Once Visit Irresistible Mu Cang Chai

Mu Cang Chai is a rural district of Yen Bai Province consisted of La Pan Tan, Cu Che Nha and De Xu Phin communes in the Northeastern Vietnam. Over 300kms from Ha Noi and 1000 meters above sea level, Mu Cang Chai seems to be gifted with a harmonious combination of clear sky and green extension of terraced fields stretching down the mountain sides, which generates unique and stunning landscape. Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai were recognized as a national heritage of Vietnam in 2007.

The average temperature all-year round in Mu Cang Chai is 18.5 Celsius degrees. The mountain ranges are home to many different ethnic minority groups such as the Mong ( 90% ),  Thai ( 8%) , Kinh ( 2% ).  Every year, the H’Mong will flood the fields and prepare for the planting seeds in April or May. Then they will wait four months until harvest-time. The early or late harvest season depends on the weather. September and October are suggested as the ideal time to visit Mu Cang Chai because this is advantageous time for harvesting. In recent years, the authorities of Mu Cang Chai have held some celebrations for marking the harvesting time in the middle of September. This event attracts many photographers and travelers to Mu Cang Chai.

During the harvest-time, a motorbike journey to Mu Cang Chai offers adventurers not only off-road challenges but also a fabulous view deep inside the lives of the H’Mong people. The roads to the mountainous are quite damaged. Muddy and rocky roads are everywhere, which requires the motorbike riders to be very firm and strong. Along the roads, you will indulge yourself in the amazing beauty of terraced rice fields, then many little houses that are made from wood, bamboo, cane, or rattan prolonging to the top of terraces. A stop at Khau Pha Pass on the way is the must for a chance to admire its scenic surrounding of green corn fields, rice paddies in Thai villages.

Upon arrival Mu Cang Chai, you may have chance to observe ethnic minority people working in paddies: women with their infants on their back while harvesting; children assisting their parents to gather the crops with smiles on their faces. Most people here wear traditional costumes which are made of hemp cloth decorating with batik and indigo dyed. Moreover, the opportunities to chat with ethnic people then join locals’ daily lives are always available to fulfill your journey experience.

The yellow terraced paddies in Mu Cang Chai are now an enchanting symbol of the Yen Bai Province. Perfect fusion of the mountains, forests and spectacular sights made memorable impressions on those who wish to distinguish the grace and mysterious attraction, keeps tourists coming back to this place again and again. Why not pick this special destination for your travel?  E-mail Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909602370.

Craft Villages in Tourism Development – Hue Festival 2013

Hue Festival is a highlight of former royal Hue city, which attracts both domestic and foreign tourists annually. It is celebrated in odd years and once every two years. A special event will be held at the center of Hue City in 2013 from 27 April to 1 May 2013. The 5th Hue Traditional Craft Festival with its theme “Craft villages in tourism development” will promise to be an impressive festival.

The Festival is organized by Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sport and Tourism, Tourism Association and People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province.  The main activity of this event is to introduce the Hue’s traditional villages by fairs and exhibition of art and calligraphy, demonstration and art performances, games and traditional concerts.

 During festival, visitors will be exhilarated and impressed by the exhibition of specific handicraft items (conical hats, lanterns, kites, silver and gold jewelry…) combined with introducing cuisine of Hue in particular and Vietnam in general such as spring rolls, grilled chopped meat, sour shrimp. As expected, all traditional products are more qualified and unique.

The aim of event is to connect people from neighboring areas and Hue for strengthening their union and exchanging cultures. Through this festival, it’s believed that Hue has become a special and must-see destination in Vietnam. Besides, Hue Festival also brings great benefits to Hue city in development of not only tourism but also economy. Hue Festival 2013 is worth a visit, so do not miss Hue Festival in the first week of June.

More details about Hue festival 2013, please visit http://www.huefestival.com/ or contact Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909602370.

Special Cultural Heritage Day in Vietnam

November 23 was officially chosen as National Cultural Heritage Day thanks to a declaration signed by the then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on February 24. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Government will hold the 4th Cultural Heritage Day at Vietnam Exhibition Center of Arts and Cultures in Hanoi on 23rd and 24th. This event is expected attracting a lot of visitors.

The event aims to introduce the cultural heritages of Vietnam in general and Cham ethic minority in particular to Vietnamese and foreigners. In addition, it also broadens the images of Vietnam to the world and contributes integration, solidarity among minority groups.

During the event, there are a lot of activities such as inauguration of Cham Towers, the rite of opening the Cham tower at Culture – Tourism village of ethic minorities, traditional weddings of Cham ethnic minority in the southern of An Giang province, Kate festival. Visitors will see many exhibitions of Vietnam cultural heritage including regional specialties, traditional art performances. Besides, they can enjoy folk dance which has been recognized as spiritual cultural heritage of Vietnam.

More details about Cultural Heritage Day 2012, contact Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909602370.

AMAZING DA BAC ISLAND OF CA MAU (MEKONG DELTA)

Belonging to Kinh Hon hamlet, Khanh Binh Tay commune of Ca Mau province in Mekong Delta, Da Bac Island (Silver Stone Island) is situated about 50km far from Ca Mau city – at the end of S-shaped Vietnam
Da Bac Island is divided into four peaks including two high peaks and two low peaks extending to the sea. The highest peak in this Island is only 50m from sea-level. Da Bac Island has the humble area of 6.43ha with a rich ecosystem of flora and belongs to a beautiful group of three islands close to the seashore. Although not impressive by its size as other very large islands in Vietnam, Da Bac Island is one of the most ancient island with its age of 180 million years.

Seen from the main land, Da Bac Island looks like a natural rock-garden amidst the immense sea. Surrounding the island and under shaggy branches of primitive trees in Hon Da Bac Island, there are numerous shiny granite boulders linking together and pilling up through many centuries to form many weird shapes that local people have named such as San Tien (fairy yard), Gieng Tien (fairy well), Ban Chan Tien (fairy foot) and Ban Tay Da (stone hand).

Those above names were set by local legends in the old times: there were a lot of fairies coming here to have a bath or the myth about the place reserved for taoist hermits who lead a Lao (Lão) religious life and got future bliss reward for a devout life in the world. Their life was very simple and harmonious with fruits and vegetables.

We can reach Da Bac Island by waterways and by land transportation then climb up the cliffs and slip away into the groves, many secrets of nature are worth discovering. From September on, when the sea is most beautiful with blue water and quiet waves, we can stroll around to enjoy the dreamlike landscape of the island or join the locals in catching squid or diving to find oysters in their underwater caves.
Sea oyster in Da Bac Island is unsmooth and thorny, living by staying close to rocks at the foot of the islet in the depth of from 1 to 3m, so people want to catch them, they must swim underwater in the sea, use hand-hammers to catch each oyster very meticulous. According to a lot of gourmets, only oysters in Da Bac island are most delicious and nourishing, which can be processed into a lot of attractive courses.

Endowed with not only fascinating and harmonious landscape but also its impressively rich marine system, Da Bac Island is an ideal destination for nature lovers or travelers who wants to leave busy lives for nature.
Should you are interested in like-no-other guided expeditions to discover ancient Da Bac Island – an amazing attraction of Ca Mau then other hidden corners of charming Mekong Delta , email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909620370.
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Terraced fields of Hoang Su Phi recognized as national heritage

The terraced rice fields of Hoang Su Phi District in the northern border province of Ha Giang have been recognized as a national heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The certificate of recognition was presented to the People’s Committee of Ha Giang Province at a ceremony on September 16 that was attended by leaders of the central provinces, local agencies and a large number of local people.


Established hundreds of years ago, Hoang Su Phi District is now home to more than 60,000 people representing 17 ethnic minority groups.

They live mainly on rice cultivation and other subsidiary crops.

In the rocky mountainous areas of Hoang Su Phi District in the northern border province of Ha Giang, the Dao, Mong and Nung ethnic people cultivate paddy after rains cover the drought affected terraced fields in late June.

Terrace farming helps to ensure food security for the whole district, producing 25,000-27,000 tons of rice per year.

Source: saigon-gpdaily.com.vn

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Co Loa Citadel to become a historical-ecological park in near future

Located near Phong Khe, about 20km to the North of today’s Hanoi, Co Loa Citadel was built during 257 BCE after Thuc Phan defeated the last ruler - Hung King XVIII of Hong Bang Dynasty and ascended to the throne as King An Duong and chose the site Co Loa as his new capital of Au Lac kingdom – the ancient Vietnamese state. 

 

Co Loa citadel is the most ancient building, with large scale and the most unique structure in construction of ramparts of the Vietnamese. The site consists of two outer sets of ramparts and a citadel on the inside, of rectangular shape. It also contains the colorful legends during early periods of Vietnam’s establishment.

Hence, with the aim to develop the site into a historical, ecological and humane park, on 15 August 2012, it’s said Vietnam Prime Minister has recently approved a master plan on preservation and restoration of Co Loa Citadel.

Under the plan, Co Loa Citadel will become a national historical-cultural relic site and one of the main parks in Hanoi, which will cover about 860ha in Co Loa, Duc Tu, Viet Hung and Uy No communes of suburban Dong Anh district. The follow-up steps will include the conducting of a survey of the projected area and identification of major values of Co Loa Citadel in the national relic system.

Solutions to preserve the architectural feature of tangible heritages, including three wall-layers of the citadel, gates, communal houses, temples and other inner venues, will be included. In addition to that are solutions to use the relic space for tourism and improve the living condition of residents in the area.

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Vietnam Jeep Tours offers a biking excursion to escape from bustling Hanoi to outskirt area, through agricultural villages, rice fields for meeting up with local friendly people and interesting visits at relics of ancient Co Loa citadel, King An Duong’s temple.

For more details & information, please email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call Vietnam Jeep Tours’ hotline +84 909 60 23 70. 

Situated on the Northern bank of the Perfume River, with an area of 500 ha and a system of three circles of ramparts, namely from outside to inside: Kinh Thanh (Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel).


Culture

Hue is one of the main cultural, religious and educational centers of Vietnam. So far, Hue remains to be the only originally historical vestiged city in Vietnam. Many of Hue’s attractions are found along the banks of the romantically named Perfume River with 11 km length. This valuable construction includes more than 100 architectural works, which are the reflection of the life of Emperors and mandarins under Nguyen’s reign.

Architecture in Hue is the combination of royal architect, folk, religious ones, traditional and modern sides. On the north bank of the river is the Imperial Citadel, built along the line of Peking’s Forbidden City, enclosed by 10-meter thick walls and surrounded by a moat. A few kilometers further up the river are perhaps Hue’s best-known religious site. Inside the citadel, there are still royal remnants such as the seat of the Nguyen emperors occupying a large, walled area on the north side of the river. Inside the citadel, it was a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them were granted access, the punishment for trespassing was death penalty.

Situated in the middle of the hills on the Southern bank of Perfume River are very beautiful tombs of Nguyen Kings. Among these tombs are the four famous ones with the name and the arrangements of the tomb reflecting each Emperor’s points of view, personality, and tastes. This is majestic Gia Long tomb, imposing Minh Mang tomb, poetic Tu Duc tomb and magnificent Khai Dinh tomb. No architects who would like to discover ancient architecture of Vietnam could ignore Hue’s old citadel vestiges.

Citadel Complex of Hue

The Hue capital citadel started to be constructed in 1805 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long and was completed in 1832 under the sovereignty of Emperor Ming Mang. Over the past 200 years, it has still maintained original with nearly 140 small and large constructions.

With a square shape, it is almost 10 km in circumference, 6m high, 21m thick, with 10 entrances. On the top of the walls, 24 bastions are established for defensive purposes. Besides, the Citadel has an ancillary gate connecting the Tran Binh Bastion called the Tran Binh Mon (Peaceful protector Gate).

The Hoang Thanh (Royal citadel), also the most important part of the Citadel, which was built in 1804 but totally completed in 1833, under King Ming Mang’s reign. The Citadel, which is more than 600m long for each side, was built with bricks of 4m high, and 1m thick. Around the citadel is a protecting trench system. Tourists can get access to the Imperial Citadel through four entrance gates. In the past, Ngo Mon Gate was only reserved for the King. Royal Citadel consists of more than 100 fascinating architectural works.

Passing through Hoang Thanh is the Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel), which situated inside the Imperial Citadel complex, behind the Throne Palace, the Purple Forbidden Citadel was reserved for Emperor and his family. Built in the early 1803 under reign of Emperor Gia Long, it was initially named Cung Thanh. In 1821, it was renamed into the today’s Tu Cam Thanh.

Religion

Hue is also an important center of Buddhism. In Hue and the surroundings still exists tens of pagodas constructed more than 300 years ago, and a hundred of temples and pagodas built in the early century. Thien Mu Pagoda with its distinctive seven-storey octagonal tower.

Thien Mu Pagoda (namely Heaven Fairy Lady Pagoda), also known as Linh Mu Pagoda, is one of the most fascinating and ancient pagoda in Hue city. It is situated on Ha Khe hill, on the north bank of the Perfume River, in Huong Long village, 5 kilometers from Hue city, which is easy to reach from the city center.

The beautiful pagoda was built in 1601. Later on, several kings of the Nguyen Dynasty such as Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Thanh Thai, all had the pagoda restored.

The most striking feature of the pagoda, Phuoc Duyen tower (initially called Tu Nhan tower), was erected in 1884 by King Thieu Tri, and has become the unofficial symbol of Hue. This octagonal tower has seven storeys (2m high), which is dedicated to a Buddha who appeared in human form. It is the highest stupa in Vietnam, and is often the subject of folk rhymes about Hue, such is its iconic status and association with the city. More importantly, it is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital.

To the left of the tower is a pavilion sheltering an enormous bell, called Dai Hong Chung, and was cast in 1710 by Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu. It is famous for the great size, which is 2.5m high and 3,285 kg weigh. It is considered to be an outstanding achievement of 18th century bronze casting.

To the right of the tower is a pavilion containing a stela dated from 1715. It is set on the back of a massive marble turtle, a symbol of longevity, and is 2.58 m high.

Royal Music

A lot of foreign tourists are curious about Hue’s ritual royal music. Originated from eight kinds of ritual music under Le dynasty, under Nguyen dynasty, it has improved into 2 kinds of music: “Dai nhac” and “Nha nhac”, which are really magnificent, and skillful. Those are only played on formal occasions. This city is proud to be the cadral of traditional music. The Royal Refined Music was proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on December 1993.

 (Source: VGP)

 Should you are interested in witnessing Hue’s Citadel and explore other hidden corners of charming Hue , email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909620370. 

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