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TRAVEL TOOL

Our third trip will lead you to Bac Ninh province, the wealthiest province in north VN. The wealthy did not come from heaven, as the farmer here work hard like no where else. In other provinces, most fields are empty in the time between the 2nd rice season and the 1st of the next year. Here in Bac Ninh, the farmer plant other crops or vegetables such as maize, bean, peanut... more than just to make ends meet.

The Buddhism came to Vietnam earlier than to China. Over two thousand years ago, the first bronze from Tibet came to Vietnam to preach Buddhism, which took center in Bac Ninh region. At the beginning of the trip, the guide lead you through some ancient villages and visit its pagodas, temples, communal houses ( ancient in term of time).

Like in other trips, you will ride between the fields. Whether it is rice fields, maize fields, or., depend on the reason. And then you will be experience something you can't see in the two other tours. Impressive riding on dike and riverside with view on large maize or mulberry fields.

Duong River is a branch of Red river. So the water raises every year between June and August. To protect the fields from flood, we started to build dike system in 11 th century. Now our dike system is about 3000 km.

In the afternoon we will go to the dike expansion land again to visit a village where they grow mulberry worms, which are fed with mulberry leafs. After 20 days the worm transform in silk moth and builds the cocoon. From the cocoon they produce the silk you wear.

Leaving the village you will see other fields on the land, where they grow tomatoes, peanuts, cabbages. the last thing you will visit in the dike expansion land are the brick fields.

Like other tours, at the end, you will visit a nation famous pagoda. Here is the But Thap pagoda, the most beautiful pagoda in the area around HN. There is no exact when the pagoda was first built, but its first appearing in literacy was in 13 th century. In the 17 th century it became well-known with the unique architecture wich carries the traditional features. Since then, the pagoda has been restored several times. The last restore is financed by German government.

On the way back to the farmer's house, where the bus is waiting to bring you back to Hanoi, you will have a short visit to the village of the first master of literacy in Vietnam.

Come back from 22 km riding on bicycle, you will get in bus and go back to Hanoi.

Time schedule

Morning:
8:00 Leave Hanoi for Thuan Thanh district.
8:45 Reach the farmer house, taking bike, starting to ride to Keo pagoda, a 1000 year old pagoda. Visit Keo pagoda and village temle with a town morning market.
9:45 Leave town for a ride on the dike of Duong river. Here you get a beautiful view with rice paddies on the right side and maize field on the left side. You will have chance to experience the other life on the Dike Expanding Land.
10:00 Visit a small village on the dike expanding land with its newly restored communal house. Riding through a big maize field.
10:30 Stop at a institution complex on the way back to lunch. The complex is very characristical for the region. A pagoda, a temple, and a communal house were built in one ground. You have a little tea pause and a little chat with the bronze of the pagoda.
11:30 Back to the farmer house for lunch and rest.

Afternoon:
13:00 Start riding again. Visit a handicraft village on the dike expanding land, where the silk worm are bred, raised in order to produce the material for silk. Visit a mullbery field and a village river ferry. Possibility of riding a motor boat to another side of the river.
14:00 Visit a brick field, experience the work of a brick field.
14:30 Visit But Thap pagoda, the most famous pagoda in Bac Ninh and one of the most beautiful pagoda in North Vietnam.
15:00 On the way heading back to the farmer's house, visit the village of the first master of Vietnam.
15:30 Back to the farmer's house. Take the bus or car back Hanoi.
15:00 Arrive in Hanoi. End of the tour.

Appendix

But Thap pagoda located in Bac Ninh province, where according to scientists was the first Buddhist center in Vietnam. The pagoda is the most beautiful in the area around Hanoi. There is no exact when the pagoda was first built, but its first appearing in literacy was in 13th century. In the 17th century it became well-known with the unique architecture which carries the traditional features. Since then, the pagoda has been restored several times. The last restore is financed by German government.

The superior house looks like a big lotus, bobbing in the middle of the building. The surrounding rails consist of 26 stone pictures with different topics such as phoenix dancing with kylin, two fishes playing with the moon, a stag in a narrow mountainous lane, tree goats kneeling down under sunlight, .Between the stone pictures are stone posts with the lotus peak.

The virtue hermitage is connected to the superior house by the curved stone bridge with tree span, the rails of the bridge are made from 12 stone pictures. There is a nine layer wooden lotus called a prayer mortar. It is said that whenever a buddist said one prayer along with turn the mortar one time, the value of the prayer will multiply to 3.5 Mio times. And the mortar will produce a bow of rice that supplies the priests for whole day. Once a guest came to the pagoda, the priest prayed twice to have two bows, from then the mortar produced nothing. To repent, whenever the priest prayed and turned the mortar, he put a rice bow in it.

Silkworm and silk The process of making silk is as following: First the silkworms come off the eggs, the farmer feeds them with mulberry leaf for about 23 days. Then they begin to transform to chrysalis in 2 days. During that time the worms let the silk cord out of their ass and build cocoons.

Most of the cocoons will be boil to kill the silkworm inside, the dead chrysalis will be taken out of the cocoon and are made to a very delicious dish, and then the silk cord is reeled from the cocoon to weave silk that is sold in shops.

A few of the silkworm are allowed to transform to butterfly, to egg.