The Forbidden City - Must go in Beijing

Address: 4 Jing Shan Qian Jie, Dongcheng, Beijing, China
Phone: +86 10 8500 7428

The Forbidden City is not onlythe essence and culmination of traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment but also the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. This former imperial palace, which is called Gu Gong in Chinese, is located at the Beijing’s heart. It was the imperial palace for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In other words, it witnessed the enthronement of fourteen Ming and ten Qing emperors over the following 505 years until the Republic overthrew the last Qing emperor.The Imperial Palaces of Beijing was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987.

The construction of the grand palace was built throughout 14 years, started in the fourth year of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1406), and ended in 1420. It is such a divine place was certainly forbidden to ordinary peopleto enter without special permission of the emperor. That is the reason why it is named “The Purple Forbidden City” or “The Forbidden City”.

The Forbidden City - Must go in Beijing

Enclosed by a 10-meter-high defensive wall with a circumference of 3, 430 meters, the Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings in the world. Extending 753 meters from east to west, and 961 meters from north to south, the Forbidden City covers an area of about 72 hectares with a total floor space of approximately 150,000 square meters. There are 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms in it.

City walls were 10 meters in height, and a 52 meter - wide moat surround the Forbidden City. The wall extraordinarily is very strong because of their incredible materials. They are the bricks were made from white lime and glutinous rice while the cement is made from glutinous rice and egg whites.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner palaces. The Outer palace, includes the Hall of Central Harmony, the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony comprise, where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation whereas the Inner, comprisesthe Hall of Union, the Hall of Heavenly Purity and the Hall ofEarthly Tranquility, where he lived with his royal family.The Forbidden City can be called a masterpiece in Chinese, even world, architectural history because its buildings fully show the artistic features and style of ancient Chinese palace architecture.

This palace is known as called the Palace Museum orthe largest museum of cultural relics in China. It collected and displayed some one million precious historical relics from the Shang Dynasty (16th century -771 BC) through to the Qing Dynasty.

The Temple of Heaven - You can not ignore when to Beijing!

 Address: China, Beijing, Dongcheng, 天壇東路1号
Hours: Open today · 6:00 am – 8:00 pm
Phone: +86 10 6702 8866

The Temple of Heaven is one of four international temples in Beijing includes the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth, the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of Sun. Among them, the Temple of Heaven is the largest, most important and best known in Chinese history. The Temple of Heaven is not only China's largest and most representative existing masterpiece but also the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples.

The Temple of Heaven Park is located in the Chongwen District, southern Beijing. This is the place where the emperors of the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644) and Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911) would worship the god of heaven and solemnly pray for a good harvest once a year at winter solsticeor in other words, they held the Heaven Worship Ceremony.The Temple of Heaven has also been listed as one of the World Cultural Relics by the UNESCO in 1998.

The Temple of Heaven was built in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1420) by the emperor by the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Yongle. During the reigns of the Ming emperor Jiajing and the Qing emperor Qianlong, it was extended and rebuilt.

The Temple of Heaven - You can not ignore when to Beijing!

To better symbolize heaven and earth,the northern part of the temple is circularwhich symbolizes the heavens, and the southern part is square - symbolizing the earth, which reflect the ancient Chinese belief. The northern part is higher than the southern part shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low. Its mighty architectural style and deep cultural meaning givesan insight into the practices of the ancient Eastern civilization.
Covering an area of 273 hectares, the temple is divided by two enclosed walls into inner altar and outer altar.The main buildings lie from the south to north of the middle axis of the inner part. The main buildings are the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, Circular Mound Altar and Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Circular Mound Altar is the center for the emperors would offer sacrifice here to Heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice every year. A circular wall of polished bricks known as the Echo Wall encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven, where houses the Gods’ tablets to be used at the Heaven Worship Ceremony. The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest stands on a round foundation built with three levels of marble stones, where the emperor held the worship ceremonies to pray for good weather and abundant harvests.

When tourists go into the Temple, they can have a feeling of solemnity, respectfulness, holiness and quietness will well up in the mind.

Zhujiajiao Ancient Town – The Venice of Shanghai

Situated forty seven kilometers away from Shanghai city, Zhujiajiao Water Town is a popular tourist location to escape the noisy modern city. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, it is a typical and ancient water town well-known throughout the country, in Qingpu District, south of the Yangtze River, with a history of more than 1700 years.

Zhujiajiao is the best-preserved ancient water town among the four ancient towns in Shanghai. Zhujiajiao is the little fan-shaped town which are compared with a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains. With lovely waterways, old streets cemented with stone, curved rock bridges and over 10,000 buildings dating back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), Zhujiajiao is considered as Shanghai's Venice.

In the centuries past Zhujiajiao was a trading area due to the canals, which were used to ferries along in little boats and barges, especially in Ming dynasty. Now Zhujiajiao is a graceful and peaceful town. The graceful ancient town is well-decorated with water ways, 36 unique old bridges in different shapes and styles, from wooden to stone to marble across bubbling streams, small rivers shaded by willow trees,unsophisticated local people, traditional Chinese-style residences with courtyards attached all transport people who have been living among the bustle and hustle of the modern big city to a brand-new world full of antiquity, leisure and tranquillity.All of these are the charm of the small town.Young people and those who want to unwind after a day’s work go there from Shanghai to relax.

Zhujiajiao Ancient Town – The Venice of Shanghai

Zhujiajiao has numerous historical sites and private gardens. Those gardens were designed and built between the Qing and Ming dynasties. The most famous destinations here are Fangsheng Bridge, Kezhi Garden andPost Office of Qing Dynasty. Fangsheng Bridge is the longest, largest and tallest stone bridge in Zhujiajiao and in the Shanghai region, resting on five arches. A stone tablet named Dragon Gate Stone engraved with 8 coiling dragons encircling a shining pearl is stood on the bridge. On top of the bridge are 4 lifelike stone lions.Kezhi Yuan at the northern edge of the old district on Xijing Street is a garden dating to 1912.Among the ancient architecture, Ke Zhi Yuan garden is the largest manorial one.There are three different parts in this destination which is the main hall, the garden and the artificial hill area.Post Office of Qing Dynasty was an official body introduced from the Western Europe. It is more than just a depository of mail.This place also has an exhibit of old post cards and letters.

Visitors go there not only to see the old buildings, shop, and but also to eat in the many restaurants and coffee shops.

Lingyin Temple – a destination for Buddhist faithful

Address: China, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, Xihu, 灵隐路法云弄1号
Phone: +86 571 8796 8665

Lingyin Temple (Temple of Soul's Retreat) located in a long, narrow valley between Peak Flown From Afar (Fei Lai Feng) and North Peak to the northwest of the West Lake at Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. It is one of the oldest, beautiful and most significant ancient Buddhist temples of China. With the long history and charming scenery,thousands of visitors and Buddhist faithful from home and abroadfor tourism and pilgrimswas attracted to come here every day.
Ling Yin Templewas first built in AD 326 by the Indian Monk Huili at Eastern Jin Dynasty and has a history of over 1600 years. It has been damaged and undergone several renovations.
Lingyin in Chinese means the soul's retreat so that the temple also can be named Temple of Soul's Retreat. Sheltered by forested hills on three sides, this temple is a quiet and sheltered sanctuary place. The temple covers an area of 5.66 square kilometers and has many scenic spots, including Xiaoyingzhou (Lesser Yingzhou, an islet) and Santan Yingyue (Three Pools Reflecting the Moon, a part of Lesser Yingzhou). Surrounding hills are manypagodas, temples, caves, rock carvings and natural springs.

Lingyin Temple – a destination for Buddhist faithful

The temple consists ofthe Hall of the Great Hero, the Hall of the Heavenly King, the Hall of the Buddha of Medicine, the west wing,, the East and West Winding Corridors,  the Liandeng Tower, the Dabei Tower, the dining halls and the Abbot's Room.In front of the Ling Yin Temple is the Hall of the Heavenly King, which is the main entrance of the temple. In the center of the hall, there is a statue of Maitreya - the laughing Buddha, with a smiling face and a bare belly. Hall of the Great Hero is the temple's most magnificent building. It is 33.6 meters high. It contains the largestand most magnificent statue of Sakyamuniin the lotus position.Behind Sakyamuni is a colorful sculpture of 150 Buddhas. Another recently added hall holds the 500 Arhats. Hall of Medicine Buddha enshrines the statue of the Medicine Buddha which is also called Bhaisajyaturu.

Lingyin Temple in China is considered to be one of the wealthiest temples. It contains an important collection of Buddhist literature together with many other treasures. As a result, it is a great storehouse of information for those who wish to study aspects of Chinese Buddhism in detail.Moreover, it has tranquil and deep mountains,old and lofty trees, ancient Buddhist temples as well as the varied clouds and mist.

Map of Lingyin Temple:

Discovery Jiuzhaigou - "Paradise on the earth"

Located in north of Sichuan Province,China,about 400 km from the capital, Jiuzhaigou is a famous scenic spots not only of China but also the world and is known as "paradise on the earth ".

Jiuzhaigou including 3 valleys ranked in a Y shape. Gou Gou and Rizevalleys are two Valleys running from south to meet in the center of the region, where is the beginning of the Shuzheng Gou run into northbound.
With white snow cover mountains and spread of endlessly green pine forests. Path to Jiuzhaigou is covered by forests four-season very romantic. Visitors will be immersing in the most beautiful land on earth. Jiuzhaigou has hundreds of large and small lakes, rapids which are picturesque charm and nestled in along the narrow ravine. Water can change color depend on the light of the sun reflector.

Address: Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China
Phone: +86 837 773 9753

Leaning the side of clear water like a sea of emerald is red, yellow and green color of the trees change colour forth-season. Grass carpet of the reeds on waves waft in the wind makes it as paradise peaceful scene. Autumn in Jiuzhaigou, you can walk along paths of wood are set parallel or around the lake so you can go deeper into the woods. Paths were built in many different styles, but they are all beautiful, romantic and great places to take the poetic photos.  When winter comes, white snow covers forests. Lake carries a mystery color. However, although any season, Jiuzhaigou always carries in its beauty thatnowhere in the world can be. The beautiful as Penglaiscene, Jiuzhaigou is compared heaven on earth and the European landscape inside Asia. Some came to Jiuzhaigou because of infatuation unspoiled natural beauty, other came to it because of teemed bamboo forests wobbly in the wind and it was not little people visited the beautiful lakes because it has been recorded picture in many famous film like  "heroes" , "The Condor Heroes", "Xi You Ji Journey to the West"

There are some species that are endangered Giant Panda and snub-nosed monkey. Both species are small and exist in isolation, in which the panda population just less than 20 individuals. Jiuzhaigou is also a home to about 140 species of birds.

Jiuzhaigou in the Tibetan language means "Valley of nine villages" it is to shows nine villages located along its length.Currently, seven of nine villages are still have Tibetans live in. This landscape has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and the World Biosphere Reserve in 1997.

If came to the Chinese in your journey, Jiuzhaigou is surely a location to travel never make you disappointed.

Address: 170 Anyuan Road, Jing'an, Shanghai, China
Opened: 1882
Phone: +86 21 6266 3668

Jade Buddha Temple is avenerable and famous Buddhist temple inthe western part of Shanghai. It was founded in 1882 to house two white jade Buddhas brought fromMount Putuo, Burma the year before by a monknamed Huigen of Putuo Shan. Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai is a temple which has 70 resident monks living and working there.

Hui Gen had a pilgrimage to Tibet via Mount Wutai and Mount Emei - two famous Buddhist mountains. Then, he arrived at Burma in which Hui Gen got five jade statues of Buddha donated by an oversea Chinese resident. Passing through Shanghai, he left two jade statues. And the Jade Buddha temple was built for keeping them.

The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. In 1918, the Temple was reconstructed. But in Culture Revolution, the temple was destroyed again.Fortunately the statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928.The temple was built in the style of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Jade Buddha Temple

Outside, the temple has symmetrical halls and courtyards, upturned eaves with bright saffron yellow walls.The temple contains Hall of Four Heavenly King, Grand Hall, Jade Buddha Chamber, abbot room and public restaurant. But it is not famed for its architecture. The temple is renowned for the two jade statues of Buddhahoused within. They are made of sparkling and crystal-clear white jade in Burma and depict Shakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, they are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. The more impressive of the two is the Sitting Buddha, which is 190 centimeters in height and 1 ton in weight, depicting the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. It was installed after a monk brought it from Burma to Zhejiang Province in 1882.  It encrusted with the agate and the emerald and weigh about one thousand kilograms.A smaller, a reclined Buddha, is in the west section of the temple. A Singapore believer donated areclined Buddha enshrined on the opposite side of the jade reclined Buddha in 1989. It lies on a redwood bed. This jade Buddha shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world.

Moreover, there are many other ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures distributed in the different halls here.Over 7,000 volumes of precious Buddhist scriptures were hold in cabinets in halls. Especially, abbot room, on the first floor, has a Sakyamuni portrait is hanged on the wall.
Nearby the temple, there is astore which sells miniature sandalwood drums and gongs, replicas of the large ones used in ceremonies.

Hutongs – a unique features in Beijing

Surrounding the Forbidden City, a hutong, which is an old-style city alley or typical lanewhere old Beijing residents lived, is one of the most distinctive features and must-see attractions in Beijing.The Beijing Hutongs (old lanes), have become representatives of Beijing's rich history and culture. They give a fantastic glimpse into yesterday’s world but also the old way of life and traditional Beijing culture, and highlight the profound changes the rest of Beijing has undergone.Therefore, it is the first choice for people who would like to learn about the local history, to get a better experience of the unique culture of ancient Beijing. They attract a lot of tourists from home and abroad.

There are thousands of hutongs in the city,they were built during the Yuan (1206-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. However, Hutong originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). “Hutong”is a Mongolian word meaning water well. In the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolians focus on the importance of water, so almost every community in the city dug a well and then lived around it, which provided the daily water for the locals. Until now, people can still find dry wells in Hutongs.

Hutongs was near the palace to the east and west were for imperial kinsmen and aristocrats. And another kind is the simple and crude hutong where merchants and other ordinary people live, was mostly located far to the north and south of the palace.

Dongxijiaominxiang is the longest hutong in Beijing with 6.5 kilometers in length. It is to the east side of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, Tiananmen Square and downtown Beijing. In the contrast, Yichidajie, also called One Foot Street, is the shortest hutong. It is only about 10 meters long and is located in the south-east, on the eastern side of Glass Street. LingjingHutong is an east-west oriented hutong in Beijing Xidan District. With 32.18 meters in width, it is the broadest hutong. QianshiHutong, which has long been the narrowest hutong in Beijing, is to the west side of Beijing Zhubaoshi Street, near the famous commercial area of Dashanlan. The Oldest One must be refer to SanmiaojieHutong. It can be dated back to 900 years ago, to the Liao Dynasty (907 AD-1125 AD).

There are a lot of things to do in Beijing’s Hutongs. You can experience the culture and learn some basic skills in Chinese cooking, especially dumpling and enjoy the meal when you visit a local family in traditional house. You can learn how to make a Chinese Paper Cutting, which is a traditional Chinese handicraft in the Hutong area, with profound cultural connotations. Another traditional handicraft is Chinese knot. Each knot is woven out of one single silk thread. Besides that, you can have chance to experience how to play Mahjong, about Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Yoyo, Cricket Culture and Yangko dance, which is a folk dance with a history of 1000 years in China.

Dunhuang Mogao Cave

Address: Dunhuang, Gansu, China
Phone: +86 937 886 9060

At outskirts of city Dunhuang, Gansu province northwest China, there is a mountain called "Mountain of sand call". At the mountain’s the eastern foot, there is a system of caves 5 floors with 492 undulating temples, which are irregular in order together and looks very magnificent. That is DunhuangMogao cave world famous
It is also known with the name of Buddha cave or Dunhuang cave. Although called the cave, but the fact this place is not a cave,it is in form of carved in stone architecture. Mogao Cave is the largest and best preserved Buddhist art treasures in the world today. It is famous in the world because of statues and the frescoes represent to Buddhist art in thousand years.

 It was started in the year 366 and continued to be built during later dynasties, the number of caves continued to increase, until the 7th century Tang Dynasty, there were more than a thousand caves. Mogao Cave is the palace of art combine ancient architecture, frescoes and clay statues. During digging the cave, people’s dynasties has molded a lot of statues in cave and drawing up varied frescoes.

Dunhuang Mogao Cave

 Although it is going through the changes of history and ruined by man, but until now Mogao cave retains nearly 500 caves, preserving about 50 thousand kilometers squares murals and more than 2,000 statues buddha statues. The statue of Buddha in cave multifold type with different position reflects the colors of the different dynasties. In addition, in caves contain Buddhist scriptures also found about 5 thousands manuscripts of Buddhist scriptures and other historical materials. In it, there are thousands of silk paintings, wood carvings, embroidery pictures and calligraphic works. Mogao Cave murals are the most splendid, if the frescoes connected together can create a range row of nearly 30 kilometers meters.

The frescoes here are mostly carrying Buddhist topics, e.g. drawings of Buddha, Bodhisattva, the emperor. Drawings continuous follow the plot in Buddhist scriptures or paintings of Buddhist history etc. and it also combined with the fabled character and history of Buddhism in India, Central Asia and China. It is not only religious art, but it is also a historical picture of the era which is reflected the social life, costumes, and jewelry, forming of architecture of ancient music or dance. Simultaneously,it is also reflects the brutality, deception of the ruling class.so that, the Western scholars call frescoes cliff Dunhuang is "Libraries on the cliff".

Mogao cave is far away from the Dunhuang to show how Buddhist thought" leave secular life, integrate into the great nature ". Caves lean on the mountain and overlooking a river. Water in the river which by the streams forme is nurtured green water around the cave. Mogao Oasis not only formsa peaceful and unique landscape, but also prevents the radiation of sunlight for the entire caves here.

Map of Dunhuang Mogao Cave 

Top ten fantastic and wonderful islands of Thailand

If you are keen on discovering the nature and beautiful spots, playing underwater sports and taking part in fascinating activities on the beach. Thailand may be an ideal and must-go destination for your vacation.

As we know, Thailand is famous for its temples and unique architecture intact. However, coming to Thailand, you still have a lot of chance to immerse yourself in nature and enjoy the beautiful archipelagoes. There are ten beautiful and interesting islands and archipelagoes you should not miss when coming to Thailand that I am going to introduce you now.

The first archipelago is Ko Phi Phi. It belongs to Krabi, the South of Thailand. While that, Ko Phi Phi Don is the greatest island of Ko Phi Phi and it is also the only island having the survival of people. Besides it, Ko Phi Phi Led is a famous place being the film scene of “The Beach” manufactured in 2000. Although this archipelago was affected by the great tsunami on Noel in 2004, it has been rehabilitated gradually and attracts a lot of visitors every year.

The second wonderful island is Ka Tao. This is an ideal place with a large number of resorts, bars and nightclubs for relaxation and entertainment. In addition, visitors will have opportunity to take part in underwater sports such as scuba diving, fishing, climbing and walking along the long street immersing oneself in nature.

The third island is Ko Chang. It is the third greatest island in Thailand. There is a lot of mountains and tropical forests, waterfalls and beautiful beaches. Climbing to the mountains, discovering the tropical forests and seeing the wonderful waterfalls will bring you surprising experience.

Japan - New Destination - New Experience

Traveling is a very meaningful and wonderful way for us to relax, experience, learn and discover the new destinations and interesting things. One of the most attractive and fascinating place in the world that we should not miss on our vacation. That is Japan.

Today, I want to give you a general understanding about the beautiful and exciting places in Japan with a hope that you can get more knowledge about this country. I believe that Japan will be an ideal choice for your vacation. First of all, Tokyo capital is the must-go place that you can not miss when coming to Japan. This city is one of the largest and magnificent cities in Japan. Also, it is one of the most populous cities in the world. Coming to this capital, you will have a chance to visit a lot of temples, shrines, palaces and architecture intact with the ancient and modern beauty.

The second interesting place is Kyoto. This city is well known for a great number of temples with 2000 temples, museums, parks, Imperial Royal Villas and traditional festivals. There are some temples recognized as World Heritage site by UNESCO such as Kamo Shine, Kyo-o-Gokokuji, Saiho-ji, Rokuon-ji, Hongan-ji, etc.

Kyoto - City of ten thousand shrines

It is said that Japan is the country with a lot of plagues and great earthquake. But people do not know that this is also a very beautiful and magnificent country with a lot of unique architecture intact and famous temples as well as shrines and palaces. Visiting Japan, Tokyo capital is a must-go place, but Kyoto is also a no less interesting destination.

Kyoto is the former imperial capital of Japan situated at the central part of island of the Honshu. This city is well-known for a lot of magnificent temples, shrines as well as palaces, gardens, architecture intact, museums and gorgeous villas. Kyoto is deemed to be the centre of Buddhism in Japan with 2000 Buddhist temples including 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. We can list some famous temples such as Kiyomizu-dera temple – the Temple made of wooden and bolstered by pillars off the slope of a mountain, Kinkaku-ji – the Temple of the Golden pavilion, Ryoan-ji – the Temple of Silver pavilion, Hean Jingu – a Shinto temple marking the royal era and celebrating ten first and last emperors in Kyoto and it is also the Kyoto Royal Palace. Besides it, there are many temples in Kyoto recognized by UNESCO as the World Heritage site including Kamo shine, Kyo-o-Gokokuji, Saiho-ji, Rokuon-ji, Hongan-ji…and Nijo Villa. Coming to Kyoto, visiters can have chance to visit the Katsura Imperial Royal Villa .

This is the most precious architecture intact in Japan. And the Shugaku-in Imperial Royal Villa, this is one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens. Coming to these Villas, visitors can take a chance to discover the beauty and interesting things here. Furthermore, visitors should not forget to visit the very beautiful and magnificent lakes of Gion and Pontocho. Visitors can not only feel the beauty of landscape but also close to the nature. There are a lot of interesting and exciting things waiting for you to discover and experience in Kyoto. Visiting museums in Kyoto will bring visitors a deeper understanding about history and people here.

Travel Tips After an Enjoyable Trip to Hong Kong

I had a chance to go to Hong Kong and the following notes I did is to help you who are planning to travel there. You can apply them to any trip.

1. Nested Luggage

Hong Kong is known as a paradise for shopaholics with highly competitive prices. I realized that some items have double prices I used to buy. Therefore, it is not reasonable when you take out a half of your luggage, but it is a good idea if you use nested luggage. You can buy this at any luggage shop; even you can find the different sizes for the same bags. For example, if you put the small bag inside the bigger one, with this way, you can bring home all items you like during your traveling.

2. Taxi

Most of drivers in Hong Kong are very professional, competent and friendly. The cabs can contain 5 passengers. You can place your bags at the trunk or the boot. You should know that drivers are not good at English. I notice that they can not understand what I mean even i use slow intonations. Therefore, do not forget to bring a Hong Kong map and point at the address you want to come.

Seven Hong Kong Travel Tips

Hong Kong has a lot of things to offer the visitors such as delicious food, stunning views, beautiful landscapes, and a diverse culture. If you are going to travel to Hong Kong, the following seven tips will be very useful for you to have an enjoyable trip.

First of all, you should understand clearly about the climate in Hong Kong. This beautiful country has a subtropical climate with 2 seasons: summer and winter. It is rather hot in summer with 27-32oC but it is very humid in winter with 15-21oC.

In addition, you should know that The Hong Kong dollar sometimes has a little fluctuation because it is pegged to the dollar of US. You can change travelers and cash at money changers, hotels and banks. Most of restaurants, hotels and shops accept credit cards.

Dining tips are very important for you during your visit in Hong Kong. Most restaurants accept casual wear. However, you need to have a tie and a jacket when entering some exclusive ones. Additionally, you should know that almost of hotels will add ten percent service charge. You can tip if you want. You also keep in mind that you have to ask the waiter that if you have to pay more money for snacks, Condiments and tea that is on the table.

Another thing you should know that you are not allowed to smoke in all indoor regions and some public places such as transport station, beaches or schools.

Hong Kong Travel Passes is a crucial thing you should take. The ticket of MTR Tourist is always ready for you. And when seeing the taxis with different colors, you can know them belonging which area. Remember that blue taxis-Lantau Island, Green taxis - New Territories and Red taxis - Urban taxis.

You will be sure to have a wonderful trip if you keep these Hong Kong travel tips.

Quang Binh - An interesting and meaningful destination

Absolutely, everyone not only in Vietnam but also all over the world know General Vo Nguyen Giap – a great hero of Vietnam though he passed away. And most of people know that the General’s hometown is in Quang Binh province. In fact, Quang Binh is a province with a rich of patriotic tradition and also has a lot of beautiful scenic spots.

Coming to Quang Binh, we will be wandered in paradise with many famous caves and grottoes. First of all, we impossibly can not talk about Son Doong cave- the largest cave in the world. It is the five times greater than Phong Nha cave and a hidden cave in Phong Nha-KE Bang National park. Every year, there are thousands of visitors coming here to  contemplate its spectacular beauty. The next mysterious cave is Thien Duong cave- an underground palace and it also lies in the center of the Natural World heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang. Also, Thien Duong cave is the longest cave in the national park. And the third great cave belonging to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is Phong Nha caves, it is also the second largest cave in Vietnam and one of the most beautiful caves in the world. Not only going to visit the well-known and largest caves, we can visit other landscapes such as Mooc water spring, U Bo mountain, Sinh Ton valley, Chay river, Da Nhay beach, Nhat Le beach, Bird island, etc.

A romantic and poetic capital of Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam

Today, we will discover a place known as capital of Thua Thien Hue province in central Vietnam and one of the World heritage sites, that is poetic and lyrical Hue city.

Hue is a special place differing from other places in Vietnam because of its ancient and dreaming features. Coming to Hue, visitors will have a chance to feel the unique feature and the pace of life here. Hue is famous for having a lot of pagodas such as Thien Mu pagoda, Huyen Khong pagoda, Tu Dam pagoda and Thien Lam pagoda. These pagodas are designed with the unique architecture and the old and new art, they bring visitors to the mystical spiritual world. Besides it, there are several reputed and beautiful tombs as Khai Dinh tomb, Tu Duc tomb, Minh Mang tomb. These tombs are where the Kings are worshipped and recalled. While that, Khai Dinh tomb was recognized the Cultural World heritage by UNESCO, it is the grave of the King Khai Dinh-the 12th King of Nguyen dynasty. In addition, Hue citadel is a very great and wonderful place recognized the Cultural World heritage in 1993 by UNESCO that often attracts many visitors, especially on the occasion of Cultural Festival with the cooperation of French Republic held biennially.

Taipei - A city of Temples and Museums

As we know, traveling can not only helps us relax but also gives us a chance to discover the new interesting things.  Taipei is going to be one of the favorite places that can satisfy your hope.

Taipei is a huge city and national capital of Taiwan. Taipei is known as the modern but traditional city, so it is very consonant for everyone  to discover the culture and values of Taiwan. Coming to Taipei, visitors can have a chance to see and experience  a lot of halls, temples, museums and parks. Forst of all, you can go to visit National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and National theatre and concert Hall. While that, National ChiangKai-Shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument of Taipei and Taiwan as well. Furthermore, there are many temples such as Longshan temple, Dalongdong Baoan temple, Taipei Confucius temple, Xiahai city God temple, Zhinan temple, Xingtian temple, etc.

Vientiane - A attractive place to visit

On the occasions of holiday and vacations, travelling is always the top choice. Therefore, people always want to find a beautiful and fantastic place for their vacation. In the number of destinations, Vientiane is seemed to be a very ideal one.

Vientiane - A attractive place to visit

Vientiane is the capital of Laos- a country with a lot of cutural values and wonderful landscapes. If you are pretending to visit this place, you should not miss 10 beautiful plaves a following. Buddha park or Xieng Khuan is the first place with a lot of Buddhist statues. The second one is That Luang, it is the Vientiane Great Stupa. The next interesting  place is Patuxai Victory Monument  where the statues artifacts of national heroes and  famous people being displayed. The following place is Wat Ho Phra Keo, it is a very popular place for visitors.

Have you ever been in the capital of India?

Do you know where is the seventh-largest country in the world? And where is the second-populous country in the world? That is India. This country not only has the largest things like that but also has the most beautiful landscapes for traveling. Coming to India, you will have a lot of places to see and discover. One of the exciting places is New Delhi.

New Delhi is seemed to be the religious destination with a lot of temples and tombs. In addition, travelers can get ralaxed and entertained in the parks and gardens in New Delhi. The most popular place that it will be very regretful if you can not visit that is Habitat World Convention Centre. This is a multipurpose building in this city, it is used for commercial, social and many other activities. Besides it, there are many temples symbolizing the religious city of New Delhi including Birla Mandir temple, Bahai Lotus temple, Sai Baha temple, Chhatarpur temple, ISKCON temple- an architectural building and religious site of New Delhi. Also, visitors can gho to visit Humayuns tomb, Satdajung tomb. Furthermore, Lodhi garden, Mughal garden and Lodi gardens are where you should not miss in your journey. Especially, Lodi garden is a comnplex of art buildings, historic sites, parks and gardens that will bring you amazing things when coming here.

Tokyo - A city of traditions and values

It is said that the more you travel, the more you discover. Therefore, when have chance, we should make full use of it to travel to places in the world. One of the popular places you should not miss in your journey that is Tokyo capital of Japan.

Tokyo is the capital as well as the great city of Japan. Coming to Tokyo, you will find a lot of interesting things reflecting culture, tradition and beautiful landscapes of Japan as well as this capital. As we know, Japan’s symbols are cherry blossom and Kimono. In Tokyo, you will have chance to try and experience these. Visiting Tokyo, travelers can go to visit some National parks, museums and gardens. There are fuji-Hakone-Izu National park, Ogasawara National garden, Ueno garden, Imperial East garden, etc. Besides it, Koishikawa Korakuen landscape garden and Rikugien landscape garden are popular gardens in Tokyo.

Also, visitors can go to visit Tokyo Skytree a 634 meter tall Tower and Roppongi Hills- a modern entertaining and shopping complex. For peiople enjoy seeing artifacts and works of film studio, they can visit some museums as Edo-Tokyo museum and Ghibli museum- a film studio museum. In addition, travelers can have chance to try the traditional clothe of Tokyo that is Kimono. Through this, you will have chance to experience the feelings of being Japanese. Especially, being walked on the road with a lot of cherry blossom will bring you a very wonderful feeling.

Bangkok - The World’s best City

There is a capital with a lot of attractive and interesting things. Besides it, this capital is very famous for its palaces, museums, parks and theatres. And the city I want to mention here that is Bangkok, Thailand.

Bangkok is the largest city and the capital of Thailand. It is also one of the top destination cities in the world. Coming to Bangkok, we will be surprised at its magnificent and gorgeous beauty by visiting a lot of modern and splendid architectures. At the first point, there are a long list of museums we can visit here and  some of them are The National Gallery Museum, The National Museum, The Vimanmek Mansion Museum, The museum of Siam, Khao San Museum and one of the most famous museums is King Prajadhipok Museum. This is one of the most modern and perfect museum in Bangkok because it applies the new technology on displaying works and portrays. King Prajadhipok Museum has three levels and it is the place displaying the portray of King and the Queen. All museums in Bangkok are different from each other in shape, size and architecture, each of them will has a particular feature and attraction.

Danang, Vietnam - A colorful and modern city

Da Nang is a city belonging to the South Central Vietnam as well as a modern and exciting place that we should not miss during our journey.

Danang, Vietnam

Welcome you to Da Nang, everything here is waiting for you to discover and experience. As we know that, Da Nang is a very beautiful and colored city, especially at night. Perhaps, not so many places in Vietnam can be more attractive and colorful than Da Nang. Coming to Da Nang, we always have a long list of landscapes and interesting things to smell out. 

Con Dao islands - A remote but not remote destination

You enjoy the adventure and discovering the different area. Let’s come to Con Dao islands, it absolutely will satisfies your wishes with a lot of islands and landscape here.

Con Dao islands

Con Dao islands are a group of 16 islands situated at Ba Ria-Vung Tau province belonging to the Southeast region of Vietnam. Con Dao is famous for the prison island of political prisoners and it seem to be a very  dangerous and frightening place in the past. First of all, Con Dao national park is is a well-known place to travel. Coming here, you  will have chance to discover hundreds  of plants and animals living here. There are 882 higher forest plants including  371 woody species, 30 orchids, 103 liana species, 202 herb; 144 species of animals concluding 28 beasts, 69 bird species and 39 retiles and 1.383 sea creatures including 127 wracks, 11 sea grasses, 157 phytoplankton, 115 zooplanktons, 202 fish species and 8 beast and reptile species. Especially, Con Dao geckos is the rare animal that features in Con Dao and nowhere can find it. Also, there are a lot of corals growing undersea. This shows that Con Dao islands have a  really diversified and plentiful source of plants and animals. Besides it, there are a lot of beautiful beaches as An Hai beach, Lo Voi beach, Dat Doc beach, Ong Dung Beach, Dam Trau beach, all of these beaches are very wonderful and ideal for go around on food or play some water sports.

A peaceful and pure destination

You are an adherent of Buddhism and you want to find somewhere peaceful and pure for your vacation. Do not worry, Du Hang pagoda will be an accordant and best choice for you.

Du Hang pagoda is addressed at No. 121 Du Hang street, Le Chan district, Hai Phong province- northern part of Vetnam. Du Hang is a great pagoda in Hai Phong and it is called Phuc Lam Tu.  Visiting Du hang pagoda, you seem to wander in a peaceful life and leave many minds behind. Du Hang  pagoda has the architecture and culture attaching the tradition of Esterner’s Buddhism, visitors coming here can spend time going around the pagoda and discover its unique architecture and beautiful landscape. 

Visitors can go to visit the inside and outside architecture as well as extremely worth worshipping. The pagoda is designed following the traditional value and it is the place where many Kings are worshiped and also witnessed a lot of wars in the past. Until now, there are many antiquities preserved in the pagoda such as bells, bless top and artistic decoration in ceramic and greenstone… Two sides of the pagoda is the patriarch houses and in front of it is the gate. Going through the gate, visitors can see the Buddhist building with 7 compartments decorated by horizontal lacquered board, distich and colored gilded lacquer sagging door. There is a 5 compartment- 3 story steeple with curved roof and a great bell hanging inside.  Visitors can go around the pagoda and contemplate these masterpieces.

Ba Vi national park, A diversified and unique tourism complex

You are finding a place that can bring you a perfect journey and you can discover a lot of scenic spots and new areas, let’s come to Ba Vi. Coming to Ba Vi, you will have chance to enjoy a long trip through visiting and experiencing the landscapes here.

Ba Vi national park

Ba Vi district is an extramural one of Hanoi capital and it provides visitors a lot of services and conditions to have a wonderful travel. In the first place, Ba Vi national park is a famous landscape that you can not neglect when coming to Ba Vi.

The amazing nature in stork island

If you are passionate with the wild nature and want to find somewhere to experience the wild life, stork island located in Hai Duong, the northern province of Vietnam may be an ideal suggestion for you.

Stork island is situated at the center of An Duong lake and this place is also where thousands of storks and cauldrons live and inhabit. There are 16.000 storks and 6.000 cauldrons populating in the stork island. The time of morning and evening will be the best time for you to broaden your eyes by seeing stork and cauldron flocks covering the lake. This situation will be very interesting and fascinating. Furthermore, there are 7 types of storks including some famous ones as white stork, heron and igneous stork, and 3 types of cauldrons concluding green-back cauldron, star cauldron and gray cauldron. Besides it, there are many types of birds living here such as kingfishers, owls, coots  and many types of plants also grow here. When all storks and cauldrons as well as other types of birds cover the lake, they emit loud cries and create an uproarious situation. Visitors can go on foot or take a boat and experience the exciting feelings.

“Where the dragon descends into the sea”

Do you know that this time is the best time for you to travel to Ha Long Bay? If you are not sure about your journey, let’s pay attention to what is going to be mentioned following, I believe that you will change your mind and reach Ha Long Bay on your holidays.
Ha Long Bay is one of the natural heritage sites situated at Quang Ninh province and it is also the Vietnam top destination for traveling. Also, Ha Long Bay is one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world and it was recognized as Natural World heritage site two times in 1994 and 2000. To discover the spectacular beauty of Halong Bay, you should not forget to take a yacht or a cruise to discover and contemplate a lot of caves, islands, islets here. Ha Long Bay is well-known for the natural landscapes and diversified nature.

There are 1969 islands in different shapes and sizes and nearly most of them are stone islands. This makes Ha Long Bay become a great natural complex and attract a lot of visitors both in the country and all over the world. There are a lot of islands and islets you can see from the cruise such as Dau Nguoi , Rong , La Vong, Canh Buom, Mam Xoi, Dua, Lu Huong, ect, and two most famous islets are Con Coc islet and Trong Mai or Ga Choi islet. These islets are called such names because its shapes are similar to these animals and when we see it, we can refer to its names and make us easy to remember.

Discover Hoi An ancient town - The world cultural heritage

If you are searching for a place that brings you to the historic time and makes you feel the flow of time, Hoi An will become your ideal choice. There are many special things in Hoi An that you may not know and this introduction may give you a deeper understanding and inspire you to visit this place.

Hoi An is often known by the name of Hoi An ancient town and it is located in Quang Nam province- the central province in Vietnam, and Hoi An is also a world heritage recognized by UNESCO in 1999. Coming here, you will have opportunity to understand more about the history of Vietnam and discover the traditional features of culture and art here. This is an ancient town of Vietnam that still preserves a lot of historic value and traditional symbols. Fist of all, anyone coming to Hoi An does not forget to go to around to visit the Old town. Because the town is not so big as other cities so that you can go on foot or use a bike or a motorbike to go around the town and find the ancient and traditional beauty here. Along the road, you can have chance to see from your eyes all the landscapes and the pace of life here. You may find the life is very smooth and peaceful. You may leave all worries behind and enjoy the beauty and peace of life. In addition, when you come to Hoi An, you can go to visit the architectural monuments with the temples, pagodas and the most famous temple is Quan Cong temple. The temple is designed with the traditional and ancient architecture, and this is the church of the Kings . You may have chance to listen to the stories telling about these Kings. Another place you can visit that is Japanese Bridge. You may have the feelings like you are in China or somewhere having tha traditional beauty.

Dalat- Vietnam, The paradise of flowers

There is a place that when everyone listen to its name, they know it as  the paradise of flowers. That paradise is Da Lat- a city with mild climate and a lot of beautiful landscapes as well as an ideal destination for traveling.

Dalat is a county of Lam Dong province, on the Lam Vien plateau and belongs to highlands of Vietnam. Talking about Dalat, everyone knows it with the flower fields with many types of flowers and especially, flowers in Dalat are more beautiful and fragrant than other places  in Vietnam. Perhaps, because its climate is also not like any place in the country with the pleasantly warm temperature during the day and cool at night.

People often say that there are four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, winter happening a day in Dalat and this is the reason why  Dalat is different from other places in Vietnam. Visiting Dalat, you will have a lot of things to see, experience and do. First of all, you can see many unique architectures designed following French style such as Dalat Railway Station, Hang Nga guesthouse and Crazy house. Contemplating these architectures, you may feel something ancient and distinct. Afterwards, you can go to visit some beautiful lakes and falls such as Xuan Huong lake, lake of Sorrow, valley of love, Prenn Falls and Pongour Falls. You know that, Xuan Huong lake is a very famous place called following the name of a famous  female author of Vietnam that is the author Ho Xuan Huong, she composed many interesting and unique poems contributing to the folklore treasure.

An attractive and wonderful capital of Khanh Hoa

If you think that it is only suitable for traveling to the beaches on summer, you should change your mind. Because there are many places having the large and beautiful beaches but you still can have a wonderful vacation and Nha Trang is one of the most beautiful beaches like that.

Located in Khanh Hoa province and on the South central coast of Vietnam, Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khanh Hoa. It is famous for the beautiful beaches as well as water sports. When you travel to Nha Trang, the blue water and fresh air will bring you a relaxing feeling and refresh your mind after hardworking for a long time. First of all, you can go to visit Nha Trang Bay and discover the diversity of nature here with a lot of small and great islands. The landscape will be very exciting and fascinating and if you can discover the undersea world, it will be more wonderful and brings you interesting experience. In addition, Nha Trang has a lot of great and well-known resorts such as Vinpearl, Diamond Bay, Ana Mandara. While that, Vipearl resort is the place that  has ever been chosen to hold the Vietnamese Miss in 2014.

A Halong bay on land

If you are finding a place that brings you closer to the nature and give you a chance to enjoy the charming mountains and waters, Trang An eco-tourism complex will be a perfect choice for you.

Trang An eco-tourism complex belongs to Truong Yen village, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province- a northern province of Vietnam. Visiting Trang An, you seem to wander in paradise and immense yourself into nature and landscape here. First of all, you can take a boat and go through 31 valleys and nearly 50 small and great caves such as: Sao Lon cave, Si Cave, Chai cave, Vua valley, Chua valley, Ong Trang valley, etc. The boat floats on the surface of  water and you can widen your eyes by seeing the rare animals and plants here. As you know, there are a lot of types of animals and plant existing in Trang An eco-tourism complex and we can list some of them such as: chamois, leopard, phoenix, Xuong wood, Lat wood, etc. Because of its diversity and majesty, you may feel relax and broaden your mind through the landscape here. Besides it, after you have finished your journey on the water, you can go to visit some famous pagodas and temples and the most famous ones are Trinh temple and Dot temple.

Welcome to Sapa - Vietnam

Why do you still sit there? What are you waiting for? It is the time for you to take your valise and discover the new landscape, interesting things and especially, it is the time for you to be inspired and broaden your eyes.Do not wait anymore, welcome you to Sapa- a frontier town located in Lao Cai province of Vietnam.

 Sapa is the mountainous area situated at Sapa district, Lao Cai province in Vietnam. Sapa is a special place that differs from all places in Vietnam. And now is the most suitable and ideal time for you to go to Sapa for travel. You definitely will be surprised at its unique and wonderfulness. what makes Sapa the most unique place is due to its climate. Do you know that on winter, there are many people around the country and in the world come here to see and enjoy the specialness here. Because it is the rare time that everyone can have chance to see snow here.