Vietnamese songs about Mothers

Mother's day is coming, so I thought why not making a list of Vietnamese songs about our mothers. These songs are famous and well-known in Vietnam. It is a great opportunity to let you guys listen to Vietnamese songs. I will try to find an English version or lyrics if I can.

And here are some songs about mother that I know. Enjoy!

[Engsub + Kara] Mẹ Yêu (Beloved Mom) - Ba Con Mèo
Nhật ký của mẹ-Hiền Thục (Mother's Diary)-English Subtitles.FLV

Lòng Mẹ (Y Vân) - Giao Linh

Mother’s love is boundless like the overflowing Pacific Ocean.

Mother’s love is ceaseless like a gentle and sweet stream.

Mother’s words is soft as an whispering rice field.

The lullaby (outside veranda), the declining-moon’s shades, mother.

Mother’s love for me is like the autumn moon.

Mother’s love is like a breath of air playing on lake’s surface.

Her vague lullaby is soft as a cadenced kite’s flute,

rain and shine, all day long, playing with kids’ singing.

Loving us, she spent many restless nights,

we had tight sleep, how happy our mum was.

Loving us, many days and many nights,

taking pains and troubles, she nursed us til grown-up age.

Through ups and downs, our thin mother doesn’t mind.

All life’s hardships make her sad head hoary.

All days and nights, she’s glad for us wholeheartly.

Her sweet lullabies echo through years, interminably.

Mother’s love overflows villages everywhere.

Mother’s love rises high, moon and mountains listen silently.

Her lullabies agitate mountains, streams, bamboo rows.

Pacific waves are quiescent when hearing her lullabies.

With all her heart, mum comforted us through childhood.

A great affection is soft as music and singing.

All day long, she admonishes us with ardent words,

engraved on our hearts through thousand of miles away.

Loving us, mum sang pleasant words.

To lull us to sleep, she didn’t mind to have wakeful nights.

Many years, her tears flowed down like streams,

flowing in our hearts, her hair was already gray.

Whoever is on the road to somewhere far away,

despite all hardships through the whirligig of time,

though sunlights go dim but love will never fade,

always expect to be back under mother’s shade.

 - credit by Tednguyenusa.com

Vietnam travel tips - DOs and DON'Ts

DOs:

• Greetings are no different to western countries, there are no cultural formalities that as a foreginer you would be expected to know or practice.

• Drink plenty of bottled water, especially when walking around sightseeing.

• Keep your cash, credit cards, airline tickets and other valuables in a safe place.

• Always make sure that you keep a local map with you whenever you are out.

• When crossing the road always keep looking to the left and right and walk slowly. Make eye contact with oncoming motorbikes and check that they see you so that they can avoid you. Be prepared for zebra crossings to be ignored and for motor vehicles to expect you as a pedestrian to give way to them.

• When you enter the church, temple or any other holy or spiritual place you should dress smartly and modestly. You should cover your breast, legs and arms as most of locals are very conservative.

• Check the travel agency you are going to book a tour with online before you pay the deposit. There are many unreliable travel agencies here so it’s easy to become a victim of a scam.

• Always take off your shoes when you enter someone’s house. It’s extremely impolite to walk into a room with your shoes on.

DONTs:

• Wear a lot of jewellery or take a bag with you. Violent crime is highly unusual in Vietnam, but petty crime is more apparant. If you have a bag, or tout a digital camera around your neck, you are a potential target.

• Losing your temper in Vietnam means a loss of face. Keep a cool head and remain polite, you’ll have a greater chance of getting what you want.

• Do not try to take pictures of military installations or any military-related sites. By doing so, you can be in breach of national defense.

• Do not take cameras into ethnic minority villages as it is considered a serious intrusion of local culture.

• Do not go out alone too late at night, particularly to isolated places. 

Vietnam Travel Tips - Stay healthy while eating and traveling Vietnam

• Drinking water.

Vietnam's an underdeveloped water treatment infrastructure. Avoid tap water and only drink bottled water. Even locals will avoid tap water and will drink boiled or filleter water at their home.

• Food

1. Eat only cooked foods and stay away from raw meats.
2. Be cautious of fruit. Eat fruits that have an inedible skin (bananas, oranges, watermelon,...) and avoid fruits like apples and sugar cane.

• Air Pollution

1. Wear a mask if you are spending a lot of time on bike. It is help you protect against dust and pollution.
2. Wear sunglasses or goggles on long rides from dust.

• Sun and Insects.

1. Protect yourself with a hat and strong sunscreen because the sun rays are very potent.
2. In Vietnam, there are lots of mosquitos transmitted diseases, so always ready for yourself an insect spray.

• Stray animals

1. Stay clear from stray animals.
2. You'll see dogs, cats, chickens and more in Vietnam street, do not touch any of them, because there are many diseases transmitted through animals.

Note: You should be aware of these things I listed above, but I am sure it is not that bad. I just make these tips so you guys will know what to do in Vietnam, but it is not that easy, to get a disease or anything like that, so you don't have to be worry about it.

Che - Vietnamese Sweet Dessert Soup

Che is a Vietnamese term that refers to any traditional Vietnamese sweet beverage, dessert soup or pudding.

Summer is coming, so it is a great time to introduce you guys some sweet dessert soup in Vietnam.

Chè Bà Ba – Sweet potato, Taro and Cassava Dessert

My most favorite sweet dessert food at all time. It typical in Southern part of Vietnam, which contains a variety of ingredients. This delicious dessert is made with square pieces of taro, cassava and long sweet potato, well cooked in coconut milk, and decorated with translucent tapioca pearls. Its creamy flavor and lingering sweetness make “chè bà ba” a wonderful snack for both hot and cold days!

Chè Long Nhãn Hạt Sen – Logan and Lotus Seed Sweet Soup

“Chè long nhãn hạt sen” was started in Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. Its pure look, along with its light sweet taste and numerous healt benefits, has made “chè long nhãn hạt sen” one of the most popular dessert amongs locals.

Chè Ba Màu – Three Color Dessert

The main ingredients of “chè ba màu” include three types of colored beans and jelly, covered with slightly sweetened coconut milk. Kidney beans, mung bean paste and green jelly are all commonly used to create the red, yellow and green color of this snack. It quite popular in Vietnam and you can find it on the street, restaurants. 

Chè Trôi Nước – Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings

Filled with mung bean paste and cooked in sweet ginger syrup. This dessert’s name literally means “floating on water” because when boiled, the balls rise from the bottom of the pot to the soup’s surface. “Chè trôi nước” are served hot, topped with white sesame and occasionally with some coconut milk. 

Vietnamese Food

Because Vietnam is a small country in Asia, lots of people don't know about this land. All people know is about Vietnam war, and of course, Vietnamese Food!

Today I will introduce to you guys some delicious Vietnamese dishes!

1/ Pho

This is probably the most famous food in Vietnam.

2/ Banh My

My favorite Vietnamese food of all time. The sandwich is crunchy, inside there is a combination between meat with carrots, vegetables that blending well with each other. I highly recommend this food if you can visit Vietnam. You can find it anywhere in the street.

3/ Bun Bo Hue

If you are like to eat spicy, this food is a great choice for you. Bun bo hue is a rice noodle that famous in Vietnam, and there are famous for their strong flavor and spiciness.

4/ Cha Gio 

My second favorite food after Banh My. The filling is made of group pork, shrimp, crab meat, with shredded carrots, mung bean noodles (cellophane noodles/glass noodles), etc.,

5/ Com Tam 

“Broken rice”, is a street-stand favorite in Vietnam. Recipes are different, but mostly you can see it will goes with pork, fried egg, rice, and salads. 

6/ Banh Xeo 

"Sizzling cake", made of rice flour, water, turmeric powder, stuffed with slivers of fatty pork, shrimp,etc... Dipping this food in Vietnamese sauce is a plus.

Things To Do and Don't in Vietnamese New Year

 If you are planning to go to Viet Nam during Tet, you should learn some basic things to do and don't in TET.

 TO DO

1.  Wear new, colorful, beautiful clothes - it is show a respect when you go to someone's house or someone come to your house. Also it represent the new beginning for the entire year.
2. Say "Chuc Mung Nam Moi" (Happy New Year) when you see people.
3. Give red envelopes (li xi): is an act of showing your generosity and wishing the recipients luck throughout the year. 

Red Envelopes

 DON'T

1. Don't swear, curse, argue: Vietnamese people believe that everything happen to you in the first day of the year, it is a sign of it will continue happening throughout the year.
2. Don’t ask someone to repay you a debt or loan: As I said above, if you ask someone to repay or loan money, they will have to borrow and repay money for the rest of the year.
3. Don’t take or ask to take things that are related to fire/water out of somebody’s house such as lighter, water bottle: Fire is considered to be the source of the warmth of the family, the desire of couple’s love. It is believed that families with fire taken away will have problems within the family. Same as fire, water means wealth, taking water just same as taking their wealth away. 

Here are some translations and what is it means to help you. You can use this to impress your Vietnamese friends as well. 

• This is a very helpful video for those of you want to wish Vietnamese people in TET.

New Year's Flowers --- Vietnamese New Year Part 2

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 food.

Usually, in VietNam, there are 3 kind of plants cannot missed in Tet:

• Cây quất (Kumquat): A tree with all 5 characteristics: full of fruits, flowers, leaves, branches and roots is a symbol for wealth and happiness for the new year.

Kumquat- lucky and fruitful

• Hoa Dao (Peach Flower): represent Tet in North Vietnam.

Peach Flower- the love and joy, peaceful and elegant

• Hoa Mai (Ochna integerrima): represent in South VietNam. The high rate of blossom of the flower in Tet holidays also symbolizes the wealth and passionate love among people.

Hoa mai (ochna integerrima)- The golden yellow of the flower means the noble roots of Vietnamese