Posted by admin on October 7, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the South, Vietnam travel News | 
The War Remnants Museum was voted as one of 10 Most Popular HCM City tourist attractions by local and foreign visitors in “HCM City-100 Excitements” program.
The War Remnants Museum was voted as one of 10 Most Popular Ho Chi Minh City tourist attractions by local and foreign visitors in the “Ho Chi Minh City-100 Excitements” program, launched last year by the HCMC Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism.
In the first six months of this year, three exhibitions including “Vietnam rising 35 years after war,” “President Ho Chi Minh’s aspiration for peace” and “War and Peace” was held at the museum and attracted 227,241 visitors, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.33 percent.
Among them, there were 169,248 foreign tourists and 57,993 domestic travelers. The museum’s management board also organized five mobile displays to serve thousands of teachers, students and visitors in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.
The museum received delegations from Algeria, Slovakia, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Australia, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark and more.
Opened in September 1975, the War Remnants Museum displays shocking evidence of atrocities committed by the foreign aggressors during Vietnam’s two wars of national liberation.
Exhibits include collection of American weapons; model of the notorious tiger cages where Vietnamese revolutionaries were kept; photographs that illustrate the effect of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliant sprays, napalm and phosphorus bombs had on the Vietnamese people and land.
Source: Saigon Giai Phong
Tags: attraction in saigon, attractions in saigon, HCM City-100 Excitements” program, HCMC travel, Ho chi minh city tour, ho chi minh city travel guide, Most Popular HCM City tourist attractions, sai gon travel, sai gon travel guide, saigon city, saigon travel guide, saigon vietnam, The War Remnants Museum, vietnam travel, Vietnam travel news, War Remnants Museum, What to do in ho chi minh city, What to see in ho chi minh city
Posted by admin on under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the Central, vietnam beauty |
VietNamNet Bridge – As you look at the thousands of name cards and keepsakes that visitors have left in Tan Ky House in the ancient city of Hoi An, you won’t have to ask how much interest there is in a house that has been recognised by the Government as a historical and cultural monument since the 1980s.
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| Tan Ky Old House has been a popular destination for foreign tourists visiting Hoi An. |
Others may have their own reasons for loving the house, but for me, as I let the lady of the house guide me around, I feel like spending hours here just to contemplate truly old Oriental architecture, learn about the history that is integrated with every detail of the house, and meditate on life’s ancient philosophies.
The house, located at 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, was built more than two centuries ago. The same family has lived in the home for seven generations. The name Tan Ky, meaning “Progress Shop”, was given to the house by the second generation to express the owner’s wish for a prosperous business.
“Tan Ky still offers evidence of an era when trade with foreigners flourished in this major commercial port city from the 18th until the first half of the 19th century, a time when wealthy merchants built imposing houses like this,” said Huynh Thi Tan Xuan, the house’s mistress.
At that time, the Tan Ky family traded in agricultural products. Their customers included local and foreign merchants from Southeast Asia and Europe.
Boats sailed up the Thu Bon River to reach the house. Goods ready for sale were kept on the ground floor, while products to be sold later were moved to the upper storage floors by a pulley system.
The storage area is just one of the many details of the house that has remained unchanged to this day. However, by the beginning of last century, Hoi An was no longer among the most important business centres of the region as a result of continuous floods that silted up the river and prevented big ships from entering the port.
“Generation after generation, the Tan Ky family has made untiring attempts to keep the house in good condition, despite time and the devastation of floods,” said Xuan.
She said the architecture is the most special thing about the house because it features elements of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese cultures from a time when the three communities lived together in Hoi An during the 16th and 17th centuries.
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| Two foreign tourists (right) listen to a guide in the house. (Photos: VNS) |
The outside structure of the house is made of bricks and tiles, while the inside is made of jack-fruit trees, ironwood and peck-wood, which are very hard and durable. The floor is covered with stone slates and Bat Trang bricks, which came from northern areas of Viet Nam.
The house is joined together with wooden pegs and rests on marble bases. Thanks to thick roofs and wooden walls, the house is cool in summer and warm in winter.
The triple-beam structure consists of three beams, which represent heaven, earth and humans, and five round blocks, which represent metal, wood, water, fire and earth – the five basic natural elements in Eastern philosophy. The entire structure is a symbol of heaven and earth in harmony.
The ceiling curves like a crab shell, hence it is called a crab-shelled ceiling. The roof is supported by two sabres wrapped in silk ribbons, which represent force and flexibility.
The edge of the roof is decorated with four half-dragon fish, a symbol of people who succeed through hard work.
“All of the carvings here are expressions of our ancestors’ wishes for something,” said Xuan.
“Peaches symbolise the hope for longevity, bats for happiness (in the Han Chinese language the words for bats and happiness have the same sound), rolls of poetry for knowledge, wine gourds for pleasure, and pumpkins with many seeds for plentiful descendants.”
“The furniture and art in the house, much of which are original, are also typical of a bygone era,” she said.
One of the famous pieces is a pair of wood panels, which are inscribed with parallel sentences. Each stroke of writing is an image of a bird. One hundred birds in total represent honourable men and perfection, she said. “Another unique piece has an interesting story behind it,” Xuan said, pointing at what she called the “Cup of Confucius”.
A legend says that when ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius nearly died of hunger and thirst on a journey through the desert, he met an old man who led him to a pond and gave him a cup to scoop water.
He scooped up a full cup but when he brought it to his mouth, there was no water. Surprised, he found that the cup had a small hole at the bottom which water fell through when the cup was full. He finally understood that he could not drink the water unless he only partially filled the cup.
Confucius then theorised that human beings needed to control their behaviours and keep their minds level, not in extremes, and live as gentleman with human love, faith, righteousness, wisdom and loyalty. Later on, the legendary cup that saved Confucius was named the Cup of Confucius and his followers produced similar cups in order to practise and propagate his doctrine.
The Cup of Confucius in Tan Ky house maintains its original strangeness because if someone attempts to fill it more than 80 per cent, all the water falls out, said Xuan.
Xuan said Tan Ky, recognised as one of the best preserved and most beautiful old houses in Hoi An today, has the honour of receiving thousands of visitors every year. Many national and international leaders who have visited the house have left their autographs behind.
“Preserving all of these values has become an age-old tradition in our family,” she said. “My husband lives and works in Da Nang, but I stay here to look after this property and conserve our traditions.”
VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
Posted by admin on October 6, 2010 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News, Vietnam's World Heritage, vietnam beauty |
VietNamNet Bridge – Eight years since it was excavated, the royal citadel opened to the public the first time on October 2 at 18 Hoang Dieu, Hanoi.
The opening ceremony took place with a welcome speech by Do Hoai Nam, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Social Sciences. According to Nam, visitors would see outstanding parts of the Thang Long Royal Citadel and evidence of 1000 years as Vietnam’s capital city, through the dynasties of Dai La, Dinh, Le, Ly, Tran, Mac, Nguyen to the Ho Chi Minh age.
Tong Trung Tin, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Archaeology, explained that the organizing board chose more than 150 outstanding items to introduce. “Visitors will see layers of culture through vestiges of foundations, roads, wells, ponds, etc. All are typical examples that make the citadel a world cultural heritage site,” Tin stated.
However, Tin worried that large numbers of visitors may harm this site. “I recommend visitors to follow instructions to protect the relics. This is also a request of the World Heritage Committee,” he added.
Eight zones opened for public inside the Thang Long Royal Citadel:
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Flagpole: A relic built in the Nguyen Dynasty in 1804.
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Doan Mon: The major gate to the citadel, built in the Le Dynasty (15th century).
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Hau Lau: Built in the early 20th century, this was home for the imperial maids.
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The grounds of Kinh Thien palace where the Le kings held audiences. This palace was built on the ground of the Can Nguyen Palace of the Ly Dynasty and Thien An palace of the Ly and Tran eras.
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Bac Mon: The northern gate of the Hanoi citadel in the Nguyen dynasty.
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House D67 and trench D67, both built in 1967 as offices for General Vo Nguyen Giap and General Van Tien Dung.
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The exhibition room with 150 outstanding items excavated in the Thang Long Royal Citadel and photos and mock-ups of the citadel.
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House N32 exhibits more than 700 objects excavated in the Thang Long Royal citadel, including construction materials, reliefs, and daily instruments from the Dai La to Ly, Tran, Le dynasties.
The citadel will open until November 2, from 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm. The 18 Hoang Dieu relic will open form October 2 to 11 and October 14 to November 2. From October 24 to November 2, the relic will open only on Wednesday and Sunday. The relic will close as of November 3 for preservation and research.
Hanoi’s 1000-year history at Thang Long citadel’s grounds:
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| Ancient wells. |
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| Ancient tiles. |
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| Ancient wate pipes. |
PV
Posted by admin on under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam travel News, vietnam beauty |
By Hien Huong | dtinews.vn
The woman behind the worlds longest mosaic, which calls Hanoi home, shares how she came up with the idea.
The ceramic mosaic mural has been created out of love for Hanoi
Journalist and artist Nguyen Thu Thuy initiated the massive project seen lining the side of the Red River’s dyke road. Her inspiration was a passion and love for Hanoi.
Thuy grew up in Hanoi and always loved her hometown. She is especially excited as the capital city is about to turn 1,000 years old. She developed the idea of creating this gift for her city back in 2003 when she saw archaeological excavations at the ancient Thang Long Royal Citadel.
“Ancient bricks from the Ly dynasty, ceramic vases from the Le dynasty and other artifacts from the Tran dynasty which were unearthed moved me. I thought of the long history which has been preserved on these ceramic artifacts. I wanted to create a mural painting which can partly reflect specialised patterns of history,” shared Thuy.
The mural painting that stretches 6,900 square metres is expected to be complete on October 5, 2010. When it’s finished, it will gain Guinness World Records recognition. On September 29, the information about it is available at the website of Guinness World Records (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com).
In order to make this ceramic mural, Thuy said that she had received a lot of support, sharing and sincere love for Hanoi from many international friends and Vietnamese people all over the world.
In March 2008, Michael Geertsen, an artist from Denmark, started to implement its first section by using contemporary design patterns.
In June 2009, Dominique de Miscault, an artist from France, started to make the next section which was inspired from the epic of “De dat, De nuoc” (Giving Birth to the Earth and Water) of the Muong ethnic group living in Hoa Binh Province.
In August 2009, a Van Gogh image was added, sponsored by the Dutch Embassy.
In October 2009, Ana Tzarev, a female artist from New Zealand, brightened a part of the ceramic mosaic mural with various kinds of tropical flowers.
Many other artists from around the world had sent ceramic tiles which were decorated and contributed to the mural honouring Hanoi and its 1,000 year anniversary.
Nearly 100 ceramic artists and masters from Hungary, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, USA, Taiwan and more contributed ceramic tiles on which small paintings were made. The ceramic tiles were enameled with very particular colours.
The road has become known as “ceramic road” and was built with the care and attention of many artists.
Travelling along the road from An Duong border gate to Van Kiep border gate, it’s very soothing to see the detailed mural which contains typical cultural features of Vietnam. The works reflects the history of the Dong Son, Ly, Tran, and Le dynasties. Its design patterns contain the architecture of 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. In addition, it also has different images of Hanoi, considered a dynamic city of peace.
Many ceramic tiles were sent to Hanoi from around the world
It’s easy to find familiar cultural features on the ceramic painting
Workers are completing the final section of the project which will be in the Guinness Book of World Records
The unfinished section
The ceramic road looks wonderful in anticipation of the great celebration
Posted by admin on October 5, 2010 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
VGP – An International Tourism Festival was officially kick-started on October 2 in Hà Nội as a key cultural activity to welcome the capital city’s 1000th birthday anniversary.
| Water musical performance in the opening ceremony of the Thăng Long–Hà Nội International Tourism Festival, Hà Nội, October 2, 2010 – Photo: VGP/Nguyễn Hoàng |
The four-day festival will feature an exhibition with 400 stalls of over 40 international tourist organizations, including the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and around 20 foreign enterprises and airlines.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy PM Trương Vĩnh Trọng expressed his confidence that the festival will serve to boost the country’s tourism sector.
Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Thế Thảo hoped that the festival will create a good opportunity to introduce the tangible and intangible cultural values of Hà Nội.
By Kim Loan
Posted by admin on October 4, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam travel News, vietnam beauty |
Over 200 overseas Vietnamese guests from 34 nations around the world have come to Hanoi to attend activities surrounding the capital city’s birthday.
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| Over 200 overseas Vietnamese official guests, among others travelling on their own, will join Hanoi’s anniversary celebrations |
This information was announced by the State Committee for overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 30.
From the morning of October 1, the official overseas Vietnamese guests started to participate in many activities throughout the great event.
On October 1 and 2, they will join the marching practice on Bac Son Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
From October 3 to 6, they will visit temples of Dinh King, Le King and Bai Dinh Pagoda in Ninh Binh Province. They will also offer incense at Do Temple, visit Tieu Son Pagoda as well as other activities in Bac Ninh Province. The guests will also visit Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province.
From October 7 to 10, they will visit the Temple of Literature; attend the exhibition and festival of Thang Long calligraphy; offer incense at the Monument of Revolutionary Martyrs; visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and ancient Thang Long Royal Citadel and attend a presentation by Professor Phan Huy Le on the 1,000 year history of Thang Long – Hanoi.
After that, the guests will visit Quan Su Pagoda to offer incense and watch the sari – one of the purported relics left over after the physical body of the Buddha was cremated and attend a presentation by the Venerable Thich Bao Nghiem, vice chairman of the Executive Board of Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam on the development history of Vietnamese Buddhism which is connected to the development of the country.
The group will participate in the opening ceremony of meetings and marches at Ba Dinh Square on the morning of October 10. In the evening of the same day, they will join the Festival Night of Art and Culture at My Dinh National Stadium.
Tags: 1000 year Thang Long Hanoi, 1000 year Thang long hanoi anniversary, 1000 years Thang Long, 1000th year Thang long hanoi anniversary, Bai dinh pagoda, event in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, hanoi festival, Quan Su Pagoda, Temple of Literature, vietnam travel 2010, Vietnamese overseas
Posted by admin on October 1, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North |
VGP – The Tô Lịch River is a natural branch of the Red River whose silt has raised the level of the fields in the two inner-Hà Nội districts of Thọ Xương and Vĩnh Thuận as well as the two outer districts of Từ Liêm and Thanh Trì and of communes in Thanh Oai District where it converges with the Nhuệ River. The name Tô Lịch has been in history since the 6th century when Lý Nam Đế ordered his troops to build the Tô Lịch rampart and vanquished the Liang invaders and officially named the fatherland Vạn Xuân.
The votive portrait of King Lý Nam Đế (503-548)
Tô Lịch River has been with Hanoians since the beginning of the first villages and hamlets, and it bears vestiges from the era of Lý Nam Đế (503-548) who led his army and people to destroy the Liang dynasty troops and founded the first independent state in ancient Hà Nội in 544. He called his new state Vạn Xuân and proclaimed himself king, placing his regime on par with those of the Chinese Han and Tang dynasties.
Lý Nam Đế established his capital at Long Biên (modern-day Hà Nội), surrounded himself with effective leadership in military and administrative scholars. Lý Nam Đế was also strongly supported by excellent military generals such as Phạm Tu, Triệu Túc, Tinh Thieu, and Triệu Quang Phục. Lý Nam Đế built many fortresses at strategic locations throughout Vạn Xuân to fend off potential threats from the feudal dynasties in the north and from the Champa Kingdom in the south. He also established the first national university for mandarin scholars, implemented land reforms, and promoted literacy amongst the population. He laid the foundation for many reforms that modeled after the Chinese social structure.
Under the orders of King Lý Nam Đế, copper money was minted so the people did not need to depend on Chinese currency. He built An Tri Pagoda (Khai Quốc Tự) to move away from the influence of Confucianism, thus beginning a Buddhist monarchy concerned with altruism and kindness that was continued in the following Lý and Trần dynasties. Khai Quốc Pagoda, which was later renamed Trấn Quốc, now still reflects quietly off West Lake.
In October 544, the Liang Dynasty retaliated against Vạn Xuân by sending 120,000 imperial troops to re-occupy the region. The Liang emperor sent one of his generals Chen Baxian and granted him sole command of the invading Liang forces. By spring of 545, Chen had marched his army into Vạn Xuân territory and laid siege and devastation to many cities. Lý Nam Đế ordered his troops to build a rampart at the mouth of the Tô Lịch River to repel the Liang invaders. Chen’s initial invasion was stalled by Lý’s imperial forces for months. However, in the winter of 545, Chen laid a surprised attack on the capital during the monsoon season. Lý Nam Đế’s imperial forces were caught off guard and the imperial administration was forced abandoned Long Biên and flee westward into neighboring kingdom of Laos. The Lý imperial forces were becoming weary and exhausted and Lý himself was increasingly ill due to months of being exposed in the wilderness. In February 548, Lý Nam Đế relinquished imperial authority and transferred his power to his older brother Lý Thiên Bảo (co-ruler from 548-until his death in 555) and Triệu Quang Phục (r. 548-571), who was his best lieutenant and general.
By April 548, after suffered from serious diseases for months, Lý Nam Đế died in Laos. His immediate successor was Triệu Quang Phục (thereafter known as Triệu Việt Vương). The new king continued the resistance and eventually drove the Chinese colonialism from Vạn Xuân in 550.
Lý Nam Đế was far-sighted in fighting the enemy and founding the country. He foresaw the strategic importance of ancient Hà Nội near the Tô Lịch River and he was the first to raise Hà Nội to a special position in history. He laid the first bricks on the grounds of the Tô Lịch rampart on which King Lý Thái Tổ would later construct the Thăng Long Citadel in 1010.
(Source: http://hanoi1000yrs.vietnam.gov.vn)
