Nguom Ngao - an amazing grotto in Cao Bang

Nguom Ngao, around three kilometers from the magnificent Ban Gioc Waterfall, is the most famous limestone cave in the northern upland province of Cao Bang. 

The breathtaking stalactites of different shapes and sizes certainly surprise visitors.

Nguom Ngao is nearly 2,100 meters long, and 60 meters high at some stretches. Its name literally means “tiger cave” in the language of local Tay ethnic minority group. Legend has it that tigers took shelter in the cave and often attacked the nearby villages.

Visitors can feel the chilling atmosphere inside the cave while admiring the stalactites that look like human, tree, mythical animal, lotus sprout, pillar and others.

It takes around one hour to walk through Nguom Ngao. Local people discovered the cave in 1921, but it had not been opened to tourists until 2006 when paths were built for visitors to get inside the cave.

When in Cao Bang Province, tourists should drop by Nguom Ngao to eyewitness the actual wonder of nature.

Source: SGT

Then singing - social life of Tay & Nung ethnic

"Hat Then" or Then singing characterizes the spiritual and social life of Tay and Nung ethnic groups.

"Hat then" performances are important ceremonial events, which unite the entire community.

Long Poems consist of several chapters with different content lengths. A show usually involves two or three groups of singers, plus musicians. The epics last for hours and are divided into short and long chapters, which are often repetitive. Anyone planning to sit through a "hat then" ritual had best get comfortable; the longest epic contains 35 chapters and 4,949 lines.

In the ceremony procession, not only must the artist carry out elaborate religious rituals, but also act as a general actor singing, playing music, dancing, and making gestures to demonstrate the meaning of the sentence he is singing. Sometimes the artist also performs other activities such as chewing cups and other things.

Music is the main element that completely penetrates the performance. Sometimes the music is accompanied with song, and at other moments it serves as a background for dance or connecting parts of a song. The main musical instrument in the "Then" performance is the "Tin Tau" (a traditional stringed musical instrument resembling a guitar) and a chain of shaking instruments. Sometimes the band has a bell present.

All people in the Tay Nung community, regardless of ages, sexes, and religions are fond of "Then" songs. Some groups such as the Kinh Mooing in the same region have also been incorporating this kind of art in their spiritual lives.

Source: travel.org.vn

Canh Tien tower in Binh Dinh province

Location: The tower is located in the place used to be the middle of the Do Ban Citadel in Nhon Hau Commune, An Nhon District, and 27 km north-west of Qui Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province.

Characteristics: The 20m-high tower has got a square base and several stories built of bricks. In the distance, it looks like two wings of a fairy flying up to the sky.

This is one of the towers of typical Binh Dinh architectural style (dating back to the 12th century). Its structure is composed of the front hall and shrine (now, the front hall has collapsed). The outer walls are decorated with pilasters and vertical, protruding frames. Different from other Cham Towers, the pilasters and edges of the roofs of Canh Tien Tower are built of sandstone. At the four corners of each tower’s storey are stone motifs of phoenix tail. In the distance, Canh Tien Tower looks like a great, flashing fire.

Source: vietnamtourism.com.vn

Top of impressive bridges in Vietnam

(VOV) -Vietnam’s many bridges are incredible architectural achievements and pieces of history. They not only create a convenient traffic network and bring a source of pride for local people but are some of the most attractive tourist destinations in the nation.

Anh Sao (Starlight) Bridge in HCM City

The Anh Sao (Starlight) Bridge is located in the heart of the international commercial and financial district of Phu My Hung. The first modern pedestrian bridge of Vietnam, it cost VND50 billion (about US$2.5 million) to construct and was officially inaugurated in April 2010.

While many stop by to enjoy the beautiful scenery, others want to experience the splendour of a 170m-long walk amongst the LED-lit stars (simulated by the lights on the ground).

The solar powered lights collect energy during the day using specially designed battery panels located on the sides of the bridge.

The bridge, with its illuminated path and waterfalls, is a scenic feature drawing a lot of visitors.

Nuzzled along a beautiful river promenade with a fresh cool breeze flowing all the time, Anh Sao Bridge is an architectural symphony which perfectly harmonizes with the natural setting to create an ideal destination for local residents and visitors to enjoy.

Han River Bridge in Danang

Danang is named “the city of bridges”, and its most famous bridge is the Han River Bridge - the first swing bridge in Vietnam symbolising the city’s renovation process.

In the middle of the night, traffic is stopped from crossing the Han River Bridge and it swings on its axis to allow shipping traffic to pass along the river.

It not only facilitates transport but cradles a huge potential for awakening economic prospects for tourism thanks to its special design and the seismic beauty of the surrounding landscape.

The bridge is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Danang and a cultural spot of cosmopolitan Danang today.

Thi Nai Bridge in Binh Dinh

Thi Nai Bridge in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh is the longest cross-sea bridge in Vietnam, spanning nearly 7km.

Nestled amidst the mystical beauty of Thi Nai Lagoon and Phuong Mai Peninsula, Thi Nai Bridge links the city of Qui Nhon to Nhon Hoi Economic Zone. It is not solely for transportation purpose but serves as an enticing tourist spot in Binh Dinh province.

Can Tho Bridge in the Mekong Delta

Can Tho Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hau (Bassac) River - the largest distributary of the Mekong River in the southern city of Can Tho. The bridge has six lanes measuring 23m in width, with 4 lanes for traffic and two for pedestrians.

Inaugurated in 2010, Can Tho Bridge is the longest main span (550m) bridge in Southeast Asia, with construction cost of VND4.842 trillion (roughly US$342.6 million), making it the most expensive bridge in Vietnam.

Vinh Tuy Bridge in Hanoi

Vinh Tuy Bridge is one of seven bridges over the Red River in Hanoi. The bridge was constructed to relieve traffic on Chuong Duong and Long Bien bridges and to link urban areas and industrial parks in the north with the centre of Hanoi.

Cau Rong (Dragon) Bridge in Danang

Cau Rong (Dragon) Bridge on the Han River in Danang features 166 metres of undulating steel in the shape of a giant fire-breathing dragon flying towards the East Sea.

The main span of the 37.5m-wide bridge is bookended by two 128m side sections, with a head and tail on each end of those. The whole structure weighs 8,164 tonnes and stretches 666m in length.

With unique aesthetic and creative characteristics, the bridge won the Diamond Award in the 2014 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) in the structural systems category.

After opening to traffic in March 2013, the Dragon Bridge has become one of Danang’s main tourist attractions and symbols.

Source: VOV english

Bai Dinh - A largest pagoda of Vietnam

Bái Đính Pagoda (Chùa Bái Đính) is famous for its great size and imposingness and one of most Vietnam Popular Destinations. The pagoda will be also set more record for the owner of the most Arhat Statues in ASEAN with 500 Arhat statues made of stone and stand higher than human’s head. And I am heading to visit this place on this month with my family. How about you? Do you want to join with us? 

Located behind a range of limestone mountains in Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Định Province, the site with construction lying about in disorder and in the way, so it is difficult to imagine the beauty of this pagoda - one of Vietnam Popular Destinations as well as its solemn to a pagoda in the true sense of the word as the tradition. However, its great size and imposingness can be felt by anybody when visiting it one time. Its back leans against the Bai Dinh Mountain with the height of 200m.

The area for constructing Ba Dinh Pagoda is 80ha, which is located on the mass of “Bai Dinh Pagoda hallowed culture” belonging to Trang An Tourism Area. Currently, this mass is executing many items of Pagoda including Tam The (Past, Present and Future) Temple, Sanctuary and Bodhisatva Kwan Yin statue, Dharma Temple, Bell-tower, Three-door temple gate, and dormitory area for Buddhist monks, etc. In front of Pagoda valley, a hundred of  excavators, bulldozers and power-shovels are digging land and build up a dike to make a  huge semicircular lake, which will be taken water from the river crossing to create a landscape of “on shore and under boat” like the Yen Stream flowing under the foot of Hương Tích Pagoda.

The most important emphasizing point of these great religion works are still Tam The Temple and Dharma Temple. The area of two Temples up to 1.000m2 (area of the main sanctuary of traditional pagodas is maximum about 150m2 because it is limited by compartments - stipulated by the length of wood beam). The height of Dharma Temple is up to 22m, it contains four achieving record statues inside.

Four statues - three bronze Tam The statues and one Great Buddha Sakyamuni statue - are the pride of “Owners” of Bai Dinh pagoda. Each statue of Tam The weighs 50 tons, 12m high, Great Buddha Sakyamuni statue with 16m high and weighs 100 tons, which are casted by the pure bronze bought from Russian, casted and installed by the famous Artisans of casting bronze statue in Y Yen, Nam Dinh. A “great bell” with the weight of 60 tons was casted and located on the top of hill on the way come to the main sanctuary. The Great Bell is so big that it is estimated if wanting to sound the bell, it will need a big log of wood and four puller of wood to prod into the bell.

The astonishing one is the “collection” of 500 Arhat statues on the hill in the right of Dharma Temple. The 500 Arhat statues with the height of 2 or 3 m and carved by Ninh Binh stone. According to the supervisor for executing at the site, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong - investor and his collaborator came to China to learn and take the sample drawings of 500 Arhat’s legend and brought to home country for the painters, carvers to make the sample statue of gypsum, after that the craftsmen carved the statues again by monolithic green stone. People in Gia Vien District joked that: only carving enough these 500 Arhat statues, the villagers in Ninh Van’s stone craft village, Hoa Lu (neighbor district) have got enough jobs security during the past two years.

Though the construction of Bai Dinh Pagoda has not yet finished, the reputation of this new Pagoda was far-resounding comparing with other Vietnam Popular Destinations. The visitors received some information from the backstage “whisper in each other’s ears”, have come to burn incense before the bronze statues of Buddha which are still being covered by scaffolds.

While far from the large site 2km, if sharp-sighted the passers will see a humble three-door temple gate loacated next the roadside. Through the three-door temple gate, turn to the small path rather slope, go up to the top of mountain we will see the Bai Dinh Pagoda (old), full of green moss and quiet. There is virtually none knowing to a “Great Buddhist Pagoda” will be going to set the record of Asean being executed at the site over there.

To sum up, ecologically and historically rich, the Bai Dinh Pagoda Mountain was recognised as a cultural and historical heritage site in 1997. Bai Dinh Pagoda will become the largest religious tourist centre in Viet Nam upon completion in 2010 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi. As great historical relics, Bai Dinh Pagoda cherishes both: enchanting scenery and deep history. Let us give you a chance to enjoy one more Vietnam Popular Destinations like this place.

Source: vietnamesefood.com.vn

Trang An - a spectacular landscape in Ninh Binh

Vietnam has applied to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for recognition of the Trang An ecological complex in Ninh Binh Province as a world heritage site, Ninh Binh Province Department of Planning and Investment Director Nguyen Chi Tinh told the Vietnam Economic News on January 20.

The 10,000-plus hectare Trang An complex consists of the former capital at Hoa Lu, Tam Coc and Bich Dong natural beauty site and Trang An ecological tourist attraction. The 4,000ha Trang An ecological tourist attraction is the entire Trang An limestone area that is surrounded by 8,000ha, mostly consisting of rice fields. The site dates back some 250 million years and has hundreds of valleys and caves.

Trang An has great aesthetic and geological values, so on September 27, 2011, the Government agreed for application to be made to UNESCO to recognize Trang An as a world heritage site. On July 24-25, 2012, Ninh Binh Province, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and the National Cultural Heritage Council, sponsored a seminar on defining the globally significant values of the Trang An complex for the submission dossier.

After two days of discussion, domestic and foreign seminar participants agreed that the application should feature the site's archaeological, aesthetic and geological values. Professor Paul Dingwall from UNESCO's World Conservation Society said that successful human evolution depends on human adaptability to changes in the environment, and that Trang An provided strong evidence of this adaptability. The Trang An profile has a high possibility of success if it is systematically prepared.

Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources Director Tran Tan Van said that the Trang An site had been largely untouched, especially since Ninh Binh selected areas for conservation and development, including strictly protected areas, areas of historical, architectural, artistic and archaeological merit, highly protected areas and sites designed for tourism development, and villages and communes where people are living. Van said he believed that with its great cultural, aesthetic and geological values, Trang An would become a world heritage site in the near future.

Ninh Binh Province leaders said that the Trang An application profile had been well-perceived and well-prepared.

According to the schedule, the UNESCO will return the profile to Ninh Binh in early 2013 to seek clarification on some points, and then the amended profile will be resubmitted; Trang An is expected to be considered for world heritage site recognition by UNESCO in early 2014.