Water for daily use

People get up early to make food for the holiday (Photo:VNA)   Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The 11th lunar month is when the Ha Nhi minority group celebrate their traditional new year, known as Khu Su Cha. This is the time for people to relax, entertain, reunite and send best wishes for the new year. The holiday lasts for five days, after which the group starts planting the new crop. The group makes traditional food like sticky rice cakes, pork and chicken to offer to the ancestors to pray for favourable weather and bumper crops. There are just 22,000 people in the group scattered across 32 provinces and cities throughout the country. They reside mostly in the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Dien Bien. Xi Xa Xe, 79, who lives in Thu Lum village, Thu Lum commune, Muong Te district, said the first night of the holiday is considered their New Year’s Eve. The next morning, people get up early to fetch water from the stream to make food and to offer to … [Read more...] about Ha Nhi group celebrates traditional new year

Standing next to what used to be her house, Truong Thi Binh, 42, says: "Now it's nothing but some kind of a pond. Water rises by almost two meters down there." Her house used to stand on Lam Hoanh Street, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District. "With the water ferns and trash, mosquitoes have made it their home, so we have had to remove the roof to make it a bit airy," she says. All that is left of the sunk house now is its core framework and cracked walls, and what used to be its roof is just several hand spans above the street. Truong Thi Binh, a resident of An Lac Ward in HCMC's Tan Binh District, looks down at what used to be her house. Photo by VnExpress/Ha An. People in her neighborhood frequently comment that if people from elsewhere visited the place, they would not believe that it was a part of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest city and economic hub. An Lac Ward covers 4.59 square kilometers to the west of the city. Over the past ten years, it has dropped 81.4 … [Read more...] about Saigon ward residents live in a house of cards

  Fishcakes, a specialty of Busan.  Thu Giang BUSAN — Busan, a beautiful port city in South Korea, has many reasons for you to visit – stunning beaches with sightseeing cruises, hidden pagodas, the colourful Gamcheon Cultural Village, and, of course, the delicious seafood. With plenty of local specialties, Busan is the place for seafood lovers to discover a glimpse of daily life through lively markets and street food. My colleagues and I were lucky enough to be invited on a special media tour of Busan during which we discovered the local culture and lifestyle. With winter temperatures dropping to 1-4 degrees Celsius, the warm atmosphere at Jagalchi Market was the perfect place to spend our first day in city. On the first floor we found a veritable sea world with octopus, oysters, cockles, Korean rockfish, crabs and prawns on display. We were welcomed by the warm smiles of the vendors who despite having limited English, enticed us in and … [Read more...] about Busan – stunning beaches and seafood

Oyster rice Oyster rice and noodles Oyster rice or oyster noodles are must-try dishes in Hue. For the traditional Hue taste, add rousong, pork rind, peanuts, and chili and mix them with slices of star fruit, pickled cabbage and fresh herbs. Con Hen (Hen Dune) in Vy Da Ward, situated in the middle of the Huong (Perfume) River, is where these famous dishes are sold for VND10,000 (43 cents). On Han Mac Tu Street near Dap Da bridge are also a number of places selling oyster rice and noodles. One famous eatery is O Xe, which has been selling them for 25 years. Hue che Hue sweet soups  Hue is well-known for che in various flavors like green beans, fruits and corn or all mixed together. A bowl costs VND8,000-10,000 (34-43 cents). In the town's center, on Tran Hung Dao and Hung Vuong streets, many roadside stalls offer this unique Hue dessert late at night. Banh canh Nam Pho Nam Pho thick noodle soup There is Nam Pho banh canh (thick noodle … [Read more...] about Feast on a fiver: Hue less than 50 cents