Visitors enjoy ‘queen of beaches' plus island and battle site tours

Located in the coastal district of Vinh Linh in the central province of Quang Tri , Cua Tung Beach is the nation's "Queen of Beaches", awaking the curiosity of many visitors to come and experience its beauty.

Cua Tung Beach

The kilometre-long beach is neither long nor wide, but the water is gentle and clear. Two underground rock formation, Mui Si and Mui Lai, encroach on the sea, creating a small bay sheltering the beach from stronger waves and tides.

The beach is surrounded by a belt of basalt and stone mountains that look like a huge comb passing through the hair of the waves. On the hill, orchards of jackfruit, pineapple, banana and custard-apple grow green.

While the central region is known for its harsh weather, with dry winds from the southwest and major storms from the sea, Cua Tung Beach is protected by Mother Nature, out of wind on most days, with the bay offering safe harbour for fishing boats.

Since the time of French colonialism, the very first French to set foot here saw the land's potential for developing resorts. At that time, Vietnam was divided into three regions, with the central region known as Annam. The governor of Annam from 1891-97, Ernest Albert Briere was one of those who fell in love with the place, and he built a palace here in 1896 to spend his holidays on the beautiful beach.

The palace was transferred to King Duy Tan (1900-45), the 11th king of the Nguyen Dynasty, who ascended the throne at age 7 and bridled at living in confinement in palaces under the control of the French. He travelled extensively around the country, with Cua Tung one of his stops.

King Bao Dai (1913-97), the 13th and final king of Vietnamese feudalism, often went from his capital in Hue to Cua Tung to enjoy the amazing beach.

The Frenchman Andre de Laborde, who had a deep understanding about this land, described Cua Tung as a gentle sloping beach which is part of a green highland 20m above sea level. From the slope, people can see the changes in the colour of sea and sky. Shades of blue change hourly under the sunshine, surprising anyone who has chance to witness it.

The sea here is so shallow, that people can run about half-a-kilometre from the shore, and the water level only reaches their chest.

Nearby Cat Son village is a short stroll away along the beach. The village has been famous for hundreds of years for its traditional work of fishing, drum-making, carpentry and mother-of-pearl inlay. There, you can dine of cuttlefish, prawns, lobster, butterfish, mackerel, Chinese herring, and other kinds of seafood, cooked in the local manner.

To the south of the beach is the estuary of Ben Hai River. Hien Luong Brigde crosses the river just 10 kimometres from Cua Tung Beach. The bridge on the 17th parallel formed the border between North and South Vietnam between 1954 and 1975.

The symbol of separation and loss in wartime is now one of the connection between the two districts of Vinh Linh and Vinh Gio in the province. Boarding a boat at the base of the bridge, travellers can see prosperous rice paddy and bamboo and casuarinas trees along the river banks. The slow rhythm of life, the whisper of wind and rippling water, all bring a feeling of peace.

About 30 kilometres offshore from the beach is Con Co Island. The 4-square-metre island, with a coastline of about 8-kilometres, averages an elevation of 5-30 metres above sea level. At the centre of the island is a 63-metres high mountain. The island held a strategic position during the time of the country's division. The island was isolated from the mainland by heavy winds, but soldiers challenged strong waves and enemy attacks to carry food and weapon to the island.

Lush forests and fruits trees cover the island. The trees on Con Co Island include hardwoods with resin as red as blood. In autumn, the bang (Malabar almond) trees also turn red, making the island even more picturesque.

Since 1989, 4,000 coconut trees, symbolising the 4,000-year history of Vietnam , have been cultivated on the island. It is also the home of a small rattlesnake that is soaked in rice wine to make a medicine for treating backache and other ailments. Black and white sea cucumbers as big as a toe are also found in the surrounding waters and make a good dish that also has medicinal properties.

Tours commemorating the battlefields of the province and the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) lets visitors experience Vinh Moc Tunnel – a 2-kilometres network of tunnels up to 23m underground used to shelter residents during wartime – as well as the Old Citadel of Quang Tri, the Ta Con airstrip, the Khe Sanh – Road 9 Battlefield, and the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Read More

Shopping for love in Vietnam's mountains

Once a year, with his wife's blessing, Lau Minh Pao gets to have a guilt-free tryst with his ex.

Ethnic San Chi girls giggle while attending the "love market" in Khau Vai village in Vietnam's northern Ha Giang province, 500 km (310 miles) north of Hanoi May 9, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Kham

The love market village of Khau Vai is seen from the top of a mountain in Vietnam's northern Ha Giang province. Credit: REUTERS/Kham

Their rendezvous' have played out more like strolls down memory lane than salacious flings, but they are part of a treasured tradition in this mountainous corner of northern Vietnam that may challenge some more linear concepts of love.

"In the past, we were lovers, but we couldn't get married because we were far apart," Pao said simply as he waited for his date on a dark night in the village of Khau Vai in Ha Giang province.

Now when they meet, he said, "we pour our hearts out about the time when we were in love."

They are not alone.

For two days each year, on the 26th and 27th of the third month of the lunar calendar, the tiny village of Khau Vai, strung along a saddle in the lush hills near China, is transformed into a "love market."

Hundreds of members of Giay, Nung, Tay, Dzao, San Chi, Lo Lo and Hmong hill tribes, among others, trek in from across the mountainous districts nearby to attend.

Pao's wife was there, too, meeting her old flame.

Some travel for days, even from neighboring provinces.

This year, local artists in colorful clothing performed the local myth telling the story of the origin of the Khau Vai love market.

Legend has it an ethnic Giay girl from Ha Giang province fell in love with an ethnic Nung boy from the neighboring province of Cao Bang.

The girl was so beautiful that her tribe did not want to let her marry a man from another tribe and a bloody conflict ensued between the two tribes.

Watching tragedy unfold before them, the two lovers sorrowfully decided to part ways to avoid further bloodshed and to restore peace.

But to keep their love alive they made a secret pact to meet once a year on the 27th day of the third lunar month in Khau Vai. Thereafter, the hill village became known as a meeting place for all of those in love.

These days, the tradition is carried on, albeit with a modern edge.

Giggling girls in native headdresses make dates by text message on their cell phones, and hold them up to snap digital photos of performances.

New roads have made the village that lies some 500 km (310 miles) north of Hanoi more accessible. In the Nung language, Khau Vai means 'clouds among the mountains'.

"The young generation now go out together, and find each other, and it is more modern, freer and clearer. Back in the old days, our grandparents had to pursue love in secret, not like today," 23-year-old Hua Thi Nghi an ethnic Giay.

Under the dark sky, as other couples cavorted nearby, Pao was looking forward to seeing his old girlfriend.

"We've arranged to meet and she'll be here a little bit, around 10 pm. We meet together to re-tell the tale of how it was when we were in love back then," he said.

The next day, however, he said their meeting had been cut short by a downpour.

But there's always next year.

Read More

Imposing beauty of Dray Nur waterfall

Sparkling Dray Nur waterfall in Dak Lak Province has a natural beauty that is shrouded in the mystique of legend.

The 30-metre falls, which are also known as Cai or Vo (wife), originate from the Krong Ana River.

The story is that, a long time ago, a man of Kuop Hamlet fell in love with a girl who lived on the other side of the Serepok River. Their love remained hidden from their parents until they were inseparable.

Unfortunately, they were in a sort of Romeo and Juliet situation, where the two families were old and bitter rivals. Naturally the parents did not approve, and all their efforts to stay together seemed destined to fail.

So one night, rather than being separated, the couple committed suicide in the Serepok River. Suddenly, there was a thunderstorm, water leaped up from the river and sounds came from the forest. The next morning, the people of the hamlet were surprised to see that the river had been separated in two, isolating the two families.

Ever since then the one river has been two: the Duc (husband) creates the Dray Sap Waterfall in Dak Nong Province, in the central highlands, while the Cai (wife) river feeds the Dray Nur waterfall in Dak Lak Province.

Water still flows down the falls in small streams, only to be united at the bottom. Many say that the sound it makes are echos of the delights and reproaches of that “star crossed love”.

A mystical beauty

Visitors enjoy the sight and sound

Read More

A quiet side of Hanoi

Hanoi is often seen by visitors as a bustling city but there is a more secluded and quiet side to it that not many people discover. Life is happening right here and right now in many dark small alleys in the Old Quarter, where serenity represents the quiet endurance of the local people living around the area.

This, in fact, has added a charm, one that is indispensable to make the 36 streets of Old Hanoi a beautiful and ancient place.

The narrow space and complicated daily-life routines found year round in lowly lit alleys are normal parts of the age-old and crowded city of Hanoi.

Time has turned street corners into a green mossy colour. It connects and bonds people together, but does not make the worries go away for the people who live in these alleys.

Below are a series of pictures that were captured from the many corners and alleys of Hanoi.

In the Old Quarter, alleys often become a playground for children.

Notice board used by the locals living in one alley.

Ten households are currently living in Alley No.47 on Hang Bac Street.

...living space is shared among different households.

...A recent fire has turned the residents lives upside down.

A rare corner where light is able to shine through is used to dry clothes.

A stylised entrance gate to one of the alleys.

Each alley has a communal area where daily living takes place.

Despite having to live with extremely narrow alleys, many people don't want to move as they have gotten used to it.

Every possible inch is used for something.

Natural lighting is hardly found in some alleys.

Some would like to settle somewhere else.

Read More

Fireworks approved for opening National Tourism Year 2011

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has agreed to allow the People’s Committee of Phu Yen Province to organize a fireworks display during the celebration of the 400th founding anniversary of Phu Yen and the opening ceremony of National Tourism Year 2011 in the evening of April 1.

According to the organizing board, an art program to welcome the two events will have the participation of more than 400 artists, including more than 100 professional ones. The stage for the opening ceremony will have capacity of more than 7,000 seats, located at the square of Tuy Hoa City.

As expected, more than 40 ambassadors will attend the opening ceremony of National Tourism year 2011.

(Source: CPV)

Read More