Tra Que - Vegetables And Herbs Village

There is nothing, at first sight, that sets Tra Que Village apart from others. The scenes are the same. Farmers in conical hats hard at work in their fields, friendly and hospitable to strangers, and so on.Then you sniff the air, and there is a difference. There is a sweet aroma that is either missing or not as strong in other places.For centuries, Tra Que’s greenery has had this special quality, villagers will tell you proudly.


 

The fragrance of Tra Que vegetables and herbs has spiced up everyday meals for people in Hoi An Town since time immemorial, adding a special touch to traditional dishes like cao lầu, mì Quảng and bánh xèo.
Located by the banks of the De Vong River, the village is now home to nearly 200 households that cultivate vegetables on a total area of 40 hectares.Old timers will tell you that Tra Que has been famous for its vast vegetable gardens for about 400 years. The first villagers here were all fishermen, but they soon discovered that the land here was perfect for growing vegetables.With the long history of vegetable cultivation, the farmers’ skills and experience have been producing some of the country’s most celebrated greens, which have in fact been awarded their own trademark. On August 13, 2009, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam gave a certificate recognizing Tra Que vegetables as a brand name for the Cam Ha Agricultural Collective, which represented 131 households in Tra Que Village.

There is nothing, at first sight, that sets Tra Que Village apart from others. The scenes are the same. Farmers in conical hats hard at work in their fields, friendly and hospitable to strangers, and so on.Then you sniff the air, and there is a difference. There is a sweet aroma that is either missing or not as strong in other places.For centuries, Tra Que’s greenery has had this special quality, villagers will tell you proudly.



The fragrance of Tra Que vegetables and herbs has spiced up everyday meals for people in Hoi An Town since time immemorial, adding a special touch to traditional dishes like cao lầu, mì Quảng and bánh xèo.
Located by the banks of the De Vong River, the village is now home to nearly 200 households that cultivate vegetables on a total area of 40 hectares.Old timers will tell you that Tra Que has been famous for its vast vegetable gardens for about 400 years. The first villagers here were all fishermen, but they soon discovered that the land here was perfect for growing vegetables.With the long history of vegetable cultivation, the farmers’ skills and experience have been producing some of the country’s most celebrated greens, which have in fact been awarded their own trademark. On August 13, 2009, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam gave a certificate recognizing Tra Que vegetables as a brand name for the Cam Ha Agricultural Collective, which represented 131 households in Tra Que Village.


 

All one has to do is walk around the village. Green, small edible plants sprout everywhere, and that special fragrance stays with you.When we get talking with the farmers, we learn that it takes a lot of hard work to develop the green thumbs they have.
“We have to learn how to till the land, sow the seeds and then how to nurture the plants,” said Manh Hung, an old farmer, as he wiped his sweaty face.




“These works may be easy for farmers in other places but more difficult for us here because we do not use chemical boosters and fertilizers.”That’s the reason why Tra Que vegetables are being chosen by not only Hoi An residents but also families and supermarkets from neighboring areas like Da Nang City, Duy Xuyen and Hoa Vang districts.
Safety is only the first reason, though. It is the distinctive flavor of vegetables here that wins a loyal following, the villagers assert, backed by their constantly growing clientele.


“Our land here is enriched by the alluvium of the De Vong River,” one farmer said as he worked on his large onion garden.
“We fertilize it with algae from a nearby lagoon. That may be why our herbs are so green and tasty.”
Among more than 20 kinds of vegetables and herbs grown here are cabbage, colza or rape, celery, kohlrabi and basil. The last mentioned is the most famous product in Tra Que. Similar to basil and mint, Tra Que savory is very popular in many restaurants and hotels in Hoi An because of its special fragrance.

As a unique recognition of the local farmers’ skills, people here call them “artists”. Thanks to their special products, the village has become an attractive destination for tourists, particularly foreigners.

From Hoi An, visitors can choose a one-day or half-day tour to Tra Que, which gives them a chance to discover and experience the daily life of farmers by trying their hands at actual farming. Visitors can participate in all the activities like tilling the land, sowing the seeds, watering, fertilizing, harvesting and so on.
Visitors to the village are welcomed at two guest-houses before being taken to the gardens by local farmers. If they stay for a whole day, lunch will be served at the guest house with local specialties. Later, visitors can relax with a medical herbs foot massage before saying goodbye to the farmers.
"I really enjoyed the work though I’d never worked on a farm before," said an Irish visitor who joined a full-day tour with us. “Besides learning about the life of farmers in Vietnam, I can relax and get exercise at the same time”.
With a steady income from both farming and tourism, residents’ living standards have improved significantly, and visitors benefit from the added pleasure of being guests of hard-working, happy people.

All one has to do is walk around the village. Green, small edible plants sprout everywhere, and that special fragrance stays with you.When we get talking with the farmers, we learn that it takes a lot of hard work to develop the green thumbs they have.
“We have to learn how to till the land, sow the seeds and then how to nurture the plants,” said Manh Hung, an old farmer, as he wiped his sweaty face.
“These works may be easy for farmers in other places but more difficult for us here because we do not use chemical boosters and fertilizers.”That’s the reason why Tra Que vegetables are being chosen by not only Hoi An residents but also families and supermarkets from neighboring areas like Da Nang City, Duy Xuyen and Hoa Vang districts.
Safety is only the first reason, though. It is the distinctive flavor of vegetables here that wins a loyal following, the villagers assert, backed by their constantly growing clientele.
“Our land here is enriched by the alluvium of the De Vong River,” one farmer said as he worked on his large onion garden.
“We fertilize it with algae from a nearby lagoon. That may be why our herbs are so green and tasty.”
Among more than 20 kinds of vegetables and herbs grown here are cabbage, colza or rape, celery, kohlrabi and basil. The last mentioned is the most famous product in Tra Que. Similar to basil and mint, Tra Que savory is very popular in many restaurants and hotels in Hoi An because of its special fragrance.

From Hoi An, visitors can choose a one-day or half-day tour to Tra Que, which gives them a chance to discover and experience the daily life of farmers by trying their hands at actual farming. Visitors can participate in all the activities like tilling the land, sowing the seeds, watering, fertilizing, harvesting and so on.
Visitors to the village are welcomed at two guest-houses before being taken to the gardens by local farmers. If they stay for a whole day, lunch will be served at the guest house with local specialties. Later, visitors can relax with a medical herbs foot massage before saying goodbye to the farmers.
"I really enjoyed the work though I’d never worked on a farm before," said an Irish visitor who joined a full-day tour with us. “Besides learning about the life of farmers in Vietnam, I can relax and get exercise at the same time”.
With a steady income from both farming and tourism, residents’ living standards have improved significantly, and visitors benefit from the added pleasure of being guests of hard-working, happy people.

PERFUME PAGODA

Getting there is half the battle

One of the sites near Hanoi that I was told should not be missed is the famous Perfume Pagoda, or Chua Huong. At only sixty kilometres southwest of Hanoi, you’d assume it would take maybe 30 minutes to an hour to get there. This is Vietnam, however, and things are very different here. The trip to My Duc, the little town where you transfer to a boat for the remainder of the journey, took approximately two hours. The trip is fun right from the time you leave Hanoi in the early hours of the morning, as the roads are absolutely packed with frenzied motorcycles going in all directions. There were even a few people on the bus who were so amused by the scene that they leaned out of the windows to try and get a good photograph.

Calmness & Serenity

Once in My Duc, we were escorted down to the water’s edge, where we were put into groups of three or four and loaded into tiny tin boats. It would have been a more authentic experience if we weren’t in these factory-fabricated boats, but after noticing dozens of sunken wooden boats in the area, I was suddenly very grateful for our little tin watercrafts. The boat trip offered stunning views of limestone cliffs enveloped in a light fog. It was very peaceful, with only the sounds of nature surrounding us, and the occasional scream from a tourist. Along the way we passed by families moving, what seemed to be, an entire house on one of these boats.

Trek Till You Drop

The trek up to Chua Huong, which is actually a cluster of shrines and Pagodas, took approximately 1.5 hours. This is not an adventure for the artery-clogged heavyweights. The path was at best muddy, and at worst slippery rocks with very little to hang on to.

What's That Smell

Four kilometres later, we arrived at Huong Tich Mountain, which translates to 'Moutntain of the Fragrant Traces' in English. I immediately figured out how the cave got its name: there was a thick cloud of incense covering the top half of the Pagoda, and the lack of a breeze helped the cloud stay in its place. What I saw inside the cave not terribly impressive from a photographer’s perspective, but very important from a spiritual one. I was expecting to see an actual temple inside the cave, but there were only colourfully decorated altars with statues and offerings. Thousands upon thousands of all ages make the trip each year to this location. I can’t imagine how packed the area must be during the festival.

Downhill From Here

The trip back seemed quite a bit faster, but not much easier. With my body now completely drained from climbing and descending the hills, my mind was focused on the meal awaiting us at the bottom of the mountain. After inhaling my rice, vegetables and nems, we had some time to wander around the other religious sites in the area before heading back to the river. The Thien Tru Pagoda, which means Heavenly Kitchen, was quite an interesting sight, but I don’t really know the significance behind it. I only know that it was built in 1686 and destroyed under French rule only to be rebuilt in 1954.

The boat trip back started out just as pleasantly as our trip there, but all of that changed when we started to approach our destination. Our smiley boat driver all of a sudden whispered to us, “nice tip for driver.” Sure. We figured she wanted a tip before we got to shore so that she could keep all of the proceeds instead of giving a portion of it to her boss. The three of us agreed that she deserved a little something extra for her fine rowing ability. We each chipped in a descent amount of money, but she refused to take our bills, yelling out “small money!” and changing her look to one of pity and sadness. We added a little more, but she still wouldn’t take it. Now knowing that what we were offering was quite a bit for a local, we waited on shore to discuss the tip situation with our guide. At this point our driver was still insisting that we were not tipping enough and had gotten one of her friends to start hassling us as well. Our guide basically told us that what we offered was quite generous and well above what she should expect. So we left, but the incident left a sour note on what was otherwise a very fun experience.

Tag: perfume pagoda, pagoda

DUONG LAM ANCIENT VILLAGE

Two of Vietnam’s kings, Phung Hung (761-802) and Ngo Quyen (896-944) were born in Duong Lam, giving the village its prestige. Both men led resistance wars against northern invasion and after winning national independence, were crowned kings. After their deaths, the local people built temples in their honour.

The ancient village has a history of about 1,200 years with many houses dating back up to 400 years. One special thing about the village is that most of the buildings here are made of laterite and mud, two materials that are abundant in the area. Laterite is used on house walls, gates, wells, temple walls, and so forth. The mud is taken from ponds. Apart from its historical and tourism values, Duong Lam ancient village is an important place for scientists to study resident communities in ancient agriculture. The village gate, banyan, well, communal house are important factors in classifying Duong Lam ancient village.

Well

The common well was built in every hamlet in Duong Lam village. The well brings the name of the hamlet it is located. At present, each family possesses its own well but the common well has been protected because it maintains many imprints of the villagers.

Communal house

The communal house is a worshipping place of the god – founder of the village. The ancient village consists of 5 villages so it has 5 communal houses. Doai Giap and Cam Lam communal houses dedicate to Phung Hung – the national hero who won the victory against invaders under Duong Dynasty; Cam Thinh communal house dedicates both the founder of the village and great mandarin Cao Phuc Dien – the hero under Le Dynasty. Dong Sang communal house worships the God but it was destroyed by fire and was restored by financial support from people. The god Tan Vien Son was dedicated in Mong Phu communal house. So far, Mong Phu communal house is a gathering place of the villagers for cultural activities. The communal house was made carefully with sophisticated decoration details. It is considered as a flower of unique sculptural architecture.

Architecture of the house

The wooden house mainly has 5 or 7 spans with 2 wings. It has 5 rows of columns, sometime 1 row disappears. The house has specialized by sophisticatedly carved details in the form of flowers, leaves, clouds.

A system of wooden doors is very firm. Each span has 4 leaves of the door with upper and lower joints. Thresholds were made of firm wood above 40-50cm from the ground and 10cm from the floor. This distance helps to ventilate well, avoid humidity for the thresholds. The whole system of the thresholds is the tie system linking all spans together.

For tangible culture relic, Duong Lam has 21 relic sites, consisting of temples, pagodas and tombs and ten of which have been classified as national and provincial relics. For intangible cultural relic, Duong Lam has preserved various festivals, customs and literature on the people and land of Duong Lam through different period of time. For ecological environment, Duong Lam has many beautiful scenes linked with legendary stories such as Guom Hill, Ho Gam Hill and tales on the two kings Phuong Hung and Ngo Quyen.

In recent years, many relics in the villages such as Mia Pagoda, Phung Hung Temple, Ngo Quyen Temple and Mong Phu communal house have been restored. However, it is important to preserve not only the tangible cultural relics, but also intangible cultural relics and ecological environment and they should be carried out synchronously.

The construction of new cultural buildings which aims to honour the history, national heroes and boost tourism activity should be ensured the harmony between traditional and modern cultural values and the relations between preservation and development.

Nowadays, preserving, restoring and developing the value of Duong Lam ancient village are very important, since it contributes to preservation of the national cultural heritage.

Souce : http://indochinaexplorertour.com/en/travel-blog.nd625/duong-lam-ancient-village.i336.html

Paradise Cave waken up!

A forest of stalactites that tells a thousand stories awaits visitors at Thien Duong Cave
From the historic Ho Chi Minh Road (former Ho Chi Minh Trail), you veer off on a path through dense forest for about four kilometers, then you climb 519 rocky steps, and you’re in... heaven, well, Paradise.

Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, labeled the world’s most beautiful and magnificent cave when it was discovered in the central province of Quang Binh in 2005, has been open to tourists since September 3.

Located in the middle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Quang Binh, the cave was formed around 300-400 million years ago, surrounded by underground streams and rocky mountains.

It is impossible not to be amazed at the huge stalactite structures of different shapes, with some mounds climbing more than 50 meters inside a cave that is about 60 meters high.

The cave is 30-100 meters wide, with the widest point measuring 150 meters, according to the British Caving Association, the Governing Body for Underground Exploration in the UK. There are two stalactite pillars, each about five meters high and a rock arch around 100 meters wide. Take a deep breath before you go further to prepare yourself for what is ahead, or you will think you have stepped into a primitive forest that aged into stalactite.

Stalactites that look like temples, cranes with their arched necks looking up to the sky and a pine tree with hundreds of branches are dotted throughout this underground world. With a little imagination, there is no end to the shapes to be found in the cave.

What’s more, around Thien Duong Cave are dozens of stalactite mounds 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than a meter. One stalactite structure looks like the communal house of the Central Highlands people.

The ground water in the cave has, over millions of years, shaped stones into coins, neatly covering the slopes as though someone has carefully arranged them.

Deeper into the cave is an area where stalactites form a sand table.

The temperature in the cave is always at between 20-21 degrees Celsius, cooling you instantly as you step in from outside temperatures of 36-37 degrees Celsius.

Howard Limbert, a member of the British Caving Association, says Thien Duong Cave might be the longest dry cave in Asia.

British explorers found the cave in 2005 thanks to a local resident, Ho Khanh. Khanh has in fact made it somewhat of a hobby to find new caves.

He discovered the world’s largest cave Son Doong, in 1991 and claims to have discovered dozens of caves in the national park over the years.

Thien Duong Cave is around 36 kilometers long but the cave “developer”, Hanoi-based tourism and resort operator Truong Thinh, only allows visitors to go about 500 meters into it. The company introduces it as one of the destinations in a tour starting at the Sun Spa Resort in Dong Hoi Town and ending at the Tam Co Cave – a historic site where a group of young volunteers were killed by US bombs in 1972.

Given the number and shape of its stalactite formations, people say Thien Duong Cave is more beautiful than the famous Phong Nha and Thien Son caves in the area that attract many tourists.

The floor of the cave is a soft, sticky kind of soil. The slightest sound is echoed by the walls of the cave.

Listen carefully, and you may be able to hear the whispers of thousands of stories being told.

(Source: Thanhniennews)

Ha Giang has heaven gate

Ha Giang has waterfall, Nho Que River as a white silk contingency squeeze the primeval forests Na Lead in Xin Man district. July, August smog hung matte surface of the river. Ha Giang is also a Quan Ba ​​Heaven Gate, there is a marked son Lung Cu flagpole on top, between the wind of thousands around the cloud,

This place also has the Dong Van Plateau. Highland washed the steep upland rice, corn to feed the peoples Lo Lo, Pu Peo, Thai, Dao, Pa Then.

According to a French tourist, Ha Giang as a mystery of human nature has not been explored much.

Coming to Ha Giang you must stay the night in town to get the best for a day Ba, rock domain to Heaven Gate. Mountain where the sun hung with the buffalo, goats grazing leisurely fog. In Ba Brocade Lung Tam village with bright colorful pattern brocade of the Red Dao, deep jet or brocade with Thai.

Although in Khau Vai, Van shareholders linen China spill into fashion, but the Pa Then ethnic White Thai, Tay in Meo Vac, Quan them still fresh, year-round garment fabric .

To Quan Do not forget to enjoy pink beads, enamel glaze, fresh baked corn and dust beyond description. Just a day enough to climb the northern Ha Giang where Lung Cu flagpole, then visit to shareholders Van drink tea Lung Phin, food storage vessels, smoked beef jerky, enjoy honey, mint flowers.

Should also try to set foot in the village of Pu Peo ethnic, have filled approximately, heaving, roof roofing cement but the embankment wall, stone embankment, keep climbing trees around the house. Place year-round throughout the month did not hear a motorcycle engine noise, only heard the chicken, train Nightingale and bird crow.

Most need to visit the Dong Van Plateau winter and summer full of yellow flowers pharmaceuticals. From wading Plateau to Meo Vac, go to the market of Khau Vai, look couples, boys and girls drunk asleep on the road. On the way to visit the village of Lo Lo ethnic, white plum blossoms late in the top of the Ma Pi Leng.

The culture, sports and tourism week of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields scenic site 2012

On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the foundation of Mu Cang Chai District (18 October 1957 – 18 October 2012), People’s Committee of Mu Cang Chai District (Yen Bai Province) will hold the culture, sports and tourism week of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields scenic site 2012 from 14 to 20 September in the town of the district and 4 communes of La Pan Tan, De Xu Phinh, Pung Luong, Che Cu Nha.

This event aims to introduce the beauty of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields as well as to promote the potentials, strengths and unique cultural characteristics of Mong ethnic people in Yen Bai to domestic and international tourists.

As scheduled, the cultural week will include 8 main contents, of which the highlights are the opening ceremony with specific art program with theme “The myth yellow terrace waves” (Những sóng vàng bậc thang huyền thoại) at the stadium in the district center (14 September); the contest “Harvest quickly, plow well” (Gặt lúa nhanh, cày bừa giỏi) and the Mong wedding ceremony in La Pan Tan Commune (17 September). Besides, other attractive activities will also be held such as the exhibition “The yellow terraces” (Những nấc thang vàng) in the center of Mu Cang Chai District (13-19 September); the trade-tourism fair at the stadium in the district center to introduce specific local products (agricultural products, brocade items, traditional instruments...); the mountainous market in Kim Noi Bridge (15 – 20 September) to display and sell culinary products (thang co, bamboo shoot, rice, salt, vegetable, fruit) and performance of folk cultural activities; organization of tours (Mu Cang Chai terraced fields; Mong, Thai ethnic villages; traditional craft villages; eco tourism; adventure tourism to explore primeval forests, Mo waterfall, Pung Luong top...) from 17 to 20 September; the contests of folk sport games (day gay, danh quay, keo co, ban no…) from 18 to 20 September.

On this occasion, Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism plans to organize the survey of terraced fields in Yen Bai – Lao Cai (Viet Nam) – Yuanyang (China) and attend the culture, sports and tourism week of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields scenic site 2012.

Mu Cang Chai terraced fields cultivated by Mong ethnic people since hundreds years ago cover the area of ​​2,300ha and concentrate mainly in 3 communes of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh. Visiting here, tourists will have opportunity to admire the terraced fields spreading endlessly along to mountain slope. The most ideal time to visit the terraced fields is in May (transplantation season), June - July (green rice season) and September – October (harvest season). In the recent years, Mu Cang Chai has become a tourist destination attracting a lot of domestic and foreign tourists. On 18 October 2007, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized 500ha of terraced fields in 3 communes of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh (Mu Cang Chai) as a national landscape heritage.

Souce: vietnamtourism.gov.com

Buffalo Fighting Festival - Vietnam

There are so many festivals in Vietnam including a folk festival, special art performances, the inauguration, ecological tours,  a traditional rowing contest on the Son River, and buffalo fighting festival ...

Buffalo Fighting Festival is a traditional festival of Vietnam attached to a Water God worshipping ceremony and the “Hien Sinh” custom to show marital spirit of the local people in Do Son, Haiphong.

A good fighting buffalo must not be castrated and must have one or all of the following: big horns, a large neck, short legs, red eyes, thick cilia, strong and good-looking teeth, and a strong and red scrotum (affectionately dubbed the “gear box”).

Each buffalo has a distinct method of attack: charging headlong into an opponent; lifting an adversary onto its hind legs, exposing the vulnerable underbelly; or jabbing the eyes, ears or neck with its horns. Determining the loser its simple – it’s the buffalo that dies or runs away first.

In one of the fights, a buffalo is killed by a ho lao strike, prompting festival organisers to remove the carcass in a truck. Some of the fights get out of control.

Some buffaloes visibly despise the violence. When they are supposed to charge one another, the more docile opponents just nuzzle. But this is rare – more often than not, the green grass of the field is covered in blood by the end of a fight. The fiercer the clash, the louder the applause from the crowd.

Unfortunately for the buffalo, this good treatment is short-lived. At the end of the festival, all of the contenders – regardless of whether they win or lose – are slaughtered and fed to the crowd. Although it may seem strange to eat the entertainment, village residents say the meat is some of the best they’ve ever tasted.

Tag: Buffalo, Buffalo fighting, festival 2012, Buffalo fighting festival, Do Son buffalo fighting festival 2012

Pac Bo Cave - A Historical monument

Riding 272km by car from Hanoi along National Highway No3, visitors will arrive at Cao Bang Town. Sleeping through the night in open air and a cool and quiet atmosphere of this mountainous area, their tiredness will disappear. The next morning visitors will ride through Hoa An to reach Ha Quang area. Through the windows of car, visitors can see golden rice fields lying amid green mountains, small hamlets with dozens of houseson-stilts under the shade of towering clusters of peach trees, and the winding streams with thatch-roofed bridges. Visitors will certainly be very interested in enjoying the picturesque scenery, endowed by the nature.

Passing a hill where there is the newly-built Ho Chi Minh Museum, visitors will see the historical area of Pac Bo. The main historical relics in this area consist of Pac Bo, Coc Bo, Bo Bam Cave, Lenin Stream, Karl Marx Mountain, Co Rac Ground and Khuoi Nam. The famous Coc Bo Cave is where President Ho Chi Minh established his residence and worked on Vietnam’s revolutionary course after returning from 30 years abroad.

Walking on the rocks along the side of the stream, where Uncle Ho used to work and fish, visitors reach a wooden bridge over Coc Bo rivulet where Lenin Stream starts. The water is clear, cool and so tranquil that one can see the fish and pebbles on its bed and the green watercress in the water. Beyond the bridge is the place where Uncle Ho often cooked soup with vegetable and bamboo shoots. By the side of a rugged rocky mountain is Pac Po Cave. Looking down into the cave from its mouth, you can see the words "February 8th, 1941" written by Uncle Ho on the wall. That was the day he came to live in this small cave, a wet and cold place lying deep in a mountain gorge that nobody paid much attention to. Inside the cave there is a wooden board as a bed for Uncle Ho. In this place, Uncle Ho, in the simple dress of the Nung ethnic group, often sat by the fire at night to talk with his assistant Pham Van Dong, Vo Nguyen Giap and Phung Chi Kien... about the situations at home and abroad. Here, Uncle Ho predicted: "In four or five years, the Vietnamese revolution will be successful." His words became true. On September 2nd, 1945 the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first State of workers and peasants in Asia, came into being. One night when staying in this cave, General Vo Nguyen Giap was advised by Uncle Ho: "Undertaking revolutionary activities requires “di cong vi thuong” which means, common benefits must be put above all". His teachings were short, clear and precise as a truth, but to implement them were not easy.

About 1km from the mouth of Pac Bo Cave, there is a small shack by the side of Khuoi Nam Mountain. In this shack Uncle Ho held the eighth Party Central Committee Meeting, which promulgated a resolution on preparations for the armed insurrection and the establishment of the Viet Minh and the revolutionary war zone. Adjacent to the shack is milestone 108 marking the Vietnam-China border, where 59 years ago, Uncle Ho bowed to kiss the beloved land of his country, after many years living abroad. At that time he was 50 years old with grey hair. Visiting this historical area, visitors will learn more about the great life of President Ho Chi Minh which is part- reflected through his optimistic revolutionary verses.

Tag: Pac Bo, Pac Bo Cave, Cao Bang, Le nin stream

Ban Gioc Waterfall

Waterfalls, in generally, are one of the most beautiful sight seeing because their beauty is undeniable. Waterfalls become beautiful because of the art of the water falling from the high cliff. Ban Gioc Waterfall, in particularly, is famous for it’s beauty and tourists under its charm. The name Ban Gioc is derived from the Montagnard languages spoken in the area, and is sometimes spelt Ban Doc.
From Hanoi go along highway 3, it is about 300km to reach Cao Bang province,
There are two ways to Ban Gioc waterfall. You can use a motorbike and go along Tra Linh – Tong Cot road. The second way by conquering Ma Phu mountain pass then passing Quang Uyen giving them the chance to discover this famous mountain pass 3 km from Ban Gioc exists a beautiful and long cavern called Ngao Nguom.
Quy Son river ( also known as Quay Son river ) rising from China, gently winds its way through many villages and provides a plentiful source of water for both Vietnam and China. At a 35 m hight – point of the common border between Vietnam and China, the river pour out to the shape the famous belongs to the Guangxi province of China. The sub-body of the falls is located in area of Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, Cao Bang province of Vietnam. Ban Gioc is 53m high and 300m wide. It has three layers with a large number of different size columns of water form the peak create spectacular scenery of wild water .
The falls were likened to graceful silk that express the beautiful of Cao Bang. However summer was the best time for tourists to watch the most imposing sceneries of Ban Gioc, steam of water combined with sunshine to generate lots of interesting and beautiful seven colored – rainbows.
At the foot of the waterfall is a large river with glassy surface and ancient forests, surrounded by many precious kinds of flowers. In the early 1920s, cottages were built by the French people. Tourists would come here to relax and fish for “tram huong”.
Areas nearby the falls seemed to be experiencing endless forest rains. The end of falls lies in the Chinese region. Ban Gioc become attracted Tourists. Ban Gioc is the fourth biggest waterfall in the world after the Iguazu falls between Brazil – Argentina, the Victoria falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Nigira falls between Canada and the USA.
Ethnic people often carry goods to market at dawn by tractors and returning in the late afternoon. As well as a market held on Sunday on the face of the Quy Son river, the market on the land helped visitors understand more about the customs and habits of local people.
The atmosphere in the mountain was quiet, with no noise or pollution from cars. The sight in Ban Gioc Waterfall as a poetic and beauty of water, forest and cloud area mixed with village atmosphere of mountainous ethnic minorities. In Cao Bang you can also enjoy some famous food such as egg rolls, fried fish or wild vegetable and Bac Giang hotel is the biggest here.
Ban Gioc Waterfall is an imposing grandiose waterfall that capture the immigration.

Tag: Ban Gioc waterfall, Vietnam waterfall, Cao Bang, Ban Gioc

Nguom Ngao Cave with Masterpiece In Stone

Nguom Ngao, an astonishing cave with stalactites of various shapes, is the most famous limestone grotto in the northern mountain province of Cao Bang thanks to its uniqueness and size. Visiting the cave, you will be captivated by its wild beauty. Nguom Ngao is a really amazing cave, huge and attractive with various shaped stalactites. Some stalactites can create echo also. In comparing this cave with Thien Cung Cave in Ha Long Bay, it is certain that you truly think Nguom Ngao is more beautiful. Nguom Ngao means “tiger’s cave” in the language of the local Tay ethnic minority. It is said that a long time ago, many fierce tigers sheltered in the cave and would enter the nearby village to hunt for livestock and even humans. The main entrance to this cave is some 2km from Ban Gioc Waterfalls, just off the road to Cao Bang. Wonderful beauty of Nguom Ngao spreads the cavern. A British study in 1995 found the grotto to be 2,144 meters long, reaching heights of up to 60 m, with three main entrances namely Nguom Ngao, Nguom Lom and Ban Thuon. At its main entrance, you can feel the fresh, cool air from the natural mist inside. Nature has endowed the cave with stone formations that look like human beings, trees, plants and mythical animals. The cave was formed due to weathered process of limestone mountains by wind and water over a long time. Stepping in the cavern, you seem to see a miraculous world. From high stone cliffs, hanging wonderful sparkling seven-colored stalactites. Along the way are stalactites of all shapes that look like boats, cactus, forests, terraced rice fields - a symbol of mountainous region of Vietnam and poles and valleys that are said to create a link between the earth and the heaven and a loving tie between men and women. The nature is busy with its work over a long time to create attractive stone statues of which some look like human bodies, some look like forest trees, animals of fairy tales, or a fairy combing her hair, or a good divine, or a huge lotus bulb. Stalactites seem to grow from the soil, or hang down, vertical or horizontal with small and big figures piled and fixed in a hustle indulging visitors. The most impressive stalactites are those that form an upside-down lotus chandelier, which is nestled a little below the path, and the corners with figures featuring fairies with flowing long hair. It takes about one hour to stroll around inside Nguom Ngao. Local people discovered Nguom Ngao in 1921, but the cave was not officially opened to tourists until 2006 when paths were built to lead visitors to many corners of the cave. Mains electricity is due to be installed, but it's probably sensible to take a torch. The cave is enormous (about 3km long) and one branch reaches almost all the way to the waterfalls, where there is a 'secret' entrance. Normally a guided tour will take about an hour and will only go about 400m into the cave; ask if you want to see more. The price remains the same, and a full tour takes about two hours. Nguom Ngao has been recognized as a national relic. Without doubt, Nguom Ngao Cave and Ban Gioc Waterfalls are two must-see natural wonders in the northern province of Cao Bang.

Tag: Nguom Ngao Cave, Cave Vietnam, Cao Bang