Last weekend, a girl at my office asked me whether I wanted to join a one-day trip with her family to the Perfume Pagoda or not. I replied to her at once "Sure, I'll go." That's a wonderful advantage of being free and single. I can go anywhere anytime I want. The Perfume Pagoda is located in Hương Sơn commune, Mỹ Đức district, Hà Tây province, 60km away from Hanoi. Every year, the festive season at the Perfume Pagoda lasts from 6 January to 25 March of Vietnamese lunar calendar. It means almost 3 months after Tết (the lunar new year). [View Full Entry]

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From 25 to 30 March 2008, the Trade Fair of Vietnamese High-Quality Products takes place in Hanoi. Many organizations bring their products to display at the Giảng Võ Trade Fair Center. They are the Vietnamese products which have gained a good reputation in various industries, for example, coffee, stationery, dairy, garment, fish sauce, electrical fans, bicycles, oil, instant noodles etc. Musical and puppet shows are also performed as an entertainment in the evening. [View Full Entry]

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This blog is about my cousin's wedding party in Hanoi this March. Because of work commitments, I couldn't attend her "Lễ ăn hỏi" and "Lễ rước dâu" ceremonies. The first ceremony "Lễ ăn hỏi" is similar to an engagement ceremony. At this ceremony, the groom's family brings offerings to the bride's family and the old people (as representatives of both families) meet and talk with each other as a way to establish an official relationship between the families. After that, "Lễ rước dâu" is the main ceremony, when the groom comes [View Full Entry]

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"Welcome to Vietnam!" No, I don't mean the old slogan of the Vietnam Tourism some years ago, but US President Bill Clinton's words in his speech at the Hanoi National University in November 2000. Mr. Clinton was the first US president to visit the unified country of Vietnam and the first in the capital city of Hanoi. In 1994, Mr. Clinton lifted the US trade embargo against Vietnam and a year later he declared normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. His 3-day visit in November 2000 aimed to help heal both countries' wounds from the Vietnam war. During his visit in [View Full Entry]

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Happy women's day to me and all women in Vietnam! 8 March is the international women's day, but I think this event was originated from the former Soviet and eastern European socialist countries, then celebrated in Vietnam. Many westerners and also Japanese I talked to, do not know this day. In Vietnam, we sometimes joke "364 days are for Vietnamese men, so today 8 March, Vietnamese women will rule". In fact, there is one more women's day in Vietnam, on 20 October, when Uncle Hồ sent a letter to Vietnamese women many years ago. Thus women in Vietnam have a couple [View Full Entry]

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Bia Hơi (Vietnamese fresh beer) appeared in Vietnam in the 1890s, after the secrets of brewing were introduced by the French. Just one place, the Hommel brewery, turned out the stuff, and it was a fairly modest enterprise employing just 30 workers capable of producing 150 litres a day. The beer was also sold bottled, but it was so expensive that it was only for the wealthy people. After the French left Vietnam in 1954, the Hommel brewery was renamed the Hanoi Brewery. But the refreshing amber fluid still took a while to become popular, until the brewery hit on the [View Full Entry]

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Last Sunday, 24 February 2008, I traveled on a one day trip with some colleagues to Hà Tây province. A Japanese engineer at my company is going to leave Vietnam, as his assignment has finished. We decided to organize a trip and take him to some pagodas at the weekend. Also, after Tết (the lunar new year), many festivals take place and it's time for the Vietnamese people to visit pagodas and pray for good luck and prosperity in the new year. We left Hanoi at 8am and visited Mía pagoda, Đường Lâm old village, temples of Kings Phùng Hưng and [View Full Entry]

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My working day starts at 8:00am, when I go through the gate into the construction site where I work. The security guards stand at the entrance gate checking ID cards of the workers and visitors. Every morning, I see the workers gather to do morning exercises. Sometimes I smile when passing by them, seeing their natural actions, and feel they look like children at a kindergarten. I work for the Japanese consulting company, which is in charge of designing, supervision of the civil works and studio equipment for the Vietnam Television Center Project. My office is located on the second floor. [View Full Entry]

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"Tết” is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. It's also the most important event of the year for the Vietnamese people. Similar to Christmas and (Solar/Gregorian calendar) New Year celebrations, Tết is an occasion for family reunion and merriment after a long year of hard work. For an agrarian country like Vietnam, it is also a short rest period before the hustle and bustle of the oncoming spring harvest. Many traditional customs are still observed and practiced even today. They are a mixture of superstitious beliefs and practical wisdom, and reflect the mentality of the Vietnamese [View Full Entry]

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Huế city is my favorite destination in Vietnam. In December 1997, I went there for the first time as a tourist. Some years later, I was assigned by my company to promote "the Project for Improvement of Facilities for the Huế Central Hospital". Thanks to that assignment, I had the chance to fly there many times on the business trips. Up to now, in 2008, I have been to Huế 22 times and always feel I have a connection with this lovely city. As we all know, the Imperial Citadel, along with the splendid tombs of the Nguyễn emperors and notable [View Full Entry]

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