The North

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The North

Perfume Pagoda

North Vietnam’s very own Marble Mountains, the Perfume Pagoda is a striking complex of pagoda and Buddhist shrines built into the karts cliffs of Huong Tich Mountain( Mountain of t he Fragrant Traces). Among the better- known sites here are Thien Chu ( Pagoda Leading to Heaven); Giai Oan Chu ( Purgatorial Pagoda), where the faithful believe deities purify souls, cure sufferings and frank offspring to childless families; and Huong Tich Chu (Pagoda of the Perfumed Vestige). This is a domestic draw card and it is an interesting experience just to see the Vietnamese tourists at play.

The entertaining boat trip along the scenic waterways between limestone cliffs takes about two hours return; allow a couple more hours to climb to the top and return. The part to the middle of the second lunar month and lasts until the last week of the third lunar month (usually corresponding to March and April). It’s very busy during this period, especially on the even dates of the lunar month; you’ll have a much easier time if you establish the lunar date and plan to go on an odd date. Weekends tend to draw crowds year – round, when pilgrims and hawkers are persistent enough to hassle visitors all the way to the top; you have been warned!

Ninh Binh

ancient citadel of hoa lu After the tourist minefield that is Hanoi, Ninh Binh is a genuine breath of fresh air. Despite the number of sightseeing spots around, the town itself remains fairly unnourished – no souvenir shops or backpacked safes here, just a congenial base for seeing some extraordinary rural landscapes by day, then unwinding at night like the locals do with bia hoi beside the local brewery.

And what landscapes abound: golden-green rice paddies, majestic limestone formations, snug villages, conical- hated farmers and benign water buffalo all the postcard – perfect elements of the Vietnam countryside. Best of all, it’s possible not to see another tourist while you’re traversing the country lanes (though everyone tends to bunch up at the sights).

This is not to say that Ninh Binh is completely unsullied. With a massive road leading to the Trang An Grottoes, the gloomy bulk of a cement factory on the outskirts and the construction of what aspires to be the largest Buddhist temple complex in Vietnam when it’s finished, the balance between preserving the landscape and exploiting it is getting more precarious. See it before the tour buses take over.

Cuc Phuong National Park

In 1962 Vietnam’s first national park was established around a narrow valley between forested limestone hills on the borders of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh province, containing over two hundred square kilometers of tropical evergreen rainforest. Cuc Phuong is well set up for tourism and sees a teary stream of visitors, attracted principally by the excellent primate rescue centre, but also by the easy access to impressively ancient trees. With more time, you can walk into the park interior, overnight in a Muong village and experience the multi – layered forest. The most enjoyable time for walking in these hills is October to January, when mosquitoes and leeches take a break and temperatures are relatively cool – but this is also peak season. Flowers are at their best during February and March, while April to May are the months when lepidopterists can enjoy the “butterfly festival” as thousand of butterflies colors the forest.

Even now the park has not been fully surveyed but is estimated to contain approximately three hundred bird species and ninety mammal species, some of which were first discovered in Cuc Phuong, such as herd-bellied squirrels and a fish that lives in underground rivers. Several species of bat and monkey, including the critically endangered Deaconry’s langue, inhabit the park, while bears and leopards roam its uppers reaches. Hunting has taken its toll, though and you’re really only likely to see butterflies, birds and perhaps a civet cat or a tree squirrel, rather than the more exotic fauna. What you can’t miss, though, is the luxuriant vegetation including 1000 year old trees (living, as well up to 70m high), tree ferns and kilometer – long corkscrewing lianas, as well as a treasure-trove of medicinal plants.

Much is made of Cuc Phuong’s prehistoric caves, the most accessible of which is Dong Nguoi Xua, only 300m from the road, 7km from the park gate. Joss sticks burn in the cave mouth near three tombs estimated to be over 7000 years old but there’s nothing to see that justifies the sheepish climb, if you decide to go, bring a torch for the upper reaches, and watch out for some decidedly dangerous steel staircases.

Cat Ba Island

catba Dragon-back mountain ranges mass on the horizon 20km out of Haiphong as you approach Cat Ba Island. The island, the largest member of an archipelago sitting on the west of Halong Bay, boats only one settlement of any size – CatBa Town, a fishing village now redefining itself as a tourist centre. The rest of the island is largely unspoilt and mostly inaccessible, with just a handful of paved roads across a landscape of enclosed valleys and shaggily forested limestone peacks, occasionally descending to lush coastal plains. In 1986 almost half the island and adjacent waters were declared a national park in an effort to protect its diverse ecosystems, which range from offshore coral reefs and coastal mangrove swamps to tropical evergreen forest. Its value was further recognized in 2004, when the Cat Ba Archipelago was approved as an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. One of the most rewarding ways to explore the area is by boat from Cat Ba Town, passing through the labyrinth of Lan Ha Bay, a miniature version of neighboring Halong Bay but one which receives fewer visitors. There are floating village and oyster farms in the area, which can be included in tour itineraries. Other options are kayaking, rock-climbing and visits to isolated beaches where the water is noticeably cleaner than elsewhere in the bay. Be warned, thought: Cat Ba is by no means undiscovered and during the local summer holiday hotels and beaches in the area can be swamped.

Archeological evidence shows that humans inhabited Cat Ba’s many limestone caves at least six thousand years ago. Centuries later these same caves provided the perfect wartime hideaway- the military presence on Cat Ba has always been strong, for obvious strategic reasons. When trouble with China flared up in 1979, hundreds of ethnic Chinese islanders felt compelled to flee and the exodus continued into the next decade as” boat people” sailed off in search of a better life, depleting the island’s population to fewer than fifteen thousand. Now that prosperity has come in the from of tourism, the population is growing rapidly.

Hoa Lu - Tam Coc

hoa lu This is what most travelers come to NinhBinh to see: limestone karsts sweeping up from serene rice paddies, best appreciated on a languorous rowboat ride the river, to the soundtrack of water lapping against the oars.

It' de rigueur to describe the area around Tam Coc as the inland version of Halong Bay, but that's not exactly a glair comparison. Halong Bay sweeps across 3000 islands, at Tam Coc the encounter is much more intimate. Along a mere 2km of the Ngo Dong Rive, undisturbed by engine noise, the limestone outcrops loom closer; larger this is the kind of landscape that would have suited the Romantic posts just fine.

Except that isn't most visitors’ experience of Tam Coc. The scenery is Spectacular but given its immense popularity, the river's of ten filled it’s with a crooked procession of boats inching by, with all the accompanying babble and noise. To really enjoy the view, come in the early morning or later afternoon.

Each boat carries two visitors, as well as the main rower and a secondary rower. The route takes boats through the three caver for which Tam Coc is named: Hang Ca ( 127m long), Hang Giua (70m long) and HangCuoi (45m long). Eagle-eyed travelers may spot a small temple perched on an apparently inaccessible hilltop

Tickets are sold at the small booking of face by the car park. The journey takes about two hours. It's not necessary to have a torch, but remember to bring sunscreen and a hat or umbrella, as the bests aren't shaded. Rowers are adept at using their feet to propel the oars, which makes for a tourist-pleasing Kodak moment. Less pleasing is the hard sell that kicks in as the boat prepares to runs around at the eland

The area behind the Tam Coc restaurants is Van Lan village, famous for its embroidery. Local artisans make napkins, tablecloths, pillowcases and T- shirts, some of which you might encounter on the boat ride. A lot of these items are sold on Hanoi's Pho Hang Gai, but it's cheaper to buy them here, direct from the artisans.

Hoa Lu.

Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam during the Dinh (968- 80 AD) and early Le (890- 1009 AD) dynasties. The Dinh chose the site to put some distance between them and China, as well as to take advantage of the protection of the region's rocky outcrops, as spectacular of the region's rocky outcrops, as spectacular as Tam Coc's. Most of the ancient citadel has been destroyed, but it used to cover about 3 sp km Yen Ngua Mountain provide a scenic banck-drop for Hoa Lu's Two surviving temples, both intimate spaces dominated by beautiful dark-red lacquered pillars. The first, Dinh TienHoang, was retorted in the 17th century is federated to the Dinh dynasty. At the front of the main temple building is the stone pedestal of a royal tthrone; inside are bronze bell and a statue of Emperor DinhTien Oang with his three sons.

The second temple is to Le Dai Hanh, an early Le monarch. Inside the main hall is the usual assortment of drums, gongs, incense burners, candle holders and weapons, with a statue of the king in the middle, his queen on the right and their son or the left. In the left-hand section of this complex a museum features part of the excavation of the 10th- century citadel wall.

Given how much of it is in ruins, perhaps the best way to appreciate Hoa Lu to hike up to the tomb of Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang, 80m up the light of steps at the hill opposite the ticket office. It takes about 20minutes o to up, and for the best view of Hoa Lu, stop and bach just before you reach the tomb.

Halong Bay

A cruise on Ha Long Bay -- or the Bay of the Descending Dragon -- for many represents the pinnacle of their experience in Vietnam. easily one of the most popular destinations in the country, UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay is both mystical and magnificent, an incredible feat of nature that almost never fails to impress.