World Travel Guide

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay resort in Vietnam’s central Nha Trang City has topped a list of ten romantic beach retreats released by boutique hotel collection Mr & Mrs Smith (www.mrandmrssmith.com).

Water Villa Deck, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. Photo: http://www.sixsenses.com

The other nine include Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, Côte d'Azur (France), Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef (Australia), The Datai, Langkawi (Malaysia), Masseria Torre Coccaro, Puglia (Italy), Zeavola, Ko Phi Phi, (Thailand), Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel, Sagres, (Portugal), Cocoa Island (Maldives, Indian Ocean), Shore Club Miami, Miami (United States), and Alila Villas Soori, Bali (Indonesia).

Details about the ten are as follows (from Reuters):

1. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, Nha Trang, Vietnam

Set on a private peninsula that's just a sexy speedboat ride from coastal town Nha Trang in south-central Vietnam, romantic boutique hotel Six Senses Ninh Van Bay offers luxury for lovers. Its 58 dreamy villas all feature seductive beds and bath tubs open to the outdoors, with private pools for cooling dips (choose between beach, spa or waterside settings). You can also dine alfresco by the bay, the pool or up on the rocks for serene sea views - or book a table for two in the atmospherically lit Wine Cave, perfect for popping the question. After quality pampering at the Six Senses Spa, make a date with a sunlounger on the secluded beach.

2. Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, Côte d'Azur, France

With design as glittering as the surrounding sea, chic Côte d'Azur retreat Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel in the south of France is all about Gallic glamour. Once a beachside club for the jet-set, including film stars Sofia Loren and Cary Grant, this heavenly hotel has its own beach for sandy sojourns. With just 27 rooms, it's intimate, too; Deluxe Room 208 has dazzling views, but Room 201 has a fabulous fish mural. Even the restaurant is named Les Pecheurs (The Fishermen) after the maritime setting. Dine here for gastronomic gravitas, or casual beachside Le Cap serves up pasta, fish and local dishes by the waves. Bring this season's swimwear for poolside posing.

3. Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

For a romantic hotel on the Great Barrier Reef, look no further than Australian boutique retreat Lizard Island, a short flight from Cairns off the Far North Queensland coast. With just 40 secluded rooms and 24 ivory-white beaches to choose from, you're likely to have a seductive cove of sand all to yourself for that picnic by the waves. Swim off the beach, take a kayak or boat out, or go snorkelling or diving at famous Cod Hole on the outer reef with turtles and rays for company. Back at base camp, enjoy a hot-stone massage at Azure Spa, then dine on fresh fish and seafood at airy Osprey's restaurant. This idyllic island has honeymoon written all over it.

4. The Datai, Langkawi, Malaysia

Set on beach-blessed Langkawi Island, a back-to-nature getaway off Malaysia's northwest coast, the Datai occupies a dramatic perch between pure white-sand beaches and verdant rainforest. Famed for its opulence, this beachfront luxury hotel attracts the great and the glam, with 112 wood-crafted rooms, including standalone villas in jungle pockets. The striking main pool boasts beach views, and is for adults only, so you can relax in peace. Alternatively, take a couple's cooking class, enjoy a spa or yoga session, or go on a guided nature walk (look out for monkeys and eagles). With delicious Malaysian and Thai dishes up for grabs, as well as a beach club restaurant, dining is an affair in itself.

5. Masseria Torre Coccaro, Puglia, Italy

A fortified farmhouse set amid sea-scented olive groves, Masseria Torre Coccaro boutique hotel in Puglia offers refined romance on Italy's Adriatic shores. Located between Brindisi and Bari on the country's south-east coast, its 37 stone-walled rooms are exquisitely decorated with linen bedding, silky sofas, baroque mirrors and antique furniture. Chill out in a poolside hammock, warm up in the Turkish baths or treat yourself in the Aveda spa. For nautical romance, commandeer Masseria's private 14-metre yacht, then relax at the beach club restaurant. The hotel also runs a horse riding centre, if you fancy a trot along the sand.

6. Zeavola, Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

One of the only boutique hotels on the intimate twin islands of Koh Phi Phi, Zeavola resort is a sandy seaside hamlet of traditional Thai huts blending relaxed rusticity with mod-con indulgence. An affordable spot to savour beautiful shores, it offers 52 freestanding villas (beachfront ones are the most romantic - plump for number 51, nearest the sea). Inside, net-draped beds, teak surfaces and Thai furniture keep things simple. When you've overdosed on swimming and sunbathing, learn to dive at the PADI centre or take a speedboat trip around the islands, then settle in at Tecada beach bar and restaurant for some serious sunset-scoping.

7. Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel, Sagres, Portugal

Set at Sagres on the wild south-west coast of Portugal's Algarve, Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel is beloved by beachcombers, with an inviting stretch of sand and a national park for neighbours. Natural materials rule in the 38 rooms, from cork to timber, wicker and stone, ensuring ocean views remain the star of the show. The Beach Rooms are the most private, with sea vistas from airy balconies. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outdoors in at O Terraço restaurant, too, where sea urchin roe with scrambled egg is a must. Distractions include tennis courts, a sports club, pools, watersports, a spa, sauna and steam rooms, but strolling along the seductive beaches at Sagres' fishing port takes some beating.

8. Cocoa Island, Maldives, Indian Ocean

To rev up the romance, escape to serene sanctuary Cocoa Island, a cluster of 33 suites and villas set over the Indian Ocean in the Maldives. A hit with honeymooning couples and lovers of pristine diving, it's the stuff of faraway island fantasies. All rooms are individual at-sea dwellings sited off a snaking wooden pier, with private sun-decks, walk-in showers, roll-top baths and vintage-style ceiling fans. Resembling Keralan boathouses, they promise over-water views, soothing white interiors and teak flooring for laid-back romance. Scuba diving and snorkelling on the reef are mind-blowing, or just explore the holistic Como Shambhala Spa. Cocktails at poolside bar Faru beckon for re-intoxicating after.

9. Shore Club Miami, Miami, United States

Miami meets Marrakech at Shore Club Miami, a stylish 309-room retreat in the heart of South Beach. This art deco hotel is a hedonistic playground for grown-ups by day or night, with a sexy retro lobby, sprawling lawns, the slinky Skybar and a branch of acclaimed Japanese restaurant Nobu. The party people may flock here, but it's a romantic spot, too. Bag a sleek white room with a balcony sea view, loaded with hi-tech treats, then head down to the steamy hot tub and two elevated infinity-edge pools, fringed by decadent cushion-strewn day-beds. Luxurious, tropical and right by the beach. You've so arrived...

10. Alila Villas Soori, Bali, Indonesia

Strung along Bali's south-west coast between black-sand beaches and jade-green rice paddies, just-remote-enough Indonesian retreat Alila Villas Soori is seriously seductive. All 48 of its pool villas are sublime, minimal havens with ocean views, but book a second-storey Ocean Pool Villa for a blue bonus: a sea-view bath tub. After lazing by the beach or 25-metre infinity pool, enjoy a slumber-inducing Balinese massage at Spa Alila. Surfing, horse-riding and cycling are all on offer, or ask the Leisure Concierge to hook you up with bespoke visits to local food markets, artisans or romantic temples. Just steps off Kelating Beach, the resort's casual restaurant Coast grills fresh seafood over charcoal or clink glasses at more formal restaurant Cotta.

National park attracts Sarus CranesAfter carrying out a World Wildlife Fund-sponsored hydrology plan, Tram Chim National Park in the southern province of Dong Thap is seeing Sarus Cranes return in large numbers.

90 have landed at the park this month, compared with only 63 in February and 67 last March, Nguyen Van Hung, the national park’s director said.

Hung said two reasons explained the renewed attraction of the park to Sarus Cranes.

The Hydrology Management Project sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and Can Tho University has improved the park’s ecosystem.

In the past, to prevent forest fire, water levels were kept too high, destroying grass and fish, a source of shelter and food for Sarus Cranes.

Dong Thap Province has also assigned over 100 soldiers to protect the park, which has reduced poaching and forest burning.

Occupying an area of 7,000 hectares, Tram Chim National Park is the representative of the Mekong Delta’s wetland ecosystem and a safe haven for Sarus Crane in dry seasons.

It is home to 231 bird species, including 16 rare ones.

Ối giời ơi! It is so hard to write for Vietnamese readers.

I’ve been a writer for more than ten years. There are things that I’m very proud of having written, and others things which I’m not so proud of.

But even when I’ve written for national magazines in the United States, I have never gotten so much feedback. In fact, even after I got my first story in a big publication, the LA Weekly in 2003, just out of university, I heard no comments except from my friends and relatives.

If you’re interested, and if you can read it in English then here it is.

http://www.laweekly.com/2003-06-26/music/hear-and-now-in-l-a/3/ (if you want to read the whole thing you’ll have to go one page back. It’s an old article!)
…

When I look back this article I smile. There was thrill, and also a bit of fear. I stayed up late to do it, searching carefully for every word. Would my words be good enough? Would people understand me?

But I sent them in and the editor accepted them. They were published.

Lucky Brian! I was so happy to see my words in print. I read them over and over.

So I continued writing, mostly about music. But somewhere along the line, writing became routine. The thrill was gone. It became just work.

When I think back to this first article, I feel like like I was a child then.

...

But now, writing for 2-6, the thrill has come back... plus that little bit of fear. I’m a bit like a child again. It’s now 2am and I’m sitting up with my tiny computer wondering if my words will be okay for you.

I’ve thrown away two other articles that were planned, and decided to just tell you what was on my mind.

It’s funny. Last time I wrote about children. I’ve read and re-read your comments. They have taught me very much about Vietnam, and I hope this exchange of ideas continues.

Of course, you must understand that I’m writing from a foreign and a personal perspective. I’ve not been in the country long enough to write like a native.

Still, they may have value, in their own stumbling way. There is a saying from the Bible: “Out of the mouths of children, often comes wisdom.”

I’m not saying that I’m wise. But the point of this idiom, I think, is that children can sometimes tell the truth because of their ignorance. I hope you will take my words in this way.

So Xin chào, Vietnam! I hope you will consider me as your child, teach me customs, your language, and sometimes listen to me.

I have read and re-read your comments. Had my Vietnamese friend help me to understand some of them.

Even writing for large magazines in America, I have never received so many comments.

This is what I really love about Hanoi. I cannot say Vietnam, because, although I’ve visited other places, (and one reader’s comment suggested that I’ve been in the countryside too long) I have spent 3 of the last 4 years in Hanoi. Without any vacations worth mentioning.

So now I’ve done a few posts about by thoughts on Vietnam. Some of them people seem to agree with me. Others disagree strongly.

Still, either way, I am so excited, because you care enough to respond! Even if some of the responses are not exactly kind, it makes me happy.

I feel that I have new friends who I’ve never met.

And so, I have a proposal: I take an hour for lunch every day (sometimes a little bit more). I often go to a bia hoi on Ngoc Ha; the one closest to the Botanical Gardens. (In Hanoi)

If anyone would like to join me for lunch this Monday, then please come and join me. I would love to hear what you’re thinking. I would like to know what your thinking is, what your concerns are.

I will be there at 12:30pm.

...

Even in such a short period of writing here, I have learned so much. There have been many rewards.

These rewards have come in the form of learning, not riches. So I have to let you know before hand, this is not a “Vietnamese invitation” - meaning I cannot afford to pay the bill for a bunch of people. So we’ll have to split it - American style.

I will make sure to bring a friend who can act as an interpreter to make up for my poor language skills.

Okay. So that’s that. We have an appointment if you like. My next article will be another one of my commentaries about this or that: just another thing that I notice about this country, from fresh eyes, just opening. Good morning.

Under the decision of Permanent Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung, the Thang Long Royal Citadel vestige complex will receive visitors on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long–Hanoi.

The Thang Long Royal Citadel vestige complex is opened for visitors on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long–Hanoi – Illustration photo

The complex, unearthed in 2003, covers an area of over 18,000 m2 and is considered one of the largest and most spectacular archaeological discoveries in Vietnam’s history.

At the heart of the site, a large number of remnants of the ancient imperial citadel were excavated at the depths of 0.9-1.9m (belonging to the Lê Dynasty, 15th-18th centuries); 1.9-3m (Ly and Tran Dynasties, 11th-14th centuries).

The oldest artifacts were discovered at the depth of 3-4.2m and dated back the 7th-9th centuries.

The antiquities prove that Thang Long-Hanoi has been the economic, political and cultural hub of Việt Nam for thousands of years. This was also a “crossroads” for cultural values from big countries and great civilizations like India, China and Southeast Asia.

As reported earlier, Vietnam already proposed UNESCO to recognise the world cultural heritage status for the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

The exhibition will surely provide domestic and foreign visitors with an insight in the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

The event is a significant activity to mark the capital’s 1000th birthday.

An inauguration ceremony for Hanoi Museum was held in Hanoi on October 6 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.

Hanoi Museum. Photo by Tien Nguyen - DTiNews

The event was attended by Vietnamese leaders and representatives from UNESCO, international organizations, embassies of some countries in Hanoi and the capital city’s citizens.

On display at the museum were thousands of objects from different stages of Vietnam’s history and photos introducing the images of Hanoi in the past and at present. A bonsai exhibition was also held during the event.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Pham Quang Nghi, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee emphasized Hanoi Museum is an outstanding cultural work reflecting the images of Hanoi in the integration and renewal process.

This is a beautiful museum with modern and unique architecture and a cultural wonder of the capital city and the nation, he said.

At the ceremony, the National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong said the museum’s managers should classify antiques quickly, tap the museum’s potential in research activities and introduce local and international visitors to Vietnam’s history, and Thang Long – Hanoi. Mr Trong also urged the museum’s managers to preserve antiques to help future generations learn more about Vietnam’s history.

The museum is located near the My Dinh National Stadium on an area of nearly 54,000 m2 with a total investment capital of VND2,300 billion.

Loc Yen village, in the central province of Quang Nam, is made attractive by its old houses and stone alleys.

Approaching the village, visitors will be treated to a place that looks like it could be from a fairytale, with narrow and winding roads, green fields and ancient houses.

This little village has more than 10 houses that are 200 years old or older. The uniquely designed houses, particular to Quang Nam Province, are made with jackwood. They usually have three rooms and two lean-tos. The backs of houses abut the mountain behind, leaning against it. The fronts face a deep stone valley. Such spectacular views make these modest houses seem like villas.

Nguyen Thi Kim Suong, a member of the fifth generation of her family living in the same house, one of the oldest in the town, said that even though the village does not appear in popular tourist guidebooks or maps, they sometimes welcome tourists, including foreign ones.

The village has a peaceful beauty

Stone alleys lead to old houses

Alleys are long and winding

Green spaces

Flowers

Mossy stone wall

Sunlit alley

Nguyen Dinh Hoan’s house is among the oldest in the village

Built against a mountain

Stone courtyard

Small garden compliments the house

Village road looks like a mountain path

Tall stone wall in front of an old house

Peaceful countryside atmosphere

I once said that American children are spoiled and overprotected. Some people were puzzled by this.

One person said, “I thought American children were very independent.”

Le Na commented on the blog, “ It's funny I used to [think] that American children are self-made, not spoiled and overprotected.”

I can see why you might think this, from far away. Yes, we move away from home at around the age of 18.

But - and some Americans will probably hate me for saying it, but - children are not independent in the U.S. Not at all.

Let me familiarise you with a couple American terms:

Soccer Mom: This is a suburban mother who spends all her time managing her child’s activities.

Helicopter Parents: These are parents who hover over their kids like a helicopter.

Maybe this doesn’t sound that bad, but some parents have taken it to an extreme.

When I was young I was allowed to go outside and play in the streets and alleys. I got into a few fights. My brother played with matches and burned himself.

Now I know how to avoid fights. My brother knows not to put a burning match into his mouth.
…

In Vietnam when I see a child I might say “hello”, have a little conversation. They might learn a bit of English, I might learn a bit of Vietnamese. One little girl I met gave me her old Vietnamese textbook from the first grade so i could study.

In the U.S., I’ve been in the supermarket, saw a cute kid and tried to wave hello. The mother looked at me as if I was going to kidnap him. She turned around and walked away, quickly, dragging the small boy.

In the United states I have even seen children on leashes. Do you believe me? No? Well:

One mother blogged, “I can’t bring myself to think about taking them to the street without any kind of restraint. I think leashes are a fantastic idea!”

Fantastic? Really?

Leashes are for dogs!

In Vietnam I’ve seen young children walking down the street at 11pm, unaccompanied.

In Vietnam it seems like children can go out by themselves and play with their friends. Maybe they will even come home with a bruise or a little injury, maybe they got into a fight or fell down. But that’s what children do. In this way they get to learn lessons on their own.

Of course freedom for children can go too far. If you have time, watch this youtube clip:

…

The U.S. exports many things: Coca Cola, technology, jobs, war. I hope that our habits in raising children is not imported here.

It wasn’t always the same in the U.S.. When I was about 8 years old we had a Halloween parade at my primary school. My mom used a cardboard box and paint to dress me up as a pack of cigarettes. I went to school dressed as a box of Marlboro Lights. It was funny. But now, if a parent did this, they might get a visit from the authorities.
…

There is a serious side to all this. Why would someone keep a child on a leash?

Fear, I think.

When I was back in the U.S. I really noticed the atmosphere of fear. People are scared of everything: thieves, losing their jobs, kidnappers, the bird flu.

Yes, the world is a dangerous place. But fear can be more dangerous. It can be crippling.

Vietnam has consistently been on the list of the top 10 most optimistic countries. No wonder. There are so many young people. Children go outside and play freely. Sure, they might see some bad things, but they also learn how to fend for themselves; learn how to live. They are not afraid.

In the U.S., they stay at home, protected from the outside world. They watch television and play video games where they shoot people. Sometimes they even go to school with a gun to try it in real life.

This is why I find Vietnamese children delightful, even though I don’t want to have one of my own.

The northern area of Bac Ha becomes splendid as plum flowers blossom everywhere in the sunny weather.

After the long cold days of winter, it is now sunny and Bac Ha Plateau is covered with white plum blossoms everywhere.

The 1,500m-mountainous area is called the Bac Ha White Plateau because so many Tam Hoa plum trees are grown there. Nearly 30 years ago, Vu Duc Loi, head of the Bac Ha Plant Breeding Research Centre and his colleagues successfully created a new variety of plum through cross-breeding and named it the “Tam Hoa” Plum.

This plum has helped Mong, Tay and Phu La ethnic minority people escape from poverty and created new tours to “visit the Bac Ha White Plateau in the spring” which have attracted many domestic and international tourists.

Following are images of Bac Ha and its people.

The cold winter has made the pinkish peach flowers in the central province of Nghe An bloom late this year.

However, the warm weather of the past week has woken their sleeping beauty. These late-bloomers offer a unique sight; a bit of the Tet atmosphere after Tet.

Nguyen Van Quan, an owner of a peach garden in Nghia Thuan Commune, Thai Hoa Town said, he has grown 10 peach trees. The long cold prevented the flowers from blossoming until after the 15th day of the lunar month of January. But over the past few days, his garden attracted many visitors who came by to enjoy the scenery and take photos.

Nguyen Thuy Tien, a local youth, commented, “This year, the peach flowers have blossomed late but fantastically.”

The following is photos of the late blossoming of pinkish peach flowers in Nghe An:

Late but fantastic flowers