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Can Gio Tourism

CAN GIO TOURIST Trang 1: PREFACE Can Gio is the only coastal district of Ho Chi Minh City and features a pool of diverse potentials for ecological tourist development. Since the liberation day (April 30, 1975), war-ravaged Can Gio mangrove forest’s ecosystem has undergone almost sheer restoration and has been recognized as Vietnam’s first biosphere reserve by UNESCO since 2000, officially joining the global network of 368 biosphere reserves of 91 nations in the world. To provide local and intern

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   CAN GIO TOURISTTrang 1:PREFACE Can Gio is the only coastal district of Ho Chi Minh City and features a pool of diverse potentialsfor ecological tourist development. Since the liberation day (April 30, 1975), war-ravaged Can Giomangrove forest’s ecosystem has undergone almost sheer restoration and has been recognizedas Vietnam’s first biosphere reserve by UNESCO since 2000, officially joining the global network of 368 biosphere reserves of 91 nations in the world.To provide local and international tourists with more information about the land characterized byforest, sea, cultural, historical, and revolutionary tradition and people, Can Gio District’s 30-4Tourist Resort Management Board is incorporation with the Vietnam Economic News to compilethe guidebook entitled “Can Gio Tourist - The Value of Nature - The Value of Life”.We would like to recommend the book to readers and tourists Trang 2: The Land and the PeopleTrang 3: The Land of Sea and Forest Throughout the resounding history over 300 years of making and developing, and the vigorousvictories during the two wars of resistance against French and American aggressors, Can Giopeople become tenacious like mangrove and cypress which take deep root in the entrails of salted soil to absorb each mineral substance, keeping the hometown greener and greener. Trang 4: The Favorable Land Nowadays, the place-name of Can Gio has become familiar with the Saigonese in Ho Chi MinhCity and nationwide inhabitants since the land is the only coastal district of Ho Chi Minh City,around 50 kilometres from the centre of the city to the southeast. Can Gio covers a natural areaof 70,421 hectares (making up one-third of the city’s area), of which over 38,000 hectares isoccupied by forest land, 22,850 hectares by canals and rivers and the rest by the areas forbreeding aquatic products, growing fruit-trees, producing salt, and land for specific purposes Trang 5: Can Gio represents great potentials for forest, sea, pure environment and many attractivelandscapes. Can Gio mangrove forest has been officially recognized as among the world’sbiosphere reserves. This is a naturally regenerated forest with over 30,000 hectares afforested; itfunctions as a protective forest as well as a natural reserve. The mangrove forest is home to over200 proven species of fauna and over 85 proven species of flora. Can Gio District has a coast thatstretches for around 20 kilometres, well suited to breeding aquatic and sea products (yellow-clam, oyster, ark shell, fish… ) and remarkably hosts peculiar and unique strips of clams and ark shells for excursion.  Trang 6: Can Gio depicts an equatorial tropical climate with south-westerly wind as its prevailing winddirection. At this place, the rainy season arrives late but ends earlier than other areas in Ho ChiMinh City. This offers an advantageous climate to tourists for a trip to Can Gio all year round. Trang 8:The gentle and hospitable locals Those reclaiming the land of Can Gio had to lead a bitter struggle against the nature for survival.The land now becomes Can Gio people’s own flesh and blood. The locals are homely, rustic,strong, generous, and sensitive. Their lives pass by peacefully but sometimes violently like fiercewaves crashing onto the shore… Trang 9: Can Gio people lead a more tranquil life than those in inner Ho Chi Minh City and host age-oldcultural traits. Such famous place-names as Tam Thon Hiep, Thanh An, Ganh Rai Bay and Giong Ao are closely attached to the stories about Nguyen Anh’s fleeing from the Tay Son uprising aswell as Can Gio people’s victories during the wars of resistance for national salvation…Can Gio District totals six communes and one town (Can Thanh Town) with a population of 65,750 residents, of which 34,860 are working mostly in the agricultural sector, making uparound 41%, in the aquiculture sector 31% and the trading-service sector around 14%. Can Gio’s2004 income per capita gained VND1 million a month. Trang 10: Traditional festivals and customs Trang 11:Traditional customs  Can Gio people still cherish good customs to commemorate those who reclaimed this land, builtup tenure land, fields in the coastal land which has developed up to now. Divine temple in Thanh An Commune : The temple of Master Hai, who was credited withhaving killed tigers to defend the locals. Trang 12:The rites of worshipping those who were accredited with land reclamation The stories of one-time place-names such as Giong Am, Giong Ca Trang, Go Ba Dong, GiongChay, Giong San… have been handed down from generation to generation. Those who deservedcredit for reclaiming land and building residential areas can include Mr. Tran Quang Dao and Mr.Ly Nhon. The two historical figures are held in high esteem by Can Gio people and are deified bylocal villagers in Binh Khanh, An Thoi Dong, Ly Nhon. Annually, on the anniversary of thesedeities’ death, the locals make ceremonial offerings to commemorate their noble deeds.Photo: Binh Khanh temple.  Trang 13: Deity Duong Van Hanh is also known as Headless Deity. He teamed up with the civilians of LyNhon Commune to protect Truong Dinh as the French colonists advanced on Ly Nhon in a bid towipe out Truong Dinh’s insurgent troops and arrest him alive. Duong Van Hanh persisted inrefusing to reveal anything about Truong Dinh and hence, was beheaded by the French in 1863.Can Gio people paid great homage to Duong Van Hanh by setting up his temple and makingofferings every year.Can Thanh temple still records the existence of hat, sword, seal. And two very big words “Than” (Deity) that are meticulously inlaid into wood were conferred by King Tu Duc upon the localvillage deity. The temple hosts not only parallel sentences, images but only ancestral altar andrevolutionary martyr altarPhoto: The temple of Headless Deity Duong Van HanhThe interior of Can Thanh temple Trang 14: Can Gio offers plenty of temples such as So Dua, Binh Khanh, Ly Nhon, Nhat Nhi, Da Giang, NguHanh… They are built in accordance with ancient architecture and the way of worshipping isemployed variously by different villages.Photo: The interior of Thien An temple Trang 15: Photo: Goddess temple at Giong Ao QuarterThe interior of Ngu Hanh temple Trang 16:The Whale tomb : Can Gio has two Whale tombs, one in Can Thanh and the other in Thanh An.The local fishermen worship the Whale since he is believed to protect fishermen at sea and bringthem bumper harvests of fish.Photo: The whale skeleton is worshipped at the Whale tomb in Can Thanh.The interior of the Whale tomb. Trang 17:Patriot worship Can Gio is famous for the “Red Address”- Sac forest, the renowned revolutionary base thatcreated resounding victories during the two wars of resistance for national salvation, and wasclosely attached to heroic Sac Forest Commando Army Corps 10. Sac forest memorial statue ispart of the rites of commemorating those who sacrificed their lives for the country. Thisrepresents a Vietnamese cultural trait of “When drinking water, remember its source”.Photo: Sac forest memorial statue Trang 18:  Traditional folk festivals Can Gio records appealing traditional festivals characterized by “colorful images, a harmoniousinterminglement between holiness and secularity, ceremonial and uprightness, tradition andbroad-mindedness, intelligence and instinct…” Can Gio’s festivals take various forms and srcins, and vividly reflect the past or some unique folk features of the native culture that are lost in oblivion. Some festivals employ the color of sacrificeor convey the resounding history of Sac salted forest. Trang 19:The Whale welcome festival Like in other territorial waters in Vietnam, the fishermen in Can Gio owns the custom of worshipping South Sea Deity (the Whale or Mr. Ly) with the legend that the Whale savedfishermen at stake from violent storms at sea. Thanks to the Whale’s impressive holiness, thelocal fishermen have gained bumper harvests of fish. The custom of worshipping the Whaleexerts a deep influence on the locals’ religious beliefs via the annually held festival “The WhaleWelcome Festival”. The folk festival covers traditional rituals, cultural activities, folk games andsports events… The festival is held by sports- culture agencies and leaders of Van Lach Society(the society of fishermen hosting an age-old fishing tradition). Each fishing village living alongCan Gio Sea organizes the festival on his own day, normally between the lunar third month andthe lunar eighth month in a nice weather with calm sea.Nowadays, the Whale welcome festival in Can Thanh proves to be Can Gio fishermen’s officialand great festival that is annually held on the fifthteen of the lunar eighth month. The festival iscarefully prepared and divided into 2 parts: Trang 20 - Sacrifice offering is performed formally in accordance with traditional ceremonials by localelderly villagers aimed at showing local fishermen’s great gratitude towards the Whale andcommemorating the fishermen that died offshore. In addition, sacrifice offering is intended topray for good lucks, avoid offshore accidents and achieve bumper harvests of fish. Palanquinprocession making its way from the Whale tomb towards the sea and the Whale welcomeceremony characterized by a fleet of boats at sea prove to be the most animated ceremonial of the festival. Trang 21 - Festivities to celebrate the bright business results of the past year follow the rituals. A lot of folk contests are organized for the locals from all social strata and tourists. Bustling unicornprocessions and interesting folk games have attracted a large number of participants includingcrab-tying, walking on stilts, sack jumping, unicorn dances, wrestling, football, volleyball, slowbike-riding…The Whale welcome festival proves to be an attractive rendezvous for an influx of tourists to CanGio. Trang 22: Historical and cultural vestigesTrang 23: