Back to the 'Land of the Southern Forest': The Sweet Fragrance of U Minh Ha Forest

Bac Lieu Beach

It doesn't stand out with its fine white sand beaches stretching along the clear blue water like Nha Trang, Vung Tau,... but Bac Lieu sea with one side salt water and alluvial silt brings a new flavor to the West. The south of our country creates a wild, rustic and equally interesting beauty. In terms of geographical location, Bac Lieu province is the land following Ca Mau province, forming the southernmost region of the country, all belonging to the Southwest region. Although quite remote, Bac Lieu is not inferior to other Western provinces in terms of tourist attraction because there are many famous attractions such as wind power fields, Nha Mat tourist area, Quan Am Nam Hai pagoda or Prince's house. Bac Lieu and the famous beach of the same name,... Traveling to the West and visiting these destinations, you will feel the beauty of the landscape, the architecture as well as the honesty and spontaneity of the people. people of the "land of fortune". The famous beach of Bac Lieu province is located along DT38 road. Located in Nha Mat ward, Bac Lieu city. This place is only about 10km from the city center so it is very convenient to move and combine sightseeing with many other famous tourist attractions in the inner city. If you want to go to this beach from Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces, you can choose one of two main means of transport: motorbike and passenger car. Departing from Ho Chi Minh City to Bac Lieu, it will take you about 6 hours to travel the 280km long road. If you choose to ride a motorbike, you will be able to take the initiative in your journey and have the freedom to stop and admire the scenery to take photos any time you like. Because along the way, there are many beautiful scenes typical of the West such as golden rice fields or fruit gardens or many bustling floating markets in the early morning like Nga Bay Hau Giang floating market. If traveling by motorbike, you can climb the following route. First depart from Binh Chanh and then go to Binh Thuan intersection. Then visitors turn onto National Highway 1A and continue moving about 30km to reach Tan An bridge in Long An province. You continue to reach Tien Giang province, pass the My Tho city welcome gate and head to National Highway 1A, go about 65km further to reach My Thuan bridge. Crossing this bridge will reach Vinh Long province. You continue to move about 33km more to reach Can Tho bridge. Coming here, tourists continue to drive another 110km long to reach Nga Bay Hau Giang area. The journey is about to end because you only need to go through Soc Trang province a little further to reach Bac Lieu city. At this time, go about 10 km more to reach Bac Lieu beach. If traveling by bus, the simplest way is to take the bus from the Western bus station in Ho Chi Minh City to Bac Lieu. Bus ticket prices range from 160,000 VND - 300,000 VND/person depending on the type of car. With this way of traveling, you only need to get on the bus and get some sleep before arriving at your destination because the travel time is about 6 hours. Traveling to Bac Lieu and checking in to the beach of the same name by bus is quite convenient because it saves you time and keeps your health, but in return it will not bring you as many experiences as riding a motorbike, so it depends on the situation. health and schedule of your choice. Once arriving at Bac Lieu Bus Station, visitors just need to get off the bus and take a motorbike taxi to the beach, the price is only about 20,000 VND. Source: luhanhvietnam.com.vn

Vinh Hung ancient tower

Vinh Hung ancient tower is located in Trung Hung 1B hamlet, Vinh Hung A commune, Vinh Loi district, Bac Lieu province, about 20 km from the city center. Follow National Highway 1A, from Bac Lieu towards Ca Mau, go 5km to Sap bridge, turn along the Vinh Hung market path to reach Vinh Hung tower. Not only is this the only remaining Oc - Eo culture tower architecture in the Southwest, but during the excavation at Vinh Hung tower, archaeologists also obtained many extremely valuable artifacts. with many stone, bronze, ceramic, precious stone statues... marking a rather long period of existence and development (from the 4th century to the 13th century AD) of Vinh Hung ancient tower. Vinh Hung Tower has undergone many surveys. In 1911, French scholar Lunet de Lajonquiere discovered it under the name Tra Long Tower. In 1917 Henri Parmentier came to survey this area and reported it in the journal of the Far Eastern North Ancient School (No. XVII, volume 6, 1917, pages 48-49). In this report (under the name Luc Hien tower) he listed a number of artifacts discovered inside and outside the tower. In particular, among them is a stele found in Phuoc Buu Tu pagoda next to the tower engraved with Sanskrit characters, clearly stating the month Karhila, year 814, corresponding to 892 AD, and the name of King Yacovan-Man (20th century AD). 9th century). Archaeologists have determined that the tower was built around the 9th century AD to worship the Khmer king named Yacovar - Man. In May 1990, archaeologists from the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Social Sciences. Ho Chi Minh City Institute (now the Institute for Sustainable Development of the Southern Region) in collaboration with Minh Hai Provincial Museum came to survey and dig a survey hole, discovering a number of artifacts such as god statue heads, inscriptions, grinding tables, Linga – Yoni… Continuing the journey to clarify the value of a national monument, as well as to serve the restoration, embellishment, and anti-degradation of Vinh Hung tower relics, in 2002 and then in 2011, The Archaeological Research Center coordinated with the Bac Lieu Provincial Museum to excavate around the tower. These excavations continue to do things such as revealing the base of the tower, solving traces buried in the ground to have solutions to restore and embellish the tower to promote the value of the monument. Many valuable artifacts have been discovered during surveys such as: the Goddess statue carved in the traditional style, the round Oc Eo Phu Nam statue, the right hand of the "God Statue", a number of Linga - Yoni, objects ceramics used in everyday life and especially the set of bronze statues are considered by archaeologists to be a unique collection of statues, a "national treasure", including a number of unique statues of very high value. In 2011, the Vinh Hung tower relic was restored and renovated, including the following items: exhibition house, stele house, guard house, fence and a number of other items to preserve and promote the value of the relic. From a distance, the tower looks like a cylindrical block standing tall in the middle of the forest, with an ancient appearance - part of it is covered with moss, while the rest has many places with patchy bricks pushed deep into the heart of the Tower due to long periods of exposure. the influence of rain and sun. Bac Lieu province had to go to the East to find soil and bring it back to be baked into bricks to restore a damaged front part. The ancient tower has a quite simple and rustic architecture on a promontory of about 100m2, the Tower's door faces west, the base of the Tower is rectangular with two sides of 5.6m and 6.9m. The height of the Tower is 8.2m (calculated from the Tower's base). All three sides East - South - North are built of bricks. The wall at the base of the Tower is 1.8m thick. The higher you go, the thinner the wall becomes. The wall is gradually tilted towards the top, forming a rolling dome. Through many changes in history, what created an ancient tower thousands of years old? According to many scientists, the ancient Khmer people used a special construction technique, they used a vegetable glue to stick bricks together, without using construction materials such as cement, or lime mortar like now. The tower was built with two types of bricks of different colors. From the base of the tower to a height of 4m are red bricks and from 4m upwards are white bricks. Looking in from the main door is the restored Linga - Yoni set symbolizing yin and yang harmony. The original Linga - Yoni set is being preserved at the museum. From the unique values ​​recorded, Vinh Hung Ancient Tower has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a national architectural and artistic relic since 1992. If you have the opportunity to travel to Bac Lieu, remember to take the time to visit Vinh Hung ancient tower to better understand an ancient civilization. The scenery here is very attractive to tourists. In addition to the tower architecture, visitors can breathe fresh air filled with the scent of field flowers, and look over the vast fertile fields of a land that has been sweeten.

From January to December

Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary

Bac Lieu Bird Park in the Mekong Delta is a remaining part of the rare mangrove forest in Vietnam today. 6km from Bac Lieu town towards the sea. Visitors just need to move on the road named after the late musician Cao Van Lau to the right, to the 30/04 canal to reach the bird garden in Hiep Thanh commune, Bac Lieu town. If you travel from the northern provinces, you can book a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. From here you will have two ways to move to Bac Lieu Bird Park. The first way is to travel by bus, from the Eastern or Western bus station to catch a bus to Bac Lieu with ticket prices ranging from 160,000 VND to 180,000 VND/person. The second way is to use a motorbike, follow National Highway 1A to Bac Lieu. From the center of Bac Lieu city, cross Quay bridge (Kim Son bridge), follow Cao Van Lau street in the direction of Mat house about 3km, turn right and continue about 3km across the 30/4 canal to reach the nature reserve. Bac Lieu bird garden. Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary with an area of ​​more than 385 hectares, including 15 hectares of primary forest, this place is home to about 46 different bird species such as guinea pigs, small cormorants,... 150 animals, 58 species of fish, 7 frog species, 10 mammal species, 8 reptile species, 109 plant species belonging to 90 genera of 46 families and a number of other animal species create a rich flora and fauna with high biodiversity. In addition, the flora of Bac Lieu bird park has about 181 species including date palms, toadstools, bean sprouts, fish sauce,... which play an important role in the life, reproduction and nesting of wild birds. wild. Normally, birds belonging to the stork group use date palm trees to make nests and breed, while fire herons will use betel trees and toads to build nests during the breeding season. Nowadays, with the stress of work and life, many people tend to go to nature to enjoy fresh, comfortable atmosphere. Therefore, Bac Lieu bird garden is increasingly becoming the focus of attention, attracting thousands of tourists here. Exploring Bac Lieu bird garden, visitors seem to be lost in a new world, when the noise of moving vehicles or skyscrapers growing close together gradually disappears, leaving only the silvery blue. of the natural jungle, the melodious sounds emanating from all kinds of birds and immersing yourself in the cool and fresh atmosphere. Coming to Bac Lieu bird garden, visitors can choose to walk around following the signs or rent a car to see the 5km long natural scenery with a rental price of about 40,000 VND/person. In addition, visitors can take a boat trip to see birds along the two sides. If you come to the bird garden in the afternoon, you can see a rare, charming and poetic scene when the purple color of the sunset blends with the nursery color of the ripe rice fields in the distance. Adding to the colorful picture is the image of different flocks of birds flying back to their nests. They fly in an orderly formation, some species fly forward in an arrow shape, some species choose to scatter and scatter so that when they return to their nest, they rush across a corner of the forest. Besides, when night falls, it is also the time when nocturnal foraging birds wake up and begin their hunting trip, breaking the silence of the night. The canal was built around the forest containing fish,... creating an additional food source for the animals here. Therefore, the number of bird species gradually increases, becoming increasingly rich and diverse. From May to October every year, birds often gather at Bac Lieu bird garden, they often nest in trees until January, then move to another place. This is considered the festival season for birds and is also the ideal tourist season to explore Bac Lieu bird garden.

May to October

Prince's house in Bac Lieu

When talking about Bac Lieu, people not only mention Cao Van Lau and the art of Don Ca Tai Tu, but also many anecdotes about Ba Huy (The Prince of Bac Lieu), famous for his entertainment at one time. Traveling to Bac Lieu, it would be a mistake if you did not take the time to visit the Prince of Bac Lieu's house to admire the majestic architecture of the largest house in the six ancient Western provinces. Bac Lieu Prince's House is currently located at 13 Dien Bien Phu, Ward 3, Bac Lieu City, next to the bank of Bac Lieu River. The house has luxurious Western architecture, built from 1917 to 1919 when completed. The house possessed the most majestic architecture in the Western provinces at that time, so the people here called it "big house". The mansion was built by Mr. Tran Trinh Trach, aka Trach Council, father of Prince Bac Lieu when the prince was only 19 years old. Mr. Tran Trinh Trach is the owner of 74 fields, with 110,000 hectares of rice land and nearly 100,000 hectares of salt fields. At that time, the entire Bac Lieu province at that time had 13 lots of salt fields, 11 of which belonged to him. Mr. Trach has 7 children, 4 girls and 3 boys. Among the three sons, Tran Trinh Huy is notorious for playing around and is famous for his love of girls. It is known that the total assets that Prince Bac Lieu inherited and "wasted" on luxury entertainment is estimated at over 5 tons of gold. The villa was designed by a French engineer, most of the construction materials were brought from Paris. Many details, materials, and furniture in the house are imported from France, from bolts and screws to construction details, all of which are stamped with the letter P to show their origin. As soon as you step into the house, visitors will be fascinated by the meticulous and sophisticated design lines, exuding elegance and magnificence. Yellow lights radiate shimmering light, creating a cozy and elegant feeling. Each pillar of the house is decorated with many beautiful patterns. The first floor (ground floor) of the mansion includes 2 bedrooms, a living room and two large halls with a large staircase leading upstairs. Upstairs there are also 2 bedrooms and two large, airy halls, absorbing sunlight and wind, making the mansion always airy and cool. The stairs to the second floor are made of marble, divided into 3 sections, each section has 9 steps symbolizing longevity and eternity. The wooden stairs leading to the terrace were formerly the place where Mr. Trach, Prince Bac Lieu's father, used to dry money. Up to now, the project is more than five years old, but the architectural and artistic values ​​at Mr. Ba Huy's mansion are not only not "outdated" compared to the times, but on the contrary, have become even more precious and highly appreciated. The kitchen part of the house was converted into a ticket counter for customers. The house also displays many objects associated with the anecdote of "The Black Prince". This car was bought by Mr. Tran Trinh Trach in 1930 in Saigon to welcome his son, Prince of Bac Lieu, back from studying abroad in France. Visiting the prince's house in Bac Lieu today, you will admire the precious remaining artifacts such as: 2 hot beds and a cold bed, a set of sofas made from a single piece of wood, a set of "Three unicorns" turntables (a round table with a stone surface, triangular kneelers carved with 3 unicorns), a set of "Banch statues" (shaped like an armchair placed on the back of an elephant), a "Tam Thanh" stall (3 walls) which is the sleeping place of Tran Trinh Khuong, his younger brother. of Prince Bac Lieu), the bed of Mr. and Mrs. Council Trach, the bed for guests to smoke opium, the card table, flower vases,... are all very valuable items. One place where people stopped the longest was the altar of Mr. Tran Trinh Huy and his first wife. It is said that no one can count how many wives Prince Bac Lieu has, but his first wife is Mrs. Ngo Thi Den, who was married properly, the daughter of a rich lord in the area. The remaining people are his concubines, including a woman of French nationality. Visiting the Bac Lieu Prince's mansion, in addition to being introduced to the architectural features, the birth of the house, and related items and utensils, visitors are also told many anecdotes about its owner (Mr. Ba Huy) by the tour guide. According to these anecdotes, the Prince of Bac Lieu was the first Vietnamese to own a private plane in the country; first visit to fields by plane; The first organizer of beauty contests (predecessor of later beauty contests) in the South... He is from Bac Lieu, owns a lot of land, salt department (salt making land), coal mining, and rents the most buildings, so he is very wealthy. Typically, the story of burning money to cook tea with Prince Bach or "The prince of Bac Lieu burns money to cook eggs to show that he is rich" has entered the lyrics... The Prince of Bac Lieu and his anecdotes have become nostalgic and of the past. Today, the mansion, also known by the popular name Bac Lieu Prince's House, has become a favorite destination for domestic and foreign tourists. And it is also the anecdotes about the dissipation, bohemian and luxurious lifestyle of the Prince of Bac Lieu that make tourists from far away more curious, curious to once see the residence of the Prince of Bac Lieu.

From January to December

Tac Say Church

Tac Say Church, also known as Father Diep Church - The most famous church in the Western region. Coming to Tac Say church, in addition to visiting the grave of Father Truong Buu Diep, people can admire the unique architecture of the Catholic church, one of the most beautiful churches in the western provinces. Tac Say Church is located right on National Highway 1A, 37km from Bac Lieu in Hamlet 2, Tan Long commune, Gia Rai district, Bac Lieu province. According to local elders, the name Tac Say is due to the fact that in the past there was a small shortcut passing by the church, located among the reeds. The pronunciation of the Southern people gradually changed the sound "off" to "off". occlusion”. Tac Say church is considered a branch of the ancient Bac Lieu church. Initially, this place was visited by Father Jules DUCQUET, a French priest. Father then established 4 parishes in the Western region, including the Bac Lieu parish. In 1925, Tac Say church was established. In August 1926, Father Paul Tran Minh Kinh was appointed as the first parish priest of the church. In March 1930, Father Francis Truong Buu Diep took over a new position to replace Father Kinh. During his time here, Father Diep moved the church from the inside to the outside facade to its current location. Father Diep is also a person who has made great contributions to the formation and development of Tac Say church. Tac Say Church - a place associated with a famous figure - Father Truong Buu Diep, a priest who is considered a saint because of his holiness, bestowing grace and blessings on those who believe and pray. There are many different anecdotes about Father's death as well as the story about Tac Say church. But all say that Father Diep is a courageous man who dares to sacrifice his life to protect others. With the contributions of fellow workers and pagans at home and abroad, Tac Say Church has recently been restored and built with many new spacious items, not only a place of pilgrimage for local people but also a place of pilgrimage for local people. A spiritual tourist destination for many domestic and foreign groups to pilgrimage and worship. The church has a strange and unique architecture consisting of 3 floors, the ground floor is a place for guests to rest, the 2nd and 3rd floors are where mass is held with a very large lobby. The sanctuary is a place of worship and is also decorated with delicately carved precious woods, making the sacred atmosphere here more solemn. Diep's father's resting place has the architecture of a building with three large roofs, the middle roof has a large clock creating a highlight for the building. Built according to Asian architecture but still carries the beauty of Vietnamese culture. This project has the same shape as ancient Vietnamese temples but has been renovated and renovated accordingly. Traveling to Bac Lieu, coming here, everyone sincerely prays for peace, bringing people peace of mind, serenity, putting aside daily worries and worries with the desire to create for each person. human beings a peaceful, good, tolerant and compassionate life. Every year, especially on March 11 and 12, large numbers of people from many places come to pilgrimage and visit Tac Say Cathedral and Father Diep's grave. On weekdays, the church has 3 masses: 5:00 am, 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. On Sunday, there is an additional mass at 7:00 am.

From January to December