Hanoi comes alive in autumn

Hanoi will celebrate its 1,000th anniversary and 56th Liberation Day on
October 10, making it an ideal time for tourists to explore the city.

Sai Gon Tourist Company is offering typical tours to favourite
destinations in the north including the Hanoi-Autumn season, Ancient
citadels of Vietnam, Sa Pa and Ha Long in Autumn.

Annually, the HCM City-based travel agency organises seasonal tours –
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – to tourism sites throughout the
northern provinces.

But this year, the Hanoi-Autumn season
is seen as the most attractive programme as it coincides with the
city's millennium celebrations.

"We hope tourists will
have more chances to witness numerous cultural festivities in Hanoi
during autumn. It's a special time," said a marketing staff of the
company, Hoang Thuy Linh.

"The Hanoi-Autumn programme has
hosted around 12,000 tourists since early this year and hundreds of
foreigners have flocked to the city this season," Linh added.

She also said the capital had lured tourists with the season of fruits, com (young sticky rice) flake and cool weather.

The travel agency began preparing the tour last year to meet the increasing demand to visit Hanoi.

The four day and three night tour will depart from HCM City and wind
through the Trang An tourism site in Ninh Binh Province, Hanoi and Ha
Long Bay.

It costs 4.2 million VND (215 USD) per person.

After arriving in the capital, tourists will visit the four historic
temples of Bach Ma (White Horse); Linh Lang, or Voi Phuc (Crouching
Elephant); Tran Vu and Kim Lien – the homes of the four gods of the
former royal capital – before touring part of the Royal Thang Long
Citadel and the Temple of Literature.

A pedestrian route from the Quan Chuong Gate and exploring the city's Old Quarter will close the first tour day.

"Tourists will go shopping at the biggest whole sale market of Dong
Xuan in the middle of the Old Quarter, which is a symbol of the ancient
capital," said head of the agency's Hanoi office Nguyet Nga.

The centre of Hanoi will be the main visit for the tour second day with
a visit to sites around Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake such as Ngoc
Son Temple and turtle tower.

"The lake is also the heart
of Hanoi and visitors can experience a quiet moment as they walk around
the lake and see the trees in the autumn.

The most visited
places during the day are buildings dating back to the French colonial
times including 1902-built Long Bien Bridge; the Opera House built in
1911 and 1931-constructed Museum of Vietnamese history.

The existence of buildings provides real samples of the capital's varied history.

Travellers can ask tour guides to take them to the night market, which
opens at 7pm and closes at midnight in Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets,
which were the former silk trading centre of ancient town.

The third day will start with a two-hour visit to the Ho Chi Minh
Mausoleum and One Pillar Pagoda before going to Ha Long Bay – the World
Natural Heritage Site.

The seasonal programme also includes the vestiges of ancient imperial cities in a trip to the ancient capitals.

According Sai Gon Tourist's marketing section, Doan Thi Thanh Tra, the
tour offers visits to the former capitals of Hue, Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh,
Co Loa and the UNESCO recognised Thang Long Royal citadel in Hanoi.

"We have intentionally arranged destinations in a combined tour, to
help tourists gain a deeper understanding of Vietnamese history," Tra
explained.

"The destinations are quite well-known to
Vietnamese people, but we link a string of citadels that were built from
the country's foundation to the current capital."

Arriving in Hanoi on the morning flight, tourists will take a visit to
Co Loa spiral Citadel, which was built in the third century BC.

From Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi, visitors will return to
country's former capital of Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh Province – 100km south
of Hanoi – in 968-1010.

"Hoa Lu was a capital nearly half
century before it was moved to Hanoi by King Ly Thai To. The route will
provide a real historical story of the former capital at Hoa Lu and
Hanoi today," Tra explained.

The former imperial capital of Hue will be the last place visited on the fourth day.

A night cruise on the Huong River with folk music will help people
relax prior to their departure for peaceful mind for HCM City.

Visit www.saigontourist.net for more information./.

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Numerous activities to be held during Hanoi’s anniversary

Hanoi will organise firework displays in 29 locations on Oct. 10 to mark
the grand ceremony of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The 15-minute fireworks will be set off following the
end of an artistic fireworks programme at the My Dinh National Stadium
in Tu Liem district on Oct. 10.

Four locations for
high-range display will include Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoan Kiem
district), Ly Tu Trong Garden (Tay Ho district), Thong Nhat
Park (Hai Ba Trung district), and Van Quan Lake (Ha Dong district).

The other 24 locations will be for low-range displays.

Some 31,000 people will participate in the march and parade at the Ba Dinh Square on Oct. 10 to mark the event.

Over 12,000 army soldiers and officers, police and local security force with 10 helicopters will join the march.

The
demonstration will be the largest in Vietnam to display forces and
achievements of Hanoi and the country over the past 1,000 years,
especially those in the national renewal process, the honour of
civilised and heroic capital and the city of peace.

According to
Le Tien Tho, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event
will begin with a torch procession from the Ho Chi Minh Museum to his
mausoleum and light up at the torch tower. After the tower was light up,
a ceremony to salute the national flag and shooting of 21 battery
salvos will take place. Later, there will be an art performance on
Hanoi .

The event which will be broadcast live by the Vietnam Television will conclude by pigeon and balloon release by 1,000 children.

On Sept. 28, procession of Vietnam ’s largest embroidered picture to Hanoi completed.

Embroidery
artisans held a ceremony to offer the picture as gift for Hanoi ’s
birthday. Pham Quang Nghi, municipal Party Committee Secretary, on
behalf of Hanoi received the gift.

The 4m-long and 3m-wide picture was made by nine artisans of XQ Da Lat embroidery painting company during 1000 days.

The embroidered picture features a brilliant lotus and the letter “S”
for Vietnam in the lotus lake, with a temple, clouds, moon, cranes,
and old villages.

Also on Sept. 28, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) opened a photo exhibition on the 1,000 year-old capital city.

On
display are 100 photos by VNA reporters and its freelance
photographers. They depict Hanoi now and then, President Ho Chi
Minh and Party and government leaders with Hanoi , as well as
historical events of the capital city.

The exhibition will run until Oct. 2.

For the same purpose, a ceramic statue of the old tortoise of Hoan
Kiem Lake made by artisan Tran Do from Hanoi ’s Bat Trang
Pottery Village was handed to the Hanoi Culture-Sports-Tourism
Department on Sept. 28.

The 4-tonne tortoise was made as a replica of the tortoise which is being displayed at the Ngoc Son temple.

The same day, the delegation of Hanoi’s Party’s and People’s
Committees, People’s Council and Fatherland Front paid floral tributes
to Kings Dinh and Le at their temples and King Ly Thai To stele in the
northern province of Ninh Binh on the occasion of the capital’s
birthday.

Hoa Lu is the first ancient capital of the
feudal Vietnamese State and the firm military stronghold of the
Dinh, pre-Le and Ly dynasties for 42 years. One year after ascending the
throne, King Ly Thai To decided to move the capital city from Hoa Ly to
Thang Long (now Hanoi) in 1010./.

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Cartoon on legendary Hanoi founder to screen

A cartoon on a legendary Emperor, who founded Thang Long capital, now Hanoi, is scheduled to air on September 17.

The film, entitled “Dragon’s Son”, is the first long cartoon using 3D
technology in Vietnam,  Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, Executive Director of
the Cinematography Association Studio said at a press briefing in
Hanoi on September 13.

The 90-minute footage is
about the childhood of King Ly Thai To, or Ly Cong Uan at birth, who
founded the 216-year-long Ly Dynasty in 1009.

Painters have animated over 30 characters, designed 20 major scenes and conducted almost 850 acts.

Director Pham Minh Tri said the “Dragon’s Son” is “100 percent
Vietnamese”, from sounds to music and costumes. The cartoon is
characterised by northern countryside sceneries such as banian trees,
ferry stations, pagodas and buffalo boys playing and fishing.

Ly Cong Uan was born at Co Phap Pagoda, in the village of same name, Bac Ninh province, in 974.

At the age of 3, his mother took him to the pagoda for monks there to
bring him up. He was named Ly Cong Uan by the monks and became a monk.

Under the protection and support of Ly Van Hanh, also
known as Van Hanh monk, who was a respected monk in the holy Anterior Le
Dynasty court, Uan came to the capital and took several promotions to
the Left Guard-Commander of the Anterior Citadel, a high rank in the
army system. In 1009, Le Ngoa Trieu, the last king of the Anterior Le
Dynasty died under the wrath of the people because of the ferocity and
cruelty brought on them in his time. Dao Cam Moc, a senior official, and
Vạn Hạnh monk used their power to enthrone Ly Cong Uan without any
debate, beginning the Ly Dynasty.

The then capital Hoa Lu in
the northern province of Ninh Binh was a tiny area with craggy
geography bounded by mountain ranges, which had been suitable for a
turbulent era but was not conducive to peacetime development and growth.
Ly Thai To chose to move the capital to a broader area lying in the
flat alluvial delta named Dai La, now Hanoi . In 1010, he began the
move and while travelling from the former capital to the new land, he
saw a Yellow Dragon ascending, so he changed the new land's name from
Dai La to Thang Long.

Vietnam is
celebrating the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi on October
10, which is called the Grand Festival./.

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Fleeting Hanoi moments captured by capital native

Photographer Nguyen Duc Loi showed visitors photos of Hanoi that
are part of his private exhibition at Nguyen Hong street.

One photo captures Guom (Sword) Lake during autumn. Another image
captures a barber cutting a client's hair in a small alley.

To Loi each photo contains a story or a memoir about the capital.

"We do not know what we have until it is gone forever. It is my desire
to capture those lost moments that will never return," said Loi.

In order to catch unique images, Loi usually works early in the
morning and wanders around into the late hours of the night.

The 65-year-old man first studied electrical engineering at the Hanoi
University of Science and Technology before he was infatuated by
photographs.

"It was photography that chose me," he said.

A few of the patrons were curious why most of his photos concentrated
on capturing labourers as well as the contrast between black and white.

"I was born to a poor family, so I know deeply
about poor people, who have to struggle to make it through the day," Loi
said. "I also want to emphasise the difference between the rich and the
poor through colours."

Nguyen Huy Thong, a
journalist, photography critic and friend of Loi's, said that each of
Loi's photographs revealed extraordinary scenes that people hardly
notice.

"My friends and Loi's family members are
willing to support him since we know he wants to do something for
Hanoi ," said Thong.

Loi has taken 2,000 photos of
Hanoi . The pictures will be compiled into books that are dedicated
to the 1,000th anniversary of the capital this year./.

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