Local people in the pictureque Sapa resort district of northern Lao Cai province have grown these trees called ‘Samu’ or ‘Samoc ‘ to cover bare hills and decorate tourist sites.

source from: vietnamnet

Dense jungles, brooding mountains, endless waterways, towering cliffs, hairpin bends: the potential for adrenalin fuelled adventure is limitless in Vietnam. Whether you prefer to scale the heights of jagged peaks or plumb the depths of coral reefs, Vietnam will deliver something special. Heck, just being here is one long adventure, but these experiences will take it to a whole new level.

Kayak Halong Bay

Use paddle power to explore this incredible forest of karsts that jut out of the South China Sea like stone sentinels. Kayaks go where other boats cannot, such as into hidden caves and secret lagoons, and will reveal to you the very best of the bay.

Conquer Mount Fansipan

OK, so it’s not Mt Everest, but at 3143m, it is the highest peak in the country. Meet some of the minority peoples on the trek before tackling the elements to arrive on the roof of Vietnam.

Motorbike through the deep north

Saddle up for the ride of a lifetime in the mountains of Vietnam’s deep north. The roads are absolute rollercoasters, the scenery is simply stunning.

Cycle the Mekong Delta

Forget about those newfangled engines and pedal through the back roads of the Mekong Delta – a patchwork of emerald greens. Stick to the roads less travelled or jump on the odd boat or two for the full Mekong experience.

Dive beneath

See Vietnam from a different angle by scuba diving off its curvaceous coast. Tank up, buddy down and explore the reefs off Nha Trang. Other options are Phu Quoc Islandor, the final frontier, Con Dao.

Kitesurf above

If all that underwater stuff sounds too deep, then float above it all with something more carefree like kitesurfing. Mui Ne is the unashamed kitesurfing capital, but the sport is (literally) taking off, up and down the coast.

Explore Vietnam’s national parks

Vietnam’s jungle is massive – well at least in some of the protected areas. Track shy wildlife, hike to hidden waterfalls or mountain-bike down paths less travelled in one of the country’s remote national parks, such as magnificent Cat Tien.

source from: lonelyplanet

Vietnam might have been late to Southeast Asia’s beach party, but it was worth the wait. The country boasts more than 3400km of coastline, with infinite stretches of powdery sand, hidden coves, lovely lagoons, impossible boulder formations and tropical islands ringed with yet more beaches. Help! Too many choices!

Nha Trang

The heavyweight champion of Vietnam, Nha Trang has been knocking out visitors for years. True, the town is brazen and brash, but the beach is bold and beautiful and a gateway to a cluster of quieter islands.

Mui Ne

Set on a seductive swathe of sand, Mui Ne is an absolute charmer with swaying palms and towering dunes. Get pummelled on the beach by a masseur or pummelled by the waves with some water sports – this place blends action and inertia to perfection.

Phu Quoc

Simply the most beautiful island in Vietnam, Phu Quoc is liberally sprinkled with picture-perfect white-sand beaches and cloaked in dense, impenetrable jungle. Long Beach is sophisticated, Ong Lan Beach romantic, and Bai Sao simply irresistible.

China Beach

OK, so we are using artistic licence with the name, but whether you call it My Khe to the north or Cua Dai to the south, it’s all just one long, luscious stretch of sand. Try surfing off the shores of Danang or just pamper yourself at the resorts near Hoi An.

Con Dao

The Con Dao Islands have been protected from over-exposure by their isolated location off the coast. Enjoy it while it lasts, with their smattering of resorts and an overdose of idyllic beaches, as this is sure to be the next big thing in Vietnamese beaches.

Doc Let

While the rest of the world is sunning itself in Nha Trang, slip up the coast to this little teaser, home to some atmospheric resorts and some squeaky white sand; a place to get away from it all.

Ho Coc

Vung Tau to Phan Thiet is almost one long beach, but much of it remains mercifully inaccessible to the masses. Sample its potential with a retreat to Ho Coc, a glorious sandbar about midway along this stretch.

source from: lonelyplanet

Da Nang has a coastline of 30 kilometres long, famous for many beautiful seashores stretching from the north to the south such as My Khe, Thanh Binh, Tien Sa, Son Tra and so on. Non Nuoc Beach also pertains to Da Nang Sea and has been voted as one of the most beautiful and attracting beaches of the planet, 2005, according to Forbes, the leading magazine of America. This beach has gentle slope, mild waves, and purely blue sea water during the four seasons. The unpolluted water source here has attracted a number of tourists coming to bathe, enjoy local special sea foods and take a rest for weekends. The beach Non Nước is also a place that exist precious and rare seaweeds such as gracilarias “yellow thread” and glacilaria “screw” that have high value of exporting.

With green water and white sand, Non Nuoc Beach stretches five kilometers along the shore of Hoa Hai Ward at the foot of Ngu Hanh Son (The Marble Mountains). The beach is

famous for its seaweed, which reaches exportation standards. Many five-star hotels were built in Non Nuoc to accommodate the domestic and foreign tourists in the area. Together with its feature of wave degree, climate, weather and salinity, Non Nuoc Beach is suitable for water sports, especially surfing. In 1993, there took place an international champion with the participation of nearly 40 athletes from many countries around the world.

Along the beach, on the white sand is a forest of age-old casuarinas which is shady, green and is waving in the whistling wind. This is an ideal place for resting and camping. When the darkness falls and the moon rises, you can set yourself free on smooth benches along the beach to listen to melodious sounds of the waves and enjoy the occult space.

The beach is managed by the Non Nuoc Tourism Company that has  three hotels with more than 100 rooms on the beach. They provide entertainment services including photographs for souvenir, handicraft shops, massage, restaurant, tennis and some gymnastics. A chain of tourism resorts is planned to cater for international tourists including seaside hotels and restaurants, especially an international standard golf court.

Besides convalescence and bathing, tourists to Non Nuoc Beach can also combine their journeys with traveling the relic Marble Mountains, which boast some ancient pagodas and sacred  monumental caves, go around fine art stone handicraft villages right at the foot of the Mountains or go boating on Co Co River (Stork Neck River) to enjoy peacefulness of the Marble Mountains.

source from: vietnam-beauty

Da Nang has a coastline of 30 kilometres long, famous for many beautiful seashores stretching from the north to the south such as My Khe, Nam O, Xuan Thieu, Thanh Binh, Tien Sa, Son Tra, Bac My An, Non Nuoc. They are calm seas with green water during four seasons, not being polluted with 60% salination and high safety. With 900 meters in length, My Khe Beach is the most crowded of Da Nang beaches and popular to local people.

My Khe Beach is located about 6km east of Da Nang and about 24km north of Hoi An. It is a nine-kilometre stretch of smooth sand with an average width between 50m and 70m. The gradient is gentle, and its sheltered position in the lee of the Son Tra peninsula softens the autumn winds that restrict swimming further down the coast.

It is an ideal and huge beach with smooth sand and a slight slope. Behind the beach is a dark green poplar forest, and beside, the Kinh River carries crystal water to the sea. The beach has coral, abundant plants and creatures along bankside and under sea. Especially, the beach is next to the city centre, in roads easy to come and by various means of transport. Sea water in My Khe is cool with little wave so you can bath all year’s round, especialy in summer from May to August. The lack of large waves, less than average pollution, and an annual mean temperature around 25^oC, makes it a safe place to swim for adults and children alike.

The beach has hotels, pleasure-houses and various abundant services, creating favourable conditions for tourists to relax on the seashores. There are 50 well-equipped and comfortable bedrooms and lots of services in My Khe hotel. Many luxurious seaside villas with over 100 rooms are available for families. You can come here to play and rest at weekend. Around the hotel area, there is plenty of seafood restaurants and stalls, and large numbers of local vendors traverse the beach selling all kinds of foods and drinks. Coastal specialties like shrimps, crabs, fish, cuttles, etc. in hundreds of small shops are at reasonable price. They can be irritating sometimes – if they are too persistent, you should ignore the nuisance since that is the best strategy.

American soldiers occupied a part of the beach before 1975. They established some premises for their relaxation and recreations. With some enabling conditions such as being near the city’s center, large space, beautiful landscapes, and qualified services (hotels, restaurants, vehicles keeping site, fresh water bathing, sunshade and buoy lease), My Khe Beach is now convenient for developing kinds of services such as fishing, water-skiing, diving, yatch race and so on.

Moreover, the safeguard team of Da Nang seashore work from 5 a.m to 8 p.m every day to guarantee safety for visitors to bath and relax on the beach. There has been a steady increase in the number of tourists visiting the beach.

Han River suspension bridge was completed, it links the east to the west area, making transportation possible. As a result, My Khe Beach becomes an attractive resort, a really very good beach!

source from: vietnam-beauty

Phu Quy Island, whose name means “rich and precious,” lies about 100 km to the east of Phan Thiet City; close to the international maritime route and on the continental shelf. The Island is an important stop between the mainland and Truong Sa (Spratley Island) archipelago; 20 km further away. Its a “floating base;” providing services to ships fishing offshore via its seaport on Trieu Duong Beach.

Only 32sq.km and with a population of 20,000, Phu Quy Island occupies a small dot on the map of Binh Thuan. The locals call it Hon Thu or Mackerel Island, because from the southwest direction, the islet looks like a cod emerging from the sea. Within a few years, Phu Quy has changed drastically, due to the burgeoning seaport at Trieu Duong Beach. The buildings are climbing higher, and an asphalt road, instead of the old sandy path, now circles the island.

Phu Quy has preserved its natural features – the warm sand glistens with shells and coral and the water is teeming with sea life. This tiny islet has huge unexploited tourist potential. It still has no rated hotels, but tourists can enjoy a peaceful night under the starry sky and explore nearby caves. You can eat fragrant corn cobs and fresh fish grilled over a roaring campfire. Coconut orchards provide shade for camping and coconut milk and copra for meals. Diving is also a possibility. According to locals, the sea floor around Phu Quy is covered with coral and rocks that are home to many sea creatures.

In the island, several pagodas and temples such as Linh Quang, Cao Cat, An Than have been recognized to be cultural -historic relics. Linh Son Tu (Sacred Mount) Pagoda, is the oldest pagode on Phu Quy. It was built in 1747 in the time of King Le Hien Tong (whose regal name was Canh Hung the 18th) on Cao Cat Hill, in Tam Thanh Village. The pagoda has preserved many documents about the life of the local islanders as well as many ancient cultural objects. Oddly shaped mountains and caves pepper Phu Quy Island’s interior. On top of Mountain Cao Cat, Linh Son Pagoda rests peacefully under a banyan tree. Located here is another worship site, with a statue of “Kuan Yin,” the goddess of compassion. At the summit is a lovely panoramic view of the island’s beaches and immense rock formations.

The island is surrounded with white sandy beaches and 9 islets, of which Hon Tranh, Hon Den, Hon Trung are attractive aqua tourist spots. Hon Tranh, a small island shaped like an S, is half a kilometer to the South-East. The island contains beautiful mountains and long, pristine beaches. Hon Tranh also has excellent scuba diving and snorkeling in its pink coral reefs. The highest point on the island is Mount Cam Dat, at 106 m. Phu Quy has thick stands of tall trees and long, pristine beaches. Only the rocky, northern half of the island is inhabited, with a population of 20,698 people. The southern end offers long, deserted stretches of sandy beaches.

Visitors arrive at the wharf, and travel a narrow road, flanked by densely packed houses. The first stop is Van Tam Thanh, a peaceful locale with red, basalt soil; once covered by pineapple plantations. Here you can view the skeleton of a gigantic whale that the local people worship as “Ca Ong”, or the “Lord Whale.”

Phu Quy is an important in-between logistic destination linking the mainland to Truong Sa archipelago. It is a “floating base” providing services to ships fishing offshore. With such an important position, people built a light house guiding ships going out and coming in. The island’s lighthouse, built in 1997, sits on Mountain Cam. The lighthouse is one of only two in the country that runs on solar energy.

If having a chance, you should not miss the trip to discover the underlying beauty of Phan Thiet City by once setting your foot into the space of pristine Phu Quy Island…

source from: vietnam-beauty

Foreign tourists in Hoi An ancient town.

At a meeting on measures to attract tourists last week, Vu The Binh, chief of the Vietnam National Administration’s Tourism and Travel Department, remarked that in 2010 the tourism industry would not benefit much from government incentives like last year. Meanwhile, the sector aims to welcome 4.2 million foreign visitors, 400,000 over last year. The industry must implement effective measures to attract tourists, particularly from foreign countries.

Binh said that VNAT wants tourists who visited Vietnam to come back with their friends. Surveys show that up to 80 percent of Vietnam’s international tourists come through friends’ recommendations. He said that the Vietnamese need to impress them with their warm smiles.

The tourism sector will launch its “Friendly Vietnam Welcomes You” program. All staff at airports, customs and immigration offices, hotels, restaurants and tourist sites as well as all Vietnamese people are called upon to display their friendliness.

“It is difficult to campaign for all Vietnamese people to smile at tourists because many people are unfamiliar with smiling at strangers,” Binh observed. “However, the tourism sector and the media will try to encourage people so that visitors feel happy from the moment they reach the border gates.”

VNAT will also launch a campaign calling for overseas Vietnamese to travel home. Binh noted that the Overseas Vietnamese Association in France will propose that its members return to Vietnam for travel this year.

VNAT will choose some prestigious travel companies, restaurants and transportation firms to supply special tours to visitors, including tours on culture and history, traditional art, natural heritages, village life, and beaches.

For the first time, VNAT will join hands with the Association of Retailers to organize a discount campaign in big cities this year.

Nguyen Hoang Hai from Vietnam Airlines’ Marketing Department revealed that the firm would slash airfares between 30-60 percent for some routes during 2010.

PV

The mountains look dim in the mist from a cable car on its route to the peak.

“Here comes the cable car. Get aboard please!” a serviceman said, urging our group of six into the cabins which were slowly turning around at the terminal at the foot of Ba Na Mountain, which is some 25 kilometers southwest of Danang City.

I do not like the height, to tell the truth. Hanging in the air on a steel cable in such weather made me worry. I set aside the fear to join the others to head for the mountain’s peak. No sooner did the cable cars leave the terminal to swing in the air than I understood why a young girl had decided to jump out of our cabin as it was closing its doors to start the journey-in-the-air.

“I will stay and wait for you all here, I have experienced the cable car service before,” she said waving her hand, trying to hide her fear behind a smile. A mixed feeling of fluttering filled my heart when our cable car slowly was sliding upward, passing through layers of mist covering the big trees. From time to time, the car swayed lightly in gusts of cold wind carrying raindrops that beat the outside of the car. Regardless of the mist, we sometimes could see a road appear and disappear under the leaf canopy, leading to the mountain top that used to be a resort town.

It is said that Ba Na Mountain was found in the 1900s by the French, who wanted to find a cool place to escape the heat in the central region. Standing some 1,500 meters above sea level, Ba Na is granted a cool climate. It is one reason the French chose the hilly region for a resort destination during colonial time. There were facilities here, including a hospital, post office, theater, market and hotels to name a few. The French built some 200 villas on these mountains for holiday makers. However, time and wars have left Ba Na a deserted jungle for many years.

It was not until recent years the mountains were refurbished into a tourist destination. Among the facilities, the cable car system shortens the distance from the foot to the peak of the mountain, instead of the road winding up and down the mountainside.

Finally, we reached the second terminal after 17 minutes to cover some 5,000 meters. For that distance, the Ba Na cable car system is recognized as one of the longest non-stop cable car systems in the world.

“So cold!” said a young man as he got out of the cabin and received stronger gusts of cold wind beating his face and piercing through his thin costume. Like him, I quickly unfolded a flimsy raincoat, which was given on the journey just in case of the rain, to put on as a sweater to keep warm rather than to keep dry.

“It is 14 degrees Celsius,” a serviceman said, showing us a long corridor leading to the second terminal to continue the journey to the top of the mountain.

The higher we reached, the thicker the mist we penetrated, and it seemed the temperature was a little bit lower. The distance from the second terminal to the end is shorter than the previous one. It takes around five minutes to reach the peak, where standing gleaming in the mist were modern hotels designed in French architecture.

Ba Na has two groups of hotels, Ba Na By Nigh – Le Nim, and Morin which province 164 rooms from standard to deluxe to serve visitors who want to experience a night in the mountainous region.

It is better to visit Ba Na in the summer when it offers a clear sky for travelers to see the imposing mountains and a panoramic view toward Danang City. If you have time, stay for a night to feel four seasons in a day with winter at night, spring in the morning, summer at noon and autumn in the afternoon, as it is often said about this destination.

For more information, contact Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort at An Son Hamlet, Hoa Ninh Commune, Hoa Vang District in Danang City, tel: 511 3791791.

Source:vietnamnet.vn

L.T.

Source:ngoisao.net

L.T.

Source:ngoisao.net