Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Hoi An to restore ancient wells for tourism
Hoi An to restore ancient wells for tourism
Culture authorities in a central Vietnamese province, where a UNESCO-recognized ancient town is located, have decided to restore its system of ancient wells and tap into them for tourism purposes.
The government of Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province have made the decision to bring its age-old Cham wells back to life.
According to statistics provided by the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management Preservation, the city is currently home to around 80 century-old wells, which lie mostly along the northern bank of the De Vong River, within Hoi An Ancient Town, which sits entirely in Minh An Ward of the city, and scattered along rivers in the vicinity.
Many of the wells, which boast diverse shapes, were built around the 15th century.
Only a handful of such wells are still used by locals to fetch water from, according to Nguyen Chi Trung, the center’s director. The remaining wells have long been rendered useless and turned shabby with luxuriant weeds and moss.
Most of them have become ruins or even vanished without a trace.
“In archeological archives, the land is believed to be the cradle of wells built by ethnic Cham people ages ago. There’s one approximately every 50 meters. However, a lack of care and speedy urbanization have plunged the artifacts into such dilapidation,” he added.
Truong Van Bay, vice chair of the Hoi An City People’s Committee, said his committee has assigned the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management Preservation to work out a conservation project.
The committee also plans to turn the wells into tourist attractions in the near future, Bay added.
Trung, of the heritage center, stressed the restoration process will be divided into several phases.
To begin with, the center plans to renovate eight wells located mostly in Hoi An City’s downtown area, including Kazik Park, Nguyen Tuong Lineage Shrine, and Ong Voi (Elephant) Temple, he elaborated.
Quang Nam Province received nearly 3.7 million visits in 2014, a seven percent year-on-year rise and almost four percent higher than the target, officials reported at a meeting late last year.
This year the province expects to welcome over 3.85 million visits, including over one million international tourist visits with myriad activities and discount programs.
In 1999, Hoi An Ancient Town was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO for being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries, and for housing buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences.
Since then, the culturally rich town has been voted one of the top tourist destinations in the world by several major tourism magazines.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre News~
Culture authorities in a central Vietnamese province, where a UNESCO-recognized ancient town is located, have decided to restore its system of ancient wells and tap into them for tourism purposes.
The government of Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province have made the decision to bring its age-old Cham wells back to life.
According to statistics provided by the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management Preservation, the city is currently home to around 80 century-old wells, which lie mostly along the northern bank of the De Vong River, within Hoi An Ancient Town, which sits entirely in Minh An Ward of the city, and scattered along rivers in the vicinity.
Many of the wells, which boast diverse shapes, were built around the 15th century.
Only a handful of such wells are still used by locals to fetch water from, according to Nguyen Chi Trung, the center’s director. The remaining wells have long been rendered useless and turned shabby with luxuriant weeds and moss.
Most of them have become ruins or even vanished without a trace.
“In archeological archives, the land is believed to be the cradle of wells built by ethnic Cham people ages ago. There’s one approximately every 50 meters. However, a lack of care and speedy urbanization have plunged the artifacts into such dilapidation,” he added.
Truong Van Bay, vice chair of the Hoi An City People’s Committee, said his committee has assigned the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management Preservation to work out a conservation project.
The committee also plans to turn the wells into tourist attractions in the near future, Bay added.
Trung, of the heritage center, stressed the restoration process will be divided into several phases.
To begin with, the center plans to renovate eight wells located mostly in Hoi An City’s downtown area, including Kazik Park, Nguyen Tuong Lineage Shrine, and Ong Voi (Elephant) Temple, he elaborated.
Quang Nam Province received nearly 3.7 million visits in 2014, a seven percent year-on-year rise and almost four percent higher than the target, officials reported at a meeting late last year.
This year the province expects to welcome over 3.85 million visits, including over one million international tourist visits with myriad activities and discount programs.
In 1999, Hoi An Ancient Town was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO for being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries, and for housing buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences.
Since then, the culturally rich town has been voted one of the top tourist destinations in the world by several major tourism magazines.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre News~
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Flowers to bloom at Phu My Hung fest next week
Flowers to bloom at expat-filled Phu My Hung fest next week
A pastoral Tet (Lunar New Year) flower festival will run in foreigner-packed Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City next week.
>> An audio version of the story is available here
The Tet flower festival, whose theme is “Harvesting Season,” will take place from February 11 to 17, or from the 23rd to 29th day of the 12th month of the current lunar year, the organizer said Tuesday at a press meeting.
As in previous years, the venue is Phu My Hung’s Crescent Lake in District 7, which boasts a high concentration of expats.
This year’s Tet kicks off on February 19.
Organized on an area of seven hectares, the fest will be divided into four main sections, featuring grain-laden paddy fields typical of the southern region and a 1,500m² field of lettuce flowers which is suggestive of a gorgeous sight in the northern provinces of Lao Cai and Ha Giang.
A girl poses for a photo at the 2013 Tet Flower Festival organized in Phu My Hung.
The festival will also include a wide array of ornamental trees and flowers, including two 150-year-old tamarind trees measuring over 1.2 meters each in their base diameter and an assortment of 20 varieties of carnivorous plants.
Another highlight will be performances of UNESCO-recognized “don ca tai tu” (southern Vietnamese folk music), which will be organized in a floating restaurant in Crescent Lake.
The event will also have a kite flying competition, 500 stalls selling flowers and ornamental plants, and 200 booths offering diverse culinary delights and games.
Another highlight is a pen of live goats, which promises hands-on farming experiences. The animal is the zodiac sign of the coming lunar year.
Floral boats and a wharf will also be seen over the lake. Visitors can float their lighted floral lanterns at the wharf to convey their wishes for happiness and prosperity in the new year.
Musical performances, to be held every night, will further liven up the festive atmosphere.
Two kids are seen catching fish at Crescent Lake during the Phu My Hung Tet Flower Festival in 2013.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~
A pastoral Tet (Lunar New Year) flower festival will run in foreigner-packed Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City next week.
>> An audio version of the story is available here
The Tet flower festival, whose theme is “Harvesting Season,” will take place from February 11 to 17, or from the 23rd to 29th day of the 12th month of the current lunar year, the organizer said Tuesday at a press meeting.
As in previous years, the venue is Phu My Hung’s Crescent Lake in District 7, which boasts a high concentration of expats.
This year’s Tet kicks off on February 19.
Organized on an area of seven hectares, the fest will be divided into four main sections, featuring grain-laden paddy fields typical of the southern region and a 1,500m² field of lettuce flowers which is suggestive of a gorgeous sight in the northern provinces of Lao Cai and Ha Giang.
A girl poses for a photo at the 2013 Tet Flower Festival organized in Phu My Hung.
The festival will also include a wide array of ornamental trees and flowers, including two 150-year-old tamarind trees measuring over 1.2 meters each in their base diameter and an assortment of 20 varieties of carnivorous plants.
Another highlight will be performances of UNESCO-recognized “don ca tai tu” (southern Vietnamese folk music), which will be organized in a floating restaurant in Crescent Lake.
The event will also have a kite flying competition, 500 stalls selling flowers and ornamental plants, and 200 booths offering diverse culinary delights and games.
Another highlight is a pen of live goats, which promises hands-on farming experiences. The animal is the zodiac sign of the coming lunar year.
Floral boats and a wharf will also be seen over the lake. Visitors can float their lighted floral lanterns at the wharf to convey their wishes for happiness and prosperity in the new year.
Musical performances, to be held every night, will further liven up the festive atmosphere.
Two kids are seen catching fish at Crescent Lake during the Phu My Hung Tet Flower Festival in 2013.
~News courtesy of Tuoi Tre~
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