tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11115108202259302242024-02-19T04:18:41.698-08:00WELCOMEmr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-23633779079111083832010-07-14T06:41:00.000-07:002010-07-14T06:50:02.822-07:00CON PHUNG<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpv-060nhkyGyQksoVLbNHsdz3ochG_9M7UHJpC6ykxLDH-oL5S-4bfxcy0HBITHCVcU2QxJCtd07xxtDIKSIaf2p4GPYpQ-OIDHdX3YkZAZHAe6V-kTreJ5bUkKvcrQKk6OxZnlmIaznC/s1600/10.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493758096111981234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpv-060nhkyGyQksoVLbNHsdz3ochG_9M7UHJpC6ykxLDH-oL5S-4bfxcy0HBITHCVcU2QxJCtd07xxtDIKSIaf2p4GPYpQ-OIDHdX3YkZAZHAe6V-kTreJ5bUkKvcrQKk6OxZnlmIaznC/s400/10.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkcV7RlHrdnXEPXHpRCExPpvbjWplCCOBy9gamEXfLi6HcsGJ5S5o3RWT7ipdhlRM5WYBrLauL0yuxUmrxyclWSlIQ1EyTPxwoH0F77ZkFNUil_VgLifkHA1JM09ndIuFkQijTPGR95hO/s1600/8.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493757960098684962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkcV7RlHrdnXEPXHpRCExPpvbjWplCCOBy9gamEXfLi6HcsGJ5S5o3RWT7ipdhlRM5WYBrLauL0yuxUmrxyclWSlIQ1EyTPxwoH0F77ZkFNUil_VgLifkHA1JM09ndIuFkQijTPGR95hO/s400/8.bmp" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;color:#3333ff;">Location: Con Phung is located in Tan Thach Village of the Chau Thanh District, near the Rach Mieu Ferry between My Tho and Ben Tre on Highway No. 60. Characteristics: It is an island emerging from the middle of the Tien River, and has an area of 28ha. Visitors can see original architectural works of the site of the holy land of the Coconut Religion. In Con Phung there is also a handicraft village producing furniture with materials taken from the coconut tree, and families raising bees for honey from the longan flower. The product is sold on the spot to visitors.<br />Source: Vietnam Nation Administration of Tourism</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-76977691443816101862010-07-14T06:28:00.001-07:002010-07-14T06:30:24.862-07:00Da Lat - City of Eternal Spring<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UoBVH3Dplg6IQWLEvWdNa6rJWAkrAkiBTzw6F7sKG5-Iw8GJ0fkYqhw2me7_anrN3hgC6xmZHZXH43itjtvclbxd5PcgEWDTW-S3Kk5DjuRsAUEXGUcXWupIA1ggzfCiAaRgIaON5ZML/s1600/3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493753411224900482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UoBVH3Dplg6IQWLEvWdNa6rJWAkrAkiBTzw6F7sKG5-Iw8GJ0fkYqhw2me7_anrN3hgC6xmZHZXH43itjtvclbxd5PcgEWDTW-S3Kk5DjuRsAUEXGUcXWupIA1ggzfCiAaRgIaON5ZML/s400/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#009900;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Da Lat city is probably one of Vietnam's most well known vacation destination. Since the turn of the century, Da Lat has been the vacation spot for well-to-do vietnamese and foreigners. It is the unofficial honeymoon mecca of Vietnam. Located on Lám Viên (Langbian) high lands, part of the greater Central high lands of Vietnam (Cao Nguyen Trung Phan), the city is 1500 m above sea level and is 305 km from Saigon. The name Da Lat originates from the hill tribe people in this region. It literally means Stream of the Lat people</span>.<br /></span><div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-74598245901853383492010-07-14T06:04:00.000-07:002010-07-14T06:07:39.586-07:00Coconut palms, the symbol of Ben TreTravelling by boats along rivers and canals intertwined under the shade of coconut trees in Ben Tre Province, you can enjoy traditional special dishes in its orchards and coconut gardens.<br /> <br /><br />Coconut garden in Ben Tre<br />Ben Tre is a province that lies in the lowest part of the Mekong River Basin, some 85 km south of Ho Chi Minh City. Ben Tre Province is made up of three main islands wedged between the Tien Giang River to the north and to Co Chien River to the south with the Ham Luong River running straight down the centre. All are effectively offshoots of the Mekong River as it splits out into many fingers before spilling out into the South China Sea.<br />Verdant and flat, the province is mostly given over to rice and fruit cultivation. Traditional Mekong life is the norm here and it''s a very unadulterated scene -- wandering the market, sipping the coffee, doing a boat trip and skipping through the local museum are the main pastimes.<br />Coconut palms has been seen as the symbol of Ben Tre ever since the early days of land opening in the Southern part. Famous for its coconut desserts, Ben Tre is suitably covered in coconut trees. During the war, these coconut trees were used to make coconut oil which was then used as a valuable substitute for kerosene. The province now has nearly 36,000 hectares of coconut woods. Even through years of fierce wars, coconut survived and stayed as close as a dear flesh-and-blood friend of the Ben Tre people. There was a time, many people in Ben Tre felled the tree for economic reasons, but have later been back with it because they realized it was with the coconut tree that their livelihood could be sustained for quite a long time. Today, Ben Tre''s coconut area is approximately 36,000 hectares, yielding around 242 million nuts per year.<br />In Ben Tre, you have a chance to look at fine handicraft items made from coconut materials such as sandals, dolls, small baskets, bed lamps and vases. You can also watch how candy is made and taste it right at the workshops. If you take one of the tourist tours, you will be brought to some of the local shops. The most typical shop you will visit is coconut candy<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493747397817478274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxTjKW0gDkmriiS6u0RBwiYLLcfhdy1W8pTAHrZQvs2G4vI_2qh-zUm-P9NeAVpnaT_T87-TIKQ7ZaBWrvfePFNtuS4BWhKaQxOoDZ9kXu6vrbF96tJu3MlrdLKGfqRIEhjdyl7TGuF3J/s400/2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />shop, a worker will explain you the process of making this product. At the end of the presentation, you can taste and buy the coconut candy.<br />Besides cononuts, Ben Tre is also the royal of others special fruits. Its area of orchards is around 41,000 ha, annually yielding 375,000 tonnes of fruits. The province also has a large number of famous speciality fruit trees, such as the milk yellow-meat and no-stone durian, the green-skin pomelo, the Cai Mon mangosteen, the high-yield Four Season mango, the special orange of Mo Cay, and tens of other specialities imported from other region or abroad.<br />Visiting Ben Tre, you can enjoy not only coconut candy and special fruits but also traditional crafts and folk culture, which are all the region''s specific identity...<br /> Source: VNbeauty<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozQ2ZHhNv96TkLMNLx0erDBSi-cu8DxPIq03y_j8AuAVM26NSswIXfXdrhYoMw1QSvre_MMiRKxX-UtnwL964HOcAincKBaR4fcCdS0YX8fxzLY7WH7XhUDwok-RoQnwmc9ZV7SWVZP6j/s1600/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493747348429544146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozQ2ZHhNv96TkLMNLx0erDBSi-cu8DxPIq03y_j8AuAVM26NSswIXfXdrhYoMw1QSvre_MMiRKxX-UtnwL964HOcAincKBaR4fcCdS0YX8fxzLY7WH7XhUDwok-RoQnwmc9ZV7SWVZP6j/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-59715324298511487362010-07-14T05:59:00.000-07:002010-07-14T06:03:48.816-07:00HO CHI MINH, who is he?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMT4CGZ6garhZITGqzwqMeT0NFq1kfXbrcE5l_CzpxeXLbF4TWIL8a_uoZ6BoCG33PLrwqIzZ6ffl3qJQAanMmTFSDoxw-c1mA4cfLU-C7SDTiWP9cmykHYuh9qcS6PnhbiCMa__4FAI3/s1600/225px-Ho_Chi_Minh_1946_cropped.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493746262446444434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 302px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMT4CGZ6garhZITGqzwqMeT0NFq1kfXbrcE5l_CzpxeXLbF4TWIL8a_uoZ6BoCG33PLrwqIzZ6ffl3qJQAanMmTFSDoxw-c1mA4cfLU-C7SDTiWP9cmykHYuh9qcS6PnhbiCMa__4FAI3/s400/225px-Ho_Chi_Minh_1946_cropped.jpg" border="0" /></a> Nguyễn Sinh Cung was born in 1890 in Hoàng Trù Village, his mother's hometown. From 1895, he grew up in his paternal hometown of Kim Liên Village, Nam Đàn District, <a title="Nghe An Province" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nghe_An_Province">Nghệ An Province</a>, Vietnam. He had three siblings: his sister Bạch Liên (or Nguyễn Thị Thanh), a clerk in the <a title="French Army" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Army">French Army</a>; his brother <a title="Nguyễn Sinh Khiêm" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Sinh_Khi%C3%AAm">Nguyễn Sinh Khiêm</a> (or Nguyễn Tất Đạt), a <a title="Geomancy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomancy">geomancer</a> and traditional herbalist; and another brother (Nguyễn Sinh Nhuận) who died in his infancy. As a young child, Minh studied with his father before more formal classes with a scholar named Vuong Thuc Do. Cung quickly mastered Chinese writing, a requisite for any serious study of Confucianism, while honing his coloquial Vietnamese writing.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Dukier.2C_William_J._2000-0">[1]</a> In addition to his studious endeavors, he was fond of adventure, loved to fly kites and go fishing.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Dukier.2C_William_J._2000-0">[1]</a> Following <a title="Confucianism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism">Confucian</a> tradition, at the age of 10 his father gave him a new name: Nguyễn Tất Thành (Nguyễn the Accomplished).<br />Cung's father, Nguyễn Sinh Sắc, was a Confucian scholar, a teacher on a small scale, and later an imperial magistrate in the small remote district of Binh Khe (Qui Nhơn). He was demoted for abuse of power after an influential local figure died several days after receiving 100 strokes of the cane as punishment.[2This however was merely a pretense by the French-controlled government to get rid of Sac, whose sons had been involved in nationalist, anti-French activities at the Duc Thanh school, founded in 1907 by patriotic scholars who hoped to imitate the success of the Hanoi Free School. [<a title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed</a>] In deference to his father, Cung received a French education, attended lycée in Huế, the alma mater of his later disciples, <a title="Phạm Văn Đồng" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ph%E1%BA%A1m_V%C4%83n_%C4%90%E1%BB%93ng">Phạm Văn Đồng</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Võ Nguyên Giáp" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B5_Nguy%C3%AAn_Gi%C3%A1p">Võ Nguyên Giáp</a>. He later left his studies and chose to teach at Dục Thanh school in Phan Thiết.<br />[<a title="Edit section: In the USA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=2">edit</a>] In the USA<br />In 1912, working as the cook's helper on a ship, Cung traveled to the United States. From 1912 to 1913, he lived in <a title="New York City" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City">New York</a> (<a title="Harlem" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem">Harlem</a>) and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Boston, Massachusetts" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston,_Massachusetts">Boston</a>, where he worked as a baker at the <a title="Omni Parker House" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omni_Parker_House">Parker House</a> Hotel. Among a series of menial jobs, he claimed to have worked for a wealthy family in <a title="Brooklyn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn">Brooklyn</a> between 1917 and 1918; during this time he was influenced by <a title="Marcus Garvey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Garvey">Marcus Garvey</a> in <a title="Harlem" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem">Harlem</a>. It is believed that while in the United States he made contact with <a title="Korean nationalism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_nationalism">Korean nationalists</a>, an experience that developed his political outlook.<br />[<a title="Edit section: In England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=3">edit</a>] In England<br />At various points between 1913 and 1919, Cung lived in <a title="West Ealing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Ealing">West Ealing</a>, west London, and later in <a title="Crouch End" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crouch_End">Crouch End</a>, <a title="Hornsey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornsey">Hornsey</a>, north London. He is reported to have worked as a chef at the Drayton Court Hotel, on The Avenue, West Ealing.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-3">[4]</a> It is claimed that Ho trained as a pastry chef under the legendary French master, <a title="Auguste Escoffier" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Escoffier">Escoffier</a>, at the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Carlton Hotel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Hotel">Carlton Hotel</a> in the Haymarket, <a title="Westminster" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster">Westminster</a>, but there is no evidence to support this.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Quinn_Judge-2">[3]</a> However, the wall of <a class="mw-redirect" title="High Commission of New Zealand in London" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Commission_of_New_Zealand_in_London">New Zealand House</a>, home of the New Zealand <a class="mw-redirect" title="High Commission" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Commission">High Commission</a>, which now stands on the site of the Carlton Hotel, displays a <a title="Blue plaque" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_plaque">Blue Plaque</a>, stating that Cung worked there in 1913 as a waiter.<br />[<a title="Edit section: Political education in France" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=4">edit</a>] Political education in France<br />From 1919–1923, while living in France, Nguyễn Sinh Cung embraced <a title="Communism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism">communism</a>, through his friend Marcel Cachin (<a title="French Section of the Workers' International" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Section_of_the_Workers%27_International">SFIO</a>).[<a title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed</a>] Cung claimed to have arrived in Paris from London in 1917 but French police only have documents of his arrival in June 1919.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Quinn_Judge-2">[3]</a> Following World War I, under the name of Nguyễn Ái Quốc (Nguyen the Patriot), he petitioned for recognition of the civil rights of the Vietnamese people in <a title="French Indochina" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Indochina">French Indochina</a> to the Western powers at the <a title="Versailles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles">Versailles</a> peace talks, but was ignored. Citing the language and the spirit of the <a class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Declaration of Independence" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Declaration_of_Independence">U.S. Declaration of Independence</a>, Quốc petitioned <a title="President of the United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States">U.S. President</a> <a title="Woodrow Wilson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson">Woodrow Wilson</a> for help to remove the French from <a title="Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam">Vietnam</a> and replace it with a new, nationalist government. His request was ignored.<br />In 1921, during the Congress of <a title="Tours" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tours">Tours</a>, France, Nguyễn Ái Quốc became a founding member of the Parti Communiste Français (<a title="French Communist Party" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Communist_Party">French Communist Party</a>) and spent much of his time in Moscow afterwards, becoming the <a title="Comintern" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comintern">Comintern</a>'s Asia hand and the principal theorist on colonial warfare. During the Indochina War, the PCF would be involved with anti-war propaganda, sabotage and support for the revolutionary effort.<br />In May 1922, Quốc wrote an article for a French magazine criticizing the use of English words by French sportswriters.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-paris-4">[5]</a> The article implores Prime Minister <a title="Raymond Poincaré" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Poincar%C3%A9">Raymond Poincaré</a> to outlaw such <a title="Franglais" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franglais">Franglais</a> as le manager, le round and le knock-out.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-paris-4">[5]</a> While living in Paris, he had a relationship with dressmaker Marie Brière.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-paris-4">[5]</a><br />[<a title="Edit section: In the Soviet Union and China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=5">edit</a>] In the Soviet Union and China<br />In 1923, Quốc left Paris for Moscow, where he was employed by the <a title="Comintern" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comintern">Comintern</a>, and participated in the Fifth Comintern Congress in June 1924, before arriving in Canton (present day <a title="Guangzhou" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou">Guangzhou</a>), <a title="Republic of China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China">China</a>, in November 1924. In June 1925, he betrayed <a title="Phan Boi Chau" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Boi_Chau">Phan Bội Châu</a>, head of a rival revolutionary faction, to French police in Shanghai for 100,000 piastres.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Davidson-5">[6]</a> Hồ later claimed that he did this because he expected Chau's trial to stir up anti-French resentment and because he needed the money to establish a communist organization.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Davidson-5">[6]</a> Châu never denounced Quốc, so it seems there was no ill-feeling between them. During 1925-26 he organized 'Youth Education Classes' and occasionally gave lectures at the <a title="Whampoa Military Academy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whampoa_Military_Academy">Whampoa Military Academy</a> on the revolutionary movement in Indochina.<br />He married a Chinese woman, <a title="Tăng Tuyết Minh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%83ng_Tuy%E1%BA%BFt_Minh">Tăng Tuyết Minh</a> (Zeng Xueming), on 18 October 1926.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-wife-6">[7]</a> When his comrades objected to the match, he told them, "I will get married despite your disapproval because I need a woman to teach me the language and keep house."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-wife-6">[7]</a> She was 21 and he was 36.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-wife-6">[7]</a> They married in the same place where Zhou Enlai had married earlier and then lived together at the residence of <a title="Comintern" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comintern">Comintern</a> agent <a title="Mikhail Borodin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Borodin">Mikhail Borodin</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-wife-6">[7]</a> <a title="Chiang Kai-shek" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek">Chiang Kai-shek</a>'s anti-communist 1927 coup triggered a new round of wanderings for Hồ. He left Canton again in April 1927 and returned to Moscow, spending some of the summer of 1927 recuperating from <a title="Tuberculosis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis">tuberculosis</a> in the <a title="Crimea" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimea">Crimea</a>, before returning to Paris once more in November. He then returned to Asia by way of <a title="Brussels" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels">Brussels</a>, Berlin, Switzerland, Italy, from where he took a ship to <a title="Bangkok" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok">Bangkok</a> in <a title="Thailand" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand">Thailand</a>, where he arrived in July 1928. "Although we have been separated for almost a year, our feelings for each other do not have to be said in order to be felt", he reassured Minh in an intercepted letter.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-wife-6">[7]</a><br />He remained in Thailand, staying in the Thai village of Nachok<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-7">[8]</a>, until late 1929 when he moved on to <a title="Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong">Hong Kong</a>, and <a title="Shanghai" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a>. In June 1931, he was arrested in <a title="Hong Kong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong">Hong Kong</a>. To reduce French pressure for extradition, it was announced in 1932 that Quốc had died.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-8">[9]</a> The British quietly released him in January 1933. He then made his way back to <a title="Milan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan">Milan</a>, where he served in a restaurant,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-9">[10]</a> and then to the Soviet Union, where he spent several more years recovering from <a title="Tuberculosis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis">tuberculosis</a>. In 1938, he returned to <a title="Republic of China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China">China</a> and served as an adviser with <a class="mw-redirect" title="Chinese Communist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist">Chinese Communist</a> armed forces, which later forced <a title="Government of the Republic of China" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_Republic_of_China">China's government</a> to the island of Taiwan.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Quinn_Judge-2">[3]</a> Around 1940, Nguyễn Ái Quốc began regularly using the name "Hồ Chí Minh",<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Quinn_Judge-2">[3]</a> a Vietnamese name combining a common Vietnamese surname (Hồ, <a class="extiw" title="wikt:胡" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%83%A1">胡</a>) with a given name meaning "enlightened will" (from <a title="Sino-Vietnamese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese">Sino-Vietnamese</a> <a class="extiw" title="wikt:志" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%BF%97">志</a><a class="extiw" title="wikt:明" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%98%8E">明</a>; Chí meaning 'will' (or spirit), and Minh meaning 'light'), in essence, meaning "bringer of light".<br />[<a title="Edit section: Independence movement" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=6">edit</a>] Independence movement<br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_Minh_at_Lijang_River_(China)_in_1961.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_Minh_at_Lijang_River_(China)_in_1961.jpg"></a>Hồ Chí Minh at the <a title="River Li" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Li">River Li</a> in China, 1961.<br />In 1941, Hồ returned to Vietnam to lead the <a title="Viet Minh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Minh">Việt Minh</a> independence movement. He oversaw many successful military actions against the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Vichy French" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vichy_French">Vichy French</a> and Japanese occupation of Vietnam during World War II, supported closely but clandestinely by the United States <a title="Office of Strategic Services" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services">Office of Strategic Services</a>, and also later against the French bid to reoccupy the country (1946–1954). He was also jailed in China for many months by <a title="Chiang Kai-shek" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek">Chiang Kai-shek</a>'s local authorities.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-10">[11]</a> After his release in 1943, he again returned to Vietnam. He was treated for malaria and dysentery by American <a title="Office of Strategic Services" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services">OSS</a> doctors. In the highlands in 1944, he lived with Do Thi Lac, a woman of <a title="Tay people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_people">Tay</a> ethnicity.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Lac-11">[12]</a> Lac had a son in 1956.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Lac-11">[12]</a><br />After the <a title="August Revolution" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Revolution">August Revolution</a> (1945) organized by the Việt Minh, Hồ became Chairman of the Provisional Government (Premier of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and issued a <a title="Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_of_Independence_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_Vietnam">Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam</a> that borrowed much from the French and American declarations.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-12">[13]</a> Though he convinced Emperor <a title="Bảo Đại" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%E1%BA%A3o_%C4%90%E1%BA%A1i">Bảo Đại</a> to abdicate, his government was not recognized by any country. He repeatedly petitioned American President <a class="mw-redirect" title="Harry Truman" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Truman">Harry Truman</a> for support for Vietnamese independence,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-13">[14]</a> citing the <a title="Atlantic Charter" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Charter">Atlantic Charter</a>, but Truman never responded.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-14">[15]</a><br />In 1945, in a power struggle, the Viet Minh killed members of rival groups, such as the leader of the Constitutional Party, the head of the Party for Independence, and <a title="Ngo Dinh Diem" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem">Ngo Dinh Diem</a>'s brother, <a title="Ngo Dinh Khoi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Khoi">Ngo Dinh Khoi</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-15">[16]</a> Purges and killings of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Trotskyists" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyists">Trotskyists</a>, the rival anti-Stalinist communists, have also been documented.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-16">[17]</a> In 1946, when Hồ traveled outside of the country, his subordinates imprisoned 25,000 non-communist nationalists and forced 6,000 others to flee.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-17">[18]</a> Hundreds of political opponents were also killed in July that same year.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-18">[19]</a> All rival political parties were banned and local governments purged<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-19">[20]</a> to minimise opposition later on.<br />[<a title="Edit section: Birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=7">edit</a>] Birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam<br />On 2 September 1945, after Emperor <a title="Bảo Đại" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%E1%BA%A3o_%C4%90%E1%BA%A1i">Bảo Đại</a>'s abdication, Hồ Chí Minh read the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-20">[21]</a> under the name of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. With violence between rival Vietnamese factions and French forces increasing, the British commander, <a title="Douglas Gracey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Gracey">General Sir Douglas Gracey</a> declared martial law. On 24 September, the Viet Minh leaders responded with a call for a general strike.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-21">[22]</a><br />In September 1945, a force of 200,000 Chinese Nationalists arrived in <a title="Hanoi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi">Hanoi</a>. Hồ Chí Minh made arrangement with their general, Lu Han, to dissolve the Communist Party and to hold an election which would yield a coalition government. When Chiang Kai-Shek later traded Chinese influence in Vietnam for <a title="Shanghai French Concession" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_French_Concession">French concessions</a> in Shanghai, Hồ Chí Minh had no choice but to sign an agreement with France on 6 March 1946, in which Vietnam would be recognized as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the <a title="French Union" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Union">French Union</a>. The agreement soon broke down. The purpose of the agreement was to drive out the Chinese army from North Vietnam. Fighting broke out with the French soon after the Chinese left. Hồ Chí Minh was almost captured by a group of French soldiers led by <a class="mw-redirect" title="Jean-Etienne Valluy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Etienne_Valluy">Jean-Etienne Valluy</a> at <a title="Việt Bắc" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi%E1%BB%87t_B%E1%BA%AFc">Việt Bắc</a> but was able to escape.<br />In February 1950, Hồ met with <a class="mw-redirect" title="Stalin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalin">Stalin</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Mao" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao">Mao</a> in Moscow after the Soviet Union recognized his government. They all agreed that China would be responsible for backing the <a title="Viet Minh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Minh">Viet Minh</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-22">[23]</a> Mao's emissary to Moscow stated in August that China planned to train 60-70,000 Viet Minh in the near future.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-23">[24]</a> China's support enabled Hồ to escalate the fight against France.<br />According to a story told by Journalist <a class="mw-redirect" title="Bernard Fall" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Fall">Bernard Fall</a>, after fighting the French for several years, Hồ decided to negotiate a truce. The French negotiators arrived at the meeting site, a mud hut with a thatched roof. Inside they found a long table with chairs and were surprised to discover in one corner of the room a silver ice bucket containing ice and a bottle of good Champagne which should have indicated that Hồ expected the negotiations to succeed. One demand by the French was the return to French custody of a number of Japanese military officers (who had been helping the Vietnamese armed forces by training them in the use of weapons of Japanese origin), in order for them to stand trial for war crimes committed during World War II. Hồ replied that the Japanese officers were allies and friends whom he could not betray. Then he walked out, to seven more years of war.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-24">[25]</a><br />In 1954, after the important defeat of <a title="French Union" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Union">French Union</a> forces at the <a title="Battle of Dien Bien Phu" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu">Battle of Điện Biên Phủ</a>, France was forced to give up its empire in Indochina.<br />[<a title="Edit section: Becoming president" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=8">edit</a>] Becoming president<br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giap-Ho.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giap-Ho.jpg"></a>Hồ Chí Minh (right) with <a title="Vo Nguyen Giap" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vo_Nguyen_Giap">Vo Nguyen Giap</a> (left) in Hanoi, 1945<br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-48579-0009,_Stralsund,_Ho_Chi_Minh_mit_Matrosen_der_NVA.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-48579-0009,_Stralsund,_Ho_Chi_Minh_mit_Matrosen_der_NVA.jpg"></a>Hồ Chí Minh with East German Sailors in <a title="Stralsund" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stralsund">Stralsund</a> harbour, 1957<br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_Minh_House_1463237026_5317a7aaed.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_Minh_House_1463237026_5317a7aaed.jpg"></a>House of Uncle Ho in Hanoi<br />The <a title="Geneva Conference (1954)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conference_(1954)">1954 Geneva Accords</a>, concluded between France, The Rose and the Vietminh, provided that communist forces regroup in the North and non-communist forces regroup in the South. Ho's <a class="mw-redirect" title="Democratic Republic of Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Vietnam">Democratic Republic of Vietnam</a> relocated to Hanoi and became the government of North Vietnam, a <a class="mw-redirect" title="Communist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist">Communist</a>-led <a class="mw-redirect" title="Single party state" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_party_state">single party state</a>. The Geneva accords also provided for a national election to reunify the country in 1956, but this provision was rejected by <a title="South Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Vietnam">South Vietnam</a>'s government and the United States.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-25">[26]</a> The U.S. committed itself to oppose Communism in Asia beginning in 1950, when it funded 80 percent of the French effort. After Geneva, the U.S. replaced France as South Vietnam's chief sponsor and financial backer, but there never was a treaty between the U.S. and South Vietnam.<br />Main article: <a title="Operation Passage to Freedom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Passage_to_Freedom">Operation Passage to Freedom</a><br />Following the <a title="Geneva Conference (1954)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conference_(1954)">Geneva Accords</a>, there was to be a 300-day period in which people could freely move between the zones of the two Vietnams. Some 900,000 to 1 million Vietnamese, mostly <a class="mw-redirect" title="Roman Catholic Church" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church">Catholic</a>, left for <a title="South Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Vietnam">South Vietnam</a>, while a much smaller number, mostly communists, went from South to North.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-26">[27]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-27">[28]</a> This was partly due to propaganda claims by a CIA mission led by Colonel <a title="Edward Lansdale" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Lansdale">Edward Lansdale</a> that the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Virgin Mary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Mary">Virgin Mary</a> had moved South out of distaste for life under <a title="Communism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism">communism</a>. Some Canadian observers claimed that some were forced by North Vietnamese authorities to remain against their will.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-28">[29]</a> During this era, Hồ, following the communist doctrine initiated by Stalin and Mao, started a land reform in which hundreds of thousands of people accused of being landlords were summarily executed or tortured and starved in prison.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-29">[30]</a> This also caused millions of people to flee to South Vietnam.<br />At the end of 1959, <a title="Lê Duẩn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_Du%E1%BA%A9n">Lê Duẩn</a> was appointed acting party boss and began sending aid to the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Vietcong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietcong">Vietcong</a> insurgency in South Vietnam. This represented a loss of power by Hồ, who is said to have preferred the more moderate Giáp for the position.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-30">[31]</a> The so called <a class="mw-redirect" title="Hochiminh Trail" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hochiminh_Trail">Hochiminh Trail</a> was built in 1959 to allow aid to be sent to the Vietcong through Laos and Cambodia, thus escalating the war.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-31">[32]</a> Duẩn was named permanent party boss in 1960, leaving Hồ a figurehead president and symbol of Vietnamese Communism.<br />In 1963, Hồ corresponded with South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in the hope of achieving a negotiated peace.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Brocheux174-32">[33]</a> This correspondence was a factor in the U.S. decision to tacitly support a coup against Diem later that year.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-Brocheux174-32">[33]</a><br />In late 1964, North Vietnamese combat troops were sent southwest into neutral <a title="Laos" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos">Laos</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-33">[34]</a> During the mid to late 1960s, Lê Duẩn permitted 320,000 Chinese volunteers into northern <a title="North Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Vietnam">North Vietnam</a> to help build infrastructure for the country, thereby freeing a similar number of North Vietnamese forces to go south.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-34">[35]</a><br />By early 1965, U.S. combat troops began arriving in South Vietnam to counter the threat imposed by both the local <a title="Viet Cong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Cong">Viet Cong</a> and the North Vietnamese troops in the border areas. As the fighting escalated, widespread bombing of North Vietnam by the U.S. Air Force and Navy escalated as <a title="Operation Rolling Thunder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rolling_Thunder">Operation Rolling Thunder</a>. Hồ remained in Hanoi for most of the duration of his final years, stubbornly refusing to negotiate with the Americans and demanded nothing but an unconditional withdrawal of all foreign troops in South Vietnam. By July, 1967, Hồ and most of the Politburo of North Vietnam met in a high-level conference where they concluded that the war was not going well for them since the American military blunted every attempt by the Peoples Army of Vietnam to make gains, and inflicted heavy casualties. But Hồ and the rest his government knew that there were two weaknesses: there was still no disguising the continuing ineffectiveness of large portion of the South Vietnamese army, shielded by U.S. firepower, and that American public opinion was not wholeheartedly in favor of the war. With Hồ's permission, the North Vietnamese army and politicians planned to execute the <a title="Tet Offensive" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive">Tet Offensive</a> as a gamble to take the South by force and defeat the U.S. military.<br />Although the offensive was a huge tactical failure which resulted in the decimation of whole units of Viet Cong, the end result was a moral victory for it broke the U.S. will to fight the war and public opinion in the U.S. turned against the government which resulted in the bombing of North Vietnam halted, and negotiations with U.S. officials opening as to how to end the war.<br />By 1969, with negotiations still dragging on, Hồ's health began to deteriorate from multiple health problems, including <a class="mw-redirect" title="Diabetes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes">diabetes</a> among other ailments, which prevented him from participating in further active politics. However, he insisted that his forces in South Vietnam continue fighting until all of Vietnam was reunited under his government, regardless of the length of time that it might take, believing that time and politics were on his side.<br />[<a title="Edit section: Death" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=9">edit</a>] Death<br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_Minh_Mausoleum_2006.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_Minh_Mausoleum_2006.jpg"></a><a title="Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_Mausoleum">Hồ Chí Minh mausoleum</a>, Hanoi<br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_minh_estatua.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ho_Chi_minh_estatua.jpg"></a>Hồ Chí Minh statue<br />With the outcome of the <a title="Vietnam War" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War">Vietnam War</a> still in question, Hồ Chí Minh died on the morning of 2 September 1969, at his home in <a title="Hanoi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi">Hanoi</a> at age 79 from heart failure.<br />News of his death was withheld from the North Vietnamese public for nearly 48 hours due to not wanting to announce his death on the anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He was not initially replaced as president, but a "collective leadership" forming up of several ministers and military leaders took control of North Vietnam to continue his goal of conquering South Vietnam to unite it under Hồ's founding government.<br />Six years after his death, when the communists were successful in conquering South Vietnam, several North Vietnamese tanks in Saigon displayed a poster with the following quote, "You are always marching with us, Uncle Hồ".<br />[<a title="Edit section: Legacy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=10">edit</a>] Legacy<br />The former capital of <a title="South Vietnam" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Vietnam">South Vietnam</a>, Saigon, was officially renamed <a title="Ho Chi Minh City" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City">Hồ Chí Minh City</a> on 1 May 1975 shortly after its capture which officially ended the war.<br />Hồ Chí Minh's embalmed body is on display in a granite <a title="Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_Mausoleum">mausoleum</a> modeled after <a title="Lenin's Mausoleum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin%27s_Mausoleum">Lenin's Tomb</a> in Moscow. This is similar to other Communist leaders who have been but the "honor" violated Hồ's last wishes (as well as those of the three leaders mentioned above). Several months before his death, he wished to be cremated and his ashes buried in three urns on three different hilltops of Vietnam (the North, Central and South areas).[<a title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed</a>] He wrote, "Not only is cremation good from the point of view of hygiene but also it saves farmland."<br />The <a title="Ho Chi Minh Museum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_Museum">Hồ Chí Minh Museum</a> in Hanoi is dedicated to his life and work.<br />[<a title="Edit section: Personality cult" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=11">edit</a>] Personality cult<br />In Vietnam today, he is regarded by the Communist government with almost god-like status in a nationwide <a class="mw-redirect" title="Personality cult" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_cult">personality cult</a>, even though the government has abandoned most of his economic policies since the mid-1980s. He is still referred to as "Uncle Hồ" or just "Uncle" (Bác) in Vietnam. Hồ's image appears on the front of every <a class="mw-redirect" title="Vietnamese dong" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_dong">Vietnamese currency</a> note, and Hồ's portrait and bust is featured prominently in many of Vietnam's public buildings, classrooms and even temples. In 1987, <a title="UNESCO" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO">UNESCO</a> officially recommended to Member States that they "join in the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of President Hồ Chí Minh by organizing various events as a tribute to his memory", considering "the important and many-sided contribution of President Ho Chi Minh in the fields of culture, education and the arts" and that Hồ Chí Minh "devoted his whole life to the national liberation of the Vietnamese people, contributing to the common struggle of peoples for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-unesco-35">[36]</a><br />In contrast, some Vietnamese who lived through the war accuse Hồ Chí Minh of bringing chaos to the country. Some Vietnamese people living outside of Vietnam, commonly known as <a title="Overseas Vietnamese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Vietnamese">Overseas Vietnamese</a> who fled communist rule after 1975, and some political dissidents have more hostile opinions of Hồ Chí Minh. Some even view Hồ as a murderer by persecuting tens of thousands during the land reform.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_note-36">[37]</a><br />[<a title="Edit section: References" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ho_Chi_Minh&action=edit&section=12">edit</a>] References<br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Dukier.2C_William_J._2000_0-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Dukier.2C_William_J._2000_0-1">b</a> Dukier, William J. Ho Chi Minh. New York: Hyperion, 2000. Print.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-1">^</a> Duiker p. 41<br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Quinn_Judge_2-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Quinn_Judge_2-1">b</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Quinn_Judge_2-2">c</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Quinn_Judge_2-3">d</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Quinn_Judge_2-4">e</a> Sophie Quinn-Judge, Hồ Chí Minh: The Missing Years, University of California Press, 2002 <a class="internal mw-magiclink-isbn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0520235339">ISBN 0-520-23533-9</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-3">^</a> <a class="external text" href="http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/local_history/historic_buildings/drayton_court_hotel.html" rel="nofollow">"The Drayton Court Hotel"</a>. Ealing.gov.uk. <a class="external free" href="http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/local_history/historic_buildings/drayton_court_hotel.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/leisure/local_history/historic_buildings/drayton_court_hotel.html</a>. Retrieved 2009-09-26. <br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-paris_4-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-paris_4-1">b</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-paris_4-2">c</a> Brocheux Pierre (2007). Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, pp. 21, Cambridge University Press.<br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Davidson_5-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Davidson_5-1">b</a> Davidson, Phillip B., <a class="external text" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=seXWfsD46QQC" rel="nofollow">Vietnam at War: The History: 1946-1975</a> (1991), p. 4.<a title="Hoang Van Chi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoang_Van_Chi">Hoang Van Chi</a>, From Colonialism to Communism (1964), p. 18.<br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-wife_6-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-wife_6-1">b</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-wife_6-2">c</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-wife_6-3">d</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-wife_6-4">e</a> Brocheux, Pierre (2007). Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, pp. 39-40, Cambridge University Press.Duiker, William J., (2000). Ho Chi Minh: A Life, p. 143, Hyperion.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-7">^</a> Brocheux, Pierre (2007). Ho Chi Minh: a biography, pages 44 and xiii.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-8">^</a> Brocheux Pierre (2007). Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, pp. 57-58, Cambridge University Press.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-9">^</a> <a class="external autonumber" href="http://www.terraligure.it/blog/lapide_minh.jpg" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>, <a class="external autonumber" href="http://www.terraligure.it/blog/trattoria_minh.jpg" rel="nofollow">[2]</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-10">^</a> Brocheux, Pierre (2007). Ho Chi Minh: a biography, page <a class="external text" href="http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=fJtqjYiVbUAC&pg=PA198" rel="nofollow">198</a>.<br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Lac_11-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Lac_11-1">b</a> Brocheux, Pierre (2007). Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, pp. 39-40, Cambridge University Press.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-12">^</a> Zinn, Howard (1995). A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present. New York: Harper Perennial. p. 460. <a title="International Standard Book Number" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number">ISBN</a> <a title="Special:BookSources/0060926430" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0060926430">0060926430</a>. <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-13">^</a> <a class="external text" href="http://rationalrevolution.net/war/collection_of_letters_by_ho_chi_.htm" rel="nofollow">"Collection of Letters by Ho Chi Minh"</a>. Rationalrevolution.net. <a class="external free" href="http://rationalrevolution.net/war/collection_of_letters_by_ho_chi_.htm" rel="nofollow">http://rationalrevolution.net/war/collection_of_letters_by_ho_chi_.htm</a>. Retrieved 2009-09-26. <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-14">^</a> Zinn, Howard (1995). A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present. New York: Harper Perennial. p. 461. <a title="International Standard Book Number" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number">ISBN</a> <a title="Special:BookSources/0060926430" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0060926430">0060926430</a>. <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-15">^</a> Joseph Buttinnger, Vietnam: A Dragon Embattled, vol. 1. (New York: Praeger, 1967)<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-16">^</a> See: <a title="The Black Book of Communism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Book_of_Communism">The Black Book of Communism</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-17">^</a> Cecil B. Currey, Victory At Any Cost (Washington: Brassey's, 1997), p. 126<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-18">^</a> Spencer Tucker, Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: a political, social, and military history (vol. 2), 1998<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-19">^</a> John Colvin, Giap: the Volcano under the Snow (New York: Soho Press, 1996), p.51<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-20">^</a> <a class="external text" href="http://coombs.anu.edu.au/%7Evern/van_kien/declar.html" rel="nofollow">"Vietnam Declaration of Independence"</a>. Coombs.anu.edu.au. 1945-09-02. <a class="external free" href="http://coombs.anu.edu.au/%7Evern/van_kien/declar.html" rel="nofollow">http://coombs.anu.edu.au/%7Evern/van_kien/declar.html</a>. Retrieved 2009-09-26. <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-21">^</a> Stanley Karnow, Vietnam a History<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-22">^</a> Luo Guibo, pp. 233-6<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-23">^</a> Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Chronology", p. 45.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-24">^</a> Fall, Bernard, Last reflections on a War, p. 88. New York:Doubleday, 1967.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-25">^</a> Marcus Raskin & Bernard Fall, The Viet-Nam Reader, p. 89; William Duiker, U. S. Containment Policy and the Conflict in Indochina, p. 212; Huế-Tam Ho Tai, The Country of Memory: Remaking the Past in Late Socialist Vietnam (2001) p. x notes that "totalitarian governments could not promise a democratic future."<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-26">^</a> <a title="Pentagon Papers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers">Pentagon Papers</a>: <a class="external free" href="http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon/pent11.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon/pent11.htm</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-27">^</a> <a title="United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_High_Commissioner_for_Refugees">United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees</a>, <a class="external text" href="http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/publ/opendoc.pdf?id=3ebf9bad0&tbl=PUBL" rel="nofollow">State of the World's Refugees</a>, Chapter 4, "Flight from Indochina".<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-28">^</a> Thakur, p. 204<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-29">^</a> Communist Party of Vietnam, Kinh nghiệm giải quyết vấn đề ruộng đất trong cách mạng Việt Nam (Experience in land reform in the Vietnamese Revolution), available online: <a class="external free" href="http://dangcongsan.vn/details.asp?topic=2&subtopic=5&leader_topic=79&id=BT1060374012" rel="nofollow">http://dangcongsan.vn/details.asp?topic=2&subtopic=5&leader_topic=79&id=BT1060374012</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-30">^</a> Cheng Guan Ang, Ann Cheng Guan, The Vietnam War from the Other Side, p. 21. (2002).<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-31">^</a> Lind, 1999<br />^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Brocheux174_32-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-Brocheux174_32-1">b</a> Brocheux, Pierre, Claire Duiker Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, p. 174 <a class="internal mw-magiclink-isbn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0521850622">ISBN 0521850622</a>.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-33">^</a> Davidson, Vietnam at War: the history, 1946–1975, 1988<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-34">^</a> Chen Jian, "China's Involvement in the Vietnam Conflict, 1964-69", China Quarterly, No. 142 (June 1995), pp. 366–69.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-unesco_35-0">^</a> <a class="external text" href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0007/000769/076995E.pdf" rel="nofollow">"UNESCO. General Conference; 24th; Records of the General Conference, 24th session, Paris, 20 October to 20 November 1987, v. 1: Resolutions; 1988"</a> (PDF). <a class="external free" href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0007/000769/076995E.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0007/000769/076995E.pdf</a>. Retrieved 2009-09-26. <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh#cite_ref-36">^</a> "<a class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/US/9901/21/ho.chi.minh.protest/" rel="nofollow">Hồ Chí Minh poster angers Vietnamese Americans</a>", <a title="CNN" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN">CNN</a><br /><div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-88021356163111549772010-07-14T05:54:00.000-07:002010-07-14T05:55:48.349-07:00Cai Mon Fruit Tree Garden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIvbSuNFVsIyDPNeQ22vRdBl_H4SmN_JBOsHWgt-_ApM7VT-Ags0UmUQmHjzoMO7rzQ0qWknnXna2lohzh-3ZEsOeNiAQcWPYnvJupyh-PqTFSviHt_OidApwPco7SDulOux8xJ-h_nmO/s1600/VuonTraiCayCaiMon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493744692073698162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIvbSuNFVsIyDPNeQ22vRdBl_H4SmN_JBOsHWgt-_ApM7VT-Ags0UmUQmHjzoMO7rzQ0qWknnXna2lohzh-3ZEsOeNiAQcWPYnvJupyh-PqTFSviHt_OidApwPco7SDulOux8xJ-h_nmO/s400/VuonTraiCayCaiMon.jpg" border="0" /></a> Cai Mon is located on the bank of the Tien River in the village of Vinh Thanh Communes, Cho Lach District. It is considered the cradle of fruit trees in South Vietnam, with fruit ready for visitors in any season.<br />Cai Mon’s professional village annually supplies millions of products, such as durians, mangosteens, mangoes and longans.<br />In the fruit gardens of Cai Mon, visitors may enjoy the good taste of fresh fruits hand-picked from the low branches while experiencing the curiousness of exploring the gardens. The fruits are sold by kilogram or by “belly”, a way of popular food selling in the Mekong Delta region, in which you may eat some kind of fruit or foodstuff to your fill but you just have to pay one price for each time you eat. Recently, as the form of eco-tourist excursions in fruit gardens is booming, drawing more and more visitors, fruit garden owners in Cho Lach and Tan Phu (Chau Thanh District) add specialty food services to their catering program. Some of Ben Tre’s specialty dishes such as home-grown chiken rice gruel, with the chicken raised and let walking freely in the home garden so that it retains natural quality of meat; mussel rice gruel, rice pancake with mussel ingredient in Phu Da Islet (Cho Lach District). Visitors must not omit these stuffs on their tour to Ben Tre.<br /><br /><div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-36591610985351632792010-07-14T05:45:00.000-07:002010-07-14T05:53:53.796-07:00SAIGON & MEKONG DELTAThe far south of Vietnam is one of the two main rice bowls of the country. Dominated by the Mekong Delta, the surrounding lands are comprised of low lying rice paddies and the rivers are bordered by dense mangroves and palms. The tributaries of the hectic Mekong River highway provide a comprehensive network of canals and channels. The rivers are the best methods to explore the region at a leisurely pace and offer an opportunity to experience the truly unique Mekong River lifestyle.<br />What follows is an itinerary for exploring the Delta in a clockwise direction, beginning south of Ho Chi Minh City at Mytho. The areas listed below are very popular with travelers and even non-travelers. Cruising up rivers sitting on the roof of a boat laden with all manner of fish produce while gazing at a beautiful sunset over the distant palm tress, is a truly unforgettable experience.<br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon2.htm#mytho">My Tho</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#rachgia">Rach Gia</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon2.htm#bentre">Ben Tre</a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493742830292304098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69wc3S4vsr_2wdaB6MxIX0DdJ8emqXe0oBHykyd9ystq7H2kMhFiz2a-M4gBNcZKYRhaPnjQDQ9gYRgxyk_5u6he6AZY084DBhlzccciK7YPURz2sqUFmf5STtI-rr2G_hAxk0fxkMixW/s400/5.jpg" border="0" /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#phuquoc">Phu Quoc Island</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon2.htm#vinhlong">Vinh Long</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#honchong">Hon Chong</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon2.htm#cantho">Can Tho</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#hatien">Ha Tien</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#soctrang">Soc Trang</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#chaudoc">Chau Doc</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.threeland.com/saigon3.htm#camau">Ca Mau</a><br /><br /> MY THO CITY<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493742760163026930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCKFesFifuuT9Cr8R-n6S_s5V2wE6F2qDxeAhrqzUnDEQqMBYwNMyRDT9mf8VhvvQV91sBG48C6uZZD0K7GQ7P2DdQ5V4csX0hqMAm4ShhT5Qbqe6Dy7V_U5e6B5Rp7zQNdiqvwmfxyel/s400/4.jpg" border="0" /><br />Mytho is a delightful town, situated about two hours by bus south west of Ho Chi Minh city. Sitting on the bank of The Mekong River, Mytho is divided into two parts by a tributary of the river. From here you can take a number of short boat trips to various islands and floating markets within the surrounding area. It is also a good place to catch the overnight long boats to a variety of locations including Chau Doc and Long Xuyen. A quiet evening in Mytho can be spent on your veranda watching the sun set and the fishing fleet unload after dark. During the day you can spend hours in a nearby café simply watching life go by, or on the river, cruising the day away. The Mytho experience is enhanced by the fact that the streets are generally extremely quiet. In Mytho, you will not have to worry about the challenges of bikes for there are not many. It is very relaxing.<br />Along 30 thang 4 street is an amazing demonstration of the bizarre Vietnamese taste for really tacky photos. Rather than have their photo taken with the background of the flowing Mekong River, photographers have erected all manner of cardboard backings with snow scenes, stuffed deer and to add that final touch of authenticity, their assistants are dressed as pandas. Just a bit further down the street from the strange photographic practices, there is a quiet little park where you can savour a baguette and watch the sun set.<br />Con Phung island<br />This island is also known as the Island of the Coconut Monk named after a monk, Ong Dao Dua, who meditated on the island for three years during which time he ate nothing but coconuts. An active supporter of the reunification of Vietnam, he strongly believed that reunification could be achieved by peaceful means. In the early 1960s, he founded a community in support of this ideal, and as a result was imprisoned by President Diem on a number occasions. At his time, the island became a sanctuary for those who were attempting to escape the ravages of war. Ong Dao Dua also headed his own sect, which was a bizarre mix of Christianity and Buddhism. The large cross that you may stumble upon in his sanctuary is not a swastika, but actually a sign of his victory over a communist community which he dissolved. You can reach Con Phung island by boat from Mytho in about 30 minutes.<br />Snake farm<br />If you enjoy having enormous pythons wrapped around you, this is the place for you as snakes are bred at the Snake Farm for anti-venom and medicinal purposes. If snakes do not turn you on, then maybe the turtles will. The Snake Farm is home to two yellow turtles, the only two living of their species known to the human race. They live up to 1,000 years and as these two turtles are only 200 years old, they have another 800 years to look forward to. The Thai government offered $ 250,000 US for the turtles, but the Vietnamese authorities declined the 'generous' offer.<br /><br /><br /> BEN TRE<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493742705585727154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnUlJqFkLb9yoJS3ecc-DIzJ0DuL4vXP-TN2Igoul73kDeTGiSFnLjrEnO64Q2yICd0Gd68Mnr6qx9BbXtMnfmir6CisUW14AelZe0MZor2kOxRhRTgcYlBkpRcI4udDjx3LOYIdde6Xs/s400/3.jpg" border="0" /><br />Ben Tre is composed of seven districts with Chau Thanh being the main city, surrounded by many islands that are covered with coconut trees. Ben Tre is known throughout Vietnam for its masses of coconut palms, and during the war the coconut oil was used as a valuable substitute for kerosene. This area is relatively untouched by tourism and this is even more evident by the fact that NOBODY speaks English in Ben Tre. . Even the tourist office has trouble communicating in English. Communication problems aside, you will find the people of Ben Tre to be exceedingly friendly and the countryside is beautiful. There is also a daily fresh produce market that is extremely colorful and worth visiting. Due to the limited exposure to tourism, Ben Tre can leave you with a purely cultural experience.<br /> <br /><a name="vinhlong"></a> VINH LONG<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493742643220041490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7thknQ_YKByTB01pPDCc73dXyST0pFby12XOcRaXxf1cP5zHCn9I_JRx8rA88yASYQlXieBg1yeeJAUwm9u-hkSC08kdC6_KWQ7ihJEoVb-VMwODzLvhAr2wwggOqV0j51p3I0v0-crmP/s400/2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />The town of Vinh Long is set on the edge of its principal attraction, the Mekong River. It is from here that you can set out to visit the many beautiful surrounding islands. Vinh Long is uncharacteristically large town as compared to other communities on the Mekong Delta. It has an abundance of tall buildings and Karaoke bars to tempt your vocal chords. At one stage in Vietnam's history, Vinh Long was at the center of a Christian stronghold. Although Christians no longer dominate in the area, there is still a cathedral that is worth visiting.<br />Most people that visit Vinh Long use it as a base to explore the islands which are home to people that grow local exotic produce. One of the more popular islands to visit has several rambutan and bonzai tree gardens with many different fruits and flowers<br /><br /> CAN THO<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493742573368190146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyIHpMwPcPSPx3N-rCW7fPCfDqJhD7MJFxM4JZWVxRny9_y-oBC74F919baSS8-89i1nWJ84dOQHiAM-MDlZcZK-KQU45WfEQd_eAP3NEpJKVVPkcsKlLDLu00iz_zalFmMA7CTcuq4Gg/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div><br />Can Tho is a thriving metropolis with huge streets, little action and loads of mosquitoes. Although Can Tho has its own market by the riverside where you can buy some excellent ice-cream, the principal attraction would have to be the nearby floating markets. Being rather industrious, the centre of Can Tho is quite busy and noisy with motorized cyclos roaring up and down the streets combined with throngs of people going about their lives. The riverside can have its quiet moments, but Can Tho is also a burgeoning town and there are a number of pagodas worth visiting. For the trivia fans, you should know that Can Tho is the home to much of Vietnam's fish sauce.<br />Markets<br />Cai Rang Market is situated about 8 km from Can Tho by road or 20 km by boat as the river loops its way towards it.. This market is quite nice and a variety of fruit and vegetables are available. It is open from 5 am to 11 am. You will find it better for shopping the earlier you can get there. A cyclo from Can Tho to the Cai Rang Market will take about 15 minutes.<br />Another market, Phung Hiep market, is 31 km from Can Tho. This is the snake market, selling a plethora of living, wriggling and often poisonous snakes. Pythons and Cobras are sold here by people from the countryside who have caught them by hand. People come to this market to purchase snakes for restaurants, medicinal reasons or personal consumption. This market is open from 5 am to 5 pm. If traveling to Phung Hiep market by boat, you can add a dimension to your day by stopping and visiting some of the fruit gardens, where you can purchase many types of fruit including sell pineapple, rambutan and papaya.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-19797651960502147292010-07-14T05:41:00.001-07:002010-07-14T05:41:58.966-07:00Ben Tre famous for orchards and coconut gardensTravelling by boats along rivers and canals intertwined under the shade of coconut trees in southern Ben Tre province, visitors can enjoy traditional special dishes in its orchards and coconut gardens.<br />In Ben Tre, tourists have a chance to look at fine handicraft items made from coconut materials such as sandals, dolls, small baskets, bed lamps and vases. They can also watch how coconut candy is made and taste it right at the workshops. The province is also well known for other candies making villages, ornamental trees and ancient houses.<br />The province chose tourism for economic development in parallel with orchards economy and fisheries with many tours to traditional craft villages and orchards. Deputy Director of Ben Tre's Commerce and Tourism Service Nguyen Duy Phuong said that his province has encouraged local people to join the tourism industry while the State being responsible for infrastructure.<br />Famous names like Con Phung tourist resort in Chau Thanh district, famous ornamental flower farms in Cho Lach district and the Church of Cai Mon have become familiar with tourists.<br />Ben Tre is a leading Mekong Delta province in terms of orchard tours with 29 destinations. Furthermore, local people also introduce their guests to traditional crafts and folk culture.<br />Let's take Vo Van Phuc's family in An Khanh commune, Chau Thanh district as an example. Visiting his garden where he raises bees for honey, tourists can enjoy not only honey products but also "don ca tai tu" (amateur music playing) which is the region's specific identity.<br />The provincial tourism revenues in 2005 reached VND 83 billion, sharply up from VND 45.5 billion in 2002. Almost 151,000 foreign tourists visited Ben Tre in 2005, up from 110,000 in 2002.<br />Since early 2006, more than 20 tourist agencies from many parts of the country have organised tours to Ben Tre's tourist sites. The province welcomed more than 26,000 foreign tourists and 53,000 Vietnamese visitors in the first three months of the year.<br />In 2006, the province is now calling for investments in 5 tourism projects worth tens of millions of US dollars. They are the Con Phung tourist resort (in Chau Thanh district), the eco-tourist resort of Vam Ho Bird Colony (Ba Tri), the My Thanh An eco-tourist and entertainment complex (in Ben Tre town), the Con Oc eco-tourist resort (Giong Trom) and the Con Noi eco-tourist resort (Mo Cay).<br />(Source: VNA)mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-83282286114535598212010-07-14T05:29:00.000-07:002010-07-14T05:40:10.762-07:00Ben Tre- Land of CoconutExclusively, Ben Tre is very well-known as the land of coconut, 86 km far away from Ho Chi Minh City. With the coverage of more than 40000 hectares and a wide range of coconut species. Waterway travel is an attraction of this destination.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYihsb5sQmTF4ZFo-yls4D6HsMR00M_VLIaG3Nz5etMHJqFgQd7WQ0-PkTaxyxN1E42gEXt1pHkfw4MoKD7zln_WV3GVymLzlbaxDpBqIqsbGh12E0Dix6W4DmqTP0LEy_9AE-vt0LUDH/s1600/11.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493739305819865074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYihsb5sQmTF4ZFo-yls4D6HsMR00M_VLIaG3Nz5etMHJqFgQd7WQ0-PkTaxyxN1E42gEXt1pHkfw4MoKD7zln_WV3GVymLzlbaxDpBqIqsbGh12E0Dix6W4DmqTP0LEy_9AE-vt0LUDH/s400/11.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> Toursist boat awaiting to carrying visitors<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKSTjkszFqxYhRLwpHG6_n2Bta3DGLzsqOz5f5ur8TsmfhR9lndOoT0dxIqXABPe9fc17Gon2B4RDz9h9Spm2IdsomoKqyuNZ_6R0_Oowvu3Fa87M7NBrBdUdTgPoon04k7F_qu-MYiT8/s1600/10.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493739250805213170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 272px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKSTjkszFqxYhRLwpHG6_n2Bta3DGLzsqOz5f5ur8TsmfhR9lndOoT0dxIqXABPe9fc17Gon2B4RDz9h9Spm2IdsomoKqyuNZ_6R0_Oowvu3Fa87M7NBrBdUdTgPoon04k7F_qu-MYiT8/s400/10.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div> Discovering endless coconuts forests on a small boat<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3axi7vaZMuhV-Rpfbw0JFjc9ZPlMnCTqL4OphcNM5Kz1IoSD4VApjvrILcHgt-8Ozr1RDMwT-h8RgVjHKv9WvJj1qaCYVaCC1M30Sh3TPY-wxaorrQidcBLPgVDAf5qqcEXuCN0ro7Y7/s1600/9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493739195814540050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3axi7vaZMuhV-Rpfbw0JFjc9ZPlMnCTqL4OphcNM5Kz1IoSD4VApjvrILcHgt-8Ozr1RDMwT-h8RgVjHKv9WvJj1qaCYVaCC1M30Sh3TPY-wxaorrQidcBLPgVDAf5qqcEXuCN0ro7Y7/s400/9.jpg" border="0" /></a> Or by a canoe<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXtVGORa9UqW1UAhoLPSrH3w7E8yqDzn54ealfCGi8kGiEKCZFf6b1flgkMdKVLFpNK3sGoBJjvTek80hhnKN5h8RuofB-KbCnYuzm1wSRwBKSmb3FaFbvMh-eDolaGsaNp5tVa47TfUP/s1600/8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493739137338562642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXtVGORa9UqW1UAhoLPSrH3w7E8yqDzn54ealfCGi8kGiEKCZFf6b1flgkMdKVLFpNK3sGoBJjvTek80hhnKN5h8RuofB-KbCnYuzm1wSRwBKSmb3FaFbvMh-eDolaGsaNp5tVa47TfUP/s400/8.jpg" border="0" /></a> A boat fully loaded with coconuts<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfOgp3WGZkrq_T8lv4Wk1TUMGKzPJynKXgvmwc6Fum3i2PJrKhJw5hhBcC8PO95pAaa6VubDBRvTHlNqAJk0bakzeVc7lV3z4HMZ84Krx0gm80efyBUNn-IZhx_c7SmXd-aTGyqKQnRfH/s1600/7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493739089123529474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfOgp3WGZkrq_T8lv4Wk1TUMGKzPJynKXgvmwc6Fum3i2PJrKhJw5hhBcC8PO95pAaa6VubDBRvTHlNqAJk0bakzeVc7lV3z4HMZ84Krx0gm80efyBUNn-IZhx_c7SmXd-aTGyqKQnRfH/s400/7.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ben Tre charming girl<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZfdjYtntTWEArUXucnfE3kkffU25Od_CsLLhaoPA8tGcaa6h1G6Xx97rFvoGMOnPt22Sk2QPNkl2nMJS6OtRi7VliwKZQG9og51H3ILYAtNS-6XxxysUJWyzygEV7q58F6LcA4LmJLQU/s1600/5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493739022255600274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZfdjYtntTWEArUXucnfE3kkffU25Od_CsLLhaoPA8tGcaa6h1G6Xx97rFvoGMOnPt22Sk2QPNkl2nMJS6OtRi7VliwKZQG9og51H3ILYAtNS-6XxxysUJWyzygEV7q58F6LcA4LmJLQU/s400/5.jpg" border="0" /></a> Walking along fruit gardens<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2255MIsFqwZADCi6_k0wAOdHzuEmRDZgoinvb52ByiXwLArcQqzIHs94gdWBr2rcRK4kP01kGHJcWtDv8XRiutqyarNW2ttF5L6Al7fd97x7yFg7mHvZGfDriqedLhKJHzydrv_xScYS/s1600/4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493738958226200466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2255MIsFqwZADCi6_k0wAOdHzuEmRDZgoinvb52ByiXwLArcQqzIHs94gdWBr2rcRK4kP01kGHJcWtDv8XRiutqyarNW2ttF5L6Al7fd97x7yFg7mHvZGfDriqedLhKJHzydrv_xScYS/s400/4.jpg" border="0" /></a> Floating villages on Tien River<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEwDc1oWgAuJd1g_si-sOdRf8C6oZYDtHLI4UXLHdCmepdHkyC2xCCoGCQm3rBtTy4Vnh-ULQMUmmWUuTp1waUnsggNyVoV6lhQXARLlXMAXc5EPq-nRspbz2iphR-L_24p8wsyMquN_f/s1600/3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493738906346605986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEwDc1oWgAuJd1g_si-sOdRf8C6oZYDtHLI4UXLHdCmepdHkyC2xCCoGCQm3rBtTy4Vnh-ULQMUmmWUuTp1waUnsggNyVoV6lhQXARLlXMAXc5EPq-nRspbz2iphR-L_24p8wsyMquN_f/s400/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> Local life style<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2C6ycmhzhQ2VP00RBLksQvpTzp9F7eNZrj07QQXjiugpQtgb9U8UmGHRvsxoi3oiUEWAf2bCQNDFkRdIr8Uab7RKZ7RP8HMB4XGSootpVxCFfAZDlKvj3zAoGYrI6UEyhJFrn24Alujdf/s1600/2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493738846105522674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2C6ycmhzhQ2VP00RBLksQvpTzp9F7eNZrj07QQXjiugpQtgb9U8UmGHRvsxoi3oiUEWAf2bCQNDFkRdIr8Uab7RKZ7RP8HMB4XGSootpVxCFfAZDlKvj3zAoGYrI6UEyhJFrn24Alujdf/s400/2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> Making Rice paper cake<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbdc6ZcSbszoFQobTcYZRH9P12MKRfyS-nqy00I9yJzjvKi_EaWDlP9UDxAtrpUS_wvgi8WjKvxAzjf4HxI_4ZAJL_-xTDyHGW3GOhzpyGAmr5UvO2ifjl9j1GQLsCuy9kHCjjhmOQfvc/s1600/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493738725755498738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 271px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbdc6ZcSbszoFQobTcYZRH9P12MKRfyS-nqy00I9yJzjvKi_EaWDlP9UDxAtrpUS_wvgi8WjKvxAzjf4HxI_4ZAJL_-xTDyHGW3GOhzpyGAmr5UvO2ifjl9j1GQLsCuy9kHCjjhmOQfvc/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> Rice paper cake is a specialty of Ben Tre</div><div> </div><div> ODC ’s editor </div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-43780014026245373212010-07-14T05:01:00.000-07:002010-07-14T05:03:01.938-07:00BEN TRE PROVINCE, SOUTH VIETNAMArea: 2,360.2 sq. kmPopulation: 1,353.3 habitants (2006)Capital: Ben Tre TownDistricts: Chau Thanh, Cho Lach, Mo Cay, Giong Trom, Binh Dai, Ba Tri, Thanh Phu.<br /><a class="external text" title="http://www.bentre.gov.vn/" href="http://www.bentre.gov.vn/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ben Tre province officila website</a><br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Vietnam_files/Ben-Tre-map.jpg" target="_blank">Map of Ben Tre</a><br /><br /><a name="Geography">Geography</a><br />Ben Tre is situated in Mekong Delta. It shares its border with Tien Giang in the north, Vinh Long in the west and south - west, and Tra Vinh in the south. It has 60km seashore. The four main rivers are Tien Giang, Ba Lai, Ham Luong, and Co Chien. They create Bao Minh, and An Hoa islets. The topography is flat with sand dunes and fields. Though rivers surrounding the province, water transportation is very available.Climate: It is moon soon climate. The rainy season lasts from May to October. The dry season lasts from December to April next year. The annual average temperature varies between 26 and 27ºC. The annual average rainfall is 1,250mm - 1,500mm<br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm#top">Go to top of the page</a><br /><a name="Tourism">Tourism</a><br />Having complex network of rivers and canals, Ben Tre has advantage to develop ecotourism with many green fruit gardens. Ben Tre is the granary of Mekong Delta. There are agriculture productions such as rice, corn, pineapple, custard-apple, star apple, durian, mango, longan, and many more. Industrial trees are tobacco, sugar-cane, and cotton. Especially, Ben Tre is homeland of coconut. It is known with Ben Tre coconut candy, My Long Cai Mon flower and ornamental plant.Ben Tre is well known as poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu's motherland. Other popular places are My Hoa Bird Reserve, Con Phung (Hillock of the Coconut Religion), Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary, Vien Minh Pagoda.<br /><a href="http://www.tuanlinhtravel.com/Vietnam/showhotels.asp?iCat=371" target="_blank">Hotels in Ben Tre</a><br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm#top">Go to top of the page</a><br /><a name="Festivals">Festivals</a><br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Vietnam-festivals-December.htm#Ben-Tre">in December</a><br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm#top">Go to top of the page</a><br /><a name="Tourist-attractions">Tourist attractions</a><br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Con-Phung.htm">Con Phung</a><br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm#top">Go to top of the page</a><br /><a name="Ethnic-groups">Ethnic groups</a><br />Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa, Tay<br /><a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm#top">Go to top of the page</a><br /><a name="Transportation">Transportation</a><br />Ben Tre is 14km from Mytho, and 85km from Ho Chi Minh City. National Highway No. 60 and 57 link to Tra Vinh and Tien Giang provinces in turn.Ben Tre is considered as island province accessible by ferry from Mytho. Tourist can visit Ben Tre by high-speech ship for 5 people<br />Source: Vietnam Nation Administration of Tourism<br />(<a href="http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm">http://www.vietnamtravels.vn/Vietnam-travel-information/Ben-Tre.htm</a>)mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-37939046599152337802010-07-14T04:50:00.000-07:002010-07-14T05:00:25.788-07:00Halong Bay...you get what you pay for<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPwVckeCVVZEMdZIvIA3L0Zi70yASuoRh-5Suectqx_g3qzTBUlAubI-hS5OM2xUVPhsdeObRO_ZbCouvDvMb3XBwuy_gt1PPv9-NwP6jTihz45wN9XncTB8fhB2Zz3B8SH-kwQnG6OgL/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AaB7TuwfwmpRZUlCfpf40VgjogXxOA4MNUIsh2k2HEKdxxFyQaDAvasDJO0ja8qJ6maGhlEsU8JW_LaBukeAxfdBskm2HV_TG2xNvgS34M4tMdDwxTPV_WnlxkInNZovZQ8JouMsYFEx/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493728417093400258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AaB7TuwfwmpRZUlCfpf40VgjogXxOA4MNUIsh2k2HEKdxxFyQaDAvasDJO0ja8qJ6maGhlEsU8JW_LaBukeAxfdBskm2HV_TG2xNvgS34M4tMdDwxTPV_WnlxkInNZovZQ8JouMsYFEx/s320/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>After a fabulous trip to Sapa, we went a bit cheap on our Halong Bay trip and it showed. I guess you get what you pay for here in Vietnam. It started with a long minibus ride from Hanoi to Halong City. Its only 160km, but took us over 4 hours to make the trip. It can be difficult to get around here in Vietnam due to the mind-boggling number of motorbikes, mopeds, and scooters that line the streets. Add to that the fact that we're in the middle of the Tet holiday and it'll take over 4 hours to go 160km. More on the traffic in a later blog.</div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>CJ and I didn't even have real seats for the journey, just the fold down type in the middle of the aisle. We arrived in Halong City and about 50 of us piled onto the boat that was supposed to hold 16 max. We weren't sure how everyone was going to get a cabin to sleep in, but we weren't worrying about it just yet. We had to make a french couple move over so we could fit at the table for lunch as we set out to check out Halong Bay.Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only is it aesthetically spectacular with over 3000 islands, but its also culturally interesting as there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of Vietnamese living on the waters of Halong Bay. They make a living by fishing and selling things to tourists. Most have aquaculture pens surrounding their homes, which are literally on the water. Pretty crazy place to live, and just about each home came with a guard dog.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>Our first stop in the Bay was a huge cave on one of the islands. I don't know much more about the cave as our tour guide wasn't much help. CJ and I felt that the cave may have been used as human habitation hundreds or maybe even thousands of years ago, but our tour guide said it had only been discovered in 1989. Don't think we believe that, but we stopped asking questions after that response. Maybe that's what he was hoping for.After the cave we headed further into the islands towards Cat Ba Island. We were meant to sleep on the boat the first night, but as there were too many of us, we slept on Cat Ba Island the first night. Cat Ba Island is surprisingly large for being so far out in Halong Bay. There are many hotels, restaurants and karaoke bars lining the streets. We had dinner at the hotel and took a stroll down the main st<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPQpv6vZ_XPXSgToa1u2GemA_oeFmNwmlyxHsh_d20XbdGPrs5RkhgWQR1D3sCc57GowaRu25y6cFoDLUD_RVxdfqA8QMCT413yxrAqUcuGQ4LShWn9REftsDTm5Dreec2YsglWWLAFZ2/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493729839149119106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPQpv6vZ_XPXSgToa1u2GemA_oeFmNwmlyxHsh_d20XbdGPrs5RkhgWQR1D3sCc57GowaRu25y6cFoDLUD_RVxdfqA8QMCT413yxrAqUcuGQ4LShWn9REftsDTm5Dreec2YsglWWLAFZ2/s400/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></a>reet. The local delicacy appeared to be some sort of gecko wine. Literally dead nearly footlong gecko's crammed into bottles of "wine". As tempting as that sounds, we didn't try any.After breakfast the next morning, we went hiking in the Cat Ba Island National Park. At the top of the mountain there were great views of the surrounding islands. It was a cool day and a bit foggy, which gave the islands a mystic aura. After hiking we had lunch and took a nap before heading back to the boat for a kayaking expedition. For being a World Heritage Site, the waters in Halong Bay are not pristine. Probably due to the large number of inhabitants on the water and tour boats in the area. We kayaked around for about 45 minutes, checking out the islands up close and making the dogs bark at us. As we headed back toward Cat Ba Island we made a quick stop at Monkey Island for some folks to have a look at a monkey or two. We refrained. We then went back to Cat Ba Island to settle in for the night.As I mentioned there were more people than the boat could handle so during the previous day our tour guide and other tour guides were making up stories to try to get people to stay at the hotel instead of on the boat. Stories ranged from a large storm brewing, to rats on the boat, possibly sinking boats, and horrible food. Some of the stories must have worked because come bedtime, there were 16 people on the boat and everyone had a pillow.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493728659419192818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGd-ybEy0S9tRZ92jw6BL7HHuRM091xy6fhxx6yZIC0dWLyULQLfDd-t2YgNz0j_tw6GBOZ-Lhf1xjcP-HFvvS7l4z8yAmTnKFvZyl3jpnNmesLG94SOUf9kMD-LQjhBz0S9Ujyv6fec67/s320/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>Our first stop in the Bay was a huge cave on one of the islands. I don't know much more about the cave as our tour guide wasn't much help. CJ and I felt that the cave may have been used as human habitation hundreds or maybe even thousands of years ago, but our tour guide said it had only been discovered in 1989. Don't think we believe that, but we stopped asking questions after that response. Maybe that's what he was hoping for.After the cave we headed further into the islands towards Cat Ba Island. We were meant to sleep on the boat the first night, but as there were too many of us, we slept on Cat Ba Island the first night. Cat Ba Island is surprisingly large for being so far out in Halong Bay. There are many hotels, restaurants and karaoke bars lining the streets. We had dinner at the hotel and took a stroll down the main street. The local delicacy appeared to be some sort of gecko wine. Literally dead nearly footlong gecko's crammed into bottles of "wine". As tempting as that sounds, we didn't try any.After breakfast the next morning, we went hiking in the Cat Ba Island National Park. At the top of the mountain there were great views of the surrounding islands. It was a cool day and a bit foggy, which gave the islands a mystic aura. After hiking we had lunch and took a nap before heading back to the boat for a kayaking expedition. For being a World Heritage Site, the waters in Halong Bay are not pristine. Probably due to the large number of inhabitants on the water and tour boats in the area. We kayaked around for about 45 minutes, checking out the islands up close and making the dogs bark at us. As we headed back toward Cat Ba Island we made a quick stop at Monkey Island for some folks to have a look at a monkey or two. We refrained. We then went back to Cat Ba Island to settle in for the night.As I mentioned there were more people than the boat could handle so during the previous day our tour guide and other tour guides were making up stories to try to get people to stay at the hotel instead of on the boat. Stories ranged from a large storm brewing, to rats on the boat, possibly sinking boats, and horrible food. Some of the stories must have worked because come bedtime, there were 16 people on the boat and everyone had a pillow.</p><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p>The next morning we headed back to Halong City, waited around for an hour before eating lunch and hopping back on the minibus for Hanoi. On the way back we were one seat short so I ended up sitting up front between the driver and passenger seat on a cushion. Quite comfy, but I would've done a mighty superman impression had the brakes been needed in a hurry. Saw a cockfight on the side of the road during our pitstop.Once back in Hanoi we had 2 hours to collect our things, get cleaned up, get our train tix and get to the train station in time for our 7pm train from Hanoi to Hue. And the journey continues...photos finally up</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPQpv6vZ_XPXSgToa1u2GemA_oeFmNwmlyxHsh_d20XbdGPrs5RkhgWQR1D3sCc57GowaRu25y6cFoDLUD_RVxdfqA8QMCT413yxrAqUcuGQ4LShWn9REftsDTm5Dreec2YsglWWLAFZ2/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPQpv6vZ_XPXSgToa1u2GemA_oeFmNwmlyxHsh_d20XbdGPrs5RkhgWQR1D3sCc57GowaRu25y6cFoDLUD_RVxdfqA8QMCT413yxrAqUcuGQ4LShWn9REftsDTm5Dreec2YsglWWLAFZ2/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"></a><br /><br /><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iN-qqvjP7DUqWnoreMtakjHUYH_9stUpUQN5Fenqc-tury8tkriRhyk2km16z-_rauQXAz7m69DBDpzkw45xQ_gZW-k4DYhWhCitTny9SRQWboxeIUtllnoNlbHCm9gbnUnT1_8CZLGT/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493729358358319762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iN-qqvjP7DUqWnoreMtakjHUYH_9stUpUQN5Fenqc-tury8tkriRhyk2km16z-_rauQXAz7m69DBDpzkw45xQ_gZW-k4DYhWhCitTny9SRQWboxeIUtllnoNlbHCm9gbnUnT1_8CZLGT/s400/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QsWR_KNja2NF5ndxdiIX5AbOdiO0DJraKkSveiyjv1Y8FZ8js2-4l6hVkT0Cz7AWV6KdUNGHBb7Ihj6uKiQsf0Wl70DodXDyulk10PSCJm-NnFidhPw2n2MAEBNKlBvDBS1wN9bu5kHL/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493730280057721170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QsWR_KNja2NF5ndxdiIX5AbOdiO0DJraKkSveiyjv1Y8FZ8js2-4l6hVkT0Cz7AWV6KdUNGHBb7Ihj6uKiQsf0Wl70DodXDyulk10PSCJm-NnFidhPw2n2MAEBNKlBvDBS1wN9bu5kHL/s400/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><a href="http://120daysoff.blogspot.com/2007/02/halong-bayyou-get-what-you-pay-for.html">http://120daysoff.blogspot.com/2007/02/halong-bayyou-get-what-you-pay-for.html</a><br /><p></p><br /><p></p></div></div></div>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-5333412188642236072010-07-14T04:47:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:49:03.908-07:00GENDER AND WATERGender refers to the different roles, rights, and responsibilities of men and women and the relations between them. Gender does not simply refer to women or men, but to the way their qualities, behaviours, and identities are determined through the process of socialization.Gender is generally associated with unequal power and access to choices and resources. The different positions of women and men are influenced by historical, religious, economic and cultural realities. These relations and responsibilities can and do change over time.<br />It has become increasingly accepted that women should play an important role in water management and that this role could be enhanced through the strategy of gender mainstreaming.<br />The importance of involving both women and men in the management of water and sanitation has been recognized at the global level, starting from the 1977 United Nations Water Conference at Mar del Plata, the International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade (1981-90) and the International Conference on Water and the Environment in Dublin (January 1992), which explicitly recognizes the central role of women in the provision, management and safeguarding of water. Reference is also made to the involvement of women in water management in Agenda 21 (<a href="http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_18.shtml">chapter 18</a>) and the <a href="http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/WSSD_PlanImpl.pdf">Johannesburg Plan of Implementation</a>. Moreover, the resolution establishing the International Decade for Action, 'Water for Life' (2005-2015), calls for women's participation and involvement in water-related development efforts.<br />The differences and inequalities between women and men influence how individuals respond to changes in water resources management. Understanding gender roles, relations, and inequalities can help explain the choices people make and their different options. Involving both women and men in integrated water resources initiatives can increase project effectiveness and efficiency.<br />Without specific attention to gender issues and initiatives, projects can reinforce inequalities between women and men and even increase gender disparities.<br />Sources:<br />Resource guide: Mainstreaming gender in water. UNDP, 2006<br />Gender, water and sanitation. Policy brief. Interagency Task Force on Gender and Water, 2006 <a name="mdgs"></a><br />Gender, Water and the MDGs<br />Reduced time, health, and care-giving burdens from improved water services give women more time for productive endeavours, adult education, empowerment activities, leisure<br />Convenient access to water and sanitation facilities increase privacy and reduce risk to women and girls of sexual harassment/assault while gathering water<br />. Higher rates of child survival are a precursor to the demographic transition to lower fertility rates; having fewer children reduces women's household responsibilities and increases their opportunities for personal development.<br />Source: Health, Dignity and Development: What will it take? Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, 2005.<a name="mainstreaming"></a><br />What is "gender mainstreaming"?<br />Gender mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all spheres so that women and men benefit equally.<br />Source: Resource guide: Mainstreaming gender in water. UNDP, 2006 <a name="didyouknow"></a><br />Did you know?<br />Fetching water is part of the gender inequality<br />In rural Benin, girls ages 6-14 spend an average of one hour a day collecting water compared with 25 minutes for their brothers.<br />In Malawi, there are large variations in the amount of time allocated for water collection based on seasonal factors, but women consistently spend four to five times longer than men on this task.<br />Source: Human Development Report 2006. Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. UNDP, 2006. <a name="uninitiatives"></a><br />UN initiatives that are helping to raise the issue...<br /><a href="http://www.unwater.org/TFgender.html">UN-Water Task Force on Gender and Water</a> At the start of the International Year of Freshwater in 2003, the Interagency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) established an Inter-agency Gender and Water Task Force. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) was invited to serve as Task Manager and a few non-UN entities were welcomed to participate on the Task Force. In 2004, the Task Force became one of UN-Water Task Forces and was requested to take responsibility for the gender component of the International Water for Life Decade, 2005-2015. (<a href="http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/gender.html">http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/gender.html</a>)mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-22927475287115198122010-07-14T04:44:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:46:13.912-07:00FINANCING WATERIncreasing people's access to sanitation and drinking-water brings large benefits to the development of individual countries through improvements in health outcomes and the economy.<br />The impact of diarrhoeal disease on children is greater than the combined impact of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), tuberculosis and malaria; we also know that the provision of improved sanitation and drinking-water could reduce diarrhoeal diseases by nearly 90%. Latest estimates indicate that improvements in sanitation and drinking-water could reduce the number of children who die each year by 2.2 million. Huge savings in health-care costs and gains in productive days can therefore be realized by improving access to safe water and basic sanitation.<br />Despite these clear benefits for human development, many countries seem to allocate insufficient resources to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for sanitation and drinking-water. When compared with other sectors, particularly the other major social sectors of education and health, sanitation and drinking-water receive a relatively low priority for both official development assistance (ODA) and domestic allocations.<br />Trends in aid for water and sanitation, education, and health/population/HIV/AIDS,as a percentage of total ODA commitments, 1995-2008<br />Historical data show that sanitation and drinking-water enjoyed more than 8% of total ODA in 1997. At that time, other social infrastructure sectors, such as health, education, population and reproductive health, received lower proportions of aid compared with sanitation and drinking-water. During the 11 years since 1997, however, the proportion of development aid allocated to sanitation and drinking-water fell from 8% to 5%, while development aid allocated to health increased from 7% to 11.5% and that for education remained steady at around 7%.<br />Source:<br />UN-Water Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) 2010. Targeting resources for better results. WHO, 2010<br />The benefits of investing in water and sanitation<br />The economic benefits of investing in drinking-water and sanitation come in several forms:<br />health-care savings by health agencies and individuals;<br />productive days gained per year (for those 15-59 years of age) and increased school attendance;<br />time savings (working days gained) resulting from more convenient access to services;<br />value of deaths averted (based on future earnings).<br />Source:<br />Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Water and Sanitation Improvements at the Global Level. WHO, 2004<br />Sanitation: the forgotten sister<br />Sanitation has been severely neglected. Estimates of the cost of achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target for sanitation vary widely, due to differences in approach and a weak information base. The World Health Organization estimates the total annual cost of meeting the target at just over $9.5 billion. If estimates of current costs are correct, resources in the sanitation sector would have to be almost doubled to meet the 2015 target (although estimates of current spending probably underestimate the contributions by households to their own sanitation services). If the full cost of tertiary wastewater treatment for waste streams in urban areas is added, the total rises to $100 billion, the current value of total annual official development assistance (ODA).<br />In 2008, financing for sanitation comprised 37% of total aid funding for sanitation and drinking-water.<br />Sources:<br />3rd United Nations World Water Development Report: Water in a Changing World. Chapter 4. WWAP, 2009<br />UN-Water Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) 2010<br />Did you know?<br />Achieving the water and sanitation MDG target could bring economic benefits, ranging from US$ 3 to US$ 34 per US$ 1 invested, depending on the region<br />Additional improvement of drinking-water quality (e.g. point-of-use treatment), if sustained, could lead to a benefit t ranging from US$ 5 to US$ 60 per US$ 1 invested (<a href="http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/financing.html">http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/financing.html</a>)mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-20536621592120319152010-07-14T04:42:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:44:06.465-07:00TRANSBOUNDARY WATERSFierce national competition over water resources has prompted fears that water issues contain the seeds of violent conflict. If all the world's peoples work together, a secure and sustainable water future can be ours."Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General.<br />As water quality degrades or the quantity available has to meet rising demands over time, competition among water users intensifies. This is nowhere more destabilizing than in river basins that cross political boundaries. But experience shows that in many situations, rather than causing open conflict, the need for water sharing can generate unexpected cooperation.<br />Despite the complexity of the problems, records show that water disputes can be handled diplomatically. The last 50 years have seen only 37 acute disputes involving violence, compared to 150 treaties that have been signed. Nations value these agreements because they make international relations over water more stable and predictable. In fact, the history of international water treaties dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the two Sumerian city-states of Lagash and Umma crafted an agreement ending a water dispute along the Tigris River - often said to be the first treaty of any kind. Since then, a large body of water treaties has emerged. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, more than 3,600 treaties related to international water resources have been drawn up since 805 AD. The majority of these deal with navigation and boundary demarcation. The focus of negotiation and treaty-making in the last century has shifted away from navigation towards the use, development, protection and conservation of water resources.<br /><br />Legal agreements on water sharing have been negotiated and maintained even as conflicts have persisted over other issues. Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, have been able to cooperate since 1957 within the framework of the Mekong River Commission, and they had technical exchanges throughout the Vietnam War. Since 1955 Israel and Jordan, have held regular talks on the sharing of the Jordan River, even as they were until recently in a legal state of war. The Indus River Commission survived two wars between India and Pakistan. A framework for the Nile River Basin, home to 160 million people and shared among 10 countries, was agreed in February 1999 in order to fight poverty and spur economic development in the region by promoting equitable use of, and benefits from, common water resources. The nine Niger River Basin countries have agreed on a framework for a similar partnership. These cases reflect two important elements of international water resources cooperation: the need for an institution to effectively develop a process of engagement over time; and well-funded third-party support trusted by all factions.<br />The more than 3,600 agreements and treaties signed are an achievement in themselves, but a closer look at them still reveals significant weaknesses. What is needed are workable monitoring provisions, enforcement mechanisms, and specific water allocation provisions that address variations in water flow and changing needs. The 1997 United Nations Convention on Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses is one international instrument that specifically focuses on shared water resources. It established two key principles to guide the conduct of nations regarding shared watercourses: "equitable and reasonable use" and "the obligation not to cause significant harm" to neighbours. However, it is up to countries themselves to spell out precisely what these terms mean in their watersheds.<br />There is a consensus among experts that international watercourse agreements need to be more concrete, setting out measures to enforce treaties made and incorporating detailed conflict resolution mechanisms in case disputes erupt. Better cooperation also entails identifying clear yet flexible water allocations and water quality standards, taking into account hydrological events, changing basin dynamics and societal values.<br />Sources:<br /><a href="http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/waterborders.pdf">Water Without Borders.</a> Backgrounder. United Nations Department of Public Information, 2004<br />Human Development Report 2006. Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Chapter 6. UNDP, 2006.<br />Did you know?<br />The world's 263 transboundary lake and river basins cover nearly half of the Earth's land surface.<br />A total of 145 nations include territory within international basins, and 21 countries lie entirely within international basins.<br />While most basins are shared between just two countries, there are many basins where this number is much higher. There are 13 basins worldwide that are shared between 5 and 8 riparian nations. Five basins, the Congo, Niger, Nile, Rhine and Zambezi, are shared between 9 and 11 countries. The river that flows through the most nations is the Danube, which travels within the territory of 18 nations.<br />UN initiatives that are helping to raise the issue...<br /><a href="http://www.unwater.org/wwd09/">World Water Day 2009: Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities</a> World Water Day 2009 was dedicated to the theme "Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities". The focus was placed on transboundary waters and on the fact that nurturing the opportunities for cooperation in transboundary water management can help build mutual respect, understanding and trust among countries and promote peace, security and sustainable economic growth.<br /><a href="http://www.unwater.org/TFtrans.html">UN-Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters</a> The UN-Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters is intended to provide a platform to promote coherence and coordination of activities by UN-Water members and partners in the area of transboundary waters. It does this by facilitating a steady exchange of information, experiences and lessons learned and by promoting joint efforts. (<a href="http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/transboundary_waters.html">http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/transboundary_waters.html</a>)mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-71726382135121639972010-07-14T04:39:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:40:05.806-07:00the car with Sandrine and Magdala, two of our talented trainers in Comfort for Kids, our program designed to teach adults ways to help address the pothe car with Sandrine and Magdala, two of our talented trainers in Comfort for Kids, our program designed to teach adults ways to help address the post-earthquake psychosocial needs of children. We’re on our way to the Delmas neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. I haven’t been to this part of the city yet. It’s a kind of commercial area near the airport, with lots of businesses along the road. As we get further in the neighborhood, the earthquake damage is staggering. Buildings with floors stacked on stop of each other like pancakes. Massive piles of rubble.<br />We pull up in front of the school, College Alexandre Claubert. Sandrine and Magdala have never been here before.<br /><a class="lightbox" href="http://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/lightbox/photos/DSC_4555_Claubert_grou.jpg" jquery1279107395762="9"></a>A group photo of the teachers who participated in the Comfort for Kids training at College Alexandre Claubert. Now they can better help their students cope with their reactions and feelings around the earthquake and recover from their experiences. Photo: Lisa Hoashi/Mercy Corps<br />I go outside into the street to take pictures while they wait for the teachers to arrive. I can’t believe how hard this neighborhood was hit. Outside I see kids goofing around in their uniforms, some boys pegging each other with little pieces of rubble which leave poofs of white dust on their blue uniforms where they hit. They are scrambling around, laughing.<br />When I get back to the classroom, there are now 20 teachers who have arrived. They are all teachers at this school, mainly men. I won’t be able to understand the training because it’s in Creole so Sandrine puts me at the front of the class on a chair so she can whisper to me what’s happening. I take notes, which follow…<br />Introductions. Many of the teachers are also students themselves, young between 20-30. Some study journalism, psychology, accounting. They stand up when introducing themselves.<br />The classroom: Cement block walls with open windows and grates over them. Linoleum floor, desks wooden with benches. Some are stamped “Unicef.” Son of the director is sitting quietly in the next classroom over, he’s 3 or 4 and so well behaved. Most of the teacher wear polos and sneakers. Dress shoes and slacks. No lightbulb in the ceiling.<br />Sandrine starts off talking about what an earthquake is. If they had information about it before. How it changed their life.<br />She asks, How did it change your life? How did it feel?<br />One man says it made him very sad and very angry. He’s wearing a white pressed shirt and tie, very tall and thin, and when he talked I sensed real bravery in what he was saying.<br />Another, who was the one who said he studied psychology, said he tried to use what he knew to help others in his neighborhood cope with their feelings after the earthquake.<br />Magdala reviews the four pillars of security: environment, home, culture, routine. How important they are for everyone, as well as children to have. How with the earthquake they have lost a lot of them and how kids are vulnerable and how we can help them.<br />Class is seminar style, like a college class. With Sandrine and Magdala lecturing, with breaks in discussion, trading ideas, laughing, coming back to curriculum. Everyone is contributing a lot to the discussion. Sandrine says it’s common, because the information is so new to them.<br />They are learning how to help others deal with their feelings even when the earthquake is equally as fresh for them.<br />My own feelings — sadness, empathy. And grateful for the dignity of these trainings, which allow people to talk about their feelings in a supportive environment. Not sure if they have the opportunity elsewhere. I am so glad Mercy Corps is providing these trainings — I see how important they are.<br />They discuss how the earthquake affected their own lives, how to react in future earthquakes. How to take care of their own children in an earthquake. How to protect them. Then they discuss each age group’s special needs. 0-3, 4-7, 8-12, 13-18. And there are differences between boys and girls.<br />Then each person is given a slip of paper that has a real comment from a child on it (Mercy Corps collected these) and using what they just learned, they will share with the class what each would say or do with each child. They discuss it in their rows of three.<br />Some didn’t talk as much as others during the class but when it comes time to present they all speak clearly and confidently with emphasis and pauses.<br />I think about my own feelings during 9/11. There was that time when I had to catch a flight and there was an anthrax scare in our building and we weren’t allowed to leave. I had to go but I was afraid to set out on my own among so many strangers. It can be frightening to be in a huge city in an emergency.<br />Sandrine says that one of the sample questions from children was whether the earthquake was a punishment from God. She says that about half of the teachers said they would say, “Yes.” She advised them that it was better to say to younger children that it was from natural causes, because they may have different religious beliefs than the teacher — there are many different religions in Haiti. But if a child is older, then the teacher could ask what they thought, and discuss their beliefs together.<br />Afterward, a chat with Wilson, an English teacher. He teaches 12-16 year olds. He says: “The information was very helpful. I learned ways that I can respond to the children now. Since the earthquake they have had strange behavior. When you speak to them, they get very nervous, shy. Now I will give them more time to speak or to get quiet when I ask them to.”<br />On the way back to the office, we slow in the traffic in Delmas. Sandrine looks past me out the window. She’s looking at a tall wall rising up next to the road where men are propping up mattresses to sell. She says, “Behind there was one of the biggest grocery stores in Port-au-Prince. It completely collapsed in the earthquake. Only four were saved. From cars in the parking lot they estimated 300 people were inside.”<br />Everywhere there are reminders like these.<br /><br />Country: <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/countries/haiti">Haiti</a><br />Topics: <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/silentdisasters/youthunemployment">Youth</a>, <a class="active" href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/health">Health</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/emergencies">Emergencies</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/education">Education</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/displacement">Displacement</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/children">Children</a>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-35266997698822095562010-07-14T04:37:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:38:30.700-07:00medicalIt’s been a marathon of logistics and preparations, but we are now bringing our tailored-for-Chile version of <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/karenanderson/blog/20741">Mercy Corps workshops</a> to some 800 boys and girls in the towns of Talcahuano, Penco, Coronel, Hualpén, San Pedro de la Paz and Chiguayante.<br />The coastal towns that ring the city of Concepción were dealt a double blow on February 27: a pre-dawn earthquake of unprecedented power (8.8 on the Richter scale, among the highest ever recorded) followed by three towering walls of water.<br />In launching the <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/angelaowen/blog/20675">“My Earthquake/Tsunami Story” (Comfort for Kids)</a> and “Moving Forward” sports program in schools and community centers, we’ve heard a lot of personal accounts from the parents, teachers and community leaders we’ve trained as mentors, and from the children themselves. Even children whose homes escaped damage tell vivid accounts of relatives or schoolmates losing homes or fleeing from the flooding.<br /><a class="lightbox" href="http://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/lightbox/photos/Chile_-_Abigail_Figueroa.jpg" jquery1279107395762="6"></a>“I love to read and draw and here I can get over being afraid, especially about tsunamis,” five-year-old Abigail Figueroa said about the Comfort for Kids program. Photo: courtesy of EPES<br />But as the workshops advance, we’re beginning to hear something new from the children.<br />Abigail Figueroa, age 5, says “I love to read and draw and here I can get over being afraid, especially about tsunamis.”<br />Camila Flores, 10, finds the workshop “lots of fun. We write in our workbooks, color, paint our family, draw what happened to us in the tsunami the houses in the water, what we felt.”<br />“While it was happening, I thought we were going to die,” she says, “but now we learned that it was an earthquake.”<br />“The earthquake was a surprise for me, because afterwards, everyone came together, all the neighbors came by to see how we were, people went door to door to see how everyone was doing.”Country: <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/countries/chile">Chile</a><br />Topics: <a class="active" href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/health">Health</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/emergencies">Emergencies</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/education">Education</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/displacement">Displacement</a>, <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/children">Children</a>mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-77583063743840818052010-07-14T04:34:00.001-07:002010-07-14T04:34:35.587-07:00lovePsychological basis<br />Further information: <a title="Human bonding" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_bonding">Human bonding</a><br />Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. <a title="Psychologist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologist">Psychologist</a> <a title="Robert Sternberg" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sternberg">Robert Sternberg</a> formulated a <a title="Triangular theory of love" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_theory_of_love">triangular theory of love</a> and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is a form in which two people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the expectation that the relationship is permanent. The last and most common form of love is sexual attraction and passion. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. All forms of love are viewed as varying combinations of these three components. American psychologist Zick Rubin seeks to define love by <a title="Psychometrics" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychometrics">psychometrics</a>. His work states that three factors constitute love: attachment, caring, and intimacy.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-11">[12]</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-12">[13]</a><br /><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sri_Lankan_woman_and_child.jpg"></a><br /><a class="internal" title="Enlarge" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sri_Lankan_woman_and_child.jpg"></a>Grandmother and grandchild, <a title="Sri Lanka" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka">Sri Lanka</a><br />Following developments in electrical theories such as <a title="Coulomb's law" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulomb%27s_law">Coulomb's law</a>, which showed that positive and negative charges attract, analogs in human life were developed, such as "opposites attract." Over the last century, research on the nature of human mating has generally found this not to be true when it comes to character and personality—people tend to like people similar to themselves. However, in a few unusual and specific domains, such as <a title="Immune system" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_system">immune systems</a>, it seems that humans prefer others who are unlike themselves (e.g., with an orthogonal immune system), since this will lead to a baby that has the best of both worlds.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-13">[14]</a> In recent years, various <a title="Human bonding" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_bonding">human bonding</a> theories have been developed, described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and affinities.<br />Some Western authorities disaggregate into two main components, the altruistic and the narcissistic. This view is represented in the works of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Scott Peck" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peck">Scott Peck</a>, whose work in the field of <a title="Applied psychology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_psychology">applied psychology</a> explored the definitions of love and evil. Peck maintains that love is a combination of the "concern for the spiritual growth of another," and simple narcissism.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-peck-14">[15]</a> In combination, love is an activity, not simply a feeling.mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1111510820225930224.post-10386835176754590352010-07-14T04:30:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:31:44.629-07:00hello from spainI’m in Spain and it is so hot..there is a few sunburnt shoulders but we’re all very happy and having a great time.<br />I’ve got 7 minutes left on this and I haven’t got anymore 1 euro coins so I’m gonna talk quick! We’ve been to the water park and a few of us went on a booze cruise but I had a headache so I didn’t go…aaand the boys ceiling fell in and gushed boiling hot water everywhere so we all got moved into another room and for some reason all the staff hate us…Even though we’re actually nice 18 year olds! Oh well! We’re having a great time Taking lots of pictures so I’ll put the best ones up when we get back. We’re going to watch the match tonight and hope that Spain win so that it doesn’t get roudy…. Tomorrow is banana boat day.<br />I’ve got 4 minutes left so laters!mr.nguyentrongluathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012135528059653208noreply@blogger.com0