Thanh Hà

The northern Hà Nội suburban district of Sóc Sơn has a diversity of terrain with hills, mountains, lakes, and forests, creating a rich natural landscape. It is also a land of historical and cultural interests and scenic spots yet to be fully exploited.

Driving 45 minutes from the city centre, visitors reach a temple at the foot of the Sóc Mountain. Surrounded by three lakes and a large man-made reservoir, the site is the home of Việt Nam’s legendary hero, Phù Đổng Thiên Vương or Saint Gióng.

Legend has it that at age three, Gióng grew into a giant when foreign forces attacked the country. He wielded an enormous iron rod and an entire grove of bamboo to chase the invaders out of the country while riding on the back of an iron horse.

After his victory, Gióng and his horse took off into the sky of the Sóc Mountain, where people built a temple to honour him as one of the nation's four great immortals.

 The Sóc Temple historical site was built more than 1,000 years ago and has been restored many times, but still retains its unique artistic architecture and many valuable antiques. It was recognised as a Special National Monument in 2014.

The current complex includes the Trình Temple, the Mẫu Temple, the Non Nước Pagoda, the Đại Bi Pagoda, the Thượng Temple, Saint Gióng Monument and stone mausoleums recording the history and festival of the Sóc Temple. The Việt Nam Buddhist Academy is located in the heritage site.

Non Nước is one of the oldest pagodas in Việt Nam. With over 1,000 years of history, it is home to the largest monolithic indoor bronze Buddha statue in Southeast Asia, at 6.5m high and weighing 30 tonnes.

The Non Nước Pagoda and the Buddhist Academy are part of a monumental architectural work that is a renowned spiritual tourism site, often attracting pilgrims.

UNESCO Festival

Standing on the top of the Đá Chồng Mountain, Saint Gióng Monument was built in 2010 to over 11m in height, and 85 tonnes in weight. The saint holding a grove of bamboo in his hand while flying off into the sky on his horse was a cultural project to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thăng Long-Hà Nội.

Every year, the largest festival of the city is held from the 6th to the 8th of the first lunar month to commemorate Saint Gióng, attracting numerous Buddhists and devotees.

The festival holds various folk games, including stilt walking, balancing a bridge, breaking earthen pots and cooking competitions as well as various art performances.

UNESCO recognised Việt Nam’s three-day Gióng Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. 

Painter Thành Chương's Việt Palace is a must-visit site in Sóc Sơn.

Chương started to build his 'palace' in 2001 to tell the story of the country's history through traditional architecture and artworks.

The 8,000sq.m property is a valuable museum of Vietnamese cultural essence, full of cultural, folk and spiritual heritage.

At the palace, visitors can see examples of village culture such as a 300-year-old house, a 200-year-old stilt house, shrines, Buddha statues, a green pond, water wells, a stone bridge, along with thousands of masterpieces of paintings, ceramics and antiques.

The palace also organises water puppet shows and folk music performances, where visitors can enjoy traditional food and snacks. 

Discovering and relaxing

Sóc Sơn also lures visitors through many other attractions, such as the Hàm Lợn Mountain, and Đồng Quan and Đồng Đò lakes, amazing places to escape from the bustle of city life.

A holiday by the tranquil lakes not only brings tourists relaxation and connection with nature, but also allows them to experience activities such as camping, fishing, cycling and kayaking.

"Đồng Đò is surely my favourite place. About half an hour driving from my home, I can merge myself in an area of wild and peaceful nature," said Hoàng Như Minh, a Hanoian high-school teacher.

"I really love the charming landscape of mountains and lakes here and believe it is an ideal choice for nature lovers."

The 60ha lake is located between large mountains with lush green pine forests. Its beautiful nature and fresh air make it a one-of-a-kind picnic spot.

Not far away from Đồng Đò, Đồng Quan Lake is also a favourite camping site for its perfect combination of mountains, forests and clear blue water.

It is suitable for outdoor activities and family entertainment such as fishing, forest walks, and nature.

Trekking the Hàm Lợn Mountain is another wondrous option for those visiting Sóc Sơn.

The mountain, some 460m up on the Độc Tôn Range, is famed for its beautiful scenery, pleasant climate, and diverse terrain.

"The trekking on the Hàm Lợn Mountain is quite difficult, but the challenge is appealing to me," said Phạm Thế Sơn, a dentist.

"I come here to enjoy the cool fresh climate, clear mountain air, and beautiful nature. It is the 'roof of the capital city'." 

Plans needed

"Sóc Sơn has a lot of potential to become a tourist magnet. Tourism products here are rich in options," said Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the Hà Nội's Tourism Department.

"In addition to spiritual and cultural tourism, Sóc Sơn has added eco, experience and sports tourism, as well as golf, ultra trail running and off-road racing, as well as weekend relaxation with camping, cycling and kayaking."

Every year, Sóc Sơn welcomes up to 1 million domestic visitors, mainly in New Year festivals, weekends and holidays. But the number of foreigners is around 1,000, a tiny number compared to the millions of international visitors who visit Hà Nội.

"In Hà Nội's tourism development plan, the Sóc Mountain - Đồng Quan Lake area is one of the city's six key clusters with spirituality, eco-resort tourism, sports tourism products," said Trần Kiên, deputy head of Sóc Sơn's Culture, Sports and Tourism Department.

"However, the district still has limitations that hinder tourism development. It currently has no hotels of 3 stars or higher, and the number of hotels that can accommodate large groups is small. In addition, many tourism development projects are still behind schedule while tourism staff have not been properly trained."

Tourism industry insiders say Sóc Sơn needs proper plans to develop tourist areas and policies to attract investment in large-scale projects. At the same time, the district has to step up publicising local tourism options.

“Large-scale tourism projects will be attractions for tourists to the district. You can see that after Vingroup invested in the Vinpearl Phú Quốc tourism complex, it has attracted many tourists to the island," said Vietfoot Travel Director Phạm Duy Nghĩa.

Travelogy Company Director Vũ Văn Tuyên said: "Sóc Sơn has many advantages but does not draw in enough tourists because it has no proper development strategy."

"Besides spiritual tourism, Sóc Sơn can promote the development of wellness and eco-tourism, and grow more "farm to table" products.

Tạ Hữu Chiến, CEO of Sunvina Travel, said that apart from plans to pull in tourists and big investors, Sóc Sơn should pay attention to building tours that link different aspects, such as education tours, tours to introduce local specialities and traditional craft villages. VNS