A thank you letter

My dear friend,

First of all, I would like to say thank you very much for your help for my Taiwan trip last September. It is such an interesting journey.

In the beginning of the journey, I wondered how I should stay in Taiwan and also worried about the transportation and accommodation. Then, it was very lucky for me when I met you on the http://www.couchsurfing.org/. You have helped me with much important information. What’s more exciting, you did agree to join with me as my tour guide.

I think we had a wonderful time together. We have explored around Taiwan, and I have discovered many beautiful places (spots) in your country as well. You know, those experiences touched my heart.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to you and your family. Hope to meet you in my country, Vietnam, in the near future.

Your friend,

Hoang-Hiep Le

Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam (3/3)

The President Ho-Chi-Minh's Mausoleum

(cont.)

17. President Ho-Chi-Minh's Mausoleum:

- Inaugurated in 1975. It faces Ba-Dinh Square. President Ho's body lies inside a square stone - walled room - on a three tiered platform.

18. No 43, Hang-Ngang Street:

- Here in the 1945, President Ho wrote the famous Declaration of Independence.

19. The Museum of the Revolution:

- Relicas from various phases of the Vietnamese people's patriotic and revolutionary struggle.

20. The Museum of History:

- Developments of the Vietnamese nation. Rich collections of archaeological findings, including some relating to the era of the Hung Kings about 3,000 years ago.

21. The Museum of the Army:

- Great periods of the armed struggle of the Vietnamese people's. War trophies.

22. The Museum of Fine Arts:

- Artistic works ranging from bronze drums (1st millenium B.C) to sculptures, paintings, engravings, and lacquer works by contemporary artists not to mention folk art.

23. Tay-Phuong (West) Pagoda or Sung-Phuc Pagoda:

- 40km from Hanoi, Built in the 8th C., rebuilt in 1680, 1792. Three parallel one - storeyed structures. Its 76 statues carved out of jack-tree wood are valuable art objects. The collection of arhat statues (18th C.) is wonderful.

(A Handbook for the English Language Translator - Hữu Ngọc et al.)

Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam (2/3)

The Khue-Van Pavilion (Van-Mieu)

(cont.)

7. Quan-Su Pagoda (The Ambassadors' Pagoda):

- In the 15th C. it was the site of a Guesthouse for ambassadors coming from buddist countries, with a small pagoda close by. Rebuilt in 1936 - 1942.

8. Ba-Da Pagoda (The Pagoda of the Stone Lady):

- While the soil was being dug for the building of the citadel of Thang-Long (ancient Hanoi), the stone statue of a woman was unearthed. Hence the name of the pagoda.

9. The Temple of the Two Ladies:

- The Trung sisters (1st C.) rose against the Chinese Han invaders. They became queens but were in the end defeated.

10. Quan-Thanh Temple (Tran-Vu Temple):

- Built under the Ly (1010 - 1225); later rebuilt. Tran-Vu was the god of the North. (attributes: a Tortoise and a Snake). Bronze statue (1677): 3.7m in height, 4 tons in weight.

11. Tran-Quoc Pagoda:

- Built probably on the site of an old royal Summer Place. A stele (1639) on its history.

12. The Literature Temple (Van-Mieu):

- Built in 1070; later rebuilt. Dedicated to Confucius. Also the first University in Vietnam. Portico, Khue-Van Pavilion, 82 stone steles bearing the names of the laureates of "Tien si" royal examinations (1484 - 1789).

13. The Temple of the Kneeling Elephants (Voi-Phuc Temple):

- Built under Ly-Thanh-Tong (1054-1072) and dedicated to Ling Lang who used his war elephants to defeat the Chinese Song aggressors. Thu-Le 200 park and lake.

14. Lang Pagoda:

- First built under the Ly dynasty (1010-1225). Statues of the Monk Tu-Dao-Hanh and King Ly-Than-Tong - re-incarnation of Tu-Dao-Hanh - Stone stele (dated 1656).

15. Ngu-xa Pagoda:

- The biggest bronze statue of Buddha in Vietnam.

16. Co-Loa Citadel (Spiral-shaped Citadel):

- In Dong-Anh suburban district. The remains of a fortness with walls arranged in a spiral, built in the 3rd century B.C to serve as capital for King An-Duong-Vuong. Temple to him and Princess My-Chau whose love for her husband caused the fall of the Kingdom.

(to be continued...)

(A Handbook for the English Language Translator - Hữu Ngọc et al.)

Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam (1/3)

The Lake of the Restored Sword

922.8 sq.km - population: about 2.700.000

- City proper (4 districts: Hoan-Kiem, Hai-Ba-Trung, Dong-Da, Ba-Dinh) + 11 suburban districts.

1. The old quarter:

- In the 15th century, the "City with 36 guilds and streets" was the embryo of present - day Hanoi's Old Quarter with narrow streets bearing evocative names (Silk St, Sugar St, Vermicelli St, Votive Objects St, etc...) The Dong-Xuan market intruduces you to tropical fruits, flowers and vegetables, and such hand-icrafts as basketwork, ceramics, etc...

2. The Lake of the Restored Sword (Ho Hoan-Kiem):

- Legend has it that one day, after victory over the Chinese Ming invaders, when King Le-Thai-To was boating on the lake, a golden tortoise came up out of the water to take back the sacred sword that had been given to him by the god to save the homeland (15th C.) - Noteworthy: The-Huc Sunrise Bridge, Tower of the Pen Brush, Portico of the Ink - Slab, Ngoc-Son (Jade Hill) temple built in the 19th C., on an islet: dedicated to General Tran-Hung-Dao, 13th C., who defeated the Mongols in the 13th C., Van-Xuong (God of Literature) and La-To (Patron Saint of Physicians).

3. The West Lake (Ho Tay): 833 hectares.

- According to a legend, this place was formerly a forest - covered mountain on which lived a fox spirit with 9 tails. The monster was later drowned under huge waves unleashed by a dragon god and a lake was born.

- According to another legend, the Vietnamese Buddist monk Khong Lo (XIth. C.) was rewarded with a vast amount of bronze by the Emperor of China for his outstanding services; with this bronze, he had an enormous bell cast. The sound of the bell carried so far that a Golden Buffalo Calf, believing this to be the voice of its mother, rushed down from the North. It trampled the ground so hard that a lake appeared under its hoofs.

4. The Truc-Back Lake (Truc-Bach: white silk of the Ivory Bamboo Village)

- The Trinh Lords (18th C.) built on its shore a Summer Palace turned later into a reformatory for offending royal concubines. The latter were put to work and weaved a fine silk called Truc-Bach.

5. The Lenin Park:

- It was reclaimed from swamps. One year after the liberation of Hanoi (1955) the population started voluntary work for its building.

6. The One Pillar Pagoda (Mot-Cot Pagoda):

- Built in 1049 in the shape of a lotus. According to a legend, King Ly-Thai-To, who had no male offspring, once saw in a dream the Goddess Quan-Am sitting on a lotus and handing him a boy. He later married a peasant girl he had met by chance and a son was born to them. Therefore he had the pagoda built.

(to be continued)

(A Handbook for the English Language Translator - Hữu Ngọc et al.)

Making sentences

1. In order to:

I must study hard in order to finish my degree as soon as possible.

2. Look into:

My father is looking into his writing novel now.

3. Focus on:

She always focuses on her work when she goes to the school.

4. As long as:

As long as the teacher stays in our Lab, we can not go out.

5. As well as:

I know her and I know her sister as well.

I know her as well as I know her sister.

6. As if (as though):

He ordered everybody around as if he is their boss.

7. Attribute ST to ST (SB):

He attribute his achivement to his wife's support.

8. Look after:

I am very busy now. I am looking after my sister's baby.

9. Look up (stop by):

I have already looked up a good thing (paper) for our research.

When I want to go to a movie, I will look you up.

10. Be composed of:

This book is composed of many different results.

A letter: Up-to-date list of address.

Thank you for your letter of 11th November, asking for an up-to-date list of address of our branches.

We have pleasure in enclosing this brochure, showing the location of all our branches and agencies at home and abroad.

Yours faithfully

S.S Carson

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Book: "Business Letters for All"

Oxford University Press

Bertha J. Naterop

Erich Weis

Eva Haberfellner

ISBN 0-19-580232-2