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!