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Discover how the Turkish people enjoy tea.
Tea is not only a popular drink in Türkiye, but it is also considered by connoisseurs to be one of the 22 countries with the world's best-tasting tea. Turks drink tea with every meal, from morning to evening. Tea houses are found on every street in Turkey, much like coffee shops in Vietnam. A few tables and chairs on the sidewalk, or in a small space... tea houses are everywhere, cozy and welcoming.
Turkish tea plants are grown on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, where the climate is temperate. The custom of drinking tea in Turkey emerged during the late Ottoman Empire (late 19th century). Turkish tea is typically brewed in two stacked teapots called "çaydanlık"—a special type of teapot designed specifically for tea brewing. The upper tier holds the tea leaves, and the lower tier is used to boil water. You must patiently wait 30 minutes for the water in the lower tier to boil. Then, pour the boiling water into the upper tier (the teapot). When the tea leaves sink to the bottom, you can obtain a strong brew. When enjoying the tea, drinkers can choose their preferred brewing method: strong or weak. Turkish teacups are also among the most uniquely designed in the world, resembling a stylized tulip flower.
Turks enjoy black tea with sugar. However, they rarely add sugar directly to the cup. Instead, they hold a sugar cube in their mouth before sipping the tea. The sugar dissolves directly in the mouth, creating a very special tea flavor. A Turkish tea ceremony wouldn't be complete without Turkish Delight (also known as lokum). This is considered the "national treasure" of Turkish tea and has even appeared in fairy tales. It has a magical flavor and is popular throughout the Balkans and the Middle East. Because Turks have a fondness for sweets, they have created many different flavors of lokum with various preparation methods, diverse colors, and countless fillings: peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc. Delight is soft like jelly, and when eaten, you can feel the delicate aroma of rose, lemon, mint, and more.
In the past, lokum was only for the nobility because its main ingredient was frankincense resin from the Mediterranean region, which had medicinal properties and was therefore quite expensive. Today, most candies get their chewiness from cornstarch, so the price has become much more affordable and they are sold everywhere as a specialty.
Discover Türkiye and Europe more easily with Turkish Airlines.
Few people know that Vietnamese citizens holding valid US, European Schengen, and UK visas can apply online for an e-visa to Turkey, eliminating the need to apply in person at the Turkish Embassy. Exploring Turkey is now even easier with Turkish Airlines' launch of direct flights to Istanbul from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (since June 2016).
This is the first direct flight between Vietnam and Türkiye. Previously, travelers between Türkiye and Vietnam only had one option: the Ho Chi Minh City – Istanbul route, with a layover in Bangkok (Thailand). There were a total of 7 flights per week to Turkey from Vietnam using Airbus A330/300 aircraft with 289 seats. The flight time was approximately 11 hours and 55 minutes. From now on, travelers have more options for flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to 292 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia, and 117 countries worldwide with Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines has also received numerous awards for being ranked among the best airlines by the prestigious Skytrax organization, including:
- Best Airline in Europe for 6 consecutive years from 2011-2016
- Ranked #1 in the world for Business Class cuisine in 2016
- Ranked among the top 3 in the world for economy class cuisine in 2016.
- Ranked #1 in the world for Business Class Lounge Dining in 2016
Turkish Airlines' Business Class Lounge was ranked #2 in the world in 2016.
Recently, Turkish Airlines was the main sponsor of Khanhcasa Tea House's CiTEA Tour, a tea-tasting tour across tea-producing countries. At the end of the 6-week CiTEA Tour, Khanhcasa Tea House is pleased to announce that the luckiest guest to travel with Turkish Airlines to any European country is: Ms. Tran Thi Kim Linh.
The program also awarded two luxury travel prizes to two consolation prize winners, including:
- One SAMSONITE suitcase, winner of the Reddot Design Award 2012, from the SAMSONITE INOVA collection (worth 10,200,000 VND) for Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu.
- A beauty travel combo featuring a renowned French Delsey suitcase (worth 4,900,000 VND) and a Lancôme skincare set worth 10,200,000 VND was presented to customer: Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy
- A one-night stay at the 6-star The Reverie Saigon hotel (worth VND 5,500,000) was swapped with the guest: Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duc
