Vietnam's world heritage site collapsing

Vietnam's world heritage site collapsing

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The management board of My Son Relic has sounded alarms about serious cracks and sinkage at the cluster of ancient Hindu temples built during the 4th century in central Vietnam.

The B3 temple at Quang Nam Province's My Son Relics is among those suffering pronounced sinkage and cracks. Photo: Hua Xuyen Huynh

 

“Urgent action is needed to protect the B3 and B5 temples which are in very critical condition,” the agency’s deputy director Nguyen Cong Khiet said.

A recent inspection found other temples are also sinking and the agency is studying the situation to generate a conservation plan, he said.

Khiet said the two temple groups have suffered significant damage from rain and flooding, particularly due to underground water from the The stream.

His agency has been prohibited from building a dike because it is illegal to erect new structures on protected historical sites.

“This flood season, many tours have been cancelled because of the raging stream,” he said.

In 1992, Polish architect Kazimierz Kwiatkowski built a supporting wall in an effort to protect the B3 temple. However, Japanese experts in 2006 found underground water from the The stream had compromised its foundation.

The temple has tilted more than eight degrees to the South-West since.

The sinkage has created cracks of up to six meters long and 12 cm wide.

In September 2013, the Ministry of Construction’s Science and Technology Institute inspected the temple but failed to formulate an effective plan to prevent it from further degrading.

My Son is a cluster of partially-ruined Hindu temples built between the 4th and 13th centuries when central Vietnam was ruled by the Champa Kingdom--which was centered in present day Quang Nam Province's Duy Xuyen District.

Located on 142 hectares, it consists of eight groups of 71 standing monuments and an untold number of yet unearthed relics.

The My Son Temples were recognized by the UNESCO as a world heritage in 1999.

 

Source: Thanh Nien News

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Viet Bac heritage sites programme to be held in Thai Nguyen

Viet Bac heritage sites programme to be held in Thai Nguyen

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Thai Nguyen Province officials have announced the sixth tourism programme Through Viet Bac Heritage Sites to be held November 14 to 20.

The provinces of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang will take part, as well as cities and provinces that have co-operation agreements with Thai Nguyen Province, including Ha Noi, Vinh Phuc and Bac Giang.

The programme will feature sports contests, tour surveys, a conference on preserving cultural heritage and developing Viet Bac's tourism.

A trade fair on tourism and the food of Thai Nguyen, as well as traditional arts performances, will also be part of the Viet Bac Heritage event. 

 

Source: VNS

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Ha Giang's Dong Van Plateau welcomes 80,632 visitors

Ha Giang's Dong Van Plateau welcomes 80,632 visitors

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The Dong Van Plateau in the northern province of Ha Giang has received 80,832 visitors this year, including 4,412 international tourists.

Sites that attract tourists include the Vuong family edifice, national flagpole Lung Cu and ancient Dong Van town.

The current cool weather together with the season of triangle oat flowers has attracted many visitors at the villages of Pho Cao, Sung La, Lung Tao and Lung Cu. 

 

Source: VNS

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Hue increases entrance fees for monuments

Hue increases entrance fees for monuments

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Heritage sites across Hue province will charge visitors new entrance fees, ones that reflect the monuments' value and are blind to nationality, said an official of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre on Wednesday.

Pay to enter: Thien Mu Pagoda in central city of Hue. Heritage sites across Hue province will charge visitors new entrance fees, ones that reflect the monuments' value and are blind to nationality. — Photo static.panoramio.com.

 

Mai Xuan Minh, deputy director of the centre, which manages the UNESCO world heritage complex, said the adjustment to entrance ticket prices are a reflection of the last decade of restoration. The price hikes are also intended to pay for recent improvements to services like royal court music performances and royal costumes available to tourists who want to dress up.

The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre's announcement of the price increase made the news circuit on Friday last week after the local People's Council approved a resolution that set out the new prices.

Hue residents and natives around the country reacted to the news with trepidation. They worry that price increases will ruin Hue's tourism profile which boasts of being the former royal capital of Vietnam.

Online comments suggested that Hue's tourism authorities are failing to take advantage of the area's tourism potential.

One of the primary fears is that the already dwindling number of visitors will continue to taper off. A decade of poor service and a boring tour programme has already given Hue tourism a bad reputation.

Bao Huy, a regional guide to Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue and Quang Binh sites told Viet Nam News that, "a price increase will kill Hue tourism totally". An entrance ticket to the Imperial Palace, for instance, would double from VND105,000-210,000 (US$4.90-9.80).

"Local tourism policy makers should recognize that most tourists that go to the central region don't stay in Hue, but rather Da Nang or Hoi An. Tourists also now travel directly from Da Nang or Hoi An to Quang Binh for the cave tours, without stopping in Hue," he added.

When visitors do stop off in Hue, they will likely choose sites that are free of charge like An Mausoleum or pagodas, he predicted. But at least foreigners and Vietnamese now enjoy the same prices, whether they go to a ticketed or free monument.

Minh said that people misunderstood the announcement, pointing out that the resolution only sets out a maximum entrance price ever for the heritage sites.

"It serves at a framework for pricing the sites' entrance tickets; perhaps the prices won't reach these high levels," he said.

Just what price these heritage sites will ask of visitors remains murky. The announcement of specific prices, that may perhaps never be reached, leaves it as an open ended question for tourists and tour-guides alike.

"Obviously we will have price adjustments in the next year, but probably not by that much," Minh said.

 

Source: VNS

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Green Pigeon & Thrushes in the city

I have grabbed a couple of brief opportunities to get out in the last few days. At the Botanical Gardens good sightings of Thrushes with Orange-headed T., Blue-Whistling T. and White-throated Rock T.

Spotted also there all the usual suspects including 4 species of Flycatchers, 2 species of Drongos (Ashy, Spangled), 5 species of Phylloscopus..., + 2 species of Flowerpeckers (Fire-breasted and Scarlet-backed, the first one considered as a good bird for the city). Fire-breasted F. is assumed to be a sub-montane and montane forest resident, although there is evidence that some short-distance movements take place in some areas during the non-breeding season. This is the second or third time I bump into this species at Hanoi.

But the highlight was a Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, my first Green Pigeon in the city! Unfortunately it was perched very high in a fig tree and I only got some poor shots. 

Blue Whistling-thrush of the black-billed migratory race caeruleus 

female White-throated Rock Thrush
Uncommon but regular passage migrant in the city. But this is my first sighting on autumn passage.

                                                                     male Orange-headed Thrush

Ashy Drongo

Eastern Crowned Warbler

Japanese White-eye

Record shot of the Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon feeding in the canopy of a fig tree.
According to literature, this species is generally resident but with local nomadic or altitudinal migratory movement , which may explain its presence in this city park.  A caged escapee or released bird can't be ruled out, but very improbable.

Source : vietnambirdnews[dot]blogspot[dot]com

Vietnam hotels and resorts voted in top spots on Condé Nast Traveler list

Conde Nast Traveler, one of the world's premier luxury and lifestyle travel magazines, has placed five hotels and resorts in Vietnam on the list of top hospitality properties.

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi ranked No.1 among the Best Hotels in Southeast Asia by CN Traveler.

According to the prestigious travel magazine’s annual survey, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi jumped five spots from last year’s No. 5 to top the list of Best Hotels in Southeast Asia: Readers' Choice Awards 2014 as most favoured by the magazine’s readers.

La Residence Hotel & Spa in Hue also won a spot on the list for the first time, placing No. 19, while the Park Hyatt Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City came in at No. 21.

Meanwhile, the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa in Da Nang won sixth place in the Top 20 Resorts in Asia. The Nam Hai in Hoi An was also listed among the top ten resorts (No. 10) in Asia for the second year in a row. Another resort in Hoi An, Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa, ranked No. 13 on the list.

Nearly 77,000 readers cast their votes for destinations nominated in this year's Readers Choice Awards.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

National Tourism Year connects world heritage sites

The launch of the National Tourism Year 2015 will be held in mid March 2015 in Thanh Hoa province with a focus on connecting world heritage sites.

The announcement was made by the provincial People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City on October 24.

The programme will include a grand opening ceremony introducing world heritages in Thanh Hoa, a folk song competition, a sea tourism festival, and a gastronomy festival, among others.

Provinces and cities nationwide, with world heritage sites such as Hanoi, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Thua Thien – Hue and Lam Dong, will also host cultural, sports and tourism events throughout the year in response to the programme.

The programme is a good opportunity to promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage and natural tourist attractions in Vietnam to domestic and international visitors while boosting tourism co-operation between Thanh Hoa and other localities in the region and across the country.

The National Tourism Year is a major event in Vietnam’s hospitality sector. The host of the event is renewed annually and is assigned by the Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

19th century life and landscapes of Danang

A photo exhibition featuring life and landscapes of Danang during the 19th century recently opened in the central coast city.

The exhibition, held at a venue with a view of the Furama resort in Ngu Hanh Son District, is a display of over 40 photographs.

19th century life in Danang

Old market

City park

Cham museum in 1930

Lobby of Monia hotel

Students on a field trip at Cham museum

Marble pagoda inside a cave

Pagoda in the city

Monks take stone steps to a pagoda in Ngu Hanh Son

Costume of a monk at a pagoda on the outskirts of Danang

Danang sea port

Small villages along the river

Multi generational family

Group of fishermen before going out to sea

Woman carries seafood product to market

Alter dedicated to god of the sea

A group of workers

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Peregrine Falcons are back for the winter

Peregrine Falcons are back at Hanoi and roosting on the higher buildings of the city. But the guy below prefers the fresh air of the countryside; it has chosen an electricity pylon along the Red River, just above my favorite mudflats :((

It's a large bird, so I'm pretty sure it's a female*.

Similar to the one I photographed in January last year (see this post) - note very pale underparts with unbarred belly (barring restricted to flanks and thighs). 

Could it be that this bird is the subspecies calidus ? This subspecies breeds in the Arctic tundra and is completely migratory - very long distance migrant, travels south in winter as far as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. According to literature, the very similar japonensis subspecies is noticeably darker above, has usually wash pale pinkish breast (pure white breast in calidus), broader moustachials and heavier spotting and barring on the belly and flanks (japonensis show much more extensive barring starting from lower breast, while calidus has more restricted area of barring, mostly at the thighs).

I'd be interested to hear views on this bird.

*well, considering the fact calidus is a large-sized peregrine, that's merely speculation...

Calidus peregrine candidate

Source : vietnambirdnews[dot]blogspot[dot]com

San Chay people’s dance recognised as national intangible cultural heritage

Tac Xinh dance of the San Chay ethnic minority people in Phu Luong district, the northern province of Thai Nguyen has been declared a national intangible cultural heritage.

The dance comprises nine patterns that feature daily life, including building houses, picking fruit, clearing land and celebrating harvests. (Credit: VNA)

Tac Xinh dance is a form of performing that has been preserved and passed on by San Chay people for generations. It expresses their gratitude to their ancestors and the spiritual connections between nature and mankind, life and death, and the old and the young, as well as stimulating the wish to control nature.

The dance, popular in Tuc Tranh, Yen Lac and Phu Do communes, comprises nine patterns that feature daily life, including building houses, picking fruit, clearing land and celebrating harvests.

It has been performed all over Vietnam since 1996 and won the first prize at the Vietnam Folk Songs and Dances Festival in 2013.

The recognition is expected to contribute to the preservation and development of Vietnamese cultural values.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Biggest crab market in Mekong Delta

For residents of Vinh Hoi Dong Commune, An Giang Province, flood season means bountiful crab catching in their rice fields. 

A local crab trader.

Although crab-catching is something residents do all year long, the rainy season brings an extra bounty. Each year locals wait for the rainy season to catch crabs, a  boost to the seasonal harvest. Some even rent out fields in Cambodia to increase their harvest. The catch is brought to market in An Phu District.

Vo Thanh Van, a local man from Vinh Hoa Hamlet said, “We usually rent fields in Cambodia for around VND12 million per year. The best season is from August to October of the lunar year.”

Another local from the same commune said that one family might be able to catch between 20 and 30 kilos of crabs each day, bringing in earnings of between VND200,000 and VND400,000.

Families who make their income by catching crabs must travel by motorboat to Cambodia, arriving there before 4pm, before the customers come to market in search of the delicacy. Around on hundred households in the commune earn a living by this practice, and most of them travel to bordering provinces as far as Chau Phu, Tri Ton and Tinh Bien. Many travel across the border to Cambodia.

Nguyen Van Len, a driver who transports crabs across the Vinh Hoi Dong River, said, “Around from 20 to 30 tonnes of crab come across each day. Then they take them to bigger cities for distribution."

Some more photos of the crab market:

One household can catch 20 to 30 kilos a day

A young worker

Selling to wholesalers

Many tonnes of crab reach the market 

One kilo priced between VND13,000 and VND20,000

Most crabs go to HCM City.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

To He artisans strive to promote rare surviving Vietnamese traditional toy

Sometimes while wandering Hanoi streets, one can see vendors of 'To He', a traditional toy manually made with glutinous rice powder. Without any noisy advertisement, 'To He' vendors walk across Hanoi streets and silently attract the attention of passers-by.

To He, traditional toy of Vietnamese children

Magic came out from skilled hands

With simple tools including a tray of glutinous rice powder in various colours, a small comb, a bunch of sticks, and a spongy box to display their products, To He artisans can knead many shapes thanks to their skilled hands and creativity.

To He artisans not only draw the interest of children, but adults as well who enjoying waiting and looking at the way beautiful flowers, funny animals or popular cartoon characters are gradually created by the artisans.

To He craft making originated from Xuan La hamlet, Phuong Duc commune, Phu Xuyen district in Hanoi more than 300 years ago. At first, the craft was a way for the villagers to spend their spare time.

They steamed grinded glutinous rice and then dyeing it with powder. There are seven basic colours of To He─ green, blue, red, purple, yellow, white and black ─ which are made from natural and edible ingredients, including gac fruit to produce red, vegetables for green and turmeric for yellow.

The soft and colourful flour made it easy for them to shape cute little things. In the past, the product was then pinned on the top of a small horn, which generated sounds like “to… te…” when it was whistled. As time went on, the toy was named ‘To He’ as a play on the sound “to…te…”

Tran Van Mien from Xuan La hamlet has devoted most of his life to To He making. In less than five minutes, Mien can produce a colourful horse requested by a young couple.

Struggling to find new way for development

According to Mien, To He craft can generate remarkable income for the craftsmen, earning an average of VND 200,000 – VND300,000 a day by selling their products during festivals.

However, the craft experienced many ups and downs as it faced the threat of fierce competition from foreign toys, particularly Chinese toys, which are much cheaper and diversified in designs and colours.

Like other traditional craft villages, Xuan La villagers encounter obstacles to increasing output for their products and widely advertise the toys.

To He cannot be widely introduced outside the traditional communal market due to its traditional ingredient; rice power makes it easy for the craftsmen to knead but on the other hands, it causes the toy’s appearance to quickly get mouldy, dry and split. A To He product can be kept for three to 30 days, depending on the craftsmen’s skill and weather condition.

The obstacle urged the craftsmen to try experiments to seek new suitable ingredient.

Mrs Dien’s family is the first and the only one in Phu Xuyen to try to make To He using tapioca flour. The huge advantage of the paste is a shelf-life of up to one year, without any threat of moulding.

However, it takes the artisans longer to complete their crafts with tapioca flours as it needs to be boiled in water before being brought the market. With this technique the craftsmen can only provide premade crafts, diluting the uniqueness of To He as customers cannot request custom designs.

In the same move to advertise their products, the To He artisans also try to catch up with the increasing demand of customers, particularly children. In the past, To He used to be in the shape of fruits, flowers, and main characters in the ‘Journey to the West’ TV series. Nowadays, the artisans update children’s favourite cartoons in case they have orders on making characters from these films.

In the past, To He was made and sold only during festivals, particularly Tet (traditional Lunar New Year) holiday and Mid-Autumn festival. Nowadays, the toy is regularly present in most traditional festivals, and public places, such as squares, parks, gardens.

To He artisans hope for support and involvement from relevant agencies to provide them with directions for further development as well as from scientists to find an advanced recipe for To He making, in a bid to preserve and uphold one of the rare surviving traditional toys of Vietnam.

Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Two nice breasted goodies from Xuan Thuy NP

Hi Friends!

Below are some shots of two new species for Northern Vietnam, taken in Xuan Thuy NP on 17 October 2014 : Orange-breasted Green Pigeon and Vinous-breasted Starling.

It seems to be more birds moved up North due to an increase of temperature. It was pity that I had limited time to get better photos of the Starling!

All the best!

Le Manh Hung

Source : vietnambirdnews[dot]blogspot[dot]com

29 pictures that will make you want to visit Vietnam

Business Insider, a US online newspaper based in New York City, has published an article by American photographer Robert Schrader with the above caption, which includes 29 pictures of Vietnam he took on his many visits.

“I think you’ll enjoy exploring the pictures I took while I was in Vietnam. I also have a feeling they’re going to make you want to take your own trip there, whether you follow the path I took (by bus, up the coast from Saigon to Hanoi in about three weeks) or plot a course unique to you,” Robert Schrader says in his article.

Here are the 29 photos:

A vendor in Saigon let Robert Schrader take the heavy weight off her shoulders

My first bowl of real Vietnamese pho

Motorbikes on a Saigon street

Ceramic figurines at the Cu Chi Tunnels

A woman carries the basket he was carrying in the first picture

A huge sand dune in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet

Sandboarding

A fishing boat off the shore of Mui Ne

Sunrise in Hoi An

A blue twilight in Mui Ne

Beautiful woman framed by roses, in Nha Trang

Red hot chilli peppers

Vietnamese dong

An urban rice paddy in Hoi An

A woman on a boat in Hoi An

Sunrise in Hoi An

Vietnam's flag flies proudly over Nha Trang

A narrow alleyway in charming French-colonial Hoi An

The lantern market in Hoi An

Look of mischief in Hoi An

Nha Trang beach scene

Motorbike in Hanoi

A vendor on Cat Ba Island takes a break

Off Cat Ba Island's beaten path

Boats on Cat Ba Island

Source : dtinews[dot]vn