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| Ben Tre coconut candy is listed among the world’s 70 best rated confectioneries. (Photo courtesy of TasteAtlas) |
TasteAtlas, which is dedicated to discovering fresh ingredients, traditional dishes, and authentic restaurants from all over world, placed the Vietnamese candy at 26th on its list.
The candy is a traditional Vietnamese confectionery originating from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre which is famous for its range of delicious coconuts. This candy comes with a soft and chewy texture and is made with a combination of grated coconut flesh, coconut milk, coconut cream, sugar, and often malt syrup, it wrote.
The website shared that the mixture is heated in large woks and is continuously stirred until it caramelizes and becomes thick. It is then placed into molds and left to cool before being cut into rectangles that are wrapped in rice paper, then again put in regular paper that’s been soaked in oil.
The double wrapping ensures that the candy doesn’t stick to the paper. Nowadays, there are many variations of this tasty treat, and kẹo dừa is often flavoured with roasted peanuts, pandan leaves, or durian, the website noted.
Established in 2015, TasteAtlas connects with 9,000 local restaurants, introducing more than 10,000 dishes, thousands of reviews, and research carried out by an array of culinary experts and chefs.
‘Da’ cake: A savoury dish of Ha Giang Province
‘Da’ (rock) cake is one of the most-wanted dishes for visitors to Ha Giang Province, thanks to its eye-catching appearance, light sweetness, aroma, and combined chewiness, reported NDO.
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| ‘Da’ cake: A savoury dish of Ha Giang Province (Photo: tuoitre.vn) |
‘Da’ cake is often served on holidays and Tet (New Year) Festival. To make the cake, after harvesting rice, people select delicious rice grains and mix regular rice with sticky rice in a certain ratio, then soak the rice in water for 4-5 hours.
After that, the rice is left to dry and grind. Next, it is steamed until it is soft and then pounded. When the flour becomes sticky, it is shaped into smaller portions.
The cake’s colours are made from natural ingredients, such as pandan leaves, Asian pigeonwings flowers, turmeric or ‘gac’ (momordica cochinchinensis) fruit. These natural ingredients add more flavour to the cake.
The cake has a rich, fragrant taste, and moderate chewiness, and is suitable for all ages in the family.
Made from indigenous ingredients, ‘da’ cake can be cooked in many ways. Young people have found many ways to enjoy the cake, such as dipping it in hot pots, frying, or serving it with chilli sauce, white sugar or condensed milk, depending on each person’s taste.
Int’l Famtrip delegation makes field trip to Binh Thuan province
An international Famtrip delegation, consisting of 30 buyers from travel companies and media outlets from countries, including China, Singapore, Germany, and Australia, visited the south central province of Binh Thuan to explore new tourism products and services on September 7-8, reported VNA.
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| The int’l Famtrip delegation makes field trip to Binh Thuan province. (Photo: VNA) |
The group toured popular local attractions such as Bau Trang, Fish Sauce Museum, and Novaworld Phan Thiet entertainment ecosystem. They also experienced new tourism services, accommodations, and culinary offerings in Ham Tien-Mui Ne, and Tien Thanh in Phan Thiet city.
Jurgen Manfred Grotzinger, a representative of the delegation, praised Binh Thuan's natural resources, tourism services, and local culture. The survey offered an opportunity for the province to promote its strengths, especially its image as a safe, friendly, and high-quality destination.
Binh Thuan’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism organised meetings between local businesses and the delegation to foster connections and better understand market trends.
The department's deputy director Nguyen Lan Ngoc emphasised the province’s commitment to foster sustainable tourism development, capitalising on its natural resources like beaches, clear sky, and hospitable people.
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| Int’l Famtrip delegation makes field trip to Binh Thuan province (Source: VNA) |
With 192 km of coastline and Phu Quy island, Binh Thuan boasts diverse marine ecosystems and beautiful beaches. It also offers a variety of tourism experiences, from luxury beach resorts to eco-friendly and cultural tourism.
Since early 2024, Binh Thuan's tourism sector has seen vibrant activities, attracting over 6.4 million visitors, a 6.6% increase from 2023. The number of international visitors, particularly from countries like the Republic of Korea, China, and Russia, grew by 53%. The Phan Thiet Airport, set to open in 2025, will further enhance tourists' travel to the province.
Quang Ninh eager to put Typhoon Yagi in rearview mirror to recover tourism
According to VNA, the tourism sector of Quang Ninh province, hard hit by Super Typhoon Yagi on September 7, is taking urgent action to overcome severe consequences of the storm and get its tourism back on track. The super typhoon is said to be the strongest to hit Vietnam in dozens of years.
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| Typhoon Yagi wreaks havoc on Bai Chay tourist site (Photo: VNA) |
Nguyen Van Tuan, owner of A105-Bai Chay Restaurant, shared that Yagi caused heavy damage, sweeping away all achievements built up by people working in the tourism sector over the past three months of summer.
To build a business operating in the tourist centre, his family spent a lot of money, but just one storm wiped out all their efforts and assets. Not only that, many restaurants next to his are in the same situation. To restore the busy site to its previous state is not only difficult but will take years not months, Tuan said.
Vu Thi Tuyet, who owns a row of four kiosks, said that those in the tourism industry were starting to recover after suffering significant losses due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, but this super typhoon struck, exacerbating their difficulties. Tuyet said she is unsure when they will be able to recover fully and hopes for support from relevant agencies to help restore tourism activities.
Many accommodation facilities have suffered partial or total damage, as strong winds tore off roofs, collapsed walls, and shattered windows and doors.
They are also facing challenges in repairing infrastructure due to the high volume of repair requests.
For the tourist boats on Ha Long Bay – UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage site, preliminary estimates indicate that over 20 boats have sunk. It will take time before the boats can resume carrying visitors on sight-seeing cruise on the bay.
According to initial statistics, in Quang Ninh, Yagi blew the roofs off a total of 2,083 houses, downed 254 electricity poles, and partially took down or uprooted 70% of trees in urban areas in Ha Long, Cam Pha, Quang Yen and Van Don./.