Japan shows contemporary art works

As many as 42 contemporary art works made their debut in Vietnam at an exhibition opened on June 12 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The works by 11 Japanese artists covered including paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and video clips.

They focused on the daily life, highlighting the authors own sentiment and philosophy.

The exhibition titled “Future journey: Japan’s new generation fine arts”, jointly organised by the Japanese Consulate-General in HCM City and the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, will last till June 21.

(Source: VNA)

Five-star cruiser liner welcomed in HCMC

Saigontourist Travel Service Company welcomed five-star cruiser liner SuperStar Virgo with 3,188 passengers and crew on board, mostly from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, on June 8. This is the first time in a year the ship has visited Vietnam.

In HCMC, the holiday makers are scheduled to visit a number of places of interest, including historical sites, Cu Chi Tunnels and Ben Thanh Market, see water puppetry shows and enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

The cruiser liner will leave the city later that day and return to Vietnam on June 22.

In the first half of this year, Saigontourist welcomed over 37,000 visitors from major international cruise ships such as Amadea, Costa Romantica, Costa Classica, Costa Allegra and the SuperStar Virgo.

(Source: VNA)

Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism launching ''Hanoians warmly welcome guests'' and ''Green Tourism Year''

The Hanoi Deparment of Culture, Sports & Tourism on June 2nd, 2010 organized a conference to launch programme “Hanoians warmly welcome guests” and “Green Tourism Year”. This is one of the preparatory activities for the Thang Long – Ha Noi 1000th anniversary and National Tourism Year in Hanoi.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Diep – Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Mr. Nguyen Phu Duc – President of Vietnam Tourism Association, and representatives from The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism, district people’s committees in Hanoi, national and local press and representatives from hotels and tourism companies attended the conference.

Some main contents of the programme are as follow: enhancing local people’s awareness of respecting principles and laws; behaving friendly and culturally with foreign tourists; keeping public places clean and hygiene; spreading banners on environment protection and building a system of modern public restrooms. The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism, along with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Vietnam Tourism Association would well cooperate to make the programme successful.

At the conference, Mr. Truong Minh Tien, Deputy Director of The Hanoi Deparment of Culture, Sports & Tourism expected the participation of mass media to promote the programme.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Diep, Deputy Director General of VNAT highly estimated the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism’s initiative. She also pointed out that it is necessary for the Department’s leaders to manage well all the activities in the significant year of 2010, enhance tourism service quality, promote the values of local culture and history. She strongly believed that the programme would be a success.

(Source: TITC)

Photo expo to boost Delta ties

A photo exhibition that has opened in HCMC's Lam Son Park aims to promote co-operation between the Mekong Delta and HCMC by highlighting past achievements through such cooperation.

The Cooperative Achievement between the Mekong Delta and HCMC exhibition, held as part of the Mekong Delta Week in HCMC 2010, displays 120 photographs about the 13 delta provinces and their people and economic achievements.

Addressing the opening ceremony on June 1, Luu Phuoc Luong, Head of the city's Mekong Delta Week steering committee, said the exhibition reflects the socio-economic achievements through the cooperation between HCMC and the delta region.

The images of the delta and the city have been vividly captured by both professional and amateur photographers, he said. Nguyen Trung Tin, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the exhibition would play an important role in promoting the region's image in HCMC.

Lam Hoang Sa, Vice Chairman of the Kien Giang provincial People's Committee, said the exhibition coincides with the 120th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh. Organisers chose 120 photos to mark the anniversary, which fell on May 19.

HCMC, which has skilled human resources and is a big regional and global market, plays a key role in the socio-economic development of the south and, indeed, the country.

The delta region, favoured by nature in many ways, has enormous potential in aquaculture, food, shipbuilding, and services like trading, eco-tourism, transport, and finance.

The exhibition will go on until June 14.

(Source: VNA)

Exhibition presents 1,000 years of Vietnamese ceramic works

An exhibition of Vietnamese ceramics spanning 1,000 years and several dynasties has opened at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

Ngan Nam Gom Viet (A Thousand Years of Vietnamese Ceramics) features 260 artefacts that traces the development of national traditional ceramics during the reigns of the Ly, Tran, Earlier Le, Mac, Le Trung Hung (Later Le), and Nguyen dynasties.

The Ly and Tran dynasties, who reigned from the 11th to 15th century, were famous for jade-glazed bowls and tea pots, and glaze ceramics produced in different shades including green, white and brown.

The traditional vocation flourishes to this day in the craft villages of Bat Trang and Phu Lang in Hanoi and Bac Ninh Province, respectively.

White-and-blue glazed ceramics having a high, brown base with underglazed cobalt floral decorations were produced from the 15th to 18th century during the Le Dynasty as well as the Mac and Le Trung Hung dynasties.

The Nguyen Dynasty in 19th and 20th century, the last of the feudal rulers in Vietnam, saw the development of Vietnamese ceramics in southern region.

Lai Thieu in Binh Duong Province, Bien Hoa in Dong Nai Province and Cay Mai in HCMC’s Cho Lon (Big Market) emerged as famous centres of ceramic production.

The exhibition is being organised by the HCMC Museum, Vietnam History Museum in HCMC, HCMC Fine Arts Museum, Southern Women's Museum, HCMC Antiques Association and private collectors to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi.

(Source: VNA)

Vietnam welcomes more foreign tourists by sea

Saigontourist welcomed 2,100 tourists aboard the Costa Romantica cruise liner which anchored at the Navi Oil port, Ho Chi Minh City, on June 1.

The visitors, who are Italian, Spanish, British and German, will make a tour of Ho Chi Minh City and the central region, with main destinations being Danang, Hoi An, My Son and Hue, within three days.

In the first half of the year, Saigontourist received 37,000 sea visitors, mostly from the European countries.

(Source: VNA)

Southern Fruit Festival kicks off in HCMC

A fruit parade marked the start of Southern Fruit Festival at the Suoi Tien Cultural Tourist Park in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1. The festival is expected to help promote the potential for fresh fruit of Vietnam, especially of the southern region, contributing to upholding the unique culture of the country and promoting the image of Ho Chi Minh City as a tourist destination.

The event is also a chance for farmers and distributors to cement their ties with customers for their own benefits and help increase the value of Vietnamese fruits.

Prominent at the event, which attracts farmers from 18 cities and provinces, is a floating market made of 70 boats which sells 45 kinds of fruits at much below market prices, including some from the US and China.

The event will last until June 16. Specially, the floating market will run during summer vacation and is expected to attract one million visitors.

(Source: VNA)

Dynamic Mekong Delta featured in photo exhibition

The Secretariat of the Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation Forum and the Ho Chi Minh City Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism co-launched a photo exhibition at Lam Son Park in HCMC on June 1 to reflect the dynamism of the region.

At the exhibition, more than 120 photos by professional and amateur photographers from 13 provinces and cities in the region and HCMC depicts the life and attractiveness of the Mekong Delta and HCMC.

Its geographical location has given the delta many advantages in aquaculture, agriculture, mechanical engineering, shipping, food processing industries, ecotourism and transport.

The exhibition will last until June 14.

(Source: VOV)

HCMC stimulates tourism sector

To respond to the programme 2010 to stimulate the tourist industry, “Vietnam-Your Destination,” initiated by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, HCMC’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will organise and encourage a range of events to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

A campaign promoting cut price products will also be launched in August and September this year.

The department has also worked with Vietnam Airlines to offer discounts on domestic tours and encourage travel agencies to lower their prices by 10-30%.

Also, from now until the end of this year, the city’s tourism industry will begin to advertise in foreign markets to try and receive 2.6 million visitors.

In June, a delegation from HCMC will attend international fairs in Hong Kong and Cambodia and run advertising campaigns in Japan and the Republic of Korea.

(Source: VOV

Rare fruits to be displayed in HCMC

Some new and usual fruits will be on display at the Southern Fruit Festival which opens on June 1 at the Suoi Tien Cultural Tourist Park in HCMC. They include trai than ky (miraculous fruit) from Tien Giang Province which is reputed to make everything else eaten subsequently taste sweet too, La Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

Then there would be Cau Duc pineapples from Hau Giang, Dac Lac avocados from Buon Me Thuot, and Cam Cao mangoes from Dong Nai.

There would also be the usual suspects like Go Cong watermelons, Nam Roi Hoang Gia pomelos, An Phuoc plums, Long Khanh rambutans, and Ba Den custard apples.

A floating market made of 70 boats would sell 45 kinds of fruits at much below market prices, including some from the US and China.

"This year's festival will be much more interesting; with boats and sellers dressed in traditional southern outfits evoking images of the famous floating markets in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

"The estimated cost of the festival is VND4 billion (USD210,500), 25% higher than last year."

Also on display will be processed fruit products like jam, dried fruits, and fruit wine.

The market will last three months after opening on Saturday, while the festival itself will go on for just 16 days.

"Tourism authorities from Yunnan Province in China have said they would like to learn from Vietnam how to use fruits to promote tourism," Khanh said.

A procession will be held in which fairies and the monkey king of the Chinese fable Journey to the West escort 16 fruit genies to the festival venue to wish success.

Around 100 artisans will take part in an artistic fruit-carving contest. There will be a contest for the most delicious and hygienic fruits for farmers, Pham Thiet Hoa, Director of the city's Centre for Agricultural Consultancy and Support, said.

"The first contest, held last year, attracted 214 contestants. We expected to have 350 this year but have already received 458 entries," he said.

City supermarkets are waiting to strike deals with the winners who will get assistance to have their products certified as following Viet GAP (Vietnam Good Agricultural Practices), he added.

Long Phung Suoi Tien Restaurant chain will treat visitors to 30 delicious and unusual dishes made from fruit, including mangosteen salad with fried cuttlefish and steamed chicken with plum.

(Source: VNA)

Legend Saigon launches attractive weekend getaway package

The Legend Hotel Saigon is offering Vietnamese people and expatriates residing in Vietnam the Weekend Getaway Package for stays on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or public holidays at the price of nearly VND1.9 million++ (US$ 99++) for single or double occupancy in a Deluxe Room for the first night.

The package includes complimentary buffet breakfast (two persons) at the renowned Atrium Café, 10% discount on food and beverage consumption, 10% discount on massage, welcome drink, fruit basket, high-speed internet and use of the fitness center and swimming pool.

The package also offers flexibility and more time for relaxing with early check-in time from 11 a.m. (instead of after 2 p.m. as normal) and late check-out until 3 p.m. (instead of by 12 p.m.)

Guests who request more than one room per night or additional nights during the weekend or holiday will pay only VND1.6 million ++ per night for an additional room and around VND1.6 million ++ per night for following nights.

(Source: SGT)

Saigontourist promotes weekend-summer tours

Saigontourist Travel Service Company introduces new weekend tours for this summer

The tours include a one-day Can Gio Mangrove Forest tour, priced at VND432,000/tourist, and the two-day tour, priced at VND1,320,000, departing on weekend; a Vung Tau City tour, lasting two days, priced at VND1,550,000, departing from HCMC on Saturdays; a one-day Visiting Pagodas tour, priced at VND350,000, departing from Hanoi. Particularly, from April 1, Saigontourist increases domestic insurance premium for tourists that make domestic package tours departing from all over the country with the maximum insurance premium of VND60 million/tourist.

Over the past years, one- to two-day weekend tours of Saigontourist have attracted quite a few tourists. For more attractions in this summer, Saigontourist has launched three new journeys departing from HCMC and the Visiting Pagodas tours on weekend departing from Hanoi. The schedules are designed upon request or on Saturdays for groups of four tourists or more.

Weekend tours departing from HCMC and Can Gio feature attractive tourist destinations such as 25m-high Tang Bong Tower and Can Gio Forest to learn about mangrove forests and crocodile raising farm.

Vung Tau is also an ideal venue for relaxation on weekend. Tourists can take cable car to Lon Mountain to have a panoramic view of the coastal city with the sea, mountains and forests.

The north is endowed with famous sceneries, including well-known pagodas. Saigontourist-Hanoi introduces one-day Visiting Pagodas tours with a variety of selections, departing upon request, such as Mau Lang Son Temple, Bai Dinh-Trang An-Hoa Lu pagodas, Truc Lam Zen Monastery-Tay Thien-Biet Phu Thanh Chuong-Non Nuoc-Soc Temple, Tam Coc-Phat Diem and craft villages.

Saigontourist Travel Service Company

Add: 49 Le Thanh Ton St., Dist. 1, HCMC

Tel: (84-8) 3827 9279.

(Source: SGT)

Japan’s contemporary fine arts to be introduced in Vietnam

An exhibition of Japanese contemporary fine arts will be held for the first time in Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City from May 14-15.

The exhibition, themed “Journey to the Future: Fine Arts – New Generation of Japan”, will be organised by the Japan Foundation to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

On display will be 42 painting, sculpture, photography and video works by 11 Japanese contemporary artists that draw inspiration from the daily life of Japanese people.

The organising board said it hoped the exhibition will bring fresh impressions about on the Japanese contemporary fine arts in particular and the art in general to Vietnamese audiences.

(Source: VNA)

Germany helps fund four restoration projects

The German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City has announced four cultural conservation and training projects in Vietnam, an indication of the support and cooperation in culture between the two countries.

The projects are part of a programme by the German Foreign Ministry to preserve Vietnam’s cultures, including the conservation and restoration of the An Dinh Palace, King Tu Duc’s Tomb in the imperial ancient city of Hue, the Tran Dang communal house in Hanoi and the tower at Canh Tien in the central province of Binh Dinh.

The An Dinh Palace was the first site that the German restorers (the Germany Conservation Restoration and Education Project - GCREP) developed an on the job training/certification scheme for restorers. The 290,000 EUR project was carried out in several phases from 2003–2008 by two German not-for-profit organisations, said Andrea Teufel, the project’s director and head of the restoration team.

The conservation and restoration at the An Dinh Palace was conducted strictly to UNESCO standards and mainly focused on wall and ceiling paintings.

The project also ran a training course for 15 Vietnamese trainees.

Another project in Hue City was the restoration of the gate and panels of King Tu Duc’s tomb at a cost of EUR 110,000. This project also included training for Vietnamese workers.

The 700-year-old communal house in the ancient village of Tran Dang in suburban Hanoi was restored and preserved by the GCREP and Vietnamese architect Ly Truc Dung. The restoration process received 90,000 EUR in funding from Germany.

The fourth project is the restoration of the tower at Canh Tien in Binh Dinh which dates back to the XII century.

Dang Huu Tho, the Director of the provincial Conservation Centre, said Canh Tien, which is located in Do Ban citadel, is an outstanding example of Binh Dinh Cham architecture and attracts many tourists.

The project, which costs a total of 8 billion VND, is scheduled to be competed by December this year. Germany provided financial assistance to the tune of VND 2 billion (EUR 100,000), added Tho.

(Source: VNA)

Five-star resort gets off ground in Danang

The five-star residential-commercial-hotel complex Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa got off the ground on May 4 in the central coast city of Danang for completion in 2013, said the investor Saigon-Danang Investment Corporation.

The 12ha resort project in Son Tra-Dien Ngoc Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District comprises of deluxe villas, residences and five-star hotels with a total investment of approximately US$110 million. Key components include some 350 five-star hotel rooms, 149 apartments and 48 villas for sales and rent.

Other auxiliary facilities in the complex include a gymnasium, swimming pool, groceries, beverage restaurants, indoor recreational center, and spas among others. The total floor space of the complex is over 125,000m².

The project is the ideal destination for tourists since it serves as the connection between Ngu Hanh Son and the three world cultural heritage sites namely Hoi An Ancient City, My Son Sanctuary and Hue Ancient Capital.

Kinh Bac City Development Share-holding Corporation (KBC), under Saigon Invest Group, is the biggest shareholder of Saigon-Danang Investment Corporation, investor of the Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa.

KBC is also the biggest shareholder of Saigon-Dalat Tourism JSC, investor of the would-be Sheraton Dalat Resort complex consisting of deluxe villas, residences and the Sheraton Hotel in Dalat City.

KBC last year signed a letter of intent with the leading international hotel management company Starwood Group under which the latter would manage the two five-star hotels including Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa.

According to the agreement, KBC would have Starwood manage its Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa in the central city of Danang and Sheraton Dalat Resort in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Meanwhile, Sheraton Dalat Resort with total investment of some US$40 million is located on an 18ha area near the center of the resort city of Dalat.

The development of deluxe resorts is a further bold step of KBC into the tourism industry following the company’s initial investment in several other hospitality projects, including Robin Hill Resort in Dalat, Lagi Resort & Spa – Ham Tan in Binh Thuan, and Danang Luxury Resort in Danang.

(Source: SGT)

A day floating on Cai Be Market

With the newly opened HCMC-Trung Luong expressway, Tien Giang Province is now just over 40 minutes drive from HCMC. Tourists who like eco-tourism will find many places in Tien Giang Province that will interest them, including the Cai Be floating market.

For anyone unfamiliar, the floating market is a strange concept. However, visitors will understand as soon as they see the boats filled with vegetables, fruit and various consumer goods running back and forth along the river that runs through Cai Be Town to make sales transactions, from early morning until late in the evening.

Tourists can hire a powerboat to sail along the river to experience exactly how buoyant and animated a floating market is. Cai Be Market begins from about 5 a.m. as merchandisers purchase their goods there and then sail to other provinces. It is currently one of the biggest wholesale markets in the Mekong Delta region.

The wooden boats sell flowers and agricultural products, domestic goods and food. On the deck of one boat, we can see a family and even some dogs, pigs and chickens as the boat is their mobile home. The boats can stop to bank at land whenever and wherever their drivers like.

Tourists can also enjoy their breakfast, a hot bowl of Hu tiu My Tho (My Tho-style noodle soup) with a dark coffee, on the boats.

The special market forms on the place that meets the river flows of Vinh Long, Tien Giang and Ben Tre and gathers hundreds of boats which carry goods, especially agricultural goods from other provinces, including Vinh Long sweet potatoes and Hau Giang pumpkins. Cai Be Town, where those rivers cross, is renowned for its fruit including the terracotta colored oranges, the sweet Hoa Loc mangoes or Xa Li guavas.

Tourists need not ask what each boat sells, as products are clearly visible, allowing customers to choose the boat they would like to see.

Alongside the floating markets are houses and construction sites built close to the river or even on the banks, as people there mostly earn their living by fishing or selling products on boats. At sunset, sailing along the river to contemplate the old and new buildings casting shadows on the water will give tourists unforgettable memories.

After sailing on the river for a while, tourists can drop by a farmer’s house to take a rest, spending the day in fruit farms, tasting local cuisine and produce, and listening to old stories.

For those who have a tight schedule, visiting Cai Be floating market or the fruit farms will only take one day.

(Source: SGT)

Peace at the end of the road

Memories of a battle-torn Cu Chi in her youth, when she fought in the tunnels, have spurred a veteran soldier to turn the land into a park to preserve its history.

Brighter times: The 22.5ha park contains 53 traditional houses from different parts of the country.

Tran Thi Tuyet Nga first arrived in Cu Chi in 1961 when the area was peaceful and plentiful. When she went back 10 years later, Cu Chi was a desolate battlefield during the American War, where nothing could survive above ground. Nga lived in a tunnel, fought and witnessed thousands of comrades sacrifice their lives.

Her memories of those times inspired her. She had a dream to build something wonderful there and in 1991 the first bricks were transported to Bo Cap (Scorpion) pier, Phu Binh Hamlet, An Phu Commune, Cu Chi District.

It has taken 18 years of hard work, determination and sacrifice and nearly VND100 billion (around US$7 million) for Nga and her partners to convert the swampy, crater-filled battleground into the attractive "A Glance of Viet Nam" tourism park.

Covering 22.5ha, the park contains 53 houses, 8km of road and 2.3km of irrigation canal. The designers had to use 700,000cu.m of fill and 4,000 cajuput piles to reclaim it from the swamp. Nga’s vision was to make a place that celebrated everything that Viet Nam had to offer.

On the boardwalk: Many structures have been built at the tourism park.

The temple for country is the most exciting place. The mortar used to build the altar contains soil and water taken from famous landmarks of Viet Nam, including the country’s most northern part of Lung Cu Mountain in Ha Giang; Dien Bien Phu where the army was victorious against the French; Co Loa ancient citadel – the legendary capital of ancient Viet Nam; and Truong Son National Cemetery, where 10,000 War martyrs are laid to rest.

"The temple for country is the place where we pray for a strong and wealthy Viet Nam," Nga, chairwoman of the park, said.

Outside the temple, three ironwood piles from the Bach Dang River in the northern port city of Hai Phong are on display.

They were used by General Ngo Quyen to defeat the Chinese navy’s invasion in 938.

An exhibition has displays of artifacts from the Dinh, Le, Ly and Tran dynasties, and various wars over the past several thousand years.

There is a 55m long map of Viet Nam with surrounds designed like a Vietnamese bronze drum.

One of the park’s great achievements is the selection of traditional houses from different parts of the country – a typical northern house, a traditional southern residence, a mud house from the central province of Binh Dinh, a ruong wooden dwelling from Hue, a rong long house from the central highlands, and a long house of the E De ethnic people.

All houses here were made of local materials using workers from the area.

Leafy environment: About 500 different types of trees, including 50 kinds of bamboo are planted in the park.

"We want everything to be as real as possible. I hope the collection will be meaningful for visitors," Nga said.

The park is also set up like a craft village featuring craftspeople doing rattan and silk weaving, wood carving, aquaculture rice cultivation, ornamental planting, embroidery and conical hat making. The craftspeople have been brought from their villages and are happy to talk about how they do it. "I’ve lived and worked here for eight years. My job is much more stable than if I worked outside," wood craftsman Nguyen Thanh Trung said.

The park also has a collection of 500 different types of trees, including 50 kinds of bamboo.

"Viet Nam is the home of bamboo and we aim to make more products from it," Nga added.

Restaurants serve food from the three regions.

Recently the park has included music and dance performances by young Thai ethnic women from the northern province of Yen Bai.

A traditional playground lets children see the games their ancestors played when they were kids.

"The park is good for families to discover their culture and history," Nguyen Van My, director of Lua Viet Tour company, said.

"We would like to do something for the land. It is a way for us to promote our culture in a unique way," Nga said.

The tourism park is 60km from downtown HCM City.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

Minutes in stillness and peace at Giac Lam Pagoda

Giac Lam Pagoda, built in 1744 and considered the oldest pagoda in HCMC, is recommended as a place to learn about traditional culture and architecture.

Tourists visit Giac Lam Pagoda in HCMC's Tan Binh District

Located on 17,000 square meters, the pagoda is dressed up in Chinese architecture in combination with traditional southern Vietnamese décor and features a garden, yard, sanctum, meditation area, altars and a charnel house.

The sanctum, where believers worship Sakyamunin and the 18 Arhats, is most striking and attracts a great deal of attention from tourists visiting the site. Here, visitors can contemplate 113 Buddha statues. Seven are made of bronze and the rest are wooden. They are divided into two sets: large and small. The small set was sculpted in the seventeenth century with portraits and typical facial features of Chinese people. The large set was made in the eighteenth century with portraits and typical facial features of Vietnamese.

“Just apart from a short path, but the pagoda’s space is cozy and still, distinguished from the outside busy atmosphere. At the sanctum, firstly I can discover the culture, next the history of the nation, as well as of Buddhism, clearly presented in the décor of each statue, pillar and each decoration on the walls and roof,” said Stephan Lanz, a tourist from Switzerland.

The tranquil world is enhanced by a tree border and a garden with a lot of kinds of flowers and bonsai. Locals visit the pagoda every day to worship Buddha, enjoy the fresh air and relax and experience the sacred atmosphere of the sanctuary.

For foreign tourists, this is a place to explore Vietnamese culture and history as the pagoda has been recognized as a national relic.

Whoever wants to stay overnight to experience the praying monks and locals are welcomed by the pagoda manager who will serve free vegetarian food.

The pagoda is located at 118 Lac Long Quan Street in HCMC’s Tan Binh District and is open daily from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

(Source: SGT)