Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Dong Van Old Quarter

Dong Van old quarter-100 years old located in Dong Van District, Dong Van, Ha Giang. With the ancient architecture, it still keeps intact contour. Dong Van old quarter is the pride of people here. The lifestyle and daily life of ethnic people such as: Kinh, Tay, Mong, Hoa... is very impressive.



Dong Van Town is located in the middle of valley surrounded by rocks. In the morning, picture of old quarter is blended two colors: bright yellow of the sunshine and gray of ancient houses. The quarter is formed form the early 20th century, only has a few families of the H’mong, Tay and Chinese, gradually, more and more other local residents find it. Overall, old quarter has Chinese’s architecture with two-story houses of yin and yang roofs, red lantem… 



From above looking down, next to three markets arranged in U-shape with yin and yang roofs are two ancient streets that lead to the mountain. A mainly residential area of the Tay and dozens of ancient houses is concerned as the important part of Dong Van old quarter. According to documents from a workshop about Dong Van old quarter, there have about 40 ancient houses with 100 years old. Especially, there has a house nearly 200 years old of Mr. Luong Huy Ngo, built in 1860. The common architecture here is the two-story house and yin and yang roofs. 


 Dong Van market area has tubular ancient houses to use advantages as Hanoi old quarter. From 2006, Dong Van district held “night in old quater” in March on 14, 15, 16 lunar calendar. All households in the old quarter hang red lanterns, display ethnic brocade, and sell traditional food. “Night in old quarter” in Dong Van karst plateau is also working for propagation to attract tourists. 


Tourists can learn more about culture of ethnic people through local people and soak into dance of the Lo Lo, enjoy traditional dishes such as: Thang Co, Men Men, Ta Chua, of the H’Mong and visit the area display local produce. Dong Van old quarter is an ideal destination in the North of Vietnam, which preserves the tradition and cultural intangible values of ethnic people.

Dong Van Plateau

Dong Van karst plateau has an area of 2.350 square kilometers, spreads over four districts of Ha Giang province: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac at an average height of 1.400 - 1.600 meters with a number of beautiful limestone and winding road. Here, scientists have found 33 tectonics heritages, 45 geomorphology heritages and many unique fossils in sedimentary rock, which creates opportunities for the tourist attraction, brings income for indigenous people.


From Ha Giang town, along 4C Highway about 50 kilometers, tourists step into Quan Ba districts with spectacular and grandeur mountain scenery. In the journey to the rocky plateau, visitors can enjoy the beauty of Can Ty Pass.

 Dong Van karst plateau has 80% limestone, is one of the most distinctive karst in Vietnam with black and majestic boulders. The shapes of boulders are created by environmental conditions and different stages of development. Here, the whole scene is rocks with various shapes such as petals, flowers, flower branch (Khau vai rock garden, Veo Vac District) or the shape of tiger (Lung Cu rock garden). 


Van Chai rock garden has green grass that creates the majestic and grandeur beauty for landscape. Besides the geological value, Dong Van karst plateau also attracts tourists by the unique cultural and spiritual values associated with the ethnic Mong, Dao, Lo Lo… living on the plateau. They picked up stones to build house, walls. They carved stone to grow corn. They renovated the mountainside into a vast of rice. 

The beauty and grandeur of Dong Van plateau comes from not only the huge natural boulders but also the fair of the H’mong, Dao, Lo Lo… 
In the morning, ethnic people from neighbor districts come to fair with colorful costumes. From the geological unique, in the end of 2010, Dong Van karst plateau was recognized as the first geological park of Vietnam and Geoparks of the world.


Dong Van karst plateau is one of the special limestone mountain, including the marks of the history of the earth’s crust process and tradition of indigenous communities. 

Dong Van karst plateau has all elements convergence to become global Geoparks. Rocky plateau also has national relic such as: mansion of Vuong family, Lung Cu flag pole, Dong Van ancient, Ma Li Peng pass, Quan Ba Twin Mountain…

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake of the Returned Sword was once a part of the Red river (song Hong). Through thousands of years of changes in the geography, the lake moved eastward to its present position many kilometers from the river. The lake was once called Luc Thuy or Green Water because the water was green year round. In the fifteen century, the lake was named Hoan Kiem Lake, based of a legend that is quite similar to King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake's legend. 


After ten years of hard fighting (1418 - 1428), the Lam Son insurrectionists led by Le Loi swept the foreign invaders out of the country of Dai Viet (Great Viet), ending the Ming's 20-year domination over the Viet people. Le Loi became a national hero, proclaiming himself kings, called Le Thai To and establishing his capital in Thang Long. 
On a beautiful afternoon, the king and his entourage took a dragon-shaped boat for sight-seeing on Luc Thuy (Green Water) Lake, which was located in the centre of Thang Long Capital (present-day Hanoi). As the boat was gliding on the lake, suddenly there was a great wave and on top of the wave, the Golden Tortoise Genie appeared, telling the king: "Your Majesty, the great work is completed. Would you please return the sacred sword to the King of the Sea?". 


The precious sword was formerly lent to Le Loi by the King of the Sea and was always beside him throughout his battles and helped him win over the Ming invaders. At the time the Tortoise Genie spoke, the sword hung at the King's waist. It then moved out of the scabbard and flew towards the Genie. The Genie kept the sword in his mouth and dived under the water and bright lightning flashed up to the sky. Since then, Luc Thuy Lake has been called the Restored Sword Lake or the Sword Lake for short. 

The Sword Lake is not only a historical site but also a beauty-spot of the capital. When visiting Hanoi, Ludemis, a Greek poet, exclaimed: The Sword Lake - An emerald jewel set in the heart of the city, With the Red River as a silk ribbon around. 


It is said that when visiting Hanoi, if the visitor does not see the Sword Lake, then they would not have actually been in Hanoi. The lake is an endless topic and inspiration for painters, poets, writers, music composers, etc, and innumerable works about the lake have been produced. 
Once, a famous Japanese painter said to the late-painter Van Giao that he had painted dozens of pictures of Mount Fuji - the second to none beauty spot of Japan. Then painter Van Giao replied by saying that he had painted hundreds of pictures of the Sword Lake. 

The Sword Lake is really an emerald jewel of Hanoi. For generations, the Vietnamese believed that deep in the green water of the Sword Lake, there is a sacred sword of their ancestors, which is carefully safeguarded by the golden tortoise. When the weather changes, the tortoise emerges on the water surface to take a sun bath, seeming to prove his existence and remind the young generation of their national history of defending their country from foreign invaders.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Domestic travel in autumn, which spot is attractive?

You will find the answer when finding by clicking “Google” or browser through fan pages, Fan page for travel-lovers. This is the “West North yellow season” with hundreds of invitations o visit paddy fields in Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Son la…There has been so many waves of yellow rice overlaying together up to the mountain summits, which vibrates the deep souls of travelers.
Now ther have been so may vehicles to travel to the West north like going backpacking by motorbikes or register tours of travel agencies so that you can easily give the best choice for your many pockets. In comparison with so many other destinations, the time for travel is very important because it decide whether your travel is successful or not. The West North only grows one season of rice for a year at different times so that rice is yellow as its period. Rice in Spa, Quan Ba ripens earliest, the next ones are Mu Cang Chai, Hoang Su Phi…According to local people, the wonderful period is from the middle of September to the end of October when localities are in the rice summers. In this occasion, the weather is so dry that it is comfortable and easy for travel, especially when you want to go backpacking for travel.

Terraced fields in Sapa
There are so many routes that how much time you pass through, you are always surprised at the breathtakingly wonderful landscape. Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) is such a wonderful destination. Terraced fields in la Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh-the national-standard beauty spot where you can travel as much as you can. Some one compares Mu Cang Chai in rice harvesting season like as a yellow terrace to the heaven, some other praises it as a splendid musical instrument  
 

Never-ending yellow fields
Each layer of yellow waves is stretched out from valleys to hillsides and extends for foggy and high summits. Bands of colors change from strong green, light yellow, shining yellow to brown yellow, which as a brand of shining silk in the autumn. When viewing the Tu Le valley and breath full of the perfume of ripe rice to conquer the hill top Khau Pha in the foggy, you will feel the fresh vitality spreading in our hearts.
Formed hundreds years ago by La Chi, Dao, Nun communities, Hoang Su Phi terraced paddy field ( Ha Giang) was recognized as national vestige. In the harvesting season, hundreds of great engraved tracks on mountains shine a never-lasting yellow. Rice stretches on terraces and wrings on yellow mountains which is as picture-like green.
Elected as one of the seven gigantic terraced fields in Asia and in the world, Spa is in the dreamlike yellow mature over mountain villages like Trung Chai, Sa pa, Ta Phin, Lao Cai, Ta Van..Nothing romantic like in an autumn morning when travelling on zigzagging ways which are full of countryside perfumes and we suddenly catch an immense yellow paddy field in the winds.  After a four-day trip to the West North with my friends, simple ways and gaze with waves of fogs in early mornings. With unchanged ways, roofs, pictures but the feelings of being taken breath away are still like those when I first came to the West North of Vietnam, said Mr. Hoang, an experienced backpacker.
 Not only the green brand of silk or light yellow or shining yellow ones, there is also colorful reflections of our life. It is that the smiles of children, gentle and up bright looking of elderly people and happiness shining on young women’s faces in highlands are unforgettable memories in our life. You will feel nowhere is as beautiful as our country so that whenever we’re tired because of life in the city, we craze for a pack of sticky rice Tu Le or a crispy beef castle hang on the kitchen…The yellow autumn always wait for you! 

Gallery: American history in Hanoi's Vietnam Army Museum

Like trophies commemorating Vietnam's finest hour, the majority of exhibits in the Vietnam Army Museum are American military relics.
As an American touring Hanoi, I couldn't leave without seeing some of the history related to the Vietnam War. The two most notable sites are the "Hanoi Hilton", a prison where American pilots were held (John McCain included), and the Vietnam Army Museum. Travelers to Vietnam have written about the "war-torn lands and rice paddies" to such an extent that mentioning the after-effects of the Vietnam War on the country leaves you in danger of sounding clichéd, or even boring. One CNNGo writer has some tips for those looking to document their trip through the (war-torn) country. 
But the Vietnam Army Museum as a "tourist attraction" is somewhat of an enigma. One enters expecting to see tributes to the Vietnamese Army, only to discover more captured and wrecked American military hardware than Vietnamese. The most impressive of these displays is the "war meets art" mound of plane debris including a B-52, F-111 and a French transporter stacked high in the center of the courtyard and surrounded by other intact planes, a helicopter, and artillery. At the center of the pile is a poster of a female Viet Cong soldier dragging the wing of an American plane. 
While the hardware in the courtyard is the most impressive on display, and the focus of this post, it is not all there is to the museum. The Vietnamese are tough, and they know it. The understandable nationalistic pride on display can be seen in every room as various accounts detail the defeat of the invaders.

Vietnam Army Museum courtyard
The centerpiece of the Vietnam Army Museum courtyard.
Seen from another angle, the stacked wreckage commands attention.
Old engines from downed aircraft.
An ensignia of the U.S. Airforce's "Tactical Command" as seen on the wreckage.
US Airforce ensignia on wing
A U.S. Airforce ensignia.

This couple waved at me from the wing of the plane to take their picture.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Coconut palms, the symbol of Ben Tre

Travelling by boats along rivers and canals intertwined under the shade of coconut trees in Ben Tre Province, you can enjoy traditional special dishes in its orchards and coconut gardens.


Coconut garden in Ben Tre
Ben Tre is a province that lies in the lowest part of the Mekong River Basin, some 85 km south of Ho Chi Minh City. Ben Tre Province is made up of three main islands wedged between the Tien Giang River to the north and to Co Chien River to the south with the Ham Luong River running straight down the centre. All are effectively offshoots of the Mekong River as it splits out into many fingers before spilling out into the Southern Asia Sea.

Verdant and flat, the province is mostly given over to rice and fruit cultivation. Traditional Mekong life is the norm here and it's a very unadulterated scene -- wandering the market, sipping the coffee, doing a boat trip and skipping through the local museum are the main pastimes. 
Coconut palms has been seen as the symbol of Ben Tre ever since the early days of land opening in the Southern part. Famous for its coconut desserts, Ben Tre is suitably covered in coconut trees. During the war, these coconut trees were used to make coconut oil which was then used as a valuable substitute for kerosene. The province now has nearly 36,000 hectares of coconut woods. Even through years of fierce wars, coconut survived and stayed as close as a dear flesh-and-blood friend of the Ben Tre people. There was a time, many people in Ben Tre felled the tree for economic reasons, but have later been back with it because they realized it was with the coconut tree that their livelihood could be sustained for quite a long time. Today, Ben Tre's coconut area is approximately 36,000 hectares, yielding around 242 million nuts per year.
In Ben Tre, you have a chance to look at fine handicraft items made from coconut materials such as sandals, dolls, small baskets, bed lamps and vases. You can also watch how candy is made and taste it right at the workshops. If you take one of the tourist tours, you will be brought to some of the local shops. The most typical shop you will visit is coconut candy

Coconut tree
shop, a worker will explain you the process of making this product. At the end of the presentation, you can taste and buy the coconut candy.

Besides cononuts, Ben Tre is also the royal of others special fruits. Its area of orchards is around 41,000 ha, annually yielding 375,000 tonnes of fruits. The province also has a large number of famous speciality fruit trees, such as the milk yellow-meat and no-stone durian, the green-skin pomelo, the Cai Mon mangosteen, the high-yield Four Season mango, the special orange of Mo Cay, and tens of other specialities imported from other region or abroad.
Visiting Ben Tre, you can enjoy not only coconut candy and special fruits but also traditional crafts and folk culture, which are all the region's specific identity...

A tranquil destination for visitors

Located in Soc Trang Province, Doi Pagoda is attractive not only for its beautiful architecture but also for its very large roof that houses millions of bats. 
It is said that Doi Pagoda (Bat Pagoda) was built during the 16th century, and it has been renovated several times since. It is the forth oldest pagoda in Soc Trang township. From the gate, the pagoda, built by the Khmer, attracts passersby with skilful, symbolic decorations on its pillars and roof, reproducing Khome art. The walls are also covered with large paintings. Other halls in the pagoda are decorated with sophisticated designs and paintings depicting story of the Buddha. The windows are small, casting a mesmerising light inside that is particularly good for photography. Of the 600 Khmer pagodas in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta, Doi Pagoda is so famous that regular tours from Ho Chi Minh City City, Can Tho and Ca Mau visit Soc Trang township. It was even featured on the TV show, Vietnam Guinness Records. The pagoda is located in a lush garden and a pointed tower sits at the summit. In the sunlight after a heavy downpour, the pagoda emerges with four snake-head shaped roofs hand-carved with masterful skill. On each support pillar, a Kemnar statue clasps her hands as if to welcome visitors. Inside the pagoda, soot-blackened statues keep mournful watch; a full year after the fire, the pagoda remains un-repaired. An ancient Buddha statue and a prayer-book written on palmyra leaves can be admired here. In 1999, Doi Pagoda was recognized as a national historical treasure.

The pagoda is known among domestic and international tourists as a "Mecca" for bats, which provide fertiliser for local farmers. The bats in the pagoda cling to tree branches all day, then fly away at dush to seek food, and usually home by four the next morning. Small bats always cling to their mother, even in the search for food. If visiting the pagoda, you can see bats hanging upside down from branches like over-ripe fruit. May to August is breeding season. Those visiting the pagoda at this time of year are expected to walk quietly for fear a sudden noise may startle a bat mother into dropping her child. The bats in the pagoda are actually flying-foxes. A new-born weighs 0.5kg with a wing span of about 50cm. Mature bats can weigh 1.5kg with a wing span of 1.5m. According to the monks, the flying-fox appeared at the pagoda 200 years ago. Interestingly enough, the presence of the bats has not affected the plants growing in and around the pagoda, they never eat the fruit in the garden.

Doi Pagoda with a large space for trees, making it a tranquil place to sit, is one of the best tourist attraction in Soc Trang. Watching the bats take to the skies, it will occur to you that the pagoda is a unique natural reserve. Though neither large nor particularly exquisite, all who hear of it wish to visit...

Lai Chau – a beautiful mountainous land

A distant mountainous land, a streamy land, a pure cool high land... all is converged in one naturally simple land of beauty – Lai Chau.
As far as 450 kilometers from the capital, there locates a highland in northwest Vietnam, namely Lai Chau (Province). This complex of plateaus is situated at the altitude of 1,500m above sea level, comprising  high mountains, pure streams and rivers. It shares borderline with Yun Nan province (China) in about 273 km to the North, Son La, Dien Bien to the west and south, and Lao Cai to the east. Accordingly, the town has a similar weather to Sapa (Lao Cai), being cool and mostly foggy all the year round, making it a visionary land in between mountains. The annual average temperature is from 21oC – 23oC, with two seasons, hot-rainy and dry-cold seasons. The whole province’s area is about 9,071 sq. Km, with a population of only 325,000 people.


Tourists coming to Lai Chau may choose between following the main road, the national 12th highway (from Dien Bien Phu town to Ma Lu Thang border gate in Lai Chau), or the 4D road (from Sapa to Lai Chau).
Natural beauty & sight-seeings

Lai Chau is said to be the land of Ban and Dao flowers (hoa ban & hoa đào), the unique ones of jungles, which attract and inspire thousands of artists. Yet, most of all, as the nation’s highest mountainous region, the beauty of Lai Chau is structured by the high mountain ranges stretching from the Northwest to the southeast. It shares the Fansipan Mount – top of the Vietnam’s highest mountain range (Himalaya)- with Sapa (in Lao Cai). With the height of 3,143m, Fansipan is not only the highest in Vietnam but also in the Indochina peninsula, being considered “the roof of Indochina”. Among others, some plateaus such as Sin Ho, Ta Phinh, Dao San, etc. are even higher than 1,500m, thus being covered in cloud, fog, and purely cool atmosphere all the time.

Apart from high mountains, Lai Chau is also rich in narrow valleys, beautiful rivers and springs. The longest and largest river in the province is Da river. These together with others, such as Nam Na, Nam Mu flowing between the ranges, make several roaring and white frothy waterfalls in the quiet forests. One amongst the most popular waterfalls is Tac Tinh, which is higher than 50m with 2 classes, and frequently full of water flows, bringing a magnificient picture of natural beauty. Taking a boat along Da River, no visitor could help keeping eyes on the very fine landscapes, namely the roofs made of black stones, and mountains in clouds. The fanciful villages of ethnic minorities on the banks of the River are gathering in a picturesque scenery. For those fond of health-care elements, there are some hot and mineral water springs scattering in the province, for examples, Van Bo (in Phong Tho District), Na Dong, Na Don (Tam Duong), and some other hydroelectricity lakes.
Can you imagine that the caves and grottoes in the mountain ranges in the area still remain their original states, such as Binh Lu and Tien Son grottoes, which are no doubt the magic beauties of nature! Moreover, there exists a thousands-of-hectare forest, in the 6 km southwest of Lai Chau town, consisting of more than ten original caves. All of those are truly beautiful with sparking brightness and varied shaped stalactites and stalagmites. Thanks to this gifted scenery, the area is called “Phong Nha Grotto of the Northwest”.

Historical relics

People take interest in Lai Chau not only because of its natural beauty, but also of its historical relics. One amongst them is Deo Van Long’s Palace located in Sin Ho District, which the palace of Thai King under the French colony. The palace, covered by the Thai-style architectural features, is also a place for educating the youth of national love. The second-ranking one is Le Loi’s stele, which was sculptured and set up on Da River bank, unveiling the story of Le Loi’s defeating an upraising troop in the Northwest, keeping the nation’s security. Also, there are some relics of ancient Viet people such as bronze drum and bronze tools, which are vestiges of the Eastern Culture.

People & Custom

The natural landscape is the accommodation of more than 20 ethnic minorities. Most of them are Thai people (33.5%), H’mong people (23.6%), Dao (14.4%) and Viet or Kinh people (11.2%), Ha Nhi people (5.6%) and some others. And there are two groups, who only live in Lai Chau, that is, Mang and La Hu people. Lots of ethnic people still keep their unique original tradition and custom, making the local culture diversified and worth a study.
What makes Lai Chau worth remembering is its various customs of each tribe, which has its own culture of funeral, wedding, worshipping, and so forth. The mentioned market is the most significant activity in life, which take place in the Thursday and Sunday morning. People from many tribes get together here in colorful clothes early in the foggy morning. Seen from above, the market looks like a flower with thousands of colors. The goods to be transacted are the local specialties, such as chickens, pork, honey, rice, tea, etc. Somebody says : “If you would like to figure out the unique local market, you must join one, which reveals the ethnic minority and mountainous life culture in clarity and details.

Festivals

Festivals are one among the most activities of Lai Chau in particular and mountainous regions’ in general. The most popular one in Lai Chau is “Hoa Ban festival”, which reflects the cultural and spiritual life of Thai people. In the second lunar month of the year, when it gets warmer and “hoa ban” (the significant kind of flower in the Northwest area), blossoms, “Hoa Ban festival” is celeberated. This is time for boys and girls to meet and get to know each other. The boy picks up the most beautiful flower and put it in his girlfriend’s hair. The girl hides under the fresh leaves. This is not only the time for love but also for Thai people to pray for good crops, happiness, expressing their gratitude to ancestors. The festival is always full of songs and prays.
Another famous festival is “Han khuong festival”, which takes place in spring. Once again, this is an opportunity for boys and girls to get to know each other by singing and dancing. “Han” means stage, “Khuong” means yard. When the festival starts, young, beautiful and unmarried girls sing love songs on the stage. Then, the boys sing songs for response. At the same time, they can look for a person who can share their feelings and then come, sit together and talk. After that, they date, and wait for the next appointment. And can you guess? After the festival, many couples get married. For old people, that is the time for memories.
“Gau Tao festival” – “spring traveling”, a festival of H’mong people, is held every spring. After Lunar New Year festival, couples go to the market just for spending time together. The boys play “Khen”, a kind of musical instrument for one another.

Lai Chau is exactly a captivating and typical  mountainous land, absorbing huge numbers of tourists widespread. If you are interested in ethnic minority culture, you should really take part in a market or festival of Lai Chau, which unveils the mountainous culture in the way of a “love-blossoming” land!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Enjoy Solemn Atmosphere in Chau Thoi Mountain Pagoda

Chau Thoi Mountain Pagoda owns a landscape beauty and has a quiet solemn atmosphere, which attracts tourists in Vietnam travel. It was founded by the Buddhist monk Khanh Long in the 17th century.
Chau Thoi Mountain Pagoda is located in Binh An Commune, Thuan An District, Binh DuongProvince. According to the history of the Nguyen Dynasty, Chau Thoi Mountain Pagoda was founded by the Buddhist monk Khanh Long in the 17th century.

Enjoy Solemn Atmosphere in Chau Thoi Mountain Pagoda
Chau Thoi Mountain Pagoda
   The present building was constructed in 1954, while the three-entrance gate was built in 1970. In the Main Hall of this famous pagoda of old Gia Dinh, there are three ancient stone Buddha statues.

   Every year, many visitors in Vietnam travel come here to visit and worship Buddha. The pagoda is located on Chau Thoi Mountain. It has a quiet solemn aura and a beautiful surrounding landscape.

If you travel to Binh Duong in Vietnam tourism, you should pay a visit to this Mountain Pagoda. It is surely a worthy-visit destination.

Enigmatic Nam Dan Ancient Rock Field in Ha Giang

Nam Dan Ancient Rock Field in Xin Man District, Ha Giang province, Northeast Vietnam is a tourist attraction for those in Vietnam travel who love exploration.
About 16 km from the centre of Xin Man district, Ha Giang province, the ancient rock field lies in the middle of a valley in Nung Ma Lu’s hamlet. It is surrounded with terraced fields and milpa of the Nung ethnic people. Here remains a lot of historical relics, such as letters and symbols carved in rocks.
The local people in Nam Dan Commune call this ancient rock area "Na Lai", which means "fields of writing characters". It is a unique vestige with a century-old history which has been ranked as a national vestige. It is also a destination of tourists in Vietnam travel to contemplate the cultural quintessence of the ancient people.
Nam Dan ancient rock field is a large valley which was discovered in 2004, by scientists of the Institute of Archaeology and Ha Giang Province Museum.
In this field, there are many pictures carved into the rocks thousands of years ago. It is different from the vestige of the ancient rock field of Sa Pa in Lao Cai province. This one in Nam Dam is not as famous as the one in Sa Pa, but the beauty and secret of it is none less attractive. 
The Nam Dan rock field has many huge rocks with many carved pictures. These rocks are along the Nam Khoong stream. There are about 7 huge blocks and 2 great rocks with over 80 carved pictures and 80 holes.
Archaeologists believe that these pictures and holes have been made by using an iron chisel and hammer. These pictures are of circles, rectangle, square, parallel lines, some symbols (most of them of femininity. There are symbol of triangle and a line in the center), human feet, human in the position of stretching out arms and legs, and some carves which has been still unidentified.
Scientists have showed that this area was possibly a vestige of tomb of a community's leader or a very holy area to worship the gods, ancestors and some great people. In addition, this vestige is also related to the rule of worshipping the god of rock of the ancient people.
If you have a chance to come to Xin Man to go sight-seeing and discover the life of the local people, you should visit this rock field of Nam Dam. There are mountains, streams, big block of rocks, places to relax, and especially in addition to contemplate the wonderful nature…you can also know more about history and the cultural vestige of the old days.

Mysterious Beauty of Nam Dan Ancient Rock Field - Ha Giang Vietnam

For any tourist in Vietnam travel who loves exploration, Nam Dan Ancient Rock Field will be an ideal place that cannot be ignored. It lies in the middle of a valley in Nung Ma Lu’s hamlet, Nam Dan Commune, Xin Man District, Ha Giang province.
About 16 km from the centre of Xin Man district, Ha Giang province; the ancient rock field lies in the middle of a valley in Nung Ma Lu’s hamlet.
Mysterious Beauty of Nam Dan Ancient Rock Field - Ha Giang Vietnam
It is surrounded with terraced fields and milpa of the Nung ethnic people. Here remains a lot of historical relics, such as letters and symbols carved in rocks.
The local people in Nam Dan Commune call this ancient rock area "Na Lai", which means "fields of writing characters". It is a unique vestige with a century-old history which has been ranked as a national vestige. It is also a destination of tourists in Vietnam travel to contemplate the cultural quintessence of the ancient people.
Nam Dan ancient rock field is a large valley which was discovered in 2004, by scientists of the Institute of Archaeology and Ha Giang Province Museum.
In this field, there are many pictures carved into the rocks thousands of years ago. It is different from the vestige of the ancient rock field of Sa Pa in Lao Cai province. This one in Nam Dam is not as famous as the one in Sa Pa, but the beauty and secret of it is none less attractive.   
Ancient Rock Field of Nam Dan
The Nam Dan rock field has many huge rocks with many carved pictures. These rocks are along the Nam Khoong stream. There are about 7 huge blocks and 2 great rocks with over 80 carved pictures and 80 holes.
Archaeologists believe that these pictures and holes have been made by using an iron chisel and hammer. These pictures are of circles, rectangle, square, parallel lines, some symbols (most of them of femininity. There are symbol of triangle and a line in the center), human feet, human in the position of stretching out arms and legs, and some carves which has been still unidentified.
Scientists have showed that this area was possibly a vestige of tomb of a community's leader or a very holy area to worship the gods, ancestors and some great people. In addition, this vestige is also related to the rule of worshipping the god of rock of the ancient people.
If you have a chance to come to Xin Man to go sight-seeing and discover the life of the local people, you should visit this rock field of Nam Dam. There are mountains, streams, big block of rocks, places to relax, and especially in addition to contemplate the wonderful nature, you can also know more about history and the cultural vestige of the old days.

Monday, September 9, 2013

A journey to discover Chau Doc

Chau Doc is located on the charming confluence, meeting Con Tien and Chau Giang. Coming here, you can discover cuisine and many tourist attractions with pleasure.

Tourist attractions
Chau Doc town has many historical, cultural relics and unique landscapes. The monuments is ranked by Ministry of Culture consits of Tay An pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, Ba Chua Xu temple, Hang pagoda, Chau Phu. Besides, there are some other destinations also attracting a lot of tourists such as: the village of Cham people in Chau Giang, Vinh Te canal, fishing village, Tao Ngo garden, fort on Sam mountain.

Coming to the town, tourists should visit Chau Phu communal house located on Tran Hung Dao – Nguyen Van Thoai street (Chau Phu A ward). The communal house worship the votive tablet of Nguyen Huu Canh who achieved great feats. His another name is Nguyen Huu Kinh, born in 1650 in Hue city.
Leaving Chau Phu, tourists will come to the most unique destination in Chau Doc - the floating fishing village. Each raft here is designed as an apartment. Rafts stretch along both banks of the river.
Especially, recently, some local people have tended to settle in raft being only 4 meters in width and 7-8 meters in length. Jolly-boats, and boats are local people’s major transports in the floating village.
The next destination is Ba Chua Xu shrine. Her statue is a work of art made of stone. Her posture is deliberate like a god statue in India, Laos and Cambodia. Annually, the shrine attracts millions of visitors.
Leaving the shrine, travellers come to Hang pagoda (alternative name is Phuoc Dien Tu) located severally in the west of Sam mountain slope. It attracts travellers with legend of sprite and poltergeist

Nowadays, Hang pagoda is filled up, there is only an entrance that is 10 meters in depth. The entrance looks like very murky and mysterious. In addition, there are many unique places in Sam moutain such as: Tay An pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau tomb, Bach Van hill, etc.

Discovering cuisine

Chau Doc has many famous specialities. One of them is fish sauce.

"Mắm thái"
Especially, “Mắm thái” rolled in girdle cake comes with herbs and white rice vermicelli. Besides, there are many dishes cooked with fish sauce: pork cooked with fish sauce for a long time, fish sauce hot pot – the speciality of Chau Doc people.
In addition, white rice vermicelli with fish is sold a lot in the town. Cooks process the broth for rice vermicelli from snake-head marinated with citronella, saffron. Rice vermicelli will come with bean sprouts, water spinach, sliced banana flower.
Another specialities are Tra fish, and basa fish. The fish is dried and its stomach is processed for special appetizer – the deep-fried basa fish’s stomach.
Besides, that the urban space is large and airy is a strength supporting for the development of evening cuisine area in Chau Doc. The cuisine area is around the square of Chau Phu A ward, two parks A and B and is along Le Loi street in Chau Phu B ward.

Peaceful, charming beauty in Mai Chau

Anyone who ever visited Mai Chau in Hoa Binh Province never forgets the rolling landscape or the friendly, charming nature of the local Thai and Mong people.

Mai Chau Lodge is a four-star hotel which was built in the style of a typical house-on stilts of the Thai ethnic people in the Mai Chau Valley. From the window of the hotel, one can behold the beauty of peaceful hamlets, green lakes, romantic hillsides and the ever stretching rice fields swaying in the fresh mountain breeze.
Foreign tourists during a tour by bike to hamlets in Mai Chau Valley.
Lac and Pom Coong Hamlets are typical of Thai minority communities. The houses are built on stilts, 1.5m above the ground, having bamboo floors and roofs made from Goi or May leaves. The area under the house is usually reserved for livestock, but for the sake of the tourists, at some houses this area has been converted into a souvenir shop flaunting items such as shawls, dresses, bags, purses, brocade cloths and multi-colour cloth balls skilfully made by Thai ethnic people.
The Bong dance performed by Thai girls.
In some houses tourists can witness local women diligently working at a loom, weaving colourful brocade fabric. Also, a visit to a local hamlet is not complete without trying the famous Can wine (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes) that is made from sticky rice, Hinh ho leaf, Meo leaf and ginger that fascinates any visitor.
Colourful Con (fabric balls) are used for folk games during festivals of villagers
in Lac and Pom Coong Hamlets.
Continuing on to the tour with the next destination of Hang Kia Commune, tourists will enjoy melodious tunes of flute and mingle in the life of locals at Pa Co market where they can buy typical products of Mong ethnic people as presents for relatives and friends. Then they will visit Mo Luong Cave which is famous for mysterious stalactites in different shapes of flowers and springs.
Tourists photograph and video the artists performing the traditional Sap dance.
A stall selling brocade items of Mong ethnic people attracts great attention from tourists.
Tourist visit Lac Hamlet and learn about the colours of brocade products of Thai ethnic people.
The beautiful landscape of the ever-stretching rice fields in Mai Chau Valley.
Tourists are encouraged to stay at homes of local families and enjoy a special artistic programme with fascinating dances and songs of Thai ethnic people. After dances of gongs, Xoe, Gia gao and Xoe quat, they will be invited to participate in a Sap dance with the locals. Overnight stays in homes floating on the lake are also available, where one can take in a gorgeous sunrise and enjoy the clean and pure atmosphere of the early morning.