Luxury Travel Vietnam Co., Ltd

Chủ Nhật, 29 tháng 12, 2019

1 day in Ton Duc Thang Museum (Saigon)

I. About Ton Duc Thang museum

1. Basic information

Ho Chi Minh City gives tourists the impression of the hustle and bustle of a new Asian cosmopolitan city, people here seem to be always in a hurry. However, there remains a place that gives you not only peaceful time but the chance to get a closer understanding of one of the most popular Vietnamese national heroes – President Ton Duc Thang – that is Ton Duc Thang Museum.

Address: No 5 Ton Duc Thang street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: (08) 38-297-542
Hours: 08:00 – 11:30/ 13:30 – 16:30
Ticket: Free
Official website:https://ift.tt/1T2Q6WA

2. A first look at Ton Duc Thang Museum

Toc Duc Thang or Uncle Ton is the first Social Republic of Vietnam’s President and the first Vietnamese to be awarded the Lenin Peace Award.

To commemorate the dedication of this president to Vietnam’s independence, Ton Duc Thang Museum was established on the occasion of the 100th birthday-anniversary of President Ton Duc Thang (20/08/1888 – 20/08/1988). Born in 1888 in Long Xuyen in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, he died in office in 1980. Photos and exhibits to recognize his dominant role in the Vietnamese Revolution are enhanced by fascinating displays on French colonial brutality. It was formed to foster a stimulating environment for people to study Uncle Ton of the country’s people in general, the Southern people in particular and especially the people in Ho Chi Minh City as they regard Uncle Ton as the eminent son of the Southern people, the excellent worker of the working class and the labor-force of Sai Gon – Cho Lon, and the pride of Southern people. Additionally, Ton Duc Thang Museum represents the struggling movement of Saigonese workers, laboring people in the beginning years of the 20th century.

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3. Ton Duc Thang Museum history

As the first President of the Social Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Ton Duc Thang is honored to be the first Vietnamese receiving Lenin Peace Award, and the only Vietnamese active member in the 1917 anti-war activities.

Ton Duc Thang Museum

Built since 20th August 1988, Ton Duc Thang Museum is located on Ton Duc Thang Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of President Ton Duc Thang. The former name was “Galleries on the life and career of President Ton Duc Thang”, but then in 1980, it was officially renamed as Ton Duc Thang Museum as the present. Seven galleries on an area of over 700 m2 with a lot of artifacts, documents, and photographs on display vividly expressed the life and dedication of President Ton Duc Thang to Vietnam. Regarded as one of the well-known museums in Ho Chi Minh City in both historic and cultural values, Ton Duc Thang Museum has been such a must-see destination in Ho Chi Minh city to tourists.

4. How to arrive in Ton Duc Thang Museum

– Bus

Ton Duc Thang Museum is on Ton Duc Thang Street, which is just 500 meters away from Bach Dang Harbor Garden. To save money or enjoy the bus in Vietnam, you can take bus numbers 3, 19, 45 to Cong Tuong Me Linh bus stop or take 56, 88 buses to Ngo Van Nam. After that, you will take a short walk to reach Ton Duc Thang Museum, just for several minutes, don’t worry.

– Walking

The museum is right from Ham Nghi or Nguyen Hue Street, just 1km from Dragon Wharf House and 500m to Saigon Square Shopping Center. So if you wish to try crossing the roads and admire the crazy traffic in Ho Chi Minh city, walking will be cool.

– Motorbike/ Taxi

You can rent a motorbike in your hostels and use Google Maps to ride to Ton Duc Thang museum by yourself. This will be a very interesting experience to ride in Saigion, believe me.

Or you can take a taxi or motorbike taxi called “Xe om” to look around Saigon bustle life. It is great as well. To save money, you can download the transport app like Grab with discounts and promotions always available.

II. What to explore in Ton Duc Thang museum?

Currently, Ton Duc Thang Museum has 5 main themes of permanent exhibition rooms and 1 special short-term exhibition one (President Ton Duc Thang’s childhood, Life and career, 15 years in Con Dao prison, Uncle Ton at ATK – Viet Bac and Uncle Ton through works of art) and 01 thematic gallery (presented by President Ton Duc Thang), with an area of over 700m2. The museum vividly presents an overview of Ton Duc Thang’s life and career through many artifacts, documents and images. The museum has a display system with about 1,000 artifacts, documents and images. After many donations, the Museum currently holds more than 16,500 artifacts, documents, and documentaries including valuable documents about the life and revolutionary career of President Ton Duc Thang and his recipients of the Party, the State and the Government of Vietnam through periods. So it plays an important role in Vietnam’s educating tradition, fostering ideal for the working class, rehanding the national pride in the people and the Vietnamese youth with the admiration and honor toward a great but simple man.

Ton Duc Thang Museum has welcomed over 1,500,000 domestic and foreign tourists since its establishment. Unique thematic exhibitions including Uncle Ton’s Hometown today, Uncle Ton in the heart of the Southern people, Uncle Ton with children and Vietnam Union have been organized as well. Tourists when visiting this museum can watch music programs, documentaries and films about Uncle Ton or talks and forums. Therefore, Ton Duc Thang Museum is not only one of the unique tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh city, but more importantly be the cultural rendezvous for meetings and forums of revolutionary veterans, the youth and social strata. The lively portrait of a simple but great president is clearly described from how he lived, how he worked, how he struggled to how he’s loved and respected from rooms to rooms. It holds thematic exhibition relating to activities of President Ton Duc Thang such as Con Son Pearl, Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton, daily life of President Ton Duc Thang, etc. “Con Son Pearl” Exhibition Room is worth visiting as it depicts vibrantly where hell-on-Earth Con Dao Prison – in which President Ton Duc Thang spent 15 difficult years. Particularly, works on display recreating the space to work and relax of Uncle Ton along with displaying collections of true artifacts “the daily life of President Ton Duc Thang” clearly portrayed the simplicity, humility and frugal life of the President. Discovering Ton Duc Thang Museum is definitely one of the most meaningful things to do in this busy Ho Chi Minh city.

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III. Nearby attractions

1. Independence Palace

As the icon of Ho Chi Minh city, Independence Palace or Reunification Palace marks the independence and represents the victory, the peace, and the territorial integrity of the North & the South of Vietnam since 1975. Thanks to its historical importance, Independence Palace is one of the most interesting attractions luring the largest number of tourists in Ho Chi Minh City.

Independence Palace is also great for those preferring art and architecture. Constructed on the site of the former Norodom Palace, the Palace is in the great harmony of traditional philosophy, Oriental rituals and Vietnamese personalities and modern architectures in an area of 120.000m2.

It can be found easily when it is limited by four main streets including Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street to the Northeast, Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street to the southwest, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai to the northwest, and Nguyen Du Street to the southeast. Independence Palace is also surrounded by 30-4 Park in the front and Tao Dan Cultural Park in the back.

When walking on the campus of the Palace, you can see numerous ancient trees with different species from the French empire left as well.

Ticket: 40,000 VND
Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 11:00 & 13:00 – 16:00
Address: 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ben Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

2. Saigon Square

Saigon Square is located in the heart of District 1, as a shopping paradise for young people in Saigon and many foreign tourists. People often compare Saigon Square as a high-class market: because the goods here are classified and sold in kiosks like regular markets, but it sells quite high-end goods because the quality of goods here is relatively well, the target customers are young shopaholics and foreign tourists.

As soon as you step into Saigon Square, you will feel the bustling and bustling atmosphere. A special feature is the space here is bright and clean, the clothes are also neatly and eye-catching, plus air-conditioning operates during the opening time like in modern shopping centers. Therefore, it can be said that Saigon Square is a bridge between traditional and modern features of Vietnam.

In particular, goods in Saigon Square are constantly updated with new fashion trends, this is a special attraction to young people in Saigon. You can find here fashionable clothes for both men and women, children and adults, from unique dresses that cannot be found in fashion boutiques.

Saigon Square, goods here are mainly exported, processed by garment factories in Vietnam and neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Malaysia according to orders; Even T-shirts, dresses … cost several hundred thousand also have labels.

Opening Hours: 08:00 – 22:00
Add1: Corner of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Le Loi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Add2: 7-9 Ton Duc Thang, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Add3: 179E-181-183-185 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

3. Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon

Built in the late 1880s by French colonists, with a prime location, unique architectural design, profound historical and religious significance, Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral has become one of the most prominent attractions in Saigon today.

With a large landscape, clear intersection, surrounded by verdant trees, few high-rise buildings, Notre Dame Cathedral stands out as a monumental and solemn architecture in this area. It can be said that the area of Notre Dame Cathedral is the most beautiful landscape in the city. There are beautiful views from all sides by the open space thanks to the large intersections created.

Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral is highly appreciated as a cultural and spiritual architecture, initially bearing the symbiotic architecture of the Eastern style and the Western architecture, and between the tradition and modernity. Notre Dame Cathedral is an architectural masterpiece, a typical work contributing to the appearance of Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City.

Every year, the church welcomes millions of domestic and foreign visitors to pray and admire. Not only those who are far away, but the people of Saigon who come here are still admiring their beauty and majesty. More than you can imagine, once you come here, you can fully feel the beauty of this unique and great architecture. Notre Dame Cathedral is forever the ruby in the heart of the bustling, beautiful Saigon.

Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 17:00
Address: 1 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

IV. Some popular tours to explore Ton Duc Thang museum by Luxury Travel

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5 minutes for Dak Lak all-in-one guide for wanderlust

I. What is the best time to Dak Lak?

1. The rainy and dry seasons

Buon Me Thuot is the largest city in Dak Lak province, this place is considered as one of the cradles nurturing the Central Highlands Gong Community – an intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO. Therefore, it can be said that Dak Lak – Buon Me Thuot tourism is associated with the culture of the ethnic minorities here.

Also in the Central Highlands climate zone, Dak Lak has two distinct seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. So when you want to travel to Dak Lak at what time, you should carefully consider the following weather:

– The rainy time is from May to November. So when traveling to Dak Lak, you should avoid the rainy season to avoid dirt roads and hills
– The dry season is the first months of the year, the weather is quite cool and not too hot, so the advice for you to travel to Dak Lak in the dry season is the best.

2. What season is for festivals in Dak Lak?

– In December of the solar calendar in the Central Highlands, there are many festivals and the wild season of anemones blooming in the Central Highlands
– At the end of February and beginning of March, the calendar is white flower season.

So the ideal time to visit this place is from December to March with wild Mexican sunflowers, coffee flowers blossoming all over hills and mountains of Dak Lak, as well as large festivals time.

Dak Lak, Vietnam — Source: Luxury Travel Vietnam

II. How to travel to Dak Lak?

1. By plan

From Hanoi and Saigon to Buon Ma Thuot, there are many routes of airlines such as Vietnam Airline, VietJetAir, JetStar to Buon Ma Thuot. The round-trip ticket from Hanoi (including taxes and fees) of Vietnam Airline ranges from VND 2,600,000, of VietJetAir about VND 2,500,000. And the round-trip price from Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam Airline is 1,200,000 VND and of JetStar is 1,000,000 VND, VietJetAir is about 1,200,000 VND. It will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour and a half to fly to Buon Ma Thuot.

2. By coach/ bus

From Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there are direct buses to Buon Ma Thuot and other districts of Dak Lak province, you can buy tickets at Eastern Bus Station or Giap Bat Bus Station. It takes about 8 hours from Ho Chi Minh City and more than 1 day for cars from Hanoi.

From Ho Chi Minh City to Dak Lak: 200,000 – 300,000 VND – 7 hours.
From Hanoi to Dak Lak: 600,000 – 700,000 VND – over 24 hours.
From Danang to Dak Lak: 250,000 VND – 12 hours.

3. How to transport in Dak Lak?

Transportation in Dak Lak is mainly taxi and motorbike taxi. Some taxi companies you can refer to your trip.

Taxi Mai Linh: 0500 3819819
Taxi Ban Me: 0500 3979979
Taxi Ban Me Xanh: 0500 6272727
Central Highlands Taxi: 0500 3838838
Dak Lak Taxi: 0500 3818181

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III. What are top attractions in Dak Lak?

1. Dak Lak Coffee: Trung Nguyen Coffee Village

Trung Nguyen Coffee Village is not only a famous place to buy coffee but also a miniature park with hundreds of historical artifacts of the Central Highlands ethnic groups. The small landscape is beautifully designed full of large waterfalls, bridges, streams, lakes, and stilt houses. Coming here, you may not need to buy any products, or drink water in the shop and just simply visit the farm.

Coming to Trung Nguyen coffee village, admiring the unique architecture & cultural space, sipping a pure coffee is an extremely attractive experience. If you have the opportunity to travel to Dak Lak, do not miss this place.
The architecture of the coffee village is a unique combination of creative ideas of people and beautiful natural scenery. The old-style houses of Hue with sophisticated carvings also bring a special feeling of enjoyment for visitors.

The Central Highlands Ethnic Museum is a must-visit place for tourists to visit Trung Nguyen coffee village. This place displays the oldest and most valuable ancient artifacts of the Central Highlands. An outstanding collection of gongs, musical instruments, agricultural tools, and weapons of ethnic minorities are displayed here as well. In addition, visitors will also learn more about the coffee processing tools, learn about the process of making delicious coffee cup through the lively explanation.

Coming to the Coffee Village, visitors will taste the delicious cups of coffee from pure coffee. Enjoying coffee among the poetic space of Coffee village will be much more poetic when drinking coffee in normal shops.
Also sipping a cup of coffee in the mountain town while watching the clear stream and lush mini garden brings a peaceful and rare feeling for visitors.

2. Dray Nur & Dray Sap Waterfalls

These waterfalls belong to the Serepok River, Dray Sap waterfall is the Husband waterfall, Dray Nur waterfall is the Wife waterfall, which are the familiar names called by the locals.
Dray Nur Waterfall is about 25 km from Buon Ma Thuot city, along Highway 14, nearly 3 km through Buon Kop hydroelectricity. Dray Nur is located right next to Dray Sap waterfall and just a distance from the Dray Sap bridge to the Serepok river. Both are beautiful and majestic waterfalls.

3. Yok Don National Park

Yok Don National Park is located in 3 districts: Buon Don district, Ea Sup district (Dak Lak province) and Cu Jut district (Dak Nong province). Yok Don is considered to be one of the largest special-use forests in Vietnam, located in a relatively flat area, with two small mountains to the south of the Serepok river. Forests are mainly natural forests, most of which are dipterocarp forests. Tourists can enjoy the typical types of ecotourism such as elephant riding, walking, mountain biking in the primeval forests. Especially, at night, you can see wild animals, or take a canoe day by day on the romantic Serepok river.

This is the largest nature reserve in Vietnam with the vast forests of many rare kinds of wood. You can also ride elephants around the village. If you want to have more thrills, you can ride an elephant across Serepok, which is one of the adventure games when traveling to Dak Lak.

4. Khai Doan Pagoda

With the royal style of Hue imperial palace mixed with modern architecture, Khai Doan Pagoda attracts visitors to visit and worship.
Located in the heart of Buon Ma Thuot, with outstanding sophisticated architectural features, Khai Doan Pagoda is such a sacred place for tourists.
The pagoda was built by skillful hands of Hue artisans, so it has ancient Hue royal court architecture, combined with the style of stilt houses of the Western Highlands, and mixed with modern architectural features.

When coming to Khai Doan pagoda, visitors can not only learn the history of meaningful birth and special architecture of the temple but also discover more “unique & sophisticated” artworks. The Buddha Shakyamuni statue in the middle of the main hall built of bronze with a height of 1.1m, the wooden lotus, and many Buddha statues are really worth admiring.

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5. Museum of Ethnic Groups in Dak Lak

Also known as Museum of Culture of the Central Highlands on Bao Dai Palace (a historical site of Dak Lak), this museum has about 1,000 artifacts and images categorized into three main display spaces (biodiversity, ethnicity and history). This is a cultural architecture built in modern style combined with national cultural traditions. In particular, Dak Lak Museum is also one of the museums pioneering the use of ethnic languages lacking indigenous numbers in the display.

6. Don Village (Buon Don)

Not only possesses beautiful landscapes, or from the great forest to the majestic river, Ban Don is also famous for the muscular elephants.
Located 40km from the center of Buon Ma Thuot to the West, Ban Don is located in Krong Na commune, Buon Don district, Dak Lak province.

Ban Don has become a famous brand of Dak Lak tourism and the Central Highlands in general. The most interesting thing to do that everyone expected to come to Buon Don is elephants riding, you will only spend 300,000 VND ($15 US) to ride a cute elephant in 30 minutes with 3 people, an elephant can take 3-4 people around the village.

Riding an elephant in vast Lak lake will help you discover the mysterious beauty of the Central Highlands landscape.
In the midst of the mountains, the elephants will take you on a walk across Ban Don village, watching coffee gardens, pepper gardens, sniffing the fresh air of the Central Highlands mountains and forests.
After the chaos of urban life, spending time in Ban Don and on the backs of elephants, to cross the lush green canopy or cross the majestic Serepok stream will make you dispel all fatigue and pressure force in life.

IV. What to eat in Dak Lak?

1. Mink Coffee

Mink coffee is Dak Lak’s must-try drink as it is considered as the legendary Dak Lak coffee as well as one of the most expensive drinks in the world. Cafe was introduced to Vietnam quite early (since 1857) and grown in some provinces in the Central Coast region but for a long time, Dak Lak was known as the Mecca of Human Coffee. In recent years, the Dak Lak Coffee industry has also attracted the attention of people by the revival of the legendary Mink Coffee – a drink classified as the rarest and most expensive around the word.

The value of Mink Coffee is made up of three basic factors including the traditional culture of the place where they were produced, rareness, and process. The Dak Lak mink coffee not only covers all three factors, but each of those factors is associated with the name of Dak Lak is far more special.

2. Red noodles

Red Vermicelli is a specialty of Dak Lak too. The name of the dish comes from a bowl of noodles with the characteristic red broth color. The dish is combined with many ingredients such as crab bricks, quail eggs, vegetables, etc.

Only with 15,000 VND, you can enjoy this delicious and attractive red noodle. A bowl of red vermicelli consists of crab bricks, quail eggs, a little bit of fat, add a little purple heart shrimp sauce, mauve, ground chili, and celery.
You can enjoy this popular dish at the intersection of Tran Phu & Y Zut, the corner of Phan Dinh Giot – Le Hong Phong street or at the corner of Le Duan – Phan Dinh Giot.

3. Venison

Like goat meat in Ninh Binh, venison is special in Dak Lak. You can enjoy venison with 7 different ways of processing, each dish has its own unique flavor like roasted venison, stir-fried venison, chipped venison, fried venison, vinegar rattled venison, stomach porridge, and dried venison.

4. Hemibagrus Soup

Hemibagrus Soup with lentils is also a must-eat dish that visitors can hardly ignore the specialty of the majestic Serepork river. This dish is delicious and has a good cooling effect on sunny days. You can enjoy this dish at Phuong Dung & My Lan – Hoa Phu.

V. Topmost popular Dak Lak tours by Luxury Travel

With over 15 years of experience in tourism, we offer tailor-made private holiday packages to Indochina and other Southeast Asian countries. Our company is a full-service travel agency with licensed and accredited and inbound and outbound luxury tour operators. The company has won many national and international awards. If you are planning a trip to Dak Lak, contact us and we will suggest where to go and what to do to make your trip full of memorable moments with locals. Here come some suggestions for you.

Unlock Emperor Bao Dai’s Secrets 16 days

Highland Spirit 3 days

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Thứ Sáu, 29 tháng 11, 2019

Perfume Pagoda – The Best Place For A Spring Pilgrimage In Vietnam

Perfume Pagoda (Huong Pagoda) in the outskirt of Hanoi has long acclaimed its reputation as a top sacred destination in Vietnam. Numerous flocks of both domestic and international travelers from different parts of the world come here each year to take a pilgrimage to the Buddhist world as well as to revel in the picture-book landscapes of this land.

Down below is the detailed guideline for a Vietnam culture tour to the Perfume Pagoda. This blog post contains everything you need to know about this place, so don’t miss it out!

1. Where is Perfume Pagoda Vietnam?

The Perfume Pagoda is a large complex of pagodas, temples, and shrines on Huong Son Mountain. It is located on the right bank of Day River in the area of Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi.
How far is Perfume Pagoda from Hanoi? It is roughly 70 km from the city center, and it takes more than 1-hour driving to get there.

Thanks to its location that is quite close to Hanoi, the peaceful Perfume Pagoda is a favorite place where the Hanoians and people of other northern provinces come for a weekend getaway from the bustling life.

2. Best time to visit the Perfume Pagoda.

When to take a private tour to Huong Pagoda? Well…it depends.
For people who want to feel the ecstatic vibe of the biggest religious event in the North, spring is the best time to travel. You can go there in the first 3 months of the Vietnamese New Year (often from mid January to April) when the pagoda is on its festive season. However, kindly notice that because spring is the time for pilgrimage in Vietnam, it would be crowded with flocks of people for sure.

perfume pagoda vietnam — Source: Luxury Travel Vietnam

In contrast, if you look for the tranquil atmosphere and the main aim of traveling is for sightseeing, then come there in October and November. At that time, the gem-blue Yen Stream is dotted with the purple of the lily flowers, creating an exceptionally poetic scenery to immerse yourself in. Furthermore, it is less crowded, thus you could feel the sacred vibe of the pagoda in the most authentic way.

3. How to get there from Hanoi?

How to take a Perfume Pagoda tour from Hanoi?

There are different ways to travel to Perfume Pagoda. If you get there from Hanoi, you could choose either to take a public bus, ride a motorbike, or take a private car there.

Public bus to Perfume Pagoda

There is a public bus No. 103 that drive from My Dinh Bus Station to Perfume Pagoda and back. The bus operates from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM every day with a frequency of 15 minutes/trip. Regarding the cost, it can’t be a cheaper choice with only a 9.000 VND/one-way ticket/person. This is a very economical choice; however, it entails several inconveniences. You will have to share spaces with strangers and in a worse case, when it’s too crowded, you will have no seat to sit down during the 1-hour-long trip.

Motorbike

Riding the scooters and motorbike is a favorable choice of local youngsters and intrepid travelers. We do not recommend taking this option because the air pollution in Hanoi these days is too severe and the route is not easy to find, also. And we bet you can’t bear the awful traffic in Hanoi, also.

Private car

The safest, quickest, and most comfortable way to get from Hanoi to Perfume Pagoda is to have a private car. If you are taking a tour, either a 1-day trip or an overnight excursion, with a luxury tour operator, you will transit on their luxury private car. That’s the best choice to opt for.

How to travel within the heritage?

Still, a 10hour driving won’t take you to the pagoda directly. After this journey, you’ve reached the entrance of the heritage only. From the entrance where you buy the tickets, you will then board a rowboat at Duc Wharf and glide along Yen Stream to get to the main sites. This waterway is approximately 4 km long, and it will take from 45 minutes to 1 hour to get to the wharf that opens the way to the pagoda.
Along the voyage on Yen Stream, tourists will glide across the Trinh Temple and several mountains of different shapes. Listen to the boat riders carefully as they will tell you about the origin and legends of these sites.

Different routes to discover Perfume Pagoda

– Huong Tich: Trinh Temple – Thien Tru Pagoda – Tien Son Cave – Giai Oan Pagoda – Tran Song Temple – Huong Tich Cave – Hinh Bong Pagoda
– Thanh Son: Thanh Son Pagoda – Huong Dai Cave
– Long Van: Long Van Pagoda – Long Van Cave – Sung Sam Grotto
– Tuyet Son: Bao Dai Pagoda – Chua Ca Cave – Tuyen Son Cave

Among them, the route to Huong Tich Cave is the main and most-picked one. It includes the top famous and important sites of the whole complex. If you are on a 1-day tour, then you should opt for this route. If you have more time to stay there overnight, you can explore other routes in the next days.
The boat trip cost is just 35,000 – 50,000 VND/person/round trip, depending on the route you’ll choose. However, as riding the boat with 5 adults on it is an exhausting job, it is a “should” to tip the ferry women when you finish the trip.

Perfume Pagoda Cable Car

Once you get to the pier, you will then hike up the mountain to reach the temples and pagodas. The farthest and highest destination is Huong Tich Cave on the top of the mountain. You can choose either to take a cable car or to hike there.
Regarding the cable car to the cave, it takes only a few minutes to get there, which is far more comfortable than spending 30 minutes to an hour climbing up the steep steps leading to the mountain peak. It will offer a bird’s eye view of the whole complex and its surrounding mountains, also.

The cable car price is 180,000 VND/adult/round trip and 120,000 VND/one-way. For kids, the prices are 120,000 VND and 90,000 VND respectively.
If you love to explore the pagodas and temples in a closer approach, then choose a hiking tour instead. This way is also a good way to behold the beautiful natural scenery on Huong Son Mountain.

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4. History of the Perfume Pagoda.

Perfume Pagoda’s history dates back to the late 17th century. According to the pagoda’s history book, it was established during the reign of Emperor Le Huy Tong (1680 – 1704). During the Independence War in the 20th century, it was severely damaged. It was later on reconstructed by Venerable Thich Vien Thanh in 1988.

Papers also reveal that this Perfume Pagoda is a copy of Huong Tich Pagoda in Central Vietnam. Huong Tich Pagoda (also means Perfume Pagoda) is an ancient pagoda high on Huong Tich Peak of Hong Linh Mountain Range, Ha Tinh Province. This place is closely tied to the legend of Princess Dieu Thien, who later enlightened and became Avalokiteśvara – a Buddhist deity. Legend has it that the sacred tiger protected Princess Dieu Thien on her way to Hong Linh Mountain Range, where she settled down in a cave and practiced Buddhism. The pagoda in Ha Tinh Province is believed to date back to the 13th century, which means it appeared much sooner than the one in Hanoi.

So, why is there another “Perfume Pagoda” in the North? Under the Le – Trinh reign, most kings and lords and their concubines are from Hoan Chau Region (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh Provinces today). Every year, when the spring comes, they often took a pilgrimage to Huong Tich Pagoda to attend its festival as well as to enjoy the beauty of Hoan Chau landscapes. As this pagoda is located too far from the Forbidden City, to travel there would be both dangerous and time-wasting. Therefore, Trinh Lords had a monk to survey the mountains of Ha Son Binh and built the second Perfume Pagoda there to make it easier for the concubines to travel. And that’s how the pagoda in Hanoi was born.

5. Perfume Pagoda Festival – a must-attend for Vietnam culture tours.

It would be a huge regret to miss the Huong Pagoda Festival when taking culture tours in Vietnam in the spring. The festival is considered one of the biggest religious events that occur after the Lunar New Year in the north in particular and in Vietnam in general.

When is the Perfume Pagoda Festival?

Annually, the Perfume Pagoda Festival takes place from the 6th day of the first lunar month to the 6th day of the third lunar month. The main festival occurs from the 15th to the 20th of the second lunar month. The pagoda welcomes millions of Buddhist pilgrims and visitors during this period of each year.

Who is the festival dedicated to?

The Festival is celebrated to worship a princess named Dieu Thien, who practiced Buddhism, incarnated, and reached enlightenment in Huong Tich Cave, which is a grotto on Huong Son Mountain. She is said to have not only protected her parents and sisters from the devils but also protected the country from war. She was canonized as Avalokitesvara – one of the Buddhist deities.

Besides the main Buddhist activities, the festival is also a chance to show respect to the ancestors as well as to Mother Nature. Along the way to the pagoda, there are several shrines and temples where the locals worship the Goddess of the Mountains, the Sacred Animals, and so on. The pilgrims would then stop by these places to show their respect and to pray.

What to do during the festival?

Unlike many of Vietnamese festivals which see traditional activities as the center, Huong Pagoda Festival is more about a combination of sightseeing tour and pilgrimage. On the 6th day of the 1st lunar month, the bell rings to mark the beginning of the festival. Several spiritual events take place during the festival, namely the incense offering ceremony, the procession, and the Zen ceremony. People lead their ways to the pagodas and shrines to worship the Buddha, Avalokitesvara, and other Buddhist deities and ask for favors from them. Vietnamese people come to pray for a healthy, happy, and wealthy year. Moreover, the Perfume Pagoda is also believed to be a sacred place where people who are less fortunate in giving birth come to pray for their fertility.

On the whole, this festival is not only dedicated to Buddhism but the whole Three Teachings that most Vietnamese people follow. It is an aggregate of 03 different religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. These religions have deep-rooted in the spiritual mind of the Vietnamese.
Therefore, although the hundreds of steps upward the mountain seem to be a tough route and hard to carry, pilgrims and visitors think it all worthwhile. They believe the bigger their determination is, the more luck they would get.

The festival also offers travelers a chance to conquer the spectacular landscapes of the surrounding area. A boat cruise along Yen Stream will provide you a wonderful view over the area, where you can feel the tranquility and peace of the Vietnamese countryside, which is 100% opposite to the hustle and bustle of the city life.

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6. Top destinations to visit in Perfume Pagoda.

After times, the Perfume Pagoda nowadays is not just a small pagoda and a cave. It is a large complex of different Buddhist pagodas, temples, and shrines. The followings are the top places that you shouldn’t forget to visit.

Den Trinh

Den Trinh, which is about 300 meters from Duc Wharf, is the very first stop for the Perfume Pagoda. The shrine is located at the foot of Ngu Nhac Mountain, worshipping General Tu Ma who helped a Hung King protect the nation from outside invaders. The temple was severely destroyed during the war against the French colonizers in the 20th century and was rebuilt in 1992.

Thien Tru Pagoda

The first destination that you will visit after getting out of the boat is Thien Tru Pagoda (Heaven Kitchen), which is also known as Chua Ngoai (the Outer Pagoda). It is one of the main sites of the whole complex and is where the festival opening ceremony takes place. Additional to the special architecture and religious value, Thien Tru Pagoda also houses Vien Cong Bao Stupa – where Zen Master Vien Quang – the one that established the pagoda is buried.

Giai Oan Pagoda

En route to Huong Tich Grotto, you will come across Giai Oan Pagoda, whose name means “the pagoda for exculpation”. The highlighted spot of this pagoda is the Thien Nhien Thanh Tri Pond (literally “the pond with natural blue water”) and Giai Oan Stream that comes from 9 sources. Close to the pagoda are Tuyet Kinh Cave and Phat Tich Cave, where locates the footprint of the Avalokitesvara.

Huong Tich Cave

This is the heart of the whole heritage. It is home to Chua Trong (the Inner Pagoda) that houses the statues of Buddha, Avalokitesvara, and other Buddhist deities. This grotto possesses several stalactites and stalagmites that resemble different things in life. People believe these things are sacred so they tend to rub it and pray when visiting there.

7. Must-try activities in Perfume Pagoda

Take a pilgrimage to the sacred temples and pagodas during the festival

If you are planning to take a North Vietnam culture tour to the Perfume Pagoda, remember to attend its festival. That big event lasts for 3 months and is among the biggest ritual events in Vietnam in spring. Not only is it a time to look at the tradition and culture of the northern people but it is also an opportunity to participate in several fascinating traditional games and activities like the rice-cooking contest, the tug of war, and so on.

Witness the beauty of lily flowers on Yen Stream in late Fall

When the very first cold breezes blow, Yen Stream puts on its best dress to turn everyone’s head from the very first look. Between October and November, the lily flowers start to bloom, covering the stream with the gorgeous purple color.

Different from the hustle and bustle of the festival season in the spring, it’s quieter and more tranquil in late autumn, making it perfect for a sightseeing tour. Coming here, you can easily catch the image of the Vietnamese girls in their traditional “Ao Dai” shooting photos with the romantic purple flowers.

The lilies blossom early in the morning when the mist is still covering the stream and will fade when the sun hangs high. Hence, if you want to have the quintessential photos, wake up early and get to the stream at around 7 – 9 AM.

8. Suggested Tour To Perfume Pagoda Hanoi.

If you love to explore the beauty and cultural value of this pagoda but don’t know where to start, don’t worry as LuxuryTravel is here. We organize several tours to the Perfume Pagoda and other interesting destinations in North Vietnam, either a day trip or a long-day tour. Let’s take a look at some of our best tours.

And in case you want to have a specially-designed travel program, contact us directly. We will support in making the best itinerary ever for your vacation.

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The post Perfume Pagoda – The Best Place For A Spring Pilgrimage In Vietnam appeared first on Luxury Travel's Blog.

Thứ Năm, 28 tháng 11, 2019

Perfume Pagoda – The Best Place For A Spring Pilgrimage In Vietnam

Down below is the detailed guideline for a Vietnam culture tour to the Perfume Pagoda. This blog post contains everything you need to know about this place, so don’t miss it out!

1. Where is Perfume Pagoda Vietnam?

2. Best time to visit the Perfume Pagoda.

3. How to get there from Hanoi?

How to take a Perfume Pagoda tour from Hanoi?

There are different ways to travel to Perfume Pagoda. If you get there from Hanoi, you could choose either to take a public bus, ride a motorbike, or take a private car there.