"Lost" in the spring of Australia

In September, when autumn colors dyed in the northern hemisphere, in the land of kangaroo, the new spring began to wake up. Vibrant rays of sunlight begin to let go of the shiny yellow flowers, as Australia waits for the Floriade festival, Tesselaar is filled with the fragrance, making guests forget the way ...

Floriade - the whisper of spring
From September 16 to October 15, 2017, the capital city of Canberra will celebrate the unique and famous Floriade Spring Festival around the globe at Commonwealth Park. Held for the first time in 1988 and continues to this day, the Floriade Flower Festival takes place in 30 days and is increasingly rich with many types of flowers until the way of organization. Under the cool spring weather, tulips, violets, narcissus, and psychedelic scent… scent together. 
Visitors will see hundreds of kinds of famous tulips around the world with their own eyes and dozens of special flower works. The flowers of red, orange, yellow, pink ... interspersed with different sizes glow under the magnificent beauty of the beautiful capital of Canberra, creating a colorful and artistic picture of nature.
More than a million light bulbs will illuminate the space, turning the park into a vibrant floral embroidery. Walking around the gardens, admiring the masterpiece of flowers, you think you have lost in some romantic paradise and forgot the way back. Holding your beloved's hand, immersing in the splendid scenery of nature will surely be an unforgettable memory.
When coming here, besides enjoying the pure beauty of flowers, visitors also have the opportunity to learn about how to grow flowers, visit the decorative flower gardens with different topics to make the Floriade picture more lively. . In addition, visitors can participate in many fun activities, enjoy music, cuisine ... under the enthusiastic and friendly guidance of the hospitable people here.

Infatuated with the tulip Tesselaar festival
Every spring, in addition to the famous Floriade tulip festival in Canberra, Australians jubilantly welcome the Tesselaar tulip festival held at Silvan farm in the outskirts of Melbourne. This year, Tesselaar tulip festival takes place from September 14 to October 10, each week will organize cultural weeks honoring the land and people associated with tulips such as: "Turkey Week" , "Dutch Week", "Irish Week" and exciting cultural events such as: "Children's Week", "Food, Wine & Jazz Week" ... 
Your heart must flutter when "eye contact" to the field of flowers soothing eyes, the songs and the bustling dance. Each flower white, yellow, red, pink, orange, purple ... has its own beauty, "ten to ten". Interspersed among the flower beds are sculptures of leading artists that make the highlight for the carpet more outstanding.
Time seems to stop for wanderers to fully enjoy the lovely beauty of the legendary tulips. Touching his hand softly on the jawful of the jaw, the wandering soul of the traveler leaves the tulip path to the dreamland. Get on the horse-drawn carriage, hear the sounds of the sounds of the horses and think that you are going back in time to the golden age of the princesses and the countess. Do not forget to learn how to grow tulips taught by skilled artisans. It will be an extremely interesting impression when we understand how deeply Australian tourism is linked to the natural love.

Australia and experiences not to be missed
Not only is it radiant with needle, spring in Australia is also captivated by the beauty of natural beaches, magnificent gorges and ancient architecture. Here are some great suggestions you can't miss:
+ "Check-in" Sydney Opera House - the symbol of Australia.
+ Discover Blue Mountains National Park, take the cable car to admire the white waterfall between majestic nature.
+ Experience the ancient Melbourne with Chinatown, City Hall, Parliament House, St. Patrick's Church, Federation Square ...
+ Take the Puffing Billy steam train to admire the old village, woods and learn about the life of people in Dandenong, Melbourne. 
+ Shopping at the Queen Victoria Market - the place providing lush green vegetables, fresh seafood.

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If you want to go to Cuba, think again!

The Caribbean nation is often described by many words such as magnificent, splendid, invaluable museums of the time ... Don't be fascinated by those "winged" words, you will ... be disappointed by the fact that like the acclaimed travel magazines. Cuba makes the legs work constantly to experience interesting things, makes you sad when you leave ...

Stroll in a car that is "as old as the earth"

Ever amazed the widescreen audience through the blockbuster "Fast & Furious 8", classic cars are the first "specialties" you should experience when coming to Cuba. Because the purchase of a new car requires an import license, the price is very high, so the used car is a superior choice and becomes a unique symbol of the country. The street is like a moving car museum when you have a look at the Chevrolet, Ford, Cadillac ... produced from the 1950s colorful, new carbon on the road. 

Tired at the ancient La Habana

La Habana Vieja Old Town more than 500 years old, the cultural heritage of humanity is a place you have to visit once in your life. Walking on peaceful paved streets, everyone is fascinated with the beautiful houses imbued with Baroque and Neoclassical characters. The Cathedral is fascinated by the intricate exterior decoration, bright frescoes inside. The cathedral square is bustling with street art. Plaza de Armas Square, Calle Obisspo street is where you can freely shop for souvenirs, T-shirts printed with pictures of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro ...

Weight gain for a bold Caribbean meal

Traditionally, dishes will be presented at the same time. The first is Paella Habana - a slightly pasty rice dish that smells of turmeric, cooked with chem carp, clams, squid, shrimp ... attractive by the yellow color of turmeric, vegetables and fresh seafood. Tamales made from ground corn, cornstarch, shortening and ground pork; Black bean soup is also popular. In addition, Ropa vieja including shredded beef cooked with criollo tomato sauce is also very delicious. In the afternoon, it's great if you sip a cool Mojito cocktail by the beach and fall in love with the charming Guantanamera dance.

Running out of money for buying cigars

Along with classic cars, cigars are the pride of the Cuban people. Before the economic embargo, then US President John F. Kennedy had imported thousands of cigars. To wrap a cigar requires two types of leaves: the outermost leaf is the thin, large one grown indoors. Linked leaves and leaves as cores planted outdoors. Cigar rolling people must be true artisans, try 2 years, then need at least 6 more years to master the technique and learn about cigars. In addition to understanding the process of making miraculous cigars, many people will be determined to "draw their pockets" to buy the famous cigars to Vietnam as precious gifts. 

Regret cheap because not bring a better camera

Cienfuegos, a world cultural heritage, is the best model of urban planning of Spain in the early 19th century. "Southern Pearl" also preserves many unique architectural works: Valle palace, park. Marti, Tomas Terry Theater, Cathedral ... Trinidad Heritage City is famous for its cobblestone streets, magnificent blue pine houses built in the 16th century. Main Square, Central Square, Church Holy Trinity, Iznaga tower ... is the place to "check-in". Discovering heritage cities, without the need for a top-notch camera, you just need to feel with your eyes and heart.

"Contraindications" for those who love Ernest Hemingway

Great writer Ernest Hemingway has lived in La Habana for many years, so those who have fallen in love with his works will regret it when they do not visit the places where he once walked. Ambos Mundos Hotel - where he put pen to write the famous work “Whom the Bell of Soul” is always full of people. The small pub ¨La Bodeguita del Medio¨ he frequents, the house Hemingway used to live in is a museum named after him ... is also very interesting. Remember to visit the beautiful fishing village of Cojimar to find the source of inspiration for the "Old Man and the Sea".

Tracking hero Che Guevara

The city of Santa Clara - the place where the Revolution's victory was led by Ernesto Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfeugous is the place many Vietnamese people want to visit. Here, famous landmarks: Memorials honoring national hero Che Guevara, tombs containing his remains, museums containing memorabilia of his life, Vidal Park, “Wrapped trains steel ”… will bring you the most comprehensive and insightful view of the hero loved and admired by many generations of Vietnamese people.

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Features of Thai ethnic cuisine (Dien Bien)

The whole area now has 38 tourist accommodation establishments, dozens of restaurants with European and Asian specialties, but that luxury element is not the attraction of tourists traveling far thousands of miles to the Northwest. When in Dien Bien, tourists often want to enjoy traditional and rustic dishes which are deposited by the rich flavors transmitted from thousands of generations ...

Thai people prefer the rich, nutritious flavor that is baked. Buffalo, beef, fish and chicken meat dishes are very picky and seasoned by Thai people. Spices to marinate are pepper forest, also known as "choking", chili, garlic, ginger, salt ... Before marinating with meat, the spices are also baked up to ripen, scent. UVa is a tourist site close to the Thai ethnic minority, the contingent of officials and employees are ethnic minorities, understand the customs and traditions of the people, have cooking techniques and are ready to serve visitors with demand cultural awareness of national cuisine. The restaurant is adjacent to UVa lake, sitting and dining in an airy and poetic space, visitors admire the charming scenery.

Visiting the village, if you want to enjoy traditional dishes, visitors should order rice with the village leader. Some self-sufficient materials such as chicken, fish, vegetables, spices ... it takes only about an hour for the owner and the customer to raise the cup of wine to "enjoy", wish health, catch Hold each other tightly. Eating delicacies of the Thai people, sitting on stilts is interesting that not everywhere. In the tray of Thai people have many dishes, each dish has a unique flavor. The most typical is the baked food, called "lam soot": bar is grilled, so is nhìu. Any type of meat, poultry, or seafood can be grilled. Cut meat, marinate, use skewers or fresh bamboo tongs on charcoal; or minced meat, mashed with eggs, wrapped in banana leaves, dong leaves, sandwiched, grilled over red charcoal or buried hot ash; When cooked, the meat is very fragrant, not eaten. Grilled fish dish attracts by the aroma of fish, the spicy of chili. The dish "plop" is also grilled fish, but often used with big fish such as copy, drift, carp ... cut back, drain, rub a layer of roasted salt; soaked fresh chilli, crushed, chopped, let the fish infuse spices, harden meat and put on charcoal. Ripe fish has an attractive aroma, used to drink alcohol very nicely. Fish products, Thai people produce many different, typical and delicious dishes: steamed fish in wooden jars, Thai people called cobia. The dish "pa preach" is smoked fish. Due to the highland characteristics, Thai people often save dried fish in the kitchen. When there are guests, home away from the market, not making up the food, then leave the fish baked for aroma, pour wine to invite guests to sip. And in the kitchen, the family continues to process the food, adding each dish to the guests. This is a way to retain customers, showing the hospitality of highlanders. Besides baked goods, Thai people also have the ability to process spices to eat with boiled dishes, steamed dishes, and delicious flavors. On Dien Bien, tourists enjoy chicken "walk" - chickens raised on the hill, firm meat. Boiled chicken dotted with cross spices is very delicious, not tired, drinking with Mong Po wine or hot pot is very interesting. From meat, fish, highland people also have sausages, boiled, sour soup ... with a unique taste.

Glutinous sticky rice is a traditional dish of Thai people. The Thai people have a method of sticky rice with wooden techniques very technical. Cooked with steam, soft, flexible but not sticky hands. Sticky rice is packed into a pressed rice or closed rice basket, keep warm, keep the rice flexible. Lam rice is a specialty of the Thai people often used on holidays, New Year or entertaining guests. With tours, visitors can bring along sticky rice, a few rice balls to eat along the way or when relaxing at the sights will be very convenient. In this season, Thai people treat guests with products, such as bitter bamboo shoots, sweet bamboo shoots; mustard greens, greens ... dipping with a cross spice, a pungent taste of chili, galangal, salty of roasted salt, and aroma of vegetables.

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Chinese New Year dance - a unique color for the Dao Yen Bai people

Like other ethnic minorities in the community of Vietnamese ethnic groups, the Dao ethnic group in Khe Rong hamlet, Kien Thanh commune, Tran Yen district, Yen Bai province has a rather unique way of eating Tet, typical for the nation. That is Tet dance. For many generations, the Tet dance has become an indispensable cultural feature of the Dao people every New Year, spring.

The dance festival (also known as Nham Cham Dao) usually starts from the 10th of the 10th lunar month to before the Lunar New Year. To prepare for the new year dance, the young people in the village have to practice the dance, dance and have to prepare wooden swords to dance. According to the village elders, a long time ago, when the Dao ancestors in the North crossed the South China Sea into Vietnam, some boats had encountered storms and winds, they had to jump to ask for help from the fairies and the gods. promised to escape ashore, then later will celebrate Tet dance to give thanks.

In the past, to organize a dance festival was very costly, the Dao had to work for three consecutive years. The first year works one day and one night, the second year makes two days and two nights, the third year makes three days and three nights. Up to now, people's lives have been improved, customs have been eliminated, from 12 years onwards, the Dao family will hold a dance festival once and the time is 3 days 3 nights.

To make a dance festival is not simple at all because it depends on the material conditions as well as on worship and rituals. Unlike other ethnic groups, the worship of the Dao Nga tsar in Kien Thanh commune, Tran Yen district is very unique. The altar should not be placed in the middle of the house, but should be placed in the corner of the house (in the opinion of the Dao people, that is the most sacred place). The dance festival must be held at the house (ie the house with the altar of the family). If any family wants to hold a dance festival, they must first perform a village praying ceremony, everyone in the village will contribute money to make offerings. In general, after that, the person who takes part in the ceremony to pray for the village (who is trusted and elected by the villagers) will pray for the villagers' health, prosperity and good luck. It takes six to seven days before Tet to organize a dancing festival, at the beginning of the year, The family had to prepare food, food and tools to dance during the Chinese New Year dance. Funeral offerings include chickens, pigs, wine, rice and paper.

On the occasion of Tet dance, from the early morning, the family held a thick cake, slaughtered pigs and chickens; young people in the lineage prepare flags made of paper and machined swords (about 50 centimeters long swords), wooden knives and axes. When finished, use blue and red ink to paint and decorate the pattern on it. 

The two priests were invited by the family to begin their work. After praying for heaven and earth, the ancestors blessed the family and village for a new year of health, pray for good rain and wind, favorable business jobs and asked for a dance festival, the teacher held a "swing" (carrying) meaning like a yin-yang coin) raised and tossed hard on the ground, when the two pieces of the same head are positive, the ancestors agreed to make Tet dance. Next, the two teachers burned yellow paper to send money to the elderly, so that they could recognize the family for the Tet holiday. After that, the family was about to cook and invited everyone to attend to eat.

The dance festival of the Dao is a family festival but is considered by the whole village as a general festival. At the first ritual, everyone was preparing to dance Lap Lo Lo Sat. A monk read aloud to everyone about the origin of the dance and also read history for ancestors to witness, at the same time, the other teacher stood up to dance with a group of 8 to 10 people (unlimited number amount). Each person dances with a flag, a gong drum, and collapses ... dance in a rotating fashion. After that, many traditional dances were performed such as: sword dance, street dance (tortoise dance), tortoise dance (Peo tu) ... All movements of these dances are performed. continuously with the ingenuity and subtlety of the performer. The dances, lyrics in the New Year dance often towards good things, happiness. The dances are highly symbolic and unique. During the Chinese New Year dance, Each person had to dance to hundreds of times in the bell and drum beat. People who attend New Year dance and dance all day and night, whoever gets tired will be replaced. Just like that during the dance festival. On the day of the end of the dance festival, the two teachers wore skirts with embroidery to the fields and then went out to the main door to blow prison and with the meaning of calling Ngoc Hoang down to let the two teachers report that they had completed the dance festival. Then the two teachers performed a "return ceremony" to end the Tet holiday. After that, the villagers ate and wished the owner a lucky and good year. After the two teachers returned, the family paid each teacher a pig's leg to express gratitude. On the day of the end of the dance festival, the two teachers wore skirts with embroidery to the fields and then went out to the main door to blow prison and with the meaning of calling Ngoc Hoang down to let the two teachers report that they had completed the dance festival. Then the two teachers performed a "return ceremony" to end the Tet holiday. After that, the villagers ate and wished the owner a lucky and good year. After the two teachers returned, the family paid each teacher a pig's leg to express gratitude. On the day of the end of the dance festival, the two teachers wore skirts with embroidery to the fields and then went out to the main door to blow prison and with the meaning of calling Ngoc Hoang down to let them report that they had completed the dance festival. Then the two teachers performed a "return ceremony" to end the Tet holiday. After that, the villagers ate and wished the owner a lucky and good year. After the two teachers returned, the family paid each teacher a pig's leg to express gratitude.

The Emperor Nga's Dance Festival is a general cultural activity of folk arts such as dancing, music, language ... all of which have created a unique unique dance of color. of the Dao people in the highland of Yen Bai.

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The custom of eating betel nut of Muong people (Hoa Binh)

Currently, the custom of eating betel nut of the Muong people is no longer common, leaving only a few elderly people in the Muong areas who still hold betel nut sticky rice. However, betel nut still plays an important role in cultural life; in all rituals in the life of Muong people.

Muong people have a tradition of betel chewing perhaps for a long time, because betel nut has gone into the place of worship. Like Kinh people, Muong people also take "betel nut is the beginning of the story". Whenever they met, they invited each other to eat betel nut and then talk. Previously most women and girls dyed betel teeth and many men were addicted to betel. Girls and boys who grow up around 14 or 15 years old begin to dye their teeth and eat betel nut. The type of betel nut that Muong people like is the betel nut tree, which is big, thick and fragrant. The second kind of betel nut is betel nut. Betel leaf leaves smaller and not as delicious as betel nut. These two varieties of betel are planted but when the winter, the salt fog on the leaves of betel leaves falls out, the betel nut addicts must resort to the betel grass, growing wild in the forest. This betel nut is not spicy, not as fragrant as betel nut, but they have to be used temporarily in the winter.

The things that Muong people eat with betel nut are areca, lime, then bark, or betel leaf and tobacco and waterpipe tobacco. Once upon a time, every woman and girl had a betel nut bag, which was a cloth bag, sewn into a gizzard shape or a round-bottomed tube on the mouth stitched to thread the strings, tied and tied at the waist whenever they went. Old people who have broken their teeth must eat betel nut. The betel bowl is made of cow's shin bone, the bottom of the leg is about 7-8cm tall. Someone even wrapped silver around the mouth of the mortar. Chay betel pounding usually with a small piece of copper or iron, there are three ranks outside the first to pound. Later, often people made mortar to pound betel. Limestone is usually made of ceramic, which Muong people cannot do but must buy from Kinh people who bring it from the plains to sell. If you can't buy it, people store it with bamboo. The poor often pack tobacco with leaves in a towel while the rich and the nobility put tobacco and lime in a silver snail, a snail that is both for jewelry and a snail. put it on the belt, take that to make. Because the Muong people have the saying "Thul tlù pang pang, size-sized handkerchief, funny pau khau" means "betel nut bag next to, areca front, comedy (slipper) behind.

Betel nut has entered the cultural life of Muong people deeply. Betel nut is present in all rituals in the life of Muong people. At the offering of a ritual, people are always invited to drink betel nut water first, then to invite rice and wine. And especially in the wedding ceremony, betel nut is an important indispensable gift. Betel nut is also good news. Whenever anyone is offered betel nut and betel nut, they immediately know that the house with their younger sister and granddaughter is about to be exported. Thereby, the relatives also know to prepare gifts for the next wedding. Those congratulatory goods have things that need to be prepared for a long time, such as wine. In solemn reception parties, Muong girls are often the ones who invite betel nut to invite water. They have a really lyrical song to invite betel.

Although Muong people have known to eat betel nut so long, they hardly know betel nut. Betel pieces are wiped with lime in the middle of the leaf, folded in parallel, along the sides of the leaf curled up and embedded in the center of the leaf. Normally, the women had betel nut betel the night before, when everything was done in the day, they sat down to drink betel nut water and talked after a hard working day, so they prepared betel nut for the whole day. after. In the morning, they start the day again with a piece of betel nut to red lips, fragrant mouth.

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Cultural features of Mong people costume (Son La)

Mong people settled in Son La very early, with a fairly dense population, about 132,000 people, accounting for 13% of the provincial population. Mong people in Son La are a community with a tradition of solidarity and courage in fighting to defend the Fatherland; industrious and creative in productive labor, building the homeland; have their own voice and translated version with diverse and rich cultures are always preserved and promoted.

In the spring, coming back to Son La, to any lowland or highland, from small villages to crowded street markets, everywhere, Mong men and women are dressed in colorful dresses. color to play spring without mixing with any other ethnic groups. Mong people in Son La include branches of flower buttock, red buttock, green buttock and black buttock. In addition to the famous alpine dances and alpine dances, flute pianos, flute flute and famous folk games such as crossbow shooting, pao throwing, tu lu, throwing sticks, dragon hatching ... Mong people in Son La also have very specific cultural features, including unique costume culture, to this day, it is still preserved, maintained and developed, contributing to the overall development of the culture. Vietnam is advanced and imbued with national identity.

If the Thai people have pieu towels and mantle made from cotton fibers, forming a separate traditional culture handed down, the Mong people are only made of flax fibers grown on upland fields, taken care of by Mong girls. just bring back stripped skin, dried, flax into yarn, stained, woven into colorful brocade fabric. Previously, to make colorful dresses, mainly knitting or embroidery, it took years to complete a dress. Now, due to consumer tastes, industrial sewing has been put into operation but still retains the national identity through each match decoration pattern on the skirt, dress. Costumes of red buttocks and black buttocks (mainly living in Phu Yen, Bac Yen, and Muong La) are often showy with the main color being yellow and red on black cloth background (body of black shirt, red yellow sleeves; skirt on top of black Two thirds is red gold, many folds, and leggings wrapped in black leggings). For the green butt costume (mainly living in Moc Chau and Yen Chau), the main color is black and white. Most of the costumes are worn under any circumstances, it is suitable both in production conditions and festivals. As for Mongolia, the easy distinguish from other Mong branches is in the headwear. Flower buttocks in Mai Son and Song Ma usually wear parasols and hats, but are attached with a lot of tassels, colorful necklaces of beads; Mongolia in Thuan Chau, Quynh Nhai, mainly black scarf wrapped on the head into a hat (like a Thai pieu towel), but on the scarf is attached a lot of red flower bunches of wool. For red and black buttocks (the Mongolian branch), few wear scarves or hats, but mainly wrap wigs, ponytail, wrap many layers on the head to become a "fashion hair fashion" with earrings, silver earrings, large, multi-layered, exquisitely engraved, heavily worn on the ear, forming a distinctive feature of the Mong people. Particularly, the black buttock is also shown its very own decoration with wearing many layers of white silver necklaces that have been finely refined in all sizes from large to small. Most of the men of the Mong people in Son La have the common feature that the costumes are black, tight shirts, buttons, pants; many areas are decorated around the lap with white silver beams ... Most of the men of the Mong people in Son La have the common feature that the costumes are black, tight shirts, buttons, pants; many areas are decorated around the lap with white silver beams ... Most of the men of the Mong people in Son La have the common feature that the costumes are black, tight shirts, buttons, pants; many areas are decorated around the lap with white silver beams ...

Although there are no accurate and complete statistics, but up to this point, costume culture of the Mong people in the Northwest in general and Son La in particular is still the most beautiful and sophisticated brocade costume. The most and most national character. They have been preserving and enriching the traditional culture, contributing to preserving the national identity in the Vietnamese ethnic community.

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