about vietnam - culture

Cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine is especially varied - there are said to be nearly 500 different traditional dishes, ranging from exotic meats, seafood and noodle soups to fantastic vegetarian creations (often prepared to replicate meat and fish dishes).

However, the staple of Vietnamese cuisine is plain white rice dressed up with a plethora of vegetables, meat, fish, spices and sauces. Spring rolls and steamed rice pancakes are popular snacks, and the ubiquitous soups include eel and vermicelli, shredded chicken and bitter soups. Some of the more unusual fruits available include green dragon fruit, jujube, khaki, longan, mangosteen, pomelo, three-seed cherry and water apple. Vietnamese coffee is excellent.

They include: Tet (late Jan-early Feb), the most important festival of the year, marking the new lunar year as well as the advent of spring; Wandering Souls Day (August), the second-largest festival of the year, when offerings of food and gifts are given to the wandering souls of the forgotten dead: Doan Ngu (June), when human effigies are burnt, becoming soldiers in the god of death’s army and Holiday of the Dead (April), which commemorates deceased relatives. In the South, many Christian churches are open for services.