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The must-sees in and around Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge – In and around the capital city of Hanoi are a lot of craft villages and ancient pagodas which tourists are advised to drop by.

To make it convenient for visitors, the local travel agency Lantours has designed a range of package tours to take in these must-sees.

Over 30 km from the center of Hanoi City, Chuong village in Thanh Oai District known for traditional palm-leaf hats is the fast stop of the tour.

There, tourists visit Chuong market with typical rural features, where all hat materials like palm leaves, thread and silk thread can be found.

There is a complex of age-old communal houses and temples worth visiting. In the afternoon, travelers stop by Yen Phuc pagoda to taste some vegetarian food.

Ha Dong village well known for silk at home and abroad should not be missed in this tour. Travelers can buy some silk products at family-owned production facilities.

Travelers can choose to visit pottery villages as the northern region has been famous for many pottery products, especially those in Bac Ninh, Hai Duong and Vinh Phuc provinces for hundreds of years.

Taking shape in the 14th century, Phu Lang pottery village in Bac Ninh Province is among three noted centers in the country with yellow enameled products made from soil and distinctive materials.

Travelers can explore how products are enameled, molded and baked. The ancient village of Phu Luu is the next destination where visitors will take a break and have vegetarian lunch at a local pagoda with delicious dishes such as spring rolls, pork rolls, sweetened lotus seeds, steamed sticky rice, and plain rice flan.

The trip also takes in Ly Bat De, or Do, temple where visitors can learn about the history of the Ly dynasty and Dinh Bang communal house, one of such most original Vietnamese-style houses in the Red River Delta.

Another package tour will bring tourists to the renowned painting village of Dong Ho in Thuan Thanh District in Bac Ninh Province.

Dong Ho artisans make paintings from completely natural materials such as paper made from mulberry trees, red color from half-baked bricks, yellow color from butterfly flowers and white color from ground snail shells.

It is rather complicated to make a Dong Ho painting as the artisan is required to take many steps, including painting and drying over and over again. Other craft villages like wood carving and printing are also worth visiting.

Vegetarian lunch featuring seafood-alike dishes such as salted fried "crab", snail" soup and rolled "eel" is available for tourists in Thanh Long pagoda or another local restaurant.

Then travelers continue the visit by dropping by Dau pagoda to learn about Buddhism in Vietnam and see the statue of the Bodhisattva with thousands of arms and eyes in But Thap pagoda.

Also recommended is a tour of the countryside along the Cau River, a populous and rich region with green fields, historical relics, vivid festivals and the cradle of the prosperous Ly dynasty.

The trip also includes stops at the centennial Phat Tich pagoda where the country's largest green-stone statue of Buddha is located, Ly Bat De temple, Thien Phuc pagoda.

What makes the trip a difference is the Dong Ky wood carving village in Tu Son District with ancient relics of over 500 years old and a sight of two giant Nhat and Nhi firecrackers above four supernatural creatures of dragon, unicorn, tortoise, and phoenix.

Interested visitors should book these one day tours at least three days before departure and don suitable outfits to visit pagodas. Each package is priced from US$30 to US$80 per person and children between three nine pay 75% of the price.

For more information, contact Lantours at 93 Nguyen Huu Huan Street, Hanoi City. Tel: (04) 246 6110

(Source: SGT)


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