VietNamNet/VOV