Vietnam Tourist Destinations and Attractions

Hanoi

Hanoi is located in the Red River Delta, in the center of North Vietnam. Constrained by Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc province in northern Hoa Binh and Ha Nam in the south, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh province and Hung Yen to the east, Hoa Binh and Phu Tho in the west.

Hanoi city still maintains many ancient architectural works including the Old Quarter and over 600 pagodas and temples. Famous sites including the One Pillar Pagoda (built in 1049), the Temple of Literature (built in 1070), Hanoi Citadel and Hanoi Opera House. Hanoi also has 18 beautiful lakes such as Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, and Truc Bach lake, with gardens and surrounding trees providing a vital source of energy.

Many traditional handicrafts are also made in Hanoi including bronze molding, silver carving, lacquer, and embroidery. Hanoi has many famous traditional handicraft villages such as Bat Trang pottery village, Ngu Xa bronze casting village and SutraYen Thailand.

Ha Long Bay

Halong Bay is consists from 1969 islands wich have various sizes, 989 islands have been given names. There are two kinds of islands, limestone and schist, which are concentrated in two main zones: southeast (belonging to Bai Tu Long Bay), and southwest (belonging to Halong Bay).

Ha Long Bay is located approximately 180 kilometers north of Hanoi, Vietnam. This place has beautiful scenery with thousands of limestone islands and hundreds of bots in and out. When the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army put a lot of torpedo boats to burst the communist soldiers were hiding in crevices and caves on the islands around the bay.

Although it has calm waters, you can not sunbath or diving, because the levels of salt in the water is too high causing you will be difficult to see underwater.

The most famous cave is Hang Dou or Grotte des Merveilles, which was discovered by the French in the 19th century. There are various forms of stalactites and stalagnit result of piling up the water in the cave since millions of years ago.

SaPa

Located 38 km from Lao Cai city, Sapa is a mountainous district of Lao Cai Province, Sa Pa District is famous for its SaPa Townlet, a beautiful and romantic resort. The place is located at an altitude of 1600 m above sea level, average temperature is 15-18oC.

Here you can experience four seasons in one day. In the morning and afternoon, it is cool like spring and autumn. At noon, it is as sunny and cloudy weather as summer. And cold at night. No early warning of storms and heavy rains may come at noon in the summer, every day. Here you will find and see a unique life from locals and also the beautiful nature.

Phong Nha

Phong Nha-Ke National Park has been recognized as a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Phong Nha-Ke Bang is now recognized by UNESCO as a fifth site in Vietnam after Ha Long Bay, Hue city, Hoi An, and My Son historical site.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang, which is located in the northern Truong Son Mountains, in the central province of Quang Binh, is one of the two largest limestone areas in the world. Central Quang Binh Provincial Government has invested into the Phong Nha-Ke Bang in order to become a major tourist destination.

Hue City

Hue is one place that has a lot of cultural heritage. Until now, there is no place like Hue that has a lot of historical places such as ancient capital city.

On the north bank of Perfume River has relics consisting of the palace, which was built as a fortress arc and has 11 km long. This valuable construction includes more than 100 architectural works which strongly reflect the life of the Emperor and government officials under King Nguyen.

There are tombs of Kings Nguyen located in the middle of the hills, the south bank of the Perfume River. Among these tombs have four famous tomb with settings that reflect the point of view of each emperor, personality and tastes. This is a great Gia Long Tomb, Minh Mang Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb and Khai Dinh magnificent Tomb.

Hue is also an important center of Buddhism. Here, there are dozens of pagodas constructed more than 300 years ago, and a hundred of temples also pagodas.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a small town in the South Coast of Vietnam. It is located in Quang Nam province and has a population of approximately 88,000 people.

Hoi An is one of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. The city has atmosphere like in China, tile-roofed houses and narrow streets, the original structure of some roads are still original. All the houses are made from wood, decorated with lacquered boards and panels, engraved with Chinese characters. Pilar is also carved with ornamental designs. You can visit the relics of Sa Huynh and Cham cultures.

You can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of Hoi An River, Cua Dai Beach, and Cham Island. Over the last few years, Hoi An has become a very popular tourist destination in Vietnam.

My Son

My Son is located 69 km southwest of Danang. It was a royal city during the Cham dynasty, between 4th and 12th century. My Son Sanctuary is a large complex of religious relics that comprises more than 70 architectural works, include temples and towers that connect to each other with complicated red brick design.

The main component of Cham architecture is the tower, built to reflect divinity of the King. According to records on inscriptions, ancient complex of My Son is a wooden temple used for pray to the god Siva Bhadresvera.

In addition to the main tower (Kalan), there are several sub-towers for worship. Although time and the wars have destroyed some towers, the remaining sculptural and architectural style still reflects history and art of the Cham people.

Ho Chi Minh

A hundreds years ago, Saigon has become a busy commercial center. Many merchants from China, Japan and also European countries would sail upstream the Saigon River to reach the island in the Pho, which is a trade center. In 1874, Cho Lon merged with Saigon, forming the largest city in the Indochina.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest tourism center in Vietnam, attracting many visitors to Vietnam every year. The city has many attractions in Ho Chi Minh Museum, formerly known as Dragon House Wharf, Cu Chi Tunnels, theaters and cultural houses.

There are many other interesting places, such as Thanh Da, Binh Quoi Village, Dam Sen Park, Saigon Water Park, Suoi Tien, and Ky Hoa which attracts many tourists.

Ho Chi Minh City also has many beautiful buildings, featuring a combination of the characteristics of Vietnamese, Chinese and European cultures. These include the Nha Rong (Dragon House Wharf), Quoc To Temple (Temple of the National Ancestor), Xa Tay (Municipal Office), Ho Chi Minh City Theater and also many pagodas and churches (Vinh Nghiem, Giac Vien, Giac Lam, Phung Son Pagoda).

Fansipan Mountain

For mountain climbers, Fansipan Mountain is one of the best place for hiking and climbing. Fansipan Mountain is located 9 km south-west of Sapa Townlet in the Hoang Lien Mountain Range. Fansipan is the "Roof of Indochina" which has of 3143 m high. Fansipan has been proposed to be one of the eco-tourist spot in Vietnam, with about 2024 floral varieties and 327 species.

Peak of Fansipan is accessible at any time. The best time to make the ascent is from mid-October to mid-November, and also in March, when the flowers bloom, and the climbers may see a carpet of flowers, violets and orchids, rhododendrons and aglaias. Fansipan Mountain also has a rice fields view, such as the famous Banawe Rice Terraces in the Philippines.