A few years ago, Cơ Tu villagers in Nam Giang District could not imagine that their community’s daily activities could bring them a significant income source. By sharing their rice preparation, rattan knitting, cooking, singing and dancing with tourists, they make money while preserving traditions.

I arrived in Buôn Ma Thuột, the capital of Đắk Lắk Province and fondly referred to as the “Queen of Coffee”, after an eight-hour bus ride.

Paragon Hill in the outskirts of Hà Nội is a kingdom of roses, with some 600,000 rose trees growing in its terrace fields.

Rượu cần (wine stored in a big jar and drunk with long bamboo straws) is popular among ethnic minorities in the north, northwest and Central Highlands of Việt Nam.

A few years ago, Cơ Tu villagers in Nam Giang District could not imagine that their community's daily activities could bring them a significant income source. By sharing their rice preparation, rattan knitting, cooking, singing and dancing with tourists, they make money while preserving traditions. Hồng Minh reports.

Communities of the Cơ Tu ethnic group living in the city and Quảng Nam province will host the traditional Cơ Tu Cultural Day in Giàn Bí village in the city’s Hòa Bắc commune on April 13-14.

The ethnic Thais in Nghệ An belong to an old branch of the original Thai people settled in the mountains of northern Việt Nam. With the help of Japanese advice, some villagers are now turning to home-stay tourism to provide extra income and to preserve their ancient culture.    

Beef, pork and chicken are staples of any restaurant menu. Goat, however, is considered a little more exotic. Thuy Hang visits a spot in Ha Noi that specialises in the meat, and tries out some dishes.

There are elephants in the forests in the Yok Đôn National Park in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk. An elephant rider and trainer in the park, called Y Mức Byă, knows them very well.

The Yok Đôn National Park is being opened up to visitors as a way to increase public awareness of the need to protect biodiversity, Huỳnh Thủy reports