Travel

Vagabond a perfect spot for café hopping

Published

2 weeks ago

March 16, 2023

by Gia Linh

The rising trend of ‘café hopping’, visiting more than one café during a single outing, has resulted in the omnipresence of many ‘instagrammable’ cafés. The Vagabond Patisserie & Cafe in HCM City’s District 1’s Trần Cao Vân Street is one such venue, well-known among cafe-goers and sweets-lovers for their meticulously made seasonal cakes and drinks.

The word ‘vagabond’ is a nod to the owners’ philosophy of running their business outside traditional frameworks.

QUAINT: The Vagabond in 9 Trần Cao Vân Street in HCM City’s District 1 is famous for its beautiful decor and tasty cakes. – VNS Photo Gia Linh

I got to know The Vagabond through their advertisement on Instagram, and was completely taken by how pretty their cakes are. Seeing the pictures, reading the captions, and knowing that they made their pâtisserie from scratch stirred my curiosity.

I could not wait to see this café, especially as I love baking. With two of my like-minded besties, we planned a date immediately.

Upon arrival, we were immediately awed by how it looked on the outside, an old world European concept with black-and-white exterior designs, an entrance filled with various plants, and decorations creating a mysterious, cozy atmosphere.

It was lively inside, but not too busy; jazzy 90s’ music was playing in the background. The staff were attentive, quickly setting up a table for us.

The interior had an antique, vintage theme: yellow lights, wooden tables and chairs, a floor-to-ceiling old bookshelf; it felt like a European café in the 80s.

Once we scanned through the menu, we were completely invested in the place. There are dozens of options, from desserts to coffee, tea, and even homemade ice-cream. We took a long time choosing, and ended up with three ‘no-baked’ cakes and two icy drinks.

The order came in no time, and the plating was perfect. We took tons of pictures, amazed by how beautiful the dishes looked, not wanting to ruin them.

After planning what order we should try the cakes (from the mildest to strongest), we tried the mango and Yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit) mille crêpe first. The aroma from the Yuzu hit us on the tip of our tongues, fresh and citrusy. The combination between the rich cream, tangy hint of Yuzu and mango, and soft, light crêpe layers was so refreshing.

Since it was cherry season, we could not skip the Souvie on the menu, a ‘cherry-bomb’ full of complex components, textures and flavours.

It was covered in a paper-thin layer of berry-flavoured chocolate, and on top was glossy marmalade made of cherry chunks. The inside was a work of art, with cocoa sponge-cake at the bottom, then a layer of chocolate mousse, cherry compote, and a third layer of cherry-infused cream cheese on top. The components worked together amazingly. The hint of chocolate recognizably enhanced the natural, sweet cherry flavour.

CAKE OFF: The Vagabond seasonal cakes are visually satisfying and taste amazing. – VNS Photo Gia Linh

Setting the cakes aside, we headed for our drinks, starting off with the cherry berry kumquat tea. While we did find the tea refreshing with the taste of cherries and kumquat, and it would pair decently with creamy, heavy cakes, it was just a bit on the bland side.

Contrary to the tea, we could not stop drinking the oat milk with brown sugar toddy palm, which more than lived up to our expectations. The milk was creamy, nutty, the sugar syrup added a hint of sweet, caramelising taste, and the brown-sugar coated toddy palms were chewy. We think we even prefer this one over traditional milk tea!

DELIGHTFUL DRINK: The nutty oat milk with caramelised brown sugar
toddy palms was an addicting drink. – VNS Photo Gia Linh

We finished off with a Greenerie, our last cake. According to the menu, this one contained a trio of pistachio, cherry, and matcha (a rather peculiar combination). At the bottom was a thin layer of Kyoto matcha sponge cake, on top was again the cherry compote, and finally, there was the pistachio cream. The matcha taste did not overpower the other flavours, and I especially loved the sheer nuttiness of the pistachio cream. It was my favourite cake of the three.

We sat and talked for hours, enjoying the last bit of everything. Nothing was overly sweet, and portion sizes were just enough.

Items on the menu range from VNĐ80,000 to 180,000, and our bill came to around VNĐ660,000 (US$28), a great deal for the superb cakes and drinks.

The Vagabond also has another branch at 118 Hà Huy Tập Street, District 7.

With great service, beautiful decorations, and top-tier cakes and drinks, I highly recommend The Vagabond to those who want to have a unique café outing. VNS

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Source: http://ovietnam.vn/dining/vagabond-a-perfect-spot-forcafe-hopping_342371.html

Travel

New tours aim to boost travel and attract international visitors

Published

1 hour ago

March 28, 2023

TienphongNews

Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda is a destination on the new tourism route connecting Hà Nội and Bắc Giang Province. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI A new tourism route departing from Hà Nội to many tourist attractions in the northern province of Bắc Giang, including cultural, historical and spiritual heritage sites, natural landscape and craft villages, has been officially opened.

It has been jointly launched by SGO Travel, a member of the SGO Group, and by the Centre for Information and Tourism Promotion of Bắc Giang.

“The opening of the Hà Nội-Bắc Giang cultural tourism route right after the National Tourism Conference on March 15 is a meaningful activity that shows the will and determination of the whole in accelerating recovery, development and creating new successes to heighten Bắc Giang tourism to a new position in the national tourism map,” said Đỗ Tuấn Khoa, deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bắc Giang.

According to Phùng Quang Thắng, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of SGO Group and permanent vice chairman of the Vietnam Travel Association, the province has great potential for developing agricultural, historical and cultural tourism.

“We hope that the tourist route will be welcomed by a large number of tourists and open new links between other localities with Bắc Giang Province in the future,” he said.

Initially, this new route will include diverse tours, departing daily from Wednesday to Sunday and serving domestic and international tourists under four main themes.

The first theme, Tourism Associated with Cultural and Spiritual Stories, is the core of the programme and includes the one-day tour Hà Nội – Tây Yên Tử: Theo dấu chân Phật Hoàng (Hà Nội – Tây Yên Tử: Following the Footsteps of Buddhist King).

According to Thắng, this distinctive tour takes tourists on King Trần Nhân Tông’s journey of Buddhist practice and enlightenment over 700 years ago.

Departing at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, visitors will travel to Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda, where King Trần Nhân Tông led a religious life as a hermit and founded the Thiền Tông Zen sect.

Visitors can witness 3,050 printing woodblocks from the Nguyễn dynasty (1802-1883) preserved at the pagoda, which have been recognised as World Documentary Heritage by UNESCO, and try their hands at woodblock printing.

Under the theme, Tourism Associated with Preserving Long-Standing Traditional Values, the one-day tour will enable tourists to live a day like singers of quan họ (alternate singing) by donning four-panel traditional dresses, learning to sing a few quan họ verses, visit houses several hundred years old and many other interesting experiences.

In tours themed Tourism Arouses Patriotism and National Pride, visitors review historical traditions and national pride through cultural activities and visit cultural and historical destinations of Bắc Giang.

In the last tours under the theme Tourism Associated with Local Life and Agricultural Development, visitors will be taken to fruit orchards, and craft villages and explore beautiful poetic lakes in the province like Khuôn Thần, Bầu Lầy or Cấm Sơn on inflatable boats.

FAM trip Đà Nẵng – Hội An – Huế organised

Members of Indian travel agencies, press and media participating in the FAM trip are pictured in front of Sun World Bà Nà Hills mountain resort. — Photo courtesy of PYS Travel

Over 20 Indian travel agencies, press and media participated in a four-day FAM trip surveying the tourism services in Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Huế.

The trip has been organised by PYS Travel to promote and introduce Việt Nam as an attractive destination to Indian tourists.

“We hope that our Indian partners can experience the services of PYS Travel themselves and that after this FAM trip, we will be able to serve a 160 per cent increase in Indian visitors compared to 2019,” said Nguyễn Thị Việt Anh, operation director of PYS Travel.

During this trip, the participants visited famous tourist sites in Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Huế, such as Marble Mountains, Bà Nà Hills, or Thiên Mụ Pagoda, while surveying the quality of hotels, restaurants, especially those serving Indian food.

During a meeting with Nguyễn Văn Phúc, director of the Department of Tourism of Thừa Thiên Huế, they were introduced to attractive tourist destinations for Indian tourists, UNESCO-recognised heritages and tourism promotion activities to attract foreign tourists such as the Huế Festival or the Áo Dài Festival.

According to Phúc, the tourism authority of Thừa Thiên Huế has supported and trained staff of restaurants and hotels in the province to meet the needs and tastes of Indian guests.

“I am especially impressed with Bà Nà Hills and the Golden Bridge. I think it is a very prominent and extremely attractive destination for Indian tourists. After this trip, we will decide to promote more tour packages to Đà Nẵng, especially Bà Nà Hills,” Salman Moideen, a representative of Flyland Travel & Tour travel company based in Mumbai.

Another participant, Thottathil Jasim, highly appreciated the FAM trip and the Vietnamese travel agents.

“We are impressed with the professional working style and attentive and dedicated service of Vietnamese travel agents,” he said.

“After this trip, we will coordinate with PYS Travel to build more attractive tours to bring more Indian tourists to Việt Nam.” VNS

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/travel/new-tours-aim-to-boost-travel-and-attract-international-visitors_342540.html

Travel

Binh Thuan ready for opening of Visit Vietnam Year 2023

Published

4 hours ago

March 28, 2023

TienphongNews

The central coastal province of Binh Thuan has completed preparations for the opening of Visit Vietnam Year 2023 with the theme “Binh Thuan – Green convergence,” which will officially be held on March 25 night, heard a meeting held by the provincial People’s Committee on March 20.

Binh Thuan ready for opening of Visit Vietnam Year 2023 hinh anh 1

Rang Beach in Binh Thuan (Photo:dulichbinhthuan.com.vn)

Binh Thuan
(VNA) – The central coastal province of Binh Thuan has completed preparations for
the opening of Visit Vietnam Year 2023 with the theme “Binh Thuan
– Green convergence,” which will officially be held on March 25 night, heard a meeting
held by the provincial People’s Committee on March 20.

According to Director
of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Bui The Nhan, the
province has completed all necessary conditions for the event, including the
stage for the opening ceremony, traffic regulation and security protection
plans, as well as accommodations for visitors, medical and fire rescue
services.

Chairman of the Binh
Thuan People’s Committee Doan Anh Dung asked relevant agencies, departments and
localities to coordinate closely to ensure a successful and safe opening
ceremony of Visit Vietnam Year 2023, leaving a good impression on visitors.

Binh Thuan ready for opening of Visit Vietnam Year 2023 hinh anh 2

Sand dunes in Mui Ne of Binh Thuan (Photo: VNA)

The opening ceremony
of Visit Vietnam Year 2023 will be held at
NovaWorld Phan Thiet in Phan Thiet city of Binh Thuan. Nearly 600
artists, actors, and actresses will perform in an artistic musical show at
the ceremony with the script written by Meritorious Artist Tran Ly Ly, Director
of the Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and writer Hoang Cong Cuong.

The 85-minute show has three parts, namely the “Convergence of earth and sky”,
the “Green Tour”, and the “Green convergence – Binh Thuan
destination of friendship”. The ceremony is expected to draw 5,700 visitors.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Visit
Vietnam Year is a both a national and international cultural, economic, social,
and tourist event. It is also the biggest annual tourism event in Vietnam,
offering opportunities to attract domestic and international tourists through
the promotion of images, tangible and intangible cultural values, natural
resources, as well as the development of linkages between localities.

Binh Thuan ready for opening of Visit Vietnam Year 2023 hinh anh 3

The opening ceremony of the Visit Vietnam Year 2023 is expected to draw 5,700 visitors.(Photo: binhthuan.gov.vn)

Visit Vietnam Year 2023 “Binh Thuan – Green convergence” includes
more than 200 events and activities.

With 192km of coastline, Binh Thuan province is home to islands, islets, coves,
bays, and white sand beaches with clear blue water, which form famous tourist
attractions. The province has many tourism resources with many
historical-cultural relics and traditional festivals. Currently, the province has
nearly 900 accommodation establishments with over 17,000 rooms, including 45
hotels and resorts from three to five stars with nearly 5,000 rooms. The
province has 13 travel agencies, including eight international travel agencies.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, Binh Thuan welcomed over 6.4 million
visitors with tourism revenue of 15.2 trillion VND (644.54 million USD). The
province’s tourism sector contributes 10-12% to the GRDP each year.

In 2022, the province welcomed over 5 million visitors, getting tourism revenue
of 12.8 trillion VND. It aims to attract about 6.5 million visitors, including
more than 200,000 international visitors this year./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/binh-thuan-ready-for-opening-of-visit-vietnam-year-2023/250182.vnp

Travel

Breakthroughs expected for Binh Thuan during tourism year 2023

Published

12 hours ago

March 28, 2023

TienphongNews

The opening ceremony of the Visit Vietnam Year 2023 with the theme “Binh Thuan – Green convergence” will be held at NovaWorld Phan Thiet in Phan Thiet city in the central province of Binh Thuan on March 25 evening, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Nearly 600 artists, actors, and actresses will perform in an 85-minute artistic musical show at the ceremony.

Visit Vietnam Year is both a national and international cultural, economic, social, and tourist event. It is also the biggest annual tourism event in Vietnam, offering opportunities to attract domestic and international tourists through the promotion of images, tangible and intangible cultural values, natural resources, as well as the development of linkages between localities.

Visit Vietnam Year 2023 “Binh Thuan – Green convergence” includes more than 200 events and activities.

In 2022, the province welcomed over 5 million visitors. It aims to attract about 6.5 million visitors, including more than 200,000 foreigners, this year./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/breakthroughs-expected-for-binh-thuan-during-tourism-year-2023/250215.vnp