More than 120 years old, Phat Diem Church, a complex of 20 architectural structures, is located in Phat Diem Township, Kim Son District, Ninh Binh Province. Dubbed by many journals and tourists as the ‘Capital of Vietnam Catholicism,’ it was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism a National Cultural and Historical Heritage Site in 1988.‘The Phat Diem Church complex occupies an area of 20ha, its main structures being six chapels, a bishop edifice, a bell-tower, a theater, a museum of traditions, an artificial mount, two caves and a pond,’ according to the website of the church.
ROCK BUILDINGS ON SOFT MUD
‘In 1865, Father Peter Tran Luc, an extraordinarily erudite scholar who was versed in both Chinese and Latin, was appointed the bishop of Phat Diem. Being called also the ‘Sixth Ender’ for his visionary wisdom, father Tran Luc decided to build the Phat Diem Church complex,’ the website reads.
‘To see the scale of the Sixth Elder’s vision, please be reminded that the area where the Church was built was just a marshland full of reeds at the time,’ Father Paul Bui Chu Tao preached in a Mass.
To build a huge complex of massive stone buildings with enormous wood logs on a muddy marshland, father Tran Luc and his parishioners had to spend a decade to prepare the materials.
According to the website the up-to-20 ton stones were taken from quarries 30-60 km away. Wood logs, some up to seven tons in weight, were brought from Nghe An, about 200 km away. The materials ready, the Sixth Elder began calculating and testing the sink ratio of the soil. ‘They dug wide ditches and drove millions of bamboo poles 20m, 30m into the ground, one on top of another, until it could go no deeper. Then they dumped crushed rocks on the ground and rammed them down with human or buffalo labor, layer after layer,’ father Bui Chu Tao described.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April - May 2018-Ausgabe von Vietnam Heritage.
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TYPICAL TRADE VILLAGES GOING “EXTINCT”?
Ha Thai Village of Thuong Tin District of Hanoi started its traditional paint trade in the 17th century. In the 30s of last century, the paint village of Ha Thai learned polishing techniques and the use of materials such as egg shell and snail. It was during this time that elder Dinh Van Thanh of Thai Ha Village was invited to an exposition in France to demonstrate the art of lacquer painting.
Tourism remains far away from Hue village's reach
Villagers in the 550-year-old Phuoc Tich Village on the outskirts of former imperial Hue City have dreamed of bumper tourism in the village for 10 years, but their dreams have yet to come to fruition.
Traditional wedding of the White Yao people
Having a son coming of age, a White Yao family begins selecting a wife for him among the White Yao young girls in the same hamlet or one nearby.
Xin Man at a glance
In April, the last fiery flowers of the cotton trees spark on mountain slopes. With the long-brewing desire inside to conquer the scenic tourist path from Bac Ha (Lao Cai) to Xin Man, the most desolate highland district of Ha Giang Province, we hit the road on a beautiful weekend.
Silver carving by Po Ho Creek
Following the tunes (“Spring comes to Muong Hum hamlet high up the mountains with heart-rocking distant singing…” ) of talented composer Nguyen Tai Tue, we come to Seo Po Ho hamlet to visit Red Yao artisans diligently blowing life into silver, creating wonders of sophisticated craftsmanship, worthily contributing to the cultural traditions of their tribe.
The fabulous Phu Tho tea hills
Today’s Phu Tho Province was the land chosen by Hung Kings, the first rulers of Vietnam, to be their capital. Considered the cradle of the Viet people, this area still preserves the temples of Hung Kings and many other historical relics such as pagodas and shrines.
Bridges that distill the love of the native land
Every Vietnamese has a bridge to be nostalgic about.
EXPLORING PU MAT CONSERVATION ZONE
Pu Mat National Park belongs to Nghe An Province. At 93,113 ha, it is the only remaining primeval forest in Northern Vietnam.
Cultural touches grieve locals of the royal city
Culture has served as the most sensitive part to Hue natives and they are always ready to fight for the cultural values that have existed in a long period of time in this former imperial capital city.
A DIVINE FLAGPOLE OF THE VIETNAMESE
Lung Cu Peak of Dragon Mountain, rises 1470m above sea level and belongs to Lung Cu Commune, Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province. Sharing a border with China, this mountain has witnessed the long history of the Vietnamese fighting against foreign aggressors. That is why Lung Cu is considered a sacred place of the Vietnamese people.
