Presidential Palace in Hanoi - Vietnam

Presidential Palace in Hanoi is the working place for the President of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The building is situated inside President Ho Chi Minh’s complex, beside Ba Dinh Square and Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It is the place we welcome Presidents from foreign countries.

Formerly, it was built for French Governor of Indochina and completed in 1906. The construction consists of 30 rooms in different designs. The building is one of the largest French Colonial constructions in Hanoi. It was said that the building was constructed by Auguste Henri Vildieu, the official French architect for French Indochina.

                                       

During 1954 -1969 President Ho Chi Minh received over 1000 domestic and international groups of guests. He did not live in the Palace but in a traditional Vietnamese stilt house overlooking to carp pond. The palace hosts meetings, not open to the public but you can go inside the garden, walk around and take photo of it from distance.

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History of Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam (1802 - 1945)

Nguyen Dynasty is last ruling family of Vietnam. The House of Nguyen seized their power for total 143 years (1802 – 1945). Gia Long and Minh Mang are the first kings who built a healthy state. The Nguyen cleared land for cultivation and pay attention to improve irrigation. They also sent merchant ships to trade with European countries and South East Asia.

The Nguyen Kings ordered to write and print books on National history and geography that had great impact on the National culture. Confucianism was basis of the Nguyen Dynasty’s conservative’s idealogy. The Nguyen Dynasty imposed a closed door policy. During Nguyen Dynasty there had been 13 kings who ruled the country during 143 years.

During the presence of French in Vietnam (1858 – 1954), It was marked by increasing influence of French colonialism, and the country was divided into 3 parts Cochinchina, Annam, and Tonkin. The last, 13^th King, was Bao Dai who then moved to live in France and pass away there.

The capital of Vietnam (1802 – 1945) during Nguyen Dynasty was in Hue city, about 700 km from Hanoi or 1,200 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Hue citadel and other old constructions were listed as a world heritage site in 1993 by UNESCO. Nowadays, Hue becomes a hot tourist attraction in central part Vietnam.  

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Visit Cat Cat village in Sapa town – Lao Cai province- Vietnam

Cat Cat village is situated in a nice valley with terrace rice field,just 2 km from Sapa town. The village is home to Black H’mong ethnic people, who still remain unique customs and practices.

Visitors have opportunity to enjoy beautiful picture of the valley and village such as yellow or green rice field, colorful brocade made by women. They use indigo leaves to dye clothes, then embroider lovely motifs. They also use wax to draw on the cloth to make the color more durable.

In addition they also master their owned technique of making silver jewelry. We can stop and look into their house for a visit and chatting with them. We are attracted by the custom of Pulling Wife in this community. A man can ask his friends to lure a girl he likes and bring her to his house for a stay of 3 days. During this time, if the girl agrees to become the boy’s wife, of cause a wedding would be held shortly after that. However, the girl can go home freely after 3 days if she doesn’t like the boy.

The house of the H’mong is one storey with 3 compartments and doors. The door in the middle is opened when the host holds an important family event. The house is built with pine wood panels including walls and roof. Walking around Cat Cat village is good value tour in Sapa town.

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Making toy figurines from rice powder in outskirt Hanoi

A village named Xuan La in Hanoi where people still remain traditional job of making To He (or toy figurine) from rice powder.

Children love the toy figurines those are made from sticky rice powder, sugar, and food coloring. Few decades ago when there were not many choices from buying toys in local shops, our kids feel so excited with toy figurines as the gift given by their parents. 

Figurines may be a colorful flower, buffalo, rooster, respectful hero, pig, Aladdin, Doremon, monkey King, pigsy, and dragon fly….

History of making figurine in Xuan La village has been over 300 years. Craft men in Xuan La often travel from village to village and cities to sell these toys. They sit in the market or crowded areas like the lake, city parks to create figurines and sell them right away upon the audient’s request.

Nowadays you can see them making figurines by Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi city at the weekend. You can join and learn how to make it instead of travel far to their village like before. It is a beautiful aspect of authentic culture in Vietnam.

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Tam Coc - Bich Dong full day tour from Hanoi

8:00 AM, after breakfast, pick up from your hotel by our guide and driver. Leave for Tam Coc - Ninh Binh province located in the Red River Delta, 110 km southward Hanoi capital.

10:00 AM arrive at Tam Coc that means three grottoes. Board on rowing boat for two hours and move along Ngo dong river to enjoy the wonderful landscape of lime stone mountains called Halong bay inland.

If you come here at right time, May or June, you would be amazed by the sea of yellow rice paddy fields on 2 sides of the water way. Our boat will move through 3 grottoes named Hang Ca with the length of 120 m, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba. The scenery is lovely and peaceful that helps you relax and enjoy life.

12h15 have lunch at a local restaurant, then proceed to Bich Dong pagoda isolatedly stays on a mount, 2 km away from Tam Coc. Bich Dong used to be ranked as the second most wonderful cave in the Sothern

sky.

There are three pagodas in this complex name Chùa Hạ - Chùa Trung – Chùa Thượng situated at 3 levels of the mountain. It takes you 15 minutes to climb up the third pagoda that lies on the top. From here you can take many nice photos of lime stone valley as well as the rice field.

 The pagoda was constructed in early 18^th century. It is in harmony with romantic scenery of mountain, and river here. Once it was chosen for shooting a world movie named Indochine in 1991.

14h30 PM meet with the driver and transfer back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi at around 17:00 PM. Tour ends in Hanoi.

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Climb up Titov Mountain and swim at the beach in Halong Bay

Titov island is about 8 km from Tuan Chau boat wharf, where has beautiful natural beach with soft sand. The beach shapes a sickle and is encircled by tens of islands so that the wave here is always gentle. 

President Ho Chi Minh named the island Gherman Titov after the name of Russian astronaut who visited Halong Bay and the island in 1962.

You have the chances to kayak around the island, climb up the top of the mount for taking photo, have water skiing, and swimming here. It takes you 15 minutes to reach the top of the mount after climb over 400 steps. 

The reward you get are uniquely wonderful pictures of authentic Halong Bay, one of 7 nature wonders of the world. Travel to Vietnam you should not miss this tour.

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Visit Hanoi Cathedral

The Cathedral situated at 40 Nha Chung street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

It is also known as Joseph’ cathedral and was built on the site of former Bao Thien tower, which was famous during Ly Dynasty in 11-13^th century.

Hanoi Cathedral was inaugurated in 1886. The design of Hanoi Cathedral is similar to architecture of Notre –Dame Cathedral in Paris. The main construction material for building this Cathedral is brick and mortar. Style of the construction is Gothic influence. The length is 64,5 m and the width is 20,5 m. Two bell towers are 31,5 m high.

The Cathedral is open daily for mass from 5am-7am/ 5pm-7pm. You can combine walking around the Old quarter of Hanoi for sightseeing and shopping.

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VISIT HOIAN ANCIENT TOWN IN VIETNAM DURING SPRING 2018

Hello Hoian ancient town in Vietnam. Our group is mix of Hungarian and Icelandic people travel to Vietnam. 

We are excited with half day walking tour around Hoian. It is spring in 2018, just after Lunar New Year here. While it is still cold in the North but Hoian is quite warm with sunshine. Our trip is around Indochina ( Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia) for 19 days.

Explore beautiful town of Hoian where still keeps cultural elements of Vietnam, China, and Japan. The town was listed as a world heritage site in 1999. Visit highlights in Hoian like Chinese Assembly Hall, Tan Ky old House,Japannese Covered bridge, Hoian Museum, Hoian market, The Tran family home andchapel.

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PHU QUOC ISLAND AND TOURISM IN THE SOUTH OF VIETNAM

PHU QUOC ISLAND AND TOURISM IN THE SOUTH OF VIETNAM

Phu Quoc is famous for beach tourism in Southern Vietnam. The island is 45 km from Ha Tien town, Kien Giang province. You can take a flight from Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh city, or Hanoi to Phu Quoc.

Total area of Phu Quoc is about 589 sq km that is similar to Singapore’s. Besides green forest and mountain Phu Quoc is dotted by so beautiful beaches which are clean with white soft sand and gentle waves.

The tour activities in Phu Quoc are swimming, relax, cycling, kayaking…Phu Quoc is considered as the Pearl of Southern sea for it’s beach beauty. Normally we need 3-4 days to relax and tour in Phu Quoc Island

Some of the best Resorts in Phú Quốc are Bauhinia – My Place Siena Garden – Phú Vân Resort – Novotel – Tropicana – Sea Sand Phú Quốc – Eden Resort Phu Quoc – Saigon Phu Quoc – Faminia Resort – The shells Phu Quoc resort.

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Trekking to Lang Biang mountain in Dalat

It is an outdoor activity that is quite interesting when you visit Dalat, the city of Spring and thousands of flower species. The mountain is 12 km from Dalat city center.

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Two peaks of the Langbiang are 2167 m and 2287 m above sea level on Lam Vien Highland. The name of Langbiang was derived from a love story of  K'Lang and Ho Biang. From the top of the Langbiang you can get beautiful panoramic view of Landscape of Dalat.

Source: Internet

Activities are camping, explore natural flora, bird watching, trekking. It takes you 3 hours trekking to the top through pine forest. If you use jeep you need only 15 minutes to reach the peak. There are restaurants and coffee shops there.

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Green Tea Drink in Vietnam

Long time ago, green tea has been planted in Vietnam. The provinces that are famous for the tea are Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Son La, Phu Tho, Lam Dong.

Green tea is not only daily drink for Vietnamese but also at all kinds of ceremony. It can be said that green tea drink is dear to the Vietnamese as coffee is to European people.

There are tea plants that have been over 300 years old growing on high mountainous areas. The farmers have to harvest tea at right time otherwise the leaves become old so the tea is less tasty. The tea leaves have been gone through 5 steps of procession of withering, crushing, keeping warm, drying over the fire, and selection.

Green tea is not only the healthy drink but also can help Vietnamese people to express their hospitality to their friends and neighbors when chatting together by tea pot. We can see many small tea shop along narrow streets in the old town of Hanoi. People like gathering  around tea shop on the street after breakfast and lunch.

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Hoa Lo Prison Museum

Hoa Lo Prison Museum is situated on the same name street.

It was constructed by French to imprison Vietnamese patriots during 1896 - 1954.
During the period of 1964 - 1973 the prison became the place to keep American pilots. The prison used to be known with the nick name of Hanoi Hilton.

The museum open daily from 8am - 11h30am/ 13h30 pm - 16h30 pm

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Duong Lam ancient village in Hanoi

The village of Duong Lam is about 50 km from the heart of Hanoi, where we still see lots of characteristics of traditional village in Vietnam that has communal house, old brick lanes, bamboo hedge, and traditional house of Viet people in the Red River Delta.

The village preserves over 300 old house aged from 100 – 400 years old. Life style here is still intact Vietnamese Culture.

Visit Duong Lam village you can do homestay, cycling, walking, learning how to cook Vietnamese food, and farming with the locals, ect.

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TEMPLE OF LITERATURE IN HANOI

The Temple of literature or Vietnam's first national university was founded in 1070 under Ly Dynasty.
During almost 800 years, the university is national education center that trained thousands of students who became civil servants.
The university consists of 5 courtyards with total area of 54000 sq meters.

The first courtyard names Đại Trung - the way to success.

The second courtyard is Khue Van Cac or Constellation of Literature built in 1805.

The third one is the Doctor's stelae where we recorded the names of candidate who passed Royal
exam then became civil servant.

The forth courtyard is the temple where Confucius and his disciples Yanhui, Zengshen, Zisi and Mencius are worshiped.

The last one is a temple where we worship Chu Van An (a rector of the University), 3 Kings Ly Thanh Tong, Ly Nhan Tong, and Le Thanh Tong who contribute their great merit for the Academy by passing times.

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VIETNAMESE SMOKING PIPE AND THUỐC LÀO

The custom of smoking Thuốc lào (Nicotiana rustica) in Vietnam has been for a long time. A certainpercentage of men in countryside and city still smoke Thuốc lào.

                                                                         Ảnh: internet

Thuốc lào plants are planted in Northern Delta to central part of Vietnam. The popular areas  for Thuốc lào are Hai Phong and Thanh Hóa provinces. Traditionally besides chewing betel plant and areca nut, Thuốc lào was also invited when guests arrived.

                                                                         Ảnh: internet

Vietnamese people use bamboo smoking pipe or Điếu cày for Thuốc lào. The pipe of Điếu cày is made of bamboo pipe with the average length of 40-60 cm. One end is closed and the other end is open for inhale. 

                                                                         Ảnh: internet

A little amount of water is filled inside the pipe so when they smoke it creates bubbling sounds. Some pipes of Điếu cày look very artistic for nice carving motifs and curved shapes.

                                                                          Ảnh: internet

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GIÒ LỤA (Silky Lean Meat Paste)

Gio lua is made from lean pig meat. Traditionally  the meat is pounded with a pestle until it becomes a sticky paste. The paste is wrapped inside fresh banana leaves then boiled till well cooked.
By the new year Gio lua is the dish that must be prepared.

                                                                    Ảnh: internet

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VỊNH HẠ LONG 7-4 NGÀN NĂM VỀ TRƯỚC

Có một Hạ Long 4-7 ngàn năm về trước là giaiđoạn biển tiến Haloxen mở rộng cực đại và Vịnh Hạ Long chính thứcđược hình thành.

Đây là giai đoạn đường bờ biển mở rộng nhất trong lịch sử địa chất Haloxen và Vịnh Hạ long hiện đại chính thức được hình thành. Và trước thời kỳ Haloxen này là các kỳ tiến hóa địa chất hình thành tầng đá vôi dày hàng ngàn mét  cách ngày nay 340-240 triệu năm, sự hình thành bồn trũng Hạ long khoảng 26-10 triệu năm trước, và sự hình thành đồng bằng đá vôi thời kỳ 2 triệu – 11 ngàn năm trước.

Sau khi bờ biển được mở rộng cực đại thì mực nước biển khá ổn định và có hiện tượng ăn mòn hóa học biển dạng hàm ếch trên các vách đá vôi. Nhưng các bạn có biết sự nâng cao của kiến tạo núi nhanh hơn tốc độ nâng chân tĩnh của mực nước biển do đó chúng ta thấy bằng chứng là các vỏ sò bám trên vách đá.

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HANOI FLAG TOWER

The Flag Tower of Hanoi was built during period 1805-1812 under Nguyen Dynasty. The Tower survives almost intact, was constructed by ancient bricks. The Flag Tower is consisted of 3 base layers and one tower with the height of 41 m.

                                                                        Ảnh: Internet
The Tower is an eight-sided cylinder and reach the height of 18,2 m. Three base layers are 3,1 m, 3,7 m, and 5,1 m high. There are staircase for guests to climb up for panoramic view of central Hanoi. The Tower is not only for nice city decoration but also watching tower by passing time. By August 1945, the success of Revolution, Hanoi people saw Vietnam National Flag hung on the top of the tower at the first time.

                                                                     Ảnh: Internet

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VISIT HANOI OPERA HOUSE

Hanoi opera House is modeled as the style of Paris Opera. Ittook 10 years to complete the construction, 1901 -  1911. It is only 10 minutes by walk to HoanKiem Lake.

The House is 90 m long and 30 m wide and holds 900 seats. The ceiling is 30 m high with typical Greek style. The first and second floor have balcony. 

In here it is the major place for art performing in Hanoi. The House also overlooks August Revolution square. The house was refurbished to it’s original conditions in 1997 under the support of French Government.

                                                                      Ảnh: sưu tầm

The House was designed by two French architects, Harlay and Broyer. They used construction materials that suit local climate. The inner style of the House is also similar to other opera houses in Europe by 20 century.

                                                                      Ảnh: sưu tầm

In 2011 The Opera House and August Revolution square was recognized as National Heritage. There are around 400 art performances per year held in the House.

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