Railway Cafe

If you are tired of tourist-crowded places or want to get closer to Vietnamese’s spiritual life, Linh Quy Phap An Pagoda (South Vietnam) is a suitable destination for you. Please share with us the beautiful pictures you take when you go there!

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/07/18/linh-quy-phap-an-pagoda/

The royal city of Ayutthaya (ah-you-tah-ya) was a small kingdom in Siam (modern Thailand), and it was an unrivalled commercial and maritime power from 1350-1767 CE. Ayutthaya became the second capital of Siam in 1438 CE when it absorbed the Sukhothai kingdom in northeast Thailand.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/07/08/the-venice-of-the-east-ayutthaya/

The most beautiful and impressive Cham temples of Vietnam can be found in My Son. It is located 40 km from Hoi An and 70 km from Da Nang. This temple complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. It is also compared to the immense temples of Angkor in Cambodia, however, there are fewer temples in My Son and they are a lot smaller and much destroyed. 

A clue to My Son’s survival can be found back in Hoi An. Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (nicknamed Kazik by the Vietnamese – obviously for ease-of pronunciation), is recognised in Vietnam as one of the most important figures in the effort to preserve important cultural sites all over the country. He’s the reason that My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An’s Ancient Town are recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Kwiatkowski is one of the few foreigners that the Vietnamese have ever honoured with a monument.

So, how did a Polish architect from Lublin go from designing affordable housing and public squares in his hometown to digging up landmines and living in a bamboo hut in the jungle?

This episode is also available as a blog post: 

http://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/07/05/the-world-cultural-heritage-of-my-son-sanctuary/

The Hmong were known to be the very first people to occupy the fertile Yellow River basin, before the Chinese arrived into the area (Quincy, 13). The Chinese made war with the Hmong and managed to drive them south into the regions Hupeh and Hunan. After many years, in the fourth century, the Hmong had made their own independent kingdom. The Hmong then were scattered out around China when the kingdom fell in the tenth century.

The never-ending persecution forced the Hmong to be perpetual migrants. This large killing of the Hmong extended southward in the other areas occupied by Hmong and forced thousands of Hmong to move out of China and into North Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Burma in order to live a life of peace...

This episode is also available as a blog post:

https://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/07/03/who-are-the-hmong/

Son Doong Caves in Vietnam is one of the most beautiful natural caves and the largest ever found in the world. Hang Son Doong cave complex of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National park, located in Son Trach, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province of Center Vietnam. Son Doon Cave is one of the largest natural cave ever found in the world. Who first discovered as a peasant named Ho Khanh. In 1991, he happened to shelter in this cave while looking deep into the forest.

This episode is also available as a blog post: 

https://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/07/02/the-worlds-largest-cave-in-the-world-son-doong-cave/

Visiting Ha Giang province at this time, visitors will be overwhelmed by the imposing and picturesque scenery with the fields full of beautiful ‘Tam giac mach’ (buckwheat flowers) as well as the unique daily life and traditional culture of the ethnic minority people of this land.

This episode is also available as a Blog post:

https://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/06/29/ha-giang-plateau/

Situated seven kilometers to the west of Ninh Binh city, this very place will have you lost in a wonderland, by just rowing a boat down the river. Karst mountains, evergreen jungles, lush rice fields, and vivid emerald rivers make up this whole area, together with endless points of interest to be discovered. What could be more ideal for an explorer? In fact, Trang An was among one of the major filming sites of the blockbuster Kong: Skull Island last year.

This episode is also available as a BLOG POST:

https://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/06/30/the-spectacular-dancing-cave-hang-mua-in-world-heritage-of-ninh-binh-trang-an/

Ban Gioc Waterfalls is regarded as the biggest waterfall in South East Asia, and the fourth biggest natural waterfall in the world located on a national border line. Ban Goc Waterfall, also known as Ban Gioc–Detian Falls, is situated in Dam Thu Commune in Trung Khanh District, about 90km from Cao Bang Province in Vietnam. The road leading to Ban Gioc Waterfall is crooked and winding with narrow turning point. The atmosphere here is very fresh with countryside landscapes.

This episode is also available as a Blog post:

https://railwaycafe.travel.blog/2021/07/02/the-top-world-impressive-ban-gioc-waterfall/