Vietnam Breaking News

Ninh Thuan: Vice President joins Cham people in Kate festival

Ninh Thuan: Vice President joins Cham people in Kate festival
The festival opened early in the morning with a procession of Goddess Po Sah Inu’s robes, which toured Po Inugar temple, as well as both Po Rome and PoKlong Girai towers.
At the event, Cham men and women performed traditional dances while dignitaries staged a ritual involving donning traditional costumes for the god statue.
Participants to the event also took part in a brocade weaving competition and enjoyed folk games such as carrying water on one’s head, stick pushing and tug of war.
On the occasion, local authorities visited and presented gifts to dignitaries and policy beneficiary families, who contributed to social activities and the locality’s patriotic movements.
Celebrated over the first ten days of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, Kate is one of the most important festivals of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan. It is an opportunity for the ethnic Brahman community to acknowledge their ancient gods and pray for a bumper harvest and prosperity.
This year’s Kate festival was held as part of the ongoing Wine and Grape Festival 2016 in Ninh Thuan, which is designed to promote Cham culture to visitors both at home and abroad.
 
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Ninh Thuan: Vice President joins Cham people in Kate festival

Ninh Thuan: Vice President joins Cham people in Kate festival The festival opened early in the morning with a procession of Goddess Po Sah I...

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Wine and Grape Festival 2016 opens in Ninh Thuan

Wine and Grape Festival 2016 opens in Ninh Thuan
The opening ceremony saw the presence of Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh.
The main activities of the festival include wine and grape fairs, conferences on wine, grapes and tourism promotion and the Kate festival. Street roller-blade racing, walking, dragon dancing and kite surfing will also be held during the three-day event.
The festival is being held simultaneously at Square 16-4, Ninh Chu – Binh Son Beach, Binh Son Beach Park, Amanoi Resort, Po Klong Garai Cham Towers, My Nghiep Textile Village, Bau Truc Pottery Village, Phuoc Binh National Park, Nui Chua National Park, Cham Cultural Research Centre and the Museum of Ninh Thuan Province.
The festival aims to promote Ninh Thuan’s people, landscape and image and introduce local specialties to Vietnamese and foreign tourists. It will also provide opportunities for grape farmers, businesses and consumers to meet and seek partners.
The festival, held at the same time as the annual Kate festival of the Cham people, also aims to promote the culture of the Cham following Brahmanism.
Seminars will also be held to call for support from foreign embassies and international organisations to ensure that the Cham Towers System and the Kate Festival are made world intangible and tangible heritages by UNESCO.
The central province of Ninh Thuan has the largest vineyards in Vietnam, with 2,500 ha mainly in Ninh Phuoc and Ninh Hai Districts and Phan Rang-Thap Cham City.
In February 2012, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP) issued Decision No.194 certifying the geographical indication of Ninh Thuan grape products, which helps to raise the value of Ninh Thuan grapes on the market.
 
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Wine and Grape Festival 2016 opens in Ninh Thuan

Wine and Grape Festival 2016 opens in Ninh Thuan The opening ceremony saw the presence of Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh. The main acti...

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VNAT promote Viet Nam tourism in Kazakhstan

VNAT promote Viet Nam tourism in Kazakhstan
(TITC) – On September 29, Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in collaboration with Viet Nam Embassy in Kazakhstan launched a roadshow to promote Viet Nam tourism in the Capital City of Astana.
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In attendance were Ms. Doan Thi Xuan Hien – Ambassador of Viet Nam to Kazakhstan; Mr. Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of Travel Management Department (VNAT); Ms. Zhanat Kazkenova – Tourism Industry Department, Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan; Mr. La Quoc Khanh – Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tourism Department; representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan; and tourism enterprises of the two countries.
Addressing at the roadshow, Ambassador Doan Thi Xuan Hien affirmed that Viet Nam is a peaceful country and an attractive destination with beautiful nature and unique culture. Viet Nam always welcomes tourists from Kazakhstan and provides best services to meet their demands, meanwhile offerring most favourable environment for cooperation between tourism bussinesses of the two sides. Viet Nam Embassy in Kazakhstan committed to support Kazakhstan enterprises in visa procedure as soon as possible.
<img alt="Ms. Doan Thi Xuan Hien – Ambassador of Viet Nam to Kazakhstan" src="http://bit.ly/2cFzWcF" title="Ms. Doan Thi Xuan Hien – Ambassador of Viet Nam to Kazakhstan" />
Ms. Doan Thi Xuan Hien – Ambassador of Viet Nam to Kazakhstan
According to Mr. Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of Travel Management Department (VNAT), effective cooperation in tourism fielde between Viet Nam and Kazakhstan has been seen, particularly after the signing of tourism cooperation agreement between the two Governments in 2011. VNAT hoped that tourism authorities, businesses and airlines of Kazakhstan would continue to develop new tourist products and services to bring Kazakhstan tourists to the beautiful country of Viet Nam.
At the roadshow, Kazakhstan audience were amazed by Viet Nam’s tourism potential with diversified and attractive tourist products, fascinating beaches, white sand, pure water and interesting cultural characteristics. Many destinations of Viet Nam have been favoured by international tourists and media, such as Ha Noi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Sa Pa, Quang Binh, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Binh Thuan, Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc… especially, UNESCO’s world heritage site as Hoi An Ancient Town, Citadel of Ho Dynasty, Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Trang An – Bai Dinh Complex… and other famous intangible heritage. Lang Co Bay and Nha Trang Bay have been in list of most beautiful bays in the world.
<img alt="Mr. Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of Travel Management Department (VNAT)" src="http://bit.ly/2dimsSc" title="Mr. Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of Travel Management Department (VNAT)" />
Mr. Nguyen Quy Phuong – Director of Travel Management Department (VNAT)
On this occasion, the Vietnamese delegation visited Kazakhstan International Travel Expo (Sep 29 – Oct 01 at the Korme Exhibition Center, Astana) and some tourist attractions in Kazakhstan.
Truyen Phuong
 
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VNAT promote Viet Nam tourism in Kazakhstan

VNAT promote Viet Nam tourism in Kazakhstan (TITC) – On September 29, Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in collaboration wi...

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Ba Khan a miniature Hạ Long bay hidden in the mainland hills

Ba Khan a miniature Hạ Long bay hidden in the mainland hills
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Any traveller who has trekked through the Thung Khe mountain pass knows enchantment; they know the sight of a vast plain that sits among mountain clouds and chilled fog, among the rocky mountain range and the Đà River reservoir.
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This gorgeous plain, known as Ba Khan, is the jewel of the drive from Hà Nội to Mai Châu, the gateway to Việt Nam’s Northwestern mountains.
Everyone who passes through Ba Khan remembers it, but its name and beauty are still unknown to many tourists and travellers.
Looking from the top of the Thung Khe mountain pass, the Ba Khan plain looks like a giant pan with rocks of all shapes and sizes emerging from the water surface. The whole scenery resembles a miniature Hạ Long Bay. With a perimeter of over 20 kilometres along the Đà River, the Ba Khan plain possesses an airy mountainous beauty.
The path to the Ba Khan plain is the one-and-only route that reaches the hydroelectric reservoir through the town centre. Below the Thung Khe mountain pass are villages, where Thái ethnic people have lived for hundreds of years. A unique landscape feature of these villages is the charming small ponds paved by the sharp flat stones, where water lilies grow and shine naturally.
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<td>Blue and green beauty: Looking from the mountain slop, Ba Khan looks like a miniature Hạ Long Bay. 
Photo diadiemdulich.com</td>
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Ba Khan consists of three villages: Khan Hạ, Khan Hò and Khan Thượng. The plain is part of Mai Châu Commune of Hòa Bình Province, where Mộc Châu is the focal point of local tourism. Ba Khan, therefore, becomes forgotten. Only a few tourism companies include Ba Khan on their itineraries for their clients.
Veteran travellers/adventurers want to keep Ba Khan a secret to keep it a pristine paradise, free of the common tourist crowd for as long as possible.
Villager Hồ Tiến Thái said that in the recent years Ba Khan has been included in some tourism itineraries offered by some family-run tourism businesses: tourists can enjoy kayaking in the Đà River reservoir and relax a day or two on the boats. These services are still new, however. The plain remains fairly untouched and undoubtedly well-preserved — fairly free from the commercialization of the tourism business.
On the journey to the town centre, we had to get through the steep slopes that cut through the staggering rocky mountains and cliffs. The tortuous yet beautiful road runs through the middle of the mountain slope along the magnificent Đà.
A particular 10 kilometre section is adorned by two rows of bamboo bushes and small houses that sit precariously on the hills.
Looking down from the mountain slope, the splendid Đà River, the lush green forests, the deep blue water body, the slow movement of fishermen, and the mountains that emerge from the water make for an image uncannily like a landlocked Hạ Long Bay. And like its ocean cousin, the scenery becomes even more spectacular at sunset.
“The space here is just vast and purely serene. I feel like nature is hugging everything and just about to swallow me,” Ngô Thu Trang, my friend, said. 
Following the trail at the end of the Ba Khan Valley, we encountered a beautiful waterfall that looked like a floating piece of silk. Like a gem hidden among the green bamboo bushes, the whole picture was peaceful, almost heavenly.
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<td>House in the clouds: Local people in Ba Khan live in old and simple stilted houses.- Photo diadiemdulich.com</td>
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After taking plenty of photos, we were enticed by the locals to go fishing near the waterfall in the lake. They helped us handle the fish: cleaning, marinating and slow-cooking. Under this method, the fish took the whole night to get cooked, which intensified the flavour and minimising burning.
“The spiciness of mắc khén (a Northwest herb) and the naturally sweet taste of the fish really make the dish unforgettable, even if I’ve only tasted it once,” Trần Tiến Dũng, an enthusiastic foodie in the group, said.
Ba Khan possesses every feature of a peaceful countryside: the plain, the lake and ponds, the waterfall. It’s a perfect way to spend a hard-earned weekend: visiting the Ba Khan plain and relaxing at the Mai Châu town nearby.
One can visit the plain in spring, summer or autumn, but the plain is most beautiful during autumn, when the water in the Đà River turns deep blue, and the bamboo bushes start shedding old leaves. One can visit Ba Khan in early summer to enjoy the view of the golden ripe rice fields and breathe in the subtle scent of the burning rice plants on the terraced rice fields after harvest.
With this range of options, you’ll get variety, but you’ll always get something peaceful, gorgeous, and — for now untouched.
Source VNS
 
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Ba Khan a miniature Hạ Long bay hidden in the mainland hills

Ba Khan a miniature Hạ Long bay hidden in the mainland hills Any traveller who has trekked through the Thung Khe mountain pass knows enchan...

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Sand statue park in Bình Thuận features fairy tales

Sand statue park in Bình Thuận features fairy tales
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A sand statue park titled Forgotten Land will open soon in central province of Bình Thuận. Photo baobinhthuan.com.vn
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<div><a href="http://bit.ly/24En4mq">Viet Nam News</a>
HCM CITY – Work on the Forgotten Land sand statue park began in Phan Thiết city in Bình Thuận Province on September 27, aiming to offer a new tourism product.
The 1.3-ha park will display statues featuring fairy tales and legends of Việt Nam and the world, made entirely of natural sand by sculptors from 12 countries.
Nguyễn Đức Hoà, deputy chairman of Bình Thuận People’s Committee, pledged to support the project, hoping that it would draw more tourists to the beach city in the southern province.
Marielle Heessels, a Dutch sculptor, said she had visited Việt Nam for the first time and was inspired by the people and nature. She was quoted by Vietnam News Agency as saying that she hoped her future works at the park would enthrall tourists and locals.
On September 30, the first statue, a work by Heessels, Leonardo Ugolini of Italy and Enguerrand David of Belgium , will be unveiled.
The park is scheduled to open in late January, according to Vietnam News Agency. – VNS
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Sand statue park in Bình Thuận features fairy tales

Sand statue park in Bình Thuận features fairy tales A sand statue park titled Forgotten Land will open soon in central province of Bình Thu...

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Agency launches fall tours of majestic northeast, northwest

Agency launches fall tours of majestic northeast, northwest
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Stacks of green: Ripening rice in the northwestern region. VNS File Photo
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<div><a href="http://bit.ly/24En4mq">Viet Nam News</a>
HCM CITY – Saigontourist Travel Service Co has rolled out “Hunting Flowers, Watching Paddy Fields” tours to northeastern and northwestern regions where pink and white buckwheat flowers are blooming.
The rice ripening season in the northeastern and northwestern regions often comes in mid-September to mid-October. The vast yellow terraced rice fields are in their most beautiful state in La Pán Tẩu and Ze Xư Phình communes in Mù Cang Chải in Yên Bái Province.
The itinerary is a challenge: climbing high mountains. Following Nghĩa Lộ-Mù Cang Chải-Sapa route, travelers will reach Khau Phạ Pass, one of the four biggest passes in the northwestern region.
Another outstanding site is Ô Quy Hồ Pass on the rugged and majestic Hoàng Liên Sơn mountain. It is the highest mountain in the north, nearly 50 kilometres in length and nearly 2,000 metres in height. Tourists can also view the top of Fansipan mountain from the yellow rice fields in Mường Hoa Valley in Sapa.- VNS
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Agency launches fall tours of majestic northeast, northwest Related image(s) 
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Agency launches fall tours of majestic northeast, northwest

Agency launches fall tours of majestic northeast, northwest Stacks of green: Ripening rice in the northwestern region. VNS File Photo Vie...

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Bình Định achieves tourism success

Bình Định achieves tourism success
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Total number of tourists visiting the province was 2.6 million, an increase of 26 per cent against the same period last year. File Photo
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<div><a href="http://bit.ly/24En4mq">Viet Nam News</a>
BÌNH ĐỊNH – Central Bình Định Province has scored various achievements in the first nine months of the year.
Total number of tourists visiting the province was 2.6 million, an increase of 26 per cent against the same period last year.
Foreign visitors reached more than 200,000, up by 25 per cent.
The average time a visitor spent in the locality was 2.5 days. The total income from tourism in the first nine months was more than VND1,200 billion (US$5.33 million), a 45 per cent increase over the same period last year.
Local authorities have given priority to sea tourism and island tours, with various options such as boat tours, sports on the sea, sea diving and seafood, as well as viewing corals and visiting the islands of Kỳ Co, Nhơn Châu and the Phương Mai sand hill.
The province has coordinated with the neighbouring provinces of Phú Yên, Gia Lai and Đăk Lăk, and with HCM City, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia to establish new trans-regional tours.
The province plans to further promote home stays in Quy Nhơn City. – VNS
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Bình Định achieves tourism success

Bình Định achieves tourism success Total number of tourists visiting the province was 2.6 million, an increase of 26 per cent against the s...

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Number of Russian travellers rises by 125 per cent

Number of Russian travellers rises by 125 per cent
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Foreign tourists on Vũng Tàu beaches. Photo Courtesy of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Department of Culture, Information and Tourism
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<div><a href="http://bit.ly/24En4mq">Viet Nam News</a>
HCM CITY – Russia is listed among 10 markets with the highest growth of tourists in Việt Nam, with Russian arrivals reaching nearly 300,000 in the first eight months of 2016, a year-on-year increase of 125 per cent.
More Russian tourists are expected to explore Việt Nam in the remaining months of the year, according to the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism.
Việt Nam is viewed as a safe and friendly destination with sandy beaches, sunny weather and high-end resorts in the south-central region, and a rich culture and gastronomy that attract Russian visitors.
The country had more than 7.2 million international visitors in the first nine months of 2016, a year-on-year increase of 25.7 per cent.
Northeast Asian markets registered the strongest growth, including Hong Kong (79 per cent), China (57.7 per cent), the Republic of Korea (39.9 per cent), and Taiwan (15.7 per cent).
Five Western European countries, whose nationals enjoy visa exemption in Việt Nam, maintained two-digit growth: Italy (31.1 per cent), Spain (27.9 per cent), the UK (23.1 per cent), Germany (18.6 per cent) and France (13.8 per cent). – VNS
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Number of Russian travellers rises by 125 per cent Related image(s) 
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Number of Russian travellers rises by 125 per cent

Number of Russian travellers rises by 125 per cent Foreign tourists on Vũng Tàu beaches. Photo Courtesy of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Department of ...

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Where Vietnam’s poor go to borrow

Where Vietnam’s poor go to borrow
In Dien Bien Province, a group of Thai ethnic minority women run a small bank that fills a huge credit gap in Vietnam’s economy.
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“I’d like to borrow VND7 million [$314] to buy pigs,” said Diep, a farmer and member of Vietnam’s Thai ethnic minority group in her early forties.
“Does anyone have any objections?” asked the chair of a meeting of 32 women sitting cross-legged along the floor of the wooden stilt home, dressed in the group’s traditional attire: a long tight skirt and blouse that, taken together, resembles the Vietnamese ‘ao dai’.
The assembly didn’t hesitate to approve the loan application, unanimously. Diep, or 12 as indicated by her name tag, got the money she needed within 10 minutes. Starting August 24, the group gave her six months to repay the sum at 1.5 percent monthly interest.
“The current balance is VND1.7 million,” the two treasurers announced, before placing the bank’s total holdings into a box sealed by three locks – an act signalling the end of the meeting.
While a hair knot on top of their heads indicates that they’re all married, over the last four years, they’ve formed a family of their own, formally known as the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA).
The women prefer to call it the Women’s Savings Group for the sake of convenience and simplicity. They’d also rather go by the number on their name tags because “it’s easier than remembering each others’ names”, according to Vu Dinh Loi, director of the Dien Bien Province Center for Community Development, which has supported VSLA from the start.
Hua Na Village sits in the remote commune of Thanh Nua in Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Province, a place perhaps most famous for the defeat of a French garrison in 1954 that effectively brought an end to colonial rule in Vietnam. Today, Dien Bien’s rugged terrain remains dotted with rice paddies. Members of the Thai ethnic minority community continue to reside in wooden stilt homes though some have moved to concrete houses and the odd motorbike or television set marks the passage of time.
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The Thai women watch a video of their dance performance after a VSLA meeting in Hua Na Village, Dien Bien Province, on August 24, 2016. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Le
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Many of the VSLA’s shareholders did not attend school and have practically forgotten their ABCs, since their everyday lives mostly revolve around farming and raising kids.
As such, meetings follow a simple logic. Members of the group buy shares at meetings held on the 7th and 24th of every month. The value of these shares is then lent to members who need to invest in a new barn, buy pigs, pay school fees or cover emergencies, like hospital bills.
Each member of the bank casts a vote to elect a designated chairwoman, bookkeeper, two treasurers and three key holders. Every time they meet, each member has to buy from one to five shares, valued at VND50,000 apiece. The bank also maintains an emergency fund using VND2,000 contributions, every time they meet.
Everything is recorded in a book, where a stamp corresponds to a single share.
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="the-un-lonely-mountain-vietnam-style-1" src="http://bit.ly/2dhtvKT" width="500" />
A Thai woman studies her accounts book with shares she’s bought in the VSLA in Hua Na Village, Dien Bien Province. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Le
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By the year end, all loans must be paid back and the proceeds divided among the shareholders. Then a new cycle begins. Some have chosen to use the profits to buy assets, while some have actually reinvested their profits in the year that followed.
Should any member fail to buy shares multiple times or fail to repay a loan without an “acceptable” excuse, they would face eviction.
Those present at the meeting told VnExpress International that no member had ever failed to repay a loan. The group’s emergency fund sits ready to cover their first default. Meanwhile, the group has yet to deny a loan, though they limit applicants to borrowing no more than five times the value of their shares.
This group is no exception. Over the past four years, the model has proven extremely popular in Dien Bien.
“In 2012, we set up the first VSLA,” said Vi Thi Phong, the chairwoman of Thanh Nua Commune’s Women’s Union. A year later, the commune had 12 VSLA groups, each with about 25 shareholders.
This year, there are 21.
Are they just naive?
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="A Thai woman buys shares in VSLA in Hua Na Village, Dien Bien Province, Vietnam on August 24, 2016. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Le" src="http://bit.ly/2cEHk84" width="500" />
A Thai woman buys shares at the VSLA in Hua Na Village, Dien Bien Province. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Le
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Vietnam’s poor have a hard time accessing credit.
Illiteracy, a lack of tangible assets and the remoteness of Dien Bien’s mountains make the idea of a formal loan nearly impossible. Similar situations can be found across the country where, in 2014, only 31 percent of all adults and 19 percent of the poor had a bank account, according to World Bank Financial Inclusion Data (Findex).
While 20 percent of Vietnam’s poor took out loans from a financial institution, only 9 percent actually reported having any savings.
Findex reported that a third of Vietnamese adults borrowed from friends and relatives, the quickest and most trustworthy source of funds.
It takes a village
Extending that trust to an entire village continues to prove a challenging feat. During last month’s VSLA workshop in Dien Bien Province, Women’s Union delegates from throughout the region couldn’t help but question the viability of the model.
“How can you guarantee someone won’t run off with all the money? Or that they will repay their loan?”
Cambridge University Economist Partha Dasgupta says the answer to building sustainable communities lies in trust and credibility. Unless people trust one another, they won’t cooperate in the first place. But trust itself requires a solid foundation. Dasgupta argues that five factors can make trust and promises credible: mutual affection, a pro-social disposition, incentives, external enforcement and reputation.
Most of the Women’s Union reps present at the conference saw the answer in the three locks. Coincidently or not, women traditionally manage household finances in Vietnam.
This may explain why “similar models conducted in Vietnam and even in Africa have seen mixed gender groups and male-only groups falling apart where all-female groups succeed,” said Vu Lan Huong, project officer at CARE International in Vietnam.
Since 1991, Care has facilitated the establishment of savings and loans communities across Africa, Latin America and Asia, with 12 million members to date.
Starting in 2010, CARE has helped create 515 VSLAs in Vietnam, and 85 to 95 percent of them have continued to operate after the project ended. VSLAs have failed in urban communities where members often switch jobs and locations or in village communities where the few literate group leaders left in pursuit of factory jobs.
The model builds upon women’s established family role, but it also provides new incentive to save.
“Prior to that, it was common for women to say: ‘I’m too poor to save’,” said Loc. “Now, they think about saving first and spending later.”
Plus, it is so much faster and easier to get a small loan from a VSLA than it is at a local bank; the money actually stays within the community and so no one minds that the interest is higher than what’s offered by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policy, the official state provider of micro loans at heavily subsidised interest rates.
In these remote communities, distance also means a lot.
“The bank is too far away and they ask for a lot of complicated documents and collateral, which I don’t have” said Lo Thi Tam, a 37-year-old mother of two, who’s been a member of the VSLA in Hua Na Village for four years.
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="the-un-lonely-mountain-vietnam-style-3" src="http://bit.ly/2dhvjDs" width="500" />
Lo Thi Tam, a member of the VSLA in Hua Na Villange, Dien Bien Province, Vietnam on August 24, 2016. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Le
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According to Loi, after its first year, each VSLA member in Dien Bien managed to save between VND3.5 million and VND4 million. The sum may be small, just enough to invest in the next crop, but the changes it has brought are visible. As one woman put it: “It’s not possible to save money for no reason.”
Trust in the system ultimately rests on the three key-holders; should any member wish to rob a “VSLA bank”, she’d have to get all three key holders and the box keeper on board.
When it comes to disputes, contracts don’t enter into things. Instead, VSLA meetings are vocal, visual and democratic, Loi said. All the rules are discussed, set and memorized by the members.
Every sum contributed, lent and returned is done in front of all members, counted and confirmed vocally and in writing by two treasurers.
Such high reliance on common memory is manageable because the groups are kept small, with usually no more than 25 members.
“We all trust each other. We live in the same village and everybody knows what’s going on in other families,” said Tam.
After all, the families live very close to each other on the same hill, Loc said, adding that similar projects have failed in remote Kho Mu and Mong ethnic communities where getting from one household to another can take hours.
The role of men
It would be naive to say that the VSLA model is the perfect recipe for success. But the Thai women’s case tells us that what was and perhaps still is the biggest obstacle for the VSLA has also helped the groups stick together.
Before the VSLA, each woman’s life centered around her family, particularly her husband. They didn’t attend village activities and all major decisions were made by husbands, including when and whether his wife could leave the home.
So it came as no surprise that many men in the community initially viewed the VSLA as an opportunity to gossip and avoid housework.
Interviews by Care International in Vietnam have shown that the Women’s Union had to visit each household and explain the project to each woman’s husband before they could join.
Only after the women came over with their first year-end profits which they then used to buy things like TVs did the men approve.
“Whenever I’m at a VSLA meeting, my husband takes care of the house and the kids,” said Tam from Hua Na Village. She is not alone. Some women now have a greater say in family matters since their economic status has improved.
Both men and women consider improved household incomes and well-being key results of the microfinance program, but men put a greater emphasis on this. Meanwhile, women put a higher priority than men on improving their knowledge, skills, confidence and increased solidarity, according to the results of a CARE survey.
Tam says the biggest difference in her life following the CARE program is the chance to discuss her problems with other women. She finally has a place to simply ask what to do when her child falls sick. Prior to that, she could only exchange a few sentences with other women when she bumped into them in the village.
Perhaps that’s why the VSLA has proven so popular. The women wanted a group of their own where they could socialize, and the saving and lending was just an extra incentive. After all, the earnings are limited by the small size of the loans.
“The VSLA is just a stage in the long process of escaping poverty,” said Huong. “This model matters not simply because it makes people save, it’s a platform to empower women with better social, negotiating and budgeting skills.”
A way to help women, and their families, help themselves.
But the road ahead remains a rocky one. A 2015 report by CARE Australia says that in some cases: “VSLA is being largely controlled by men rather than the women members themselves”.
There’ve been cases of husbands telling their wives how much money they should borrow prior to the meeting, or even the wife reporting live to her husband on the meeting via phone for instructions on how much to borrow.
The independence the program extends to its shareholders varies from house to house.
The way forward
Tam dreams of saving VND100 million for a new home. If she only relies on the VSLA, it will take her at least 30 years to save that sum at the present rate.
Many of Vietnam’s poor continue to borrow from moneylenders known for charging exorbitant interest rates, often higher than 100 percent per year, according to the Vietnam Microfinance Working Group.
The government is well aware of the dangers associated with moneylenders. In its plan to implement microfinance development by 2020, it states it will “build and develop a safe and sustainable microfinance system to serve the poor, low income and micro and small enterprises”.
Microfinance institutions (MFI) play a crucial role here as they can provide bigger loans than the informal VSLA without requiring collateral as they are allowed by law to raise funds from outside the community. However, because of strict requirements, only two licensed MFIs currently operate in Vietnam. The largest one, TYM, which is overseen by the Women’s Union, has over 100,000 members in 12 provinces and can offer loans of up to VND30 million.
<a href="http://bit.ly/2cEIccW">Elsewhere in the world</a>, the rise of microfinance has created more debt problems, where the poor often use loans to finance consumption.
Although this phenomenon is not common in Vietnam thanks to the close monitoring of the Women’s Union and commune leaders, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has reported anecdotal cases of poor borrowers taking larger and larger loans to cover principal spending.
“Offerings formal financial products to low-income people are still limited to credit,” said the IFC in its Responsible Finance in Vietnam report. Most respondents of the IFC’s survey said they preferred to keep their savings at home because the amount is insignificant and they want to have cash ready for emergencies.
This points to the need for a flexible savings scheme for the poor. Alongside the VSLA, TYM has created voluntary and compulsory saving schemes for its members, and the Women’s Union is running a 2012-2017 savings scheme of its own. But in 2012, MFIs’, licensed and non-licensed, share of the microfinance market was only 4.8 percent compared to the Vietnam Bank for Social Policy’s 65 percent share.
“Studies have shown that what the poor need more is not access to credit but actually the ability to save,” said Huong.
 
Where Vietnam’s poor go to borrow Related image(s) 
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Where Vietnam’s poor go to borrow

Where Vietnam’s poor go to borrow In Dien Bien Province, a group of Thai ethnic minority women run a small bank that fills a huge credit gap...

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TTC – One of Vietnam’s leading hotel chains, recreation complexes

TTC – One of Vietnam’s leading hotel chains, recreation complexes
“With more than 20 thriving hotels, restaurants, convention centers, and recreation complexes spanning from Nha Trang to Can Tho, TTC Group has the set goal of developing another nine tourism service projects in such resort cities as Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi, Gia Lai, and Phu Quoc, and strives to grow into one of Vietnam’s top 10 hotel chains, restaurant chains, and recreation complexes from now until the year 2020.” TTC’s tourist services have claimed several prestigious awards from local and foreign organizations, including TripAdvisor (2011-2015), and the Agoda Circle Award (2011-2015).
“With more than 20 thriving hotels, restaurants, convention centers, and recreation complexes spanning from Nha Trang to Can Tho, TTC Group has the set goal of developing another nine tourism service projects in such resort cities as Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi, Gia Lai, and Phu Quoc, and strives to grow into one of Vietnam’s top 10 hotel chains, restaurant chains, and recreation complexes from now until the year 2020.”
This is the latest information from Ms. Phan Thi Hong Van, deputy general director of Thanh Thanh Cong Tourism Co. under TTC Group, at the International Travel Expo ITE 2016, which opened on September 8, 2016 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City.
Recognizing the TTC trademark in Vietnam’s tourism
TTC Group has stood out over the past several years with its remarkable corporate activities in the fields of cane sugar, thermoelectricity, education, real estate and tourism services, an industry which the group has invested in heavily over the past two years.
Since 2014, TTC has gone to great lengths to invest, repair, and upgrade 15 four-star hotels with 1,000 rooms boasting extravagant designs and deluxe furnishings. Such facilities include TTC Hotel Premium Nha Trang, formerly known as Michelia, which operates at full capacity, with 90 percent of its clientele being foreigners and Vietnamese artists; TTC Hotel Premium Da Lat, previously the famed Ngoc Lan Hotel, which is a top choice amongst local and foreign tourists; and TTC Resort Premium Doc Let, which is undergoing a renovation to elevate it from a three-star to a four-star property.
According to Ms. Hong Van, hotels that have been operational for a long time will retain their previous names, but with the added TTC trademark, while new hotels will be named TTC Hotel Premium.
In addition, the group has set up a travel center called TTC Travel, which provides diverse tourist products; and the TTC Palace Binh Thuan and TTC Palace Ben Tre convention centers which pride themselves on sumptuous space and ample comforts. Each center is capable of housing 1,600 clients.
TTC Group has also drawn an influx of tourists over the past two years to the Tinh Yeu Mong Mo (Romantic Love) recreation complex at the Valley of Love-Mong Mo (Dreamy) Hill, and Ta Cu Mountain Tourism Complex, named TTC Safari in Phan Thiet.
In order to operate the hotel, restaurant chain, convention centers, and recreation complexes effectively, TTC has recruited 2,000 employees with professional expertise and enthusiastic, dedicated attitudes. They have operated the group’s entire system seamlessly, which is evident in their notable corporate results from 2015 and the first six months in 2016.
“Our group has noticed that Vietnam’s tourism sector is undergoing robust growth with considerable potential which has yet to be fully tapped. With our intrinsic strength in the available restaurant and hotel chain industries in the downtown areas of key resort cities, we only need to make proper investments and perfect our services to cater to local demands and create a foundation for the group’s further progress,” Ms. Hong Van said when explaining about TTC Group’s switch from a successful history in the heavy industry sector to the tourism sector.
Self-contained services
With development strategies planned from 2016 to 2020, TTC’s tourism division continues to carry out investment projects such as the Tinh Yeu Mong Mo (Romantic Love) recreation complex; the Doc Let recreation and resort complexes and hotels in Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi and Ben Tre.
TTC is also working to perfect its self-contained tourism mechanisms, starting with using TTC Travel Co. as a way to connect its available accommodation and meal providers. This will certainly cut TTC Travel’s tour prices, boosting its competitive edge and tourist appeal.
Apart from providing accommodation and meals, TTC will also invest heavily in its hotel and restaurant activities, such as organizing holiday events at its four-star hotel and TTC Safari Amusement Park in Da Lat, and the upcoming Halloween (October 30) “Haunted House” themed event.
Another activity TTC will focus on is the Ethnic Festival, which takes place annually on January 1 and features folk games from ethnic minority groups residing in the Central Highlands, including blowing “tu va” (trumpet), pounding rice, cuisine, music, and signature dances.
Valentine’s Day 2017 will feature the “Snow Valentine” event and will celebrate love, familial affection, and friendship at TTC Safari Da Lat.
TTC’s original ideas are designed specifically for each restaurant, hotel and amusement park. They draw an increasing number of local and foreign tourists to TTC’s tourist service system. Tapping into the competitive edge derived from the advantageous position of their projects, standardization of services, catering quality, provision of package tours from accommodation to resort and travel services, and extremely competitive prices, TTC will achieve its goal of transforming into one of Vietnam’s 10 leading hotel and amusement complex chains in the near future.
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TTC’s tourist services have claimed several prestigious awards from local and foreign organizations, including TripAdvisor (2011-2015), and the Agoda Circle Award (2011-2015).
In addition, TTC Hotel Premium Michelia advanced into Vietnam’s Top 100 Best Hotels in 2015. On September 11, 2016 TTC was also honored with The Guide Awards (2011-2015) by Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times).
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TTC – One of Vietnam’s leading hotel chains, recreation complexes Related image(s) 
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TTC – One of Vietnam’s leading hotel chains, recreation complexes

TTC – One of Vietnam’s leading hotel chains, recreation complexes “With more than 20 thriving hotels, restaurants, convention centers, and r...

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Harvest season in Vietnam’s golden North

Harvest season in Vietnam’s golden North
Vietnam’s stunning terraced rice fields bloomed early this year.
Hoang Su Phi District offers one of the most beautiful and remote destinations in the northernmost province of Ha Giang. This year, the district’s famed terraced rice fields began to brighten in the middle of September, signalling the start to a month-long harvest.
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Hoang Su Phi District contains six picturesque ethnic minority communes that draw scores of tourists between September and October. Photo by Le Dinh Luan
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The district typically serves as the final stop on harvest season tours through the northern mountainous provinces since the paddies here are often the last to turn. This year, unusual weather brought the harvest early, carpeting the hillsides in a stunning greenish yellow. Photo by Le Tuan
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According to experienced travelers, peak season in Hoang Su Phi starts now and continues through mid-October. Photo by Nguyen Hien
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Seasoned travelers in the region say the way to Hoang Su Phi is unusually difficult, due to steep gradients and sharp curves. Photo by Nguyen Huong Giang
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There are two ways to get to Hoang Su Phi: one begins in Hanoi and cuts through Tuyen Quang Province, while the other snakes through Lao Cai Province. Both routes cover around 300-kilometers. Photo by Vu Chi
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You can either brave the roads on a motorbike or catch a bus to Hoang Su Phi. Photo by Nguyen Ngoc Dung
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Most agree that the stunning views are worth the journey. Photo by Vu Chi
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Many groups of young travelers headed for Hoang Su Phi early, this year, to beat the crowds. Photo by Chu Viet Bac
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Apart from taking in the scenery, visitors tend to flock to ethnic markets for local corn and cassava liquor. Photo by Nguyen Ngoc Xuan
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The pristine site offers limited accomodation options and most travelers lodge at hotels in downtown Ha Giang that cost an average of VND250,000 ($11) per night. Photo by Pham Cham
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Related news:
> <a href="http://bit.ly/2cDvp5A">A golden season in the rice paddies</a>
 
Harvest season in Vietnam’s golden North Related image(s) 
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2cDvqXf" width="200" />

Harvest season in Vietnam’s golden North

Harvest season in Vietnam’s golden North Vietnam’s stunning terraced rice fields bloomed early this year. Hoang Su Phi District offers one ...

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Bao Loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn

Bao Loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn
Bao Loc city is in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. It is famous for the beautiful Dambri waterfall, vast tea valleys and cool weather.
 
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<td><img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 1" src="http://bit.ly/2cMSlCF" />
The city owns a wild and romantic landscape
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A corner of Bao Loc city with two lakes in the centre creating a cool and peaceful atmosphere.
<img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 3" src="http://bit.ly/2cMUeiP" />
View from a hotel on Tran Phu street with tea valleys and mountains far away.
<img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 4" src="http://bit.ly/2dniuWd" />
Da Quy (Wild sunflowers) are in full bloom in November.
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Bat Nha temple
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Dambri waterfall tourism site
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Dasara waterfall turns into a stream
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A cool, beautiful stream on the way from Dasara to Dambri waterfall.
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Dambri is considered the most beautiful waterfall in the Central Highlands.
<img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 11" src="http://bit.ly/2cMTiew" />
<img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 12" src="http://bit.ly/2dnhJMZ" />
Tea valleys at dawn
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<img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 14" src="http://bit.ly/2dniTYX" />
Photographers are attracted to the stunning beauty of Bao Loc at sunrise
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<img alt="bao loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn hinh 16" src="http://bit.ly/2dnhqln" />
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Green tea valleys are favourite destinations of young photographers.
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Bao Loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn Related image(s) 
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2cMSlCF" width="200" />

Bao Loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn

Bao Loc tourism destination dreamy in autumn Bao Loc city is in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. It is famous for the beautiful D...

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