We arrived at the national park where I had been told we could cycle through and enjoy the scenery. The reality in fact was quite different as our tour guide announced we’d be trekking through and assured that it would be fine to do it in flip-flops. Confused but glad to be able to go off alone the group was given one-and-a-half hours to explore the national park. Aruna and I headed up the path trying to avoid the aggressive salespeople offering ice-cream, water and beer at 10am in the morning to the base of a huge hill. The paved steps up the start of the hill were steep and halfway up Aruna gave up and I agreed to meet her at the bottom when I got back.

The climb up the tall stairs was hard going and in the heat of the jungle forced me to take my shirt off as I reached the top. The stairs disappeared and turned into a dirt track peppered with stepping stones. I continued up the track until a came to a sign where the track split in two. One path to the summit was eight hundred metres and the other five hundred. Being conscious of time I opted for the shorter route not knowing what was ahead. I didn’t have the best shows for trekking through rainforest and it was hard going. Sliding down muddy paths and clambering over huge jagged rocks I thought that it had been a good idea that Aruna had stayed behind as she’d have never made it over some of the obstacles that I encountered. The path soon disappeared and I was faced with a climb up and over an almost sheer rock face. I relished the challenge and kept in mind what my Dad had told me when I was little, always keep three points of contact.

After a long and arduous climb I realised that the short path must be the harder of the two and decided that on the way down I’d take the easy longer route. As I emerged into the daylight through the tree tops I could see the base of the high rocky outcrop. I climbed the ladders and at last reached the top, sweat pouring from my forehead. There was a wrought iron tower that towered over the peak of the hill. As people descended saying how lovely the view was, and how cooling the breeze at the top had been I thought I may as well go the extra mile. As I climbed the rickety rusted staircase I began to think of Mum and how there would have been no way I’d have got her to go this high up, especially if I was feeling a bit wobbly as I drew closer to the viewing tower. It shook in the winds but the panorama of the national park was spectacular and well worth the climb. We headed back down as a group and as we reached the entrance to the park saw that the Taiwanese gentleman that had been with us had taken a fall and split his lips open on a rock – apparently his cycling helmet had stopped it from being any worse.

We set off again towards Cat Ba city, our base until tomorrow. We had lunch at our hotel and were told we had free time for the rest of the day, with our evening meal being served at 6.30pm. As the sun had made a welcome return to the sky I wanted to find the beach and do nothing but lay on it for the rest of the day. Aruna had been feeling down and so I suggested that we rent scooters and go off to find the beach this way – a happy compromise. For a grand total of 100,000 Dong (£2.90) I had a scooter with a full tank of fuel for the next five hours. We headed off and found one of the three beaches on the island, Cat Co two. Apart from four other tourists it was completely deserted. I lay there for at least an hour soaking up the last rays of the afternoon sun before we set off to have a tootle around the island.

Seeing as there was only one road open across the island, and we had taken that to get to Cat Ba city, there wasn’t a great deal of exploring to be done. I had spotted a sign for the cannon fort as we left the city so we went back to check it out. It was possibly the highest point on the island and used as a protective vantage point during the Vietnam war. As I wondered around I found the displays of old wartime memorabilia as well as the two huge cannons that protected the harbour. The weight of the shells and mortar rounds was incredible and I wondered how many they may have to lift and carry during a raid. It was eerily quiet as I looked out of the bunkers at the view from where the snippers would have been stationed. I could only imagine the noise that would have carried through the small tunnels during an attack.

After we sat and watched the sun go down over the islands we return the scooters and headed back to the hotel for dinner. I wanted to go for a wander, so left Aruna to chill out and do her own thing. As I left the hotel I was met by a girl selling pearls from a small stand on the corner. I had a look and she showed me pictures of where and how they were farmed and explained the difference between natural and farmed pearls. I was really impressed at how good her English was and how well she explained everything that I couldn’t help but buy a few things to take home. It was all reasonably cheap and I managed to rob her of the better pieces in her collection. I returned to the hotel after a visit to the local bakery for a well earned rest and to pack for my return to the mainland tomorrow.

Located in An Bien Ward, Le Chan District, Hai Phong City, Nghe Temple is dedicated to Lady Le Chan – a widowed aristocrat who transformed herself into general and fought valiantly alongside the Hai Ba Trung (Trung Trac and Trung Nhi) in the first century AD.

The Chinese – specifically the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD) – had annexed Vietnam (known as Nam Viet at the time) in 111BC and for over a hundred years had sent officials to govern the “southern province”. The Vietnamese were allowed to keep their own system of feudal chiefs at lower levels but the Chinese overlords still ruled the roost – often in draconian fashion – and tension inevitably simmered overtime.

After the execution of Thi Sach, who was married to Trung Trac, the two sisters led an angry but well-organized uprising against the Chinese, ably assisted by the likes of Le Chan, who is believed to have been the Hai Ba Trung’s most crafty general and strategist.

Crucially before the battle began Le Chan had helped recruit troops. She had also built a garrison where provisions could be stored and troops could train. She named the garrison An Bien after her homeland, located in Quang Ninh province today. Le Chan was appointed chief of the garrison and Commander of Hai Tan Town (Hai Phong today). She was also given the honorary title of Thanh Chan Princess for founding Hai Tan Town’s Defensive Force.

After this period of secretive preparation, the Hai Ba Trung rebellion undoubtedly took the Chinese overlords by surprise. In 39AD Trung Trac and Trung Nhi first repelled a small Chinese force from their village and after assembling a large army – according to legend consisting mostly of women – they went on to seize 65 citadels back from the Chinese and just like that Nam Viet had been liberated.

It’s easy to see why the Hai Ba Trung sisters are revered to this day in Vietnam. As Louise Williams writes in her book Wives, Mistresses and Matriarchs, “The powerful vision of three women leading their men atop of the gilded seats on elephants, tumbles forward through the generations, a national source of pride and strength.” Tellingly, afterwards the Hai Ba Trung sisters were declared kings, not queens (perhaps, reflective of the times, as only a ‘king’ could rule men).

The Hai Ba Trung’s reign of power would be short lived however. In 43AD the Chinese Han King ordered his General Ma Vien to amass a huge army and invade Nam Viet. The Trung Sisters and Le Chan rallied the troops once more. Another female general Phung Thi Chinh went into battle despite being heavily pregnant. Legend has it that she gave birth on the front line and with her baby in one arm and a sword in the other, she continued to fight. But this time the Han had returned in numbers and the Viet troops were soon completely overrun.

To preserve her dignity, Le Chan took her own life, as did the Trung sisters and all the other female generals, including Phung Thi Chinh. Afterwards An Bien people set up a temple as a shrine in honour of Le Chan, where today stands Den Nghe (Nghe Temple).

The temple is not just a sacred place but also of great artistic value and well worth visiting. The main shrine has a space in the form of the Chinese character Tam (Three) with an anteroom, a middle room and a back room. The walls and ceiling are covered with sculpted relief depicting scenes from Vietnamese mythology. Engravings on wood depict scenes representing the four seasons.

The most valuable relic remaining there is the stone memorial stele with characters reading ‘The story of An Bien Hai Phong’ that dates back to the reign of King Khai Dinh (1916- 1925). The inscription on the stele tells the story of Le Chan and lists the various titles conferred on her by the kings of different dynasties.

The tomb, recognized as a national vestige in 1975, is still regularly visited by Vietnamese people who still credit Le Chan with establishing An Bien – Hai Phong Township and admire her bravery in the face of adversity.

The Nghe Temple Festival is annually organized from the 8th to the 10th day of the second lunar month for worshiping Le Chan.

There are lots of valuable items in the communal house, of which there are 156 pieces with a dragon as the main theme. Altogether, there are 308 dragons of different shapes and sizes. The pagoda also houses a statue of Ngo Quyen and a palanquin.

Every year from the 16^th to 18^th of the second lunar month, ritual ceremonies, festivals, traditional games and performances of “cheo”, “tuong” and other folk songs are held at the communal house, attracting large crowds.

General information:

Hai Phong is northern Vietnam’s main port, and an important industrial and commercial center. It is located in a convenient position for transportation to domestic provinces and international networks via road network, railway, sea routes, inland waterway and air.

Area: 1,520.7 sq. km.
Population: 1,837,302 habitants (2009)
Administrative divisions:
- Districts: Hong Bang, Ngo Quyen, Le Chan, Kien An, Hai An, Duong Kinh, Do Son.
- Rural districts: Thuy Nguyen, An Duong, An Lao, Kien Thuy, Tien Lang, Vinh Bao, Cat Hai, Bach Long Vi.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Hoa, Tay, Nung…

Location:

Hai Phong is a coastal city, located in the east of Northern coastal area, 120 km away from capital Hanoi, with a total natural area of 152,318.49 ha (according to statistics of 2001), equal to 0.45% natural area of the whole country. Hai Phong shares the border with Quang Ninh province in the north, Hai Duong province in the west, Thai Binh province in the south and East Sea in the east

Weather:

Located within the belt of tropical monsoons of Asia and adjoining the East Sea, Hai Phong is under monsoon influence. Hai Phong climate can be divided into two distinct seasons, winter and summer. The temperate is moderate.The cold and dry Northeast monsoon (during winter time) is from November to April. The cool and fresh Southeastern monsoons (during summer time) causing a lot of rain from May to October. The average annual rainfall varies from 1,600mm to 1,800mm. There are often storms from June to September.

Transportation:

Hai Phong is served by an important transportation network of sea routes, roads, railways, and airlines.

- Highways: The National Highway No. 10 links Hai Phong to the provinces of Quang Ninh, Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa. Haiphong is 102km from Hanoi.

- Airways: There are connecting daily flights with Ho Chi Minh City, departed from Cat Bi Airport.

- Railways: There are trains from Hanoi to Haiphong and vice versa.

- Waterways: Daily ferries from the dock on Ben Binh St. for other destinations. The ferry runs from Hai Phong to Cat Ba Island several times a day. The hydrofoil boats run between Hai Phong – Cat Ba and Hai Phong – Hon Gai. The high-speed air-condition Thong Nhat Boat leave daily from Hai Phong to Cat Ba.

Tourism:

Hai Phong is a beautiful city with much of the central colonial quarter still preserved. Many streets are bordered by flame flower trees, giving the city its other name “city of flame flowers”.

Hai Phong is also a good base for exploring other areas in the northeast such as Cat Ba and Halong Bay. In Hai Phong itself, the Du Hang temple, Hang Kenh communal house and the old quarter are worth visiting. Nearby Do Son beach is northern Vietnam’s most popular seaside retreat. Casino in Do Son is also a feature of Hai Phong attracting many visitors.

The Du Hang Pagoda:

Since being established in the 17th century, worshippers at this pagoda reconstructed it many times. There is a 2 storey gate, statue of the Goddess of Mercy in the courtyard, many statues of Bodhisattvas, guardians and the wooden goddesses, and a lot of ancient furniture. The bells out the front are interesting.

The Hang Kenh Communal House:

The boat shaped house has a beautiful facade, carved frames and pillars of precious wood. It was built in the 17th century. The central section is dedicated to King Ngo Quyen and his generals, who defeated the army of the great Kublai Khan no less, in the battle of the Bach Dang River in 938 AD. This battle ended over 1,000 years of foreign rule in Vietnam.

Do Son Beach:

Do Son Beach is situated in Do Son Town, 20km from the southwest of Hai Phong City. Do Son Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the North of Vietnam.

Do Son is a small peninsula located between the Lach Tray and Van Uc Rivers. Do Son beaches are shaded by thousands of sandalwood trees and surrounded by mountains and Pine Hills.

The sea resort town is composed of tree zones, each having bathing beaches, hills and forests. Around the hills are French-style constructions looking towards the sea. Since 1975, many large hotels and guest houses have been set up over the town and Do Son has become a weekend sea resort for Vietnamese and foreigners.

Cat Ba Island:

Cat Ba is about 140 sq.km in Ha Long Bay, is the largest one in the bay. It is commonly used as an overnight hotel stop on inexpensive package tours to Ha Long Bay run by travel agents from Hanoi.

Half of its area is covered by a National Park, which is home to the highly endangered Cat Ba Langur. This golden-headed langur is rarely seen, as fewer than 100 specimens are thought to survive in the wild, although it is the subject of a well-organised conservation programme. The Park covers both land and marine areas and has a high biodiversity, although it is at risk from too rapid an increase in tourism. Other mammals in the Park include civet cats and oriental giant squirrels.