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Jade emperor

Hoan Kiem lake, fantastic place in the heart of Hanoi

by hanoitimes.vn

As the tourist magnet of Hanoi city, Hoan Kiem lake is a nice venue, a good gathering place for visitors and locals in four seasons in the Old Quarter.

Hoan Kiem Lake, a fantastic place in the heart of Hanoi, is famous for its mysterious legend and natural beauty, which have made it one of the most attractive destinations in the city.

The lake’s original name was Luc Thuy (green water lake) because its water color is emerald throughout the year. Then in 1428, the lake was renamed Hoan Kiem (the Lake of the Returned Sword) by King Le Thai To.

Hoan Kiem lake, a treasure of Hanoi and a poetry inspiring place.
As the tourist magnet of Hanoi city, Hoan Kiem lake is a nice venue, a good gathering place for visitors and locals in four seasons in the Old Quarter.
The surroundings of the lake have a variety of attractions. It is simply a good place to walk, relax and soak up the atmosphere, then cross the street, see the water puppets, take a cycle ride, eat, drink and buy.

As beautiful as a flower basket in the heart of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem lake is surrounded by the streets of Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thai To and Hang Khay. Its perimeter is about 1.8km long.
The lake, viewed from above looks like a large mirror reflecting big ancient trees, old pagodas and temples and new high-rises.
There are two islets on the lake. One is in the middle of the lake housing the Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower), one of the symbols of Hanoi.

Another one is Ngoc (Pearl) islet which is linked with the bank by Red Bridge (The Huc bridge).

Blue sky with yellow leaves on trees, on a cooler weather for the picturesque Hanoi in autumn.

When traveling to Hanoi, tourists can spend time visiting Hoan Kiem lake and its surrounding areas such as Ngoc Son Temple, Opera House, Saint Joseph Cathedral, Hanoi ancient quarter, among others.

Here tourists can visit Ngoc Son temple dedicated to the Jade Emperor and General Tran Hung Dao.

The best time to visit the lake is early morning to enjoy its serene, quiet scenery with a number of locals heading there for daily morning exercises.

Tourists are also interested in taking photos with beautiful landscape of Hoan Kiem lake.

Statue paraded in commemoration of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong

by en.nhandan.org.vn

The 2,000-kilometre-long journey began on December 7 at a temple dedicated to the Tran Dynasty emperors in Nam Dinh Province and the statue will arrive at the Truc Lam Chanh Giac Zen Monastery in Tien Giang Province two weeks later.

A stone-laying ceremony is scheduled to be held at the monastery on December 20 to construct a space dedicated to Vietnamese Zen masters coinciding with the arrival of the statue.

The 2.2-metre-tall statue is made of Luy Lau red ceramic in a sitting posture, depicting the Tran monarch taking off his imperial robe by a stream to become a Buddhist monk.

It was created by renowned artist Nguyen Dang Vong.

More than 700 years ago in 1299, Emperor Tran Nhan Tong left the imperial palace for Yen Tu Mountain to begin an ascetic life, marking the birth of the Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen School.

With Truc Lam, the Tran emperor unified all the Buddhist sects of the time into a single school.

The main doctrine of Truc Lam is the combination of renunciation with worldly engagement, considering the benefits of the nation and the people as the goal of practice.

It is the perfect marriage of Buddhist philosophy with Confucian and Taoist values.

Tran Manh Luu, chairman of the Tran clan in Nam Dinh Province, said the parade is an opportunity for descendants of Tran clan to pay tribute to the great accomplishments of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong and bring his philosophy into play.

Walking in the footsteps of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong

by en.nhandan.org.vn

The Tran Dynasty emperor was born in 1258 and passed away in 1308, both in the 11th lunar month. Currently, at the Dragon House on the foundation of the former Kinh Thien Palace at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, an exhibition is taking place with the theme “From the Imperial Palace of Thang Long to the Holy Site of Truc Lam – An Emperor’s Journey to Become a Buddha”, featuring more than 100 artefacts and photos aiming to recreate the life of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong.

He was born as Tran Kham in Thang Long (president-day Hanoi) and spent most of his life in this land until he took off the imperial robe and put on a kasaya robe and founded the Truc Lam Zen school. Not only Tran Nhan Tong, the early emperors of the Tran Dynasty were also influenced by Buddhism and applied the Buddhist philosophy to national governance.

That is why Buddhist-influenced decorative patterns were immensely popular in imperial architecture at Thang Long. The exhibition features unique archaeological items, notably the sculptures of dragons inside a bodhi leaf made of baked clay and unearthed during excavations at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. The sculptures are not as elaborate as those of the Ly Dynasty but exude the strength of the Tran Dynasty.

The Tran Dynasty continued to reuse several palaces built under the Ly Dynasty, such as the Thien An Palace for the audience between the emperor and the mandarins, while reinforcing the outermost citadel and building new palaces such as Thanh Tu for the retired emperors and Quan Trieu for incumbent emperors.

Inside the Imperial Palace, there are many Buddhist temples such as Tu Phuc, Chan Giao and Dien Huu, of which Tu Phuc is where the relics of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong were kept. The traces of Tu Phuc and Chan Giao Temples have yet to be found but excavations have exposed many vestiges of important structures from the Tran Dynasty.

As different layers of architecture cascaded on one another, in addition to recreating the floor plan of the Thang Long Imperial Palace through different periods, researchers have suggested recreating the floor plan of the Tran Dynasty based on the traces of uncovered structures so that the public could gain a better understanding of the imperial palace during the Tran Dynasty – a golden age of the nation.

The items on display and an accompanying workshop will help the public to gain a better understanding of the role of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong in the two resistance wars against the Yuan Mongol in 1285 and 1288, his politics of peace and magnanimity, his retreat and founding of the Truc Lam Zen sect and the vestiges of Truc Lam Zen in Ninh Binh and Quang Ninh provinces.

However, the most notable legacy of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong is his political ideology of being close to the people and Buddhist philosophy of engaging in worldly matters, including the development of the nation.

After Emperor Tran Nhan Tong passed away, the Truc Lam Zen school continued to develop for a period before declining as the state put greater emphasis on Confucianism. Nearly 700 years after the passing of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, aware of the values of the Truc Lam Zen school, Zen master Thich Thanh Tu decided to restore the sect in the 1970s.

In Hanoi the Sung Phuc Zen Monastery was built in 2005 as a place to continue to spirit of Truc Lam Zen. At the monastery, weekly Dharma lectures are given to Buddhists and the people. The lectures concern a variety of topics ranging from social issues to personal matters such as filial piety, marriage and learning, as well as Buddhism and science and cultural matters.

The monastery also regularly holds special courses for children and offers advice to students before important examinations. At the weekends, hundreds of Buddhists visit the monastery to listen to lectures and practise meditation. Most Venerable Thich Tam Thuan, abbot of the Sung Phuc Monastery, said “In contemporary Truc Lam Zen, we could see not only mediating Buddhist ascetics but also monks who serve society by encouraging the people to do good deeds and practise moral values appropriate with the national culture.”

245-year-old Hue bridge basks in restoration glory

by e.vnexpress.net

Thanh Toan Bridge in Thanh Thuy Chanh Village, Thuy Thanh Commune was built in 1776. It is 18.75 meters long and 5.8 meters wide and divided into seven chambers. The roof is covered with glazed tiles.

The structure is considered to have the highest artistic value among ancient bridges in Vietnam, and was certified as a national relic site in 1990 by the culture ministry.

After years of deterioration, in April 2020, restoration started on Thanh Toan Bridge at a total cost of VND13.1 billion ($570,000). The budget was provided by the Huong Thuy Town Investment Project Management Board.

After 10 months, the bridge was opened again in early February.

Restoration focused on making the most of original materials, overseen by the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and Hue Monuments Reclamation JSC.

Decorative patterns on the tiled bridge were preserved according to the original design, with the porcelain dragon and phoenix remaining in situ.

Roof decor is reminiscent of Nguyen Dynasty aesthetics . The dynasty is Vietnam’s last royal family, reining 1802–1945.

Glazed tiles the color of jade.

The bridge is lit at night with LED lighting.

The altar area is located in the middle of the bridge. To honor Tran Thi Dao, who donated money to Thanh Thuy Chanh Village to build Thanh Toan Bridge, in 1925, Emperor Khai Dinh (1916-1925) ordered an altar to be raised in her honor.

The truss system has been reinforced and repainted.

Every day, Thanh Thuy Chanh villagers and tourists visit the bridge to relax and sightsee.

In future, Huong Thuy Town will set up a countryside market and host folk games in this area to attract visitors.

Google launches Travel Insights to support Vietnam tourism industry

by hanoitimes.vn

The website is as part of Google’s initiatives to promote and support the recovery of local tourism industries.

Google launched on December 9 Travel Insights, a website to provide global data and insights into Vietnam’s tourism and travel industry with the aim to help better understand pent-up travel demand and leverage insights from these tools to plan for the road ahead.

Destination Insights with Google. Screenshot: NM

Ms. Tram Nguyen, Country Manager of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia at Google Asia Pacific, said: “We’ve heard from our partners, such as the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, that data and insights are critical to helping them plan ahead, and we’ve created three new tools to help meet that need.”

The website will provide three data and insights tools. Destination Insights – this tool will give a clear picture of the top sources of demand for a destination, and the destinations within countries that travelers are most interested in visiting – helping the industry map out a possible resumption of travel on specific routes and make choices about where to communicate with potential future travelers.

Hotel Insights is designed to help hotels of all sizes, especially small and independent hotels, understand where demand for their property may be coming from and how to target their marketing as they plan their recovery. The Travel Analytics Center – available to Google’s commercial partners in the travel sector – will enable organizations to combine their own Google account data with broader Google demand data and insights to give a clearer picture of how to manage their operations and find opportunities to reach potential visitors.

Over the last few weeks, several global tourism and travel organizations such as the UNWTO, ASEAN Secretariat, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative economy of Indonesia, Vietnam National  Administration of Tourism, Singapore Tourism Board, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, and others – have had early access to the Destination Insights tool. Many of these partners have already been using the tool to get insights into both inbound and outbound demand from their countries.

The launch of Destination Insights is at perfect timing for Vietnam as Ho Chi Minh City is working on recovering measures for the tourism industry and restructuring destinations for the post-Covid-19 period, Mrs. Vo Thi Ngoc Thuy, Deputy Director for the Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City said. “This tool is very useful as we can monitor domestic and international travel demand with real-time data. We wish to access these data as soon as possible and hope that this tool will be improved as time goes on so that we can make statistical comparisons between countries,” she added.

Top growth by destination city on Google’s website. Screenshot: NM

As part of the effort to support Vietnam’s tourism industry, Hue is a city that Google directs their attention towards with activities like generating a 3D model for the Mausoleum of Emperor Tu Duc on Google Art & Cultures and upload the model on Search.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Director for Hue city’s Tourism Department, said that with the ability to provide data and insights on the tourism industry, the website will be a good support for destinations, businesses, and the authority to manage tourism at the current moment in which the city needs to be cautious to prevent Covid-19 while finding solutions to slowly recover the tourism industry, reconfiguring new travel products and services to meet the current demand from travelers. Hue and other provinces in Vietnam can push for a revival in local tourism.

The website will be a helpful and reliable resource to support managers and businesses in the tourism industry in creating business strategies to grow a sustainable travel industry, Mr. Ho An Phong, Vice Chairman of the Quang Binh People’s Committee, said.

The Destination Insights Tool indicates that domestic demand in Vietnam is on a steady path to recovery back to 100% of 2019 levels, especially in the past two weeks. Coastal and nature areas are growing in popularity and Ha Giang has become the fastest growing destination growing at over 75% over the last two months – pointing towards more Vietnamese travelers looking to travel in places which are off the beaten track.

Where to see ripening rice fields in North Vietnam

by hanoitimes.vn

The time between August and October is the best to experience golden rice fields in the North.

The mountain landscapes of northern Vietnam become majestic and ideal for taking a photo for many travelers when fall arrives. Below is a list of rice fields for travelers to explore and check in.

Sapa

Sapa. Photo: baolaocai

Time: last week of August to mid-September

Destinations: villages of Tan Van, Tan Phin, Hau Thao, Su Pan, Nam Cang, Trung Chai

Accommodations: Topas Ecolodge, Sa Pa Jade Hill, Eco Palm House

Y Ty, Bat Xat, Lao Cai province

Y Ty. Photo: baolaocai

Time: last week of August to early September

Destinations: Then Pa valley, Ngai Thau and A Lu town

Accommodations: A Co, Y Ty Clouds, A Ho, Co Si

Mu Cang Chai, Tu Le, Yen Bai province

Mu Cang Chai. Photo: may_1m52

Time: September to first week of October

Destinations: Lung Mong, Mam Xoi, La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha

Accommodations: Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge, Do Gu, Sanh Nhon

Bac Son, Lang Son province

Bac Son. Photo: Vnexpress

Time: last week of August to first week of October

Destination: Na Lay

Accommodations: Quynh Son village, Na Lay hotels/homestays

Hoang Su Phi, Ha Giang province

Hoang Su Phi. Photo: Vnexpress

Time: mid-September to mid-October

Destinations: Phung, Luoc

Accommodations: Ecolodge Panhou Village, Kinh Homestay, Hoang Su Phi Lodge

Trung Khanh, Cao Bang province

Trung Khanh. Photo: Hoang Tuan/pixabay

Time: mid-September to mid-October

Destinations: the road from Trung Khanh to Phong Nam commune

Accommodations: Eco, Highlands, Primrose

Pu Luong, Thanh Hoa province

Pu Luong. Photo: Thanh Tu

Time: early October

Destinations: Ban Cong commune, Don and Hieu village

Accommodations: Pu Luong Retreat, Pu Luong Eco Garden, Pu Luong Tree House