ExclusiveTam Cốc — Golden rice fields by the thousand-year-old Capital | Vietnam Within Us

Dear friends, today on Vietnam Within Us, join us on a visit to a land known as Ha Long Bay on land. That place is Tam Coc. The beauty of Tam Coc comes from the Ngo Dong River, winding smoothly through layers of towering From mid-May to June, the lush green fields along both riverbanks transform into a brilliant golden carpet. That scenery creates a wild, majestic beauty of the mountains and the peaceful, poetic charms of the Vietnamese countryside. This is not merely a place to admire the scenery, but also a place to experience the harmonious connection between nature and people. Sitting on a small bamboo boat, you will find yourself drifting slowly, with mossy rock walls on one side and a sea of rice stalks leaning into one another on the other. The rowers here have a special way of rowing. They yield their feet, leaving their hands free to point out a herd of goats climbing the rocky cliffs, a cluster of purple water lilies blooming in the middle of the river, or a flock of storks just taking flight. As the boat slips into a cave, everything grows dark, and all you can hear is the gentle sound of water lapping against the side of the boat. Then at the end of the cave, light bursts through again, opening up a new landscape, brighter and more expansive. As you travel between those silent cliffs, a feeling arises that is hard to name. This place is not only beautiful, it feels incredibly deep and vast. That feeling is no coincidence. All of this scenery, the mountains, the river, the caves, and the fields belong to the Chang An Scenic Landscape Complex, one of the few heritage sites in the world recognized by both its natural beauty and its cultural depth. To truly appreciate that depth, we need to move closer to the mountains that once formed an ancient capital. Not far from Tam Coc, hidden among limestone peaks on every side, lies the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, the first capital of Dai Co Viet, the first centralized feudal state in Vietnamese history. Over a thousand years ago, on this very land, Dinh Bo Linh brought an end to the turmoil unifying the country and established Dai Co Viet. The mountains that seem like simple scenery today were once natural fortress walls protecting an entire dynasty. Standing before the temples of King Dinh and King Le, listening to the wind passing through the ancient tile roof, we come to realize something very simple. The river, the mountains, and the fields out there are more than just beautiful, they are the quiet witnesses cradling the roots of a nation. The ancients chose this place as their capital not only for its strategic terrains but also because they knew how to live in harmony with the mountains and river, relying on nature rather than fighting against it. Perhaps that is also the message Tam Coc and Hoa Lu wish to share with us today. The most lasting beauty of a land lies not in outer glamour but in the harmony between humanity and nature, and between the present and our roots. Dear friends, each golden rice season in Tam Coc comes and goes, only to return again. And if you ever have a chance, take a seat in one of those small bamboo boats, let yourself drift slowly through the golden valley, and feel how beautiful our country truly is.