Hue – an amazing ancient citadel of Vietnam

Situated on the Northern bank of the Perfume River, with an area of 500 ha and a system of three circles of ramparts, namely from outside to inside: Kinh Thanh (Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel).


Culture

Hue is one of the main cultural, religious and educational centers of Vietnam. So far, Hue remains to be the only originally historical vestiged city in Vietnam. Many of Hue’s attractions are found along the banks of the romantically named Perfume River with 11 km length. This valuable construction includes more than 100 architectural works, which are the reflection of the life of Emperors and mandarins under Nguyen’s reign.


Architecture in Hue is the combination of royal architect, folk, religious ones, traditional and modern sides. On the north bank of the river is the Imperial Citadel, built along the line of Peking’s Forbidden City, enclosed by 10-meter thick walls and surrounded by a moat. A few kilometers further up the river are perhaps Hue’s best-known religious site. Inside the citadel, there are still royal remnants such as the seat of the Nguyen emperors occupying a large, walled area on the north side of the river. Inside the citadel, it was a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them were granted access, the punishment for trespassing was death penalty.


Situated in the middle of the hills on the Southern bank of Perfume River are very beautiful tombs of Nguyen Kings. Among these tombs are the four famous ones with the name and the arrangements of the tomb reflecting each Emperor’s points of view, personality, and tastes. This is majestic Gia Long tomb, imposing Minh Mang tomb, poetic Tu Duc tomb and magnificent Khai Dinh tomb. No architects who would like to discover ancient architecture of Vietnam could ignore Hue’s old citadel vestiges.


Citadel Complex of Hue


The Hue capital citadel 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 10 km 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). 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. 


Passing through Hoang Thanh is the Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel), which 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. 


Religion 
Hue is also an important center of Buddhism. In Hue and the surroundings still exists tens of pagodas constructed more than 300 years ago, and a hundred of temples and pagodas built in the early century. Thien Mu Pagoda with its distinctive seven-storey octagonal tower. 


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. 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. 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 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, called Dai Hong Chung, and 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 pavilion 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. 


Royal Music 


A lot of foreign tourists are curious about Hue’s ritual royal music. Originated from eight kinds of ritual music under Le dynasty, under Nguyen dynasty, it has improved into 2 kinds of music: “Dai nhac” and “Nha nhac”, which are really magnificent, and skillful. Those are only played on formal occasions. This city is proud to be the Cabral of traditional music. The Royal Refined Music was proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on December 1993. (Source: VGP) 


Should you are interested in witnessing Hue’s Citadel and explore other hidden corners of charming Hue , email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909620370.


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Related programs to Hue & around: 
25 Days Vietnam Expedition 
19 Days on Bike from Saigon to Hanoi
 BBC Top Gear Style: 8 Days Hard-core Motorbike from Ho Chi Minh City to Halong Bay 
8 Day Vietnam Abseiling Package 
6 Days Bike Central Vietnam 
Hue – Paddling the Perfume River 
3 Days Ancient Royal City Discovery 
2 Days Discover Ancient Phuoc Tich Village on Bike

BINH TA ARCHAEOLOGICAL VESTIGES IN LONG AN PROVINCE (MEKONG DELTA)

If travelling to Long An Province, you shouldn’t miss a visit to Binh Ta Archaeological Vestiges for a chance to admire the remnants of the Oc Eo-Phu Nam culture dating back from the first to seventh centuries.

The vestiges are situated in Binh Ta Hamlet, Duc Hoa Ha Commune, Duc Hoa District, Long An Province. Binh Ta’s architectural and archaeological vestiges including Go Xoai, Go Don and Go Nam Tuoc can be found 40km north-east of the town of Tan An in Long An Province.

 Architectural works discovered in Binh Ta’s vestiges are considered to be dedicated to the Siva Deity of Brahmanism which appeared in India around the first century BC and was introduced to southern Indochina at the beginning of the Christian era.

 Go Xoai Temple at a depth of 1.7 to 1.9m is considered a one-time celebration place of the Phu Nam people. On a collection of 26 gold objects discovered in Go Xoai, there are thin gold leaves with sentences of Buddhist sutra written in the ancient Sanskrit language. Other valuable objects were also excavated here. There are pieces of Oc Eo pottery, metal, precious stones, sandstone and a series of other relics from primitive man discovered around the temple.

Go Nam Tuoc monument is built of bricks, 17.2m in length, 11.1m in width; its the upper part was lost but its foundation is still characterized by the features of Oc-Eo cultural architecture such as: the angle structure, very straight brick foundation lines, and the semicircular three-door temple gate towards the East, which the base of affirmation that this is a temple architecture of Hinduism.

Go Don Sanctuary is a temple-tower architecture built of bricks, 78.5m in East-West length, 60m in width (North-South direction); before being excavated, the whole architecture had been in the earth’s womb; 0.4m is the nearest position to the earth’s surface. Many stone objects on display such as the statue of Dvarapala genie (Temple Guard Genie), the statue of Ganesa Genie’s head (Blessing Genie), many objects of worship including Linga, Yoni, Mi, the door carved the designs of flowers and leaves, the holy water condiut (Somasutra) and old pottery objects were collected from the ``excavation. In the worship hole, the vestige center is 3m in depth, there is a sacred object “Broken Yoni” and are a lot pebbles reckoned as worship stone.

 Most of the works were constructed for religious purposes, but at the same time played a role as a cultural and political centre of the ancient state. Hence, it can be said that Binh Ta Vestiges are the large-scale site of archaeological remnants in the Oc Eo culture.

Should you are interested in like-no-other guided expeditions to discover mystic Binh Ta Archaeological Vestiges and other hidden corners of charming Mekong Delta , email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909620370.
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 Related programs to Long An Province & Further in Mekong Delta:
Full Day Discover the rural of Mekong Delta by Jeep 
Biking to explore My Tho (Mekong Delta) 
Full Day - Explore Mekong Delta by Motorbikes 
2 Days 1 Night Explore Rural Mekong Delta on Motorcycles 
2 Days - 1 Night Pedal into The Heart of Mekong Delta 
3 Days 2 Nights Bird-Watching at Tram Chim National Park of Mekong Delta 
3 Days Deep into Mekong Delta (Motorbike Tours) 
5 Days Deep into Mekong Delta by Motorbike 
5 Days Loop of Mekong Delta on Bikes 
6 Days Discover Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc Island

PRISTINE WHITE WATERFALL IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE

Located in Thanh An Commune of Minh Long District, about 23kms South-West from the center of Quang Ngai City, White Waterfall is a must-see attraction for travellers when exploring Central Vietnam.

The best way to reach White Waterfall is by motorbikes. We climb over the Wind Waist Pass and admire the peaceful beauty of gentle Ve river and cottages on rivesides then the amazing view of Ethnic Minority Hre’s Village with stilt-houses nestled slopes, tea farms, and terraced paddies come to our sight as a signal that we are close to the Waterfall.

Tucked in the magnificent Truong Son Mountain Range, White Waterfall is surrounded by an area of huge mountains and hills painted with the green color of trees, fresh and quiet. From a height of over 40 meters, the fall is like a fairy tossing her long hair in the wind. At two sides of the fall, there are lots of Doat trees that Hre people make its juice as the yeast for their special Doat wine.

Climbing to the fall upstream, we have to follow a rocky jungle trail with a deep abyss at one edge. Higher we hike more risks we may get. Then all the hard work will be paid off as we reach the top and witness the amazing panorama that will unfold in front of our view. Reaching the top is already a victory in itself, but setting sight of the wonderful scene stretched out is another experience worth taking pride in. However, this hard trekking is only recommended for advance trekkers with necessary gear.

For light hikers, walk down to the foot of the White Waterfall to meet up with two natural lakes. Each lake is hundreds of square meters in size with clear water in which you can enjoy swimming or fishing. After swimming or fishing, having a noon snap in a hammock in the middle of jungle and near the fall is really ideal.

The White Waterfall is well-known to local people but not so tourists and that’s why this attraction still remains completely intact. As a result, there is no service for tourists here, hence, if you plan a day trip to discover White Waterfall of Quang Ngai by yourself, do not forget to bring food, beverage and first-aid kit with you on the trip. Should you are looking for an guided journey to unspoiled White Waterfall , email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909620370.
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 Related programs to Quang Ngai Pronvince:
 BBC Top Gear Style: 8 Days Hard-core Motorbike from Ho Chi Minh City to Halong Bay 
19 Days on Bike from Saigon to Hanoi

Discover Saigon for Early Birds

Saigon, with no doubt, to both travellers and local residents is certainly a busy city with dense traffic flows in rush hours filled by motor bikes and cars, fast moving life pace, full of activities both night and day. The city, however, like all other places, contains several hidden surprising corners that visitors often miss because of their ‘ordinary’ nature: early morning flower market, the typical street foods, corner café stands, and the city’s rare slow pace moments of the day. All together, create a different angle of the city life and the ordinary but precious daily life experience that surprise visitors and even locals.

5:30AM – Visit the Hidden Flower Market 
Start our tour early in the morning, ride our motorbikes from your hotel to the Ho Thi Ky Flower market which is around 15 minutes from the city centre. The first amazing view comes into our view are huge bunches of roses, lotuses, lilies, daisies and orchids being unloaded from trucks and motorbikes mostly from the highland and Mekong Delta. In the air, we could feel the eternal springtime magically created by the pleasant fragrances of hundreds of varieties of fresh flowers. A short chat with a flower seller here, we can learn the flower trading is not an easy job because the vendors have to work from very early morning until mid-nights but with their strong passion of work. Given the fast developing speed of the city, the flower market remains as the bridge to nature and countryside.


7:00AM – Enjoy Street-Food Style Breakfast
The period from 7.00am to 9.00am is really rush hours when everybody tries to escape from daily crazy heavy traffic to reach their workplace in time. After 20 minute riding in the crowded motorbike lines, we stopped at a local street food stall in Ho Ba Kien Street to order a very delicious dish named “Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì Chả” (Steamed broken rice with grilled pork ribs, thinly shredded pork skin, and egg custard). A small bowl of sweet fish sauce mixed with ground garlic & chilly is the must-have to make this combination tasteful & more special. “Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì Chả” is considered as a very traditional specialty of Southern Vietnamese breakfast.



9:00AM – Get Into the Oldest Part of China Town 
Get back on our motorbikes after the breakfast and head to Tran Hung Dao Boulevard – a main vein to enter China Town. Our first stop on Tran Hung Dao Boulevard is at an antique Minh Huong Temple (also called Ming Dynasty Assembly Hall) built in 1789 to the dedication and worship of the Ming Dynasty. Especially, Minh Huong Temple is the remnant of Minh Huong Village – the foundation of present China Town. Here still we find architecture and hundred year old relics in the temple. We continue on this big boulevard then off to colorful Luong Nhu Hoc Street, where many traditional shops concentrate on selling unicorn heads & royal costumes. Turn to the oldest street of Chinese Herbs & Medicine: Hai Thuong Lan Ong. The strong odors of different types of medicinal herbs impressed us as soon as we reach this street. Smells come from many medicine stores built in a mix of western and Chinese architectural elements in the mid-1800s. Continue riding slowly on Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street, we encounter most of ancient houses & stores where patterns still remain for more-than-100years. Walk into a traditional medicine shop for a chance to see how Chinese medicine is made & used. Next, we leave the medicine street to ride a round of Binh Tay Market to view the special structure, colorful surrounding Chinese house-shops, and vibrant atmosphere.


11:00AM - Taste Special Lunch in China Town
 It’s time to have “Sui Cao” (shrimp wonton soup) - one of traditional Chinese food on Ha Ton Quyen Street for our lunch before riding back to Saigon center (District 1) to end our half-day trip. If you are looking for the similar experience, email Vietnam Jeep Tours at adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or call +84 909620370.

Air Mekong to launch direct flight from Hanoi to Con Dao

Air Mekong is set to launch a new direct route between Hanoi and Con Dao starting May 19, to meet the increasing demand of tourists from the northern regions to the southern historical island during the summer months, the airline announced.

The two-hour flight will depart from Hanoi at 1pm every Wednesday and Saturday so far. However the airline is prepared to add and   increase the number of flights to four a week, if the demand increases during the summer.

In addition, the carrier will also increase the number of flights on the Ha Noi-Phu Quoc route to nine per week. Promotional tickets for the Hanoi-Phu Quoc and Hanoi-Con Dao routes will be around VND2.4 million on a one way ticket from May 1-20.

In related news, Jet Star Pacific will launch a daily service between Hanoi-Da Nang and Hanoi-Nha Trang, to meet the excessive tourist demand in the summer.

Flights from Hanoi to Da Nang and Nha Trang will re-open from June 1 to August 31.
Source: www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn
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Con Dao located as an archipelago of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, in southeastern Vietnam, is also an island of immense natural beauty with forested hills, deserted sandy beaches and extensive coral reefs making for some excellent diving.
Beside its interesting great history, Con Dao is part of a maritime and national park and is made up of 20 or so islands. The islands are mostly rugged and still have a lot of original forest cover and associated flora and fauna. The most famous indigenous animal is the dugong or sea cow although it is rarely seen. Several species of rare squirrel and apes are found here and there is an important breeding program for turtles on Banh Canh island near to Con Dao island.
Related programmes to Con Dao Island: (Please contact adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com for more services in Con Dao Island):

Con Dao Island Snorkeling and Trekking Package 

U MINH THUONG NATIONAL PARK – WETLAND ANGLERS’ PARADISE

Every weekend, hundreds of people flock to U Minh Thuong National Park in the southern province of Kien Giang to go fishing for different kinds of fish far beyond their wildest dreams.

Most of anglers from Saigon travel by car down to the Mekong Delta area. The approximately 300 km trip from Saigon to the forest takes them around seven to eight hours drive crossing most of the delta provinces such as Vinh Long, Can Tho, Dong Thap.

The route is quite lengthy, across two river ferries (Vam Cong & Tac Cau Ferry) but it is worth for tourists to see the landscapes on the way as well as people daily lives on the way.

Especially for many people, fishing in this remote area is a unique way to escape from the bustle of city life and enjoy the primitive cajuput forest, where they are greeted by birdsong and chirping insects.

Declared as a National Park in September 2000, U Minh Thuong covers 21,100 hectares. The core 8,000 hectares are strictly protected, while locals live in the remaining 13,000ha growing rice and fruit and vegetables and exploiting government owned cajuput forests.

U Minh Thuong is home to more than 250 species of plants and 500 species animals, with nine species of birds that are listed in the Red Book as endangered. At least eight species of economically valuable fish have been found at the park.

One of the last significant peat forests remaining in Viet Nam, the park has also been recognized as one of the three highest priority sites for wetland conservation in the Mekong Delta.
In order to preserve and maintain the natural environment, tourists are only allowed to travel within a 500 hectare area of the park's central zone.

Most of the tourists like to fish under humble cajuput-wooden tents by Hoa Mai Lake which is the only place that offers food and other basic services.

While the boats glide through the water, visitors may see thousands of bats hanging on tree branches. If they are lucky, they may even spot some monkeys quickly fleeing deep into the jungle after catching sight of humans.

Many tourists look forward having a meal prepared with fresh fish and other indigenous vegetables right on the spot, and then lying in a hammock to enjoy the forest's tranquillity.
Those who are not interested in fishing can climb to one of the several watchtowers and enjoy a panoramic view of the reserve. An immense green zone stretches as far as the eye can see, and the harmonious melody of the wind blowing and birds singing will purify and refresh anyone’s spirit.

For more information about U Minh Thuong National Park, please visit http://www.vietnamjeeptours.com/national-park-collection/u-minh-thuong-national-park-46.html

About customized tour to U Minh Thuong National park, please contact at email: adventure@vietnamjeeptours.com or hotline: +84 909 60 23 70

Related program to U Minh Thuong National Park:

Discovery The Wet Land of U Minh Thuong National Park

More boat trips for tourists to visit Wild Ly Son Island

With many historical, cultural relics and fascinating tourist areas, Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai is becoming an amazing travel attraction of Vietnam.

Thank to The district’s Passenger Transport Co-Operative, there are now four boat trips to the island each day to cope with the increasing number of visitors. Since the beginning of this year The Island has welcomed more than 6,000 visitors, receiving 200 to 350 tourists a day. Tourists can catch boats from Quang Ngai province’s Sa Ky port to reach Ly Son Island after nearly one hour.

Visit isolated Ly Son Island referred as the “fairy island” & “Garlic Kingdom”, travelers have chances not only to learn about its very diverse ecosystem with five mountains including many mysterious caves, imposing waterfalls, and splendid rivers and lakes (Thoi Loi, Gieng Tien, Hon Vung, Hon Soi and Hoi Tai) and the  lines of stunning beaches laid with colourful rocks, pebbles and corals but also to see many artifacts of Sa Huynh and Cham Cultures. Especially, the Thien Yana and old ruong houses are evidence for Sa Huynh and Cham’s ancient civilizations.

Vietnam Travel Depot is operating 03 days 2 nights package tour to visit beautiful Ly Son Island, for more information, please contact sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com or hotline: +84 909 602 370.