Preserving Hoi An Vietnam

It was once one of Japan’s and the world’s most important trade centers. A key port on the ancient silk route. Hoi An traded ceramics textiles, fragrant woods, copper coins, and ironware between merchants from as far as northern Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Written by Raymond Wilkinson for the March/April Heritage Magazine for Vietnam Airlines and published with permission to promote travel to Hoi An and Vietnam.

At the height of relations in the mid 17th century, as many as 1,000 Japanese traders built their homes, warehouses, and even cemeteries in a special treaty quarter in the Vietnamese port of Hoi An. They became advisors to Vietnamese emperors and married into the imperial family. But when the Tokugawa shogunate banned overseas maritime activities in 1635, the Japanese presence in Hoi An went into sharp decline. By the end of the century there were only four or five families living along the beautiful sweeping bays and inlets of central Vietnam. As trade patterns and global commerce shifted, Hoi An went into decline. By the time of the American War, Hoi An was a sleepy backwater town known only to a few cultural experts and intrepid travelers.

In recent years the town has enjoyed a renaissance and revived strong ties with Japan. In 1999 it was declared a World Heritage Site in recognition of its outstanding cultural and architectural importance. Increasing numbers of tourists from around the world explore the town’s cobblestone streets and indulge in nearby golden beaches. Japanese, Thai and Hollywood movies have used Hoi An’s beautiful wooden buildings as exotic backdrops, one of the latest films being “The Quiet American” starring Michael Caine.

The Shows Women’s University in Tokyo has been active for more than a decade in Hoi An and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has sent a series of experts to work with the town’s Center for Monuments Management and Preservation in restoring an estimated 1,107 listed structures. Much of the focus in Hoi An has been on the Japanese Bridge: a serene, curved structure of wood and tile with a covered roof and a small temple at its center. The bridge was once the entrance to the city’s Japanese Quarter in Hoi An.

As tourists from Germany and Australia clambered noisily across the Hoi An narrow walkway recently, Japanese architectural expert Chikako Suzuki ran her fingers across the ancient beams and noted that the joints in some areas were now several centimetres apart. The gnarled wooden planks inside the temple also sloped at a gradual angle. In its old age, the Hoi An bridge is shifting and slowly sinking.

“It is not an urgent crisis, but without proper attention, the bridge could eventually collapse,” Suzuki said. The government of Hoi An and city, as well as foreign experts, have been exploring ways to preserve this most important structure, and according to Suzuki “work could start next year, but it is very delicate.”

An architect by training, after doing research in Nepal and Tunisia, Suzuki joined the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) and arrived in Vietnam in January 2006. A native of Kikari, town in Yamahuchi Prefecture, she will stay in Hoi An until December 2007. In that same year JICA will send a second volunteer, a specialist in environmental education, to join her.

“The Japanese connection is very easy to understand,” says Nhugen Duc Minh, deputy director of the Hoi An Center for Monuments Management and Preservation. “We have had a strong bond since the 17th century and this is merely a continuation. We highly value both the Japanese expertise and financial support.”

In recent years, the most obvious impact on Hoi An has been tourism. With the arrival of thousands of tourists in Hoi An and the construction of modern resorts on the outskirts of town, Hoi An has changed dramatically. Old wooden Chinese and Japanese buildings and French colonial houses have transformed into restaurants, cafes, souvenier shops, and clothing boutiques. “Tourism in Hoi An itself is not a threat to the city,” Nguyen Duc Minh said, “but the overspill and side affects of tourism are potential hazards.”

Suzuki and her Vietnamese colleagues have distributed questionnaires to tourists and local citizens, lectured at schools, and scheduled seminars in Hoi An. Recently, she organized Japanese volunteers working in Vietnam and thirty some locals to collect rubbish from the local river, to clean up the waterway, to identify specific pollutants in Hoi An, and to brainstorm ways to combat that pollution. Suzuki also keeps a close eye on renovation work in Hoi An being done on some of the town’s oldest buildings.

“Workmen can sometimes by sloppy,” Suzuki explained. “They are not worried about preserving the wood in these buildings in Hoi An. They just want to get the work done as quickly as possible, open a shop or restaurant, and make money from the tourists. We have to emphasize that this work is to protect Vietnam’s precious cultural heritage for the entire world to enjoy for decades to come.”

Legendary Land – Bac Lieu in Vietnam

Published with permission to promote tourism and travel to Bac Lieu, this article written by Minh Thuy was originally published in the March/April edition of Heritage magazine for Vietnam Airlines.

Known for its natural beauty, Bac Lieu has become a resort destination for those seeking adventure off the beaten path. In addition to its outdoors highlights, Bac Lieu is a land where ethnicities live together and cultures converge.

Bac Lieu’s main ethnicities are Kinh, Hoa and Khmer people. The particular culture of Bac Lieu and the region’s unique characteristics come from its layered composite of culture. Bac Lieu folk songs and chants, for example, reveal typical characteristics of Bac Lieu people. As their traditional music illustrates, Bac Lieu natives are known for being straightforward and hospitable, for speaking simply and gracefully. Musical lyrics also describe Khmer people’s enthusiastic approach to work.

As many legends, classical dreams, and films depict, Bac Lieu is known for its nobles’ extravagance. One noble, Tran Trinh Huy, was a notorious playboy and free spirit, known particularly for his tendency to burn money to boil eggs. Common behaviour in Bac Lieu is of course far from this infamous noble’s. In fact, Bac Lieu natives are hard to classify generally, as they are composed of diverse ethnic, religious, and socio-economic groups. Many men from northern and central Vietnam come here to get married, while local Bac Lieu men are also known for seducing urban lasses.

There is an inherent sense of community in Bac Lieu which takes form in local spirituality. Although Bac Lieu houses are low-roofed, all the villagers collectively contribute to the village’s pagoda, which is majestic and splendid. Notable pagodas are Xiem Can Pagoda (Vinh Trach Dong, Bac Lieu Town) and Cai Gia Pagoda (Hung Hoi Township, Vinh Loi District).

Visitors and tourists often come to Bac Lieu in search of outdoors activities. Tourists frequent the ecological longan garden to try the unique longan fruit. At the garden, singers serenade with tradition songs as visitors eat banh xeo (rice pancake folded in half, filled with savory meats and vegetables). The Lap Dien Bird Sanctuary, known for its rare species, is also a popular destination. Phat Ba Nam Hai, reputed for its supernatural power, welcome thousands of tourists every year. The South Chine Sea, past the Kinh Tu salt marsh, offers cuttle-fishing expeditions. Finally, Bac Lieu’s countryside is home to traditional craft villages. Phuoc Long and Hon Dan districts have villages specializing in plaiting, mat weaving and hat making.

Bac Lieu’s people, history and natural beauty distinguish the area. Visitors come from the breathtaking landscapes and stay for the hospitable people.

Bac Lieu Province

Bac Lieu is a province that lies along the Cuu Long River’s delta, in Southern Vietnam. Bac Lieu is 280 kilometers away from Ho Chi Minh City.

Geography: 2,520.6 square km. Bac Lieu is a relatively young region
Population: around 800,000 people
People: Bac Lieu has 20 ethnicities: Kinh (90.0%); Cambodian (7.9%); Hoa (3.1%); mixed descent
Culture: in the past, Bac Lieu was very famous for its hedonism. At the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, the open-minded nature of Bac Lieu attracted aristocratic people from the other surrounding provinces in the south. All the wealthy men attracted to Bac Lieu used their money to build palaces that were different from palaces in Hanoi, Saigon and Dalat. The intent was to build palaces that were architecturally reminiscent of Paris.

Ayurvedic Spa Rituals and Ayurveda Sessions in Southeast Asia

Part 2 - continued

Spa Speak

No need to slip up when faced with the latest spa menus, grease up on your Ayurvedic terms
Doshas – Ayurveda classifies patients by body types determined by proportions of the three doshas. These include Vata (air and space), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (earth and water). An imbalance between the three is considered to cause various health problems.
Marma Points – vital energy points of the body
Shirodara – a Ayurveda steam of warm herbal oil is poured on the forehead in a continuous stream to induce a clear, calm mind.
Pizhichil – Ayurveda warm herbal oil is poured all over the body and massaged into the body to two therapists.
Panchakarma – an Ayurvedic system of purifying and cleansing the body involveing five processes.

What’s New: Youth Hospital

With Bangkok Hospital’s new BMC Anti-Ageing Center (www.bangkokinternationalhospital.com) slated to open this March, medical travellers can now add a new destination to their list of holiday options. Anti-ageing medicine is a medical specialty founded ont eh application of scientific and medical technologies fro the early detection, prevention, treatment as well as reversal of age-related dysfunction, disorders and diseases. The new BMC Anti-Ageing Centre in Bangkok offers a wide range of services dedicated to preserving youth and vitality. There are specific programmes relating to anti-ageing (functional medicine), hormone replacement, exercise, dietary advice, mental health support and weight loss, alongside check up services. To help you look as good as you’ll feel, the BMC Anti-Ageing Centre also includes related services such as aesthetic dermatology and plastic surgery.

Questions and Answers

Why is Ayurveda catching on in all the major spas and wellness centers? A medical and Ayurvedic doctor with over 10 years of experience in alternative medicine, Dr. Sushil Rahul of Chiang Mai Oasis Spa (www.chiangmaioasis.com) gives some insight on this year’s hot holistic buzz:

Why Ayurveda?
Because Ayurveda is the ultimate choice for those who wish to live a harmonious life in tune with nature, coupled with a sensible lifestyle based on knowledge. It shows us how unbalanced states can be corrected and maintained, based on one’s individual body composition.

What’s on offer at Oasis Spa?
We tailor our Ayurvedic menu and packages according to the client’s needs, based on an integrated holistic approach that involves relaxation, detoxification, rejunvenation, and beautification. Specific Ayurveda treatments include Ayurvedic Shirodara, body massage and head massage.

What treatment is recommended?
What works best is a tailor made package for an individual, based on Ayurveda consultation with the doctor.

What about Ayurvedic herbs – do they have to be imported from India?
As we are a day spa and not a clinic or hospital, we develop our Ayurveda menu according to day spa requirements, we don’t prescribe herbs as such for the treatment. We use Indian and Thai herbs to make Ayurvedic massage oils, and advise the client on making lifestyle and diet changes based on Ayurvedic principles and alternative medicine.

Travel Spa Ayurveda Sessions around the world during your Ayurvedic holidays

Chami Jotisalikorn, author of Thailand’s luxury spas and thai spa book reveals what’s hot in the world of wellness during your next travel holidays.

Spa Review: Penthouse Pampering

You’ll be surprised at the transition from Thai teak house to South Indian bungalow when you step through into the new Ayurvedic Penthouse at Bangkok’s Oriental Spa (tel +66 (0)2 659-9000 ext 7434, www.mandarinoriental.com). This self-contained annex recreates an authentic ambience from the sub-continent, complete with wooden treatment beds and furniture from India and rejuvenating therapies straight from the distinctive traditions of Keraleeya Ayurveda from Kerala.

With the help of a detailed questionnaire, Ayurvedic expert Christina Watson helps to select therapies suitable for your type to balance and detox your body. The relaxing Keraleeya Abhyanga is a 60-minute treatment consisting of oil massage, followed by herbal steam in a fabulous wooden steam cabinet. Other therapies include the Shirodara heated oil therapy on the forehead and Vadanam traditional facial.

Christina stresses that Ayurveda is a way of life, not just a quick fix, and the spa offers individually tailored long-term programmes for Bangkok residents, with an Ayurvedic doctor soon to be on the premises to help guide the way.

Wellness Buzz: All Aye’s on Ayurveda

Now, there’s no need to go to all the way to India in search of Ayurvedic healing, with Thailand and the Maldives emerging as the latest hotspots offering the ancient holistic “Science of Life.”

A slew of new spa resorts are leading the trend now. At the Angsana Spa Maldives Ihuru (tel +960 (0)6 643502, www.angsanaspa.com), the menu includes Ancient Treat, a spa package under the Essence of Angsana range, featuring a traditional Ayurvedic massage that helps ease tensions and promote circulation.

A few atolls away, the recently opened Anantara Resort and Spa Maldives (www.anatara.com) offers luxurious Ayurvedic massages, bath and steam treats as well as great service to go with its deluxe suites by the beach. The spa at the Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giravaaru (www.fourseasons.com) is a resort within itself, with pool suites and garden spa suites offering a comprehensive approach to physical, mental and spiritual well-being, and a focus on yoga and Ayurveda.

The spa resort features a dedicated Ayurvedic Retreat within the spa complex, with a herb garden and resident expert for individually tailored consultations. Truly get away from it all at the Fania Spa onboard the Rania (www.raniaexperience.com), a one of a kind exclusive private luxury cruise yacht named after Queen Rania of Jordan. Enjoy Thai and Ayurvedic massages, body scrubs, wraps, herbal facials and more – available both at sea and on shore.

Readers Recommend

IN a place where spa standards can vary Phnom Penh’s O’Spa (www.ospacombodia.com) has quickly developed a loyal following among local expats and embassies in the Cambodian capital. Located in the peaceful residential area of Daun Penh, near Wat Phnom in the historical heart of the city, the tastefully decorated spa offers a sophisticated range of treatments from Thalassotherapy and Dead Sea mud wraps to hot stone and Balinese massage, administered by professionally trained therapists.

Ayurvedic and Ayurveda Events

In need of a physical and mental spring clean? Head to Kamalaya Retreat Koh Samui (www.kamalaya.com) and book yourself a spot on one of the retreat’s impressive line-up of special programmes aimed to help put your health back on track

- 11-17 March : Yoga Fusion with Carole Warren and Lorraine Taylor – four different types of yoga within one programme to help you discover which one suits your personality and body type, and one-to-one support to create a practise you can take home.

- 7 – 13 April: Holistic Detox with Graeme Stuart – Bradshaw – An intensive body mind cleansing programme to improve your physical health and well-being, as well as revitalise your spirit. Graeme is a naturophatic physician and founder of the Integrated Medicine Institute (IMI) in Hong Kong, and brings together the most current medical research and detoxification methods.

- 28 April to 4 May: The Vital Essence of Being with Rajay Mahtani – a programme of yoga, holistic wellness treatments and nutritious spa cuisine to offer you an opportunity to relax, restore and rejuvenate your vital life energy. Two daily intensive yoga classes are taught by certified senior level BKS Iyengar method instructor, Rajay Mahtani.