Hai Duong (VNA) – Located in thesouthwest of Hai Duong province, Thanh Mien district is bestowed with poeticand idyllic scenery typical of the Red River Delta, along with rich history andcultural traditions, as seen in the numerous cultural and historical sites inthe district.

One of the mostprestigious historical and cultural relics in Thanh Mien, and also in thenorthern province of Hai Duong, isthe Dong Temple in Dong village, Thanh Tung commune, about 20km from Hai Duongcity.

Built inthe 16th century, the temple was first restored in the 18th century. Its special wooden structure includes sculptures of dragons and pearlpatterns bearing typical engravings of the Hau Le (Latter Le) Dynasty (1428-1789).

Dong Temple was established to worship Nguyen Phuc and Do Uong – two famous honorable men of King Le Thanh Tong and the Phuc Mac reign in the 15th and 16th century, respectively.

To theleft of the temple is a secret tunnel used as a shelter for Vietnamese soldiersduring the resistance war against French.

Thetunnel, built during the 1940s, is 3m deep, 8m wide and 25m in length.

The Dong village is also home to an important historical relic, which isthe memorial site dedicated to Nguyen Luong Bang (1904-1979) who held the postas Vice President of Vietnam from 1969 to 1979.

Nguyen Luong Bang was born into a poor family withpatriotic traditions in the Dong village. Throughout his life he used the alias Anh Ca, and Sao Do. He joined theCommunist Party in October 1929. After the AugustRevolution, Nguyen Lương Bang held the post as General Director of theNational Bank of Vietnam, the first ambassador of Vietnam to the Soviet Union(1953-1956), head of the Central Commission for Inspection, government (1956).In September 1969, he was elected Vice President of Vietnam.

The memorial site was built in his home village in 1996.

Some 16km from Dong Temple there is the Chi Lang Nam Stork Island, which isa recognized national relic site.

With a total area of over 31.6 ha, the Stork Island is located in the middle of An Duong Lake in ChiLang Nam commune.

The island is home to about 170 flora and faunaspecies. From the ninth lunar month to the fourth lunar month of next year, thousands of storks, herons and other water birds flock to the island to search for food. It is estimated that around 16,000 storks and 6,000 heronsare making their nests on the island.

The Stork Island has been designated as an eco-tourism destination. Thebest time to visit the site is between September and next year’s April. Atpresent, it already welcomes thousands of visitors a year.

Not far from the Stork Island there is the Hoi Yen village which is widelyknown for its dry rice noodle. Villagers began to make the product in late 18th century. Visitors can try their hand at making the noodle, from selecting thesuitable rice, soaking and grinding rice, spreading the flour in a thin layer,laying the rice paper outside for drying to cutting the rice paper into thinstrips.

The Stork Island and Hoi Yen village have been included in several tourstaking visitors through many attractions in several districts of Hai Duong. Oneof which is the community-based tour starting from the Stork Island through ChoGiao (Giao Market), Mau Temple, local orchards and ending at the Hoi Yen ricenoodle village.  

Adding to the great potential, the expansion of the transport network inHai Duong over the past recent years is opening up vast opportunities for ThanhMien district to develop tourism, thus contributing to local social andeconomic development./.