HA TAY
With Ha Dong as provincial
capital, Ha Tay lies to the southwest of and at the entrance
to Ha Noi capital. For this reason,all of its tourist attractions
are around 50km from the centre of Ha Noi and easily accessible
by land. Chua Huong (Perfume Pagoda) stands amidst a large
area of scenic interest named Huong Son in My Son district,
almost 70km to the southwest of Ha Noi. Actually, Chua Huong
(Perfume Pagoda) is a complex of pagodas and Buddhist shrines
and natural scenery consisting of mountains ( Mam Xoi or Raspberry
mountain, Con Ga or Cock mountain, Voi or Elephant mountain,
Lon or Kylin mountain...), forests, streams (Yen and Tuyet),
grottoes (Huong Tich, Hinh Bong, Ngoc Long, Chua Tien) and
pagodas (Ngoai or Cho, Trong or Huong, Hinh Bong, Long Van,
Bao Dai...). The most outstanding spots are Huong Tich Grotto
and Huong Pagoda. Nam Thien De Nhat Dong (The most beautiful
grotto in the South) - the distinction conferred by Lord Trinh
Sam - remains visible on the wall of Huong Tich Grotto. It
is in the area surrounding Perfume Pagoda that the traces
of the primitive mankind as well as the archaeological artifacts
of the Hoa Binh-Bac Son cultures have been discovered. Perfume
Pagoda is also reputed for its valuable medicinal herbs. Dong
Mois a tourist attraction for those who love nature and are
fond of golf. At the very foot of Ba Vi mountain is Dong Mo,
a poetic valley with a man-made reservoir covering 1,500 ha
and more than 20 islets. Dong Mo Golf Course is covered with
velvety, verdant grass, and has 18 holes of international
standard. In addition, Ha Tay attracts local and foreign visitors
by such beautiful sites as Son Tay Citadel, Tay Phuong Pagoda,
Chua Thay (Master's Pagoda). At last is Tan Vien Temple in
Ba Vicommune (Ba Vidistrict, Ha Tay). Built in the times of
the northern domination, this temple was in dedication to
God of Tan Vien Mountain or Mountain God.
Sixty kilometres southwest of HaNoi is Chua
Huong compound. Usually known to foreign tourists as the Perfume
Pagoda, it is found on the last range of the Son La-Mac Chau
limestone range in northern VietNam and covers 5,134 ha stretching
over the four southern communes of My Son district in HaTay
province.
Occupying an important position in both Buddhism and Vietnamese
culture, Chua Huong adds a unique cultural feature to the
Southeast Asian and Asian region. The area's romantic scenery
provides a perfect backdrop to the development of spiritual
life as well as providing magical natural surroundings.
Impressed after his visit to Chu�a Huong, Hasegawa Mirokazu,
president of the Hasegawa Construction Company which manages
Japan's biggest cultural and Buddhist villages, said: Chua
Huong deserves the pride of being an excellent tourist destination.
Foreigners coming here seem to be very drawn to its beauty
and nature's romantic scenery which bears deep Vietnamese
cultural characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to improve
Chua Huong's infrastructure to preserve its natural as well
as cultural heritage. However, unfortunately, the entire area
is now facing severe environmental pollution and traffic problems
caused, on the one hand by tourists and, on the other, by
bad management by local authorities. Better-late-than-never,
the Ministry of Planning and Investment has recently received
a masterplan on Environmental Improvement and Traffic Solutions.
But first,Chua Huong's two major problems must be solved.
Local authorities reveal that if these pollution and traffic
problems are not overcome quickly, the area will face total
destruction in the near future.
Some are even thinking of making Chua Huong the place to pray
for world peace. If so, it would become the third place in
the world after Verona in Italy and Hiroshima in Japan, and
planners are working hard from now to the year 2000 to achieve
this goal. (VNS)
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