Khau Vai Love Market

Khau Vai commune, located in Meo Vac district, the northernmost province of Ha Giang, is home to ethnic minority groups of Giay, Nung and Muong. The love market festival is held on lunar March 26th and 27th with the participation of a large number of locals. The festival features food and drink culture, song performances and folk games. Ethnic costumes, jewelery, ethnic musical instruments, culture and art publications are on display at the market, reflecting activities of the local people.

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The primary Khau Vai Love Market

It can be said that the beauty & power of love is the basic factor to maintain the existence of Khau Vai love market for such a long time. In the market area, there are two temples called Ong and Ba (Mr and Mrs) temples. The story concerning these temples tells that, once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl born from two different places of the Dong Van Plateau. Since forbidden to get married by the two families, they, side by side, decided to leave home to come and settle down together in Khau Vai, a prosperous land with green plants. In honor of their merits in cultivating the wild land into a rich land, the local people built the two temples to worship them.

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Khau Vai Love Market

Another local myth tells the story of a young couple from different tribes who fell in love with each other. The girls belonged to the Giay group and the boy to the Nung group. The girl was so beautiful that her tribe did not want to let her get married with any man from another tribes. Consequently, violent conflict arose between the two tribes. To stop the blood shedding, the two lovers sorrowfully decided to part. However, they planned to meet once a year on that day, lunar March 27th. The place where they used to meet is Khau Vai, which thereafter became a meeting place for all those in love.

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Since then, on every lunar March 27th, Khau Vai has attracted couples of different ages, including those who seek partners for the first time. Yet, most of them are those who love each other very much but cannot marry because of different reasons. On the day when the market session takes place, it is likely that both the wife and her husband together go to the market but they look for their own partners to share emotions. If one of them has to stay at home, he or she is not jealous because the dating at the marketplace is only a temporary feeling exchange, which has no negative influences on real life.

Activities

The first day of the market session is for the ceremony to turn into the new calendar period. On this day, at a selected hour, people take a bath and put on their best clothes in anticipation of the New Year. They bring incense, lamps, flowers and fruits to a pagoda where they join the great calendar-receiving ceremony. Then the official ceremony is carried out inside the sanctuary. After that, every participant prays to the Buddha and chant prayers for a happy new year. Young persons walk out to the pagoda yard and join in fun activities till late at night.

The second day is for the ceremony to offer boiled rice and heap up a sandy mountain. Every Khmer family cooks rice and offers it to Buddhist monks at the pagoda in early morning and at noon. In the afternoon, people start to heap up a sandy mountain for seeking happiness and luck. They make small mountains in eight directions and one in the middle reflects the universe. This custom originates from an age-old legend. It displays people’s aspirations for rain.

On the third day of the market, there comes the ceremony to wash the Buddha’s statue and Buddhist monks. In the afternoon, they burn incense, offer sacrifices and use scented water to wash the statue in order to pay tribute and gratitude to the Buddha. This is also to get rid of the old year’s misfortunes and wish all the best for the New Year. After that, people return to their house and wash the Buddha’s statue at home. They offer dishes, confectionery and fruits to ask for happiness for their parents and grandparents and being forgiven for their mistakes made in the previous year.

Highland markets in Quang Ninh

Speaking about the highland markets in Quang Ninh, among them is Binh Lieu Highland Market, which the local called the Third Lunar Month Market. This market features the Viet, Dao, Tay and San Chi ethnic groups of the Binh Lieu, Tien Yen, Dam Ha, Hai Ha districts. There are also many merchants from the Dong Tong area of China present. Halong bay travel

Goods exchanged on market day are essentially agricultural or forestry products bred or grown by the local population. The Chinese come to the market with various commodities, including shoes and clothing. In stark contrast to Vietnamese merchants, they keep their prices without bargaining, and if they cannot liquidate their goods, carry them home and wait until the next Sunday.

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Highland markets in Quang Ninh

Coming to the marketplace, the first things people look to do are exchange goods and eat. Meanwhile, boys and girls scatter to the corners to play or sing. Many boys and girls make appointment on the next market day.

The Binh Lieu Highland Market, before day, it only took place on odd-numbered days of the third lunar month every year. Today, with better economic conditions for locals, the requirements for trade have seen the market open regularly every Sunday. It is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Before the market day, boys and girls choose the most beautiful costume for wearing as going to the market is a festive day and they can enjoy everything after a hard working day. It is also a chance for the boy conquers the girl's heart through singing to each other. Many young couples have also met on these busy Sundays, eventually become husband and wife.

Halong Valentine Cruise

Cruise Description:

A complete package of emerald water, picturesque beauty and adventurous mountains, Halong Bay is a worth visiting place in Vietnam. Its beauty sparks up your imagination within no time. If you are planning to travel around Vietnam and especially Halong Bay, then you must take the prestigious services of the special Valentine Cruise.

Halong Valentine Cruise

Although the cruise is small, yet it provides all those services which are provided by the bigger boats of Halong Bay. It is a small package of cabins, decks, lounges and rooms for the tourists who come from faraway corners of the world to visit Halong Bay. There are total 5 cabins in the boat, but are wonderfully decorated and excellently accommodating. One will definitely find this cruise very amazing and excellently managed by the crew of the cruise.

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It has a Suite Cabin, well equipped bathrooms, showers, and other important facilities in it. Once you will experience travelling in it, you will find it exclusive, intimate and very much private because of the service it renders to its clients. If you are planning to travel around the Halong Bay, then you must book one of the cabins of the beautiful Valentine Cruise. I am sure you will recommend it to others after your experience as well.


Cruise Itinerary:

Like all other cruises, Valentine Cruise offers day and night packages to the visitors. There are two days and three days packages as well in which the cruise takes you to the explicitly beautiful surrounding areas of the Halong Bay including all the floating villages, caves, islands and mountains as well.

At first, you will pass through the excellent Bai Tu Long Bay which takes you to the Halong Bay. You will be served with excellent lunch during your trip. The cruise will then take you to the Luon Cave, which is one of the most breathtaking places around the Halong Bay. The cruise will show you the Head Island, Turtle Island, Heaven’s Gate Island. You can explore the caves by kayaking as well.

Next destination will be the Ti Top Island where you can spend considerable time in swimming and enjoying with your loved ones. The Cruise also takes you to the Surprise Cave area of the Halong Bay the next day. Hence, all the important and worth watching places will be visited by you once you book in the Valentine Cruise. The dinner, lunch and other accommodations are carefully handled by the crew.

Who will enjoy:

As the name suggests, the Valentine Cruise is perfect for couples who are newly married. As the cruise is small and cannot accommodate much people in it; therefore, only love birds can enjoy in it. The romantic, quiet water and spell bounding sceneries add a lot to the most romantic experience of your life.

Luon cave Halong Bay

Luon cave is located in the northeast of Bo Hon Island and more than 1km away from Sung Sot Cave. This is one of the most famous places in Halong Bay to travelers in recent years. In front of the grotto is Con Rua Islet, and the Sky Gate is on the right. Here the cliffs stretch vertically out of the pure blue and smooth water. Everything painted an amazing vivid picture.

If you love kayaking, you shouldn’t miss Luon Cave because of the round lake with emerald water hiding inside the cave. The lake is surrounded by luxuriant trees and high dangerous limestone walls. Thus, you can only get inside the cave via a natural gate with a lot of beautiful stalactites on the ceilings. That is also the reason why local people call this place as Luon Cave (means Tunnel Cave). The gate has 4-meter-wide, 100-meter-long, and about from 2.5 to 4-meter-high depending on the tide level. Looking at the arched entrance, you can easily realize that weathering process still occur here, water still drop off slowly from the stone.

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 After passing the pretty gate, you will see great scenery with cycads, ferns and benjamin’s fig trees shade the landscape and many orchids hang their sweet-scented flowers. If you're lucky, you will have chance to contemplate and take pictures of beautiful golden monkeys jigging up and down on the trees around the cliffs. Of courses, they are so lovely and friendly with tourists. Below the calm emerald water’s surface in lake, there is a vibrant life of many species like shrimp, fish, crab and cuttlefish, etc.

Luon cave Halong Bay

The size of mouth’s grotto isn’t enough for cruising. However, you can either reach easily the cave’ inside by kayak or by small boats rowed by local people and need to spend about 20 minutes for return route. You will be instructed to wear life jackets according to the provisions of Management’s Ha Long Bay in order to ensure tourist’s safety.

Luon Cave (Tunnel Cave) possesses beautiful scenery, great values of geology and paleontology so that we can do sightseeing or research, etc. It’s hard to find anywhere else in Ha Long Bay being as amazing as Luon cave which is the mingling of a number of factors: the mountain’s size and form, the color of the water and the clouds.

Discover Asia On An APT River Cruise

Winding your way past quaint riverside towns and floating markets surrounded by green fields along the Mekong Delta and its adjoining waterways is a great way to discover Asia. APT‘s Southeast Asia cruises offer beautifully furnished private suites, international cuisine and small group excursions on rickshaws and water boats. You can cruise magically through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, discovering hidden gems not seen by land.

A visit to the Mekong Delta cruise is so special because of its unique diversity. See kids riding on water buffalo, rice workers hunched over their fields, flocks of storks at dusk and rowboats on its maze of channels. Home to over 1,000 varieties fish, 20,000 plant species and an array of wildlife, the Mekong Delta is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. It’s Asia’s third largest river; a comma-shaped flatland that is also known as Vietnam’s ‘rice bowl’, producing more than a third of the country’s annual food crop. Here are four countries you can explore on an APT Asian river cruise.

Discover Asia On An APT River Cruise

Otherworldly sights await at Vietnma’s Ha Long Bay
Vietnam
An APT Mekong Delta cruise can take you through the contrasts of beautiful Vietnam, from the hive of activity in its crowded cities,to the relaxed pace of the beautiful countryside. In northern Hanoi, you will find a beautiful blend of French colonial influence, with the modern pace of Asian city life before cruising onward past the spectacular mountains of Sapa and the sparkling Ha Long Bay.

Be transported further south to Saigon, where you will find a mix of soaring skyscrapers with French architecture and the energy of chaotic outdoor markets. Along the way, Australia’s revered chef, Luke Nguyen, can help you discover the culinary heritage of his home country.

See Cambodian life along the Mekong Delta
Travel to Cambodia
Channels carve a lifeline into Cambodia, a country full of history and magnificence. Visit the famous temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and cruise past the beautiful Royal Palace. Located on the riverfrontm the Palace showcases classic Khmer roofs and ornate gilding.

You can experience Cambodia’s lush countryside filled with rice paddies and sugar palms, cruising along the south coast past tropical islands and beach huts.

 Lush landscapes around the Nam Song River, Laos
Travel to Laos
After years of isolation, Laos is now one of the most laid-back Southeast Asian destinations. Enjoy the well-preserved culture, stunning natural environment and friendly people. Life in Laos still revolves around tradition and you can experience riverfront life unchanged over generations. See the historic royal city of Luang Prabang where hundreds of saffron-robed monks move quietly among centuries-old monasteries.

The Mekong opens up at Si Phan Don (meaning literally ‘four thousand islands’). It’s an archipelago of tranquil islands popular with travellers for cycling, swimming, tubing, boat cruises, kayaking, and dolphin spotting.

Cruise into beautiful Bangkok
Thailand
Known as the ‘Land of Smiles’, you’re awarded the opportunity see Thailand’s famous beaches and lush mountain ranges on an APT river cruise. Stop at Bangkok for a spot of shopping in its many malls, or take in its history by visiting the ancient temples.

Heading further north, the landscape changes to dense forests, where you come face to face with hill tribes of and see village life rooted in centuries of tradition. The Mekong Delta and its distributaries are lined with natural beauty and is the perfect waterscape to discover Asia from a different perspective.

Mekong Delta Travel Tips

1. Time does matter

Life in Mekong Delta is woven by water and season. It is most vibrant in spring (flower season or Tet Holiday: late January - February) and early summer (fruit season: April - May). The flood season (September - November), however, sweeps everything away and brings a new face to the delta with its rich brown alluvial water. This is also the income season for local people with abundant fish source and water vegetables. The waterfront life is most fascinating in this season.

2. You must do this!

The must see in Mekong Delta is of course its floating market. Again timing is very important if you do not want to be disheartened. The most incredible moments on the water of Mekong Delta are sunrise and sunset. The Mekong Delta floating markets reveal their best in very early morning. “To get the best view of the places, there is no other way but getting up EARLY and start the trip at 5.30 (usually recommended) or 5am (I do suggest this since you will be able to see the sparkle stars above the sky quickly transferring to pinkish sunrise and shining yellowish daylight afterwards.”
The must eat in Mekong Delta is deep fried elephant-ear fish (“Ca tai tuong chien xu”) rolled with herbs in rice sheet and served with dipping sauce.

Mekong Delta Travel Tips

The must do in Mekong Delta is getting in a small rowing sampan to explore its complicated canal system, cycling through tranquil villages and lush rice fields, and visiting a local market in the mainland.

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3. A good tour guide makes your trip worthwhile

A self-guided tour sounds tempting, but not everyone is aimed with strong discovery spirit. A proficient guide will bring you a chance to study about the delta and local life. Also, as the distance from one floating market to another, as well as to other destinations in Mekong Delta is pretty far, there would be nothing boring than sitting on board for a long time. A great guide will fill the gap with fun: chatting with you and teaching you to weave jewelry and flowers from coconut leaves.

4. Set your expectations right!

Many customers were disappointed with their trip in Mekong Delta: the floating market is not colorful, the crowded boat trip, dull scenery, etc. You must know that “fruits and vegetables sold here are seasonable. Therefore, there are times you can find tens of tropical kinds (From Jan to April, usually) which can give your cameras amazing shots, so is time of lacking types due to seasons and crops. Cai Rang and Phung Hiep are big, noisy produce wholesale markets. Phong Dien, Cai Be, Nga Nam, Ca Mau or Tra On floating markets are small and quieter. Neither are romantic, beautiful little markets that you might see on tourist brochures, unless you come in right moments. Also as the floating markets in Mekong Delta are just local way of life and not a planned tourist site as in Thailand, you go to them for authenticity.

5. Be clear with what you get, bargaining hard yet you pay for the quality

You must enquire for what is included and destinations of the tour. Mekong Delta is very big comprising 12 provinces and 1 central town. Can Tho, My Tho and Chau Doc are touristy yet vibrant (in high season). Ben Tre, Long Xuyen and Dong Thap are less visited and more typical of Mekong Delta.

It is up to you whether to book a Mekong Delta tour with big agencies or a small local tour seller or independent operator for a private tour. Just remember "Pay nuts, get monkey". There are big travel agencies offering you really cheap tours in big - noisy - crowded boats comparing to private, king/queen-feel, warm service, friendly guides and impressive keepsakes on small boats with a bit high but reasonable price. In short, you pay for quality. So, don't get upset hearing someone else having a lower-price trip than you. Also, during the trip, buying stuff in markets, coffee shops or in restaurants, do not forget to ask the price first for no "surprise" later.
With small tour sellers, you will sometimes felt obligated to pay lunch for the guide and boat/ car drivers. Some even ask you to tell other tourists about your Mekong Delta tour with them. Do not agree to talk to any other customers about your experience, you can offer to write a review and that's probably best.

Halong Bay nightlife

Nightlife in Halong has drawn locals as well as visitors to spend their vacation here. Halong is the popular tourist destination of Vietnam, which seldom goes to sleep.

Halong Bay nightlife

This beautiful city of Vietnam beams with large number of activities even at the odd hours of the city. The residents as well as the tourists to this city of Halong indulge themselves in various kinds of fun and merriment especially at night. There are large options of nightspots in the city, which are worth paying a visit. The dazzling and happening Nightlife in Halong is really worth mentioning. Visit Halong with 5 best cruises in Halong Bay

You will come across plethora of nightspots that are scattered throughout the city. Party-hoppers of different age groups visit these night spots of Halong with their pals and relatives. There are ample of options for night entertainment at this city. Some of the fashionable nightspots of the city are bars, pubs, nightclubs as well as casinos. There are many nightclubs in Halong. Read more: halong bay map

Most of the nightclubs of the city remain open for the visitors till late hours. The college-goers visit the nightclubs usually in groups. The nightclubs of Halong remain packed with locals and visitors even at the wee hours of the day. The main attraction of these nightclubs are it excellent sound system and spacious dance floor. In the nightclubs of Halong the DJs belts out some heart pulsing music including rock music to jazz. Some of the deluxe hotels of Halong like, the Saigon Halong Hotel have an onsite nightclub. Visit Halong with Vietnam tours

Talking about the Nightlife in Halong we cannot afford to miss out the bars and pubs of Halong. The bars and pubs in Halong offers relaxing ambience to sip your liked drinks. You can try out wide varieties of local as well as international drinks in these venues. Nightlife in Halong also includes casinos. Royal International Gaming Club-casino is one of the popular casinos of Halong.