Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The ancients have a saying: "Bat Trang pottery Van Phuc silk village Thu Hong bamboo Ngu Xa cast bronze ... "

Between close streets, the magnificent buildings on the West Lake, a village still exists with many cultural relics, ancient history.  


 


Ho Khau village


Gate of Ho Khau temple

Visitors to Hanoi but not to the West Lake in Hanoi is not considered, because this is an ancient symbol of Hanoi, along with To river and Nung mountain. This is the center of Hanoi where old-full of myths about the chang waste land into cultivated areas West Lake, mining area Long Do and also presents many monuments temples, pagodas, temples, shrines the most in Thang Long. Ho Khau is a village located in the ancient land. The village is next door to the lake  with To Lich river so called Ho Khau.


 


Ho Khai village 1


Three door temple gate of Ho Khau now no 374 Thuy Khe



According “Ho Khau take notes”, the village is exploring from Hung Vuong period. To the Ly-Tran-Le, village administrative staff is located in Vinh Thuan district, the Phung Thien palace, Thang Long – now the third ward neighborhood Buoi ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi.  The beauty of the village system first in the village gates massive and monumental blocks connected together on a road length of about 300m.The middle three door temple gate was built architecture 4 pillars is based on the curved roof after roof tiles and fish scab. 2 columns between 45cm wide, 7m high. Above the 4  pillars bank Ranh Ranh fruit stylized flanking four sides. 4 side of pillars are located in parallel sentences. Door step built three step staircase, have large to rest step , both sides wait seat.


Chuc Thanh pagoda




Chuc Thanh pagoda



Attached to three door temple gate on the left is the north entrance of the village. To the right is the entrance to the Chuc Thanh temple. Through the Ve Quoc temple entrance Giap Dong of village. Gate system was a group of cultural heritage village unique in Thang Long.


Duc Thanh communial house





Duc Thanh temple




Home gate is Duc Thanh Mau Thuy Tinh Princess sanctuary, the daughter of Dong Dinh Vuong, the villagers still called “Dien Mau Thang Long”. Outside the village, apart “Dien Mau” aslo the “Giap Dong” temple worship Duc Thanh Em, temple known as the “Ve Quoc” temple.  The village has three temples, two temples located outside the village and a temple built in Giap Bac, worship Duc Thanh Ca, called Duc Thanh temple.


Two saints worshiped temple in Giap Bac and Giap Dong because of deserve well of country in the career defeat Tong and Nguyen invader. Besides they deserve well of setup village, water treatment should be Duc Thanh Hoang worshiped in communal house in the village. It was an old communal house located on the beyond of West Lake, then to the Nguyen dynasty moved in the village, located at the center of the village today. Communal house in the village has many worship objects and horizontal lacquer.  All three are natives build temples from the Ly dynasty was 3 certificate in years Vinh Thinh 6 (1711), Canh Hung 22 (1762), Canh Hung 44 (1784). Ve Quoc temple was ranked in 1995. Duc Thanh Temple was ranked in 2005.



Sai pagoda1




Sai pagoda



Village has 2 pagodas, legend will be starting up from the Ly, a stele scored big restoration in Canh Thinh VII (1799.) The pagoda is located in the village of Chuc Thanh, the pagoda establish of West lake known as Tinh Lau or Sai pagoda. This is an ancient monument built on a large campus of 3 hectare, there are many ancient trees that state were ranked classified national in 1995, identified as a pure cultural relic of Buddhism village of Vietnam.


Ong chau




Many generation lived here


Being a long ancient village, Ho Khau has 5 generation, is still full preserved worship hall, descendants still happy crowded.









The ancients have a saying: "Bat Trang pottery Van Phuc silk village Thu Hong bamboo Ngu Xa cast bronze ... "

Visit Sapa to taste special ""Tao Meo"" wine

Visiting to Sapa, everyone not only sees natural scenes of mountain and forest but also goes into ecstasy with special foods of the land of fog and especially you can enjoy the aromatic flavor of apple cat wine.


Lao Cai is a famous region with many kinds of delicious wines which bring the flavor of mountain and forest such as San Lung specialties (Bat Xat), corn wine (Bac Ha), and nearly, Sapa is well- known with apple cat wine which is popular but special.


 


Tao meo


Apple cat trees rise commonly on Hoang Lien Son Mountain.
Apple cat is a fruit which keeps the flavor of forest, sunshine, and wind in high area so it has enough four main flavors such as sour, sweet, acrid, and bitter. Apple cat is soaked carefully to create wine- apple cat wine. Apple cat is the same as a worthy present which nature gives to Mong people.  It has other names like sour and acrid fruit, or loving fruit because of its typical flavors. With the name ‘loving fruit’, people said that boys or girls who are single will love each other when drink a bow of apple cat wine together and then they will become a couple and live each other forever. They will share the bitterness, acridness, sourness, sweetness in apple cat wine as well as in life.

ruou tao meo

Apple cat usually bloom flower in final spring (March – April) and rise fruit in autumn. Therefore, visitors can buy apple cat within August and October. At this time, apple cat is sold the most common in all market of Sapa people. This time is also the most convenient for you to buy apple cat and make wine and then some instructions will help you make wine easier and more delicious as follows:


  • Firstly, you should wash apple cat with water and put dry. Then you cut two heads of an apple cat without throw its seed, cut apple into equivalent two parts, soaked in fresh water about one hour and next soaked in salt water about a half of one hour and wash it again with fresh water.

  • Secondly, you soak apple cat with sugar. Specifically, two kilograms needs 1 kilogram of sugar. After two weeks, apple cat come to the surface and a lay of sugar is in the bottom.

  • Finally, you take water from soaking apple cat with sugar and then soak it with wine. Noticeably, an amount of wine is a half of volume and after two weeks, you can drink this wine.

Apple cat wine is a nourish beverage which can treat many diseases such as tranquillizer, platelet, blood pressure. Besides, you can get out of sleeplessness when drinking a little apple cat wine. Furthermore, except for making apple cat wine, you can cut apple cat into thin pieces and dry. It also has the same effect as apple cat wine.  In short, if you have chance, welcome you go to Sapa. Let‘s make the most of the wonderful and amazing flavor of apple cat wine !



Visit Sapa to taste special ""Tao Meo"" wine

The Red river- peach silk across Hanoi

Red River is a river very own Hanoi, Vietnam’s mother land. The river was not only to build the Red River civilization – a civilization in the 36′s but also the world’s largest river system in Northern Vietnam, the No. 2 on the Indochina Peninsula (after the Mekong river – or other name Cuu Long river). With a length of 1126km, through Vietnam’s territory is 556km accounted for 49.3%, the whole basin area is 155,000 km2, accounting for 45.6% of the area. In addition, the Red River tributaries also have to take 614 from level 1 to level 6, there are major tributaries such as the Da, Lo, Chay …


 


Long_Bien_Bridge_Sunset


 


Red River originates from the ovary Nhuy Son mountain (1776m high) near Dai Ly lake  belong Nhi Do District, Van Nam province, China flowing from the Northwest – Southeast typical in Vietnam at Ha Khau (Lao Cai) through 7 provinces in the sea 10 estuary, the main estuary is the Ba Lat estuary(Nam Dinh). Para Red River flows through Hanoi 91 km long, the lower part. Before the French name for the Red River, it has many names. Each locality has a name of its own rivers as Thao river, Cai river, Nhi Ha river, Nam Sang, Hoang Giang … so it is also seen as most rivers have many names.


One of the cultural ethos of Vietnam is a water theme. The ancient town of Vietnam’s history is largely associated with waterway as Co Loa, Thang Long, Pho Hien, Hoi An organizational culture … In personal life, the water aspect is also a critical factor. Vietnamese people think that we’re children of the Fairy and the Dragon from “Lac Long Quan – Au Co” story. Lac Long Quan is King of Xich Quy, was called the father but the people living in the palace of the river god, claiming to be like dragon heads underwater species. Vietnamese people have to worship water-nymph. Naiad has many names, exists in many different forms, most commonly in wetland worship Mau Thoai (read deviate from Mau Thuy to show that respect). Long time now, the festival of spring and autumn, the Red River again busy drums, gongs of the dragon boat team went out to take the river water procession Mother River (Cai River) on the church and bath statue. River travel is no longer a new form again, but the tourism resources along the river has been confirmed a long and increasingly attractive domestic and foreign tourists. Main trips of this ancient poet default client also imprinted in the legend, in poetry.


song_hong11


Châu_thổ_sông_Hồng_2


Red River also is considered a historical mark victories against aggression. The great victory of our people in history are mostly waterborne battles: Bach Dang (938), (981) was a first Tay Ket battle , the second Tay Ket, Chuong Duong, Ham Tu, Rach Gam – Soai Mut (1785) … The area of the Hang Than head slope, head of the Long Bien Bridge (formerly as Dinh Bo Dau) where the glorious battles of the military and people (01/29/1285) dislodge 30000 Mongols army retreat, ending the glorious struggle against the Mongols invaded the 2nd (1285).


“People can not bathe twice in the same river.” The philosophical significance of the movement, then it is absolute. But say, history is never repeated, “… It is still the invaders North. It still pulled in by sea. It is still being ambushed at the estuary Rut river, Chanh river  – two branches of the Bach Dang river. It still lost by a stake. It was still about a breach boat by ironwood stake…,  you go to the Bach Dang river to ponder history against invaders of the nation and remember the 2 line of verse of Truong Han Sieu in ” Bach Dang prose”:

” Red evening clouds in the bottom water

Thought that this enemy blood is still here.”


song-hong



About three or four hundred years ago, the Red River in Hanoi gave the vitality of a commercial center. Goods from lowland follow the Red River back plain, down to shore of the mountainous province, mountainous forest products back plain in the Red River delta. The shore of the Red River had been comparable to the busy ports of Europe, all merchant vessels of France, Japan, Italy, Portugal … busiest in Red River dock in revolutionsagainst the United States, France.



song-hong-51





Bat Trang market on the Red river


Thousands of years, the Red River was flowing into a very important part of Vietnamese history, which flows into a thousand-year history of Hanoi. It became part of the flesh of the land it crosses, by many generations, of every human being of flesh and blood with it. Each person has a Red river for itself. How much Hanoi people carry out a war of resistance to live with Red River and lived with Nguyen Dinh Thi poet every croon “Oh, Hong Ha, I miss the old fall, waves return as flag wave when the military come to the capital ….” Red River in” Thao river guerrillas”  are grand song in  the most beautiful sound of the war against France. And late in 1954, how many people from North Vietnam in the forests of gloomy housing recovery is also excited about Hanoi with invitation To Huu poet:

“Song Thao be an eager bustle wave.
Somebody come to Hanoi then accompany  the boat!.”


According to ancient Chinese bibliographic around before the VI century, the Chinese call this river is Diep Du. And now China calls the Red River upstream from where the play area is Nguyen Giang or Ma Long Giang. Near to the Vietnam-China border area called the Lien Hoa or Le Hoa. On Vietnamese land, each country has  Red River for yourself. From Lao Cai to the Viet Tri, river flowing like silk train between two sides of  fan-palm forests and tea hills of  Phu Tho should call it the Song Thao (mean as silk). Thao is also a semanteme in Lam Thao,  name of a suburban district of Phu Tho district where the river flows through. From Viet Tri  Hanoi on the Bach Hac (White Crane) river.



Song-Hong-Long-Bien



See the Red River on Long Bien Bridge



The French are very romantic and rational when looking at the alluvium water call it the Red river, the name was officially called to this day. Red river curved to hug Thang Long from Minh Mang dynasty is called Ha Noi (in the river). Love it, peach silk of Red River – lap of orient robe tie round slender legs of Hanoi girl.

Thank association of a Greek poet, but the beautiful Red River never fade in his memory:


” I will never forget the Red River

Embroidered red color in Hanoi orient robe” 




The Red river- peach silk across Hanoi

A Lunch at Pho Binh Cafe

There are way too many things to see in Saigon, and heaven knows if I’ll ever get to see them all. This particular pho shop was in my guidebook, and the two or three sentences that followed the name had me completely smitten.  This was just a place we had to see. Chuck as usual, was all atwitter about what kind of place is this, and who goes there, and what not.  



pho binh




Motorbikes are always parked either on the sidewalk, or inside the shops. Actually, at the Indochine Hotel, they had 3 of them parked in the reception area. It was not very crowded inside, but the entire area around the restaurant was bustling. Chuck was definitely antsy, but I got a bit closer to check the noodle stand outside the premises. After our second trip to Vietnam, it was a foregone conclusion that you cannot have a bad bowl of pho, no matter where you eat it.


pho binh 2




Now doesn’t that look yummy? If you don’t know it, pho noodles are rice based, therefore much lighter than wheat based noodles and very easily digested. Vietnamese have pho any time of the day, including breakfast. We did go inside, and I wanted to insure that we had found the right place. The man who owned this pho shop played host to both American soldiers and Viet Cong during the American War, and his son has amassed quite a collection of pictures and citations in the name of his father. As we were the only Westerners in the shop, a tall man came toward us and for lack of understanding each other, I showed him the guide book, and he immediately understood what I meant. He showed us to a table, and returned with many albums.


pho xao


There was obviously tremendous pride in what Ngo Toai had done during the war, and his pho shop rose to prominence, but he absolutely refused to give his tables and chairs and any of his war memorabilia to the War Museum. The restaurant floors beg for a good scrubbing, but it is with reverence that one enters the premises.


pho-binh-3




Here we are below, completely captivated with reading and looking and pictures, while enjoying the best bowl of pho ever, and I squeezed as much lime as I could find into it. If you look at the picture on the right, above are two framed certificates. I was able to capture on camera a close up of the larger one, and the other one has a photo of Ngo Toai with American soldiers eating in his soup kitchen. Many wrote him letters after they went back home. The newspaper clippings are stained and in some disrepair, but they are a greater source of pride as they are written in English.


There are certificates on the wall bearing the red communist star; medals are photographed but now shown.  When the war ended, Ngo Toai returned to his beloved noodle shop and continued to serve his magical brew. It seems the menu has not changed much since that day. Heartwarming are the photos of U.S. veterans who returned to this shop, and have their arms around the old man.


noodle-seller-recalls-vietnam-war-d-day




The Reuters article above provocatively begins this way: “ In the early years of the Viet Nam war, Ngo Toai lived a double life: seller of noodles to U.S. personnel and surreptitious revolutionary”. And of course, you read on. Apparently, a few days following the Tet offensive, a South Vietnamese tried to kill Ngo Toai, but somehow he escaped death only to find life imprisonment and torture instead. As you can read, Toai was captured and tortured; our guide to the Mekong Delta would later inform us that many people were sent for “re-education”. I leave it to your imagination to figure this out.


The shop served as a front for the undercover command post from which the plan for the Tet offensive was devised. After the war, foreign tourists would pay up to $13/night to put their heads on a pillow in the very area that served as a gathering place for the Viet Cong. I regret that we didn’t decide to do likewise, but we had quite an itinerary on this first trip, which had been set back somewhat due to an unexpected food poisoning episode. All things aside, this café does serve a wicked pho. They also have “bia“, which is the Vietnamese word for “beer” , which actually came from the French word “bière”.

 





A Lunch at Pho Binh Cafe

marinated grapefruit flowers- the interesting fragrance in Vietnamese food

Tapioca drinks wire is a very common throughout Vietnam then Hanoi people there are very subtle way of processing such as to maintain the natural scent of earth and sky in white tapioca nuts. In other regions, people also marinated the jasmine flowers such as cassava lines to be fragrant. But grapefruit flowersmarinated with cassava lines for special fragrance only in Hang Dieu and Hang Than, Hanoi.



ganh-hoa-buoi



As fragrant incense grapefruit started by the wind everywhere it is also at the house or sidewalks in Hang Than, Hang Dieu appeared a pristine white, the white of the fresh cassava. People use large winnowing basket to expose for drying cassava. Arrange thin layers of tapioca may be powder dry evenly. Cassava lines were exposed to sunlight, the crisp new white color and keep the smooth. People here to buy big cassava tubers grind and filter flour. Cassava lines residues after filtering out the water like salted shredded meat. It also uses the fiber pulp is cooked into drinking water is also very cool. After drying is complete, each base tapioca looks like thin ice, it will break up into tiny little cassava. The tablet of this cassava after being exposed to sunlight that is firm, only waiting to see the water as it melts to create a great drink to help cool the body in this hot summer day.


When the fresh white powder dry surgery preparation was bound into the package that’s time people gather flowers grapefruit. The flowers are fragrant grapefruit mixed with cassava as scent cherished and preserved until the following season. Cassava drying are marinated with flowers bring sunshine grapefruit, close to 0.5 kg each package; 1kg … easy for the consumer choice. Grapefruit flowers want to wait after the days of drizzling rain, dry weather. When the flowers are not afraid fail, new fragrance is passionate and keep longer, when brought cassava flour seasoned with bold lines, the new truth.


hoa-buoi


Through the transparent cellophane bags, we still see those cassava tablet fine white  inside. Tapioca white, a square bar or powder, is contained in the ball bag that works breeze kept the scent of flowers sometimes longer. When people bought and put into use, open the rubber string out, the bag occasionally flashed the thought of the intoxicating fragrance, fragrance makes people have a long memory. Especially when enjoying a glass of water with ice cool cassava lines with white tusks, do not carve very constant, open system which is the dried flower petals yellow grapefruit in the cup.


Sips of water cooling lines cassava bold floral grapefruit feeling cool, fresh, seemed tired all go away, onlypassionate charm smell of the grapefruit flowers somewhere.



marinated grapefruit flowers- the interesting fragrance in Vietnamese food

Exhibition on temples of literature’s development opens in Hanoi

Visitors to the exhibition


Visitors to the exhibition




More than 80 photos of architecture, gates, bell towers, courtyards, steles and exhibits related to examinations at the temples ofliterature are on display at an exhibition which opened in Hanoi on January 21. 

The exhibition provides visitors an overview of the country’s system of literature temples, especially the Hanoi Temple ofLiterature and the Hue Temple of Literature.


 


A number of architectural items excavated from the old base of Hanoi Temple of Literature in 1998, its books, documents, woodblocks and steles carved with the names of those who had high scores in examinations, are also exhibited.


The event aims to help people study and preserve Vietnam’s cultural heritage, encouraging people to restore their literaturetemples.


The exhibition will run until February 15 at the Hanoi Temple ofLiterature



Exhibition on temples of literature’s development opens in Hanoi

The most famous romantic Love Streets in Hanoi

Hanoi is famous for beautiful ancient paths and street corners. Especially, the beauty of the capital changes in terms of time and space. Thus in different moments, people observe Hanoi in diferently ornamental sides. And there are several streets renowned to the youngsters as Love Paths for their romantic sights, which is ideal for photographing and dating.


Korean – Japanese Streets


It will be a serious mistake to list ideal Valentine spots without mentioning to Korean – Japanese Streets that lie along Tay Lake. Nobody knows the origin of these lovely names. In fact, it was because of the sceneries and houses in this area: one side is the large lake, the other is the houses with luxuriously modern architecture, resembling Koreans films. “Japanese” street is also a popular lakeside street for its sidewalk vendors and relatively secluded spots for couples.


20140219-222243.jpg


20140219-222251.jpg


In the evening, the two streets lit up with lampposts, outstanding from the surroundings. It was the giant Ferris wheel in the Water Park nearby shining that make the whole picture much more ornamental and “korean”.


20140219-222258.jpg


In summer, these are actually Love Streets for couples as the lotus blooms, bring about a fragrantly romantic space.


20140219-222314.jpg


Kim Ma Street


This is certainly a familiar street to the young Hanoians and photographers. It is a quite alluring street with old tree-lined and red brick sidewalks. However, it brings most thrilling feelings in the winter – the leaves-falling season. Through the lens of photographers, the photos of couples strolling in the brilliantly red-yellow path have made viewers moved.


20140219-222950.jpg


Moreover, walking hand-in-hand with lovers in the bitter cold weather of Hanoi winter will engrave on your memory.


20140219-223330.jpg


Phan Dinh Phung street


20140219-223139.jpg


Located within blocks of architectural planning, Phan Dinh Phung street bold influenced by Western architecture. We must first mention the high-villas nestled next but soaring trees. Although tinted paint stain over time but still beautiful ancient, stately, giving people the feeling nostalgic.


20140219-223226.jpg


Not random, Phan Dinh Phung street is widely called the beloved “Dracontomelum trees street.” Dracontomelum are grown on the roads, street corner of Hanoi, but most have to mention Phan Dinh Phung street. The old dracontomelum found on Phan Dinh Phung street has a history of hundreds of years, bushy tree – trunk, dense foliage,covered the road. Flower of dracontomelum alligator is not brilliant as many others that have simple and beloved beautiful flowers. The tiny of white flowers brunch tucked hide in green foliage, spread bitter scent but passionate .


Long Bien Bridge


20140219-223343.jpg


Long Bien is a historic cantilever bridge cross Hanoi’s Red River, built by French in 1898 – 1902. It is believed that the bridge is designed by Gustave Eiffel, the man behind Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty.


20140219-223350.jpg


With its charming vintage look and incredible view of the Hong (Red) River, Long Bien, the oldest bridge in Hanoi , has been a favourite spot for young people to get together. After a slow ride on motorbikes, people often stop at a fine spot on the bridge, where they enjoy conversation with one another or stare at the magnificent view. On the bridge, couples could possibly forget about time and stand or sit on the side of the bridge for hours. There are vendors there who are willing to serve them with snacks or drinks.


Many young couple also place locks on the fence to keep their love ever-lasting.


20140219-223506.jpg


20140219-223514.jpg



The most famous romantic Love Streets in Hanoi