PHUONG MAI, THANH TAM MY Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 14:48 + | Print A corner of Green Island. One of the “Four friends” (Friends of Do Ban) – Quach Tan, in his book Non Nuoc Binh Dinh, called Cu Lao Xanh “a windscreen for Quy Nhon gate”. He quoted an old verse: “The gate has an outer stone / The drivers run outside to call Lao Xanh island”. “From Gia Long onwards, this island belongs to Phu Yen. It was not until the Minh Mang dynasty that it was converted into Binh Dinh” (Non Nuoc Binh Dinh). Switching back and forth, so Nhon Chau (the name of Cu Lao Xanh since the country’s reunification) is also very sad. Part 1: Journey to wait for electricity In the summer of 2014, on a boat from Ham Tu wharf to Nhon Chau, I saw a few young men dragging a few box speakers, accompanied by DVD players and tapes to sell to the islanders. Traders are often sensitive to the market. In the invitation through the box speaker, just turning half the volume on the whole island, the young man said: “There will be a power grid project coming here, people buy ready-made equipment and listen to music, when the electricity comes on When you buy it, the price will increase, there are no more preferential prices.” The next day, we met again at the wharf, saw that the stack of discs in the salesman’s hand was 2/3 empty, and the disc players were sold. Before the day there is electricity From Quy Nhon City, walking on the beach, you don’t need to be very sharp to see the blurry Green Isle. But it’s an isolated island. Nhon Chau, although it is an island at the gateway to the East Sea, on an international maritime route close to Quy Nhon international seaport, for many years still has two Nos: no electricity, no island commune status. In 2014, we arrived in Nhon Chau on a wooden boat that departed at 1pm – a single trip per day. The return train will depart from the island at 6am. After three hours of stumbling due to seasickness, after a few strong men tried to pull the rope and tie, the owner of the boat named Lam finally signaled that we had to get ashore by getting off the boat and walking for a while. knee. Mrs. Lam pointed to a concrete wharf not far away: “You can’t go in that direction this season, flip the boat.” Electricity is not because of the guys selling tapes and tapes but returning to the island early. In 2014, Nhon Chau still uses diesel generators, but only for two hours in the evening. Therefore, Nhon Chau people eat early, taking advantage of the time when there is electricity, to avoid being blind when gathering. The meal at the house of Mr. Phong, the Chief of the Office of the Commune People’s Committee, has a typical fish sauce dish. His mother hesitated because of the meager meal, explaining that the market here only had one session at 9 am. She said she planned to buy beef to invite guests, but at noon when we arrived, she went to the market, the market was already closed, only a few fish left. For dinner, families often eat early, so as to turn off the electricity in time. At 7 pm, following Mr. Phong to the famous fishermen on the island, we all talked through dimly charged lights, sat outside in the yard, fanning our hands and listening to the echoes of the waves. The only hobby is fanning and drinking. A few years later, the time to run generators on the island is more rapid, every day the island has 12 hours of electricity. At 23 o’clock at night is the time to turn off the electricity until 9 am the next morning. Meals are also less rushed. But in the evening, the tape players of the fast salesmen every day work. In 2010, Binh Dinh Provincial People’s Committee made a dossier to submit to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to build an underground cable line across the sea to Nhon Chau. But at the 6th session of the 13th National Assembly in 2013, delegate Nguyen Thanh Thuy (Delegation of the National Assembly of Binh Dinh) still had to ask the question: “Why has the Ministry of Industry and Trade not yet added an underground cable line to Nhon Chau island commune into the master plan? electricity development in Binh Dinh province by 2020”. In 2015, the Prime Minister issued a decision to recognize Nhon Chau as an island commune. Because it is an island commune, Mr. Phan Van Binh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of the new commune, was excited that Nhon Chau would propose to the city to set up an investment project to build a boat lock, pull underground cables from the mainland to the island. In October 2017, the Prime Minister issued a decision approving the investment policy of the Program “Supporting energy development policies and increasing access to sustainable energy in rural, mountainous and coastal areas”. island” using non-refundable ODA funded by the EU. Including the project of pulling electricity from the national grid to Nhon Chau island commune, with a total investment of 350 billion VND. Then, the power project on Cu Lao Xanh changed from the investor, the People’s Committee of Binh Dinh province to the Central Power Corporation. Every year, the meetings from the central to the local, see voices from voters to Nhon Chau delegates asking about electricity. It was not until October 2020 that the national grid reached Cu Lao Xanh. An island commune but not an island commune Until 2014, Cu Lao Xanh was still a commune directly under Quy Nhon city, enjoying an attractive regime for staff on the staff of communes, health, education as well as armed forces in the area. under Decree 116/2010/ND-CP of the Prime Minister – under a regulation for coastal transversal flats. In addition to the main salary, these people are entitled to an attraction allowance equal to 70% of their monthly salary. By 2016, according to Decision No. 131/QD-TTg, Nhon Chau – now an island commune – was no longer located in the coastal and island areas, and this allowance was no longer available. No need to ask for electricity, now ask for allowance policy. Many years after coming to the island commune, Nhon Chau has not yet received any support from the island commune. Although the regulations on supporting island communes are there, but “The issue that Binh Dinh voters raised is that Nhon Chau island commune has not yet received the support regime of island communes, the ministry has not mentioned”, Chief The People’s Volunteer Committee Nguyen Thanh Hai once commented in a meeting with voters in Binh Dinh in 2019. The story continues until 2021, but the main reason, according to the Chief of the Office of the Commune People’s Committee, is because Nhon Chau met the standards in 2017. New countryside. Anyway, Nhon Chau having electricity was counted as a life changer. We returned to Nhon Chau right on the moon holiday of the seafarers, eight years after the first visit to the island, we found that every house was shopping for a karaoke rig. Mr. Quy, who set up a parking lot at the foot of Nhon Chau lighthouse, excitedly invited guests to attend a family karaoke session when the clock just changed to 5 pm. He told us: “Please join the fun.” Mr. Quy is famous for his passion and understanding of the best huts on Cu Lao Xanh. His voice is sweet, so he sings bolero too. But the whole island, easily until midnight, every corner has the sound of loudspeakers singing like that. It’s like to make up for all the years of heaving and counting the hours of switching on and off. It’s really a fun that every citizen is still full of emotions. Mrs. Ly, a woman who used to work for six years away from the island as a hired worker, came back as soon as she heard that the island had electricity, because: “There is a newly built hotel, now there is electricity to welcome tourists, so I came here to have a job, again. near the house”. (There’s more)

Vinh Ancient Citadel was built in 1804 under Gia Long Dynasty and was built of earth. It was not until the 12th year of Minh Mang (1831) that the stone was built. The citadel was built in the shape of a hexagon with an ice-free structure. Photo: Left gate of Vinh ancient citadel, first lit up in the night. Photo: Nhat Lan Under the light, the details of the city gate become clearer and more attractive than during the day. Photo: Nhat Lan The left gate of Vinh ancient citadel faces the East, close to the center of Vinh city, so it is prioritized to install the lighting system first. Photo: Nhat Lan Seen in the night from afar, the left gate of Vinh ancient citadel stands out and is much more attractive than before. Photo: Nhat Lan According to officials and workers of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Development and Management Joint Stock Company, after completing the lighting system at the left gate, they will install the lighting system at the Tien gate. Photo: Nhat Lan Cua Tien faces south, is considered the main gate of Vinh ancient citadel. Cua Tien is also the most intact gate after many historical events. Therefore, if lighting is installed, the night-time attractiveness of the Tien gate may be superior to that of the Left gate. In the photo: The front gate of Vinh ancient citadel in the afternoon of May 27, 2021. Photo: Nhat Lan

Ninh Binh is an ancient land, more than 30,000 years ago, ancient Vietnamese people lived on this land. Through the course of history, the land of Ninh Binh has many changes in name. In the 3rd year of Minh Mang (1822), he changed from Thanh Binh religion to Ninh Binh religion, the name Ninh Binh originated from here, with the meaning of a stable and peaceful land expressing the will to persevere, the spirit of heroism, the feelings of the people of this land. Hoa Lu Festival is held every year – photo CTV The ancient capital of Ninh Binh inherits the historical and cultural heritages of the ancient capital region with more than a thousand years of history. Ninh Binh currently has over 1,000 historical – cultural relics, including 2 special national-level relics, 79 national-ranked relics, 225 provincial-level-ranked relics, and 260 festivals. traditional. “Hoa Lu ancient capital” is the capital of the first centralized feudal state in our country with a heroic history, associated with many ups and downs in the history of Vietnam. Over the past 10 centuries, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital still retains its majesty and contemplation with more than 30 monuments, including the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang and the temple of King Le Dai Hanh which are two particularly important monuments to the world. The unique ancient architecture reached the level of virtuosity and sophistication in the art of wood and stone carving in the seventeenth century. Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang Once you set foot here, you can feel every breath of the old dynasties when walking through each monument in Hoa Lu: the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang, the temple of King Le Dai Hanh, the temple of the princess. Phat Kim, King Le’s mausoleum, Dinh King’s mausoleum, Co Am pagoda, Cho palace, underground palace. Each architecture is a masterpiece of art with meticulous carvings on many materials, thereby fully depicting the grandeur and prosperity of the ancient citadel. As a charming landscape, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is not only known for its famous scenic spots, but it also has spiritual tourist sites that are frequently visited by domestic and foreign tourists. It is no coincidence that this land was chosen by King Dinh to build the citadel. That must be the place with the back leaning against the mountain, facing the river, surrounded by mountains and hills, forming a solid and impregnable defense position. It has many architectural works of great historical significance, along with traditional festivals handed down until now. In particular, coming to the land of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, in addition to enjoying the charming scenery, this place also has a system of famous spiritual temples. Gate to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Hoa Lu relic area is divided into 3 areas: Special protection zone – This area includes the entire area inside Hoa Lu citadel, with relics such as: Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang, temple of King Le Dai Hanh, Tomb of King Dinh and Tomb of King Le…; part of Trang An ecological area and the city wall, underground palace foundation…. The buffer zone includes the landscape area on both sides of Sao Khe river and the complex of Trang An relics, including Am Tien pagoda and cave, communal house and communal house. Yen Trach… The related monuments, although not located in the two regions above, but they played an important role during the Dinh Dynasty, including: Bai Dinh Pagoda, South Gate, Dong Gate, Hoa Lu Cave, Thien Ton Cave, Dinh Temple Bo Linh and the relics of King Dinh worship in Ninh Binh province. Hoa Lu ancient capital has become a particularly important national historical and architectural complex that needs to be preserved very well in Vietnam and is also recognized by UNESCO as one of the four core areas of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trang An World Heritage Site. Along with a thickness of up to more than 1,000 years, this is a place to keep historical relics through the ages. Besides, there are also remnants of ancient citadel, interesting mountains and caves. King Dinh Tien Hoang knew how to fully exploit nature to serve people. This architectural style maximizes human and material savings. Just sealing the cliffs, that is, adding artificial walls to connect the mountains together, there are solid walls. The length of the mountains that make up the nature is about 8 km. There are 13 artificial walls. The length of the artificial walls is about 2 km, the shortest wall is 65 m. Hoa Lu – Trang An Festival is held every year These walls are built with a height of 8 to 10 m, some sections are covered with clay and bricks, and the legs are bundled with bricks; there is a section inside of brickwork, outside of embankment; there is a section filled with rock and soil and a section filled with soil. The citadel is paved with pieces of wood. At present, traces of 13 city walls still exist. The natural city walls are mountain ranges, with tops up to 200 m high like Mong Mang, making the wall of Hoa Lu capital unevenly high, undulating but superficial and majestic. It can be said that Hoa Lu citadel is the wall of creation and people. Chairman of Ninh Binh Provincial People’s Committee Pham Quang Ngoc said: “Along with outstanding global values ​​of majestic natural landscape, geomorphological geology and cultural depth, Hoa Lu and Ninh Binh land also marks On the 10th day of the 3rd month of the 3rd month of the year of the year of the Dragon, after defeating and conquering 12 warlords and reunifying the country, Dinh Bo Linh was crowned Emperor and placed the great historical events of the country. The country’s name was Dai Co Viet, the capital was at Hoa Lu, and the era name was Thai Binh – associated with the first centralized feudal state institution in the nation’s history, opening the national legitimacy, was the continuing the national tradition of the Hung Kings.The local cultural and natural heritage values ​​are always preserved, handed down, embellished, and present in the material and spiritual life of the people. of the people, becoming an invaluable resource for today and in the future”. A corner of Trang An taken from above – CTV photo Along with Hoa Lu ancient capital is Bai Dinh pagoda complex with an area of ​​​​539 hectares, including 27 hectares. The ancient Bai Dinh pagoda area has a history of formation from the Dinh dynasty and the 80ha Bai Dinh pagoda area was newly built in 2003, along with many other items. Surrounding the pagoda are tall and magnificent limestone mountain arcs, which harmonize with the pagoda scene to form a massive and dignified work. With the current size of Bai Dinh Pagoda, there are few temples in Vietnam that can match it. The largest gilded bronze Buddha in Asia. The statue of Shakyamuni Buddha sitting on a lotus throne and reciting lotus flowers in the main hall in the temple’s Dharma master shrine has been set a record by the Asian Record Center as the continent’s largest gilded bronze Buddha statue. Art program recreating the ancient capital of Hoa Lu With Bai Dinh pagoda, historical and cultural relics of Hoa Lu ancient capital and other relics such as Nhat Tru Pagoda, Thien Ton cave, Bich Dong pagoda, worshiping works dating back hundreds of years have been ranked as heritage sites. Historical site at provincial and national level, Ninh Binh is known as an ancient land, which has attracted the attention of domestic and international tourists. By coming here, visitors can not only discover the unique architectural art of historical sites, but also learn about the roots through historical stories and folk legends associated with each spot. monuments on this land. “In recent years, Ninh Binh tourism has made a breakthrough development, becoming a bright spot voted by many international travel websites as one of the top attractive destinations in Vietnam and the world. Average visitor growth in the period 2010-2019 reached over 11%.In 2019, Ninh Binh welcomed nearly 8 million visitors, creating jobs and sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of local people, creating motivation to promote, determine development strategy for many industries and fields, and especially, in 2021, Ninh Binh will continue to host the National Tourism Year, which is both an honor and a responsibility of the Party Committee, the government and the government. The province’s people are also an opportunity to affirm the position and image of Ninh Binh tourism on the tourist map of Vietnam and the world about an ancient land,” added the Chairman of Ninh Binh province.

Known as the royal flower associated with the image of the Nguyen dynasty in Hue, the cornflower every year blooms in late March and early April, creating beautiful images for visitors to visit. In ancient times, the sycamore tree was a precious tree only grown in the Imperial Citadel and the tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty kings. Maize tree was also allowed by King Minh Mang to carve the image on Nhon Dinh in Dai Noi. Cornflower color is characterized by a gentle pastel pink color. When flowering, the corn leaves all the leaves and then displays small, dense inflorescences on the branches, and the flowers are light purple. Seen from above, the cornflower tree blooms with beautiful flower beds on the ancient tile floor of the imperial city of Hue. The cornfield stems rise straight in the middle of the blue sky, attracting the attention of residents and visitors. Hue Citadel is a rare place in Vietnam that has special cornflowers with stunning flower colors. According to the book Dai Nam Thong Chi, there were two corn field trees brought from Guangdong (China), King Minh Mang planted on both sides of the corner of Can Chanh (Dai Noi). Then, because he was in love with this beautiful flower, the king sent someone who knew about plants to find a native tree. In the mountainous area of ​​Vietnam at that time, there were many species of plants with the same morphology as corn, so it took people who were really good at plants to choose native maize to plant in the Imperial City. At this time, visitors to Hue citadel will be able to see the blooming corn plants with their own eyes. Considered as one of the rare “herbaceous flowers” especially rare, the sycamore tree is being propagated by Hue Monuments Conservation Center for conservation.