These last few days have been the most interesting outdoor experience I've had in the last few months. Firstly, it's my first official trip to Hanoi, Ha Long & Hai Phong under my under new company. I would've done this much earlier if not for the rise of the pandemic. Somehow, this feels like the right time of the year. On this trip, I had a packed itinerary from Tuesday onwards and even today is Sunday, I'm still having a full programme. I'm glad I going back to Saigon tomorrow evening - can't wait to fully enjoy my new apartment which I've just moved in last weekend.
I'm going to share bit by bit of my one week away from home; starting with a quick jump start to the city of Tràng An. A UNESCO World Heritage site which is 2 hours away from Hanoi by road. I was told that it's a beautiful place to visit and one will be amazed with what Mother Nature has to offer.
HISTORY
Tràng An is a scenic area near Ninh Bình, Vietnam renowned for its boat cave tours. On 23 June 2014, at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha, the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
LOCATION
Trang An wharf is located 3 km south of Hoa Lu ancient capital, 7 km from Ninh Binh city to the west along Trang An boulevard, 16 km from Tam Diep city in the north through Tam Coc. Trang An - Tam Coc zone has an area of more than 6,172 ha, which is a special protection area of scenic spots. This special protection zone is located within Hoa Lu special-use forest, belonging to Hoa Lu ancient capital preservation plan and also under the planning of Trang An World Heritage site with an area of 12,252 ha. In the Trang An landscape complex, the center of Hoa Lu ancient capital in the north, Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area is in the south and Trang An eco-tourism area is in the central position. These three areas are linked together by Hoa Lu special-use forest on limestone mountains and rivers, lakes and swamps.
This is a glimpse of the scenic mountain boat ride and I have to agree that it is as beautiful as what everyone has been saying. Since the start of Covid-19, this place has been awfully quiet with only the locals patronising here on weekends. Boats are used to transport us around and the entire journey takes approximately 2 hours however since there are so few of us, our journey took us 1.5 hours only. It felt as if we're the only people in this place - absolutely tranquil and quiet.
Wait till my next post for a continuation of my exciting week in North Vietnam.
It's Sunday... And it's time for another Beautiful Sunday and Sublime Sunday. So, I'm trying something new this week. Something out of the box, something different, something wild, something odd and who knows where this Sunday will lead us.
#SublimeSunday is inspired by @c0ff33a while #BeautifulSunday is initiated by @ace108. Both of whom share similar wonderful thoughts of how Sundays should be for all of us.
