Bonsai (Cay Canh) in Vietnam

Bonsai Landscapes in Vietnam - Hon Non Bo

Bonsai garden at Binh Hoa Phuoc Island - Vinh Long

Bonsai in Hue

Bonsai in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Thanh Tam Nursery
Bonsai Garden in Hoc Mon
Bonsai and Silk Embroidery Pictures

Bonsai in Nha Trang
Temple of the large Buddha Bonsai Garden
Bonsai Garden Restaurant - Nha Trang

Bonsai Garden Restaurant - Le Thanh Ton

The Vietnam Natural and Traditional Beauty Association (SIVACAVINA)

Useful Information about Vietnam Bonsai

Bonsai (Cay Canh) in Vietnam

The Vietnamese climate is defined as tropical and subtropical. It has humid summers and relatively dry winters. The average rainfall is about 1,500 mm. Trees in pots are very common in entrances to hotels, office buildings, shops, around monuments and balconies. We were impressed by the vast Bonsai activity all over the country, especially in the big cities and their suburbs.

Most of the Bonsai in Vietnam can not be compared to the classic Japanese Style Bonsai and is more like the Chinese styles. It is much bigger than the Japanese average tree size and the style is not as strict. The size of the trees and pots is rather big compared with the classic Bonsai and many can probably be better defined as potted landscape trees.

Bonsai selling points are vastly spread along the main roads selling Yamadori which is sold as raw collected material at reasonable prices and Monbo Seikei stones used for stone gardens are sold as raw material. Several Bonsai books based on classic styles were available in Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Bonsai Contacts
More about Bonsai in Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Hoi-An, Ho-Chi Minh City and Vietnamese Contacts are on the above link about Bonsai in Vietnam.

DONG SON School of Bonsai)
Although the DONG SON School of Bonsai is located in Belgium, it specialises in Vietnamese Bonsai Art. There is more information, articles, styles and contacts - about Bonsai in Vietnam

The Vietnam Natural and Traditional Beauty Association (SIVACAVINA)
The Vietnam Natural and Traditional Beauty Association (SIVACAVINA) was established in 1989, and provides a forum for people who are interested in the arts of Bonsai and Suiseki. It has 15,000 members with branches in most cities and provinces throught out the country, and hopes to build friendship among the people of the world through the art of Bonsai.

Vietnamese Bonsai Landscapes - Hon Non Bo and Tieu Canh

Hon Non Bo, are a complete mountain scene in miniature, these are often an island mountain scene, in a shallow concrete container with water to represent the sea. In Vietnamese, Hon means Island, Non means mountain, and Bo an artful combination of water, mountain range and forest. Hon Non Bo is a mountain landscape reduced in scale, usually set in an area of the sea close to the shore, often with full, lush vegetation.

The inspiration for Hon Non Bo comes from the real world and from cultural beliefs. Making a modern day Hon Non Bo builds on and continues a long tradition of interest in and the belief of the power of rocks and the beauty of mountains and plants. Throughout Vietnamese history, Hon Non Bo have been built by emperors, kings, generals, and other important people as monuments, decorations, personal vistas, and cultural icons.

In Hon Non Bo, the rocks are arranged always to look like a mountain or a range of mountains and have features that make it different from other forms of living art. Hon Non Bo are designed to be seen from all sides so the mountain must look good not just from four sides but also from the top.

Tieu canh are mini scenes. The Vietnamese people also enjoy mini scenes and miniature plants, both of which have a close relationship to miniature landscapes. The difference between a mini scene and a miniature landscape is that in a mini scene, the trees must be higher and bigger than the rock, which functions as the background for the trees. A mini scene is part of a more complete landscape. For instance, a steep cliff, a cave, a beach, a bank of the river or stream or a lake, and so on are subjects of mini scenes. The tree in a mini scene is usually in a bending, inclining or growing-down positionand have to be old, weather-beaten and faint.

I would like to thank Lew Buller, Lit Phan and Mai Dinh for allowing me to present this information here. Please click on the above link to see more about Hon Non Bo.

Bonsai garden at Binh Hoa Phuoc Island - Vinh Long

Just a short boat ride from Vinh Long, is Binh Hoa Phuoc Island. The boat ride to this island paradise is full of photo opportunities; red-eyed boats piled impossibly high with rice move downriver, a "long-tail" filled with produce putts by on its way to the local market, a lady in a conical hat stands in the aft of a boat effortlessly rowing with the current.

On shore we visit a beautiful bonsai garden; and, even though it is a popular tourist destination, I feel that we are their long-awaited guests - their only guests. Wandering through the garden we discuss the differences between the Japanese-style bonsai featuring miniature trees and the Vietnamese bonsai. Here are larger, flowering bonsai presented in pairs. The owner greets us with a big smile as he offers his hand in welcome. I just know he and his family have been waiting for us... just us. We are invited into his house for some tea and wine. My husband is offered snake wine that is politely declined as we vividly recall the bottles of wine we have seen with snakes coiled up in the bottom.

A plate of fruit accompanies the wine. In Vietnam we discover a whole new world of fruit: the crimson-skinned dragon fruit, jack fruit and longans from the same family as litchis. All wonderful new taste treats. I add my business card to the hundreds of others under the glass covering the table, amazed that so many people have found this garden paradise.

Mr. Giao's house and Bonsai garden - Vinh Long - this could be the same place as above ?

Rent a boat and travel on the Mekong 30 minutes from Vinh Long to Mr. Giao's house and Bonsai garden, known as Artist Nguyen Thanh Giao (Binh Thuan II Hamlet, Hoa Ninh Village, Vinh Long Province; no phone); have dinner on the veranda and spend the night amid the orchids.

Garden houses of Hue - "nha roi" and "nha ruong"

The Ancient Capital of Hue is preserving a special type of architecture which is not available in other localities in Vietnam, Garden houses. They are wooden houses, elaborately carved and decorated, located in the middle of large gardens with beautiful Bonsai and old trees' all year round shadow. In terms of structure, the garden house itself is called "nha roi" (one chamber - house) or "nha ruong" (three chamber - house). A garden house of Hue usually consists of a main entrance, sub entrances, a screen at front yard, a rockery, a small aquarium. In addition to the main building in the middle of the garden, there are several dwellings and a water well for daily use. Hue garden houses used to be the living places of royal relatives, royal officials, elite families, poets, and writers during the time when Hue was serving as the Capital of the whole country.

Thien Mu Pagoda - Perfume River Cruise - Hue

Built on a hill overlooking the Perfume River, it is one of Vietnam's most famous structures. Built in 1844, the 70-foot high tower has seven stories and has become the unofficial symbol of Hue. The gardens behind the Pagoda have many orchids and Bonsai trees.

There is also a Bonsai garden restaurant in Hue

Thanh Tam Nursery - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

I visited Ms. Hoang Ni at the Thanh Tam Nursery. The place is a gem. Some very fine bonsai are displayed and are for sale. Could not help myself and purchased several trees but they apparently were lost in shipment prior to their arrival in the USA.The address as far as I can determine is: 8/2 Thuan Kieu Hamlet (Tan Thoi Nhat Village - Hoc Mon); Tel. 920779.
This information supplied by Walter Chavin who visited Vietnam in 1998, you can see some of these Bonsai by clicking on the above link.

Bonsai and Silk Embroidery Pictures - One place in Saigon that is worth visiting has displays of Bonsai and Silk embroidery pictures. Make sure you ring first. The address is: A13/32 Hung Vuong, An Lac, Binh Chanh Ho Chi Minh City. Phone:87544345 or mobile:090805545

Bonsai Garden in Sa Dec - Head south from Ho Chi Minh City and spend the morning strolling through a garden of unusually sculptured shrubbery and Bonsai plants.

Temple of the large Buddha Bonsai Garden - Nha Trang

When visiting Nha Trang, the seacoast 'Riviera', the temple of the large Buddha has a Bonsai garden adjoining it. Unfortunately the garden is locked and not open to the public as it a refuge for the lamas, but this may be woth pursuing if you are in the area as I found a lama who spoke English beautifully and he was kind enough to permit me enter the garden and photograph the trees. Unfortunately, the tree were not in shape to have their photos taken, but the visit was very worth while to me and the lamas were very kind. This information supplied by Walter Chavin who visited Vietnam in 1998, you can see some of these Bonsai by clicking on the above link.

Bonsai Garden Restaurant - Nha Trang - A delicious dinner can be had at the Bonsai restaurant at 62 Tran Phu. Nha Trang, it is a place to rest and relax and to digest all the previous experiences and impressions of Vietnam.

Bonsai Garden Restaurant - in the Tinh Gia Vien at Le Thanh Ton, Madame Ha prepares unforgettable dishes in a Bonsai garden. Prices for a menu are USD 7 to 8. Phone in the morning to reserve for the evening. Tel 822243.

Bonsai Garden in Long An, South Vietnam - ask at the Long An Tourist Bureau, Address: 60-62, Nguyen Trung Truc, Long An - Phone: (8472)26388, 26425