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| Hue beef noodle soup (Photo: laodong.vn) |
With an average score of 4.53/5, Hue ranks 35th. Gourmet critics from TasteAtlas recommended that food enthusiasts try dishes such as “Bun bo Hue” (Hue beef noodle soup), “Nem lui” (grilled pork paste skewer), “Banh beo” (steamed savoury rice cake) and “Banh khoai” (Hue pancake), along with a list of delicious and affordable eateries they can try in the city.
The list of restaurants in Hue includes Banh Ganh, Hong Mai, Huyen Anh and Bun bo Hue Ba Xuan.
The capital city Hanoi ranks 40th with an average score of 4.5/5.The magazine recommends trying “Cha gio” (Vietnamese fried spring rolls), “Bun cha” (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles), “Bun rieu” (tomato and crab noodle soup) and “Bun oc” (snail noodle soup) in Hanoi.
TasteAtlas highlights several renowned restaurants in the city, including Bun Cha 34, Pho Bat Dan, Xoi Yen, and Pho 10.
HCM City ranks 56th with an average score of 4.45.TasteAtlas recommends “Cha gio” and “Com tam” (broken rice) and “Canh chua” (sweet and sour tamarind soup) to try in this city.
The magazine also features several famous restaurants in the city, such as Pho Chao, Pizza 4P, and Hum Vegetarian.
Hue has dropped six spots compared to last year's city rankings. However, the top 50 list welcomed a major landmark for Vietnam – the capital Hanoi.
HCM City has also moved up from 73rd place on last year's list to 53rd place this year.
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| Illustrative image (Photo: TasteAtlas) |
The top four positions in the best food cities in the world in 2024 - 2025 by TasteAtlas are held by Italian cities, including Naples, Milan, Bologna, and Florence.
Last year, a similar situation occurred with the top three cities being Rome, Bologna and Naples, reaffirming the dominance of great Italian cuisine worldwide.
The one hundred Best Cuisines in the World is a ranking within the framework of the annual TasteAtlas Awards, based on voting and scoring by culinary critics, chefs and foodies around the world.
This year, the list was based on 477,287 user votes from 17,073 cities around the globe, selected based on the highest user ratings for 15,478 local dishes in TasteAtlas' database.
Tickets for Vietnam-Singapore ASEAN Cup semi-finals sold out
No tickets for the ASEAN Championship semi-final match between Singapore and Vietnam will be sold on the day of the match, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the announcement of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on December 24.
FAS previously said that around 300 away tickets would only be available for purchase from 3pm to 30 minutes after kick-off of the match.
However, in a social media post on December 24, the association said that away tickets have been allocated through the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).
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| Vietnam (red) defeat Myanmar 5-0 on December 21 to advance to the ASEAN Cup semi-finals. (Photo: VNA) |
The first leg of the semi-final will kick off at the 6,000-seater Jalan Besar Stadium at 9pm on December 26 (local time). All tickets for the game were sold out on December 22, slightly over six hours after sales began.
Similarly, tickets for Vietnam's home game on December 29 at the 20,000-seat Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province were sold out just 15 minutes after online sales opened, also on December 22.
After defeating Myanmar 5-0, Vietnam stand firm in the top spot of Group B and will play Group A second-placed winners Singapore in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, the Philippines defeat Indonesia 1-0 and will take on Group A winners Thailand in the semi-finals.
Over 2,300 pieces of bronze drum moulds found at ancient citadel
More than 2,300 pieces of bronze drum moulds were collected during a recent excavation of the Luy Lau ancient citadel in the northern province of Bac Ninh, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Preliminary results from the excavation were revealed by the National Museum of History and the Bac Ninh provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Among the artefacts found was a large outer mould of the drum face, with full decorative floral motifs from the centre of the drum to the outer rim, along with mould pieces from the drum's body and feet.
This is the first time a significant collection of artefacts from the Tran Dynasty (1225 - 1400) has been found. They were dispersed across the upper layers of the site, indicating that the Luy Lau citadel area was in use for an extended period during the Tran Dynasty.
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| Over 2,300 pieces of bronze drum moulds were discovered at Luy Lau ancient citadel. (Photo: VNA) |
According to excavation findings, experts have confirmed that Luy Lau was a significant metallurgical and bronze casting centre. It will reveal more about the bronze drum casting techniques of ancient Vietnam and the influence of the Dong Son Culture throughout the nation’s history.
Experts said it is crucial to continue excavating and researching this workshop site in the ancient Luy Lau citadel to gain a thorough understanding of the activities related to metallurgy and bronze casting in this area.
Luy Lau is an ancient fortress situated along the Dau River, serving as the administrative centre of the Giao Chi district and the capital of Giao Chau. It was a key hub for politics, economy, commerce, and ancient religious activities in northern Vietnam in the first ten centuries AD.
This is one of the largest urban areas in northern Vietnam, with a rich and diverse number and type of relics and artefacts compared to other relic sites across the country that were active in the same period of history.
Luy Lau Citadel has attracted the attention of domestic and foreign archaeological researchers. In 1999, Dr Nishimura Masanari from Japan discovered the first bronze drum mould in the inner citadel area.
In 2014, the National Museum of History, the Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the University of East Asia, Japan, jointly excavated and discovered traces of a metallurgical and bronze casting workshop, finding hundreds of bronze drums moulds and related objects.
Premium tourist train "La Reine" launched for Da Lat - Trai Mat route
The Vietnam Railways Corporation has officially launched its high-quality "La Reine" (Queen) tourist train at Da Lat Station in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong, serving passengers on the Da Lat - Trai Mat route, said the Vietnam News Agency.
The December 24 evening launch was part of the ongoing Da Lat Flower Festival 2024, aiming to offer passengers a fresh travel experience and meet the growing demand for rail services.
Inspired by the architectural elegance of the Palace of Queen Nam Phuong, wife of King Bao Dai – the last of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945), in Da Lat city, the train’s carriages boast a luxurious and sophisticated design that combines Indochinese and French styles, with technical upgrades for enhanced comfort. Notably, the train features VIP compartments with 12 seats, catering to families seeking private travel spaces.
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| The snack service counter on the newly launched "La Reine" (Queen) tourist train. (Photo: VNA) |
Dao Anh Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam Railways JSC, said the Da Lat nighttime tourist train service was inaugurated on April 14 this year. Over the course of 2024, the Da Lat - Trai Mat route operated 3,050 trips, an annual increase of 69%, carrying 276,567 passengers, up 75% year-on-year.
The high-quality Da Lat - Trai Mat tourist train was launched in efforts to provide quality transport services, he noted.
Nguyen Thai Hoc, Acting Secretary of the Lam Dong provincial Party Committee, highlighted the significance of launching this premium train during the festive Christmas season, calling it an impressive initiative to celebrate the flower festival.
The 10th Da Lat Flower Festival, taking place from December 5-31, features 45 programmes, including ten main events such as a New Year’s music show, an international seminar on green tourism and cultural industries, a “wine - tea - coffee street”, and a flower parade with floats and fashion. Lam Dong aims to draw 2 million visitors during the festival./.