Vietnam Travel Guide

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and a delegation from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) were present at Hanoi’s main airport on March 3 to receive a sari, believed to be that of the Lord Buddha, brought to Vietnam from India.

After a solemn ceremony with the participation of hundreds of Buddhist followers at Noi Bai airport, the sari was taken to Bai Dinh Pagoda – the largest Buddhist pagoda in Vietnam – in the northern province of Ninh Binh for a grand celebration on the same day. The treasure will be preserved in the pagoda’s stupa.

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The Hai Luu buffalo fighting festival has been held for 2 days (16th and 17th of the first lunar month) at Hai Luu village, Song Lo district, Vinh Phuc province. Despite of hot weather and high fare (30,000 VND), the festival this year attracted mostly 6,000 spectators.

According to historical document, this festival commenced in the 2nd century BC and it has been restored since 2002 after along time without holding in the past. It still contains many ancient tradition and includes 2 main part:ceremony and festival.

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The seal opening ceremony at the Tran temple in the northern province of Nam Dinh took place on the night of February 27, attracting the participant of nearly 50,000 visitors.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan attended the event and directly opened the seal.The event opened with a seal parade, and then the seal was distributed to nine pagodas, temples and visitors. (more…)

In the opinion of Muong ethnic people in Thanh Hoa Province, the first lunar month is the festival month. Many old people in Ma village have gathered at the communal temple, playing flute and drumimg gong to call for people joining the festival since early morning.

Drumming gong to open festival (more…)

Thousands of tourists and pilgrims flocked to the opening ceremony of this year’s Spring Yen Tu Pagoda Festival in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on Feb. 23, the tenth day of the first lunar month.

Prominent those present at the ceremony were Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan and the Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu.

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The number of foreign holidaymakers to Hanoi during this year’s Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival increased sharply reaching 120,000, reported the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Travelers came from traditional markets such as Japan, Russia, France, the United States, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom.

The rise was attributable to a growing number of overseas Vietnamese who returned to the home country as the city is hosting celebrations of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the National Tourism Year.

Thanks to a longer Tet holiday, the number of outbound tourists also surged remarkably to some 20,000, mainly to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, domestic holidaymakers on this occasion numbered 1 million despite a 20% rise in tour costs, the department said.

The festival of Temple worshiping Lady Au Co, who is believed the mother of the Vietnamese people,  kicked off on February 20 at Hien Luong commune, Ha Hoa district, northern midland province of Phu Tho, to celebrate the creation of the Vietnamese people in the lead-up to the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long- Hanoi.

National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong offered incense to commemorate King Hung and Mother Au Co and wished the people of Phu Tho province a happy new year.

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The tiger is also known as the god of the mountain and forest and the king of all kinds of animals. For Vietnamese people, the year of the tiger often comes with significant events in the nation’s history.

In 2010, along with the arrival of a new spring, we are entering a new year of the tiger that reminds us of unforgettable events in the nation’s history.

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Hanoi is home to many traditional art troupes like tuong, cheo (traditional operetta), ca tru (ceremonial songs) and hat xam (songs of strolling blind musicians) but few are marketed well to tourists.

Only the Thang Long Water Puppetry Theater, which has three shows a day, is well known to tourists. Other theaters don’t have regular shows.

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A large spring festival has taken place around the Hoan Kiem Lake in the capital city of Hanoi on Feb. 20, raising the curtain for a series of festivities to welcome the 1,000 anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. Photo: Hoang Ha.

Girls in traditional “Ao Dai” (more…)