Banh khuc

The cake is a rice ball made of glutinous rice mixed with cudweed (khuc)-most important ingredient and filled with green bean paste, pork, and spices.

Banh Khuc

Cudweed grows during lunar January and February, when the drizzling rain lasts all day, and it can be found along the edges of rice fields. There are two kinds: “nep” and “te”. The latter is more flexible and fragrant and is preferred for making the cake.
First, the cudweed is washed, ground and then mixed with husked glutinous rice. Green beans, that are flayed and turned into paste after being cooked, are then added to the mixture. Finally, the cakes are sprinkled with grains of glutinous steamed rice.

As time goes by it is increasingly difficult to find cudweed as fields are eaten up bydevelopment. For now, you still can find “banh khuc” in Hanoi. However, some bakers may not be using cudweed and may substitute it with cabbage or water morning glory.

Wishing to have the chance to satisfy your hunger for “banh khuc”, you can visit cake stall at 69 Nguyen Cong Tru Street, that has been churning out “banh khuc” for years. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, the seller, has to hire locals in rural areas in Hanoi or in neighbouring provinces to seek out the elusive cudweed. In winter, it grows in abundance so enough has to be collected to last the summer. The surplus will be dried and stored.

If you are in the old quarter of Hanoi, you might hear someone cry “Ai banh khuc nong day?” (who wants hot “banh khuc”?). You can stop them and ask if the “banh khuc” is from Ngoai Hoang village in Ha Noi, a place that is famous for having the most delicious and tasty “banh khuc”. Then, you can buy one for tasting. The cake should be served hot and dipped into a mixture of roasted and crushed sesame seeds and salt…

A visit to Can Gio World Biosphere Reserve

Can Gio mangrove forest, which was recognised by UNESCO in 2000 as the biosphere reserve, has attracted numerous local and foreign visitors for its distinct fauna and flora.
As the only coastal district of Ho Chi Minh City, Can Gio has a total area of 714sq.km, half of which is mangrove forest.
Can Gio has around 32,000 hectares of natural and planted forests, considered as the ‘green lung’ of the city and opening up great prospects for ecotourism.
It also has more than 200 species of animals, including 11 species of reptiles listed in the Vietnam Red Book. It boasts of 125 species of seaweeds, 69 species of fish, 24 species of amphibians, and 22 species of birds.

Let’s make a tour of the biosphere reserve:

Covering 714sq.km, Can Gio is blessed with very rich biodiversity

Walking along the wandering paths of the mangrove forest

Walking through a suspension bridge into the reserve

Yellow-cheeked crested gibbons are in dire need of protection

The coastal habitat supports many species of monkeys, including baboons

Deers also have their own living space

Crocodiles are cross-bred in reserved areas

They are released back into the wild when they are grown

Can Gio bird sanctuary is an ideal destination for tourists

It is home to many endangered species of birds

The nature of Chu Yang Sin national park

Chu Yang Sin National Park is located in Lak and Krong Bong districts, Dak Lak province, 60 km to the south-east of Buon Ma Thuot town.

The national park encompasses a range of high mountains in the northern part of the Southern Annamite mountains. The national park is centered on Mount Chu Yang Sin, which, at 2,442 m, being the highest point in the southern Annamites. The topography of the national park is characterized by steep slopes and narrow valleys.

The north of Chu Yang Sin National Park is drained by the Ea K’tour and Ea Krong Kmao streams, which flow north to join the Ea Krong Ana River. Streams in the south of Chu Yang Sin flow into the Krong No River. Both the Ea Krong Ana and Krong No rivers flow west and north before joining the Srepok River, a major tributary of the Mekong River.

At elevations below 800m, the national park supports lowland semi-evergreen forest, characterized by Lagerstroemia calyculata and Terminalia nigrovenulosa, and lowland evergreen forest, dominated by Hopea odorata, Dipterocarpus alatus and D. turbinatus.

Montane evergreen forest is widely distributed above 800m, and dominated by members of the Fagaceae and Lauraceae. Montane evergreen forest at Chu Yang Sin is also characterized by conifers, such as Pinus dalatensis, P. krempfii, P. kesiya var. langbianensis, Podocarpus imbricatus and Fokienia hodginsii. On mountain summits and ridge lines, elfin forest formations are distributed, dominated by Lyonia annamensis, L. ovalifolia and the dwarf bamboo Arundinaria sp. Coniferous forest, dominated by Pinus kesiya, occupies more than 10,600 ha of the national park.

This is a secondary vegetation type that is formed in areas subject to periodic burning. A significant proportion of the national park supports bamboo forest, dominated by Oxytenanthera nigrociliata and Bambusa procera. Open secondary growth, scrub and grassland cover less than 1% of the total area of the national park.

Chu Yang Sin National Park is situated within the Da Lat Plateau Endemic Bird Area. Eight restricted-range bird species have been recorded at Chu Yang Sin: Germain’s Peacock Pheasant Polyplectron germaini, Grey-crowned Crocias Crocias langbianis, Black-hooded Laughingthrush Garrulax milleti, Collared Laughingthrush G. yersini, White-cheeked Laughingthrush Garrulax vassali, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler Jabouilleia danjoui, Grey-faced Tit Babbler Macronous kelleyi and Yellow-billed Nuthatch Sitta solangiae. The most important of these species, from a conservation perspective, is Grey-crowned Crocias, which is endemic to the Da Lat plateau and classified as globally endangered. Chu Yang Sin qualifies as an Important Bird Area.

A total of 46 mammal species have been recorded at Chu Yang Sin. Mammals of particular conservation significance recorded at the site include Black-shanked Douc Pygathrix nigripes and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon Hylobates gabriellae.

Chu Yang Sin National Park has an important role in protecting the watershed of the Srepok River. The national park also has potential for ecotourism development, although this is currently not realized.

Nights in Hoi An

When night falls, the ancient town of Hoi An, a World Cultural Heritage Site, becomes sparkling and fanciful in the light of thousands of lanterns. From somewhere, the chants of the Quang area sung by young women resound, fascinating visitors.

Night in Hoi An is always deep, making visitors feel peaceful, cozy and familiar like they are in their native places.

Along small streets are old houses with rows of lanterns hung at the entrances spreading warm red or yellow light. There are shops selling many souvenir items with typical characteristics of the town, such as the lanterns made of fabric, silk garments, terracotta toys and fine-art items made from bamboo, rattan, copper and wood.

On the sidewalks, under the shade of the bougainvillea flower trellis are small shops selling coffee or dinner. Inside the shops, people can enjoy a bowl of noodles from Quang Nam, or sip coffee in a calm atmosphere full of gentle music and yellow shimmering candlelight.

At night, the streets are always crowded with people, but the atmosphere is not too noisy like other tourist destinations. Everyone walks slowly to enjoy the street life with a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere.

The streets along the Hoai River create the most beautiful scene. Late at night, the river looks more brilliant and sparkling in the light of the decorative coloured lanterns from the streets on both banks. The singing from a Bai choi singing group becomes more and more thrilling, luring visitors to stop to watch the folk games and enjoy the love duets sung by young men and women. Not far away, near the Cau (Bridge) Pagoda, many passers-by are interested in the smooth folk songs performed on the sidewalks by young men and women of Hoi An Town. A little further on, there is a folk song class for children. In the yellow light, about ten children sit quietly to learn to sing folk songs. They look like young birds that are learning to sing.

In Hoi An today, visitors also have an opportunity to take a cruise on the Hoai River to listen to folk songs at night. On a wooden boat floating slowly on the river in gentle breeze, they sit in the soft yellow light of a hurricane-lamp hanging on the mast to listen to girls singing the chants of the Quang area. The rustic singing gently spreads over the river, making the visitors relaxed.

As usual, on the night of the 14th of every lunar month, all people in the town turn off all electric lights and hang decorative coloured lanterns in front of their houses. This is a practice that has existed for over 300 years. In the quietness of the night, the town looks more beautiful in the moonlight. The incense fragrance from a tray of offerings placed under the front eave makes the atmosphere more shimmering and splendid.

Hundreds of years have passed, but Hoi An still retains the features of a prosperous port town in the past. More importantly, in the architectural space which has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site, the residents are still as simple, ardent and decent as they were in the past. Seemingly, the noisy life of modern times cannot make any changes in their lifestyle, even in their thoughts.
Hoi An sparkles with thousands of lanterns.

 

A small restaurant on a street.

An ancient house with lanterns in Hoi An.

A Choi singing group in Hoi An.

On the Hoai River.

Foreign tourists are interested in different kinds of lanterns in Hoi An.