The Po Sha Nu group of ancient tower vestiges, or also called Phu Hai tower, belongs to Thanh Hai ward, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan province. The Po Sha Nu group of ancient tower vestiges is the general tower and temple architecture of Cham people. It is the worship place for the fairy daughters of goddess Po Nagar. The group includes 03 towers and many other tower ruins. The three remaining towers scatter on 02 ground layers and direct toward the east. All the three towers are multi-storey square towers. They have aged since 8th century and have Champa ancient architectural style with some factors such as round pillars at fake doors, door edges..., which is similar to that of Khmer towers and temples. Annually in the 1st lunar month, festivals such as Rija Nuga, Poh Mbang Yang are held at the foot of the towers. People perform praying ceremonies for rainfall and good things.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Poshanu Towers - Phan Thiet - Muine
About Phan Thiet
Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan province) is on its way to become a favorite destination of many tourists both domestic and overseas thanks to wild beautiful mountains, forests and the sea. The sea is very clean and bluish with white sand expanses. The forest has abundant plants and animals. The most impressive feature is the expanse of diverse rocks with strange shapes created by lapping waves over millions of years. There are two main seasons: rainy season from June to December and dry season from January to May. The average temperature of the area ranges from 26°C to 27°C. In Phan Thiet, tourists will have chance to contemplate local beautiful landscapes such as Ke Ga lighthouse, Ta Cu Mount and Forest, Trang Lake, Poshanu tower, Sand Dunes, Mui Ne fishing village ...
Ta Cu Mount and Forest - Phan Thiet - Muine
Ta Cu Mount is near 650m high, located by 01A national highway across Tan Lap commune, Ham Thuan Nam rural district. This is an attractive climbing destination as well as the picturesque scenery in Binh Thuan. Around the year, the climate is pure, cool and the average temperature ranges from 180 to 220C. Ta Cu has charming scenery with diverse shaped marble blocks and hundreds of year old trees. This place has Nui Pagoda, a historical architecture built in 1878 - 1880 on a height of 475m. The area of Nui pagodas includes 2 main pagodas, Linh Son Truong Tho and Long Don. The distinctive feature is the Statue of Buddha in Nirvada that is 49m high and considered the biggest Buddhist statue in Southeast Asia. Ta Cu Forest was recognized as a national natural reserve by the government in 1996. It is home to many rare plants such as barian kingwood, pterocarpus trees, medicinal plants, orchids, apricots, and bamboo. Tourists are advised to bring along a packed lunch, as it will take a whole day to visit the place.
Mui Ne fishing village - Phan Thiet - Muine
The name "Mui Ne" was created by local fishing people because this is the shelter in stormy season. "Mui" means cape or island and "Ne" means hiding. The combination of sunlight, sand and teeming blue water has created a landscape appealing and fabulous to tourists. In addition to the excursion, tourists also have chance to witness the daily activities of a pure Vietnamese fishing village. Together with the local fishing people to catch sea fish, rock crabs and to draw fishing nets, tourists not only find it relaxing but also integrate into the real fishing life. Whenever mentioning Phan Thiet, everyone often thinks about the sea and seafood. Seeing believes! This place has so many interesting things waiting for our discovery so that we will have more affection to this small beautiful City!
Cat ba Island Travel Guide Vietnam
Cat Ba Island, Vietnam is home to the Cat Ba National Park. The Cat Ba National Park covers an area of
nearly 200 square kilometers. It has both forests and water bodies within its boundaries. The national park is an attraction to the tourists who enjoy hiking. To the east of the island is the Lan Ha Bay. This bay is famous for its excellent beaches and breathtaking scenery. The Cat Ba Island is home to two white sand beaches both located one kilometer from Cat Ba town. They are Cat Co 1 and Cat Co 2. These two beaches are interconnected by a seven hundred meters long wooden walkway.Cat Ba Island, Vietnam is rich in flora and fauna. There are more than 600 different kinds of plants in this island. The wide variety of trees includes Bang, Goi Nep, Sang Le and Kim Giao. The island is filled with animals of rare species like the white headed langurs, deers and macaques. It is home to a number of sea animals like sea turtles, lobsters, coral, oysters and dolphins. All these features have turned Cat Ba Island into one of the major Vietnam popular destinations.
Best time to visit
The best time during the year to visit the Cat Ba Island, Vietnam is October and November. The weather is best during this time of the year. During these two months the island experiences a pleasant weather to enjoy the national park, to walk on the beaches and absorb the stunning beauty of the island. Temperatures drop from December onwards thus having a chilly weather. March and April are wet, and June, July and August are hot with a high percentage of humidity.
Getting there
To get to Cat Ba Island one can travel from Hanoi, Vietnam to Hai phong by train or bus and then to Cat Ba by a boat. One can travel directly to Halong Bay, Vietnam from Hanoi, Vietnam by a chartered helicopter and from there to Cat Ba by boat.
There are a number of agents who arrange for trips to the Cat Ba Island and ensure that your sightseeing in Vietnam is as hassle-free and as enjoyable as possible. Even hotels and cafes in Hanoi, Vietnam too arrange for tours to the island.
Halong Bay Travel Guide Vietnam
Vietnam. The literal meaning of “Halong” is “Bay of Descending Dragons”. A local legend says that a family of dragons was sent to defend the land long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting the Chinese invaders. These dragons had descended upon what is now Halong Bay. Halong Bay, Vietnam, famous for its scenic rock formations, has been listed among the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.Halong Bay, Vietnam is a spectacular location for sightseeing in Vietnam. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, it forms an amazing seascape of limestone pillars along with more than 1,600 islands and islets. The visitors seem to discover paradise in Halong Bay with the clear water of the Bay, with some large islands and small alcoves with sandy beaches facilitating a relaxed swimming in the calm bay water.
Halong Bay is one of the most visited and recognized of the Vietnam tourist attractions. It houses a great
diversity of ecosystems including coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forest, small freshwater lakes, and sandy beaches. The islands feature beautiful grottos and caves with interesting stone formations and hidden ponds. Some of the most visited Halong Bay, Vietnam tourist attractions areBai Chay (Scorched Beach)
The visitors have to drive along Bai Chay beach to reach Halong Bay, Vietnam. Unlike its name, Bai Chay is a very pleasant black sand beach significant for a historical event attached to it. Bai Chay was once a forest until 1287 when the Mongols attacking Vietnam were driven back and many Mongol ships were set on fire. High winds drifted these ships to the shore setting the forest on fire creating a stretch of beach in this area which came to be known as Bai Chay or scorched beach.
Caves and Grottos
The mystical caves and grottos in Halong Bay, Vietnam comes with strange shapes and structures. One of the most prominent among them is Virgin Cave (Hang Trinh Nu), also called the Mid Gate cave, which derives its name from the statue of a woman lying atop a flat surface of the cave. Legend says that beautiful woman committed suicide in the cave, unable to return home after being forcefully married to an old mandarin. Here her body tuned into stone. The tunnels in the Virgin Cave crisscross the island for around 2 kilometers with many chambers along the tunnel.
The next cave attraction is Hung Sung Sot Cave, Thien Cung located in the same island as Virgin Cave and has a steep path lined with shady trees. There are two chambers in the cave with a square shaped outer chamber and a ceiling of about 30meters height. The inner chamber formations look like sentries conversing with one another, animals and a formation resembling a general surveying his troops in the middle of the chamber. The light reflected from the water outside seems to bring these formations to life.
The other caves existing here are the historically significant Hang Dau Go (Flowers on Stone) and Pelican Cave (Hang Bo Nau). Besides these the visitors can go kayaking, swimming and hiking in the mountains in the islands. There are several cruises offering tours in and around Halong Bay.
Accommodation in Halong Bay is available with many hotels present in the islands of Halong Bay, Vietnam. Halong Bay can be reached from Hanoi by road which is a three and a half hour drive covering 165 kilometers.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Safety Tips while Traveling
In comparison with other countries, Vietnam is considered as one of the safest country for personal security. But as a traveler, you should be aware of some crimes to avoid bad situation during your trip. Here are some safety tips which can helps you when you travel in Vietnam:
- Be careful in a crowded area such as local festivals, tourist site… there may have some gambles which you should not join and also pickpockets.
- Keep enough money in your pocket and don’t show off it in the public place. Keep the rest on your body. It would be very convenient if you carry the credit or master card. You can withdraw the money in almost big cities and some tourist sites. Remember don’t count your money when you’re standing at ATM, put it in your wallet and check it in a safe place later.
- With the important document such as passport/visa you can keep it in safety deposit box in the hotels.
- You should never wear a bag or purse to avoid bag snatchers.
- Traffic in Vietnam, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Saigon is very terrible so be careful when you cross the street. Here is a video of how to cross the street in Vietnam. Get experiences and don’t get shocked!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, and the DMZ, Vietnam
The road down the mountainside was a slow go due to all the hairpin turns. Once we reached the bottom it was back to the slow grind again averaging about 30mph for the 6 hour trip to Nha Trang.
Nha trang sits right on the South China sea and has a beautiful beach that to me looked just like the beach in Ft
I was only in Nha Trang about 5 hours. Again I had no intention of visiting Nha Trang much like Da Lat but due to the slowness of the buses I ended up passing through. It really is a nice little city and would be a good place for someone wanting a beach holiday in Vietnam. I spent my time wandering the market where I bought a new pair of sandals, eating lunch, eating ice cream, drinking coffee, and writing a travelogue for your entertainment.
At 6pm I ate dinner at a sidewalk eatery with the locals and caught my bus for Hoi An at 6:30pm.
An overnight bus trip in Vietnam is only more interesting than spending the night on a bus in the states because it is Vietnam. The bus will stop twice during the night or at least they plan on stopping twice. Once is for dinner for a half hour and the second time is for a break as in toilet break and for the drivers to watch some bad television. Of course if you are hungry they usually have some potato chips for sale or a beer is you are thirsty
Shortly after leaving Nha Trang it began to rain. This is the first rain I have seen during my trip. I really did not think it the most ideal time for rain. It was night on a narrow, winding road with a sheer drop into the South China Sea. This did not seem to deter the driver a bit. I was amazed at the speed he drove under the conditions. We would pass other buses and trucks going uphill in blind corners and downhill for that matter. He really seemed to know the limit of how fast that bus could go without sliding off the road. It certainly kept me awake a little longer than planned.
We arrived in Hoi An about 6:30am. We went through the normal routine of stopping at a couple of hotels they would have liked us to stay in. This time as opposed to in Da Lat I did not think they were doing me any favors. The alternative is to have them drop you off at their office in town to seek out accomodations on your own. Fortunately there are plenty of places to stay nearby and it is the slow season so the inn keepers are eager for the business.
Hoi An is a very touristy place. I have seen more westerners here than any other place
I struck up a conversation with the young ladies working for the bus company and we along with a friend of theirs all went out for some authentic Vietnamese food that night. Me being the "rich American" seemed the natural choice to pick up the tab. The food was very good and we all had a lot of laughs and they increased they vocabulary also.
At 8am the next morning I caught the tour bus to Hue. Hue is about 5 hours north along the coast from Hoi An. This was the most interesting bus ride yet. We stopped twice, once to have lunch and once at a place called Marble mountain
After Marble mountain we went of a mountain pass along the coast that had another great view of the water and the mountains. This piece of highway is considered the most scenic in Vietnam.
We arrived into Hue about 1:30 in the afternoon. Hue is a very historical area containing a 200 year old citadel that was the scene of very intense fighting during the Vietnam war and unfortunately many of the structures were destroyed. In the area I believe there are seven emporors buried. The Perfume river runs through the center of town and reminds me more of chocolate milk than perfume. There is a very nice park area running quite a distance on both sides of the river
Thus far I like this city more than any I have visited in Vietnam thus far. Today I just wandered around trying to get my bearings. I had some very good food for lunch trying a couple of the local specialties. I have tried to do this lately and have found it enjoyable. So far I have not found any $.20 local beer though. I am looking into taking a tour of the DMZ a few hours north of here. I will take all day but could be very interesting. It will consist of visiting a couple old US bases and a chance to go through some of the tunnels the locals used to survive during the war.
The people seem a little friendlier here than other places. Today I was walking by a school yard where the kids about middle school age were doing exercises outside. This one kid lets out a loud "hello". This is a common thing for the children to do not that the adults don't do it but the adults do it because they want to get your attention to sell you something, and if they don't say hello they just say "you". Anyway after I responded to this boy half the class turns around. We have the usual conversation of "how are you"? "fine", "how are you"? "fine, thank you" and they are all laughing. I have met many younger people who are eager to practice their English conversation skills
This afternoon I met a young woman while pricing the DMZ tour who became quite chatty when she found out I was American. She asked my name and when I told her she about fell out of her chair. She said that she an American "friend" named Dale who visited her last year and had been sending her money every month ever since. It was an interesting story if it was true. I asked her where in America her friend lived and she could not tell me. Hmm? I told her she should work harder on the details if she wanted to make a good impression on him. This mail order bride situation seems to be alive and well here in Vietnam.
In the late afternoon I walked over the brigde to the other side of the mighty Perfume river to see the market and whatever else there was to see. They have a very large market there though much of it closes down in the afternoon. I did look around at the clothing for sale which is a tiresome experience.
It is NOT possible just to simply ask how much for that T-shirt? This just starts a process that usually leaves everyone involved dissatisfied. It works like this. You ask how much something, anything is.
Yesterday I asked about the price of a shirt and they took it down and put it on me and said "you a handsome man" hey it isn't quite like "I love you a long time" but certainly of questionable sincerity. Anyway I am almost to the point where unless I am serious about buying something I hate to even look around.
Today I decided to get adventurous and rent a bicycle. This bike was probably used by the North Vietnamese during the war from the condition and color of it. It should have been melted down thirty years ago and made into a hand grenade. Actually road pretty well but barely had any brakes. I rode about 2 miles out to see a pagoda along the river. It really was a nice little ride. The pagoda was under renovation so all you saw was scaffolding, but there was a nice temple behind it with a monk striking something that looked like an upside down bell but made a sound like a gong.
After riding back into town I decided to ride out into the countryside for kicks. As I am riding along daydreaming a woman on a motorcycle pulls up along side and says hello. She asks where I am from and I tell her. She says her village is up ahead and is very nice and would I like to see it. I say sure and she leads me about 6 miles out into the hinterland. As we get near her home she says would you mind is we stop at my house for 2 minutes? I said ok. We pull up in the yard of a modest stucco one story house with a yard full of trees, chickens, ducks, dog and a cat. She invites me to take a seat at a table on the porch in the shade.
Me being the naive lad that I am think she would just like to brush up on her english language skills. She brings out a tea pot and a couple of glasses and introduces me to her 18 year old daughter. Her daughter speaks excellent english the best I have encountered on my travels. We start talking and do so for over three hours on many subjects then the daughter cuts to the chase.
She asked if I can give her some money to help pay her tuition at the university. This being the third time I have been hit up for money by people that have befriended me has made me shall I say REAL F***ING CYNICAL about saying anything more than hello to the locals
I tell her I am not in a position to help since I do not even have a job myself. A few minutes later she asks again the answer has not changed. She bows out and sends her Mom out to give it a shot. She is no luckier. At this point she says she wants some money for the tea. I give her about triple what tea would be in a restaurant and she demands twice that much. At this point I am so angry I want to pour the tea over her head. I give her what she wants and jump on my trusty bike and head for town.
Spent the rest of the day unwinding. I have enjoyed Hue more than any other city I have visited in Vietnam and highly recommend it. It seems Vietnam gets more interesting the further north one travels.
Halloween day 2004 starts early 6am with a tour bus picking me up for an all day tour of the area near the former border between the north and south of Vietnam. The tour is appropriately called the DMZ tour.
We drive for 2 hours and stop for a meager breakfast included in the tour. Then a few minutes up the highways we pass an something called the Doc Mieu base. Turns out it was just a high spot the US used to observe the enemy from. Next we stop and the river which marked the middle of the DMZ, looks just like any other river and bridge. Another half hour up the road to the highlight of the tour, the Vinh Moc tunnel complex.
The Vinh Moc tunnel were dug in 1966 because the villagers were tired of getting blasted out of bed by the battleships of the coast. There is still just short of a mile of tunnels left and we stumbled through about 250 meters of them reaching a depth of about 70 feet. Most of them were about 5ft tall and 3ft wide, other than the meeting area where they actually showed movies and got together for the news of the day where I could actually stand up straight but just barely. There were 13 entrances/exits, 7 of which opened to the sea which was really picturesque. The lighting was poor which made it more interesting and realistic. They said that up to 700 people lived underground for as much as 5 days at a time without coming about ground. Seventeen children took their first breaths from below ground.
Next on the agenda was a drive toward the Lao border where again they pointed out a large hill that our soldiers once used to view the area. Onwards to the Ho Chi Minh Trail though I don't think it was paved back then. A short stop at an "ethnic village" where the locals carry their firewood in baskets on their backs as opposed to in baskets at the end of a piece of bamboo draped across their shoulders.
The final stop was in the town of Khe Sanh where the US had a very important airbase. Again the key word here is had. Long ago the Vietnamese figured out that it might be a more productive use of this very fertile ground to grow coffee so they turned the area into a coffee plantation. By the time somebody figured out that they were missing out on a tourist opportunity it was pretty much too late. The did bring in two old helicopters and some old rusty bombs to put outside a small museum they built last year.
I can understand why our soldiers refered to the place as hell. I looked very indefensible to me. Khe Sanh is only 12 miles from Laos which made it very convenient for the North Vietnamese to access through Laos and the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
This entry is getting a bit long so I will put it bed. Tomorrow morning I will see the sunrise from Hanoi the former capital of North Vietnam and final resting place of Ho Chi Minh.
Ha Long Bay moves up the ranks
As of February 15 Ha Long Bay ranked third among the 25 World Heritage sites in category G in the second round of the campaign to nominate the new Natural Wonders of the World, according to the organisers.
It is below the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Papua New Guinea and Cox’s Bazaar beach in Bangladesh.
In the second round, Newopenworld divided the 261 nominees chosen in the first round into seven categories – from A to G – corresponding to seven types of landscapes – scenery; islands and archipelagos; mountains and volcanoes; caves, stone structures and valleys; forests and national parks, natural conservation sites; lakes, rivers and waterfalls and beaches.
VN promotional festival hits Paris
Vietnam Airlines, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in France, will hold a promotional event called the Viet Nam Sea Festival in the French capital Paris on April 28-29.
The festival, which will showcase 30 top tourist attractions in Viet Nam, will seek to market the country to European visitors.
The national flag carrier will co-ordinate with French and Vietnamese tourist companies to organise two special promotional programmes for French tourists visiting Viet Nam from April 21 to June 19 and August 21 to October 20, offering a 25 per cent reduction in prices.
Ha Long set for cultural carnival
Ha Long town will host a carnival from April 25 to May 2 featuring floating stages and fireworks displays. The opening ceremony to be held at the Bai Chay ferry will feature festivities on and above the sea and will be called "Ha Long, a World Cultural Heritage Rendezvous."
The carnival will also feature a food festival with northern and north-eastern dishes, performances by domestic and international artists, sports competitions and business fairs.
Classical drama wows tourists
The Nguyen Hien Dinh Opera House in Da Nang is a popular venue for short traditional tuong (classical drama) pieces and performances showcasing cultural aspects of the central region and renewed stage plays.
So far this year it has been filled with colourful bonnets and gowns and outstanding performances by some keen artists.
The director of the theatre, Tran Dinh Sanh, said it has hosted five shows for foreign tourists, each lasting 30 to 40 minutes, featuring traditional dances and ethnic musical concerts and Cham ethnic songs and dramas.
The performances have wowed Korean, Japanese and European visitors, he said.
Readers name best brands
Vinh Suong and Sea Horse resorts in Phan Thiet are among 42 enterprises that received the "2008-2009 Viet Nam Brands" award from Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper.
The annual awards are determined by votes from the newspaper’s customers and readers. This year the voting took place in the newspaper’s tourism-discovery section from September last year through January, with 7,862 readers sending in their votes.
AirAsia launches online check-in
Travellers including those in Viet Nam can make use of AirAsia’s latest online self check-in facility from Tuesday.
With the new innovation, air travellers can now save time and avoid long queues at the airport by using the free internet check-in facility implemented across AirAsia and AirAsia X’s entire network.
"This is a wonderful innovation. With AirAsia’s web check-in, I can perform check-in myself in the office," said AirAsia passenger Janice Kuek.
"I do not have to worry about long queues at the counters anymore. It allows me to plan my trip better and saves me a lot of time, and it minimises chances of missing my flight."
For more information, visit website www.airasia.com.
VietNamNet/VNS