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Dan Nhi Two-string Fiddle The Dan Nhi is popular among several ethnic groups in Vietnam. It is also referred to as Dan Co in southern provinces of Viet Nam. Dan Nguyet – Two-String Guitar The Southerners of Vietnam refer to this instrument as Dan Kim. Dan Nguyet has two strings and the resonator resembles the moon, that is probably why it is named Dan Nguyet, which means moon lute. Dan Ty Ba or Four-string Guitar The Dan Ty Ba is a four-string instrument which is frequently present in a traditional orchestra. Dan Tranh 16-string zither The Dan Tranh is also known as Dan Thap Luc or sixteen-stringed zither. Its shape resembles a bamboo tube that has been sliced vertically in half. Dan Tam Three-string Lute This three-stringed lute is used by several ethnic groups in Vietnam. The Viet call it Dan Tam, whereas the Ha Nhi call it Ta in. This instrument exists in three sizes: large, medium, and small. The small is the most popular. Bamboo Flute The bamboo flute has long been attached to the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese. It can be said that the bamboo flute contains the musical essence of the Vietnamese countryside together with the four tranquil seasons. T’rung T'rung is one of the popular musical instruments closely associated with the spiritual life of the Bahnar, TSedan, Giarai, Ede and other ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Tam Thap Luc The Tam Thap Luc is a sort of zither with thirty-six brass strings as it is called. It has the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, with a slightly convex sound board made of light, porous, unvarnished wood. Trong Com (Rice Drum) The Trong Com (rice drum) gets its name from the practice of placing a pinch of hot steamed rice in the middle of the drum skin to "tune" the instrument. Dan K’Ni The K'Ni is a stringed musical instrument, sawing bow branch and is popular among many ethnic minority groups living in northern highlands (central Vietnam) such as Bahnar, Gia Rai, E De, Se Dang, Pako, and Hre... Dan Day Dan Day is a special instrument of Vietnamese origin. This three-stringed lute is used incorporate the peculiarities of the two-stringed lute (dan Nguyet), the four-stringed pear-shaped lute (dan Ty Ba), and the three-stringed lute (dan Tam). H’mong Pen Pipe The Pen-pipe is a musical instrument of the wind family with the free vibrated reed, popular among almost all of Vietnam's ethnicity in different forms. The Kinh (Viet) group calls it Khen, while the Mong ethnic minority call it the Kenh, and the Ede in the Central Highlands use a similar instrument called Dinh Nam. Cong Chieng The Cong Chieng is a kind of musical instrument casted from mixed copper and belongs to the idiophonic family. In Vietnamese language, the word "Cong" points to a musical instrument with a bossed part in center (bossed gong) and "Chieng" without it (flat gong). Gong Zither The gong zither is a stringed musical instrument of flipping branch. It is popular among some ethnicity in the North of the Central Highlands. Klong Put The Klongput is the Xe Dang language name of a musical instrument of the wind family, air driving-in branch. Lithophone The Dan da (lithophone) is a set of stone slabs of different sizes and shapes fabricated through an elementary technique. Lithophone is composed of a set of eleven resonant stones.

Central Vietnam has its own spicy, strongly-flavored cuisine, distinct from the Chinese-influenced fare of the North and the light tropical flavors in the steamy South. Hue, capital city of the ancient Nguyen empire, is famed for its imperial cuisine—a banquet-style procession of elaborate dishes—but it also boasts a colorful, snack-heavy street food culture. Hoi An, a historic trading port-turned Unesco World Heritage site, is influenced by a confluence of Vietnamese-Japanese-Chinese-Mediterranean cuisine, and is home to both a noodle soup of mythical proportions and what might be the best bahn mi in all of Vietnam. Between the two cities, there are enough unique dishes to almost make you forget about the food other parts of Vietnam. Banh Ep Uncooked banh ep look like little dough balls with bits of barbecued pork; they’re flattened in a weighted griddle and scattered with fresh scallions and fried shallots before serving. Banh Trang Trung prep Banh trang trung starts with a crisp rice cracker, which is thrown on the griddle and cooked with scrambled egg, pork pate, scallions, fried shallots, and your choice of decorative topping (see the aforementioned hotdog and mayo). Banh Beo A taste of Hue’s imperial cuisine minus the pomp and ceremony, banh beo—steamed glutinous rice cakes with shrimp and pork rinds—are a popular street snack. You’ll see stacks of empty two-bite bowls piled high on certain corners, though there are also restaurants that specialize in different varieties of miniature steamed banh. Banh Khoai Yet another pancake-family Hue specialty, banh khoai are like the smaller cousin of southern Vietnam’s famed banh xeo. The crisp yellow shell is made from an egg and rice flour batter, which is folded around slices of barbecue pork, sausage and shrimp, then topped with pickled vegetables and fresh bean sprouts. Bun Bo Hue Hue’s eponymous soup, a fiery rice noodle number chock full of beef, pork, cartilage and offal (if you ask nicely). The broth is laced with tomatoes and lemongrass, and the dish, like most Vietnamese soups, comes with your own DIY platter of raw vegetables and herbs to munch on between bites. Bun Thit Nuong A cool vermicelli noodle salad laced with tangy nuoc cham, pickled vegetables, bean sprout and fresh herbs, topped with delicious smoky-sweet grilled pork and a scattering of crushed peanuts. Bun thit nuong is all over Hue (and much of Vietnam in general), but the trick is finding a restaurant or vendor with superior pork. Nem Lui Hue A novel new take on the “meat-on-a-stick” idea: ground pork is molded around lemongrass stalks and charcoal-grilled, then served with raw veggies (starfruit!), fresh lettuce and herbs, and a viscous peanut and pork liver dipping sauce. Com Hen and Bun Hen Hen are tiny freshwater clams, beloved in Hue as a topping (along with everything else on this platter—pork rinds, roast peanuts, crushed garlic, shrimp paste, etc)—to rice (“com”) or vermicelli noodles (“bun”). The finishing touch is a ladle full of clam broth and a handful of torn cilantro. Vegetarian Delight Hue is also the historic capital of vegetarianism in Vietnam, and there are several health-minded veg restaurants in town. This simple stir-fry of fresh corn, mushrooms and scallions was a much-needed break from all the grilled pork. Cao Lau Hoi An’s most famous dish, and one only available in this tiny town, thanks to a generations-old legend stipulating that the noodles can only be made with water from a special, bottomless local well. Cau lao is hawked on every corner in Hoi An, and while I doubt every bowl is made with this special water, most renditions are still delicious: thick udon-esque wheat noodles in a smidge of ultra-rich pork broth, with roast pork, fresh herbs and fried noodle “croutons” for crunch on top. White Rose Dumplings Named for their supposed resemblance to the flower, these delicate steamed dumplings are filled with shrimp and pork, then topped with crunchy fried shallots and served with a sweet dipping sauce. Like cau lao, the translucent wrapper dough is supposed to be made with the special well water, so white roses are a dumpling variety native to Hoi An and Hoi An alone. Fried Wontons On the complete opposite of the dumpling spectrum in Hoi An are these deep-fried wontons, which are almost like Vietnamese nachos. The wonton filling is minimal—this dish is really just a vehicle for the sweet-and-sour tomato/pepper/onion/shrimp topping, which wasn’t all that different from the Chinese. Com Ga, aka Chicken Rice A close cousin to the Hainanese dish of the same name (and likely a holdover from Chinese traders in Hoi An centuries ago), Hoi An’s com ga features shredded chicken mixed with herbs and copious amounts of raw onion, served over rice that’s been cooked in chicken broth and pickled veggies on the side. Banh Mi Phuong Let’s just get this out of the way: yes, Anthony Bourdain featured the banh mi from Hoi An’s Banh Mi Phuong on “No Reservations” a few years back, so the stall isn’t exactly a hidden gem, but their sandwich remains, quite simply, the Platonic ideal of banh mi perfection. I am still dreaming of this thing: a manageably-sized, crusty-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside baguette with carefully arranged meats, a light-handed scattering of pickled vegs, and Phuong’s secret weapon: an addictive hand-ground chile sauce on top.

Xoi chien phong (Bloating fried sticky rice) A round plate of Xoi chien phong, placed next to a plate of buttery roasted chicken, is always attractive to anyone. A lump of sticky rice will become a plate of Xoi chien phong as big as a grape-fruit by talent chefs. In the past, Xoi chien phong was offered only in the Binh Duong Restaurant, Dong Nai Province. At present, you can taste the dish in star classified hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. Lau mam (Mixed vegetable and meat hot pot) At present, Lau mam folk dish in the past hundred years - become a luxurious specialty in the South. Chau Doc fish sauce made from fresh-water fish, a kind of sweet- smelling and greasy fish, which must be as required to have a delicious Lau mam dish. Substances to prepare for Lau mam, including fresh food-stuffs such as snake-head fish, "keo" fish, pork, peeled shrimps, eel, beef, and so on, accompanied with at least 10 kinds of vegetable, sometime amounting to 24 kinds of vegetable. They include water-lily, egg-plant, balsam-apple, straw mushroom, bean sprouts, chilly, etc. When boiled, the flavors of the sauce, which is mixed with citronella, chilly, vegetables, fish, shrimp and meat, are very sweet-smelling. Lau mamroam is scoop out into bowls and served with soft noodle soup, simply but deliciously. Goi Buoi (Salad of shaddock) 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 and dry cuttle-fish. Therefore, the dish will be appeared on dining table as a fresh colorful picture and attractive to customers. Ca tai tuong chien xu ("Tai tuong" bloating fried fish) "Tai tuong" fish is classified as a kind of luxurious food-stuffs. The fish is as white as chicken, delicious and sweet smelling but not crushed. There are two ways to prepare for the dish: Boiled down or bloating fried. In bloating fried way, pour plenty of oil into pan, wait for the oil to boil before placing the fish in. In boiled oil, fish scabs would be raised up as porcupine's feathers. As serving, place the fish on to the plate, arrange boiled quail eggs around with, fried potato, fresh onion and tomato slices at the edge, season with chilly. Finally, pour soup and sprinkle fried peanuts and crashed onion on to the fish. The dish is served with sour and sweet sauce of fish. Ca tai tuong chien xu is an unique and luxurious specialty in the South. Ca nuong trui (Bare fried fish) The Southern villagers in countryside areas usually have fried fish in the field. They use a bamboo piece to cross through the fish. Pitch the head side to ground, pile up rice straws at the wind-swept place to smoke fish. As serving, use hand to remove the burned fish scabs. Fish will become as white as chicken. Place the hot fish on a lotus leaf, take up each piece of fish and dip it in peppery salt, squeeze with some lemon drops, roll in fig leaf or sesame young shoot to experience the dish. Bowl and chopsticks are not necessary. At home, the dish can be served with dry pancake, soft noodle soup and vegetables. Ca nuong trui is a dish that accompanies drinking. It is popular and exciting. Ca kho to (Dry-boiled catfish) Fish, which used to prepare for the dish, can be catfish, anabas or snake-head fish. Necessary spices include dry garlic, fresh lemon, onion, chilly, sugar, glutamate, fish sauce, grease, and a spoon of pepper and wine. Although Ca kho to is a popular dish in the South, it is also a cheap specialty. As serving, pick up fish to other bowl, boil the bowl of fish on a low fire and sprinkle some peppers to have sweet-smelling: Keep fire when serving, Ca kho to can be served with such boiled vegetables as shallot, white cabbage, spinach to dip in Ca kho to sauce. It is more convenient to serve it with pickles such as vinegary beet or green pineapple. Cua rang muoi (Fried salted crabs) The Westerners, especially those in land-locked countries, usually appreciate the dish as soon as they firstly experience it. At parties, a plate of bright red Cua rang muoi is usually acted as aperitif. Customers suddenly feel sweet-smelling of spices and delicious buttery flavor of crab at the same time. Highly qualified chefs in Vung Tau coastal area usually select brackish water crabs with much meat and liver-pancreas. A delicious crab dish also depends on the soup, added to frying crabs in pans, including star aniseed, cinnamon, cardamom. The connoisseurs immediately experience the dish as it is still very hot, mixed with some lemon drops.

Pho (Rice noodle soup) Pho, a typical dish of Ha Noi 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 Ha Noi. Bun thang ("Ladder" soft noodle soup) Dishes made of soft noodle soup are diverse such as vermicelli and fried chopped meat, Bun Thang, vermicelli and sour crab soup, stewed vermicelli and boiled lean meat, etc. The popular dish is vermicelli and sour crab soup whilst Bun Thang is for con-noisseurs, unique and available in Ha Noi only. A bowl of Bun Thang includes lean pork paste, thin fried egg, salted shredded shrimp, chicken, onion, shrimps paste, and a little Belostomatid essence. Especially, Bun Thang bouillon made from shrimps and meat must be very sweet and pure. Without enjoying Bun Thangwhen arriving to Ha Noi, it somewhat seems to lack of a part of taste ofHa Noi. Mon oc (Snail dish) Snail dish is a popular but unique dish of Ha Noi people. It is easy to order some dishes like snail steamed with ginger leaf, gingered snail, snail sauted with carambola, snail boiled with lemon leaf, snail steamed with Chinese herbs, and so on, in many small restaurants, restaurants, and even hotels. However, vermicelli and snail sour soup is the most attractive to young ladies because of brittleness by snails, the slightly sour taste by snail soup, and hot by chilly boiled down, making even gorged people keep eating. Com (Grilled green rice) Every autumn, around September and October, when the cool north-westerly wind brings a cold dew, the sticky rice ears bend themselves into arches waiting for ripe grains because these rice grains are at their fullest and the rice-milk is already concentrated in the grains, predicting that thecom season has arrived. Better than any other person, the peasant knows when the rice ears are ripe enough to be reaped to begin making com. Com is made from green sticky rice that is harvested in blossom period, roasted in many times, crashed and sieved. Com is a speciality; at the same time, it is very popular. One can enjoy com with tieu ripe banana. When eating com, you must eat slowly and chew very deliberately in order to appreciate all the scents, tastes, and plasticity of the young rice. Com is an ingredient also used in many specialities of Viet Nam, includingcom xao (browned com), banh com (com cakes), che com (sweetenedcom soups), etc. Com may be obtained anywhere in the North of Viet Nam, but the tastiestcom is processed in Vong Village, 5km from Ha Noi, where com making has been a professional skill for many generations. Cha ca La Vong (La Vong grilled fish pies) Cha ca La Vong is a unique specialty of Hanoi people, therefore one street in Ha Noi was named as Cha Ca Street. Cha ca is made from mud-fish, snake-headed fish, but the best one is Hemibagrus (Ca lang). Fish bone is left away to keep fish meat only, then seasoning, clipping by pieces of bamboo, and frying by coal heat. An oven of coal heat is needed when serving to keep Cha ca always hot. Cha ca is served with roasted peanuts, dry pancakes, soft noodle soup, spice vegetables and shrimps paste with lemon and chilly. The Cha ca La Vong Restaurant on No.14 Cha Ca Street is the "ancestor restaurant" of the dish. Banh cuon (Rolled rice pancake) Banh cuon is popular to Vietnamese as disk for breakfast. The cake preparing process includes grilled rice which is steamed and oil-spread to have sweet-smelling. Banh cuon is prepared available. Leaves of cake put on plate as the customers ask for the disk. The cake is called Banh cuonThanh Tri due to its origin is Thanh Tri Village of South Ha Noi. Besides Banh cuon Thanh Tri, there is rolled rice pancake with the filling of the cake is made from minced pork mixed with Jew's ears and thin-top mushrooms. The cake, placed on plate, serve with salted shredded shring and fried dry onions. The customers immediately experience the disk as it is just finished and stilI very hot. It is the sauce of the cake that fascinates the customers. The cake-makers have their own know-how, some of them prepare Banh cuonwith Belostomatid essence to have sweet -smelling to attract to the customers. Lon quay Lang Son (Lang Son roasted pork) Anyone who arrives in Lang Son Province could find it difficult to say no toLon quay dish. Lon quay Lang Son is delicious for many reasons, however, the main specific taste of the dish comes from the unique flavor of a kind of leaf called "Mac mat" (meaning "sweet leaf"). The leaf is soaked with spices, fish sauce, glutamate, flavoring powder, then stuffed into clean pig belly and placed on reverted furnace. Pig is fried the spread with watery honey so as to make the skin turn golden and brittle, and pork is soft and sweet-smelling as finish. Banh tom Ho Tay (Ho Tay fried shirmp cake) All people who used to live in Ha Noi are familiar with Banh tom Ho Tay Restaurant on the Thanh Nien (Young) Street. The cake preparing process includes wheat flour mixed with potato fibres, placing on shape with shrimps upper, then fried with oil. The cake is brittle, soft, sweet-smelling, and served with vegetable pickles and sweet and sour fish sauce for best taste.

Vietnam's festivals follow the Chinese lunar calendar – the country’s culture and festivals are strongly influenced by the country’s past as a Chinese vassal state. Thus many of the festivals in the list below are moveable relative to the Gregorian calendar; while the dates relative to the lunar calendar do not change, the dates relative to the Gregorian calendar do. Some of these festivals are celebrated nationwide; as some provinces have their own series of festivals unique to the locals, we’ve tried to include some of the more notable local ones too. Hoi An Full Moon Festival Every 14th day of the lunar month, Hoi An’s old town bans all motorized traffic and transforms itself into a massive performance venue for Vietnamese arts contemporary to the old trading town’s heyday in the 18th to 19th century – Chinese opera, Chinese chess, and of course, the region’s famous food. Shops put up brightly-colored lanterns, turning the narrow old streets (even theold Japanese bridge, pictured at left) into a radiant, festively-illuminated light spectacle, augmented by the haunting strains of traditional music audible from just about everywhere in the old town. Just for the night, you won’t be required to buy or show a ticket to enter Hoi An’s old attractions. The temples are at their busiest during the Full Moon Festival, as the locals honor their ancestors during this auspicious time of the month. Tet Festival Tet is Vietnam's equivalent to the Chinese New Year, and is just as auspicious . The Vietnamese consider Tet to be the year's most important festival. Family members gather in their hometowns, traveling from across the country (or the world) to spend the Tet holidays in each other's company. On the stroke of midnight, as the old year turns into the new, Vietnamese usher out the old year and welcome the Kitchen God by beating drums, lighting firecrackers, and goading dogs to bark (a lucky omen). Lim Festival On the 13th day of the first lunar month, visitors come to Lim Hill in Bac Ninh province to watch performances of "quan ho", traditional songs performed by both men and women from boats and from the Lim Pagoda. The songs cover numerous topics, such as greetings, exchanging love sentiments, and even trivial objects like village gates. Bac Ninh is only twenty minutes' drive from Hanoi, and worth a side trip after exploring the capital's must-see sights. Huong Pagoda Festival The Perfume Pagoda is Vietnam's most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site, welcoming hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who arrive at the sacred cave to pray for a happy and prosperous year ahead. This stream of pilgrims reaches its peak at the Perfume Pagoda Festival - devotees travel through a picturesque gauntlet to the sacred caves, first boarding boats that pass a landscape of rice paddies and limestone mountains, then going by foot past historical shrines and up hundreds of stone steps. Phu Giay Festival At Phu Giay Temple in Nam Dinh province, tribute is paid to Lieu Hanh, one of the Vietnamese "four immortal gods", and the only one based on a real person (a princess of the 16th century who died young). Many devotees from all over make a pilgrimage to Phu Giay Temple, located about 55 miles east from Hanoi, to join the festival, taking advantage of the traditional lull in work during the third lunar month. Traditional diversions like cock-fighting, "keo chu", and folk singing are held all throughout the festival. Hue Festival A biennial (once every two years) festival celebrated in the former imperial capital of Hue, the Hue Festival last took place from April 7 to 15, 2012, and the next one is scheduled to occur on April 12 to 20, 2014. The Festival condenses the best of Hue’s culture into a single week-long festival: theater, puppetry, dance, music, and acrobatics will be performed in different places around the city, although most of the activities are conducted around the grounds of the Hue Citadel. Chu Dong Tu Festival Downstream from Hanoi on the Red River, the Da Hoa and Da Trach temples in Khoai Chau district host a festival to Chu Dong Tu, one of the four immortal gods worshiped by the Vietnamese. The festival is topped off with traditional games and activities like human chess, wrestling, and Vietnamese dances. Thay Pagoda Festival If any Buddhist monk deserved worship, it was Tu Dao Hanh, innovator and inventor. He made numerous advances in medicine and religion, but is mainly remembered for inventing Vietnamese water puppetry. The Thay Pagoda Festival celebrates Tu Dao Hanh's life with a procession of the monk's worshipping tablet, borne by representatives from four villages. The festival is celebrated by laymen with many water puppetry performances, particularly at the Thuy Dinh House in front of Tu Dao Hanh's pagoda. The Thay Pagoda is located about 18 miles southwest from Hanoi, or about a 30 minute drive from the capital. Hung Festival This festival celebrates the legendary birth of Vietnam’s first kings, the Hung Vuong. Details of their origin remain sketchy, but the story has become rather embellished over the years: born from the union of a mountain princess and a sea dragon, the Hung Vuong came from a hundred sons hatched from a hundred eggs laid by said princess. Half the sons went back to the sea with their father, while the rest stayed behind with their mother and learned to rule. Lang Ca Ong (Whale Festival) Vietnamese fishermen believe whales are their protectors on the high seas. The Lang Ca Ong festival thanks the whales for their support and prays for prosperity in the coming year. This festival occurs in the middle of the third lunar month, and is common in fishing communities throughout Vietnam. Devotees offer prayers to the whale god for his continued protection, and proffer sacrifices (which do not contain seafood). At dawn on the second day, a fluvial procession is performed to propitiate the whale gods. The Whale Festival takes place on most of the month of April. Buon Don Elephant Races Vietnam’s Buon Don district has long been famous for its M’Nong wild elephant tamers and trainers. Demand for their skills may have dried up somewhat, but Buon Don continues to celebrate its proud heritage every year with its annual Elephant Races, held every year in the forests near the Sevepoi River. The race takes place on a short racetrack a mile or so long, set on level ground. Each elephant is ridden by two jockeys; one steers the elephant, while the other manages the animal’s speed. Elephants can move at a surprisingly fast clip (25 mph), especially when encouraged by crowds yelling and beating gongs! Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday is celebrated with much gusto in Vietnam, despite its nominal Communist status. Most Buddhist temples and many towns throw great festivals in honor of the Buddha, drawing thousands of devotees from nearby towns. Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn festival, or Tết Trung Thu, is marked with fanciful lanterns to help a legendary moon-bound figure back to Earth. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a favorite with children, as the occasion calls for more toys, candies, fruit, and entertainment than any other time of the year. Mid-Autumn parties serve cakes like the banh deo and banh nuong, shaped like fish and the moon. Finally, lion dances are commonly performed by traveling troupers who go from house to house to perform for a fee.

The "ao dai" ("flowing tunic") has been the traditional dress for Vietnamese women long, long ago. There are many different kinds of ao dai: the four-part flowing tunic had two equal front flaps that women tied together, while the five-part flowing tunic had an additional small front flap that buttoned up onto the right side of the dress. Different regions of the country have their own styles of flowing tunic. In the north, Vietnamese women usually wear the four-part flowing tunic, refers to as "Ao Tu Than", with a long skirt. The hat is called "Non Quai Thao". On the right, instead of wearing "non quai thao", Nothern women just simply wear a scarf as a variety. In the Central Region, and in the South of Vietnam, "ao dai" is worn. It is a long flowing tunic that consists of only 2 parts and is worn over a loose-fitting pair of either white, black, or colored pants. However, the white pants are usually preferred over the others. The dress splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. It is also buttoned down on the 1eft side to the waist. There are many stylish variations in color and collar design. White, or violet ao dai is also worn by Vietnamese students as their uniforms. The cone-shaped hat is called "non la". Non la in these two pictures is more for posing and decorating. In reality, non la is more functional than decorative. It is used indeed like a hat to protect one from the heat and the sun in everyday life situation. However, in weddings (brides), festivals, or any formal event, a headdress (a diadem - as in the middle picture) is usually preferred. Note: neither non la, nor the headdress is required to be worn with ao dai. Men Attire Anyone who has seen the exquisite costumes worn by Vietnamese women will recognize similarities in the traditional dress of the male. Men costumes are worn with the conventional snug collar and buttoned down on the 1eft side to the waist, with no crease in front or back. The male dress extends only to the knees and is more loose-fitting. There are many variations on the basic theme. At the top of the list is the elaborate dress of the emperor and the mandarins. Their rank was shown in the display of color in the brocade and embroideries. Gold brocade with embroidered dragons was for the emperor only. Gold is the national color and the dragon heads the fabulous mythical animal world. Purple is the color reserved for high-ranking court mandarins, while blue is for those of lower rank. Costumes worn for religious ceremonies also have their special colors. Dresses for ceremonial occasions usually have very wide and ample sleeves. Wedding dresses are similar to the popular fashions, and the color is usually purple or blue brocade. Dresses for mourning have frayed fringes or a line up the back and may be either black or white in color.

Most travelers to Vietnam are attracted by the country’s wonderful natural beauty: From the green rice fields in the north to the fascinating bustle of the Mekong Delta in the south. Vietnam however is also a country with a long history and ancient traditions. It has many historic attractions and old temples. An overview of the most amazing tourist attractions in Vietnam. 1. Nha Trang Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most popular seaside resort town located along the second most beautiful bays in the country. It features beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperatures. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It’s also the scuba diving center of Vietnam. 2. Cu Chi Tunnels The Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located about 40 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during the Vietnam War, and were the base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968. The tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. 3.Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta is the region in southern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea. It is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields, that produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output. Subsequently, life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road. 4. Mui Ne The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Due to strong sea breezes it is a popular destination in Vietnam for kite- and windsurfing. No trip to Mui Ne is complete without a trip to the famous sand dunes located a short distance north of the town. The vast sandy expanse provide some great panoramic views especially during sunset. 5. Sa Pa Terraces Sa Pa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the Chinese border. Rice terraces can be found in the Muong Hoa valley between Sa Pa town and the Fansipan Mountain, on a backdrop of thick bamboo woodlands. Local mountain people, the Hmong, Giay, Dao, Tay, and Giay, grow rice and corn on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables. 6. Phu Quoc Located in front of the Cambodia coast, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam. Phu Quoc is what Phuket would be if it hadn’t been overrun by development. The island features pristine tropical forests, undamaged coral reefs and great beaches. One of its beaches, named Bai Dai (Long Beach), was chosen by the ABC News as one of five beautiful and clean beaches. Phu Quoc is famous for producing the best nuoc mam or fermented fish sauce in the world. 7. Hoi An This fishing-village-turned-tourist-attraction is situated on the coast of the South China Sea. Hoi An has been an international port from the 16th century although the serious shipping business has long since moved to the city of Da Nang. The heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shops. It is sometimes called the “Venice of Vietnam” because of the narrow canals that cut through part of the town. 8. Hoan Kiem Lake (Hanoi) Located in the historical center of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as the locals’ favorite leisure spot. Hoan Kiem means “returned sword”, and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese. Later he returned the sword to the Golden Turtle God in the lake. 9. Thien Mu Pagoda (Hue) With seven stories, the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. The pagoda overlooks the Perfume River and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital. The temple was built in 1601 during the rule of the Nguyễn Lords. The initial temple was very simply constructed, but over time it was redeveloped and expanded with more intricate features. 10. Ha Long Bay Ha Long Bay is situated in north Vietnam round a 120 kilometer long coast line and is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay features thousands of islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others islands include lakes and some support floating villages of fishermen.

 National public holidays of Vietnam in 2015 Day Date Holiday Comments Thursday January 01 New Years Day   Friday January 02 New Years Holiday Public Sector. Compensated by Sat. 27 Dec 2014 Sunday February 15 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Monday February 16 Tet Holiday Public Sector. Compensated by Sat 14 Feb Tuesday February 17 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Wednesday February 18 Tet Eve Vietnamese New Year Eve Thursday February 19 Tet Nguyen Dan Vietnamese New Year Friday February 20 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Saturday February 21 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Sunday February 22 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Tuesday April 28 Hung Kings Temple Festival Gio To Hung Vuong Wednesday April 29 Public Holiday Public Sector. Compensated by Sat. 25 April Thursday April 30 Reunification Day Marks the fall of Saigon in 1975 Friday May 01 International Labour Day   Wednesday September 02 National Day Marks Vietnam's declaration of independence in 1945