Vietnam Travel Blog

The Khmer ethnic people annually celebrated their traditional Ok Om Bok Festival on the full-moon day of the tenth lunar month to shows their gratitude to the Moon Goddess for giving them a bumper harvest and rich aquatic sources.

Ok Om Bok is now a popular festival celebrated not only in Soc Trang but also in other Mekong Delta provinces of Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Kien Giang and An Giang. In the Khmer belief, the Moon Goddess is the one who cares for the crops, aquatic sources and human life. Also called Festival of Worshipping the Moon, the Ok Om Bok Festival of each village takes place on the yard of a local pagoda, and the whole province’s Ok Om Bok Festival takes place at Ba Om Pond. The festival is one of the three typical festivals of the Khmer in the circle of one year.

Interesting traditional activities…

Ok Om Bok features folk religion originated from Buddhism. The festival opens by a Ngo Boat Race (Um Tuk Ngua in the Khmer language), one of the most attractive activities of the Khmers. The race drew hundreds of thousands of Khmer people in the region and tourists nationwide. On the noon of the 14th day of the 10th lunar month, on the Long Binh River takes place the exciting Ngo Boat Race in the echoing sounds of the Five tones of the traditional musical scale and the resounding encouragement shouts of tens of thousands of audiences. The racing teams from different town and districts on the territory of Tra Vinh Province and neaby provinces bring a noisy and stirring atmosphere for the festival. Ngo Boat Race is both a game and a way to express the strength of consolidation, as well as a traditional ritual to see off the God Water to the ocean after the growing season, and a religious ritual of the Khmer to commemorate the Snake God Nagar, who once turned into a lump of wood to help the Buddha cross the river. It is honored as a sacred relic, used only in essential festivals like Ok Om Bok and is kept and preserved carefully in local pagodas. The boat is about 24 meters long, 1.2 meter wide and is able to hold about 40 people. Sitting in two lines midway along the sides, young Khmer men and women move gently in harmony with the sounds of gongs and waves. As the first boat crosses the finish line, the crowds on both riverbanks cheer loudly and enthusiastically for their victory. Hundreds of people enthusiastically support their favourite teams and enjoy the race. Attending the festival, you will have a chance to watch the jubilant and competitive boat race of the Khmer people.

During full-moon the night, Khmer family members gather in front of the communal pagoda or their houses and prepare a special feast with green rice flakes, ripe bananas, fresh peeled coconuts and mangoes to offer to the moon. When the God Moon rises, the offering ceremony begins with all family members sitting flat on the ground and clasping their hands in wait for the moon to rise. An elderly man expresses their gratitude to the moon and prays for continued good crops and good health. They prayed to the Moon for bumper harvests all the year round, prosperity and happiness. A jubilant atmosphere prevailed over the celebration sites where large members of people gathered to enjoy folk art performances, including floating flames, flying balloons, and Khmer stage arts of Du Ke and Ro Bam. Then, the village elders will pick up handfuls of “com dep” to put into the children’s mouths with a wish for their strong eating and rapid development (the word Ok om bok literally means eating “com dep” by picking up it and put into the mouth). After

the ceremony, they continue looking at the moon, while receiving green rice flakes from an elderly man and making their wishes. At the festive nights, tourists and locals walk in groups around the ponds and enjoy local food and buy souvenirs. All seem to forget tiring daily work and drift with the melodies and sounds of folk songs, diverse instruments and dance of the Khmer.

The night becomes more exciting with ethnic games and traditional fashion shows. Some join a contest of flying lanterns and silently contemplate the colors. A flying lantern is made with a bamboo frame pasted with paper. A tinder is tied under the frame then fired, which makes the lantern fly high in the air. The flying lantern rises higher and higher in a mysterious and romantic breeze as if bringing the hopes and beliefs of the Khmer people to the Moon God, who is tucking up the clouds to look down at the earth. At Ba Om Pond, the ritual of the flying-lantern release has become an exciting contest with the participation of tens of pagodas in the province under the encouragement of tens of thousands of festival participants.

The event also features water-lanterns made from bamboo and paper in the shape of a boat with colorful decorations. People make a line with a drum band ahead, whisper their prayers to God and gently drop paper-boats on the water. The river is indulged in peaceful and fanciful scenery. This is also the traditional time for couples to pray for their love and destiny. The festival celebrations also included traditional Khmer rituals and special performances by art troupes from other provinces. People also flocked to downtown Soc Trang for shopping at trade fairs and watching traditional sports and games.

Really interesting and meaningful, Ok Om Bok Festival is the most imposing festival in Mekong Delta. Once taking part in, and you will realize…

By http://www.vietnam-visa.com/blog/ – You can either apply yourself at Vietnamese embassies or consulates in your country or have a local travel agent (your sponsor) to do a part or full its procedure.

By yourself (at Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in your country):

- Required documents: you have to submit:

• Passport of six months validity
• Visa application forms
• Probably some others required by Vietnam embassy or consulates in your country

Visa forms are available by getting directly at the Embassy/Consulate or by mail carrier with a stamped, self-addressed pre-paid return envelope sent to their Visa section – Vietnam Embassy/Consulate. Request by email is perhaps acceptable (in some cases). (more…)

From http://www.vietnam-visa.com | Netherlands citizen need a valid visa to visit, do business or work in Vietnam. The normal Vietnam Entry Visa is issued by the Vietnam Embassy in Canada, and the Vietnam visa on arrival can be done by our online visa service.

1. Get normal Vietnam Entry Visa (before travelling)

You apply for Visa to Vietnam by mail or in person at the Vietnam Embassy in Netherlands, and may receive after about a week, by following the below instructions:

- Fill out the online form at www.vietnam-visa.com

- Print out that form, and glue on a passport photo

- Send them together with + the fee ($79 for 1-month single entry visa) + your passport + a return pre-paid express post envelope to the Vietnam Embassy in Hague, Netherlands at the following address: (more…)

Ca Na beach

On the map of Vietnam tourism as well as the world’s, Ca Na is amongst the impressive names for a picturesque landscape of sea, mountain, forest, and even a Cham culture. It is this combination of natural beauty and cultural value that makes it a tourism heaven for any kind of visitors.

A quick look. Ca Na is fortunate to be granted such a favorable location, which is on the trans-Vietnam railway, right on the 1A Highway, and around 200km east of Ho Chi Minh City. It stretches as far as 10km with blue sky and purely green water. Ca Na is attractive to tourists not only for the mentioned charm, but also the ideally pure and cool weather all the year round. If staying here overnight, you will deeply feel the Ca Na night’s delicate harmony of with moonlight, hissing sea wind, and whistling waves. Do come and feel it yourself, no regret at all you would have! (more…)

Source: Vietnam Beaches

Based at the first point of the S-shaped Vietnam, the nice Tra Co beach is an important stop-over when tourists arrive in Vietnam from the north.

Briefings

Tra Co beach is located in the Northeastern extreme of the “S-shaped Vietnam”, in Quang Ninh province. It is by the border with China, and around 8 kilometers from Mong Cai mountainous town and some 170 kilometers far away from Ha Long. With its advantages in terms of location, the beach is the destination of a number of travelers, especially those who come from China.

To the west, the province borders an extended forest and mountainous region. To the east, it is adjacent to the Gulf of Tonkin. It features a meandering coastline, numerous estuaries and tidal flats, and more than 2,000 large and small islands. Of which 1,030 have been named. The local annual temperature is around 22.7^oC with two main seasons (Hot and Cold). The best time for swimming is summer season from April to September. (more…)