Showing posts with label villages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label villages. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Motorbike Tourists love Quang Nam ethnic villages
Quang Nam's ethnic villages top attraction for motorbike tourists
VietNamNet Bridge – The mountainous district of Tay Giang, 190km west of Tam Ky City in the central province of Quang Nam, is increasingly becoming known as a prime destination for motorbike adventures.
Comforts of home: Tourists can enjoy home-stay services
at ethnic Co Tu villages — VNS Photos courtesy Hoi An Motorbike Adventures
The area offers amazing scenery and the opportunity to glimpse the lifestyle of members of the ethnic minority group Co Tu, who make up the majority of the district's population of 13,000.
Mark Wyndham, who runs a motorbike adventure tour company based in Hoi An, said the mountainous district had managed to preserve the original infrastructure and lifestyle of highland villages.
"Many foreigners who come to explore the region love this tour. The roads are easy to drive on since the province has developed infrastructure projects in mountainous areas, so international visitors can drive on their own from Hoi An to dozens of destinations in the central region," said Wyndham. "We are equipped with 45 motorbikes, scooters and off-road motorcycles to give adventurers as many options as possible. Our guides will even carry tourists if they do not want to drive themselves!"
A two-day trip through Dong Giang and Tay Giang districts is an easy option for motorbike adventures in the central region, he added.
Starting point
Tourists depart in the morning from the ancient town of Hoi An, a 17th century trading port recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
On the road: A section of the former Ho Chi Minh Trail
in the central Quang Nam Province is included in the motorbike tour programme.
"The countryside scenery of rice farms and quiet roads will fascinate tourists just a few kilometres from the start. They can see people working on endless green paddy fields, which they have never seen in Western countries," the tour operator speculated.
After an hour, tourists can stop at the 1,000-year-old Cham Temple of Bang An. Or they can get their adrenaline pumping with an abseiling descent down to "Hell's Cave" in Marble Mountain, located in Ngu Hanh Son District near Da Nang.
"If tourists want to go mountaineering on the first day, Marble Mountains will be the first stop of day one," said tour manager Phan Thi Hien.
The tour operators map out the way into the mountains to give tourists plenty of chances to stop for photos.
"Adventurers wind their way up into the hills towards the border with Laos, where there are many Co Tu ethnic villages, to take a break. The villagers offer visitors a refreshing shot of rice wine or two in their stilted houses before they continue the journey into the mountains," Hien said.
The cultural village of Bho Hong on the bank of the Con River is designed for a one-night stay after a 110km drive.
"After a long and thrilling first day's adventure we head for home – a small family-run guest house in the heart of the hamlet, with a choice of a home-cooked dinner or the opportunity to dine with locals for a delicious feast of authentic highland fare," the tour manager said.
Easy riding: The former Ho Chi Minh Trail in central Quang Nam Province
is included in the motorbike tour programme.
"Motorbike riders can trek around the village or forests nearby before joining a night party with the host. Villagers may host a camp-fire where visitors and villagers drink rice wine from a jar while singing and dancing around," Wyndham added.
The second day begins with a hot coffee and a family breakfast before the tourists set off along the former historic Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Along the way, they pass lush forests and jaw-dropping views of central Viet Nam's mountains. At lunchtime, they have a picnic at a waterfall tucked alongside a towering peak.
The afternoon continues with a ride toward the coast, stopping along the way to explore old bases from the American war. Crossing the Thu Bon River by local ferry, tourists follow the floating bridge road back into Hoi An.
Wyndham warns that the second day will be hard with 150km of riding.
Around 1,000 people each year embark on the tour, which costs around US$250 each person.
The tour operators said they assigned tour guides and mechanics to accompany travellers in order to keep them safe.
Tourists can select from 45 motorbikes including Belarus-made two-stroke Minsks, Honda sport bikes and scooters.
The tour manager suggested that a group of about 10 people is best for the two-day tour.
"We offer many different routes from Hoi An to destinations of Phong Nha-Ke Bang in Quang Binh Province or DMZ tour in Quang Tri Province," she said.
Those who prefer not to drive motorbikes can travel on 1960s military jeeps made in the US.
VietNamNet/VNS
Comforts of home: Tourists can enjoy home-stay services
at ethnic Co Tu villages — VNS Photos courtesy Hoi An Motorbike Adventures
The area offers amazing scenery and the opportunity to glimpse the lifestyle of members of the ethnic minority group Co Tu, who make up the majority of the district's population of 13,000.
Mark Wyndham, who runs a motorbike adventure tour company based in Hoi An, said the mountainous district had managed to preserve the original infrastructure and lifestyle of highland villages.
"Many foreigners who come to explore the region love this tour. The roads are easy to drive on since the province has developed infrastructure projects in mountainous areas, so international visitors can drive on their own from Hoi An to dozens of destinations in the central region," said Wyndham. "We are equipped with 45 motorbikes, scooters and off-road motorcycles to give adventurers as many options as possible. Our guides will even carry tourists if they do not want to drive themselves!"
A two-day trip through Dong Giang and Tay Giang districts is an easy option for motorbike adventures in the central region, he added.
Starting point
Tourists depart in the morning from the ancient town of Hoi An, a 17th century trading port recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
On the road: A section of the former Ho Chi Minh Trail
in the central Quang Nam Province is included in the motorbike tour programme.
"The countryside scenery of rice farms and quiet roads will fascinate tourists just a few kilometres from the start. They can see people working on endless green paddy fields, which they have never seen in Western countries," the tour operator speculated.
After an hour, tourists can stop at the 1,000-year-old Cham Temple of Bang An. Or they can get their adrenaline pumping with an abseiling descent down to "Hell's Cave" in Marble Mountain, located in Ngu Hanh Son District near Da Nang.
"If tourists want to go mountaineering on the first day, Marble Mountains will be the first stop of day one," said tour manager Phan Thi Hien.
The tour operators map out the way into the mountains to give tourists plenty of chances to stop for photos.
"Adventurers wind their way up into the hills towards the border with Laos, where there are many Co Tu ethnic villages, to take a break. The villagers offer visitors a refreshing shot of rice wine or two in their stilted houses before they continue the journey into the mountains," Hien said.
The cultural village of Bho Hong on the bank of the Con River is designed for a one-night stay after a 110km drive.
"After a long and thrilling first day's adventure we head for home – a small family-run guest house in the heart of the hamlet, with a choice of a home-cooked dinner or the opportunity to dine with locals for a delicious feast of authentic highland fare," the tour manager said.
Easy riding: The former Ho Chi Minh Trail in central Quang Nam Province
is included in the motorbike tour programme.
"Motorbike riders can trek around the village or forests nearby before joining a night party with the host. Villagers may host a camp-fire where visitors and villagers drink rice wine from a jar while singing and dancing around," Wyndham added.
The second day begins with a hot coffee and a family breakfast before the tourists set off along the former historic Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Along the way, they pass lush forests and jaw-dropping views of central Viet Nam's mountains. At lunchtime, they have a picnic at a waterfall tucked alongside a towering peak.
The afternoon continues with a ride toward the coast, stopping along the way to explore old bases from the American war. Crossing the Thu Bon River by local ferry, tourists follow the floating bridge road back into Hoi An.
Wyndham warns that the second day will be hard with 150km of riding.
Around 1,000 people each year embark on the tour, which costs around US$250 each person.
The tour operators said they assigned tour guides and mechanics to accompany travellers in order to keep them safe.
Tourists can select from 45 motorbikes including Belarus-made two-stroke Minsks, Honda sport bikes and scooters.
The tour manager suggested that a group of about 10 people is best for the two-day tour.
"We offer many different routes from Hoi An to destinations of Phong Nha-Ke Bang in Quang Binh Province or DMZ tour in Quang Tri Province," she said.
Those who prefer not to drive motorbikes can travel on 1960s military jeeps made in the US.
VietNamNet/VNS
Friday, February 24, 2012
New Vietnam hiking tour features hill tribe villages | Look At Vietnam
New Vietnam hiking tour features hill tribe villages
February 25, 2012
 |
Topas Ecolodge is located on a hill, 18 kilometers from Sa Pa.
|
A tour operator near Sa Pa is launching a new hiking package through minority villages in the northern highlands.
Topas Ecolodge, 18 kilometers from Sa Pa, will take customers for a trip through the entire Muong Hoa Valley, which many ethnic minority communities have made their home.
Customers will take a night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, where they will take a Topas bus to Sa Pa for breakfast, before a full-day walk through the town and along a dirt trail through vegetable gardens and rice paddy terraces, as well as along a river at the end of the valley.
The package has been designed to highlight the best of northern Vietnam: the ethnic communities with their unique cultures, the deep valleys covered by terraced rice fields and the breathtaking mountains.
Customers will have dinner and an overnight stay at the Topas bungalows overlooking the valley.
On the third and final day, they will be able to spend some time at an ethnic village to experience daily life there.
The hiking package includes an English/French speaking guide, meals, one night at the Topas Ecolodge and a return train ticket to Hanoi.
Topas also offers a package tour of northern Vietnamese markets, colorful meeting places for the hill tribes of the country.
The package allows customers to visit various tribes in their colorful traditional dress, enjoy fresh items sold at the markets such as exotic herbs and spices, rice wine and local souvenirs.
The four markets included are where nearby hill tribes gather one morning each week not only to shop but also as a social event.
Thanh Nien News
New Vietnam hiking tour features hill tribe villages | Look At Vietnam
Sunday, March 15, 2009
VietNamTourists snub handicraft villages
The number of tourists visiting traditional handicraft villages has decreased sharply since Viet Nam was hit by the global economic recession.
Van Phuc Village in the west of Ha Noi, one of the country’s most famous traditional silk villages, is suffering from a lack of visitors.
According to the chairman of the Van Phuc Association of Craft Villages, only 200 tourists a day have been visiting the village, a decrease of 30 per cent against last year. Local visitors account for 60 per cent of the total tourists.
Bat Trang pottery village is seeing only 50 arrivals a day compared to 200-300 arrivals per day last year, according to Nguyen Trong Thu, a member of the Bat Trang Ceramics and Pottery Association.
Faced with falling attendance, traditional handicraft villages are striving to improve produce quality and have called for help from authorities to diversify tourism services.
Top priority should be given to improving the image of handicraft villages, said Chinh. "We plan to build a common business area to introduce and sell silk products. In addition, local cultural programmes will be added to existing tours," Chinh said.
A tourist and commercial service joint stock company will be set up in Bat Trang Village. The company will help develop traditional handicraft village tourism by introducing the village’s culture, history and current products to visitors.
People in Bat Trang Village were looking forward to the establishment of a pottery museum, said Thu.
At present, Van Phuc and Bat Trang are the most popular destinations out of the 11 traditional handicraft villages for tourists in Ha Noi.
Every year 8,000 to 10,000 foreign tourists and hundreds of thousands of local visitors visit the villages.
VietNamNet/VNS
Van Phuc Village in the west of Ha Noi, one of the country’s most famous traditional silk villages, is suffering from a lack of visitors.
According to the chairman of the Van Phuc Association of Craft Villages, only 200 tourists a day have been visiting the village, a decrease of 30 per cent against last year. Local visitors account for 60 per cent of the total tourists.
Bat Trang pottery village is seeing only 50 arrivals a day compared to 200-300 arrivals per day last year, according to Nguyen Trong Thu, a member of the Bat Trang Ceramics and Pottery Association.
Faced with falling attendance, traditional handicraft villages are striving to improve produce quality and have called for help from authorities to diversify tourism services.
Top priority should be given to improving the image of handicraft villages, said Chinh. "We plan to build a common business area to introduce and sell silk products. In addition, local cultural programmes will be added to existing tours," Chinh said.
A tourist and commercial service joint stock company will be set up in Bat Trang Village. The company will help develop traditional handicraft village tourism by introducing the village’s culture, history and current products to visitors.
People in Bat Trang Village were looking forward to the establishment of a pottery museum, said Thu.
At present, Van Phuc and Bat Trang are the most popular destinations out of the 11 traditional handicraft villages for tourists in Ha Noi.
Every year 8,000 to 10,000 foreign tourists and hundreds of thousands of local visitors visit the villages.
VietNamNet/VNS
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Winners or losers?
- Nguyen Van Hung’s dream of a bigger house for his family came true recently. The 50-year-old resident of Ha Tay province’s Phu Vinh village, replaced the dilapidated shell which was his house, with a spanking-new three-storey building, complete with television, fridge and wardrobes.
Hung’s windfall came when he was paid $16,870 to offer up his farmland to developers of a new township in An Khanh commune. The extra cash has also allowed him to buy a new motorbike and open a small grocery store. In nearby Van Canh commune’s Kim Hoang village, Nguyen The Trinh looks happy with his three-storey home. Trinh was paid $18,750 when his farmland was seized for a new residential area. “I didn’t know what to use the money for, so I decided to build a new house. I intend to purchase a refrigerator for the upcoming summer as well,” said Trinh.Trinh figures he will need $31,250 to finish work on the property. However, he isn’t worried. Local policy dictates that farmers are entitled to another piece of land as large as 10 per cent of the plot he gave up. Trinh values the new plot in waiting at $62,500. “My house faces the village’s main road. I will open a small grocery store to earn a living,” said Trinh.
Residents in An Khanh and Van Canh communes are also in the middle of a construction boom. The two communes are located just five kilometres from Hanoi, in an area where most of the surrounding farmland has already been seized for new townships. In An Khanh, Posco E&C has teamed up with Vinaconex to build a 260-hectare town while Sudico is building infrastructure for a residential area on 181 hectares. In Van Canh commune, the three new urban projects of Vinapol Villas, Hau Ai New Urban Area and Universities New Urban Area, will occupy 250 hectares of formerly agricultural land. Farmers have given up their land to make way for construction of townships and in return, the compensation packages are big enough for them to build new houses. “Our residents have become rich very quickly,” said Bui Van Van, vice chairman of An Khanh People’s Committee. Nguyen Huu Hung, owner of a building materials store in Van Canh, said farmers in his commune were using compensation money to build new houses. About 100 out of the villages 600 households are already hard at work on the task. “I sell about 30 lorries of sand, gravel and bricks a day to the commune. My sales have increased sharply since late 2007 and at present I have trouble keeping up,” said Hung.It is a similar story in sleepy Ha Tay province. A growing number of investors are sweeping into the area to build new townships and industrial parks. And with the investors comes cash. More cash than most subsistence farmers ever dreamed of. Urbanization is rapidly expanding in the northern province, which is poised to be integrated into Hanoi within the next few months. The National Assembly is set to meet on the plan as developers facing throat-cutting land prices in Hanoi, propose townships, golf courses, tourism complexes and industrial parks. According to the Ministry of Construction, there are more than 130 new urban and industrial parks either under construction or in the early stages in Ha Tay. In Duong Noi commune, which is just four kilometres from Hanoi’s National Convention Centre, developers have proposed 13 new residential areas. One of the biggest is a 198-hectare township being built by Nam Cuong Group at a cost of $1 billion. In Hoai Duc district, PetroVietnam is working on a plan to develop a 840-hectare township, which will devour the thee commune’s paddy fields. In An Khanh and Duong Noi communes, all agricultural land will be transformed into real estate and industrial parks. Although farmers are happy with the compensation packages that allow them to build new houses and purchase appliances, they are worried about their prospects later down the road. Some look for jobs as store workers, artisans or in the industrial parks and construction projects. Sadly, most don’t have the skills needed after spending their lives toiling under the sun. “They are in danger of relapsing into poverty. They will face some difficulties due to a lack of jobs,” said Van from An Khanh commune. Trinh is a case in point. After he sold off his fields he found all the doors closed at the industrial park near his home. “Several others went to work in the industrial zone but they gave up as the salary is lower than a motorcycle taxi driver’s income. There are some positions with higher salaries, but companies need professional workers,” said Trinh. Hung from Phu Vinh village, doesn’t earn much from his new job as a motorbike taxi driver. His son works as a bricklayer and earns VND45,000 a day. Hung’s wife, Nguyen Thi Hoa and his daughter-in-law run the new grocers.“We earn about VND30,000 a day from the shop. It is just enough for our five-person family to buy vegetables. My husband and son are responsible for the rice,” said Hoa. Part of their compensation package has been set aside for their grandchildren’s school fees and other day-to-day expenses. “We will run out of money if we can’t find suitable jobs soon,” said HoaLike Hoa, the 13,500 residents of Dong Mai commune in Ha Dong City, are worried about their future after half of their 200 hectares was gobbled up for another industrial park. Phan Thi Ca used most of the $12,500 she received for her 1,080 square meters of land to build a three-storey house. She has been also allocated with another piece of land near the park tantamount to 10 per cent of the withdrawn land that she now can sell for up to $60,000. “If we have no jobs we must use the money for our daily expenses. But, with inflation, it will soon run out,” she complained. There is a little support from local authorities for farmers looking for a new career. Ha Tay has a policy that gives farmers a piece of land equivalent to 10 per cent of the land they give up so that they can set up shops to earn living. However, most sell that piece soon after or even before it is handed over. In An Khanh commune, local authorities organized three vocational training courses for 190 farmers on the cultivation of ornamental plants. Farmers in attendance found it perplexing why authorities would run the courses for people without land. “If I could grow plants in my house I would have attended the course,” farmer Nguyen Dinh Bao joked.
When asked, Bui Van Van, vice chairman of the An Khanh People’s Committee, said the authority couldn’t find anything more suitable. “We are waiting for a governmental policy,” he said.Van Canh and Dong Mai People’s Committees are also doing nothing. Dong Mai organised one course for 30 farmers out of a population of 13,500 residents. Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Sinh Hung, last week asked local authorities to create jobs for farmers who had to relinquish more than 250 hectares of agricultural land for a 41 kilometre road from Ha Dong City to National Highway 1A. “The compensation for agricultural land must be satisfactory,” said Hung. “Businesses and local authorities need to work out policies to create jobs for farmers.” Cienco 5 Land is building a road in exchange for land use rights for 570 hectares which will house three new townships. However, many of Ha Tay’s farmers will find roads that lead to nowhere if they can’t find jobs.
Hung’s windfall came when he was paid $16,870 to offer up his farmland to developers of a new township in An Khanh commune. The extra cash has also allowed him to buy a new motorbike and open a small grocery store. In nearby Van Canh commune’s Kim Hoang village, Nguyen The Trinh looks happy with his three-storey home. Trinh was paid $18,750 when his farmland was seized for a new residential area. “I didn’t know what to use the money for, so I decided to build a new house. I intend to purchase a refrigerator for the upcoming summer as well,” said Trinh.Trinh figures he will need $31,250 to finish work on the property. However, he isn’t worried. Local policy dictates that farmers are entitled to another piece of land as large as 10 per cent of the plot he gave up. Trinh values the new plot in waiting at $62,500. “My house faces the village’s main road. I will open a small grocery store to earn a living,” said Trinh.
Residents in An Khanh and Van Canh communes are also in the middle of a construction boom. The two communes are located just five kilometres from Hanoi, in an area where most of the surrounding farmland has already been seized for new townships. In An Khanh, Posco E&C has teamed up with Vinaconex to build a 260-hectare town while Sudico is building infrastructure for a residential area on 181 hectares. In Van Canh commune, the three new urban projects of Vinapol Villas, Hau Ai New Urban Area and Universities New Urban Area, will occupy 250 hectares of formerly agricultural land. Farmers have given up their land to make way for construction of townships and in return, the compensation packages are big enough for them to build new houses. “Our residents have become rich very quickly,” said Bui Van Van, vice chairman of An Khanh People’s Committee. Nguyen Huu Hung, owner of a building materials store in Van Canh, said farmers in his commune were using compensation money to build new houses. About 100 out of the villages 600 households are already hard at work on the task. “I sell about 30 lorries of sand, gravel and bricks a day to the commune. My sales have increased sharply since late 2007 and at present I have trouble keeping up,” said Hung.It is a similar story in sleepy Ha Tay province. A growing number of investors are sweeping into the area to build new townships and industrial parks. And with the investors comes cash. More cash than most subsistence farmers ever dreamed of. Urbanization is rapidly expanding in the northern province, which is poised to be integrated into Hanoi within the next few months. The National Assembly is set to meet on the plan as developers facing throat-cutting land prices in Hanoi, propose townships, golf courses, tourism complexes and industrial parks. According to the Ministry of Construction, there are more than 130 new urban and industrial parks either under construction or in the early stages in Ha Tay. In Duong Noi commune, which is just four kilometres from Hanoi’s National Convention Centre, developers have proposed 13 new residential areas. One of the biggest is a 198-hectare township being built by Nam Cuong Group at a cost of $1 billion. In Hoai Duc district, PetroVietnam is working on a plan to develop a 840-hectare township, which will devour the thee commune’s paddy fields. In An Khanh and Duong Noi communes, all agricultural land will be transformed into real estate and industrial parks. Although farmers are happy with the compensation packages that allow them to build new houses and purchase appliances, they are worried about their prospects later down the road. Some look for jobs as store workers, artisans or in the industrial parks and construction projects. Sadly, most don’t have the skills needed after spending their lives toiling under the sun. “They are in danger of relapsing into poverty. They will face some difficulties due to a lack of jobs,” said Van from An Khanh commune. Trinh is a case in point. After he sold off his fields he found all the doors closed at the industrial park near his home. “Several others went to work in the industrial zone but they gave up as the salary is lower than a motorcycle taxi driver’s income. There are some positions with higher salaries, but companies need professional workers,” said Trinh. Hung from Phu Vinh village, doesn’t earn much from his new job as a motorbike taxi driver. His son works as a bricklayer and earns VND45,000 a day. Hung’s wife, Nguyen Thi Hoa and his daughter-in-law run the new grocers.“We earn about VND30,000 a day from the shop. It is just enough for our five-person family to buy vegetables. My husband and son are responsible for the rice,” said Hoa. Part of their compensation package has been set aside for their grandchildren’s school fees and other day-to-day expenses. “We will run out of money if we can’t find suitable jobs soon,” said HoaLike Hoa, the 13,500 residents of Dong Mai commune in Ha Dong City, are worried about their future after half of their 200 hectares was gobbled up for another industrial park. Phan Thi Ca used most of the $12,500 she received for her 1,080 square meters of land to build a three-storey house. She has been also allocated with another piece of land near the park tantamount to 10 per cent of the withdrawn land that she now can sell for up to $60,000. “If we have no jobs we must use the money for our daily expenses. But, with inflation, it will soon run out,” she complained. There is a little support from local authorities for farmers looking for a new career. Ha Tay has a policy that gives farmers a piece of land equivalent to 10 per cent of the land they give up so that they can set up shops to earn living. However, most sell that piece soon after or even before it is handed over. In An Khanh commune, local authorities organized three vocational training courses for 190 farmers on the cultivation of ornamental plants. Farmers in attendance found it perplexing why authorities would run the courses for people without land. “If I could grow plants in my house I would have attended the course,” farmer Nguyen Dinh Bao joked.
When asked, Bui Van Van, vice chairman of the An Khanh People’s Committee, said the authority couldn’t find anything more suitable. “We are waiting for a governmental policy,” he said.Van Canh and Dong Mai People’s Committees are also doing nothing. Dong Mai organised one course for 30 farmers out of a population of 13,500 residents. Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Sinh Hung, last week asked local authorities to create jobs for farmers who had to relinquish more than 250 hectares of agricultural land for a 41 kilometre road from Ha Dong City to National Highway 1A. “The compensation for agricultural land must be satisfactory,” said Hung. “Businesses and local authorities need to work out policies to create jobs for farmers.” Cienco 5 Land is building a road in exchange for land use rights for 570 hectares which will house three new townships. However, many of Ha Tay’s farmers will find roads that lead to nowhere if they can’t find jobs.
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