Travel Vietnamese attraction tourist

Vung Tau city beach

While Vung Tau may not be my favourite place in Vietnam, it makes for a very quick escape from the city. With a ticket on the hydrofoil from Ho Chi Minh City costing just over $10 and taking just over an hour you can escape the big smoke and be on the beach long before you go stir crazy.

Despite a slightly seedy reputation (famous for being the place where they caught Gary Glitter) its not a bad place to get away when you’re short on time and can’t face the journey to Mui Ne. Once a popular destination for the colonial French the town is overlooked by a huge statue of Jesus on top of a nearby hill, similar to the one that looks out over Brazil.

The town itself looks out onto a pretty harbour full of brightly painted blue fishingboats typical of southern Viet Nam.

To the right of the bay is a road that snakes around the coast beneath Jesus’ feet, leading to a huge long beach bustling with fellow escapees from Saigon, where there are many restaurants, cafes and hotels.

If you follow the road to the right you will find a far quieter bay, with two huge statues on the hill - one of Mary holding Jesus, and further down the coast a huge statue of Buddha.

Food, drink and accomodation in Vung Tau is all pretty cheap and there are some great deals to be had. There is also a wide range of accommodation from high quality hotels to cheap guesthouses and homestays which can be had for under $10 a night.

Eating in Hue city

Trying delicious local specialties like bun bo Hue should be a big part of your Vietnam travel

The cuisine of Hue draws from throughout Vietnam, but the city is known in particular for its vegetarianism. Several all-vegetarian restaurants are scattered in various corners of the city to serve the locals who, as part of their Buddhist beliefs, have a strong tradition of eating vegetarian twice a month.

The most famous local dish is bun bo Hue, a noodle soup served with slices of beef and lashings of chili oil. Another tasty local treat is sesame candy (me xung), which is peanutty, chewy and and cheap.

Nem Lui is a dish of sweet, minced pork around bamboo sticks grilled over hot coals. Banh Khoai is a pancake filled with bean sprouts, shrimp and pork, and Bun Thit Nuong is delicious barbecued pork served with vegetables and noodles.

A woman selling fruit in Hue; buying food from vendors can be as much of cultural experience as eating in local restaurants

Places you should visit in Ha Noi

As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is the cultural center of Vietnam. Despite the battles that have raged around it, Hanoi retains much of its historic charm. Hanoi boasts more cultural sites than any city in Vietnam, including over 600 pagodas and temples and some delightful French colonial buildings.

• The Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem Lake, is a thriving, chaotic tangle of streets dating to the 13th century. Each street was originally home to merchants specializing in a particular trade, such as jewelry, silver, baskets, and silks, and the street names today reflect these industries, even if the same products are no longer offered there. The Old Quarter is still famous for its artisans and merchants. Look for the guild houses dotting the area, whose tranquil courtyards and temples offer a nice break from the busy streets. The Dong Xuan market, the city’s largest, is found in the heart of the district and is open for business every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening, with a huge variety of clothing, souvenirs and food for sale.

  The Old Quarter is most enjoyable when you put away your map and simply wander the maze of lanes, soaking up the cultural essence of Hanoi.



The red roofs of Hanoi’s Old Quarter make for a charming skyline

• Lakes: Hanoi has many scenic lakes and is sometimes called “City of Lakes,” the most famous of which are Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Halais Lake, and Bay Mau Lake. At Hoan Kiem Lake you can join in on a martial arts session, do some tai chi exercises, or simply stroll. West Lake, the largest lake in Hanoi, is the city’s Beverly Hills, with many trendy restaurants and clubs in the area. It’s also home to Vietnam’s oldest pagoda, Tran Quoc, which was built in the 6th century on an island in the middle of the lake. A boddhi tree seeded from the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment grows in the courtyard.



The imposing pagoda of Tran Quoc

• French colonial architecture: Hanoi was the capital of French Indonchina from 1887 to 1954, and the city retains some beautiful colonial buildings from that period. Good examples include the Grand Opera House, the State Bank of Vietnam (formerly the Bank of Indochina), the Presidential Palace (formerly the palace of the governor-general of French Indochina), the Cathédrale St-Joseph, and historic hotel Sofitel Metropole.



The Presidential Palace, built between 1901 and 1906, was the home of the French governor-general of Indochina. For symbolic reasons, Ho Chi Minh refused to live in it

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: Ho Chi Minh City in the south may have his name, but only Hanoi has the man himself, embalmed and dressed in distinctly Lenin-esque fashion. No talking, short pants, or other signs of disrespect are allowed while viewing; photos of the large concrete-and-granite structure are permitted only from outside, in the grand Ba Dinh Square.



Reminiscent of Lenin’s tomb in Red Square, Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum reflects his venerated status in Vietnam

• Ho Chi Minh Museum: Right around the corner from the mausoleum, this gleaming white museum and its gloriously ham-handed iconography are the perfect chaser to the solemnity of the mausoleum. The museum displays personal items and photos from Ho Chi Minh’s life, housed in a building, completed in 1990, which is intended to evoke a white lotus.
• Ho Chi Minh’s residence: Rather than occupy the spectacular Presidential Palace, former home of the French colonial governor, Ho instead chose to live nearby in a traditional Vietnamese house on stilts, overlooking a small pond. He was resident here from 1958 to his death in 1969.



Ho Chi Minh’s presence is felt everywhere in Hanoi. Today, he’s revered less for his socialist ideals and more for his leadership in unifying and liberating Vietnam .

• One-Pillar Pagoda: First built in 1049, the One-Pillar Pagoda honors Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the goddess of mercy.



It can be mobbed by tourists, but One-Pillar Pagoda is well worth a visit

• The Temple of Literature, an excellent example of Chinese and Vietnamese architecture, was founded in 1070 to honor the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It was established as the country’s first university six years later. The courtyard features 82 stone tablets, each mounted on the back of a carved tortoise, with the names of graduates from the years 1484 to 1780.



The Temple of Literature is not only an interesting sight but a great place to take a break from the hectic city

• Hoa Lo Prison (“The Hanoi Hilton”): Built by the French at the turn of the 20th century, this is where the French imprisoned and executed many Vietnamese during the war for independence. Later, the prison was used to hold U.S. prisoners of war, including U.S Senator John McCain. The prison is now a museum highlighting the struggle of the Vietnamese people against imperialism.
• Army Museum: This museum celebrates the role of the Vietnamese Army in the country’s battles for independence. In addition to historic photos, there are numerous bombs, aircraft, guns and tanks on display, including one of the tanks that charged through the gates of the presidential palace in Saigon on April 30, 1975, an event which marked the end of the Vietnam War.



Military history buffs especially will enjoy the Army Museum

• Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts: For visitors with an interest in the arts, this museum, housed in a beautiful colonial building, is a must-see. There’s a nice mix of Vietnamese traditional crafts such as lacquerware and silk painting, as well as some impressive historic artifacts. One highlight is an 11th century statue of the goddess of mercy, Kouan Yin, with a thousand arms and eyes. There are explanations in English.
• Vietnam Museum of Ethnology: Vietnam is home to 53 ethnic minorities, and this museum sheds light on their history and culture. In back of the museum are re-constructions of traditional village homes.

Although auto traffic is growing in Hanoi, many residents still get around as these women do: on two wheels

Ninh BInh province

Ninh Binh has the pace of a large country town – a welcome respite if you’ve just escaped the bustle of Hanoi. Apart from the scrum of guesthouse owners greeting the trains, and the charming chorus of ‘Hello, how are you’ from the local children, you’ll largely be left alone as you wander the quiet streets. The surrounding countryside is gorgeous, confirming all the postcard fantasies of what Vietnam has to offer – water buffalos, golden-green rice paddies, majestic limestone for­mations and more. There are plenty of sights in the vicinity to justify a stay of several days. The only place of interest in the town itself is a large modern east-meets-west Cathedral (Ð Hoang Hoa Tham) near the train station. The best of backpacker culture can be experienced here. While not a difficult place to visit, Ninh Binh seems to attract interesting travellers with a zest for new experiences. It’s a great place to make travel buddies when you travel Vietnam.

Da Lat _ a different charming

Dalat is quite different from anywhere else you’ll visit in Vietnam. It’s cool but not like Sapa’s coolness, it’s serene but not like Ha Noi. You would almost be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into the French Alps in springtime. This was certainly how the former colonists treated it – escaping to their chalets to enjoy the cooler climate.

The French feel is compounded by a radio mast shaped like the Eiffel Tower and the local bohemian artists’ predilection for swanning around in berets. Dalat is small enough to remain charming, and the surrounding countryside is blessed with lakes, waterfalls, evergreen forests and gardens.

Local products include silk, garden vege­tables and flowers (especially beautiful hydrangeas), which are sold all over southern Vietnam. But the biggest contribution to the economy is tourism: more than 800, 000 domestic tourists and another 80, 000 foreigners visit here every year. It’s the country’s favourite honeymoon spot and still retains the final word in Vietnamese kitsch.

The Dalat area was once famous for hunting and a 1950s brochure boasted that ‘a two-hour drive from the town leads to several game-rich areas abounding in deer, roe, peacocks, pheasants, wild boar, black bear, wild caws, panthers, tigers, gaurs and elephants’. So successful were the hunters that all of the big game is now extinct. The closest you’ll get to the formerly diverse fauna are the taxidermied specimens about town.

The city’s population includes about 5000 members of hill tribes, which make up 33 distinct communities in Lam Dong province. Traditional dress can occasionally be spotted in the market places. Hill-tribe women of this area carry their infants on their backs in a long piece of cloth worn over one shoulder and tied in the front.

The City of Eternal Spring, Dalat’s temperature hovers between a pleasant 15°C (average daily minimum) to 24°C (average daily maximum). Effectively Dalat has two seasons – dry (December to March) and wet (April to November). Despite the mild temperatures, by the end of the dry season the lush green surrounds turn to brown. Even in the wet season, mornings normally remain dry – allowing time for sightseeing before the deluge begins.

Visiting Ba Be lake

Ba Be Lake is a place with some of the most wonderful sceneries in Vietnam . The lake is in Ba Be National Park, which is about 250km north of Hanoi. It is near Bo Lu and Pac Ngoi villages, the home of Tay ethnic people. It is a famous North Vietnam destination.

Ba Be itself is actually three smaller lakes joined together - Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng. The climate is cool with an average temperature of 22oC. The best time to visit the area is during the dry season, which is during winter and spring.

Ba Be Lake is on a limestone mountain, at a height of 150m above sea level - Being dubbed a “precious jade of Vietnam” and one of 500 lakes recognized as worthy of attention. Ba Be Lakes area has a lot to offer, including waterfalls, rivers, valleys, lakes, and caves all set amidst picturesque landscapes in a water surface area of 500ha. The area was established as a national preserved forest and tourist center in 1978.

Two outstanding features of Ba Be Lake are its original scenery and geological conditions. It is one of the few lakes in the world on a limestone mountain. Studies show that the region of karts has been in existence for 450 million years. After millions of years, the limestone has been transformed into unique scenery for the lake.

Around the lakes are primeval forests and mountain peaks with the height of more than 1,000m. Moreover, they are surrounded by many ancient trees, from which several varieties of precious wood are obtained. Up to 30 animal species such as wild pigs, bears, panthers, monkeys, and birds inhabit the area.
The surface of the lake was tranquil - a beauty spot if ever there was one, in this land of so much beauty. Seen from above, the lake shrinks in the middle and looks like a corridor between cliffs. In the center of the lake, there are islets with many species of orchids and birds. The lake has an abundant source of freshwater aquatic animals, with precious kinds of fish such as giant carp.

Once being there, travelers will have an unforgettable stay in the mountains by the lakes, enjoying lovely sightseeing boat trips on the lake or visit nearby tourist places in the national park such as Tien Pond, Po Gia Mai Island, Puong Cave and Dau Dang Waterfall. If travelling Ba Be at the time of Long Tong Festival on the 10th and 11th days of the first lunar month, you can see traditional games, performances of martial arts, and the horn dance of Tay , Dao, Mong, Nung and Kinh tribal groups.

In 1995, at the world freshwater lake conference in the United States , Ba Be Lake was recognized as one of 20 special freshwater lakes in the world that should be protected. In September, 2005, the Vietnamese Government had its officials apply for world natural heritage site recognition for the lake

The old street Hoi An

The ancient town of Hoi An, 30 km south of Danang, lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Occupied by early western traders, Hoi An was one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century.
Hoi An has a distinct Chinese atmosphere with low, tile-roofed houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets still remains almost intact. All the houses were made of rare wood, decorated with lacquered boards and panels engraved with Chinese characters. Pillars were also carved with ornamental designs.

Tourists can visit the relics of the Sa Huynh and Cham cultures. They can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the romantic Hoi An River, Cua Dai Beach, and Cham Island.

Over the last few years, Hoi An has become a very popular tourist destination in Vietnam.

In a wood-fronted shops a woman in traditional dress sits at a desk, bathed in the light of a lantern made from a simple bamboo fish-trap. Outside, two old men are absorbed in a candlelit game of Chinese checkers. These scenes, straight out of the 19th century, still take place in Hoi An, a sleepy riverside town in the central province of Quang Nam.

Hoi An has long been a cultural crossroad. More than five centuries ago the Vietnamese nation of Dai Viet expanded its territory southwards, encroaching on the Indianized Kingdom of Champa, which covered much of what is now central Vietnam. Hoi An, located on the Hoai River, emerged when Japanese and Chinese traders built a commercial district there in the 16th century. Travelling Hoi An you will find it different from travelling Ha Noi or travelling Ho Chi Minh. It is a famous tourist attraction of central Vietnam.

These diverse cultural influences remain visible today. Visitors will find Hoi An’s Old Quarter lined with two-storey Chinese shops, their elaborately carved wooden facades and moss-covered tile roofs having withstood the ravages of more than 300 years of weather and warfare. These proud old buildings, which back onto the river, remind visitors of another era, when Hoi An’s market was filled with wares from as far afield as India and Europe. Colourful guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian provinces, stand quietly, a testament to the town’s trading roots.

While Hoi An’s old-fashioned charm is always visible, on the 14th of every lunar month modernity takes another step back. On these evenings the town turns off its street lamps and fluorescent lights, leaving the Old Quarter bathed in the warm glow of coloured silk, glass and paper lanterns. In ancient times, Vietnamese people made lamps out of shallow bowls filled with oil. Later, foreign traders introduced lanterns, ranging from round and hexagonal designs from China to diamond and star shaped ones from Japan.

Let there be light

When developing plans to preserve their town’s ancient character, Hoi An residents decided to revive the practice of using coloured lanterns. Starting in the fall of 1998, one night each month is declared a “lantern festival”. On the 14th day of each lunar month, residents on Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Le Loi and Bach Dang streets switch off their lights and hang cloth and paper lanterns on their porches and windows. Television sets, radios, street lights and neon lights are turned off.

In the ensuing quiet the streets of Hoi An are at their most romantic, the darkness broken only by jeweltoned lanterns in all manner of shapes and sizes.

Strolling through the lantern-lit streets is like walking into a fairytale. It is all the more picturesque since motor vehicles are banned from Hoi An’s Old Quarter. On Trai Phu Street, stop at the beautifully preserved Faifo Restaurant to sample some traditional Chinese-style pastries. Or walk on to the Treated Café, where bamboo baskets, commonly used to wash rice, have been transformed into unique lanterns. These basket lamps are but one example of people’s creativity as they experiment with new shapes and materials, including lights made from hollow bamboo tubes.

A Warm Glow

The 14th day of the lunar month is a Buddhist day of worship. Residents place offerings of food and incense on their ancestral altars and visit one of Hoi An’s many pagodas. The scent of incense and the sounds of people singing add to the town’s enchanted atmosphere. On these evenings, visitors will get a rare glimpse into another era. These nights are a welcome reminder of life’s unexpected beauty.

Mekong delta _ the things you should know

Earth and Water

In Vietnamese, you refer to the land of Vietnam as “Đất Nước Việt Nam”, litterally “Vietnam’s Land and Water”, which does evoke the major role that the river and its delta play in everyday life.

Fantastic Mékong

The Delta shows varied landscapes: from ricefields to shaded coconut tree woods, to mangrove, to orchards, interspersed with timeless villages with their handicraft and even traditional industries of fruit drying, sugar cane processing, brick cooking…

Natural extension of the Mekong basin, the Delta is essentially made of the silt drained by the river. The Mekong may carry up to a few kilograms of dry earth per cubic meter of water during the periods of high waters, that go and fertilize the whole delat area.

The flow of the Mekong inverts back all the way up to Cambodia with the tide, hinting at a very flat slope. One may thus figure out the formidable volume of water in the Mekong, whose peak flow reaches 150,000 tons of water per second.Because of its beauty, Mekong delta become one of famous destiantion of South Vietnam travel.

The evaporation of the river and flooded areas, as well as the lush vegetation, have a noticeable effect on the climate of the Delta, which is especially nice. The temperature in the Delta is always a few degrees less than in Ho Chi Minh city, although the city is very near.

Rural life

Far from the pace of the city, the rhythm of life is that of a rich and bountiful nature, and even if fieldwork is hard work, it is gratifying labour, as both earth and water bring into the peasant’s basket rice and fruit, fish and shrimps.

It is a hard life, lived by the peasants, but also a quality life, all made of attention and care for the fields, the stock and the village community. The animals are well treated, and often will one see stables covered with a mosquito net.

The same is true of the warmth of the welcome. In the Delta, you will often be invited for some tea or even for some fruit by the peasants.

Vietnam’s rice basket

The Mekong Delta is the most ecologically productive land in Vietnam.

Half of the rice of the country is produced in the Delta in three crops per year, as well as hundreds of thousands of tons of catfish, sugar cane, fruit and vegetables.

This formidable production —Vietnam is the second largest rice exporter in the world— is still today mainly made by hand, according to traditional techniques.

Life in the delta is still rhythmed by nature.

and besides Mekong delta is a place producing much rice, each year it attrach many visitors take part in Mekong delta package tour.

Conquering Fansipan

Fansipan or Fan Si Pan (Phan Xi Păng in Vietnamese) is a mountain in Vietnam, the highest in Indochina, at 3 143 m. It is located in the Lào Cai province in Nothwest Vietnam, 9 km southwest of Sapa Township in the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range. Fansipan is dubbed “the Roof of Indochina”; it is to be approved as one of the very few ecotourist spots of Vietnam, with about 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.

The topography of Fansipan is varied. Muong Hoa Valley, at the lowest altitude (950 to 1 000m), is created by a narrow strip of land at the base on the east side of the mountain. It can be climbed in a steep and fairly strenuous hike.

Fansipan Tourism Tour companies will arrange hikes to the summit taking from one to three days. Most will recommend taking the two- or three-day options and guides who will take tourists on the round trip in a single day are few and far between.

A very small village is located at around 1 500 m where accommodation and food is offered. Further up, at 2 800 m, is an overnight camp. Most booked trips will include the use of these facilities in their price should they be required.

Halong Bay welcome you

Hong Gai church

Address: Bach Dang Ward, Halong City, Quangninh Province.

Hong Gai Church was built at the beginning of 20th century. Located on a high hill, it overlooks the whole of Halong City. In 1972, it was destroyed by war, but in 1998 it was spaciously re-built, and it is now the largest church in Quangninh Province. When visiting the church, tourists can view not only its original religious architecture but also experience the religious rites and beliefs of its Halong parishioners.

Go to Halong City now.