You love travelling and often collect information about world wonders, surely you won’t be strange to the name “Vietnam”. This country is one of the rising stars in the Asian tourism industry as more and more western travelers are now discovering the beauty of this lovely country. The beauty spreads from the north to the south, especially in Hanoi where there are so much interesting destinations.

This large Vietnamese city is filled with a rich culture and history and there are plenty of things to do and places to visit.

Ho Tay Lake Water Park

An ideal place to visit for families visiting traveling to Hanoi is certainly the Ho Toy Lake Water Park which is one of the newest amusement parks in town. There are a number of swimming pools located there including a wave making pool and there are currently twelve different slides.

St. Joseph’s Cathedral

One of the most significant Catholic buildings in the country is St. Joseph’s Cathedral which first opened its doors to its followers in 1886. It is located right in the heart of the city’s tourist area. The opening hours at this wonderful cathedral are daily from 05:00 until 22:00.

Army Museum

If you are interested in learning more about one of the infamous Vietnam wars then you should head down to the National Army Museum. You can learn more about the French and American wars and you can view weaponry, presentations and special exhibitions. There is in fact even a Russian fighter jet located at the entrance to this interesting museum.

Temple of Literature

Another amazing tourist attraction which all travelers should visit is the Temple of Literature. This temple was founded almost a thousand years ago by a local King so as to promote education and literature and is home to the first university of Hanoi. Opening hours of the Temple of Literature are daily 08:00 until 17:00.

Thong Nhat

This beautiful location in the city is also known as Lenin Park and the Now Reunification Park. It is home to a wonderful large lake and the grounds were adorned by Ho Chi Ming with statues, beautiful trees, plants and path ways. It is the ideal place to spend a few hours in a relaxing environment. The park is open daily from 06:00 until 21:00.

Lien Phai Pagoda

No visit to Hanoi can be complete without visiting one of spectacular pagodas which are located in the city. My personal favorite one is the Lien Phai Pagoda which was built by Lord Trinh Thap close to three hundred years ago.

Going to Hanoi, international travellers will be enjoyable with the antique beauty of pagodas, museums, temples and poetic beauty of lakes. Hanoi is really a destination for those want to find quietness and ancientness.

Make reference to Asian modern paintings, surely you will wonder at Vietnamese modern paintings. Recently contemporary Vietnamese art has become a subject to discuss. Since escaping from socio-political shackles which have long kept it limited to a rather provincial existence, Vietnamese modern art has developed in great glory before an awed international audience.

Indeed, there is no looking back for Vietnam now. It is moving forward. However, it is not just looking forward towards the future. There is an element of retrospection involved also. Thus, the modern Vietnamese perspective comprises not just looking ahead, but also looking back, in an effort to sort out the past.

Till recent times, Vietnamese modern art has been facing a peculiar identity crisis. Questions about the extent of Western influence on Vietnam’s modern art, and how deep its traditional moorings actually go, have plagued the artists of Vietnam for long. It has not been long since they seem to have finally come to terms with the origin of their modern art.

Modern paintings in Vietnam took roots in the amalgam of two very different forces – French liberalism and Vietnamese traditionalism. Two of the strongest influences that molded Vietnamese modern art were that of brutal French colonialism on one hand, and a relentless current of Vietnamese patriotism. Before ‘Doi Moi’, or Vietnam’s Perestroika (renovation) began in 1986, the origin of Vietnamese modern art was little discussed in Vietnam because such a discussion would necessarily touch upon the role of the Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine (Indochina Fine Arts College) founded by the liberal-minded French artist Victor Tardieu. During its 20 years of operation between 1925 and 1945, the Ecole trained more than 100 Vietnamese painters, sculptors and architects who formed the core group of pioneers in Vietnamese modem art. Even though the Vietnamese pioneers were primarily inspired and driven in their artistic creation by Vietnamese tradition, the Ecole was thought to be too closely associated with French colonialism to deserve mention. It was almost a taboo.

Recent events, however, have pointed to a conscious effort to put things in balance, recognizing both the catalyst role of the Ecole and the crucial contribution of the Vietnamese pioneer artists in the development of Vietnamese modern art. The year 1996 saw the Government awarding the prestigious Ho Chi Minh Prize to 7 Vietnamese artists, all of whom graduated from the Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine. In 2000, the Hanoi College of Fine Arts and other local art institutions sponsored a large reunion of former students of the Ecole and their relatives to mark the Ecole’s 75th anniversary.

So how does one interpret the modern art scenario in Vietnam today? It will be perhaps apt to say that it has a strange duality. While Western trends continue to make their presence felt in style and techniques, there is an overwhelming local essence to be noticed in themes. Vietnamese modern paintings today draw heavily upon local themes and Vietnamese culture and tradition.

This duality is strange feature of Vietnamese modern paintings today. It may be a base so that Vietnamese can introduce the international to their paintings that express Vietnamese’ lifestyle.