The Giong festival of Soc Son, Hanoi

The Giong festival is a traditional festival that is annually held in many parts of hanoi vietnam to commemorate and praise victories of mythical hero Saint Giong who is one of the four immortal heroes according to Vietnamese folk belief. There are two typical Giong festivals in Hanoi: one in Soc temple, Phu Linh commune, Soc Son district and another the Giong festival of Phu Dong in Phu Dong temple, Phu Dong commune, Gia Lam district. They are both recognized as the intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The outstanding value of the Giong festival is a cultural phenomenon that is preserved and promoted through next generations. Despite close to Hanoi center, under the influence of war and foreign cultures, the Giong festival still survives independently and stably without commercialization.

The Giong festival is a traditional festival imitating lively and scientifically the fighting’s content of Saint Giong and Van Lang residents against An enemies, thereby raising the public awareness about the forms of ancient tribe war and educating the patriotism, martial art traditions, indomitable will, and independence and freedom desire of the nation.

what to do in hanoi ?According to folk literature scientists, the Giong festival of Soc Son where Saint Giong flied to heaven and the Giong festival of Phu Dong where Saint Giong was born are more meaningful than others in terms of both messages of legend and art performances. The worshipped saint embodies the aspiration for a peaceful country, harmonious rain and wind, and abundant harvest.

The Giong festival of Soc Son is held on sixth of January and the Giong festival of Phu Dong is held on eighth or ninth of April (lunar calendar). There are many traditional rituals during the festival such as procession ceremony, incense offering ceremony, the ritual of bathing saint’s statue and bamboo flowers offering ceremony to the Thuong (Upper) Temple where is dedicated to the Saint Giong.

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Overview in Hanoi

When it comes to Vietnam, it is remembered of a hero small country with historic victories against long-last domination from strong countries. At Audley, our specialists have local knowledge about the top vietnam places to visit. Find out where we recommend for your next tailor-made trip.

As a quote of Ho Chi Minh President said: “ The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country, now you and I must protect the country together”

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Must see: Cham Pa Museum in Danang

After decades, the past influence of the Cham Pa dynasty on vietnam central regions is still prominent.

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It was started in 1915 under the support of the French’s Oriental Research Institution in Vietnam.In 1936, the museum was expanded before being officially opened to the public in 1939. Situated at the intersection of Trung Nu Vuong Street and Bach Dang Street in Da Nang, the heart of the ancient Cham Pa Kingdom, the museum houses the last collection of Cham Pa arts in the world. 

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Top 10 best place to visit in Vietnam

Most travellers to vietnam are attracted by the country’s wonderful natural beauty: From the green rice fields in the north to the fascinating bustle of the Mekong Delta in the south. Vietnam however is also a country with a long history and ancient traditions. It has many historic attractions and old temples.

Following is an overview of the most amazing tourist attractions in Vietnam by touropia.com, a travel list website that features the most amazing sights around the world divided into various “best of” lists.

1. Halong Bay

Halong Bay is situated in north Vietnam round a 120km-long coast line and is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, Halong Bay features thousands of islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others islands include lakes and some support floating villages of fishermen.

2. Thien Mu Pagoda (Hue)

With seven stories, the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. The pagoda overlooks the Perfume River and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital. The temple was built in 1601 during the rule of the Nguyễn Lords. The initial temple was very simply constructed, but over time it was redeveloped and expanded with more intricate features.

3. Hoan Kiem Lake (hanoi vietnam)

Located in the historical heart of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as the locals’ favourite leisure spot. Hoan Kiem means “returned sword”, and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese. Later he returned the sword to the Golden Turtle God in the lake.

4. Hoi An

This fishing-village-turned tourist attraction is situated on the coast of the East Sea. Hoi An has been an international port from the 16th century although the serious shipping business has long since moved to the city of Da Nang. The heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shops. It is sometimes called the “Venice of Vietnam” because of the narrow canals that cut through part of the town.

5. Phu Quoc Island

Located in front of the Cambodia coast, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam. Phu Quoc is what Phuket would be if it hadn’t been overrun by development. The island features pristine tropical forests, undamaged coral reefs and great beaches. One of its beaches, named Bai Dai (Long Beach), was chosen by the ABC News as one of five beautiful and clean beaches. Phu Quoc is famous for producing the best nuoc mam or fermented fish sauce in the world.

6. Sapa Terraces

Sapa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the Chinese border. Rice terraces can be found in the Muong Hoa valley between Sa Pa town and the Fansipan Mountain, on a backdrop of thick bamboo woodlands. Local mountain people, the Hmong, Giay, Dao, Tay, and Giay, grow rice on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables.

7. Mui Ne

The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Due to strong sea breezes it is a popular destination in Vietnam for kite and windsurfing. No trip to Mui Ne is complete without a trip to the famous sand dunes located a short distance north of the town. The vast sandy expanse provide some great panoramic views especially during sunset.

8. Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is the region in southern Vietnam where the river approaches and empties into the sea. It is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields, that produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output. Subsequently, life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road.

9. Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located about 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City centre. The tunnels, measuring 200km in total length, were used by liberation soldiers as hiding spots during the Vietnam War, and were the base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system.

10. Nha Trang

Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most popular seaside resort town located along the second most beautiful bays in the country. It features beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperatures. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It’s also a major scuba diving centre of Vietnam.

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noodle dishes in Hanoi

You could easily eat noodle dishes in hanoi vietnam for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week and still not have the same meal twice. Here’s our quick guide to what’s what when it comes to noodles in the Vietnamese capital.

Make sure you get a good grip.

Let’s start with the most well-known: pho. As we highlighted some time ago, pho is not just a famous soup-based dish but refers to a flat rice noodle. For pho, pho xao mem and other stir-fried dishes it’s cut into strips about three millimetres wide, while for pho cuon it’s cut into rectangles and wrapped around yummy fried beef and fresh greens. Head to the Truc Bach area for a good selection of pho-based dishes or try one of the many different varieties of pho (noodle soup) that can be found around the city — Pho 10 Ly Quoc Suis a good place to start as the different types of pho bo (beef) are clearly listed.

Crispy pho chien phong.

Bun is another rice noodle but it’s round, more like thin spaghetti, and is either served on the side with a dipping sauce (as in bun cha and bun dau), in a soup (bun ca for example) or somewhere in between, such as in bun bo nam bo which combines noodles with beef, herbs, peanuts and a smidgen of light broth. temple of literature, nguyen thai hoc street is a good place to try delicious bun bo nam bo or try Noodle and Roll for a more tourist friendly environment.

My (pronounced mi) is egg noodle. Commonly found in small dried blocks, packaged in polyurethane with a small sachet of dried vegetables and flavouring, and sold for a few thousand VND from grocery stores, myis the ubiquitous instant noodle. It’s commonly eaten for breakfast in Vietnamese homes — or out of home when it comes in a plastic bowl — and while not particularly nutritious is a cheap belly filler. It’s also popularly sold as my xao at streetside restaurants, when it’s hydrated and fried up with beef, greens, flavouring and whatever other veg the restaurant decides to throw in. It’s also available fresh, but the dried version is more common.

They’re not noodles on top, they’re carrots.

If you’ve had quite enough rice, in any form, and have an egg — or instant noodle — allergy, then how aboutmien? In vietnam, mien is commonly made from canna or mung bean starch, although it also comes in a number of other starchy varieties, such as arrowroot and potato. It’s referred to by a number of English names, including glass noodles, cellophane noodle and vermicelli.

Mien is less commonly seen around the touristy areas of town but it’s there if you look for it. Two dishes worth trying are mien ngan with poultry and mien luon with eel. A good place for the latter is Dong Thinh Nha Hang Mien Luon on Hang Dieu. Mien is also used in salads, spring rolls and soup — try the vermicelli salad at Com Pho Co. It’s quite a chewy noodle but a tasty alternative.

Even if you don’t want to taste mien, it’s interesting to see it made: take a trip out to Cu Da (Vermicelli) village, on the outskirts of Hanoi to do this.

You might not want to eat them once you’ve seen them made.

Finally, banh da deserves a mention. A dark coloured, wheaty, flat noodle, banh da is often found as an alternative at places serving bun cha or bun rieu cua, such as at number 15 Ngo Tran Tien. Yum.

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