Co Loa Citadel

Co Loa is located on Co Loa commune, Dong Anh District, Hanoi. It was the capital of Au Lac, at the third century before Christian and the Van Xuan state under Ngo Quyen reign after Christian. In 1962, Co Loa was ranked as historical national culture.

Location

At Au Lac reign, Co Loa is located in apex position of triangle of the Red River Delta and where people can exchange with the importance of waterways and roads. From here, there has control both highland and lowland sites. Co Loa is situated on Phong Khe, which have living by farming, fishing and handicrafts. The decision chooses Phong Chau as the captital that is one stage of the development of Vietnamese.

Structure

Co Loa is appreciated as the oldest building, the most large-scale structure and the most unique in the history of the ancient Vietnamese. When building Co Loa, the ancient Vietnamese knew to use the natural terrain advantage, utilizes the height of the hill, mound, to build two walls on the outside so the two walls has curving lines in the terrain. The main material used to build that is ground, stones and broken pottery. According to legend, Co Loa has 9 spirals; however, there still has 3 round.

The value of The Co Loa
In the general structure of the Co Loa, there has another factor to enrich the overall architecture. These are the long or circular mounds; it is called Dong Dan, Dong Chuong, and Dong Ban. It used as public savings, coordinate with the trenches in the defense and combat. In military terms, Co Loa represents the unique creations of the ancient Vietnamese in the struggle against enemy. With the deep trenches, strong walls, Co Loa is a solid defensive to protect the King and capital. In socially terms, the distribution of the area for the King, solider, Co Loa is evidence about the social differentiation of the time. This period, the King not only separated from the public but also was protected by soldiers. In cultural terms, is one of the oldest buildings have traces, Co Loa becomes one cultural heritage, evidence about the creativity, technical proficiency as well as the ancient Vietnamese culture. All things create the architecture and culture of An Duong Vuong reign.

Hanoi Ancient Citadel

This Citadel is located in a large space, Ba Dinh, Hanoi. It was ranked 'Historical National Culture' in 1999 and now in the center of Hanoi, Ba Dinh district. Hanoi Ancient Citadel and monuments located in the ancient region, has over 10 centuries.

In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long, the castle was built and expanded in the following reign. Thang Long is planning with three nested rounds. The Long Phuong Ly – Tran is in the palace area. Citadel in the middle covers the economic area in the east. La Thanh or Dai La Thanh is outmost citadel. In 1805, the Nguyen reign of Hanoi has retained the Forbidden City area to ​​offer the king when touring in the north. During the French reign, the French keep this area as commander of the military.

Five old structures have retained after the French attacks Hanoi citadel:

In old buildings left over after the French broke into Hanoi from south to north, including the following items: The Hanoi flag tower, Doan Mon Gate, Kinh Thien, Hau Lau and Bac Mon.

Bac Mon

Bac Mon is the only remaining gate of the Citadel of Hanoi’s Nguyen Dynasty. Previously, outside of the citadel, it has a canal with 20 meters width. Bac Mon has completed the restoration, renovation to serve travelers. However, the traces of shells from the French warship fired on April 25^th 1873 that remains on the outside of the Bac Mon. Two wooden gates was renovated, the area of each wing is 12 meter, 16 tons weight. Today, on the Gate, there is place to worship two General Director of Hanoi: Nguyen Tri Phuong and Hoang Dieu.

Hau Lau

Hau Lau was built behind the main of building- Hanh Cung Hanoi. According to feng shui, Hau Lau means keep peace for northern Hanh Cung. It is said that when the King travels, this is the accommodation of princess.

Hanoi flag Pole

It was built in 1812, under the reign of Gia Long, Hanoi flag pole is one of the buildings in area of Hanoi ancient intact.

Flag pole has more 40 meter height, octagon, standing on the square. Having spiral staircase, 51 steps leading to the top. The Hanoi flag pole has been rebuilt twice: in December 1959 and November 1989.

Kinh Thien palace

Kinh Thien palace is central citadel of Le reign. Stone dragon of Kinh Thien palace is a masterpiece of architecture that represents sculpture Le So reign.

The first value of the central sector of Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Ha Noi shows that it is nearly a book displaying over 10 century- history of Thang Long – Ha Noi from Dai La Citadel in Pre-Thang Long period to nowadays.

Duong Lam Ancient Village

After the recognition of Hoi An ancient town, Hanoi old quarter, Duong Lam village in Son Tay Town (some 60km to the west of Hanoi Capital) is the first ancient village recognised as a national relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

 

Two of Vietnam’s kings, Phung Hung (761-802) and Ngo Quyen (896-944) were born in Duong Lam, giving the village its prestige. Both men led resistance wars against northern invasion and after winning national independence, were crowned kings. After their deaths, the local people built temples in their honour.

The ancient village has a history of about 1,200 years with many houses dating back up to 400 years. One special thing about the village is that most of the buildings here are made of laterite and mud, two materials that are abundant in the area. Laterite is used on house walls, gates, wells, temple walls, and so forth. The mud is taken from ponds. Apart from its historical and tourism values, Duong Lam ancient village is an important place for scientists to study resident communities in ancient agriculture. The village gate, banyan, well, communal house are important factors in classifying Duong Lam ancient village.

The common well was built in every hamlet in Duong Lam village. The well brings the name of the hamlet it is located. At present, each family possesses its own well but the common well has been protected because it maintains many imprints of the villagers.

The communal house is a worshipping place of the god – founder of the village. The ancient village consists of 5 villages so it has 5 communal houses. Doai Giap and Cam Lam communal houses dedicate to Phung Hung – the national hero who won the victory against invaders under Duong Dynasty; Cam Thinh communal house dedicates both the founder of the village and great mandarin Cao Phuc Dien – the hero under Le Dynasty. Dong Sang communal house worships the God but it was destroyed by fire and was restored by financial support from people. The god Tan Vien Son was dedicated in Mong Phu communal house. So far, Mong Phu communal house is a gathering place of the villagers for cultural activities. The communal house was made carefully with sophisticated decoration details. It is considered as a flower of unique sculptural architecture.

The wooden house mainly has 5 or 7 spans with 2 wings. It has 5 rows of columns, sometime 1 row disappears. The house has specialized by sophisticatedly carved details in the form of flowers, leaves, clouds.

A system of wooden doors is very firm. Each span has 4 leaves of the door with upper and lower joints. Thresholds were made of firm wood above 40-50cm from the ground and 10cm from the floor. This distance helps to ventilate well, avoid humidity for the thresholds. The whole system of the thresholds is the tie system linking all spans together.

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For tangible culture relic, Duong Lam has 21 relic sites, consisting of temples, pagodas and tombs and ten of which have been classified as national and provincial relics. For intangible cultural relic, Duong Lam has preserved various festivals, customs and literature on the people and land of Duong Lam through different period of time. For ecological environment, Duong Lam has many beautiful scenes linked with legendary stories such as Guom Hill, Ho Gam Hill and tales on the two kings Phuong Hung and Ngo Quyen.

In recent years, many relics in the villages such as Mia Pagoda, Phung Hung Temple, Ngo Quyen Temple and Mong Phu communal house have been restored. However, it is important to preserve not only the tangible cultural relics, but also intangible cultural relics and ecological environment and they should be carried out synchronously.

The construction of new cultural buildings which aims to honour the history, national heroes and boost tourism activity should be ensured the harmony between traditional and modern cultural values and the relations between preservation and development.

Nowadays, preserving, restoring and developing the value of Duong Lam ancient village are very important, since it contributes to preservation of the national cultural heritage.

Voi Phuc Temple

Voi Phuc Temple is located inside the precinct of Thu Le Zoological Garden, belonging to Ngoc Khanh Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. The temple worships Linh Lang who is known as one of four Guardian Gods – Thang Long Tay Tran (Thang Long Citadel’s Western Guardian God).

Voi Phuc (Kneeling Elephant) Temple was built during the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong (1054 – 1072), dedicated to Royal Highness Linh Lang – Linh Lang God. Therefore, it is also known as Linh Lang Temple.

According to historical records, the god Linh Lang was a prince of Ly Dynasty – Hoang Chan, the son of King Ly Thanh Tong. He helped his father fight the Song invaders at Nhu Nguyet River (now Cau River) and sacrificed there. He was immortalized as one of the capital’s tutelary gods for his glorious victory over the northern (Chinese) invaders.

According to legend, imperial concubine with surname of Nguyen (the wife of King Ly Thanh Tong) had become pregnant and gave birth a son, named Linh Lang (small dragon) whose body was covered with dragon scales and spots that shone like pearls after being showered with fragrant water by a dragon.

 Linh Lang had grown up when the Song Dynasty invaded the country. So he asked the King for troops and elephants to fight against the invaders. The King agreed and gave him two elephants and troops. When the elephants arrived Linh Lang ordered them to kneel so the troops could mount them. The elephants obeyed his order and took him and other military officials to the battlefield to defeat the invaders. Linh Lang had sacrificed when face each other in fighting enemy on the defense line of the Cau River.Anh

To remember the merits of the prince, King Ly Thanh Tong bestowed the title His Royal Highness on Linh Lang and built the temple in his honour. In front of the temple are two kneeling elephants, hence the name Voi Phuc is called by the residents.

Over the vicissitudes of history, the temple was heavily damaged. From 1953 to date, this temple has been renovated several times. The most recent time is implemented by the authorities and people of Hanoi, this is one of activities to mark its 1,000th birthday of Thang Long – Hanoii in 2010.

Today, besides two elephants kneel in front of the temple, there are objects in the temple such as two bronze statues; a sacred stone with indentations; parallel sentences that praise the merits of the Thang Long Citadel’s Western Guardian God… In the early of 1994, people had donated to recast a bell of 93cm in height and 70cm in diameter. The bell’s body is divided into four zones and two rows of kanji are cast on each zone with meaning Tay Tran Thuong Dang (Top Class Western Guardian).

Every year, to commemorate the merits of Linh Lang God, Voi Phuc Temple Festival is held on the 9th to the 11th day of the second lunar month. This is a grand procession festival with flags, fans, gongs, drums, parasols, bat am (cantanets) musical band and senh tien group dancing.

Kim Lien Temple

 Kim Lien Temple (Kim Lien Temple or Cao Son Temple), located in Kim Lien Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi city . It is one of the “four guardian temples” of ancient Thang Long”.

Kim LiênTemple entrance gate with the horizontal panel bearing three Chinese characters, meaning “The guardian temple to the south” The communal house is built in honor of  Cao Sơn Đại Vương (Saint Cao Sơn), one of the fifty sons of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ (ancestors of the Vietnamese nation).

 He followed his father to the mountains and is one of two deities worshipped in the Tản Viên Mountain temple. Cao Sơn was the deity who secretly contributed to helping King Le Tuong Duc quell the rebellions in Đông Đô, so the King decided to build Kim Liên Temple in 1509 to worship him. Kim Liên Temple honors one of the four guardians of ancient Thăng Long: Trấn Vũ in the north; Bạch Mã in the east; Ling Lang in the west; and Cao Sơn in the south.

Cao Sơn Temple is located on a high hill and consists of two separate parts: in front of the hill is the cổng trụ biểu (arched gate) with two lean-tos in the spacious grounds, and the main structure on the hill itself. The two parts are linked by a flight of nine steps built of vồ bricks, a kind of large brick often used during the reign of King Lê Trung Hưng in the 17th century.

The nghi mon (reception hall) is a three section chamber with its walls built of bít đốc, a type of closed-tip. The four sets of pillars propping up the roof are designed in the traditional architectural style with vivid and sophisticated decorative motifs typical of the Nguyễn Dynasty art (19th century).

The entrance gate is a three compartment chamber with lively decorative details such as phoenixes keeping books in their mouths, clouds, a unicorn.

This communal house consists of a grand ceremonial hall – which was restored in 2000, on the occasion of Hà Nội’s 990th founding anniversary – and a three-compartment back sanctuary. Inside the sanctuary, the front compartment is where a common altar is placed; compartment is where a ritual throne and ritual weapons are installed, and the back compartment is where the statues of Saint Cao Sơn and two other goddesses are worshipped. This space is also marked by the presence of refinedly-carved decorative motifs such as a tiger’s face, two horse-dragons vie for a pearl, four sacred animals, four precious objects and eight precious objects. Of particular note is the gilded and vermilion-lacquered throne for Saint Cao Sơn, decorated with many beautifully-carved details.

The most important relic in the Kim Lien temple is the stone stele of “Cao Son Đai Vuong than,” written in 1510, telling of Cao Sơn’s efforts to help King Lê regain his throne from troublesome members of his family, and listing the 39 titles certificates of honorary titles upon Cao Son Dai Vuong by the King.

Thang Long’s four guardian god temples

Thang Long’s four guardian god temples have vital locations in Hanoi – the 1,000 year old capital. The four temples were built as soon as King Ly Cong Uan established the country’s capital in Thang Long (now Hanoi). They also reflect the position and scale of the capital and the way Ly Cong Uan ruled and built our country with his developmental directions.

Archeological and historical documents prove that Thang Long was a huge citadel which was surrounded by a long dyke. The dyke was designed to prevent invaders and floods. On the dyke was built four temples which worshiped four guardian gods including Bach Ma Temple (in the east), Quan Thanh Temple (in the north), Voi Phuc Temple in the west) and Kim Lien Temple in the south). They are called Thang Long’s four guardian god temples.

Kim Lien Temple

The temple is located in Kim Lien Village, Phuong Lien Ward, Dong Da District in the south of Hanoi. The temple has been destroyed; however, the important relic of a 2m stele with a poem named “Cao Son Dai Vuong Than Tu Bi Minh Tinh Tu” composed in 1510 honoring the Cao Son God was still maintained in a small temple under an old banyan tree. The temple was built on the left of Kim Lien Village’s communal house on a hillock. To go from the yard to the temple, people had to climb nine brick stairs. This was similar to the construction of the Kinh Thien Palace in the Thang Long Citadel. In front of the yard is a gate with two square bronze pillars near a small spring. This was thought as the meeting-point of water and happiness.

The temple also maintains 39 imperial edicts of Le and Nguyen dynasties sent to Cao Son God. The edicts said that Cao Son God was among 100 children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co, who helped Son Tinh defeat Thuy Tinh and Le Dynasty put down revolts and maintain their throne. This legend reflects Vietnamese religion of worshiping the God of Mountain who helps establish the country. When the country gained its freedom, the god was moved to the south of the capital to guard the flooded areas.

Voi Phuc Temple

The temple was built in Thu Le Village, Cau Giay District in the west of the city on a low hillock near a large lake. This was covered of luxuriant trees. This created a mysterious space for the site. This place had many hillocks which were reflected through the name of streets such as Nui Truc, Nui Bo and Nui Voi. Hillocks came between lakes and ponds, creating a dreamlike place. Emperors of Ly Dynasty often organized their birthday parties at this place.

The temple was built during the Ly Dynasty and repaired regularly. However, in 1947, the French burnt the temple. Thu Le people rebuilt the temple in 1953 and it has been repaired many times. The temple is now has small scale, however, it still maintains its old beauty.

The gate of the temple has statues of two elephants. This is why the temple was named Voi Phuc. The temple is also known as Thu Le or Linh Lang Temple.

The temple worships Ling Lang God, the child of a maid of the Ly Dynasty. The legend says that, after going sightseeing at the Dam Dam Lake (now West Lake) and meeting a dragon, the maid became pregnant for 14 months and gave birth of Linh Lang. The child was brought up by King Ly Thanh Tong in Thu Le Village. When invaders came to the country, Ling Lang asked for the king’s permission to ride an elephant to fight invaders. After defeating them, Linh Lang came back to the village, had disease and died. After he died, he changed into a dragon, went into a lake and disappeared. The king built a temple in the village to worship the god and organized annual festivals in the temple in spring.

The temple reflects the religion of worshipping the god of water of the north. The Ly Dynasty built the two temples to meet demand of people’s religion. The gods of Cao Son and Linh Lang were moved from the mountainous and flooded areas respectively to guard the south and the west of the citadel of which the terrains are opposite to their homelands. This was based on the conception of development in the past. Moving the gods of Cao Son and Linh Lang to the citadel means combining souls of mountains-rivers and land-water together. This implies the conception of a nation and affirms Vietnamese culture.

Quan Thanh Temple

Quan Thanh temple is located on the intersection of Thanh Nien and Quan Thanh streets on the bank of the Truc Bach Lake, next to the West Lake. The temple worships God Huyen Thien Tran Vu who helped Hung King defeat invaders and helped people to prevent ghosts and natural disasters. This reflects the religion of worshiping gods who have magic to enhance people’s strength in the period of building the country. This suited Taoism which was brought to the country in the medieval age and then harmoniously combined with Buddhism.

The temple was built during the Ly Dynasty and has undergone repairs. The temple now has architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty and maintains some relics dated from Le Trung Hung King. In front of the temple is a flower garden with a number of ancient trees on the yard. The temple has different rooms for different worshiping purposes. In the temple is a 3m and 4 tonne bronze statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vu holding a sword on the back of a turtle. The statue reflects strength and longevity. It was casted in late 17th century and overhauled in the 19th century.

Bach Ma Temple

The temple is located in Hang Buom Street on the bank of Red River, near the mouth of To Lich River. This is to worship God Long Do (also known as Quang Loi Bach Ma). Long Do is a god of Nung Mountain. When Chinese dominated the country, a Chinese general wanted to set up an altar, bury bronze and iron to control the country’s fate, the god created rains and thunders and destroyed his altar, forcing him to return his country.

When King Ly Thai To was building Thang Long Citadel, he faced a lot of difficulties. When coming to Bach Ma Temple to ask for help, he saw a white horse going from the temple. The horse ran along a circle clockwise, then returned to the temple and disappeared. The king ordered his people to build the citadel along the circle and he succeeded. After building the citadel, the king restored the temple and conferred a title as Quang Loi Bach Ma on the god in the temple. In the past, around the temple was a busy floating market where goods from all regions and foreign countries were sold.

Among the four temples, Bach Ma was built the soonest. When Yuan invaders came and burn the Thang Long Citadel, the temple was luckily not burnt. The temple has been repaired many times.

Quan Thanh Temple

Quan Thanh Temple, formerly known as Tran Vu Temple is a Taoist temple in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dated to the 11th century, the temple was dedicated to Tran Vu in Vietnamese, one of the principal deities in Taoism. Quan Thanh Temple is located on the corner of Quan Thanh Street and Thanh Nien Street, facing West Lake andTruc Bach Lake. 

Legend has it that Quan Thanh Temple was established during the reign of Emperor Lý Thái Tổ (1010–1028) and was dedicated to Tran Vu, Deity of the North in Taoism, whose symbols of power are the serpent and turtle. It is one of the Four Sacred Temples (Bach Ma Temple, Kim Lien Temple, Voi Phuc Temple) that were built in four directions to protect the capital from malevolent spirits. Considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese bronze casting and sculpture, it is the second biggest bronze statue in Vietnam.

During its long history, Quan Thanh Temple has been renovated several times, most recently in 1893 when the principal gate and the shrine were redone, so the architecture is a mixture of the many different styles of the imperial era. The main features of Quan Thanh Temple are a large yard shaded by a giant banyan tree and a shrine that contains the famous bronze statue of Tran Vu built in 1677.

In 1677 during the reign of King Lê Huy Tông, artisans from the nearby village of Ngũ Xã offered Quan Thanh Temple a very large statue of Tran Vu in black bronze, which remains today. This statue is measured 3.96 meters (13.0 ft) in height, weights around 3,600 kilograms (7,900 lb) and depicts Tran Vu as a deity with his two symbolic animals, the serpent and the turtle. This artwork is evidence of the advanced technical standard of bronze casting and sculpture of Vietnamese artisans in the 17th century. 

Cast at the same time as Tran Vu's statue was a 1.15 metres (3.8 ft) bronze bell. Those were creations of a master craftsman named Trùm Trọng, who had his own statue in Quan Thanh Temple placed alongside the Tran Vu statue. Beside the statues of Tran Vu and Trum Trong, the main shrine also has a valuable collection of ancient texts such as poems or duilians which date from the 17th and 18th century. 

After each restoration, a stele was often kept in temple for the record; the oldest one dated from 1677 while the latest was made by Viceroy Hoàng Cao Khải in 1894 during the reign of Thành Thái Emperor during the French colonial era.

By tradition, Hanoians often come to Quan Thanh Temple on the occasion of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) or the first and fifteenth of each lunar month (new and full moon respectively) to worship and pray for health, luck and happiness for them and their relatives.

With its history and architecture, Quan Thanh Temple is one of the tourist attractions in Hanoi. It is also a training venue for several traditional martial art classes including Vovinam.

Come to Ba Vi nature

Ba Vi National Park is one of Vietnam’s most famous areas of outstanding natural beauty, and is centered around a three-peaked mountain jutting steeply out of the landscape.

Come to Ba Vi national park

Ba Vi National Park is centered on Mount Ba Vi - an isolated soil-limestone mountain situated about 50 km west from Hanoi. The mountain located in Hanoi city and shared the border with 2 districts of Hoa Binh Province. Mount Ba Vi has three peaks: the highest is Emperor Peak at 1,296m, followed by Tan Vien at 1,226m and Ngoc Hoa at 1,131m.

The national park offers a great escape from the city with cool fresh mountain air in a mystical atmospheric backdrop of clouds, jungle and tropical rainforest. There is also a spa resort nestled at the foot of the mountain offering a host of natural therapies in an absolutely stunning setting.

The three mountain summits are Dinh Vua which is the highest at 1,296m, Tan Vien which is 1,226m and Ngoc Hoa the smallest at 1,131m. Together they form a three humped crest which is often obscured by clouds at the highest point due to the varied climate at the park. Pilgrims and tourists alike usually make the walk to the summit of the Tan Vien peak where an 11th sacred century shrine stands in memory of the Mountain God.

Tan Vien peak

There are also superb tropical forest views and vistas all the way to Hanoi to be enjoyed from this peak. The fast-flowing Da River is located on one side of the national park; there are also several streams running through the park.

In the middle of mountainside, there are many waterfalls flowing down every day and it forms the attractive places such as Khoang Xanh, Ao Vua, Thac Nga, suoi Ngoc…

Ba Vi National Park has 1,209 species of plants, including 21 rare plant species listed in the Vietnam Red Book as  Bach xanh, Sen mat, Phi ba mui, De tung soc trang, Hoa tien, Rau hum, Kim tuyen…The animal including 63 species of mammals, with many rare species such as: Cay gam, Cu li lon, white pheasants..

In addition to the legend, Nui Ba Vi is the incarnation of the Tan Vien Son Tinh Holy ,. To remember the merits of him, people set up the temple to worship him at the top of Tan Vien, or called Den Thuong. Den Thuong was ranked historic national culture in February, 2008. In addition to the historical value, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the culture of Van Lang born 18th Hung King and a deeper feeling of love between Son Tinh and Ngoc Hoa Princess. 

 Ba Vi national park is a primary park with thousands of great and old trees. This primary park is located in the height of above 600 kilometers. This area has kept hundreds of vestiges for more than a century since the French colonist came there. Ba Vi also has a village of Dao people who are one of the minorities in the south. When you get there, it will bring you knowledge about Dao People’s lifestyle and a chance to taste the very delicious dish of bamboo shoot.

Come to Ba Vi country farm

Ba Vi country farm is located 65 km centre from Hanoi on a small hill and lean against Ba Vi mountain range. The country farm is on the west suburb of Hanoi capital which has a very nice and diverse agricultural terrains (forest, lake, pond, spring, lake) which are the symbols for the ancient wet rice cultivation in The Red River Delta.

Dairy farm in Ba Vi

From the country farm, tourists can gaze with low-ladder rice field and the back is the stretched green of the primary forest of Ba Vi mountain. Come to Ba Vi country farm, tourists also visit cattle farms as well as agricultural village with nice landscape and taste fresh and special foods in warm atmosphere.

Tourists also have the chance to directly take part in agricultural tourist activities like: growing rice, catching fishes by bamboo tools as well as grow and gather forest vegetables or herbs, roast tea and feed ostriches, goats and etc. Tourists also have the chance to visit tea gardens, learn to make honey and take part in eurhythmy exchanges or bamboo pole dances with art teams of Muong and Dao minorities who live near the farm.

To server for the rest of tourists, the country farm has full of space and facilities with modern equipments as well as professional staff.

Drive back the heat at Ho Tay Water Park

Cool down your Vietnam summer vacation with the only water park in Hanoi city. It situates on one side of West Lake, the largest lake in the city and also a nice entertainment complex of a "Sen" buffet restaurant, a large Kinder park, an amusement park named "new Solar" and this Water Park.

Fun rides and attractions, great place to hang out with locals in a non-touristy setting, great views of Ho Tay Lake and adjacent lotus pond, relaxing setting with lots of shade and benches.

Bathrooms and showers are sprayed down frequently but remain smelly and feel pretty dirty with no soap available and no mirrors in the gents' room, the park has uneven (and even slightly slippery in places) pavement making flip-flops a necessity, men can't wear a rash guard (sun-protective in my case) even on the lazy river ride or wave pool.

Fun things to see: There's a temple dedicated, it says in Chinese, to the water moon, in one corner of the park. Creaky, rusty old monorail from adjacent theme park sometimes trundles around overhead. Vietnamese, while not prudish, are very modest and you'll notice that many women wear swimsuits that amount to leggings-plus-T-shirt. Western visitors may want to take this into account. Lockers are available in several sizes. Fast food and drinks at several stands.

Ho Tay Water Park in early morning

Sliding lanes should be the most exciting activities when one comes to this water park, consisting of high-speed lanes for single; black thrilling lanes for couples and carpet sliding lanes with a height of 14,5m may provide extremely excitement.

Visitors seeking for strong high surf don’t need to go to the seas because Ho Tay Water Park features a 3m depth wave-making pool with its waves of 1,2m high. Extreme experiences can be collected in a system of swinging ropes and diving pool of 3,5m in depth. For ones enjoy relaxing moment may lay on a buoy, then let the artificial currents of the 450m long “lazy-stream” drive you around the park while sunbathing and sightseeing the poetic West Lake outside the complex.

Lazy stream

Children are prioritized with a large area well designed with funny cartoon characters and colorful lanes of lower height. Near this zone are a wide array of food and drink serving stalls as well as many eye-catching fountains and statue for photo posing.

Located right beside the water park is Moon Park with dozen of games for youngsters and kids vary from thrilling games like high-speed train, aspen blitz, dropping down from height to games which are more appropriate for kids like driving carts, bubble house, or bumping cars. In here can also found the magnificent ferries wheel lifting ones to a height of 60m, offering the whole great view of the West Lake and part of Hanoi.

Adjacent to the Water Park is New Sun Park, an amusement complex with more challenging games than the merry-go-round of downtown parks, such as the Giant Wheel or Thang Long roller-coaster. Just outside of both parks is the famous Sen Ho Tay restaurant, which took the lead in reviving Vietnamese traditional specialty in the forms of buffet. If you are a fan of Ngon restaurant, you cannot miss Sen.

Lotus Pond

Come and join the so funny atmosphere at Ho Tay Water Park to struggle in cool water, wallow and play exciting games, taste delicious dishes and soft drinks by the side of West Lake. This is a place worthy enjoying with families and friends. 

Ancient art of fish fighting in Hanoi

In summer, when temperatures begin to rise and tempers start to fly, many Hanoians find release watching the ancient art of fish fighting.

A good fighter

Another good fighter called La Han

Fish fighting in Dong Ho Painting

Gathering at a fish fighting

On my first visit to a fish fight, my friend took me to a xới (arena) adjacent to Ba Mau Lake. Under the blazing sun, more than twenty men gathered around three glass bowls containing a collection of colourful fish. As we arrived, two of the men prepared to drop their fighting fish into the ‘ring’ – a glass pot containing clear water.

As the two aggressive fighters (one deep black in colour, the other a bright pink) are dropped into the water, they immediately attack each other. The fish seem to fight harder as the crowd urges them on.

Long ago, fish fighting developed as a special hobby for Vietnamese children, especially in Hanoi. Now, this children’s game has become a popular hobby for adults as well. Fish fighting arenas are developing on pavements, lakes sides, or in more secluded areas such as gardens.

According to an ornamental fish seller in Mo Market, Hanoi, the best fighting fish can be found in Yen Phu and Nghi Tam villages in the Tay Ho District of Hanoi. Nguyen Van Huan, a fighting fish raiser from Nghi Tam village said, “To have a good fighting fish, you have to choose it carefully. A good fighting fish must have characteristics such as a big head, long and thick body, thick tail, hump back, and vertical fin.”

Quality fish such as these can be priced between VND50, 000-70,000 each, but even though the fish may display the characteristics of a fighter, it can still take two to three months before they are ready to be brought to the fighting arena.

There are now a few families in Nghi Tam village that continue to raise fighting fish. According to Phan Thi Hoa, breeders of this kind of fish now have numerous challenges they need to overcome. For example, she said, water in the area now contains a high content of chlorine which makes fish weaker.

“We often have to take water from West Lake,” said Hoa, “More over, we have to buy worms from neighbouring provinces to feed the fish.”

It is estimated that Nghi Tam village supplies thousands of fighting fish to fish markets every year. One of the most famous fighting fish breeders in Nghi Tam is Nguyen Quang Hung. He has set aside a 50 quare-metre area for raising fish in hundreds of bottles and pots.

Fish trainers from Hanoi, Hai Phong, and even Vinh City are all fond of Hung’s fish because they are, “strong, vigorous and fight to the death”.

Each season, Hung sells tens of thousands of fish, which earn him hundreds of millions of Vietnamese Dong. “Raising fighting fish is like raising fighting cocks. When they are small, we put them together but when they get bigger, we keep them separately.” Hung has a stable of one hundred or so of the best fish which cost hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese Dong each.

Fighting fish from Thailand are also appearing in Hanoi, but according to a trainer, “Thai fish are beautiful but not strong and vigorous like Nghi Tam fish.”

Training fish is also an important step. After choosing the best fish, trainers put them in a glass pot and keep it in a dark place. Some people wrap the pot with paper while others bury it in the ground for some days. The next training step is to place a mirror in front of the fish and let it shadow fight. To get them ready for their first show fight, the trainers let the growing fish spar with each other in order to choose the strongest one.

Fish must be four to five months old before being entered in an important fight, and to help their charges win, trainers sometimes use some special methods. One or two days before the game they put some salt or a quater of a B1 tablet into the pot. Salt and vitamin makes the fish hungry and so it will be more aggressive against its opponent.

To make the fight end quicker, people may shake the pot so as to make the fighters tired and end their bout. The fight ends when one of the fish dies or swims away. But if both flee, the fight will end in a draw.

Today, fish fighting is not only a game just for relaxing. Many people have been using this game for gambling. Besides football and cock fighting, fish fighting is now also becoming a hot gamble on every corner.

If you meet a man holding a glass pot or a nylon bag containing small colourful fish, it is probably a good bet that he is on his way to find a fish fight at Dong Xuan Market, Mo Market, O Cho Dua, Buoi Street, or Thanh Cong Park. Wish him luck.

Lotus-blossom season on The West lake - Hanoi

Every year, when the lotus season comes West Lake is alive with people bustling about very early in the morning.

They are gathered there to see pink lotus flowers in full bloom while lotus tea makers are busy picking the flowers. 

Hoan Kiem Lake - The spiritual place of Hanoians

Hoan Kiem Lake or Ho Guom (Sword Lake) is considered as "a flower basket" in the center of Hanoi. It's history relates to many legends, of which one is about how King Le Thai To returned the magic sword to the Tortoise Genie.

The legend of Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem lake means “lake of the returned sword”. This name is related to the famous historical legend of King Le Thai To. And before this legend, Hoan Kiem Lake used to be called Luc Thuy Lake (or Green Water Lake) since the water was green all the year round. In 15^th century, it was named Hoan Kiem Lake after the legend of Emperor Le Thai To, which is somehow similar to the story of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake's.

This legend is really interesting. Close your eyes and turn back time to the Le Dynasty 6 centuries ago to witness the legendary story. During the war against the Minh aggressors, King Le Thai To was given a precious fairy Sword by the Golden Turtle God. After 10 years of continuous struggling, the King finally defeated the Chinese and reclaimed the nation’s independence. After that, on a nice day, while boating on lake Luc Thuy, a large turtle came towards him.

It immediately grabbed the sword with its mouth and submerged. The king mourned the lost of such a valuable sword, yet could not find either the turtle or the sword. He realized that the God must have lent him the sword to drive back the enemy, but then that his nation was free, the sword must be returned. Hence, King Le Thai To named the lake Ho Hoan Kiem or Lake of the Restore Sword after this episode.
Since the reign of King Le Trung Hung (XVI century), every King in the Le dynasty, and Lord Trinh have all contributed to the beauty of the lake. Lord Trinh Giang built Khanh Thuy shrine on Ngoc island on the north end of the lake. He also had the two man made hills built across from Ngoc son Shrine. At the end of the Le Dynasty, Khanh Thuy was toppled by Chieu Thong. A philanthropist named Tin Trai built Ngoc Son pagoda, which was renamed into Ngoc Son shrine during the reign of Thieu Tri III (1843) as it was no longer a Buddhist shrine. Instead, it became  a shrine of Van Xuong, a deity, in charge of literature and the various tests required to become a Mandarin. It has also been a shrine of General Tran Hung Dao, a national Hero who secured numerous victories against the Mongols.

Beautiful sights of Hoan Kiem Lake

Ngoc Son Temple and The Huc Bridge

Hoan Kiem Lake is now situated inside a complex of Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge, Pen Tower in the surroundings, making a sparkling colorful natural picture! Ngoc Son has undergone a lot of renovations, one among which was the addition of Thap But (translated as Pen Tower) on its hill, which was once called Dao Tai. Three words were inscribed on the tower: "Ta Thien Thanh" or "write on blue sky". Inside the gate a pool resembling the shape of an ink well was added. Beyond the ink well is The Huc bridge, which means "where the sun light is absorbed". The bridge leads to Dac Nguyet Lau (or "Moon Light tower") - Ngoc Son shrine. Beyond the gates to the shrine, there are two walls called bang Rong and bang Ho (dragon and tiger slate), where the names of those who passed the national test were inscribed.

Turtle Tower - Thap Rua - Hanoi

What could not be missed in this beautiful complex is the Turtle Tower, which lies in the middle of the Lake, so as to remind Vietnamese people of the Turtle God of his great assistance. It was told that King Le Thanh Tong used to fish here. Lord Trinh also built the structure to house his entourage while visiting the lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake  - The heart of Hanoi

Nowadays, Hoan Kiem Lake has become the heart of Hanoi. People not only come here to travel but they also come here to socialize, to talk, to do business, and to relax.. As early as pre dawn on any given day hundreds of people are exercising and have already started they’re days here, you will see locals of all ages jogging and practicing tai chi. Later in the day, you will find grandparents wheeling kiddies in strollers, and young couples strolling around holding hands.

If tourists in Vietnam Travel have chance to visit Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is a must-see place that should not be missed!