Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

Tay Phuong Pagoda’s
foundation built of laterite.

Red houses built of laterite are seen concentrated in ancient villages dotting stretches of highway measuring hundreds of kilometers in the northern hilly region. Raw as it is, the material is still braving the erosion by time and harsh weather conditions and preferred by locals.

A layer of laterite, hundreds of metres thick, is found deep underground in the basaltic northern hilly region. From time immemorial, Vietnamese people have been using laterite to build their houses which are warm in the cold winter and cool in the hot summer under the tropical weather conditions.

Thach That (literally meaning rock houses) District in Ha Tay Province is described as one of the major concentrations of laterite. Laterite has been long associated to the life and sentiment of locals here for generations now, evidenced by the use of hundreds of laterite blocks as the foundation of and the 237 steps leading to Tay Phuong Pagoda (865-873). Read the rest of this entry »

Old men of the families contributing some
rice to worship the deities.

Customarily, after the completion of the construction of the ” nha rong” (communal house), the Gia Rai, as well as a few other ethnic groups in the Western Highlands, celebrate buffalo-meat feasts. Planting a “cot gung” (bamboo-pole) and tying a buffalo to it is the first item on the ceremony.

Shortly after drums and gongs are beaten to rally the villagers to the communal house. The village headsman puts a noose of a long rope round the animal’s neck, and after that all villagers, old and young, men and women, should hold on to the rope. As a preparation for the ceremony, all householders take a handful of rice to the communal house and put it on a large plate. Then the headsman and the elders make a long line, facing the rising sun, near the bamboo pole and the buffalo. While holding the plate of rice, the village headsman scatters the rice grains in the direction of the buffalo and prays for bumper crops and good health for the villagers.

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“Catching tortoises”,a traditional dance
of the Red Dao.

Over thousands of years of national construction and defence, the ethnic people along the northern border areas have created a rich and diverse cultural tradition, of which festivals are considered an important factor in their spiritual life with unique and distinctive features. One of them is “Seeking Fortune” feast by the Red Dao

The Red Dao in Ho Thau Commune, Hoang Su Phi District, Ha Giang Province holds a feast to seek fortune in the beginning of the year, from the first to the 15th day of lunar January.

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Location: Quang Tri, Vietnam
Quang Tri Citadel is situated in the central of Quang Tri Town. Quang Tri Citadel was a military bastion and it was also an administrative head office of Nguyen Dynasty in Quang Tri Province (1809 -1945).

Quang Tri Citadel was built in 1824, during the 4th year of the reign of Minh Mang. The citadel is approximately 60km north of Hue.

The citadel had a style of Vo-bang architecture with its circuit of 2.160 metres – one door each side. There were four fortressed jutting out from each four corners to control the four citadel gates.

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Foreign tourists feeling happy with
“Sans Souci” pedicab

For many years, Sans Souci pedicabs have become the favourite and unique means of transport for foreign visitors when they make a tour of Hanoi, but only few people know about its origin and owner.

Located in a small alley called Phat Loc in Hanoi’s ancient quarter, the office of Sans Souci Tourist Service Company is only a small house covering an area of 20 sq. m. The owner of the house is Do Anh Thu who is also the director of the company running almost all of tourist pedicabs in Hanoi.

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Do people call it physical and non-physical culture? Whether they think of it this way or dream of it another way, they have to recognize it when staying in the heart of the ancient town of Hoi An, day and night.

In the late afternoon, Hoi An brightens with a golden sunshine. As an old seaport, just like so many other harbours in the world, Hoi An always becomes animated in the afternoon, which is the transition from day to night, and the harmony between the mainland and the sea, between reality and imagination.

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The Vietnam Airlines airplane was descending to Tan Son Nhat international airport. A bird’s-eye view of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City ), for long described as the pearl of the Orient, reveals a sparkling city that promotes the eagerness among visitors to explore it.In Saigon , there are only two seasons, the dry and the rainy. It is neither too hot nor too cold in the City, a light coat would be enough to ward off the cold during the coldest days; that is why visitors can come to Saigon at any time in the year.

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Nha Trang, one of the most beautiful
bays in the world.

Nha Trang, one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world, is an ideal place for those who like to explore the wonders of the ocean.

After one hour on the ship, visitors will arrive at Hon Mun, a sea conservation zone where exist rock islands surrounded by green sea and ranges of corals created by nature thousands of years ago with more than 350 species and 250 species of fish and other rare, precious sea creatures.

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From the night market, flowers are transported
to many places in the city.

Saigon by night is bustling with not only discotheques, bars, culinary streets and night clubs but also the city’s colorful and aromatic flower market with rural features which remains a fantastic place to city-dwellers when darkness falls.

Originally known as Ho Thi Ky flower market, this market has existed since 1987 and was then the biggest wholesale bazaar in the city. Every night, flowers, vegetables and fruits were brought here from Da Lat, the Southwestern and Central regions to be distributed to many other markets in the city the following morning. Since 1996, however, only flowers have been sold here.

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The ancient Do tunes have
attracted more young people
in Liep Tuyet Commune.

Do singing—an ancient art genre that used to be performed for kings, lords and mandarins in the feudal regime – is now being revived thanks to its simple and close to the life lyrics and joint efforts of locals in Liep Tuyet Commune, Quoc Oai District, Ha Tay Province.

The legend goes Do singing with its 36 tunes was handed down to villagers in Ha Tay by Saint Cao Son (Son Tinh) – one of the most sacred Saints in Vietnam. According to the villagers’ old custom, a Do singing festival was held once every 36 years so that only at that time villagers just had a chance to sing and listen to the joyful and witty songs, and the number of artists who know all 36 tunes, can be counted on the finger tips. It was one of the reasons that made the artistry fall into oblivion for a long time.

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