A grand old village of the north

A Grand Old Village Of The North The village of Duong Lam, Ha Tay province, 40 kilometers west of Ha Noi, has a history of over 3,000 year With the population of 8,000, its residents live in houses make of laterite bricks, stone based posts, a wooden windows Up to now, the village still retains its ancient features such as banyan trees, old wells, village gate The village has long been famous for such beautiful architecture relics as the village gate, communal houses, pagodes, temples The most significant are Ngo Quyen Mausoleum and Phung Hung shrine Despite the tribulations of history, the village has kept its ancient relics and special architectural works undamaged Arriving in Duong Lam village, tourists are attracted not only by the architectural relics but also by the beauty of dark red of the laterite brick in the village gate’s porch and walls The ancient feature are clearly noticed or seen from the gate of pagodas, communal houses, especially from the village’s gate, which is under a big banyan tree and beside a river in a scene specific to the north Duong Lam village also surprises many tourists with hundereds of house of over 600 year old, with fishbone alleys( a main road and many other small road linked to it) which allow people to get back home regardless of the way they take.Thus, Duong Lam is valued by local and international researcher as a unique relics of traditional heritage This old village expresses a great cultural asset that rarely exists elsewhere CUSTOMS OF VIETNAM Vietnamese people generally shake hands when greeting and parting They can use both hand to show respect Younger people must also bow slightly to elderly people Women needn’t shake hands with others They are more likely to bow the head slightly than shake hands The Vietnamese have a strong sense of hospitality and feel ambarrassed if they cannot show their guests full respect by preparing for their arrival Therefore, you shouldn’t visit a home without having been invited You needn’t always bring gifts but flowers, fruit, or tea are appreciated Hosts also appreciate small gifts for their children or elderly parents Rice is the staple (main) food of Vietnam Fermented fish sauce called nuoc mam is the main seasoning used to flavor dishes; special foods are also dipped in it Vietnamese people use spoons for soup, and chopsticks for other dishes At the table, you can serve food to other people if you want However, it is usual for people to help themselves from dishes in the center of the table and place the food in their rice bowl; they always hold their rice bowl in their hand while eating from it Traditionally, marriages were arranged by parent, but now people choose their own partner On average, men can marry at age 25 and women around age 23 Family member maintain strong ties and provide one another with assistance and support as need In rural areas it is normal for the extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, mother, father, children) to share the same home, while in urban areas it has become more common for only the nuclear family (mother, father, children) to live together Celebrating the deeds of kings The day to commemorate the ancient Hung kings is the 10th of lunar March every year Since 2007, this memorial day has become a national holiday, and it has been given more prominence throughout Vietnam On this day, many activities such as offering flowers and joss-sticks and praying are conducted to commemorate Hung kings who founded the nation These activities are followed by orther activities to honor the exclusive features of Vietnamese culture Cultural activities include displaying calligraphy (the art of beautiful hand-writing), writing parallel sentences and performing a tea ceremony In Phu Tho province, the stronghold of Vietnam in ancient times, at the Hung kings’ Temple,a pair of giant glutinous rice cakes (one round, one quare) is offered to the kings Some artistic performances with the participation of hundreds of actor, actresses and representatives of 54 ethnic group are also held at the festival Vietnamese people believe that the holiday in an opportunity to arouse national pride, recognize the traditional cultural values of the Vietnamese, and remind all citizens of the glorious history of the nation It is a chance for Vietnamese people to remember their origin and advance into the future confidently (Adapted from Saigon Time, May 5, 2007 by Thanh Tung) City life City life in Vietnam very busy with million of people that rush around on their bicycles, and motor bikes There are plenty of shops as well as hotels and restaurants In Ho Chi Minh city, the biggest city in Vietnam, there are many beautiful building that were built by French People also see large hotels as well as supermarkets and restaurants When the festival of Tet arrives, parts of the city are full of beautiful flowers for sale The main forms of transport are bicycles and motor bikes Tourists and locals often use threewheeled bicycles called cyclos From time to time, some cars, taxis and motor bikes sound their horns to get the bicycles and pedestrians out of the way; therefore the cities are busy and noisy When walking on the treets, you can smell the strong scents of food which is being cooked at the street stalls Bread rolls, fruit, noodles, bottled water and cigarettes are also for sale Along the street of the cities, a pump and a bowl of water is bicycle repair shop, a mirror and a chair is a barber shop, and a chair and a box is a choe shine The streets of the cities are busy with people that are on their way to work in shops, offices and factories In the cities some houses are made out of brick and have tiled roofs The older houses are in poor condition and often have no water or electricity Some new houses are three storeys high and others are brightly painted Many Vietnamese live in high apartment building where generation can live in one apartment Adapted from City life By Melanie and Angela (http://www.stmnftsc.melb.catholic.edu.au/kidseves/vietnam/vietnam/citylife/citylife.html) Why I live in the city Many people who are living the city claim that city life is bad However, I believe that city life brings us many benefits which village people can hardly have First , there are many coffee shops, food stalls, restaurants which open early in the morning and late at night Therefore, I can eat out whenever I want Second, people in the city can access good healthcare services which are still rare in the countryside There are many hospitals which are both public and private ones with lots of good doctors who have good experience and expertise Last but not least, city people have many ways to relax such as watching good programs from cable TV, swimming in a water part or going dancing in discotheques which become rather popular in big cities Workers in need of housing Millions of workers from rural areas have migrated to Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to work in economic zones around these to big citiesof Vietnam Many of them are in urgent need of housing The Viet Nam Confederation of Labour (VCL) reports that over one million workers are employed at 154 industrial parks (IPs) and export processing zones (EPZs) around the country More than 70 per cent of the workers are migrants They have had_to rent dormitories in slums near their factories Workers spend between 60,000VND and 150,000VND from their average salaries of 800,000-900,000 VND a month for house rent House buil by State and businesses have only provided with accommodation for seven to ten per cent of the country’s IP and EPZ workers Although some construction companies have built several apartment building in recent year, the rent are still very high This has forced workers to seek cheap room for rent According to authorities in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, the construction of low-cost accommodation for workers became an urgent task for both cities Last year, Ha Noi businesses invested in dormitories for workers of Bac Thang Long’s IPs but they can house only 9,000 workers out of 66,000 migrant workers HCM City-based Truong Thinh Construction Company is building a low-cost dormitory to provide accommodaton for 800 workers In order to solve the problem of housing, the State should offer incentives to attract vestors to build low-cost dormitories for workers These incentives would include credit loan at low interest rate, between six and eight per cent a year Investors can rent public land at low cost for housing project for at least 20 year, and the State will take back the land in cases of bankruptcy of businesses Crimes in Vietnam and tips to protect oneself Although mót travelers in Vietnam feel relatively safe, pick-poketing and petty crimes sometimes occur Violent crimes such as armed against westerners or tourists remain rare Drug use, which contributes significantly to crime, is an increasing problem in Vietnam Petty theft,purse snatching, and pick pocketing are most common in the areas frequented by foreigners such as major hotels, tourist site, and public parks One common method of purse snatching used thoughout Vietnam employs two people on a motorcycle with the passenger snatching the victim’s bag, camera, cell phone, etc – often while traveling at the same speed or faster than street traffic This method can be especially dangerous to victims if the straps of the bag are over the shoulder or around the neck, as the victim can be pulled down or dragged by the strap until it breaks To protect themselves, visitors/residents should never leave possessions unattended, particularly in public areas such as airports, parks, restaurants, hotel lobbies, etc theft of briefcases, luggage, laptops, and other items can occur when the owner’s attention is momentarily lost Visitor should also make use of the safety and security of guest room in quality hotels Valuables and important documents (i.e passports) should be kept inside a safe in the room or in a safety deposit box at the front desk If they are on guided tour, they will have to secure their personal bags and, if possible, not leave them on the tour bus/boat If they have to leave the bag, they may need to remove any valuables Those who plan to reside in Ho Chi Minh City for an extended period of time should seek to lease or rent homes and apartments that are properly equipped with crime prevention devices, especially against home break-ins In highly populated Vietnam, whose small landmass of 330,000 square kilometers holds 80 million people, a major concern has always been transportation Efficient and inexpensive scooters and motorbikes have become the most popular way of movement of many inhabitants of the large metropolitan centers The downside of this trend is the environmental effects of pollution generated primarily from two-stroke engines that can emit as much as or even more exhaust than large semi trucks Two-stroke engine powered vehicles burn an oil-gasoline mixture, emitting more smoke, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter than their four-stroke cousins Unfortunately these engines are cheaper to buy and easier to maintain In Ho Chi Minh City, many city dwellers have set up their own independent “baby taxis” by simply adding carts to their small motorbike and scooters This makes the dirty two stroke engines work even harder because of their insufficient power to carry or more passengers, so releasing even more exhaust than ever According to The World Health Organization, it is essential that these highly populated cities monitor and regulate these environmentally harmful vehicles because as air pollution grows worse and worse, increasing numbers of the inhabitants are infected with respiratory illness This results in overloading hospitals, and increasing the mortality rate New research has recently shown that Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) helps motorbikes and scooters run on a cleaner burning fuel LPG is a mixture of propane and butane; the simple makeup of these two gases fuse beautifully into one of the cleanest burning fuel alternatives available today LPG powered engines or hybrid LPG and gasoline-powered engines are cleaner burning not only for the environment but within the engines as well Engine durability and longevity is increased because LPG does not create the particulate or soot created in two-stroke gasoline engines This new invention can ensure a safer environment today and in the future  ... bottled water and cigarettes are also for sale Along the street of the cities, a pump and a bowl of water is bicycle repair shop, a mirror and a chair is a barber shop, and a chair and a box is a choe... People also see large hotels as well as supermarkets and restaurants When the festival of Tet arrives, parts of the city are full of beautiful flowers for sale The main forms of transport are bicycles... the participation of hundreds of actor, actresses and representatives of 54 ethnic group are also held at the festival Vietnamese people believe that the holiday in an opportunity to arouse national