Vietnam Travel Blog

I usually think about how people draft their trips and vacations. Things like choosing a destination, selecting airlines and planning entertaining activities. Most times, I am kind of a random traveler. Living in Taiwan for such a long time, my travel pattern is that if the airfare looks right and the place sounds fun, I wouldn’t mind pay it a visit. Reading about Vietnam, I would choose Vietnam as a destination because it means a mysterious cultural discovery.

Although Vietnam is a quite well known country because of its media coverage in films, news and television programs, Vietnam did not open its gate to the rest of the world until the end of the Vietnam War. The media exposure did not ensure an accurate report of Vietnam, and not many travelers’ found the way to share their indescribable experiences.

For a long time, Vietnam was occupied by various countries: Chinese Empire, France and Japan. During the Cold War, the North was controlled by China, and the South was supported by United States. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Vietnam has been shaping its new identity. Under the influences of many other cultures, Vietnam blended them into their ancient traditions and made their own personality. Today Vietnam is welcoming visitors to show off its unique traits and share its national treasures.

National parks in Vietnam are one of the country’s most valuable resources. From north to south, there are 87 national parks scattering around. They are nature reserves, historical sites and natural areas. The common issues among the national parks are the illegal hunters and traders. They endanger the nature cycles of Vietnam. The Vietnamese government and international organizations are doing the best they can to stop these harmful actions and to educate the public the importance of preserving the lands.

Cat Ba National Park
Cat Ba Island is the largest island in the Cat Ba Archipelago in Ha Long Bay. About 16 kilometers away from Cat Ba Town, there is the Cat Ba National Park. The park’s headquarter is located in Trung Trang. One-third of the park is the marine zone, and the rest is the forest. Although there are many wild animals such as wild boars, macaques, deer, white-headed langurs, bird species and reptile species and over 600 plants in the park, they are not well protected. Some local people hunt them or make traps to capture them for their high prices in the market.

Cat Bat is a great place for hiking and outdoor activities. However, if you are not an experienced hiker, trails at Cat Ba might be quite a challenge for you. In this situation, a sophisticated tour guide is highly recommended for the purpose of safety. Exploring Cat Ba, you will see one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam and the copious ecosystem. Oriental pied hornbill, a very rare species in Northern Vietnam, can be seen in the park. Other attractions include limestone formations, numerous waterfalls, caves and grottoes. Human history dates 6,000 to 7,000 years back, and the entire Ha Long Bay region was listed as the World Heritage Site by United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its biological significance.

Cuc Phuong National Park
Cuc Phuong National Park was founded in 1962 in Hanoi. It is the first national park of Vietnam. The park is about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital. 90 percent of the park is covered by forests, and about 2,000 plant species grow in the park. More than 60 mammal species are in the park and the special residents inc the park are the Red-Bellied Squirrels. The highest mountain is 648 meters above the sea level.

Cuc Phuong is where the Endangered Primates Rescue Centre is located; the Center rescues the animals from illegal trading. Cuc Phuong National Park is also a main attraction for botanists. Researched done by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Flora and Fauna International (FFI) distinguished the complexity of the tropical forest and the monsoon influence on Southeast Asia in Cuc Phuong National Park.

At the park’s surroundings you will see limestone cliffs, plenty of plants and mammals. The summit May Bac (silver cloud) is 656 meters in elevation. The limestone caves in the park are eminent attractions and include Thang Khuyet Cave, Con Moong Cave, Pho Ma Cave, and Nguoi Xua Cave. Quen Voi Cave presents diverse aspects of the limestone after its long-term weathering process. The best time to visit the park is during the dry season from April to November.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park situated at the north of Truong Son range in Quang Binh, is one of the world’s two largest limestone regions. It is called “the paradise of researchers and explorers of grottoes and caves.” Over 95 percent of the park is limestone formations, grottoes and caves and forest. Vietnamese and British scientists have surveyed the 20 limestone formations in the park.

The karst formation of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has evolved since 400 million years ago, and it is also the oldest major karst area in Asia. The formations of underground rivers and caves also extend to the border of Laos. The rock formations, underground rivers, large caves, passageways and sand bank all possess world-class beauty. The many marvelous rocks in the park own charismatic names such as Lion, Fairy Caves and Royal Court. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is also an archeological and historical location. The government officials recognize its value and plan to make it a major tourist destination of the nation in the near future.

Accommodations can be arranged at the parks, please contact the tourist center to obtain more information. Read more about the national parks in Vietnam; go to the official Web site: Vietnam Tourism.

(Source: BootsnAll)

According to Bootsnall travel network, there are 5 adventure destinations Vietnam recommended for tourists to travel.

Vietnam seems to be one of the new hotspots in Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s new slogan is “it’s a country, not a war”. Currently Vietnam is experiencing a massive influx of tourists not only interested in it war history, but also interested in the immense amount of soft adventure trips available throughout the country.

Below are a few of our favorites and recommendations:

HALONG BAY

Halong bay, Vietnam

Often touted as Vietnam’s number one tourist destination, Halong Bay, literally means “where the dragon descends into the sea.” This is an area of more than 3000 islands, where tourist come to swim, explore, and visit a natural, scenic areas recognized in 1994 on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. This is a scenic area not to be missed!

Many of the islands are uninhabited, but some have floating villages of fishermen. Most travelers rent boats and spend multiple days exploring the tiny islands. There are some great caves and inlets to explore. The great way to experience this is on sea kayak, and sleeping in a tent at night, instead of taking the main tourists boats like everybody else.

BACH MA MOUNTAIN
The highest point in Bach Ma National Park, the mountain is only 140 meters above sea level and about 18 miles from the coast. Although the mountain is steep and dense, it makes a good day hike to the top. There are great view on the way.

WESTERN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
Using Dalat as a starting point, head west toward the border of Cambodia and Laos. If you go far enough west, this is a great way to get somewhere way off the typical Vietnam traveler circuit. This is home to a bunch of ethnic minority villages.

Some traveler’s report that tourists are not welcome, but other report to have truly remarkable experiences.

DALAT

Dalat, Vietnam

If you don’t have time, energy, or the will power to visit the Western Central Highlands, then the areas around Dalat are perfect for adventure. Dalat is a hill station in the central highland. There are mountain highlands with tiny villages scattered around throughout the area. It makes a fascinating area worth exploring.

There are a number of standard expensive tours you can arrange in the city, but it’s much better to hire your own guide, usually one that approaches you in the streets. Then, you hire a moped, and he will take you to little villages in the middle of bascially nowhere, staying a night or two and having a real cultural experience.

There are some villages in the area that is off limits to tourists – just look for the sign that has a C.

MEKONG DELTA

Market floating in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

In southern Vietnam near the border of Cambodia lies Mekong Delta. Known as “Vietnam’s Rice Belt,” the Mekong Delta is a huge system of canals of all sizes that flow into the Mekong River, one of the longest rivers in Asia. This picturesque area is almost all under cultivation, and produces enough rice to feed the entire population of the south and the central regions of Vietnam. This is a great place to relax away from the big cities, taste good fruit and vegetables, and meet local people.

There are a number of interesting adventures through the Mekong Delta. You can take a boat through some of the rural waterways. Most people hire guides but you can also attempt it on your own. The Mekong Delta is also a fascinating place for cycling. You can get a true glimpse of rural life and interact with locals, although conversations are difficult.

(Source: bootsnall)

Welcome to discovery Halong bay – Vietnam !

(Source: http://www.blogcatalog.com)

“The World Guinness Book representatives will go to Hanoi to evaluate the Hanoi Ceramic Road in September.

Nguyen Thu Thuy, the author of the Hanoi ceramic road project, said that her group is about to submit the project to the World Guinness Book to recognize the road as the world’s longest ceramic painting in the world.

The road is nearly 4 kilometers long, totaling around 7,000 square meters. Around 95 percent of the painting has been completed.

The painting includes 21 sections, running on the wall of the dike along the Red River, with various topics: honoring Vietnam’s history through patterns of the Ly, Tran, Le, and Nguyen dynasties; typical patterns on brocade, ceramic paintings of Hanoi by Vietnamese and international children; and contemporary paintings by Vietnamese and foreign artists.

Thuy said that the project was warmly supported by many Vietnamese artists and nearly 100 foreign artists. It is funded by nearly 30 companies. This is a special work to celebrate Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary.

The painting by Bui Viet Doan and Nguyen Thu Thuy.

The painting by Spanish artist Louis Lambert.

Paintings by Tung Ngoc.

Ceramic paintings by Hanoi children.

Hanoi’s old streets by Nguyen Manh Cuong.

The Red River by Nguyen Thu Thuy.

Nguyen Thu Thuy and painter Ana Tzarev from New Zealand, with paintings designed by Tzarev.

PV

One Pillar Pagoda	Khue Van Cac	Hoan Kiem lake

Hanoi city gate	Dong Xuan market	Trang Tien street

La Vong fried fish	West lake shrimp cake	Thanh Tri steamed rolled rice pancake

Ly Cong Uan	Hoang Dieu	Chu Van An

Celebrate 1000 Years of Hanoi History – Hanoi

Hanoi Tour

These specially-designed Hanoi day trips focus on the diversity and history of this fascinating city and coincide with the 1000 year celebration of the capital in 2010. Led by a history professor or a local university student, you will gain insight in the past millennium of Hanoi and glimpse into what is in
store for the future.

(Source: visithanoi.blogspot.com)

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), 27th – 29th May 2010

We arrived into the hustle and bustle of Saigon (now officially known as Hoh Chi Minh city) at around 6am. The streets were already packed with loads of mopeds and the park was full with people doing their morning stretch and tai chi We found a pavement cafe to get some drinks (Doddy’s first ice coffee) and gather our senses. With a little help from the stall holder we managed to figure out where we were on the map and fortunately we weren’t too far away from the main guest house area. With drinks finished we set off in search of somewhere to stay. The first few places we tried were a bit out of our price range but one hotel owner said he’d take us to his friend’s hotel that’d do us a room for £12 a night. We followed him there to find it still shut, but no worries, he just drew back the shutters waking his friend who was sleeping in his underwear on a make-shift bed on the floor of the reception! A quick check of the room and it was all okay and yet again, we were able to check in at 7 am, brilliant.

Even though we were quite tired we decided to pass on a sleep and set off exploring as there was lots to see and do. The first thing we noticed about Saigon was that it was way more hectic than Hanoi, with a population of 7 million and 4 million of those having mopeds the roads were manic and even more difficult to cross. There were people everywhere willing to offer you their best price on a lift on their moped or a tuk tuk to anywhere you could want to go. Our first stop of the day was the Reunification Palace which we had to cross a nice peaceful park to get to. The palace was built in 1966 to serve as South Vietnam’s presidential palace and it is where the first communist tanks crashed through the gates in 1975 when Saigon surrounded to the North. The palace was interesting and gave us a good bit of background information into the conflict between North and South Vietnam.

For lunch we ate at Huong Lai a traditional Vietnamese restaurant where all the staff are former street children.

The service and atmosphere was great but unfortunately the food was pretty poor. After lunch we walked to the War Remnants Museum. It provided a good insight into the Vietnam war and was quite harrowing and moving at times, especially the sections on the torture methods and the effects of agent orange, although it did appear to be a little too propagandist at times. We then walked all the way back stopping off for our last Vietnamese bia hoi (cheap draft beer). We also survived crossing the craziness roundabout I have ever come across! There were 6 exits and cars and motorbikes going round it both ways!

We ate that evening at Kim’s cafe, very cheap and tasty spot, very popular with the locals and tourists alike as every table was full. For dessert we tried a place called Yoghurt Space. The concept is as follows: they have lots of different flavours of yoghurt in whippy ice-cream type machines. It is all served by the weight so you serve yourself, add a variety of pick and mix toppings, weigh it and pay for it and voila you have a tasty yoghurt pudding! We were then very ready for bed and enjoyed a good night’s sleep in a proper bed.

We awoke bright and breezy and ready for our day exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels are a 200 km network of underground tunnels situated around 30 km away from Saigon that were used to facilitate the Viet Cong’s control of the area during the 1960’s. We went on an organised tour and learnt how the tunnels were made, how people lived in them and different capture and torture methods that were used by the Viet Cong. The trip culminated in a descent into one of the tunnels. It was tiny and each level lower we went got smaller and smaller until we were just able to pass through in a hunched position. I am glad we only did a 60 metre stretch of the tunnel and I really don’t know how people lived in there for days on end.

Back in Saigon city centre we were dropped off at the main market. This was good for two reasons, one to get a late lunch and two so Doddy could get his market fix. Walking back through the park Doddy spotted some locals playing with

From Yoghurt Space

a new kind of hack (a bit like a shuttle cock with feathers) so went and joined them for a game and liked it so much that he bought one afterwards. That evening we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (another first for Doddy). We had been planning to go to one on our trip but hadn’t got round to it yet so decided tonight was the night. We enjoyed two big burgers whilst listening to a live band. The food was good and we enjoyed the fun and lively atmosphere. We ate dessert once more at Yoghurt Space and then retired to bed after an enjoyable, busy day.

Doddy writing now…

Saturday morning we were up for our 7.30 am bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, although there was a few more sights we could have seen in Saigon time was no longer on our side with only a week to go before our return to the U.K.! We climbed onto our bus at 7.30 am and at 8.25 am we were still sat with the bus not yet moved, apparently due to another bus brake down we had to wait whilst the stranded passengers made it

At the Cu Chi Tunnels

to our bus. Shouldn’t complain though as Bowks and I know all about buses breaking down. Finally at 8.30 am we set off and shortly after the ticket guy came down to collect our tickets and also collect the $25 visa fee for our Cambodian visa. Bowks and I had heard that it was possible to get a visa at the border for $20 so smelling a rat we said we would sort it ourselves on arrival. To this we were told there wouldn’t be time and he was doing an express service. Staying strong we declined and said we would go it alone at the border and see how we’d do. Three hours later we arrived at the border crossing and sure enough a tourist visa was $20 so we joined the short queue and within minutes had gained our tourist visa, passed through and were back on the waiting bus. Then we sat waiting for the ticket guy and his so called express delivery service and the other passengers to re-board. Seemed his was on to quite a little money earner as ¾ of the passengers coughed up the $25 without question, an extra $5 off 40 passengers puts a nice wedge of cash in the back burner! However, Bowks and I had slipped the net and we were glad not to have fallen victim.

(Source: http://www.travelblog.org)

Collected by Vietnamhotels.net