Hash house harriers – New adventure tour in Nha Trang

In order to participate in this unique – new adventure tour, the simple criterion is that you must love traveling, love nature and love…running.

Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as hashing) established in Dec 1938 by British and Spanish invading Singapore and Malaysia, and then spread out the other parts of the world.

In Vietnam, H3 had the first occurrence in Hanoi in 1991 and expanded to other provinces such as Vung Tau, Can Tho, Da Nang and Lam Dong. 2013. “Hash House Harriers” landed in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) and has made a unique trend: sport and ecotourism.

The purpose of the H3

The original purpose of this kind of adventure tour 3H in first days which was inscribed on the registration card in 1950 is to enhance the fitness, avoid alcoholic gathering at the weekend; instead of that, members would take tonic beverages such as beer. The most important thing was to make all members think that the age could not stop the enthusiastic people.

In Vietnam, the H3 was established to relieve pressure of life, work of members, to interact with the new people. Taking part in the program, foreigners have great chance to discover culture, beauty of Vietnam and get fitness to boost the energy for next working days. At Nha Trang, the H3 also targets on charity, helping difficult people.

Members with odd nicknames

Joining group, every member has a different nickname and will not call each other by real names. The nicknames are weird, funny, reflecting exactly their personalities. They get to know, chat, and play with each other on an equal basis, regardless of hierarchy, color, religion.

Great unexpectation on the way

The interest of H3 is unknown destination exception to guide members. Criteria of destination selection are closeness to nature, peace, fresh air. Discovering new sceneries is an interesting point for members.

On every trip, when reaching at a new secret destination, H3 members must follow the rules “run and play”. If see a pinch of white powder, the leader would shout “On On”, it means keep going. Meet the X symbol; they would shout “Go back” (run back). Then, the last one will become the leader. They run continuously until seeing “Stop beer” signal, it is time to have some beers, exchange, and participate in fun games.

In H3, members are encouraged to express entire personality. They prefer spontaneous moments with free laughter not only at the rest but also on the way of running.

Hash house harriers are considered as a new highlight of Vietnam tourism.

Hash house harriers – New adventure tour in Nha Trang

Thien Ha Cave in the ancient capital – new destination of Vietnam tourism

Thien Ha – a new destination of Vietnam tourism is not known as Trang An, Bich Dong, but when step on the cave, you will be engrossed in the illusory and mysterious space.

Located in Son Ha commune (Nho Quan , Ninh Binh), Thien Ha Cave and Dang Pier are attractive tourist routes in the landscape complex of Trang An – Tam Coc. The cave is not really huge, but located right in the Tuong mountain range which is part of a natural wall firmly covering and protecting Hoa Lu citadel in the 10th century, thus Thien Ha attract tourists to find out more about the ancient capital.

Thien Ha not big but very nice with all types the stalactites

The attraction of journey is not really different with other visits, discoveries in Ninh Binh; because of the feeling of boat excursions. From the Muong Tho Ha village, boat will smoothly surf on a small canal in the Dang Pier river system. With a length of about one kilometer, but it is enough for you to look at picturesque and peaceful countryside on both sides.
When reaching the pier, you continue to go on the rocky path with the length of the 500 m along foothills of Tuong Mountain to the East gate. Not being vast, overwhelming, but Thien Ha cave is still attracting visitors’ gaze with masterpieces arts molded by the hands of Mother of Nature.

Going through the door with the tall of 3-4 m is a 700 m long cave including dry one and the water one. Dry cave is not very big, only about 200 meters long, but step inside you will feel like silver and gold inlaid palace with stalactites sparkling.

Light shining down from the roof to ground of cave

Be fascinated before the dim space, you will have great opportunity to freely imagine at various types of rocks. From the fox hunting bait, to the elephant or tiger preying or monkey climbing trees…All are lively as an illusory stone castle.

Be pleased with the dry cave, you continue to cruise downstream. Stone layers reflect the beautiful sunshine making water colors look to be silver as constellations glittering in the night which makes customers to feel like sailing smoothly between a glittering galaxy.

According to experts, the stalactites system in Thien Ha cave is still remaining and in the process of development. Especially it almost seems to keep intact the wildness with thousands of bats living. Here archaeologists also found traces of the ancient Vietnamese with raw pottery, animal bones, turtle shell and breastplate.

Thien Ha is ideally a new destination for Vietnam tourism which not only is fascinating to Vietnamese tourists but also foreigners traveling to Vietnam.

Thien Ha Cave in the ancient capital – new destination of Vietnam tourism

Ta Chi Nhu – the Ocean in the cloud

With an altitude of 2,979 m, Ta’s peak in Tram Tau District (Yen Bai) have severe climate but is ideal for “cloud hunting” in the beautiful day.

Ta Chi Nhu is also known as Phu Song Sung in the language of the Thai ethnic group or Chung Chua in the Hmong ethnic group community and located in the massif of Pu Luong in Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Ta Chi Nhu is the sixth highest mountain in Vietnam and is like an ocean in the clouds which attract photo lovers and trekking takers come to discover.

Traveling from Hanoi to the top Ta Chi Nhu, we have to go through Nghia Lo, Tram Tau, and Xa Ho village. From the town center, we can only travel by car in 6-7 km, then we have to leave the car behind and start to climb with full of challenge. Comparing with Fansipan peak, Ta Chi Nhu is lower, but the rood to the peak is fairly much difficult.

There is only one trail to the summit which is steeply sometimes like walking on the edge. From the foothill, mist covers densely; so mountaineering teams have to follow each other slowly, going through a translucent white mist. Not to mention that wind will be stronger when we go up; sometimes, we have to slump down to avoid the wind as thrash in the face, whooshing in rushes of sound.

The path is steep and very long up to the top as if there is no stop on that, so it discourages people. But if we do not try to climb above 2,000 m to camp overnight, we will not be able to admire the most beautiful moments in the clouds at sunset and sunrise.

The tiredness and pant will follow us on every step; we do not know where to stop when two sides are very deep valleys. But just go out of the jungle, we will reach the bamboo forest. The green of the leaves, the yellow of stalk mixing with opaque fog hiding in the clouds will strengthen you on the way to conquer nature.

That is really a sea of ​​clouds when being at the top. On the way to the top of the mountain, you will see the carpets of green grass and trees halfway up the mountain with green leaves,

Ta Chi Nhu – the Ocean in the cloud

Explore the South

Away from the city noise and bustle, drive southward to enjoy the fresh air, the quiet that visitors will find more comfortable and fresh. Besides, down to the southwest, to the Ben Tre, you will see the coconut tree lines along the canal bank, listening to the sweet folk songs to feel gentle.

Itinerary: 

Saigon – My Tho (Mekong delta) – Saigon

Am: Pick up at the hotel around 8h00. Drive southward to Mekong delta. Upon arrival at My Tho pier, embark on a private boat for cruising along small creek to Mekong River estuary, to Con Phung (Phoenix Island) and stop over at a beautiful and delicious garden restaurant at a local house for Vietnamese lunch.

Pm: The motorized boat cruises along natural creeks and quiet village in Ben Tre Province. Visit orchards, bee – keeping farm, taste natural honey and honey tea, enjoy tropical fruit, traditional music, see round a distillery, explore the local coconut candy production process, taste candy & coconut pulp. In the afternoon, back to Saigon with stop over in VinhTrang pagoda for visiting. Arrive in Saigon at the end of the day. Tour ends

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Inclusion:

• Private boat trip in Mekong river


• Private and comfortable transportation during the whole trip


• All entrance fees


• English speaking guides. Other languages can be arranged upon request


• All meals as mentionned per program

Exclusion:

• Any unmentioned drinks


• Personal insurance


• Personal expenses 


• Vietnam visa (can be done with our Visa service)

Explore the South

A very tasteful Vietnamese speciality - Quang Noodles

Knowing about Vietnamese speciality – noodles sometimes can be extremely helpful, as “pho” in Hanoi and beef rice noodles in Hue and especially, popular Quang noodles in Quang Nam and Da Nang.

 Quang noodle soups are different with most other normal noodle soups in that the soups have just enough broth to barely cover the noodles. Unlike other Vietnamese noodle soup bowls whose broth will cover the noodles almost completely, Quang noodle broth is barely enough to slurp during the meal. If you do not eat a Quang noodle bowl fast enough, the broth will generally quickly be soaked up by the noodles. Quang noodle soups are generally pork and dried shrimp broth based, although some regional and family recipes will use chicken and even duck. What makes Quang noodle soups unique is the richness of the broth, the lack of it and the crushed peanut toppings on the noodles.

The mystery of Quang noodle is in that pot above. This is ‘nuoc sot mi quang’ or Quang noodle sauce. This makes the stock slightly sweet and a smidgen spicy. This dish’s ingredients include rice, vegetables and meat. After being soaked in water, the rice is ground to a fine powder and made into attractive smooth white noodles. Accompanying vegetables are water morning-glory, cress, young banana flowers and herbs. Especially, the famous Tra Que savory of Quang Nam Province will give the dish more flavour. You can use pork, chicken, fish, crab or shrimp to make the broth. If chicken is chosen, the meat is separated, seasoned and stir-fried while the bones are stewed. Finish the stock by adding cooked chicken meat.

There are many Quang noodle restaurants in Quang Nam and Da Nang. Each area is famous for one certain recipe. For example, Thanh Chiem Village in Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province is known for shrimp noodle, while chicken noodle is at its best in Tuy Loan, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang City.

A traditional version says: “I make for you, darling, green tea and Quang noodles to express my feelings”. Thus, you can visit a Quang noodle kiosk in Danang City to enjoy the typical flavor of the soups, for instance: Ngan Quang Noodle at 108 Dong Da Street, Lu Quang Noodle at Ham Nghi Street, Vi Quang Noodle at 155 Trung Nu Vuong Street and so on.

A very tasteful Vietnamese speciality - Quang Noodles

Vietnamese speciality - Hue beef noodle (the typical culinary art of Hue)

In Hue city, the former citadel of Vietnam, it doesn’t take you a lot of money to dine like a King!

Hue beef noodle takes its origin from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam. The broth is from cooking beef bones for a long period of time as well as a variety of different spices including lemongrass.

Having a bowl of Hue beef noodle, it is easy to recognize that it is completely different from Pho since the former’s beef broth is much spicier.

Learning how to make a clear broth from bone and meat is quite a difficult task. After being selected from the market, the fresh beef will be shredded, boiled and taken out of the water to obtain a delicious clear broth. A typical version of Hue beef noodle must include pork, roast beef, pig’s blood, Vietnamese salami, Hue’s style salami, shrimp sauce and chopped lettuce.

The interesting thing is that, the amount of salt put in the beef noodle recipe varies between seasons. For example, during summer, Hue beef noodle soup is served with soy bean, mint and different kinds of lettuce while in the winter, the recipe is saltier added with lemongrass and fish.

The best Hue beef noodle comes from the street vendors who work from dawn to early morning. This hot dish represents just a few of the treasures of Hue’s traditional cuisine. Clam-rice and the flour pies like “beo” (streamed flour cupcakes), “nam” (wrapped shrimp pies) and “loc” (tapioca and shrimp pies), for examples, are part of the ancient capital’s culinary heritage.

Vietnamese speciality - Hue beef noodle (the typical culinary art of Hue)

“Cơm Việt” – a different taste

If you have ever tried “Cơm Việt” (Vietnamese boiled rice), you will find the difference from the boiled rice in other countries!

In an ordinary meal of Vietnamese people, together with a variety of different dishes, Com or plain boiled rice is an indispensable one, the most popular food at the main meals of the day (lunch and dinner).

Different cooking method makes “Cơm Việt” different!

In Vietnam, Com is made from different kinds of rice; typically fragrant rice is used, such as Tam Thom and Nang Huong. The main ingredients of Vietnamese boiled rice are commonly as follows:

      Vietnamese plain boiled rice

       – 1 cup of rice

                                                                                                       – 2 cups of boiling water

                                                                                                       – 1 teaspoon of salt

If you have chance to see how Vietnamese people make a good pot of boiled rice, you will notice that its process is not so difficult. Firstly, pick the rice over, taking out all the bits of brown husk; fill the outside of the double boiler with hot water, and put in the rice, salt and water, and cook forty minutes, but do not stir it. Then take off the cover from the boiler, and very gently, without stirring, turn over the rice with a fork; put the disk in the oven without the cover, and let it stand and dry for ten minutes. Then turn it from the boiler into a hot dish, and cover.

Other rice–made foods…

Beside the above-mentioned recipe of “Cơm Việt”, the Vietnamese people created many other rice-made foods, such as: rice ball, fried rice, rice gruel, steamed glutinous rice. Among them, making a rice ball (“Cơm nắm” in Vietnamese) is so interesting! “Cơm nắm” is a Vietnamese rice dish pressed into cylinder or sphere shape, which is sold in small alleys in Hanoi by vendors. This dish is very familiar with Vietnamese people. “Cơm nắm” has become a cheap but delicious rustic gift. When being fed up with nutritious food like vermicelli or “phở”, people often look for a frugal dish like “Cơm nắm” served with roasted sesame and ground nut.

Rice balls

Do you think it is easy to make a rice ball? A lot of people may say “Yes”, and you can obey the following simple process to make perfect a rice ball. To begin with, you boil the rice in a rice cooker. Please bear in mind that you have to make rice balls while the rice is hot or else it will not stick together. Next, you wet your hands and put a pinch of salt on your palms. Then, you put rice on your hand and wad up the rice and shape like cylinder or sphere. “Cơm nắm” is served with not o­nly sesame but also other things, such as stewed fish, simmered pork or salted shredded meat. However, salted roasted sesame (and ground nut) is still the first choice. The dish is so delicious that you surely would like to taste more than once… The rice is white clear, soft and used to be wrapped in a green banana leaf, which is so attractive. However, its cover is replaced with a plastic bag or paper. The salted sesame is roasted light brown and grated, which has an appealing fragrance. “Cơm nắm” is cut into slices and served with this sesame or/and ground nut. The sweetness of rice combining with the buttery taste of sesame is so unique that can not be found anywhere in the world.

Being in Vietnam, you are strongly recommended to give you the chance for enjoying “Cơm Việt” with dishes of pork, fish, shrimp and vegetable cooked in oil, as well as vegetables, pickles, etc. Enjoy your meal!

“Cơm Việt” – a different taste