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Ho Chi Minh City's (Saigon) Tan Son Nhat Airport is Vietnam's busiest international air hub, followed by Hanoi's Noi Bai Airpot. A few international flights also serve Danang. Bangkok has emerged as the principle embarkation point for Vietnam but it's still possible to get direct flights from a number of major Asian cities and a few Australian cities. Buying tickets in Vietnam is expensive.... | |
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WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL? Vietnam stretches over 1, 800km up the eastern coast of the Indochina peninsula and has various climates at the same time in different parts of the country. Winter season lasts from November to April in the north with temperatures averaging 16 degree centigrade. The rest of the year is considered summer time with heavy rainfalls and occasional storms. The... | |
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Vietnam is a country rich in handicraft products, thanks to the hardworking, dexterous, and creative qualities of the Vietnamese people. For a very long time, handicraft products have been a source of culturalpride and a source of income for the people. As the varieties of handicraft products are too numerous to be fully introduced, only a few typical items and their sources are mentioned here.... | |
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Located in South East Asia, Vietnam starts to emerge as a major tourist attraction. Vietnam has two main cities, the political capital Hanoi and the economic capital Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon).... | |
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In the north, the rainy season is from August until November. Typhoons are frequent, but not too much of a problem. The north can be quite chilly in winter (Dec. - Feb.). The climate in the Delta is sub-equatorial with two main seasons. The wet season lasts from May to October with short downpours occurring almost every day. The dry season lasts from November to April with the last three... | |
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According to archaeological discoveries made at Do Mountain, it is believed that life in Vietnam began as far back as 300, 000 years ago. Officially, the history of Vietnam stretches back 4, 000 years when it was founded by the Hung Kings. It was then named Van Lang. When speaking upon the history of Vietnam, it is important to note the large role played by the French in Vietnam. It began in... | |
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From the 1st to the 6th centuries, the south of what is now Vietnam was part of the Indianised kingdom of Funan. The Hindu kingdom of Champa appeared around present-day Danang in the late 2nd century and had spread south to what is now Nha Trang by the 8th century. The Chinese conquered the Red River Delta in the 2nd century and their 1000-year rule, marked by tenacious Vietnamese resistance and... | |
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The vast majority of the population is Vietnamese with minute percentages of Chinese. The Viet culture originated on the delta of the Red River and the Ma River where the Viet people cultivated paddy fields. They led a simple farming life in small villages, usually living around a communal house. | |
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The major religious traditions in Vietnam are Buddhism (which fuses forms of Taoism and Confusianism), Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, Cao Daism and the Hoa Hao sect. At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of decline. The ideological influence of Buddhism, however, remained very strong in social and cultural life. Presenty, over 70 percent of the... | |
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The dong (D) is the official currency in Vietnam. Bank notes currently in circulation are in denominations of 20d, 30d, 50d, 100d, 200d, 1, 000d, 2, 000d, 5, 000d and 10, 000d. Notes under 200d have little value and are rarely used. The U.S. dollar is more or less a second currency in Vietnam. Other foreign currencies are not readily accepted. A large supply of US$1, US$5 and US$10 are almost... | |
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The Vietnamese language belongs to a language group which was established a long time ago in East Asia. Changes in material conditions over many centuries and the increasing demands of cultural life have influenced the Vietnamese language.
While adopting many elements of the Chinese language, the Vietnamese people changed many Chinese words, gradually creating Han-Viet... | |
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The Custom of Chewing Betel and Areca Nuts: According to the legend, this custom was popularized during the Hung Vuong Era, and closely follows the famous fairy tale of the "Story of the Betel and Areca Nut". A quid of betel consists of four materials: an areca leaf (sweet taste), betel bark (hot taste), a chay root (bitter taste), and hydrated lime (pungent taste). The custom of chewing... | |
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Gongs are musical instruments made of alloy bronze, sometimes with gold, silver, or black bronzeadded to their composition. In the Kinh language, the word cong identifies convex gongs and the word chieng refers to the flat ones. Gongs vary in size from 20 to 120 cm in diameter.... | |
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Festivals have long been considered the traditional cultural activity of the Vietnamese people. They are attractive to all social classes and have become a necessary part of people's lives for many centuries. Festivals are the crystallization of cultural, spiritual, and physical activities that have been chosen, maintained, and improved over many generations. Festivals are the living cultural... | |
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Tet is more than just New Year's Eve as celebrated in the West. Imagine Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and New Year all celebrated together. Vietnam Hotels are full during Tet as thousands travel to Vietnam. Book your Vietnam travel and Vietnam hotel now. Tet follows the lunar calendar and falls about six weeks before the vernal equinox. It heralds in spring in northern Vietnam, and is a... | |
