Chua Mot Cot or the One Pillar Pagoda has become the symbol of Vietnamese rich culture and history. The pagoda was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054). According to legend, in his dream, in 1049, the king saw a vision of Phat Ba Quan Am - Kwan Yin. She led him to a shrine in the middle of a lotus pond. When he woke up, he consulted with his court and decided to replicate the shrine in his dream to dedicate it to Kwan Yin. The One Pillar Pagoda resembles a giant lotus blossom.

Unlike Dau Go cave, Bo Nau cave is not as deep and large. Looking out from the cave the visitor can enjoy the scenic beauty of Ha Long. The clear blue water with rocky formations rising forms a picturesque setting. Bo Nau is a compound word derived from two words, bo cau meaning pigeon and nau meaning brown. Bo Nau literally means brown pigeon. For some reason, many foreign translations refer to this cave as Pelican cave.

According to the fishermen in this region, long ago, when there were still few visitors, Bo Nau cave was home to thousands of pigeons. Today as more visitors and people begin to inhabit the surrounding islands, the pigeons have left until only the name Bo Nau remains out of habit of the local fishermen.

Chua Huong (Perfume pagoda) is located in Huong son (Perfume mountain) 70 km southwest of Hanoi. Chua Huong is not one temple but a cluster of temples and shrines in the general vicinity of Huong son. The pagoda(s) are located in My Duc hamlet in the province of Ha Tay. According to the book, Huong Son Thien Tru Pha, Huong Tich temple was built during the reign of Le Chinh Hoa (1680-1705), by a monk who happened on the site on his way to search for enlightenment. Other shrines and temples were later built in this area to take advantage of the beautiful scenery in this area.

Perfume pagoda has a long history in Vietnamese literature. This temple, its name, has been a theme of many songs, topic of poetry, used in literary works as well as backdrops for paintings. The uniqueness of Huong Son is that the mountains, river and forest appears like an oasis for buddhists in the middle of the great plains of northern Vietnam. This location truly incorporates all the elements of beauty that is often used in Eastern philosophy and arts.

For some, this one-hour boat ride on the Yen Vi river is the highlight of the trip. It is also the source of inspiration of many famous poems.