Bac Ninh in the spring

Traveling to Bac Ninh province, tourists can visit the ancient temples and pagodas, go boating on poetic Cau (Bridge) and Duong rivers, listening to folk songs.

Get in and get around

About 30km from the capital of Hanoi, Bac Ninh is an interesting destination for domestic and foreign tourists where is famous for Quan Ho folk songs. Visitors can go to Bac Ninh at any season of the year, however, spring is the best time when the many festival takes place in this province. To visit all the destinations in Bac Ninh, you should stay here at least 2 days.

---

From Hanoi, tourists can travel to Bac Ninh by bus or coach. From Long Bien or Luong Yen bus station, you can found the destinations in Bac Ninh and bus schedules. Traveling by motorbikes is also amazing as you easily and actively visit the destinations that you want to see around Bac Ninh.

Tourism destinations:

1. Do Temple (Đền Đô): Do Temple is located in Dinh Bang village, Tu Son District of Bac Ninh province. It was formerly Thai Shrine of Ly Dynasty, built in 1019 by Ly Thai To King. In 1030, Thai Shrine was upgraded and expanded and became the temple worshipping 8 Kings of Ly Dynasty. After nearly 900 years of existence, with many restorations, Do Temple has become one of the most iconic places in Bac Ninh.

Do Temple

Do Temple Festival is annually organized on 15 March (lunar calendar). On this day, local people as well as tourists participate in the festival to commemorate the origin, merits of the kings who built the country. In addition, tourists can visit the Dinh Bang Village with the famous unique architecture.

Dinh Bang

 

2. Dong Ho (Đông Hồ) Painting Village:

About 35km from Hanoi, on the southern side of the Duong River, Dong Ho village is famous for folk paintings. Dong Ho painting is printed by hand on the surface of wooden plate. Each printing color has its own engraved board. The black one is printed last. The colors of the paintings also use natural colors from plants. Thanks to this way, paintings are made in bulk and do not require sophisticated techniques.

Previously, Dong Ho paintings were sold mostly for the Lunar New Year. Rural people buy paintings and hang on the wall; at the end of a year, they changed the new ones. The painting fair is annually held on Tet holiday in the communal house in Dong Ho village, attracts a large number of tourists. Painting fair is a distinctive cultural feature of Dong Ho villagers.

 

3. Phu Lang Pottery Village

Situated on the bank of poetic Cau River, Phu Lang Pottery Village has charming scenery with a lot of beautiful, romantic mountains and rivers. Among dozens of craft villages in the Red River civilization, Phu Lang is well known with many ceramic artisans. Many tourists like traveling to Phu Lang village because they will have a chance to make ceramics themselves. Clay, the materials used to make ceramics, is bought from other places and transported to the village by boat. Tourists traveling to the village can stay at the local houses to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, see the ceramic kilns mushrooming along the dykes or on the low hills near Luc Dau Giang, facing the Cau River which runs all the year round.

 

4. Tam Tao tourism village

Coming to Tam Tao village tourism, you will see a lot of ancient landscape such as hundred-of-year temple; enjoy the Quan Ho folk songs or the images of the older playing chess. The peaceful scene here makes visitors forget the busy of the daily life.

Tourists should visit the communal house which was built in 1815 under Gia Long King of Nguyen Dynasty. It is recognized as the National Historic Site. In front of the house is semi-circular lake and the pavilion standing on the lake, where the artists perform Quan Ho folk songs during festival days.

5. Dao Xa Village

Dao Xa Village is famous for its unique vegetarian meals. All dishes are made from agricultural products. Some dishes you cannot find at any other places but Dao Xa.

6. Lim Festival

Annually, on 12 and 13 of Lunar January, Lim Festival of Lim town, Tien Du District, Bac Ninh province attracts thousands of local people as well as tourists. Lim Festival is a unique culture and art activity of long tradition in the North and Quan Ho folk culture has became the common property of the Vietnamese people, represents the type of lyrical folk songs of the north. The attractiveness of the romantic folk songs and cultural activities, unique traditional games makes Lim Festival become a popular destination for tourist after Tet Holiday

 

By Mai Phuong