Travel

Hang Sao- a unique cave pagoda in Yen Bai

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2023

Hang Sao is one of the beautiful and sacred pagodas in Yen Bai, believed to be discovered in the reign of the sixth Hung King.

Hang Sao- a unique cave pagoda in Yen Bai hinh anh 1

Lying on Sao mountain and standing 200m above the sea level, Hang Sao pagoda is located in Sao village, Luc Yen district, northern Yen Bai province. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – Hang Sao is one of the beautiful and sacred pagodas in Yen Bai, believed to be discovered in the reign of the sixth Hung King.

Lying on Sao mountain and standing 200m above the sea level, Hang Sao pagoda is located in Sao village, Tan Lap commune, Luc Yen district, northern Yen Bai province.

Locals call it Sao pagoda, after the name of a hamlet in Nhan Muc village. The facility derives its name from the birds that build their nests inside the cave.

Legend has it that the cave was discovered in the reign of the sixth Hung King who, finding the beauty of the landscape, decided to bury the remains of his mother inside the cave. A king of the early Le dynasty named it the “herb fragrance cave”.

Hang Sao pagoda rests on the Phu Sa Phin mountain range which was form about 540 million years ago. It is one of the beautiful and sacred pagodas in Yen Ban.

Hang Sao Pagoda was first built by Tay locals in the 13th-14th century to worship Buddha.

History goes that a local young lady named Vu Thi Ngoc Anh was placed in charge of military logistics by a Le king. She directed Tay locals to reclaim waste land, taught them on how to cultivate water rice, and turned Hang Sao into a store.

In the Nguyen dynasty, Sao villagers added a small pagoda to the cave to worship both the Buddha and Vu Thi Ngoc Anh herself.

Hang Sao pagoda has its gate facing the northeast, almost parallel to the left bank of Chay river, about 500m from the flow. The complex consists of a natural pagoda (Sao pagoda) and another built by human (Hang pagoda).

Sao pagoda is 100m from Hang pagoda, and now only its base remains within the premise of the primary school of Tan Lap commune. It has deformed and become impossible to precisely locate the lines of pillar bases while the surface layer of the earth contains many pieces of roofing tiles which are similar to those found at the communal house of Sao village.

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Hang Sao pagoda is a natural one, used for long by locals as a worshipping place, and divided into three ones: lower, middle and upper pagodas.(Photo: VNA)

Hang Sao pagoda is a natural one, used for long by locals as a worshipping place, and divided into three ones: lower, middle and upper pagodas.

The lower consists of a rough rock roof, about 10 square metres large and 5 metres deep, with a rock altar in the middle.

The middle is a vertical rock cliff connected to the lower by a lane sneaking the rock walls.

The upper is the largest, divided into two parts: upper cave and lower cave. The upper cave has a relatively level foundation with a connection to the sky, measuring 32m in length, 38m in width, and 15-18m to the roof of the cave, covering a total of 1,216 square metres; while the lower is about 5m lower than the upper and covers a total of 1,738 square metres.

Many pieces of Vietnamese and Chinese ceramics of the 18th-19th century have been unearthed from the base of the cave. Various stalactites of strange and beautiful shapes and sizes hang from the ceiling of the cave.

In December 1949, Hang Sao pagoda in Tan Lap commune served as the venue for the second congress of the Party organisation of Luc Yen district.

The People’s Committee of Yen Bai province on September 17, 2009, issued Decision No. 1395/QD-UBMD, recognising the Hang Sao pagoda in Sao village, Tan Lap commune, Luc Yen district, Yen Bai province as a historical-cultural relic of the provincial level./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/hang-sao-a-unique-cave-pagoda-in-yen-bai/247437.vnp

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Vietnam becomes favourite destination for Cambodian tourists

Published

1 hour ago

March 31, 2023

TienphongNews

The number of Cambodian tourists coming to Vietnam has increased significantly, Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper, citing statistics of travel agencies.

Vietnam becomes favourite destination for Cambodian tourists hinh anh 1

Visitors arrive at Moc Bai border gate in Tay Ninh province. Illustrative image (Photo: tuoitre.vn)

Hanoi – The number of Cambodian tourists
coming to Vietnam has increased significantly, Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper, citing statistics of travel agencies.

It said previously, Cambodians
visited Vietnam mainly for medical services, but over several recent years, the inflow of middle-class visitors from the neighbouring country to Vietnam for tourism purpose has been rising, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic was put under control.

The central beach city of Da Nang, the ancient town of Hoi
An, Da Lat – the city of thousand flowers in the Central Highlands region, Nha
Trang, Vung Tau and the “Paradise Pearl Island” of Phu Quoc are some of top
favourite destinations among Cambodian tourists.

Tran Quoc Thinh, director of Tay Ninh province’s Tourism Promotion
Centre said Cambodia is a traditional tourism market of Tay Ninh, which shares a 240-km border with Cambodia’s Svay Rieng, Prey Vieng and Tboung Khmum provinces.

Cambodians regularly cross the border to Tay Ninh for sightseeing, shopping or visiting pagodas, especially on weekends or holidays, according to Thinh.

The province has introduced many new, unique and interesting tourism products such as caravan and cross-border road tours in order to lure more Cambodian tourists. Local tourist accommodation establishments and restaurants are also improving
service quality to serve big tourist groups with longer stay.

Statistics of Tay Ninh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism showed around 2.1 million Cambodians have visited the province for tourism purpose since 2018. Although the number dropped in 2020-2022 due to COVID-19 travel restriction, a rising trend was seen in the first quarter of 2023.

Truong Duc Hai, director of Indochina Pearl Travel, noted that while more middle-class Cambodians are choosing beach resorts in Vietnam for their holiday, demand for medical tours remains high but there are limited products designed specifically for this segment. Such tours are mainly organised by Cambodian people
living in Ho Chi Minh, he said, adding that it is necessary to introduce more professional and
comprehensive medical tour products to serve this group of tourists.

At a tourism promotion event held by Tay Ninh in mid-2022, businesses of the two countries had pledged to join
hands to boost tourism promotion activities and build new routes and tours to stimulate tourism demand./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-becomes-favourite-destination-for-cambodian-tourists/250323.vnp

Travel

Ha Giang effectively develops community-based tourism

Published

11 hours ago

March 30, 2023

TienphongNews

With its advantages in terms of natural landscapes, rich cultural identities, customs and preserved traditional festivals, the northernmost province of Ha Giang has attracted attention from a large number of travel companies and tourists, and several potential community-based tourist sites have been formed.

Ha Giang effectively develops community-based tourism hinh anh 1

A community-based tourism and cultural village in Ha Giang’s Meo Vac district. (Photo: VNA)

Ha Giang – With its advantages in terms of natural landscapes, rich cultural
identities, customs and preserved traditional festivals, the northernmost province
of Ha Giang has attracted attention from a large number of travel companies and
tourists, and several potential community-based tourist sites have been formed.

Ha Giang province is home to 19 ethnic groups which have their own
cultural traditions and identities.

The effective preservation and promotion of cultural values
has helped the province in general and the ethnic groups in particular have a special
attraction for travelers and those who want to learn about traditional ethnic
culture.

According to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism Trieu Thi Tinh, over the past years, the province
has selected outstanding cultural products to develop to create more highlights
for tourism development. It has also paid attention to community cultural and tourism activities,
and carried out projects on improving the quality
of services and activities of community-based tourism and cultural villages.

Currently, the province has 40 identified community-based tourism
and cultural villages, and 16 cultural villages recognised by the provincial
People’s Committee as meeting standards to serve tourists.

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism
assessed that these villages have operated well and attracted a large number of
tourists, contributing to increasing locals’ income and promoting the value of tourism
resources and cultural identities.

In addition to the achieved results, the community-based tourism
in Ha Giang is facing many difficulties and challenges in terms of transport
infrastructure and product quality that hinder it from developing sustainably
and gaining high economic efficiency.

Therefore, in the coming time, the province will continue
paying attention to improving the quality of services, training human
resources for community-based tourism sites, and stepping up the communication work to
raise locals’ awareness of maintaining and developing their cultural
identities, said Tinh./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/ha-giang-effectively-develops-communitybased-tourism/250321.vnp

Travel

Som Tum (Thai-style green papaya salad)

Published

17 hours ago

March 30, 2023

TienphongNews

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Som Tum

Sous chef Burin Pongchang from Feast restaurant under Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers Bangkok presents Som Tum, a signature Thai cuisine during the special Asian food event titled Straight Outta Bangkok held at Sheraton Saigon Hotel.

Som Tum (Thai-style green papaya salad)

With his impeccable cooking credentials and over 30 years of experience, chef Burin is a regular guest chef of international Thai promotions in China, Malaysia and beyond.

Sous chef Burin Pongchang

Som Tum is a favourite Thai street food. The dish is an explosion of Thai-style flavours – deeply complex, not very spicy, with a perfect balance of sweetness and savoury.

If you are a lover of Thai salad, try making Burin’s favourite dish to impress family members and loved ones.

Ingredients:

Papaya green, slice 150g (cut julienne)
Carrot slice 50g (cut julienne)
French long bean 150g (cut 2cm)
Cherry tomato 300g (cut 1/2)
Dried shrimp 10g
Thai bird chili 1pc
Garlic 1pc
Toasted peanut 10g
Lime juice 10g
Palm sugar 10g
Fish sauce 10g

Method:

Cut papaya and carrot. Peel them. Julienne them with a knife or use a Thai julienne slicers. Put the shredded papaya and carrot in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes and drain, set aside for later.
Put the garlic and chilies into a mortar, and pound them until they form a really coarse paste. Now, add palm sugar with lime juice and keep pounding to get the sugar to fully dissolve. Add the fish sauce and taste.
Add the dried shrimp and long beans and beat them up a bit. You want them to break a bit.
Add the papaya and carrot. Toss to combine the papaya with the dressing.
Gently bruise the papaya and carrot. Add the tomatoes and give them a bit of a toss. Add the peanuts. Toss to combine everything together. Use your hands.
Arrange the salad and enjoy with savory juice and vegetables. VNS