Monday, October 22, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Lang Co – the sea legendary
Lang Co – the sea legendary
Known as a wild picturesque sea view, Lang Co is the ideal beach for summer vacation and wild beauty discovery!
Briefings
Lang
Co is a famous beach of Thua Thien-Hue Province, best known for its
ever most beautiful natural landscapes and pure sea wildness.
Strategically situated inside the zone of 3 World Heritage Conservation
Centers (Hue ancient citadel, Hoi An old town, and My Son holy land),
Lang Co is only 30 kilometers from Da Nang, and 70 kilometers from Hue.
Accordingly, this helps develop diversified types of tourism, and keeps
tourists to stay there longer. Lang Co is attached to a number of
beautiful names by admiring tourists, some of which are “Beautiful lady
of fishing village”, “Greater beauty than picture”, and so forth. You
will soon discover the names’ derivation once you have come here.
Geographical features
At
Hai Van Mount foot there appears the beautiful Lang Co beach, whose
sand banks are 1.5m – 10.5m from sea level. The sand banks gradually
change their height to 5.0m-23m from sea level, with total stretching
line of 8 – 9 kilometers.
Climate
Typically
Vietnamese, Lang Co has a monsoon tropical climate, with two main wind
directions, northwest one in winter and southeast one in summer. The
annual average temperature is 25.2oC. Tourists should be known that it
is hottest in June and July (aprx. 41oC), and coldest in December (aprx.
8.8oC). Annually, the beach has an average rainfall of 3,368 mm.
Seaside features: All the best in one
Seen
from above, Lang Co beach looks like a picture of beautiful cristine
nature. As you may know, Lang Co is famous for its magnificent natural
landscapes surrounded by mountains, tropical jungles, and the boundless
blue sea with waves coming to the 8 or 9 - kilometer immaculate and fine
sand, absorbing thousands of tourists. The picturesque sea view brought
great inspiration for King Khai Dinh to write the epitaph “Royal
step-over temple” and issued the decree to order the Ministry of Public
Works to build a summer palace for recreation here. Lang Co beach is
stretching along 1A Highway, easily found and favorable for tourists’
dropping off. For those fond of sea entertainment, this is actually a
good choice thanks to the sloping sea, fine and clean sand, great
moderate waves. Suggested activities are swimming, diving, sailing or
more simply, relaxation by lying down on beaches. What is more, Lang Co
is also popular for diversified beauty spots and delicacies. Right next
to Lang co seaside is Hai Van Mount and Hai Van Quan, a famous Vietnam’s
sightseeing. Along the mount foot, Lang Co sea is filled with coral,
king shrimps, and numerous seafood of values. Inside the area, there
lives a majestically captivating “Pearl Island” – Son Tra, where exists
a series of wild species and flora. What lives behind the seaside? That
is Bach Ma (White Horse) Mount and Lap An damp. The latter, with a
quiet rounding road, is an ideal bicycle-riding place for those enjoying
a mediative space. A number of other magnificient beauty spots, such as
Bat Cave, Elephant Stream, Nhi Ho Fall, Dream Fall, etc. are extra
activities for tourists to try after a busy day of joyful seaside
entertainment.
Resorts
Lang
Co beach resort is classified as the best by the Economic times. The
resort was designed with Hue traditional garden house architecture and
well-equipped with modern facilities meeting the international standard.
It has 88 guest rooms, in which there are 57 deluxe villas & Suites
designed in Hue traditional structure & 31 Budget rooms, 200
persons restaurants with European & Asian food & lagoon’s fresh
seafood, Billiards bar, Pool bar, Health Club with Gym, Outdoor Swimming
Pool, Tennis, Massage-Sauna, Karaoke, Beauty salon, Beach Volley Ball,
02 Bars: Lobby & Tropical Terrace, Banquet, Meeting & Conference
venues seating up to 40-300 persons with 02 private rooms, Business
center with full secretarial services, Souvenir shop - Sea & Lagoon
Excursion. All the best services are welcoming you, ensuring that you
will soon come back at least once.Sea FestivalsThe beach annually holds a
sea festival with hundreds of seaside activities, introducing its
beauty to tourists elsewhere. Year by year, Lang Co festival promises to
improve in terms of both contents and scale. Normally, it is an
opportunity for tourists to witness an overwhelmingly magnificient and
eventful atmosphere with impressive and joyful sea games. No travellers
could say no to this very chance of enjoying life!
“Coming
up mountain to see White Horse Hero, going down to sea to meet Lang Co –
lady of beauty” is a popular saying of seasiders since Lang Co beauty
is compared to a young graceful lady. With excellent sea potential, Lang
Co completely deserves the brand of “Lang Co – a sea legendary”. Sooner
or later, Lang Co will be well-known not only for a wildly poetic
beauty but attractive sea services as well.
Hue beef noodle
Hue beef noodle – the typical culinary art of Hue!
In Hue city, the former citadel of Vietnam, it doesn't take you a lot of money to dine like a King!
Hue beef noodle takes its origin
from the Royal Hue City of Central Vietnam. The broth is from cooking
beef bones for a long period of time as well as a variety of different
spices including lemongrass.
How does it taste?
Well, having a bowl of Hue beef noodle, you will easily recognize that
it is completely different from Pho since the former’s beef
broth is much more spicy.
How to make it?
Learning how to make a clear broth from bone and meat is quite a
difficult task. After being selected from the market, the fresh beef
will be shredded, boiled and taken out of the water to obtain a
delicious clear broth. A typical version of Hue beef noodle must include
pork, roast beef, pig’s blood, Vietnamese salami, Hue’s style salami,
shrimp sauce and chopped lettuce.
The
interesting thing is that, the amount of salt put in the beef noodle
recipe varies between seasons. For example, during summer, Hue beef
noodle soup is served with soy bean, mint and different kinds of lettuce
while in the winter, the recipe is saltier added with lemongrass and
fish.
The
best Hue beef noodle comes from the street vendors who work from dawn
to early morning. In Hue, when night lights are on, you can enjoy a good
bowl of this noodle soup at restaurants in front of No. 84 Mai Thuc
Loan Street. This hot dish represents just a few of the treasures of
Hue's traditional cuisine. Clam-rice and the flour pies like beo
(streamed flour cupcakes), nam (wrapped shrimp pies) and loc (tapioca
and shrimp pies), for examples, are part of the ancient capital's
culinary heritage.
Com hen song Huong
Com hen song Huong (Perfume River mussel cooked rice)
“Com hen Song Huong” is a dish served at room temperature,
made with mussels and leftover rice. It is a complicated recipe that
includes sweet, buttery, salty, sour, bitter and spicy flavors.
Com hen
Song Huong (or Com hen in short) is the very simple and low-priced
specialty of Hue, the ancient citadel of Vietnam. Accordingly, the way
of serving this special kind of food is of great ancience, simplicity
and deliciousness.
Com hen
has a sweet-smelling flavor of rice, onion, and grease, as well as
strange tastes of sweet, buttery, salty, sour, bitter, and peppery-hot.
You have to arrive to Hen river-islet in the Perfume River to have the
original Com hen. However, you can find out the dish on some
streets in Hue City. It requires 15 different raw materials to prepare
for the dish, including mussel, fried grease, watery grease, peanuts,
white sesames, dry pancake, salted shredded meat, chilly sauce, banana
flower, banana trunk, sour carambola, spice vegetables, peppermint,
salad, etc.
Com hen is always attractive to many customers since it is tasty and, at the same time, economical to anybody.
What makes this simple kind of food popular is
revealed in the great endeavor to adopt and process its main ingredient
– mussel. Mussels are sea species, which must be dipped in water for a
long while before being processed. Accordingly, people often say that com hen somehow expresses the strenuous work of the maker.
Where to find it? Very
easy as it is popular everywhere in Hue and these days, elsewhere in
Hue restaurants in Vietnam. More favorably, it is a low-priced specialy,
thus you could eat it in luxurious restaurants in Hue or even in
vendoring mobile shops on the streets.
“Visiting
Hue could not miss Com hen, or else you have not come to Hue ever!” is
the most common remark of visitors elsewhere to Hue. So, please come and
enjoy it yourself!
Dong Ba Market
Dong Ba Market – one of the romantic Hue’s symbols
What consists in the attraction towards this market is the preservation of ancient distinctiveness.
Tourists can see all the typical features of a traditional Vietnamese
market, for example, the sampan landing, the bus station and the
bazaars. Dong Ba market is considered as a paradise for snapshots of
daily activities as well as for shopping with everything from souvenir
items to bronze goods, Hue sesame sweetmeat, conical poem hats, just to
name a few. Should you find interest in Vietnamese food or culture,
you’d better come to explore this place.
Location. Just
imagine that you are roaming around this food market, you may find your
visit to this city to be added with new colors. Around 100 kilometers
north of Truong Tien Bridge, Dong Ba Market is situated near the eastern
corner of the Citadel, in the north bank of the romantic Perfume River,
near the place where the Dong Ba Canal merges with the Perfume River.
Story of naming and location. Tourists
may be confused when they find several things here named “Dong Ba” in
Hue city. Actually, Dong Ba is both the name of the largest market in
Hue and of a small canal connecting the market with the busy river port
of Bao Vinh, Lo Street and Thanh Ha. Dong Ba is also the name of the
first steel bridge across the Dong Ba River and Dong Ba Street. The
market was originally located outside the citadel's Chanh Dong Gate
(also commonly called Dong Ba), where today stands a park at the end of
Phan Dang Luu Street. The market was burnt down in the summer of 1885.
In 1887, King Dong Khanh had it rebuilt and named it Dong Ba. In 1889,
King Thanh Thai had it moved to the current location at the crossroads
of the Huong (Perfume) River and the west bank of the Dong Ba Canal. Due
to the convenient location, the market has always been very popular. In
1987, the market was under its greatest restoration, in which it was
enlarged into a total area of 47,614 m2 with 9 ranges of sales houses, car parking place, motorcycles, bicycles shedding station, and so forth.
Dong Ba - the largest market in Thua Thien-Hue. You
are eager for purchasing craft products as Hue’s gifts for your
dearests and fearest? Well, Dong Ba market is the right place to spend
your precious time in this city. Not only being a largest-sized market
in the past, Dong Ba market retains its role till now. It has always
been providing "stage" for the traditional crafts in Hue, and sells to
all those who are fond of; examples are Phu Cam conical hats, Hien Luong
scissors, bronze articles of the Duc guild, Phuoc Tich pottery, Bao La
rattan and bamboo products, Ke Mon jewelry, Nam Thuan sweets, Tuan tea,
Huong Can mandarins, Luong Quan-Nguyet Bieu pomelos, and Tinh Tarn
lotus.
Besides,
for those who are interested in Southeast Asian food, the market
supplies a lot during daytime, such as clam rice, beef noodles, shrimp
cakes, pancakes, bean puddings, sour shrimps, and My Lai shredded lean
meat, which are popular Hue’s daily dishes. If you stay here on the
occasion of the Lunar New Year, you can share the custom of the locals
by buying "five-color" cakes, which are small & square cakes made of
bean and rice powder. The name “five-color” derives from the cakes’ 5
colors of wrapping papers. When biting the cake, you can feel that it
seems to immediately melt in the mouth, which is of uniqueness of Hue’s
specialty. Hence, it’s advised that you try these as much as possible
during your time in Hue, or else you will miss them so much after coming
back to your country!
Cultural values. Today, people
visit Dong Ba Market not only because they can buy myriad goods and
local specialties, but because in their hearts it is a symbol of Hue's
culture. What was the most delicate material cultural traits of the city
can be found here in the local traditional products, like Phu Cam
conical hat, Hien Luong scissors, etc., and the mentioned delicious
specialties, such as mussel rice, rice noodle with beef, leaf cake, shrimp springroll, khoai cake, dau van pudding, etc. that people could not help tasting!
Though
a series of new market have emerged ubiquitiously inside the
fast-growing Hue City, and one no longer has to go far for shopping,
Dong Ba remains the biggest and most significant market in both Hue and
Central Vietnam. Tourists coming here may not be able to get out soon
since they are so much absorbed by the interesting Hue’s typical goods!
Thien Mu Pagoda
Thien Mu Pagoda (Heaven Fairy Lady Pagoda)
Where is it in Hue city? Thien
Mu Pagoda (namely Heaven Fairy Lady Pagoda), also known as Linh Mu
Pagoda, is one of the most fascinating and ancient pagoda in Hue city.
It is situated on Ha Khe hill, on the north bank of the Perfume River,
in Huong Long village, 5 kilometers from Hue city, which is easy to
reach from the city center.
Legendary story.
The name of the pagoda derives from a special legend. Long time ago, an
old woman appeared on the hill where the pagoda stands today, telling
local people that a Lord would come and build a Buddhist pagoda for the
country's prosperity. Lord Nguyen Hoang therefore ordered the
construction of the pagoda the "Heaven Fairy Lady" or Thiên Mụ in
Vietnamese (also called Linh Mụ). Thanks to such a mysterious history,
the pagoda has attracted a great number of tourists from both inside and
outside of the nation to come and explore the legend themselves.
Formation and growth. The
beautiful pagoda was built in 1601. Later on, several kings of the
Nguyen Dynasty such as Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Thanh Thai,
all had the pagoda restored. At this very initial time, Hoang was the
governor of the province of Thuan Hoa (now known as Hue), yet, started
ruling his independent state in central Vietnam. According to the royal
annals, Hoang was on a sightseeing trip and holiday to contemplate the
seas and mountains of the local area when he passed by the hill, which
is now the site of the Thien Mu Pagoda. On hearing the mentioned local
legend, he had the pagoda constructed. The initial temple was in a very
simple form of construction, but as time went by, it has been
redeveloped and expanded with more intricate features.
A special architectured site. The
most striking feature of the pagoda, Phuoc Duyen tower (initially
called Tu Nhan tower), was erected in 1884 by King Thieu Tri, and has
become the unofficial symbol of Hue. This octagonal tower has seven
storeys (2m high), which is dedicated to a Buddha who appeared in human
form. It is the highest stupa in Vietnam, and is often the subject of
folk rhymes and cadao about Hue, such is its iconic status
and association with the city. More importantly, it is regarded as the
unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital.
To
the left of the tower is a pavilion sheltering an enormous bell. The
bell, called Dai Hong Chung, was cast in 1710 by Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu.
It is famous for the great size, which is 2.5m high and 3,285 kg weigh.
It is considered to be an outstanding achievement of 18th century bronze casting.
To
the right of the tower is a pavillion containing a stela dated from
1715. It is set on the back of a massive marble turtle, a symbol of
longevity, and is 2.58 m high.
Besides,
there are several popular works of art inside the pagoda, which are of
great captivation to tourists. For instance, Dai Hung shrine, the
main-hall, which presents a magnificent architecture. As bronze cast
statues, it shelters some precious antiques: the bronze gong cast in
1677, the wooden gilded board with Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu's inscriptions
(1714).
A historical role.
Besides the architectural value, Thien Mu pagoda features a great
historical role, which is also of absorption to visitors. During the
summer of 1963, Thien Mu Pagoda, like many in South Vietnam, became a
hotbed of anti-government protest. South Vietnam's Buddhist majority had
long been discontented with the rule of President Ngo Dinh Diem since
his rise to power in 1955. Diem had shown strong favouritism towards
Catholics and discrimination against Buddhists in the army, public
service and distribution of government aid. Discontent with Diem
exploded into mass protest in Hue during the summer of 1963 when nine
Buddhists died at the hand of Diem's army and police on Vesak, the
birthday of Gautama Buddha. Accordingly, Buddhist protests were held
across the country and steadily grew in size. In those historical days,
Thien Mu Pagoda was a major organising point for the Buddhist movement
and was often the location of hunger strikes, barricades and protests.
Today,
the pagoda is surrounded by flowers and ornamental plants. At the far
end of the garden stretches a calm and romantic pine-tree forest. It is
much well-maintained and very welcoming to all visitors.
Perfume River (Hương River)
Perfume River (Hương River)
A visitor to Hue once remarked after his vacation
here: “A visit to Hue would not be complete without a boat excursion on
the gentle Perfume River, or else you cannot feel the romance of
Hue”.The Perfume River (Vietnamese: Sông Hương or Hương
Giang) is a river that crosses the capital city of Hue, in the central
Vietnamese province of Thua Thien Hue. Perfume or Huong River is around
80 kilometers long, and owes its name to the fact that it flows through
many forests of aromatic plants before reaching Hue, bringing with it a
pure and fresh aroma.
Source and flow 
The
Perfume River has two sources, both of which begin in the Truong Son
Mountain range and meet at Bang Lang Fork. The Ta Trach (Left Tributary)
originates in the Truong Dong mountains and flows northwest towards
Bang Lang Fork. The shorter Huu Trach (Right Tributary) flows through
the Tuan ferry, landing towards Bang Lang Fork.
Then it flows in south-north direction passing the temples of Hon Chen and Ngoc Tran, and turns north-west, meandering through the Nguyet Bieu and Luong Quan plains. From this, the River
then continuously flows int the north-east direction to Hue city, only
an echo of Truong Son mountain, and passes the rest place of the Nguyen
Emperors. The river of green water continues its itinerary, passing Hen
Islet and various villages, crossing the Sinh junction, which is known
as the capital of ancient Chau Hoa, before emptying into the Tam Giang
Lagoon.
From
Bang Lang to Thuan An estuary, the Perfume River is 30 km long and runs
very slowly (as the river level is not much above sea level). The
Perfume River darkens as it winds along the foot of Ngoc Tran Mountain -
home of the Jade Cup Temple - where there is a very deep abyss.
Artist inspiration
The poetic romantic Perfume River is the deep inspirations to numerous artists, poets, and composers;
"Who turns to Hue
Who comes back to Ngu Mount
Who comes back to Huong River
The river water never sinks
Ngu Mount birds fly back to friends
Whoever are children of Hue remember to return…”
are
the beautiful lyrics of a famous song, “Who comes to Hue”, written by
Duy Khanh. In the autumn, flowers from orchards upriver from Hue fall
into the water, giving the river a perfume-like aroma, and a beautiful
poetic view. I have asked several artists about the reason for their
inspiring love for Perfume River, and received nearly the same answer:
“Well, my inspiration derives from the pure water, the fascinating
landscape, and the gentle bridge over the river”.
Today,
travellers coming to Hue could not miss a while of boating along the
river. Most of them admit that this is one of the most beautiful and
extremely splendid riverside landscape (especially at night when lights
are on) that they have ever visited!
A river tour
As mentioned, the river flows
through a series of beauty-spots, taking visitors to every corner of the
ancient citadel when you travel by boat. Along the river, you can visit
Da Vien, Phu Xuan, and Truong Tien Bridges, come to the Tomb of Minh
Mang, Hon Chen Shrine, Thien Mu Pagoda, and finally to bathe in the sea.
Upstream, at the Tomb of Thien Tho, you can hear the rustling of the
pine tree, which may help you become a… poet!
When
the night comes, the surface of the river glistens under the moonlight,
and the songs of the boat rowers can be heard breaking the silence.
Just come here and you will feel the pure atmosphere of romance and
beauty!
The Citadel of Hue City
The Citadel of Hue City
The poetic and beautiful Hue
of Vietnam was chosen to be the capital of the Southern Kingdom under
Nguyen Lords’ Dynasty, and officially became the nation's capital under
Tay Son Dynasty, King Quang Trung. The citadel palace complex is located
on the North bank of Huong River (Perfume River),
inside Hue city. It is a huge complex covering an area of 520ha and
comprising three circles of ramparts, Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue Capital
Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden
Citadel). It was said to be protected by the two sand dunes: The Con Hen
and Con Da Vien on the Perfume River, as "dragon on the left, tiger on
the right". If you are in Hue, please join us in this small journey
exploring the beautiful feudal palace, the inspiration for numerous
artists ever stepping inside!
The very first stop-over is the exterior circle, the Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue capital citadel), which started
to be constructed in 1805 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long and was
completed in 1832 under the sovereignty of Emperor Ming Mang. Over the
past 200 years, it has still maintained original with nearly 140 small
and large constructions. With a square shape, it is almost 10km in
circumference, 6m high, 21m thick, with 10 entrances. On the top of the
walls, 24 bastions are established for defensive purposes. Besides, the
Citadel has an ancillary gate connecting the Tran Binh Bastion called
the Tran Binh Mon (Peaceful protector Gate).
Now we get further into the second circle, the Hoang Thanh (Royal citadel), also the most important part of the Citadel, which
was built in 1804 but totally completed in 1833, under King Ming Mang’s
reign. The Citadel, which is more than 600m long for each side, was
built with bricks of 4m high, and 1m thick. Around the citadel is a
protecting trench system. Tourists can get access to the Imperial
Citadel through four entrance gates. In the past, Ngo Mon Gate was only
reserved for the King. Royal Citadel consists of more than 100
fascinating architectural works divided into numerous sections:
- Section of the Ngo Mon Gate and the Thai Hoa Palace: used for various grand ceremonies.
- Section for placing shrines of the Kings under Nguyen Dynasty: Trieu Mieu, Thai Mieu, Hung Mieu, The Mieu and Phung Tien Temples.
- Section of internal affairs office: Storehouse for precious objects, workshop for manufacturing various useful articles.
- Section of the Kham Van Palace and Co Ha Garden: is where the princes studied or relaxed Passing through Hoang Thanh, we enter Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel). Situated inside the Imperial Citadel complex, behind the Throne Palace, the Purple Forbidden Citadel was reserved for Emperor and his family. Built in the early 1803 under reign of Emperor Gia Long, it was initially named Cung Thanh. In 1821, it was renamed into the today’s Tu Cam Thanh.
Should
you ever come inside the citadel, taking a look into the special feudal
relics of immense architectural and cultural values, you will surely
more or less love the traditional and classical side of Vietnam. As time
goes by, thousands of changes have occurred, the precious historical
and classical beauty of the nation would never be gone!
Other tourist activities:
- Xa Tac pavilion
- Flag tower
- The Hue National University
- Hue royal imperial fine art galary
- Bookstore palace
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