Cycling tour to discovery land of Kinh Bac

Dau Pagoda

Kinh Bac is an old term used to call a large area in northern Viet Nam, covering two provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang as well as various parts of Ha Noi, Hung Yen Province and Lang Son Province.

The new one-day tour will take tourists to the most famous destinations of Kinh Bac, including Ha Noi – Thuan Thanh - Dau Pagoda – But Thap Pagoda, Kinh Duong Vuong Tomb, Dong Ho Village etc. The tour aims to introduce to participants the tangible and intangible values of Kinh Bac in the field of religion.

The first destination is Dau Pagoda, often considered as cradle of Buddhism in Viet Nam. Today, Dau is still one of pagodas attracting the most pilgrims and visitors in northern Viet Nam. In 2013, Dau Pagoda and But Thap Pagoda, also in Bac Ninh Province were recognized as Viet Nam Special National Sites, a status given to sites of exceptional natural, historical, cultural and archaeological interest in Viet Nam, proposed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and approved by the Prime Minister.

Located just a few kilometers away from Dau Pagoda is But Thap Pagoda, one of most famous pagodas in Viet Nam. The pagoda is home to the biggest Avalokitesvara statue with one thousand eyes and a thousand arms and a variety of ancient objects and statues, which are very valuable and often regarded as the masterpieces of Viet Nam’s wood carving in the 17^th century.  But Thap is also the best intact and the most typical example of Viet Nam’s classical Buddhist art. The most unique feature of this tour is that tourists will be able to cycle on the picturesque routes of the peaceful northern Vietnamese countryside, along the romantic Duong River. Cyclists can have a quick stop for taking photo before heading to the next destination, Kinh Duong Vuong Tomb in A Lu Village where they can visit the tomb and temple dedicated to the ancestral founders of Viet Nam: Kinh Duong Vuong, Lac Long Quan and Au Co. The site also keeps 15 royal title conferment decrees of Nguyen Dynasty’s kings, including Gia Long, Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh.

After Kinh Duong Vuong Tomb, visitors will visit Dong Ho Village where they can discover and experience how to make a Dong Ho painting, one of the most famous Vietnamese original folk painting. The making of Dong Ho painting was said to begin in the 11 century under the reign of Ly Dynasty. Together with Hang Trong, Kim Hoang and Sinh Village, Dong Ho village is one of the few places in northern Viet Nam to be specialized in making folk paintings. In the past, Dong Ho painting was very popular, especially during Tet Holiday when every Vietnamese family all hang at least a Dong Ho painting at home as the sign of good luck in the New Year.

Participants in the tours can also enjoy the delicious Kinh Bac’s cuisine from sweet dessert, such as banh te, banh phu the, banh gio...and savory dishes such as Bac Ninh fish porridge, roast pigeons etc. – which will leave tourists an unforgettable impression for their unique flavors and traditional preparation methods.

“With two world heritages and hundreds of historic sites and traditional villages, Bac Ninh is extremely potential to become one the most attractive tourism destinations in northern Viet Nam for both Vietnamese and international visitors”, said Nguyen Hong Dai, General Director of APT Travel. This tour agency is also the organizer behind this unique tour.

“Spiritual cycling tour to the land of Kinh Bac” starts this Sep.