Discovery

Driving across Vietnam - a pilgrimage of memories

DO DOAN HOANG January 13, 2025 08:33

I have traveled across Vietnam many times, by many different means, but this time I went with my extended family, on a specially designed vehicle. It was truly a journey back to the roots, a pilgrimage of nostalgia.

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The country roads that the author has traveled through

I have driven all over the world, both right-hand and left-hand drive, both on this side of the world and the other.

But every time I spend a long vacation (especially the entire Lunar New Year) with my family, in my legendary car, I feel a trembling feeling in a nostalgic pilgrimage back to my original values.

My father went to the Southern battlefield to fight against the American imperialists, my mother worked hard in four places, my uncles, all over the North, Central, and South, have people living or have their graves.

Going to any province, for someone who has been writing for more than 30 years and participating in many social activities like me, is also an opportunity to visit relatives and reminisce about past trips.

Starting from Hanoi, the “highway” road to Ha Tinh only took my family half a day. Father and son took turns driving. The rarely used items were on the roof, covered by a smart cover bought from the “outdoor world” in Sweden. The heavy rain did not affect us at all.

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The car is considered by author - journalist Do Doan Hoang as a "mobile home" helping the whole family make pilgrimages across the country.

The first night's mobile home in Hue. We have been to the Central region many times, and can be seen through the wind power fields of Quang Tri, Cua Dai beach, "Quang Nam land is soaked without rain", Sa Huynh beach "each step, each legend" of Quang Ngai and Quy Nhon provinces.

I like Banh It Tower (Silver Tower, built in the 10th century), majestic, ancient, defying time. Thien Hung Pagoda and Lang Song Minor Seminary of Binh Dinh, the “Land of Martial Arts, Heaven of Literature”. People compare Thien Hung Pagoda to a miniature “Phoenix Ancient Town” of the land of Nau.

My whole family walked barefoot, clasping their hands respectfully to worship Buddha. This was also an opportunity for me to explain to my children about the ancient architecture and motifs commonly found in all ancient Vietnamese pagodas. About the similarities and differences of Buddhism in Vietnam compared to the countries and territories I have visited such as: Tibet, Bhutan, India, Thailand, China...

The story from the pagoda, sometimes just prolongs, expands, my family can immerse in the atmosphere of Lang Song with hundreds of years old star trees, not far away. The wind blows, the quintessential architecture of European Gothic art with enough domes, windows like a Catholic church, both ancient and modern. We seem to be lost in a cultural space imbued with French. Our story turns to the period when the French began to invade and rule Vietnam. The changes of history. It is like the fate of the country and of each of us.

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Many beautiful beaches along the country

In the grounds of the Minor Seminary is the National Language Printing House. This place still preserves invaluable documents about the birth of the first books in National Language. In the past, when studying journalism, we learned about the first National Language newspaper “Gia Dinh Bao” (started publishing on April 15, 1865).

Moving a few hours drive south, in Phu Yen, we also visited Mang Lang Church, where the first Bible printed in Quoc Ngu script of our country is kept (printed in 1651, in Rome, Italy, with content about "8-day sermon", serving the teaching of the Bible in our country at that time).

And now, I write this article, also in Quoc Ngu.

Having been attached to Binh Dinh through many long business trips. Over the past thirty years, I remember the days of life-threatening traffic jams in the mountainous region due to floods and rains. At that time, the Thi Nai bridge across the sea, 7 km long today, of course no one dared to dream of, let alone think that Vietnam could build it.

Now, with just a few presses of the accelerator, we crossed the sea on the 7 km long majestic architecture and the legendary Thi Nai lagoon landscape appeared. The surface area is up to 50 km2, the length of the lagoon is up to 10 km. Thi Nai Lagoon is indeed holding a formidable record in Vietnam.

The children were crazy about the majestic and poetic scenery here. In the Cham language, the lagoon was originally called Thi Bi Li Nai, the Vietnamese read "ang ang" as Thi Nai lagoon. Since the 11th century, this immense lagoon ecosystem was used by King Ly Nhan Tong as a "military base" to attack the capital Do Ban and defeat the mighty armies of Champa. Also wild and "hot" among young people are Eo Gio, then Ghenh Rang area, where the tomb of the famous poet Han Mac Tu is located.

At night, we only had to drive one more way to be able to sleep in Phu Yen. Enjoying the beauty of Bai Xep, the place that captured the hearts of fans of the movie “I see yellow flowers on green grass” by director Victor Vu.

I especially like Ganh Da Dia in Tuy An district, Phu Yen province. The phenomenon of volcanic eruptions, creating surprisingly beautiful geological formations, is often seen in Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Hawaii (USA), especially countries in the "ring of fire". However, Ganh Da Dia is still a remarkable miracle, helping Phu Yen tourism gain more strength as a "smokeless industry".

In the past, the layer of lava that was thousands of degrees hot flowing from the belly of the earth was still red, accompanied by explosive sounds and terrifying deadly bubbles - when rising to the sea, meeting colder water, it immediately solidified. Sometimes they "cracked" into columns, sometimes they became majestic stone slabs, square edges, sharp edges, hexagonal shapes, densely packed together. The law of solidification and the strange randomness of physics, chemistry and countless other mysterious principles have given us a unique and famous National Heritage: Ganh Da Dia.

Anyone who comes here is overwhelmed by the dreamy landscape of sky, sea, and cliffs. The jet-black stone pillars are as beautiful as countless giant works of art, stacked tightly together, hundreds of pillars like one. You can clearly see the passage of time, of geological formations that help shape the beauty of the earth's crust, with the fertility or harsh sand dunes in this area.

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Ponagar Tower (built around 813-817), typical of Cham-Pa culture

After a night in Phu Yen, we headed straight to Khanh Hoa province in a brilliant dawn. Po Nagar Tower (built around 813-817) continues the story of the Cham people's legacy left in Vietnam today. Located on the Cai River estuary, the pillars are stacked staggered, built with impressive red-yellow bricks, typical of the Champa culture. This sacred temple is also the place where many interesting cultural and artistic activities take place every day.

I especially love taking pictures with the large rocks with many "super" sexy shapes, located in the bay, along the Cai River in Nha Trang. Although it is notorious for ripping off tourists, if you choose a restaurant wisely, Nha Trang is still a wonderful place to enjoy seafood from the East Sea "as vast as a mother's heart".

Lost in the dreamy mountain ranges and the slow river of the I-resort hot mineral bath area, the members' bodies relax after a journey of nearly 2,000 kilometers of sightseeing, and sometimes the inspiration of nature and historical culture, we forgot all the fatigue. Mineral baths, mud baths, traditional therapies in Nha Trang have long been a strong brand.

The journey up the road connecting the sea and flowers from Nha Trang to Da Lat, through the primeval forests between the cloudy Khanh Vinh pass, made everyone feel fresh and excited, as if the car had just left home to start the journey across Vietnam.

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Telescope brought to Vietnam by the great scientist Yersin

Every time I come to Nha Trang, I visit Yersin Park (1863 - 1943), then go to Da Lat, I also tell stories to those who come with me about the great scientist Yersin, with all my gratitude and admiration. From the end of the 19th century, he led the Governor General of Indochina Paul Doumer to discover the vast Lang Biang plateau and gave birth to the rubber industry. He brought the telescope and the first car to Vietnam. He was the first person to organize horse breeding and prepare serum in our country. Then, fulfilling his wish, people laid him to rest forever in a prone position on a hill in Nha Trang, so that he could forever embrace the land of Vietnam. He was honored by the whole world for discovering the bacillus that causes the plague, helping all of humanity avoid the disaster of extinction.

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Dalat has French-style houses

My family visited Dalat University, the old Dalat Railway Station, and the French-style campuses. They have become symbols of tourism and culture of this charming land. Xuan Huong Lake is in the heart of the city of thousands of flowers, where there are often flocks of white storks, herons, and especially the large, majestic eagles, with the beauty of professional hunters flying. We spent time camping by Suoi Vang Lake, visiting Cu Lan village, going all the way to Lac Duong district with the "Heaven's Gate" slope and pine forests obscured in the mist.

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Pine forest in the mist

In front of our steering wheel is Ho Chi Minh City, the national scenic complex of Ba Den Mountain (Tay Ninh province). Conquering the 986 m milestone of Ba Den Mountain, admiring the Buddha relics and the Buddhist art exhibition area. Of course, we cannot miss the dream destinations with my children, such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace, Ben Thanh Market, Turtle Lake, Nha Rong Port of the "Pearl of the Far East"... For my father, it was like he was returning to the "old battlefield", marking a heroic youth.

I have traveled across Vietnam many times, by many different means, but this time, with my extended family, on a specially designed vehicle that I have been attached to for nearly ten years. Traveling while being a tour guide for my parents, wife and children, was very different for me. It was truly a trip back to the roots, a wonderful outdoor school for all members.

The more I travel and compare with other lands, the more I realize this: nature, cultural identity and ethnic values ​​in Vietnam are truly precious and worth being proud of.

From a tourism perspective, if we know how to preserve and exploit them, they will be the “golden goose” for all of us in the true sense. This is also a way to enhance Vietnam’s position in the world community, in the midst of the nation’s rise.

DO DOAN HOANG
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Driving across Vietnam - a pilgrimage of memories