4 Best Local Foods in Hoian

There are a number of local delicacies specific to Hoi An that travellers must eat when they visit Hoi An, especially 4 Best Local Foods in Hoian. You can get authentic taste for a dollar a plate. You cannot leave Hoi An without trying Cao Lau- Hoi an's signature dish,  chicken rice, white rose and quang noodle. These foods are the 4 Best Local Foods in Hoian. Centre Vietnam tours

1. Cao lau- Hoi An's signature dish

Cao lau is  a delectable dark pork broth with fat yellow noodles, slices of juicy pork,  served with bean sprouts, green vegetables, slices of and crispy croutons. The noodles must be made with the water from one of the closely guarded ancient Cham wells hidden throughout Hoi An.
Why Cao Lau is so special and one of the 4 Best Local Foods in Hoian?

Water as it must come from an ancient Cham wells around Hoi An

Vegetable have to be taken from Tra Que vegetable village

The ashes which use to soak the noodle have to be taken from Cham Island

Where to try Cao Lau in Hoi An?

If you are looking for local taste and local price, you should go to Thanh Cao Lau (24 Thai Phien St). Price: 25,000 VND. Open hour: All day but they will close very soon in the noon and night if the ingredient is over. Best Halong bay cruise

If you prefer the comfort of a restaurant with air con, walk down to Ms Vy’s Morning Glory restaurant on 106 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in the centre of town.

4 Best Local Foods in Hoian

2. Hoi An Chicken Rice - Com Ga  Hoi An
Hoi An chicken rice -Com ga is delicious fluffy rice cooked in chicken stock with a tiny bit of turmeric for colour, thrown in a wok and served with boiled, coarsely shredded chicken Chicken in this dish is torn into small pieces and then mashed with crushed onions, Vietnamese coriander and the other spices. This mixing step is important and clearly shows the delicacy of the cooker.. The dish is then served up with very spicy chili sauce, pepper to slow the heart various coating mix chicken liver hard, extremely attractive. Before being served to customers, the springy chicken pieces and fragrant rice are decorated with peppermint, papaya, and salted onions. MANGO CRUISE

Where to try a dish of Chicken rice in Hoi An?

In Hoi An center: try Com Ga Huong on the pavement outside 48 Le Loi Street (near Thu Thuy Cloth Shop). Huong’s opens daily at around 14:00 and stops serving once the pot is clean.

Outside center: Com Ga Ba Buoi at 22 Phan Chu Trinh. It is family-run restaurants and have been set up in the 1950s. Prices here vary (for tourists) but expect to pay around 30-40,000 VND depending on their mood.

In tourist’s restaurant, yoi can try Mermaid – 2 Tran Phu and Miss Ly’s Cafe on 22 Nguyen Hue.

Please check video for How to make Hoi An Chicken Rice

3. White Rose  Hoi An
White rose - an appetizer named for its shape when presented properly – White Rose is a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose.

Ingredients such as shrimp and pork are placed on top the carefully folded noodles and topped with crispy shallot. The unique dipping sauce is made of shrimp broth, hot chilies, lemon and sugar.

Water must be drowned from the old Ba Le well, which is filtered and purified 15-20 times before being mixed with the rice paste to form airy dough.

Where to try a plate of White rose in Hoi An?

Local Restaurant: Banh Bao Banh Vac: 533 Hai Ba Trung St. Price: 4 USD/ 1 dish

The recipe for these dumplings is secret, held by one family in Hoi An who supplies all the restaurants. At 533 Hai Ba Trung Street, Tran Tuan Ngai is a third generation secret keeper of the traditional white rose recipe.

Check our vide: How to make white rose Hoi An?

4. Quang Noodle

The noodle is yellow or white in color and made from rice flour. It is mixed with shrimp, pork and vegetables, and topped with grilled rice paper and spices. This noodle dish is a complex mixture of flavors and texture. The vibrant wide yellow tumeric noodles, sesame rice crackers, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, and flavourful. Unlike these noodle soups, mì Quảng is served with very little broth and almost like a dry noodle dish or noodle salad with the broth serving to bring all the flavors together.

Quang soft noodle soup tastes best when being served with a variety of herbs, such as mint leaves, houttunya, cabbage, onion, coriander and so on.

What makes Quang noodle soups unique is the richness of the broth, the lack of it and the crushed peanut toppings on the noodles.

Top 7 Things to do in Halong Bay Vietnam

Many travellers to majestic Halong Bay spend a day cruising the emerald waters admiring the mysterious limestone rocks that rise up majestically. But there is so much more to do in Halong Bay such as kayaking, exploring the caves and hiking on the islands.

Over 3,000 amazing islands rise up from the Gulf of Tonkin, some with their own caves, beaches and inlets. It’s this stunning and mystic landscape that earns Halong Bay its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.  Many visitors spend a day or two on a traditional junk, bobbing along on the serene waters, watching everyday Vietnamese life going by. North Vietnam tours

Spot the Wildlife and Birdlife on Cat Ba Island

There are many larger islands within Halong Bay, including Cat Ba Island, which is the largest and home to a lush national park, teeming with over 30 different mammal species and 70 bird species. The Cat Ba National Park offers fantastic opportunities for hiking and maybe spotting the rare golden-headed ‘Cat Ba Langur’ monkey. The primate is thought to number less than 100 and is officially the most engendered monkey in the world, despite local conservation efforts. The park covers both land and water and keen walkers can spot giant oriental squirrels, wild boar, the civet cat and deer. Bird species include cuckoos, hornbills and hawks. Try climbing the peak viewing tower which is a two hour round trip, cool off at one of the many pristine beaches and take a boat trip over to Monkey Island. Pelican Cruise

Chill out on Lan Ha Bay’s beautiful beaches

Whilst Halong Bay has many inlets and caves, it doesn’t have many real beaches, except at Lan Ha Bay, which has around 100 deliciously sandy stretches of beach. Pitch up for a few days to take in the stunning views, explore the floating villages and enjoy rock climbing, scuba diving, swimming and kayaking. Or simply chill out on one of the beaches and watch daily life go by.

• MANGO CRUISE

Walk through the Cave of Wonders

Don your most comfortable walking shoes and climb through the Dau Go Caves, aka the Cave of Wonders. Lit up in various colours, the caves systems offer an insight into the intriguing natural rock formations. The caves offer respite from the fierce hit with their eerie atmosphere, where natural daylight rarely pokes through the rocks.

Top 7 Things to do in Halong Bay Vietnam

Spend a day kayaking in Halong Bay

Slow the pace down somewhat with a kayaking trip, which allows you to meander through the giant limestone rocks. It’s a great opportunity to get away from the crowds, explore some of the quieter caves, inlets and beaches. Paddle to Ti Top Island, admire the views and hone your kayaking skills in a unique location. Find out for yourself why Halong Bay is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature!

Traverse the Sung Sot Grottoes

In the heart of Halong Bay are the Sung Sot Caves, which are also known as the ‘Surprise Grottoes’. Located on Bo Hon Island, these are widely touted as both the widest and best cave systems in Halong Bay. You’ll take a short hike up to the grottoes through forest and the caves themselves are separated into two natural sections. Admire the forms of the stalactites and the rock formations.

Try hiking on Ban Sen Island

To really get off the beaten tourist trail, try a hiking adventure on Ban Sen Island. The island is thickly forested and just about uninhabited which makes for a peaceful getaway! Take a ferry to Quan Lan from Cai Rong to enjoy your own little piece of paradise. Hire a local guide for the day who will regale you with stories of local folklore including mysterious monster sightings!

Take a Halong Bay Cruise

The ubiquitous cruise on Halong Bay is an absolute must-do! Opt for a traditional junk for that really authentic experience. And to really get into the local spirit, opt to stay for several days, sleeping overnight on the calm emerald waters. You’ll pass floating villages where families, livestock and pets live and trade as part of their daily life. You can also stop off at swimming and snorkelling spots.

Huong River Hue Vietnam

Huong River is the big river flows through the central of Hue city. It is famous for the poetic beauty; the river has many names such as: Lo Dung, Linh, Dinh, Kim Tra, Huong. Huong River has not only beautiful view but also scent. Foreign named it as rivere des parfums hor perfume of river. However, someone considers that Huong River flows through Huong Tra commune, so that it has this name.

DMZ 2 days from Hue

Huong rive has two big branches which flow from the range of Truong Son Mountain. Ta Trach branch stems from Dong Dai, flow through 55 waterfalls to the Bang Lang intersections. Huu Trach branch stems from the eastern Chan Son Mountain, through 14 waterfalls.

• Victory Star Cruise – Halong Travel

Huong River has a length of 100 kilometers. The main river called Huong River has only 30 kilometers length. From the Bang Lang, Huong River flow slowly through village in Hue. Huong River has some important branches such as: Bach Yen River, Kim Long River, Loi Nong River, Thien Loc River, Ke Van River, and Dong Ba River… in which some rivers built in order to protect palace or irrigation for agriculture.

Huong River Hue Vietnam

With the architecture of Hue, Huong River has special meaning. From the Kim Long mansion (1630-1687) to Phu Xuan mansion (1687-1712)…they used Huong River as the natural trench to protect Hue ancient capital. SONG XANH CRUISE

Huong River associates with cultural life of the Hue. All forms of traditional culture such as ca Hue, row skiff racing… are intact. Huong River is also the river associated with songs, music. The river inspires to artists make some poems, pictures or famous songs.

In the reign of Nguyen, Thieu Tri King considered Huong River is one of 20 famous landscape of Vietnam. The poem “Huong Giang Hieu Phiem” was carved in the stone stele on the bank of Huong River, near Phu Van Lau. So far, stone stele is preserved.

Together with Ngu Binh Mountain, Huong river is the symbol of Hue forever. Someone said that Huong River is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world.

5 Must-try Foods When You Visit Hue

Com Hen
Com Hen (rice with mussel) is a very unique cuisine of Hue. Com Hen contains rice, boiled mussel, star fruit, fish sauce, cabbage, onion, pepper, peanut, chili, and a variety of herbs. The specialty is all of these elements are cold. When people eat Com Hen, they add all the above ingredients to a bowl, and slowly add boiled mussel broth with chili sauce into the bowl (the broth is the only hot thing in Com Hen). Com Hen has an extremely spicy flavor as such, so gastronomes remember it just after one time enjoying. centre Vietnam packages

Bun Bo Hue
Bun bo Hue (Hue style beef vermicelli) or more detail, Bun bo gio heo (beef and pig's knuckle vermicelli) is a popular Vietnamese soup vermicelli dish, and one of the most typical foods of Hue, Vietnam. Fine combination of ingredients make the food famous; the broth is prepared by simmering beef and bones for a long period of time, after that a large range of different spices containing lemon grass and chili are added in. Shrimp paste holds no less importance. Hue people usually add thin slices of beef shank, chunks of boiled oxtail, and pig's knuckles or pork into the bowl. It can also contain cubes of maroon brown congealed pig blood, which are good for those suffering from high blood pressure. The specialty is commonly served with a plenty of herbs like sprouts, lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, onions, and sliced banana blossom. Thinly sliced purple cabbage or iceberg lettuces are used in case of lacking in banana blossom. It is highly recommended for tourists to add a few of shrimp paste directly into the soup. BASSAC CRUISE

Banh Beo
Banh beo (water fern cake) is a kind of small steamed rice pancake. The name is to refer from the shape of the cake (like a water fern-Beo in Vietnamese). It is white in color, sometimes nearly transparent and usually has a dimple in the center, which is covered with savory recipes including chopped dried or fresh shrimp, scallions, mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and oil. Victory Star Cruise – Halong Travel

5 Must-try Foods When You Visit Hue

Banh khoai
Banh khoai (delicious pancake) is so much like Banh xeo (sizzling pancake) since they both are made from rice flour, water, turmeric powder, added slivers of fatty pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and then pan fried. Banh khoai and Banh xeo also are wrapped in mustard leaf, lettuce leaves or rice paper, and stuffed with variety of herb, like mint leaves, basil and served with a sweet and sour mixed sauce. In Hue, Banh khoai is placed open-face instead of being folded in half like Banh xeo. Moreover, Banh khoai always goes with a fermented soy bean sauce, and people consider it a winter food owing to its greasiness and spicy taste of the sauce. Therefore, most Hue citizens only make them when winter coming.

Mam tom chua
The central of Vietnam is reputable for its Mam tom chua (sour shrimp sauce) and Hue is the best place for this unique sauce. Unlike normal shrimp sauce (has brown color and smooth surface), Sour shrimp sauce has orange color while shrimps still keep its original shape. It is quite simple to make this sauce. First, shrimps are clean by salt water (do not use normal water to avoid bad smells) and “cook” by strong rice wine. The shrimps will turn red. After that, carefully mix the shrimps with sticky rice, sliced lesser galangal, garlic and chili. Slowly put all the mixture into a jar covered by guava leaves. Just need to wait for 5-7 days and we have the mouthwatering sour shrimp sauce of our own making. This is the best sauce for boiled pork with vermicelli.

Tinh bột nghệ trị nám da, mụn

Da nám, mụn trở lên sáng mịn

Chị Trần Hoàng Hiếu công tác tại một đơn vị truyền thông ở Hà Nội sau khoảng 2 tháng ăn tinh bột nghệ vàng nguyên chất hàng ngày đã có làn da trắng sáng, mịn màng.

Khi đến cơ quan, nhiều đồng nghiệp thấy khá ngạc nhiên vì da chị thay đổi rõ rệt. Trước đây, chị có làn da trắng nhưng bị nám và mụn 2 bên má.

Chị Hiếu chia sẻ: “Vì da xấu quá nên tôi phải tìm cách cải thiện.  Được bạn mách cách dùng tinh bột nghệ làm đẹp da nên tôi mua về dùng. Tôi đã dùng tinh nghệ hơn 1 tháng nay,  ngày uống 2 lần, mỗi lần 3 thìa cà phê. Da không chỉ đẹp mà sức khỏe được cải thiện rất nhiều.

Đây là cách làm đẹp tự nhiên, từ từ nhưng tôi thấy an toàn. Tuy nhiên, điều bất tiện là mỗi lần phải dùng một lượng tinh bột nghệ lớn, mùi vị và cảm giác rất khó chịu, nhưng vì làm đẹp nên cứ phải cố dùng hàng ngày”.

Tinh bột nghệ trị nám da, mụn

Tinh bột nghệ đen nguyên chất.

Còn chị Thúy Hằng (Tam Trinh, Hà Nội) da bị khô, bong tróc. Đi đo mức độ ô xy hóa, các chuyên gia khuyến cáo da chị đang ở ngưỡng xấu nhất.

Đi soi da, da chị bị khô, một số chỗ lỗ chân lông to, cần phải có chế độ chăm sóc, nếu không, da sẽ bị lão hóa nhanh.

Để cải thiện làn da, chị Hằng cũng quyết định làm đẹp da bằng tinh bột nghệ. Trên thị trường thấy quảng cáo khá nhiều nhưng chị không yên tâm lắm vì không rõ nguồn gốc xuất xứ.

Chị nhờ người quen mua hộ về dùng. Chị trộn tinh bột nghệ với sữa chua không đường, để tủ lạnh rồi đắp hàng ngày, thấy da được cải thiện rõ rệt. Dù không còn trẻ như chị Hằng, chị Hiếu, nhưng chị Quyên làm phóng viên tại một tờ báo điện tử tại Hà Nội cũng rất quan tâm đến làn da. Chị đã mua ít tinh nghệ về dùng thử. các bạn có thể thử cách làm đẹp bằng bột sắn dây nguyên chất

Theo chị Quyên, da chị có nhiều nếp nhăn trên khóe mắt, trên gò má và phía dưới mắt xuất hiện vài nốt tàn nhang, vết nám. Theo thời gian, nốt này càng to ra. Chị Quyên muốn làm đẹp bằng tinh bột nghệ.

Hơn nữa, chị nghe nói  tinh bột nghệ giúp ngăn chặn ung thư. Giờ ăn cái gì cũng sợ nên phải ‘chặn’ trước bằng cách uống tinh bột nghệ.

Chị có nhờ người quen mua hộ tinh bột nghệ nhưng cũng là mua trao tay nên không dám chắc về chất lượng. Sản phẩm lại không có đóng gói, không nhãn mác nên chị  chưa thật sự yên tâm.

Ninh binh travel guide

Ninh Binh travel guides are indispensable when you  discover destination  in Vietnam.
Ninhbinh -vietnam is a bridge linking Northern provinces with Southern ones and it is located on the transportation including National Highway 1A and trans-Vietnam railway. Ninhbinh contains all the scenic quintessence of whole Vietnam within its relatively small size. So, Ninhbinh can be said that is a miniature of Vietnam. Ninhbinh - a miniature of Vietnam is a province with potential and diversity terrain of both mountainous and coastal areas. Ninhbinh is located in the transitional position of natural systems: Red river delta, Northwest mountain area in Hoa Binh - Thanh Hoa buffer zone and sea territory. Ninh Binh – Halong 3 days
Ninh Binh

1. Location and weather
Ninhbinh-vietnam is delimited by Hoa Binh and Ha Nam to the North; Nam Dinh to the East and Thanh Hoa to the West and South. Here, the terrain is diverse with mountainous areas in the West and Northwest; and coastal parts in the East and South. The province is about 95km from Hanoi, or 2.5 hour South by car
The average temperature is 23.4 Celsius degree and its high humidity, between 80-85%, there is tropical monsoon climate. The best time to Ninhbinh travel in the dry season. It is between November to April of the following year.

• Jasmine Cruise – Halong Bay

2. Place to see
- Trang An eco-tourism center is a community cenic in Ninhbinh-vietnam. It is the most famous attraction of Ninhbinh-vietnam. With a chain of natural wonders like Tam Coc, Thai Vi Temple, Bich Dong Pagoda, Fairy cave or Sunny Valley; Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist center is regarded as “Nam thiên đệ nhị động” (The second best cave of the South).
- Cuc Phuong National Park belongs to Nho Quan District, Ninhbinh province. It is the first national park of Vietnam preserving a variety of rare animals and plants. Here, there is has May Bac mount with 648.2 meters. It has tropical monsoon climate, average annual temperature about 24.70C. Especially, Cuc phuong has many caves, beautiful landscape and historical natural remnants such as: Trang Khuyet Cave, Chua Cave, Thuy Tien Cave, Nguoi Xua, Cave, Con Moong grotto, San Ho Cave…

• FROM THE DELTA TO ANGKOR

Ninh binh travel guide

- Ninhbinh - a miniature of Vietnam is great destination for cultural explorers. Here, the number of ancient vestiges may overwhelm any other provinces in Vietnam. In addition, Ninhbinh-vietnam attracts tourists by a complex of new pagodas is Bai Dinh Pagoda.
One more remarkable attraction of Ninhbinh-vietnam is Phat Diem Church - the most beautiful church in Vietnam which was built of stone and wood in all 24 year. Beside alluring tourists by its size, the most interesting part of Phat Diem Church is such a center of a religion originated from Western country, is built in Vietnamese architecture.

3. Ninhbinh ’s specialties
If you have chance to Ninhbinh travel would immediately think about delicious dishes made from goat, Kim Son wine, eel vermicelli and scorched rice (dried rice).
Among those specialties, Ninhbinh mountain goat is a well-known specialty that tourists can enjoy in many big cuisine centers like Hanoi, Sai Gon, Ha Long, Vung Tau, etc. However, it can be sure that you will be served with the most delicious one in Ninhbinh- vietnam, the origin of such goat meat.
You can spend time enjoying these specialties since they are not only delicious dishes but also contain the traditional value of this land. It is also a good way of getting to know about Ninhbinh -vietnam.

4. How to get there.

Ninhbinh travel guide has a convenient traffic system and tourist may get there by motorbike, car or train.
If you are in a small group, you can take a bus or a taxi since it is not too far from Hanoi. There are regular bus which depart from the South Bus Station in Hanoi

Buon Ma Thuot Vietnam

Waterfalls near Buon Ma Thuot in VietnamAfter a floating breakfast of fresh bread with sliced cheese and a cup of Liptons tea (yes, it’s everywhere) we headed off at 8.30am. First we stopped at a small palace that was built by the emperor Bao Dai and has now been turned into a very nice hotel. Well worth considering if you’re looking for something a little more upmarket than the basic accommodation at the holiday complex. Centre Vietnam tours

Continued on observing rural life stopping at a village market to buy some tropical fruits, none of which we’d ever seen in the west. The people in these markets very rarely see any foreigners so it’s a real novelty when any drop in. They’re very friendly and find it hilarious that I’m 6’5″ tall, almost double the height of many of them. Halong bay cruise

Buon Ma Thuot

Buon Ma Thuot Vietnam

We entered the town of Buon Ma Thuot which was a key location during the American War. It’s fall to the North Vietnamese was the stepping stone for an assault on Saigon. Today it is a busy market town with an important war memorial in its centre. We travelled a few kilometres beyond the town and pulled into another holiday complex where smart bungalows were available for $10US per night and the central bar/restaurant area offered a great range of Vietnamese food and ice cold Saigon Export beer. Mekong river cruise

Once we’d checked in we drove to the impressive Gia Long waterfall then walked back along the riverbank with Phu guiding us for about 7km through lush green forest. The route included more quite spectacular waterfalls and interesting vegetation including corn and cotton fields.

Tam was waiting for us with the vehicle and drove us back to our accommodation via a brick factory. As always the people working there were so friendly and were delighted to show us how they collected clay from the riverbank, compressed in a little machine which formed the brick shape and sliced it. The bricks are then dried in the sun before being hardened in a furnace. It’s hard, dirty work carried out all day long, day after day yet the people seemed so content with their lot.

Back at the bungalow area we applied our array of anti-mosquito creams and sprays as dusk approached, sprayed the room with insecticide and set mosquito coils burning. We’d decided not to take malaria pills so we were being ultra cautious yet we were pleasantly surprised to find that there seemed to be very few mosquitos around. Phu had told us in advance that there weren’t any mosquitos in the Central Highlands which certainly sounded like a sales pitch if ever I’d heard one yet he seemed to be right so far. He’s actually from Pleiku in the Highlands to the north and obviously malaria had never been an issue for him or his family.

The food tonight was excellent consisting mainly of a boiling pot of stock on the table kept hot with charcoal to which we added chunks of fish and leaf vegetables which we ate with noodles. Very nice but very tricky with chopsticks.