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Hai Phong Travel information
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Hai Phong
Located 100km east of Hanoi on the Cua Cam
River, one of the main channels of the Red River
Estuary, HAIPHONG has long been North Vietnam's
principal port, and its history runs the gamut
from major seventeenth-century trading centre
through bombardment by both the French and the
Americans. These days it's a small, orderly city
of broad avenues and subtle, cosmopolitan
charms, with good hydrofoil and ferry links to
Cat Ba Island, Mong Cai and Hong Gai (for Ha
Long Bay), but not much else of interest. The
city's crescent-shaped nineteenth-century core
lies between the curve of the Tam Bac River and
the loop of the train tracks. To the north of
the main artery, Dien Bien Phu, you'll find
broad avenues and colonial architecture. To the
south is the merchants' quarter, these days a
dilapidated area of street markets between Tran
Trinh Street and the market, Cho Sat;
immediately below here is Tam Bac Lake. A ten
minute walk eastwards along the south bank will
bring you to Me Linh and Den Nghe Temple, noted
for its carvings, particularly on the massive
stone table in the first courtyard.
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