Many foreign visitors are keen to wear Vietnamese conical hats on cyclo trips around the city. If the ao dai, the traditional dress which largely reveals the charms of Vietnamese women and is the most striking feature of the country, the conical hat, or non la, makes the second strongest impression on tourists. The hats are found on the heads of cyclists, field workers, boat operators, sweating vendors selling fruit on the street, or elegantly dressed business women.

Conical hats protect people from the scorching heat and the tropical rain and they look good on Vietnamese women. They are extremely lightweight, resistant and are plaited with palm leaves.

Recently, although under pressure of modernization and high technology, Vietnam has tried to preserve its handicrafts, especially the craft villages. Tour operators take tourists to craft villages to promote local craft products and to let tourists see the dexterity of meticulous processes involved.

Vietnam’s craft villages include Bat Trang Pottery Village, Van Phuc Silk Village, Non Nuoc Fine Arts Stone Village, Kieu Ky Gold Village, Bau Truc Ceramic Village, Dong Ho Painting Village and Ta Phin Brocade Village in Sapa.

Sapa, Dalat City and Dak Lak Province are home to ethnic women who wear colorful dresses made by brocade, or tho cam. They are made meticulously by the skillful hands of the ethnic women. 

Vietnamese sand paintings always win the admiration of tourists thanks to their beauty and the obvious adroitness of the artists. The sand is collected from rivers, sand dunes and beaches and is dyed in different colors. Sand paintings seem to be the pride of Vietnam’s painting market.

When thinking about drinks of Vietnam, people firstly mention the coffee. Along the streets of HCMC are many cafés, from luxurious ones to street-rustic cafés. It is amazing to see that most offices and buildings in HCMC have sidewalk cafés where people sit on small chairs and enjoy coffee, sometimes without tables. Coffee was introduced in Vietnam by French colonists in the late 19th century and Vietnam quickly became a strong exporter of coffee.

Tea, cashews, dragon fruit and Lo Ren star apples are also specialties travelers often choose as souvenirs.

Dried squid is an unforgettable taste for tourists to Vietnam’s coastal regions, especially Phan Thiet and Nha Trang.

In HCMC, tourists can purchase all kinds of specialties and souvenirs at the Ben Thanh Market, souvenir shops on Le Thanh Ton, De Tham or Pham Ngu Lao streets, Miss Ao dai and other shops around the city.

Souvenir buffs should visit www.hcmc100e.info and vote for their favorite souvenirs. The voting deadline for international tourists is November 20 and for local tourists December 20.

VietNamNet/SGT