Hai Van Pass

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Location: Danang, Vietnam
Hai Van Pass is lying on National Highway No1A on the border between Thua Thien - Hue Province and Danang City. Hai Van Pass is like a giant dragon and which is considered to be one of the largest frontier posts in Vietnam. The name De Nhat Hung Quan, meaning the most colossal frontier post, is engraved on an incense burner in Thai Temple.

In the past, Hai Van Pass was known as the Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam frontier. In the early 14th century (1306), Che Man, a king from Cham Pa, offered two mountainous administrative units of O and Ri as engagement gifts to Princess Huyen Tran, daughter of King Tran Nhan Tong. On his way to see off the Princess in the Quang area in a summer sunny noon, the King and his entourage were on horse back for almost half a day but could not reach the top of the pass. Facing upwards, the King saw a rampart of mountains in dim clouds, and at the foot of the pass, an immense ocean, of waves. Though sorry for his daughter's difficult journey, the king was comforted by the closer ties between the two nations.

Whenever one goes through Hai Van Pass, two feelings are experienced: amazement at passing through the clouds and fear when seeing the dangerous bends of the road. A 21km-long road over Hai Van Pass, opened at the end of the 19th century, winds back and forth to a height of 435m above sea level. With sudden curves and blind corners, Hai Van Pass is likened to an arrogant but beautiful girl challenging drivers' skills. Its name means "Pass of the Ocean Clouds," since the peak of the mountain is in the clouds while its foot is close to the sea.

From the top of Hai Van Pass, one can admire Lang Co Beach to the north and Danang to the south. The curving railway through Hai Van Pass is 3,200m long including sections running through seven tunnels. There are endless forests to the west of Hai Van Pass and the ocean is to the east. Hai Van Pass is a real challenge for drivers, as well as for adventurers.

On a journey through the land, Hai Van is always an attractive landscape. Hai Van is highest pass in the country, full of perilous obstacles and is the last spur of the Truong Son Range reaching to the sea. In “Phu Bien Tap Luc”, Le Qui Don, the Viet Nam scholar who lived in the XVII century wrote that Hai Van with its foot standing in the sea surface and its summit covered with clouds. The pass standings as a borderline divide Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam provinces.

On the top of the pass are the vestiges of long ago, a fortified gateway. The gate facing to Thua Thien province is inscribed with the three words “Hai Van gate” and the other gate looking down on Quang Nam province is engraved “the most grandiose gateway in the world”. In the XVI century this land belonged to Cham Kingdom and was given to the Dai Viet as an engagement present for the Princess Huyen Tran of the Tran Dynasty. The old story is only a memory, old vestiges covered with green moss, among vast spaces vast of plants and trees, tourists are filled with the emotions of the past.

Hai Van means winds and clouds. Winds like a herd of horses galloping a number of miles, clouds like pouring from haven. Cao Ba Quat, the poet living in the XVII century only respected apricot blossom (Nhat sinh de thu bai mai hoa) was surprised when he was before the landscape: Nhat bich ngung vi gioi – Trung van nhieu tac thanh. On the summit of Hai Van pass, a panorama of the Danang city, Tien Sa port, Son Tra peninsular, Cu Lao Cham and a long white sandy beach can be seen.

Whatever endowed by nature, time by time and by hands of man will be something of humanitarian values. Coming to Hai Van is to come to the sanction of two land, to satisfy the peak-conquering philosophy, to mix ourselves in to echo of heroic songs of Vietnamese ancients when they went to find new lands to be emotional to prolong past of the Center region where suffering a lot of losses in the course of finding and protecting the nation. " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.waytovietnam.com/images/Spot/img2/1D3D213-_.JPG

[Anonymous]

Co Do village
Location: Ha Tay, Vietnam
The small ordinary village is located in Co Do commune, Ba Vi district, Ha Tay province, running along Red River breakwater foot with alluvial red soil around year, 60 kilometres far from Ha Noi. Going upriver for a short distance, you will arrive Hac confluence - point of intersection of three rivers to be Da river, Red river and Lo river. Upper location is Hung Kings' temple - the capital of former Van Lang country.

Because not far from both the former Van Lang capital and Thang Long - Ha Noi imperial city, Co Do village has been standed the effect of culture from to these places. Also owing to this position, a long aged culture has been formed and developed during many dynasties. This land bore several talents for the country who were acknowledged in history as national heroes such as princess Thieu Hoa - the 6th Hung King's daughter - who was of labour in establishing a traditional handicraft village, or Nguyen Ba Lan, Nguyen Su Manh - who contributed to make literary and examination tradition of Co Do village richer...

Co Do village has still preserved plenty of historical cultural vestiges such as vases, copper axes, weapons, terracotta bricks with diamond shaped designs... are defined to be of epoch from the 3rd B.C century to the 1st A.D century. Beside archeological vestiges, Co Do village has preserved a lot of meterial cultural heritages of value such as communal house, temples, shrines making a space of important relics of Tan mountain - Da river area.

Co Do is both a vocational and literary village. It is called a vocational village because from the past, it has been celebrated for its silk worms breeding and silk weaving. The founder of this handicraft is princess Thieu Hoa.

Co Do village stays near river with a lot of shores and docks, owing to that, not only silk – worm breeding and silk weaving vocation has been developed, but also trade exchange with other domestic regions or with foreign merchants are favourable, too. Although silk thread weaving vocation in Co Do village nowadays has not developed as well as before any longer, girls here have not forgot yet this vocation and silk made products of them have still been esteemed everywhere. Its good fame is a beautiful trait ornamenting Co Do village cultural tradition to be nicer and nicer.

Not only a famous handicraft village, Co Do is also a celebrated literary one where two well known men Nguyen Su Manh and Nguyen Ba Lan and many other scholars were born.

The well known man Nguyen Su Manh is the first Ph. Doctor of Co Do village. The family register of Nguyen took down note that he got Ph. Doctor when 27 years old under the rule of Le dynasty (the 15th Hong Due dynastic title) and then, he became primeminister of financial ministry used to go an envoy. In the Nguyen family's worship hall in Co Do, there is a capital letter scroll and a couplet bring up his merit and virtue. Another primeminister of this village is Nguyen Ba Lan. According to history, Nguyen Ba Lan passed first - degree examination ( = prefectural examination) when he was 18. Two years later, he continued to pass second - degree examination ( = metropolitan examination) and in 1731, he obtained the Ph. Doctor in the palace examination. He used to play the role of a primeminister of all six ministries (departments) of Le dynasty and was nominated with several important titles of nobility. Nguyen Ba Lan is also of special talent for literature. "Ode to Hac cross road" was considered as the most famous work in his literary created career because it experimentalized the whole multi changable historical epoch of the 18th century. Beside this lofty work, Nguyen Ba Lan also contribute to the national literary treasune with tens of other exemplary works.

With two famous men said above, Co Do village also take pride names of many other intellectuals. They are representative for studious tradition of this land.

Nowadays, Co Do village has tried its best follow the new development. With industriousness, intelligence, kind hearted character by nature, Co Do people have been focusing on making their village more and more beautiful and prosperous. Continuing the former literary tradition, Co Do village now had several poets. The club for people loving literature and poem still acts periodicly. Not every villages has this spiritual cultural trait.

Co Do is also a village of painting. Several artists experienced the regular training in Fine Art universities are descendants of this land. The experienced artist Si Tot, one of masters of our country's painting is a representative. His famous pictures such as "Be con" (Embracing child), "Tieng dan bau" (The sound of monochord musical instrument) are being preserved in Ha Noi Fine Art museum with hundreds of other works created during his process of art activity. Moreover, he discovers and assists many young talents to become artists continuing his cause on the art way.

The studious tradition of village has not ceased to be maintained and honoured. Several bachelors and doctors who are working for many organs of Party and State are descendants of Co Do village. Co Do people, though, live wherever or do whatever, are still always towards their country with the whole of pride and responsible consciousness of building the country more beautiful and civilizing.

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