Talking about Quang Nam province, probably many people would think about Hoi An street or My Son holy city; however, the beautiful landscape in the west of Que Son town, at the headwaters of Thu Bon River is also a very attractive destination.

Tay Vien hot spring brings enjoyment and relaxation

Distant from My Son vestige about three kilometers towards the west is Tay Vien hot spring. This place is taken form from some earthquakes in the entrails of the earth millions of years ago.

The water in these two streams is very clear, with the average temperature of about 85 degrees.

This is an ideal place for tourist to steam bath. The stream’s water contains many precious mineral substances such as calcium, potassium, sulphur and iron.Tourists can also have a mud – bath here, which can help them to relax and cure some sickness.

At a distance of about five kilometers from Tay Vien towards the east, there is a very beautiful stream, named Fairy Stream. This is one of the most beautiful streams in the Central region.

Located in two sides of the stream are the rocky mountains. In the afternoon, the sunset contrasts and creates miraculous colors, and makes the landscape become a natural painting, which is so beautiful and impressive.

About 2.5 kilometres from Tay Vien hot spring towards the west, there is a cultural village, Dai Binh village. It is located nearby Thu Bon River.

Coming there, tourists can totally feel comfortable when relaxing in the ancient houses and enjoy the countryside fruits. The gardens here are just like ones in the South with so many kinds of fruit such as durian, mangosteen, rambutan, langsat, orange and grapefruit.

There is also ferry – boats for tourists to enjoy the scene along Thu Bon River. On the two sides of the river, people grow many mulberry. Tourists would be very impressed with the immense green of these mulberry gardens.

Tourist can stop their ferry – boats at any white sand – banks along the river to enjoy the beautiful landscape around as well as swimming, catching fishes and the delicious baked fishes.

The flow crosses two mountains. The cliffs look just like the huge dykes that divide the water into two parts. The scene is just so imposing.

When the ferry – boat floats downstream, tourists would have chance to visit Le Pass, with a beauty that is not very different from Fairy Stream. On this way back, Que Chau village would welcome tourists with the traditional Vietnamese opera and Non village would make tourists interested with the process of making “non la” (conical hat)- the traditional hat of Vietnamee people.

(Source: SGGP)

Under the project, the Hoi An municipal People’s Committee will encourage green industrial activities at small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those operating in tourism, handicraft and relevant fields, while stepping up the provision of energy and environmental services based on the international “eco-city” model.

Outcomes and experiences of the project will be shared with other cities and provinces nationwide.

In the first seven months of this year, the world heritage site of Hoi An received more than 750,000 tourists, fulfilling 75 percent of its set target for the whole year.

The number of visitors choosing the city as a destination for their long stay also increases more than 20 percent compared with previous years.

The results are attributable to the close coordination between the city’s tourism sector and travel companies to welcome both domestic and foreign arrivals with best conditions.

(Source: VNA)

Like Can Gio or Giang Dien Waterfall, Vuon Xoai Ecotourism Park in Dong Nai Province is a peaceful oasis for Saigonese to visit for a picnic or sightseeing trip on a short weekend break.

Some visitors take a bamboo boat cruise along a lake in Vuon Xoai Ecotourism Park in Dong Nai Province

Located 30 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh city in Tan Cang Village, Phuoc Tan Commune, Long Thanh District, and covering over 30 hectares, Vuon Xoai is a fun place where visitors can enjoy some outdoor games such as go-karting, swimming, tennis, fishing and ostrich riding. Visiting a crocodile swamp and tramping around a bamboo garden and orchard is also on offer to tourists.

If you are sitting at home having a quiet weekend, eating food or watching movies all day, why not get yourself out there to Vuon Xoai.

It’s not far from the city and for those who love a long walk on a weekend break, strolling around the bamboo garden or orchard, viewing cottages or the many bonsai trees and flowers is a good way to get some nice fresh air into your lungs and fresh local food is also good for your health.

If you like to contemplate or ponder life while you relax, a spot of fishing is a great choice as you take in the tranquil surroundings with the still water surface under the shade of trees, bamboo bridge and some small floating cottages on the lake.

If you like to just float on the still water and take it all in, there are tours around lakes or canals in the Mekong Delta on bamboo boats. However, tourists should make sure they put on life vests as a safety precaution.

Adventurous visitors can also try go-karting or ostrich riding.

Taking an electronic car at VND10,000 to go around the park is also good for those who are too tired to go the extra distance. Along the road, visitors have the chance to see crocodiles, caged bears, snakes, wild pigs, birds and peacocks.

There is no need to worry about getting thirsty or hungry as restaurants serve various Vietnamese dishes and drinks.

Visitors, who have plenty of time to spare, can stay overnight at some guest houses in the area and make a camp fire at night to top off an unforgettable trip.

Go-karting is popular with young visitors in Vuon Xoai – Photos: My Tran

(Source: SGT)

Within one day of your visit to Nha Trang city, you’ll have a chance to discover wild islands and enjoy what you can’t do in the mainland.

Monkey shines: A tourist feeds monkeys on Lao Island. When you are lying on the beach, don’t be surprised to see some monkeys lying nearby.

Rich in fauna: Tourists can feed wild deer from their hands, one of the many wildlife interactions to be experienced in Nha Trang.

Castaway: A pristine beach and pine forest on Thi Island where visitors can enjoy in water sports, such as parasailing, kayaking and jet skiing.

A tour to Nha Phu Bay, 12km from Nha Trang city by boat, is the most popular activity. Different from others, this tour offers a trip to three islands where you can come close to the nature and hide away from dusty life, said Anh Vu, a tour guide from Long Phu Company.

The first destination is Hon Thi, the 500ha island covered by pine trees. You can walk in the forest of decandrous persimmon, the tree that is the namesake of the island.

You can find ostriches and deer in the forest. The deer will approach you if you offer them a hand full of maize, their favourite food.

The island is clean and pristine, and if you are an adventurous tourist, you can ask the guide leading you to go deep into woods to discover the caves.

Orchid Stream on Hon Heo Peninsula offer tourists spectacular scenes. It is a picturesque sight from the sparkling mirror of the water to the mountain tops.

Walking along Orchid Stream, tourists reach a world of hundreds of wild orchids collected abroad and throughout the country.

The orchid garden is designed as a thousand-year forest. Continuing up the mountain, tourists can enjoy the pure water from the Orchid Waterfall at 900m above the sea level.

You may skip the trek for a swim at An Binh Beach, relaxing by a hot spring nearby, or enjoying an animal circus performance. Or, you could entertain yourself with water sports, such as parasailing, kayaking and jet skiing.

Vu affirmed that no island in the central sea has as many freshwater streams as Hon Heo Peninsula. He proved it by digging a hole in a forest near the seaside, then in front of our surprised eyes, scooped up a bowl of freshwater.

Orchid Stream is rooted in an old love story between a poor man and a girl born to a rich family. The man was asked to bring aloe and salanganes’, two of the region’s precious specialities, as betrothal gifts. The girl decided to go with her lover to find the offerings for her parents. They went but found nothing.

The girl dropped off to sleep as she was too tired. When she woke up, she didn’t see the man. Seeking him, she found blood stains everywhere. She believed that he was attacked by beasts. She cried again and again until she dissolved in her stream of tears. This is the legend of the stream that now runs throughout the peninsula. Where the man bled, now we find various orchids growing and blossoming.

“The legend of old explains the beautiful land,” Vu said, “Even though I think underground water sources from Hon Heo Mountain bring water for lakes and streams here.”

“The peninsula connects to Truong Son Mountain Range, which also receives running water. The wet environment is good for wild orchids to grow,” he explained.

Amy Morris from the US said she loves the tropical gardens on Hon Heo Peninsula.

“A beautiful garden with a running stream and good size fish, some enchanting bridges to walk across, and a log to lay on for a beautiful photo, this place is amazing.”

“Watching orchids in bloom and the other colourful flowers is a little bit of paradise in Nha Trang,” she said.

Hon Lao or Monkey Island, home to thousands of monkeys, is the final destination of this tour. The island is like a pearl in the ocean.

Monkeys are everywhere on the island and are taught to not steal tourists’ belongings and attack people. When you are lying on the beach, don’t be surprised when you suddenly see some monkeys lying nearby.

The monkeys are smart and friendly. Their origin on the island dates back to 1983 when Vietnam and the former Soviet Union did research on primates for vaccines.

Although the monkeys are trained, the tour guide will warn you to be careful while feeding and playing with them.

“Looking at them, you may feel interested but don’t grin, they may misinterpret it as a threat,” he said.

“You’ll find it fun to play with the wild monkeys, but remember to obey the tourist area’s regulations to guarantee your safety and protect the natural life of the monkeys.”

Green beautiful stretches of flowers and a long strip of fine sand, about 500m long, is an ideal place for you to feed the monkeys and take pictures of them.

You can rent jetskis and kayaks on the island. If you are an enthusiasts of speed and adrenaline, you can enjoy racing karts. From scuba diving to snorkelling, you have access to a view of the beautiful ocean floor and the possibility of exploring the castles of coral and marine life.

Moments spent relaxing in nature or approaching wild animals are unforgettable. If you have more time, don’t limit yourself to just one day. Simple houses and bungalows are available, if you can spend a night without modern conveniences, to enjoy a quiet atmosphere.

(Source: dtinews)

Despite it is in summer or winter, and the days are foggy or full of sunshine, Moc Chau Plateau is always attractive with its dreamlike beauty.

Tea hill with fresh green in Mock Chua Plateau

Located in Son La province, at a distance of 200 kilometers from Hanoi, Moc Chau Plateau is 1,050 metres above the sea level, with an area of about 80 kilometres in length and 25 kilometres in width.

Moc Chau Plateau is famous for a large herd of milk cows, immense tea hills, big gardens of plum and apricot – tree, and large pastures of about 1,600 hectares.

The milk cow in Moc Chau is the black and white cow race of Holland. From this large herd of cows, Moc Chau has developed the experience tourism so that tourists can feed the cows and do the milking themselves.

This kind of tourism also offers tourists to enjoy the fresh pure cow’s milk and have camping over night right in the pasture.

It would be totally relaxing and comfortable to walk on the hill slope of green and soft grass and enjoy the fresh cool air around. Scattered everywhere are the white flowers and in the distance are the green hills hiding in the shadow of the clouds. All those things just make the landscape here so dreamlike.

Tourists can also prepare meat or buy some from the small restaurants in town to have a roasting meal at night just like nomadic people.

Climate is a special tourism resource of Moc Chau Plateau. Usually, the medium temperature is just 200C, with cool summer and dry winter. The autumn and spring in Mo Chau is the season of tea and pine tree. That is the time when the whole plateau will be covered with a beautiful and fresh green color.

One more outstanding point of this place is the Dai Yem Fall. From Pa Hang border gate in Long Sap commune, Moc Chau town, go along the main road about 4 kilometers, there is a junction of two streams, where the fall starts.

Going through the forest, down to a short and sloping section, tourists would see the two streams pour water down from the height of about 100 meters.

Dai Yem Fall stays below the road surface. The lake under the fall is always clean and clear all year round. The scene around is very natural and wild, which makes its beauty so impressive.

A trip to Moc Chau Plateau will promisingly refresh travelers with joyful and peaceful feelings.

(Source: SGGP)

The 178m observatory opens from 9.30am to 9.30 pm everyday. It has become a destination for many visitors who want to discover HCM City by binoculars.

Mrs. Lucy, 65, from New Zealand, said: “I’ve been here twice and I’m impressed by Ho Chi Minh City panorama from the top. I will return to this observatory with my friends.”

Mr. Phil, 40, a British visitor who comes to the observatory with his girlfriend, said: “Though the observatory does not have entertainment services, it is interesting to see the whole HCM City at the height of nearly 180 meters. I like the lotus-shaped design of this building.”

However, most of Vietnamese visitors said that the observatory ticket prices are too high.

The ticket for adult is priced VND200,000 ($9), VND130,000 for children from 4 to 12 and the elderly of over 65 years old. It is free for kids of less than 3. Group visitors will enjoy softer prices.

Saigon Skydeck is equipped with six long-range binoculars, enabling visitors to see details in Saigon’s streets very clearly.

The observatory also has six screens on the glass wall, which display information about the city’s landscapes or relics.

Saigon Skydeck is the first 180m observatory in Vietnam. It is located in HCM City’s tallest building, the Bitexco Financial Tower.

The grotto is 10m high, divided into three parts with two doors of 5m high. It is the cemetery for 74 ancient coffins made of tree-trunks. Most of them are quite intact.

Anthropologists explained that instead of burying dead people, some ethnic groups put dead people in caves. In Vietnam, this practice was popular during the Dong Son era.

Archaeologists discovered coffins dating back to the first century in Thailand caves and coffins from the 5th century BCE to the early 20th century in China’s caves. Coffins in the form of dug-out canoes in Po Cung grotto are the first of their kind to be discovered in Vietnam. These coffins are made of tree-trunks and they are placed on wooden brackets.

The biggest coffins are 2.8m long, 0.48m wide and the smallest are 1.4m long and 0.28m wide. Many coffins don’t have bones inside.

Scientists observed that this grotto may be a cemetery of several big families and they still want to know how they brought the coffins into the grotto, which is located high on the mountain.

After Po Cung grotto was discovered several years ago in Quan Hoa district, officials have combined with the Institute for Archaeology to research the grotto. The provincial government aims to turn it into a tourist site.

Discovering Vietnam’s Po Cung Cave:

On the way to Po Cung cave.

The red cross sign is the cave

Archaeologists left signs on the road.

The cave door.

Broken coffins.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Tropical almond trees stand firm on a seaside road in Con Dao

Quiet yellow-sand beaches and historical sites may lure visitors to Con Dao but it’s the old tropical trees that protect them from the scorching sunshine in the archipelago off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

There are a number of cay bang trees which are over 100 years old and hang over Ton Duc Thang and other roads in Con Dao to provide respite from the heat for tourists, who ride past on their motorbikes or stroll around.

Strong winds and sunshine may be not be your idea of a nice break but these noticeable characteristics have turned out to contribute to shaping the trees into distinctive bonsais. The trees are spread out over two lanes of the seaside roads and they shield pedestrians taking a leisurely stroll on the pavement between the tree lines and mossy yellow walls of the old prisons,

A beautiful view of an old tree and the sea from Con Son

from the sun.

From tourists resorts, beyond the lines of tropical trees in the esplanade, you can witness the calm of the sea, with fishing boats bobbing on the water and the distant mountains.

At a little coffee shop called Con Son, you can sip a cup of coffee and rest after a long trek at the seaside or in the forests.

A giant banyan tree’s roots cover the wall of a historical site in Con Dao - Photos: Mong Binh

Breaths of wind blow in from the ocean sending red leaves of the tropical trees down onto your table as drops of coffee are slowly seeping through the filter, and whet traveler’s appetite for more adventure in the quiet town of Con Dao.

Inside and outside this small town there are other types of ancient trees including the banyan whose roots cover the ruins of historical sites. Underneath these roots contain untold stories about the bravery of revolutionary fighters who shed blood for the independence of Vietnam.

(Source: SGTO)

Nha Trang Bay at sunset taken from the Altitude Bar

Then as the afternoon breezes from the world-recognized bay come in, they awaken and breathe new life into the Altitude on the five-star Sheraton Nha Trang’s 28th floor.

Considered the highest bar in Nha Trang, it offers an incomparable spot for visitors to have a bird’s-eye view of Nha Trang bay and the city.

The Altitude is open to both hotel guests and visitors from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but the hotel’s director of food and beverage Michiel de Kleer says the best time to visit the bar is from around 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. when the sun is going down behind the mountain ranges and hills in the west, leaving a lot of beautiful colors in the sky as dusk settles.

As darkness comes, we see the city at night. From the Altitude, guests can spot the Ponagar tower, the giant statue of Buddha and other city attractions lit up in all their glory.

The neon lights along the seaside street of Tran Phu point hungry travelers towards the restaurants that serve a wide selection of seafood and specialties of the city and the central region as a whole.

The moon appears in the clear, summer night, radiating its light all over Nha Trang Bay, which has been called one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

The sunshine of Nha Trang Bay viewed from the Altitude - Photos: Mong Binh

Under the moonlight, tourists and locals swim in the calm sea of summer, stroll hand in hand or chat in groups along the arch-shaped beach with some sitting down on the white sand to take it all in.

And you can see it all from the Altitude Bar. Guests can order a cocktail, mocktail, fruit juice, wine, champagne, beer, coffee and other drinks as they look onto the bay. Or they can sit indoors and immerse themselves in the music and enjoy their beverages. For more information and reservations, call (058) 388 0000.

(Source: SGTO)

Perfume River flows mildly like a silk range and leads to Vy Da garden, Thien Mu pagoda, Bach Yen River and Huyen Khong pier one after another. All of these four destinations are magnificent, peaceful and ancient.

Along with those beautiful and romantic scenes, Hue is also famous for many pleasure activities, which are very interesting such as “Releasing boat”, “Playing with the moon”, “Hue singing”, “Sleeping on boat ”and“ Playing with verse All these activities are associated with Perfume River and only have in Hue city.

“Sleeping on the boat” is just a name, since nobody come to the boats for sleeping but only for enjoying the cool wind, watching the moon and the sky and listening to the beautiful songs.

“Playing with verse” is a literary gamble, which enquires players to be very intelligent as well as to have good plans and strategies. The interesting point of the game is that players cannot only make use of all knowledge about literature that they have but also learn many new things from others.

Hue singing is originated from the combination of traditional music and royal music. This elegant and attractive kind of music is really worth listening. Tourists would have a chance to sit on the imperial boats that kings and lords used to be seated in the old time.

In the hold of the boat, there is an imposing orchestra includes nearly all kinds of Vietnamese traditional musical instruments.

The bandsmen as well as the singers are still very young, and they all wear “áo dài”, the Vietnamese traditional clothes. On the prow of the boats, there is a wide and airy space for enjoying the moonlight and the fresh air.

When the night falls down, Perfume River becomes more fantastic. The lamplight spreads on the river just like silver. The winds blow softly and the boat floats slowly. Everything makes travelers feel so peaceful.

In the distance across the river, Thien Mu pagoda appears vaporously, Phuoc Duyen tower looks like being laminated with the moonlight. The scene is so charming and romantic.

Having a night on Perfume River, listening to Hue singing and enjoying the fresh cool air along with the beautiful scenes around, tourists would discover some feelings that could only be found in Huế.

(Source: SGGP)