Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary Nature Reserve- Attractive Eco-tourism Destination in Vietnam Tourism

Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary is considered one of the most attractive eco-tourism spots in the Mekong River Delta. Thanks to its biological diversity, the sanctuary was recognized as Nature Reserve in 1984. Tourists in Vietnam travel coming there not only have chance to see beautiful and precious birds, but also are indulged yourself with the rich flora and fauna.

Bac Lieu Province, around 100 km from the southernmost tip of Vietnam, is home to a popular bird sanctuary located in Hiep Thanh Commune of Bac Lieu Town. The sanctuary is one of the most attractive ecological tourist spots in the Mekong River Delta.

The Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary is the vestige of a forest which ran along the East Sea coast and came into existence over a century ago. The sanctuary is just around five kilometers from the town center. It covers some 107 hectares and lies within the remaining 385 hectares of forest area. The sanctuary is now home to 46 bird species, 60 fish species, seven frog species, 10 species of mammals, eight reptile species, and 100 species of plants. On the ground are a massive number of eggs, and in the air, you can spot some species with 2 m wing-spans.

Over nearly one century, the Sanctuary is the place where generations of birds are born, usually in the rainy season, and developed. There are currently some 40,000 birds and 5,000 nests, according to preliminary statistics. Birds mostly gather here during the rainy season between May and October. In August and September, flocks of birds gather at the sanctuary to build nests and breed. The forest comes alive with the singing of various kinds of birds and trees overflow with hundreds of birds’ nests. The Sanctuary is also the important home of several water birds, mainly teal, stork, heron, night heron and cormorant.

According to documentation of Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary Nature Reserve, in the first, it was a coastal rich and diversified salt forest floor with the natural salt-marsh ecosystem. As a part of the remaining forest floor along the East Sea, it is increasingly far from the sea due to alluvial deposits. In 1962, it was looked after, protected and controlled by a household. Then, the local authority realized that it is a precious natural property, so they have a step by step investment.

The best time for tourists in Vietnam travel to visit Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary is in the early morning when most birds leave their nests to begin a day of feeding. Alternatively, at sunset the birds can also be seen more easily as they return to their nests to sleep, flocks of bird fly one after another. This is the moment of enjoying the most spectacular sight the sanctuary.

Moreover, the rich flora and fauna of the enclosure gives the lush, natural area a feeling of wonder and enchantment. Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary is a favorite destination of both nature lovers and researchers and visitors in Vietnam travel will easily find several types of birds listed in Vietnam’s “Red Book” of endangered species of plants and animals. The area is also popular amongst photographers who come to the sanctuary for one-of-a-kind shots of the breathtakingly beautiful birds.

Although it has potential for further development, the Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary remains off the radar of most large tourist companies and thus, tourists wishing to visit the area must organize travel themselves or seek out a local guide.

Traveling to Bac Lieu, tourists in Vietnam travel should not forget to visit Bac Lieu bird sanctuary nature reserve where is home to over 40 species of inhabiting bird , especially the rare and valuable ones.

" Feeling the pulse" of Vietnam Tourism

The gloomy picture of the development of the tourism industry of Vietnam has been defined at the consultation meeting on the state management of tourism recently, held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi. How to stimulate tourism in the difficult economic context is still a difficult problem for the non-smoke industry.

In the current context of economic difficulties, tourism is considered the highlight with around 6.7 million foreign visitors (up by 11 percent), 32.5 million domestic visitors (up 7 percent) and the total revenue of VND160 trillion (up 16 percent).

Foreign tourists in Vietnam

However, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said that the growth rate of tourism industry was relatively high in the last three years, but its development is unsustainable, unstable and not commensurate with the potential, particularly the competitiveness is low compared to many countries in the region.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, General Director of Vietravel, resource planning for tourism development is not good, leading to more resources being destroyed, especially marine ecotourism. Ky also pointed out the lack of connection between localities that causes a waste of resources.

Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association said that travel firms are called for cutting down the charges for hotel rooms, transport fees and food prices nobody pays adequate attention to the legitimate request for preferential policies to tourism stimulus.

According to Director of Hoa Binh Hoa Le Tourism, the state should exempt or reduce import tax rates on tourism cars, reduce land tax to encourage businesses to invest in tourism, develop infrastructure in the remote areas that are rich in tourism potential.

The panorama of the smokeless industry in recent years reveals many inadequacies. State management in tourism is not good enough, proved in the decrease in tourism environment, for instance: Many small travel firms imitate famous brands to cheat customers; tour guides of different companies are in collusion to exchange tourists; the qualification of tour guides in Vietnam is still low; fraud, robbery, environmental pollution still occur in many localities, especially in the key areas of tourism.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky warned: “This is an alarming problem. If we do not handle it firmly, it will affect the image of Vietnam’s tourism, and decrease the number of tourists to our country. The environmental tourism protection policy must become a major policy, which is inseparable from the Vietnam’s tourism development strategy.”

Tourism promotion program of Vietnam is so small compared to other countries in the region. According to Mr. Luu Duc Ke, Director of Hanoitourist, in many countries, when the number of tourists increases, the budget for tourism promotion also rises. In Vietnam, it is contrary.

The revenue of the tourism industry increased in the last three years but the funding for tourism promotion shrank, from VND40 billion ($2 million) in 2010 to VND35 billion ($1.7 million) in 2011 and only VND30 billion ($1.5 million) in 2012 (equivalent to $0.25/visitor while in Thailand and Singapore the rate is $10-15/visitor). On the other hand, tourism companies are not permitted to open representative offices abroad.

However, tourism promotion is not just the money, but also depends on the promotion measures. It is very important to answer the question “what are the things that make a difference for Vietnam’s tourism?”

Many tour operators believe that, in order to promote tourism it is necessary to build the national tourism brand as quickly as possible.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky said that Vietnamese cuisine is very attractive to international visitors. Many cuisines such as pho (noodles) and nem cuon (spring rolls) are frequently among the top world’s most attractive dishes. Vietnamese food, therefore, can be considered as the focus of the national tourism brand.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan asked the tourism industry to promote cultural and human strengths in building the brand; to consider safety for visitors as top priority; tourism firms must accompany the State in promoting tourism image.

The Deputy PM also asked the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to have the answer for the question–whether local travel firms are allowed to open overseas representative offices in the first quarter of 2013.

“The master plan for Vietnam tourism development to 2020, vision to 2030″ will be approved before December 20, 2012, and will be immediately implemented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Dining etiquettes of Vietnamese

Each country has its own way of organizing and tasting meals. Also, Vietnamese have their own beliefs and habits of eating.

Vietnamese usually have breakfast, lunch and dinner without tea or coffee break in between. Because most Vietnamese are early risers, breakfast is eaten before 9, though many restaurants serve breakfasts until much later. Foods for breakfasts are as diverse as you can imagine. Some of the most popular are the “notorious” pho-noodle soup; baguette stuffed with pate, ppq porked and veggies; rice congee with minced pork; banh cuon (rice crepes), xoi (sticky rice). Contrary to the Western diet, breakfasts in Vietnam involves more salt than sugar.  

Bowl of fish sauce is an indispensable element

 Lunch is served from 12-1 p.m. Most office workers have lunch at one of street stores where they can choose a main dish-fish, beef, pork, chicken or tofu with side vegetables and steamed rice. Some others order lunch box from a nearby restaurant if they want to avoid the heat and traffic. Lunch in Vietnam is quick yet does not lack any nutrients.

Dinner is the main meal where family gathers and report back their day. Women are usually responsible for preparing the meal, with or without the help of their mother or daughters. Some better-off families have a dining table while the rest, though you may find it bizarre, have dinner on the ground floor. It is Vietnamese tradition to share food while eating.

As a result, the whole family circumvents a tray of food, each with a bowl of rice and taking food from the common dish. Dinner foods usually include one or two main dishes such as stewed pork, steamed chicken or fried fish; one dish of boiled or stir-fried vegetable and one bowl of broth. Steamed rice is considered as inevitable in most meals.

Time for gathering and sharing

  Eating out is not a habit of Vietnamese until recently and nowadays, it is popular in cities ad better off family only. Eating out used to take place on the occasion of daddy receiving salary, or family celebrating an achievement or weekend gateway. However, as modern life leads to lesser time and interest for cooking, eating out is also in the sharp increase.

Vietnamese also have the habit of organizing meals together; members in families gather in time and have close depend on others, which is totally different from Westerners because they ignore to talk during the meals. In the contrary, Vietnamese really like talking during the meal and talking during the meals is the crucial need of Vietnamese because it is also the time for them to gather, express their interests about health, life and share experience of working together or freely discuss about some of their favorite problems.

Foods are delicious while the weather is not good that the meals aren’t delicious. Good places for having meals without good friends make them feel that the meals aren’t delicious.

Vietnamese are both simple and casual. Normal etiquette apply in dining time and fewer expectations are placed on foreigners. If you are invited into a family dinner, make yourself at home and open your eyes, ears and mind to learn about this special aspect of Vietnamese culture

Mooncake now and then

The Mid-Autumn festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Vietnamese festivals.

When the Mid-Autumn Festival came, our mothers bought us one bánh nướng (the baked mooncake) and one bánh dẻo (the snowy glutinous cake). They were saved on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month when the moon was roundest and brightest. Her whole family consumed the cakes, piece by piece, over the course of the following week.

Moon cakes were sold in the past

Out of our perpetual desire for this annual treat, we sought out a mundane biscuit and pretended to divide up our imagined treat. Our unpracticed knife slipped on the harder cookie and cut deep.

Now a mother herself who can buy her children as many mooncakes as they like—considers her resulting scar, I am reminded of my childish wish to eat a whole mooncake by herself.

The smell and sight of mooncakes conjures the sounds and excitement of the special annual holiday in the minds of Vietnamese children. From Mid-Autumn Festival to Mid-Autumn Festival, anticipation only builds.

Modern,mooncakes are much more affordable and widely available. One month prior to the Mid-Autumn Festival, red stores pop up at every street corner displaying a diverse array of options. Their fancy packaging is specifically designed to serve as luxurious gifts.

New fillings are invented every year to satisfy consumer tastes. Mooncakes with shark fin or swallow’s nest are no longer unusual, but the most popular remain the traditional tastes of green bean paste, lotus seeds, and salted pork.

As more and more businesses enter the mooncake market, competition gets fiercer every year. Bakeries, restaurants, hotels, and even seasonal private enterprises are now mooncake producers. The choices are endless.

Moon cakes are sold everywhere before Mid-Autumn festival a month

Food hygiene concerns and waves of advertising have turned consumers away from home-made mooncakes in favour of factory-produced varieties. Household businesses that might have made and sold mooncakes for generations cannot compete with the resources and manpower of major companies. Preservatives are a factor too, with many unwilling to risk the unpredictable humidity ruining their gifts.

But the old-fashioned, traditional homemade businesses have mounted resurgence. Some family businesses have won hearts by remaining free of preservatives and selling fresher and safer mooncakes. Mothers equipping themselves with electric ovens and convenient baking tools are starting to make mooncakes themselves.

I managed to teach myself following internet recipes and spent a Sunday afternoon with my friends making mooncakes. Many things might have changed, my own passion for mooncakes have never faded and I still intent on soft and sweet mooncake memories that I still treasure.

The beauty of Ham Rong Mountain in Sapa

Ham Rong in spring is filled with colorful flowers blooming along the way through. The poetic and grandiose Ham Rong mountain is considered as a fairy land of Sapa for its natural beauty as well as rich cultural value.

Ham Rong Mountain, situated in the center of Sapa town, is a impressive tourist attraction. According to Legend, once upon a time there were a couple of dragons so mad in love that while a biblical flood was rising but they didn't know. When they awoke, it was too late for them to escape from the flood so they were washed away separately. Even now, turned into stone, but due to be natural instinct, the female (Ham Rong Mountain) always looks toward her lover in the west (the Hoang Lien Son mountain range).

Shaped like a dragon’s head in the clouds, Ham Rong Mountain is approximately  2000 meters high with green trees and colorful flowers almost all year round. Most tourists in Vietnam travel  visiting Sapa do the exciting climb up to the mountain. The path leading up to Ham Rong Mountain consists of many stone steps and a winding trail higher up will help to see small streams lazily run through bushy foliages. About mid­way, travelers will find themselves in an orchid -garden with over 400 species of colorful blooms. Standing on the highest point of Ham Rong Mountain, tourists will have a breathtaking view over the romantic Sapa town.

If visitors in Vietnam tourism come here in spring, the surprise will be greater to see blooming peach, plum and apricot garden. At midway upwards, there are ethnic cutural villages where visitors will enjoy art-performance by Dao, Mong or Sa Pho young locals.

The sound of bamboo flutes by Mong minority boys echo far and wide, their dances, songs, folksongs sound strong and romantic that will leave unforgettable impressions. A little further more will be a mini stone-forest where thousands of stone columns, pillars that surprisingly open visitors’ eyes.

A stroll among these pillars seems to be a walk in the fairyland, thentourists proceed to the heavens gate, a beaten trail leads to the cloud-yard and a TV station. San May (Cloud Yard) is an ideal location to view the whole panorama of Sapa.

EXPERIENCING A WONDERFUL SUMMER HOLIDAY IN SAM SON

Sam Son is a resort town in Thanh Hoa province in northern Vietnam.

In order to go from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa, you can choose to go by coach or train. The coaches start from My Dinh, Giap Bat bus station. The price of ticket is 60,000-100,000 dong. You go by coach to Thanh Hoa city and then catch a bus to Sam Son. It just takes you about 10-15 minutes. If you go by train, the ticket is 70,000-120,000 dong. You will feel safe when swimming in Sam Son beach because there are always a rescue team of nearly 50 people here. Since early summer in 2013, the rescue team rescued successfully more than 200 drowned tourists. Besides, Sam Son also has Truong Le mountain that is 76 meters in height with imposing cliffs. There is Doc Cuoc shrine, Co Tien shrine, To Hien Thanh shrine on the mountain. You should not miss Trong Mai  isle, a symbol of Sam Son. On Truong Le mountain, there are a lot of large lawn, and old pine trees so this is an ideal place for camping and outdoor activities. You also can visit relics and tourist spots in Thanh Hoa such as Ba Trieu temple at Gai mountain, Phu Dien village or city walls of the Citadel of the Ho Dynasty. In addition, being 60 kilometers from Sam Son, Ben En National Park in Nhu Thanh district has mountains, river and lakes with an area of over 16,000 hectares. There are many rare species of animals here such as elephant, tiger, bear, monkey, etc. If you are a romantic person and you want to travel around Sam Son and enjoy the atmosphere, you can hire a tandem bycicle. This service is about 50,000 dong an hour. Besides, on the way to leaving Sam Son, you can stop at Thanh Hoa city and visit Dien Bien market on Phan Chu Trinh street to buy fresh seafood.

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. 

AN AFTERNOON ON LAP AN LAKE

Being a part of Lang Co Bay (in 2009, Lang Co Bay was ranked as the most beautiful bay in the world), Lap An Lake is famous for its charming beauty. The best time to explore Lap An Lake is in the afternoon.

Lap An Lake has an area of 800 hectares, near Phu Gia mountain pass. Because of its attractive beauty, it has been a familiar place to many photographers. Nowadays, local people take advantage of the lake to breed oyster. This has effect on the environment and ecosystem a little bit. Lap An Lake is one of famous tourist spot in Thua Thien – Hue city and is considered as the Elysium. The water in Lap An Lake is very clear. Sitting on the boat, you can see the bottom of the lake. Surrounding the lake, there are roads curving around the foot of the mountain, which makes charming landscape. Lap An always attracts a lot of travelers by the blend of colours of sky and mountain. If you have a chance to contemplate the dawn here, you will never forget. It will surprise you by its picturesque beauty. Lap An has an important role in the protection of coastal areas and it is home of many valuable marine species.

Ba Be National Park

Ba Be national Park is a popular Vietnam’s natural complex mainly consisting of Ba Be Lake, the supposed largest natural fresh water lake in Vietnam. The 150-m altitude makes  it the Vietnam’s  highest lake above sea level.

Location

Geographically, Ba Be National Park is a reserve in Bac Kan Province, northeast Vietnam, whose role is to protect a freshwater lake (Ba Be Lake) along with surrounding limestone and lowland evergreen forests. It is located about 240 kilometers northwest of the capital city - Hanoi.

Ba Be Lake

Ba Be means “Three Lakes”, however, all of them converge into a single continuous body of water. The lake is 8 kilometers long in total, about 400 meters wide, and has the deepest point of 35 meters. It is covered with many limestone mountain chains which have numerous caves and underground streams.

Flora and fauna

If you keen on the ecotourism activities, Ba Be National Park is the ideal place to visit because it is featured by the diversified and specious fauna and flora. The vegetation in Ba Be National Park mainly consists of limestone and evergreen forest. There are approximately about more 417 species of plant. Climbing bamboo is a regional endemic plant common on the hill slopes near the lake shore. Furthermore, Ba Be National Park also attracts those tourists that are interested in animal life with plentiful animal system. There are 600 species, in which 66 are specious; some were recorded in Viet Nam Red Book.

Scenic landscape features

There are some interesting places that you should not leave out when coming to Ba Be National Park. Firstly, you can enjoy a boat trip on a part of Nang River inside Puong Cave - a large cave with 30m high, 300m long. Looking into the cave, you will see that it is inhabited by a population of thousand of bats belonging to 18 species. After exploring the cave, you will note that Nang River flows at the foot of the limestone mountain, goes through Puong Cave to reach Ba Be Lake and consists of a series of spectacular cascades between perpendicular walls of rock.

You will feel healthy with the cool and fresh climate when coming to Ao Tien - a small lake on the top of the mountain. This lake is filled with clear water which seeps through the surrounding limestone rock. The primary for the name Ao Tien (the lake of fairy) is based on a legend that the fairies always go down in this place to swim and play chess.

Conservation

Ba Be National Park was established to conserve important ecosystems, rare plant, animal species, and the special landscapes as well as manage the sustainable use of natural resources. It also assists local communities to improve their current living conditions and mitigating pressures on forests and biodiversity.

Tourist activities: The national park is really an inviting environment to relax and enjoy nature. It's special limestone landscape which is dotted with small villages of different ethnic groups that creates a charming vista of both human and natural beauty. To enjoy these sites, there are some activities for you to choose:

Boat tours around Ba Be Lake and Nang River stopping off at various beauty spots.

Trekking through the valleys, forests and visits to caves.

The population in Ba Be National Park is about 3,000 people from five different ethnic groups. For over 2,000 years, Ba Be has been inhabited by Tay people, who make up the majority (58%), Nung and Dao people may have arrived about 100 years ago and Kinh and Mong are relatively recent arrivals. This characteristic creates the good condition for many cultural activities include visiting local villages, markets and musical performances.

Without doubt, Ba Be National Park displays an impressive amount of evidence of ecological condition. It is a site of very great importance for increasing our understanding of the geologic, geomorphic of the region.

Cape Ca Mau National Park

Covering an area of 41,862ha, Cape Ca Mau National Park is located in Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province, nearly 400km away from Ho Chi Minh City.

 Cape Ca Mau National Park is originally covered by natural mangrove forest; however, the vast majority was destroyed during the Second Indochina War. Most of the aqua cultural ponds have been abandoned and now support extensive areas of re-colonizing mangrove forest. There are extensive mudflats which are also being colonized naturally by mangrove. These areas are continually growing due to accretion rates along the coastline of up to 50m per year in places.

Biodiversity values. The Park is a submerged area with a floral complex, mainly including mangrove and Mam (avicenia, black mangrove) trees. This is an ecological system of natural salt-marsh forests with high values in terms of bio-diversity, landscapes, environment, culture and history.

Some small areas of old Rhizophora apiculata mangrove remain at Mui Ca Mau. This vegetation type probably covered much of the area in the past. Evidence of over-exploitation is abundant with many old logged bases of large Rhizophora apiculata trees. There are still some big trees over 10 years old, though the habitat is degraded. There are also extensive Rhizophora apiculata plantations at the national park; the density of them varies from one to six trees per square metre. Each year, the submerged flora on the western beach of the park extends nearly 100m into the sea, creating an ideal environment for the reproduction and development of shrimp, fish and mollusk.

The park has a rich fauna with 13 species of animals belonging to 9 families, including 2 species listed in the Red Book of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). They are the long-tailed monkey and ca khu (Trachypithecus cristatus). The park is also considered to be an important site for a number of migratory water birds with 74 species of birds belonging to 23 families, including 5 species listed in IUCN Red Book, namely the Chinese stork, grey-legged pelican, ibis leucocephalus, curved beak snipe and black-headed ibis

The mangroves at Mui Ca Mau perform an important coastal protection function, which was strongly emphasized on coastal protection in the management of the site to date. The national park also has high potential for recreation, ecotourism, conservation education and scientific research. Although present visitor use of the national park is low, visitor numbers are likely to increase in the future.

Bac Giang: Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve

Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve that is located in Luc Nam and Son Dong Districts, Bac Giang Province and about 150 kilometers far from Hanoi to the north-east, is considered as an interesting place for nature lovers. You can come here by any kinds of transportations such as bicycles, motorbikes and cars.

Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve is situated on the west side of the Yen Tu mountain.. Yen Tu is a high mountain with the system of natural native forests, recognized as a nature reserve since1986. Yen Tu mountain is famous for many hundreds years old trees or sacred and quite temples.

Our group made a decision to visit Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve to enjoy the natural beauty here.

Signpost

In fact, Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve has the total area of 13.020.4 ha of special-use forests comprising 11.710 ha of natural forests. This Reserve contains a high biodiversity potentiality, features for the Northeast Vietnam.

There are five major vegetation types att the different heights. For example, under 100m, there are grassland and shrubs, from 100m to 200m is small timbers and bamboos….In addition to, Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve owns plenty of medicinal plants: Ba Kich, Tram Huong, Tho Phuc Linh. In particular, there are some species of rare plants: Lim Xanh, Kim Giao, Sa Nhan, Vu Huong, Tung La Han….In addition, Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve has a very diverse fauna, consisting of many rare and threatened species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam and the Global. Even, series of new species were discovered in here.

On the other hand, Tay Yen Tu is also well-known for ecotourism with Khe Ro Primitive Forest and Golden water (nước Vàng) stream, Giot waterfall. Khe Ro consists of shaggy forest canopy, waterfalls, cliffs, especially, the blue small lake in the middle of the forest. And, Golden water stream has its special name because the water of stream is only honey-yellow all time. Golden water stream has a diverse and abundant fauna.

Golden stream

Giot Waterfall 

Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve is very suitable for many kinds of travelers. That people enjoy exploring and conquering nature can come there, tourists want to relax, avoid all busy anything or even scientists would like to study fauna and flora.

Stunning journey to Thung Nai, Hoa Binh

If you have ever been to Thung Nai, Hoa Binh, it makes no surprise that you will be enchanted by the charming beauty that is considerd as Ha Long Bay on land.

Thung Nai is a commune in Cao Phong district, being nearly 25 kilometers from Hoa Binh city. In recent years, tt has been a new tourist destination in the northern Vietnam.

Explaining the name “Thung Nai”, the local people said that in the past, Thung Nai was a great valley covered by the vast forest, which is home to numerous deer. Therefore, “Thung Nai” means “ the Valley of Deer”.

Since the 1980s, Thung Nai has become a big lake to contain water severed for the operation of the hydropower plant on Da River when this hydropower plant was constructed. All initial surrounding high mountains become floating green islands and create poetic and magnificent scenery which can enchant every tourist coming here.

The best time to visit Thung Nai in the autumn, when the water level reaches the highest and the valley is filled with the romantic lake water. 

Coming here, visitors can visit intriguing islands as Lan island, Qua island, Ngoi Hoa cave,  Thac Bo cave, Trach stream.  Here, visitors can bath in cool water. On the other hand, if you want to learn the life of Muong people, you can visit Mu or Gia Mo village in the valley.

As many people, after visiting popular destinations here, we stopped at Thac Bo Cave- a national heritage.

Thac Bo cave

Thac Bo is a deep cave separated by many levels. Behind the high and large entrance, visitors see multi-shaped stalactites mirrored on a limpid pond and listen to the stone musical instruments and gongs of the Muong ethnic group.

The heritage is located next to the imposing Da River and Bo temple, a popular tourist destination and pilgrimage. Here, visitors will have an opportunity to admire spectacular stalactites like ice cream in Thac Bo cave.

Try to visit Thung Nai once in your life, tourists can enjoy the beauty of wild nature and witness the life of ethnic minority people living on the mountainous areas. Thung Nai promises to bring great tourism potential to Hoa Binh Province in the near future.

A perfect holiday in Nha Phu Lagoon

Nha Trang never loses its appeal to tourists with its immense beaches and beautiful islands.

However, this time when we visited the coastal city we chose to have a one-day eco-tour to Nha Phu Lagoon. The lagoon is located in Ninh Hoa District which is 15km north of Nha Trang City and it is where Long Phu Tourist Company major in organizing tours to the lagoon to visit three islands named Hon Thi, Suoi Hoa Lan and Hon Lao (also known as Dao Khi or monkey island) A bus will pick up tourists at 8 a.m. in the morning to depart for Nha Phu. After an hour tourists will arrive at a wharf for a 20-minute boat ride to Hon Thi where they can feed ostriches and take pictures with spotted deer. Tourists can leisurely discover gardens and farms on the island for around 20 minutes before coming to the second destination of Suoi Hoa Lan after a 30-minute boat ride. But travelers hoping for another Vinpearl Land will instead have to indulge in nature with a manmade lake sloping around rows of shady trees and bridges crossing the hills some of the main attractions. There tourists can take photos as they ride on an elephant’s or ostrich’s back. Those who love trees and flowers can see Que toi (my homeland) village to admire luxuriant vegetable, fruit and flower gardens. Highlights of the tourist site are Hoa Lan stream and Phong Lan cave which have only been established recently. These places are good for relaxation by the lake and taking pictures. There’s a tranquil beach on the island to swim, sunbathe and join in a powered parachute priced at VND250,000 for five minutes or jetski for ten minutes for the same price. There is also skydiving and a chariot ride around the island. Tourists can also treat themselves to a feast of BBQ seafood at reasonable prices. Next, there is an animal circus featuring performances by bears, dogs, goats and elephants. Final destination Hon Lao is where Russian experts raised monkeys for scientific experiments in the past but now monkeys are used for tourism development. You can see monkeys doing tricks with dogs or put bets on the dog race. After visiting the eco tourist sites, tourists will head back to the mainland at around 4:30 p.m. Prices for adults and children are VND380,000 and VND250,000 respectively.

Exploring Ba Na with four seasons a day

Ba Na has a special climate with four seasons a day, which makes many tourists be fascinated. To Ba Na, visitors will feel the sense like getting lost in the clouds and smog.

The way from the foot of mountain to the top of Ba Na is 15 kilometers in length. Going by Ba Na cable car, Tourists will start from Vong Nguyet hill, go through cloud and a primeval forest to go to the top. When standing at the top, you can easily contemplate the whole imposing landscapes, Mo stream, and Toc Tien waterfall, etc. This cable car route has set four world records: the longest one line car cable in the world (5,801 meters); the highest difference height between departure and destination (1,368.93 meters); the longest non-stop cable (11,585 meters); and the world heaviest cable rolls (141.24 tonnes). Enjoying the magnificent views from the summit, over the mountain, Ba Na is in green colour of primeval forests and blue colour of sky and sea. Ba Na is sparkling as a landscape photo. Belonging to Truong Son mountain range, Hoa Ninh commune, Hoa Vang district, Ba Na is 25 kilometers from Da Nang city. it has been famous for an ecological system with many species of rare animals and plants such as sandal-wood, mahogany, Asia black bear, gibbons, etc. According to statistics, the flora in Ba Na is abundant with more than 543 species, including 250 species of medical plants, 256 species of vertebrate animals (61 species of animals, 178 species of birds and 17 species of reptiles). Visting Ba Na, tourists will have a chance to enjoy special climate here. You will experience four seasons a day and explore special and interesting things. At the top of Ba Na mountain, tourists can experience the freeze of winter in the summer, feast your eyes on a mysterious view. That is so amazing! Getting up in early morning, the winter’s gone, the spring comes. It is full of sunlight. The temperature at 7 am is about 18 degree Celsius. At the midday, it turns to summer, but it is not as hot as the summer of the Central Vietnam. The hot weather just lasts a few hours and then it turns to autumn in the afternoon. Ba Na is a paradise of flowers. It is considered as the second Sapa in Vietnam. The weather of Ba Na is suitable for many species of  subtemperate flowers such as hydrangeas, and orchids, etc.Since 2004, local people here has built a big pagoda on the summit of Ba Na mountain. It is called Linh Ung pagoda. In addition, they put a Buddha statue that is 30 meters in height. Building a pagoda at the height of 1,500 meters above the sea level is a feat. Nowadays, Ba Na has been a pride of Vietnamese people in general and Da Nang people in particular. It is also a famous tourist attractions to many foreign travellers. Currently, Da Nang is still in the process of renovation, restoration, conservation of Buddhist cultural area, ancient villas and the construction of hotels to meet the needs of sightseeing, leisure for tourists.

Sen Village attracted tourists in Nghe An

Starting from Vinh City along Road 49, and turning at a red earth road lined with shady eucalyptus and "filao" trees, visitors reach Sen village, whose scholarly name is Kim Lien (Golden Lotus).

There are several lotus ponds along the village roads. The house in which President Ho Chi Minh lived during his childhood was a thatched bamboo and wooden house. In the house there are some pieces of furniture such as a wooden bed, a bamboo bed, a jute hammock and an altar, the same as those used by local farmers.

The house was built in 1901 with contributions of labour and funds as present from the villagers to the father of President Ho, Mr Nguyen Sinh Sac, when he won a "Junior Doctor" degree in literature, bringing honour to the whole village.

Chua Village (scholarly name, Hoang Tru): It is the native village of President Ho's mother, about 2 km from Sen Village. Chua Village was where he was born and brought up in his early childhood.

The Tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan : Mrs Hoang Thi Loan (1868-1901) was a typical meritorious Vietnamese mother who had brought up her children to be patriotic, including little Nguyen Sinh Cung who later became President Ho Chi Minh. Mrs Hoang Thi Lan was the second daughter of Mr Hoang Duong, Bachelor of Arts, a native to Hoang Tru village, Nam Lien commune, Nam Dan district. She married Nguyen Sinh Sac and gave birth to three children.

In 1895 she and her family moved to the royal capital of Hue and made a living for the whole family while Mr Sac was busy preparing for an academic degree. She died of fatal disease in Hue in 1901.

Also in that year, her husband achieved his scholar degree. In 1922, Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh, President Ho's older sister, moved their mother's tomb to the back yard of their house in Sen village.

Knowing that his brother was revolutionary leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, Mr Nguyen Sinh Khiem, the eldest brother of President Ho, secretly moved the tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan to Dong Tranh mountain in 1942 to avoid possible revenge from the authorities.

On the occasion of the 95th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh in 1985, the people of Nghe An rebuilt the tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan. There are some 300 steps of granite from the foot of the mountain leading to the tomb. The ferroconcrete roof of the tomb stylizes a handloom because when alive President Ho's mother gained her family's living by weaving cloth.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan's tomb

The tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan, Uncle Ho’s mother, is about 14 kilometres from Vinh city, where Ho Chi Minh Square and Uncle Ho’s statue are located.

The tomb is placed on Dong Tranh Mountain peak, which belongs to the Dai Hue mountain range in Nam Dan district, Nghe An province.

The tomb was built in 1985, on the occasion of President Ho Chi Minh’s 95th birthday anniversary. Mrs Hoang Thi Loan was the second daughter of Mr Hoang Duong, Bachelor of Arts, a native to Hoang Tru village, Nam Lien commune, Nam Dan district.

She married Nguyen Sinh Sac and gave birth to three children. In 1895 she and her family moved to the royal capital of Hue and made a living for the whole family while Mr Sac was busy preparing for an academic degree. She died of fatal disease in Hue in 1901. Also in that year, her husband achieved his scholar degree.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan (1868-1901) was the mother of many patriotic children, including Nguyen Sinh Cung, who later became President Ho Chi Minh. From the mount foot, visitors will have to climb nearly 300 stone steps leading to the tomb. Above it is a concrete roof stylised as the loom with which Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan used to weave cloth to earn a living and feed her children.

Attractive Sang le forest

Sang Le is a great family of Sang Le trees under Bang Lang group. Sang Le is a local name, and Lagerstroemiatomentsa Presl is its scientific name. It is in Con Cuong District, Nghe An Province all the way up to the Tuong Duong-Ky Son route.

The forest has become a popular tourism destination. Sang Le covers 70 hectares and its natural beauty has still been preserved. Visitors will see an endless sea of green colour of leaves mixed with white coloured stems for Vietnam tourism. Sang Le’s tall trees bloom with purple flowers during the summer.

There are many ranges of trees 30-40 metres in height standing along the pathway, shadowing over other trees of 20-30 metres and surrounded by a carpet of grass, moss, and ferns.

People living here lead a very peaceful life. The forest provides the area with a plethora of fresh, cool air.

The forest stretches from Pu Mat National Park's headquarters in Con Cuong District, Nghe An Province all the way up to the Tuong Duong-Ky Son route.

Sang Le is a great family of Sang Le trees under Bang Lang group. Sang Le is a local name, and Lagerstroemiatomentsa Presl is its scientific name.

Below are some pictures of the forest: