Tieng Viet lovers club

[shysaint]

Originally Posted by AdGuy

This theme park was scheduled to open a long time ago but not surprising, it was delayed.

Dun be mistaken .... this is actually not a theme park .... no rides and etc ...

The Name in English is :

Vietnam Craft Centre ... Passage to Viet Nam ...

It is more of a place to learn various cultures of Vietnam .. I have the brochure of this place ...

[jackbl]

Nation welcomes Year of the Cat in warm atmosphere
================================================== ======

Hanoi and northern Vietnam welcomed New Year Eve in warmer feeling thanks to not only better weather but also family reunion during Tet holidays while it was cool in the south, differing from annual heat of the spring time.

Last night fire crackers were set off nationwide to welcome the New Year of the Cat (Chinese and Koreans call Year of the Rabbit).

Tens of thousands of people went into Hanoi streets for enjoying fireworks. After the New Year Eve, residents traditionally visited pagodas in the city to burn incense for praying a prosperous and peaceful New Year.

In Ho Chi Minh City although the city set off fireworks in 9 places, as traditionally people liked to enjoy fireworks in the city downtown, walking along the Nguyen Hue Flower Street as clusters of fireworks were brightening in the sky.

Numerous of foreigners join city residents in the downtown to welcome New Year. Most of them work in Vietnam, others are tourists.

People who did not flock into streets burned incense in front of ancestral altar with a tray full of fruits and banh chung, praying for a New Year of prosperous happiness and health and good luck.

In the UNESCO heritage ancient city of Hoi An a lantern festival is being held, displaying 150 unique lanterns made by local artisans.

This is the first time Hoi An city welcomes the New Year in drizzle weather since along time. Hoi An streets are decorated with brightening lanterns. They are reflected along Hoai River, looking like the glistening Galaxy.

In central region, despite unusual cold hit people are heated with feeling and gifts from country’s corners, aiming to help central residents overcome damages from natural disasters last year.

In the New Year’s Eve, National TV channels broadcast President Nguyen Minh Triet congratulating fellow citizens, wishing the people, comrades and soldiers a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year.


By Staff Writers-Translated by Quynh Nhu

[AdGuy]

Originally Posted by shysaint

Dun be mistaken .... this is actually not a theme park .... no rides and etc ...

The Name in English is :

Vietnam Craft Centre ... Passage to Viet Nam ...

It is more of a place to learn various cultures of Vietnam .. I have the brochure of this place ...

Yup, heard of it since last year.

In fact, I wrote an article on it for my forum but haven't put it up. It's a visionary development where artists and craftsmen from all over vn will come together to present works of art to the world.

[jackbl]

Vietnamese flock to pagodas for New Year
================================================

Ngoc Dung’s family from Van Chuong alley on Kham Thien street in Hanoi’s Dong Da district often goes to the pagoda on the first day of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. While most business households visit large and well-known pagodas, Dung’s family chose one nearest their house for traffic convenience and to avoid the hustle.

“Apart from praying for happiness, prosperity and good health for family, visiting pagodas gives us a chance to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere at religious places,” the 40-years-old Hanoian said.

Visiting pagodas at the beginning of Lunar New Year has become an age-old tradition of Vietnamese people. While streets in Hanoi are deserted in the first day of New Year, a stream of people goes on a pilgrimage at Tay Ho, Tran Quoc pagodas or Ngoc Son and Quan Thanh temples.

Among the religious destinations, Tay Ho pagoda attracts the largest number of visitors from both in and outside Hanoi with several thousand each day during Tet holiday.

Fruit and offering shops in the entrance leading to the pagoda are overcrowded with visitors on the occasion.

Madam Thanh, 70 who is also from Kham Thien street, said he often goes to Tay Ho pagoda with his old friend on the first day of new year.

“We can go to the pagoda anytime but the first day is a special time of a year to pray for good things for our family”, he explained.

Meanwhile, many citizens, especially students, chose to visit the Temple of Literature in the new year.

Nguyen Thu Phuong from Quan Su street in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district said she visited on the first day of Lunar New Year to pray to become a good learner.

“This year, I pray for good health for my family and wish that I will enter Teachers Training University,” Phuong said.

The first half of the first lunar month is the best time for a pilgrimage. Joining the flow of devotees in the spring’s wonderful atmosphere you may feel the harmony of the sky and the ground, she said.

[jackbl]

Colorfully wrapped Cakes ring in Lunar New Year
================================================== =

Vietnamese people usually ring in the Lunar New Year by making various kinds of cakes, some of which they then wrap in colorful paper and offer as a worship to their ancestors and to entertain their guests during Tet.

To make In Cake people first whittle moulds from jackfruit wood in shapes of circles and squares which often have vignettes of leaves or flowers.
The main ingredient to make the In Cake is sticky rice powder which is sometimes mixed with peeled green bean powder and kneaded into dough. The dough is then mixed with refined sugar and then poured into the moulds and compressed tightly.

After the In Cake is pressed into the mould it takes on the shape of the mould. It is taken out of the mould and put on a large and flat basket covered with newspaper.

The basket is then placed to bake in a moderately hot charcoal fire. This helps to melt the refined sugar and harden the cakes.

When the In Cakes are baked they are wrapped in colorful pieces of paper which are cut to size. The paper stays in place with glue made from sticky rice powder. In some places the In Cakes are wrapped in paper pieces made from shining nylon which is then glued by a burning incense to press on the papers edges.

Source: Thanh Nien – Translated by Hai Mien

[jackbl]

Home ingredients make sweet Tet
=========================================

Like some regions in the Mekong Delta, Tra Vinh grows a lot of cassava. Its roots make the main ingredient for the famous Tra Vinh chupatty, a local snack served during the country’s largest festival Tet.

It’s not known when the Tra Vinh cassava chupatty was first made, but the tradition has been passed down through generations. The sweet crispy cake is made not only for Tet, but for almost any traditional celebrations as an offering to the ancestors.

During the last days of the lunar year, villages around the province would be busy making the cake.

Big, floury cassava roots are chosen. Their cover is removed and they are boiled, and then left to get cool. Sugar is melted.

Strong men crush the boiled roots in mortars while women add sugar continuously until the mixture gets soft and sweet all over.

The mixture is made into balls and the balls rolled into thin round layers like plates. The plates are then put on mats or grates to get dry.

All the work is done through the night and the wet cakes will be ready for the first light of the day. When the cakes get dry, another step to have a perfect Tra Vinh cassava chupatty is to bake it on straw fire.

Usually, one family will make much more chupatties than they need, so they can give their friends and relatives as a festival present.

On the last day of the lunar year, when many Vietnamese people make offerings to invite the souls of their ancestors back home to celebrate the new year with them, Tra Vinh people bake their chupatties and put them on the altar to call their ancestors home.

Cassava chupatties are now present at many markets and bus stations these days. The makers have added milk or banana oil for tastier cakes.



Tet with sugar and glutinous rice

Glutinous rice not only makes the famous banh chung and banh day.

Quang Nam Province in the central region has a special Tet snack called banh to, simply made from glutinous rice and sugar, plus a little ginger juice.

The cake is made with flour from the best type of glutinous rice and the sugar that is pressed manually from sugar canes.

The mixture is poured into a small bamboo basket, put on banana leaves or the like.

Then, the baskets are steamed in a big pot. They are put on a grate, also made of bamboo, which is around five centimeters from the water in the pot.

The lid is put on and the cakes are cooked by the steam, so it takes rather long for the cakes to be doned.

Some roasted sesames are scattered on the cakes immediately after they are taken out of the pot. The sesames will stick to the cake and make it look good.

The last thing is to put the cakes to air in one or two days, until they get rough.

Then they are ready for serving. But many people prefer to grill or cut the cake into pieces and fry them, so they look and smell better.

According to old people in the province, banh to first appeared in the late 18th century when local residents made the cakes to offer to Emperor Quang Trung, who was worried about food supply when leading his army to fight Chinese invaders under the Qing Dynasty during the spring of 1789.

Since then, people in the province have been making the cake every Tet season to commemorate the country’s great hero and celebrate his victory.

Source: SGTT – Translated by Kien Long

[jackbl]

‘Ancient Night Town’ of Hoi An
==========================================
‘Night in an Ancient Town’ is a unique event that draws people from all over the world to Hoi An.

The event launched12 years ago is solely identified with the ancient town of Hoi An, in the central Quang Nam Province. The event has attracted millions of visitors each year to Hoi An.

The town organizes a spectacularly unique and mystical event every month on the 14th day of a full moon night, when residents and visitors temporarily turn off all electric lights and light candles on the Hoai River.

The town then turns into a mesmericly breathtaking fairyland resembling a beautiful water-color painting. The event known as ‘Night in an Ancient Town’ draws people from all over.

Foreign visitors know the city of Hoi An as a tourist destination, its ancient architecture, its proximity to the Marble Mountains and its lovely China Beach.

Once upon a time Hoi An was far more than just a tourist destination. It was a vibrant, thriving and one of the most important seaports in all of Southeast Asia.

During the 17th and 18th century Japanese, Chinese and Spanish merchant ships anchored in its harbor. War changed all that and Hoi An became a sleepy town with little activity.

During the 20th century, rapid urbanization in commercial cities kept the focus away from this ancient town. Although Hoi An lost it importance as a trading center it still was remembered as an example of a traditional Vietnamese port city.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Hoi An was all but forgotten, allowing it to continue its ancient traditional way of life with little influence from the modern, urban and western dominated world.

Gradually by early 1980 local and international researchers began to turn their attention to Hoi An.

In 1999, UNESCO named Hoi An a World Heritage Site because it remained a well-preserved example of a 15th - 19th century Asian trading port and a unique combination of Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architecture.

With UNESCO's recognition came tourist recognition and the last decade has seen a different kind of commercial resurgence for Hoi An, as western tourists gradually rediscover the charm of this old Vietnamese city.

Walking on the streets like Tran Phu, Bach Dang, Nguyen Phuc Chu and Nguyen Thai Hoc in this ancient town, transports one into a time zone of days gone by. Many have felt like they were walking in a dream world.

Earlier domestic and foreign visitors knew Hoi An for its ancient multi cultural architecture, but now they feel the essence of an old era and spirit in the town.

Hoi An’s government and residents have remained steadfastly loyal to the ancient spirit that this town exudes and all its cultural and art activities breathe that charm which are quintessential to this ancient town.

The town has attracted more visitors since the Hoi An Culture and Sports Center began to organize night tours and holding night events, popular food courts, art performances, folk games and a unique night market.

The serenity of the town of Hoi An epitomizes a calm, slow and easy pace of life.

One can go back in time as one wanders the many streets amidst ancient houses reflected by multi-colored lanterns with floating sounds of folk singing and traditional musical instruments, occasionally stopping to browse in a craft shop selling traditional Vietnamese ceramic and dreamily savoring the flavors of a life that once was.

By Nguyen Khoi - Translated by Hoang Yen

[lovesprout]

Originally Posted by jackbl

‘Ancient Night Town’ of Hoi An
==========================================
‘Night in an Ancient Town’ is a unique event that draws people from all over the world to Hoi An.

Just came back from Hoi An for my Tet holiday. Many stores and shops are closed during the Tet holiday, but it is still a very interesting place to visit.

Share two words I learnt in Hoi An.

Cao Lau: Hoi An Noodle. The most famous dish in Hoi An.
Che Bap: Desert with corn. Something you eat after Cao Lau.

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by lovesprout

Just came back from Hoi An for my Tet holiday.

Cao Lau: Hoi An Noodle. The most famous dish in Hoi An.
Che Bap: Desert with corn. Something you eat after Cao Lau.

Wow that's nice. U went there alone?

Cao lau Hoi An (Hoi An vermicelli)
=============================

Visitors to Hoi An never forget Cao Lau (vermicelli), the special Hoi An and Quang Nam special symbol.

Cao Lau is the foremost traditional Hoi An food. Visitors to Hoi An always remember Cao Lau, which was considered by Quang Nam people as a special symbol for Hoi An.

Cao lau noodles are carefully made from local new sticky rice. Water used to soak rice must be taken from wells in the Ba Le Village; noodles thus will be soft, enduring and flavored with special sweet-smelling.

On the Cao Lau noodles were some meat slices mixed with fat made from fried noodles served with vegetables and bean sprouts. Sharp-witted eaters would find out the specific flavor of the dish.
Dry pancakes used as ingredient must be thick with much sesame on the surface. Greasy coconut quintessence and bitter green cabbage are also indispensable. The so-called genuine Cao lau Hoi An must satisfy all above requirements.

It was said that only some wells in Hoi An were used to make Cao Lau noodles. What is more, only some Hoi An families were able to produce Cao Lau by their own traditional way, but the quality was not as good as it was before. Cao Lau did not have Vietnamese flavor. Despite its Chinese-like appearance, no Chinese accepted it as Chinese food. Until now, the origin of Cao Lau still remains in mystery.



“Chè bắp” of Hoi An
========================

If you have tried many famous dishes of Hoi An such as: Cao Lầu, bánh đập… but not Chè bắp, it means that you haven’t know Hoi An yet. It is the ver good sweet dish made from maize.

Chè bắp of Hoi An is more viscous than anywhere. Chè bắp kiosks stay along Hoai River and maize fields lay on the other side, indefinite and fresh green. Harvested maize on the fields is processed right after that. Hoi An people say that Chè bắp are delicious because the maize is still fresh when processing, not through middle markets.

Chè bắp has a lightly sweet. This sweet isn’t of sugar or condiment, this is the sweet of fresh maize. Some places, they use Chè bắp with coconut juice but Hoi An people don’t do that. The real taste of Chè bắp is simple but impressive, enjoying Chè bắp in kiosks along Hoai river must have the best way.

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by lovesprout

So there is no context/background.

Here is another no context/background phrases:

cà phe sáng tạo, khơi xuân mới.
hội tụ sum vầy, đon thành công.

Anyone can translate?

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by evoking88

thats the book i bought too.(Teach Yourself : Complete Vietnamese) haha.

Able to scan the book, burnt the CD for us ?

[情感王子]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Here is another no context/background phrases:

cà phe sáng tạo, khơi xuân mới.
hội tụ sum vầy, đon thành công.

Anyone can translate?

it means that do I need to wait till spring so that you will bring me go drink kopi? If so, how can you be successful in learning the technique of getting free bonk from con gai viet nam?

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by 情感王子

it means that do I need to wait till spring so that you will bring me go drink kopi? If so, how can you be successful in learning the technique of getting free bonk from con gai viet nam?

Can u help to translate? even I have to pay some money, I would not want to get FREE bonk from con gai I dun wan to owe them anything.

"Thà chết Vinh còn hơn sống Nhục ! "
"Sống đục sao bằng thác trong !"
"Chết trong hơn sống đục."

[shysaint]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Able to scan the book, burnt the CD for us ?

Bro ... scan ??? thick leh ...

I can upload the CD .. actually same as the book ...

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by shysaint

I can upload the CD .. actually same as the book ...

Thank you for this New Year present