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

Puong Cave Near By Ba Be Lake - Bac Kan Province - Viet Nam

Puong Cave is located in the Nang River of Ba Be , Bac Kan province. It is about 5km from the Cha Ra town. The Puong Cave attracts visitors with its strange and unique stalactites and the bat community of ten thousands. The Nang River flows under the limestone among the vertical cliffs of Lung Nham Mountain that is Puong cave. The small boat floats in the cave with the ethereal lights. Beside this magical scene with color and sound of water and light, visitors would be fascinated by the strange stalactites in the gate of the cave. There is a community of bat inside the cave with the number of tens of thousands. On the east north of Ba Be Lake, in the hillside of the Lung Nham range, Puong cave is one of the favored destination with the height of 50m. It creates a splendid entrance with the Nang river flows for 300m through the cave, which creates one of the most magnificent limestone landscapes of Ba Be national park. The cave is the residence of many night creatures. Typically, there are 18 types of bats with the amount of thousands, which covers the vast number of national park of Ba Be. They often run in the twilight and dawn time. There are three types of bat, which are important in pollination, and distribution of the seed. The bats, which eat insects, also help with protecting the local crops from many harmful insects. However, the noise for visitors and bothering for local people to gather its dung are affecting the down number of bats.

Lao Cau island - South Central Coast

Binh Thuan Province is rich in human and natural potentialities that are good advantages for developing tourism and service sector. The province has the coastal line of nearly 200 km with many beautiful beaches such as Mui Ne, Ca Na, Cu Lao Cau. Cu Lao Cau is a small and young island rising in the middle of the sea, located in Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan, about 9 km away from the seashore. Tourists can spend 30 or 40 minutes to get there by boat. 

 This island stays about 119 km away from Phan Thiet City to the Northeast. Cu Lao Cau island is characterised by rocky outcrops, with sandy beaches on the north and south sides. The highest point on the island is 27m. It covers a long distance of over 1.500m with the widest area of nearly 700m and the highest one of 7m above sea level. The entire island is surrounded by tens of thousands of cliff blocks of different colors and shapes. From the main land, it looks like a big warship. It is really interesting when having a condition to observe the whole island carefully. Around this isle, the water is always clean and blue. When the tide goes down, on the seashore we can see numerous beautiful shells and corals pleasing the tourists’eyes. Quite many kinds of sea creatures living around this island. It would be very great if tourists bring a fishing rod and some preys to fish. On the island, there is also a fresh water well, which is called a Fairy Well from an old book. 

Although the water amount is small, the well is the sort of permanent leaking water. Fringing coral reefs can be found around Cu Lao Cau island and platform reefs on submerged banks. The reefs are pristine, with an average cover of 43%. This site supports the highest diversity of hermatypic corals known in Vietnam. There are more than 65 genera of coral known here, including Acropora, Goniopora, Montipora, Porites, and Favia. There is also a small area of seagrass beds. Sea currents from the north and south converge near Hon Cau-Vinh Hao, with strong upwelling. 

The area has high productivity, with 175 phytoplankton species, 163 seaweed species, 147 coral species, 80 mollusc species, 46 crustacean species, 26 echinoderm species and 211 fish species so far recorded here. Cu Lao Cau island is one of the places that has Vietnam’s best ecological environment. With beautiful neglected beach, presently, it is has been planned to be a marine life preservation zone and an eco tourist site. The island will promisingly become an ideal ecological tourist attraction.