People also talk a lot about Mongolia because of the heroic history of Genghis Khan, who entered into legend as a living symbol of courage and a leader with outstanding military strategy.
With the 19th largest territory in the world but only 1/3 of the population of Hanoi, the people amidst the vast wild nature are always full of wonder, attracting many tourists who love to explore here.
Wanting to explore on our own, we went to the dormitory at the University of Civil Engineering, where there were a number of Mongolian students studying in Vietnam to find out.
The capital Ulanbator welcomed us in bright sunshine.
The first destination and also one of the oldest religious symbols: Amarbayasgalant monastery.
Although it is a country of green steppes, Mongolia is also a land of warm colors and decorative patterns that are both sophisticated and contain many philosophical views.
The central part of the monastery remains intact, but all tanka (wall paintings), statues and Buddhist scripture manuscripts have almost been lost.
When meeting the novice monks studying in the main hall, Zolo whispered and instructed us to follow him solemnly around, stopping in front of each novice monk with his hands clasped and his head bowed to be blessed with a prayer book to touch his head.
After visiting the temple, we began our journey along the steppe.
We continuously drifted on the sea of land with waves of floating land covered with colorful flowers and grass.
We stretched our bodies out of the car door to inhale the clear, light air, watching the eagles flying in the sky to feel a sense of freedom.
The car carrying us along the steppe rarely drove on paved roads but always ran on grass, next to herds of horses, sheep and flowers.
The sand dunes stretching golden under the sunlight are as beautiful as a fantasy movie scene, giving us a feeling of freedom and openness.
One place not to be missed when coming to Mongolia is Khuvsgul Lake, the deepest lake in Central Asia containing more than 1% of the world’s fresh water.
We chose the Khatgal Ger Camp area right at the entrance to the lake and rented a tent to enjoy the nomadic feeling for only 30,000 Tugrik (500,000 VND)/tent for 6 people.
You should spend at least 2 days to visit by wooden boat or by road to the reindeer herders’ village.
Luckily, when we arrived at the reindeer farming village, the Nadam festival began here with exciting competitions, the most attractive of which was still wrestling.
July is the season of festivals in Mongolia.
Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (White Lake) and Khorgo volcano are another interesting place to visit.
When we left here, we felt like we had just stepped out of a fairyland, waiting for the day we could return.
Tourist information
Go:
Road:
+ Bus from Hanoi – Nam Ninh departs from Tran Nhat Duat: ticket price 500,000 VND
+ Train from Nanning – Beijing, buy tickets at Nanning.
+ Sleeper bus from Beijing – Erlian (Nhi Lien) purchased at the bus station.
+ Train from Erlian – Ulanbator (you need to exchange Tugruk money to pay the entry fee, which is done right on the train).
Air:
+ Fly directly to Ulanbator from Hanoi via Korea
+ Fly from Hanoi – Beijing (direct flight or transit via Hong Kong) and continue on the road trip.
Stops:
Darkhan Hotel (mongolianhotels. net/darkhan-uul-hotels).
Quite comfortable homestay for local people near White Lake Khatagal Ger Camp at Khuvsgul lake – Tel: 9811 0130 or 9810 0130.
Eat and drink:
Any popular restaurant has: lamb rice, lamb donuts, lamb noodles (a form of fresh noodles), soup with vegetarian dumplings.
Utensils necessary:
The time of the Nadam festival is June and July, the highest temperature of the year is about 25-30 degrees, the night temperature drops sharply and can drop to 0 degrees in mountainous or lake areas.
Tour:
You should book a tour because not many Mongolians know English or other foreign languages, the land is vast and the roads are unclear, so if you don’t have a local person accompanying you, it will be easy to get lost.