Location: Du Hang Pagoda is located at 121 Du Hang Street, Du Hang Kenh Ward, Le Chan District, Haiphong.

Characteristics: The pagoda is considered an ancient architectural relic of the city.  

The pagoda was built under the Ly Dynasty. It was later renovated in the 17^th century by Nguyen Dinh Sach, an officer of the imperial guard who resigned and became a Buddhist monk. In 1899, during the reign of King Thanh Thai, a monk by the name of Thong Hanh expanded the pagoda and built a bell tower. The existing pagoda resulted from the repair work carried out during that time.

Inside the pagoda are several statues that are intricately engraved in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty. Valuable relics, such as bronze tripods and gongs, are also kept in the pagoda.   

A group of scientists have discovered a new species of bat in the Cat Ba and Chu Mom Ray national parks of Vietnam.

A distinctive echolocation frequency led to the finding of a new species of bat within the genus Hipposideros. This bat is similar to the species Hipposideros armiger, differences in acoustics, size, and DNA between these bats led to the identification of the new species. This new member has been given the scientific name Hipposideros griffini.

The H. griffini bat has a smaller overall body size than its close cousin, H. armiger, and variations in the skull and teeth. Differences also appeared in the mitochondrial DNA collected from these bats. The echolocation frequencies of the new species range from 76.6 to 79.2 kHz, which is higher than frequencies of several H. armiger subspecies, which range from 64.7 to 71.4 kHz. Additional evidence shows that these two species are occupying the same geographical region yet have retained their separate identities.

Dr. Vu Dinh Thong, a member of the research group, who comes from the Institute of Ecology and Bioresources of Vietnam, said that the new species of bat is named after the late professor Donald Redfield Griffin, of Rockefeller University in New York. Griffin was a leader in and essential contributor to bat echolocation research, which was key to identifying H. griffini as a new species. The proposed common name for this bat is “Griffin’s leaf-nosed bat.”

The new species was found at Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam and in Chu Mom Ray National Park, situated on the mainland more than 600 miles (1,000 km) to the south. H. griffini joins about 70 other species within the genus Hipposideros.

This discovery was the result of cooperation among experts of Vietnam’s Institute of Ecology and Bio-resources, Germany’s Tuebingen University, Britain’s Harrison Institute, the Dublin University of Ireland and the Hungarian Natural History Museum

Location: Do Son Beach is situated in Do Son Dist., 20km from the southwest of Haiphong City, about 120km from Hanoi.

Characteristics: Do Son Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Vietnam.  

Do Son is a small peninsula located between the Lach Tray and Van Uc Rivers. Do Son beaches are shaded by thousands of sandalwood trees and surrounded by mountains and Pine Hills.

Immediately upon setting foot in Haiphong, the French turned Do Son into a summer resort for their expatriate community and the Vietnamese upper class. Today, Do Son is alive with tourists from all over the world. They mainly come here to spend time on the beach, relax, and hike.