From Hanoi tours to two different pagodas, Thay and Tay Phuong are very often combined in a day trip or half-day trip from Hanoi since their neighbouring locations. Thay pagoda, located 40km west of Hanoi in a tranquil and beautiful village, is combination of Buddhist pagodas and a Taoist Temple, which is dedicated to Tu Dao Hanh, a Taoist hermit lived in 12^th century who was considered one of the karmas of king Ly Than Tong. The temple preserve many precious worshipping objects like the statues of Tu Dao Hanh describe three "karmas" of this figure, wooden and stone bas-relieves and steles, lacquered statues, thrones, bells. If you have much time, take a walk surrounding to reach the higher pagodas on the mountainside or visit the cave where they have found some skeletons and ancient coins in early 20^th century.

Thay Pagoda is also known for a big pavilion in the middle of a pond facing the main temple. Water puppetry performances take place here at festival time, particularly in the third lunar month where pilgrims rush in. Two ancient roofed bridges over the pond built in 1602 increase the natural beauty of the combination.

8km away from Thay pagoda is the Tay Phuong pagoda, sited on the hilltop. There are 239 laterite steps uphill to the pagoda, and from this height opens a wonderful aerial view of the surrounded fields, laterite mountains and villages. Most of the structure was rebuilt in the 17^th and 18^th century and has a big significance of classic architecture. Almost the tiles, wooden relieves, rafters are preserved well with their traditional ornaments like lotus-shape, marguerites, banyan leaves, dragon, tiger which are quite popular to Vietnamese decoration style. Inside the pagoda are 75 famous jackwood Arhat statues, which are considered the best of the plastic arts and sculpture of Vietnam. The statues either describe different legends of Buddha and his disciples, or express the meditation and will of the people to release themselves from ordinary pains and reach the enlightenment. Both Thay and Tay Phuong pagodas are easy to reach and suitable for either visit by bus or biking tours.

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"Chua Huong" - the Perfume Pagoda is the name of a collection of Buddhist temples which are very sacred to Vietnamese people of Buddhist faith, and an annual visit up here in springtime is a must to a lot of believers.

Located on the limestone rocks of Huong Son Mountain in beautiful and mystical surroundings, the pagodas are 70 km or two-hour driving out of Hanoi. Unlike other temples in Vietnam, the only way to reach this sanctuary is floating along a narrow but extremely poetic stream by rowing boats that takes 45 minutes. An iron boat can carry 3-5 people and a large wooden boat – up to 20 locals.

The stream is edged by rice, grass, small paths, and temples here and there. A local pilgrim can spend here traditionally three days to visit entirely the area and pray at all the temples. The first temple they often stop is called Den Trinh (i.e. The Shrine for First Presenting), where Vietnamese burn the first jossticks to inform the local deities about their presence and pray for a good trip and good luck for the year ahead. If you are anxious to reach the main Wharf of Huong Son mountain to start the uphill trip to see the Main Grotto of Huong Tich, you may skip this temple, especially in the peak season between January and early April.

The uphill trip takes an hour climbing on the ancient flat and sometime slippery stones, which have been here thousand years ago. The road is "breathtaking" in all aspects – you will have some exercise, and at the same time have chance to take some stops to contemplate beautiful scenery and daily life of local farmers, who plant cassava and apricots in the valleys, who run quickly on the slippery stone with their burdens of tapioca, apricots or medicinal herbs whilst you are careful with your steps. The main pagoda is set in a huge grotto containing a highly decorative shrine. Each stalactite and stalagmite inside, which are soaked by undercurrent, is combined with a legend about its miracle and good luck. Most of them became small shrines by now. Remember that the stone grotto is huge and very cool, so stop for a while at the entrance to dry your sweat before coming in.
The main festive days of Chua Huong stretches from January to early April, busy and exciting. Sometimes it's drizzling and the Vietnamese all believe that the real good things will reach you if you catch rainwater after praying in a sacred pagoda. And among all the sacred temples and pagodas in Northern Vietnam, Chua Huong is even more attractive and mysterious not only for its spectacular scenery, but for the painstaking road you passed over to reach to the top.

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Hoa Lu used to be one of the many old capitals of Vietnam before Thang Long – presently Hanoi – take its historical role. From an exciting town and centre of cultural and military activities of the Dai Co Viet Kingdom in 10^th century, the area now is more wellknown for its landscape since almost relics of the urban excitement had been collapsed, except in the Temples of King Dinh and King Le. A trip to Hoa Lu should be started from Tam Coc ("three caves"), which takes more than two hours driving from Hanoi, and visitors may say that distance is not a matter after seating in a boat rowed by one or two local persons in Hoang Long river and see the first limestone mountains, which will run along their riverway for several kilometers. The boat will run, sorry, will be rowed, through three caves on the river, all created by wind and water from a legend time, while the sea had occupied this area. The tide-mark is still on the rock about 2m above the water, and in higher mountainwall the erosion have carved some strange shapes that now filled of green grass, delicious foods of the goats that local people breed everywhere. If you are lucky, sometimes you can see mischievous monkeys. The river trip is wonderful for photo hunters, especially when local people come to harvest the water rice planted along the river, or when they transplant some seedling for the next crops. The tourists often compare the place with Guilin – China, or more closely, to the limestone islets of Halong Bay in the Tonkin Gulf for their similar geological structures and shapes. Thus Tam Coc is also called Halong-Bay-On-Land.

 From the wharf of Tam Coc you can go further till reaching Bich Dong Pagoda, a combination of three pagodas on the Lower, Middle and Upper levels of a pretty mountain. You will need to climb a little bit till you get to the top of the Upper pagoda and your eyes catch the overall panorama of the paddy fields between Truong Yen mountain. All the pagodas, or lean upon a cliff, or simply have some statues inside a large grotto, deserve the name "Bich Dong" (emerald-like grotto). A scene of the popular French movie "Indochine" had been completed here in 1991, remarking a rush of the French-speaking tourists to Vietnam, who usually do not skip Halong Bay and Tam Coc-Bich Dong where the leading actress Catherine Deneuve left her footprints.

On the way back from Tam Coc – Bich Dong to Hanoi you can pay a visit to the last relics of the ancient capital Hoa Lu – the Temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le, the two heroes who lived in 10^th century and chose Hoa Lu to build the citadel of the capital city. From time to time, archaeologists have excavated buried parts of this citadel with rusty weapons and ceramics. The temples are said to be built on the old foundation of their original palaces in 11-12^th centuries and restored in 17^th century. Though the temples are not maintained entirely some precious antiques are still preserved well like the whole-stone dragon thrones, wooden bas-relieves and lacquered statues of King Dinh, Kinh Le, Queen Duong Van Nga who in turn got married both of the kings, and the princes of the two dynasties.

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You may say a church is not your interest in a Far East country and thus you will be missing one of the most remarkable religious architectures in Vietnam. Phat Diem Church, a group of different churches of stone and wood, is the centre of Catholicism in Northern Vietnam and designed in Vietnamese style mixed harmoniously with the European Catholic traditions. There's a grave on the ground of the church of Mr. Tran Luc, a local Catholic lived in late 19^th century who designed the whole church without taking any official course of architecture and paintings. Phat Diem Church is divided into two quarters: the churches and the clergy's house, which gradually completed in 1875 (the first Cavern built to test the subsidence of the area foundation), 1889 (the church of Saint Mary's Heart), 1891 (the Big Cathedral and the Belfry), and the Saints' shrines of Giuse, Phero and Rocco, all finished about 1898. The traditional architecture of Vietnam is recognized obviously in each ornament: the Belfry has curly tiled roof-tops with decoration of Vietnamese temples, the shrine of Jesus' Heart is made of jackwood, the Big Cathedral is designed as a grandiose Communal House with sophisticated multi-level rafters, and all the churches are decorated with lotus, lemon flowers, birds, tropical trees like apricot and bamboo, and matched inscriptions in Chinese which are popular in Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The entire structure is admirable not only for the beauty of each fabric but for their amazingly unique co-ordination and is considered a pride of the contemporary folk works.

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Cuc Phuong, the first National Park of Vietnam which was established in 1962, is 140 km South of Hanoi, 55km from Ninh Binh, roughly 25,000 hectares. The botanical richness of the forest is impressive as it supports a wide variety of flora species and patches of primeval forest, including ancient trees with thick clusters of roots, and parasitic plants and ligneous creepers. Some tree species have been introduced from Burma, India, and Borneo. Clusters of orchards grow near cave entrances, where the moisture conditions and light are ideal. Varieties include thousand-year dracontomelum and parashorea trees which can be visited in a one or two hour hiking, and coral, vanilla, snow-white, and butterfly orchids everywhere. Large mammals inhabit the park including panthers and bears, but rarely appear, so the most popular animals you can see are monkeys, gibbons, flying squirrels and pheasants. There are also over 120 species of birds and many varieties of beetles living here, and April and May arrive swarms of butterflies. At night, million of cicadas create a deafening din, and million of fireflies flicker about.
Lying in a limestone area, Cuc Phuong includes numerous caves. At "Nguoi Xua" (Cave of Early Man), two ancient tombs have been discovered, along with Neolithic remains and evidence of stone implements; there have been similar finds at Trang Khuyet (Crescent Moon), Thanh Minh, and Con Mong Caves. Hang Dan Cave is known for its bat population. Hiking in Cuc Phuong is following some kilometers of trails and passing through old-growth forest with long vines wrapped around strangled trees, visiting the caves, waterfalls and streams in the forest or stopping over at a Muong ethnic's village. Since the location in between three provinces, it's easy to combine a trip to Cuc Phuong with a trip to Hoa Binh or Ninh Binh province, or you can depart from Hanoi, spend the whole day exploring the forest and overnight at the Park's guest house.

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