Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by jackbl

=========================
New Year Wishes
=========================
Use them and impress your friends this coming Tet!

Were any of your vietnamese friends impressed???

[jackbl]

Overseas Vietnamese learn Vietnamese to retain their origin
================================================== ==============
VietNamNet Bridge – Overseas Vietnamese, wherever they live in the world, have been learning Vietnamese language everyday to uphold and promote the national culture identity. However, they meet a lot of difficulties in the study.

Vietnamese need to know Vietnamese

When deciding to leave Vietnam with her family to the US, Vu Minh Hien, who now works for the World Bank in Washington DC, felt worried that her two daughters, Quynh Trang, 17, and Minh Khue, 8, may “forget” Vietnamese.

The two girls have to speak English at school when communicating with friends and teachers. The problem is that they spend more time at school than at home, which means that they speak English more than Vietnamese. This means that the two girls may forget the mother tongue.

Hien, on one hand, encouraged her daughters to communicate more with friends to improve their English and overcome cultural differences to get adapted to the new environment, on the other hand, decided that the girls have to speak Vietnamese at home.

“Our family members have to communicate with each other in Vietnamese,” Hien said. “Though my husband and the second daughter had to practice English hard on the first days in the US, they don’t forget Vietnamese.”

“No English word is permitted at home,” HIen added.

Thanh Phuong, a reporter of the Vietnam Television in Paris, France, also said she always asks the son, Armand, to speak Vietnamese with her. Phuong’s husband is French, and they communicate in French. However, Phuong always use Vietnamese in speaking with the boy.

Armand, now four years old, is a bilingual since he was born. “At first, my husband felt uncomfortable when my son and I spoke in Vietnamese and he did not understand the conversation. However, he later decided to learn Vietnamese from the son,” Phuong said.

A lot of barriers for Vietnamese learning overseas

According to Dr. Nguyen The Ky, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Committee, though there has been no large-scale survey on the Vietnamese learning in the overseas Vietnamese communities, he still can say for sure that Vietnamese have been trying to teach Vietnamese to their children and grandchildren.

However, Ky also said the Vietnamese second, third and subsequent generations now have to decide whether to learn Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture.

They need to get adapted to the living environment in the host countries to lead good lives. If they cannot speak foreign languages, they would lag behind and put difficulties for themselves.

As a result, a lot of Vietnamese would forget Vietnamese words and would not be able to speak Vietnamese in the future, even though they don’t want this.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Education Science Institute, noted that it is now very difficult to teach Vietnamese to overseas Vietnamese due to the unfavorable environment.

She said that the documents used to teach Vietnamese are not good enough. At most of the Vietnamese centers, there are not the documents on teaching Vietnamese as second language. The Vietnamese centers and classes have been set up by the Vietnamese communities themselves, while the documents have been collected from different sources.

GD&TD

[jackbl]

Some things not to do during Tet
========================================
There are many practices that are traditionally frowned upon during Tet, and if you believe, could even bring you bad luck in the new year.

Although people usually give their house a good clean before Tet to make it presentable for guests, it is not good to sweep or throw away trash on the first day of Tet because all the luck and money could be swept out with it.

Giving out fire and water

It is advisable to bring lighters when visiting pagodas because others will not lend out fire. Fire is red, and so is considered lucky, if a person gives out their fire on the first days of the year, they will be giving away their luck. Similarly, water is a symbol of prosperity and will not be given away. In the old days, people often kept their water tanks full on Tet to ensure a prosperous year.

Visiting neighbours' houses on the first day

People avoid visiting others' houses on the first day of Tet unless they are invited. In Vietnamese tradition, the first person enter one's house on Tet will decide that household's fortune for the year. If the household has a good year then all is well, but if the year is tough then they may blame it on the first visitor. That is why people tend to stay home to tend to the family altar and visit the homes parents or close families.

Breaking things

Breaking objects symbolises separation, a bad sign for relationships. However, accidents do happen. When something is broken, people will try to reassure each other with optimism.

Fighting and arguing

No matter how annoyed or angry one gets, it is important to keep ones temper in check in order to avoid an unhappy atmosphere in the house. On these days, parents will be more likely to look the other way when children make mistakes so as to avoid scoldings and the crying sure to follow.

Borrowing things

It is looked down on to either borrow or collect debts, whether it is money or objects, on Tet. Borrowing means the next year will bring want, giving loans means that the loaner will lose money and paying debts means giving away one's own fortune. Also, collecting debts will put everyone in a bad mood and ruin the atmosphere.

Holding funerals

In the old days, if a family was still in a mourning period when Tet arrived, they could take off their white funeral armband for the first three days of Tet. These families would not visit other households. Others can pay them a visit. If a person passes away on the first day of Tet, the family must wait until the next day to announce the funeral and wear mourning clothes.

Black and white are colours for funerals in Vietnam, so it is a bad sign to wear these colours on the holiday. Colourful outfits, especially red or yellow, are recommended.

Obtaining objects and foods equals bad luck

Foods such as dog meat, duck or silver carp are only eaten during the final days of the month or year to erase bad luck, but they are not favoured on the first days of the year. Similarly, people do not buy paintings or photos that depict bad things, such as court scenes or scenes of jealousy. They will also not say bad things in case those things may come to pass.

Everything that is bought on the first days hold significance of meaning to the households, and it always meant to bring luck and prosperity for the whole year. This is why the first things bought are more for spiritual satisfaction than anything. Knives and chopping boards are often avoided.

Dtinews

[jackbl]

Vietnam's population is aging the fastest in the world
================================================== ==============
VietNamNet Bridge - Many countries took decades or even centuries to enter the stage of aging an population, but it was only 16-18 years for Vietnam. Most of the elderly people are not retired; 70 percent still have to work for a living.

In 2009, the General Statistics Office predicted that by 2017 Vietnam would enter the stage of an aging population. But just two years later, the prediction became obsolete.

In 2011, Vietnam officially entered the aging stage. The aging speed of Vietnam is the fastest in Asia and the world, said Mr. Nguyen Van Tan, Deputy General Director of the General Department of Population and Family Planning, at the launching ceremony of the national action month on population in Hanoi this week.

The reason for this situation is that the average life expectancy is increasing while the birth rate and the death rate decrease. Vietnam's life expectancy increased about 1.5 times over that in the world.

However, Tan said that the healthy life span in Vietnam is not high. On average, each elderly person in the country suffers from 14 years of illness in his life. Up to 95 percent of the elderly are ill, mostly chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes...

In addition, the proportion of the elderly living alone is growing, mainly the elderly women. Most of them have difficult lives. They mainly rely on social care, family’s care or have to work without accumulation.

Only 30 percent of the elderly people have a pension or allowance from the state budget. Some 30 percent do not have health insurance. The pension and social insurance funds of Vietnam are facing enormous challenges.

The elderly care system does not keep pace with demographic change. Vietnam has only one national geriatric hospital.

Experts recommend that Vietnam needs to prepare its economic potentials, develop its social security system to bring a happy life for the elderly and at the same time, it should have a long-term strategy to slow down the transition time from aging to aged stage. Specifically, the birth rate should be maintained reasonably, not to be too low as South Korea and Japan today.

With 90 million people, Vietnam’s population ranks 14th in the world, 8th in Asia and 3rd in Southeast Asia.

Cam Quyen

[jackbl]

10 famous architectures of Saigon
================================================== =
VietNamNet Bridge – The Reunification Palace, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica and the Nha Rong Wharf are renowned for both their unique architecture and historic significance. Below are the most famous architectures in the city.

1. Reunification Palace

In 1868, French Governor in South Vietnam, La Grandière, placed the first stone on the 12-hectare area to mark the ground-breaking of the construction of the Indochina Governor Palace, also called Norodom Palace.

After the Geneva Treaty was signed, the area was handed over to PM Ngo Dinh Diem, who changed its named to Doc Lap (Independence) Palace.

In October 1955, Diem, through a referendum, deposed Head of State Bao Dai and proclaimed himself President of the Republic of Vietnam.

On February 27, 1962, a coup d’etat broke out against Diem’s regime. Leaders of the coup deployed two AD6 planes operated by two pilots Nguyen Van Cu and Pham Phu Quoc to bomb the palace, destroying its left side. Diem and his younger brother, adviser Ngo Dinh Nhu, escaped death and the coup ended in defeat.

As the palace was seriously damaged, Diem ordered the construction of a new palace at the same place but kept the structure’s name unchanged.

Construction of the new premise, covering 4,500 square meters, began on July 1, 1962, and was inaugurated on October 31, 1966. It was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu.

On November 2, 1963, another coup d’etat took place, leading to the death of both Diem and Nhu.

In October 1967, Head of State Nguyen Van Thieu won the presidential election to become the President of the Republic of Vietnam. He lived with his family in the palace until April 21, 1975.

Earlier, on April 8, 1975, pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung also bombed the palace.

These days, the palace, renamed Thong Nhat (Reunification) Hall after 1975, receives large numbers of foreign visitors. At the site of the bombing, there is a note written in both Vietnamese and English saying, “At 8:30 am on April 8, 1975, pilot Lieutenant Nguyen Thanh Trung flying an F5E plane bombed the palace at this site.”

Guests can also visit the palace’s cabinet conference room, where on April 21, 1975, in the face of fierce military attacks by liberation army forces, Republic of Vietnam President Nguyen Van Thieu announced his resignation. He later fled the country. His deputy, Tran Van Huong, succeeded Thieu, but he also later resigned after failing to make headway in combating liberation forces.

On April 28, Duong Van Minh, a veteran general, took on the presidency, becoming the last president of the Republic of Vietnam, but his presidency lasted just 48 hours.

On April 30, 1975, a liberation army tank driven by Lieutenant Bui Quang Than crashed through the main gate, signaling the victory of liberation forces.

Lieutenant Than proceeded to raise a flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam at the palace, marking the victorious end of the 30-year resistance war of the Vietnamese nation.

Thirty-five years has passed since that time, and now Thong Nhat Hall is an agency managed by the Government Office. It serves sightseers and hosts both domestic and international conferences.

The architecture of the palace combines both Western and Eastern styles, and is also a combination of traditional and modern construction.


2. HCM City Opera House

The Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City, also known as HCM City Opera House is an example of French architecture in Vietnam. Built in 1897 by French architect Eugène Ferret as the Opėra de Saigon, the 800 seat building was used as the home of the Lower House assembly of the South Vietnam regime after 1956. It was not until 1975 that it was again used as a theatre, and restored in 1995.

After the invasion of Cochinchina, in 1863 French colonists invited a theatre company to Saigon to perform for the French legion in the villa of the French admiral at the Clock Square (Place de l'Horloge) (presently the corner of Nguyen Du and Dong Khoi streets). After a short time, a temporary theatre was built at the site of what is now the Caravelle Hotel. In 1898, the construction of the new theatre commenced on the site of the old one, and it was completed by 1 January 1900.

Between World War I and World War II, all costs of mobilization and demobilization as well as other costs for the theatre companies from France to Saigon were paid by the municipal government. Despite the fact that the theatre was planned as an entertainment venue for the growing middle class, its audience declined as more and more night clubs and dance halls boomed in the city. During this period, performances were presented only occasionally, some being concerts and others cai luong programs.

Following criticisms of the theatre's façade and the high costs of organizing performances, the municipal government intended to turn the theatre into a concert hall (Salle de Concert), but this was never carried out. Instead, decorations, engravings and statues were removed from the theatre façade in 1943 to make the theatre look more youthful. In 1944, the theatre was damaged by the Allied aerial attacks against Japanese Imperial Army, and the theatre stopped functioning. As Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, France returned to Cochinchina. In 1954, the French army surrendered to Viet Minh during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu which led to the Geneva Accords in the same year. The theatre was then used as a temporary shelter for French civilians arriving from North Vietnam.

In 1955, the theatre was restored as the seat of the Lower House of the State of Vietnam, then the Republic of Vietnam. After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the building was restored to its original function as a theatre. In 1998, on the occasion of 300th anniversary of the founding of Saigon, the municipal government had the theatre façade restored.

The HCM City Opera House is a smaller counterpart of the Hanoi Opera House, which was built between 1901 and 1911, and shaped like the Opéra Garnier in Paris. It owes its specific characteristics to the work of architect Félix Olivier, while construction was under supervision of architects Ernest Guichard and Eugène Ferret in 1900.

Its architectural style is influenced by the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic, with the façade shaped like the Petit Palais which was built in the same year in France. The house had a main seating floor plus two levels of seating above, and was capable of accommodating 800 people. The design of all the inscriptions, décor, and furnishings were drawn by a French artist and sent from France.


3. Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica

Situated right in the heart of HCM City, the Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral is a famous age-long cathedral in Southern Vietnam. It is a magnificent building located at the Paris Square in HCM City downtown, attracting not only Catholics but also most tourists for its neo-Romanesque style architecture and a sacred atmosphere.

Established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It has two bell towers, reaching a height of over 58 meters. Following the French conquest of Cochinchina and Saigon, the Roman Catholic Church established a community and religious services for French colonialists.

The first church was built on Rue 5 (today's Ngo Duc Ke Street). This had been a Vietnamese pagoda, which had been abandoned during the war. Bishop Lefevre decided to make this pagoda a church. In 1959, Bishop Joseph Pham Van Thien, whose jurisdiction included Saigon parish, attended Holy Mother Congress held in Vatican and ordered a Peaceful Notre Dame statue made with granite in Rome.

When the statue arrived in Saigon, on February 16th, 1959, Bishop Pham Van Thien held a ceremony to install the statue on the empty base and presented the title of "Regina Pacis." It was Bishop Pham Van Thien who wrote the prayers "Notre-Dame bless the peace to Vietnam." On the following day, Cardinal Aganianian came from Rome to chair the closing ceremony of the Holy Mother Congress and solemnly chaired the ceremony for the statue, thus the cathedral was then-on called Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The cathedral boasts its honored status as a Basilica consecrated tens of years ago. In 1960, the Vatican founded a Roman Catholic dioceses in Vietnam and assigned archbishops to Hanoi, Huế and Saigon. Notre-Dame cathedral was titled Saigon Chief Cathedral. Yet, in 1962, the Vatican anointed the Saigon Chief Cathedral, conferred it basilique in honor of the tri-centenary of the Bishopric of Saigon. Since then, this cathedral was called Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, which has enhanced its value and absorbed hundreds of thousands of catholics as well as international tourists to pay a visit.

Apart from the religious meaning that attracts tourists, the even more special captivating point of Notre-Dame Cathedral is its special neo-Romanesque style of architecture. During its construction, all its red bricks were imported from Marseilles and colored glass windows made in France’s Chartres Province, France.

Tiles have been carved with the words Guichard Carvin, Marseille St André France (perhaps stating the locality where the tiles were produced). Some tiles were carved with the words “Wang-Tai Saigon.” Many tiles have since been made in Saigon to replace the broken tiles caused by war. There are 56 glass squares supplied by the Lorin firm of Chartres province in France.

The cathedral foundation was designed to bear 10 times the weight of the cathedral. In front of the cathedral is a statue of the Virgin Mary. On a whole, the neo-Romanesque architecture and two 58m-high square towers tipped with iron spires dominate the city’s sky line, creating a beautiful religious site.

To be continue.....

[jackbl]

4. Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda

Vietnam Quoc Tu pagoda is located on 3/2 Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. This is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the city and is a relatively new one, built in the early 1960s, designed by Ngo Viet Thu.

The main complex of the pagoda spans seven stories, with the first two open to the public, an example of Vietnamese architectural principles. Visitors are given access to view the beautiful Buddha statue that is the centerpiece of the pagoda and allowed to walk the grounds.


5. Saigon Central Post Office

Saigon Central Post Office was designed and constructed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel (yes of Eiffel tower and Statue of Liberty fame) construction of this great Gothic architectural styled building began in 1886 and was completed in 1891.

Entering the Post office you are faced with a large portrait of President Ho Chi Minh and along the side wall there are there are old French colonial maps the first of which titled ‘Lignes telegraphiques du Sud Vietnam et Cambodge 1936′ translating to ‘Telegraphic lines of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia 1892. And the second is titled ‘Saigon et ses environs 1892′ Translating to ‘Sai Gon and its environment 1892′.

If you are interested in sending a postcard, the center counter has plenty of postcard packs at fairly good prices. After you have purchased and filled it in, just head to one of the first few manned counters on the left side of the building to purchase a postage stamp.


6. Ben Thanh Market

Built in 1870 by the French, the market was initially called Les Halles Centrales before being renamed Ben Thanh in 1912. From a wet market created by street vendors by the early 17th century, Ben Thanh has experienced many ups and downs throughout its history, and is now the oldest surviving market and one of symbols of Ho Chi Minh City. That makes it a must for any visitors travelling to this 300-year-old city.

Today, because the market possesses one of the most crucial locations in District 1 (the intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Tran Hung Dao Avenues and Le Lai Street), transportation is extremely convenient and trade is bustling. In the morning, you can find almost everything from dry food to clothes for a reasonable price. The market atmosphere can sometime be a real hustle and bustle, but it is an exciting experience after all. However, always remember that bargain is a must in any Vietnamese market.

From late afternoon until late night, the shops inside the market are closed, but several restaurants are open outside on the surrounding streets. These small yet interesting restaurants can offer you a variety of choices: bubble teas, grills, seafood, etc. When you are tired of eating, stand up and take a walk along the neighborhood which has in no time transformed into a night market full of lights and glamour.


7. Thu Thiem Tunnel

The Saigon River Tunnel or the Thu Thiem Tunnel is an underwater tunnel that opened on November 20, 2011. It runs underneath the Saigon River. The tunnel was built with capital from JCIA's ODA. It connects the existing urban center of Ho Chi Minh City with Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2.

The Saigon River Tunnel is part of the East-West Highway, an important road project under construction to ease the congestion of transport in the inner city as well as transportation from downtown to the Mekong Delta region. The existing downtown was previously only linked with the Thu Thiem New Urban Area by many bridges, namely: Thu Thiem Bridge, Phu My Bridge and Ba Son Bridge.


8. Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Building

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Building was first known as the Hotel de Ville when it was completed in 1908. Its French builders drew inspiration from town halls in Europe. The building was known as the City Hall of Saigon before 1975.

The building is closed to the public, as it is an official Vietnamese government building. Its beautiful French Colonial architecture and sunny cream-and-yellow hue, along with its iconic statue of President Ho Chi Minh, make it a tourist favorite and a symbol of Saigon.

The building stands at one end of Nguyen Hue Boulevard on The Le Thanh Ton Street, a brisk walk away from Dong Khoi Street.


9. Nha Rong Wharf

Nha Rong Wharf is a cultural site with special relics in Ho Chi Minh City, where late President Ho Chi Minh left to seek ways to save the nation over 100 years ago.

On June 5, 1911, the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh left the country on the ship, Admiral Latouche Treville, to begin his quest for salvation. Many changes have taken place over the past 100 years but Nha Rong Wharf still exists and ideals of the young man who later became the great leader of Vietnam are still shining along with the nation.

Nha Rong Wharf - Sai Gon’s trading port on the Saigon Vietnam River – was built in 1863 by French colonialists. The building was a combination of western and eastern architecture.

Nha Rong is the name that Vietnamese used to call the office of France’s Messageries Maritimes Company. This magnificent building was built in 1863, four years after the French seized Saigon. It has original and strange architecture. Its roof has the elegant beauty of the roof of a Chinese pagoda with two dragons competing for a fireball. As there are two dragons on the roof, Vietnamese call the building Nha Rong.

Nha Rong is located at the three-way intersection of the Saigon River and Ben Nghe Canal. On the far side of the canal, there was a rice field on a high area. At that time, there was no bridge over the canal, so people went to Nha Rong by boat. More than 20 years later, the Messageries iron bridge was built to connect Adran Street, now Ho Tung Mau Street, with the far side of the canal.

Messageries Maritimes was a big sea transport company and was established in 1851. It was headquartered in Marseilles and had shipping routes to America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Many ships of the company were named after Vietnam’s geographical places such as Annam, Tourane, Sontay, and Haiphong. Nha Rong Wharf was the stopover for ships going from Marseilles to Hong Kong and Yokohama.

Many postcards were printed with the images of ships and wharfs used by Messageries Maritimes and there were paintings of the company’s ships in storms. Nha Rong appeared in many postcards for decades. Later it was printed on the Vietnamese 50,000-dong banknote. Together with Ben Thanh Market, Nha Rong is one of the two symbols of Ho Chi Minh City.

After the French colonials were defeated in 1954, the wharf was managed by the South Vietnam government which repaired the roofs of the two houses and replaced the old dragons with two new ones that dance outwards.

After Unification Day, the building became a historical relic and memorial area for President Ho Chi Minh.

To mark the 10th death anniversary of President Ho on September 2, 1979, Nha Rong Wharf welcomed visitors to an exhibition on “President Ho Chi Minh’s career for salvation.” The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee decided to turn the “President Ho Chi Minh Memorial” into the “Ho Chi Minh Museum” on September 20, 1982.

The museum collects, preserves, displays and disseminates information about President Ho Chi Minh’s life and revolutionary career as well as his love for the southern people. The Ho Chi Minh Museum in Ho Chi Minh City currently has more than 11,000 documents and items and 3,300 books on President Ho Chi Minh.

Nha Rong Wharf is a great location for tourists Vietnam travel who want a unique experience.


10. Vietnam History Museum

The Museum of Vietnamese History is located at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1. Formerly known as the Musée Blanchard de la Brosse, built by Auguste Delaval in 1926, and The National Museum of Viet Nam in Sai Gon, it received its current name in 1979. It is a museum showcasing Vietnam's history with exhibits from all periods.

Compiled by Pha Le

[paulwwk88]

yesterday my girl message me said that i go out cheong and angry because i never message her at night... just now i message her and ask are she angry at me or not and she just reply..

e nek

really don't understand what her mean with nek

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by paulwwk88

yesterday my girl message me said that i go out cheong and angry because i never message her at night... just now i message her and ask are she angry at me or not and she just reply..

e nek

really don't understand what her mean with nek

nek means NOT...is a gen y or z slang..same as hok, ko, kg, k, khong...

[paulwwk88]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

nek means NOT...is a gen y or z slang..same as hok, ko, kg, k, khong...

thanks... now i changing to syt and need to know more and learn about gen y or z slang

[jackbl]

Five bars for expats in Hanoi's Old Quarter
================================================== =======
VietNamNet Bridge – Having a cocktail and talking with a few new friends is how to enjoy the nightlife of many expats and foreign tourists in the Hanoi Old Quarter.

Unlike the conceptions of many Vietnamese customers who usually go to a bar to release stress, dance and drink, foreign visitors go to bars to not dance but only just to listen to music, enjoy a few glasses of beer and talk. Below are several bars managed by expats and favored by expats in the Old Quarter.

1. Rockstore, 61 Ma May

Rockstore can be regarded as a typical western-styled bar in the Old Quarter, ran by Olivier Waryn, a Swiss man.

Opened in September 2013 and thanks to its soothing décor, open space with rock style, the new bar has quickly become a destination for many foreign tourists and expats in Hanoi.

The bar is a two-story yellow house in France architecture style. On the 1st floor is a bar serving alcoholic beverages such as wine, cocktails, mocktails, beer ... and lounges for small groups.

The second floor is designed for big groups and some billiard tables. The highlight of the bar is bent lampposts.

If other bars only open from afternoon to evening, Rockstore opens all day. But just when the night comes, visitors will understand how Rockstore is.

The bar has performances of DJs or rock bands in all evenings. In addition to drinks, the bar offers some Vietnamese cuisines like bun cha, spring rolls...


2. Fat Cat Bar, 25 Ta Hien

Fat Cat Bar is also managed by Waryn Olivier and a French friend. Compared with Rockstore, Fat Cat is smaller but its décor is very special.

The combination of a lively bar and a gently lounge creates a comfortable atmosphere at Fat Cat Bar.

Most of the customers are foreigners. They can gather around the bar inside or sit outside the door to sip a glass of beer and talk for hours. If they like sitting, they can climb up to the loft.

Fat Cat Bar regularly organizes music parties with different themes. The favored drinks here are beer and cocktails. If you want to call a special drink, it would be a Fatcat cocktail.


3. Finnegan's Irish

The name Finnegan's Irish apparently derives from the famous novel “Finnegans Wake” by the Irish writer James Joyce. Located on the 2nd floor of No. 32 Luong Ngoc Quyen stret, Finnegan's Irish is in European classic style with wooden and leather furniture in brown - black colors.

It is not too wide but Finnegan's Irish takes advantage of maximum light and space to create different spaces. If you go there alone, you can sit at the bar, if in a group, you can select a suitable table, otherwise you can call a beer and take the glass to the balcony to enjoy watching the streets.

In addition to alcohol drinks, Finnegan's Irish also serves tea, coffee and snacks. In particular, the bar regularly organizes events associated with international football tournaments.


4. Funky. B

Funky B (formerly called Funky Buddha) is a bar located at No. 2 Ta Hien, known for house, trance and techno music. With unique music style, this place is a very popular address of foreign tourists and the foreign community in Vietnam.

Compared to many bars in the Old Quarter, Funky B is fairly large with two bars of two different styles. The bar near the door is somewhat "ordinary" while the inside bar is more impressive with a bird-cage wine rack. If you do not like the bustling atmosphere with DJ music, you can sit at the bar near the door to drink and chat with friends.


5. Spy Bar

Spy Bar at No.12A Nguyen Huu Huan Street is similar to Finnegan's Irish in design but visitors can still find here unique features. The bar is small, with several long benches for groups and high stools at the bar. You can go upstairs if you want a more private space.

Spy Bar has live music and mini gameshows in Friday evening. Drinks here are quite cheap, VND20,000-40,000 ($1-2)/beer bottle, VND15,000-20,000/a cup of coffee and tea.

[jackbl]

The best sidewalk restaurant for backpackers in Saigon
================================================== ===================
VietNamNet Bridge – For Saigonese, it is a normal sidewalk restaurant but for foreign tourists, this is a must-visit site when they come to Vietnam.

In the last few years, the image of foreigners sitting on the sidewalk to taste noodles has become too familiar to the people living in Nguyen Dinh Chieu apartment blocks in District 1.

Come here at noon, you will see many Western tourists crammed around small plastic tables to enjoy traditional dishes of Vietnam such as bun mam (fish noodle), bun bo (noodle with beef), bun thit nuong (noodle with roast meat)…

That's because this is the restaurant introduced by famous chef Anthony Michael Tony Bourdain in the culinary discovery program No Reservations (US).

This 20 -year-old sidewalk restaurant has become famous among foreign tourists for about five years. According to the restaurant owner, Mr. Thanh, Chef Anthony and his crew came here to enjoy food and film the restaurant after they read an article on the journal Asialife.

After the conversation with Thanh, a jolly middle-aged woman, Anthony decided to call the restaurant “Lunch Lady.” Since then, the sidewalk restaurant has become famous with that name.

As a sidewalk restaurant, “Lunch Lady” looks indifferent from other sidewalk shops. It has only one glass cabinet containing enough materials needed for a dish with a huge pot of broth. The restaurant has no roof, no billboard nor the menu. Each day the shop offers one or two dishes, which are daily changed without any certain rules.

You will not know which dish that you will be served until you sit down at the table. You may be served with bun mam, hu tieu, bun thit nuong or sometimes bun bo. However, customers do not feel annoyed but they feel excited for that "unusual thing.”

This restaurant is not only famous for delicious food but also for the oral advertising by foreign backpackers. Though the shop sells only one or two dishes, without only two hours (from 11am to about 1pm), the dishes are always prepared very carefully. Thanks to the good quality, customers often come back to the shop to taste other delicious cuisines despite the blazing sun in Saigon at noon.

Pha Le

[jackbl]

The 5 summer coolers of Ho Chi Minh City
================================================== =====
1. Coconut juice:

Coconut juice is a helpful beverage in such hot weather like Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are two kinds of places where you can get coconut juice: in a cafe or from the street vendors. In a cafe, a coconut costs you about $2. The good thing of having a coconut in such coffee shops is the cool and fresh atmosphere, because most coffee shops in HCMC is well-equipped with air-conditioner. Visitors can just enjoy the light sweet taste of coconut juice and relax. Another advantage is you can eat the coconut flesh by using the spoon and swirling inside out.

Unlike coconut from a coffee shop, coconut from street vendors is much cheaper. It costs less than $1 for each whole coconut. However, instead of sitting comfortably in the coffee shop, when drinking coconut juice from street vendors, you will just remain standing and finish your drinks because there is no seats available. Some people riding a motorbike often stop by a street vendor, buy a coconut, drink the juice and leave without eating the coconut flesh. Bargain is advised in case the price is much higher than expected.


2. Sugar cane juice:

Sugar cane juice is a popular drink in Ho Chi Minh City. With a small blending machine attached, a sugar cane juice shop does not take up too much space. When walking around the streets, you may accidentally see some or even many of them. Small chairs and stools are arranged around the small vehicle where people usually sit and talk with their friends while having drinks.

Sugar cane juice is just a simple and stress-relieving drink for it can cure thirsty, temporary hunger and sugar low situations. Besides, it is cheap. It can’t cost you more than 50 cents for a glass of sugar cane juice. Recently, some people makes some changes and mix some fruits into sugar cane juice while blending, such as: strawberry and orange, which increase the flavour and thus price of a drink up to 75 cents.

Places to try sugarcane drinks: Ben Thanh market is an easy place to find sugar cane juice at affordable price. If you like discovering around the city, you may see others on the street walks almost anywhere.


3. Smoothies:

Smoothie is another popular and widely available option when you are thirsty. Because Vietnam is a tropical country, there are plenty kinds of exotic fruits, some of which you may never try before. A smoothie is popular due to its good effects on people’s health, especially the skin.

Fruits contain lots of vitamins which are benevolent to your skin and your body as well. Unlike smoothies made in foreign countries, in Vietnam, fruits are blended with condensed milk. That’s why it may taste sweeter and richer than usual but more addictive, for sure. Besides, depending the seasonal availability of the fruits, some can be found in June but aren’t available in September.

Smoothies can be found at any coffee shop or even on the streets. The average price is $1-$1.5/ drink. Take-away is also available at some places. If you have special diet, such as sugar-free diet, you’d better go to a coffee shop and order your special smoothie rather than having one from the street vendors because the sweetener might not be available at these places.


4. Iced Coffee:

It would be a great mistake if one does not mention coffee when talking about local drinks in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese people often drink coffee to start a new day before going to work. They can either drink it at home (home-made coffee) or at the coffee shop or even on the streets. Coffee shop in Vietnam varies from designs, architecture to pricing.

Coffee from street vendors (again?!) is the most affordable one. It costs you about 25 cents for a tall. In upscale coffee shops, price is much higher up to $2-$4/ a cup of coffee. However expensive it is, the atmosphere and backgrounds with light music all the time can make it up. Is there anything better than sitting in a relaxing environment, savoring coffee to start a new day?

Coffee in Vietnam may be stronger than any other countries’. If you are not a good coffee drinker, you may try a little bit first or else you may stay awake all that night! In hot weather, a ca phe sua da (iced coffee with condensed milk) will certainly does the job.


5. Nuoc Sam:

Herbal tea or Nuoc Sam is a very typical drink of Ho Chi Minh City. It is made from boiling the water with some special herbal plants. These plants have a good effect on balancing self-temperature in hot weather and cool down the body as well. They can be bought at oriental medication shop along Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street, District 5.

If you have time, you can buy some and make it at home. Just boil the water with the plants for a few minutes, let it cool down in open air, then put in the fridge for later use.

For busy people, you can find some on Cach Mang Thang Tam street after passing the Cong Truong Dan Chu roundabout. It costs less than 25 cents for a Nuoc Sam, a fairly cheap price.

After drinking, you feel like your body has been recharged and revived. Fresh taste of Nuoc Sam attracts lots of people. They can’t resist having a second drink. These shops are often designed for stopping-by or take-away. It might not be a great idea if you are planning to sit there for a long time!

[jackbl]

Valentine’s Day and Vietnamese love language
================================================== =============
Editor’s Note: Stivi Cooke is an Australian expat based in Hoi An Ancient Town in central Vietnam. He is working as an English language and hospitality teacher in the town.

"Anh yêu em!", "Em yêu anh!" (both mean “I love you!”) Ah… it’s that special time of the year, isn’t it?

Spring’s not far away and young women across Vietnam are busy chatting online about Ngày Valentine or Valentine’s Day (February 14). It’s also known as the feast of love (Lễ Tình Nhân). Older men usually give their wives flowers or something romantic on March 8th (International Women’s Day) or the 20th of October (Vietnamese Women’s Day) but it’s not such a big thing for older couples.

You can imagine the comments… “Ooo, I wonder where he’s taking me?”, “I bet he’s going to buy roses!” and of course, “I dropped a dozen hints and he STILL has no idea! Humph!” It’s the most dangerous test of love of the year. Forget this one and you can bet your girlfriend will get her revenge later on! Still, it’s impossible to ignore in the Vietnamese online forums and media, so a smart guy should be safe!

I’ve got to admit, Vietnamese girls have an imaginative way of reminding men. A few years ago, I taught at a local university in central Vietnam’s Hoi An Ancient Town, where I currently live. My all too cute students would take to drawing manga-style love cartoons on my whiteboard before classes and dropping ‘hint bombs’ into our English lessons with a giggle while trying to keep a straight face.

“Mr Stivi, where are you taking your girlfriend on Valentine’s Day?” (Present continuous tense followed by howls of laughter)

“Teacher! Have you ever been in love?” (Present perfect and much sniggering)

“Teacher, will you buy me chocolates and flowers?” (Simple future tense and lots of finger pointing at the now very embarrassed teacher)

My revenge is setting the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet as homework…

The Vietnamese language of love is interesting too. Gấu can mean ‘bear’ – sometimes cute and cuddly or a big fat grumpy thing and mostly for girls nowadays. However gấu chó (literally translated as ‘bear dog’ but referring to ‘sun bear’) can mean an unfaithful partner. Chăn 37 độ (37 Celsius-degree blanket) can mean a warm boyfriend! Ghẹ or ghệ, depending on the region and probably the accent, can mean a girlfriend. As any foreigner who has lived here for a while can testify, Vietnamese is full of slang. Cưng can mean ‘honey’; ông xã or its short form ox for ‘hubby’ and bà xã for ‘wifey’!

Ngày Valentine is a recent and mostly young Vietnamese trend but it has unusual effects such as students missing from classes because it’s lucrative to go and sell flowers outside the school! The price of love is expensive too, up to VND150,000 for a bunch of flowers. I pity that boyfriend!

All the quintessential gifts are still there – teddy bears (gấu bông), chocolates, love messages and of course ‘couple’s bracelets’…Guess who loves you? I’m lucky that my girlfriend hasn’t given me a toy frog and asked me to kiss it yet! No, honey, it’s not a good idea…

Yet unlike affluent western romantics, a quiet romantic dinner is still an unusual thing here with most lovers settling for something simpler. Mind you, I have no idea how a date at the cinema can be considered romantic if everyone’s texting and chatting all the way through the movie! Or for that matter, parking the bike at one of Hanoi’s or Ho Chi Minh’s small parks as the traffic swirls around. Somehow honking horns are not a great soundtrack to love.

Hot dates here are more the KFC/pizza/ice-cream deal, a walk around the park, riding bikes together, hugging the boyfriend as the motorbike meanders around the rice fields in the cool night air (country love is more romantic, ha-ha…) or just chilling out at the coffee shop. However, it can be very weird to see a couple sitting next to each other, not talking, just staring at their mobile phones! If the couple is particularly daring, they may opt for a street-side stall with low lighting and trees to hide their kissing and cuddling!

It’s one thing that’s very constant here and one of the things that I love about Vietnam. I feel we are losing this sense of ‘active romance’ in the West – the endless parade of young couples riding to somewhere, chatting their way through the traffic, rushing in groups of couples to the coffee shops, the late night chats in front of the parent’s house and the flirting on school bikes as they ride home. You see life being lived to the full all around.

So remember guys, keep your girlfriends happy this Ngày Valentine and you’ll have a year’s peace!

It’s a great reminder that love in Vietnam is vibrant, frequent, energetic, and busy!

It’s also the one thing that makes us all the same, no matter wherever you are in the world.

[jackbl]

The famous dishes from insects in Vietnam
================================================== =======
VietNamNet Bridge – Through the hands of Vietnamese chefs, the insects with ‘creepy’ looks like stink bugs, grasshoppers, ant eggs, coconut worms and bee larvae become unforgettable delicacies.


Steamed glutinous rice with ant eggs

Not all kinds of ant eggs are edible. It must be eggs of black ants that build nest on the tree. The ant egg season begins from March of the lunar calendar and this period lasts over a month.

Processing ant eggs is very sophisticated. These tiny eggs are cleaned gently with warm water and mixed with seasonings, dried onion and fried with fat until the eggs spread the nice aroma.

The eggs are then put on a banana leaf so the nice smell of eggs is mixed with the smell of the leaf. This dish goes with steamed sticky rice.

Stink bugs roasted with lemon leaves

For people in rural or mountainous areas, stink bugs are the material to make delicacies. It is believed that stink bugs live on essences of plants, so they are very nutritious.

To remove odors, bugs are soaked in brine for several hours and then it is boiled with water and sour bamboo shoots until the water is gone.

The bug tails are removed to reject the pungent smell. The bugs are roasted with lemon leaves, with high heat until their color turns into light brown to have a crispy, sweet and fleshy dish.

Cicadas, scorpions and grasshoppers can be also processed the same way but their tastes are different from each others.

Silkworm pupae roasted with lime leaves is also a delicious dish.


Crispy white crickets

White crickets are as fat as prawns, fresh as crab meat, delicious and nutritious. It is believed that eating white crickets can cure many diseases such as rheumatism and obesity.

White crickets are roasted in hot oil, together with chopped bacon and lemon leaves.


Larvae

Bee larvae contain a lot of vitamins, proteins, minerals, sugars and amino acids. People in several northern mountainous provinces of Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang and Cao Bang process bee larvae into many dishes with various spices like shallots, fresh ginger and chopped lime leaves. Eating hot bee larvae, you'll feel a fragrant, soft and succulent tastes.


Coconut worms

For many, it is fearful to see coconut worms which are as big as fingers wiggling. But with people in the southwestern region of Vietnam, they are the gift of nature, a specialty that is not always available.

In the southwestern region, coconut worms are most in Ben Tre, which is the home to vast forests of coconuts. Though they are harmful for coconuts, they are the raw material for processing many aromatic, fatty and delicious cuisines.

Every year, in the rainy season, may-bugs begin hollowing out coconut trees to lay eggs inside. When the eggs are hatched into larvae, the larvae begin to eat the coconut trees. When coconut trees are waned, it is also the time the coconut larvae are very fat. As such, people just cut down the coconut trees to collect worms.

The easy-processing and being the most popular dish, fresh worms served with chili sauce.

The living worms are dropped into a bowl of alcohol. After the worms emit contaminants, they are washed and put into a bowl of chili fish sauce. The living worms are fat and fleshy, which feels no different from egg yolk.

Coconut worms are also processed into other cuisines like fried butter worms, fried worms served with herbs, etc. But the most unique cuisine is coconut worms with sticky rice. Coconut worms are steamed on the sticky rice pot. When the steamed glutinous rice is done to a turn, the worms are also done. Sticky rice and coconut works are severed together, making a very special flavor.

Besides coconut worms, the southwestern people also have two other kinds of worms, which are quite rare – worms from dung dinh trees and worms from palm trees. According to their experience, worms from dung dinh trees are the best for gruel and the other kind is the best for grilling.

T. Van

[profx]

Vietnamese language already difficult to learn and they using those short form to type, really make the learning even more difficult.
They like to type those 1 alphabet word like d, j, k.. ...got dictionary on hand also cannot translate.

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

nek means NOT...is a gen y or z slang..same as hok, ko, kg, k, khong...

Originally Posted by paulwwk88

thanks... now i changing to syt and need to know more and learn about gen y or z slang