Nguyen-era items show in Hue

Forty-eight relics from the Nguyen Dynasty era donated by private collectors to the Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum are on display at the former royal capital’s An Dinh Palace. The Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum, run by the Hue Historical Relic Preservation Centre, houses a large collection of relics from the time of Vietnam’s last imperial dynasty, which ruled from 1820 to 1945.

The objects on show at the exhibition, organised by the museum, are mostly made of silver, brass, precious stones, porcelain, silk, wood and paper.

Among them are a pair of ivory tusks donated by a Vietnamese expatriate living in France, a tea set gifted by Doan Phuoc Thuan, a collector in the central coastal province of Phu Yen, and a collection of King Minh Mang’s poems written on paper donated by Frenchman Andre de Crozet.

A set of three life-size brass statues of Jesus’s mother Mary, donated by a Hue-based company, is among the most valuable relics on show.

At the time of the exhibition’s opening, Nguyen Huu Hoang donated a porcelain basin and plate, Le Gia donated a land register, and a group of collectors presented a pair of vermilion-lacquered gilded wood panels.

The exhibition will go on until the end of the year.

(Source: VNA)

SEE OLD SAIGON WITH VIETNAM TRAVEL DEPOT

Hochiminh City, 20th Nov 2009 – Vietnam Travel Depot has released excursions to bring nostagia travellers back in time to see Saigon of the old time.

Contrast to the current bustling, noisy and crowded city, the Old Saigon was charm and full flairs of Paris blended with Far East atmosphere as they once appeared in many movies such The Lovers or Indochine.

Inspired by the postcards of Old Saigon, the excursion will cover some major places such as Cathedral (1918), Post and Telegraph, Saigon Town Hall (1924), Ville Rex Hotel (1924), Municipal Theatre (1898 – 1900), Catinat Street, Ben Thanh Market (1925), Saigon Zoo, etc.

The excursions of Old Saigon can be traveled on a half day or full day basis. Passengers can also choose to experience Saigon on modern air-conditioned vehicles or the vintage Citroen Traction Avant of 1935 (limited seats). The company also presents a set of Old Saigon postcard when the tour concludes.

About Vietnam Travel Depot
Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information the company, its offers and rates please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or tel: ( 848 ) 5404 3116.

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Transported by Citroen

Old Saigon on half day, price from US$90/pax (group of 2 persons)

Old Saigon on full day, price from US$145/pax (group of 2 persons)

Trekking through Nam Cat Tien Jungle with VIetnam Travel Depot

This is one of our interesting trip: ( if you like this trip and wanna join with us, please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email us at sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com)

In the first day, at 07:30 AM we left Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon) for jeeping to Cat Tien National Park ( Nam Cat Tien Jungle). The terrain rises up gradually via volcanic area. The traffic became heavy after 9.00 AM,any way, we cross Dong Nai River and reach the park center at 11.20 AM.

Check in two rooms for two singles ( me and my co-worker) at the park center. We had lunch break ( the lunch with rice, sour-sweet fried pork was yummy!)

In the afternoon, We must wear the anti-leach socks and we started walking 3km along the ecologic route: sites of Lagerstroemia Ovalfolia (BangLang), Tetrameles nudiflora (Tung), Cycas rumphii (Thien Tue), Ancistrolandus tectorius (Trung quan), Afzelia cyclocarpa (Go). The climate inside the forest was cool and humid, we had to drink 02 water bottles on the way. We saw many “Java” rocks on the way ( java rooks are volcanic rocks) and also many leeches ( we hate them because they suck our blood) but fortunately we were not bitten . Then we trekked 3km back to the center for leisure and dinner time. Totally we trekked 6 km for the first day.

At 8.00 PM, we had an interesting night activity: spotting Animal at night. We jumped on the jeep to transfer to TaLai buffer zone to look for nocturnal animals. (sorry for us because we were so excited that we forgot the camera and video recorder in rooms). However, the night trip was so funny and exciting! .

The second day came. We woke up early at 7.00 AM to be ready to have a jeep transfer inside the park to junction where we turn off the main route and trek 5km to Crocodile lake station. We did have a short break at the lake and did some activities: rowing on the lake, watching biodiversity. We were lucky because we could see crocodiles in daily light and we watched various birds living in the lake.

Then It’s time for us to trek 5km back to the main route. The Jeep picked us up and transfer back to the center. We finished trekking 10km through Nam Cat Tien Jungle today. Check out and we had lunch in the park before leaving Cat Tien Park, crossing the river by boat and heading to Saigon by Jeep.

( if you like this trip and wanna join with us, please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email us at sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com)

Cu Chi Tunnels Adventure with Jeeps by Vietnam Travel Depot ( Vietnam Jeep Tours)

This is one of our interesting trip: ( if you like this trip and wanna join with us, please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email us at sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com)

In this tour, our group included our drivers and tour operators with 16 French tourist.

In this morning, at 7:30 AM our jeeps arrived early to stick the numbers on each jeeps then we pick up the tourist at their hotel and let jeep to the extraordinary Cu Chi tunnels, just outside Ho Chi Minh City.



On the way to Cu Chi, we stopped for a while to take photos of Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office ( which were built during the French Colony). Then we jeep straight to Cu Chi Tunnels to start our adventure in Underground World.










During the war for independence, Viet Cong guerrillas built the labyrinth of narrow tunnels virtually underneath U.S. bases, using them to hide during bombing raids and to stage surprise attacks. On the way to Cu Chi, we saw many cottages and beautiful fields which still only exist in Vietnam countryside.



At the end of this tour,at 1:30 PM, on the way to Saigon from Cu Chi, we had lunch at Ben Nay Restaurant. The food is delicious and the sights are very nice.

We arrived Saigon at 4:00 PM, a little bit late with the time we had planned before because there was traffic jam after the rain. Any way, this is really interesting trip. Hope you will enjoy this tour with us someday soon! :)

( if you like this trip and wanna join with us, please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email us at sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com)

Bonus: Our "soldiers" Jeep on the way and parking at Cu Chi.

Ancient tomb dated back 1,800 years unearthed

An ancient tomb with exterior and interior coffins has been unearthed in the northern port city of Hai Phong, according to the city’s museum.

The tomb was found by construction workers who were digging into the Thanh Den Mountain’s side to expand the acreage of the Tan Phu Xuan cement plant.

The exterior coffin is made from large pieces of ironwood while its boat-shaped interior coffin is carved out from a big tree trunk, a style belonging to the Dong Son culture, which existed more than 2,000 years ago.

No vestiges of bones were found except a rush map used to cover the dead.

Archaeologists also found seven large trays, four human statues, plates, bowls and combs, all made from wood, and several terracotta pots, jars and bowls with beehive and line patterns.

According to archaeologists from the Hai Phong Museum , the tomb is believed to date back to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD or 1,800 years ago.

(Source: VNA)

Cultural features of Cu Da ancient village

Cu Da Village is located in Cu Khe Commune, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi. It is considered as one of the two most ancient villages in the former Ha Tay. Its ancient and tranquil beauty attracts many tourists and researchers both in and outside the country. Cu Da Village is really a symbol of Vietnamese ancient villages in the northern delta areas and it also hides cultural sediments of great values that have still been kept intact today.

Cu Da ancient village, an attractive tourist destination in Hanoi
Cu Da Village is located on the bank of the Nhue River, about 15 kilometres from center of Hanoi, bearing characters of a Vietnamese village with hundred-year-old banian-trees, rivers, ponds, village wells and ancient mossy walls.

Cu Da villagers still keep traditional and neighbourly lifestyle which has been maintained from generation to generation. So, once visitors coming Cu Da, they will find it easy to inquire the way to some family in the village. This is really a respectfully cultural feature of Cu Da people.

In the 1920s, 1930s, thanks to the favourable location ‘close to the market and the river’, Cu Da was a very busy place for traders to do business all day and night. As a result, Cu Da village’s economy was developed rapidly and the living standard of villagers was improved considerably compared to other regions. Cu Da villagers moved to all regions in the country to do business and settle down there. Some people who were better off had come back to the home village and brought along with them the cultural characters from the city. Houses with the western architectural style mixed with traditional art were built. These were communal houses built under the French-style so that villagers could gather together and make decisions on things of common concern. Each house was numbered like in a big city. Cu Da is among a few Vietnamese villages whose houses were numbered. This has made it so unique, rarely seen in any village in the northern delta area.

The cultural features of Cu Da have been preserved intact which serve as an evidence of a flourishing development period. The most remarkable relics in Cu Da are 50 French-style villas. Partly damaged by time and historical changes as they were, these houses are still kept intact with typical French style. These are two-storey villas with balcony, archway, enamel tile-paved pillars, porcelain-paved walls and so on. Tiles to pave and decorate houses were all made in France in 1910 – 1920 and imported to Vietnam. Architectural patterns and designs of these houses remain, showing the harmony between eastern and western architecture in the early years of the 20th century.

Not only bearing European-style architecture, Cu Da is also imbued with traditional values of a riverside village in the northern delta area.

These were ancient Vietnamese houses and houses of worship built one century ago. These iron wood houses with delicate carvings still stand there to the test of time. The most remarkable house is the ancient house of Trinh The Sung built in 1874 under the Tu Duc’s reign. The house features the typical architectural art of the Nguyen Dynasty as it was made entirely from timber with sophisticated patterns on its doors.

The cultural characters of Cu Da ancient village are also showed through other constructions like temples, pagodas and shrines. Cu Da temple is one of two relics of Cu Da Village recognised as the nation’s historical site. Xa Tac Worship Ritual was set at Cu Da Temple to offer sacrifices and considered as the most beautiful worship place preserved until today. This place of worship dates back to 1921, made from precious stones carved with dragons and symbols of four sacred creatures: dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix. Xa Tac Altar is not only used for the worship of the God of Land and the God of Farming, but it also implies typical features of a historical period in the past.

Cu Da Village is also famous for other ancient communal houses which are used to celebrate common activities and festivals of the whole village.

Such unique relics on a flourishing development period of Cu Da riverside ancient village have made it a ‘must-see’ tourist destination, attracting an increasing number of visitors and researchers in and outside the country.

(Source: Nhan Dan)

Vietnam Travel Depot Launches Jeep Adventure

Hochiminh City, 16 October 2009 - Vietnam Travel Depot has launched Jeep tours for the adventure enthusiasts. The unconventional tours by the US military Jeep M151 A1 and M151 A2 - vehicles once used in the Vietnam War will cover famous destinations such as historic Cu Chi Tunnel, Cao Dai Temple, Vung Tau Beach & Australia War Memorial, Mui Ne Beach, up to the mountain of Dalat or Central Highland or deep into the forest of Nam Cat Tien National Park.

Beside tours on Jeep, Vietnam Travel Depot offers travelers with various combined options such as camping in the forest, trekking, motorcycling, biking, camera rally or team building based on customer's individual interests. The company also specially developed a website www.vietnamjeeptours.com to provide detailed information and images about the Jeep travel, its technical specifications for the serious travelers who wish to know more about the historic vehicles and this special service.

About Vietnam Travel Depot

Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information the company, its offers and rates please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or Tel: (84 8) 5404 3116.

About Vietnam Jeep Tours

A special service dedicated to Jeep adventure in Vietnam with adventure activities of Jeep-ing, camping, trekking, motorcycling, biking, camera rally or team building. Vietnam Jeep Tour is a specially product managed by Vietnam Travel Depot. More information please visit www.vietnamjeeptours.com