Vietnam

Vietnam is the perfect place to get away. You can spend money, without spending too much! It's perfect! Vietnam's money is called a Dong. Like Europe has Euro's, Vietnam has Dongs. The exchange rate is 1 Vietnamese Dong 0.00004824 US Dollar= 1 US Dollar (USD) 20,730.8 Vietnames Dong One of favorite hotels to go to when I visit Vietnam, is Stars Hotel. It is located at 26 Bat Su Street - Hoan Kiem District - Hanoi – Vietnam. The telephone number is +84 (4) 3828 1911/ 3828 1912 the fax is 84 (4) 3828 1928. The price is $25.00 american dollars! It is very cheap and very nice.

Another one of my favorite hotel is 26 Bat Su Street - Hoan Kiem District - Hanoi – Vietnam. The telephone number is 84 (4) 3828 1911/3828 1912 and the fax is 84 (4) 3828 1928. The price for just a standard bedroom is 17 American dollars! It is really cheap and it is very nice in the interior. || * **Com (boiled rice)** In Vietnam, com is eaten at the main meals of the day. Rice is eaten together with a variety of different dishes and is made from different kinds of rice. An ordinary meal may consist of boiled rice and the following: Mon an kho (meal without soup) consists of dishes of pork, fish, shrimp, and vegetable cooked in oil, as well as vegetables, pickles, etc. Mon canh (meal with soup) consists of a soup made with pork or spare-ribs, crab meat, and fish.
 *  Food- **
 * **Banh Chung (sticky rice cakes)** Sticky rice cakes are a Vietnamese traditional dish. Every Vietnamese family must have sticky rice cakes among the offering of ancestors. Bang chung is made of glutinous rice, pork meat, and green beans paste wrapped in a square of bamboo leaves.TH rice has to soak in water for an entire day. The pork meat must include skin and fat, the green beans must be of the same size, and the bamboo leaves must be fresh. They are available at any time of the year, although one is sure to enjoy them with relatives and friends during Tet. During Tet, rice cakes are served with gio lua and hanh muoi– lean meat pie and salted sour onions.
 * Weather&Climate- **

// Vietnam’s weather varies from the sub-tropics in the North to the tropics in the South. The humidity is high, with average ranging around 84% a year. Moderated by two monsoons, the average temperature (from 22 to 27) is lower than other countries also in the equatorial regions. The weather varies greatly from North to South, depending on elevation and type of landscape. // Northern Vietnam (from Hue up North) has four seasons with a cold winter and hot summer. The temperature ranges from 5-6C in winter to up to 35C in summer. The further North it is, the colder it gets. In mountainous regions in the far North (such as Sapa) the temperature sometimes drops below zero. Rainy months are August, October, November. February and March have persistent, light, drizzling rain. Temperatures are high all year round. The temperature tends to be warmer and more humid than the South in the middle of the year and cooler during the dry season from November to April. Flooding may occur from October to December. Has a distinct dry season (from November to April) and wet season (from May to October). Average temperature ranges from 25-30C. During wet months, heavy and short downpours may occur in mid-afternoons. =Attractions:=
 * Northern weather **
 * Central Vietnam **
 * Southern Vietnam **


 * Son Tay Citadel-**Located in Son Tay Town, 42 km from central Hanoi, the citadel was built in 1822 in a square shape. Inside, there are four cannons standing by the four corners. Time and war have destroyed many areas inside the ancient citadel. The whole historical site is now being preserved and restored

Suoi Tien Park- There is a tradition that Suoi Tien area has been a place which gathers sacred legends. It has many historic temples. It also is surrounded by beaches. Has an area that has wild animals such as crocodiles and tortoises.

Tower of Hanoi- The Tower of Hanoi was built in 1812. It has two beautiful brick staircases and it lies within the history of the Military Mueseum Compound.

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Ba Den Mountain- Also known as Black Lady Mountain. Back in the day it attracted many pilgrams, however, now it is a very famous tourist attraction. It is a tourist attraction because many battles were faught there. According to legends, beautiful Ly Thi Thien Huong, Black Lady, was forced to marry the son of a rich mandarin while her true love was fighting the aggressors. Rather than marrying a man she did not love, she threw herself from the mountain. ======

Fun facts:

Lizard fishing- In the arid foothills of the south-central coast there is a whole other kind of angling, and a walk in these hills can yield one of the strangest sights in Vietnam- lizard fishing. The traditional way of catching the lizards is by setting a hook on a long bamboo fishing pole and dangling bait from the top of a boulder until the spunky little reptiles strike. Lizards are served grilled, roasted or fried and are often made up into a paté and used as a dip for rice-paper crackers.

Hill tribe speed dating It takes place once a year and draws H’mong, Dao and Tay hill tribes from all over the region. The love market is speed dating, hill tribe style. Original swingers, the good folk of Khau Vai have been wife and husband swapping for almost 100 years. Youngsters come to find a mate. Old flames fan the dying embers of a lost passion. It is adult friend finder before the internet made it easy. However, they are not in the market for Westerners.

Vietnamese chewing tobacco- It’s betel nut is the seed of the betel palm and is meant to be chewed. The seed usually has a slit in it and is mixed with lime and wrapped in a leaf. It’s strong stuff that you can barely tolerate at first, but eventually you’ll be hooked. The first time you bit into a betel nut, your whole face gets hot- chewers say it gives them a buzz. Betel nut causes excessive salivation and betel chewers must constantly spit. = =