A corner of Da Vien dune. According to the People’s Committee of Hue City, the plan of planning and investment in Da Vien islet along the Perfume River is currently being urgently promoted, with many items and functions for tourism, promoting cultural, historical and landscape values. nature. This investment is part of the detailed planning project on both banks of the Perfume River which has just been approved by TT-Hue Provincial People’s Committee. Con Da Vien has long become a famous place, its name is also used to name road bridges and water factories. Accordingly, at Da Vien dune south of the Perfume River, Millennium Park will be formed, with a scale of 10.5 hectares. This is considered as a garden “Ngu Yuan” in the ancient Citadel, creating an attractive destination for tourists and people. There are still some vestiges of the past, which used to be the Ngu garden under the Nguyen Dynasty. Accordingly, the city government will build at Da Vien dune a system of walkways and pedestrian bridges connecting to the dunes from Bui Thi Xuan street, forming lawns, tropical forests, squares, and promenades. overhead, riverside scenic spots, gardens. The park in Da Vien is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year. Promote the embellishment of a part of Da Vien dune space. In addition to the current landscape decoration, tree system, and walkways, the research on building a garden “Ngu Yuan” like under the Nguyen Dynasty at Da Vien dune is being promoted, to be deployed in the future. next. This garden is located in the west of Da Vien dune, with landscape architecture arranged in a terraced style, as is often used in ancient mausoleums and in the Hue Citadel. Restoring landscape trees damaged by storms by the end of 2020. The garden “Ngu Yuan” includes a system of green trees associated with clusters of historical vestiges on Da Vien dune such as: Quan Phong floor, gun field, boat dock, Du Da Vien stone stele, earth god temple… At Ngu garden, there will be tall green trees typical of Hue garden landscape such as field corn, milkweed, camphor, horse music, etc. Besides, there will be shrubs suitable for flooded areas such as boron jelly, water bamboo. , mai just Thien, jasmine flowers, bamboo, bamboo … in the area close to the river When it becomes the garden “Ngu Yuan”, many species of trees from the North – Central – South regions will converge here. The space of Da Vien Water Factory with the water tower built in 1953 is expected to be the venue for symposia, cultural, political, artistic events, and a space to display tourism products and services. herbal therapy and performing arts field… This place also arranges species of tamarind, black star, phoenix dance, Christmas incense, pink trumpet typical for the Southern space, and plants with changing leaves such as milk flowers, cold rice, and eagle typical of the North… According to historical and cultural documents, Da Vien dune has a length of about 850m, the widest place is about 185m, southwest of Hue Citadel. When building the Hue Citadel, Hen islet was chosen as a feng shui element “left dragon”, Da Vien dune is “huu white tiger”. Con Da Vien has a length of about 850m, the widest place is about 185m, this is considered an important feng shui element “friendly white tiger” when building the ancient Hue Citadel. Those are two natural islands located in the Perfume River (the section that flows through Hue City today), visualized by the architects as “chau dragon” and “tiger bow” to protect the dynasty according to the style of art. oriental water. According to some ancient bibliographies, in the reign of Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat (1738-1765), an arena between elephants and tigers was held here. The epic battles between elephants and tigers later took place in Ho Quyen, built by King Minh Mang in 1830. It is known that the name Da Vien appeared in the reign of Tu Duc (1848-1883). According to the existing stone stele on Da Vien dune, the garden was established in May, Tu Duc year 21 (July 1868). Da Vien road bridge crosses the Perfume River and goes on Da Vien dune. Posts “Sign of the Wild Wilderness” written by King Tu Duc when the construction of the Ngu garden was completed here (The National History of the Nguyen Dynasty was engraved in the collection of Ngu Ngu Van Thi Tape in the year of Tu Duc 29-1876, tamed during the period 1868-1876). ) described quite fully the contents related to geographical location, natural features, nature, people’s life before and after being relocated, cleared to get land to build Du Da Vien as well as such as the description of the architecture, activities, pleasures and rest of the king in this royal garden. There is a railway bridge running across it named Bach Ho. Today, Da Vien dune is a green area with the existence of Da Vien Water Factory (water tower built in 1953) and has a number of houses. Across Da Vien dune and Perfume River, there are two road and railway bridges named Da Vien and Bach Ho. 15 years ago, this place was deliberately turned into a reinforced concrete high-rise tourist area. This intention was met with a reaction from the public, so it did not come true. 15 years ago, Da Vien dune was targeted by investors to build a high-class tourist and resort area; with a 3-storey 5-star building complex, a 2-storey international conference area… However, this investment direction encountered a drastic response from public opinion, so the authorities were forced to stop. Currently, the local government is planning, investing, embellishing and promoting the value of Da Vien dune in a suitable and harmonious way with the detailed planning of the two banks of the Perfume River approved by the TT-Hue Provincial People’s Committee.

On an area of ​​about 1,000 square meters in Long Binh Ward, City. In Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung (rector of Tue Duc International College) has meticulously crafted and restored the heritages of the ancient land of Hue with a project called “Little Hue”. Talking about the starting point of implementing this work, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung said that comes from the purpose of wanting to do something special to give to his mother. “My mother gave birth to 17 children, so her health is weaker than other people. When I was young, I lived close to my parents and family and listened to her talk a lot about Hue. When the family migrated to the South, my mother loved me very much. and miss Hue, so I decided to make this project as a gift for my mother”, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung shared. Overview of the project “Miniature Hue” by Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung The image of the ancient Thien Mu pagoda in the architectural complex “Miniature Hue” The typical architectural works of Hue such as Thien Mu Pagoda, Imperial Citadel, Perfume River, Trang Tien Bridge… were restored in miniature with the scale of 1:700. Having a tradition of crafting, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung and his family members have built together “Little Hue” right in Saigon for 7 years. Most of these architectural items and works are used by the owner to use crushed stone pressed into the mold to shape it according to the design. Each item and architecture is designed by Dr. Tung performs in compliance with actual prototypes. Trang Tien Bridge crosses the poetic Huong Giang river Majestic cannons in the imperial city of Hue The architectural works are perspective, dotted with green patches in accordance with reality in Hue According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, at first he only planned to make a small model of Hue citadel, but when he finished, he thought why not build more Thien Mu pagoda, Perfume river, palace, mausoleum… “So I continued to form on my thoughts and design drawings of a miniature Hue, encapsulating what is special and most characteristic of Hue into this work,” said Dr. Tung said and added that because he didn’t have abundant financial resources when he started working, he just did it step by step and that process helped him get many optimal solutions. The project “Miniature Hue” took 7 years (from 2000 to 2007) from the beginning of creation to completion through the process of researching, testing, experimenting and finding solutions. Restoration of Bach Ma mountain area After working days and weekends, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung returned to his peaceful, hometown-style garden to relax and enjoy the garden. The father of Dr. Tung is also the one who supports his son to take care of and preserve this special project Many items and materials to make the project were transported and created by the owner from outside Hue. Like this house, it was crafted by family members before being brought to Saigon. The system of trees and bonsai was also developed by Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung planned to plant from the early days to synchronize with the common space of the project. There are some trees such as phoenix, bodhi… brought in from Hue, while the weeping willow tree is native to Da Lat… Peaceful, picturesque landscape in Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung’s garden

The image of the street market by the river is still somewhere. Prosperous past Bao Vinh ancient town is located in Huong Vinh commune (Huong Tra town, Thua Thien Hue province), about 5km from Hue city center. This old town is located in the chain of Thanh Ha – Bao Vinh towns, one of the two largest ancient commercial ports in Dang During the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries together with the town port of Hoi An (Quang Nam). In 1636, after moving the lord palace from Phuc An to Kim Long, Lord Nguyen Phuc Lan chose the location of Sinh junction overlooking Thuan An border gate to open Thanh Ha port. Formed on the land of the two villages Minh Huong and Dia Linh due to the immigration and settlement of the Chinese, Thanh Ha town port quickly became a busy and busy commercial port on the boat’s wharf. Merchants from China, Japan, India and some European countries often visit ports to buy and sell goods. Later, Thanh Ha port was filled up and declined. Bao Vinh was born as an inevitable continuation. Bao Vinh is located near the junction, where Huong River meets two dug Dong Ba and Cua Hau rivers. In the past, Bao Vinh was famous for making coffins, carefully mosaic nacre, weaving cloth, masonry, brick and tile, making flour … In 1885, the imperial capital of Hue fell to the hands of French colonialists, Bao Vinh was destroyed destroy and fade gradually. When King Thanh Thai established Dong Ba market street close to the capital (in 1899), Bao Vinh was gradually forgotten. Although no longer an important port, the image of Bao Vinh still exists with the old streets on the river and the unique architecture of the townhouses, bearing bold market street with the function of both living and trading. The typical classic houses have wooden structures, tiled roofs, and interlocking brick walls. Many riverside houses are built in the style of old quadrangle houses (or “banh ú”), facing the river bank, where goods are transshipped with merchant ships. Ancient houses dating from 100 to 200 years have created a distinctive ancient feature for Bao Vinh ancient town. A corner of Bao Vinh ancient town. Difficulty in conservation Bao Vinh ancient town conservation project has been implemented by Thua Thien Hue province since 1991 to promote the value of traditional ancient house architecture and tourism exploitation. At that time, there were 39 old houses here. In 2003, the province had a conservation plan for the old town of Bao Vinh with a research scope of 8ha, but at this time there were only 17 old houses. Currently, Bao Vinh has only 10 old houses, including 6 houses with Vietnamese traditional architecture and 4 houses with French architecture. Currently, the local government with the financial support of the French Senate has just restored 4 old houses. The rest are continuing to wait. Among the remaining old houses, it is worth noting that the house number 77 Bao Vinh of Mr. Phan Tam. This is the only remaining 2-storey wooden house in Bao Vinh. The house of 5 compartments, dating back to nearly 150 years, is now badly damaged and has a significant impact on the lives and activities of people. The old house No. 105 Bao Vinh dating back more than 100 years of Mr. Le Quang Chat is in the same situation. He expressed: “Due to being built for too long, this ancient house has been damaged a lot. Currently, my family has to repair some items to both make accommodation and protect the house from collapsing. Previously, someone came to ask about changing the wooden frame in our old house with a new wooden frame and “compensating” for 12 more gold trees, but my family refused to keep the old house from the ancestors. again”. The change and disappearance of the old town in Bao Vinh has made many historical, cultural researchers and people regret it. Although Bao Vinh old town has taken on a different look, the street spirit still seems to be floating somewhere. Tourists come to Bao Vinh as to remember, find a time of glorious past with a small street just over 300m long but there are still old houses, rice market, boat station across the river, or The village communal house and Thien Giang pagoda are over 200 years old … In 2019, a cafe here is set as the setting in the movie “Eye of the Eye” by director Victor Vu has attracted many visitors to the old town. Bao Vinh. Through many changes of history, Bao Vinh still has a strange attraction with the simple beauty of the street form in the village and the preserved village cultural values. Bao Vinh ancient town is a unique architectural – cultural heritage, has historical value and is considered a part of the ancient capital of Hue, which needs to be preserved and preserved.

That is why I insisted on staying in this house when Son moved with his family to live in Ho Chi Minh City and handed the house in Hue to me. It seems that in every dark corner of this house, on Son’s wooden writing desk left behind, and in the chair made of big, weak rattan fibers, Cuong is always sitting and drawing, scent quietly. of our youth. Portrait of musician Trinh Cong Son by artist Dinh Cuong. Photo: maivang.nld. At that time, Son’s family lived in this house, and me and Dinh Cuong lived together in a rented house in Ben Ngu alley across the river. I forgot how Cuong often hung an arm around his neck, bandages and red pills, and pretended to be injured to paint war. I sat in front of the writing desk in the silent room, when outside the tea fence, a train was carried south, carrying familiar faces from the classroom, trying to poke out of the window as if to say words. goodbye to me. Yes, we grew up to the age of the war, and that’s the foundation of Dinh Cuong’s oil painting, of the Trinh Cong Son antiwar music, and of our tragic youth circling this city. At night, Cuong and I used to walk past Son’s house on the other side of the small bridge to roam with Son along the Perfume River. Outside the house Son was living in was a long corridor, and down the road, the front side of the house was large camphor trees of the first generation of trees in the city left after the storms. At the other end of the road, there was a huge nacre tree that in autumn leaves the whole tree shining, just like each leaf was cast in gold by a jeweler. At the end of the corridor is a small river that we usually watch through each rain. Under the rain, the river was smooth and seemed wider; on this clear blue water, thousands of shining rain drops, and singing like piano keys, “little rivers, promises are rains”, as in Sơn’s song. The glass on the big door overlooking the street of the facade of the Son house was broken for a long time, Sơn was also lazy not to attach it; The wind outside, just blowing directly into the house, sounded like people. Later, when I came back to live in Son’s house, I sat and wrote in the back room, listening to people calling my name in front of the door. Now that the two children are all going to school, the house has become strangely lonely, I often hope to have friends over to play. I was so glad when I heard the call outside the door, I put the pen and ran to open the door. It turned out that it was just the sound of the wind blowing, the leaves dried in the wind running down the hallway. The back room, designed by Son himself, is designed as a classroom; I often come during recess to teach more for Son’s children. It must be honest that at that time in Hue, abstract painting was unfamiliar to the public, so among friends, Cuong was still revered as a man of the “light century”. From time to time, Cuong went to Saigon to hold exhibitions. Once, when I was busy teaching, I got a ticket from the school office. It was Cuong’s ticket to invite me to attend Cuong’s exhibition in Dalat. I hurried home to pack some luggage and go straight to the airport; A moment later I went to Da Lat, and was present at Cuong’s gallery. I remember it was a Christmas Day, and the painting Girl in cherry blossom color Cuong was asked by many people, in which Cuong painted a young woman’s face from the window frame of a villa, gazing down at a cherry blossom bud in spring. In Hue, Cuong drew me a painting Bridge drunk that is, the doodles of the Truong Tien bridge stand out against the brick background and a yellow dot of lights dangling overhead, as a sign of consciousness. Perhaps it was our drunkenness during our wandering nights in Hue. In Hue, wandering is also a cultural activity. Cuong always dresses properly, is always new, and often comes to his room to call me out. I wear an old suit of Mr. Do, the jacket is more than half-length, woven with coarse wool, probably the one Mr. Do often wears at night, while waiting for Mrs. Quy at the metro station in Paris. From time to time, we even have Ngo Kha join us. Ngo Kha, a well-known poet, was an officer in the I Corps stationed in Da Nang. Occasionally, Ngo Kha went to Hue on vacation and wandered with us. We often leave the house late at night, the streets are empty, and there are no traffic. We often stopped at the university professors’ residence to invite Mr. Do to go out; At that time, Ms. Quy had gone to bed, and Do was sitting alone, sipping a diluted coffee and reading the story of the attorney general. We considered the outing to start from the Son house, at that time, everyone was full. We walked along the street along the Perfume River, pulled over to Truong Tien Bridge and sat in a famous cafe at that time. The road was deserted, the two rows of salt trees on the side of the road were clustered together in an arch above the head, and the Le Loi street seemed to extend under the street light. Occasionally, on a deserted street, we would meet workers sweeping the streets carrying fallen leaves in tricycles and pushing branches on the road. Walking beside Sơn, I sang silently by Sơn’s singing: “The night cannon returned to the city at night. The man sweeping the road stops the broom to listen ”. And Ngo Kha read us new poems, Kha likes to recite poems under the trees at night, and I like to listen to everything outside of teaching. Apparently at that time, we realized that man is a freedom. I remember the verse of Ngô Kha made in those wandering walks: “Last resurrection on the ship Around him red sand silt He asked silently about his life Is the stone wood sad? “.

If you like to move, you can choose a trekking tour of Bach Ma national forest. Gentle relaxation activities such as sunset hunting in Tam Giang Lagoon, boat ride on Huong River or exploring ancient capital’s cuisine are equally attractive. Tour to Thanh Toan village Price: 819,000 VND Duration: 5 hours 45 minutes What will you experience? – Rowing along the Nhu Y river, cycling around Thanh Toan village, admiring the peaceful scenery in the countryside of Hue – Explore the life of Thanh Toan villagers, experience activities such as fishing, farming, gardening … – Visit the Thanh Toan tile bridge, a national-level cultural monument in Vietnam – Cook and enjoy traditional Hue dishes under the guidance of local chefs Visitors are immersed in Hue village life. Photo: Doanhuydesign. Visitor comments: Phoebe: “The tour will stop at different cultural locations and provide useful information about each. I like the fishing part and the cooking class the most.” Jacqueline: “Even though I was the only participant that day, I had many memorable experiences with this enthusiastic tour guide. The cooking class allowed me to make many dishes that I had never tried before in Vietnam”. SHIH HUNG: “I booked the tour on rainy day, some activities such as boat trips and farm work have to be canceled. Tour should add some activities suitable for bad weather”. Trekking tour of Bach Ma National Park Price: 680,000 VND Duration: 9 o’clock What will you experience? – Challenge yourself on hiking – Learn about animals and plants in Bach Ma National Park – Immerse yourself in the emerald water at Do Quyen and Ngu Ho waterfall – Picnic lunch in the fresh jungle The natural picture is caught in sight on the top of Bach Ma. Photo: Bangthanhh. Visitor comments: Quoc khanh: “Tour is worthwhile with attractive natural landscape, but better if going on a sunny day. The tour guide has good knowledge and foreign language”. Fitria Hutiany: “The tour is only for those who are really passionate about adventure. There is a girl in our group who finds it difficult every time we climb downhill. Lunch here is quite good.” Angelia: “If you are afraid of climbing, getting muddy, dirty, this is not the activity for you.” Dragon boat tour, dinner on Huong river Price: 761,000 VND Duration: 4 o’clock What will you experience? Admire the Perfume River, the endless source of inspiration for Vietnamese poetry – Watch the sunset on both sides of the river like Ngu mountain, Truong Tien bridge … – Dinner on a luxury dragon boat – Drop flower lights posted on the river surface Dragon boat is a unique feature of Hue culture. Photo: Datvecahue. Visitor comments: Timothy Kah Kin: “The food is delicious. The tour guide is caring, sharing many interesting stories”. Karen: “When the meal is served, the boat stands still to minimize engine noise. Tour is served from 17h-20h30, but in fact guests can only experience less than 2 hours”. Pereira: “The boat trip was quite short and not impressive”. Sightseeing, dinner tour on Tam Giang lagoon Price: 588,000 VND Duration: 3 o’clock What will you experience ?: – Walking around the lagoon, fishing with local people Watch the sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon, the largest lagoon in Southeast Asia – Have seafood dinner on floating restaurant Beautiful end of day picture in Tam Giang Lagoon. Photo: Mananh_nguyen. Visitor comments: Lie: “Tour was on time, the tour guide spoke good English. The 5 of us were fishing without a net but caught 3 crabs. All had a pleasant experience”. MING WAI: “It was cloudy that day, but the trip is still very valuable”. Anh: “Private tour pick up at hotel, delicious food”. Hue street food tour Price: 519,000 VND Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes What will you experience? – Enjoy your dining itinerary on foot or cyclo – Enjoy Hue street food such as vermicelli, teas, cakes … – Shop for local souvenirs at Dong Ba market, night market Bun beef is a dish not to be missed in Hue culinary paradise. Photo: Torr.dailylife. Visitor comments: Amanda: “The tour guide took us to four different places to taste the local food”. HeeSung: “On cyclo, I was stopped at temples and took pictures. The tour guide was enthusiastic but lacked detailed description of the ancient capital dishes.”