HAI PHONG
Hai Phong is a large port and the Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Portuguese have been coming here to trade for centuries. Nowadays, it is still a commercial centre, an industrial city and an important transportation hub. Moreover, visitors can enjoy a lot of beautiful landscape as well as interesting festivals such as Cat Ba Island, Do Son Beach, the buffalo fight festival, etc., just to name a few.
Hang Kenh Communal House is located on Hang Kenh St., and was built in 1856 and expanded in 1905. It is known for its valuable wooden sculptures, of which there are 156 pieces with dragons as the main theme. Altogether, there are 308 dragons of different shapes and sizes. The pagoda also houses a statue of Ngo Quyen and a palanquin. Every year on the 16th–18th of the 2nd lunar month, ritual ceremonies and festivals are held at the communal house attracting large crowds.
Hang Kenh Tapestry Factory was founded in 1929 by two French businessmen; it was the first carpet factory in Vietnam named “Tapis Hang Kenh”. Nowadays, the Hang Kenh Tapestry Factory has become the most well-known hand-made woollen carpet manufacturer and exporter with the biggest quantity and the best quality in Vietnam. A visit to the factory will give visitors a view of the assembly line of hand-made production which still remains the traditional way.
Municipal Theatre Square also called the Great Theatre was built in 1904 in the heart of Hai Phong. The entire project was supervised by the French; the materials were imported and the architects were French. The theatre is a two-story building with a seating capacity of 400. Especially, the ceiling is ornamented with flower frescos and the names of famous writers and artists. All great festivities of the city are held in the Municipal Theatre Square.
Cat Ba National Park is some 50 km east of Hai Phong and 5,400 hectares of adjacent inland water were declared a national park in order to protect the island’s diverse ecosystems. These include tropical evergreen forests, fresh water swampy forests, coastal mangrove forests, small fresh water lakes, sandy beaches, caves and off-shore coral reefs. Cat Ba is accessible by hydrofoil in 1 hour from Hai Phong.
Du Hang Pagoda is located in Le Chan District, 2 km south-east of the centre of Hai Phong. It was built during the Early Le Dynasty (980-1009). King Tran Nhan Tong, a devout Buddhist, used to preach at this pagoda. Though it has been repaired and restored several times, it remains a good example of traditional Vietnamese architecture and sculpture. The pagoda is now listed as a historical site containing many relics, including Buddha statues, bronze urns, bells, gongs, and especially the prayer book of Trang A Ham, an ancient Buddhist script.
Do Son Beach is located 21 km southeast of central Hai Phong. It lies between the mouth of the Lach Tray River and the mouth of the Van Uc River. This 5 km-long promontory is dotted with a succession of beaches, hills and quiet pine forests. In the past, the French turned Do Son into a summer resort for their expatriate community and the Vietnamese upper class. Now it is a popular seaside resort with many places of interest such as the former summer residence of Bao Dai, Do Son casino, etc. Moreover, the town is famous for its buffalo fights which are held annually on the 10th of the eighth lunar month.
Vinh Bao Countryside is a 37-km motor drive from Hai Phong. Visitors can have a real look at the countryside life in northern Vietnam as well as traditional games and performances from the old time. Green paddy fields, vegetable beds, tobacco trees stretching along the roads are the first sight catching eyes. The hospitable welcome of the local people will overwhelm visitors at the first step to the area. Visitors will be invited to join many folk games which could not be found in other places such as throwing earth-crackers, flying lanterns, swinging, etc. Visitors may also be attracted by the music and lyrics of ca tru or to tom performance. All will make visitors return to the childhood with only games and entertainment.