Sep
20
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Co To Island
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What impresses visitors most about Co To Island is its beautiful, wild beaches with smooth white sand, a unique ancient stone ground and friendly islanders, so it is no surprise it has become a popular tourist destination.
We embarked on a high-speed boat trip from Van Don to Co To Island at 4pm. It was the fourth and last boat of the day, but the wharf was still crowded with people wanting to go to the island.
Huong, the owner of the Manh Quang high-speed boat company, met us at the port, saying, “Hurry up, the boat is arriving! I have doubled the boat to run each day for the last two months, but all boats have been fully packed.”
As the boat began leaving the port, Huong gave each passenger a flyer on travel information for Co To Island including food prices and room rates, as well as the cost of “Xe om” (motorbike taxi) rides on the island.
While sitting on board the boat, I really enjoyed the vast expanse of sea after the hot, stuffy atmosphere of the city. We reached Co To Island in about an hour and a half.
After a good night’s sleep at a guesthouse, I met Nguyen Duc Thanh, Party Secretary and Chairman of Co To Island District, for a tour of the island. He said, “The best way to enjoy this fascinating island is to discover it your own way. You should start at dawn to see the sunrise over the island.”
He showed me My Bridge, the highest point on the island, from which people can enjoy a spectacular view and welcome the light of a new day.
Thanh then led me to visit other beautiful places, including Van Chay Beach to see the waves running up to the shore, Hong Vam Beach with its natural beauty and smooth white sand, the impressive geological formations of the Pheralit stone ground, and the romantic coast road, which is a favourite with lovers.
The lighthouse is also a must-see site for visitors and offers a panoramic view of the island.
Following Thanh’s advice, I made my own tour of the island over the next few days. I was told that a “home stay” project was started on the island in 2011 as a unique tourism initiative and has proven to be quite successful.
Nguyen Duc Thanh is credited with creating this friendly and hospitable tourist environment, where visitors stay at the homes of local residents and experience daily life on the island.
Co To Beach was the most charming at night. On the last day of my trip, I strolled along the beach until 3am.
I lost my way as I was returning to my guesthouse but I saw that all of the houses were still open. I asked a passing motorbike rider to show me the way to my guesthouse and even though it was very late, he took me there on his motorbike.
I was fascinated by the beautiful landscape of Co To Island, but the friendliness and sincerity of the local people impressed me the most. This is why anyone who visits the island once will surely want to return.
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Sep
20
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Hanoi plans to lure more tourists with the tours to craft villages
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VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism carried out a field work in a preparation to build up some tourism products to craft villages, with Van Phuc silk village on the focus.
The numerous craft villages in Hanoi, in the eyes of experts, are the great potential materials for developing tourism. Hanoi authorities now vow to turn the great potentials into reality.
Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Mai TIen Dung said Van Phuc, located near the central area of Hanoi, famous with the traditional silk weaving career, always strives to develop tourism. However, Van Phuc still cannot lure a lot of tourists because of the lack of the awareness of local people about tourism development.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure system here remains too poor to attract tourists, while the services are simple and unprofessional.
Dung, in an interview given to local newspapers, admitted that though having more than 1000 traditional craft villages, Hanoi still cannot develop the “craft village tours.”
He has blamed this on the poor conditions of the roads linking to the craft villages, the unprofessional services, the lack of tour guides, and the existing problems in environment protection.
Dung has promised to support travel firms and craft villages to attract more tourists. However, Hanoi would not follow the popular way by giving money to travel firms to help them cut down expenses and design cheap tours to the villages.
He has affirmed that the local authorities would not prop up money to the travel firms that bring travelers to craft villages.
“The tourism department would help improve the quality of the services at the craft villages to persuade travel firms to design the tours with the craft villages being the destinations,” Dung said.
“I believe that travel firms would automatically bring tourists to craft villages once the villages can show their attractiveness and the professional services,” he added.
A model that associates the production and tourism would be built up at the craft villages. Travelers would be able not only to visit the villages which make wonderful handicrafts, but also to learn about the production, buy ready made products or place orders.
Van Phuc silk village, for example, is planning to attract tourists with its fame as a traditional silk weaving village, where high quality silk products are sold and skillful craftsmen live.
Van Phuc has been praised as the ideal place for those, who are fond of silk products and souvenirs, to go to.
Van Phuc has been called the “silk shop town,” where almost all houses along the paths have been turned into shops selling silk products. The village is now the home to more than 1000 households, 90 percent of whom are involved in silk production and business. The village makes several million meters of silk every year.
Van Phuc has organized a lot of events to popularize the image of Ha Dong brand silk. In the immediate time, it would join the yearly craft village festival to be organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This would be a golden opportunity for Van Phuc to introduce the beauty of Ha Dong silk to travelers.
Not only Hanoi, but other localities also plan to attract more tourists with the tours to craft villages. The Thua Thien-Hue provincial people’s committee has announced it would organize the handicraft career festival in 2013, an effort to strengthen the role of craft villages in tourism development.
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Sep
20
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Trang An scenic landscape complex
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After millions of years of geological tectonics, nature has endowed Ninh Binh with a magnificent natural wonder of green mountains and blue water. It is the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex.
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex covers an area of 10,000ha in Hoa Lu, Gia Vien and Nho Quan Districts and Ninh Binh City. It includes the Trang An Eco-tourist Site, Tam Coc- Bich Dong Landscape and Hoa Lu Ancient Citadel.
From the Trang An wharf we took a boat ride to visit a complex of 51 grottos which is called a “Ha Long Bay on land”. On both sides of the river there are mountain ranges. Sometimes drops from a light rain fell on the clear, blue water, making the scene more beautiful.
A part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. Photo: Trang An’s Management Board
Trang An Ferry Wharf. Photo: Trang An's Management Board
Yellow rice fields on the way to Tam Coc - Bich Dong Landscape. Photo: Dinh Cong Hoan
After millions of years of geological tectonics, nature has created primitive caves with wonderful stalactites.
Photo: Cong Dat
A mountain in the shape of an eagle’s beak on the way to Tam Coc - Bich Dong Landscape. Photo: Trang Linh
Our boat passed through the Toi (dark), Sang (bright), Seo and Nau Ruou (wine-making) Grottos to reach Ba Giot (three drops) Grotto. Inside the caves the stalactites and stalagmites have diverse shapes which stimulate the imaginations of visitors.
According to researchers, Trang An area was formerly the “Hoa Lu ancient bay”. After 250 million years, limestone mountains with characteristics of karst tectonics have been formed here. They are weathered limestone mountains eroded by water. In addition, the ancient Vietnamese built dykes to prevent floods and the encroachment of the sea, giving this area the appearance it has today.
The traces in the “core area” show the researchers’ evaluations are completely reasonable. Although the sea receded a very long time ago, there are still sink holes and karst islands with imprints of the sea at the foot of the limestone mountains. That may be the reason why experts consider Trang An an “outdoor geological museum”.
During our trip, we were lucky to meet a team of experts from the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology who were doing scientific research at Trang An Eco-tourist Site. We followed the experts to visit the Moi and Sinh Caves and the watery areas of Binh 1, 2 and 3. In these caves, traces of the sea are clearly seen in the layers of freshwater or sea mollusk shells. There are also many relics, such as animal remains, kitchens, tombs, human remains and working tools made of stone, bones and ceramics. These show that Trang An might have been the home of Vietnamese people about 10,000-20,000 years ago.
A delegation of researchers conducts a survey in Sinh Cave, one of the new caves in Trang An. Photo: Cong Dat
Some of the specimens excavated from new caves in Trang An. Photo: Cong Dat
Experts from the University of Cambridge (UK) survey one of the new caves in Trang An. Photo: Trang An's Management Board
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Khac Su at the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, the excavated archaeological relics have created the unique features of the prehistoric caves in Trang An.
Dr. Ryan Rabett from the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research of the University of Cambridge (UK) who had similar ideas as Prof. Su, said: “Trang An is a very unique example of human history, not only for Vietnam but also for the region. It has a combination of both natural and cultural values.”
After visiting the caves we continued our journey to Tam Coc-Bich Dong Landscape which is considered “Vietnam’s second nicest grotto”. During summer days in June, Tam Coc-Bich Dong area seemed more beautiful with its yellow rice fields at the foot of the limestone mountains. While sitting in a boat that ran along the Ngo Dong River we enjoyed the mountain scenery. Boats loaded with yellow rice ran up and down the river.
At Tam Coc-Bich Dong area there is Thai Vi Temple which is famous at home and abroad. The temple has unique architecture with all of its big and tall columns made of green monolith. In front of the temple there is a well built with green stone. The old bell in the yard was cast in the 19th Chinh Hoa year (1689). Bich Dong Pagoda on Truong Yen limestone mountains is an ancient pagoda of oriental style. Looking down from this pagoda people can see the boundless beauty that nature has bestowed on the area.
A thousand-year-old ancient capital
To visit the ancient capital of Hoa Lu we returned to Trang An Eco-tourist Site. Near the wharf of the tourist site there is Trinh Temple honoring two mandarins who were credited with safeguarding this area. We also visited Khong Temple which is also called Cay Thi (persimmon tree) Temple because there are two ancient persimmon trees with two types of fruit, round and flat. The temple honors seven loyal mandarins of the court (968-980).
Situated on a high mountain, Tran Temple is known as a very sacred ancient temple. The way to the temple is long and steep but the more people go up the more they are interested in the beautiful scenery and feel comfortable in the fresh and cool air. Legend has it that the temple was built by King Dinh Tien Hoang during the time the Hung Kings’ Temple was built in Phu Tho. Later, King Tran Thai Tong (1218 –1277) came to this area to establish Vu Lam royal step-over place and improved the temple, hence the temple was called Tran Temple. It honors the Quy Minh Genie who defended the southern gate of Hoa Lu Capital. Every year, on the 18th of March according to the lunar calendar, many visitors from all parts of the country come to attend the Tran Temple festival and visit Trang An area. More than 10 centuries have passed but the images of dragons, unicorns, tortoises and a phoenix delicately carved on the stone pillars of the temple are still intact.
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Regional cities in tourism deal
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20/09/2012 10:51:18
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Building $500 million museum in Hanoi: Great waste!
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20/09/2012 10:46:51
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Building $500 million museum in Hanoi: Great waste!
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20/09/2012 10:22:28
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Ngo Van Sac wins first prize of Dogma self-portrait award
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20/09/2012 10:17:47
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HCM City hosts Cordon Bleu Centenary
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20/09/2012 10:13:30
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HCM City duo wins top prizes at Rise Above Fashion
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20/09/2012 10:11:36
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Reporter’s book on Vietnam’s martial arts
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20/09/2012 10:04:58
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Prehistoric relics unearthed in Tuyen Quang
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20/09/2012 10:04:07
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Prehistoric relics unearthed in Tuyen Quang
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20/09/2012 09:39:37
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