As defined by the Intergovernmental Committee, the Intangible Cultural Heritage includes traditions or living expressions inherited from one generation to the next, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills required to produce traditional crafts.

At the current session, seventy nine intangible heritage dossiers are to be examined, which include: 18 for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding; 39 for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; 12 proposals of programmes for the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices; 4 for financial assistance; and 6 periodic reports on the implementation of the Convention.

Xoan singing (or Hat Xoan in Vietnamese) is practiced in the first two months of lunar year in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam. It is a kind of performing art relating to rituals and beliefs. Besides the function of singing for worshiping Hùng Kings, Xoan Singing also expresses dreams about happiness and prays for good crops, good health and luck, etc.  Xoan Folk Artists are organized into different music guilds known as Phường. Each music guild is headed by a leader, who is referred to as trùm. Male instrumentalists are called kép and female singers are called đào. There are three phrases in Xoan singing procedure: worship singing and ritual singing performed by Xoan guilds and festive singing including the participation of villagers in love-exchange singing. Xoan singing is accompanied by dancing and musical instrument. Up to now, teaching and learning Xoan singing have based on oral transmission. Xoan singing used to be in danger of suffering loss but for recent twenty years, it has been gradually restored according to the wish and active participation of Xoan bearers in Phú Thọ province.

Xoan Singing of Phu Tho Province presently includes: Four original Xoan guilds in An Thái, Thét, Phù Đức, and Kim Đái in Phượng Lâu and Kim Đức communes, 80 kilometers north-west of Hanoi. Three Xoan teams established in 2006: one in Lâm Thao town, one in Tiên Du commune and one in Phù Ninh commune, Phú Thọ province. Twelve Xoan clubs have been established since 2010 with 298 practitioners from various districts, communes and town of Phú Thọ province.

By far, the Cultural Intangible Heritage of Humanity from Vietnam includes: the Royal Music of Hue, the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands, Ca Tru Singing in the northern provinces, Quan Ho Folk Songs of Bac Ninh Province, Xoan Singing of Phu Tho Province.

Sailing on Halong Bay Vietnam

north-east of Vietnam, 165km from Hanoi. Halong Bay includes 1,969
rocky islands and islets jutting out of the emerald water of the East
Vietnam Sea.

The others on the provisional list are the Amazon rain-forest
(stretching over nine countries’ territories: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,
Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela), Argentina’s
Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo, the
Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River and South Africa’s Table
Mountain.

Rice field and palm forest at Doan Hung Phu To

I felt so pleasant and called my buddy to see how things were going. He was ready. We went out for some coffee without being in a hurry. It’d be such a waste to be in a hurry on such a beautiful day. We started to get rolling out of the city in late morning, around 09:30 A.M or something. The air was fresh, so we turned down the car windows to let the fresh air in while leaving Ha Noi. It was a bit cooler as we were out of the city. The scene was just so beautiful with green rice paddies and dark blue mountains. The city seemed to be hugged by 2 ranges of mountains: one is called Ba Vi and the other is called Tam Dao, both are hill stations and home to amazing national parks. I’d write more about these two national parks at another time…

It was always exciting to travel again. We had been working on a special trip for 10 photographers who wanted to capture the most beautiful scenes of Vietnam. North-West of Vietnam was an indispensable part of the trip, but 6 photographers in the group had taken the North West of Vietnam with us already and they wanted something new, off-the-beaten track. Normally traveling in the North-West of Vietnam would mean to take the route via Road No. 6 via Hoa Binh Mai Chau, Son La – Dien Bien Phu and the from Dien Bien Phu – Lai Chau – Sapa – Yen Bai – Ha Noi. So it was easy, we’d take a different North-West of Vietnam then, this time we’d focus more on the beauty of Yen Bai Province. I asked one of my buddies, Thanh, to come along on our inspection trip to Yen Bai. Thanh is an amateur photographer and he had got many adventures to the far-flung regions of the country. He was surely to know what would be best for a photographer.

Out of Yen Bai City, the road get winding and hills covered with tea plantations are the norm…

We followed Road No. 32 from Hanoi to Phu Tho and Yen Bai Province via Road No. 32. The road was in excellent conditions and traveling on the road had never been such easy. After passing Trung Ha Bridge linking the former Ha Tay Province and Phu Tho Province, we took the route along the Red River to Yen Bai. The scenery along the river was so spectacular with orchards of bananas, papayas…Local farmers set up stalls all along the road to sell seasonal fruits to passers-by…

Phu Tho is basically part of the Red River Delta and the scenery is similar to other areas near Hanoi: vast green paddy fields dotted with white conical hats. We didn’t stop much for photos as we wanted to save time for Yen Bai. As we traveled closer to Yen Bai, the scene changed quickly. The roads amid villages and paddy fields turned out to be traveling through low-hill areas flanked by thin forests. There were narrow valleys of rice paddies and palm forests alternated by eucalyptus forests. There was lots of logging going on in the area. They were planted forests after all and they needed materials for the paper factories somewhere I guessed. Still there was a weird feeling about logging in me: I was wondering how the government could administer the logging efficiently then?

Idyllic landscape at Van Chan Yen Bai in late afternoon

After brief lunch at Cat Lem Town of Doan Hung District, the road branched out and we took the one to Yen Bai. I felt sleepy on the road which seemed to me in great shape. There road system in Vietnam has been improved a lot in the last 10 years. It’s just a good thing for developing the economy and it’s great for travelers to come and see the country. Many communities are benefiting from this…

When we had passed Yen Bai City the road was more uphill and we found hills covered with green tea terraces all along the way. There were not many villages along the road. I felt a bit cool and was awaken…We stopped and got out of the car for stretching our legs. It was so quiet and fresh outside. The road had hardly any traffic on it for most of our journey from Yen Bai to Nghia Lo. The gradients were steep sometimes, but all were in good conditions and the driver found no difficulties navigating the way.

Rice field at Nghia Lo Town, Yen Bai

We entered Van Chan District in late afternoon and the road started to get flat. There were more tea plantations and tea factories along the way. There were more communities in the area, so there were more economic activities here. Basically people of Yen Bai earn their money from the forests, from the tea plantations and the tea factories. There are a few tea factories that provide quite famous tea brands in Vietnam which are based here.

After passing 5-7km of tea-covered low hills, we traveled further into the central area of Muong Lo Valley, the second biggest flat valley in the North West of Vietnam (after Muong Thanh Valley of Dien Bien Phu). Before entering Nghia Lo Town located right in the central of the valley, we stopped for a rest in the middle of the rice field. All was quiet and it started getting cold. The wind was blowing stronger and the air was so fresh. All around Muong Lo Valley, the mountains were becoming more and more of a dark green color. The rice was recently transplanted and by looking at the colors of the rice plants, I could tell that the roots were starting to develop. The farmers here would get their bumper crop in the next 5 months…

Spectacular rice field at Muong Lo Valley, Yen Bai

Arriving at Nghia Lo, I asked the driver to make a circle around the town. Things didn’t change much compared to my last trip here last year, no new hotels. It took us some five minutes to have a complete tour of Nghia Lo Town before arriving at our hotel, supposed to be the best one available. It’s claimed to be a 3-star hotel, but it’d think it’s a decent hotel of 1-star one. We were in the one of the most far-flung areas of the country anyway and the important thing was that it was clean. So it was good.

In the evening, Thanh and I went out for dinner and had a walk around the town. It was quiet and people seemed to go to bed early here. There were a couple of cafes with dim colorful light, but we decided to go back to the room and had an early night. The night passed by peacefully…

I woke up at 4 or 5 A.M by the noise from down the street. It was amazing that the sun woke up very early in this town so did the people. Back in Hanoi it had to be dark still. But it made sense to me, they went to bed early and got up early…I tried to find back my sleep, but it had gone far away I thought, so I put on the shoes and had a walk around town. After a little while, I stopped at a local cafe which looked simple
but spotless-clean cafe. The gentleman made beautiful hot black coffee and I thought it was even better than most in Hanoi…Amazing!

Breathtaking rice terraces at Tu Le, Yen Bai

When I went back to the hotel, Thanh was in the restaurant and was enjoying his coffee too. We got some time chatting about the program of the day and got back to the room for the check-out. Leaving the hotel at 09:00 A.M, we made our way to Tu Le, 50km from Nghia Lo Town and it took us 1 hour to get there. Tu Le is similar to Lao Chai and Ta Van of Sapa, except that the rice terraces are so beautiful that photographers from Hanoi travel a few hundred kilometers to get here only to take photos of the rice terraces!

Arriving at Tu Le at 10:15 A.M, we had to leave the car and used the motorbike of our friend in town to travel around into the villages. Thanh was busy looking for the right point with best angles to take photos while I was thinking that the photos of the rice terraces are so amazing here. We visited the area at the right time, right after the rice transplanting and the colors of the terraces were just stunning. It took us three hours around the area and it was nearly 13:30. We pulled ourselves to one of the local restaurants and got a simple lunch. The restaurant got a lot of specialty dishes of the town, but we only asked for simple food. We were worn out…

Rice terraces of Tu Le from Khau Pha Pass

At 14:00, we got into the car and off we made our way out of Tu Le. After some 10 kilometers from Tu Le, we found ourselves climbing the Khau Pha Pass. The Pass is over 2000m above sea level and always covered in fog. Dangerous it may be, but it also offers breathtaking view of the surroundings. Thanh cast a glance back and asked the driver to stop. Looking back at Tu Le Valley, we were dump-founded by the mesmerizing beauty of the fresh nature and of men’s works. The rice terraces of Tu Le were so spectacular…Different patches offered different kinds of green colors, they lined side by side and looked so soft just like sheets of water colors! We thought we’d make it to Mu Cang Chai early, but actually spent 3 hours on the road with stop every 3-5 minutes for adoring the the magnificent beauty!

Rice terraces of Tu Le from Khau Pha Pass

Arriving at Mu Cang Chai at twilight, we got straight to the guest house and got early dinner before getting the room. We knew the local people normally had early nights here and didn’t want to miss our dinner! After dinner, there was a power failure which gave us a good reason to go to bed early…It was so quiet outside and having enjoyed life so much during the day, I slept straight away…

I woke up at 05:45 A.M thanks to cock a doodle doo sounds. They seemed to be having a race this early morning which blew up the quietness of the mountains. I put on some warm clothes and got my shoes on for a walk around the town. Yes, there were only some ten houses lining one street which ran along a stream. That was Mu Cang Chai Town. The town is over 1000m above sea level and is surrounded by mountains. One the one side, the mountains are covered with beautiful pine forests, on the other side they were stunning rice terraces. I was sure I knew the reason for which so many photographers had made their way on the bad roads and past through high mountains and passes for this little town a few years ago…

Stunning rice terraces at Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai, Vietnam

Arriving back at the hotel at around 07:30, my buddy got up and was having breakfast. I joined him and talked about the plan for the day. At 08:30 we got a motorbike from the guest house and made our way to the surrounding terraces of Mu Cang Chai. Those at Che Cu Nha, Ze Xu Phinh and La Pan Tan Communes were just stunning. We had to leave to motorbikes sometimes to climb uphill for the best angles. The landscape here was so beautiful that we spend most of the morning making our way amid the terraces. I was thinking that our photographers would have some best pictures of Vietnam from the terraces here…

We got back to the guest house when it was almost 14:00. Our stomach started roaring asking for food. Yes, we deserved some after hard work then. The rest of the afternoon was easy chit-chatting with the ladies in town and coffee. It was a peaceful town, but given the beauty it possessed, I was wondering for how long it would be this peaceful?

From the cloudy Khau Pha Pass (2100m above sea level)

The final day was a long one as we traveled via the Hoang Lien Mountain Range via Sa Pa and made our way back to Ha Noi late in the evening. We were a bit tired, but I was sure I’d come back when the rice ripened to take in the golden rice terraces…

Vietnam vacations.

Hanoi’s architecture is the blend of Vietnamese, Chinese and French. The city is known to the locals as three main areas: The Ancient Citadel Area (11th century) which was home to the Royal Family; The Old Quarter (Ancient Business Area) dated back from the 11th century was the business quarter of Old Hanoi; The Frech Quarter with French architure dated back from the 19th century were home to the French residents of Hanoi during their time here.

My family moved into Hanoi when I was 10 years old. The city was too overwhelmed for a boy who had been brought up amid wild and green mountains in the far-northern area of Vietnam. I had been more used to wild buffaloes plowing the green terraces than weaving chaotic traffic always full of mopeds and noise.

Our new house was just by the airy and breezy West Lake which offered me a few free dips every summer morning. Every day, after school, I went to Bach Thao Park to seek new adventures with a few newly-made friends. My carefree childhood in Hanoi was full of fun and adventures. Autumn in Ha Noi is like no others. It was here that autumn changed my life! I found myself waking up one morning caressed by the soothing breeze of fall with the news that I got admission to university! I ran for my bike and flew like a crazy boy down Thanh Nien Road to meet with other buddies for the coffee of celebration. That morning never fades out in my memory…

Seasons after seasons, I grew up with Ha Noi. The city seems to share the same rhythms with my heart and soul: be in when gathering with friends in the city parks; be it when mulling over my favorite hot coffee amid the old Town; be it the late nights I tumbled my way back home from the heavy Bia Hoi Stuff (draft beer)….

I’m about for an new adventure of life when my new project calls for my presence half of the country away from Ha Noi. Amazingly Ha Noi is heading into fall earlier than usual. I just wanted to take in as much as I could before leaving…Morning started with a walk in the chaotic Old Quarter watching traffic weaving through the smoke of my dear hot coffee as always. I suddenly didn’t want to do anything, just liked to keep it this way forever. The sudden rain just set in and stopped, just like to bid farewell…

Leaving Ha Noi this time I’m sure I’ll be away for a while. I’m off back to the mountains researching the new Vietnam holiday experiences. I’ll help to bring all Vietnam travel experiences be it savoring the fine cuisine, be it getting lost in the culture; be it a hardcode biking adventure…. a complete one!

vacances au Vietnam
voyages au Vietnam
circuits au Vietnam

After the war, Vietnam was closed to the world for a long time, and has always remained a mystery to the travelers world…

The North of Vietnam is granted with the beautiful mountains in the North-West and North-East, with the unrivalled Halong Bay, with Tam Coc and Bich Dong karst formations. The rich culture of the Red River Delta won’t disappoint the culture tour seekers. Hanoi boasts its nice settings and architecture, offers plenty chances of having culinary delights. Perfume Pagoda offers some time getting lost in the Buddhist world. Sapa seems to be the place Human, Heaven and Earth meet. Dien Bien Phu offers a tour back in time with the famous battles which shocked the world.

The Central of Vietnam is the land of World Heritage Sites with Phong Nha National Park, with the Imperial Citadel of Hue, with the quaint ancient town of Hoi An and with myriad Cham legacy. The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) brings back memories of the War which is still controversial today and many years to come.

The South of Vietnam is famous with the verdant Mekong Delta, with the Cu Chi tunnels, with the Da Lat Honeymoon City.

Beach vacation seekers won’t have to worry about a relaxing holiday as Vietnam has 3,200 km of coast line with hundreds of white powdery sand beaches caressed by clear turquoise sea water. Resorts range from thatched huts to luxurious 5 star standards. Fresh seafood is on the menu of restaurants almost everywhere…

If you think that Vietnam can’t be absorbed into one trip, we’d be more than happy welcoming you back! Please enjoy the cyber tour with Paradissa Travel and feel free to let us know what we could do for you. We wish you a great adventure of a life time in this land of smiles!

For the past decade, Vietnam has turned to be among the fastest growing economies in the World. The country has been known as one of the safest and the most friendly destinations in Asia. This is just the right time to travel to Vietnam: it saves you money most while it gets you the once-in-a-life-time experience. Now is the only time that every of your penny spent brings you the best values. Let’s look further into the clarifications to know why. vietnam travel agents

First of all, we all know that the US Dollar has lost a lot of its value compared to other national currencies recently. This makes all commodities and services priced in US Dollar much cheaper than before. vietnam vacationsNow you start know what I mean, folks! All travel and tourism services in Vietnam have been quoted in US Dollars for many years and this is not going to change anytime soon. This is just fantastic news for many non-US travelers as you get hefty discounts the moment your book your trip in Vietnam without the hassle of bargaining! And it’s a pity since this is not good for those of you earning your income in US Dollar.
vietnam tour operators

Look at the global business environment many analysts predict that the US Federal Reserve will have to hike the interest rate in 2009 which would probably mean the US Dollar is appreciating then. If you delay your tour until 2009, maybe the cost you have to spend for your trip in Vietnam wouldn’t be so good anymore. vietnam travel

Secondly, the majority of the Western travelers in Vietnam have been from the United States. It may be not the case anymore as the US economy is not doing so well nowadays. Many folks in the US will have to tighten your travel expenses. This is not good news for us who are in travel industry and hospitality business in Vietnam, but it is good news for you, the non-US travelers! You have more choices now than ever! vietnam tours

Look back in 2006 and the first 3 quarters of 2007, there were huge hikes in accommodation rates, transport fees, tour costs…, since Vietnam started to boom. There was a surge in the number of Western travelers to Vietnam and the infrastructure for tourism in the country could not catch up to accommodate you all, hence price shooting the moon! Some folks were not that happy, I guess! You paid more and for what! Much less! We at Paradissa Travel had a difficult time arranging the right service for our travelers, too. We had to rely on our good relations and good credits gained among our partners in a number of years for help. vietnam adventure travel

The good thing was that the hard time ushered in creativities. In 2006 and 2007, we had the most creative tour itineraries for our travelers. Many of the bright ideas did not originate in our office, but from you – the travelers and our dedicated tour guide team. Thank you all for your precious co-operations, recommendations and bright ideas! We still have some now for more in the future…It’s good that we have maintained the culture at our company: to provide the service quality defined by our clients! We listen to our fellow travelers! vietnam luxury tours

Thirdly, Vietnam started to have full membership of the WTO (the World Trade Organization) in January 2007, the decision was made in 2006 though. This means things started from 2006 in Vietnam. Many of you may ask then what the heck is that to do with my trip to Vietnam? Wow, it does…it actually does, I’m sorry…The reason is that Vietnam is now open and is the playground for many global players. You go and check the map of South East Asia: Vietnam is smack in the center! It’s location, location, location! Thanks to the location, the Vietnamese had to encounter so many troubles throughout the history! Get a history book on Vietnam, you’ll see what I mean! vietnam deluxe holidays

Traveling in the country, you can still see Vietnam OK…Eh, I mean as traditional as ever…But please know that there have been numerous massive projects infrastructure-related ones in Vietnam already, most run by multi-national corporations. Without the difficulties in the global economy now, Vietnam would have been changed overnight! Traveling in Vietnam would mean cranking your way amid skyscrapers and heavy traffic full of cars and smoke! I didn’t mean that this scenario was totally not good! It would be nice for the Vietnamese generally as they would have better living quality. But I’m talking about you, the travelers…Would you like to see Vietnam as it is nowadays and come back to see Vietnam in the future or would you only like to see Vietnam in the future only?

The charming elegant Hanoi, the tranquil beach of Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, the fresh nature of Da Lat and Sapa…are all relatively intact and definitely worth a trip now. No one knows for how long they’ll remain that way…Scared of sacrificing amenities? Luxury hotels and resorts are found at most locations now, transportation is as easy and comfortable as ever. The Vietnamese and those in the travel/hospitality business are as professional now as ever, and friendly….And importantly, Vietnam is not fully booked now!