Friday, April 26, 2013

Bai Tu Long Bay - A national treasure

Located in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Bai Tu Long National Park comprises 40 islands, either earth or limestone, scattering across three communes, Ha Long, Van Yen and Minh Chau of Van Don district.
The bay covers a total area of 15,783 hectares, including 6,125 hectares of land, and is home to 1,090 species of fauna and flora. The park is considered a priceless national treasure according to Vietnam travel guide.

According to Dr. Bui Tat Thang from the Strategic Development Institute of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Bai Tu Long includes all three fundamental ecosystems: forest, wetlands and sea – a diverse area for different species to live and develop. 
In the park, 102 rare and precious species, including 72 species of fauna and 30 varieties of flora listed in Vietnam’s red book of endangered species can be found. 
The park also has 1,000 hectares of wetlands, which includes mangrove forest, sandy and rocky tidal banks and seaweed that provide food and shelter for animals. 
The wetlands ecosystem, with its impressive scenery and biodiversity, has attracted many eco-tourism, environmental education and research activities. 

The area of coral accounts for only a minor section of the park, but has an important role to play as an aquatic resource. It has high biological productivity and is a gene bank for many types of sea species. 
Besides the extremely diverse biological environment, the park also has archeological value, with evidence of ancient Viet people residing here 14,000 years ago. 
Operational since April, 2002, Bai Tu Long National Park is a stunning tourism spot with a rich ecosystem, therefore it should receive sustainable protection, conservation and development.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Attractive Goc Beach - Bai Goc


Bai Goc is located in the North of Dien Cape and Tien Beach, belonging to Hoa Tam commune (Dong Hoa district).
In the morning, when the sun brightly shines the very first sun rays to the food stalls serving tourists, it’s also time that fishermen cheerfully come back after one night drifting at sea. The fresh squids with watery bodies, the stout big mackerelshining the silvery color, the shrimps, king-sized crabs…are quickly transferred ashore. One open-air market is quickly formed; purchases go on so busily and joyfully. Just a short moment later, the plates of fresh cooked squid are imposed on the tables, ready to serve diners.

This may be the very last images of this land, since in a very near future, Bai Goc will see the formation of a so much monumental oil and petrochemical port. Life will be surely changes, but the fishermen of the land will always be nostalgic of this so much beautiful time.
Fishermen hurriedly transfer seafood ashoreFishermen hurriedly transfer seafood ashore
The big and bulging squids
The big and bulging squids
The fresh mackerel
The fresh mackerel
A wet market quickly formed
A wet market quickly formed
A plate of fresh squid-so much appealing to diners
A plate of fresh squid-so much appealing to diners

Friday, April 12, 2013

GRILLED EGG CAKE WITH ONION


Da Lat’s temperature is cool all year round so this is a interesting destination to both domestic and foreign tourists. They come here to visit, relax and enjoy typical grilled dishes.

Coming to Da Lat, tourists will have a chance to enjoy popular street food like grilled corn, grilled eggs, grilled batata, and especially grilled egg cake with onion… Da Lat is known with many beautiful nicknames such as “the city of thousands of flower”, “the city in forest”… At the height of 900-1,600 meters above the sea level, Da Lat is compared to the city lying in the halfway of the sky with winding roads.
Grilled egg cake with onion is the typical dish here. The cake has yellow colour and good smell. The process of making the cake is quite simple. Girdle cake is grilled by charcoal and then is dusted with stuffing. After that, breaking an egg onto the cake and waiting until it is cooked well done. When customers come to buy the cake, saleperson will heat up the cake and spray chilli sauce onto the cake before wrapping with papers for customers. It is sure that tourists will satisfy with the wonderful taste and the aromatic smell of the cake. Tourists cannot forget the flavor of onion, egg, oil and chilli sauce.
The egg cake with onion has the root from Hue city and then comes to Da Lat. It has become a favourite cake to young people, especially students. After school, they will gather together, chat and enjoy the hot cakes. Nowadays, the cake also becomes the favourite cake to tourists. The price for a cake is only 10,000 VND.


                                                                                              Provide by Vietnam travel guide

Visiting village temple – soul of Vietnam’s rural community

Belief and religion are just one side of culture. Culture includes many others. However, the temple is not only for religious expression but also reflects many other aspects of culture.


Together with two other common village symbols—the banyan tree and the well—the temple is essential to the spiritual life of almost all people in rural areas.
Dinh Bang village temple in Bac Ninh
The village temple serves as a common playground for kids, a place of worship for adults, and an ideal meeting hall for village elders to impart their wisdom to youngsters.

Every village in the countryside has its own temple and grounds that transform into a venue for religious rituals and contests during traditional festivals. The temple is also a launching pad for national patriotic movements or acts of charity.

The lead-up to the spring and Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday is an especially busy time as villagers make use of temple ground for communal preparations and celebrations. They gather for music and dance performances, and folk games like wrestling, ball throwing, and tug-of-war.

For centuries, the village temple has functioned as both a communal house and a place of worship dedicated to village founders and other notables who are seen as the source of all wisdom.
Hang Kenh village temple in Haiphong
As a token of local culture, lifestyle and traditions, a typical village temple is built on highest ground with its huge wooden pillars resting on square stones. The temple roof is often constructed to evoke the shape of a ship and its intricate decoration includes images of dragons, flowers of four seasons, and human activity.

Villagers assemble at their temple on special occasions to offer incense and pray for fair weather, happiness, prosperity, and good luck.

Many old village temples have been preserved in good shape. Some like Dinh Bang temple in Bac Ninh, Hang Kenh temple in Hai Phong, and Tra Co temple in Quang Ninh are living proof of original architectural styles which already reached a high level of civilization centuries ago.

Pillars of village temple
Their impressive features are mentioned in local metaphors and similes to describe things, for instance, “as big as village temple pillars”, or “as huge as a village temple”. The image of the village temple is also depicted in poems and folksongs, as in the saying:
“Qua đình ngả nón trông đình, 
Đình bao nhiêu ngói thương mình mấy nhiêu”
(Passing by, she doffs her hat towards the temple,
Her pangs of love could match its richly tiled roof).

Friday, April 5, 2013

Son Tra Peninsula, a special gift to Danang


Son Tra Peninsula, about10km from the center of Da Nang City to the North-east, is a special gift of the god to Danang. It is an ideal place for tourists in Vietnam travel to the city, to get away for the day and enjoy the real feeling of a different Vietnam.

It is 693m high above sea level; Son Tra Peninsula is 10km from the center of Da Nang City to the North-east. Son Tra Mountain can be seen from every place of the city. Son Tra looks like a mushroom of which cap is Son Tra Mountain and stalk is a beautiful sandy beach that affords an ideal area for bathing, swimming, playing sports and fishing.
Son Tra Peninsula
Son Tra acts as a giant screen protecting Da Nang from storms and cyclones coming from the sea. Son Tra is put under the national protected forest regulation since it is a natural preservation area. The Peninsula is famous for its plentiful plants and fauna as well as the attractive scenery. It is said that fairies used to come here for singing, dancing and playing chess so Son Tra is also called Tien Sa (Fairies’ landing place). On this mountain, there still remain more than 30km² of natural forests, nearly 300 types of plants and several hundred kinds of fauna, including rare animal. From the top of the mountain, you can see the overall view of Da Nang CityMarble MountainsBa Na – Mount Chua.
Son Tra Peninsula
Suoi Da (Stone Stream) lies by the side of the foot of the mountain, fine sandy surfaces run round the peninsula, several breaks of waves are running steadily up and down and washing up on the stones heaped up around the seaside. All are attractive spots for tourists. It is so majestic and it is so romantic, it is so wide and it is really beautiful. In one-day stay at Son Tra, visitors in Vietnam travelcan enjoy living in the resplendent flow of dawn and the quietness of twilight on this fascinating landscape. And that is a time for them to realize the value of each and every moment and the true calling of the hearts. You can also swim in the cool sea and enjoy the fine view of the sandy banks run round the peninsula. The quiet Bai But offers you relaxing times sitting in small nice houses to hear the sound of waves and look swallows fly to the mount cliffs. The colorful coral reefs at the foot of the mountain are an ideal condition for the development of diving tourism.
Son Tra Peninsula
It can be said that Danang means Son Tra Peninsula. It is a special gift of the god to Danang. If you have a chance to Danang and reach Son Tra, please come and get the real feeling of a different Vietnam.