Old Vietnam is alive and well at one of the country’s most sacred pagodas

Clay statues depict 18 Arhats (Buddhist monks post-enlightenment) at Chuong Pagoda

Chuong Pagoda, the centerpiece of Vietnam’s largest port in the 17th and 18th centuries, still stands as a tall reminder of Vietnam’s not so distant past: a time of spirituality, tradition and simple beauty.

Still the most scenic spot in the former town of Pho Hien, now a part of the town of Hung Yen, the pagoda has lost none of its historic allure.

Pho Hien was once the north’s premier port city and a vibrant commercial and cultural melting pot of Vietnamese and foreign peoples. It was second only to the capital city of Thang Long (now Hanoi) in terms of commercial activity.

Today, visitors to Hung Yen can see the unique historical and cultural remains of the past at Chuong (Bell) Pagoda.

Built in the 15th century under the Le Dynasty, the pagoda was then restored in 1707 in the architectural style of the post-Le period.

The pagoda’s name came from a legend:

In the days of myths and folk tales, a golden bell drifted to the shore of the Red River in Nhan Duc Village during a flood and when the waters receded it began to sink in the mud.

Throngs of residents of neighboring villages rushed to Nhan Duc to save the bell but they could not make it budge, it was too heavy.

Eventually a group of Nhan Duc villagers were able to take the bell home. Believing they had been granted the charm by God, the villagers then built a pagoda to worship the bell, whose toll could be heard for miles around.

Also known as Kim Chung Tu (Golden Bell Pagoda), the religious complex was built with meticulous attention to detail.

After entering the Cong tam quan (three-entrance gate), which has eight roofs, visitors cross a stone bridge over a lotus pond. The bridge will lead them to a brick patio made of bricks from Hanoi’s famous Bat Trang handicraft village.

Walking across the stone walkway in the middle of the patio is like walking through time. The path leads to a courtyard in front of the sanctuary compound. The bell tower and altar house, where local residents worship their ancestors, follow next

HOW TO GET THERE

 - Chuong Pagoda is located in Nhan Duc Village, Hien Nam Ward, Hung Yen Town, Hung Yen Province, 64 kilometers south-east from Hanoi.

 - From Hanoi, tourists can take buses 205, 208, or 209 from the Luong Yen and Giap Bat bus stations to get to the pagoda.

 - They can also book private buses at Hanoi’s Gia Lam bus station for the trip.

 - Another way is to travel by boat on the Hanoi – Pho Hien route from the Red River tourism wharf.

Cong tam quan (Three-entrance gate) at Chuong Pagoda in the northern province of Hung Yen

The pagoda, recognized as a National Architectural Relic by the government in 1992, has many carved Buddha statues, including the Tam The (three Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future), A-di-da (Amitabha), and four Bo-tat (Bodhisattvas).

Next is a startling wood relief depicting the Thap Dien Diem Vuong (Ten Courts Managed by the 10 Kings of Hell).

In it, sinners are depicted serving out punishments for their crimes: some are being dumped into a cauldron of boiling oil; others are having their tongues cut out.

But the Thap bat La Han (18 Arhats), made of clay, are much more peaceful. Each one depicts a wise monk expressing a different attitude.

The Arhats are Buddhists who have achieved full spiritual fulfillment. They have reached “Nirvana,” the state of absolute freedom from worldly cravings, and thus they are no longer subject to reincarnation.

Tourists can go up to the bell tower before contemplating a stele which dates back to 1711, built under the reign of King Le Du Tong. On the stele is engraved a picture of Pho Hien and the city of Thang Long.

The stele helped researchers locate the commercial road that once connected Pho Hien and Thang Long. It used to pass right by the Chuong Pagoda gate. The map also helped historians locate the borders of Pho Hien’s original 20 wards

The mad hatters of Chuong Village

Chuong Village has been the home of Vietnam’s famous non la (conical leaf hat) for centuries.

The small village, around 30 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, is often crowded with people buying non la and also watching local craftswomen make it.

The village’s Non Market is open from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., six times a month, on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th, and 30th days of the lunar calendar.

Most non la are made from palm leaves. The leaf is cleaned with sand before being left in the sun to whiten. It is then evened by a blade.

The hat makers of Chuong Village, all women, then place the leaves over a frame made of bamboo circles. The leaves are tied into place with string and sewn from top to bottom. The excess leaves are then trimmed. Strong sewing makes the most durable hats.

Finally, to make the hat whiter and protect it from mold, the hats are singed with burning matches.

The government will also allow foreign tourists to claim refund of value added tax (VAT) when they buy goods during the two months under the “Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010” program, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Meanwhile, many shops, trade centers, and service providers in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City have pledged to offer discounts of 10-40 percent to both local and foreign tourists during the promotion.

Vietnam attracted 1.35 million foreign visitors in the first quarter this year, a 36 percent year-on-year increase.

The country hopes to welcome 4.2 million visitors this year.

A man in the Central Highlands has transformed his cafe into a Jurassic Park of sorts, displaying more than 300 fossils he"s collected, some of them dating from hundreds of millions of years ago.

Most of the fossils on display at Hoang Thanh"s cafe in the Dak Lak Province town of Buon Ma Thuot are the remains of ferns and pines. Dozens of them are the remains of animals. Thanh collected the artifacts for dozens of years all over the highlands region.

His largest wood fossil, 1.7 meters long and weighing more than two tons, has been identified by scientists as coming from the Jurassic period 175 million years ago, Thanh said.

People can still see the core of the wood and its brown bark.

Another fossil 2.2 meters long is a mixture of minerals from a volcanic eruption. It makes a loud bell-like sound when struck. 

Thanh calls it the “rock bell” and named his café after it: Chuong Da.

He has refused several offers to buy his fossils. They are "too precious" for money, he said.

For several generations, these markets have kept afloat rural livelihoods, a way of life, and a distinct culture

Can Tho City’s Cai Rang Floating Market is one of the biggest floating markets in the southern region

Floating markets are great tourist draws.

Found only in Southeast Asia, the sight of boats as shops and food stops, the colors of the boats and the produce, ranging from flowers to fruits and vegetables to everything else found in on-land markets, never fail to impress.

However, if you were to tarry a while, the markets have interesting stories to tell, stories of those whose families have been clothed and fed for generations by them, of those who have met their life partners there, and those who cannot imagine their lives without it.

When the first rays of the sun spread their light, thousands of boats of different sizes have already converged along the Tien and Hau rivers in locations that have remained the same for centuries, whether it is Cai Be (Tien Giang Province), Tra On (Vinh Long Province), Phong Dien (Can Tho City) or Thoi Binh (Ca Mau Province).

Not only have the boats gathered, but the markets are already in full swing at dawn. The scene of sellers skillfully throwing and catching goods from one boat to another with the skill of jugglers is one that stands out, but there are many other chaotic scenes where the underlying method is not immediately apparent.

Unlike shops and stalls in ordinary markets, sellers cannot cry out their wares since it is impossible to be heard amidst the noise of running boat engines. So samples of goods are hung on bamboo poles that can be easily seen from afar.

Floating markets draw people from everywhere, and a boat’s initials, like registration plates, identify where it is from. A boat marked “TG” is one that comes from Tien Giang Province, for instance.

Among the big boats are small ones darting in and out selling cooked food and drinks to market-goers and visitors. These swimming canteens skillfully draw alongside boats ordering food and drinks, but there are also occasions when the big boats make a food stop by the side of smaller ones.

One would expect that a floating market is no place for a service industry, but these days, they also offer several “modern” services like installing ringtones and wallpaper for cell phones and cell phone repairs.

Repositories of culture

Floating markets are also living museums of the southern traditional culture that has been fostered by the Mekong Delta’s interlacing waterway systems.

With the advent of several new road networks and bridges over many rivers, as well as the setting up of supermarkets on the mainland, the indispensability of floating markets has been dented somewhat, but the waterways still offer the only route to several rural remote areas in the region.

But many locals still prefer floating markets which have been a part of their daily lives and livelihoods for generations

 
The floating market has helped Van raise her three children and send them to school

Lam, a merchant from Hau Giang Province who drives his boat to Can Tho City’s Cai Rang Floating Market, one of the biggest in the south, says: “My whole clan lives as vendors on floating markets. We own more than ten boats.”

They have an advantage in working together because they can easily exchange information about prices and demand and supply in market, Lam adds.

Di Ba, as she is called by everyone at the Cai Rang Floating Market, is probably the most famous name among food sellers here. For more than thirty years, the woman whose real name is Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van, has taken her small boat to the market, serving bun (noodle) to the locals.

Her family was very poor, Di Ba says. “Like other poor people, my husband and I have to go “down” the river for a living since we don’t have any job or land.”

However, this 60-year-old woman has not only raised her three children well, but also given them a complete education that has changed their lives.

Her children don’t want their mother to continue selling noodles at the floating market at her age, but Di Ba cannot quit. “I am so attached to the market that I feel uncomfortable if I am separated from it.”

Southern food is sweet and succulent, but it would be a sin to neglect these delicious northern novelties

Vietnam’s three major regions are as different as earth, wind and fire.

The people, landscape, weather and yes, even the food, change in almost every province, but the most pronounced differences come between the northern, central and southern regions.

Southern food is often sweet and filled with fruit while central food is known for being spicy and a bit salty.

But northern dishes are known for their subtlety and are often prepared in a minimalist way without losing out on flavor. Northern chefs concentrate on freshness and focus more on vegetables and pure fish sauce rather than on fruits and sugar like in the south. Spice is added to dishes by diners, not by the cooks.

Ho Chi Minh City has a cornucopia of restaurants from every region and sub-region in Vietnam and the world and many locals frequent northern eateries to get the rawer, simpler flavors of Hanoi and its surrounding areas.

Banh cuon (rolled rice cake) is one of the most popular northern dishes in HCMC.

The meal, which is often taken for breakfast, starts with a thin sheet of freshly cooked rice paper. Though these are normally prepared beforehand in HCMC, in the north they are made fresh to order. The papers are super-thin, sticky, wet, stretchy and chewy.

Skillfully rolled in the silky smooth paper is a delicious combination of ground pork and spices.

The cake is placed on the plate and sprinkled with tiny shrimp, chopped peppermint and coriander for a dash of freshness. The rolled cake is served with fish sauce and two kinds of Vietnamese cold-cuts: cha lua (lean pork paste) and cha que (roasted cinnamon pork paste). Northern banh cuon is served with a straight fish sauce, while southern eateries mix the sauce with sugar. Diners can add red-hot chilies to the sauce if they like.

Other northern foods popular in HCMC are pho ga Ha Noi (Hanoi chicken and rice noodle soup), banh da cua (rice pancake with crab soup), cha muc (squid cake), bun rieu cua (shrimp crab tomato soup with rice noodle) and canh bun (round noodle crab soup).

Many people in HCMC love eating canh bun with rau nhut (water mimosa) and rau muong (water spinach). The green, crispy leaves blend perfectly with the sharp broth and savory crab meat. This soup is also often a breakfast dish.

Other popular northern meals not usually taken for breakfast include canh cua rau day (jute plant crab soup) and ca phao muoi (salted egg-plant), which is served with mam tom (shrimp paste).

To get a taste that brings you back to the old historic streets of the northern capital, try the dishes listed above or go for ga rang muoi (fried chicken with salt), rau lang luoc (boiled sweet potato bud), and ca ro kho tuong ban (stewed anabas with bean paste) at any of these HCMC eateries specializing in northern delicacies:

Goc Ha Noi Restaurant
24/8 Pham Ngoc Thanh Street, Ward 6, District 3

Huong Xua Restaurant
222 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1

Dang Xua Restaurant
33 Cao Thang Street, District 3

Nga Restaurant
23 Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1

Bun Cha Hoang Tuan Restaurant
T11 Hong Linh Street, Bac Hai Quarter, District 10

Banh Cuon Restaurant
127 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 3

Reported by Nguyet Anh

VinaCapital , Vietnam"s largest fund manager, Friday launched an 18-hole golf course in the central city of Da Nang.

Designed by Australian Greg Norman, the world"s number one ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s, "The Dunes" covers 150 hectares of a sand hill in Ngu Hanh Son District’s Hoa Hai Ward, about 10 kilometers from the city"s downtown area.

It is one of the two 18-hole courses belonging to the  Da Nang Golf Club. The other is yet to be put into use.

The club is part of the US$450 million VinaCapital tourism complex built along the Da Nang beach that includes hotels, villas and apartments.