Do Son Beach Travel

Do Son a small peninsula 22.5 kilometers in length between the Lach Tray and Van Uc Rivers, is a famous seaside resort twenty kilometers southwest of Hai Phong and a little over a hundred kilometers from Ha Noi. Thousands of sandalwood trees shade its beaches,  which are surrounded by mountains covered with pines. On summer day, Do Son is alive with tourists from all over the world. Ben Nghien (Sloping Wharf) at the end of Zone II has high-speed ferries running from Do Son Ha Long bay and to Hon Dau and Cat Ba islands.

Do Son beach

Vietnamese say Do Son is like a dragon's head facing a precious stone (Hon Dau island) and that Bach Long Vi island nearby looks as if it were created by the dragon's whisking tail. Do Son’s Tuong Long Tower atop Ngoc Son Mountain dates from the eleventh century. Only the foundation of the ten-story tower remains. However, the inscription on the bricks is clear: ''Ly gia de tam de, Long Thuy Thai Binh tu nien tao'' (The third Ly emperor, the fourth year of Long Thuy Thai Binh [King Ly Thanh Tong]). This would place the date at 1057.

Van Ban Pagoda, once the site of the famous Van Ban Bell, is next to the tower. The bronze bell, one of the oldest in Vietnam, was cast during the Trần Dynasty (1225-1400). It is on display now at the History Museum in Ha Noi. The bell fell in to the sea during a storm and remained there for hundreds of years. Fishermen retrieved it in 1958 near Zone 1 Beach. Scholars believe the bronze contained a high proportion of gold, which protected the bell during its centuries under seawater.

Historical traces also show that the Tran kings used Do Son as a marine base. In 1288, the Vietnamese defeated Yuan - Mongolian invaders, sinking hundreds o their junks during a fierce battle in the mouth of Dai Bang River near Nhi Son Tower.

Tiny Hon Dau island has a temple to a General Nam Hai Than Vuong from the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400), who is a tutelary god protecting fishermen in rough seas. Before fishing trips, sailors stop off at the island to present offerings to secure good luck and increased confidence when facing difficult challenges at sea. Local people honour Nam Hai Than Vuong with an annual festival on the ninth and tenth day of the first lunar month.

In 1741, Nguyen Huu Cau, selected Do Son an a navy camp. The current custom of buffalo fights on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month in conjunction with a festival for the Water God grew from a ceremony Nguyen Huu Cau organised to encourage his solders.

Soon after the French arrived in Hai Phong in the 1870s, the turned Do Son into a summer resort, Vietnam travel destination for themselves and the Vietnamese upper class. Recently, developers have renovated the Vạn Hoa hotel, a French colonial resort near the end of Do Son Peninsula, to create a casino with a view of the Hon Dau island lighthouse four kilometers out to sea.

"Buffalo-fighting" Festival in Do Son

Attractive Do Son travel sites include: Tuong Long Tower, Pearl Temple, Dragon Stream (with remains from the tim of the Ly Dynasty) in Ngoc Hai Ward; Ba De Temple at the foot of Doc Mountain at the end of Xam Wharf in Duyen Hai Ward, a buffalo - fighting festival with the preliminary round during the sixth lunar month and the final matches at the town stadium on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month; the three beaches at Zones I, II, and III, great views from many of the restaurants, ''Wharf Without a Number,'' the starting point of the ''Ho Chi Minh Trail on the Sea'' for ships traveling from the North to the South during the American War in Vietnam, Do Son Casino, formerly Van Hoa Hotel with its French colonial architecture; the market selling fresh shrimps, tiny shrimps, oysters, dried fish, shrimp paste, sharks' fins, and the swimming bladders of conger pikes.

Of special interest is Bao Dai’s Villa on the Vung Hill. In l999, Do Son Tourist Hotel Company renovated the palace, which is about a thousand square meters. Visitors can see the great lounge where Emperor Bao Dai received visitors. They can also view the bedrooms for Queen Nam Phuong and the princes and princesses. The dining room, living room, reading room, royal private kitchen, and wine cellar have also been restores. Visitors can try on costumes like those worn by the king and queen and have their photographs taken as  they sit on a throne.

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