DONG VAN HIGHLAND

Dong Van Highland is situated 1,025 m above sea level and is inhabited by the Tay and H’Mong ethnic groups. The temperature is approximately 10°C in winter and reaches 24°C on the hottest days. The plateau provides famous products such as  plums, peaches, and persimmons without seeds. Dong Van apples are as big as pears. In Dong Van, numerous valuable plants used for their medicinal value are found, including ginseng, anise, and cinnamon. Dong Van has a lot to offer: mountains, forests, hidden grottoes and caves, multicoloured orchid forests, plum and peach trees, persimmon orchards, and more. Visiting Dong Van, one can see Pho Bang, also called Pho Bang Street, which was built a long time ago and features multi-storey houses made of clay bricks and tile roofs.Visiting Dong Van on Sundays, one can shop in a very original mountain market where all kinds of goods and multicoloured clothes can be purchased.

Khau Vai love market, this happens once a year, often falls in April and May(Chinese calendar 27 march), where the colorful people gather for their old loves and new ones, and is the place where the tribes sell their local products like food, vegetable, local textiles...

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HA GIANG

Ha Giang is the province located at the highest altitude in Vietnam. It is surrounded by Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai. It shares a border with China in the north. Many ethnic minorities, including the Dao, H’mong, Tay, and Nung, live in Ha Giang Province. Economic potentialities: cattle breeding, agriculture.

The climate is divided in two distinct seasons (rainy and dry), although it tends to vary depending on altitude. The annual average temperature varies between 24 and 28°C. In winter, the temperature is sometimes -5°C. Ha Giang is the ideal location to organize activities such as hiking and camping. 

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HANOI

Hanoi is the heart of Vietnam. People have settled here along the Red River for a thousand years. Nestled along wooded boulevards among the city’s two dozen lakes you will find architectural souvenirs left by all who conquered this great valley, from the Chinese who first came in the last millennium to the French, booted out in our own century.

The trip into the city from Noi Bai Airport takes about an hour and offers some poignant glimpses of modern Vietnamese life: farmers tending their fields, great rivers, modern highways that abruptly become bumpy roads. The drive is especially breathtaking at dusk when the roads fill with bicycles, and everything takes on the same deep colors as the modern paintings you see in Hanoi's galleries. Somehow the setting sun seems enormous here as it dips into the cornfields on the horizon.

On the edge of the city the road dissolves into a maze of winding, narrow, wooded lanes. You are surrounded by roadside artisans, shops and taverns, then by graceful villas and commuters on bicycles, cyclos and motorbikes. Modern buildings appear from nowhere, looking so out of place that you have to wonder if they were dropped from the sky and just left where they came to rest. While you tell yourself that nothing as preposterous as Hanoi can be so beautiful, you cannot help but be dazzled.

Getting Around

Meter taxis and hired cars are easy to find in Hanoi. If you plan an extended visit you might consider renting a bicycle or motorbike.

The north end of Hoan Kiem Lake is Hanoi's "ground zero." Practically all the city’s economical hotels, tourist shops, and cafés catering to visitors are located here. Not only is it the oldest part of the city, it is the busiest and most interesting. Every street is winding, intimate, and shady. At night the lights of storefronts keep the streets lit and animated.

Depending on which guide book you read, this district of Hanoi is variously called the "Old Quarter," the "Ancient Quarter," and "36 streets." It is wedged between the northern shore of Hoan Kiem Lake, the walls of the ancient Citadel, and the levies that protect the city from the Red River. The 36 little streets in the quarter are each named for a commodity once sold by all the businesses on that street. Streets here are named for the medicine, jewelry, fans, copper, horse hair, chicken, and even coffins once sold on them. This explains why the names of some of the longer streets inexplicably change after one or two blocks. As you explore, you will still happen upon entire blocks of tinsmiths, tailors, paper goods merchants, and lacquerware makers.

In the Ancient Quarter the most appealing mode of transportation for those who do not care to enjoy the "36 Streets" on foot is the cyclo. Often they are driven by men wearing pea-green pith helmets that make them look like soldiers.)drivers will take you to all the obligatory cultural and historical spots.

Sightseeing

Hanoi is very compact, and the city’s most interesting places for tourists are all relatively close to each other, which makes it easy to enjoy the best parts of the city on foot or by cyclo. You could probably explore the Ancient Quarter and visit all the places below in a single day, but why rush?

Sightseeing on your very first morning in Hanoi should begin with a visit to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, without a doubt the city’s single most visited site, and one of Vietnam's most revered places. The cyclo ride from Hoan Kiem Lake takes only about five minutes. The Mausoleum is open only in the mornings, from 7:30 to 10:30 in the Summer and from 8:00 to 11:00 in the Winter. There are often large crowds, so arrive early.

This imposing shrine was built on the edge of Ba Dinh Square, the place where Ho Chi Minh delivered the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Viet Nam to half a million of his countrymen in 1945, following the surrender of the Japanese. The angular gray granite edifice stands stern and alone against the skyline. The street and square are usually so abandoned that the whole scene is enormously stately, like a miniature version of Tiananmen Square.

As you exit on the side of the building, look for the ornate yellow former Governor’s Palace, which also faces Ba Dinh Square. Although not open to the public, it is a poignant contrast to Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts, which sits along a tiny lake in the wooded park behind. He lived and worked here in incredible simplicity from 1958 to 1969. Built of teak, the little house is an architectural gem, and many of his personal things remain on display.

The One Pillar Pagoda is about 50 meters away. This little architectural curiosity gets its name because the shrine sits atop a single massive pedestal. The original was built by Emperor Ly Thai To, who was inspired by a dream.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum is probably Vietnam's most important contemporary architectural achievement. Opened to the public in 1990 to commemorate Ho’s centenary, the exhibits are like a huge scrap book which chronicles his rather transient early years. Guides are available.

You can not help being overwhelmed by the serenity of Van Mieu (Temple of Literature)and Quoc Tu Giam (National University) from the moment you pass through its towering gates. Together, they make one of Asia’s loveliest spots. Hidden from the humming metropolis behind high stone walls and ancient Frangipani trees are some of Vietnam’s most magnificent religious structures and historical treasures. Great pools filled with blooming Lotus bear names like "Well of Heavenly Clarity". Dating from 1076, this was this part of Asia’s most prestigious center of learning for aristocrats and the children of the Mandarins. The focal point of the site is the Sanctuary dedicated to Confucius, which is filled with elaborate Chinese reliquary. Live performances of traditional folk music by costumed women are ongoing during public hours.

Hoan Kiem Lake

Although not at its geographical center, little Hoan Kiem Lake is the very heart of life in Hanoi. According to a 15th Century legend, a giant turtle presented Emperor Le Loi with a magic sword with which to defeat Chinese invadors. In accordance with their pact, the Emperor returned the sword to the turtle after a glorious victory in battle. Thus, the lake was named Hoan Kiem, or "restored sword."

The lake itself is like a living thing with a personality that changes continuously with the hour and the season. Some of your most vivid memories of Hanoi might come from the 45 minute walks you take around Hoan Kiem at sunrise, at midday, and again after dark.

Shortly after dawn, hundreds of people take their daily exercise on the footpath that circles the lake. If you arrive around six you will see a dozen badminton games, scores of old people practicing Tai Chi, and many shirtless young men jogging or stretching.

During the day the lake belongs to tourists and to workers from surrounding government offices. Tour busses and taxis park at the North end of the lake, near the gates and foot bridge which lead to the Ngoc Son Pagoda. Scores of young people sell post cards, maps, and paperback books here. Others shine shoes or offer to memorialize your visit with photos taken with must surely be war-era 35mm cameras. Although persistent, they are seldom rude. Many speak wonderful English and are well worth having a conversation with.

Ngoc Son Pagoda sits on an islet at the North end of the lake. The oldest structures in the complex date to 1225, though most of what you see was either built or reconstructed in the 19th century. In addition to the two beautifully ornate Confucianist sanctuaries dedicated to various long-dead humans, a huge stuffed turtle (which most certainly never swam in this lake) resides in a glass display case. The spot is lovely, not only for the ostentatious architecture, but for interesting people who take refuge from the city here. Your camera may capture old men playing checkers in the Pavilion of the Stelae, someone fishing quietly among the willows which practically obscure the island from view, a couple posing for their wedding photo with the Tortoise Pagoda in the background, or the young photographers who always gather on the red wooden bridge.

Practically across the street from the bridge is the water puppetry theater. Scenes from Vietnamese lore and history (including ancient battles) are elaborately performed by colorful lacquered puppets in an indoor pond, accompanied by traditional Vietnamese folk music. It sounds awfully corny, but missing this Hanoi attraction is like going to Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower. Tickets for the evening performances are cheap and sell out early in the day. Avoid seats closest to the water or you may get splashed.

Some of the 36 streets that make up the Ancient Quarter still offer only a single commodity. One of the best is Hang Quat, where shops sell an incredible array of lacquered wood candle sticks, bowls, picture frames, religious shrines, and decorative pieces. Practically every single item is painted in some combination of red, white and gold. Many of the things are elaborate to the point of being garish. Since prices are staggeringly low, buy what you can. Like folk art in other developing nations. Vietnamese silk is among the world’s finest. Hàng Gai (thread street) has for centuries been home to some of Hanoi’s best silk shop

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DAK LAK

Dak Lak, the largest province in Tay Nguyen Highlands, is located to the southeast of the Truong Son Mountains and shares a 240 km border with Cambodia. Though the population of Dak Lak is not large, it includes several different ethnic minorities such as Kinh, E De, Gia Rai, and M’nong. Dak Lak has many beautiful lakes such as Ea Kao, Eas No, Eo Don. Lac Lake is where the M’nong minority has been living for many generations. Dak Lak’s historical vestiges include Buon Me Thuot Prison, Dak Tua underground tunnels, and Bao Dai King’s building

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HAI PHONG

Hai Phong is the third largest city of Viet Nam, after Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi city, and the second most important port in Viet Nam. Hai Phong also has many French colonial houses. Visitors can very easily travel around the city to shop, stopping at some famous sites along the way. Hang Kenh Communal House is located right in the city. The communal house is rather long and built with a strong long-lasting wood frame. The exhibits inside are for worshipping the Village God and Ngo Quyen, a Vietnamese hero who fought against the Chinese enemies on the Bach Dang River. Du Hang Pagoda is one of the most ancient pagodas in this city. It was built three centuries ago. The decorations on the pagoda are exquisite. This pagoda houses a school for monks and stores many ancient furnishings. The Bach Dang River is famous as it is the place where the Vietnamese succeeded in defeating three Chinese feudal invasions. The third victory over the Chinese Mongolians was known all over the world. Many of the teakwood pointed spikes that were used in the battles have been discovered in this river. Do Son Beach is located 20 km from Hai Phong. This beach has a small white sand strip good for bathing. However, during the monsoon season, the Red River's alluvial sands cause the water to turn yellow. The hotels on this beach are suitable for travelers.

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CAT BA ISLAND

Travel to Cat Ba island can be separated or combined with a visit to Ha Long Bay . This is the largest island in the

Cat Ba Archipelago that consists of 350 limestone outcrops adjacent to Ha Long. This is an oasis where you can be apart for one or a few days during a long voyage. If starting from Ha Long Wharf it will take you 4 hours by a tourist boat, with stopovers for swimming, visiting spectacular karsts and having fresh sea food. In a single word, you can contemplate the beautiful scenery of Ha Long before reaching the island. You can also buy a ticket of the hydrofoil departing from Hai Phong Seaport to reach Cat Ba if your itinerary saves Ha Long for another visit. With an area of 356 square km wide, Cat Ba encompasses forested zones, coastal mangrove and freshwater swamps, beaches, caves, and waterfalls. In 1986, the Northeast side of the island was designated a National Park, including a protected marine zone. Cat Ba Island supports a population of over 20,000, most of whom live off fishing or farming in the South, in and around Cat Ba Town. The town is small and ancient, with clusters of fishing boats and inspiring sunsets across the harbor. You can check out the catch of the day in the early morning , see cuttlefish dried over hot charcoals, or stroll around the old town. It's a short hike from Cat Ba town through a tunnel to Cat Co Beach, whose mountains look like a throne holding a marvelous sandy coast, or if you hike further along, you will reach the rockier Cat Vang Beach .

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HALONG BAY

Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest. You could use high quality boats, and recommend a night on the bay to allow time for the less visited islands and grottoes, leaving those that have been equipped with lights, walkways, refreshment stalls and souvenir shops to the tourists. The exceptions are Dau Go, a large cavern worth visiting for its grandeur, and Sung Sot, for its remarkable stalactites and stalagmites. Although the name Ha Long Bay is often used to describe the entire area, it refers only to a section of a vast archipelago of thousands of limestone pinnacles stretching nearly a hundred kilometres from Hai Phong to the east. This remarkable seascape owes its existence to a complex process of erosion referred to as ‘karst’. A massive layer of high quality limestone was slowly dissolved by a warm wet climate that prevailed over South East Asia through untold millions of years. Water trickled through crevices enlarged cracks in the limestone creating caves and caverns, and caused weaker strata to collapse leaving the distinctive towers seen today. Comparatively recently, seismic activity inundated the low-lying land, creating Ha Long Bay. The almost perpendicular peaks conceal the remains of many caves and grottos, their entrances exposed when part of the tower wall collapsed, but now concealed by subsequent rock falls and dense vegetation. Some caves were already known, and others have been discovered recently, but expert opinion is that they represent only a fraction of those still hidden from view. Three large caves in the heart of the area protected as World Heritage have been made accessible to visitors. Many smaller caves can be visited, but often require a scramble across rocks and through unlit passages. In the southwest corner of Ha Long Bay is Cat Ba, a large ‘karst’ limestone island full of small mountains covered in verdant forest. Part of the island is a National Park, rich in flora and fauna including one of the most endangered species of monkey in the world. Cat Ba also boasts two small, but pleasant, sandy beaches.To the east is Bai Tu Long Bay. Although not quite matching the range of geological attributes of its illustrious neighbour, it is equally attractive and benefits from being less visited. Bai Tu Long, and particularly Quan Lan island, has by far the best beaches in northern Vietnam. Most are more or less empty, but tourism facilities are limited. The Bay is also a treasure house of endemic, and often endangered, species of flora, molluscs and small invertebrates. At present, a long term project is steadily transforming the entire archipelago and its hinterland into South East Asia’s first Ecomuseum linking all aspects of its natural, environmental and cultural elements to provide a holistic view for visitors, and to focus attention upon the critical importance of its conservation.

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MUCANG CHAI

Mu Cang Chai, which is 300 kilometres from Hanoi, is a mountainous district of the northern province of Yen Bai. Over the past few years, Mu Cang Chai has become a popular destination for tourists, researchers and photographers. Mu Cang Chai owns 700 hectares of terraced rice fields, with 70 percent at three communes: La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha, De Su Phinh. This traditional cultural heritage of an ethnic minority was recognised as a national landscape by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism. Summer is the season of ripening rice. Travel to Vietnam this time, tourists can enjoy the beauty of fields where the rice is almost ripe in many places in Vietnam. Especially in Mu Cang Chai - the home of terraced fields, tourists who travel to here will have chance to admire this wonderful scenery of ripening rice.

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BAC HA

Bac Ha is 350 km Northwest of Ha Noi, Bac Ha - a small town built on a desolated highland plain Northwest of Lao Cai, is well-known for the century-old colorful market of the real mountainous people including the Dzao and the Flower H’mong. They and the mountains seem to fall in a sleep and time stands still until Sunday mornings when the Bac Ha market occurs. All the young boys and girls wear their most beautiful clothes and go to the market.

Couples prepare forestry products or wine or hand-crafts, etc... and take to the market with bamboo buckets on their backs, not minding the long hard way, so do the elders. There, it is chance and time for them to spend money and enjoy their time. Men drink until being drunk. Women are busy at selling what they take and buying, cloths and supplies for a week. Young boys dance in their Khens’ tones and girls sing with sweet voice to express their deep love. The elderly people drink Bac Ha traditional special strong wine without leaving their eyes away from the young and remind and think and talk about their youth having gone far away. And in the afternoon, it is not surprising to see happy wives back home with their hang-out husbands on their horses’ backs. That is not all to see when Bac Ha dresses in white plum’s flowers or green or yellow of rice in four seasons. It is wise to enjoy the moments of time standing still and flying.

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SA PA

Located 35km from Lao Cai City, Sa Pa is a mountainous district of Lao Cai Province. Sa Pa District is very well-known with Sa Pa Townlet, a beautiful and romantic resort. At the height of 1,600m above sea level, the average temperature of the area is 15-18°C. It is cool in summer and cold in winter.

 Visitor to Sa Pa in summer can feel the climate of four seasons in one day. In the morning and afternoon, it is cool like the weather of spring and autumn. At noon, it is as sunny and cloudless as the weather of summer. And it is cold in the evening. With no advance warning of a thunderstorm short and heavy rains may come at noon on any summer day. Subsequently, a rainbow appears, transforming Sa Pa into a magic land, which for years has been a constant source of poetic inspiration, lights up the whole region.

The best time to witness the scenic beauty of Sa Pa is in April and May. Before that period, the weather might be cold and foggy; after that period is the rainy season. In April and May, Sa Pa is blooming with flowers and green pastures. The clouds that settle in the valley in early morning quickly disappear into thin air.

Sa Pa has many natural sites such as Cat Cat, Love Waterfall, Ham Rong Mountain, Silver Waterfall, Rattan Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave,Muong Hoa valley. Sa Pa is also the starting point for many climbers and scientists who want to reach the top of Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Viet Nam at 3,143m. Hoang Lien Mountain Range is also called the Alps of the North Sea area since Fansipan Mountain is not only the highest peak in Viet Nam, but also in the Indochina Peninsula. The pyramid-shaped mountain is covered with clouds all year round and temperatures often drop below zero, especially at high elevations.

The first thing you notice when approaching the resort town are some detached wooden mansions and villas perched on a hill top or hillside, behind thick pine forests and almost invisible on this foggy morning. Old and new villas with red roofs now appear and now disappear in the green rows of pomu trees, bringing the town the beauty of European towns.

Fresh and cool air in Sa Pa is an idea climate condition for growing temperate vegetables such as cabbage, chayote, precious medicinal herbs, and fruit trees such as plum, pear…

Sa Pa is home to various families of flowers of captivating colors, which can be found nowhere else in the country. When Tet, the Lunar New Year Festival, comes, the whole township of Sa Pa is filled with the pink colour of peach blossom brought from the vast forests of peach just outside the town. Sa Pa is regarded as the kingdom of orchids. Here, orchid lovers are even amazed by the choice, when trekking in the forest filled with several hundred kinds of orchids of brilliant colors and fantastic shapes, such as Orchid Princess, Orchid of My Fair Lady's Shoe. Some orchids are named after lovely singing birds such as the canary, salangane's nest, and more.

Sa Pa is most beautiful in spring. Apricot, plum and cherry flowers are splendidly beautiful. Markets are crowded and merry, and are especially attractive to visitors. Minority groups come here to exchange and trade goods and products. Market sessions are also a chance for locals to promenade and young men and women in colorful costumes to meet, date or seek sweethearts. Visitors come to Sa Pa will have opportunities to discover the unique customs of the local residents.

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