Quan Thanh Temple in Hanoi

Quan Thanh temple (Ha Noi) is located at the crossroads of Thanh Nien Street and Quan Thanh Street, near West Lake, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi, vietnam. Built during the reign of King Ly Thai To (1010-1028) and renovated many times, the temple is also called Tran Vu temple, since it is dedicated to Huyen Thien Tran Vu (Guardian of the North of the Country).

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Quan Thanh temple is an important historical and cultural place in Hanoi. According to the legend, Tran Vu is a figure who helped King An Duong Vuong chase away demons during the construction of Co loa Citadel. The temple first existed in the south of the To Lich River (1160) but then was moved to the North-west of the capital (the present site) (1474). It is one of the “Thang Long Tu Tran” which honours the Holly Figures guarding at four main directions (East – West – south – North) of the ancient Thang Long citadel. Quan Thanh temple attracts visitors for its famous special and beautiful structure and religious cultural place.

From the temple’s gate, you will see a majestic 3-door entrance which was built on large stones with a bell tower on its top. The tiger standing in front of the temple is considered to be the guard of the temple. Passing through the gate is a large yard shaded by a banyan tree with a basin of goldfish and a rock work. Going inside the temple, visitors will be caught by the giant black bronze statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vu which is 3.72 in height and four tons in weight. The statue appears as a sitting Taoist hermit, the left hand passes magic and the right hand holds a sword shrouded by a snake propping against the back of a tortoise. This is a special sculpture with a refined casting technique of Vietnamese people in the 17th century. Inside the temple, there is also a statue of “Old Trong” who made the statue of Saint Tran Vu. Old Trong’s students cast it to express their gratitude to the teacher when he died.

Quan Thanh temple is also renowned for the woodcarving. Many wooden structures in the temple were carved skilfully with different shapes and patterns such as four sacred animals, fish, fir trees, bamboo trees, flower baskets, swords and daily activities on the heaven and the earth.

Religious visitors often come to Quan Thanh temple at the Lunar New Year and on the first and fifteen day of the lunar month. The purpose is to worship and pray for health, luck and happiness. Visitors also can enjoy the spacious and charming landscapes here, relax and find out the ancient and romantic beauty of Hanoi in the past and now.

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Green bean cake

Well-known nationwide for the charming nature with many beautiful landscapes and great sites such as Stork Island, Con Son – Kiep Bac relic, etc, Hai Duong is one among interesting tourist destinations in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. And what else does the name of Hai Duong remind you of? That must be Green Been Cake – a very famous local specialty that no one can forget to bring back home as passing by this land.

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Green bean cake of Hai Duong province or Banh Dau Xanh Hai Duong (in Vietnamese) was first made in the early 20th century to dedicate to Bao Dai Emperor as he visited this land. Since then, it has become a trademarked specialty of Hai Duong Province that’s now widely consumed in Vietnam as well as some foreign markets around the world.

Visually, it is a small rectangular cake having a deep yellow color of green been that looks so attractive. Characterized by pretty sweet flavor and fresh smell of the natural ingredients, including ground green bean, grapefruit oil, crystallize sugar, and fat, Hai Duong’s green bean cake brings out such a simple, but pleasant and unique taste of Vietnamese countryside. In 2013, together with 7 other Vietnamese specialties of Tra Bong cinnamon, Thai Nguyen tea, Buon Me Thuot coffee, Phoi Suong rice paper, Phu Quoc pepper, and Ngoc Linh ginseng, green bean cake of Hai Duong province was recognized as Asian specialty gifts by the Asia Book of Records. This event was definitely a great mark, identifying and bringing the unique flavor of this food into the world.

Vietnamese people often enjoy the cake together with a warm cup of tea, especially during the cold days of winter. Not just helping reduce the cake’s sweetness, but the bitter flavor of this beverage also makes the treat much more impressive as the strong smell of tea is very well blended into great scent and taste of green been. So, if someday you go to Vietnam and stop by the homeland of green been cake, don’t miss the chance to try this very famous specialty.

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Da Lat _'Fog City'

Due to its own distinctive characteristics, Da Lat has been called under several names as 'Love City', 'Fog City' or 'City of Thousands Pine trees', etc. Though these names are different from each other, once to be spoken, they always bring to hearers' mind an image of a desired destination. 

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This city of Lam Dong province is located in the Langbiang Plateau in the South of the Central Highlands, enjoying the position of 1,500m (4,900 ft) above the sea level. Thanks to its geographical location and the "green carpet" covered by pine wood, Da Lat enjoys year-round temperate weather. It is said that, one day in Da Lat, you can experience four seasons of one year in Vietnam. In the morning, it is a little bit warm and shrouded in freezing fog like in the spring. In noon, it turns into the weather of the summer: the warmest and a little bit hot. It likes in an autumn afternoon: cool and deeming into a romantic atmosphere of moderate winds while the night changes into the cold and weather of the winter. Actually, most of the time, Da Lat has a pleasantly cool weather and misty covering its valleys, making it different from tropical provinces of Vietnam. The spectacular of pine wood in two sides of twisting roads topped with tree marigold (da quy) forms a lovely picture of nature. This beautiful place is perfect for growing flowers to supply all other provinces. Pretty gardens of blossoming flowers color Da Lat, making some lovely and romantic scenery and stick it with the name "City of Eternal Spring".

Discovered by the French, the architecture in Da Lat likes a cross between Vietnamese and French style. Several hotels and houses are built in a Western looks while others are influenced by Vietnamese architecture. This place is a life style resort destination, either for short package tours or long luxurious vacations. Coming to Da Lat and enjoy the best mountain biking and hiking or more adventurous opportunities in Vietnam. Visit the three palaces and summer home of the last King of Vietnam, Bao Dai, or the Crazy house is great interest. Ho Xuan Huong Lake or Love Valley are suitable for couples who searching for honeymoon or a romantic holiday. Tourists can see unspoiled scenery in Golden Spring Lake (Ho Suoi Vang) or relax and soak in the tranquility of Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery which offers a magnificent view over the dam below or extremely peaceful atmosphere in its garden of trees in animal forms. Lake of Sighs or Lake of Sallow is another popular destination in Da Lat. It remains in its name a sad story of two lovers, one committed suicide when another got far way for serving in the army. Tuyen Lam Lake, another famous lake, is well-known for being the largest and most beautiful lake in the city. Otherwise, Langbiang Mountain, at a peak of 1,900 m higher than sea level, brings invaluable chances for hiking or visiting the ethnic groups living in the mountain foods.

Da Lat is one of Vietnam’s premier farms planting temperate fruits and vegetables, tea and coffee which cannot be grown in low land. Da Lat famous for its confectionary industry providing high-quality of fruits preserve made from strawberry, mulberry, sweet potato, etc.

Being a pleasant stop for oversea tourists, Da Lat offers a wonderful chance to see a unique beauty of Vietnam with a bit of French legacy in a comfortable atmosphere and friendly environment made by its people.

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Chau Doc, An Giang province

About 245 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, the town of Chau Doc is situated in the vicinity of An Giang province, in the center of Mekong Delta. Towards travelers, the town is best known as a Vietnam's border crossing with the neighbor country Cambodia. Currently, Chau Doc is trying its best to become a 'festival city', utilizing tourism as a leading economic sector. 

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Chau Doc’s long history is closely connected with extraordinary stories related to the Sam Mountain Lady (Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam) and remarkable events in guarding the country such as motivating residents to build Vinh Te canal. In addition, Chau Doc is the place where you can go further than usual into the culture of Cham and Khmer people living together in harmony. Mosque serving Cham community can also be found here at Chau Doc.

Coming to Chau Doc around May and June, you stand a chance of taking part in the annual Ba Chua Xu Festival organized at Ba Chua Xu Temple, Sam Mountain. Apparently, joining in festivals is one of the best ways to understand what Vietnam is made of. Also, Sam Mountain is the most renowned tourist attraction of Chau Doc. Therefore, the majority of hotels in the town are located on the road leading to the mountain. On the foot of Sam Mountain, Tay An Pagoda is a harmonious combination among different styles: Indian, Islamic, and Vietnamese.

At Chau Doc in the morning, take your time blending into the flow of locals, haggling in colorful markets with a rich diversity of goods from different origins can be purchased in relatively cheap prices. In the afternoon, a stroll along the Mekong riverside is worth a try.

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