Cha ca La Vong ( La Vong Grilled fish pies)

cha ca La Vong

Cha ca La Vong is a unique specialty of
Hanoi people, therefore one street in Hanoi was named as Cha Ca Street.

Cha ca is made from mud-fish and snake-headed fish. But the best one is Hemibagrus (Ca lang). Fish fillet is put seasoning, clipping by pieces of bamboo, and frying by coal heat. An oven of coal heat is needed when serving to keep Cha ca always hot. Cha ca is served with roasted peanuts, dry pancakes, soft Noodle soup, spice vegetables and shrimps paste with lemon and chilly. The Cha ca La Vong Restaurant on No.14 Cha Ca Street is the "ancestor restaurant" of the dish.

Gio lua ( Silky lean meat paste )

Gio lua

By itself, the name “silky lean meat paste” recalls the feeling of gentle and fine, Go lua is pounded with a pestle until it becomes a sticky paste. Fresh banana leaves are used to wrap very tightly around the paste, and then it is well cooked.

Gio lua may be obtained anywhere in Vietnam, but the best gio lua is from Uoc Le Village (Hanoi), where the know-how for Gio lua is strictly kept so as to allow no secrets of the job to flow out from Uoc Le. Good Gio lua is slightly pink, moist, and sweet-smelling meat, served with fish sauce and banana leaf.

Com (Grilled green rice)

Com (Grilled green rice)

Every autumn, around September and October, when the cool north-westerly wind brings a cold dew, the sticky rice ears bend themselves into arches waiting for ripe grains because these rice grains are at their fullest and the rice-milk is already concentrated in the grains, predicting that the com season has arrived.

Better than any other person, the peasant knows when the rice ears are ripe enough to be reaped to begin making com. Com is made from green sticky rice that is harvested in blossom period, roasted in many times, crashed and sieved.

Com is a speciality; at the same time, it is very popular. One can enjoy com with tieu ripe banana. When eating com, you must eat slowly and chew very deliberately in order to appreciate all the scents, tastes, and plasticity of the young rice.

Com is an ingredient also used in many specialities of Vietnam, including com xao (browned com), banh com (com cakes), che com (sweetened com soups), etc.

Com may be obtained anywhere in the North of Vietnam, but the tastiest com is processed in Vong Village, 5km from Hanoi, where com making has been a professional skill for many generations.

Haiduong province

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi Minh, who took control of the North. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South. Despite the return of peace, for over two decades the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience protests from the Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands over loss of land to Vietnamese settlers and religious persecution.

Vietnamese Tourism - Something for Everyone

Vietnam has a large number of beautiful beaches up and down its long coastline In the past several years a large number of modern hotels and resorts have been built in Vietnam. At this time in Vietnam there are 8,600 hotels with more than 170,000 rooms. Of those, 1,500 hotels are 1-5-star standard. With these facilities, good accommodations have been provided to the heads of state of many countries during their stay in Vietnam and to thousands of foreign athletes that have come to Vietnam to take part in sporting events. The Hoan My Tourist Company sells package tours to the USA. Vietravel offers low-cost package tours to Thailand. Saigontourist offers package tours to China, providing Chinese tour guides who are fluent in Vietnamese. Thua Thien Hue province has signed a memorandum of understanding regarding tourism with Mucdahan (Thailand), Savanakhet (Laos), Yunnan and Beihai (China). The Hoa Binh Tourist Company has a representative in Cambodia that works with the Morodok Banteaysrey Tourism Company (Cambodia). Quang Ninh province has attractive tourist sites in Uong Bi, Bai Chay, Van Don and Mong Cai. Foreign tourists sometimes come to Vietnam to see festivals in Da Lat, Sapa, Nha Trang, Cua Lo, Viet Bac, Quang Nam and Hue. Also of interest to foreign tourists are craft villages such as the Doc Tin silk village, the Van Phuc silk village, the Chuyen My lacquer village and the Quat Dong embroidery village. Within the Phu Mong-Kim Long garden in Hue is the palace of a mandarin of the Hue Royal Court. This palace was built in 1894 (under the dynasty of the sixth Thanh Thai King). In Tay Bac, Viet Bac, the midland areas in north, the central region and in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), there are imposing mountains and surprisingly beautiful caves in addition to waterfalls, hot springs, picturesque terraced fields, houses on stilts and ancient villages. Through the southwestern region flow two rivers, the Tien and the Hau. Well known tourist sites in this region include the ancient Vinh Trang pagoda, Thoi Son island, the Dong Tam snake farm (in Tien Giang province), the Phung Islet in Ben Tre, the Cai Rang Market and the Bang Lang stork garden in Can Tho, the So Mo Cave in Kien Giang, the Doi and Dat Set pagodas in Soc Trang and the U Minh salt-marsh in Ca Mau. Although it has great potential, Vietnam's tourism is growing spontaneously without central planning. Infrastructure, facilities and services are poor. Tourism companies sometimes increase prices at will, and their methods are oftentimes unethical. Many localities are doing nothing to conserve the nation's treasures - cultural and historical sites. Ecotourism, which occurs in rural areas, is not controlled and therefore is not providing a good source of income for rural residents. Vietnam has numerous beaches up and down its long coastline but lacks ports facilities to attract tourists from other countries. Presently, only a couple of seaports in Vietnam can receive big cruise ships. In 2006, six percent of all foreign tourists to Vietnam arrived by ship and they stayed for just a very short time. One estimate is that only about 40 percent of all Vietnamese tourism employees have had any training related to tourism. Half of all the people working in tourism can speak no English. Each year hundreds of thousands of Korean tourists come to Vietnam; there are about 50 Vietnamese tourist guides that can speak Korean. Similarly, a large number of Japanese tourists come to Vietnam each year but only eight percent of Vietnamese tourist guides are able to speak Japanese. Elephant racing - A unique and impressive activity in Vietnam People that live near cultural and historical sites have felt free to open a restaurant or some sort of entertainment facility to serve foreign tourists, and this has adversely affected the cultural and historical sites. As a World Trade Organization (WTO) member, Vietnam faces growing competition from other countries. To be able to compete, these problems need to be resolved as soon as possible. The following are measures that are to be taken to resolve the problems. A Tourism Law exists and is to be implemented. This is to become possible when sub-law documents (soon be promulgated) appear. When all the guidance documents are brought fourth, it is then to become possible to implement the law and to create an appropriate legal framework under which the tourism sector can develop. Each province/city is to make a tourism plan of its own, but the plan must be in accordance with the national tourism development plan. Tourism infrastructure must be built for foreign tourists that come to international political/economic events that take place in Vietnam. Tourism promotion must go hand-in-hand with trade and investment promotion. Creating a positive image of Vietnamese tourism is crucial. Restaurants, hotels, vehicle maintenance stations, filling stations, and rescue centers must be well equipped. In addition, seaports must be upgraded to be able to receive cruise ships. The various localities within Vietnam need to be linked and Vietnamese tourism companies need to make ties with foreign tourism companies, especially to develop major tourism sites in places like Con Dao and Phu Quoc. All tourism employees - staff, managers and tourist guides - must improve their skills. They need to have a solid background in Vietnamese history and culture and have foreign language skills. Vietnamese history and culture could also be taught to foreigners who are living in Vietnam and they could be licensed to work as tourist guides. The procedures that must be negotiated in order to obtain a tourist guide work permit must be simplified. All procedures related to visas and immigration matters need to become transparent and legal. In addition, protection of the environment must become a practice and the preservation of the remaining natural areas must become a serious consideration.

By Nguyen Duy Nghia

Tourists Want Adventure in Vietnam

Parasailing is still a new attractive kind of entertainment in Vietnam Original and fascinating, Vietnamese adventure tours have caught the attention of many foreign tourists. However, these tours have not been profitable because the companies organize them very poorly. Plenty to do Trekking, diving, kayaking, surfing, sailing, parachuting are now available in Vietnam. Trekking is often combined with a homestay. Foreign visitors are based with local residents, and from that home go out the experience the surroundings on treks. The imposing natural scenery and the distinctive cultures of the many ethnic peoples make northeastern and northwestern Vietnam and the Central Highlands region wonderful places for adventure tours in Vietnam. Tourists fond of adventure tours are advised to take cars, ride bicycles or drive motorcycles on roads between Da Nang and Kon Tum, Da Lat and Phan Rang, over the Prenn Pass, Highway 4 between Cao Bang and Ha Giang, the northwest belt road between Hoa Binh and Dien Bien, and the road between Lai Chau and Sa Pa and between Lao Cai and Bac Ha. There is spectacular scenery along those roads. Those who like climbing mountains can shinny up Fan Si Pan, Ma Pi Leng (Meo Vac, Ha Giang) or Bach Ma Peaks, or climb about in the Lang Biang mountain range and the Yen Tu mountain range (Quang Ninh). In Vietnam are also a number of beautiful waterfalls that one can visit. There's the Dau Dang Waterfall (Ba Be Lake), the Dray Sap, Dray Nu and Dam Bri waterfalls in the Central Highlands, the Ban Gioc Waterfall in Cao Bang and many others in northeastern and northwestern Vietnam. Vietnam's long coastline with hundreds of beaches and beautiful islands like Cat Ba, Cu Lao Cham, Phu Quoc and Con Dao Islands plus inlets within Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long are perfect for adventure tours both under the sea and on the islands. One can dive, sailboat, surf and parachute. The lakes of Ba Be, Hoa Binh, Thac Ba, Nui Coc and large rivers like the Red River, the Da River, the Ma River, the Perfume River, the Tien and the Hau rivers are suitable locations for waterborn adventure tours. Foreigners love adventure tours in Vietnam Not much interest there Only a handful of adventure tours in Vietnam are thought by foreigners to be well-organized. These do put Vietnamese tourism in a good light. The first to offer an adventure tour in Vietnam was the Vietnam Tourism Company in Hanoi with its 'Raid Gauloises' tour in 2002. More than 800 foreigners from 17 countries did the 14-day long tour of nine northeastern highland provinces. As a part of the tour foreigners walked through forests, climbed mountains, crossed waterfalls, cycled over mountain passes and went boating in rivers and on the sea. There were sailboat races jointly organized by Saigon Tourist in cooperation with Hong Kong Sailboat Club and Goodman Marine International. The race began in Hong Kong and ended at Nha Trang City. Taking part in these races were serious sailboaters of different nationalities. Except for this, adventure tours have been nearly absent in Vietnam. A few domestic travel companies have tailored some adventure tours taking foreigners to climb Fan Si Pan Peak, Lang Biang Peak and Bach Ma Peak, pass over Prenn Mountain Pass, and dive off Nha Trang, Cu Lao Cham, Phu Quoc and Con Dao. It was also possible to cycle as a group and go to places in sport utility vehicles, and go boating in Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island. However, there was little interest and locals are not at all interested in these kinds of tours. An official from the Travel Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Anh Tuan, said that travel businesses have not done well with adventure tours because it takes a lot of effort to really organize such a tour. Travel companies need permission from provincial authorities, the Ministry of Public Security and/or the Ministry of Defense. Just this could take months - or even years. Director of Marco Polo Nguyen Duc Hung said that there are in Vietnam no professional guides for adventure tours, and no schools to train anyone. On the tours here, a local person will be hired to handle the transportation while a tour guide will interpret and do some support activities. Professional adventure tours these are not. Good Vietnamese adventure tours would improve Vietnam's image internationally Providing real adventure tours "Adventure tours are a priority in Vietnam tourism master plan to 2010," said deputy director of the Institute for Tourism Research and Development Pham Trung Luong. Mr. Tuan said that although Vietnam has enormous potential for adventure tours, getting real adventure tours off the ground in Vietnam is extremely difficult. No research has been on adventure tours in Vietnam, and sports adventure tours are both few and not good. Any adventure tour that is cobbled together by a travel company is at their discretion and follows no guidelines. The various locations to carry out adventure tours could be identified and adventure tours that would attract visitors could be created, said Mr. Tuan. Infrastructure is needed in these locations, along with food and accommodations for visitors. Market surveys should be done. People from West Europe, North America and Oceania like adventure tours. There's also the matter of promoting Vietnamese adventure tourism but first it has to exist. For this to happen, administrative procedures must be simplified. Good Vietnamese adventure tours would improve Vietnam's image internationally, bring in hard currency, and spur tourism development.

By Thanh Tam

Pan-fried foie gras

Pan-fried foie gras

Pan-fried foie gras with apple relish and balsamic vinegar. Chef Theodor Rudiferia from Chez Manon Restaurant at Hilton Hanoi Opera

Don’t know what to prepare for the weekend dinner? Don’t worry! This week, Executive Chef Theodor Rudiferia from Chez Manon restaurant at Hilton Hanoi Opera, is delighted to introduce a wonderful and healthy dish, and it only takes 10 minutes to make. Your whole family will appreciate this creation.

Ingredients: Serves 4

Foie Gras, 240g

Butter: 10g

Salt: 1/3 tea spoon

White pepper powder: 1g

Apple red: 1 Sugar: 130g

Cinnamon powder: 1 pinch

Balsamic vinegar: 100ml

Preparation:

Peel apples and cut into ½ cm cubes. Caramelise one tablespoon of sugar and add the apples and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Braise for 10 minutes and keep warm.

For the Balsamic reduction caramelise 100g sugar and add 100ml of Balsamic vinegar. Reduce until slightly thickened.

Season the goose liver to taste with salt and white pepper and sear in butter for a few seconds, turn and place in the oven at 170oC. Turn after 1 ½ minutes and leave in the oven for another minute.

With a spoon drizzle the Balsamic on a plate, sprinkle the apple relish over the Balsamic reduction and place the foie gras on
Contact 0084904949114 for more information