Hanoi
Hanoi: Travel Places
Ba Vi National Park- Tam Dao Hill station- Thay & Tay Phuong Pagoda
Ba Vi National Park
Centred on scenic Ba Vi Mountain (Nui Ba Vi), Ba Vi National Park (881 205; admission 10, 000d, motorbike 5000d) attracts Hanoians looking for a weekend escape from the city. The park has several rare and endangered plants in its protected forest, and its mammals include two species of rare ‘flying’ squirrel. Human encroachment on the area has made the chances of seeing any of these pretty rare.
There’s an orchid garden and a bird garden, and hiking opportunities through the forested slopes of the mountain. There’s a temple to Uncle Ho at the mountain’s summit (1276m) – it’s a hard but beautiful 30-minute climb up 1229 steps through the forest – with spectacular views of the Red River valley and Hanoi in the distance. At least there are views between April and December when the air is clear; at other times it’s damp and misty but eerily atmospheric. The road to the summit car park is seriously steep, slippery and narrow, but road widening is ongoing.
Tam Dao hill station
‘La Cascade d’Argent’ (Silver Waterfall) to the French, and Thac Bac to the Vietnamese, Tam Dao Hill Stationwas a popular place of escape from the heat of the Red River Delta. Founded in 1907 by the French, most of the grand old colonial villas were destroyed during the Franco–Viet Minh War in the 1950s and the ruins have since been replaced by Soviet-inspired, concrete-box architecture. A somewhat belated effort to restore some of the colonial villas is now under way.
Hanoi residents sometimes call Tam Dao ‘the Dalat of the north’. This has more to do with its high elevation and cool climate than any resemblance to Dalat. If you’re living in Hanoi and would like to find a summer weekend retreat, it’s worth heading up for the cool weather and a change of pace. However, unless you plan to do some serious hiking or bird-watching, there really isn’t that much to see and do here.
Thay & Tay Phuong Pagodas
Stunning limestone outcrops loom up from the emerald green paddy fields and clinging to the cliffs are these two pagodas, about 20 minutes apart from each other by road.
Thay Pagoda (Master’s Pagoda; admission 5000d), also known as Thien Phuc (Heavenly Blessing), is dedicated to Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha). To the left of the main altar is a statue of the 12th-century monk Tu Dao Hanh, the master in whose honour the pagoda is named. To the right is a statue of King Ly Nhan Tong, who is believed to have been a reincarnation of Tu Dao Hanh.
Centred on scenic Ba Vi Mountain (Nui Ba Vi), Ba Vi National Park (881 205; admission 10, 000d, motorbike 5000d) attracts Hanoians looking for a weekend escape from the city. The park has several rare and endangered plants in its protected forest, and its mammals include two species of rare ‘flying’ squirrel. Human encroachment on the area has made the chances of seeing any of these pretty rare.
There’s an orchid garden and a bird garden, and hiking opportunities through the forested slopes of the mountain. There’s a temple to Uncle Ho at the mountain’s summit (1276m) – it’s a hard but beautiful 30-minute climb up 1229 steps through the forest – with spectacular views of the Red River valley and Hanoi in the distance. At least there are views between April and December when the air is clear; at other times it’s damp and misty but eerily atmospheric. The road to the summit car park is seriously steep, slippery and narrow, but road widening is ongoing.
Tam Dao hill station
‘La Cascade d’Argent’ (Silver Waterfall) to the French, and Thac Bac to the Vietnamese, Tam Dao Hill Stationwas a popular place of escape from the heat of the Red River Delta. Founded in 1907 by the French, most of the grand old colonial villas were destroyed during the Franco–Viet Minh War in the 1950s and the ruins have since been replaced by Soviet-inspired, concrete-box architecture. A somewhat belated effort to restore some of the colonial villas is now under way.
Hanoi residents sometimes call Tam Dao ‘the Dalat of the north’. This has more to do with its high elevation and cool climate than any resemblance to Dalat. If you’re living in Hanoi and would like to find a summer weekend retreat, it’s worth heading up for the cool weather and a change of pace. However, unless you plan to do some serious hiking or bird-watching, there really isn’t that much to see and do here.
Thay & Tay Phuong Pagodas
Stunning limestone outcrops loom up from the emerald green paddy fields and clinging to the cliffs are these two pagodas, about 20 minutes apart from each other by road.
Thay Pagoda (Master’s Pagoda; admission 5000d), also known as Thien Phuc (Heavenly Blessing), is dedicated to Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha). To the left of the main altar is a statue of the 12th-century monk Tu Dao Hanh, the master in whose honour the pagoda is named. To the right is a statue of King Ly Nhan Tong, who is believed to have been a reincarnation of Tu Dao Hanh.
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