Swampland Van Long - Ha Long bay on land in Ninh Binh

The swampland area lies in Gia Vân commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province, at about 100km far from Ha Noi in the South. Nearly 3,500ha large, Vân Long swampland is home to thousands of fauna, flora and aquatic life, on rocks, in land or underwarter.
As sources of statistics, Vân Long has 457 species of high grade botany, 8 of which are listed in Vietnam’s redbook, 39 species of animals, 32 species of amphibian reptiles, 44 fish species, 39 aquatic varieties, 79 insects, especially there are 12 animal species considered rare and precious: 72 units of whiteshort Voọc (one of five in monkey family seen as endangered species), 9 reptiles listed in Vietnam redbook : Ho chua (poisonous snakes), kỳ đà, trăn đất, rắn ráo trâu, tắc kè...). In dry season, Vân Long become winter habitat to many bird species: cò, mòng két, vạc... In May, july, visitors can find nests of lễ hội bird and their eggs in grass.
There are 32 caves and grottoes in Vân Long. Some of them are very ideal for tourists: Cá, Bóng, Rùa... that are from 100 – 250m long. These are mutually linked caves with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. We can take a ride on boat in early morning when it’s still dewy. In a quiet and tranquil atmosphere sometimes, birds are suddenly seen soaring up. We arrive in Kẽm Trăm lake, a boundless lake in the mountain area, it’s really picture square. Cá grotto is the largest and we have to ride across the grasslands, small ponds. Story has it that, one upon a time, there was a man who caught such a big fish that it could only be brought by few men. So the cave was named “fish or Cá”. In the cave, there are varieties of fish: trê, rô, chuối... The cave is about 250m long, half underwater, half on land. It’s said to be millions- year- old and there are lots of stalactites and stalagmites. Vân Long is beautified by ist many high mountains: Mèo Cào, Nghiên, Hòm Sách, Đá Bàn...
Please don’t forget to have a look at 600- year- old fig tree or cay thị and many pagodas: Chi Le, Mai Trung, temple of Nguyen lord, Đich Long and the temples of king Đinh Tiên Hoàng, temples to worship Thánh Nguyễn and 4 ladies (4 woman- generals of Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị).

Water pupetry Vietnam in Ninh Binh

Water pupetry is Vietnam age-old traditional culture with its own indenties. The stage is the water surface, the closed-door house or puppets’s house or Thuy Dinh (pagoda on water) is built in the middle of the pond or lake that looks like a communal house in Vietnam countyside.
The items to be played depict people’s dailylife activities or customs and habits. To have a finished puppet, it needs time and patience for chiseling. fitting, painting, decorating and dressing. The well-prepared puppets, the easier for controlling and the more interesting the performance is. Normally, puppets are made of sycamore wood because it’s light and tough. Finished puppets are vitalized by artists in harmony with characters in the play. Water puppets are traditional wooden carving, they are both realistic, poetic and romantic in roles of fishermen, fairies or musicians... Each puppet consists two parts: the body and the base. The underwater part for controlling. Most important is the control-board attached in the base and cuccess lies in the movements, the action of puppets. Well-experienced artists have created for life, for younger generations variety of puppets and the control-boards. Puppets are controlled and directed by artists in the puppets’ house by pulling, pushing strings.
In water puppetry, music plays the vital part. With outdoor stage on water and no-word play except few poems or saying, music is inseparable, it’s to make merry the performance, to personify the characters, and to direct the acting.
Water-puppetry is a cultural tradition of the red river delta farming people. It helps the locals to preserve their villages’ identities, the nature of the farmers who are vety hard-working and high-spirit in fighting against the enemy.