NAM ET-PHOU LOUEY NATIONAL PARK
THE UNSPOILED FOREVER MOUNTAIN

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The Triö of the Cau Maa people (the Livistona cochinchinensis) is a tall palm tree in the Palmaceae family. In Cau Maa country, it is found in the swampy and wooded lowlands throughout the Middle Dong Nai basin and its tributaries, including the Daa' Rtih, Daa 'Kar and Daa' Rkeh. Its tallest specimens grow in the Pröng, the current Cat Tien National Park. The Triö is a local branch of the Taraw (Livistona saribus), a palm tree found in the forests of Borneo, Cambodia, Java, Laos, Polynesia, Thailand, and Yunnan.

The Triö is typically between 20 and 30 meters high (sometimes reaching up to 40 m), with a trunk between 15 and 65 cm in diameter. It is distinguished by the remarkable clear greenery of its long palms and low palms covered with brownish and sharp spines up to 60 mm long. The Triö has yellow flowers that develop in clusters and brilliant bluish-violet lobed fruits that are spherical or oval in shape. The pictorial language of the Cau Maa sometimes compares the Triö to a young lady: difficult to access since it grows in muddy marshes covered by dense and thorny vegetation, but at the same time beautiful with magnificent, shiny smooth fronds



           

NAM DINH 
VIETNAM'S CATHOLIC HEARTLAND 5

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Nam Dinh, a coastal province in the Red River Delta, has been the cradle of Catholicism in Vietnam since the 1500s. Peppered among verdant rice fields and massive salt fields are an array of splendid churches, each with a unique architecture reflecting the wealth and unwavering faith of its sub-denominational clan. Heavily influenced by Spanish and French Gothic architecture and built to monumental scale, the churches create a surreal skyline of grandiose cathedral spires. Nam Dinh is home to the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in Vietnam and together with its neighboring province Ninh Binh, remain the largest concentration of devout Catholics in the country.

The history of Catholicism in Vietnam is an important piece of modern Vietnamese history that has long been overlooked and under-preserved. It was first introduced to Vietnam in early 1500s by Portuguese missionaries and then broadly popularized in the 17th century with the arrival of French Jesuits. The growing influence of Catholicism during this period made indispensable contributions to Vietnam as nation. An example is the work of Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit who created the modern Vietnamese alphabet from the Latin script, developing what is now the official writing system
 

THE THREATENED, MARVELOUS 
ASIAN BLACK BEAR 5

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of Quoc Ngu, Vietnam’s national language. Despite persecution of Catholics throughout history, the Church’s presence continued to grow, and Catholicism became the second most popular religion in Vietnam after Buddhism. Today, there are approximately 6 million Catholics in Vietnam, making up 7% of Vietnamese population.

Revel in an unconventional journey into the Catholic heartland of Vietnam to understand how the religion made its way into the life of Red River Delta’s riverside villages. Starting from the magnificent Phat Diem cathedral, visit the ancient Buddhist pagoda of Co Le featuring Vietnamese traditional architecture with European Gothic elements. Enjoy a bike trip through the charming coastal countryside to a village known for its brass instruments and stumble upon its elaborate local church. Meet the villagers, who are farmers in the fields and craftsmen at home; over the years they have mastered the art of traditional brass instrument making and have formed an orchestra that plays at local religious events. End the excursion with an enigmatic sunset by an abandoned church. Once a meticulously designed religious monument, now only its graceful frame and bell tower remain on the shoreline at the place where sea, sand and wind meet