Vietnam in gorgeous photos of bike backpackers

Having a chance to explore the highway Saigon – Hanoi by bicycle, Mr Hung Nguyen had interesting experiences.

The highway 1A is the top choice for bike backpackers who want to conquer their own abilities. Many of them like the roads along the coast of the central region of Vietnam because of its beauty and spectacular mountain passes. To people loving discovery and having a good stamina, a long trip from Saigon to Hanoi will bring unforgettable memories. Before starting out, asking people having experiences for advice, and preparing everything carefully with your close friends are very necessary to help you overcome difficulties before starting out.

Hung’s trip lasted 18 days, going through 20 provinces from Saigon to Hanoi. Everyday he rode 100 kilometers in 6 hours. He started riding from 6 am and had a short break of 15 minutes and take a rest of 2 hours at midday.

Here are Hung’s experiences when going backpacking by bicycle:

- You should prepare good mental health and physical health to be able to ride all day. Depending on your physical strength, you can choose a suitable itinerary. Doing exercise everyday before starting your journey will help your body not to pain when riding for hours.

- The ideal weight of luggage is less than 15 kilograms. You should avoid carry too many electronic devices and valuable items. In addition, carrying casual clothes, sport clothes, and costumes being able to protect your skin from sunshine is very important.

- Camera or small camcorder will be necessary to capture great memories. You also shoul not forget to carry GPS device.

- You need to make a plan for your journey and find out about places to eat and drink, and accomodation to stay overnight. Also, you have to ask for price before buying anything in strange regions.

- Getting enough water and minerals for your body is what you have to remember. You should not eat strange food and unhygienic food.

- Being careful when you take part in traffic, especially in northern provinces, the highways are quite bad. You should not go in the evening or go in deserted streets.

- You need partners in your journey except that you can be independent or you like going alone.

- Being always cheerful and optimistic. Communicating with local people will help you more understand about their life and custom.

Contemplating beautiful photos Hung took in his journey:

At dawn in Binh Thuan countryside

Boats on Ca Ty River, Phan Thiet

Salt fields at Binh Thuan

The coastal passes in the Central of Vietnam

Pristine beach

Water was puffed to make visitors feel cool.

At sunset on National Highway 1A

O Loan Dam, one of the national landscape.

A coastal fishing village of Phu Yen.

Scenery in Binh Dinh

A corner of Da Nang city was seen from beach

At the foot of the Hai Van Pass, this is a very difficult challenge for visitors

The sun sets in Trang An- Ninh Binh

A rural corner of the northern Vietnam.

Guom Lake-Hanoi in the afternoon

Translated by Nguyen Quynh
Source:Infonet 

Various soups with Vietnamese Banh Canh

Banh canh is a kind of noodle made from tapioca flour or a mixture of rice and tapioca flour and looks similar to Japanese udon. Banh canh can be cooked with various ingredients in different ways to create peculiar tastes and flavors.
 

A classic dish is banh canh cua, which includes the noodle as well as crab meat, a piece of frozen blood, prawns and mushroom in a hot and spicy broth. Banh canh gio heo is another common find, with a broth made from pork bones cooked for hours, chopped slices of pork legs, onions, carrots, white radishes and, of course, the banh canh itself.

Besides these two main soups, there are some less common variations which are also worth trying:

With one-sun-dried squid

The highlight of this dish is the one-sun-dried squids (muc mot nang), which are cleaned and exposed to the sun for only one day, thus maintaining their freshness and sweetness. Slices of squid are cooked with banh canh in a yellow paste. The sauce served with the dish is made from salt, chili, lemon, and sugar in specific proportions so that it has sour, spicy, salty and sweet flavors at the same time.

With prawns and coconut milk

This is a specialty of the southwestern region of Vietnam. The prawns are peeled from their shells, then stir-fried with spices in a hot pan before simmering in a broth of coconut milk. The white of the tapioca noodle, the pink of prawns, and the green of sliced spring onion make an eye-pleasing bowl of banh canh noodle soup. Although cooked in coconut milk, the soup has a fatty flavor that is not cloyingly sweet. Banh canh tom nuoc cot dua can be found on Hai Ba Trung street in District 3 for VND40,000 (US$2).

With meatballs

Different from meatballs found in hu tiu (Phnom Penh noodle) or traditional pho, meatballs in banh canh noodle soup are usually big in size. Diners can feel fulfilled with a spoonful of hot and flavorful meatballs cooked in clear soup. This dish can be found at the end of Nguyen Van Nguyen Street in District 1, close to the Nhieu Loc Canal.

With snakehead

There are two variations of banh canh ca loc originating from two regions. One from the southwestern area has a clean broth and a thin cut of fish and is served with mam nem, the Vietnamese fermented anchovy sauce. The other, from Hue, is a combination of flavors from the tapioca noodle, fresh fish and spicy cilantro. They are both tasty and can be found on Dang Van Bi Street or Bac Ai Street in Thu Duc District.

With fish patty

Banh canh cha ca is a specialty from coastal cities like Phan Thiet, Phan Rang and Nha Trang. Banh canh are cut into small pieces and cooked until they become transparent. Yellowish, soft slices of fried or steamed fish patty are carefully placed upon the noodle. Sometimes, you can even find pieces of tuna or mackerel added into the soup. This dish can be found in shops and stalls specializing in Phan Thiet or Nha Trang cuisine. The most popular one is at the corner of Nguyen Thong and Rach Bung Binh in District 3.

Dry banh canh

Interestingly, this dry dish was created by a descendant of the Bui family, which is known for bringing fame to banh canh Trang Bang, or Trang Bang-style noodle soup, served with fresh herbs brought directly from Tay Ninh Province. The tapioca flour noodles are dipped into hot broth until soft and then drained.

Then minced meat, fried shallot, peanuts, pickle, cucumber and sprouts are added. This dry version is also accompanied with fresh herbs. This dish can be found at the well-known Banh canh Trang Bang restaurant in District 3’s Vo Van Tan Street.

Banh canh gio heo is prepared with broth made from pork bones, and chopped slices of pork legs

Source: tuoitrenews

LANG SON

Lang Son is a northeastern province which is located on the Sino-Vietnamese border over a stretch of 253km. The capital of Lang Son, 500m above sea level, is situated on the left bank of Ky Cung River. Opposite the town and on the far side of the river is Ky Lua Market. The market is accessible by means of the Ky Cung bridge. Standing on the bridge, visitors can see a high mountain peak resembling a woman with a baby in her hands.

From time immemorial, the peak has been given the name of Vong Phu (Awaiting one''s husband). Legend has it that Lady To Thi with a baby in her hands stood there day and day waiting for the return of the husband who had gone to war. She waited so long that both her and her child were turned into stone. Dong Dang, a town on the Sino-Vietnamese border, is 14km from Lang Son town. Just three kilometres to the east of Dong Dang is the Huu Nghi (Friendship) border gate. As long as living memory can testify, the border gate has been a major point for the exchange of goods between Vietnamese and Chinese living on either side of the border areas. After a period of border conflicts, the border gate has once again opened to traders and visitors of the two countries. 

Lang Son has favourable climatic conditions and is home to some valuable fruits such as pears, plums and Japanese persimmons. Lang Son is also home to some picturesque grottoes, especially Tam Thanh Grottoes (Nhat Thanh, Nhi Thanh, Tam Thanh). The most famous is Tam Thanh on the western end of Ky Lua street, because it resembles a crouching elephant on a vast grassy field. The entrance to the grotto is almost obscured from sunlight, because it is covered with a dense foliage of trees. High on the wall to the right side of the entrance , there remains a poem carved deep into the stone. The poem was written by Ngo Thi Si (1726- 1780) when he was stationed in Lang Son as the commander of the Lang Son military post. Ngo Thi Si praised the beauty of the magnificent mountain and landscapes possessed by Lang Son. Inside the grotto is a statue of Buddha. Many stalactites and stalagmites make the grotto look more picturesque and mystical. Ngo Thi Si was the person who discovered Nhi Thanh Grotto. The name Nhi Thanh was chosen by Ngo Thi Si to commemorate his birth place in Ta Thanh Oai village in Thanh Oai district in Ha Tay province. To commemorate his great contributions to the grotto, Ngo Thi Si had his portrait carved on an interior wall.

Mekong Delta Vietnam

Southern Vietnam covers the Mekong Delta, the extreme southern end of the Mekong River, and the area around Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
As all deltas, it receives the bounty of the siltation from the upper Mekong, and as such is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields. It produces about half of the total of Vietnam's agricultural output (in fact the delta produces more rice than Korea and Japan altogether), and is the place for timeless sceneries of farmers planting or harvesting rice.
The Mekong splits in Cambodia into two main rivers, the Bassac (Hậu Giang) and the First river (Tiền Giang), then in Vietnam into a more complex system, creating a maze of small canals, rivers and arroyos interspersed with villages and floating markets.
Life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river as well as by road.

Source: vietnamtourism.org.vn

Admire Wild Beauty of Na Hang Lake - Tuyen Quang

It is considered Na Hang Lake as “Ha Long Bay among high mountains and thick forests”. There are 99 mountains with different shapes, fascinating all tourists in Vietnam travel.

Located in the centre of Na Hang District, a mountainous district of Tuyen Quang province, Na Hang Lake is surrounded by mountains and ancient temples. Near the lake is Pac Ta Mountain, the highest mountain in the district. It looks like an elephant stooping down near an alcohol jar that is reflected in the green lake. At the foot of the mountain stands an old temple that is dedicated to a concubine of General Tran Nhat Duat from the 13th century. The temple is famous for its beautiful scenery and sacredness and is a must-see destination for tourists in Vietnam travel.

With its primitive and mysterious beauty, Na Hang Lake has become a wonderful tourism destination. It is considered to be “Ha Long Bay among high mountains and thick forests”. There are 99 mountains with different shapes, fascinating all visitors. 

Wild beauty of Na Hang Lake.

Pac Ban Waterfall splashing all year round.

Rocky formations in different shapes create unusual features for Na Hang Lake.

Na Hang Lake looks splendid with 99 mountains around it.

A ferry wharf at Na Hang Lake.

Pac Ta Mountain is the highest mountain in the Na Hang area.

If you are joining tours in Vietnam, please once come to the Northeastern province of Vietnam, Tuyen Quang province and visit Na Hang Lake. It must be a wonderful destination that you should not miss to visit.

Source: VNP

Than Uyên & Lai Châu

Landscape on the way to Lai Châu

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I traveled by mini bus from Than Uyên town to Lai Châu
town (80km). This is the view from my mini bus.

This is Part 3 of my 7-day solo trip in the North West of Vietnam by local bus and motorbike. Wednesday afternoon (July 18) - I missed the bus from Mù Cang Chải to Than Uyên at 12am and another bus would come 4 hours later. After waiting for a couple of hours, I decided it was enough and I would travel by motorbike (40km). The landscape on the way was so beautiful as I was passing by mountain rainges, terraced rice fields and houses of the H’mong ethnic minority people. I also saw waterfalls and streams going down from the mountains.

When I got to the end of Mù Cang Chải district area, I saw a board with the words “Lai Châu”. It was an emotional moment because Lai Châu was the 60th province in Vietnam that I have been to. It has taken me 16 years to say “I’ve been to 60 out of 63 provinces in Vietnam”.

Landscape on the way to Than Uyên

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I traveled by motorbike from Mù Cang Chải (Yên Bái
province) to Than Uyên (Lai Châu province).

The reason why it took me so long time to be there was that I was not very much interested in traveling in Vietnam when I was younger. I preferred traveling abroad, but the good side of it is that things were cheaper in the past and now it’s difficult to make overseas trips as everything (air tickets, hotel, transport, food etc) is getting more expensive. Now I know that there are so many beautiful places in Vietnam and it’s never too late to see them. There are so many roads I have not been to and so many people I have not met. I also understand that a lifetime is not enough to really know a country.

As soon as I entered Lai Châu province’s area (ie Than Uyên district), I found that everything was completely different. The sun was shining and it was hot. There were no more H’mong people and terraced rice fields along the way.

Propaganda in Lai Châu town

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Outside a cinema in Lai Châu town.

Most ethnic minority people in Lai Châu province are the Thai and I saw Thai women in their traditional dresses working on the rice fields. There is a small number of H’mong people in this province. Other than the Thai and H’mong people, there are other ethnic groups such as Day, Hani, Chinese etc.

I said good bye to my motorbike taxi driver outside the bus station in Than Uyên town and he went back to Mù Cang Chải.
Next to the bus station is Than Uyên market and this area is considered as the center of the town. I spent a night in this town just to relax and I moved on to Lai Châu town on the following day. Lai Châu is the capital town of Lai Châu province. In 2004, this province is separated from Điện Biên province which is famous as the final battlefield between Vietnam and France in 1954.

Highway No. 32 to Than Uyên

Lai Châu is a poor and remote province which has borders with Laos and China. The Vietnamese government has invested much money for building up the town as well as the road system. In 2015, Lai Châu town will be upgraded into a city and in the future there will also be a small-sized airport in the province.

Thursday morning (July 19) – I traveled by mini bus from Than Uyên town to Lai Châu town (80km). It was interesting to see some resettled villages of the Thai ethnic minority people on the way. The groups of white stilt houses reminded me of white gers (tents) in Mongolia. For some reasons (for example, building a hydropower plant), the Thai people had to relocate to this place.

Government offices in Lai Châu town

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A group of buildings marked from A to F
in the center area of the town.

The traditional stilt houes of the Thai people are made of wood, but now there is not much wood in the jungle, so people changed to build their houses with concrete and the roof is made of white cement.

When the mini bus got close to Lai Châu town, the driver pointed at the left side and said “Lai Châu town is inside the valley, and it’s over there”. I decided to stay near the bus station and my guesthouse by the Highway No. 4D is located 4km away from the square which is the center of the town. It rained in the afternoon, so I had to wait until 5pm to visit the square. I asked a local man what to see around the town. He said there are some caves but the road may be flooded after the rains. Lai Châu doesn’t have famous sites for tourists to see like other provinces in the North West region. However, the mountain scenery on the way and ethnic minority people are the province's highlights. Lai Châu is still a new province and the main business over there involves mineral
exploitation.

A H'mong woman at Than Uyên market

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H'mong ethnic minority people make up a
small number of population in Lai Châu province.
There are more Thai ethnic minority people
 in this province.

Blackout happened 3 times in the evening, so I had to use a candle which was available in my room. It rained most of my time in the town, so it was not pleasant to walk around with a raincoat in the darkness. Next time if I go back to Lai Châu, I would like to take a bus to Mường Tè commune (200km away from Lai Châu town). Mường Tè is famous as a very poor and remote place in the North West region. I saw a bus which goes toward this commune but the weather was not good, plus the road was in bad condition during the rainy season, so I decided to see it on another trip.

Next day I got a bus to Lào Cai at 9am (115km). I hoped I could get a train ticket and go back to Hanoi on the same day. It didn’t happen as I expected, as the train tickets were fully booked in advance at the weekend. I decided to go back to Yên Bái city and enjoy one more day over there.

Travel tips: Lai Châu town is located 420km northwest of Hanoi. Its old name was Tam Đường town. There are buses with bunk beds which leave Hanoi every night and you will arrive in Lai Châu town at 8am next day. If you do not want to get to Lai Châu, you can take a bus from Than Uyên to Sapa (110km). Bình Lư cross (Ngã ba Bình Lư) is the point where you could get to either Lai Châu (left side, 35km) or Sapa (right side). This is Highway No. 4D. Sapa is 35km from Lào Cai city where you can get a night train and go back to Hanoi.

My second and third visits to Lai Châu province in 2012:

Mường Tè & wedding of the Dzao people in Sìn Hồ

Pa Há & Dào San (3rd visit to Lai Châu)

Other blogs about the same trip:

Part 1: Old tea trees & Red H'mong people in Suối Giàng

Part 2: Mù Cang Chải terraced rice paddy-fields


Than Uyên & Lai Châu – Ngày 18-20/7/2012

The market in Than Uyên town

Đây là Phần 3 của chuyến đi 7 ngày đến 3 tỉnh vùng Tây Bắc mà tôi đã tự thực hiện bằng xe buýt và xe máy. Chiều ngày 18/7, tôi bị lỡ mất chuyến xe buýt đi từ Mù Cang Chải sang Than Uyên vào lúc 12 giờ trưa. Phải đến 4 giờ chiều mới có chuyến xe tiếp theo chạy qua đây. Sau khi ngồi chờ 2 tiếng đồng hồ, tôi quyết định thuê xe ôm đi 40km sang Than Uyên với giá 200.000 đồng. Phong cảnh trên đường đi tuyệt đẹp với những dãy núi trải dài, những thửa ruộng bậc thang, những ngôi nhà của người dân tộc Mông bên đường Quốc lộ 32, những thác nước đổ xuống trắng xóa từ trên những ngọn núi cao ở phía xa xa và những dòng suối nhỏ chảy qua những vách đá. Thỉnh thoảng mới thấy có xe cộ và người qua lại, nên có những nơi tôi có cảm giác như mình thật nhỏ bé giữa khung cảnh bao la của núi rừng.

Landscape on the way to Lai Châu

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The white stilt houses of the Thai ethnic minority people
reminded me of Mongolia (white gers on the grassland
and next to mountains). Previously, the stilt houses were
made of wood, but now people changed to concrete to
protect environment (saving wood). (Nhà sàn màu trắng
của người dân tộc Thái xây bằng bê tông ở khu tái định cư).

Kết thúc địa phận huyện Mù Cang Chải, tôi nhìn thấy tấm biển có dòng chữ “Lai Châu”. Đây là một khoảnh khắc thật xúc động vì Lai Châu là tỉnh thứ 60 ở Việt Nam mà tôi đã đặt chân tới. Tôi đã phải mất 16 năm để thực hiện được điều này và chỉ còn 3 tỉnh là Dak Nong, Bình Phước và Trà Vinh là tôi chưa từng đến. Lý do vì sao tôi đã phải mất nhiều thời gian đến như vậy để có thể đặt chân đến 60 tỉnh thành là vì trước đây tôi không quan tâm lắm đến việc đi du lịch ở trong nước mà chỉ thích đi du lịch nước ngoài. Nhưng ở khía cạnh tích cực thì trước đây mọi thứ còn rẻ, trong khi bây giờ mọi thứ đều khá đắt, từ vé máy bay cho đến khách sạn, chi phí đi lại và ăn ở, nên việc đi du lịch nước ngoài trở nên khó khăn hơn. Bây giờ thì tôi đã biết được là Việt Nam có rất nhiều cảnh đẹp và không bao giờ là quá muộn để đi và học hỏi. Còn biết bao nhiêu những con đường mà tôi chưa từng đặt chân đến và biết bao nhiêu những con người mà tôi chưa từng gặp. Tôi cũng hiểu rất rõ là cho dù có đi hết cả một cuộc đời thì chúng ta cũng không thể biết hết được về một đất nước.

Just arrived in Lai Châu town

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I felt I was quite far away from Hanoi (420km) as I was in
the mountain region and more close to Laos.

Ngay khi tôi đi vào địa phận của huyện Than Uyên thuộc tỉnh Lai Châu, mọi thứ ngay lập tức khác hoàn toàn. Trời nắng đẹp rực rỡ. Ở đây không có người Mông và những thửa ruộng bậc thang. Hầu hết người dân tộc thiểu số ở Lai Châu là người Thái và tôi nhìn thấy những người phụ nữ người Thái mặc trang phục dân tộc của họ đang cấy lúa ở trên những cánh đồng bằng phẳng hoặc ruộng bậc thang nhưng rất thấp. Người dân tộc Mông chỉ chiếm một số nhỏ ở Lai Châu. Ngoài ra còn có người dân tộc Dáy, người Hà Nhì, người Hoa v.v.

Khi xe tiến đến gần thị trấn Than Uyên, tôi nhìn thấy tấm biển ở bên trái có dòng chữ “Sơn La”. Tôi rất mong có cơ hội đi về hướng đó, nhưng lần này thì tôi không thực hiện được. Anh lái xe ôm đưa tôi đến bến xe Than Uyên rồi anh quay trở lại Mù Cang Chải. Cạnh bến xe là chợ Than Uyên, cũng được coi là trung tâm của thị trấn Than Uyên. Tôi nghỉ lại một đêm ở thị trấn này để ngày hôm sau đi tiếp đến thị xã Lai Châu. Buổi tối ở Than Uyên, trời mưa to. Một người dân ở đây nói với tôi là tại Than Uyên chỉ có du lịch lòng hồ thủy điện, nhưng tôi không có thời gian vì sáng ngày hôm sau là tôi lại lên đường đến một địa danh mới.

Square in the center of Lai Châu town

Sáng ngày 19/7, tôi đi xe buýt từ Than Uyên đến Lai Châu. Khoảng cách quãng đường này là 80km. Phong cảnh trên đường đi rất đẹp với những đám mây trắng bồng bềnh trên lưng chừng núi. Khi nhìn thấy rất nhiều những đốm trắng ở phía xa xa trông như những chiếc nấm, tôi liền hỏi cậu lái xe và cậu nói rằng đó là bản của người Thái ở khu tái định cư. Vì gỗ trong rừng bây giờ hiếm, nên người ta xây nhà sàn bằng bê tông và lợp mái pro xi măng màu trắng. Những ngôi nhà sàn màu trắng san sát nhau gợi cho tôi nhớ đến những chiếc lều màu trắng của người Mông Cổ trên thảo nguyên bao la mà tôi đã nhìn thấy một năm về trước.

At Than Uyên market

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Two Thai ethnic minority women are
buying things at the market. The Thai
 ethnic minority women often wear shirts
and long black skirts.

Tại ngã ba Bình Lư, xe rẽ về phía bên trái và từ đây đến Lai Châu là 35km. Trục đường này là Quốc lộ 4D. Nếu đi về hướng bên phải của ngã ba này thì sẽ tới Lào Cai. Khi xe đến gần thị xã Lai Châu, cậu lái xe chỉ tay về phía bên trái và tôi nhìn thấy một thành phố nhỏ ở phía xa xa. Thị xã Lai Châu (tên cũ là Tam Đường) nằm bên trong một thung lũng và theo như tôi thấy thì quy mô của thị xã này còn rộng lớn hơn thành phố Điện Biên. Tỉnh Lai Châu mới tách ra khỏi tỉnh Điện Biên vào năm 2004 và có đường biên giới tiếp giáp với Lào và Trung Quốc. Cho đến nay, Lai Châu vẫn là một tỉnh nghèo của miền bắc Việt Nam. Chính phủ Việt Nam đã đầu tư khá nhiều để xây dựng thị xã cũng như hệ thống giao thông, nên nơi đây nhìn khá khang trang. Vào năm 2015, thị xã Lai Châu sẽ được nâng cấp lên thành thành phố và trong tương lai ở đây sẽ có sân bay.

Tôi chọn một nhà nghỉ ở cạnh đường Quốc lộ 4D, cách quảng trường 4km. Quảng trường này được coi là trung tâm của thị xã Lai Châu. Anh lái xe ôm nói với tôi rằng trước đây khu vực này là đồi chè và đã được san phẳng. Tôi tin rằng họ chọn vị trí này là vì phong thủy. Tại đây có khối nhà hành chính theo thứ tự từ A đến F được xây rất hiện đại. Tôi nghĩ rằng đây là một trong những quảng trường đẹp nhất ở miền bắc, vì đứng ở hướng nào cũng nhìn thấy núi.

Bus station in Lai Châu town

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Two big buses in the middle are the night bus from Hanoi
to Lai Châu town. It has bunk beds. Ticket about US$15.

Trong lúc đi lang thang, tôi trò chuyện với một cậu thanh niên làm ở tỉnh đội Lai Châu. Cậu nói là quanh đây cũng không có chỗ nào thăm quan ngoài mấy hang động. Nhưng sau mấy trận mưa thì đường vào hang đều ngập nước nên không thể đi được. Thực ra, Lai Châu không có nhiều địa danh nổi tiếng cho khách thăm quan du lịch như các tỉnh khác ở vùng Tây Bắc. Tuy nhiên, phong cảnh núi rừng trên đường đi và các nhóm dân tộc thiểu số làm nên điểm nổi bật của khu vực này. Dù sao thì Lai Châu cũng là một tỉnh mới và ở đây cũng có nhiều mỏ khoáng sản.

Buổi tối ở thị xã bị mất điện đến 3 lần. Trong phòng có đặt sẵn một ngọn nến, nên buổi tối tôi phải thắp nến. Phần lớn thời gian của tôi ở thị xã Lai Châu trời cứ mưa suốt, nên cũng không dễ chịu lắm khi phải đi bộ dưới trời mưa và trên một con đường tối om.

Poster in Than Uyên town

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Poster for the 60th anniversary of Than Uyên
district liberation. (10/1952 - 10/2012)

Lần sau, nếu quay lại Lai Châu, tôi sẽ đến Mường Tè. Tôi đã nhìn thấy chiếc xe buýt màu đỏ chạy về hướng Điện Biên có dòng chữ “Mường Tè”, nhưng trời mưa và đường xấu nên tôi sẽ để đến lần sau. Mường Tè cách Lai Châu 200km và nổi tiếng là một nơi rất nghèo nàn và xa xôi hẻo lánh. Tôi muốn đến Mường Tè để xem địa danh nổi tiếng đó như thế nào.

Sáng hôm sau, tôi đi Lào Cai bằng xe buýt chuyến 9 giờ sáng (115km). Xe lại quay trở lại ngã ba Bình Lư và đi về hướng Sapa qua đèo Hoàng Liên Sơn. Tôi dự định đi bằng tàu hỏa từ Lào Cai về Hà Nội, nhưng vé tàu đã bán hết vì vào dịp cuối tuần, nên tôi quyết định quay trở lại thành phố Yên Bái và
chơi thêm một ngày nữa ở đó.

Lai Châu town

Ghi chú: Thị xã Lai Châu cách Hà Nội 420km về hướng Tây Bắc. Tại bến xe Lai Châu, tôi nhìn thấy có xe giường nằm cao cấp chạy tuyến Hà Nội – Lai Châu. Xe này đến bến Lai Châu vào lúc 8 giờ sáng. Tôi nghĩ là giá vé khoảng 300.000 đồng hay hơn một chút như trên bảng giá ở bến xe.

Chuyến đi lần thứ 2 và thứ 3 đến tỉnh Lai Châu trong năm 2012:

Pa Há & Dào San (3rd visit to Lai Châu) 

Hanoi_girl

Source:travelblog.org

Hue Temple of Literature - A unique symbol of Vietnam’s past educational system

If the Temple of Literature in Hanoi is known as the first university in Vietnam and aslo called Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam in Vietnamese language, Hue Temple of Literature is regarded as a worship temple founded by the Nguyen Dynasty to dedicate to celebrated scholars of Confucianism.

During the old time, various Temples of Literature were built by the Nguyen Lords in the capital and moved to three different places: Trieu Son Village, Luong Quang Village and Long Ho Village. Hue Temple of Literature , also called Van Mieu Hue in Vietnamese language, is a worship temple founded by the Nguyen Dynasty to dedicate to celebrated scholars of Confucianism.

In 1808, Gia Long and his Imperial Court decided to choose a low hill beyond the Thien Mu Pagoda, on the left bank of the Perfume River, i.e. the current position, to built a new imposing and striking Temple of Literature. The construction of the Temple of Literature was commenced on April 17th, 1808 and finished on November 12th, 1808.

The Temple of Literature faces south. All main constructive works were built on the top of the hill, three meters higher than the surrounding land. In front of it was the Perfume River, in the back was villages, hills and mounts spreading from Truong Son Range. All items of Hue Temple of Literature were erected on a square surface of 160m long on each side enclosed by La Thanh (surrounding wall). There was once a complex of 50 big and small constructions including 32 steles which bore names of doctors and four other steles.

The Temple of Literature was many times renovated and many sub - constructions were built, especially in Minh Mang and Thieu Tri's time. From Minh Mang's time onwards, National Examinations were held so that steles bearing the names of successful candidates were erected here. These "Tien si de danh bia" - "Steles bearing doctors' names" were gradually erected on the yard of the main temple from 1831 to 1919, the year in which the last National Examinations was held in Khai Dinh's time.

"Steles bearing doctors' names" in Hue Temple of Literature

As destroyed by the war and weather, the remains of the Temple of Literature are now the 34 steles of great cultural and historic value. On these steles are names, ages and places of birth of 239 successful candidates in National Examinations organized in the Nguyen Dynasty.

Today, visiting Hue Temple of Literature, tourists joining tours in Vietnam can see the unique symbol of Vietnam’s past eductional system. They can understand more about the tradition of knowledge appreciation, scholars administration and study encouragement of our ancestors during the feudal times.