SAPA

Located in the Northwest of Vietnam, Sapa is the mountainousdistrict of Lao Cai province. Sapa is famous for many natural sightseeing places with hills and green forests like SilverWaterfall, Ham Rong Mountain, Fansipan Mountain, Muong Hoa Valley and so on. Sapa weather experiences 4 seasons in one day: spring in the morning, summer at noon; autumn in the afternoon and the cold of winter at night. Sapa is also known as the kingdom of colorful flower species, which can't be found anywhere else in our country. Therefore, let's start your journey to discover this fantastic area.

A/ VOCABULARY

Mountainous (adj) /ˈmaʊntənəs/ : Thuộc vùng núi

Sightseeing (n) ˈsaɪtsiːɪŋ/ :Ngắm cảnh

Silver Waterfall (n) /ˈsɪlvər ˈwɔːtərfɔːl/ : Thác Bạc

Kingdom (n) /ˈkɪŋdəm/ : Vương quốc

DA NANG

Coming to Da Nang, you have many places to visit, to shop and enjoy delicious food. Da Nang is the largest city in central Vietnam. It is one of the most important seaports in the region. It's located midway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Da Nang is very famous for Cham Museum, Ba Na Hill, Son Tra Peninsula, Non Nuoc Beach, Han River,... You can choose a place for relaxation and recreation in Da Nang, the beautiful sandy beaches, fresh water and wide roads looking out on the Han River. You can enjoy wonderful moments on mountain, in forests or by rivers and seas. Everybody will satisfy with green, calm and beautiful views in Da Nang. I'm sure you will have a pleasant stay in this gorgeous city.

A/ VOCABULARY

Central (adj) /ˈsentrəl/ : Miền trung, trung bộ

Seaport (n) /ˈsiːpɔːt/ : Cảng biển

Region (n) /ˈriːdʒən/ : Khu vực

Peninsula /pəˈnɪntsjʊlə/ : Bán đảo

Recreation (n)/rekriˈeɪʃən/ : Làm vui lòng

Pleasant (adj) /ˈplezənt/ : Thú vị

Gorgeous (adj) /ˈgɔːrdʒəs/ : Tráng lệ, lộng lẫy

PHONG NHA-KE BANG NATIONAL PARK

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is located in Quang Binh Province. It is a natural treasure of our country. This park is famous for its beautiful views and many international values. Coming to Phong Nha Ke Bang, you can enjoy the marvelous beauty of limestone caves and primary forest. Phong Nha cave has the longest underground river in the world, with many different formations of stones, the widest and prettiest sand banks. Ke Bang forest is home to many species of wild and rare plants and animals.

In April 2009, people discovered the Son Doong Cave. It is believed to be the largest cave in the world. Therefore, Phong Nha Ke Bang is becoming more and more attractive in the eyes of foreigners.

A/VOCABULARY

Treasure (n) /ˈtreʒər/ : Kho báu, tài sản quý giá

Value (n) /ˈvæljuː/ : Giá trị

Marvelous /ˈmɑːrvələs/ : Kì diệu

Limestone /ˈlaɪmstoʊn/ : Đá vôi

Primary (adj) /ˈpraɪmeri/ : Sơ cấp, nguyên sinh

Underground : Dưới lòng đất

Formation (n) /fɔːrˈmeɪʃn/ : Hình dáng, hình dạng

Sand bank (n) /sænd bæŋk/ : Bờ cát

Species (n) /ˈspiːʃiːz/ : Loài, chủng loại

Rare (n) /rer/ : Quý hiếm

HO CHI MINH CITY

When coming to Vietnam, you can't miss visiting Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. It's the biggest city and commercial center of Vietnam. Different from the old beauty of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh is considered a dynamic, youthful and modern city. One special thing of this city is its exciting nightlife. You can take a motorbike and experience the hidden beauty of it at night, then taste street food at a local restaurant. Ho Chi Minh City is also famous for many attractive tourist places. Every year, many people come to Ho Chi Minh City to study, to work, to live and to travel. Our friendly and hospitable residents are always here to welcome you.

A/VOCABULARY

Formerly (adv) /ˈfɔːrmərli/ : Trước kia, trước đây

Commercial (adj) /kəˈmɜːrʃl/ : Thuộc về thương mại

Dynamic (adj) /daɪˈnæmɪk/ : Năng động

Youthful (adj) /ˈjuːθfl/ : Trẻ trung

Modern (adj) /ˈmɑːdərn/ : Hiện đại

Nightlife (n) /ˈnaɪtlaɪf/ : Cuộc sống về đêm

Resident (n) /ˈrezɪdənt/ : Cư dân, người dân

HALONG BAY

One of the great naturalwonders of Asia, Halong Bay is the most popular sidetrip from Hanoi. The natural beauty of the bay and its three thousand islands is so awesome. It can't be missed in any visit to Northern Vietnam. Coming to Halong Bay, you can take the boat trips to explore the bay, its islands, caves, and floating villages. Not only seafood but also traditional and international dishes are served here. There are many interesting activities you can try when you visit Halong such as: swimming, mountainclimbing, cave visiting, squidfishing and boatrowing. These are the attractive things that make visitors come back to Halong.

A/VOCABULARY

Wonder (n) /ˈwʌndər/ : Kỳ quan, điều kỳ diệu

Side trip (n) /saɪd trɪp / : Chuyến đi phụ

Awesome (adj) /ˈɔːsəm/ : Tuyệt vời

Explore (v) /ɪkˈsplɔːr/ : Khám phá, khai thác

Floating (adj) /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/ : Nổi trên mặt nước

Mountain climbing (n) : Leo núi

Squid fishing /skwɪd ˈfɪʃɪŋ/ : Câu mực

Boat rowing /boʊt ˈroʊɪŋ / : Chèo thuyền

Attractive (adj) /əˈtræktɪv/ : Có sức thu hút

PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

The Presidential Palace of Vietnam is a hundred-year-old French colonial building in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. The designs of this palace were conceived by a French architect. Presidential Palace stands as a memento of French contribution to the architecture of Vietnam. This yellow palace was built from 1900 to 1906 as the living and working place of the president of Vietnam.

History says that when Vietnam achieved independence in 1954, Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the grand structure, although he still received state guests there. He eventually built a traditional Vietnamese stilt house and fish pond on the grounds.

The tradition continues even now as the palace offers site for official receptions to guests and for other administrative meetings.

A/ NEW WORDS

palace (n) /ˈpæləs/ : Cung điện, dinh thự

colonial (adj)/kəˈloʊniəl/ : Thuộc địa

conceive (v) /kənˈsiːv/ : Tiến hành

memento (n) /məˈmentoʊ/ : Kỷ vật

reception (n) /rɪˈsepʃn/ : Việc tiếp đón

HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM

President Ho Chi Minh is very much present in mind and memory of Vietnamese people, his body is still preserved in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located in the centre of Ba Dinh Square. The constructionproject started in 1973 and completed in 1975. It was modeled on Lenin's mausoleum in Russia. The security here is very tight and visitors should dress with respect (no shorts, sleeveless shirts and miniskirts) and there is no talking and of course no video allowed inside, everyone has to deposit their bags and cameras before getting in. Visitors are not allowed to stop moving inside. Uncle Ho's remains are sent yearly to Russia for maintenance therefore the mausoleum is closed usually from October onwards.

A/ VOCABULARY

Preserve (v) /prɪˈzɜːv/ : Bảo quản, bảo tồn

Mausoleum (n) /ˌmɔːzəˈliːəm/ : Lăng tẩm

Construction (n) /kənˈstrʌkʃən/ : Công trình xây dựng

Respect (n) /rɪˈspekt/ : Tôn trọng, kính trọng

Sleeveless (adj) /ˈsliːvləs/ : Áo không có tay

Onwards (adv) /ˈɑːnwɚdz/ : Trở về sau

BA DINH SQUARE

Ba dinh square is the best area in the middle Hanoi with 320 meters in length and 100 meters in width. It can contain about 20.000 people. The plaza is divided into 240 green squares separated by pathways. Ba dinh square is the uncle Ho's final resting place. Thousands of domestic and international visitors line up to visit the great founder daily. Here on September 2nd, 1945 in front of thousands of people, Ho Chi Minh read aloud the Independence Declaration of Vietnam. In the center of the plaza is a flagpole with 25 meters in height. You can get yourself to Ba Dinh Square by following Hung Vuong Street.

A/ VOCABULARY

Contain (v) /kənˈteɪn/ : Chứa

Plaza (n) /ˈplɑːzə/ : Quảng trường

Divide (v) /dɪˈvaɪd/ : Chia

Separate (adj) /ˈsepərət/ : Riêng biệt

Pathway (n) /ˈpæθweɪ/ : Đường, con đường

Rest (v) /ˈrest/ : Phần còn lại, nghỉ ngơi

Domestic (adj, n) /dəˈmestɪk/ : Trong nước

founder /ˈfaʊndə r / : Người sáng lập

Independence Declaration : Tuyên ngôn độc lập

Flagpole (n) /ˈflægpəʊl/ : Cột cờ

UNIT 2: HO CHI MINHMAUSOLEUM COMPLEX

If Hanoi is the heart of Vietnam, Ho Chi MinhMausoleum complex is considered the heart of Hanoi. It is a sacred space that both Vietnamese people and foreigners all want to visit when coming to Hanoi. In honor of the President's gratitude, the Government established Ho Chi Minh Complex inside capital Hanoi after he was gone. Built in Ngoc Ha village, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi city, Ho Chi Minh complex consists of Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Ba Dinh square, Presidential Palace, Uncle Ho's House on stilt, one-pillar pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum. These places are usually crowded with groups of all ages who want to express their respects to 'Uncle Ho'.

A/ NEW WORDS

sacred (adj) /ˈseɪkrɪd/ Linh thiêng, thiêng liêng

gratitude (n) /ˈɡrætɪtuːd/ Lòng biết ơn

established (v) /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ Thành lập

respects (n/v /rɪˈspekt/ Tôn trọng, kính yêu

                                           BRIEF INFORMARTION ABOUT UNCLE HO

Ho Chi Minh (1890 – 1969) is the great father of Vietnam. He dedicated his life to save Vietnam from invaders. He left Vietnam in 1911 for France to learn how the French government runs the country. And then he went to America, he traveled to England, Russia, China, Thailand to find a way to save the country. In 1930, Ho Chi Minh founded the first VietnameseCommunistParty.

Under his Party's leading, Vietnamese people was successful in fighting against the French occupation and had our own independence, when he became the first president of Vietnam. He came back Vietnam in 1941 after 30 years away. Vietnamese people call him Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho passed away in 1969, at the age of 79. In his will, he wanted to be cremated then buried in three part of the country. The North was the place where he worked and led Vietnamese revolution. The Center is his home land and the South where he left for finding a way to release the country. Vietnamese government decided to keep his remain so later on people from any part of the country have a chance to visit and see him.

A/ VOCABULARY

Dedicate (v) /ˈdedɪkeɪt : Dâng hiến

Invader (n) /ɪnˈveɪdər/ Kẻ xâm lược

Vietnamese Communist Party Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam

Occupation (n) /ˌ ɑːkjʊˈpeɪʃən/ Chiếm đóng

Cremate (v) /ˈkriːmeɪt/ Hỏa táng

Bury (v) /ˈberi/ Chôn

Revolution (n) /ˌrevəˈluːʃən/ Cuộc cách mạng

Release (v) /rɪˈliːs/ Giải phóng

Remain (v) /rɪˈmeɪn/ Còn lại