The Rice That Cures

Medicinal properties and remedies of sticky rice

Sticky rice, or glutinous rice, is a staple food of Vietnamese people, second only to plain rice. Sticky rice is also used as a main ingredient for various kinds of cakes and sweet soups.
In traditional Vietnamese medicine, sticky rice is considered to be sweet and warm, and good for the stomach. It is therefore used to refresh the body and treat asthenia, diarrhea and stomach inflammation and ulcers.

Cooked sticky rice

Simmer a little ng sâm (Codonopsis pilosula), jujubes and purified sugar; cook sticky rice and serve it in a dish; put the simmered ng sâm and jujubes onto the cooked sticky rice and then add the broth. Eat this dish to treat tiredness, sleeplessness, anorexia and edema.

Sticky rice cooked with mc nh (cloud ear fungus – Auricularia polytricha) is good for blood cells and thus can help prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Regular intake of sticky rice cooked with mung beans (Vigna radiata) is good for the blood circulation, urination and the eyes. Mung bean-sticky rice is also a laxative. It is a food of choice for those in their convalescence period, or those with nearsightedness.

Sticky rice cooked with pumpkin is good for those with diabetes, as it delays the carbohydrate absorption of the body. Intake of the pumpkin-sticky rice is also recommended to detoxify the body and prevent colon cancer for the elderly.

Sticky rice cooked with sweet potatoes is good for the kidneys, blood circulation and digestive system. Intake of sweet potato-sticky rice can help lower the cholesterol level in the blood and prevent the risks of constipation, rectum cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Sticky rice cooked with taro (Colocasia esculenta) can help detoxify the body and facilitate urination. It is a digestive food and is thus good for those with indigestion or intestinal disorders.

Sticky rice porridge

Prepare porridge with sticky rice, u en (literally means black beans), or catjang (Vigna cylindrica), and jujubes. Eat this porridge once or twice a day to treat anemia due to iron deficiency.

Grind sticky rice and cook it into a thin porridge; add honey and eat it a few times a day to relieve nausea and vomiting. This soup is also good for bile production.

Roast sticky rice and then simmer it with a little fresh ginger and water. Drink the broth during the day to cure nausea and vomiting.

The thin porridge prepared with sticky rice and jujubes is recommended to be eaten once or twice a day by herbalists to treat stomach inflammation and ulcers.

Prepare porridge with sticky rice and lotus seeds. Intake of the porridge in the morning and evening is recommended for those with asthenia or in their convalescence period.

Cook porridge with sticky rice and mung beans. Eat the porridge every day to support the treatment of diabetes.

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Saigonese Wherea bouts During Tet

As Tet (Lunar New Year festival) is in the air, discover some places of choice of the Saigonese when they are celebrating their traditional festival

Several years ago, the Weekly featured a photo essay one picture of which showed an expatriate was jogging right in front of the downtown Ben Thanh Market during the morning rush hour. Normally, it isn’t either the right place or the right time for that type of sport. But in this particular case, the expat could go jogging because he made it in the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Among the unusual things about Saigon during Tet is that this most populous city in Vietnam becomes unbelievably quiet and less crowded. Traditionally, Tet lasts three days, and thus the phrase ba ngày Tt (the three days of Tet) has been so common in Vietnam. In fact, Vietnamese have longer holidays for Tet. This year, State-employees, particularly those working in administrative agencies, will enjoy an eight-day Tet, the longest days off work in recent years.

HCM City is home to 7.2 million people with a family book (official registration). Nobody can state exactly the city’s transient population. But according to estimates, it is sure to surpass the 1-million level. So, where would those 8 million-plus Saigonese go during Tet because if they all stay inside Saigon, the streets will not be so deserted?

As is their custom, many Vietnamese return to their birthplace or the place where their parents live during Tet. Going back home to the provinces is therefore an intrinsic need of people who come to HCM City to work. With very few exceptions, visiting workers or temporary dwellers leave the city for their birthplaces on Tet holidays. On their same bus, railway coach or flight are also those Saigonese still feeling the urge to return to the provinces. At a guess, therefore, more than 1 million will be on their way out of the city.

Take to the streets during the few hours prior to the time the Lunar New Year arrives and you’ll see that it is the period the streets become most desolate. As a tradition, everybody has to return home to wait for New Year’s Eve. Then family members will get together before the altar in the house to worship their ancestors. Because everyone tries to get home to welcome the first moments of the New Year, very few are outside.

But this picture will change dramatically as soon as the clock strikes 12 to mark the New Year’s arrival. The streets then become crowded again, especially those streets leading to pagodas. Many Saigonese (and Vietnamese) keep the habit of visiting a pagoda immediately after midnight on New Year’s Eve, believing that their prayers at pagodas during the first hours of the New Year will bring them what they expect.

As many Saigonese come home at dawn, the whole city wakes up very late in the morning of the first day of the New Year.

Traffic is still light until nine or 10 o’clock. Those who take to the streets are on their way to pagodas where they will pray for health, wealth and luck in the new year. During the first days of the New Year, pagodas—big and small in town—are much frequented by Saigonese. The most famous names in this regard include Vinh Nghiem and Xa Loi pagodas in District 3, Tinh Xa Trung Tam in Binh Thanh District, and Nam Thien Nhat Tru in Thu Duc District, to name just a few.

As much frequented as, if not more, pagodas by Saigonese are recreational facilities and public places. Topping the list of the indispensable names is Nguyen Hue Flower Street. For the past few years, the flower street has become a brand name for HCM City in the Tet festival. During the week-long event, which is slated for Jan. 31-Feb. 6, sections of Nguyen Hue and other streets in the neighborhood will be turned into pedestrian areas. This year, flower displays and other shows and activities are expected to attract more than 1 million visitors.

Comparable to Nguyen Hue Flower Street is Tao Dan Park where Spring Flower Festival is held. The park in District 1 has established itself as a magnet to those Saigonese who seek places of fun to entertain themselves and their loved ones.

Amusement parks are also attractions to Saigonese during Tet. Suoi Tien and Dam Sen are outstanding venues. Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9 is a favorite place for visitors, especially families with young children. During the Tet festival last year, Suoi Tien welcomed 800,000 visitors. The same number of visitors is expected this year.
What else aside from pagodas and theme parks?

A considerable number of residents in Saigon plan their tours during Tet, making the festival a peak time for tour operators. Of the domestic trips, pilgrimage tours are among the most frequently booked. Huong Pagoda on the outskirts of Hanoi, Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang Ninh Province, the Temple of Hung Kings in Phu Tho Province and Chua Ba Pagoda in An Giang Province are the favorite destinations.

Although smaller in number, some Saigonese, in particular those under forty of age, can afford overseas tours.
Saigonese holidaymakers during Tet will return home fresh and energetic to get ready for the year ahead. The first of January marks a new calendar year. But to Saigonese, and Vietnamese as well, a new bustling year starts only after Tet holidays.

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Awareness Of Climate Change

HCM City must be steadfast in the determination to relocate polluters in the inner city to avert the effects of climate change

It was almost nine o’clock last Wednesday morning, but the sky was bleak and still shrouded by a thin mist. A gentle rain then unexpectedly came down. Taking the motorbike for a customer, the security guard in front of a bank on Nguyen Van Linh Parkway in HCM City’s District 7 sighed, “Oh well, we can’t predict what the weather will be like nowadays. Saigon used to have two seasons in a year, the dry and the rainy ones. But it doesn’t anymore. Everything’s changed because of climate change!”

Spring rains and mist are expected in HCM City. To some, very fine showers in the springtime are even a source of inspiration for poetic creativity. Explaining misty mornings this past week, meteorologists said that the misty weather is an annual phenomenon in the dry season in HCM City. They predicted that the city would have more mist and colder temperature in the sunny season this year.

So, mist and rains in the dry season are usual weather patterns in Saigon. But the security guard’s blame on climate change for the precariousness of the weather may be justifiable as well.

Believe it or not, the environment in this southern city has deteriorated over the years despite efforts made by authorities and communities to reverse the bad situation. Access http://hepa.gov.vn, the official website of the HCM City Environmental Protection Agency, and you’ll find some statistics backing this argument.

Measurements taken in November this year indicate that air pollution in general was worse than that in October. For instance, 90% of the measurements of the dirt content were below par, ranging from 0.43 to 0.91mg/m3, or 1.4-2.7 times higher than the national standard.

Noise pollution is also worrisome. Almost nine out of ten measurements were higher than the permitted level, ranging from 66 to 85dB. For your reference, humans feel comfortable if the noise surrounding them is from 40 to 60dB, and can tolerate for a short while noise whose intensity is from 60 to 80dB. However, if noise exceeds the 80dB level, it will adversely affect human health and hearing ability.

What’s more, organic, biological and oil contamination in the Dong Nai River, the main source of water supply for HCM City and the neighboring provinces, was ever higher.

Environmental protection in HCM City, hamstrung by a lack of the local residents’ awareness, remains a thorny issue. But public awareness of environmental protection and climate change is being raised among the local communities. What the security guard said at the beginning of this article can be seen as an encouraging sign.
In a late October working session between members of the HCM City People’s Council and the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, delegates pointed out three vexing problems for the environment. Council members cited relocation of polluting factories in the inner city, contaminated canals and arroyos and untreated wastewater discharged by hospitals. They are all old issues which have dragged on for years, though.

These problems should have been radically tackled. In the meeting, Truong Trong Nghia, vice chairman of the Economic-Budgetary Committee of the People’s Council, was quoted by the local press as saying that seven polluting businesses in the relocation program which started in 2003 were still in place in residential quarters. Worse, these big manufacturing polluters are either state-owned or have a state stake. Over the past seven years, they have been there and have polluted the city unpunished!

When it was first launched in 2007, the Department of Environmental Police under the Ministry of Public Security was expected to minimize pollution in Vietnam. In fact, environmental police have done their job. A speaker at the meeting, Nguyen Quoc Hung, head of the environmental police in HCM City, said since June 2009, environmental police officers under his supervision had fined 155 polluting businesses. The polluters had to pay VND3.2 billion for their violations. However, as the fines were way too modest relative to the costs of installing treating facilities, polluting entities have opted for paying fines rather than buying treatment equipment.

In protecting the city’s living environment, who should lead the way? Authorities or the public? Whoever does that should pay attention to the following fact. Environmental experts have pointed out that HCM City is among the 10 cities in the world which are most affected by climate change.

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Unique hybrid music to daze HCMC tonight

A music show entitled “The ever-green desert” by composer Le Van Tuan will take place at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theater today at 20:00 at No. 7 Cong Truong Lam Son Street in District 1.

This will show off a new kind of music called CROR – the combination of four different genres: classic, romantic, opera and rock developed by Tuan.

According to the composer, the four genres: classical, romantic (Renaissance period), opera (17th century), and rock (20th century) come from different eras with hundreds of years’ difference, so the combination is not easy and will create a strange feeling in the audience.

In CROR music, classical is understood as something that brings you back to the original sound of human, romantic as the romance that can only be achieved when there is true freedom in your soul while opera is the expression of operatic emotions in a modern way.

They require performers to indulge themselves in the characters, and rock, unlike the typical understanding of rock as fast rhythms, here will be presented as the beats of our breaths and the speed of blood running through our veins.

CROR was first coined in 2005 and have been patented by Vietnam’s Copyright Office.

So far 9 CROR symphonies have been composed with hundreds of songs.

In 2010, Tuan released his debut album with 8 tracks, and in the CROR concert this January 27, he will introduce his second album with another 8 CROR pieces.

Non-key, non-rhythm, and non-melody

Highly appreciative of Tuan’s work in CROR music, singer Quoc Tru, holder of the honorable title Excellent Artist and former head of the vocal music department of HCMC Conservatory of Music, said, “Tuan’s music is non-key, non-rhythm, and non-melody”.

It’s spontaneous. This type of music requires performers to have a certain musical level, and those who are amateurs will ‘tremble’ dealing with this music. I have listened to and really enjoyed his music, with no difficulty, but I think it requires time for it to be welcomed by the public.”

Talking about his music, Tuan emphasized its ‘for a united world’ purpose, “CROR is an appeal for people to get closer to each other, to sympathize with the miserable, to lend them a hand.”

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Cai luong legend dies from infections

Cai luong actor and singer Tan Tai

Reformed theater (cai luong) actor Tan Tai was gone at 6:00am Thursday at the age of 73 at his private house in Ho Chi Minh City after a long time suffering from bile duct infections.

Le Tan Tai – his full name – was born in 1938 at Vinh Trach Commune, Nui Sap District, Long Xuyen Town, An Giang Province.

Best known for his melodious and sweet voice for a man, Tan Tai had been a teacher before choosing reformed theater acting as his career.

He started by joining the Buom Vang (Yellow Butterfly) troupe in 1959. After 4 years, Tan Tai became its main actor and then won a gold medal in a prestigious cai luong competition named ‘Thanh Tam Awards’ thanks to his leading role as Diep Nhut Lang in a play called Cat Dung Phuong Tu performed in 1963.

He was also the main actor for other renowned theater companies in former Saigon like Thu Do, Da Ly Huong, and Kim Chung. Some of the classic plays starring Tan Tai include Khoi Song Tieu Suong, Bong Hong Sa Mac, Co Gai Do Long, Anh Hung Xa Dieu, Tieng Vong Ba Deo, Vo Tong Sat Tau, Suong Mu Tren Non Cao, to name but a few.

He was crowned ‘the Emperor of plastic discs’ after recording more than 400 discs of cai luong plays and thousands of nostalgic songs in the 1960s. His recordings sold like hot cakes and he even earned up to 1 gold tael (a record high at the moment) for each of the discs released then.

Recently, he took part in several cai luong performances and organized his first live show in January 2009 entitled ‘Dem tri an’ (A Night for Gratitude) at the Hung Dao theater in the southern metropolitan to mark his 50 years being part of the Vietnamese artistic form.

His children include Tan Beo and Tan Bo who are now among the most favorite comedians in Vietnam.

Tan Tai’s funeral will be held at his private house at 109 Nguyen Duy Street, Ward 9, District 8.

He will be buried at the Chua Nghe Si cemetery in Go Vap District , Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00 am on January 31.

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Noted artist gives Hue sketches of cat

Two cat sketches by Le Ba Dang.

HUE - Paris-based Vietnamese artist Le Ba Dang has donated his unique collection of 12 cat sketches to the city of Hue on the occasion of Viet Nam's Year of the Cat.

The collection will be displayed at Le Ba Dang Arts Centre, 15 Le Loi Street.

The paintings, many dating back to the 1950's, are typical of the first works Dang sold in Paris. Drawn in a Chinese calligraphy style, the ink portraits depict inquisitive, agile cats.

Hue writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong recalled a story about the artist's early days in Paris, when he struggled to make ends meet.

Dang decided he'd try drawing small sketches of cats to sell. He sold over 160 paintings in the first month and after expanding his work to ceramic plates, the business provided his family with a steady income for the next five years.

Dang, who was born in the central province of Quang Tri in 1921, immigrated to Paris in 1939. He joined revolutionary army troops to fight fascism in France but was captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner of war.

After the war, he studied at the Toulouse Arts Institute and became famous across Europe. He held his first exhibition in Paris in 1950 and in 1989, he was honoured by the International Institute of Saint-Louis, USA. He was also awarded the Culture and Arts Medal by the French government in 1994. - VNS

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HCMC to open tourism park

Bamboo park: Viet Nam At A Glance resembles a giant garden. Traditional flowers, together with bonsai, fruit and bamboo trees adorn HCM City's new tourism park. — File Photo

HCM CITY — A tourism park with a strong cultural theme is being built in time for Tet (lunar New Year) in HCM City's suburban Cu Chi District.

Viet Nam At A Glance, located off Bo Cap (Scorpion) pier in An Phu Commune, resembles a giant garden with traditional varieties of flowers, bonsai, and fruit and bamboo trees of various kinds and sizes.

But designers and carpenters worked hard to create a 22.5-ha village that depicts the cultural and daily aspects of the life of people in various regions of the country.

It has hundreds of model houses, rickshaws, and everyday objects made of bamboo, wood, and clumps of rice straw and grass.

Artisans from as far-flung areas as Cao Bang make traditional dishes, cakes, liquor, and handicrafts, which are both displayed and sold.

There is a playground for traditional games that takes older people back to their childhood when they themselves played those games.

Music and dance and food related to ethnic groups can be seen at several spots around the park.

"We have worked hard with our suppliers, including farms, agricultural companies, and tourist agencies, to make our park one of the city's biggest and best cultural and entertainment centres," Tran Thi Tuyet Nga, a member of the park's managing board, said.

"Through its unique products, we hope visitors will discover and enjoy slices of Viet Nam's history, culture, and lifestyle in different regions.

"I'm sure both local and foreign photographers and artists will find inspiration here."

She and her 200-strong staff hope to welcome 40,000-50,000 visitors during the Tet holidays in the first week of February.

Henry Nguyen Lam, a Vietnamese-American businessman who is visiting the country for Tet, says: "My family and I will tour Cu Chi and visit Viet Nam At A Glance."

Entry tickets cost VND50,000 to 95,000 and are available at the venue. They can also be booked at 08 2218 1465.

The park's website at http://www.motthoangvietnam.vn offers more information. — VNS

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