Travel

Encircled by an imposing and beautiful landscape, Nha Trang lies half way between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Its palm-fringed white sandy beaches stretch for more than 7 km. Nha Trang has what is probably the nicest municipal beach in all of Vietnam. The turquoise water around Nha Trang is transparent, making for excellent fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving. People come for the water, the seafood, and the boat trips to nearby islands. By chartering a fishing boat you can swim and snorkel, dine on seafood aboard the boat, visit a beach and fishing village. With the opening of famous hotel and resort, Nha Trang one time was the heart land of the Champa Kingdom. On the North side of Nha Trang is the best preserved Cham tower in central Vietnam.

On the other side of the city, Long Son Pagoda can be reached by climbing; asleep river and town are breathtaking. Nha Trang is also renowned for its delicious seafood including abalone, lobster, prawns, and scallops. If you like typical beach resort town, then Nha Trang is for you.

Ha Long Bay is located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and constitutes part of the western bank of Bac Bo Gulf, including the sea area of Ha Long City and Cam Pha Town and part of Vân Don Island district. It abuts Cat Ba Island in the southwest. Toward the west is the shore with a 120 km-long coastline. It is located within 106o58’-107o22’ east longitude and within 20o45’- 20o50’ north latitude. The site is 1553 sq. km with 1969 islands of various sizes, of which 989 have been named.


The islands in Ha Long Bay are mainly limestone and schist islands most lying in the two main areas: the southeastern part of Bái Tử Long Bay and southwestern part of Hạ Long Bay. These islands represent the most ancient images of a geographical site having a tectonic age of from 250 million to 280 million years. They are the result of many times of rising and lowering processes of the continent to form a karst. The process of nearly full erosion and weathering of the karst created the unique Hạ Long Bay in the world. In a not very large area, thousands of islands with different forms look like glittering emeralds attached to the blue scarf of a virgin. The area where many stone islands concentrate has spectacular scenes and world-famous caves and is the center of Ha Long Bay Natural Heritage, including HaLong Bay and a part of Bái Tu Long Bay.

The area is recognized as the World Natural Heritage that is the area of 434 sq. km with 775 islands. It looks like a giant triangle with Ðầu Gỗ Island (in the west), Ba Hầm Lake (in the south) and Cống Tây Island (in the east) as its three angle points. The nearby area is the buffer area and areas classified as national beauty spots in 1962 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Viewed from above, Hạ Long Bay looks like an extremely vivid huge drawing. This is a wonderful and skilful masterpiece of the Creation and of nature that turns thousands of dumb soulless stone islands into fantastic sculptural and artistic works of various graceful shapes, both familiar and strange to human beings. Thousands of islands emerging uneven in the fanciful waves look strong and magnificent but also mild and vivid. Amidst these islands we feel as if we were astray in a petrified legendary world. There are many names given to islands according to their shapes and forms. This one looks like somebody heading toward the shore: Hòn Ðầu Người (Human Head Island); that one looks like a dragon hovering above the sea surface: Hòn Rông (Dragon Island); another looks like an old man sitting fishing: Hòn Lã Vọng; some look like big sails struggling amidst the wind to set off for the sea: Hòn Cánh Buồm (Sail Island); then two islands look like a pair of chicken lovingly playing with each other above the sea: Hòn Trống Mái (Male and Female Chicken Island); and amid the vast sea stands an island like a big incense burner like a ritual offering to Heaven: Hòn Lư Hương (Incense Burner Island). All are so real that people are taken aback by them. Those stone islands have experienced unpredictable changes over time and they take different shapes from different angles of view. Here, we come to realize that they are not dumb inanimate things but are vivid and soulful.

Inside the stone islands are various breath-taking caves, such as Thiên Cung, Ðầu Gỗ, Sửng Sốt, Trinh Nữ, Tam Cung and others. These are really magnificent palaces of the Creation on earth. Long ago, Hạ Long Bay has been called by the great national poet Nguyễn Trãi:“a wonder of the earth erected towards the high sky”. Many men of letters from all over the world have been taken aback at the grandiose scenery of Hạ Long. They seem to get puzzled and incompetent as their treasure of vocabulary is not rich enough to depict the splendor of this place.

Hạ Long Bay is also attached to glorious pages of Vietnamese history, with famous sites such as Vân Ðồn, a bustling trade port in the 12th century, charming Bài Thơ Mountain, and not very far away from here is the Bạch Đằng River which witnessed two famous naval battles of the Viêt’s ancestors against invaders. Also, Hạ Long is one of the cradles of human kind with the glorious Hạ Long culture in the late Neolithic age, discovered at such archeological sites as Ðộng Mang, Xích Thổ, Soi Nhụ and Thoi Giếng.

Hạ Long is also home to great biodiversity with typical eco-systems like mangrove forest, coral and tropical forest. It is also home to thousands of plants and animals of numerous species, for example shrimp, fish and squid. Some species are particularly rare and can be found no where else.

With such special values, at the 18th Session of UNESCO’s Council of World Heritage held on 17 December 1994 in Thailand, Hạ Long Bay was officially placed on the list of the World Natural Heritage. In 2000, UNESCO recognized it as the World Heritage for the second time for its geographical and geomorphologic values. This confirms the global premier value of Hạ Long Bay.

Viet Nam's Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park has been recognised as a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at its 27th general assembly session being held in Paris from June 30-July 5.

At the session, delegates from over 160 member countries of UNESCO World Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong Nha-Ke Bang park and 30 others worldwide to the list of world heritage sites.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang park is now the fifth UNESCO recognised site in Viet Nam after Ha Long Bay, the imperial city of Hue, the ancient quarter of Hoi An and the My Son historical site.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, located to the north of the majestic Truong Son range in central Quang Binh province, is one of the world's two largest limestone regions.

The over 200,000 ha of parkland includes beautiful limestone formations, grottoes and caves, and boasts lush forestland covering 95 percent of the park area.

The area is considered a paradise for researchers and explorers of grottoes and caves, and Vietnamese and British scientists have so far surveyed 20 with a total length of 70km. Of them, 17 are in the Phong Nha area and three in the Ke Bang area.

The Phong Nha cave itself which lends its name to the whole system is probably the most beautiful of all, containing many fascinating rock formations, enchanting visitors with evocative names such as Lion, Fairy Caves, Royal Court and Buddha.

Besides the grotto and cave systems, Phong Nha has the longest underground rivers, the largest caverns and passageways, the widest and prettiest sand banks, and the most astonishing rock formations in the world.

According to initial statistics, the primitive tropical forest in Phong Nha-Ke Bang houses 140 families, 427 branches, and 751 species of high-rated plants, of which 36 species are endangered and listed in the Viet Nam Red Book. The forest is also home to 32 sets, 98 families, 256 races and 381 species of four land backboned animals. Sixty-six animal species are listed in the Viet Nam Red Book and 23 other species in the World Red Book. In general, Phong Nha-Ke Bang's animals are more diverse than in other natural reserves and national parks.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang also boasts dozens of mountain peaks of over 1,000 metres still unexplored by men and seen as ideal sites for activities like climbing and exploration. Worthy of note are Peak Co Rilata with the height of 1,128 m and Peak Co Preu, 1,213 m. Lying between these peaks are valleys which promise tourists exciting eco-tours.

In addition to the diversity in the ecosystem, Phong Nha-Ke Bang is home to archeological and historical relics, such as an ancient hieroglyphic script of the Cham ethnic minority, King Ham Nghi's base built for the resistance war against French colonialists in the late 19th century, and the Xuan Son ferry station, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Road 20 used during the US resistance war.

Central Quang Binh province has poured heavy investment into upgrading the Phong Nha-Ke Bang visitor site to turn it into the country's major tourist destination.

The Mekong Delta Fruit Festival opened in My Khanh Village, Phong Dien District, Can Tho Province on May 28. It is part of activities to welcome the Mekong-Can Tho National Tourism Year 2008 held from May 28 to June 2. The festival will display and sell select varieties of fruit, ornamental plants, and handicraft products. It attracts more than 200 renowned orchards from southern Tay Ninh Province and Mekong Delta provinces.

There will be 10 stands displaying 30 traditional dishes from the south. In addition, a wide range of activities, traditional games and other entertainment activities will be held for children.

After breakfast, City tour to visit The World Cultural Heritage Hue Citadel, It is ancient capital of Vietnam in the 18th and 19th century during the Tay Son and Nguyen Dynasty. For approximately 400 years, Hue was the political and cultural centre of the Feudal State of Vietnam. Get on boat, cruising along Perfume River – the most romantic river of Hue and Vietnam, visit Thien Mu Pagoda. Continue to visit Hue Citadel with Imperial Enclosure, Forbidden Purple City, Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, Dynasty Temple, Nine Dynasty Urns, Pavilion of Splendor and Royal Residence. Continue to visit King Khai Dinh Tomb – one of the most impressive tombs that attractive to all visitors. Have a lunch. In the afternoon transfer to Danang ( 120 km from Hue). Arrive in Da Nang, visit Cham Museum. Then transfer to The World Cultural Heritage Hoian Ancient Town. Hoian is about 30km south of Danang along Thu Bon river. It was a major trading centre in Southeast Asian between the 16th and 17th century. On the way, drop at Non Nuoc Marble Carving Village founded from the 18th century to admire a world of artworks made of marble by hand. Arrive Hoian, visit Japanese Covered Bridge built in the 16th century, Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall is also called Kim Son Pagoda, was built in 1697 by Chinese Phuoc Kien merchants, Tan Ky Ancient House, Hoi An Museum. Have dinner. Free in the evening to enjoy night life of Hoi An. Night in Hoi An.

A truly memorable part of Vietnam
The Mekong Delta forms both the far southern region of Vietnam and one of country's two main ricebowls. Dominated by the Mekong River and its many tributaries, the surrounding lands are comprised of low lying rice paddies and the rivers are bordered by dense mangroves and palms. The tributaries of the hectic Mekong River highway provide a comprehensive network of canals and channels acting as on and off ramps to the main throughfare. For the independent traveller, these rivers and tributaries can be the best method to explore the Mekong Delta at a leisurely pace and offer the opportunity to experience the truly unique Mekong River lifestyle.

By embarking on a comprehensive exploration of the Delta, you will have the opportunity to observe and participate in an extra dimension of Vietnamese life and culture. The attractions to this region of Vietnam include the way in which life exists around the comprehensive river system, the heavy Khmer influence from nearby Cambodia and the extensive coastline, boasting some of the nicer beaches in Vietnam.

For those with time on their hands at least a month could be spent exploring this part of Vietnam, yet the vast bulk of tourists and travellers alike spend no more than a handful of days here, generally as a part of a tour organised out of Saigon.




For those unfortunate enough to have a time limit for their stay in Vietnam, we would suggest spending a longer time in one region of the Delta rather than attempting to see every centre in seven to ten days, as transport, especially during the wet season, can be very slow and uncomfortable.

However much you decide to explore, cruising up one of the many river, as the sun sets over the distant coconut trees, is a truly remarkable experience that will stay with you forever.