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Vinh Phuc
Area: 1,373.2 sq. km.
Population: 1,180.4 thousand habitants (2006)
Capital: Vinh Yen City.
Administrative divisions:
- Town: Phuc Yen
- Districts: Lap Thach, Tam Duong, Binh Xuyen, Vinh Tuong, Yen Lac, Me Linh, Tam Dao.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), San Diu, San Chay, Tay...
Introduction: Geography, Tourism, Transportation.
Attraction:
- Historical & Cultural Vestiges: Binh Son Tower.
- Scenic Landscapes: Dai Lai Lake, Tam Dao National Park, Tam Dao Resort.
- Cultural Travel: Bach Luu Festival, Bach Tru (Ke Bach) Festival, Bo Sao Village Festival, Cuu Ap Village Festival, Duc Bac Festival, Ha Loi Temple Festival, Mau Lan Festival, Rung Festival, Tho Tang Village Spring Festival, Thuong Lap Festival, Tich Son Temple Festival, Yen Lap Festival (in the fifth lunar month), Yen Lap Festival (in the fourth lunar month).
- Sport & Entertainment: Tam Dao Golf and Resort.
Geography
 Located in the Plains and Midland in the North Vietnam, Vinh Phuc Province is surrounded by Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen provinces in the north, Hanoi in the east, Ha Tay Province in the south, and Phu Tho Province in the west.
Topography includes midland, plain, and low hill. There are four large rivers: Hong (Red), Lo, Pho Day, and Ca Lo. On the north, Tam Dao range is natural provincial line between Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc. On the south, Hong (Red) River separates Vinh Phuc from Ha Tay.
Vinh Phuc has favorable conditions of climate. Annual average temperature is 23.4ºC. Especially, Tam Dao Mountains is in a vast high mountainous region affected by tropical humid monsoons with average temperature of 21ºC.
Tourism
Vinh Phuc attracts lot of tourists to various following beautiful landscapes. Tam Dao Tourist Resort is an ideal summer resort in the North, located 900m above sea-level. It is a wonderful resort with fresh, pure and cooling air, beautiful scenery. Many modern accommodations are built here to serve tourists.
Nearby, Tam Dao National Park is unforgettable address. The vegetation cover is representative of five types of tropical forest. The flora consists of 904 species and the rich fauna includes 307 species.
At the foot of Tam Dao Mountain, Dai Lai Lake is an artificially created lake. Dai Lai is blessed with a favorable climate, cool summer and warm winter. Over the lake lies a 3-hectare island which is home of difference kinds of birds. Tourists also enjoy panoramic view of the lake from top of Than Lan Mountain.
Located 90km from Tam Dao, Tay Thien Site is well-known with beauty of forests, streams, waterfalls, and grottoes.
Transportation
Road, waterway, railway are very convenient. Vinh Phuc is on railway route: Hanoi - Vinh Phuc - Phu Tho- Yen Bai - Lao Cai. There is National Highway No.2 linking to Phu Tho. Vinh Yen City is 63km from Hanoi, about 30km from Noi Bai International Airport.
Attraction
1) Historical & Cultural Vestiges
Location: Binh Son Tower is located In Binh Son Village, Lap Thach District, Vinh Phuc Province, and 150km from Hanoi.
Characteristics: Binh Son Tower is a unique architectural, which erected during the Ly-Tran period that has been conserved in its original design.
This 16m tower has 11 floors, each with a curved roof. The tower is empty on the inside and located on a square platform.
The tower was built with solid red bricks and its foundations were built with Vo bricks. The surface of the fine Vo bricks is dark and has flower imprints. These features create a harmonious building style, suitable to different architectural trends.
The tower was restored in 1972 after a landslide caused the tower to sink to one side. Although the tower’s foundations were raised 4m higher than they were before the landslide, all the architectural attributes of the tower were kept intact.
2) Scenic Landscapes
Location: Dai Lai Lake is situated at the foot of Tam Dao Mountain in Me Linh District, 50km from Hanoi.
Characteristics: Dai Lai Lake is an artificially created lake with 525ha.
Over the lake lies a 3-hectare island and the highest point of the island is  more than 23m, which is home to different kinds of birds. To the west and southwest of the lake stands Than Lan Mountain. Atop the mountain, one can get a panoramic view of the lake. Many enchanting artificial beaches line along the clear and blue water, under the foot of different hills.
Dai Lai constitutes a holiday resort for Vinh Phuc Province and its neighborhood. Dai Lai is blessed with a favorable climate, cool summers and warm winters. Fascinating extras comprise natural landscapes of stunning beauty. In its vicinity, the Ngoc Thanh Forest covers 500ha of natural forests and 300ha of newly grown ones, sheltering a diversified flora and fauna. The alluring Dai Lai is attracting more and more holiday-makers.
Location: The centre of this natural park is located in Ho Son Commune, Tam Duong District, and 70km northwest of Hanoi.
Characteristics: Located on the Tam Dao mountain range, the park covers an area of 36,883ha.
The Tam Dao National Park can be reached if you follow National Road No.2 to Vinh Yen Town (Vinh Phuc Province) where you should turn right into National Road No. 2B and go head about 13km.
Tam Dao is in a vast high mountainous region affected by tropical humid monsoons. The average temperature during the year is 22.9oC. The mean humidity is about 84%. The vegetation cover is representative of five types of tropical forest. The flora consists of 904 species classified into 478 geniuses and 213 families of high plants, 64 of which are listed in Vietnam’s Red Book. The rich fauna includes 307 species, 56 of which are registered in Vietnam’s Red Book (22 mammal species, 17 reptile species, 9 bird species, 7 amphibian species and the remainder of insects).
Location: Tam Dao Resort is located in Tam Duong District, 86km from Hanoi, between Ban Thach, Thien Nhi, and Phu Nghia Mountains.
 Characteristics: Tam Dao Resort is a wonderful resort with fresh, pure and cooling air, beautiful scenery.
Tam Dao Resort is the ideal destination for vacations in the North with an area of 235ha lying at the attitude of 900m above sea level. It has been known since the Ly and Tran dynasties for its wonderful scenic spots. However, it was not transformed into a resort by the French until the 20th century (1904–1906). In Tam Dao, there are villas, hotels, restaurants, sports fields, swimming pools, and dancing halls.
The weather is cool all year round with an average temperature of 20 to 22°C. In summer, tens of thousands of tourists visit Tam Dao to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
3) Cultural Travel
Time: The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Place: Bach Luu Commune, Lap Thach District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: La Cong Lo - the General who had merit of fighting Trieu Van Vuong troops.
Characteristics: Sacrifice - offering ceremony, buffalo fighting.
Time: 9th to the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.
Place: Tien Thang Commune, Me Linh District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: My Nuong, and Cong Son - a general of Hai Ba Trung.
Characteristics: Procession of Ba's palanquin, sacrifices-offering ceremony, banh giay making contest.
Time: From the 15th to the 16th day of the fifth lunar month.
Place: Bo Sao Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: Dong Hai Dai Vuong.
Characteristics: Game of farming performance: villagers play in role of ploughman, raking people, rice seeds sowing people...
On the 16th day of the fifth lunar month, there is a procession of rice seeding on palanquin to Duong Temple, the tray of rice seeding is put on the cult of table to worship god, after that cultivate them.
Time: The 10th day of the fifth lunar month.
Place: Lien Chau Commune, Yen Lac District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: Tam Giang Dai Vuong Tho Lenh.
Characteristics: Custom of vying for silk-worms while racing boat: the racing boats start from Chai Communal House to Xuan Vien Village in the other bank of the river then vying for silk-worms for good luck.
Time: The 1st day of the second lunar month and from the 11th day to the 12th day of the sixth lunar month.
Place: Duc Bac Commune, Lap Thach District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: Thanh Ong, Princess Bat Nan (General of Hai Ba Trung) and the ancestor of xoan singing.
Characteristics: Cau dinh ceremony (pray for giving birth a son), racing boats to Phuong Lau (the other bank of the river) then striking for the basket of rice (or sheaf of rice seeds) and return, xoan singing (folk song of Vinh - Phu Provinces).
Time: 6th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Ha Loi Village, Me Linh Commune, Me Linh District, Vinh Phuc Province
Objects of worship: Hai Ba Trung.
Characteristics: Procession of palanquin and change palanquin, offering day cake.
Every year, Ha Loi Temple opens festival on the day that Hai Ba Trung had offering flag to set up the movement in Me Linh Commune now, where Trung Trac took her throne.
Processions of the palanquins of Mrs. Trung Trac, Ms. Trung Nhi - the village's tutelary god, Mr. Cot Tung, two white elephants, one pink horse, one white horse. In the processions, people sing and dance old song. It is said that these old songs have in Trung Sisters time to encourage soldiers. The festival has a custom of offering day cake, wrestling contest, playing human chess, swinging... and many other traditional games. The custom of changing palanquin reflects the feudal perception of hierarchy "Noi gia huynh de, ngoai quoc quan than" (it means in the family, Thi Sach was the superman authority, whereas with respect to the country at large Trung Trac was the monarch).
Time: The 12th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Place: Khai Quang Commune, Vinh Yen Town, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god.
Characteristics: Dance of offering to god, the rite of battle sacrifice: two people cut off pig's head, take pig's head to dance offering god (at night), mo dance (thing symbolizing male and female genitals).
Time: 6th day of the first lunar month to the 10th day of the second lunar month.
Place: Van Trung Village, Thuong Trung Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Characteristics: Spring market; sell and buy things for lucky; boat racing; sticks fighting; rice cooking contest; trach catching in a big jar.
An un-married couple with their hands on each other's shoulder while other hands put into the big jar to try to catch the trach (girgs) inside.
Time: 14th to the 23rd day of the first lunar month (Spring Festival) and the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month (ceremony of giving a feast to long-lived people - 55 years old).
Place: Tho Tang Communal House, Tho Tang Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: Worship the God of Earth (Nuoi Na), Lau Ho Hau (who had merit of fighting Yuan-Mongolian aggressors), Phung Thi Dung tien nuong.
Characteristics: A procession, wrestle, Chinese chess.
Time: 10th day of the first lunar month.
Place: Tan Tien Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: General Cao Nguyen (under Hai Ba Trung movement).
Characteristics: Perform the game of phet pushing.
Time: 3rd day of the first lunar month.
Place: Tich Son Temple, Tich Son Ward, Vinh Yen City, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: 7 gods of Lo Binh Son.
Characteristics: Contest of throwing to the pig, rice cooking contest and tug of war contest.
Time: From the 25th to the 27th day of the fifth lunar month.
Place: Yen Lap Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: Dang Dao Song Nga - the god in the after-world who always support and assist Hai Ba Trung.
Characteristics: Presenting to the saint ceremony; welcoming him to enjoy the festival on three joined boats; trai racing.
Time: The 21st of the fourth lunar month.
Place: Yen Lap Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province.
Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god.
Characteristics: Banh giay feast, sword dance, buffalo fighting.
4) Sport & Entertainment
Location: Tam Dao Golf and Resort is located in the beautiful mountain resort area of Tam Dao in Vinh Phuc Province; 45km northwest of Noi Bai Airport and 65km northwest of Hanoi.
Characteristic: The 18-hole Championship golf course has been designed by IMG - the world's largest sports management company, opening on 2 September 2005. Tam Dao Golf and Resort is constructed to ensure playing conditions equal to the finest golf courses in the world.
Set amongst the spectacular scenery of the Tam Dao mountain area, a golf course consisting of lakes, running streams and strategic bunkering will provide a challenge for golfers. A variety of tee boxes on every hole will cater for players of all levels and from the championship tees, measuring over 7,200 yards(6,600m) experienced amateurs and professionals will be required to use every club in the bag to conquer the challenging par 72 layout. In addition to the golf course design Salam Paspalum grassed fairways and Sea Isle 2000 Paspalum greens will ensure an ideal playing surface all year round.
After a day of golf, members and guests will experience a level of luxury unparalleled in Vietnam in a clubhouse of over 10,000m² with facilities to rival those of the finest hotels and clubhouses in Asia. You can live in luxurious locker rooms complete with full-length lockers, saunas and Jacuzzis, enjoying Asian and European cuisine at one of three restaurants or just a relaxing drink at one of the two bars after game.
(Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) |
