Riverside dinner at Secret Garden in Hoi An, including local specialties cao lau (left) and banh bao vac (white rose dumplings, right). Photo courtesy of Todd Babiak

Babiak, his wife, and two teenage daughters chose Vietnam for a 10-day trip, a holiday that helps to draw family members away from their phones, the dramas of teenage girlhood, and middle-aged corporate life.

Da Nang, which is a youthful and fast-growing city famous for its beaches, seafood, surrounding mountains, and complex history, was their first destination.

They tried variations of delicacies such as bánh xèo, a savoury pancake filled with fresh and delicious vegetables and seafood, and mì quảng, a compromise between rich turmeric soup and a green salad.

The foreigners enjoyed the dishes at an eatery close to Dragon Bridge, a bridge shaped like a dragon that breathes fire for tourists at 9 p.m., before taking a walk through the night market.

Their next stop was in Hoi An City which is a famous textile hub that is home to hundreds of tailors. Some are modest and others are internationally renowned such as Yaly Couture and Kimmy Tailor, who also has a shop in Toronto.

Riding in the lantern boats of Thu Bon River, visiting the city’s little pottery village, or sampling some of Hoi Ans delights all proved wonderful experiences for his two daughters, according to Babiak.

 “I hope we will be back in Vietnam for trips to the north and the south, for more local history and street foods, night markets and the time-stopping hopes of four curious foreigners holding on to each other a bit longer,” the writer shared.

Vietjet to launch Ho Chi Minh City – Shanghai air route in December

According to VOV, budget airline Vietjet is scheduled to run direct fights between Ho Chi minh City (Vietnam) and Shanghai (China), starting on December 1, 2023.

Vietjet is to launch Ho Chi Minh City – Shanghai air route in December 2023

The airline announced seven round-trip flights per week, with each flight taking more than four hours to fly between the two destinations. 

The launch of the new route is to celebrate 74 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and China (1950-2024) and 30 years of the sister city relationship between Ho Chi Minh City and Shanghai (1994-2024). It is anticipated to further promote trade, culture and education cooperation, as well as people-to-people exchanges between the two cities and two countries.

On this occasion, Vietjet offered big promotions for passengers to choose its flights on this new route.

Vietjet has operated flights between Vietnam and China since 2014, with first flights bringing Chinese travelers to top tourist destinations in Vietnam such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc.

The new route will not only connect Shanghai with Ho Chi Minh City but also expand Vietjet’s flight network covering Vietnam, Australia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan.

HCM City honoured with ASOCIO Digital Government Award

The Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) honoured Ho Chi Minh City with the Digital Government Award during the ASOCIO Digital Summit in Seoul on November 14, reported VNA.

Representatives of Ho Chi Minh City and some other localities receive the award.

The award is a recognition of the city’s outstanding performance in implementing digital strategies and solutions to significantly improve the quality of services for people, and openness and transparency in city government operations.

The city has been one of the leading localities in applying smart technology to effectively serve the development of key areas such as transportation, health care, education, and the supply of public services to local residents.

HCM City, the country's largest metropolis in the south, has exerted efforts to innovate methods of providing public services and utilities to people and businesses, contributing to the operational efficiency of the local administration. It has set up an information portal, an app and a hotline at 1022 to gather and respond to residents’ opinions requests.

In the coming time, the city plans to continue strengthening digital government to promote the growth of digital economy and digital society, aiming to turn itself into a smart city.

Special train services offered in Hanoi

According to VNA, the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) has announced that it will offer special train services shuttling between the centre of Hanoi and Gia Lam train factory which is the venue of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023 from November 17-26.

Gia Lam train factory in Hanoi. (Photo: The Courtesy of Hanoi's Department of Culture and Sports)

The train connects the two sides of the Red River, departing from the Hanoi railway station, running through Long Bien bridge - a symbolic structure built more than 120 years ago, to Gia Lam railway station, from where passengers can walk to the nearby former Gia Lam train factory which is converted into a community space with booths displaying domestic creative brands and products in many fields, from handicrafts to fashion and communication-advertisement. The fare is 20,000 VND (0.82 USD).

On the opening day of the festival, the train will depart from Long Bien bridge at 7:5 pm and leave Gia Lam railway station at 10:25 pm back to the city's centre.

During the festival, services will be available for passengers to Gia Lam station in the morning and then back to Hanoi railway station in the inner city in the afternoon.

Special train services offered in Hanoi  (Source: VNA)

Besides the Gia Lam train factory, other works in the city such as Hang Dau water tower and Long Bien bridge will be turned into installation art space and opened for visitors during the festival.

The festival will be jointly organised by the municipal People’s Committee, the Architecture Magazine under the Vietnam Association of Architects, and the municipal Department of Culture and Sports with the support of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), international organisations, businesses, creators and artists.

Hanoi became an official member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in 2019./.