The stuffing of the nem ran is comprised of mince pork, sea crabs, eggs, minced Jew's ears, thin-top mushroom, dried onions, bean-sprouts, pepper, spiced salt, etc. The mixture is then rolled in flat rice cakes and fried in a pan until crispy.
Nem are eaten hot with a sauce that it is, at the same time, somewhat salty, sweet, acidic and scented (with the flavours of onion and pepper). Papaya and a few fresh scented vegetables are added.

Pho, a typical dish of Hanoi people, has been existing for a long-time.

Pho is prepared not only in a sophisticated manner but also in the technique which is required to have sweet but pure bouillon, soft but not crashed noodle, soft and sweet-smelling meat.
Only in cold days, having a hot and sweet-smelling bowl of Pho to enjoy, would make you experience the complete flavor of the special dish of Hanoi.

A film telling the historic Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory titled Tay Son Hao Kiet (Tay Son heroic soldiers) produced by Ly Huynh Film Studio was recognized as the first historical movie with a large total investment capital of more than VND12 billion (US$600,000) in the country.

Actor Ly Hung ( King Quang Trung ) in the film Tay Son Hao Kiet

More than thousands of people, an elephant herd and numerous horses joined the film.

The film also received 10 certificates of merit from the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to artists and producer.

Written by Huy Thanh who was honored with the noble title “People Artist”, Cao Duc Truong and famous writer Pham Thuy Nhan, the film tells the story of King Quang Trung and his Tay Son troop, in which they defeated 200,000 Chinese Qing soldiers in Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da, suburban area of Thang Long (an old name of Hanoi) in 1789. It is one of the nation’s most remarkable and remembered historical moments

The film star Ly Hung and Miss Vietnam Universal 2008 Thuy Lam played in the main roles of King Quang Trung and his wife Princess Le Ngoc Han of Le dynasty.

Princess Le Ngoc Han was a daughter of Le Hien Tong, a talented and beautiful woman who married the national hero Nguyen Hue when she was 16 years old. The marriage led to the peaceful unification of the central Tay Son and northern Le dynasties.

Nguyen Hue became Emperor Quang Trung in 1788 and passed away in 1792. Queen Ngoc Han followed him seven years later when she was just 29 years old.

The film’s release will also mark the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Source:.saigon-gpdaily

JOHANNESBURG, June 27, 2010 (AFP) - Fresh from his side's 3-1 win over Mexico in the round of 16, Argentina coach Diego Maradona said he will pick the right players to beat Germany in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final.

A double from Argentina's Carlos Tevez, plus Gonzalo Higuain's fourth of the tournament, sealed the win while Mexico scored a consolation goal by Javier Hernandez.

Argentina's striker Carlos Tevez (top) vies with Mexico's goalkeeper Oscar Perez during their match on June 27. AFP

Maradona is confident his side will now beat Germanym who crushed England 4-1, at Cape Town on Saturday in their quarter-final showdown.

"We will take stock of our situation, then we will try and put together the best team to showcase our talents against Germany," he said.

"It will be the team to give us the guarantee to overcome Germany. We know Germany are a different team to the side we faced in Mexico.

"They are stronger, but we will field the right players to beat them."

Victory over Mexico was not without controversy as replays of Tevez's first-half goal showed the Manchester City striker was clearly offside.

When quizzed about the goal, Maradona took the opportunity to defend his star midfielder Lionel Messi, who was fouled five times by his Mexican markers while Rafael Marquez was yellow carded for a foul on the star after 28 minutes.

When asked how Mexico coach Javier Aguirre felt about Tevez's goal, which he scored despite being in an off-side position, Maradona went on the attack.

"He would have felt the same way I do when Messi is playing and he gets kicked around, but the referee doesn't act," fumed Maradona.

"(The goal) looks like it was absolutely normal, listen, today we just had (Mexico players receiving) cautions, but I know what it is like to be a good player like Messi and when you try to get the ball, you get kicked.

"As soon as Messi gets the ball, they want to kick him, it is a scandal.

"Against England, Germany played well, because nobody was trying to kick them.

"I just want Messi to be respected, there is a limit to everything."

Despite struggling to qualify for South Africa, Maradona's side have now picked up their fourth straight World Cup win and the former midfield maestro said he would dearly love to face the Germans himself.

"I feel like pulling on the jersey and playing myself, it is beautiful to be involved with this group of players, I feel proud to share these moments with them," he said.

"They said I had no idea about how to coach, but suddenly I am winning matches and I am still the same guy."

With his side leading 2-0 at the break, Maradona had to turn peacemaker on the sidelines at Soccer City as the Mexican players reacted angrily to Tevez's goal and referee Roberto Rosetti.

"Midfielder (Mario) Bolatti said someone grabbed him by the hair from behind, (Gabriel) Heinze said everytime he got near the touchline, he was insulted by the Mexican bench," said Maradona.

"When the players went down to the dressing room, it looked like a Mexican player was angry and he was ready to attack Bolatti.

"We separated them before anything else could happen, because we would have had trouble for sure."

Source:.saigon-gpdaily

The Ministry of Health June 27 ordered its subdivisions to maintain a hotline concerning dengue fever, to combat the disease that is on an upward trend.

A health worker is examining dengue fever children at Children Hospital No. 2 (photo: SGGP)

Municipal and provincial departments of health were asked to keep in touch with hospitals the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the National hospital for Children, Hue Hospital, the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, and two hospitals No. 1 and 2 for children, also in HCMC.

MOH warned that the disease is plaguing southern provinces, while more people in the central and highlands provinces are contracting dengue fever as well.

Figures showed that the number of infected people in the central and highlands is over 4,000, a rate that doubles numbers from the same period in 2009. Affected provinces include Khanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Da nang, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.

Moreover, Hanoi recorded over 300 people infected with the ailment; July is considered the peak season for the disease.

Antibiotic resistance due to severe abuse has reached alarming rate in Vietnam, according to a recent survey conducted by the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit and the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

A survey, conducted at pharmacies and hospitals in Hanoi over a one-month period found that cases in which children are prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily are rampant.

Uncontrolled use and abuse of antibiotics has caused a severe resistance to the medicines in Vietnam. The survey also reported that over 60 percent of people are resistant to medication that treats pneumonia.

Source:.saigon-gpdaily

Viet Nam expected to master the technology to manufacture small satellites by 2017, when the project to build the first national space centre is scheduled for completion, said the vice chairman of the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology’s Space Technology Institute, Dr Pham Anh Tuan.

The national Satellite Control Centre controls Vinasat 1, Viet Nam’s first satellite. The country expects to be able to manufacture its own satellites by 2017.

The Hoa Lac national space centre project was to be built with US$400 million from Japanese official development assistance (ODA) on a 9ha site in the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, 30km from central Ha Noi. Japanese experts would transfer technology and support to build the technical facilities and train staff.

"The centre will be one of the most modern space centres in Southeast Asia, with advanced equipment being used in Japan and European countries," said Tuan.

The project was first proposed in 2007, and the consulting group from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) submitted a pre-feasibility report last March and would conduct a feasibility study between August and next February, he said. A lending agreement with the Japanese government was then expected to be signed next year.

The first phase construction, including infrastructure, research facilities, and the installation of satellite monitoring and operating equipment and data processing equipment, would then take place during 2011-13. A satellite assembly and testing area and training area would follow in the second phase in 2014-18, giving Viet Nam the capacity to assemble satellites of less than 500kg.

Each such satellite would cost an estimated $20-30 million and would be able to provide data to monitor and forecast natural disasters and environmental damage, as well as forecast agricultural and fisheries output.

The data could help reduce losses caused each year by natural disasters by 10 per cent and save an estimated 750 lives, saving the Government over $1 billion annually, said Tuan.

The satellite systems would also help update map systems for land use planning and management, support global positioning systems, and monitor climate change.

The institute began co-operating two years ago with Ha Noi National University’s College of Technology to establish a space technology major and would offer a master’s course next year.

"The move is expected to provide qualified staff for the centre," said Tuan. "Over 300 Vietnamese will be trained in space technology thanks to the project."

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

The shoes fit and a palace beckons — Julietta Jameson is in Cinderella mode at a hotel in Vietnam.

Bygone charms ... Sofitel Dalat Palace, interiors fit for royalty.

SHOES can really make a person feel like a princess.

They can also have the opposite effect. In Australia my feet are considered small. In Vietnam they are thought humungous. And you will never feel more like a lumbering plebeian than when your European size 38s have been tittered at by the dainty-footed shoe salespeople in Hanoi, who delight in telling you the biggest size they have in stock is 37.

For days in Vietnam - having overlooked packing heels and being in need of them for a function - I had been roaming around like Prince Charming and his slipper, only with the inverse quest. He was seeking a foot to fit a shoe. I was searching for a shoe to fit.

It was in the mountain resort town of Dalat that I suddenly felt like Cinderella the moment she slipped her hoof into that glass slipper.

I had asked the desk staff at my hotel if there was a place in town where I might find Western-sized shoes. A yes was followed by directions quickly drawn on a map, followed by - eureka - not only a pair of heels that fit but a gorgeous pair for the equivalent of $17.

I put them on for dinner that night and did indeed feel like a princess.

But then, I was already feeling pretty regal, because if there's another thing that can make a person feel like a princess, it's a palace - and I was staying at the Sofitel Dalat Palace.

And if there is one more, it's a bed where real royalty has slept. On a recent state visit, none other than Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark stayed in the same suite I occupied.

It had french double doors and a balcony revealing a view beyond the main road of Dalat's stunning Xuan Huong Lake. I have to confess to ducking on to that balcony for a quick royal wave to the lake and the passing traffic. But then, the whole hotel has that bygone-era elegance that makes a sucker for such things (like me) feel to the manor born.

Dalat, 360 kilometres north-east of Ho Chi Minh City, was founded at the turn of the 20th century and quickly became a health resort and enclave for the French because of its cooler temperatures and beautiful forests. It is now the honeymoon and summer break of choice for well-to-do Vietnamese, as well as a wonderful respite from the heat for international tourists, with roads meandering through the succulent fields of what is Vietnam's food bowl. (The Dalat strawberries are out of this world.)

In 1922 the French government opened the Langbian Palace Hotel, the now Sofitel Dalat Palace.

It became the landmark around which the rest of town developed. Ten years later, the government opened the Hotel du Parc across the road to meet the increasing number of tourists and hunting enthusiasts.

Now, the two hotels comprise one complex under the same management. Guests of the delightful four-star Mercure Dalat du Parc have access to Sofitel Dalat Palace's tennis courts, gym and bars.

The Sofitel Dalat Palace has a mere 43 rooms over two floors. It is full of art and elegant decor, which will soon be updated under the charge of the new Australian general manager, who vows the change will simply ensure the property continues to meet Sofitel's high standards.

The five-hectare grounds are all rolling lawn and hedges, giving the feeling of a grand country estate.

The ground floor public areas add to that. Ambling from the beautiful book-lined Rose Library, to the Blue Billiard Room, to the main lobby, which in winter glows with an open fire and in summer is festooned with white flowers, you half expect to run into a royal or two.

There is a beautiful French-style restaurant and piano bar, Le Rabelais, where Sofitel's signature lavish breakfasts are served as well as lunch and dinner; there's also a little bar nestled under the building for a casual drink.

The property is connected to what is considered the finest golf course in Vietnam, the 18-hole Dalat Palace Golf Club, and includes a lovely spa.

Royal guests are not assured but in the evening, the whole place is lit by big white candles and, as we all know, everyone looks more regal by candlelight. You may easily pass for a prince or princess yourself.

The writer was a guest of Vietnam Airlines and the Sofitel Dalat Palace.

Trip notes

Where Sofitel Dalat Palace 12 Tran Phu Street, Dalat, Vietnam.

How much From $200; +84 63 3825 444; www.sofitel.com/1744; sofitel.reservations@ dalatresorts.com.

Top marks A highly professional management team leads a friendly, committed Vietnamese staff who really aim to please.

Black mark No flywire on windows in a place where the mozzies are the size of Volkswagen Beetles.

Don't miss Dalat's buzzy markets, selling flowers and an extraordinary array of dried fruit as well as apparel. (My shoes were not found in the market but on Truong Cong Dinh Street in the centre.)

Source:dtrinews

Hoi An boasts some of the best food I've eaten on my trip thus far. For whatever reason, this little town claims a few delectable dishes as unique to their town alone. The first is White Rose, a simple but outstanding meat and shrimp dumpling steamed in a rice dough that somewhat resembles a white rose.

White Rose dumplings

Second is Cao Lau, a noodle and beef soup with bean sprouts and fresh herbs mixed in when it arrives at the table. The noodles are only available in Hoi An because they are made from a particular water source that gives them their unique texture. The noodles are a bit doughy but the dish is truly delectable because the meat is marinated and tastes a bit of cinnamon. And the fresh herbs are amazing...mint and basil, I believe.

Cao Lau served with rice crackers.

Finally, crispy rice pancakes, known as "Banh Xeo", which consist of a fried pancake, kind of like a rice crepe, with bean sprouts and shrimp inside. The dish is served with all sorts of fresh herbs which you put inside the pancake and then wrap in a thin piece of rice paper. It's topped off by dipping in an amazing spicy peanut sauce. To die for.

Crispy rice pancake with fresh herbs, ready to be rolled

A rolled pancake, ready for dipping!

Hoi An also makes a delightful fried won ton, showing the Chinese influence on this old port town. I for one am glad, because they are darn good.

Okay, they look a bit funky, but are basically fried yumminess wrapped around a meat center with veggies and sauce on top

During this trip I've also grown a slight obsession for squid, which I eat nearly every day. I've tried just about every type of squid you could imagine and my favorite thus far came from a food stand in Hoi An called "Mr. Hung." I ordered squid grilled in a banana leaf with onions, garlic and lemongrass. It was so tender and delicious that I ate the entire thing. The ladies cooking the food made fun of me and said, mostly through sign language, that if I ate squid like that everyday I'd get fat!!

My squid is somewhere in that banana leaf, which is in a wire basket being grilled on an open flame....heaven.

The final dish...

Both Betsy and I agreed that Morning Glory was the best restaurant we visited in Hoi An. The food was simple, fresh and absolutely amazing. The proprietress of the restaurant cooks family food the way her mother taught her. I want to live at her house! She said that fresh herbs are such a strong cultural influence that many Vietnamese will start to feel homesick if they cannot have fresh herbs everyday. It's true that most food comes with a plate of herbs which makes a huge difference in the quality of the dish.



Betsy ordered this interesting dish at Morning Glory...a shrimp coconut curry actually cooked in a young coconut. The sauce was slightly sweet and unbelievably flavorable.

The Vietnamese do not eat sweet breakfasts like we do in the states. One staple of their diet is "congee" which is a rice porridge with either fish, chicken or pork. It's savory and quite good! The coffee here is also fantastic, albeit a little strong. It will seriously put hair on your chest so they dilute it with sweetened condensed milk! And it comes with a little coffee filter perched on the cup. Seriously delicious.



Congee for breakfast with a cup of coffee in the background. I love the little coffee filter so it can brew right at the table!

Another item that is everywhere in Vietnam is "pho," pronounced "fer." This is a simple noodle soup, traditionally with beef but you can get it with chicken or veggies, that is once again served with a pile of bean sprouts and fresh herbs you mix in at the table. Fantastic.



"Pho", aka noodle soup, with a plate of fresh herbs and some fresh coconut water. You can't get much healthier than that!

Finally, I tried a traditional Vietnamese dessert called "Che" which is basically a sweet green bean soup. It's actually made with mung beans and is only slightly sweet but quite good! No wonder the Vietnamese are so slender! They even eat veggies for dessert!!



Eating my sweet green bean soup, served cold in a glass

I reluctantly leave the food of Vietnam behind...and will seek out Vietnamese restaurants in the states as soon as I return!

Source:dtrinews