Lu Cam - a 200-year pottery village

Lu Cam - a 200-year pottery village

There is a pathway of which both sides are lined with Cai and Kim Dong rivers leading to a 200-year-plus pottery village, a 10-minute drive from central Nha Trang City.

Lu Cam Village in Ngoc Hiep Commune is known for baked-clay stoves. Despite great social and economic changes, the craft still exists there.

Nearly 200 years ago when trade by sea was active, the village on the bank of the Cai River made various kinds of pottery such as jars, stoves and vases and these products were sold to many places, including the coastal areas of Phan Rang and Phu Yen.

However, waterway transportation ate into profit, so pottery was taken to the marketplace mainly by bike or people.

Lu Cam stoves are still favored although other kinds of stove like electric and gas stoves are dominant on the market. Vietnamese families often use a clay stove to grill meat or cook some dishes.

When the traditional Lunar New Year holiday comes, the pathway is full of stoves that are dried under the sunlight before they are put into a big charcoal oven for baking.

On a 1,000m² area is a house where Lu Cam pottery has been made for generations. Ten years ago, there was a charcoal oven in front of the yard used for baking several thousand stoves at a time. The oven was then over 50 years old.

Due to the fall in consumption, it was replaced by two smaller ovens that are able to bake 500 and 1,000 stoves at a time each.

There are many steps taken to produce such a simple stove. Clay is mixed and stuffed with water and divided into small parts and each is enough to make a stove. The outer cover of the stove is made from galvanized zinc sheets to prevent clay from sticking on the mould. After finishing the first mould, artisans will design the stove shape, and attach handles and other parts. After that the stoves will be dried under the sun for 24 to 48 hours and then put into the oven.

The final step is to wait for the stove to cool, then stick the grid and bring it to the market. A finished stove costs VND8,000. Resellers can cover it with galvanized zinc to increase its durability and sell it for VND18,000 to VND20,000 per unit.

Lu Cam pottery village is a recommended destination for foreign tourists. In this tour, tourists can take part in the stove making process.

Visiting Dau Tieng Lake in Tay Ninh Province

Visiting Dau Tieng Lake in Tay Ninh Province


Dau Tieng Lake, located in Phuoc Minh Commune, Duong Minh Chau District, Tay Ninh Province, is the largest irrigation reservoir in Vietnam with a capacity of 1.6 billion cubic meters, enough for watering 63,000ha of farmland in Tay Ninh and HCMC plus 40,000ha in the provinces of Binh Duong and Long An through the Saigon and Vam Co rivers.

Especially, the lake is also a frequent place for sightseers for its beautiful landscape of mountains, mysterious islets and its fresh and pure atmosphere. Being far away from the residential area, the lake has crystal like, clean water and on sunny days, the water reflects the blue color of the sky.

Stretching along the lake is the Cau Mountain and a valley next to a primeval forest close to its bank, and scattered here and there in the lake are small islets. The lake's bank with its green grass coverage could be an ideal place for camping and visitors coming there could go fishing or watching the locals catch fish in the lake.

Cau Mountain has a height of 198m with a diverse floristic composition and protective forest extending to 1,600ha. At the top of the mountain is Thai Son Pagoda, which attracts many pilgrims in the 15th day of the 1st lunar month.

Next to Cau Mountain in the rubber plantation is Cau Nom Lake, which also has very pure and clean water with fresh air and tranquilizing atmosphere. There is also Tha La peninsula with an area of 57ha next to the lake. On the peninsula, locals grow many tropical fruit trees such as mango and longan.

To reach the lake, tourists can follow the National Highway No.13 to Thu Dau Mot Town in Binh Duong Province. When reaching the second highway toll station on Binh Duong Boulevard, tourists turn right Nguyen Chi Thanh Street and run through this street for about 30km and turn right at the T-junction of Thanh Tuyen Commune in Ben Cat District. Tourists then come to the center of Dau Tieng Town of Dau Tieng District and follow this street to Dau Tieng Lake.

Phuoc Hai Fish Market

Phuoc Hai Fish Market

Tourists who set foot on Phuoc Hai Fish Market are immediately overcome by the fishy smell and the liveliness of the setting as local residents call out nois­ily to each other in this fishing village.

Alongside the local fishing boats, many others from Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa are also moored at Phuoc Hai fish depot.

The market, located in Phuoc Hai Town­ship, Dat Do District, is one of the oldest fishing villages in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. The village springs to life at 3 a.m. in the morning, when darkness still covers the coastal village of Phuoc Hai, as fish catching vessels return from the open sea. The junks come and move their large catch of innumerable fish onto the shore. The fish are everywhere as trolleys are pushed in and out to help transfer fish.

When they are on land, the fish are classified by types and then put into big plastic baskets or skips for transfer onto loaded vans. By around 8 a.m. all the boats are in and their loads have been emptied, the only sight is the bustling vans carrying seafood to further areas

However, behind this excitement and exuberance is the knowledge that risks are taken every day on the ocean, made greater by the exhaustion of those fisher men

Visiting Dai Tong Lam Pagoda

Visiting Dai Tong Lam Pagoda

Along National Highway 51 on the way to the coastal city of Vung Tau, Dai Tong Lam Pagoda is located in Tan Thanh District in the coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, 70km east of HCMC.

The pagoda is better-known as Van Phat Quang as its 10,000 statues of Buddha are red-lacquered and inlaid with gold mounted on the pagoda's walls.

Dai Tong Lam Pagoda, which was built by superior Buddhist monk Thich Thien Hoa in 1964, is located on a quiet 54ha plot consisting of many pagodas, Zen monasteries, Buddhist temples, and a junior Buddhism college, and is considered the Buddhist center of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

The pagoda has been recognized by the Vietnam Record Book for its four exceptional records, namely the biggest sanctum covering over 3,000m², the biggest granite statue of Bodhisattva Metteyya weighing over 40 tons, the biggest number of statues of Buddha in a pagoda - with over 10,000 - and the Buddhism training center with most learners -1,250 monks and nuns.

The splendor of the current architecture model of Buddhism bearing the hallmark of the national culture is seen via the complex of Dai Tong Lam Pagoda. The new main temple, or sanctum, overlooking four directions shows a splendid place like the elysium. Above the curved tiles are dragons cleverly carved that make them look like hovering over nine layers of cloud.

Attractions for tourists also include the charming landscape along with a lotus pond and fresh air. The entrance leading to the main temple is shaded with two lines of big trees, while under the old fig tree lays a huge statue of Buddha Sakya Muni being deep in religious contemplation. Overlooking in the distance behind the trees sits the Metteyya temple.

On the left side of the pagoda is a place where 48 statues of Buddha Amitabha made of granite 3.3m in height, 3.5 tons in weight standing under the open sky. A concrete 14.5m-high statue is arranged in the middle. The entrance is paved with red tiles to reduce the heat of summer days.

Especially, in the complex of Dai Tong Lam Pagoda, Thien Hoa nun monastery has been known as a "rice pancake pagoda" for many years. The pagoda serves vegetarian food such as rice pancake (bank xeo), vermicelli and sour imitated- crab soup (bun rieu), vermicelli made of cassava, and noodles soup (pho) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday.

Last but not least, pilgrims can cast off their affliction and tiredness to mingle themselves with nature in a tranquilizing space if they have a chance to visit Dai Tong Lam Pagoda.

Sailing on rivers in Quang Nam Province

Sailing on rivers in Quang Nam Province

Someday, when the love for rivers and lakes suddenly rises up, all what a visitor to Quang Nam Province has to do is to carry his backpack to a pier, wave for boat, and then have a romantic sailing along the river without having to book for the tour at any travel agent.

Although waterway is not the developed transport in the province, many vessels are still gliding on large rivers all day long.

Visitor can sail down to the South on the boundless and ever-blue Truong Giang River, or go upstream on the Thu Bon to explore the widths and depths of the height in mountains and the vast waters of the central land. While midway on the Thu Bon River, one can change his mind, steering their trip to the Vu Gia River, or Bung or Cai rivers to go through the land of a famous tropical fruit known as nam tran.

Visiting villages and piers along those rivers is worthwhile though some places have yet to be listed on any tourist maps. If Phu Thuan Village by the Thu Bon River reminds a peaceful dream, Ca Tang pier suggests travelers of the anger of sea-gods.

Therefore, people here love rowing along rivers to explore natural lessons of tolerance, bravery, tenderness, generosity, and then to understand other theories in their daily life.

Floating on a ferry, a visitor is really an eco-tourist without any worries of hotel accommodation or necessities. Each ferry is a small market and a ferrywoman is an enthusiastic tour guide. They will bring their guests a treasure of stories about rivers, life, daily burden, sadness and happiness.

Moreover, travelers will spend the most pleasurable time taking a nap in the summer breeze, dreaming of a fairyland among tender river weaves. In addition, local specialties such as boiled corn and peanuts, fresh fruits, and a tasty grilled meat roll are always ready on board or at some piers along the way at any time.

Traveling without a tour guide is trendy for people who love wild nature and adventures. With many mysteries and nice surprises, sailing on rivers in Quang Nam Province will be a trip like no others.

Plateau of imposing limestone mountains

Plateau of imposing limestone mountains

Ranges of limestone mountains and hills move up and down along winding roads on Dong Van Plateau in northern Ha Giang Province, making this tableland a destination of original stone landscapes that capture the eyes of all nature lovers once they travel to the province.

Every year, a lot of local and foreign tourists travel by motorcycle and car through more than 460km of passes and curving roads from Hanoi to the plateau to see with their own eyes the imposing natural wonders at more than 1,000m above the sea level.

The Quan Ba Heaven Gate leads visitors to this plateau of magnificent wonders. There, winds, sunlight and fog have carved limestone mountains and hills into magnificent natural works and whatever shapes that visitors can imagine.

It is hard to describe the beauty and magnificence of the open world. Many visitors call it a painting featuring shy ethnic lasses nestled in their traditional costumes in the morning when it is shrouded by clouds of thick mist and then burly mountainous men with strong muscles when they are shined under the sunlight.

The painting looks more beautiful on clear days in summer and spring when ethnic people, especially women in their colorful costumes, climb on the mountains to do the farming. Wild flowers blossoming from stone cracks also add liveliness to the painting.

No one knows exactly when the limestone mountains and hills came into existence. Geologists say they must be hundreds of millions of years as they provide links and clues to the development of the earth's crust and keep geological heritage values.

There are caves and grottos under the limestone mountains, where geologists have discover astonishing landscapes and biodiversity. These factors are the reasons behind a plan to establish a geological park from 2007 till 2012 to restore natural heritages of the plateau covering Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van districts in the province.

Dr. Vu Cao Minh of the Vietnam Institute of Geology says that the geological diversity and the restoration of stone sediments on the Dong Van Plateau will make this region a great destination for research, geological education and sightseeing.

Of course, the Dong Van Plateau attracts visitors near and far because it is home to not only ranges of mountains and hills but also streams, rivers and passes including Ma Pi Leng Pass located between Dong Van and Meo Vac in the northern province.

The 15km pass on the sides of magnificent mountain ranges runs along a certain section of the Nho Que River that weaves its way like a white silver ribbon through the limestone ravines.

A good time to visit the pass is from July to October, when the imposing views of mountains and rock walls shine under the blazing sunshine. This pass turns into a festive street in the early morning of Sundays when lines of Dao, H'Mong and people of other ethnic groups walk from all directions of the mountains down to the pass before heading for the colorful Dong Van Market on that day.

O Quy Ho Pass

O Quy Ho Pass

O Quy Ho is a pass connecting two northern provinces of Lao Cai and Lai Chau, an area home to the magnificent Hoang Lien Range including the Indochina's roof of Mount Fansipan with the height of 3,414m. It is also known as Hoang Lien Pass, but travelers having a strong love for the northwest region prefer using the name O Quy Ho.

Xe om or motorbike taxi drivers often tell a story of a bird whose tormented song that sounds like o quy ho is attached to an inconclusive love affair. Step by step, the bird's voice O Quy Ho was used as the name for the wild mountain pass that is 2,000m above the sea level.

The pass is nearly 50km long encompassing two thirds of Lai Chau's Tam Duong District, and one third of Lao Cai's Sapa District. Tourists will have to cover a few kilometers from Hoang Lien National Park gate to come to the top of O Quy Ho Mountain considered the border between Lao Cal and Lai Chau.

Tourists will also have opportunities to enjoy imposing and impressive scenes of mountains and forests on the top of the Hoang Lien Mountain Range or even a view of mountains going up and down like fingers of a hand, and the Fansipan Peak of course.

In addition, the weather is one of the interesting features of the northwest nature. In winter, if it is warm at a side of Tam Duong, it is foggy and cloudy at the side of Sapa. On the contrary, in summer, if the side of Sapa has cool weather, it is sunny and dry at the side of Tam Duong.

In general, O Quy Ho in the afternoon always brings peace to tourists. Regardless of the beginning place, Binh Lu or Sapa, tourists themselves are taking part in a seesaw with the sun and enjoying colorful sunset behind the mountains on the horizon.