7 Reasons to head out to Vietnam

Known with many famous tourist sites with natural beauties, tranquil villages, ancient pagodas, beautiful lakes, Vietnam has been a popular tourist destination in the world. Not convinced as yet? Here are the top reasons why Vietnam should be your next destination. 

Reason # 1: A stunningly beautiful country

Vietnam is just beautiful, its geography, topography, landscapes, and especially 3265 km of coastline. Magnificent mountains, Red River and the Mekong deltas, rivers and primary forests make the country an amazing land to visit. The top destinations for ideal Vietnam travel is the 2000 fascinating naturally sculptures rising up from emerald water in Halong Bay. Or head to the Northwest and enjoy the spectacular scenery of terrace rice fields in Sapa, occupied by different tribes. In the central region, Vietnam boasts its best beaches on earth and ready for your golden holidays in Cua Dai beach, Nha Trang beach or Mui Ne beach. In the Mekong delta, tourists get amazed by amazing ways of life from floating villages and floating markets.



Reason # 2: World Heritages

It is not difficult to find out key highlights of Vietnam. The small country is proud to have rich heritages, from natural ones to man-made spiritual. So far Vietnam has 7 UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites which contribute to its appealing beauty, including Hue Complex Monuments, Hoi An ancient town, My Son Holy Land, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Halong Bay, The Cultural Space of Gong in the Central Highlands, the Royal Court Music of Hue. Other intangible heritages that attract tourists are Xoan singing, Folk songs and Ca Tru.

Reason # 3: Friendly and Hospitable People

Vietnamese people are the most hospitable and friendly in the World. This feature is popular in all regions of the country. You can find happy faces everywhere from cities to the countryside. You will have a chance to talk and chat with them happily. Foreign kids with blond hair and blue eyes will be most adored by Vietnamese women. Visiting their home, guests will often be offered all kind of fruits and food prepared with great attention for free.

Reason # 4: Multi-ethnic Cultures

The country is populated by 54 groups of people living happily and sharing unique cultures. Each of the group has their own cultures, languages, customs and clothes which make Vietnam a multi-cultural destination. For example, the black H’Mong ladies’ clothes are in black color while the Red Dzao ladies’ clothes are colorful with red scraps on their heads. Visitors will learn different ways of life and it is just making their Vietnam holidays more interesting.



Reason # 5: Best Cuisine on Earth

Vietnamese cuisine is just awesome, and hardly could any visitors have negative comments on Vietnamese food. There is admirably a great balance between vegetable and meats, as well as a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste. Vietnamese food can be considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is appreciated for the freshness of the ingredients and for the minimum use of oil which makes this cuisine very healthy. Hardly do families use processed food for daily meals. Most visitors to Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City will try to plan for a half day cooking tour to learn hands on cooking skills.

Reason # 6: Amazing Development
One reason that draws more visitors to Vietnam is its steady and rapid economic growth. It is not a war anymore. After some 3 decades of open door policies, the country is now in the middle income country. In cities, sky scrapers, high office buildings, residential towns and services are booming. Most visitors will be surprised to see luxurious cars and items are on the markets in this once war torn country. More and more foreigners work in Vietnam, which is seen as a tiger in Southeast Asia.

Reason # 7: Top Security in the World

Last but not least is the country’s top security in the World for your dream holiday. Vietnam is now one of the safest countries in the world. There are no fears for long term strikes, protests, terrorism, guerilla attacks, bombings, kidnaps or killings that affect your holiday. With one party, Vietnam is highly controlled with its own system. In particular, foreigners in Vietnam are highly protected by the legal systems and authorities. Vietnamese government will give a very strict penalty to Vietnamese people who cause damages to foreigners. 


Source: Info.vn

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Vietnam tour

Monsoon rains in Hue

At this time of the year visitors to Hue in central Vietnam are very impressed by light rains falling almost without let-up for days. They view the prolonged drizzles as a unique feature of the old imperial city. In their eyes such famous cites as the Royal Palace, Phuc Duyen Tower, Linh Mu Pagoda and Truong Tien Bridge always look stunningly beautiful, rain or shine.

 

 

Source: dtinews

Hue tour

View Vietnam from the train

Hanoi to Saigon by train, in 9 minutes Mark Smith, better known as The Man in Seat 61, travels the length of Vietnam by train. Source: Telegraph

How to Tour Cambodia & Vietnam

By Fiona Wilkinson

The easiest way to tour Cambodia and Vietnam is to take one of the many all-inclusive packages available, which can include everything from your flight, to hotel, meals and accommodation along your chosen route. If you have more time, going-it-alone is a more relaxed way to travel, and will give you the flexibility to chose your route and length of time you want to stay in each place. Traveling around Cambodia and Vietnam as an independent traveler is relatively safe and easy.

        1. Book a package tour if you are pressed for time or do not want to travel on your own. These range from eight, 14 or 16 to 18 days or longer. Organized tours can include: Angor Thom and Angkor Wat, Banteay Srey, a boat trip on Tonle Sap Great Lake, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Hochiminh or Saigon, Chinabeach and Halongbay. You can choose between luxury or standard accommodation, and all meals and entry fees are usually included.

        2. Look for an adventure tour. These can include beach, kayaking or golf tours. You can take a cycling tour, a historical tour or a cruise down one of the region's many rivers. There are also spa tours of the area's most exotic spas, or take a trekking tour if you are feeling more adventurous and energetic.

        3. Buy a good travel guide if you decide to travel on your own. Traveling between Cambodia and Vietnam is relatively easy. There are direct flights daily between Vietnam and Cambodia itinerary, either to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. You can also travel overland between the two, crossing at one of the three border posts. These are open daily between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Visas are available at the border for a small fee.

        4. One of the most popular crossings is by ferry or boat via the Chau Doc/Kaam Samnor river-border on the Mekong River. It is a nice trip and you can see floating houses and local daily village life on the way. It takes around six hours to reach Phnon Penh from here, and visas can be obtained at the border here too.

        5. There is a good train and bus system in Vietnam and Cambodia. The railway links many of the region's main towns. It is an affordable way to cover a lot of the countryside. Tickets can be bought at the main stations or at a travel agency. You have a choice of air-conditioning or non air-conditioned carriages, sleeper and soft or hard seats, depending on the length of your trip.

Travel tips: Getting by train to Sapa

From Hanoi it is a 9-hour train journey to Sapa.

Vietnam Rail operates some of the cars, but other cars in the train are operated by private companies (Tulico, Ratraco, Victoria Hotels, and others). Some of these cars are significantly nicer than the standard cars. You may need to arrange with a travel agency to get tickets on these tourist cars, but any traveler can purchase tickets for the VNR cars at the Hanoi train station.

Cheaper tickets, especially in hard sleeper class, can be hard to come by at times, as tour companies and travel agents will snap up these to foist on their own customers (too frequently a promised soft sleeper berth will turn into a hard sleeper when it comes time to board). To avoid rip offs better go to the train station by yourself and get the ticket from the ticket office. This is the only way to make sure that you will get what you have paid for. Travel Agencies in Vietnam are known for their bad business practice. Another possibility is to ask for help at your hostel (if it's a good one).



Insider travel tip:
Although one cannot be assured of finding a place, it is often possible to arrive at the station a short while before boarding time, as there are usually young men hanging around trying to hawk unfilled berths at the last minute. The price of these tickets will fall dramatically as departure time draws near.

Prices vary according to both the type of seat purchased and the season during which you are traveling. The times around Vietnamese holidays are particularly expensive and tickets cannot be assumed available for same day travel, so book ahead if possible. Travelers are recommended to purchase a berth in a soft or hard sleeper car, though the trip in soft seat class is not intolerable (that's what we did and it was ok). For a bed, expect to pay in the area of 150,000-250,000 dong (one-way). There is usually a dining car serving good, surprisingly affordable noodles (8000 dong) and rice porridge (6000 dong), but it's always wise to bring your own snacks and drinks as well.

The train ends at Lao Cai. From there, dozens of shuttle buses will be waiting outside the station to take you the remaining distance to Sapa, usually at a 'fixed' rate of 25,000 dong. It's often possible to bargain down to 20,000 dong or lower, depending on demand. The ride is about an hour of beautiful views (if the weather is good, it may be an hour of fog at other times) more than 1000 meters up into the mountains.

You may want to book a return ticket when you buy your outward journey, as picking up tickets in Lao Cai is harder than in Hanoi. The staff do not speak as much English, and they possibly only sell tickets for travel on the same day so sleepers may already be sold out unless you go first thing in the morning. Pay attention to the time of your return train. Trains leaving Lao Cai around 7PM will arrive in Hanoi at 4AM. If you don't make prior arrangements to return at an early hour, you may find yourself sitting outside of your hostel, waiting for the desk to open.

Another possibility is to get a bus ride to Dien Bien Phu at the northern border to Laos. That's a complete day in the bus, riding through terrific landscapes!

Source: traveldudes


 

Vietnam’s best tourist attractions

 VIETNAM - Many visitors to Vietnam have been impressed by the unique beauty of the scenery.

The first place to see the crack of dawn

Mui Dien in Phuoc Than village, Hoa Tam Commune, Dong Hoa district, in the south-central province of Phu Yen is the first place in Vietnam to greet the dawn.

Visitors will have the chance to see the first rays of the rising sun and its reflection in the sea. The best view is from the 26-metre light house, which was built by the French in the late 19th century.

It is very convenient for tourists to get to Mui Dien by car as there is a road leading up to the peak from the bay, not far from the sand dunes at the foot of the hill. In the evening, visitors can enjoy eating grilled fish while listening to the tales of the lighthouse watchmen.

The hottest region

Cua Rao is located in the Lam River Junction, 60 kilometres from Phu Mat forest, but its temperature always goes up to 37OC after 9am. During winter days, it is still very hot with a blazing sun. 

The changing Sand Dunes

The White Sand Dunes is a top attraction at Mui Ne in Phan Thiet town, in southern Binh Thuan province. Affected by Northeastern and Southwestern winds, they change rapidly, both in shape and colour.

In addition, visitors can enjoy the full contact of sand boarding. 5am-6am is considered the best time for this sport.

The longest oversea bridge

The 7-km Thi Nai Bridge, which connects Qui Nhon City and Phuong Mai Peninsula has become the longest oversea bridge since it was completed in December 2006.

From Qui Nhon City or the Phuong Mai Peninsula, visitors can enjoy seeing the charming bridge over the blue river and the reflection of the Thay Boi (Fortune-teller) tower in the calm water, as well as the Swallow Ground (Bai Nhan) and the Bird Hillock (Con Chim) in the distance.

The longest house

Built in 2002, the 85-metre long thatch-roofed house in Gia Lanh ethnic village, Krong Na Commune, Buon Don District in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak is considered the longest in Vietnam.

The interior of the house is decorated in the unique traditional style of the Central Highland people, with rafter, papoose and cooking fire. Visitors pay VND15,000 (US$0.7) for entry and another VND150,000 (US$7) if they want to spend overnight there in one large, common bedroom.

  Cathedral with the biggest bells

Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, located in Paris Commune, district 1, Ho Chi Minh City, is a magnificent cathedral which was built with material imported from France.

 The cathedral has a set of six large bronze bells weighing 28.85 tons, in the musical syllables of sol, la, ti, do, re and mi. All these bells, which were cast in France, are considered the biggest in Vietnam.


The biggest Jesus Statue

Built on Tao Phung Mountain in Vung Tau City, the 32-metre-tall Jesus Statue is the biggest with his arms stretching 18.4 metres long, on a 4-metre-high concrete base with a beautiful carving of the last supper of Jesus and his 12 apostles.

Inside the statue, visitors will be able to climb a 133-step spiral staircase to his arms and stand on his shoulders to enjoy panoramic views of the sea and mountain.

Source: travelweeklyasia

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Phnompenh - pearl of Asia

Phnom Penh is the vibrant bustling capital of Cambodia. Situated at the confluence of three rivers, the mighty Mekong, the Bassac and the great Tonle Sap, what was once considered the 'Gem' of Indochina. The capital city still maintains considerable charm with plenty to see. It exudes a sort of provincial charm and tranquillity with French colonial mansions and tree-lined boulevards amidst monumental Angkorian architecture. Phnom Penh is a veritable oasis compared to the modernity of other Asian capitals. A mixture of Asian exotica, the famous Cambodian hospitality awaits the visitors to the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia.  





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