Take a look at Vietnam's traditional festivals

Festivals in Vietnam offer visitors the best opportunity for getting up close and personal with the myths, customs and fun-loving spirit of this proud nation.

1. Tet Nguyen Dan (January/ February)

Tet Nguyen Dan marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year in the Vietnamese calendar and is certainly one of the most revered festivals in the country. This holiday is an occasion for the entire family to get together and indulge in rituals such as lighting fireworks, visiting temples, giving out flowers. 

2. Lim Festival (Mid February)

Take a dip into the folk culture of Vietnam during the Lim festival, which is another prominent festival celebrated at the beginning of the year. Quan Ho, which is a UNESCO recognised tribe, perform their exquisite dances and a number of games are played in celebration of this festival. Traditional costumes and dragon boats are a common sight. Danh du (bamboo swings), tug-of-war, wrestling, cockfighting, human chess, and blind man's bluff are some of the games that are played during this time and is an interesting way to interact with the locals. 

3. Perfume Festival

Perfume Pagoda in Hanoi is the centre of the Vietnamese Perfume Festival which is celebrated the from the 6th day of the 1st lunar month until the end of the 3rd lunar month. Pilgrims from all over the country visit this shrine, and the pilgrimage begins with a dragon dance at Den Trinh Pagoda. The pilgrims then continue the journey on a boat along the Yen River up to the base of the Huong Mountain. 

4. Hung King Temple Festival (Early April)

Hung King Temple Festival is celebrated in the honour of Kinh Duong Vuong, who was the first king of Vietnam in 2879BC. A hundred lanterns adorn the night sky as a commemoration of this mighty king's contribution, while elaborate worship rituals are held in the Hung Temple. 

5. Hue Festival (April/May/June, every two years)

As a dedication to the colourful and illustrious legacy of the Nguyen Dynasty, Hue Festival is celebrated in the UNESCO-listed Hue City. This celebration is a unique display of numerous games, performances and cultural renditions and is a magnificent sight to behold. The formal celebration of this festival began in the year 2000 as a part of preserving the traditions and customs indigenous to Vietnam. 

6. Mid-Autumn Festival (Mid September)

This day is celebrated on the 14th and 15th day of the lunar month, and all age group celebrate it uniquely. Children carry paper lanterns across the town; colourful lion dances embellish the streets and food booths selling sticky rice, mooncakes, fruits, and various sweets adorn the sideways. Altars are set up in each household during the night, and various offerings are made to the full moon.

7. Hoi An Lantern Festival (14th day of every month)

Celebrated on the 14th day of each lunar month, every outlet, house and businesses in the Ancient Town switch off its electrical lighting equipment and lights away a dim candle settled snugly in an ornate lantern. The entire city is lit up with thousands of these paper lights. The soft amber hue of the flame within shines against the Kohl of the night and turns this town into a magical place. 

See more: What do you know about Hoi An Lantern Festival?

Source: holidify

Discover the best dishes in Asian countries

Known as "the quintessence of a country", the cuisine is one of the main reasons why people love traveling to Asia. These signature dishes are not only tasty but also reflect the distinctive marks and special meanings of Asian countries.

Pho (Vietnam)

If you have a chance to travel to Vietnam, don't forget to try a bowl of pho. Pho is a noodle soup that is classically made from rice noodles, fresh herbs, vegetables (cilantro, lime, bean sprouts and chilies) and raw beef that cooks itself in a steaming bone broth.

Peking Duck (China)

Peking duck is one of the most significant Beijing dishes. The duck meat is characterized by its thin, crisp skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook.

Pad Thai (Thailand)

A dish of stir-fried rice noodles is thought by some to have been introduced to Ayutthaya during the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom by Chinese traders and subsequently altered to reflect Thai flavor profiles. Pad thai is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu, and is flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper, and palm sugar and served with lime wedges and often chopped roasted peanuts.

Bibimbap (South Korea)

Probably the best-known Korean dish, Bibimbap is a must-try dish when traveling to South Korea. A hot stone bowl is filled with cooked rice and topped with vegetables, pickled Chinese radish, carrot, and mushrooms. Great care is taken to make the dish look attractive. Egg yolk and raw beef are also popular additions when stirred through they cook against the hot stone.

See more: Discover a taste of South Korea

Sushi (Japan)

For the unfamiliar, sushi refers to the Japanese preparation of vinegared rice served with a variety of ingredients, mostly fish and other types of seafood. It’s commonly eaten with pickled ginger and dipped in soy sauce mixed with wasabi. Unlike sushi which may contain cooked or prepared ingredients, sashimi is always served raw and without rice.

Banh Mi (Vietnam)

If you’re planning on traveling to Vietnam, the one sandwich you will hear about and will not want to miss is the Bánh Mì sandwich. This famous Vietnamese sandwich has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s best sandwich. A typical Vietnamese sandwich is a fusion of meats and vegetables from native Vietnamese cuisine such as chả lụa (pork sausage), coriander leaf, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as pâté, along with mayonnaise.

Dim Sum (Hong Kong)

If there’s one type of cuisine in Hong Kong that you’ll likely want to eat, again and again, it’s dim sum. Usually served for breakfast or lunch, the difficult part is choosing where to go amid the dizzying number of options. Hong Kong dim sum sessions were about tea appreciation - that's why dim sum meals are commonly known in Cantonese as yum cha.

Beef Noodle (Taiwan)

Beef noodle soup often referred to as beef noodles, is a Chinese and Taiwanese noodle soup made of stewed or red braised beef, beef broth, vegetables, and Chinese noodles. It exists in various forms throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia. The beef noodle soup was first created by the Hui people during the Tang Dynasty.

Chicken Rice (Singapore)

You can say chicken rice is a comfort food among many Singaporeans. Not only is this a cheap dish, but it is highly fragrant, filling and nutritious. The rice itself is made via a complicated process of balancing the right amounts of garlic, ginger and chicken broth to achieve a fragrant rice. The chicken too undergoes a complex process of steeping at sub-boiling temperatures to create a stock and reusing the broth over and over again.

See more: Enjoy the best traditional Indian dishes

Source Internet

The love market, unique culture of Sapa

Only taking place on weekly Saturday evening, Love Market in Sapa used to be the place for ethnic people to find a partner to get married. At this market, visitors have chance to enjoy the real life of H’Mong and Red Dao ethnic minorities.

What makes it special

The love market of Sapa used to be the place to find a partner to get married. With the tourism, the real love market does not take place anymore. Currently you can only see a representation of the love market. Do not miss it anyway if you are staying here a Saturday night. Young Red Dzao tribe used to come to Sapa to sing songs to the opposite sex. Girls sang the songs hidden in the dark, when a boy found them, and if they matched together, they disappeared into the forest for three days. Some of them got married after that.

How it is held

The market is held only on Sunday morning for people coming here to exchange or buy and sell the necessary utensils for daily life so it is always very crowded. Because villages in Sapa are sparsely populated, people living in far-away villages had to go in advance from Saturday to be able to join the market on Sunday. They arrived at the town on Saturday evening, and take a rest.

In the market, youngsters would have a chance to get to know others by joining activities such as playing traditional games, playing leaf-horns, singing and dancing. The performances of them were full of romantic melodies expressing wishes for an eternal love. Not until the market finishes, happy memories are left in the minds of many mountain people. After that night, some can luckily find out their match and make a promise to date on the next market. Many of them later become husbands and wives. It is the reasons why that night called the Love Market - a beautiful cultural feature of the Sapa region.

Why you should visit the love market

Love market is the place where all traditions, customs and beliefs of Dao, H’Mong and other ethnic groups are presented. It is where you can join with their activities and feel the unique features in their traditions by yourselves, not just watch and listen it from tour guides. And it is where you can approach the friendliest, the plainest and the most hospitable local people.

Moreover, you can visit the market and buy some specialties or some souvenirs for your beloved. They are displayed in many stalls and you have a wide range of choosing what you like.
About 10:30 pm or 11:00 pm, you also enjoy the sound of Khen and Sao, join the love market and perhaps you want to try using these popular musical instruments.

Read more: Shopping in Sapa’s markets

Source Internet