Hoi An travel guide

Posted by admin on March 11, 2011 under Vietnam Travel Tips | 2 Comments to Read

Hoi An was my favorite destination in Vietnam. I loved spending time by the river, watching the sunset, and drinking an inexpensive beer.  The town is packed with picturesque historical homes, pagodas and street-side cafes. The place is extremely popular for buying clothes. You can get anything made here- from suits to sneakers. But even if you don’t want to go shopping, Hoi An makes for a relaxing destination in an otherwise frenetic country.

Costs in Hoi An

• Hostel Prices: There aren’t many hostels as such in Hoi An but there are plenty of cheap hotels in hoian to make up for this.
• Budget Hotel Prices: Accommodation is inexpensive here with a night in a budget hotel costing from 135,000VND.
• Average Cost of Food: A meal in most restaurants costs from 20,000VND.
• Cost of Internet: Most internet cafes cost 300VND per minute.
• Transportation Costs: Everywhere in Hoi An is within walking distance so it’s unlikely you’ll spend much on transportation here.

Things to do in Hoi an

• Central Market. Hoi An’s Central Market is probably one of the best in Vietnam.  The market sits on the riverside and is packed full of excellent food at rock bottom prices.  This is the place to pick up spices, souvenirs, try local food and have your tailoring done.  There is also a great fish market which is worth visiting.
• Quan Cong Temple. The temple was built in the early 17^th century to honor the Chin dynasty but nowadays it serves as one of Hoi An’s most spectacular architectural accomplishments and a thriving tourist attraction. Inside there are two huge wooden statues, one of Quan Kong’s protector, Chau Xuong and one of his adopted son and of course the gilt statue of Quan Cong himself.
• Japanese Covered Bridge. The bridge is thought to have been built by Hoi An’s Japanese community in the late sixteenth century and roughly translated from Vietnamese, its name means “Pagoda in Japan.” It makes for great photographs.
• Cooking lessons. If tasting local food isn’t enough for you and you’d like to bring a like bit of Vietnamese cuisine home with you then consider enrolling yourself for cooking lessons.  Many restaurants offer lessons where you’ll first start off picking the raw ingredients then learn how to prepare the food.
• Full Moon Festival. Hoi An’s Full Moon Festival is held on the 14^th day of the lunar cycle each month and is probably the best time to visit the city.  The streets are shut down to all traffic and are lined with brightly colored lanterns.  This is a great time to party with locals as the streets come alive with folk music, plays and dancing.
• Beaches. An Bang and Cua Dai beaches are both within close proximity to Hoi An and are a great place to spend an afternoon.  Cua Dai is designated as one of Vietnam’s five UNESCO World Heritage sites but both beaches offer soft white sand and excellent beach side restaurants.
• Cham Island. Many tourists take a day trip out to Cham Island which lies just 21km from Hoi An in the South China Sea.  The diving here is great and as you’re in Vietnam, it’s very cheap.  Most tours include lunch and it’s also possible to include a night dive in your excursion.
• My Son. My Son is one of the most important sites relating to the ancient Kingdom of Champa and is said to have been Vietnam’s religious and intellectual center. Even in their ruined state, the remaining structures are impressive. The My Son ruins were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
• Fukian Assembly Hall. Built in 1697, Fukian is the grandest of the Chinese assembly halls and is a fine example of Chinese architecture. The main temple is dedicated to the goddess of the sea, Thien Hau, while the statues of Thuan Phong Nhi and Thien Ly Nhan are said to protect sailors in distress.  There is a scale model of a sailboat inside too.

Budget Tips for Hoi An

• Central Market. Don’t just buy from the first stall you come across, prices get cheaper the further in to the market you go.
• Cooking Lessons. If you enjoy the food at a certain restaurant, ask for cooking lessons.  These are often cheaper than the cooking schools.
• Cham Island. If you’re heading to Cham Island on a diving trip, it’s possible to save money on accommodation by camping on the beach.
• Bikes. Hoi An is small enough to walk around but if you want to save on the cost of the shuttle to nearby attractions like the Cua Dai beach then you can rent a bike for 15,000VND.

Source: nomadicmatt

Go nocturnal

Posted by admin on under Vietnam Destinations, Vietnam Travel Info, Vietnam beauty | Be the First to Comment

Cat Tien National Park Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake), one of the beautiful vistas at the Cat Tien National Park

Just 160 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Cat Tien National Park, one of the largest treasure troves of biodiversity in Vietnam, offers some of the best ecological and cultural experiences even as it reenergizes our body and soul with its beautiful natural landscapes.

There are several tour options designed and provided by the Cat Tien National Park’s Ecological Tour Center, and we decided to follow the highly recommended “night safari.”

After a short trip around the park in the afternoon, we gathered at the park’s office at 8 p.m., ready for a two-hour cruise into the jungle. A jeep came to pick ten of us up and our “night safari” in Cat Tien began.

GETTING THERE

A two-day trip is just right for taking in Cat Tien National Park. From Ho Chi Minh City, you can easily make a backpacking trip by motorbike, car or bus to the park. If you drive your own motorbike or car, follow National Highway No. 1 A and then No. 20 which takes you right to the park. You can also take a bus to the park from the Mien Dong Bus Station. A langur on the tree in the forest

The whole forest was plunged in darkness. The air was really wet and cold. We sat closer to one another and strained our eyes to see through the dark. Everything seemed to be in a deep sleep, until I spotted a civet cat running at the foot of a huge tree and a small squirrel climbing fast and jumping from one tree to another. Why were they up and about at this time? What emergency was it that kept non-nocturnal creatures up at this time, I wondered. Was it us?

The jeep drove slowly through dense forest. We began spotting owls, rabbits and even butterflies, a few porcupines, wild boar, bulls and other creatures.

The jeep finally took us to a large grassland about 10 kilometers away. I looked at my watch. It was 9 p.m.

“This is the place where you can see many kinds of animals come for food,” our guide said. “This tropical forest is home to some of the world’s most endangered species. The park was established in recognition of Cat Tien’s unique wildlife and the importance of protecting it.”

We relaxed our mind and inhaled the pure, fresh, invigorating air. Through the headlights, we could see some herds of deer grazing, some kingfishers waiting for their prey near a small pond and heard the noisy croaking of frogs. Our guide said that the animals here were accustomed to the presence of visitors at night so we could watch them very easily.

Later at night, life in the jungle seemed more exciting. We were treated to thrilling sights and sounds here before we drove back at 10 p.m. An oriole, which we would hardly get to see in daytime, put in a surprise appearance and sent us along with some beautiful melodies.