Vietnam - World Heritage
Complex of Hue Monuments
The Hue complex is located approximately 100 km northwest of Danang, the largest commercial city in the middle region of Vietnam. The city is divided into old and new sections on either side of the Fon River, extending nearly 4 km in all directions. Although it has high temperatures and humidity (except during the dry season from November through April, with an average annual precipitation of 2900 mm), the summer is not as oppressively humid as in Japan.
Hue is one of places, which has many cultural heritages. Up to now, there is no places like Hue remaining a lot of originally historical vestiges as in this ancient Capital City.
On the Northern bank of Perfume River has relics consisting of palaces, which were constructed as arc defensive ramparts with 11km length. This valuable construction includes more than 100 arichectural works which were extremely reflected the life of Emperors and mandarins under Nguyen’ reign. Situated in the middle of hills on the Southern bank of Perfume River are very beautiful tombs of Nguyen Kings. Among these tombs are the four famous ones with the name and the arrangements of the tomb reflected each Emperor’s points of view, personality, and tastes. This is majestic Gia Long tomb, imposing Minh Mang tomb, poetic Tu Duc tomb and magnificent Khai Dinh tomb.
Hue is also an important center of Buddhism. In Hue and its surrounding still exist tens of pagodas constructed more 300 years ago, and a hundred of temples and pagodas built in the early century.
Besides, Hue is a place where the royal music is originated, and a place with traditional famous dishes and sophisticated handicraft.
As a unique city of Vietnam still remains its form of City under Middle Age and the constructions of monarchic, Hue has become a big and an invaluable museum. Therefore, vestiges in Hue ancient capital have been classified by the government as a very precious property and on December 1993 Hue has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Outline of the Heritage : The archaeological sites of Hulocated in Vintitien Province of central Vietnam, are the remains of the capital of Nguyen, the last Vietnamese dynasty that was prosperous from the early 19th to the mid-20th century. These structures symbolize the Vietnamese history and although based on an architectural style from China, they incorporate Baroque and traditional Vietnamese architecture, gaining a high recognition for their historical and artistic value, so they were registered in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993.
Hoi An Ancient Town
Brief Description : Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.
Location : Hoi An is located approximately 30 km south of Danang, the 4th largest city in Vietnam, where an estuary of the Thu Bon River (known as Kuadai and being the largest in Khannam Danang Province) pours its water into the East China Sea. Though called an estuary, the present Hoi An is considerably far from the sea. Hoi An port has a simple quay and the water is shallow. Hoi An, prosperous as an international trading port between the 16th and 18th centuries, may well have had a large expanse of water at the estuary of the Thu Bon River; its seashore had a formation of sandbanks in a bay guarding against threats from the outer sea and a lagoon, surrounded by sandbanks and inner shoals, must have been providing desirable anchorage for theships in those days.
The word "Hoi An" is the name of the town as well as the community which includes several villages (xa). The present Hoi An consists of 6 villages (Ming Phuong, Hoi An, Kochai, Dong An, Zie Hom, Ho Hua) and the town of Hoi An.
The town of Hoi An is composed of 3 districts (phuong). There are smaller section units called khu and vuc under xa and phuong. There is a neighborhood group, called a "to", which is the smallest unit.
Geographically, it is located at an estuary of the Thu Bon River, the largest in Khannam Danang Province, pouring out to the East China Sea, and when it was prosperous as an international trading port between the 16th and 18th centuries, it is believed to have had a large expanse of water at the estuary of Thu Bon River with a formation of sandbanks in a bay guarding against threats from the outer sea.
Outline of the Heritage : Hoi An, formerly called Fai Fo, was a port town used as a relay trading base for Southeast Asia. Wooden tradesmen's houses, Chinese merchants' club-houses according to the person's origin, Emperor Kwang's Shrine, etc., stand along Kyanhou, running parallel with the Thu Bon River, and facing two streets: Nguyenchiminhkai and Nguyentaihok. It is supposed there was a Japanese town, similar to one in Ayutthaya of Thailand, between the 15th and 16th centuries, and Imari ceramic ware was discovered as evidence of the trading. Although the town has come to assume its present appearance since the latter half of the 18th century, the mixture of various cultures it embraces has been attracting a great number of tourists.
My Son Sanctuary
Between the 4th and 13th centuries a unique culture which owed its spiritual origins to Indian Hinduism developed on the coast of contemporary Viet Nam. This is graphically illustrated by the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence.
A Masterpiece of Cham Architecture
A stark reminder of the destruction of the Vietnam war
My Son, located in Southern Vietnam, was a centre for spirituality and worship during the reign of the Champa Kingdom.
The My Son Sanctuary, which exemplifies the height of Cham architectural achievement, is a large complex of religious monuments originally comprised of more than 70 structures; the vestiges of 25 of these structures remain today. The builders of My Son were the nobility of the Champa Kingdom who derived their cultural and spiritual influences almost exclusively from India. The Cham people worshiped the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, although Shiva was the central figure of worship for most people. Shiva was usually portrayed in one of two forms: as the figure of a man, and very often in his symbolic manifestation, the lingam, which was usually a stone embellished with incisions placed on a stone slab. The lingam represented both the cult of Shivaism and the divine authority Shiva bestowed upon the king. The Cham people erected monumental towers - the main component of Cham architectural design - to house the lingam. My Son was once a veritable forest of towers, many of which were destroyed by the ravages of time and war.
All of the Cham towers at My Son were built on square or rectangular foundations and were comprised of three parts; the tower base representing the world of humans, the tower body representing the world of spirits, and the tower head - usually built in the shape of a lotus - representing the realm between the two worlds. The structures were usually built of baked bricks and sandstone.
Most experts consider the main tower at My Son, dubbed A1 by archaeologists and researchers, a masterpiece of Cham architecture. Originally it spanned three storeys and reached a height of 24 metres. Inside, the walls were covered with reliefs; across from the entrance were reliefs depicting a dancing Shiva, on the first storey images of dancing females, and on the upper storeys elephants and lions were depicted. The tower is surrounded by six smaller towers. Unfortunately, tower A1 was severely damaged by US bombs in 1969. Apart from the main tower devoted to Shiva, there are numerous smaller towers and temples dedicated to the worship of lesser gods.
The archeological site represents the longest continuous occupation for religious purposes, not only of the Cham Kingdom, but also within Southeast Asia as a whole. The site was inhabited from the 4th until the 15th century AD, far longer than any of the other Indian-influenced sites in the region including the more famous sites of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia, Pagan in Myanmar, or Ayutthaya in Thailand.
My Son was once a veritable forest of towers, many of which were destroyed by the ravages of time and war. This unique site is now in a state of significant disrepair, urgently requiring conservation efforts.
Bach Ma National Park
Bach Ma National Park is located in central Vietnam in the province of Thua Thien Hue, around 700 km south of the country's capital Hanoi and 1000 km north of Ho-Chi-Minh-City (Saigon). The national park covers an area of about 22,000 ha in the districts of Phu Loc and Nam Dong. It was created in 1991 to protect the centre of the last corridor of forest stretching from the South China Sea to the Annamite mountain range at the border with the Lao PDR. With steep mountains and dense forests this area is home to a wide variety of animals and plants. At the base of the mountains there is tropical monsoon forest, above 900m sub-tropical forest. There are species from both northern and southern Vietnam, and Bach Ma is recognized as one of the areas of Indochina with high biodiversity. Bach Ma mountain peak is the highest point in the park at 1450 m above sea level and is only 18 km away from the coast.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park
Viet Nam's Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park has been recognised as a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at its 27th general assembly session being held in Paris from June 30-July 5.
At the session, delegates from over 160 member countries of UNESCO World Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong Nha-Ke Bang park and 30 others worldwide to the list of world heritage sites.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang park is now the fifth UNESCO recognised site in Viet Nam after Ha Long Bay, the imperial city of Hue, the ancient quarter of Hoi An and the My Son historical site.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, located to the north of the majestic Truong Son range in central Quang Binh province, is one of the world's two largest limestone regions.
The over 200,000 ha of parkland includes beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and caves, and boasts lush forestland covering 95 percent of the park area.
The area is considered a paradise for researchers and explorers of grottoes and caves, and Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed 20 with a total length of 70km. Of them, 17 are in the Phong Nha area and three in the Ke Bang area.
The Phong Nha cave itself which lends its name to the whole system is probably the most beautiful of all, containing many fascinating rock formations, enchanting visitors with evocative names such as Lion, Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha.
Besides the grotto and cave systems, Phong Nha has the longest underground rivers, the largest caverns and passageways, the widest and prettiest sand banks, and the most astonishing rock formations in the world.
According to initial statistics, the primitive tropical forest in Phong Nha-Ke Bang houses 140 families, 427 branches, and 751 species of high-rated plants, of which 36 species are endangered and listed in the Viet Nam Red Book. The forest is also home to 32 sets, 98 families, 256 races and 381 species of four land backboned animals. Sixty-six animal species are listed in the Viet Nam Red Book and 23 other species in the World Red Book. In general, Phong Nha-Ke Bang's animals are more diverse than in other natural reserves and national parks.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang also boasts dozens of mountain peaks of over 1,000 metres still unexplored by men and seen as ideal sites for activities like climbing and exploration. Worthy of note are Peak Co Rilata with the height of 1,128 m and Peak Co Preu, 1,213 m. Lying between these peaks are valleys which promise tourists exciting eco-tours.
In addition to the diversity in the ecosystem, Phong Nha-Ke Bang is home to archeological and historical relics, such as an ancient hieroglyphic script of the Cham ethnic minority, King Ham Nghi's base built for the resistance war against French colonialists in the late 19th century, and the Xuan Son ferry station, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Road 20 used during the US resistance war.
Central Quang Binh province has poured heavy investment into upgrading the Phong Nha-Ke Bang visitor site to turn it into the country's major tourist destination.
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$129 Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) & Minority village homestay (2days/1night) trip
$165 Cyling to Mirnority Villages (3 days / 2 nights)
$175 Vietnam Heritage tour, My son world heritage site, Hoi an ancient town tour, hue citadel tour (5 Days/4 Nights)
$245 The roads to Vietnam Heritage (5days/4nights) trip
$254 Bao Vinh Hue Ancient Town - Bach Ma National Park - Hoi An - My Son holy land (6days/5nights) trip
$290 Hue handicraft - Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) & homestay - Bach Ma national park - Hoi An - My Son holy land (7days/6nights) trip
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