Highlights of Hue Ancient Capital in Vietnam

Highlights of Hue Ancient Capital in Vietnam - Hue is famous for its historic monuments, which had been recognized as one of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. About 700km south from the capital of Hanoi, 1,100km north from Ho Chi Minh City, Hue is located in central Vietnam and on the bank of Huong River (Perfume River). Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty.

Hue has tropical monsoon climate. From March to August is the dry season with very high temperatures of 35 - 40°C. It is truly scorching and uncomfortable. The rainy season is between August and January. A flood season is from October onwards. The average temperature during rainy season is 20°C, sometimes as low as 9°C. The spring is short and lasts from January to the end of February.

Trekking Fansipan Mount

Preparing for conquering the Fansipan Mount

Fansipan is the highest mountain peak in Vietnam as well as in Indochina (including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia). Situated in the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range, Lao Cai province, about 9 km southwest of Sa Pa Township, Fansipan is called “The roof of Indochina” with the the height of 3,143 meters. Fansipan is more and more attractive to tourists who like jungle trek and active adventure travel. The fascinating beauty of azalea flowers forest, bamboo forest, pine-trees forest and the gigantic landscape here make the tourists feel like they are lost in legendary world.

However, it is not easy to conquer the Fansipan Peak. The Fansipan trekking tours are not designed for everyone. Trekkers are required to have a good health. Here are some tips and advices for you if you really want to trek to this peak:

NOTE: People who have had a history of hypertension, heart disease, blood vessel catastrophe should not take part in the tour.

Hanoi Attractions - What to See in Hanoi Vietnam

What to see in Hanoi

With over 1,000-year history and diverse cultural traditions, Hanoi is one of the most popular destinations for all those who travel to Vietnam. Hanoi is also the second largest city in Vietnam as well as the biggest center of culture and education with many historical monuments, famous landscapes, theaters, museums, craft villages… of the country. One of the loveliest features to this city is its many lakes and parks. These provide many beautiful locations to rest in between venturing out in the capital's streets.

Taxis are the best way to travel long distances in Hanoi. But it is quite easy to get around the city on foot or on cyclo. If you are wondering where to see in Hanoi, here are some suggestions for you:

The Con Dao Islands

The Con Dao Islands – One of Top 20 Mysterious Islands in the World

Renowned travel magazine Travel And Leisure has named Vietnam Con Dao on the list of Top 20 islands contain many mysteries in the world. Con Dao Island was also voted as one of best ten islands of the world for a romantic holiday in 2011 by another famous travel magazine - Lonely Planet.

The Con Dao Islands (also known as Poulo Condore) is in southeastern Vietnam (Ba Ria Vung Tau Province) and around 250 kilometers, or a 45-minute flight, from Ho Chi Minh City. It is well-known for its nice beaches shaded with green trees, fresh air, deep-blue waters, and primitive forests. Con Dao comprises 16 beautiful islands and islets with a total area of ​​76 square kilometers.

Da Lat in the South of Vietnam

Da Lat Romantic City

Located on Lam Vien (Langbiang Plateau) high lands, part of the greater Central high lands of Vietnam, Da Lat is 1475m above sea level and is 305 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. Da Lat attracts all visitors by its amazing French architecture, green pine trees, beautiful sceneries and historical monuments as well as cool climate most of the year. Therefore, Da Lat is considered as“little Paris in tropical zone” (Le Petit Paris).  For a long time, Da Lat has been one of the most famous tourist cities of Vietnam and a romantic city for honeymoon holiday in the country.

Mekong Delta in the South of Vietnam

Vietnam's Mekong Delta - One of top 10 best value destinations

Lonely Planet, one of the most famous tourism magazines, has rated Mekong Delta of Vietnam as one of the ten best value destinations for 2012. In this list, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta ranks the ninth.

This magazine affirmed that: “Vietnam is always good value”. However, Lonely Planet advised tourists to skip the package trips arranged in Ho Chi Minh City and discover the Mekong Delta region themselves as it’s more rewarding and cheaper. It also listed some destinations in a trip to the Mekong Delta such as Chau Doc, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Ha Tien, Tra Vinh, etc… Tourists can easily travel many interesting places in Mekong Delta by bus, taxi or hire motorbike.

Ha Giang in the North of Vietnam

Located in the North-Eastern Vietnam, Ha Giang is one of the highest provinces of Vietnam and contains the Vietnam’s northernmost point. It shares the border with China in the north and is surrounded by Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai The topography of Ha Giang is rather complicated and can be divided into 3 areas: The area on the south has rocky mountain, separated valleys and rivers. The west area has sloping mountain side, high pass, valleys, and narrow springs. The low land area includes hills, valley of Lo River, and Ha Giang Town.

Vietnam Mid-autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu)

Mid-Autumn (Full moon) Festival in Vietnam

Vietnam Mid-autumn Festival takes place on the 15^th of the lunar August, when the Moon is bigger and brighter than at any time of a year (therefore, it is also called Full Moon Festival). Mid-autumn Festival is the most exciting annual festival for children, because at this time, they are often given toys and foods, such as masks, paper lanterns, star lanterns, the dragon and lion heads, fruits and moon cakes… People also buy moon cakes, fruits, tea, and wine for offerings to worship the ancestor as well as for gifts to present their relatives. 

All about visa to Vietnam

Visa to Vietnam - Information on Vietnamese visa formalities 

Before applying for a Vietnam visa, it is important to determine when and how long you will travel to Vietnam. The maximum valid duration of standard tourist visa is 30 days. You should ask for the maximum period of Vietnam visa to give you more flexibility and make sure that your visa is stamped with the correct dates, correct entry and exit points. Processing normally takes between a week and ten days (some embassies offer an express service for an extra fee), but longer for overseas Vietnamese. To be on the safe side, allow several weeks as mistakes are common and inexplicable delays often occur.

Exemption of entry visa to Vietnam

Apply visa to Vietnam

Exemption of entry visa to Vietnam - Almost foreigners need to have an entry visa when they want to enter Vietnam, except some cases in the following table:

Needs to know before you come to Vetnam

 

Are there any restrictions on the type of luggage that we bring?

Domestic airlines have their weight restrictions. You may only have one suitcase or backpack, with a maximum weight of 20kg, and one piece of hand luggage, with a maximum weight of 5 – 7 kg. An extra charge for overweight is applied.
There is no actual limit on our trips, but we would suggest you travel light with one suitcase or backpack and one small daypack a small bag which you can access during the day and carry items like your camera, drinking water, toilet paper, hat, sunscreen, etc.
It is essential that you have a lock for each piece of luggage. Without one, railway and airline staff and some hotels may refuse to handle it.

Hoi An Ancient Town in the Center of Vietnam

Hoi An Ancient Town used to be the biggest sea port in Central of Vietnam from the 15th to the 19th century. For the name of the town, “Hoi” means concentration as Hoi An is the meeting point of mountains, rivers and people. “An” means peaceful or stable place. With the great location, tradition and people there, merchant ships from many countries such as the Netherlands, Great Britain, Japan, France, Portugal, China, Indonesia and Thailand used to anchor here to purchase silk, pottery, tea, pepper and lacquer ware from the Vietnamese traders. Many Chinese and Japanese people settled here and set up their communities together with the Vietnamese. At the end of the 19th  century, the port, after centuries of silt build up from the river, was deemed too shallow and was moved to the city of Danang, Hoi An became “a sleeping beauty”, preserved in a time capsule.

Mui Ne in the South of Vietnam

Mui Ne in the South of Vietnam has quickly been transformed from an isolated stretch of beautiful white sand to one long row of resorts. While there’s still a fishing village at the east end of the beach, it’s tourists that make up most of the population. The boom in top-end resorts hasn’t killed the chilled surfie vibe, although it has brought an increasing number of up-market restaurants and souvenir shops. It’s an unusual set up, as everything is spread along one 10km stretch of road – the accommodation is on the beach side, and the restaurants and bars mainly on the other.

Mu Cang Chai in the North of Vietnam

The popular attraction of Mu Cang Chai in the North of Vietnam lies in its terraced rice fields which are primarily situated in the district's Che Cu Nha, La Pan Tan and De Zu Phinh villages. These imposing fields draw a large number of both Vietnamese and foreign travelers who love to take pictures of and indulge themselves in the amazing beauty of the national heritage site.

Ba Be Lake in the North of Vietnam

Located in the far North of Vietnam where much of the tropical jungle is still in-touch, Ba Be Lake is considered, and famed as one of the largest fresh water lake for its beauty as well as its unique geological value of a karst system. Ba be ( three lakes in local language ) was formed millions of years ago in an extraordinary way when the water absorbed into the limestone but in reserved direction making it possible to form a so called : mountain lake. Splendid in its beauty, calm in its appearance, Ba Be makes the National Park,  set up years ago in the protection of the lake itself more  attractive with  various attractions of caves like Puong,  and waterfalls like  Dau Dang or yet to know lagoons.

The lake  consists of three 3 different lakes linked together by a wide channel with the length of around 7 km and a kilometer across of its widest part. Even occupying not a big area compared to the Amazon, there are numerous species of fresh water fish. And together with the National  Park, the lake is home to also a lot of tropical and semi tropical monsoon forest with more than 400 kinds of plants,  and various species of insects, reptiles and birds. Especially there are two kinds of Primates named : the Black Gibbon and the Tonkinese snub-nosed monkey,  making the it top of the list for protection and preservation.

Mai Chau in the North of Vietnam

Mai Chau in the North of Vietnam - Surrounded by the mountains on an altitude of more than 200 meters above the sea level, covering a total area of 520 square kilometers, Mai Chau is notably one of the most beautiful, scenic, cultural mountainous town in Vietnam. Yet it is located only 160 km to the North West of Hanoi and so reachable by road. Green in its appearnce with such a vast area of the town is covered by rice paddies, this place is undoubtedly a pleasant, peaceful place where heaven and earth meets and blends together. Nested in the valley also a few villages of the ethnic Thai, one of the most civilized groups among the minorities in vietnam, and yet culture and tradition are still well practiced and preserved amid the big wave of modern life coming in from TV, travelers in the last decade. These villages and their people offer a great chance of photography, relaxation, as well as cultural experiences and interactions as ethnic houses on stilt are available at travelers' request. Furthermore, traditional food here is also inarguably great which makes the deeper experience of the local culture. Mai Chau is undoubtedly true destination for those who loves the nature, culture and the people of minority

Halong Bay in the North of Vietnam

The legend has it that Halong Bay was formed by a group of dragons landing down after finishing their task of helping the locals to drive away invaders, as revealed in its name " the Bay of the descending dragons". Scientifically, the Bay is one of the most extraordinary limestone formations known to human being in the world. It has gone through a total period of around 400 millions years from being formed , commenced by the ocean, raised up during the tectonic period, eroded and evolved itself to the present day with numerous caves, grottoes and lagoons, turning itself into one of natural wonders of the world and a natural museum of karst geology and limestone in the open air.

Bac Ha in the North of Vietnam

Bac Ha in the North of Vietnam is well-known for its naturally sub-tropical scenery. Tam Hoa plums are really a local specialty: sweet and fresh. This seems to be created by its own land, people and nature. Average temperature here is 19°C and it's not so cold as in Sa Pa. Bac Ha is specifically identified by each mount, each house and naturally-made carpet of white plum-flowers in spring. There are 14 ethnic minorities and the Mong ethnics count for 47% then the Dao, Tay, Nung, Phu La... Mountaineers take care of their horses as their properties, means of transport and close friends.