Rich Phu Yen culture beckons

VietNamNet Bridge – The south central province of Phu Yen is well-known for its undulating coastline and majestic seascapes. It's also associated with its picturesque lighthouses and been in the headlines following the discovery of ancient stone xylophones made by Stone Age people thousands of years ago.

Fruitful welcome: This pagoda, built in 1797, was better known under the name Da Trang because of its location in an area that features a lot of

Those who decide to visit the province should devote a day to exploring Tuy An District, about 35km away to Tuy Hoa City – the provincial capital.

A visit to the district allows you to explore the richness of the local culture while also getting some interesting insights into Viet Nam's history as well.

Mang Lang Church is a famed destination for Catholic pilgrims rather than a tourist attraction but, its location, on the way to the nearby Da Dia Cliffs, makes it easy to visit.

The church was built in An Thach Commune, Tuy An District in 1892 by French priest Joseph de La Cassagne. It gets its name from the surrounding mang lang trees, which have oval leaves and purple and pink blossoms. There is still an old table made from mang lang wood in the church, a fixture that has been here since the church opened. The Gothic style church, which is the oldest church in the province, is situated on grounds that cover 5,000sq.m. A cross is positioned in the middle of two steeples. The building, originally painted white, has turned a dark grey with the passage of time.

Catholic visitors may be interesting in checking out documents kept at the church about the life of Saint Andrew Phu Yen. His statue stands solemnly on a small hill in the church yard. In addition, there is a small chamber which was built inside an artificial hill. The basement is filled with sculptures inspired by the life of the Saint.

"The Blessed Andrew Phu Yen is a great source of honour for our Qui Nhon Diocese and Mang Lang Parish," said local priest Pham Canh Hien.

Pilgrimage site: The 5,000sq.m Mang Lang church was built and decorated in the Gothic architectural style. — File Photos

"In early the 17th century, one of the Jesuit missionaries to visit our ancestors was Alexandre de Rhodes, and it was he who educated and baptised Andrew Phu Yen. Afterwards Andrew Phu Yen was privileged to receive his martyrdom on July 26, 1644, becoming the First Witness of the Vietnamese Church."

Through the faithful example and prayers of Saint Andrew, Mang Lang Village became the cradle of the Catholic missionary movement in Phu Yen Province and continues to be a destination for pilgrims and the site of Catholic youth festivals.

Visitors can view relics related to the history of the church, including the first book of Christianity in Eight Days, an early example of a book written in Vietnamese romanised script. It was printed in 1651 in Rome, Italy. The book was written by de Rhodes (1593-1660), a French Jesuit missionary and lexicographer.

De Rhodes, also known as Father Dac Lo, was among the first Western missionaries who created the script, basing it on the Roman alphabet while adding nine accent marks or diacritics – four of them to create additional sounds, and the other five to indicate tone. The many diacritics, often two on the same letter, make written Vietnamese easily recognisable.

It's about 10km from Mang Lang Church to Tu Quang Pagoda in An Dan Commune in the same district. The pagoda, built in 1797, is better known as the Da Trang (White Stone) Pagoda, as it is located in an area rich with white marble.

Xuan Dai Mountain lies behind the pagoda, and the Ngan Son and Phu My rivers are also situated nearby.

Da Trang Pagoda is famous for its group of ‘grave towers' or stupas. Every year, on the tenth day of lunar January, local people hold a festival to commemorate monks and heroes who contributed to the nation, including Tran Cao Van and Vo Tru.

The two national heroes joined the uprising led by Le Thanh Phuong (1825-87), a leader of the Can Vuong (Aid the King) Movement in Phu Yen Province.

The movement was a large-scale Vietnamese insurgency between 1885 and 1887 to expel the French colonialist in support of the boy emperor Ham Nghi, the eighth emperor of the Nguyen dynasty who was only on the throne for a year (1884-85) as the leader of an independent Viet Nam.

Today the pagoda is a great place to visit during the spring and summer, when the mangoes in the pagoda's orchard are ripening. The mangoes have long been known for their delicious taste and pleasant scent. The fruit is considered a typical speciality of the land and used to be offered to kings and members of the royal family.

The next stop is An Tho Citadel in the same commune. It was the provincial capital of Phu Yen from 1836-99.

The citadel is only 400m from the Phu Ngan River to the south and about 150m from the Vet River, and facilitating easy access to the sea when travelling by boat.

An Tho Citadel was recognised by the Ministry of Culture as a National Historic Heritage in 2007 and VND12,5 billion was invested for preservation and restoration work.

The project was completed in time for Phu Yen's 400th Anniversary and the opening ceremony for National Tourism Year in the Central South Coastal Provinces and Phu Yen 2011.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

 

In photos: Blossoming northwestern Vietnam

Coming to mountainous sides in the northwest of Vietnam during these autumn days, visitors will be breath-taken by the Tam Giac Mach flower fields.
This is a traditional flower grown by people in districts of Muong Khuong, Bat Xat, Si Ma Cai and Bac Ha in Lao Cai and many districts in Ha Giang and Cao Bang provinces in northwestern Vietnam.
People here often mix powder of Tam Giac Mach fruit with corn kernels to brew special kinds of wine such as Ban Pho (in Bac Ha), Nam Pung (Bat Xat) and Man Than (Si Ma Cai). The powder is even used as animal feed in some local areas. However, due to lower productivity than rice and maize, the growing area of Tam Giac Mach remains modest in the northwest.
This kind of flower blossoms every autumn. Tiny, light-purple white flowers boom at the same time, creating an amazing mountainous space, which is very attractive to fine art photographers.
The following are some photos of Tam Giac Mach flower fields in Lung Cai Mountain (Bac Ha) and Then Phang (Xin Man) taken by Dantri/DTiNews reporters in mid-October this year.

By Ngoc Trien-Ngoc Bang |

Tu Thuc Fairytale Cave

Tu Thuc Cave, also known as Bich Dao Cave lies on Than Phu Mountain in Nga Thien Commune, Nga Son District of Thanh Hoa Province, about 50km northeast of Thanh Hoa City. It is a well-known area with a legend about Tu Thuc’s meeting with a fairy.

According to an old story, district chief Tu Thuc was a native in Tong Son District (present-day Ha Trung District, Thanh Hoa Province). Once, during his leisure time after resigning as a mandarin, Tu Thuc went to Than Phu seaport to relax. While passing a mountain he saw a beautiful cave and went in to look. He met Giang Huong in the cave and they became husband and wife. They lived a happy life in the fairytale cave. After a long time, he felt homesick and returned to his native place for a visit. Seeing that there were no longer familiar people or sights, he found out that he had been away for a very long time. Heavy-hearted, he went back to the cave but it was empty and his wife was not there.

The rocky path to Tu Thuc Cave is over 100m long, running from the foot of the mountain upwards. In front of the cave are lush trees and interlacing creepers. At the cave’s entrance there is a shrine worshipping the mountain god and on the high cliff there is a poem in Chinese script praising the beauty of Tu Thuc Cave composed by King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497) and scholar Le Quy Don (1726-1784). 

For a long time, people have enjoyed Tu Thuc Cave’s beauty and its mystery of the love story between Tu Thuc and Giang Huong.

The main cave consists of three parts. The outer part is large with a ceiling that looks like an upside down giant bowl. Hanging from the ceiling is a stalactite in the shape of a peach, thus the cave is also called Bich Dao. The floor is flat and has traces of the shrine dedicated to Tu Thuc. There are big stalagmites in different shapes and sizes which are named according to people’s imagination, such as cache of silver, cache of rice, cache of salt and cache of money.

Leaving the first part, visitors go through a narrow rock slit to reach the second part. Here, they see a stalagmite in the shape of the “Sacrifice of Three Animals” (ox, pig and goat). On the floor there is a layer of stalagmite that looks like a dragon lying curled up among hundreds of yellow egg-like stalagmites, so it is called the “Dragon hatching golden eggs”. Going deeper, visitors are more surprised by many stalactites and stalagmites in strange shapes which create a fairytale world relating to the romantic love story of Tu Thuc and Giang Huong. These include Tu Thuc’s study room, Giang Huong’s bathroom and dress, flowers, peaches, the moon, and a pair of stone birds.

After going through the second part of the cave, visitors walk along a small wooden bridge over a murmuring stream and reach the third part which is high, wide and sparkling like the hall of a large theatre. Here, there are many stalactites and stalagmites looking like paintings, a chessboard, a pair of shoes, flowery carpets, seals, costumes and hats. These evoke the activities of the district chief, Tu Thuc in the past.



Deep inside, there are two human footprints in the rock. Legend has it that these are Tu Thuc’s footsteps. Nearby, there is a pool of clear water, where, as legend says, Giang Huong showered and frolicked. Beside the pool there is a spotted green rock strip and a strip of rocks in the shape of frogs, which are considered to be the image of Tu Thuc’s homeland. There are two deep alleys, one heading to the sky and the other to the earth’s womb, which people call the ways to heaven and hell.

Looking down from the entrance of Tu Thuc Cave visitors see a vast peaceful space at the foot of the mountain with square fields resembling a chessboard, a winding river and a village hidden under green bamboo trees. They will think of the story about Tu Thuc who strayed into a fairytale place and one day felt homesick for his homeland.

(Source: VNP)

The MoCST launches voting campaign for Ha Long Bay

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on October 11 organized an online ceremony to launch the voting campaign for Ha Long Bay to be a new natural wonder of the world. Three cities of Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City joined the online ceremony.

It is only about one month to go until the announcement of the New Seven Wonders of the world and thus will be an important time for Viet Nam to strive for this honourable title.

Addressing at the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister Ho Anh Tuan called for the vote of all people working in culture, sports and tourism sector for Ha Long Bay to be one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. In response to his call, hundreds of attenders at the ceremony in all three cities sent message “halong” from their cell phones to 147 to vote for Ha Long Bay.

By launching the campaign, which will last from 11:11am October 11 to 11:11am November 11, 2011, the Ministry also hopes to encourage the participation of all Vietnamese nationals and international friends in voting for Ha Long Bay.

The New7Wonders Foundation accepts 4 voting methods for Ha Long Bay via a) website www.new7wonders.com, b) telephone, c) SMS; and d) the social network of Facebook.

* The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just released Decision No. 3130/QĐ-BVHTTDL to establish a Standing Division for the Voting campaign for Ha Long Bay in this final stage.

Accordingly, the Division includes a Head who is Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh – Director General of the International Cooperation Department; two Deputy Heads who are Mr. Tran Nhat Hoang – Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Promotion Center and Mr. Trinh Ngoc Chung – Secretary of the Ministry’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; and 10 other members. The Division is based at the office of the International Cooperation Department.

(Source: Truyen Phuong (TITC))

Secrets of mummies in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – Behind mummies’ hundred-year sleeps are great secrets. In Vietnam, many ancient tombs have been unearthed, revealing unique embalmment methods.

Dong Nai: 200-year-old mummy unveiled

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the southern province of Dong Nai has announced the discovery of a mummified woman in an ancient tomb in Cau Xeo commune in Long Thanh district on September 16, 2011.

The department was excavating an ancient tomb site for clearance, to facilitate construction of the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay highway road, when they unearthed the 200-year-old mummy.

The excavation team was led by Professor Pham Duc Manh from the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities and renowned archeologist Do Dinh Truat. The mummified remains of the woman as well as its coffin have been preserved and brought to the museum.

Scientists said that the tomb had a secretive rectangular chamber. The tomb was 8.5 meters long including its wall and 4.5 meters wide. The coffin was shaped like a semicircle. It was adorned with a floral patterned cloth and the mummy was wrapped in cloth of a lotus leaf print.

After studying the structure of the tomb chamber and the coffin, archeologists came to the conclusion that the mummy was of noble birth during the Nguyen Dynasty.

Archaeologists will now conduct further research on the mummy along with medical experts from the University of Medicine in HCM City.

Mummy of the later Le dynasty in Nam Dinh

On April 1, 2011, building workers discovered five tombs while building a road in Lien Bao commune, Nam Dinh province. Four of the five tombs are modern, with coffins being worm-eaten. The last tomb has special structure.

The tomb was excavated on September 15 by experts from the Nam Dinh Museum and Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong, Secretary General of the Vietnam Archaeology Association. The excavation was finalized on September 17.

This is the smallest composite tomb discovered in Viet Nam so far, Nguyen Lan Cuong, said deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Archaeology Association.

The outer coffin was 107cm in length, 36cm in width and 40cm in height, while the inner coffin was 94.5cm in length, 27.3cm in width and 33.4cm in height. The compound was said to consist of lime, molasses, sand and charcoal with a piece of cloth used to enclose the contents.

Archaeologists found a skull and bones, affirming their thought that it was an exhumation tomb. Based on initial studies of the relics unearthed, Cuong supposed that the tomb was built around 300 years ago in the later Le dynasty (1533-1788).

This is the first time researchers have identified oil used to embalm the body. The archaeology crew took the oil and specimens in for research: the bones were put in an oblong earthenware container for reburial and brought to the regional cemetery, while the coffin was displayed at Nam Dinh Museum.

Ancient tomb destroyed in Hung Yen

Ancient coins burried with the mummy in Hung Yen province.

In late 2007, a private company named Phuc Nga destroyed an ancient tomb in Yen My district, Hung Yen province. According to workers who were involved in destroying the tomb--this ancient tomb was built by a compound of oyster shells, lime, stone powder, etc. The company hired a dozen of workers and used drilling machines to work for three days to break the tomb.

There was a red coffin inside the tomb. The coffin was covered by liquid of over 50cm high. When the coffin was opened, the fragrance of perfume spread over a vast area.

There was the body of an old man inside the coffin. The man is around 1.60m tall. He looked like being buried for not a long time. His hairs and eyebrow were untouched. His skin was soft and ruddy. The mummy was covered by many layers of cloths and wore a long pair of booths.

Believing that the mummy was buried with gold and jewelries, people cut off cloths and clothes of the mummy to seek gold. They took many items buried with the mummy, including hundreds of ancient coins.

The body was then buried in a ready-made tomb build by the private firm. However, the ready-made tomb was built to contain bones while the body was intact, so workers broke off bones to put the body into the tomb.

According to locals, this is the tomb of a duke of the Le dynasty. The public was very discontented over the case.

Mummy in perfume in Hanoi

This ancient tomb was also destroyed by a group of people without permission of the authorities. This tomb was discovered in April 2005 in a peach garden in Nhat Tan, Hanoi.

The tomb had three layers. The outer layer is 1.5cm thick, made by mortar, molasses, sticky rice powder and do paper. The second layer is the outer coffin, made of wood, 9cm thick. The coffin is made by canary wood of 10cm thick. The mummy was a man of 60 years old. The mummy was covered by cloths and soaked in perfume. The mummy was exposed by workers before archaeologists arrived.

The mummy was buried with three pillows, a pair of boots, four silk blouses, 10 brocade blouses, 9 ao liem (blouse for the dead), two cloth bags. Items show that the mummy is a rich man in the late 18th century. The mummy was buried at the Nhat Tan Cemetery in May 2005.

The ancient tombs in Hung Yen and Hanoi are two among many ancient tombs that were destroyed by poorly-educated people.

Le Ngoc  

Vietnam to promote tourism in Premier League

Vietnam tourism’s promotion slogan and website address will appear on electronic advertising boards in 12 matches of the Premier League from the middle of this month until the year-end.

Besides, promotion posters and video clips will be shown within one month in 60 stadiums where matches of leading football clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Everton take place.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Culture has spent VND3 billion on this program, in cooperation with Sports Revolution, a telecom firm from the United Kingdom, said Tran Nhat Hoang, director of Cultural, Sport and Tourism Promotion Center.

“The cost of VND3 billion is just enough for promotion in ten matches, but we are given two extra matches and advertising posters,” Hoang told the Daily on Monday.

This program, in combination with Vietnam Airlines’ promotion campaign, will have better effects as the air carrier has advertised Vietnam’s tourism in the Premier League on posters since August in preparation for the opening of the direct flight between Vietnam and the United Kingdom in December, he said.

Seeing that the United Kingdom is a potential market, Vietnam has made many tourism promotions in this country over the past two years, including advertisements on taxi-cabs and tourism magazines such as National Geographic UK.

In related news, the Guardian has announced the tourism awards 2011, in which Vietnam together with Japan, Maldives, Peru and New Zealand were voted to be the five favorite destinations of tourists.

(Source: SGT)

Tour operators downbeat on int’l arrivals

Most tour operators in the inbound segment worry about a fall in international visitor arrivals though the high season has started, as the global economic slump has taken its toll on the hospitality industry.

The high season for inbound tourism lasts from October to March, but the number of customers from Asian markets this season is estimated to fall 20%-30% year-on-year at Lac Hong Voyages Co., Ltd.

Similarly, Vietravel has recorded a sharp fall in the number of tourists from Europe and the United States. Some other tour operators forecast a slump of up to 30% in arrivals from Europe.

“Sometimes, we receive no bookings from customers even though we have done our best to attract them,” said Vietravel’s general director Nguyen Quoc Ky.

The global crisis has forced many travelers to cut down on spending, he said.

Europe known as the main visitor-generating market for Vietnam is now mired in the sovereign debt crisis, while Japan among other Northeast Asian nations is suffering from heavy damages caused by natural disasters.

Travel firms also attributed the fall in foreign visitors to the uncompetitive price on the local tourism market coupled with boring tourism products.

Most travel agencies reported a price hike of at least 15%-25% for package tours compared to the same period last year. Consequently, the local industry players find it hard to compete with foreign rivals who offer customers better prices.

“In other countries, when the price of gasoline increases, members in the tourism industry join forces together to overcome the difficulty, which hasn’t been seen in Vietnam so far,” Ky of Vietravel complained.

Another woe of the domestic tourism industry is poor products, pointed out Tran Vinh Loc, director of Lac Hong Voyages.

Local travel agencies have merely offered tours based on natural attractions along with shopping venues only, instead of arranging attractive entertainment services and other night programs for visitors.

Loc took the case of South Korea and Thailand as examples, in which the former offers a wide selection of shows to travelers and the latter often enriches its artistic programs with the participation of foreign art troupes in a bid to lure tourists.

“Given poor programs, we have failed to satisfy our customers who are offered only the Cu Chi Tunnels-Binh Tay Market-Ben Thanh Market route for one-day travel,” Loc said.

SGT

Hoi An to offer free Wi-Fi around town

Tourists visiting Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage town, will be able to surf the internet for free from the end of this year, according to the Quang Nam Province Department of Information and Communications.

Ho Quang Buu, the department director, said together with the Vietnam Data Communications Area 3 and Quang Nam Telecom it had drafted a plan for setting up a Wi-Fi system.

It will cost around VND23 billion (US$1.1 million), which will be provided by private sources.

Businesses investing in Hoi An were willing to put up the money, Buu said.

There will be 350 hotspots in areas where large numbers of people gather.

In 1999 UNESCO declared Hoi An a world heritage site for being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port in the 15th to 19th centuries and having buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

It is a popular tourist site, attracting large numbers of both locals and foreigners.

Source: Tuoitre