Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [282]
Taxis Reasonably reliable, metered taxis wait outside the big hotels, or ask your hotel to call one for you. Hanoi Taxi (04/3853 5353), CP Taxi (04/3826 2626), Mai Linh Taxi (04/3822 2666) and Van Xuan Taxi (04/3822 2888) all have a decent reputation.
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Hanoi and around |
Around Hanoi
There are no compelling sights in the Hanoi area, although the cave-shrine of the Perfume Pagoda is one of the country’s most sacred locations. It’s without doubt the most popular day-trip from Hanoi, though some people may find that the low-key nature of the grotto itself coupled with the long climb and barrage of hawkers en route ultimately make for a bit of a let-down. Of more appeal are the dozens of historic buildings, of which the most strongly atmospheric are the Thay Pagoda and Tay Phuong Pagoda, buried deep in the delta, both of which are fine examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. You could spend months exploring the delta’s villages – in particular the craft villages, which remain more traditional than most you’ll find in Vietnam, concentrating on one craft, such as embroidery, conical hats or noodle-making, to the exclusion of all else. These villages are difficult to get to on your own, but Bat Trang pottery village is an interesting example within easy striking distance of Hanoi; for the rest you’ll really need to take a guide. Finally, the ancient citadel of Co Loa, just north of the Red River, merits a stop in passing, mostly on account of its historical significance since there’s little to recall its former grandeur.
Hanoi and around | Around Hanoi |
The Perfume Pagoda
Sixty kilometres southwest of Hanoi the Red River Delta ends abruptly where steep-sided limestone hills rise from the paddy fields. The most easterly of these forested spurs shelters north Vietnam’s most famous pilgrimage site, the Perfume Pagoda, Chua Huong, hidden in the folds of Ha Tay Province’s Mountain of the Perfumed Traces, and said to be named after spring blossoms that scent the air. The easiest and most popular way to visit the pagoda is on an organized tour out of Hanoi (from $25, including the boat ride, lunch and entry fee), or with a hired car and driver. Alternatively, it’s a two- to three-hour motorbike ride: follow Highway 6 through Ha Dong, from where a sign points you left down the QL21B heading due south through Thanh Oai and Van Dinh, to find My Duc Village and the Ben Yen (Yen River boat station). A four-person boat costs 55,000đ, including the entrance ticket.
The Perfume Pagoda, one of more than thirty peppering these hills, occupies a spectacular grotto over 50m high. The start of the journey is a tranquil hour’s ride by row-boat up a silent, flooded valley among karst hills where fishermen and farmers work their inundated fields. From where the boat drops you, a stone-flagged path shaded by gnarled frangipani trees brings you to the seventeenth-century Chua Thien Chu (“Pagoda Leading to Heaven”), in front of which stands a magnificent, triple-roofed bell pavilion. Quan Am, Goddess of Mercy, takes pride of place on the pagoda’s main altar; the original bronze effigy was stolen by Tay Son rebels in the 1770s and some say they melted it down for cannonballs (note that respectful attire – shorts and