Hi, Vietnam !

Nha Trang festival: Sea festival in Nha Trang

2010-09-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

The sea festival this year, named Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Vietnam, Civilization and Friendliness, will be held from April 28 until May 4. This is a cultural event with many cultural activities and special festivals.

The event this year will introduce a street festival including pedicabs of flowers, tandems, carriages decorated with flowers which will parade the streets, a beer festival with the participation of the beer firms present in Vietnam.

In addition, a festival of picture (Vietnam picture, Nha Trang picture) embroidering will be held with unique rites by the XQ Nha Trang Company, which has built a house to worship embroidering ancestors at 64 Tran Phu Street.

Kite flying with the participation of traditional kite clubs from Hue City, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh Province will also join the event at the April 2 Square.

In addition, exhibitions on pottery, calligraphy as well as artistic performances and fashion performances will take place during the Nha Trang sea festival. Ending the Nha Trang festival will be the day of walking.

(Source: SGT)

SaPa Vietnam's highest mountain celebrates tourism week

2010-09-06T18:07:00.002-07:00

SaPa culture and Sapa tourism week kicks off this weekend with a gruelling hike up Vietnam's highest mountain.

Nearly 200 runners from Vietnam, China and Japan are expected to enter the race to reach Fansipan's 3,143m summit.

Also on Saturday, food fanciers will be able to sample the culinary delights of 28 chefs from Lao Cai Sapa and eight other northern provinces who will be rustling up some 60 traditional Vietnamese dishes.

The highlight of the week will be the "Festival on the Cloud" at Ham Rong Mountain Tourism Area. The festival will feature various activities, including a photo exhibition, handicraft making, and folk games, dances and music.

There will also be a display of more than 200 varieties of flowers and bonsai trees.

SaPa Vietnam was built as a hill station during French colonial days to serve as a respite from the stifling summer heat in Hanoi.

Tourists flock to SaPa Vietnam to visit the famous Love Market, trek in the hills and to visit local hill tribe villages.

Among the ethnic groups living in the province are the Mong, Dao, White Thai, Giay, Tay, Muong, and Xa Pho.

Sapa tours
Sapa Travel Pictures
Hotels in Sapa

(Source: Viet Nam News)

Visiting Yen Tu the Buddhism capital of Vietnam

2010-09-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

In Vietnam, the mountainous region of Yen Tu in Thuong Yen Cong Commune, Uong Bi District, Quang Ninh Province is famous all over the world for its beautiful landscapes, historical relics and hundreds of ancient pagodas and towers, earning its name as the Buddhism capital of Dai Viet, Vietnam’s former name.

Tourists should not miss the Yen Tu festival which occurs every spring from the tenth day of the first month to the third month of Lunar New Year.

From Hanoi, it is a 115 kilometers drive to Quang Ninh Province, passing Uong Bi District, then turning onto Vang Danh Street for 9 more kilometers, and then turning left to the street leading to the region.

In the past, tourists to Yen Tu had to climb the six-kilometer track, on steps made from rock, through the bamboo and pine tree forest leading to Yen Tu.

Today they have the option of going by cable car, which has been operating since 2002, which will carry tourists to the Hoa Yen pagoda, and from there they can walk to visit other landscapes in the region.

In the cool weather of spring many tourists still prefer following the track for a leisurely climb to all the tourism sites in Yen Tu. All the pagodas and sites here bear legendary stories of Vietnamese King Tran Nhan Tong leaving the court to follow a religious life in Yen Tu in the thirteen century.

In order to contemplate the beauty of all the pagodas and temples here, tourists should follow the Giai Oan Stream (Vindication Stream), then go to Tung and Truc streets to the Tower and Hoa Yen Pagoda, and from there to Mot Mai, Bao Sai pagodas, visiting An Ky Sinh statue and Dong (Bronze) Pagoda on the right side.

On the way to Dong Pagoda, which is the highest pagoda in Yen Tu, there are more than 20,000 constructions with small and large relics. Near Hoa Yen Pagoda is a street called Tung (pine tree) street because it has two rows of ancient pine trees, dating back 600 to 700 years.

Passing this street, tourists will see an ancient rock tower, To Tower, rising to the mountain with the name “Dragon’s Forehead”. A short distance from To Tower is Ngu Doi waterfall.

The more adventurous can go up 800 meters to visit Bao Sai Pagoda, one of the earliest pagodas here. And going even higher brings visitors to the Vong Phu stone, which resembles a mother embracing a child, standing out from the view of forests and mountains. The last stop is Dong Pagoda on the peak of Yen Tu mountain, 1,068 meters above sea level.

Dong Pagoda has been rebuilt at a cost of more than VND21bil. The copper pagoda is 20 meters square in area with a height of 3,35 meters.

The whole pagoda, including more than 3,500 items of statues, bells, and more, weighs around 70 tons. The pagoda is skillfully carved and from far away looks just like a golden lotus.

As the journey comes to an end, tourists climb down and enjoy the vegetable dishes in Nang Tam Restaurant. In Truc Lam Zen Monastery, at the foot of Yen Tu Mountain, tourists can hear the supreme monk lecturing about the history and the dogma of Buddhism.

(Source: SGT)

Phu Quoc Island popular destination for seekers of relaxation at resorts or on the beach

2010-09-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

Phu Quoc Island Vietnam is a popular destination for seekers of relaxation at resorts or on the beach, swimming in the sea and fresh seafood. But the island off mainland Kien Giang Province has recently attracted a large number of tourists who want a holiday combining energetic games and experiences for survival and teambuilding

The travel firm Dau An Viet, or Vietmark, offers a special Vietnam tours that requires participants to use almost all their energy and face risks before they can enjoy themselves to the full.

The tour really starts from an isolated islet called Doi Moi (tortoise shell), where participants are provided with bamboo, ropes and other materials to make a raft in which to cross a 3-kilometer-long section of the sea. Of course, they are taught how to make the raft on the beach and to row it on the waters.

After less than an hour, the raft is launched and the sea-crossing journey starts. A group of five to seven people get on the raft and row it from the islet to Phu Quoc Island Vietnam. They have to push their raft hard to go forward on the waves, which are big enough to capsize the flat-bottomed craft.

But, do not be worried; participants are also provided with life jackets and they are taught how to keep calm and survive in the event that they overturn.

Upon arriving ashore, they have to join energetic games that require good teambuilding techniques from all the participants to complete the games before crossing the forest.

In the dense forest, the game participants have to look for signals as instructions for them to proceed rather than following a tour guide as normal tours often go. Just in case they lose their way Vietmark staff hide themselves in the forest to assist them with signals to keep going forward until they reach the finish.

Crossing the sea and forest is not an easy job and the participants will be tired and probably exhausted after the journey. Some people may wonder about the benefits of the tour.

Vietmark director of marketing Truong Hoang Phuong says the tour is to help participants get a better understanding of teambuilding, as well as techniques for survival.

The tour is also for company executives to determine the leadership skills of their employees and then train them into corporate leaders in the future.

The immediate rewards of the tour are a seafood party, drinking spree, singing and dancing on the beach or at a resort as the happy ending of the strenuous trip to one of the most beautiful islands of Vietnam.

Hotels in Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc Travel Pictures

(Source: SGT)

Responsible Travel

2010-03-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

These days the tourism industry plays very important part in the world economy, (nearly 12% of the world’s GDP). Especially for developing countries like Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In the year 2006 Vietnam welcomed about 3.5 million foreign tourists, Laos: 1 million and Cambodia: 1.3 million. This represents a heavy injection of foreign funds into these economies.

While this creates many benefits that contribute to national and local development, it can also impact negatively on the environment and local cultures. Issues include the depletion of natural resources, pollution, land degradation, and breakdown of local cultures that have previously survived for thousand years.

By traveling responsibly with Viet Vision Travel, following this simple code of conduct and encouraging others to do the same, you can make a real, positive difference to the people and places you visit. We hope you will follow these guidelines to help preserve the beauty of our world for the next generation.

Responsible Traveler’s Code
Find out about your destination. Buy relevant guidebooks and learn about the culture, politics, geography, religion and customs of the area before you travel.

Learn some basic words and phrases (even just hello, please and thank you). Normally our guides will teach you some simple local words and phrases when the trip starts. A few words will go a long way towards developing communication and understanding with local people.

Dress respectfully. It is very easy to embarrass, shame or offend local people by not covering up or dressing appropriately especially when you visit pagodas, temples, or religious places.

In Indochina, do not touch heads of adults, as they believe that is the place through which they worship to their ancestors. (Touching children’s head is fine.)

Buy locally made goods and use locally provided services. Try to put money into the local economy by encouraging trade and the local manufacture of goods and crafts. Pay a fair price for the goods and services you buy. Haggling is often a part of local life, but make this light and bright - don’t go too far. Keep a realistic perspective. What is a trifling sum to you, could be a significant amount to a poor family (perhaps making the difference of having a meal or not.)

Ask permission to photograph or video – how would you like it if a stranger came along and took photos of you going about your everyday life (hanging out the washing, going to the gym or washing the dog)? But do not pay people for taking their picture. It leads to begging. If they ask, just don't take the picture.

Don't give children candy or sweets because many do not have dental care. If you want to give local people or children something please ask a Viet Vision Travel guide for suggestions. Avoid conspicuous displays of wealth, especially in very poor communities. Not only is this insensitive, you may become the target for thieves or snatchers. Remove watches, rings and expensive jewellery.

Our style of travel is environmentally and culturally responsible and at all times we endeavor to give something to the communities that we visit. Our policy will be provided to you at time of booking, and sets our environmental objectives and practices, and how you can play a part in reducing the impacts on environment and culture in the area visited.

These are some of our aims:
Our operation should maximize the positive impacts of tourism on the host communities. This includes using of the local staff, local suppliers and developing sustainable business.

Minimize the negative impacts of tourism. This is to ensure that tourism does not divert resources away from local communities or drive up prices of local resources.

Provide opportunities for cultural exchange, where the local communities and group members can share and learn from each other

Contribute toward the host community’s welfare. Whenever possible we will engage in partnerships with local agencies to develop programs that can assist the host communities. This may include support for health, education or environmental protection.

Vietnam Traditional Medicine

2010-03-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

For several thousand years, Vietnamese Traditional Medicine has evolved under the shadows of Chinese Traditional Medicine, culture, and rule. At this point in time, it is nearly impossible to separate out and delineate Traditional Vietnamese Medicine (TVM) from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) because their developments were so inter-twined. This is a brief history of the development of TVM and its influences particularly by Southern China.

What is generally considered classical Vietnamese culture started in the northern third of Vietnam. This area was very much connected to China and Chinese culture even before the 4th or 5th century B.C. During that time period, southern China, from the Yangtze River to the northern part of VN, was one large ecological region. There were a number of different ethnic groups living in this fertile region who were not considered Chinese by Northern Chinese. Among these groups was the 'Yue,' the Chinese word for Viet. Northern Vietnam and Southern China came under Chinese rule by the 4th century B.C.

Medical texts and instruments found in Northern Vietnam have been shown to predate Chinese conquest, suggesting that Vietnamese people already had a developed system of medicine. In addition, among Chinese medical texts from the 4th century B.C., references were given to the "Yue Prescriptions," indicating that "Traditional Vietnamese Medicine" was already written. Traditional Vietnamese and Chinese Medicine continued to evolve closely for the next millennium. As part of the conquest, the Chinese abstracted medicinal drugs, among other valuables, as tax and tribute. In so doing, folk medicine from Northern Vietnam was incorporated into Traditional Chinese Medicine. Likewise, Traditional Chinese Medicine and culture were introduced to Vietnam during the one thousand years Chinese occupation. Their interrelationship can be observed by the influence of TCM theories on the TVM, and the empirical applications of local Vietnamese medicinal in TCM. In practice, TCM practitioners would spend more time giving their patients a sort of theoretical explanation of what's going on, whereas TVM practitioners would use a more practical approach and concentrate less on theory. In the 17th century, traditional Vietnamese, Chinese and practitioners from other ethnic groups began identifying their medicine as Eastern medicine or Dong Y (This is also referred to as Oriental Medicine) to distinguish their traditional medicine from the Western colonial medicine. In this article, Dong Y is used to refer to both Chinese and Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Traditional Dong Y (Eastern Medicine) Theories:
As described above, Traditional Chinese and Traditional Vietnamese Medicine differ in practice, yet they share the same theoretical foundation. The cornerstone of Dong Y theories is based on the observed effects of Qi (energy). Although there are as many different forms of Qi as there are different kinds of functions (Source or Essence Qi, Food Qi, Qi of the Mind or Shen, etc.), they are all related to the original Source or Essence and Food Qi. The Essence is inherited from our parents, while Food Qi is extracted from food. Furthermore, we see that Qi encompasses more than just Energy. It is also blood and "fuel" gathered and stored by the body. So, Qi is also the substance we call matter. As in Einstein's theory of energy and matter, that E=MC2, or that matter is essentially energy. Blood and Qi are like matter and energy; they are different states of the same element.

The functions of Qi can be summarized as: 1) providing movement, 2) defending the body from pathological factors, and 3) supporting/promoting growth and development. The functions of Blood can be summarized as nourishment and moistening. Blood nourishes Qi and Qi moves Blood. As in physics, the concept of Qi is also universal - our energy and that of the universe is transferable. One can deplete one's Qi by strenuous work, poor diet and lifestyle. Conversely, one can also harvest energy from the universe by maintaining optimal health and by practicing some forms of breathing exercise like Qi Gong.

Dong Y's major theories are: Yin and Yang, Five Elements, 12 Organs, and 14 regular meridians. These theories are often combined to explain a health condition. The following are brief summaries of these theories.

Yin and Yang is probably the oldest and the most significant theory in Dong Y. It describes the existence of and the importance for balance between opposite states (cold and hot, inaction and action). Yin and Yang can be divided into three divisions: 1) Cold versus Hot; 2) Interior versus Exterior; 3)Deficiency versus Excess. Yin conditions are typically manifested by symptoms of cold, interior, and deficient while Yang conditions are typically manifested by symptoms of heat, exterior, and excess. Invariably, chronic deficiencies in one organ/element typically lead to an excess or deficiency in another organ/element. It is believed that some organs naturally possess more Yin while other organs more Yang, but all organs have a Yin and a Yang counterpart. For example, the stomach's processing of food is considered a Yang function. However, this function depends on enzymes and acid secretions (Yin substances). Consequently, when one's Yin within an organ is weak, one's organ function is affected. In the case of stomach Yin deficiency, one will see a Yin type of mal-digestion, whereas Stomach Yang deficiency will lead to a Yang type of mal-digestion. Each syndrome requires a specific form of treatment. A Yang or Qi deficiency of the Stomach can be exacerbated by supplementing Yin tonics and vice versa. See Yin and Yang for additional comparisons.

In the Five Elements theory, health is viewed as balance between five major entities (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood). Observing these elements in nature, Dong Y medical theorists keenly relate these same concepts to our health. Furthermore, the organs are also organized into the traditional Chinese court system (Emperor, Prime Minister, Treasurer, etc). Thus, organs with complementary functions, or have similar symbolic relationships are paireed. In light of all of these relationships, the heart and small intestine are considered "Fire". The stomach and pancreas are designated the "Earth". The lungs and large intestine are "Metal". The kidneys and urinary bladder are "Water". The Liver and the Gall Bladder represent "Wood". Click to view Five Element's chart. These elements together can create a constructive or destructive relationship. For example, Water is nurturing to Wood (constructive) yet it can put out fire (destructive). Furthermore, each element has a creative (nurturing), draining, destructive, and controlling relationship with another element. This simple model is expanded to encompass human physical, mental and spiritual health. Thus, a person with one weak element can lead to an excess of another element. For instance, a deficiency in water often leads deficient wood and excessive fire elements. A person of this profile is often thin physically, and with yin pattern conditions. Some Traditional Chinese Medicine schools base their entire approach on teaching the Five Elements theory.

The 12 organs and the corresponding 14 regular meridians are paired with each other based on their energetic functions that are beyond the scope of this paper. Both organs and meridians are organized into Yin and Yang partners. The functions of the Yin organs and meridians are generally associated with structures, quiescence, extracting pure substances and nourishing. The Yin meridians are in the front and on the inner side of the limbs. In contrast, Yang organs and meridians are generally associated dynamic functions, movement of Qi, and processing wastes. All organs and elements have a physical, emotional and spiritual component to health. Thus disturbances in each element can affect any level of health. Dong Y practitioners go back and forth between Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the organs and meridian theories to explain illnesses.

In summary, the practice of Dong Y is guided by its theories, which are based on the concept of Qi. Blood and Energy makes up the Qi. This intimate relationship between Qi and Blood is essential for the daily bodily function, growth, learning and spiritual development. Thus, one's health can be summarized by the functions and harmonies of one's Qi and Blood, which can be quantified and if out of balance it can be corrected.

Diagnosis
Dong Y practitioners typically assess patient's Qi and Blood by taking a medical history, observing the patient's affects, and by feeling her pulses and examining the shape, size, and color of her tongue. By examining the pulses and tongue, a picture of disharmony between different elements within one's body can be pieced together. For example, red spots on the tip of the tongue indicate that the person has/had a fever. Someone with poor digestion will tend to have a swollen tongue with multiple tooth marks. All disorders are described in terms of disharmonies between elements or between organs. For example, a patient with digestion problems may have diagnosis of Liver stagnation overacting on his Pancreas. Important comparisons in this area can be made between Eastern and Western approaches. In the East, diagnoses and treatments are more conceptual, ie, Wood overacting on Earth instead of stress or indigestion. However, behind this simplicity lie keen observations of ailment patterns (ie, emotional stress often affects digestion). Dong Y practitioners mostly focus their therapies on they syndromes, not individual complaints. Many users of Dong Y medicine would agree that the therapies are slow acting but the effects are long lasting.

Since Dong Y's concepts encompass a broader function than biomedical models of organs, difficulties can arise when patients describe their complaints using Dong Y analogies to practitioners who are only trained in the biomedical approach. Other times, patients who are not aware of the differences between Western medicine and Dong Y, can also mistaken Dong Y diagnoses for Western pathologies. A common example is when a patient complains of a "weak kidney" insists that his kidneys be tested. When in reality this patient may have back or knee pain, urinary or sexual difficulties, coldness in the extremities, or early morning Another common complaint in the Vietnamese community is "hot liver." In Dong Y, hot liver can refer to skin eruptions, itchiness, emotional irritation, or even hepatitis-some of which have no "direct" link to the organ liver.

Food Property (Chips and Melon):
A strong emphasis on dietetics is seen in Dong Y. In general, it is considered that people who are omnivorous are more prone to getting excessive "heat" accumulation. Many Dong Y therapies begin with changes to a patient's diet, such as consumption of Congee or Chᯬ a porridge consisting of rice, a small amount of meat or tofu, and green onion or cilantro. People suffering from chronic illnesses usually eat this soup because it is easy to digest and very nourishing.

Vietnamese commonly refer to food property as hot or cold, which does not necessarily refer to temperature or spiciness. It refers to the effects that the food has on the body. For example, eating a plate of French fries can cause a person to feel very thirsty. Due to this effect on the body, fries are considered a hot food. Besides thirst, other symptoms of heat may include: skin eruption (acne), warmth or fever, constipation, irritability, insomnia, and a sense of "unwell". Dried, deep fried or very rich foods (high sugar/fat content foods, even ice cream) are considered hot food.

On the other hand, melon and root vegetables are considered cool foods. Symptoms of cold or cool effects on the body may include: frequent urination and loose stool. Because the of the over-prevalence of "hot" conditions, people often refer to cool as a sense of "well being." Fresh food, steamed or boiled vegetables are considered cool. Food preparation is just as important as the kind of food in determining whether it is hot or cool. For example, French fries are very hot compared to boiled potatoes. Food choices are often made based on their energetic qualities. Vietnamese regularly consumes squash in the summer for its cooling effects and more ginger in the winter for its warming effects.

The interpretation above also applies when Vietnamese people refer to medicine, particularly to the side effects of medicines. Medication with "hot" side effects like those that cause skin rash, itchiness, and thirst are considered hot, while medicines with the "cool" side effects such as loose stool would be considered cool. It is common to find that Vietnamese would take less medication than they were prescribed, drink herbs or eat certain food to "balance" a drug's side effects. Unless this matter is approached with sensitivity, many would not tell their physicians about it; they believe that they are in the best position to judge their health needs or they just do not want to appear as disobeying authorities.

A number of Vietnamese consider French medicine more tolerable than American medicine. This cultural experience has shaped the behavior of many Vietnamese who frequently reduce their prescribed medication or seek similar medication or herbal treatments from acquaintances abroad.

Chart 1: Yin and Yang

Yin	Yang
Cool	Hot
Structure	Function
Contraction	Expansion
Interior	Exterior
Water	Fire
Night	Day
Blood	Qi
Chronic	Acute
Parasympathetic	Sympathetic

Chart 2: Five Elements Theory

Chart 3: Symptoms of hot and cold

Signs and Symptoms of excessive heat	Thirst for cold drinks, fever, red face, red eyes, canker sores, irritibility, insomnia, constipation, yellow urine, and yellow or green discharge
Signs and Symptoms of excessive cold	Cold, pain, cramps, diarrhea

Fruit	Vegetable	Grains and Legumes	Others
Watermelon, Apple, Pears, Persimmon, Canteloupe, and Citrus	Cucumber, Asparagus, Squash, Cabbage, Root Vegetables, Lettuce	Mung beans, Sprouts, Tofu, Barley, Millet (Rice-neutral)	Yogurt, Peppermint, Dandelion, Cilantro

Source: Ethnomed.org

When did the reform begin ?

2010-03-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

The "modern" tunic came in during the 1930s, although Vietnamese women in the countryside still wore the traditional tunic.

Some people believe the ao dai must have first appeared in the South (Nam Bo) because this region was the first under French domination and was a colony directly under French administration. The Vietnamese there were the first to wear Westernized clothes. Westernization came later to the North, which was a protectorate. In addition, the North had a Sino-Vietnamese traditional culture that had been established for two thousand years while the Vietnamese culture in the South was only several hundred years old.

Others think the modern ao dai appeared in the North, as designed by Cat Tuong, a painter whose pseudonym, Le Mur, is the literal French translation of his name, Tuong (the Wall). For that reason, the new tunic was called the "Lemur dress." Cat Tuong could easily sell his designs at his dressmaking business.

Yet still others believe that a Vietnamese designed the modernized tunic, which first appeared in Paris in 1921.

We can probably draw two conclusions about the origin of the modern ao dai:

1) The need to modernize women's dress appeared at about the same time in Viet Nam as in the West.

2) This need found expression in the press, which created a popular movement. Credit goes to two reviews, Phong Hoa and

Ngay Nay, both of which belonged to the Tu Luc Van Doan Group. Although the new fashion may have appeared earlier in another place, the active and efficient writing in Phong Hoa and Ngay Nay popularized the modem ao dai.Painters educated in the French Indochina College of Fine Arts transformed the former tunic with the four or five flaps to show off the woman's figure. They reduced the number of flaps to two, one in the front and the other in the back and discarded the belt. The new tunic was buttoned and shorter, hanging a little lower than the knees; the looser sleeves allowed blood to flow more freely; the collar was higher or turned down. A tighter bodice replaced the looser Vietnamese bra or yem. Supple trousers replacing the skirt covered the buttocks more tightly before making a graceful descent to the ankles.

The modern ao dai was widely popularized in 1934. Before, only women married to Frenchmen dared to wear such fashionable clothes and leave their teeth unblackened. Little by little, the new clothes won the favour of women who had been educated in Franco-Vietnamese schools, including female teachers, nurses, and midwives, and the school girls themselves. Two trends opposed each other. The conservatives considered the new mode of dress immodest; in contrast, the progressives thought women must catch up with modern times. In the end, the progressives won.

During the War of Resistance Against France, which began shortly after the August Revolution of 1945, only women in towns temporarily occupied by the French wore ao dais.After the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Accords divided the country into two regions; then the American War broke out. The ao dai continued to develop in South Viet Nam. However, it was not a suitable garment for life under American bombs in the impoverished North; there, blouses were popular. Women wore ao dais only for formal events and when travelling abroad.

After peace was reestablished in 1975 and the country was reunified, the ao dai recovered its role and position across the country. Women's fashion began to develop markedly after application of the policy of renewal at the end of the 1980s. Western fashions - especially skirts and jeans- began to compete with the ao dai. However, in recent years, fashion designers and contestants in beauty contests have paid attention to the ao dai. Designs for the ao dai have won international prizes, increasing its esteem. And, the ao dai has secured its place as a symbol of Viet Nam.

When did the ao tu than appear ?

2010-03-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

No known document records this garment's emergence. However, its appearance is likely tied to when Vietnamese learned to plant cotton, spin, and weave 30- 40centimeter broad cloth on a rudimentary loom. Also, it may come from when they learned to plant mulberry, raise silkworms, spin, and then weave. thin, soft cloth such as crepe, gauze, and fine, thin silk.

The four-panelled traditional dress is a gauze or silk robe worn over a white or yellow shirt. The robe consists of four narrow pieces of fabric that run the length of the body. Two pieces are joined at the back down to the heel. The front two pieces are joined with the two back pieces down to the waist and then tied together into a knot under a green, pink, or yellow belt. The robe is usually brown, black, or ebony gauze.Women attending spring festivals often wear an ao mo ba, which is a set of three robes: the outer one is black or brown gauze, while the two inner ones are either light yellow, lotus coloured, or sky blue. In the old days, women wore skirts, but later they had pants made of black coarse silk or black satin; some women wore red crepe.

This poem from the first half of the century gives an image of a girl in her traditional dress:

A small turban, the hanging tail still high,

This morning I wear peach yem straps

Satin pantaloons, a blouse of new silk gauze,

And carry a flat palm hat with fringes.

My mother smiles: "Father, Look!

On her feet, sandals with curved tips.
Our daughter is beautiful, beautiful,

When will she be wed?"

"Perfume Pagoda" by Nguyen Nhuoc Phap

A fashion reform occurred in Ha Noi during the mid-twentieth century, while Viet Nam was still under French domination. Men began to dress in Western style, and women began to wear a modern robe that was a renovated ao tu than. Ha Noi women welcomed the new fashion and used French silk- particularly dark red and violet - and soft, thin Indian cloth to make the colourful, modern ao dai.

The reform movement also affected girls in the countryside. However, many people strongly opposed the changes, including the poet Nguyen Binh.

With your velvet turban, your rustling satin pants,
Your modern ao dai, Dear, you make me unhappy!

Where is your yem of floss silk?

Where is the silk belt that you dyed last spring?
Where is your four-panelled dress?

Your black scarf, your trousers of black, raw silk?
- "Country Folk" by Nguyen Binh

Nowadays, women wear the traditional four panelled dress only on festival days and to sing folk songs and love duets on stage or perform in plays such as the cheo opera, Quan Am Thi Kinh (The Goddess of Mercy). Today, although there are many types of renovated ao dai, the ao tu than is the basis of the graceful modern ao dai. To learn more about the garment's history, visit the History Museum near the Red River or the Museum of Ethnology in western Ha Noi.

What does the word "ao dai" mean ?

2010-03-05T16:33:00.001-08:00

In Vietnamese, "ao dai “ means "long dress." For many, the dress has become a symbol for the beauty of Vietnamese women.

The ao dai began to attract international attention during the American War in Viet Nam. At that time, many Western writers, journalists, and tourists writing in French and English referred affectionately to the ao dai.

Some Vietnamese terms such as: "nem" "pho" and "nuoc mam" along with "viet Minh" "Viet Cong," and "Ho Chi Minh Trail" have appeared in Western dictionaries. Now, "ao dai" has also earned an entry. Webster's New World College Dictionary defines "ao dai" as "the traditional costume of Vietnamese women, consisting of a long, high-necked, close-fitting tunic split along the side to the waist and worn over loose-fitting trousers."

What does a flying dragon on the ao dai represent ?

2010-03-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

The dragon in Western myth and folklore is often a monster and a symbol of evil. Many Western artists have used the dragon to depict the on-going struggle between good and evil. For example, Saint Michael who defeats the devil, and in many stories a gallant knight duels with a dragon and either dies in the depths of the dragon's teeth or returns home victorious.

In contrast, in Asian countries the dragon is revered as a sacred animal. The Vietnamese people are proud to be descendants of a dragon and a fairy. The dragon came from the ocean and the fairy from the heavens. They fell in love with each other and married. Later, the fairy became pregnant and gave a birth to one hundred eggs, from which one hundred sons emerged. Fifty sons followed the father to rule the regions near the sea, while the mother took the other fifty sons to conquer the mountains. One of their sons founded the country of lac Viet. "Lac Viet" is the name of ancient Viet Nam.

In Viet Nam, the dragon is a symbol of power, glory, luck, happiness, and prosperity. As such, it can ward off evil spirits. For example, dreaming of a dragon or feeling the presence of a dragon spirit is a good omen. During feudal times, only the king could use this image, which was a symbol of his power. The dragon motif often decorated the king's clothes to show that the dragon's destiny was intertwined with the king's. In 1010, King Ly Thai To (914 - 1028) established the Ly Dynasty and decided to move the capital of his kingdom from Hoa Lu in northern Ninh Binh Province to Thang Long, present-day Ha Noi. "Thang Long" means "rising dragon." The king named the city after seeing a dragon ascend from the new site. In 2010, Hanoians will celebrate Ha Noi's 1,000th birthday with a feast of cultural activities.

The dragon's deep roots in Vietnamese spiritual life gives it a traditional and sacred role in Vietnamese culture. As time has passed, the image of the dragon has become a popular motif of adornment on ao dais. Fashion designers have used embroidery and paint to replicate the spirit of the dragon, adding to the ao dai's elegance and tying its modern style to antiquity.

How was the ao dai uniform revived in school ?

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Twenty years ago, Dam Thi Ngoc Tho, then principal of Ho Thi Ky High School, created a stir in the town of Ca Mau at the southernmost tip of the Mekong Delta. Tho announced a school regulation in 1983 to reintroduce the traditional white ao dai as a uniform for girl students. "Ladies and Gentlemen, let us demonstrate beauty and equality in our socialist school," she told an audience of more than 800 parents. "I believe I'm right. Otherwise, the Communist Party will discipline me."

One provincial officer even accused Tho of being bourgeois. He and others believed the ao dai (popular under the former Sai Gon regime) was a remnant of the past. The flowing dress had nearly disappeared after South Viet Nam was liberated in 1975. Tho's critics felt that modern students shouldn't waste their money on clothing and detergent. Even one of Tho's best friends expected the decision to be withdrawn within a year. however ,after the principal finished her speech, the audience sat silently for a few seconds. Suddenly, everyone started clapping. Tho was so happy that she burst into tears.

Even today, her memories of struggling for the ao dai remain fresh in her mind. She recalls that in 1981, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Binh, then Minister of Education and Training, visited Ca Mau. She advised the teachers to create an equal and disciplinary educational environment for the children. "I had many poor pupils who studied very hard. They wore patched clothes, so they never socialised with their rich schoolmates," she recalls.

Tho lay awake many nights thinking about the ao dai. In those days, the dress cost little more than the students' ordinary clothes. One ao dai could last a schoolgirl two years, she reasoned. With such uniforms, her pupils would appear equal, and the school would flourish with beauty.

Tho and her colleagues lobbied intensely before the uniform was actually accepted in the schools. Tho submitted articles to the local newspapers. She explained the benefits of an ao dai uniform and sought the support of local educational authorities. The teachers even wore their own ao dais to set an example for their students. They also met with the students' parents and asked the latter to save their money to buy ao dais. In some cases, the school's Trade Union provided dresses for those who couldn't afford them.

As a result of these persistent efforts, Ho Thi Ky High School approved a dress code for the 1983 - 1984 school year. Rumours and criticisms waned. Other neighbouring schools began to adopt the same practice. Within seven years, the ao dai was officially recognised as the most beautiful uniform for school girls in Viet Nam.

How has the ao dai developed through time ?

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Among the factors differentiating the world's peoples are language, housing, and dress. According to Vietnamese scholar Phan Ke Binh's Vietnamese Customs, "most of our dress since the Tang Dynasty has imitated the Chinese."

Chinese civilisation influenced Vietnamese culture during the thousand years the Northern (Chinese) people dominated Viet Nam. Court dress (head-wear, clothes, belt, garments, boots) and ancient military uniforms (hats, armour, clothes, shoes) reflect this influence. However, the Chinese presence did not affect civilian clothing for the common people, particularly the women's robe called "ao tu than" or "four-panelled traditional dress." Ao tu than is the forerunner of the ao dai . It does not look like a Chinese woman's

What are several quick assessments of the ao dai ?

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This might be a good summary: "Beautiful, but not for every woman and every occasion." Or: "elegant," "graceful," "simple but showing off the woman's slender form," "a charming dress with its flaps fluttering attractively in the wind ...”

Visitors to Viet Nam have used all sorts of adjectives to express their admiration for the traditional tunic worn by Vietnamese women. Because the .ao dai is close-fitting, it becomes slender women, as most young Vietnamese women are. It is like Raymond de Dalmas’ description of the kimono as "perfectly suitable for the Japanese women's particular beauty and making them appear even more lovely." Yet we don't often meet women wearing kimonos in Tokyo's streets, perhaps because the garment is not appropriate for work. For the same reasons, we rarely meet Hanoi an women wearing .ao dais in the streets.

Western women, who are generally less slender than the Vietnamese. love the .ao dai but rarely wear one because they feel uncomfortable. As Edie Schule notes in her memoir, Earth and Water, "Emmie Clare was immensely popular with her students, but when we met, she had just ended a three-month tussle with school administrators over their requirement that female teachers wear .ao dai to work. We all considered this a victory since the .ao dai has been transformed from a piece of 'traditional' attire into an uncomfortable, inconvenient form-fitting burden."

How does a Western woman look in a Vietnamese ao dai ?

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Below is a personal experience by writer Ngoc Hien:
I was at a Vietnamese wedding recently but saw only one ao dai. The interesting thing was. the wearer was a Western woman. I don't mean to object to the fact that none of the Vietnamese women at the wedding wore an ao dai because each Vietnamese woman looked attractive in her Western dress or skirt.

Cultural exchanges happen two ways. If Western costumes make us look good, we should wear them. If a foreigner becomes more graceful in our Vietnamese ao dai, we'll favour her wearing it. This is not strange.

The interesting thing is that the ao dai has turned out to be very useful, for it can hide ninety per cent of the wearer's physical imperfections. The two free-floating flaps will hide short legs or bow legs. You don't have to worry if you have a large waist. In fact, a fat woman can use an ao dai to make her body look slimmer.

However, these advantages for Vietnamese girls may turn out to be disadvantages for Westerners. The reason is their shoulders. Some Western women's shoulders are too large for an ao dai to hide. Ao dais look better on the slender shoulders of Vietnamese.

But there was no problem for that Western woman, whose husband was a Vietnamese photographer. He himself looked like a hippie with long hair and a beard. But his appearance didn't reveal everything. He must have advised his wife to wear an ao dai to the wedding. Furthermore, while a singer crooned "Ha Dong's Silk Gown," he pleasantly explained to her the meaning of the song about the white ao dai she was wearing. Her gray eyes opened wide in delighted astonishment.

In spite of her large and strong shoulders, the Westerner was quite graceful in her ao dai , which was printed with bamboo leaves. Perhaps her ao dai was the only true and interesting thing to win attention from visitors at the wedding party.

When the party was over, a taxi arrived. The taxi driver opened the car's door. Oh My! Before sitting on the car seat, that lovely young Westerner slightly lifted her ao dai's back flap to one side as skillfully as any Vietnamese girl.

How did the traditional tunic evolve into the modern ao dai ?

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Women wore the traditional Vietnamese tunic when they were not working in the fields. Urban women wore the garment for festive or solemn occasions or when they went to the pagoda. The traditional tunic differs from one region to another.

The north of Viet Nam (Bac Bo) and Central Viet Nam (Trung Bo) have many tunics, including an unbuttoned one with two front flaps of equal length that hang freely and one with front flaps tied together and worn over a bodice that covers the neck for modesty's sake. A five-piece unbuttoned tunic has an outer, larger flap on the left side that is twice as broad as the inner flap on the right; a belt keeps the flaps from hanging too low.

The four-flapped tunic was very popular in Kinh Bac, a region of traditional culture north of the Red River and including Bac Ninh Province and part of Bac Giang Province. This tunic, often worn over two others, is called the "three-piece dress;" women wear its third part made of gauze when going on pilgrimages in the spring. The gauze outer tunic is black or brown or dark violet; the two inner tunics are ivory, lotus-pink, yellow or sky-blue. The collar is round; the flap, straight; and the sleeves, tight. The tunic is buttoned from the waist up to under the arm, but from there to the neck, it is left unbuttoned; the collar is turned down to show a part of the coloured inner tunics.

When the Nguyen lords settled in Central Viet Nam in the 17th century, this tunic was influenced by the long dresses of the Cham culture. Because of this influence, the four- flapped tunic became the ao dai.

How did the first ao dai show take place in Paris ?

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In 2001, for the first time, models presented the Vietnamese women's .ao dai - a graceful, fitted tunic with flowing panels worn over simple wide-bottomed trousers - at the UNESCO House in Paris before hundreds of guests, including forty ambassadors from the Asia-Pacific region. Designer Huong Lien took the .ao dai to the west. "This was the happiest event in my life," she said upon returning from the exhibit.

Mr. Pham Sanh Chau, the Vietnamese ambassador to UNESCO, had invited Ms. Huong Lien to bring the exhibition. The delegation arrived in France on 28 May and went immediately to Tours to begin work. The team spent two days getting acquainted with the stage and the models. "The stage presented no problems," Ms. Huong Lien said, "but the models did. They were Filipinos, Chinese, French, Koreans and Overseas Vietnamese. We had to retailor over fifty .ao dais to fit them! That took time and energy, but we finished on schedule."

The first exhibition opened on 31 May at the L'Univers Hotel in Tours. The Vietnamese delegation presented two collections - a traditional one, "Vietnamese Ao Dai Through the Century," and a modern one, "Stylised Ao Dai." The team collaborated with Vietnamese-French designer Ms. Pascal Valery Tung Lam, who had sponsored the trip to France and had even postponed a show scheduled for April in order to work with the guest designers. "We had to return to Paris immediately after the show in Tours, arriving at 9 AM," Ms. Huong Lien continued. "That left us with only twelve hours of rehearsal time before our opening. We were all so nervous! Mr. Pham Sanh Chau had told us that this exhibition was important both as an opportunity to introduce the .ao dai to international friends and also to demonstrate the value of the .ao dai to the cultural heritage of the world. This would be part of UNESCO's campaign to promote and protect intangible forms of world heritage and the first fashion show held at UN ESCO House. The programme, which allowed forty minutes for the Vietnamese exhibition, also included music and dance from Korea, Japan and India."

To demonstrate the beauty of the .ao dai, the Vietnamese delegation presented three collections: "Vietnamese Ao Dai Through the Century;" "Wedding Ao Dai:" and "Ao Dai with the Country's Name Written in Characters." All the outfits were made of Vietnamese silk. The delegation also handed out fliers in French and

English outlining the history of the .ao dai. "As our models stepped onto the stage," Ms. Huong Lien added with pride, "the audience exclaimed in surprise and pleasure. The spectators broke into spontaneous applause. We had worried whether the international models could convey the soul and beauty of the ao dai, but they succeeded in showing the garment in a new light. Mr. Kochiro Matsura, Director General of UNESCO, enjoyed reading the characters. 'Very beautiful!' he exclaimed, applauding enthusiastically. Overseas Vietnamese showed approval and support. After the exhibition we burst into tears of happiness!"

How did the ao dai challenge Confucius ?

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Traditional Confucian culture extolled community and family. Women were not considered as individuals but only as instruments for perpetuating the family lineage. The woman's duty was as wife and mother. She had no need to show herself by wearing fancy clothes or using make-up, especially after marriage. A serious woman's dress was modest and did not display the graceful curves of her body, especially her breasts and buttocks. Some teenage girls even wrapped their breasts to diminish attention and to avoid being considered coquettish. Even the word "vu"(breast) was considered vulgar and banished from decent conversation.

The ao dai, with its aesthetics, abolished such Confucian taboos by replacing the Confucian spirit of community with Western individualism, for a woman in an .ao dai asserted herself as someone with an independent identity.

Cantho Travel Guide Vietnam

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Cantho, Vietnam one of the largest cities of the country, is practically considered the ‘capital’ of Mekong Delta. Being the gateway to the paradise of Mekong Delta, Vietnam, practically no other urban city in Vietnam can match Can Tho in terms of its spectacular landscape. Bustling with life and color, Cantho is like a painter’s stroke on the canvas of Vietnam. You must visit this place, one of the most frequented of the Vietnam popular destinations and that too with lots of time in hand.
The city of Cantho, Vietnam is located exactly on the Southern Bank of Hau Giang, a tributary of the Mekong River. It is immediately behind Danang and is about 160 kilometers away from the Ho Chi Minh City. Cantho’s busy city life can be credited to the fact that this province produces some of the largest amount of rice, vegetables, fruits in the whole country. They also have a flourishing fish production unit. Its sea port, being able to house some large ships from foreign countries is also a centre of lot of activity.

In spite of being a prime urban area, Cantho’s picturesque location in the midst of meandering rivers, is what makes it a haven for tourism. Canal tours, the floating markets, the nearby villages, parks and other prominent attractions, the city offers plenty.
Some of the major tourist attractions in Cantho, Vietnam are:

Floating Markets in Cantho: These are one of the distinctive features of this district and are of great interest to the tourists. Some of the most frequented floating markets in this area are Cai Be, Cai Rang, Phung Hiep, Phong Dien, Nga Nam and Long Xuyen. Of these the Cai Rang Floating Market is the most popular one. Apart from providing a lovely view of the busting activities, these markets are a great place to hangout as they have lots of floating restaurants also.

Tourist Gardens in Cantho: There are several riverside gardens all over Can Tho like My khanh, San Duong, Ba lang and Tan Binh. These gardens give a closer view of the flora and fauna of this place.

Ong Pagoda in Cantho: Situated right at the centre of the city, on Hai Ba Trung Road, near the Ninh Kieu Wharf, the Ong Pagoda is the place for all Chinese cultural and religious activities in Cantho, Vietnam. Its colorful Chinese architecture is of special interest.

Ninh Kieu Wharf: This is the heart of all industrial activities in Cantho. Positioned on the bank of Hau River, it has a number of floating restaurants. Cantho City Museum: Situated on Phan Dinh Phung Street in Can Tho this museum provides an overview of the native history, culture, customs and traditions.

Army Museum: Situated on Hoa Binh just opposite to the City Museum, this Museum exhibits weapons, maps, photographs and other items from the Vietnamese War. It gives an idea of Vietnam’s long fight to freedom.

Cantho in Vietnam is a fabulous place offering everything required for a charming vacation. Getting here is quite easy as it is linked to the other main cities of Vietnam, like Ho Chi Minh City and My Tho by efficient bus services. The Cantho bus stop is just 2 km north-west to the heart of the city.

Cat Ba National Park Vietnam

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Cat Ba National Park was established in 1986. After a re-arrangement of the park boundaries in 2006, the park now comprises of 109 square km of land area and an additional 52 square km of inshore waters and mangrove covered tidal zones. Cat Ba National Park was Vietnam’s first national park to include both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Cat Ba Island, its national park and the surrounding area are nationally and internationally recognized for their importance to biodiversity conservation, exemplified through the recognition of the Cat Ba Archipelago as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, in 2004.This is not only because the area has a high number of different ecosystem and habitat types, but also because it possesses a great variety of plant and animal species, many of which, like the Cat Ba langur, are now rare and endangered.

About 1400 vascular plants, including 23 Endangered and Critically Endangered species (Red Data Book of Vietnam; IUCN Red List) have so far been recorded. Large and partly endangered mammals include the Cat Ba langur, the Southern Serow (Naemorhaedus sumatraensis), Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), black giant squirrel (Ratufa bicolor), and civet cats (Viverricula indica, Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). The cave, land snail and butterfly fauna is rich including the most northerly cave-adapted crab species, plus four species of true cave snails. The region is considered a hotspot for land snail diversity and might also be conserving a considerable number of bat species including rare ones

Con Dao National Park

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Con Dao Island District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, about 180km from Vung Tau City
Comprising of 16 islands of different sizes, Con Dao National Park is one of two national parks in Vietnam owing both forest and marine protected area.

With the total area of around 15,043ha, including 9,000ha marine and 6,043ha forest, the park's terrain is primarily hills and mountains. The highest peak is Thanh Mount (557m) and the other peaks are 150 - 300m high.

Belonging to the tropical island ecosystem, forest in Con Dao is divided into two main types of woods with 882 species of fauna, nearly 150 species of animal, among which there are some rare species only found in Con Dao such as Con Dao black squirrel, winged house gecko, and some species of birds just existing in Con Dao like Masked booby, Red-billed tropicbird, Nicba pigeon and Rock pigeon.

Con Dao has 3 primary marine ecosystems including mangrove forest, marine grass and coral reefs. Marine species are quite numerous with 285 species of hard coral, 84 species of sea weed, 202 species of fish, 153 species of mollusc, etc. What is more, marine grass ecosystem estimate about 200ha, comprising of 9 species among 16 ones in the world. Con Dao's sea is a home of tortoise-shell, turtle, black whale, and especially Dugong, one of the extremely rare species in the world.

Coming to Con Dao, tourists is sure to have comfortable and relaxing holidays deeply sunk in wild nature and experience rare species in the world surviving in Con Dao National Park, and visit valuable historic vestiges.

Cat Tien National Park

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Cat Tien National Park is located in three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc.

Cat Tien National Park has a diversified topography with hills along the banks, plains and sloping flows.

In 1978, the South Cat Tien and North Cat Tien parks were put under the State's protection. In 1992, the Cat Loc Park was listed in the programme for the protection of natural wild animals and flora. In December 1998, these three parks joined together to become the Cat Tien National Park, under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Coming along National Highway 20 from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat, turning left about 24km at Milestone No.174 being Tan Phu cross-road, visitors will reach Cat Tien National Park.

Covering an area of 74,319ha, the Cat Tien National Park has preserved its original natural soil with a diverse ecological system and many rare and valuable species of animals listed in the Red Book of Endangered Animals. The landscape surrounding the Park is magnificent, and the local people have maintained practising customs and habits full of national cultural identities.

Let come into the forest on a trail covered with tree leaves. The sunshine was on the canopies, layer after layer. The air was humid. The cicadas resounded over the forest. Don't forget to see a 400-year-old conife there. Going a bit further you can see another tree, called bang lang (Lagerstroemie corniculata), which is almost 300 years old. From its trunk of nearly 3m in diameter, 6 ivory sub-trunks sprouted. There are many other strange trees in the forest: a red-wood tree having a diametre of 3.7m, a benjamin fig having a fasciculate root that runs along the stream and can shade about 20 people, a banyan tree having a hollow trunk which is large enough for 3 people, to name but a few. So far, in Cat Tien Park, 1,610 kinds of flora have been classified which belong to 75 species, 162 families and 724 branches, many of them listed in the Red Book.

The Dong Nai River is a natural boundary that embraces three sides of Cat Tien Park. On the left bank, villages and gardens are built close to the water, and on the right bank are wild forests with primitive green canopies. Numerous species of birds built their nests in the canopies. Inside the primitive forest, there are various kinds of fauna typical for the low land of the eastern Truong Son and the Central Highlands.
According to surveys made by the Park's Management Board, there are 77 kinds of animals belonging to 28 families and 10 species; 326 kinds of bird in 62 families and 18 species; 37 kinds of reptiles in 18 families and 3 species; 133 kinds of fish in 28 families, and a wide range of insects. Most worthy of note are the animals listed in the Red Book of Endangered Animals such as Ban ten bull, Gaur bull, tiger, bear, wolf, black-foot monkey, peacock, white-neck crane, pheasant (which are found only in Southeast Asia), crocodile, pantheon, etc. In particular, there is a group of 7-8 one-tusk rhinoceros, which has attracted attention from both domestic and foreign scientists. At 4 am, on May 17th, 1999, an automatic set of cameras captured images of a grown-up rhinoceros, which has been classified as a member of the Java rhinoceros family.
In November 1998, in Phu My Village, Nam Cat Tien Commune, an ancient village dating back 2,500-3,000 years was discovered. This is a complex of relics, including temples and towers and many artifacts, which proved the mixture of the Chan Lap civilization of the south and the Cham Pa civilization of the north. Among the artifacts, there are several statues which were for worshipping, such as the Linga-Yoni (sacred worshipping items representing the human sexual organs). There is a Linga, 2.1m high, which is the biggest of this kind in the world. Many other vestiges showed that Cat Tien was the Holy Land of the ancient Phu Nam Kingdom built about 2,000 years ago.

YokDon National Park

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YokDon National Park is located in Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province.
YokDon National Park is proud of its bio-diversity, which attract both tourists and scientists.

Whenever going to Dak Lak, tourists usually stop at Buon Don, a famous tourist attraction. As the largest national park in Vietnam, it covers 115,000ha, not including 10,000ha of its belt zone. Its jungles bear the characteristics of tropical forests in Southeast Asia. According to primary survey, YokDon boasts 464 species of flora, most of which are Michelia (ngoc lan). In dry seasons, it is still cool, just like the climate in Da Lat, and orchids are still in full bloom.

The most attractive thing for tourists to see in this park is its diverse kinds of forest. Among them include broad-leaf forests, which are evergreen and humid on low mountain topography; sparse woods, and semi-deciduous forest, to name a few. Broad-leaf tropical forests (khop forest) have many precious woods such as: cam lai (Dalbergia Bariensis), trac (Delbergia Cochinchinensis), giang huong (Pterocarpus SPP), ca chit (Shorea Obtusa), and so on. Its biodiversity makes "the pearl of YokDon” become a precious forest.

Nowhere in Vietnam preserves so many species of precious birds and animals as in YokDon National Park. This natural park is home to 62 animal species, 196 bird species, 46 reptile species, 15 fresh water fish species and thousands of insect species. Of the 56 precious animal species of Indochina, YokDon National Park preserves 38, of which 17 are listed in the World Red Book. This park is the only place in Vietnam where great numbers of precious animals are still preserved: elephants, wild bulls, gayals, sambar deer, peacocks, water varans, and so on.

Visiting YokDon National Park, tourists can ride on elephant's back to make a sightseeing tour in the forest, or to wade across Serepok River. They can enjoy traditional specialties or drink can alcohol together with the locals while listening to village patriarch's stories about legends of this land. Coming to YokDon National Park, visitors will have a chance to discover fascinating things, which surely leave unforgettable impressions on their mind.

Ba Mun Island and Bai Tu Long National Park

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Ba Mun Island is a schist island belonging to Minh Chau Commune, Van Don District, Quang Ninh Province.

It stretches out parallel to Quan Lan Island, separated by the Doi Gate that runs in a north-east direction. It has the other name, Cao Lo Island.

It is 15km from the shore, 1,800ha in area with more than 20km long and narrow wide. It consists of a narrow stretch of earth and stone that runs east to west. The highest peak is Quit Mountain with a height of 397m. The fauna and flora here are very plentiful. There are many rare species.

It is the only island in Halong Bay that is home to a primitive forest. There are countless species of plants and trees, some with giant trunks. This forest is also home to many rare animals such as chamois, deer and monkeys. It is said that many years ago tigers, panthers and elephants once resided on the island. In order to help preserve the forest, on January 24, 1997, the government recognized it as a Bai Tu Long National Park.

Cuc Phuong National Park

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Cuc Phuong National Park is located 100km south of Hanoi in Ninh Binh and it is on the borders of three provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa.

Cuc Phuong National Park is surrounded by several limestone cliffs, the highest being May Bac, meaning "silver cloud," with a height of 656m.

The best time to visit Cuc Phuong National Park is during the dry season, from December to April, when the hard forest rain accounting for 90% of the annual rainfall is over. The park is conveniently located on the route to several tourist attractions, including Bich Dong Pagoda, Hoa Lu, and Sam Son Beach. It was officially opened in 1960 as the first national park in Vietnam.

There are plenty of plants and mammals living in the park. There are an estimated 2,000 different species of flora and the 450 species fauna account for 38% of the national fauna. The vegetation cover is classified into three types. The flora is quite a treasure with a wide variety of 1,944 species, 908 genuses and 229 families. Especially it is enjoyable to touch the thousand-year-old cho xanh (parashrea stellata) and sau (Dracontomelum Duperranum or Dancorra Edulis) trees, 50-70m high.

This natural reserve is covered with 2,000 species of plants. Especially orchid flowers are abundant with 50 species, some of which blossom and have aroma all year around. The fauna is diversified represented by 71 animal species, 319 bird species, 33 reptile species, and 16 amphibian species. Rare species include the bear, horse, wild boar, tiger, leopard, fox, squirrel, monkey, etc. A large area, for half-natural breeding, is reserved for raising wild animals such as the spotted deer, deer, golden monkey, langur (vooc quan dui), flying squirrel, draco (than lan bay) and for research. The Park is also home to hundreds of beautiful and strange birds and butterflies.

Thanks to the limestone terrain, Cuc Phuong National Park has a multitude of grottoes, including Thang Khuyet, Con Moong, Pho Ma, and Nguoi Xua, etc. Quen Voi, also part of the park, is where Nguyen Hue’s army was stationed before it made its surprise attack on Thang Long and defeated Qin enemies in the spring of 1789.

Global environmental programs led by the UNDP, United Nations Development Program, and FFI, Flora and Fauna International, researched the distinguished primitiveness of the tropical forest and the monsoon influence on Southeast Asia in Cuc Phuong National Park.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park - world natural heritage

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Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is located to the north of the majestic Truong Son Range in central Quang Binh Province.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang is ancient karst area of the highest significance and value in both Vietnam and the world.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is one of the world's two largest limestone regions, and it has been recognized as a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its 27th general assembly session being held in Paris from June 30-July 5, 2003. At the session, delegates from over 160 member countries of UNESCO World Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong Nha - Ke Bang Park and 30 others worldwide to the list of world heritage sites.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang Park is now the fifth UNESCO recognized site in Vietnam after Halong Bay, Hue Imperial City, Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Cham Towers.

The over 200,000 ha of parkland includes beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and caves, and boasts lush forestland covering 95 percent of the park area.

The area is considered a paradise for researchers and explorers of grottoes and caves, and Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed 20 with a total length of 70km. Of them, 17 are in the Phong Nha area and three in the Ke Bang Area.

The Phong Nha Grotto itself which lends its name to the whole system is probably the most beautiful of all, containing many fascinating rock formations, enchanting visitors with evocative names such as Lion, Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha.

Besides the grotto and cave systems, Phong Nha has the longest underground rivers, the largest caverns and passageways, the widest and prettiest sand banks, and the most astonishing rock formations in the world.

According to initial statistics, the primitive tropical forest in Phong Nha - Ke Bang houses 140 families, 427 branches, and 751 species of high-rated plants, of which 36 species are endangered and listed in the Vietnam Red Book. The forest is also home to 32 sets, 98 families, 256 races and 381 species of four land backboned animals. Sixty-six animal species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book and 23 other species in the World Red Book.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang also boasts dozens of mountain peaks of over 1,000 metres still unexplored by men and seen as ideal sites for activities like climbing and exploration. Worthy of note are Peak Co Rilata with the height of 1,128m and Peak Co Preu, 1,213m. Lying between these peaks are valleys which promise tourists exciting eco-tours.

In addition to the diversity in the ecosystem, Phong Nha - Ke Bang is home to archeological and historical relics, such as an ancient hieroglyphic script of the Cham ethnic minority, King Ham Nghi's base built for the resistance war against French colonialists in the late 19th century, and the Xuan Son ferry station, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Road 20 used during the US resistance war.

Central Quang Binh Province has poured heavy investment into upgrading the Phong Nha - Ke Bang visitor site to turn it into the country's major tourist destination.