Food is at the very heart of Vietnamese culture. Almost every aspect of social, devotional, and family life revolves around the procurement, preparation, and shared pleasure of nourishment. Even commercial life: more than half of Vietnam’s population makes a living in agriculture or the food trade. Markets are on every corner; cooks on every curb. A sneeze elicits the blessing com muoi, or “rice with salt.”
On a recent train ride from Hue to Hoi An, food was everywhere in sight. At each station stop, vendors rushed up to the windows proffering homemade treats: shrimp cakes, jerky, sticky rice. One vendor came aboard and walked the aisles, selling sun-dried squid. (An American traveler bought one, thinking it was a decorative fan.) In the bar car the train conductor and his staff spent the whole ride not collecting tickets but preparing lunch: cooking noodles, shelling prawns, trimming basil into woven baskets.
Follow any lane in any Vietnamese city at any time of day and you’ll find some contented soul crouched over a bowl of broth or rice. Then again, if you lived in Vietnam, you’d eat all the damn time, too. The food is beautiful to behold, if only for the colors alone: turmeric-yellow crêpes, sunset-orange crabs, scarlet-red chiles, deep-purple shrimp paste, and endless jungles of vivid green. Vietnamese cooking is fresher, healthier, lighter, and brighter than, for instance, Chinese or Indian or French, three of its closest relations. Though it is often described as “honest” and “direct”—cooks resist fussy ornamentation (except in Hue; more on that later)—this is a cuisine rich with nuance, carrying a complexity that is all the more surprising for its being served in, say, a plastic bowl with a Tweety Bird logo, on a flimsy table on the pavement. Flavors and textures are deftly arranged so each note rings clear, from the piercing highs of chili paste and nuoc mam (fish sauce) to the bottomless depths of a stock that’s been burbling since dawn. These are tastes that sate, soothe, and just as often shock you awake—particularly the pungent greens and herbs that figure in almost every dish. After the wonder that is Vietnamese produce, the stuff back home seems like a recording of a recording of a cassette that was left out in the sun.

Hanoi

I’ve spent roughly 100 days in Hanoi over the past 12 years, and I don’t recall ever once seeing blue sky. Not that I’d have it any other way. Like London or Seattle, this is a city that becomes itself under cloud cover. During those moist, moody afternoons, when mist hangs over the streets like smoke from a cooking fire, Vietnam’s gorgeous old capital feels more intimate than it already is.
Even in the heat of summer, Hanoians favor cockle-warming dishes suited to far chillier climes. The most renowned of these is Vietnam’s de facto national dish: pho bo, eaten at any time of day but especially for breakfast. Taking root in an earthy, long-simmered beef broth—shot through with clove, ginger, and star anise—the soup is filled out with rice noodles and one or more varieties of raw or cooked beef, tendon, or tripe. Southerners sprinkle fresh herbs and bean sprouts on top, but a Northernpho is generally unadorned, with only a few scallions and a bit of cilantro cooked into the broth and perhaps a squirt of rice vinegar.

Pho Gia Truyen, on Bat Dan Street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, doesn’t look like much from the outside—or from the inside, for that matter. The room has a clock, two fans, three bare lightbulbs, and a handful of communal tables. The only decoration is the food itself: hulking slabs of brisket suspended from hooks, a hillside of scallions on the counter, and a giant cauldron puffing out fragrant clouds of steam like some benevolent dragon. A cashier takes your money (about a dollar a serving), her colleague fills a bowl with noodles and chopped scallions, and a teenager with a faux-hawk ladles strips of ruby-red beef into the broth to cook for two seconds, then spoons it all into the waiting bowl. Half of Hanoi queues up for a seat, while others slurp their soup perched on motorbikes outside. All wear serious expressions, and eat in a silence that feels not joyless but reverential. The stock is so wholesome and protein-rich you feel yourself being cured of whatever might ail you, perhaps of anything that ever could.
A proper restaurant culture, the sort with waitstaff and normal-size chairs, is still in its infancy here, but Vietnam has a long tradition of eating out—quite literally so. Western notions of indoors and out are reversed: at a typical Old Quarter house in Hanoi, the motorbikes are in the living room and the stove is on the sidewalk.
When people here crave a particular dish, they usually visit a particular street vendor, often on a particular lane (which may even be named after said dish). The best way to tackle Hanoi is to treat the city as one vast progressive buffet, moving from the spring-roll guy to the fermented-pork lady and onward into the night.
Or you could make it easy and hit Quan An Ngon (locals call it simply “Ngon,” meaning delicious). The owner recruited an all-star roster of street-food vendors to cook their signature dishes in the courtyard of an old villa, added menus and table service, and watched the crowds pour in—not just foreigners but also well-heeled Vietnamese, who can’t get enough of the place. (There’s also a branch in Saigon, a.k.a Ho Chi Minh City.) The quality is excellent, the atmosphere convivial, and seats hard to come by after dark. Come for breakfast and the food is even fresher (and the cooks outnumber the patrons). Most of these dishes are traditionally served all day, so the morning menu is much the same. My ultimate breakfast: an order of bun cha (grilled pork in a marinade of sweetened fish sauce with a side of rice vermicelli) and a bowl ofbanh da ca, a fabulously tangy fish soup from Haiphong laden with chunks of tilapia, chewy, fettucine-like banh da noodles, dill, scallions, and the magical rau can (a woody stalk with a strong, cedary bite).

Speaking of fish, Hanoi cha ca is one of the great Vietnamese dishes, a note-perfect blend of raw and cooked ingredients, assertive and delicate flavors, with a DIY element as a bonus. It’s often associated with a century-old Hanoi institution called Cha Ca La Vong, which is very good, indeed, though I prefer the more peaceful surroundings and local clientele of its rival, Cha Ca Thanh Long, a few blocks away. The firm white flesh of the snakehead fish is first marinated in galangal, shallot, shrimp paste, and turmeric, and briefly seared on a grill. It’s then brought to your table in a large pan with bowls of shaved scallions, crumbled peanuts, chiles, and a hedgerow of bright-green dill. A tabletop brazier is ignited. This is where you come in: tossing everything into the sizzling pan, sautéing the fish to a golden brown, then laying it onto a bed of cool vermicelli, with a few more dill sprigs for good measure. Add a dollop of supremely funky shrimp paste if you dare (and you should).

For all their obsessive eating and snacking, Hanoians tend not to linger at table. Most finish dinner in seven minutes flat. Where they do while away the hours is at the local café. Hanoians drink a lot of coffee: thick, rich, tar-black stuff, sometimes cut with condensed milk but often taken straight. The bohemian soul of Hanoi’s café scene is Nang, a 1956 landmark on Hang Bac Street whose 74-year-old owner, Ms. Thai, still brews nearly every cup herself. (Her father-in-law, who lived in Paris for a spell, taught her how to French-roast the beans.) Ms. Thai’s blend, sourced from Dong Giao, in the northern Nghe An province, is strong enough to power a 125 cc motorbike. The café is only eight feet wide, with tiny wooden tables and tinier wooden stools, occupied all afternoon by young Vietnamese men sporting the currently in vogue greaser look: slicked-back hair, black leather jackets, skinny jeans, white pocket T’s with single cigarettes poking out. The place looks exactly as it must have in 1956—a perfect microcosm of a city that’s always had a tenuous relation to the present tense.
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As a shopaholic, Malaysia will be always a perfect choice for a shopping journey, especially in summer, when this country hosts an array of festivals.

1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival – “Shop ‘til you drop”
Starting from June 27 to August 31, the second shopping season after the first 1Malaysia GP Sale in March, 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival promises to satisfy shopaholics with an array of promotional programs. Accordingly, 30% - 50% or even up to 70% discounts are offered for fashion collections, accessories, hi-tech products, food and spa. As the fourth best shopping cities of the world, after New York, Tokyo and London by CNN, Kuala Lumpur boasts over 350 shopping centers, in which 1Utama, Mid Valley Mega Mall and Sunway Pyramid are three of 10 biggest shopping centers of the world.


malaysia mega sale

If you are worried about your kids while shopping in Kuala Lumpur, Escape@Room in Berjaya Times Square, the biggest indoor recreational center in Kuala Lumpur with tens of interesting games will be a wonderful destination for them. Berjaya Times Square owns more than 1000 stores and outlets, including Nikon’s IT Center, the first store updating latest Nikon cameras. Other shopping centers such as Bukit Bintang, Pavilion, Fahrenheit88 and Starhill Gallery also attract a large number of visitors.

Remember to own a Super Pass book for shopaholics. This catalogue includes numerous vouchers of fashion, food and beverage, spa, accommodation and entertainment services. With a Super Pass, you can receive 20 – 30% discount, along with free beverages or ice cream when you order meals. This Super Pass can be used all year round until 2016. The book is priced at 55RM (about 330,000VND). For further information about the Super Pass, please visit www.superpass.com.my.
In addition to international brand names, local products are also interested. If you love top-notch items, you can visit Zang Toi, Dexter Wong and Bernard Chandran stores. Those, who like classy street fashion, drop into Padini, The MOD House, Kiko and Voir shops. Shoe-lovers will surely find the way to Jimmy Choo brand name in Malaysia on this carnival. One of the most favorite shoe brand names of many ladies is Vincci with reasonable price and good quality, along with Carlo Rino, Sembonia and Primavera. Meanwhile, cosmetic brands also offer many special programs such as buy one get one or 50% discount for all products, including new ones. Visit www.matrade.gov.my for many local brand names in Malaysia.
Malaysia 2015 – The year of festivals
If you visit Malaysia during the festive season, in addition to go shopping, indulge yourself in fantastic festivals. Here are some remarkable festivals in Malaysia on this occasion:
Festival Tari Malaysia – Dance Festival (Kuala Lumpur): From 1 - 7 June 2015 at Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is famous for is multi-culture, which is the mixture of Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, English and Malay influences. Each region of Malaysia owns a special dance. The Malaysian Dance Festival is a program that showcases local dances with interactive features to inculcate the interest of tourists and the public.


Pesta Bunga dan Taman (Putrajaya) – the international flower festival at Putrajaya city will surely attract many tourists this June. The Pesta Bunga dan Taman festival is a good occasion to witness a variety of flowers and bonsais from flower countries, including Italy, Denmark, Holland, Brunei, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Korea, Kenya, USA, South Africa, Russia, Singapore and Vienam.

Penang Durian Festival (Penang): The Penang Durian Festival in July will be a paradise for durian lovers. The festival will introduce many new durian varieties such as Raja Kunyit and Udang Merah. Due to being grown in the hotter climate than Vietnam, Malay durians are more aromatic, sweeter and fatter. At the festival, visitors can enjoy various durian drinks and dishes such as durian ice cream, durian pancake and durian puff. In addition, you can taste a special type of durian in Malaysia that is Sukang/Tabelak or also known as Hutan.

KL Fashion Week (Kuala Lumpur): Taken place in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur from August 12 – 16, Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week gathers domestic and international shopaholics, designers, fashion editors, bloggers and models. This is the third year Malaysia has been organizing fashion week. This event will display new fashion trends of 2016. Tourists of the event can hunt Selangor royal tin or Sabah pearl products, which are famous for their luxury, beautiful designs and various prices. 
If you would like to visit Malaysia in summer 2015, please feel free to contact us
source: Travelline 
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In Vietnam, com is eaten at the main meals of the day (lunch and dinner). Rice is eaten together with a variety of different dishes and is made from different kinds of rice. Typically fragrant rice is used, such as Tam Thom and Nang Huong. An ordinary meal may consist of boiled rice and the following:
 
Mon an kho (meal without soup) consists of dishes of pork, fish, shrimp, and vegetable cooked in oil, as well as vegetables, pickles, etc.
Mon canh (meal with soup) consists of a soup made with pork or spare-ribs, crab meat, and fish.
In the past several years, people in urban centers have begun to go out for lunch at the food stalls on the street. Consequently, there has been a proliferation of temporary food stalls along many sidewalks and public spaces in the cities. Some stalls are open until early in the morning to cater to regular customers. Around noon, owners can be seen arranging tables and benches along the pavement to form makeshift shop floors. After two or three hours, when there are no more customers, they begin to remove all of their wooden furniture, so that the place resumes its former appearance. A well served lunch for one is very inexpensive.

Banh Chung (Sticky Rice Cake)
Sticky rice cakes are a Vietnamese traditional dish that must be part of Tet meals. As a matter of fact, every Vietnamese family must have sticky rice cakes among the offerings placed on the altar to their ancestors.
Bang chung is made of glutinous rice, pork meat, and green beans paste wrapped in a square of bamboo leaves, giving the rice a green colour after boiling.
According to the legend, under the reign of the Hung Kings, Prince Lang Lieu created sticky rice cakes and presented them to his father. Bang chung won high acclaims from the King who awarded the prince his throne.
Making sticky rice cakes is a very meticulous job. To obtain the best cakes, rice has to soak in water for an entire day. The pork meat must include skin and fat, the green beans must be of the same size, and the bamboo leaves must be fresh. Squaring off and tying cakes with bamboo strings requires skilful hands.
Sticky rice cakes are available at any time of the year, although one is sure to enjoy them with relatives and friends during Tet. During Tet, rice cakes are served with gio lua and hanh muoi lean meat pie and salted sour onions.
Gio Lua (Lean Pork Pie)
Lean pork pie is available in Vietnam only and has different names in the north and south. Foreigners as well as Vietnamese are fond of lean pork pie.
Gio lua consists of pork meat wrapped in fresh banana leaves. The little bundles are then boiled. The most delicious part of lean pork pie is the top layer since it absorbs the flavour of the banana leaves
Pho - Noodles 

Pho is the most popular food among the Vietnamese population. Pho is commonly eaten for breakfast, although many people will have it for their lunch or dinner. Anyone feeling hungry in the small hours of the morning can also enjoy a bowl of hot and spicy pho to fill their empty stomachs.
Like hot green tea which has its particular fragrance, pho also has its special taste and smell. Preparations may vary, but when the dish is served, its smell and taste is indispensable. The grated rice noodle is made of the best variety of fragrant rice called Gao Te. The broth for Pho Bo (Pho with beef) is made by stewing the bones of cows and pigs in a large pot for a long time. Pieces of fillet mignon together with several slices of ginger are reserved for Pho Bo Tai (rare fillet). Slices of well done meat are offered to those less keen on eating rare fillets.
The soup for Pho Ga (pho with chicken meat) is made by stewing chicken and pig bones together. The white chicken meat that is usually served with Pho Ga is boneless and cut into thin slices. You could consider Pho Bo and Pho Ga Vietnam's special soups. Pho also has the added advantage of being convenient to prepare and healthy to eat.
Cha Ca (grilled minced fish)
 Grilled minced fish has been served in Vietnam for more than 100 years. The Doan family of Cha Ca Street in Hanoi first invented this dish.
A wide variety of fish can be used in this dish including sturgeon and tuna. Tuna is low in fat, has an exquisite flavour, and few bones. The bones are separated from the meat and put into saffron water to be later used in a sauce. The fish is marinated in salt before being grilled.
What is interesting about this dish is that people can add their favourite condiments: coriander, mint, dill, shallots, and more.
Com (Grilled rice) 

Grilled rice is mostly served in the fall. After collecting the rice from the fields, several steps have to be performed to obtain excellent com. After removing the grains from their hulks, the rice is wrapped in lotus leaves to keep it from drying and to allow it to absorb the lotus flavor.
Grilled rice can be found everywhere in Vietnam, but the best com is found in Vong village, 5 km from Hanoi. People in this village still use traditional secret recipes. People eat grilled rice with eggs, bananas, or sapodillas.
Banh Cuon (Rice Flour Steamed Rolls) 
Eating banh cuon for breakfast is a great favorite among many Vietnamese.
Banh cuon is made of rice flour. Thoroughly selected rice is soaked overnight, then ground with a stone mortar. Food preservatives are put into the flour to make the rice sheets softer and smoother. A screen of cloth used to mold the rice sheets is fitted over the opening of a pot of boiling water. Flour is spread on the screen and covered with a lid. After a few minutes, a bamboo stick is used  bcuon01.jpg (9105 bytes)to strip the thin layer of flour off the screen. Then it is rolled up and sprinkled with fried onions.
A small village in a suburb of Hanoi is famous for its banh cuon. People there serve it with a dressing comprised of lean meat, shrimps, mushrooms, dried onions, fish sauce, and pepper.
All the ingredients are stir-fried and rolled into a banh cuon.
Banh cuon is delicious when it is very thin, white, and sticky. It is even tastier when dipped in a sweet, sour, and spicy sauce.
Bun (rice vermicelli) 
 Vietnamese vermicelli is a luxurious as well as a popular dish. There are different varieties of vermicelli depending on their shape: bun roi or stirred vermicelli, bun mam or twisted vermicelli, bun la or vermicelli paper, and bun dem tram or shreded vermicelli.
Different ingredients can be served with vermicelli: grilled pork meat, fried rice cakes, snails, fried eggs, lean meat pie, chicken, and crab soup, to name a few.
Each region and locality, even each restaurant, has its own vermicelli dishes with their own recipes
Mien (vermicelli made of cassava)
Mien threads are very long and tough, made from a kind of tuber plant called cassava. When served, the long tiny flour threads are cut into smaller pieces. Like rice vermicelli, this kind of cassava vermicelli is used to make several different dishes, the most popular being Mien Ga (chicken cassava vermicelli), Mien Bo (beef cassava vermicelli), and Mien Luon (eel cassava vermicelli).
Cassava vermicelli is also used for different dishes which are stirred in oil, such as Mien Xao Thit (vermicelli and pork stirred in fat), Mien Xao Long Ga (vermicelli and chicken tripe stirred in fat), and Mien Xao Cua Be (vermicelli and sea crab meat stirred in fat).
Banh Tom (crispy shrimp pastry)
Although Banh Tom is available almost everywhere in the country, it is best at the Nha Hang Ho Tay (Ho Tay Restaurant) on the banks of Truc Bach Lake, close to Ho Tay (West Lake) in Hanoi. While diners await the arrival of the hot fried shrimp pastry, they can enjoy the picturesque lake and landscapes offered by the vast expanse of water from West Lake and the tree-lined Thanh Nien Road.
The dish should be eaten as soon as it arrives at the table. The fried pastry is topped with red shrimps and is eaten together with dishes of spicy vegetables mixed with sweet and sour sauce.
To remind you of the local shrimping business, waiters will often tell you that the shrimps that you have ordered for your meal have just been netted in nearby West Lake. This will be a memorable meal that will ensure that you remember your stay in Hanoi.
Nom (salad)

This dish is a combination of a variety of fresh vegetables, usually used in salads in Western countries. The make-up of Nom, however, is slightly different.
The main ingredients of Nom include grated pieces of turnip, cabbage, or papaya, and slices of cucumber with grated, boiled, lean pork. Other auxiliary ingredients include grated carrot, slices of hot chilly, and roasted ground nuts. These are used to make the dish more colourful. All are mixed thoroughly before being soaked in vinegar, sugar, garlic, hot chilly, and seasoned with salt.
The presentation of the dish is also very meticulous. The mixture of ingredients is put into a dish before being covered with vegetables.
To try a mouthful of Nom is to enjoy a combination of all the tastes life has to offer, including sour, hot, sweet, salty, and fragrant tastes. The dish helps with digestion at meals and parties. It can become an addictive aid to assist the real connoisseur enjoy more food.
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Nem Ran or Cha Gio (fried spring roll) 
 This dish is called Nem Ran by northerners and Cha Gio by southerners. In Hanoi, the introduction of Nem Ran dates back to a time when Cha Ca had not existed. Although it ranks among Vietnam's specialty dishes, Nem Ran is very easy to prepare. Consequently, it has long been a preferred food on special occasions such as Tet and other family festivities.
Ingredients used for Nem Ran comprise of lean minced pork, sea crabs or unshelled shrimps, two kinds of edible mushroom (Nam Huong and Moc Nhi), dried onion, duck eggs, pepper, salt and different kinds of seasoning. All are mixed thoroughly before being wrapped with transparent rice paper into small rolls. These rolls are then fried in boiling oil.
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Faifo Dainty (Danang)
Faifo dainty is a fairly unknown Vietnamese dish named after an old street in Hoi An.
Dainty fiber is carefully made by putting rice in water containing ashes from wood found in Cu Lao Cham. Then, the rice is ground and quickly boiled to make a fibrous mixture. Dainty can be preserved only one day, which is why it is boiled and dried. Dainty fibers have a dark-yellow colour.
The filling for dainty consists of lean pork and other condiments that are stir-fried. Then, the dainty is cut into finger-long pieces that are dried and grilled. Finally, the filling is put into the dainty. For a saltier taste, one can add fish sauce. Chicken meat cut in squares combined with small shrimps can also be added to the recipe.
Although dainty is not a popular meal in Vietnam, it is still served in certain restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.
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Tom Chua (Hue Sour Shrimp)
 When Hue natives living outside the city return to their homeland, they usually have sour shrimp. Tourists also make sure to buy some jars of sour shrimp before leaving Hue.
Because of the national reputation of this dish, some cooks and merchants specialize in making sour shrimp. In the past, people made this dish at home, but now it is easier to buy it at the market.
This dish can be prepared with any kind of shrimp. The recipe includes a number of steps that must be performed in a specific order. First, the fresh, clean, and dry shrimp of approximately the same size are put in wine along with dry bamboo shoots, garlic, and chili. The ingredients are kept in a closed container at room temperature for three days. Then the container is put in a cool, dry place. After five or seven days, the sour shrimp are ready.
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Com Hen (Hue Mussel Rice)
Hot white rice is part of every meal in Vietnam, but only Hue mussel rice is served cool. Hue people, after deciding that no food should be wasted, have designed this dish using leftover rice.
This dish includes Chinese vermicelli, bamboo shoots, lean pork meat, and an assortment of green vegetables (banana leaves, mint, star fruit, etc.).
The broth obtained after boiling the mussels is used to flavour the rice. Ginger, sesame, and chili are also added to the broth. This dish is very spicy and it is not rare to see people with watery eyes and sweaty faces while eating it; nevertheless, everyone congratulates the cook for such a delicious meal.
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Hue Beef Noodle Soup
One must have years of experience to cook excellent Hue beef noodle soup. This recipe mainly consists of shredded meat and rice noodles. Most restaurants and merchants in Hue do not make the rice noodles themselves; they buy them in Van Cu and Bao Vinh, two villages located near Hue.
Learning how to make a clear broth from bone and meat is also a difficult task, but cooks have the satisfaction of seeing customers enjoying a good meal. The secret of this recipe resides in the meat�this is why it must be bought directly from the slaughterhouse early in the morning. The meat is then shredded, boiled, and taken out of the water to obtain a delicious clear broth.
The amount of salt put in the recipe varies depending on the season; during summer, Hue beef noodle soup is served with soy bean, mint, and different kinds of lettuce; in the winter, the recipe is saltier and lemongrass and fish sauce are added.
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Cau Mong Beef
Cau Mong beef is a specialty of Cau Mong, located 15 km from Danang, Dien Ban district, where nearly ten restaurants serve the dish. Cau Mong beef has been served for a long time and is found in many places outside Danang, such as Hoi An, Tam Ky, Vinh Dien, and Ho Chi Minh City.
The meat along with its skin is cut in thin slices, half cooked, and eaten with nem, which consists of fish sauce mixed with soy sauce, sugar, chili, garlic, lemon, star fruit, vervain, and green banana.
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Hu Tieu (My Tho Noodle Soup)
 My Tho seafood noodle soup is different from Chinese noodle soup, nam vang soup, and Hue beef noodle soup, because it contains soy bean, lemon, chili, and soy sauce instead of herbs and lettuce.
Back in the 1960s, a shop in My Tho, 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City, started serving this dish using a secret recipe for the rice noodles. Ever since then, its reputation has grown to become a very well known meal in Vietnam.
It is said that the most delicious noodle soup is made with Co Cat rice, from the most famous rice growing area of My Phong village, a suburb of My Tho.
The sweet aroma of the broth comes from the meat, dried squid, and special condiments.
My Tho noodle soup is a traditional dish specific to the south.
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Lau Mam (Mixed Soup)
Lau mam was a popular dish among farming communities hundreds of years ago, especially in the southwestern provinces. Nowadays, lau mam is considered a delicacy and is often served to special guests. Lau designates the broth, and mam the salted fish.
The main ingredient used in the broth is marinated fish to which meat and vegetables are added. Various ingredients, such as seafood, fish, and meat, are prepared on separate plates. Guests choose and boil their meat in the broth. The meal is accompanied by several fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs.
This dish is particularly enjoyed since so many alternatives are possible, offering a wide array of delicious flavours.
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Canh Chua (Fish Sour Soup) 

Canh chua originated from the Mekong Region, more specifically from Dong Thap Muoi. Canh chua is a fish sour soup made with fish from the Mekong River and so dua flower. This dish is mostly served when the so dua flower first blossoms at the end of the rainy season. A feast is organized and the fish sour soup is among the delicious meals prepared for this event. Fish sour soup must be eaten very hot. It must also be eaten all at one time since the taste is altered when the soup is reheated.
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Chao Tom (Grilled Shrimp Paste)
 Foreigners often say that grilled shrimp paste is a very unusual dish made from very simple ingredients. The recipe consists of clean shrimps placed in coconut water. The shrimps are later grilled and ground to obtain shrimp flour. The flour is mixed with fat and sugar to finally obtain shrimp paste. This dish is served with fish sauce.
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Banh Cuon Trang Bang (Rice Cakes)
Trang Bang, located 40 km from Ho Chi Minh City, is where one can find the best rice paper and rice cakes.
Both can be found everywhere, but nowhere are they better than in Trang Bang where they are made from local rice. The rice flour is roasted for four or five hours and made into thick cakes. Once the cakes are dried, they are placed into nylon bags.
These cakes can be eaten with shrimp, meat, salad, and coriander. During Tet, the cakes are served with roasted meat, eggs, and sour mustard.
If you want to enjoy one of these  vietnamese  food , let’s join in our package tours
Source: Sawadee
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Cat Ba Island is the largest island in Halong Bay. While the vast majority of Halong Bay's island are uninhabited vertical rocks, Cat Ba actually has a few tiny fishing villages. The terrain is too rocky for agriculture and most residents earn their living from the sea. Life has always been hard here and, not surprisingly, many Cat Ba residents joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, the overseas Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the island, thus financing the new hotels and restaurants that you'll see.
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There is very little motorized traffic and, indeed, very few roads. Compared with the tourist carnival at Bai Chay, Cat Ba is still very laid back, despite about a ten fold increase in hotel rooms since 2006.

About half of Cat Ba Island which has a total area of 354 sq km and 90 sq km of the adjacent inshore waters were declared a national park in 1986 in order to protect the islands divers ecosystems.
These include subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and offshore coral reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches tucked into small coves. The main beaches in Cat Ba Island are Cai Vieng, Hong Xoai Be and Hong Xoai Lon.

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There are also numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacular limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331 m above sea level. The growth of the vegetation is stunted near the summits because of high winds. The largest permanent body of water on the island is Ech lake, which covers an area of three hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most of the Cat Ba's rainwater flows into caves, and follows underground streams to the sea, creating a shortage of fresh water during the dry season. Although parts of the interior of the island are below sea level, most of the island is between 50 and 200 m in elevation.

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The waters off Cat Ba Island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of molluscs and 400 species of arthropods. Larger marine animals in the area include seals and three species of dolphins.

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Stone tools and bones left by humans who lived between 6000 and 7000 years ago have been found at 17 sites on the islands. The most thoroughly studies site is Cat Beo Cave, discovered by French archaeologist in 1938. which is 1.5 km from Cat Ba Village.

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Getting there and away to Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island is 40 km east of Haiphong and 20 km south of Halong City. A great innovation for getting there are 108 seat russian built hydrofoils. the air-conditioned water rockets reduce the Haiphong - Cat Hai- Cat Ba Journey to just 2 hours. Vietnamese Package Tours can arrange 2 day 1 night trip to Cat Ba Island from Hanoi.
An Alternative way to reach Cat Ba Island via the island of Cat Hai, which is closer to Haiphong. A boat depart Haiphong and makes a brief stop in Cat Hai Island, before continuing to the  port of Phu Long on Cat Ba Island.
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