About Nguyen Huyen

My interests: music( Vietnam- classic), drawing, cooking

Great news of the week

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

April is coming. Greeting the new month with new changes, I am so happy to let you know that Footprint Travel had two great news events this week.

After waiting a long time, the new baby of Mr Dien was born on Tuesday(6th of April). That’s a lovely girl wighing 3.2 kilo. She is the second child of Mr Dien. Luckily, both baby and her mother are doing well.
Mr Dien is the Chief Tour Operator at Footprint Vietnam Travel. He is responsible for running tours smoothly. He has worked for Footprint Vietnam since the first days of its founding. With his experience, he can deal with much work each day. I guess-now he will be busier with helping his wife and new baby. Knowing that her parents might have less time for her, Chi, the first daughter, always shows that she is so obedient and independent.

Congratulating Mr Dien and sharing the happiness of the Footprint family at same day, Huyen (nick name: Hana) has just come back to Footprint Vietnam Travel. After leaving us some months ago, she came back on Tuesday. Huyen is an excellent Travel Consultant with two year experience working at Footprint. Many many things- Hana would like to share with us including her plans for job and her life. If you want to know more about this, please look at the next blog. There will be a small conversation I had with her during free time.

More than just a letter

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

I write this blog to express my gratitude to Mr Alan and Mrs Carol for everything they gave me and Footprint Vietnam Travel.

That was a normal handwritten letter but I cried when reading it. I received more than just a letter I received from it: confirmation of the value of love and Responsibility in the job and this life. That’s the first and the last handwriten letter as Travel Consultant, and I will keep it like as valued gift for working with total commitment at Footprint Vietnam Travel.

As usual this morning, I rode by motorbike to Footprint’s office in Le Thanh Tong street. During the commute, I still mumbled the list of task for that day and I thought about the hard day at the new position.

As I stopped my motorbike in front of the office, suddenly I turned around because of the call from behind:
-”Good morning Huyen!”
-How surprised I was! “Good morning Mrs Carol and Mr Alan!” I could not hide my feeling of happiness.
Mrs Carol and Mr Alan were my last clients as Travel consultant at Footprint. They came from Australia-a nice country far from Vietnam. I already organised the itinerary for them some months before. Following their plan, they traveled from the North to the Center of Vietnam in 14 days. Normally, in a fixed amount of ime with many activities, I just have only on chance on the first visit to discuss with our clients about the package. So I could not hide my happiness and surprise when I had the chance to meet them again. Mr Alan and Mrs Carol gave me the letter and said that they would like to say Good Bye to me before leaving Vietnam. Like getting the normal comments or feedback after each trip, I said thank you them and came back my desk after saying farewell to them.

Opening the letter, I saw the letter carefully written by hand:

Dear Miss Huyen,

Thank you for making our trip to Vietnam such a wonderful experience. Your organisation of our itinerary was perfect, making it very easy to travel from place to place.

We’ve loved being in Vietnam. It’s a beautiful country and the people are friendly. We hope to return one day soon and we will definitely use Footprint again.

……………………

Not waiting for finish reading the letter, I told Hien – my colleague, that I must do something before it was too late. With Just around 30 minutes before my clients dwent to the airport. Luckily, I arrived the hotel in time and met my clients. Something moistened my eyes and I could not say anything as I gave them the small gifts as memories of Vietnam. Looking at their eyes and I felt the mutual sentiments that we gave to each other..

Now I do not work as Travel Consultant any more. After the trip to Vietnam, Mr Alan and Mrs Carol may have many other trips and meet many other people but I still treasure their letter because it was not like the normal emails or letters, we receive everyday. It was written from the bottom of heart of foreign friends who trust Footprint Vietnam and would like us to organise more trips to wonderful Vietnam and personally, I received more than that:I received confirmation of the value of love and Responsibility in Work and Life.

One minute back success of ITB 2009

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

Just one day more ITB will be finished in Berlin. Before waiting the new success of ITB 2010 in Berlin, now we spend one minute to look back the success of Footprint Vietnam in ITB 2009 in Singapore from 21st to 23rd of October.

Coming to Vietnam and coming to Footprint Vietnam Travel!

Hien- The most enthusiastic girl for success of ITB 2009 and also the lucky girl with opportunity to try the most Vietnamese traditional clothes in ITB.

Hien is among agents in India. Here is the first of good cooperation.

Mr Son is showing the best destinations of Vietnam on the map for customer. Let us tell you about Vietnam!
Let us tell you about Vietnam!

Happy birthday, Tra blogger!

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

(Tra the first person from your left is happy among Footprintters at her birthday party )

Happy birthday to Tra!

- “You Ssurprised me ! I would forget it if you had not reminded me.Thank you so much”-Tra happily said to us.
We know that Tra was so busy as a Sales executive. Besides, she works as a Secretary for RTC(Responsible travel Travel Club of Vietnam). At home, Tra works as a capable wife and mother. In fact, I would feel overloaded If I were in Tra’s position. However, Tra always smiles.Tra confides to us that: “So fast ! Five years have elapsed since I first came to Footprint. and now I still choose Footprint as my second home”
For birthdays as well as other special occasions, our Company has cake, music, good wishes, fruits… There was not full attendance of all Footprint bloggers this time, but we were still happy anyway,talking and sharing about everything at work and at home during the short lunch break lunch. It brightened the atmosphere of our office in the time of the economic down-turn, and reaffirmed the team spirit team at Footprint.

Footprint Vietnam Travel ready for ITB Berlin 2010

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

You may have already known about the great event in the tourism field: the ITB Berlin Convention from 10th of March to 14th of March. It’s the opportunity for many companies and travel agents from all of the countries in the world to advertise their products for tourists from many countries in the world.
Like others, Footprint Vietnam Travel-a local Vietnam tour operator set our plan for this many months ago. We will bring post cards, maps, brochures,CD software…. all of information about our unique product with hopes to give friends from all over the world the best image about Vietnam people its destination and culture. As our Marketing Manager- Mr Son Dang said: “Footprint’s mission is to bring true value to your trips. They have worked tirelessly over the past years on every aspect of their company and products to make sure that your clients experience that True Value in Travel”. Today on Sunday (7th of March), our Marketing Manager – Mr Son and Mr Thanh will take the flight from Vietnam to Frankfrut then transfer to Berlin.

We are excited that Footprint will participate in ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show. In 2009 a total of 11,098 companies from 187 countries exhibited their products and services to 178,971 visitors, who included 110,857 trade visitors. We now wish for the success of Footprint Vietnam and the 2010 ITB convention in general.

(Huyen- collect)

Ps: If you want to know more about the information of Footprint Vietnam Travel and some other travel agents in Vietnam at IBT, please click here

Spring- festive season

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

In Vietnamese folk culture, people often say ‘Thang gieng la thang an choi (The first lunar month is the month to play and enjoy the festive time). Therefore, this month, everywhere around the country is animated with diverse traditional cultural festivities typical of a nation for a long time living in a civilization of water rice, Vietnamese people believe that when spring comes, the leisure of the harvest time also comes. So people long ago chose the first days of the year to gather with family, worship their ancestors and the gods of heaven and earth and go on a pilgrimage to the pagodas to pray for happiness, prosperity and luck for the whole year.

Traditional festivals bloom during this most beautiful season of the year, giving Vietnamese the chance to return to the tradition and giving foreign tourists a chance to travel to Vietnam to understand more about the culture and Vietnamese people.

Huong Pagoda Festival
Last Friday, the Huong Pagoda Festival opened in Hanoi’s outskirt district of My Duc, attracting around 16,000 Buddhist pilgrims and tourists.

The Huong Pagoda Festival is considered the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam that lasts through three spring months and welcomes more than one million pilgrims and tourists each year. Nearly 200 high-quality boats have been added to the fleet of more than 4,000 boats to serve tourists during this year’s festival. While drifting on the river, tourists can enjoy traditional music shows.

The event also features exhibitions of Buddhist antiques and fine arts at the compound of the Thien Tru Pagoda as activities to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Especially, a Buddhist Culture Week and a ceremony to float flower garlands and colored lanterns on the Yen Stream will be held during the festival. The festival runs until the end of March.

Dong Tien Festival in Tuyen Quang
On Monday, in the warm atmosphere of spring, authorities and locals in Ham Yen District in northern Tuyen Quang Province opened the Dong Tien Festival with a hope for a better new year.

From 7 a.m., the roads to Dong Tien (Fairy Cave), a national landscape, were crowded with people wanting to explore the mysteries of the cave and the magnificence of the mountain, listen to folklore about fairies and join folk games. Visitors also had a chance to enjoy many ethnic artistic performances and experience indigenous specialties.

Boat race festivals in Phu yen and Phan Thiet
Over the weekend, thousands of people flocked to O Loan Lagoon in Tuy An District and to Da Rang River in Tuy Hoa City in Phu Yen Province to join boat races with the participation of over 1,000 athletes with 31 boat teams. The festival not only brought visitors a joyful atmosphere but also presented the custom of praying for a good harvest for fishermen.

Last week, about 10,000 locals and tourists also gathered along the Ca Ty River for the traditional boat race in Phan Thiet City, shouting and cheering for 300 athletes who are local fishermen. The river, inherently silent and romantic, was animated with the shrieks of visitors, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

Dong Da and Soc Temple festivals in Hanoi
The culturally rich capital boasts over 100 festivals. The Dong Da Festival on the fifth day of the first lunar month (February 18) commemorates the battle of Emperor Quang Trung against invaders of the Qing dynasty. The Co Loa Festival from the sixth to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month (from February 19 to March 1) at Co Loa Commune in Dong Anh District commemorates King An Duong Vuong who came to the throne in 257 BC.
The Soc Temple Festival on the seventh day of the first lunar month (February 20) commemorates Thanh Giong, one of the four immortal gods of Vietnamese folk culture. Trieu Khuc village in Tan Trieu Commune in Thanh Tri District, well-known for its flat palm hat with strings, embroidery and weaving, holds its festival from the tenth to the twelfth day of the first lunar month (February 23 to 25) to commemorate national hero Phung Hung and honor the art of weaving.

Lim Festival in Bac Ninh
The province has the Lim Festival, a famous folk music festival, from the 11th to the 13th day of the first lunar month.Gau Tao and Long Tong festivals in Lao Cai. This highland province has the Gau Tao Festival of the H’Mong ethnic people from the 3rd to the 5th day of the first lunar month, the Long Tong Festival of the Tay people in the rice fields near their village on the 5th or 15th day of the first lunar month, and the dancing festival of the Red Dao ethnic people on the first and second days of the new year.

(Source: Saigontimes)

Best wishes in New year

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

Tet or Vietnamese New year- The most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year It based on the Lunar calendar, a lunisolar calendar. It will falls on 1st of January( on the lunar calendar).
It’s nearly one week from present to tet, Vietnamese children are eager, the adults are worry preparing for tet celebration but I know everyone wishes for the good things for tet( Vietnamese New Year).
Anway today most of Footprintters are so busy,they are so happy with the question: What do you wish for Vietnamese New year?

Thanh blogger( Manager): I wish health and bright future of tourism

Son blogger( Maketing Manager): it has been a difficult year for travel business and I wish that tourism will soon pick up so as jobs for everyone!

Hanh blogger( Cashier): New year is coming, many things I want to wish: wish for my family, for my lover, for me, for my lovely friends and of couse Footprint is not except. With position of Footprint’s cashier, I hope in the new year more and more money runs in Footprint and less and less money is out of it.

Hang blogger( Tour operator): Wish- heathy, lucky, money

Huyen blogger(Marketing Dept): Health and Safe for me, for my family and all Footprintters as well. We have health we have all.

Minh blogger( IT): New year with new things. OUr work will go smoothly. Wish health – happiness and prosperous for family.

Hien blogger( Product Executive): well, if I have a wish- I wish there are more wishes come to us( smile). So a quick thing come. I wish you all- Footprinter a happy 2010 and your new year will fill full of warmth, health, happiness and best luck.

Trang blogger( Sale executive): Wish to be rich, has much money.

Hai blogger( Sale executive): Just “safe and sound” for my daughter and everyone. My job will develope stably.

Luong Huyen( Sale executive): I wish you and Footprinters for Peace, good health, happiness and success throughout the coming years.”

Hoa( Sale executive): How I say now. I would like to wish all Footprintters for health, happiness and prosperous. For me, I wish I would get married new year( Smile- the forteller said that).

Chuc mung nam moi! That’s sentence we can hear everywhere during tet. everybody always gives the best wishes for job, our family, for friends …..new year. And What about you? what do you wish?

Kitchen God – The god for all family

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

The stove is considered the soul of the family. The Vietnamese believed that good stoves will guarantee peace in the family, while bad ones bring strife. The standing mud-covered brick stoves in a traditional Vietnamese kitchen are huge. They are built up from the floor against a wall of the kitchen and look something like altars and in fact, they are. The family stove, apart from its functional importance, was believed to house the Kitchen God, also called the Lord of the Hearth, one of the oldest gods worshipped in Vietnam.
Hang Ma is the street where sacred papers are sold and it entered its busy period around one month ago. The street is decorated in red and yellow, the colors of traditional sacred paper products. Today Ma street seem become more crowed with people. They are flocking the street and buy worship items for the Kitchen God’s day( 23rd of the last month of lunar year).

To prepare for the journey of Kitchen God to the Heaven, the worship items are included: Votive, snacks, sweet cakes, fruít….. Votives with paper carps, horses and clothing (hats, robes and boots), are very important. Following the old legend and still in some countryside homes, cooking occurs over clay tripods. Three stones were all that was needed to hold up the pot over the fire. Few people spend time thinking about the nature of the Kitchen Gods or the specific meaning of the items that are associated with them. The three Hearth Gods are represented at Tet by three hats and shops sell sets of three miniature paper hats: two men’s hats and one woman’s. These are burned as offerings to Ong Tao. The God will also need a new pair of boots to wear as he travels to Heaven. Two favorite gifts for the triad of household deities are gold and wine. In the central part of Vietnam, cooking tripods or blocks that make up the family hearth, even if they are still usable, are ritually discarded when the God leaves. One week later, new blocks will greet his return or the arrival of his replacement assigned by the Jade Emperor.

Nowadays, Everything changes, people think that :Tran sao am vay(Life in the earth is same underworld). That’s why besides the traditional worship items, they burn modern funiture like: paper mobile, paper house, paper motorbike…

After the Kitchen God has left, preparations one week ( from 23rd to 30th of lunar month) for the New Year festivities begin. After the Kitchen God’s day People will clean and decorate their home with hoping removing old year and welcome New year with good things for their families

Traditions of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

Vietnamese New Year is the most important Festival of the Vietnamese people. When Spring arrives, all Vietnamese are thrilled by the advent of Tet. Wherever they may be, they feel an immense nostalgia, wishing to come back to their homeland for a family reunion and a taste of the particular flavors of the Vietnamese festivities.
This scared Festival occurs sometime between late January or early February, depending on Lunar Calendar. Although officially a three-day affair, festivities may continue for a week or more with every effort made to indulge in eating, drinking, and enjoyable social activities. It is also a time for family reunions, and for paying respect to ancestors and the elders. Gifts of food are made to friends, neighbors and relatives in the days before Tet.
Above all, the Tet of the New Year is a time for meeting. It is an opportunity for the household genies to meet, those who have helped during the year, namely the Craft Creator, the Land Genie and the Kitchen God. Tet is also an opportunity to invite and welcome deceased ancestors back for a family reunion with their descendants to join the family’s Tet celebrations. Finally, Tet is a good opportunity for family members to meet. This custom has become sacred and secular and, therefore, no matter where they are or whatever the circumstances, family members find ways to come back to meet their loved ones, gather for a dinner of traditional foods like bánh chung (a square cake made of sticky rice stuffed with beans and pork), mang (a soup of boiled bamboo shoots and flied pork) and xôi g?c (orange sticky rice). This is followed by a visit to the local pagodas.
Everyone is in a rush to get a haircut, buy new clothes, spruce up their homes, visit friends, settle outstanding debts, and stock up on traditional Tet delicacies. Businesses hang festive red banners which read “Chuc Mung Nam Moi” (Happy New Year) and city streets are festooned with colored lights. Stalls spring up all over town to sell mut (candied fruits and jams), traditional cakes, and fresh fruit and flowers. Certain markets sell nothing but cone-shaped kumquat bushes. Others sell flowering peach trees, symbols of life and good fortune which people bring into their homes to celebrate the coming of spring. As vendors pour into the City with peach trees strapped to their bicycles, the streets look like moving pink forests.

Fruits of Tet: “Mam Ngu Qua”
The “five-fruit tray” on the ancestral altar during the Tet Holidays symbolizes the admiration and gratitude of the Vietnamese to Heaven and Earth and their ancestors and demonstrates their aspiration for a life of plenty. The five fruits represent the quintessence hope that Heaven and Earth bless humans. It demonstrates a Vietnamese percept of life, “When taking fruit, you should think of the grower”.
Flowers of Tet: Dao, Mai, Quat (the Peach, Apricot and Kumquat)
Coming to Vietnam during the season of the Tet festival, the visitor is engulfed in an ocean of colorful flowers. Visiting flower shows, contemplating the buds and blooms, and purchasing blossoms represents one of the distinct Vietnamese cultural characteristics. The peach (in the North ) and the apricot blossoms (in the South) are symbols of the Vietnamese Tet. The warm pink of the peach could very well match the dry cold of the North, but the hot South seems to be flourishing in the riot of the yellow of the apricot. The mandarin is symbolic of good fortune; therefore people tend to choose the little plants with verdant leaves which are laden with large, orange fruit for a longer display.

Food Specialties for TET
On the last day of the old year, the preparation of food to offer to the ancestors is of special significance. Dishes to offer to the ancestors differ in the Northern, Central and Southern parts of the country, depending on their respective weather conditions at the time and on different local agricultural products available. What is common in all regions of the country during Tet holidays are the varieties of soups, fried, boiled, or stewed dishes, meat, fish, vegetable… The foods that the Vietnamese eat at Tet are varied and diverse, but the people throughout the country all want to have the best and the most beautiful looking food on this occasion to offer their ancestors and to treat their friends and guests.

(Huyen revised from article by Tung Nguyen from Threeland)

Last month!

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Nguyen Huyen

Twelve months – Busiest is the last month of year. Following the lunar calendar, the last month falls on the February(this month). Going out everybody seems so more bustle. It is not necessarily rush hours or not, there becomes more crowed with people at the end of year.

Everyone wants to gather work at the end of year then have a long holiday( tet festival). Last month, Vietnamese has trend to travel far away, take plan a trip earlier. The more crowed with domestic tourists is the general atmosphere we can see at out bound agents at moment.

For inbound agents, the atmosphere is less quiet. . As you know, this year, the number of foreign travelers decrease, the work is not as much as the last year but we still want to finish before tet. That’s why, looking surroundings the atmosphere at the end of year, everyone seems so busy with sticky eyes on their private computer from Sale Department to Product Department. This month, the load of work at Marketing Dept is more and more hard. That’s why I have to take so much time to rearrange plan for each of task. Oh my god, this night I have to read so much document.Hoping for Tet is coming later…..