Vietnam Travel, Du lịch, Vietnam Tour, du lịch nước ngoài, Du lịch trong nước

BINH DUONG — Historic images of Viet Nam’s 64 provinces and cities, replicas of the wonders of the world, a zoo, and a colourful natural space are all on offer in the Dai Nam tourism zone in the southern province of Binh Duong.

Dai Nam Tourist - Cultural - Historical Zone is located in Thu Dau Mot Town, about 40km northwest from HCM City. Covering an area of about 450 hectares, the park is expected to be the biggest park and tourist destination in the country by 2010.

The park, built to international standards, contains man-made lakes, rivers and mountains as well as a wide range of recreational activities that appeal to people of all ages. Replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Angkor Wat, Thailand’s Golden Pagoda, and the Kremlin are also on display.

Upon arriving at Dai Nam, visitors first see the Dai Nam Quoc Tu Temple, one of the most important structures in the park. The first storey of the temple contains historical exhibits and the second is used as a place of worship. Exhibits of Viet Nam’s various dynasties from Ngo to Nguyen are also presented here.

Dai Nam Quoc Tu is also called Tu An Temple (Temple of Four Gratitudes), a reminder of the origins of the Vietnamese and the people who helped form the country, including the Buddha, the Hung Kings, the Au Co Mother and President Ho Chi Minh.

Surrounded by a narrow river, the temple is a spot where people can pay their respects to the 1,027 ancestral lines (family surnames) of the Vietnamese.

The temple, which can hold about 3,000 people, is decorated with figures of four supernatural creatures – a dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix – and of flowers and plants – lotus, apricots, orchids, daisies and bamboo.

According to park owner Huynh Phi Dung, the river around the pagoda was built as a version of the imposing Cuu Long (Mekong) River which helped to create the country’s fertile southern delta.

Along the river’s two sides are bonsai and flowers as well as recreational facilities that include a circus, trains and a mirrored "laughing house" for children and a roller coaster and water slides. Adults can bathe in a warm water stream or practise tai chi. These recreational zones are separated by yards of grass and small paths lined with colourful flowers.

Near the Dai Nam Quoc Tu Temple lies the artificially created Bao Son Mountain Range and the nine-storey tower, Bao Thap.

The five mountains symbolise the five elements of the universe: Kim, Moc, Thuy, Hoa, Tho (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth). It is believed to be the country’s biggest artificial mountain range, the owner said.

The Bao Son Range is a rough copy of the Ngu Hanh Son Range in the country’s central region, Dung said. The surfaces of the mountains are planted with many species of plants, flowers and grass.

Inside the artificial shell of the mountains are exhibits on Vietnamese history, from the Lac Long Quan and Au Co eras, to the Le Dynasty and the 1975 liberation of South Viet Nam. Depictions of Vietnamese legends such as Banh Day (Round Cake), Banh Chung (Square Cake) and the story of the Dua Hau Do (watermelon) are also on display.

The Bao Thap Tower is a place for people to honour the 18 dynasties of the Hung Kings, President Ho Chi Minh, and heroes and martyrs who devoted their lives to build and defend the country.

The northern region of the country is also introduced here, with a replica of Quang Ninh Province’s Ha Long Bay.

The artificial bay was created on an area of 180,000sq.m and filled with water and both small and large artificial limestone mountains. Here, visitors can sightsee on an 18th century replica of a sailboat, sunbathe or swim.

The park also contains an open zoo, the first of its kind in Viet Nam, he said.

The zoo was built on an area of 10ha with artificial works, containing four main sections that include areas for reptiles, herbivorous animals and carnivorous animals and small animals.

Visitors can see rhinoceros, white lions and many other animals not typically found in Viet Nam, such as zebras, gnus, oryxes, squirrel monkeys and foxes.

Asked what made him pour billions of dong into building Dai Nam Tourist - Cultural - Historical Zone, Dung said Binh Duong Province needed cultural as well as economic development. "We decided to build the park as a modest contribution to this goal," Dung said.

The province currently is home to 600,000 workers from different parts of the country who are in need of recreation and relaxation after a hard day’s work, and is a welcome haven for both local and migrant workers who are reminded of their native villages through the park’s displays, he added.

"We began construction in 2001. With about 3,000 workers working day and night, we have nearly completed the first phase of the project, or about 60 per cent of the project," Dung said.

"Many facilities will open in December. In the second phase, we will build hotels, a modern cinema and some other facilities. Completion will be in 2010, and we hope it will become a new symbol of culture and tourism in Binh Duong Province."

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem at a recent visit to Binh Duong Province, said, "The park is imbued with the Vietnamese people’s cultural and historical characteristics and can be compared with those in the region and in the world in aspects of size, value, and diversity of tourist services."

Dung is a former chairman of the Binh Duong Investment Association and a former member of the National Assembly. He has used his own money to build information centres and libraries for universities in the northern Thai Nguyen Province, centre cities of Hue and Da Nang, and southern Can Tho Province.

"To realise the dream of building the park, my family and I have spent millions of US dollars and the total cost by 2010 will be about VND3,000 billion (about US$200 million)," he said.

"We still have to build a brick-and-tile factory and a mechanical engineering workshop to supply materials for the park. However, we do not expect to recoup the capital from this project since visitors will not have to pay for entry into the temple and tower, and the money raised from recreational activities will be used to maintain park facilities."

There will be a tourism festival at the zone between December 22, 2007 and January 21, 2008 to mark its inauguration with various shows like unicorn dance, dragon dance and martial arts. — VNS