Hanoi is the land long-standing of history, from the mysterious Hoan Kiem Lake to magnificent Tan Mountain, everywhere engraved with vestiges of the history. Visiting the ancestral land on the occasion of its 1,000th anniversary is a chance to review its landscapes and cultural and historical relics.
A four-day-three-night tour to Hanoi, Phu Tho, Yen Tu Mountain, Tuan Chau Island and Halong Bay, departing every Thursday until October, takes in the most famous destinations in the North.
On the first day tourists will be taken to visit Hung Temple in Phu Tho Province, about 80km from the center of Hanoi.
Hung Temple is a complex of majestic buildings located on Nghia Linh Mountain, consisting of Ha Temple and Pagoda, Gieng Temple, Trung and Thuong Temples, and Hung Kings Tomb, built in the fifteenth century.
From April 14 to 23, Phu Tho Province will host the Hung Temple Festival 2010 to celebrate the death anniversary of the Hung Kings. There will be a boat race on the Lo River, banh chung, banh day (glutinous rice cakes) cooking contests, fireworks displays and craft exhibitions.
The second day is for trekking to Yen Tu Mountain in the northern coast province of Quang Ninh, a scenic spot and historical relic of Vietnam’s Truc Lam meditation sect.
The mountain is about 1,060m high and about 50km from Halong City. The route of pilgrimage from the foot of the mountain to the pagoda at the top is nearly 30km. On the way there is splendid scenery and beautiful ancient pagodas and hermitages of the 10th century built by King Tran Nhan Tong, who reigned over the country from 1279 to 1293. King Tran Nhan Tong’s mausoleum, Hoa Yen Pagoda, where many copper statues are worshipped, and Dong Pagoda are all here.
At noon, tourists will move to Bai Chay Bridge to take a panoramic view of Halong Bay and Cai Lan Port. Tourists can stroll around Tuan Chau Island, the most beautiful and the only populated island among the 2,000 islands in UNESCO’s World Heritage Halong Bay. It is also renowned for its stunning natural surroundings, including pine trees, lakes and breathtaking beaches.
Staying overnight in Halong City, tourists will discover many interesting things from local culture to ancient relics.
On the third day, tourists will be given a cruise on Halong Bay which is home to many mysterious caves and fascinating islands as well as stunning beaches.
The islands in Halong Bay are mainly limestone and schist. Most lie in the southeastern part of Bai Tu Long Bay and the southwestern part of Halong Bay. These islands represent the most ancient images of a geographical site having a tectonic age of 250 to 280 million years and they are the result of many times of rising and lowering of the continent to form a karst.
Viewed from above, Halong Bay looks like an extremely vivid drawing. This is a wonderful masterpiece of the creation that turns thousands of islets into fantastic sculptural works of graceful shapes, both familiar and strange to human beings. The islets look strong and magnificent but also mild and vivid. Among them we feel as if we were astray in a petrified legendary world. There are many names given to the islets according to their shapes such as Human Head Islet, Dragon Islet, Sail Islet, Male and Female Chicken Islet and Incense Burner Islet.
On these islets are breathtaking caves, such as Thien Cung, Dau Go, Sung Sot, Trinh Nu, Tam Cung and others. They are mysterious and filled with stalactites.
At noon, on the way back to Hanoi, tourists can visit craft villages making ceramics, green bean cakes and other northern specialties.
The morning of the final day is for discovering historical and cultural relics around Hanoi such as Uncle Ho’s stilt house, One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature and to buy souvenirs and indigenous specialties at Dong Xuan Market.
Ben Thanh Tourist Add: 86 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (84-8) 3520 2020