By itself, the name “silky lean meat paste” evokes thoughts of the silky aspect of this speciality. Gio lua is made with lean pig meat, which is pounded with a pestle until it becomes a sticky paste. Fresh banana leaves are tied very tightly around the paste, and then it is well cooked. Good gio lua has a fine white colour, is firm, and has a perfumed and sweetish taste.Gio lua may be obtained anywhere...

Goi buoi is available at the majority of famous restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. The major substances to prepare for the dish include shaddocks mixed with fresh shrimps, pork, and dry cuttle-fish. The dish is originated in Miet Buoi, Bien Hoa City.Goi buoi dish is especially flavored with slightly sour, sweet, peppery-hot and buttery tastes. It is also added with spice vegetable, white sesames, coconut...

Two Vietnamese rock bands, Winfield and Black Infinity, have been listed among 10 finalists for the ASEAN’s first ever contest to find the region’s top band.The finalists also include artists from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.The announcement was made at a press conference in Bali on Tuesday by chief judge, renowned Malaysian music producer Roslan Aziz."Their song writing,...

The Sacombank Financial Group Thursday opened the SBJ Cambodia Company with an initial chartered capital of US$3 million in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, following the opening of a branch more than one year ago.Sacombank also introduced its product of “Sacombank Than Tai” (Gold of Wealth) gold bar.Sacombank President To Thanh Hoang said that his group has decided to conduct long-term investment in Cambodia,...

Black sesame sweet soup served at Ha Ky shop on Chau Van Liem Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 5Fourteenth-century physician Tue Tinh, and Chinese doctor Hua Tuo from the Eastern Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 AD) made black sesame famous as a medicine used to treat broken bones and bone diseases.To this day, traditional eastern doctors still use methods devised by Tinh...

The old brick gate at the top of Hai Van Pass. It was built in 1826 under the rule of King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty.Vietnam is not a country short of spectacular landscapes and history. But, while the country and its people strive to become more modern and developed, many have started to forget Vietnam’s true beauty and past.The Hai Van Pass is one site drenched in history...

National Oil and Gas Group PetroVietnam has signed several deals with Japanese partners, one of which will help the group list shares of its affiliates abroad.Daiwa Capital Markets was to sign with the group during its promotional visit to Tokyo June 22 to 25, said PetroVietnam in a statement.The group said the Japanese partner would be calling for energy funds from Japan to support oil and gas projects...

A staff member counts US dollar notes at a bank in Ho Chi Minh City.Concerns over dollar supplies are mounting as local businesses begin to purchase the currency to repay their loans.Le Xuan Bach, director of Vinh Hoang Xuan Trading Company, said access to dollar loans had eased since the end of last year.Because interest rates were low compared with the rates on dong loans, many companies have taken...

The “Trans-Asia bridge” festival will kick off in the central province of Quang Tri on July 23.The five-day festival will see the performances given by nine domestic art troupes and a number of sports and arts delegations from Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and China.The event will also include the “Green Road No. 9” song, music and dance festival and local tourism promotion activities. Source: Thanh N...

Japan's national soccer team acknowledges the crowd at the end of a 2010 World Cup Group E soccer match against Denmark at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg June 24, 2010Japan clinched a place in the last 16 of the World Cup on foreign soil for the first time on Thursday when they beat a disappointing Denmark 3-1 in their final Group E fixture.Two well-struck goals from free kicks by Keisuke Honda,...

HANOI - Vietnam's central bank said on Thursday it would keep the benchmark base rate at 8 percent from July 1, the eighth consecutive month at that level.Annual inflation hit 8.69 percent this month, and the monthly consumer price index growth slowed to 0.22 percent from May, the General Statistics Office said. Source: Thanh N...

On a day when most of Vietnam was celebrating the 35th anniversary of the country’s reunification, a select number of residents were in Danang rejoicing for an additional reason: The opening of the Dunes Course at Danang Golf Club.Under sunny skies last Friday — one of the most important public holidays on Vietnam’s calendar — more than 100 members of the country’s rapidly growing golf community teed...

Medicine prices in Vietnam are up to 40 times higher than many other countries in the world, according to a new World Health Organisation survey.Medicine prices in Vietnam are high compared to average incomesThe survey was conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and checked 7 popular groups of medicine in Vietnam. The comparison criteria were based on type, name, manufacturers and suppliers...