Ha long Bay

Perhaps one of the most iconic features of Vietnam, Ha Long Bay is a breathtaking location like no other. With as many a 2,000 limestone islands and rocks, covered with wildlife and filled with caves and grottoes, its UNESCO world heritage status is well deserved.

A place that must be seen to be seen to be believed, Halong Bay has risen to become one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations, and is likely to be voted #1 in the New 7 Wonders Of the World.

Most visitors get a bus to Halong from Hanoi, before embarking on a boat trip of 2-3 days, where they can sleep on a junk boat, swim in the waters and go kayaking or canoeing. The quality of tour does vary (you do get what you pay for!) but even the bargain trips aren't bad, as you can quite happily spend your day looking at the beautiful scenery and ignoring the less beautiful boat you're sat on.
Don't be put off when you first arrive in Halong by the sheer number of tourists - most of the tours set off at the same time and it will appear very crowded, but soon after leaving the docks the boats split up and head off in different directions - it may not seem it at first but it soon becomes a very peaceful journey as its not hard for the boats to hide behind one of the thousands of islands.
One interesting feature of Halong bay is the floating villages you will see nestling in the sheltered bays between the stones. These ingenious construction allow landless people to farm fish - each house will be built on planks bordering nets where they raise fish, crabs and shrimp in the sea water below.

Cruises and Tours of Halong Bay

For most people, taking an organised cruise from Hanoi to Halong Bay is a better option than staying in Halong City, where entertainment is sparse.

Vung Tau

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 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

Nha Trang

Nha Trang, a university town at the mouth of a beautiful bay with a huge sweeping beach, is possibly one of my favourite places in Vietnam - one day I plan to live there!
As a beach destination it takes some beating, with delicious restaurants, great bars, beautiful diving and crystal clear water. There are boat trips out to the islands for divers and non-divers alike, snorkelling and fishing trips and if its a little chilly you can go and bathe in the hot springs.

More recently there has been an explosion in watersports, with catamarans, jet skis and paragliding available for hire on the beach, as well as kayaks, windsurfers and bodyboards.
Yet unlike other beach destinations in Viet Nam it offers a lot more - with a popular university as well as training for Vietnam's Navy the town has a distinct character of its own.
It's a great place to hire a bike and cruise up and down the boulevard that lines the seafront on a bright breezy day - its very popular with the students in the evenings too!

Things to do in Nha Trang

• Have an evening cocktail on the roof of the Sunrise Hotel
• Go for a dive or snorkel and see the array of beautiful fish in the waters
• Spend a lazy day at the Louisiane Brewhouse eating cake, swimming in their pool and drinking fresh beer
• Visit the Thap Ba hot springs, get covered in mud and bathe in a pool sized 38C bath before having a very good value massage
• Hire a motorbike or motorbike taxi (xe om) and ride up the coast past the town to one of the spectacular seafood restaurants at the waters edge for great food and a fantastic view back on Nha Trang
• Head back down the other way and up the hill to Bao Dai's palace for some culture and more great views (Bao Dai was a collaborator king of Vietnam during the French occupation)
• Visit the Cham temples - remnants of an anchient Indian civilization that colonized much of South Vietnam and Cambodia ~500AD
• Take the cable car across to the island for a day at an off the wall theme park
• Swim!
• Eat drink and be merry - as well as hundreds of good restaurants and bars catering to the tourists, there are many local specialities to try. Some of my favourites are fresh fish at a barbeque restaurant and Nem Nuong... mmm nem nuong...
• Have a civilized meal at the Sailing Club in the evening, before returning later on for some decidedly uncivilized dancing

.vietnamtravel.org

Ho Chi Minh City

While it may not be the capital of Vietnam politically, you only need to spend a short time in Saigon to see how it the pace of change in the south is shaping the country. The largest city in the country, with over 6 million inhabitants (and over 8 if you count temporary residents), Saigon is a crowded, fast, noisy, and overwhelming place at first. Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll find there is an energy and vibrancy to the city that can be very infectious.
Brimming with life, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC or Saigon as the majority of its residents still call it) offers a great deal for travellers and expatriates alike. There's a great deal to see and do, and no shortage of delicious treats to eat, whether at top restaurants or equally delicious street stalls for a couple of dollars.
The pace of change in the city is staggering - on a daily basis buildings are pulled down so newer, shinier ones can be erected in their place. In around ten years the city went from a city of 3,000,000 bicycles to 5,000,000 motorbikes, leading the Saigon's very unique brand of traffic. Now car use is on the rise gridlock threatens to set in, but it is yet another reminder of how fast lives are changing in HCMC, and how more and more people are working their way out of poverty.

Yet with a closer look you can find beautiful old buildings as well as striking new ones, cool, calm cafes with gardens that are set back from the road to give you a moments rest from the madness outside, relaxing spas and cool pools to swim in.
There's also a number of great day trips that can be done from the site, whether to Tay Ninh mountain and the Cao Dai temples in the North West, the famous Cu Chi Tunnels where the resistance launched sneak attacks on the US forces based in Saigon, boat trips to Vung Tau, the Mekong Delta or to Can Gio, the huge area of mangrove swamps to the south, known as 'the lungs of the city'.

Related Links

Asia Life - Magazine with places to eat drink and more
The Word HCMC - Competing magazine with a good website
Saigon Childrens Charity - Great charity working to help the children of South Vietnam. Run the annual Saigon Cyclo Challenge event
People's Committee of HCMC
Chefmoz: HCMC More reviews of HCMC restaurants

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Ha Noi

Hanoi is Vietnam's capital, lies on the banks of the Red River. It is cosy with tree-lines, boulevards, lakes, parks, French colonial buildings, elegant squares.. As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is considered to be the cultural centre of Vietnam, where every dynasty has left behind their imprint. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike.

The Architecture of Hanoi

For starters, the boxy, concrete architectural design trends that swept through much of the world in the 1970s and 1980s mostly skipped right over Hanoi. As a result, Hanoi maintains a charming blend of French colonial architecture, mixed in with traditional Vietnamese designs, and now with very western-looking skyscrapers.
The Old Quarter is one of the first places you'll want to visit in Hanoi if you love looking at old buildings. It's in this popular tourist spot that you'll find the famous Temple of Literature and other landmarks.

Many of the French buildings from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries remain in Hanoi, such as the Grand Opera House, the Presidential Palace, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, and St. Joseph Cathedral. The outsides of these buildings harken back to a previous chapter in Vietnam's history, while the insides are filled with relics of Vietnam's history and culture. Inside the National Museum of Vietnamese History, for example, you'll find antiques and displays that document the thousand years between the tenth century and the twentieth.

Lakes of Hanoi

Besides its buildings, Hanoi is especially well-known for its many lakes. In fact, there are so many lakes in Hanoi that it is sometimes referred to by its nickname, 'city of lakes'. The most famous lake is probably the West Lake, known in Vietnamese as Ho Tay. With its banks dotted by Buddhist temples, the West Lake is a great place to tour.
Hoan Kiem Lake is another popular lake amongst tourists. With a curious pagoda in the centre of the lake known as the Turtle Tower, and a legendary history that involves an emperor and a magic sword, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of those places in Hanoi that takes visitors back to another time.

Shopping and Dining in Hanoi

If history and urban green spaces aren't your sort of thing, you might be pleased to know that Hanoi is also home to many modern shopping centres. Though you might still find a traditional, open-air market in Hanoi's Old Quarter, these days the young and hip in Hanoi visit places like the Trang Tien Plaza and the Vincom City Towers.
At the end of a long day of touring, walking, and shopping, you'll be ready to relax in one of Hanoi's restaurants. If you like Vietnamese food, you'll be sure to be delighted by the variety of food available in Hanoi. Be sure to ask what words on the menu mean before you; in North Vietnam diners do have somewhat more eclectic tastes than in the rest of Vietnam

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Danang-Vietnam

Danang, also spelled Da Nang, is a port city along the coast of the South China Sea. One of the biggest port cities on the South Central Coast of Vietnam and the third largest city in Vietnam, today Danang is home to just over 750,000 people. For holidaymakers, Danang is most famous for its beautiful white sand beach, known as China Beach, and the nearby Marble Mountains, both of which are located a few kilometers south of the city.
Despite having few attrations of its own its proximity to the sea and its beautiful beach are enough to make you want to stay, though if you are on a budget you may find nearby Hoi An offers more accommodation options, since there is less to entertain the visitor in Danang town itself.
While there is not a great deal in the city in terms of restuarants and bars at the moment, Da Nang has been targetted for massive investment by both the government and private companies alike, and is pipped to be a major destination for both tourism and commerce. It is likely than in a few years time there will be a lot more to Danang for visitors than just the beach and transport options to Hoi An, but for now those are the key draws.

A Brief History of Danang

Danang has been continuously inhabited since 192 AD, when it was first settled by Indonesians. Originally a part of the Champa Kingdom that ruled much of southern Vietnam until the 15th century, Danang has played an important part in Vietnamese history for many centuries. Anyone interested in the history of the area should definitely pay a visit to My Son, located about 70 kilometers west of Danang. The former capital of the Champa Kingdom, My Son is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be the Angkor of Vietnam.
Danang was colonised by the French in 1858 under orders from Napoleon III. Along with Hanoi, Saigon, Haiphong, and Hue, the French considered Danang one of Indochina's five major cities. In 1936, French archaeologists established the Cham Museum, which today houses the finest collection of Champa Kingdom-era art. Statues, reliefs, and other artwork depicts the daily activities of the locals from the fourth to fourteenth centuries. Hindu and Buddhist artifacts are also housed in the museum, which itself is located in a beautiful French colonial villa with open-air courtyards and fruit trees.
In more recent history, Danang is best-known for its role in the American Vietnam War. The Danang Airbase was a major American airbase, used both by the Americans and the South Vietnamese. Nearby China Beach, named after its beautiful china-white sand, was home to the 510th Evacuation Hospital, where wounded American soldiers would come to recover. China Beach itself was an American in-country R&R spot, nicknamed the “Five and Dime”. The Vietcong, meanwhile, had their own hospital surprisingly close by in the caves of the Marble Mountains.

China Beach and the Marble Mountains

Although the ruins of the American airbase still rest along the beach, China Beach is nonetheless one of the top tourist destinations in all of Vietnam. A miles long, gorgeous white sand beach lies along the edge of clear blue waters, which is rapidly becoming a major attraction for tourists the world over.
There are many major developments springing up along the coast road to Hoi An, and Danang's China Beach is set to become a premier luxury destination for travellers to South East Asia. Already completed are a number of golf courses and even a casino, as well as some incredible five star resorts.
The nearby Furama Resort is one of the best and most luxurious hotels in all of Vietnam. The hotel offers guests comfortable, luxurious accommodations, along with easy access to scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, jetskis, and more. For more relaxing activities, you can check out the resort's Tai Chi classes, play volleyball or tennis in the resort's elaborate gardens, and on rainy days you can stay inside the clubhouse and play table tennis or video games.
Surrounding China Beach is another one of Vietnam's most popular attractions, the Marble Mountains. Honey-combed with caves that have housed Buddhist sanctuaries for hundreds of years, the Marble Mountains consist of five marble hills not far from the beach. Climbing the Marble Mountains is a challenging but rewarding hike. From the top, you'll be treated with a panoramic view of the beach, Danang, and the surrounding countryside.
It was inside the Marble Mountains that the Vietcong had their own base during the Vietnam War. Today, the monastery walls of the ancient Buddhist temples in the Marble Mountains are pock-marked with bullets from the area's far less peaceful recent history. A visit to the Marble Mountains is a great way to spend some time outdoors, as well as a great way to understand both the ancient and recent history of the area.

Getting There + To Hoi An

It's not hard to get to Danang and its famous destinations. As one of Vietnam's largest cities, Danang is home to an international airport that offers regular flights to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, as well as Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei. Once you've arrived in Danang's airport, getting to China Beach is a simple 10 minute taxi ride. The train station is central and is on the main line, offering access to all major cities up and down Vietnam, and bus services are frequent.
Many travellers will arrive in Danang by train or plane for onward travel to Hoi An. The town is just a 45 minutes drive from Da Nang to either Hoi An town or Cua Dai beach and can be done by bus or in a taxi for roughly $30.

http://www.vietnamtravel.org/danang

Nha Trang - Vietnam

It is interesting to be swimming delightfully in clear and clean water or to walk along the beach in summer afternoons. Nha Trang is one of the most attracting destination for tourists during hot summer days.

If you have a chance to Nha Trang, you can share with readers how to move and travel, introduce places of entertainment and decent food specialties. Your sharing ideas will be updated to this article.

1. Transportation means:

From Hanoi to Nha Trang: Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific have flights.

From Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang: There are flights of Vietnam Airlines.

- You can also move by train, bus or car.

- Distance between ho chi minh city and nha trang: 448 kilometers or 278 miles.

2. Travel destinations:

- Take the cable car to visit Vinpearl island: There are many different types of entertainment such as 4D cinema , watching a variety of fish in the aquarium, water park, all kinds of thrilling games such as high-speed roller coaster, carousel rotation ... In the evenings, there is a music of water program. The price is 320,000 VND (including 2 ways cable car or ferry tickets).

- Visiting islands: On the way, you can enjoy swimming in the sea, playing parasailing, riding water bike or diving to watch corals. Who can not swim will be able to look at corals in glass-bottom basket boats (30,000 VND per visitor). Price from VND 120,000 to 250,000 depending on route.

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- Visiting Núi church (Mountain church) and Long Son Pagoda (Dragon Mountain Pagoda) where there is a white Buddha statue.

- Visiting Bao Dai villa. (the villa of the last King of Vietnam)

- Bathing, eating seafood right on the beach along Tran Phu Street.

- Mud bath and Hot Spring spa (Tháp Bà Hot Spring Center)

- Visiting Ponagar Tower.

- Visiting XQ historical store at 64 Tran Phu street.

- Visit Hon Chong, a rock land where rock are stacked over each other in a natural way.

- Visiting Yang Bay waterfall, you can enjoy the cool fall water and enjoy alligator and ostrich meat. On the way to Yang Bay waterfall you will see the ancient city Dien Khanh; along the roadsides is idyllic view of stretching quiet and peaceful rice fields ...

Posted by Tuyethoa Phan at 8:01 PM