Bai Tu Long Bay - A national treasure

Located in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Bai Tu Long National Park comprises 40 islands, either earth or limestone, scattering across three communes, Ha Long, Van Yen and Minh Chau of Van Don district.

The bay covers a total area of 15,783 hectares, including 6,125 hectares of land, and is home to 1,090 species of fauna and flora. The park is considered a priceless national treasure according to Vietnam travel guide.

According to Dr. Bui Tat Thang from the Strategic Development Institute of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Bai Tu Long includes all three fundamental ecosystems: forest, wetlands and sea – a diverse area for different species to live and develop. 

In the park, 102 rare and precious species, including 72 species of fauna and 30 varieties of flora listed in Vietnam’s red book of endangered species can be found. 

The park also has 1,000 hectares of wetlands, which includes mangrove forest, sandy and rocky tidal banks and seaweed that provide food and shelter for animals. 

The wetlands ecosystem, with its impressive scenery and biodiversity, has attracted many eco-tourism, environmental education and research activities. 

The area of coral accounts for only a minor section of the park, but has an important role to play as an aquatic resource. It has high biological productivity and is a gene bank for many types of sea species. 

Besides the extremely diverse biological environment, the park also has archeological value, with evidence of ancient Viet people residing here 14,000 years ago. 

Operational since April, 2002, Bai Tu Long National Park is a stunning tourism spot with a rich ecosystem, therefore it should receive sustainable protection, conservation and development.

Paying a visit to the largest zoo in Vietnam

With thousands of wild animals of African origin living in an area of over 100 hectares of natural land, the Trai Bo ecological farm in Dien Chau district in the central province of Nghe An is the biggest zoo in Vietnam.

A few years ago, the public would be surprised when a man in Nghe An imported two African rhinoceros. To purchase the two wild rhinos, this man spent a lot of money to hire intermediaries engaged in trading, handling and shipping procedures. At that time, there were a lot of comments on the import of two wild animals. The Trai Bo eco-tourism farm showed off all the necessary documents granted by competent agencies for the development of an eco-tourism zone with a zoo where wild animals that are in danger of extinction are raised to serve conservation and development of genetic resources. In addition to the two rhinos, Trai Bo also has rare species like yellow tigers, white tigers, antelopes, white horses, ostriches, crocodiles, hippos, lions, giraffes... All of them are of African origin, which were selected carefully before being imported into Vietnam. The two African rhinos. Ostriches.  Indochinese tigers.  Hippopotamuses.    Horses.   Two African elephants.   A yellow tigers.    Black-white tigers. African lions.  A hippo.   Giraffes.  A spiral horned antelope.   A bear.

Lo Dieu rock reef awaits tourist footprints

Nguyen Thi Binh An Peaceful scenery in Lo Dieu Located in Lo Dieu Hamlet, Hoai My Commune, Hoai Nhon District in Binh Dinh Province, Lo Dieu Wharf was an important spot for Vietnamese revolutionary ships that transported weapons for the province’s Military Base No 5.

Rock reefs in Lo Dieu Beach are formed into many weird shapes The process of formation and nature has turned the rock reefs into strange and weird shapes that can arouse the rich imaginations of tourists. Seen from above, Lo Dieu Beach looks like a giant bow leaning back onto the mountain and facing to the sea with a rice field in the middle. Now Lo Dieu is also famous for the popular Bang Bang sand dunes. Coming to Lo Dieu, tourists have to pass through winding trails but will be rewarded by its romantic surroundings. Moreover, during summer, the clear blue water and smooth golden sand will give tourists a place to relax and a chance to indulge in nature and forget daily stresses. A view of Hon Trong (Waiting Rock) – Photos: Binh An The highlight of the area is Hon Trong (Waiting Rock), a rock in the shape of a woman waiting for her husband who has gone fishing. On the mountain wall facing the sea, tourists will see Ong Temple which is dedicated to worship whales and was used as a hiding-place for weapons in wartime. Every two years, local fishermen will make rituals and give offerings at the temple to skeletons of whales to pray for a good catch and safety in the sea.                                                                                                         Provide by Vietnam travel guide

Tra Co Beach - truly paradisaical beach for tourists in Vietnam Tourism

Tra co beach is one of the most beautiful beaches with A fine and fresh sea environment,A picturesque view and paradisaical beach.

Based at the first point of the S-shaped Vietnam, Tra Co beach, one of the most beautiful beaches, is an important stop-over when tourists arrive in Vietnam from the north.

Briefings

Tra Co beach is located in the Northeastern extreme of the “S-shaped Vietnam”, in Quang Ninh province. It is by the border with China, and around 8 kilometers from Mong Cai mountainous town and some 170 kilometers far away from Ha Long. With its advantages in terms of location, the beach is the destination of a number of travelers, especially those who come from China.

To the west, the province borders an extended forest and mountainous region. To the east, it is adjacent to the Gulf of Tonkin. It features a meandering coastline, numerous estuaries and tidal flats, and more than 2,000 large and small islands. Of which 1,030 have been named. The local annual temperature is around 22.7oC with two main seasons (Hot and Cold). The best time for swimming is summer season from April to September.

How to get there?

From Hanoi, going there by bus is a bit tired because of a long and uneven way of about 300km, and a long time of 7 hours. However, it is worth that you can enjoy the scenes of the Red river delta and will be surprised at different natural beauties from time to time and from plain to mountainous area.

Getting there by marine seems to be much easier and faster. After visiting Ha Long bay or Cat Ba island, we can take an express boat and reach to the beach after about two hours. By this way, you can also have a chance of enjoying the feelings of floating on the sea.

Why should you spend time here?

A fine and fresh sea environment

Tra Co Beach

Tra Co is considered one of “the most lyrical beaches in Vietnam” with a wide and plain beach, white and smooth sand, and blue sea water all the year round. The beach is about 15 kilometers long, on the edge of Tra Co peninsula, which was created by waves and flows. As a result, it covers some 3-4m sand-banks. Just nearby you can see a shadowed casuarinas forest, used to protect the inner village from hurricanes and the sand from erosion. It is neighboured to an original eco-system of mangrove forest is the zone lung. Known as one of the most beautiful beach in Vietnam, Tra Co is occasionally put in comparison with Nha Trang beach. Accordingly, if Nha Trang is as beautiful as a modern girl, Tra Co is a coyly rural girl since it has not yet been much exploited for tourism. Tra Co beach is much far from the city, industrial zone and harbour, which make it possess a cool and pure air, and a quiet and pristine environment.

A place of easy-to-buy seafood

If you would like to enjoy fresh seafood, Tra Co fishermen can surely meet your requirement. The fresh sea foods are always available on the seaside after fishing time. You can buy what you want at very low prices. Staying here, you still have a very good opportunity to taste every sea delicacies of your interest, such as lobsters, sea crabs, etc., while you can still save your money.

A picturesque view

Just 6 kilometers from the beach, there is a place where tourists could relax by watching the romantic sunrise and sunset. It is the beautiful Con Mang sand-bank, whose sand is fairly smooth and so solid that you can ride a motorbike on it. Imagine that you are sitting on the rocks, listening to the sounds from the sea waves. This will make you feel free, relaxed, and harmonized with the nature.

Closed to Con Mang, it is Vietnam’s border point with China, Sa Vi, where nature starts to write the “S”-shape of the nation. Tourists can clearly see China from this point. Though the Border War was left behind long ago, people can find some underground shelters, scattered along the two sides.

For those who are interested in local historical vestiges, Tra Co communal house, the pride of Tra Co people since it was built long time ago in 1462, should also be a stop-over, if time is available. Though having been repaired many times, it still retains the original architectural style as well as the sculptural art.All of six people who are worshipped in the house came from Do Son, Hai Phong city. They were the first people to step in the zone and established the village 400 years ago. Besides, they worship Quan He (Nguyen Huu Cau), a leader of uprising farmers under Le-Trinh dynasty.

Notes: At the end of the fifth lunar month, local people always organize the Village festival. A group of activities, such as boat paddling from Tra Co to Do Son - the father land, from 25th to 30th, cooking competition, boat racing, and so forth.

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Quang Ninh Province, Tra Co Beach is a must-see place that should not be missed!

                                                                                               Provide by Vietnam travel guide

It's Worth Visiting Ancient Loc Vung forest of Quang Binh

A village in the central province of Quang Binh has thousands of Loc Vung Barringtonia acutangula trees worth hundreds of billions of VND in total.

The forest is located in Phu Tho Village, An Thuy Commune, Le Thuy District.

Local residents, including the elders, have no idea about the age of the forest. They only know that it has been there throughout living memory. They say that the forest has protected the village from storms, hidden them during wartime and provided shelter for the people.

This forest has been preserved over many generations even though the price of this kind of wood has increased sharply. Some traders in the village were willing to buy trees around the village at tens of billions of VND. Estimates of the value of the wood contained in the forest are in the hundreds of billions of VND. But the villagers decided not to exploit it, as they consider it their treasure and their “lung”.

Under the village regulation, anyone who damages the forest will be strictly dealt with. The village security force recently caught an illegal logger, who was imprisoned. The man’s family was obliged to find another tree from somewhere else to replace the one he had cut down.

                                                                    Road to the forest

                                                                     Green duckweeds

Resemblance to a lying buffalo?

Large Loc Vung trees

Interesting facts about Vietnam food

There isadmirably a great balance between vegetable and meats, as well as a selectiveuse of spices to reach a fine taste. Vietnamese food can be considered one ofthe healthiest cuisines worldwide.

 Traditional Vietnamese cooking isappreciated for the freshness of the ingredients and for the minimum use of oilwhich makes this cuisine very healthy. Hardly do families use processed foodfor daily meals.

Vietnamese recipes make use of arange of herbs, including lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander andThai basil leaves. Interestingly each dish isaccompanied by a kind of herb.

Vietnamese cuisine is all about four distinct flavors, which arefish sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Hardly do families in thecountryside use pepper although Vietnamexport of pepper ranks the second in the World.

Vietnamesecooks use almost all parts of an animal for food, including meat, bone,internal organs and skin.

Decorationis essential in any dishes, ranging from simple herbs to complex flowers madefrom veggie, sauce, pastes, etc. In the North, decoration is most complex in Vietnam.

Rice isthe key and most important dish throughout the day. Vietnamese cuisine dependsheavily on rice grown in water paddies throughout the country, with dishesvarying from simple everyday meals to most complex dishes designed for Kings.

There is no preferred meat in Vietnam.Instead, all beef, pork, chicken, fish and various kinds of seafood are used inmost dishes.

The most favorite dish for familyevents is Spring Rolls. Vietnamese spring rolls are made with rice flour, meat,veggie, eggs, pepper and seasoning and are very light on the palate.

The most well-known Vietnamese dish worldwide is in fact not Spring rolls, whichranks the second, but Pho. Almost all visitors to Vietnam have ever tasted Pho.Almost all of them like the dish.

The most terrifying dish for foreign visitors is Blood soup, made from blood andinternal organs of pigs, ducks, goats and even dogs! It is however considereddelicious and nutritious by both men and women in Vietnam.

The flavor for foreign visitors is shrimp paste, a liquid paste made fromshrimp and used for various dishes including Bun Dau Mam Tom, dog meat.

The most tempting dish for male visitors is snake wine, which is considered veryhelpful for your bone system. It is one of the most popular traditional winesacross the country. However rarely can you see young men drink this type ofwine as it is believed not good for sexual ability.

The most popular Vietnamdrink is tea. There are hundreds of tea brands but the most favorite one isThai Nguyen tea. Interestingly only few women drink tea in a day, as tea is notgood for their sleep.

Vietnamese use different ingredients to cook different dishesduring different months of the year. During summer, the food is lighter and a lot of vegetablesare used in dishes, while in winter pork and beef are used a lot.

In Vietnam, there is sweet dessertsoup that is usually prepared with beans or sago and served with diced seasonalfresh fruits.

Vietnamese cooks use lotus. Every part of the lotus is used to prepare different dishesand root plants are used a lot in different dishes.

The most traditional recipe to curea cold is not medicine but a hot rice soup containing lots of onion and foliumperillae.

Goi Cuon and Pho are among the top50 best dishes in the world voted by CNN Travel. Goi Cuon is as attracting andpopular to foreign visitors as Pho. The dish is made from beef, lettuce, herbs,and noodle and rolled into a rice paper, then used with a special sauce.

Vietnam streetfood is among the most delicious in the world, ranging from simple to complexdishes.

Hotpotis the most popular family meal during weekends in the winter. Interestingly itis not the original Vietnamese dish but is copied from Korea and China.

Beerhoi or cheap street beer is the most favourite drink in the summer. Hanoi beer hoi is the most popular in Vietnam.

The ancient village of Duong Lam

JICA and a group of experts from Vietnam and Japan have teamed up to preserve an old village in Hanoi called Duong Lam.

A conference was held on the issue by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of Cultural Heritage on May 7. One official from the department said Duong Lam is among few villages in Vietnam that still has this style of old houses.

He said, “If no drastic measures are taken soon, the houses in Duong Lam may not be saved.”

The village\'s gateway

“One of the most important things is to educate the citizens, so that they understand the great cultural value of these houses. Hopefully they will voluntarily preserve them,” he added.

The Management Board of Duong Lam, along with Tay Son People’s Committee, are considering seeking UNESCO’s recognition of the village as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

The oldest house

Ms. Duong Bich Hanh, an official of UNESCO in Hanoi, said it would require great deal of time, patience and even money to pursue efforts to seek for UNESCO recognition.

“It is also essential to take into account the views of local citizens, and gain their support for the process, because their lives would be impacted by UNESCO recognition,” she said.

Gate of the oldest house

Duong Lam has been recognised as a National Heritage since November 28, 2005.

The Hanoi municipal government has also given the village official recognition. It has around 300 houses that are more than 100 years old, the oldest of which is 342.

An ancient well