Pho Hien is located 60km from Ha Noi. To go there, take National Highway 5 to Pho Noi, then road 39A through rice fields and luxuriant gardens of longan trees.

From the 13* to the 15* century, Hien was a bustling commercial port with boats coming from China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Great Britain and France. But Hien slowly gave up its position as a commercial port to Hai Phong. However, today Hien still possesses a whole architectural complex of 60 historical remains, 100 engraved stelae as well as many temples and pagodas. Do not forget to visit the Hien Market.

The cage-longan (the name comes from the technique of covering the longans with cages to protect them from the birds) is a speciality of Pho Hien, which is famous in the whole country. The sweet cage-longans, with a thick pulp and a thin peel, used to be offered to kings only.

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Hung Yen province, Pho Hien is a must-see place that should not be missed!

Truc Temple and Ngu Dong Son in Thi Son commune, Kim Bang district are about 8 km from Phu Ly town. They are located nearby the National Route no.21 on the tour route from Phu Ly to Perfume Pagoda. They are beautiful caves consisting of five connecting caves creating an interrupted chain with a length of over 100 m and greatly different stalactites in their primitive nature. Theses stalactites form hundreds of sparkling and miraculous shapes which can be imagined as lion, eagle, breast milk pot, Tang zeng on the way to find the Buddhist Prayer book, and etc, forming part of the Quyen Son cultural vestiges.

Inside Ngu Dong Son

Ngu Dong Son connects closely with Truc Temple vestige worshipping the national hero Ly Thuong Kiet. He held a victory ceremony at the foot of the mountain where has thick and interminable bamboo forests, the Truc Temple festival and Quyen Son folk songs.

Thuy Grotto (Luon cave): Getting to the grotto is by passing Hong Phu bridge from Phu Ly town along the National Route no.21 to Km11 and then turning left for about 500m. Thuy Grotto is approximate 400m long, locating deep inside the mountain. It is an attractive ecotourism site which has been planned with many services such as trekking, relaxing and entertaining.

Tam Chuc lake in Ba Sao commune, Kim Bang district is about 12km from Phu Ly town on the National Route no.21A, bordering with Hoa Binh and Ha Tay, and approximate 3 km mountain road from Huong Son tourist area. The total area is 1042 ha, in which the lake constitutes approximate 720 ha. Tam Chuc lake is being planned with projects investing on infrastructure construction and weekend ecotourism resort including main tourist services namely: lake tour, leisure, trekking, sport and entertainment

Waterfall in Tam Chuc Lake

Phuc Long Grotto is located in Chua mountain region in Chau village, a part of Kien Khe mountain range (also known as Thien Kien mountain). Chua mountain is one of the linking mountain peaks in Chau Son village and La Mat village, Kien Khe commune. Chua mountain is the central peak, where Hang pagoda and the temple at the north of the pagoda are located. The grotto, which is harmonised with the pagoda scenery, borders with the Communal house and the pagoda in Chau village, forming an attractive landscape vestige for near and far tourists.

Thanh Liem tourist area consists of Kem Trong, Tien pagoda, Giong Lo cave, and Chau pagoda. At Kem Trong tourists will recall one poem written by Ho Xuan Huong, the legend of Trinh Lord, and etc. These sights are small in size but are favoured with many beautiful landscapes locating in a narrow area which is convenient for travelling. They are potential for touris development providing investments and restoration activities are available.

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Ha Nam Province, There are many must-see places that should not be missed!

The Ba Danh Pagoda, which has been neglected by tourists for many years, is becoming a more popular attraction.

Among the Vietnamese, the temple has been knows as the “Deserted Pagoda” for a long time. But now things are changing. Nowadays the pagoda has been playing host to many visitors.

To get to the pagoda, located in Ha Nam Province, you must take an 8km boat ride.

Although it has been passed over for a long time, it is still considered one of the nicest temples in the country because of the seaside views and the mountainous surroundings, as well as the architecture of the pagoda itself.

Actually, more than a pagoda, it is more of a complex, covering 10ha and more than 40 separate structures.

In the 7th century, the pagoda was a small temple, which was upgraded during the Le Dynasty. In 1994, Ba Danh Pagoda was granted a certificate as a national historic monument by the Ministry of Culture.

In 2007, the province invested another VND20 billion (USD956,937) into the restoration.

Last September, the pagoda opened a large guesthouse to serve tourists.

Monk Thich Dam Dam said “The pagoda is no longer deserted. Sometimes we receive hundreds of visitors a day. Many of them come back over and over.”

Ba Danh Pagoda’s festival is held on March 25 and 26.

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Ha Nam Province, Ba Danh Pagoda is a must-see place that should not be missed!

Belonging to Cat Ba Archipelago, which includes 367 islands, in the south of Ha Long bay, Cat Ba Island is only 30 km from Hai Phong city centre and 25 km from Ha Long city.

Not at all is it a random thing when Cat Ba is also called Pearl Island (Dao Ngoc in Vietnamese). With a 70m altitude, and the post to overlook Lan Ha lagoon, Cat Ba lures tourists by its heavenly captivation. With an area of 140 km2 and population of 9000 people, it is proud to be the biggest island among the 1,969 islands in Ha Long bay. If you are considering a fresh-air and beautiful place to travel, just pack your stuff, stand up and fly to this magic land of blue Sky and Sea!

The Biosphere reserve of the world!

The archipelago has a global significance thanks to its plentiful species found nowhere else. It is home to the golden-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus), one of the top ten rare primates in the world due.

Besides, visitors can find several precious habitat types here, including fringing coral reefs, mangrove forest, sea grass beds, willow swamp forest and tropical limestone forest. Many of those are fiercely endangered.

With a major coastal fishing zone, and a karst seascape of outstanding beauty, a tremendous potential for agri-aqua culture and tourism is open to the area. Thanks to the special values, Cat Ba was acknowledged as the World Biosphere Reserve in 2004. So, are you curious to go? Then…

… Take a visit to its caves and grottos, now?

Cat Ba boasts many beautiful caves and grottos such as Trung Trang, Quan Y and Thien Long…

Trung Trang is the largest valley in Cat Ba Island with the total area of 300 ha, from 10-30 meter lower than the sea level, which is 15km northwest of the island. It is about 300 m walk. Beautiful with glistening stalactite & stalagmite it is! Visiting Trung Trang, one has learnt that it is deeply a thousand-year great work of Nature!

Quan Y grotto. “Quan Y” means “Army medical care”. This special name derives from the Wartime against American Air force, when Vietnamese people built a hospital with hundreds of beds inside this grotto. Today, visitors can easily reach it as Quan Y Grotto is on the main way along the Island, only about 13 km from the Island’s centre.

About 2 hours traveling by boat from Phu Long wharf is Thien Long grotto. It has just been discovered since 1997. This is one of the most beautiful caves and grottos in Ha Long bay. As wide and deep with miraculously various shaped & colorful stalactites and stalagmites, and tree roots from the mount to the bottom, Thien Long grotto is admired by any tourist stepping inside. One even said: “It looks like a pretty and peaceful fairy land on the sea..!” after her tour here. Also, people can feel free to contemplate the coral system, salty lakes and ponds in and around, which are definitely rich of marine bio-diversity.

Go swimming & entertain yourself, or you might regret!

A peak mountain in the shape of a turtle divides the beach into 2 small beaches, Cat Co One and Cat Co Two. On the right hand is fabricated rock mountain, while on the left hand is the clear and blue sea water, white and smooth sand. The beauty of the beach has been changing side by side with the flying time. Yet, never would it lose the natural luring power.

In the morning, after enjoying the sunrise on the sea, tourists will visit Monkey Island, conquering Hai Thanh mount, Hon Thot mount or Hon Guoc mount, and swimming in the pure sea as much as you can to feel how fresh a “heaven” can be!

In the afternoon, you may discover the area’s original beauty by renting a kayak to paddle to the bay. Then, should you are still well enough, perhaps we join some sports on the beach, such as valley ball, boat racing, and so forth. When night falls, the whole team would lie down in the cottages near by the beach to relax for a while, listening to the sound of rough sea waves. A romantic & relaxation experience!

Lan Ha Bay

Lan Ha bay is situated in the southeast of Cat Ba Island. It takes about 30 minutes to go there from Cat Ba by boat. The bay is large with arched shore. Getting inside, a number of islands and beaches are welcoming tourists.

Not only is it famous for beautiful beaches, but also for the imposing caves and ideal place for fishing. A lot of visitors who are fond of fishing do not want to come back once staying here for a while!

Viet Hai village

To switch into a new atmospheric space, tourists should now get to Viet Hai Village. It captures attentions by the precious retained hundreds-year traditional cultural values of Cat Ba. Viet Hai people still live in the simple house, built in bamboo, wood, leaves and soil.

If it gets late, we may stay overnight in the village in a simple and guest house at very reasonable price. You might be surprised as being treated in a friendly way, and served with special local cuisine seafood by the honest and hospitable local people. Believe me, you may not want to go back soon!

How to reach Cat Ba Island?

Visitors can reach Cat Ba Island by two ways. One, by ferry from Hai Phong city, Binh ferry station or Dinh Vu ferry station. And two, from Ha Long bay. After visiting this Natural World Heritage Site, visitors can keep staying on boat and getting to the Island.

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Hai Phong City, Cat Ba island is a must-see place that should not be missed!

The project to build an international resort in Hon Dau, Do Son district, Haiphong city is a typical example of breakthrough in tourism development and management for not Haiphong alone.

Provided with only 96.12 ha of land with three sides facing the sea, Hon Dau International Tourism Joint-stock Company has decided to expand the project site outward to the sea that will shorten the gap between Do Son peninsula and stunning Hon Dau island.

Over a long period of construction up to date, the expanded area has reached 120 ha. Consequently, the expected resort of total VND 700 billion investment which was hard to be materialized previously has been gradually come into view. The resort model has been rated by Ministry of Construction as one of the best resorts nation wide. The land area of the project starts from historical Nghieng Wharf where the last French colonists left Vietnam and ends at K15 Pier which is a famous place where nameless ships starts their voyages transporting military provisions from the North to the South for Vietnamese soldiers in the war again the US. The pier is also the starting point of well-known Ho Chi Minh sea route. Hon Dau island with untouched natural beauty in which South Ocean Neptune Temple along with the local famous lighthouse exists is an ideal ecological resort. Bringing into full play the natural advantages, Hon Dau Resort which working round the year is expected to help local tourism overcome the difficulty of traveling seasons as the atraction is presently only known for sea travel and summer vacation. On Dau No mountain, the investor is building a small imitated Da Lat with pine trees, Love Valley, bendy paths, gardens with flowers, different kinds of birds and animals. Travelers visiting the attraction can only go up the hill on foot or by tramcar. On the top of the hill there will be a helistop and a car park for visitor’s use. Right at the hill foot is a artificial beach of 6 ha to be designed by Australian experts and built with a total investment of USD 6 million. Water of the beach will be filtered to make Do Son Beach’s existing brown-coloured water with illuvial become clearer than ever. Staying at the resort in winter, visitors can enjoy mud-bath which is warmed by hot steam system in a glasshouse.

In addition, there will be over 200 villas of different sizes to be constructed and equiped with additional facilities such as a common entertainment area, park, netted beach with white sand, multi-sport hall, music water fountain, festival square etc. In the complex, a multi-purposed international convention hall will also be built with the capacity of over 1.000 seats which is able to serve international summits. In Do Son peninsula, the owner will put up more than 400 villas coming between small green parks and facing all to receive wind from Tonkin Gulf. The villas will be accompanied with recreational areas including a sea park, underwater palace, international statue and sculpture park, underwater and on-land performance quarters, sea clubs, underwater wedding etc. Hence, upon its completion which is not long away, Hon Dau International Resort will come into operation to satisfy luxurious visitors nationally and internationally as well as local residents. It is also the all-year-round resort attracting travelers visiting the beach not only in summer but in winter as well

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Hai Phong city, Hon Dau Resort is a must-see place that should not be missed!

Phat Diem Stone Cathedral, lies 28 km East of Ninh Binh city, was constructed from 1875 to 1899. And as its name suggests, it was completely built of stone and wood that are readily available in the mountain area of Ninh Binh. The preparation phase, mainly extracting materials from limestone mountains, took the local as many as 10 years to finish.

It is an extremely artistic, cultural and religious work of Luu Phuong commune, Kim Son district. The site is not only a harmonious combination between the architecture of Asian pagodas and European church but also shows skillful techniques of Vietnamese artisans since the XIX century (1875-1899). This Stone Cathedral is a complex comprising of a lake, a cathedral, a stone church, Phuong Dinh (bell house) and three artificial grottoes. At first sight, visitors are easily attracted to square lake on the main road to the cathedral. In the middle of the lake, there is a small island with statue of Jesus Christ. Phuong Dinh easily becomes the next eye-catching monument, with stone carvings on both sides of the walls. It is 25 m high, 17m wide and 24m long with three

stories. The first floor is covered by large green flagstones. The middle and upper floors house a large drum and a big bell respectively. As visitors leave Phuong Dinh, they will see a great cathedral which was built in 1891with the official name “Nha tho Duc Me Man Coi”. The cathedral is 74 meters long, 21 meters wide and 15 meters high with four roofs. It was built of 6 rows of monolithic ironwood. Within the cathedral are four small churches of different styles. Next to the grand cathedral is a stone church with initial name “Nha Tho Trai tim Vo Nhiem Nguyen Toi Duc Me” but now people usually refer to it as” Stone church” because from its walls, pillars, ground, bars to tie beams are made of stone. The inside of the church has many sophisticatedly carved reliefs, with chrysanthemum, bamboo, fir tree and apricot tree that symbolize four seasons in a year. Around Phat Diem Cathedral, there are a lot of beautiful stone caves and artificial mountains.

Thanks to skillful techniques of Vietnamese artisans and special design, Phat Diem Cathedral is a pride of Vietnamese people in general and many locals in Ninh Binh in particular. It is also an attractive-tourist destination in Vietnam travel.

Bai Dinh Pagoda is located behind a range of limestone mountains in Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district and Ninh Binh province. When visiting the pagoda one time, visitors in Vietnam tourism all feel its great size and imposingness. Its back leans against the Bai Dinh Mountain with the height of 200m. The area for constructing Ba Dinh Pagoda is 80ha, which is located on the mass of “Bai Dinh Pagoda hallowed culture” belonging to Trang An Tourism Area. Currently, this mass is executing many items of Pagoda including Tam The (Past, Present and Future) Temple, Sanctuary and Bodhisatva Kwan Yin statue, Dharma Temple, Bell-tower, Three-door temple gate, and dormitory area for Buddhist monks, etc. As the Yen Stream flowing under the foot of Huong Tich Pagoda, in front of Pagoda valley, a hundred of  excavators, bulldozers and power-shovels are digging land and build up a dike to make a  huge semicircular lake, which will be taken water from the river crossing to create a landscape of “on shore and under boat.”

Among these great religion works, Tam The Temple and Dharma Temple are still the most important emphasizing point. The area of two Temples up to 1.000m2 (area of the main sanctuary of traditional pagodas is maximum about 150m2 because it is limited by compartments - stipulated by the length of wood beam). Containing four achieving record statues inside, Dharma Temple is high up to 22m. Four statues - three bronze Tam The statues and one Great Buddha Sakyamuni statue - are the pride of “Owners” of Bai Dinh pagoda. Each statue of Tam The weighs 50 tons, 12m high, Great Buddha Sakyamuni statue with 16m high and weighs 100 tons, which are casted by the pure bronze bought from Russian, casted and installed by the famous Artisans of casting bronze statue in Y Yen, Nam Dinh.

Another special feature in Bai Dinh pagoda is “Great Bell” with the weight of 36 tons was casted and located in Bell Tower. In addition, there is 70 -ton bronze drum on the floor of the Tower. What's more, coming to Bai Dinh pagoda, visitors have a chance to see the biggest Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue in Bodhissattva Temple. This statue looks so marvellous with thousand hands and eyes to present the protection and universal salvation for common people.

500 Arahat statues

Surprisingly, visitors joining tours in Vietnam will be astonished at the collection of 500 Arahat statues on the hill on the right – hand side of Dharma Temple. The 500 Arhat statues with the height of 2.3m, carved by Ninh Binh stone have different positions and gestures that create lively atmosphere and magic space.

There is no doubt that Bai Dinh pagoda is masterpiece of both nature and men. It is the pride of Vietnamese people in terms of unique architecture, culture and historical value. If you have a tour to Ninh Binh, Bai Dinh pagoda is a visit-worthy destination for sure.

In 1773, Mr. Nguyen Nghiem (the father of the great writer Nguyen Du) visited this cave. After viewing the whole scenery of the mountains, waterways, fields, and sky covered in green mist, he gave the cave a very beautiful and romantic name, Bich Dong (which literally means "Green Pearl Grotto"). Bich Grotto is said to be the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam, after Huong Tich grotto in Ha Tay province (currently part of Hanoi). The Bich Dong Pagoda was built near the cave in the Le Dynasty.

Built on Ngu Nhac Son Mountain, in Dam Khe Village, Ninh Hai Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, Bich Dong Pagoda is divided into three levels: Ha Pagoda (lower pagoda), Trung Pagoda (middle pagoda), and Thuong Pagoda (upper pagoda). On the mountain peak stands the statue of a scholar Mandarin looking at the horizon in hope of viewing the spectacular landscapes of Hoa Lu.

Tourists in Vietnam travel have the most magnificent view of Bich Dong from the upper pagoda, which is romantically charming in terms of architecture and history. The location for this pagoda was chosen in 1428 after two monks were charmed by the view of the river and the mountains. Later, King Le Canh Hung who said that Bich Dong Pagoda was the second nicest pagoda in Vietnam, after the Huong Pagoda (also called Perfume Pagoda) in Ha Tay Province wrote a poem in honour of the beautiful pagoda and landscape.

If one who has ever visited Binh Dong Pagoda cannot ignore Tam Coc Grotto, about 3km from Van Lam Wharf. It is located approximately 2km from the pagoda.

To reach the Tam Coc Grotto consisting of the Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba grottoes, tourists in Vietnam tourism need to take a boat from Van Lam Wharf. These caves are adorned with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites of different shapes and colours that sparkle like gemstones.