Located at 710 Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Thien Hau Temple, one of the oldest Chinese pagodas in the city, is a tourist destination great for a moment of quiet in a busy city. Ba Thien Hau Temple, or Temple of Lady Thien Hau, is a temple dedicated to the Chinese Goddess of Sea. Entering the temple, tourists will be impressed with the quiet, mysterious and sacred space. Ba Thien Hau Temple is divided into three main parts: the front, middle, and main temple. The main entrance of the temple leading to the front temple. Photo: Nguyen Trung Au / Tuoi Tre News The main temple is a place of worship for Lady Thien Hau with a one-meter statue of Lady Thien Hau made from a wooden block. The front temple is a place of worship for the God Phuc Duc Chanh, the god of soil, and the God Mon Quan Vuong, the god of gates. Meanwhile, the middle temple has 130-year-old censers burning incense. A large censer in the temple. Photo: Nguyen … [Read more...] about Ba Thien Hau Temple: A quiet spiritual destination in busy Ho Chi Minh City
Sentul buddhist temple
Hoi An among world’s best places to visit in July
"As the monsoon rains fall in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, savvy travelers in Vietnam head to the central coast where the weather is dry and warm," the magazine said. Hoi An, a 400-year-old town that used to be the busiest trading port in Southeast Asia in the 16th century, is an ideal place where tourists are able to step back in time, it said. "In Hoi An, lantern-strewn streets reveal Chinese temples and ancient tea-houses." Once a convergence point for Chinese traders, it's not difficult to see ancient temples and assembly halls with a touch of Chinese architecture that worship red-faced General Quan Cong (Guan Yu), an eminent figure in the Three Kingdoms legend and China’s ancient civil war. Time Out also suggested visitors leave Hoi An and laze on the stretches of white sandy beaches around Da Nang before conquering Hai Van Pass on a motorbike tour, and visit Hue’s Imperial Citadel that used to witness the ups and downs of Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last royal family. In … [Read more...] about Hoi An among world’s best places to visit in July
Hanoi motorbike tour, Hoi An cooking class among top travel experiences in Asia
Hanoi motorbike tour and Hoi An cooking class have been selected by readers of US travel site Tripadvisor as two of the 25 best travel experiences in Asia. The Hanoi motorbike tour takes more than four hours. (Photo: Tripadvisor) The half-day guided motorbike tour in Hanoi allows tourists to explore Vietnam’s capital city’s famous landmarks like Long Bien Bridge, Hai Ba Trung Temple, the Presidential Palace Historical Site and try some of the city's best street foods. As part of the tour, visitors will have an opportunity to explore "Train Street", formed by railway tracks running alongside Dien Bien Phu and Phung Hung streets in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter, with residential buildings just a few feet away on either side. Meanwhile, the five-hour cooking class, organised by Hoi An Eco Tours Discovery, is considered a fun and interesting way to experience the rural life in Hoi An, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam … [Read more...] about Hanoi motorbike tour, Hoi An cooking class among top travel experiences in Asia
Kiên Giang Province farmers switch to cajuput
Tourists go through a cajuput forest in Kiên Giang Province’s Giồng Riềng District. The forest is owned by farmer Dương Văn Minh. – VNA/VNS Photo Lê Huy Hải KIÊN GIANG – More farmers in Kiên Giang Province’s Giồng Riềng District have switched to growing cajuput trees on unproductive rice fields, fallow areas and lands with acid sulphate soil, optimal places for them to grow. The model of growing cajuput in combination with breeding bees for honey and fish and snails offers them a good income. Dương Văn Minh has a 22ha cajuput forest in Thạnh Lộc Commune’s Thạnh Lợp Hamlet and breeds bees, freshwater fish and other aquatic species in the forest. The trees are one to three years old and house 120 bee hives. He used to grow rice but the acid sulfate soil in his land affected growth. Now he harvests up to five hectares of cajuput a year, he said. The wood is used for construction, making paper and furniture. He is expanding the area under cajuput and making … [Read more...] about Kiên Giang Province farmers switch to cajuput
Bus route connecting Thailand-Laos-Vietnam in discussion
Bus service from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand (Photo: Laotiantimes.com) Vientiane (VNA) – Thailand is discussing with Laos and Vietnam the opening of bus routes connecting popular destinations of the three countries, according to news website laotiantimes.com. The website said the Thai government has approved expediting negotiations to open a bus route connecting three countries via route R12 from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand to Thakhek, Laos and on to Ha Tinh, Vietnam. The distance from Nakhon Phanom to Ha Tinh is about 300km. The Thai Ministry of Transport says it is doing what it can to expedite the route-opening process, including asking that Laos host the second Trilateral Working Group Meeting as soon as possible in order to discuss the service model and make formal agreements. The three cities are especially attractive to tourists, with local arts and culture attractions, temples, and sacred sites, as well as natural wonders such as waterfalls, mountains, and … [Read more...] about Bus route connecting Thailand-Laos-Vietnam in discussion
Identifying value of creative spaces
Many sculptures not only beautify public spaces but also breathe new life into them, bringing distinctive values to the community. Most travelers visit Hanoi for fantastic food. Yet the Hanoi art scene is doing well to compete for attention with the city’s food scene. Hanoi’s public sculpture The statue of King Ly Thai To is located at Ly Thai To Flower Garden in Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Photo: VISTA According to architect-sculptor Nguyen Truong Giang, after a long time of being ignored, public sculpture in Hanoi has regained public attention with many issues to deal with. Looking back at history, this kind of art appeared in the capital with the arrival of the French. In the old French quarter, many crossroads and central squares were built for displaying sculptures. Typically, there used to be a memorial to French soldiers who died in battle, with the sculpture of a soldier above and the ranks of scholars, farmers, craftsmen, … [Read more...] about Identifying value of creative spaces