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Tourist area of Halong Bay - Cat Ba Island
1, Halong Bay
Ha Long Bay (literally: "descending dragon bay") is a small bay located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and constitutes part of the western bank of Bac Bo Gulf, including the sea area of Ha Long City, Cam Pha city and a part of Van Don island district.
Hạ Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets
The combination of environment, climate, geology, geomorphology makes Halong Bay become the populations of biodiversity include tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem with many small ecosystems. 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species have been discovered among the thousands of animals and plants in Bay
Lying in the tropical zone and consisting mainly of water, Halong Bay enjoys a warm and wet climate with two distinctive seasons: hot and damp summer versus dry and cool winter. The average temperature of Halong hovers around 15-25 Celsius degree with the hottest months being June – August.
The region designated by UNESCO as the World Natural Heritage Site (The core zone) has an area of 434 km ², as a triangle with the island of Đầu Gỗ island on the west, Ba Hầm lake on the south and Cống Tây island on the east, includes 775 islands with many caves and beaches. Adjacent area (buffer zones) is the national heritage which has ranked by the Vietnam Culture and Information since 1962.
Inside the islands are numerous beautiful caves which are abundant in majestic stalactites and stalagmites of various sizes and shapes. Some popular caves and grottoes are Thien Cung, Dau Go, Sung Sot, Trinh Nu,..etc. Different types of tourism are offered to tourists such as sightseeing, bathing, research and water sport.
Ha Long Bay whose beauty is regarded as a geographic work of art is an ideal destination for tourists within and out of Vietnam.
2, Cat Ba Island
Cat Ba island is in the South of Halong Bay heritage. It includes 367 islands staying in unique beautiful Lan Ha bay. Cat Ba is only 30 km from Hai Phong city centre and 25 km from Ha Long city.
Cat Ba Island, also called Pearl Island (Dao Ngoc) has an area of 140 km2 and population of 9000 people. It is the largest island on the total number of 1,969 islands in Halong bay with approximately half of its area is covered by a National Park.
Administratively, it belongs to Cat Hai island district, Hai Phong city. It was recognized by UNESCO in December 2004 as a Biosphere reserve of the world.
Cat Ba National Park in located 15km north - west of Cat Ba Town. It was established in 1986. It spans an area of 15,200ha, of which 9,800ha are forest, and contains lots of particularly interesting caves. The original tropical forest spans an area of 570ha, with extremely varied wildlife and vegetation.
Lan Ha bay is situated in the southeast of Cat Ba Island. Not only is it famous for beautiful beaches, but also for the imposing caves and ideal place for fishing. Visiting to Lan Ha, tourists will mingle in nature's island, swim at the beach in pure water or kayaking around the small islands.
Ha Long Bay (literally: "descending dragon bay") is a small bay located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and constitutes part of the western bank of Bac Bo Gulf, including the sea area of Ha Long City, Cam Pha city and a part of Van Don island district.

Hạ Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets
The combination of environment, climate, geology, geomorphology makes Halong Bay become the populations of biodiversity include tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem with many small ecosystems. 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species have been discovered among the thousands of animals and plants in Bay
Lying in the tropical zone and consisting mainly of water, Halong Bay enjoys a warm and wet climate with two distinctive seasons: hot and damp summer versus dry and cool winter. The average temperature of Halong hovers around 15-25 Celsius degree with the hottest months being June – August.

Inside the islands are numerous beautiful caves which are abundant in majestic stalactites and stalagmites of various sizes and shapes. Some popular caves and grottoes are Thien Cung, Dau Go, Sung Sot, Trinh Nu,..etc. Different types of tourism are offered to tourists such as sightseeing, bathing, research and water sport.
Ha Long Bay whose beauty is regarded as a geographic work of art is an ideal destination for tourists within and out of Vietnam.
2, Cat Ba Island
Cat Ba island is in the South of Halong Bay heritage. It includes 367 islands staying in unique beautiful Lan Ha bay. Cat Ba is only 30 km from Hai Phong city centre and 25 km from Ha Long city.

Administratively, it belongs to Cat Hai island district, Hai Phong city. It was recognized by UNESCO in December 2004 as a Biosphere reserve of the world.
Cat Ba National Park in located 15km north - west of Cat Ba Town. It was established in 1986. It spans an area of 15,200ha, of which 9,800ha are forest, and contains lots of particularly interesting caves. The original tropical forest spans an area of 570ha, with extremely varied wildlife and vegetation.

Suoi Hai Lake - The attractive weekend getaway
About 60 km from Hanoi to the west, Suoi Hai Lake is a man-made freshwater lake located at the foot of Ba Vi Mountant, belongs to Ba Vi district, Hanoi. It is located at an elevation of 27 meters above sea level.
Suoi Hai lake which is a reservoir that was built in December 1958, has a 4 km-long system of main and supporting dams to reserve water from the Yen Cu and Cau Rong.
Coming to Suoi Hai Lake, tourist will be enjoyed a very natural and rustic beauty. It has an area of approximately 1,000 ha of water surface. Fourteen islands of all sizes totaling 90 ha are scattered on the lake. There are many trees and fruit gardens on the islets and lakeshore. On each island and around the lake, there are a lot of trees and orchards, creating a fresh space and making visitors feel like being strayed into the garden full of fragrant flowers and fruits.
Along with affordable entertainment services and the beautiful artificial beach, Suoi Hai are increasingly becoming the first choice of tourists. The lake attracts tourists to its many clean beaches where uncountable species of valuable birds live.
Listed in the development strategy of Hanoi tourism from the year 2011 to 2020, Suoi Hai lake is determined as a part of the National Tourism Area and one of the three major groups of area satisfying full conditions for sightseeing, ecotourism, relax, sport and recreation as it converges natural resources and spacious land for organizing a highly specialized area on tourism and subsidiary services
Suoi Hai lake which is a reservoir that was built in December 1958, has a 4 km-long system of main and supporting dams to reserve water from the Yen Cu and Cau Rong.

Coming to Suoi Hai Lake, tourist will be enjoyed a very natural and rustic beauty. It has an area of approximately 1,000 ha of water surface. Fourteen islands of all sizes totaling 90 ha are scattered on the lake. There are many trees and fruit gardens on the islets and lakeshore. On each island and around the lake, there are a lot of trees and orchards, creating a fresh space and making visitors feel like being strayed into the garden full of fragrant flowers and fruits.
Along with affordable entertainment services and the beautiful artificial beach, Suoi Hai are increasingly becoming the first choice of tourists. The lake attracts tourists to its many clean beaches where uncountable species of valuable birds live.

Sa Pa–The wonderful destination for tourism and resort
Referring to Sa Pa, we immediately think of the famous tourist site with the advantages of climate, landscape as well as distinctive cultures of many peoples.
Being a mountainous district of Lao Cai Province, Sapa is from 1,500 meters to 1.800m in height above sea level elevation, far approximately 400 km to Hanoi on the northwest and 40 km to Vietnamese-Chinese border. Sa Pa is located in the eastern slope of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, the last part of the Himalayan range with distinct characteristics.
In Sa Pa district, Fansipan is the highest peak in Indochina from 3,143 km in height above sea level elevation.
The west of the district is The Hoang Lien Son nature reserve, which was built in 1994 to preserve residual forest on the slope of Fansipan Mountain.
Sa Pa was established in 1918 aim to be the resort and the place which ethnic minorities conduct the activities of cultural exchange and commodities.
Thanks to its geographic condition, Sa Pa has one of the most favourable climates in Vietnam. The temperature remains stably cool throughout the year, in the winter may see more severe changes, with frost and even snow
With the natural advantages, Sa Pa has become one of Vietnam’s famous resorts attracting a lot of tourists from all over the world. Annually years, many foreign visitors come to discover and admire amazing beauty of this area.
According to statistics of Sapa department of culture and information, amount of domestic tourists visit to Sa Pa in 2011 reached nearly 408,000 turns, increased by 88,310 turns compared to 2010. Besides, the number of international tourists to Sa Pa tourism tourist arrivals in 2011 reached 112,887 turns. Thus, in 2011, Sa Pa has welcomed 520,808 visitors,achieved 115% of plan, in which has issued the card to visit for 23,550 groups, revenue of entrance fee reached 7 billion VND

Being a mountainous district of Lao Cai Province, Sapa is from 1,500 meters to 1.800m in height above sea level elevation, far approximately 400 km to Hanoi on the northwest and 40 km to Vietnamese-Chinese border. Sa Pa is located in the eastern slope of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, the last part of the Himalayan range with distinct characteristics.
In Sa Pa district, Fansipan is the highest peak in Indochina from 3,143 km in height above sea level elevation.

Sa Pa was established in 1918 aim to be the resort and the place which ethnic minorities conduct the activities of cultural exchange and commodities.
Thanks to its geographic condition, Sa Pa has one of the most favourable climates in Vietnam. The temperature remains stably cool throughout the year, in the winter may see more severe changes, with frost and even snow
With the natural advantages, Sa Pa has become one of Vietnam’s famous resorts attracting a lot of tourists from all over the world. Annually years, many foreign visitors come to discover and admire amazing beauty of this area.

Ba Be Lake eco-tourism (Bac Kan)–The green jewel of tourism
Ba Be National Park, including Ba Be Lake, is the attractive ecological tourism of Bac Kan in particular and the North Vietnamese in general. The beautiful natural scenery with pristine and unique geological structure makes Ba Be Lake a strong charisma, which leaves an unforgettable impression for visitors.
Lying in the tropical rainforest area with over 410 named plant species and 30 wildlife species, surrounded by steep limestone mountains up to 1554 meters high, Ba Be National Park is a precious natural heritage, a complete and complicated system of primitive forest on stone mountains which are surrounded by tranquil lakes.
The main feature of Ba Be National Park is the Ba Be Lake. Being Vietnam’s largest natural fresh water lake, Ba Be Lake forms the core of the delightful Ba Be National Park, a feast of limestone and tropical forest. Enclosed by steep, densely wooded slopes breaking out here and there into white limestone cliffs, the lake is 7km long, up to 30m deep and a kilometre wide in parts.
From Ba Be, tourists often visit other neighboring scenic attractions such as Dau Dang Fall, Puong Cave, and Tien Pond.

Lying in the tropical rainforest area with over 410 named plant species and 30 wildlife species, surrounded by steep limestone mountains up to 1554 meters high, Ba Be National Park is a precious natural heritage, a complete and complicated system of primitive forest on stone mountains which are surrounded by tranquil lakes.



The most typical food in Vietnamese' Tet holiday
1.
Chung cake
Chung cake is the only cake
which has long history in Vietnamese food culture. It was invented by the
prince Lang Lieu from Hung King dynasty to express the gratitude to his father
and the country.

Chung cake is wrapped in a
square shape, covered by green leaves to symbolize the Earth. It is made from
glutinous rice, mung bean and pork, added with many other ingredients and boiled
in about 12 hours by wood.
Chung Cake is consider to be
the evidence of the Vietnamese loyalty and deep gratitude to ancestors
2.
Vietnamese ham (Gio lua)

Known as a popular dish, Gio
lua often appear in Vietnamese meals.
It was made from 3 main
ingredients: lean meat, added fish sauce and covered by leaves (usually banana
leaves) then boiled for hours.
3. Red sticky rice ( Xoi Gac)

Xoi
Gac also plays an important part of Tet holiday in Vietnam . It is symbolic for good
fortune and happiness. It’s commonly eaten with Gio lua, (Vietnamese ham).
4. Boiled chicken

Whole
boiled rooster is a indispensable dish of ancestor worshipping tray on the
Vietnamese Tet.
Boiled
chicken are always go with sliced lemon leaves and salt-and-pepper sauce, as a
tradition
5. Spring rolls (Nem ran)

Spring
rolls is very special dish in Vietnamese 's trays. Main ingredients for making spring rolls include
minced pork, bean sprout, green shallot, vermicelli noodles and eggs. All are
mixed, wrapped by round rice-paper sheets and fried in cooking oil till
crisped.
Traditional customs of Vietnamese on Tet Holiday
Tet Nguyen Dan
(Lunar New Year), more commonly known by its shortened name Tết, is the most
important festival in Vietnamese culture and some ethnics influenced in Chinese
culture. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the
Lunar calendar until at least the third day.
Althought each
region and religion in Vietnam
has its own customs, there are some main customs as follows:
1. Kitchen God worshipping

Traditionally, Kitchen God (Ông Táo), who report to the Jade Emperor
about the events in that house over the past year, return to heaven on the 23rd
day of the twelfth month by lunar calendar. Their departure is marked by a
modest ceremony where the family offers sacrifices for them to use on their
journey.
2. Five-fruit tray

Vietnamese
families usually have a family altar, to pay respect to their ancestors. The "five-fruit tray" (Ngũ Quả) on
the ancestral altar during the Tet Holidays symbolizes the admiration and
gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors and
demonstrates their aspiration for a life of plenty.
3. Chung cake

In the days leading up to Tết, each family cooks special holiday foods: Chung
cake and Rise cake. Family members often take turns to keep watch on the fire
overnight, telling each other stories about Tết of past years.
4. Visiting a person's
house on the first day of the new year
One of the most important rituals during Tết is the act of being the
first person to enter a house on Tết is called “xông đất”. According to
Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the
lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings.
Usually, a person of good temper, morality and success will be the lucky sign for
the host family and be invited first into the house.
5. Wishing New Year's
greetings
During Tết,
Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, forgetting about the troubles of
the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year.
6. Giving lucky
money
Giving lucky
money is also the popular custom in the main days of Tet holiday. Adults who
have already got married and have income are supposed to give the children
lucky money” (tiền lì xì) and best wishes when visiting other’s homes.
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