Restaurants are no longer just about filling an empty stomach.

Nowadays, “fine dining” means elaborate multi-course meals and set menus for triple the price of regular five-star restaurants.

And somewhat surprisingly, Vietnam is no exception.

Featuring highly trained waiting staffs, top quality produce and the freshest, most expensive, ingredients, fine dining establishments have arrived in Vietnam, with each looking to define its own signature style incomparable to others.

Due to the steep prices, few can afford to have such “fine” meals, but the nouveaux riches in Vietnam, plus a healthy congregation of wealthy expats, are eating it up.

FINE DINING IN VIETNAM

IN HO CHI MINH CITY

• Le Caprice
5B Ton Duc Thang St., Dist. 1

• Olivier, Sofitel Saigon Plaza
17 Le Duan Blvd, Dist. 1

• Signature, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Tower
88 Dong Khoi St., Dist. 1
191 Hai Ba Trung St., Dist. 3

IN DA LAT

• Le Rabelais, Sofitel Dalat Palace
12 Tran Phu St.

IN HANOI

• Le Beaulieu, Hotel Legend Sofitel Metropole Hanoi
15 Ngo Quynh St., Hoan Kiem Dist.

• Spices Garden, Hotel Legend Sofitel Metropole Hanoi
15 Ngo Quynh St., Hoan Kiem Dist.

IN HOI AN

Senses, Life Resort Hoi An
1 Pham Hong Thai St.

“Our customers can be those who want to impress very important customers or even impress their lovers,” said Vincent Tan, executive chef at Equatorial Hotel.

The down low

Benjamin Attwater, a chef at Park Hyatt Saigon, explained the hefty price tags associated with fine dining: “to make a nice shape and different design fine dining dishes, the chef has to cut and waste a lot of food. Fine dining restaurants are not places one comes every day.”

One of the most important aspects of a fine dining restaurant is its ambience, its ability to take you away to another world.

Le Caprice offers breathtaking views of the Saigon River and a panoramic vista of the city.

Senses restaurant at Life Resort in Hoi An was designed to remind guests of Vienna.

Less is more

Fine dining restaurants eschew the “bigger the better” philosophy, banking on the fact that wealthy people watch what they eat and are content with paying more to eat less.

The first impression food projects when it is served is very important, so presentation is key.

“Just like a photograph, or a painting, a dish should be attractive and catch the eye immediately. And like a painting, a dish should have balance,” said Attwater.

Martin Bequart, executive chef at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza agreed, “Presenting a dish takes a lot of playing with ideas, colors, volumes, plate dressings, and setups.”

“The food is like a beautiful woman who just woke up in the morning. She should take care of herself with some nice clothes, make-up, accessories and perfume to make her more sexy and attractive. The same with the food after being cooked,” said Bequart.

“New fine dining restaurants are opening all the time in Vietnam, and more and more expat chefs want to show off their style here,” said Attwater. “Many young Vietnamese chefs are also learning about fine dining restaurants, and many of them, I’m sure, will be well recognized in their own right in the near future.”

For several generations, these markets have kept afloat rural livelihoods, a way of life, and a distinct culture

Can Tho City’s Cai Rang Floating Market is one of the biggest floating markets in the southern region

Floating markets are great tourist draws.

Found only in Southeast Asia, the sight of boats as shops and food stops, the colors of the boats and the produce, ranging from flowers to fruits and vegetables to everything else found in on-land markets, never fail to impress.

However, if you were to tarry a while, the markets have interesting stories to tell, stories of those whose families have been clothed and fed for generations by them, of those who have met their life partners there, and those who cannot imagine their lives without it.

When the first rays of the sun spread their light, thousands of boats of different sizes have already converged along the Tien and Hau rivers in locations that have remained the same for centuries, whether it is Cai Be (Tien Giang Province), Tra On (Vinh Long Province), Phong Dien (Can Tho City) or Thoi Binh (Ca Mau Province).

Not only have the boats gathered, but the markets are already in full swing at dawn. The scene of sellers skillfully throwing and catching goods from one boat to another with the skill of jugglers is one that stands out, but there are many other chaotic scenes where the underlying method is not immediately apparent.

Unlike shops and stalls in ordinary markets, sellers cannot cry out their wares since it is impossible to be heard amidst the noise of running boat engines. So samples of goods are hung on bamboo poles that can be easily seen from afar.

Floating markets draw people from everywhere, and a boat’s initials, like registration plates, identify where it is from. A boat marked “TG” is one that comes from Tien Giang Province, for instance.

Among the big boats are small ones darting in and out selling cooked food and drinks to market-goers and visitors. These swimming canteens skillfully draw alongside boats ordering food and drinks, but there are also occasions when the big boats make a food stop by the side of smaller ones.

One would expect that a floating market is no place for a service industry, but these days, they also offer several “modern” services like installing ringtones and wallpaper for cell phones and cell phone repairs.

Repositories of culture

Floating markets are also living museums of the southern traditional culture that has been fostered by the Mekong Delta’s interlacing waterway systems.

With the advent of several new road networks and bridges over many rivers, as well as the setting up of supermarkets on the mainland, the indispensability of floating markets has been dented somewhat, but the waterways still offer the only route to several rural remote areas in the region.

But many locals still prefer floating markets which have been a part of their daily lives and livelihoods for generations

 
The floating market has helped Van raise her three children and send them to school

Lam, a merchant from Hau Giang Province who drives his boat to Can Tho City’s Cai Rang Floating Market, one of the biggest in the south, says: “My whole clan lives as vendors on floating markets. We own more than ten boats.”

They have an advantage in working together because they can easily exchange information about prices and demand and supply in market, Lam adds.

Di Ba, as she is called by everyone at the Cai Rang Floating Market, is probably the most famous name among food sellers here. For more than thirty years, the woman whose real name is Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van, has taken her small boat to the market, serving bun (noodle) to the locals.

Her family was very poor, Di Ba says. “Like other poor people, my husband and I have to go “down” the river for a living since we don’t have any job or land.”

However, this 60-year-old woman has not only raised her three children well, but also given them a complete education that has changed their lives.

Her children don’t want their mother to continue selling noodles at the floating market at her age, but Di Ba cannot quit. “I am so attached to the market that I feel uncomfortable if I am separated from it.”

Eight local tour operators recently gathered in Hanoi to officially launch the Responsible Travel Club of Vietnam (RTC), with the goal of promoting tourism that respects the ecosystem, biodiversity and local cultural values.

The members include Footprint Travel, Indochina Travelland, Active Travel, Blue Swimmer Adventures, Freewheelin’ Tours, La Vie Vu Linh, I Travel and Sisters Tours Vietnam.

According to Dang Xuan Son, product manager for Footprint Travel and chairman of the club, RTC aims at working closely with travel firms, NGOs, communities and authorities to promote responsible tourism in Vietnam, design and market tourism products.

“Working together is key to the success of responsible travel, which is about giving something back,” he said.

Currently, RTC is working with SNV Netherlands Development Organization in an on-going responsible travel project in Chieng Yen Commune, Moc Chau District in Son La Province.

The “Great Wall” of central Vietnam tells a fascinating story of collaboration and ingenuity

Archaeologists study artifacts unearthed at a post on the rampart in the Chim Hut Pass area in the central province of Quang Ngai. (Photo by Hien Cu)

Archeologists surmise that it is an unusual work involving local indigenous H’re people, the Kinh ethnic group and Nguyen Dynasty soldiers.

After five years of excavation and study, it has been determined that the 200km-long rampart that runs from Quang Ngai to Binh Dinh provinces in central Vietnam is around 500 years old.

Researchers from the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology and the French School of the Far East in Hanoi say the historical relic runs along the Truong Son mountain range through eight districts of Quang Ngai before running into the districts of An Lao and Hoai Nhon in Binh Dinh, separating the plains and the highlands.

The longest and largest rampart in the country and the entire Southeast Asian region winds through mountains and valleys, sometimes at altitudes of nearly 800m, is 4-5m high and 6m wide at its base.

The wall is large and diverse, made of stone in some places to avoid landslides on high slopes and mountainous areas. These parts are a testament to the amazing rock arrangement skills of the indigenous H"Re people. The parts made of earth/lay were built mostly by the Kinh people and soldiers of the Nguyen Dynasty.

The rampart’s stones arrangement techniques, varying in different sections and terrains, can also be seen in structures on Ly Son Island in Quang Ngai Province.

Many researchers believe, based on notes found in the book of Dai Nam Thuc Luc (the annals of Dai Nam or the true record of the great south) and geographical records maintained during King Dong Khanh’s reign (1885-1889) and other documents compiled under the Nguyen Dynasty, that the rampart with 115 guarded posts was mostly built by general Le Van Duyet of the Nguyen Dynasty in 1819 during the reign of King Gia Long (1802-1820).

However, according to Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong, chief technical officer of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, the wall was built more than 500 years ago by the Vietnamese Kinh people, the H’re people and soldiers. By the 19th century, it was maintained as a military project, he said.

Dr. Nguyen Dang Vu, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai, said some sections of the rampart on the mountains in Quang Ngai Province existed several centuries earlier. He speculates that these sections may have been built by General Bui Ta Han (1496–1568), known for both literary and martial art skills, when he was assigned to the head position of Quang Nam.

The discovery of many ceramic artifacts during excavations at some sections of the rampart also proves that the rampart was built in the 16th century, not the 19th; and the close trading relationships that existed between Vietnamese Kinh peoples and the indigenous ethnic minorities, including H"Re, Chinese, Ka Dong, Xo Dang, and the Ba Na.

One more thing that makes the rampart interesting is that it was built not only for protection and military purposes but also to facilitate trade. Along the wall, the sections which are interrupted by many rivers and streams, are the mini-forts, guarded by soldiers, to ensure and create a safe environment for the Kinh and H"Re ethnic people to do business.

Each of the forts mentioned earlier was an open gate that facilitated travel and trade. The H’re people bought salt from Vietnamese people and the Vietnamese people bought rice, cinnamon and forest products from the H’re.

Experts studying the rampart also say that there is evidence that it was not just the Vietnamese Kinh people, but also the Thai and the Muong from Thanh Hoa Province who were part of the migration from the north to the south during the 18th century.

During the Vietnam War, the rampart sections in Duc Pho and Hoai Nhon districts in Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces respectively were also used as a branch of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport weapons and food from the north to the south of the country.

Unearth and preserve

Researchers say the conclusions they have reached over the last five years are still preliminary findings. They are looking for foreign documents about the relic, and will continue excavation works to unlock more secrets about the very unique architectural structure.

Dr. Nguyen Giang Hai, vice director of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, said that, “The heritage is still alive if only the locals have the heart to preserve. Therefore, there is a need to sow the seed of consciousness for protecting the relic in the community living alongside the structure.”

Prof. Christopher Young, head of the UK Heritage Council’s Advisory Board, said, “The general principle is that a world heritage is not something to admire, but that it is for the benefit of people. Therefore, the development of tourism related to this relic should involve benefits such as income-generation opportunities for communities living alongside.”

For its part, the institute should help Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh prepare the application for the rampart to be recognized as a national, cultural and historical relic. The legal recognition will help to protect it better and will also be necessaery preparatory work for subsequent recognition as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO, Hai added.

Old Vietnam is alive and well at one of the country’s most sacred pagodas

Clay statues depict 18 Arhats (Buddhist monks post-enlightenment) at Chuong Pagoda

Chuong Pagoda, the centerpiece of Vietnam’s largest port in the 17th and 18th centuries, still stands as a tall reminder of Vietnam’s not so distant past: a time of spirituality, tradition and simple beauty.

Still the most scenic spot in the former town of Pho Hien, now a part of the town of Hung Yen, the pagoda has lost none of its historic allure.

Pho Hien was once the north’s premier port city and a vibrant commercial and cultural melting pot of Vietnamese and foreign peoples. It was second only to the capital city of Thang Long (now Hanoi) in terms of commercial activity.

Today, visitors to Hung Yen can see the unique historical and cultural remains of the past at Chuong (Bell) Pagoda.

Built in the 15th century under the Le Dynasty, the pagoda was then restored in 1707 in the architectural style of the post-Le period.

The pagoda’s name came from a legend:

In the days of myths and folk tales, a golden bell drifted to the shore of the Red River in Nhan Duc Village during a flood and when the waters receded it began to sink in the mud.

Throngs of residents of neighboring villages rushed to Nhan Duc to save the bell but they could not make it budge, it was too heavy.

Eventually a group of Nhan Duc villagers were able to take the bell home. Believing they had been granted the charm by God, the villagers then built a pagoda to worship the bell, whose toll could be heard for miles around.

Also known as Kim Chung Tu (Golden Bell Pagoda), the religious complex was built with meticulous attention to detail.

After entering the Cong tam quan (three-entrance gate), which has eight roofs, visitors cross a stone bridge over a lotus pond. The bridge will lead them to a brick patio made of bricks from Hanoi’s famous Bat Trang handicraft village.

Walking across the stone walkway in the middle of the patio is like walking through time. The path leads to a courtyard in front of the sanctuary compound. The bell tower and altar house, where local residents worship their ancestors, follow next

HOW TO GET THERE

 - Chuong Pagoda is located in Nhan Duc Village, Hien Nam Ward, Hung Yen Town, Hung Yen Province, 64 kilometers south-east from Hanoi.

 - From Hanoi, tourists can take buses 205, 208, or 209 from the Luong Yen and Giap Bat bus stations to get to the pagoda.

 - They can also book private buses at Hanoi’s Gia Lam bus station for the trip.

 - Another way is to travel by boat on the Hanoi – Pho Hien route from the Red River tourism wharf.

Cong tam quan (Three-entrance gate) at Chuong Pagoda in the northern province of Hung Yen

The pagoda, recognized as a National Architectural Relic by the government in 1992, has many carved Buddha statues, including the Tam The (three Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future), A-di-da (Amitabha), and four Bo-tat (Bodhisattvas).

Next is a startling wood relief depicting the Thap Dien Diem Vuong (Ten Courts Managed by the 10 Kings of Hell).

In it, sinners are depicted serving out punishments for their crimes: some are being dumped into a cauldron of boiling oil; others are having their tongues cut out.

But the Thap bat La Han (18 Arhats), made of clay, are much more peaceful. Each one depicts a wise monk expressing a different attitude.

The Arhats are Buddhists who have achieved full spiritual fulfillment. They have reached “Nirvana,” the state of absolute freedom from worldly cravings, and thus they are no longer subject to reincarnation.

Tourists can go up to the bell tower before contemplating a stele which dates back to 1711, built under the reign of King Le Du Tong. On the stele is engraved a picture of Pho Hien and the city of Thang Long.

The stele helped researchers locate the commercial road that once connected Pho Hien and Thang Long. It used to pass right by the Chuong Pagoda gate. The map also helped historians locate the borders of Pho Hien’s original 20 wards

The mad hatters of Chuong Village

Chuong Village has been the home of Vietnam’s famous non la (conical leaf hat) for centuries.

The small village, around 30 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, is often crowded with people buying non la and also watching local craftswomen make it.

The village’s Non Market is open from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., six times a month, on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th, and 30th days of the lunar calendar.

Most non la are made from palm leaves. The leaf is cleaned with sand before being left in the sun to whiten. It is then evened by a blade.

The hat makers of Chuong Village, all women, then place the leaves over a frame made of bamboo circles. The leaves are tied into place with string and sewn from top to bottom. The excess leaves are then trimmed. Strong sewing makes the most durable hats.

Finally, to make the hat whiter and protect it from mold, the hats are singed with burning matches.