NDO - Whenever I return to my home village, I always stop at the village gate. Looking at the road leading to the district centre, I remember my father’s words that in the past when the doors of the gate were still there, water buffaloes were herded to the field through the two small side doors. The middle door only opened at the time of the village festival or reception for special guests.  

NDO – Housewives today can spend a few hours shopping for all the necessary food and supplies for Tet (lunar New Year) holiday. However, many of them still go to outdoor markets in suburban areas to buy indigenous specialties and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere ahead of Tet. 

NDO - It is less than three weeks before the Lunar New Year, or Tet, formally arrives and as usual a repeated call for combining Tet with the Western New Year has re-emerged, with some even moaning “Everything is perfectly OK, why does Tet come about?” For a growing number of Vietnamese people, Tet is becoming somewhat of a reluctant occasion. 

NDO – Vietnam’s history is associated with the struggles to preserve and expand the territory. Hanoians leaving the Red River Delta to reside in a new land in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is also a continuation of ancestral traditions. 

NDO - On Vietnam Heritage Day, we should not reflect on solely the past but it is also necessary to look to future heritages which are being created today so as to be cautious in all of our actions. 

NDO – I woke up on an early Hanoi autumn morning, when the street lights were still lit. It’s time to take a walk around the Sword Lake to enjoy the cool weather. Life is passing slowly and quietly across the streets. Sipping a cup of hot tea watching the deserted streets from a small corner, I saw an elderly person slowly passing, holding a new newspaper. Suddenly a daze came - like missing something of the old days...  

NDO – Hanoi on the verge of the new season always has its own charm, with foliage full of colours and lakes dim in the early morning fog.  

NDO – Stepping into an old apartment building near Vu Ngoc Phan street (Hanoi), I immediately savoured the aroma of tea mixed with champak flowers. There were several guests sat at tea tables, chatting softly as if they did not want the sound to melt the fragrance of the tea and flowers. Vu Thien Tan – the owner of the tea house – prepared to marinate tea with champak flowers. In each champak blooming season, extending from early summer until late October, the special tea leaves from the high mountains are associated with the sweetness of the champak flowers’ aroma that could conquer any heart.  

NDO – I am originally from the rural countryside but have lived in the urban area for almost ten years. One day I was nearly arguing with my friend, who is Hanoian, when they parked their car on Pho Hue Street, opposite Dai Nam theatre, and told me to buy some bread. 

NDO - Introduced nearly six years ago as a messaging app, Zalo is now endeavouring to become a one-in-all mobile app with the recent testing of new services such as ordering food and taxis. 

NDO - Hanoi is celebrating ten years since it incorporated parts of Ha Tay, Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh provinces. Flowers and banners adorn the streets while newspapers run bold headlines featuring the capital city’s achievements in the past ten years. But amid the festive mood, I still feel a little nostalgic.  

NDO - Vietnam is seeking UNESCO recognition for the almost vanished Dong Ho woodblock printing art in Bac Ninh province and, with its many unique features and techniques, another cultural heritage title is within reach.  

NDO - For some people, the searing heat wave that has gripped the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi over the last several days is a torture but for some others, it is an opportunity to make a handsome profit. 

NDO – Hanoi’s West Lake is now an interesting place to enjoy a cup of lotus tea, although the flower is now less commonly grown on the lake’s waters.