World Exclusive: Largest & Most Important Archaeological Discovery in Vietnam for a Century

UPDATE: 26 January 2011: Read my CNN story on the Long Wall of Quang Ngai at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/25/vietnam.wall/index.html?hpt=C2

As many of you know, I've been on a research trip for about a month now, traveling across Vietnam to update several guidebooks. I've been fortunate to meet and interview several archaeologists, and Vietnam & Champa history experts along the way. One of the country's top archaeologists and historical scholars recently gave me an interview as well as an exclusive advanced scoop on THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY IN VIETNAM IN A CENTURY. Here I'm just giving a taste--dropping a few hints about what this discovery actually is. I spent the last week locating and surveying it, and despite those many days at the location, I probably managed to see less than 05% of it. Once announced to the world and developed for tourism, this site will change Vietnam's tourism industry forever.

The ruin of this stone fortress is part of the archaeological site, which spans across 2 provinces.

Fortifications at the site are made with a variety of natural materials.

The site involves a diverse set of ethnic groups who still inhabit the area.

My adventure to find the sites involved some danger. Flash flooding washed out bridges.

Heavy rains during the day caused landslides all around me.

 I met fearless natives.

I Made a few other ancient discoveries along the way.

And managed to find a little humor amongst the adventure.

There is a new website for The Long Wall of Quang Ngai.

Nha Trang Throws Hissy Fit Over National Geographic & Ignores Golden Opportunity

The folks in Khanh Hoa Province (Nha Trang) nearly ruptured a coronary over National Geographic's rating them near the bottom of a list of 99 Coastal Destinations.

See the National Geographic article: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/coastal-destinations-rated/

See the Vietnam Government's Response: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/travel/1887/khanh-hoa-protests-national-geographic-magazine-s-list.html

My first reaction to the Nha Trang's People’s Committee: "Hello! Uhm, Hello! I'm over here! No, over here! Yeah, can you see me?! Over here?!"

I can't get the time of day from anyone in the government. I've contributed to a stack of nearly 20 guidebooks, countless magazine articles, and my reviews have been featured several times on the front of CNN.com. Yet I can't get any meaningful help from folks in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports Culture and Extended Coffee Breaks. Gosh, the best interaction I seem to be able to get is when various government ministries plagiarize my work. How have they earned the right to complain about Nat Geo when they won't lift a finger to support or assist travel writers living right here among them?

I will grant them this--the photo Nat Geo used of Nha Trang is unfairly unflattering. Nat Geo would have had to go to great lengths to manage something so unattractive.

See the photo: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/travel/1616/national-geographic-rates-nha-trang-as-bad-beach-destination.html

As for the panel, did any of them actually ever visit Nha Trang and/or Mui Ne? I did a quick skim of the list of "340 experts" and didn't recognize any names. However, all the comments that the judges made about Vietnam, well, they are basically true... for both Mui Ne AND Nha Trang. I've been screaming about the poor water quality, pollution, unplanned development, traffic problems, etc. for years. I've done it in the hopes of waking people up so they would change things for the better--but year after year I feel like I'm being ignored.

This of course leads to the troubling thought, if the judges didn't actually visit us, were their reviews really based on things they read on my own website?... Its more than likely. But I do sing our praises as well--our cultural treasures, our natural beauty and resources, our rich history, ethnic diversity, etc.

Lesson to Mui Ne and Nha Trang: Use this opportunity as a catalyst for change for the better. Don't waste your time sending complaints and brochures to National Geographic. They will go straight from the mail room to the trash bin and nobody will ever read them. As a travel writer, I know. Then again, they might get a good laugh at the poor quality of your marketing materials. Again, I know--I have quite a collection. Poorly written, poorly photographed, poor English--and a focus on all the wrong things.

Nha Trang, Mui Ne... VIETNAM... do yourself a favor. There are so many foreigners already here, like me, who are world-class tourism experts, writers, photographers, marketing managers... we are here because we love Vietnam. We want to help you. But all you do is scorn our help, put stumbling blocks in our path and make our jobs--to promote your country--more difficult. I, We, can help you with suggestions, marketing strategies, development goals, plans... Take our hands--lets work together now.

Cham Kate Festival, Phan Rang, Vietnam

The Photos below were taken in Phan Rang - Thap Cham, Vietnam during the Kate Festival last month. The festival is the most important holy day in the Cham calendar and includes both the Cham and the related Rag Lai minorities. I've attended the festival several times, though few other foreigners have witnessed it.

Below are photos of the procession in the first day of the festival, when Rag Lai villagers deliver the ceremonial clothing of the Cham King Po Klong Garai to the Cham people.

These Cham holy men deliver the clothing to Thap Po Klong Garai and adorn the statue of the king.

The procession ends in a pageant of traditional Cham music and dance.

In Cham culture the men usually play the musical instruments, of which there are only a few kinds.

The next day I visited both of the local ancient temple-towers where festivities take place around Phan Rang.

The Champa Kingdom was a contemporary of the ancient Angkor kingdom in Cambodia. Their towers were however made from baked red bricks, instead of laterite blocks like the Khmer.

Cham villagers climbing up to Thap Po Ro Me for the Kate Festival.

Cham leaders at the Kate Festival at Thap Po Klong Garai.

The Cham, unlike the Vietnamese, are a matriarchal society.

The Cham prepare a feast at the temples where they honor and worship the kings.

The modern Cham mostly fall within two religious traditions--the Balamon (Hindu-based) and the Bani (Muslim-based). Both actually celebrate Kate, though most observers at the temples are Balamon.

As with everything on this blog, these photo are copyright Adam Bray and may not be copied or republished anywhere else. Period.

Vietnam cannot have both Bears and bear bile

Ha Noi, November 23^th, 2010 – Twenty-two percent of Vietnamese people said that they have used bear bile in the past, according to the findings of the study by Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) on attitudes associated with bear bile use in Vietnam.

A total of 3,032 people were surveyed in three cities in Vietnam: Hanoi (north), Da Nang (central) and Ho Chi Minh City (south). The participants were randomly selected and interviewed by telephone to analyze the motivation behind bear bile consumption and evaluate demographic differences between respondents in their attitudes toward the use of bear bile.

The survey results suggested that:

·         Bear bile is considered as a magic medicine that can cure a range of health problems including muscle complaints, bruises, digestive problems or even cancer. Bear bile is mainly used to treat specific health problems (73%). Bear bile is also used for general health improvement (24%) and entertainment purposes (14%).

·         Hanoi has a much higher percentage of bear bile users than Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City.  Thirty-five percent of survey participants in Hanoi claimed that they have used bear bile in the past, while only 16% of those in Ho Chi Minh City and 15% in Da Nang said that they have used bear bile.

·         The percentage of men using bear bile is higher than the percentage of women in all three cities. Almost 1/3 of all male survey participants (29%) claimed to have consumed bear bile in the past compared to 17% of all women surveyed.

·         People with higher education levels (college degree or higher) are more likely to use bear bile than people with lower education levels (high schools or lower levels). Bear bile consumption also rises with age and the use of bear bile is different between age groups.

Vietnam is home to two species of bears, the Asiatic Black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Both species are being pushed to the edge of extinction, mainly due the illegal hunting and trade to support the demand for bear bile used as a traditional form of medicine. Bears are usually captured as cubs in the wild and sold to bear farms where they are raised and used to extract bile from the gall bladder. Currently, there are about 3,500 bears in farms in Vietnam, most of which originated from the wild.  

“Vietnam’s bears are in trouble,” says Ms. Vu Thi Quyen, founding director and the author of the report. “Urgent and tough measures are needed to put an end to bear farming and trade in Vietnam.”

Based on the findings from this study, ENV recommends following actions:

·        A long-term and sustained awareness campaign must be carried out in order to dispel the belief that bear bile is a form of magic medicine. The campaign should promote medical alternatives to bear bile (both herbal and western medicine) and highlight its perceived ineffectiveness as reported by former users.

·        Stronger laws and more effective law enforcement are critical to efforts to phase out bear farming and eliminating bear bile consumption.  All unregistered bears discovered by authorities should be confiscated and the owners appropriately punished.

·        Studies should be carried out to identify major wild populations of bears in Vietnam where protection and recovery efforts should be prioritized; an analysis of commercial farming of bears and other endangered species and its impact on species conservation should be conducted.

The results of ENV’s study will help authorities and conservation organizations to develop more effective measures to address bear bile consumption and trade in Vietnam and enhance protection for what may be Vietnam’s last remaining bears in the wild.  

“We need to face a tough choice,” says Ms. Quyen, “Vietnam can’t have wild bears and bear bile too.”

The full results of the study have been compiled in a report, An Analysis of Attitudes and Bear Bile Use in Vietnam (Vietnamese and English version).  ENV wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for supporting this important study.

Related Links

Bear webpage:  http://thiennhien.org/CDBVG/index.php

Bear campaign TV Public Service Announcements

TCM alternatives PSA:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6KUD2IfVBU

Bear extinction guaranteed PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6rDIPlMzA

Say NO to bear bile PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgkkQ84kmmk

Pop star My Linh PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z93p8Vlbzo

Younger generation Say “No” PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8DJTjCqtY

About Education for Nature - Vietnam

Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization focused on conservation of nature and the environment through education.  Our mission is to foster greater understanding amongst the Vietnamese public about environmental issues of local, national and global significance, ranging from protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems to climate change. We employ creative and innovative strategies to influence attitudes and behavior, not only highlighting the need to protect Vietnam’s rich natural heritage and the living world around us, but also encouraging greater public participation in achieving this important and challenging task.

ENV’s efforts to protect Vietnam’s endangered bears

ENV has been working for more than five years to end bear farming and trade, carrying out a range of activities including investigations and surveys of bear farms, working with authorities to confiscate illegal bears, and combating consumer crimes such as selling bear bile and products made from bears, ENV’s legislative and policy arm works to build support amongst key government decision-makers and leaders to improve policy and strengthen legislation aimed at protecting Vietnam’s bears, and ensure that current laws are enforced effectively, while ENV’s public awareness and education unit carries out campaigns with the aim of reducing the consumption and use of bear bile and bear products. Recent campaigns have include airing public service announcements on TV and radio, campaigning through the media, billboards and advertising on buses, and public events throughout Vietnam  hosted by ENV’s mobile awareness unit.

Flooding in World Heritage Town of Hoi An, Vietnam

Below are photos from the current rainy season floods in the UNESCO World Heritage Town of Hoi An, in central Vietnam.

The first two are the walking bridge going out to the island.

Riverside street below.

Riverside on the island. The water comes right up into the shops.

Below boats pull right up to shops on the second street in from the river.

Quang Ngai Khanh Van Cham Tower Destroyed?

Reprinting this article here as its gone out of print and I don't want it to be lost. Sad testimony of the state of preservation of historical and archaeological monuments in Vietnam, particularly of the Cham people:


Quang Ngai: Khanh Van Tower may fall
15:56' 10/06/2005 (GMT+7)
Khanh Van tower in Quang Ngai Province is in danger of collapse as workers are taking its foundation soils to fill in reclaimed land for Tinh Phong industrial zone.

Tam Son hill in its current state.
There are 35 relics related to Cham culture in Quang Ngai, among these are 10 deserted and abandoned antique towers. The Khanh Van tower on Tam Son hill, Tinh Tho commune, Son Tinh District is the most intact in its foundation architecture.

In August 1998, archeologists excavated Khanh Van. Technical specifications from the base of the tower, as well as several other findings helped identify that the tower was built in the XI century and ruined by the XVI century.

The foundation is 2m high, each side is 10m, each corner is L shaped 3m each side, 4 ornamental supports, sculpture of leaf and carving of a hermit, the vignette was made refined in the form of saw tooth. The height of the tower is 20m, approximately the height of My Son A1 – a masterpiece of the Cham in drawing and architecture.

The archeologists also discovered a stone altar 1.4m in length, 42cm in width, 34cm in height, with a lot of carvings and engraved pictures.

Recently, when UNESCO proposed the cultural conservation agency to recommend two Cham relics in Quang Ngai, the cultural conservationists started checking the status of Khanh van tower - one of the two top recommended sites. This was when they discovered that one third of the hill had disappeared.

According to Mr. Le Thanh Ha the party secretary of Tinh Tho commune where the historic site is located “…the commune has never received any document to say that Khanh Van was a cultural relic.

So, this mount has long been used to provide earth for construction schemes in the commune and around the district. Recently, the people from Quang Ngai Museum came up and we were informed that the mount is a relic that must be protected.”

The foundations of Khanh Van tower are already on the edge of a hundred meter precipice.

The total area of industrial zone of Tinh Phong, hundreds of hectares, is made from the earth taken from the hill. “It is lucky that the foundations at Tinh are complete, so workers stopped digging at the hill,” Ha said.

The obvious question is why the commune allowed digging around the antique tower in the first place.

Bui Hong Huong, director of the Quang Ngai Museum, said, “The sector had no funding to rank the cultural relics. Because no ranking has been done, no sign or notice was given to the local authority."

Sadly, short of major intervention, the last remaining relic of the Cham culture in Quang Ngai will be demolished when the rainy season comes and the land slides.

Evening at Bobby Chinn's

Had another great dinner at Bobby Chinn's in Hanoi last night. A pleasure to finally meet the man himself as well.

I had the basic set menu (a cute little appetizer, crab-corn-truffle soup, filet mignon, desert sampler platter) plus the quesadillas (a sample or meat and spinach--very tasty--and mango salsa).

I won't tell you hear what I paid--but you can see in upcoming guidebooks for DK Eyewitness, Insight Guides and other good publishers. :)

Jetstar Pacific Carries Raw Seafood in Customer Baggage Compartment & Stinks Up Vietnam Guidebook Writer's Bags

I’ll just start off by freely admitting I’m not a happy camper. A few days ago I flew Jetstar from Saigon to Hanoi, as part of a research loop through Vietnam for several guidebooks I’m writing and updating. I guess to be fair, I shouldn’t have expected much from Jetstar Pacific. They are admittedly a budget airlines, and with budget options, quality or service is spared in order to give customers a lower price. However, I had no reason to expect they would ship raw, unsealed seafood in their customer baggage compartment.

I should also admit that I wasn’t in a very good mood to start with. There was a bit of a third-world atmosphere in Saigon’s domestic airport before we even got on the plane. The places was dirty and unbecoming of the nation’s “top airport.” The pushing and shoving to board the plane, pushing and shoving on the plane, and pushing and shoving to get off the plane was typical of a Sunday Mekong wet market a small improvement on helicopter dash at the Saigon embassy circa 1975, but was a bit much on board and around an international aircraft.

I was none too pleased at being offered a drink on board either, and then presented with a surprise bill after it was in my lap. Did they mention the drinks beforehand that the drinks we would be handed weren’t free-perhaps in that garbled Engrish nobody could understand at the beginning? I don’t know.

But I digress, lets get back to the fish. When I exited the airplane and collected my luggage, I marveled at the smell in the airport. It was a New England bait house. Later, a Jetstar rep that I spoke with on the phone would remark “Yeah, I was there and smelled the fish too. It really stank.”

Little did I realize, however, until I boarded the bus and sat beside my luggage, that Jestar Airways had given me a souvenir. The top end of my bags too were soaked in bloody juices of raw fish, and the whole bus began to reek.

When I got to the Jetstar office in Hanoi I complained and was given the number of a Mr. Hoan. I was told that if I could him, he would clean my bag for free. When I got to my hotel I did call him, and his staff promised they’d clean the bag and bring it the next day. A day later Hoan’s people still didn’t know when they’d be returning my bag and I had to call jetstar several times before they confirmed they’d bring it by the next morning.

When my bag arrived however, it still reeked of fish. The idea that they’d drop it off and hope I wouldn’t smell it or say anything was more than a little insulting. I called Jetstar back and was told there was nothing they could do over the phone, but gave me an email address and told me maybe if I contacted customers service by email, they could help. I sent them an email. It bounced. The address was invalid. I found another on their website. It too bounced. So much for Jetstar customer service.

So what can we learn from this, other than Jetstar doesn’t seem to be a very nice airlines? Or the fact that what they did—allowing seafood to be shipped in the customer baggage compartment—may be illegal?

The experience reinforces a lot of things most of us know already—don’t keep valuables in Check-thru. Take 1 change of clothes and emergency items with you on carry-on. Buy travel insurance (which I didn’t this time). But additionally—take a foldable or collapsible duffle bag with you on extended trips. I usually do anyway so I can carry extra souvenirs. However, this time I forgot, and was stranded at my hotel while I waited for a bag to put everything in so I could check out. Also, put everything inside plastic bags in your luggage whenever possible—especially clothing and books. This protects against water seepage, or in the event that an international airlines carries a shipment of raw seafood in the baggage compartment. 

Vietnam Gossip Roundup

Lots of things brewing in Vietnam, as usual. Here’s a summary of some of the latest stories and hearsay buzzing around:

+Coming to Mui Ne:

The big talk lately has been about Circle K. Rumors are that the Korean convenience store chain will open 3 outlets along the strip, one of which will allegedly be at Hot Rock. While some are excited and others worried about the competition of a 24hr convenience store, I have a subdued outlook. Browsing the shelves of Circle K in Saigon, I find they have no unique merchandise (ie snacks) that I can’t at any other convenience store. Likewise, Circle K won’t be the first 24-hr venue or shop in town. So, welcome to town Circle K, but what can you offer us that’s new?

Coffee. Yep. For some time I’ve been speculating about which of the pricier coffee chains would make the first leap from Saigon to Mui Ne. I thought it might be the widely distributed Highlands Coffee, but I overheard a conversation of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf reps discussing the potential of a Mui Ne branch, among other city locations. I’m a fan of Coffee Bean, and a frequent customer in Saigon. Moving to Mui Ne will present some challenges though. For starters, the price… Coffee Bean’s prices are out-of-range for both locals and many expats, though visiting Saigonese and tourists can undoubtedly afford it.

+Coming to Saigon:

Earlier this year Subway (the “healthy” fast-food restaurant) suggested it would be coming to Vietnam in the summer. Well, summer has come and gone, but no Subway. Likewise, Starbucks expressed interest—but still no Starbucks—though few people realize and ice cream shop in Hung Vuong is actually an authorized seller of the coffee brand already. There has also been speculation about Burger King or McDonalds, and many have wondered why Swansen, Pizza Company, Dairy Queen and Dunkin Donuts haven’t arrived yet, since they are found in neighboring countries. Well, now we have something much better…

…but its not fast food. Rumors swirled after a blog post this summer alleged an overheard conversation that Bobby Chinn was opening a new Restaurant in Saigon. Bobby just confirmed over the weekend via Twitter that he is indeed getting ready to open a new restaurant in Saigon. More details later…

+America & Vietnam:

Good ol’ Hillary raised quite a ruckus on her previous visit to Vietnam when she formally stated America’s support for Vietnam’s side of the territorial dispute with China over offshore islands. Such a statement could never be made if there wasn’t some kind of special alliance brewing behind the scenes. Her return trip this week would seem to cement this speculation. Rumors are swirling wildly and while I think some of the ideas are a bit fantastical, there is no doubt that something major and unprecedented is developing, whether it be a new sort of cooperation between the military of both countries, or merely a diplomatic partnership. Further expansion of economic and commercial cooperation is a given.

+Violence Against Foreigners

Rumors of a series of suspicious foreigner deaths in Pham Ngu Lao have surfaced. It appears men who invite prostitutes into their rooms are being drugged and robbed, but on as many as 3 occasions, the victims were given an overdose and died. All the more reason for us not to invite strangers into our rooms.

Stories of escalating violent crime against foreigners are increasing. Attacks and armed robberies have been reported in Hanoi, Saigon and Mui Ne. There was also a suspicious death of a Canadian in Vung Tau over the summer. The family believes he may have been killed by a gang on motorbikes. As police have refused to release a police report to the family or the Canadian embassy, this has left room for dark suspicion.

Thankfully there are some signs that police and security at local shopping centers and hotels are beginning to take the threat seriously of the Filipino Mafia targeting tourists in Saigon. However, there have been testimonials of victims suggesting that the mafia’s methods are becoming more dangerous. Accounts of victims being drugged and threatened with violence are surfacing.