Do Son Tourism Zone

Brilliant morning sunshine pouring down the surface of Do Son Sea as twinkling stars, pines attractively rustling in the rising winds, and small waves crashing on to the beach all create a Do Son township with a grandiose, magnificent but mysterious and poetic national community. Anyone who comes to Do Son, at least can look once towards the horizon far away, listen to the sorrowful love story that happened at Ba De temple, and put your feet on Hon Dau holy land. And, you will especially witness the heroic Do Son changing its image of a marine economic region.

The beautiful Do Son is located along the South China Sea with a row of smallbut long mountains running in the Northeast - Southwest direction, which look like nine dragons heading themselves to Hon Dau, vying for a pearl. In a distance, highly emerge two sandbanks at the estuary of Van Uc and Thai Binh rivers, which is called Song Ngu hill or Con Khoai, Con Dua. Do Son is a beautiful landscape with various natural resources of high socio-economic values. The landscape and its values have always been the Do Son people's precious material and spiritual heritages.

Do Son peninsula
Lying between Lac Tray and Van Uc, estuaries with hills by hills, sea by spreading forests, Do Son peninsula is ideal for visitors after hard working days. In the old days, Do Son used to be called Cuu Long - or Nine dragons. Do Son is compared with a flanking dragon towards the pear or Dau Island. Do Son also known as Bo Thang Truyen and renamed through each dynasty. It was officially called Do Son under the Tran Dynasty (Do: means mud, Son: means mountain or in short Do Son means mountain on mud)

Do Son comprises of three zones, each with a beach, quiet pine forests and the year-round fresh air. Zone I lying adjacent to the entrance Do Son with three beaches dealing with thousands of holiday - makers as well as with several big hotels. Deep inside is Zone II with smaller but fine sandy bathing beaches, several hotels and small villas hiding in the pine forest of which the most famous one is of Bao Dai, the last King of Nguyen dynasty. The Van Hoa Hotel locates in Zone III at the end of the peninsula with the unique architecture which looks like a fortress in the Middle Age in the West. At the very tip of the peninsula where the Casino exists which can meet the increasing entertaining demand of both domestic and overseas.

Immediately adjacent to Rong spring where Ngoc Communal House, Tuong Long Town in Ly dynasty, Van Ban Pagoda locate existing a bell found under the Tran dynasty which fell into the seabed twice but later recovered. Do Son well -known with Ba De Temple at the foot of Doc Mountain which is famous for its supernatural power. Every year, pilgrims from every corner of the country rush here to worship and go Sightseeing. Do Son is distinguished with four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the end of autumn and beginning of winter, it is off-season against spring and summer.

Hon Dau Islet
Hon Dau is the veer off reading from Hon Dau by the local people. The island is considered as a marking point for the fishing boats to return. That is the last islet separated from the mountain range, one km from Do Son peninsula. It is compared with nine flanking dragons towards the pearl. On the islet, there is a rare and virgin forest in the North coastal area. Legend told that if anyone took a branch tree, his or her family members would meet misfortune. Probably for this reason, the forest has been protected until today of which some big trees are of 4 or 5 person’s full arms.

By the wharf locates the Nam Hai Than Vuong temple. Legend has it that in 13th century, village people fished the dead body covered with the war dress of the Tran General. His body was put at the hill base to be enshrouded in the following day. The next morning, termites turned it into a big grave. Witnessing such a strange omen, the village people built the temple. This temple is said to be sacred and the fishers usually come here to pray for peace and luck before setting off to the sea. Every year, on 8th of February lunar year, a thanksgiving festival list organized and the people here spend a night sleeping on the islet in a hope to be blessed with fortunes.

The islet is gateway of Hai Phong Port. In 1884, the lighthouse was built on the top of the islet. It was first built with block stones with beautiful patterns. It is now completely renewed due to war destruction and several repairs. The Lighthouse is 67m high, illuminates 24 nautical miles and consists of 100 steps to the top. The watch-house built in 1902, has been repaired and open to the public...

Bao Dai's villa
The villa lies on top of the Vung Hill in Do Son Zone II, 36 m above the sea level. It was built in 1928 by the Governor General of Indochina named Pafquiere. On 16 Jun 1949, it was offered to Bao Dai King. Since then, it is called Bao Dai's villa. Since 1933, after one year in throne, Bao Dai came here. Every time he went on an inspection tour in the North, he also came to Do Son and spent his time in the villa. From here, an overview of Do Son peninsula with the immense sea could be seen. In addition, the climate here is temperate and cool, especially in summer.

In May 1955, upon the North s liberation, the villa was handed over to the Ministry of Defense. As time elapsed and due to war destruction, the villa was down-degraded. On 28 March 1984, it was then transferred to and under the management of Hai Phong Tourism Company or currently known as Do Son Hotel and Tourism Joint Stock Company.

Under the Stateless permission, it had been under repair and after 2 years, on 26 July, 1999, it was officially opened to the public. Its total area ranges to 900m. It consists of guest rooms, meeting rooms, Kings Bedrooms and those of Queen, Prince, and Princess. All the documentation and pictures of Bao Dai and his family are supplied by Nguyen Dac Xuan, the Hue's Scholar and Vietnamese oversea in France. To the Villa, visitors could have a chance to wear the court dress, enjoy Hue' cakes, attend the Royal meal and buy souvenirs.

Nghieng - the Non Numbered wharf
Do Son is not only famous for its pine hills and spreading sandy bathing beaches, but also the hidden potentials for tourism which attract visitors attention. The Nghieng, None Numbered wharf is amongst them...The Nghieng wharf in Do Son is an anchoring place for boats to Dau Islet and also a starting point to Cat Ba Island, Ha Long Bay and Mong Cai by hovercrafts. Over 50 years ago, on 25 May 1955, in Nghieng wharf, the last French soldier withdrew from the North under the Geneva Treaty- the armistice Convention between the French Colonialists and Peoples Republic Democracy of Vietnam after nine years of hard war resistance.

The None Numbered wharf lies at the foot of Van Hoa Hill, by the blue valley, which has now the 100-room Hotel under Do Son International Tourism Company. The vestige of the old k15 wharf only remains the concrete piles. This wharf was built and secretly protected, was the anchoring place for the none numbered ships carrying the weapons and ammunition to support the South of Vietnam. On 11 October 1962, the first ship started here carrying 30 tons of weapons. After six hard days, the ship moored in Ca Mau and transferred the weapons to military zone No.9. The total fleet was of nearly 100 ships with 168 voyages departing from here - the way was named "the Ho Chi Minh Trail on sea.

Tuong Long Tower
Built on top of the Ngoc Son Mountain; Tuong Long Tower looks like a pen drawing on the blue sky and the ink slab is the immense sea. Through the ancient document and vestiges, Tuong Long Tower is considered as an imposing monument worshiping the Buddha, an outpost observatory station and the palace of the King in the Northeast sea of Dai Viet country.

The tower was listed into the great beauty spots along with Long Doi Pagoda (Duy Tien - Nam Ha), Mot Cot Pagoda (One -pillar pagoda), Bao Thien Tower, Thang Nghiem Pagoda, Chan Giao...(Hanoi), Chuong Son Tower (Y Yen, Nam Dinh)...under the Ly dynasty (1010-1225). Tuong Long Tower and Van Ban Pagoda show a long progress of architectural art and graphic depicts of the Buddhism in Do Son.

Tuong Long Tower is a typical symbol of the combination between human's creative art and unconscious natural art which supplement and embellish each other. Along with Ngoc Communal House, Rong Stream etc...Tuong Long Tower creates a well known ecological historical and cultural tourism community of the windy Do Son, Hai Phong.

Ba Be Temple
In Do Son, there is a worship place of Ba De (Lady of Trinh Lords). Legend has it that in the 18th century, Trinh Doanh Lord went on an inspection to the battlefield. He met a village girl named Dao Thi Huong from the fishing Village, fell in love and then joined in wedlock with her. After that the Trinh Lord was too busy to marry her. The poor girl was pregnant. As the village custom, the ill fated girl should be alleged with a punishment of being shaven her hair marked with lime, tied with a big stone and then plunged into the sea. Her injustice of not having met again the Trinh Lord that resulted in her soul turning out to save the villagers at sea from danger. Do Son people set up the temple to worship her at the foot of Doc Mountain. Ba De Temple was beautifully built, combined the ancient and modern style with a large ground by the sea. Every yea when spring comes, Ba De Temple draws the attention of tens of thousands of pilgrims rushing here to worship and pray for luck and happiness that helps contributes to the busier ness of Do Son.