Vietnam Tour - Vietnam Travel Guide

Vietnam is a land full of adventurous riches

2012-01-11T19:15:00.001-08:00

Vietnam is a place full of adventure - from cultural experiences or mountain treks, there's always some destination waiting to be explored.

According to Lonely Planet, the Southeast Asian nation is a prime location for some adrenaline-inducing thrills.

"Whether you prefer to scale the heights of jagged peaks or plumb the depths of coral reefs, Vietnam will deliver something special... just being here is one long adventure, but these experiences will take it to a whole new level," states the travel experts.

In Halong Bay, travelers can go kayaking into hidden lagoons and caves inaccessible by regular boats. If paddling sounds like too much work, they can float along the water's surface while kite surfing. In addition, the reefs off Nha Trang and Con Dao are perfect for scuba diving.

The famous Mekong Delta is one of the best places to ride a bicycle, as the area is fairly remote, but still has established paths. The views are spectacular and there's always the option of taking a boat trip down the river as a break from all that peddling. In north side of the country, motorbikingis a great way to trek through the mountains.

Vietnam is best explored with a small group of adventure travelers.

Source: gadventures

Recommended tour:

Motorcycling the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Half Challenge

Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Kayaking Halong Bay

Mekong Delta region rated among top ten destinations in 2012

2012-01-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

The Mekong Delta region, famous fruits gardens and romantic waterways, may be host to more visitors this year.

Lonely Planet , the largest travel guide book, has rated the Mekong Delta region among the “Best-Value Destinations for 2012 (destinations where your dollar gets you even further!)”.

The rating is expected to help promote the region's image to international visitors around the world.

Here is what Lonely Planet got to write about the destination: "Vietnam is always good value, but you can now skip the package trips arranged in Ho Chi Minh City that tread the same worn-out routes. It’s become easier, more rewarding and just as cheap to go on DIY multiday adventures to destinations like Ben Tre, Chau Doc and the floating markets of Vinh Long, and some less-seen ones like Ha Tien or Tra Vinh. Go by air-conditioned bus or hire moto-taxis as you go; the latter know ferry crossings on roads not on any map. Boat trips go for US$5 to US$10, while most guesthouses run US$10 to US$25."

Waterway

Wooden bridges

Urban get a taste of a different life

Beauty in the simple and natural

Interested in coconut candy called Dong Thap

Folk songs

A good time

Women in traditional pajamas

Satisfied smiles

New hope for Vietnam's tourism in 2012

Source: dtinews
Recommended tour by Activetravel Asia
Mekong Explorer
The Mighty Mekong

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA launches New Year Promotion 2012

2011-12-21T20:07:00.001-08:00

Human Christmas and New Year approaching, ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) sends to all travelers of the faithful, heartfelt words to wish a peaceful Christmas and New Year exuberant grace of God. With the approaching of Christmas and New Year 2012, ATA is providing discount up to 7 % for all loyalty customers to buy ATA’s tours during the period from Feb, 1 2012 to Apr, 1 2012.

ATA runs the most adventure tours available in Indochina and Asia. ATA’s active trips are designed for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts, real people seeking real fun and adventure. Of course, a reasonable level of personal fitness, good health, and interest in outdoor activities is advisable, but the customers don't need to be a tri-athlete or be an expert in any of the activities you will undertake.
There are variety kinds of adventure tours ATA’s customers can choose from: motorbiking, trekking, hiking, biking, kayaking…

About ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA:

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA is one of the Indochina's leading adventure travel companies. ATA offers a wide selection of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, biking, motorcycling, overland touring and family travel packages. ATA’s packages and tailor-made private itineraries will take you through exotic destinations to really experience the culture, history and nature of Asia. Visit more, go to www.activetravel.asia.

Zooming Through Vietnam

2011-12-13T23:31:00.000-08:00

The Vietnamese bus tout are convinced they’ll get business from us. “Bus to Sa Pa” they call as we tuck away our passports, re-attach helmets and roll bicycles down a short but sheer ramp from border control into Vietnam proper. “We go by bicycle,” we reply. They shake heads. “No…. you go bus.” I look the youngest and most hopeful tout in the eyes and assure him that we’re very strong. He shakes his head in response: “Sa Pa? You go by bus?”

Cat Cat village rice fields

We cross into the country with Mirko, an Italian cyclist who is also headed up to Vietnam’s premier hill top town. He (perhaps wisely) opts for the bus, leaving us to conquer the 28km climb alone. Pedalling away from the river, the border town of Lao Cai passes by in a blur of motorcycles and baguette stalls before the climbing really begins about 5km in. We’re soon in thick jungle interspersed with roadside shacks selling beer and food, following a road which heads relentlessly up. The heat is a new challenge and almost instantly the sweat factor is so high that the water is rolling off my cheeks. Three hours later, just as our legs are threatening to turn to jelly, we hit the outskirts of Sa Pa and our incredibly disproportionate reward of a five day break.

A tranquil hill-top village with stunning views of rice terraces and Vietnam’s highest peak, Fansipan, Sa Pa’s stretch of swank hotels and 5-star dining options is about as far from Vietnam-proper as Invercargill is from London. A mist hangs over the valley for much of the week, only occasionally clearing to reveal the rice terraces below. A constant throng of woman from local villages cluster together in small groups along the main street. In a swirl of brightly embroidered garments, they’re in town to sell local handicrafts, but we suspect the bigger business is taking visitors on tours to the villages. Hundreds of camera-toting tourists follow a parade of brightly clad villagers past our hotel pied-piper style every morning, leaving us envisaging their village destination as a vast factory of souvenir manufacturing.

We’re up early one morning to take advantage of an “all you can eat” breakfast buffet in town, and burn off the calories by hiking past Cat Cat village, which lies at the other end of Sa Pa. We’re quickly away from the well-maintained paths lined with souvenir stalls and find ourselves on a path which eventually leads to Fansipan peak. Taking a steep off-piste ‘short-cut’ back to the main path, I get a little too close to nature, resulting in three impressive leech bites, though we never saw the little blighters.

Unusual cloud halo

Arriving in Dien Bien Phu after a few days where our diet has been dominated by rice based products, we enjoy its slightly bigger town feel, staying for a couple of nights and stocking up on Vietnamese coffee.

Justin is cleaning bicycles in the courtyard when a couple of Austrian cycle tourists check in. Philipp and Valeska are also heading home after a long period away and we had a lot to talk about in our last evening in Vietnam. With a big climb ahead of us to the border it made sense to team up to cross into Laos.

Source: rolling-tales.com

EXPERIENCE SAPA

2011-12-09T00:25:00.001-08:00

Attractive eco-friendly valleys, terraced slope attributes as well as tribes nevertheless subsequent their own historic customs — encouraged in order to Sapa.

Situated 350kms north-west associated with Hanoi, simply timid from Chinese language the edge may be the Lao Cai Land exactly where you’ll discover Sapa. It’s environment as well as amazing scenery tend to be about the reduce inclines from the Hoang Lien Boy hill variety, that additionally features Vietnam’s greatest hill Fansipan, having a elevation associated with 3142 metre distances.

Sapa is actually filled with a varied number of cultural minorities like the Hmong, Yao, Tay as well as Giay organizations. Considered to possess lived on the region because the 1800′s, these types of Sapa slope tribes continue to be close to these days ongoing their own life-style as well as customs because they did for hundreds of years.

The elements is extremely periodic, throughout the summer time it is very reasonable as well as wet. Throughout the winter season it may be chilly, misty as well as obtain the unusual compacted snow.
Suggested occasions to visit tend to be 03 via Might as well as middle Sept in order to earlier Dec to obtain a hotter as well as better encounter.

Arranging your own go Sapa ahead of time via a journey professional is actually recommended. The easiest method to reach Sapa is actually through immediately teach, exactly where vacationers may rest the actual trip aside. Through Hanoi the actual trip requires around 10 several hours and also the locomotives go away every day. You will find 14 locomotives that offer the actual come back trip in between Hanoi as well as Lao Cai, just about all supplying air-conditioning as well as comfy cabins along with several berth choices. You will awaken rejuvenated as well as prepared for the Sapa experience to start whenever you appear in to Lao Cai earlier the following early morning.

Place your own strolling footwear upon as well as discover the actual valleys providing breathless surroundings top you to definitely nearby towns. The actual closest town associated with Kitty Kitty is just 3kms through Sapa, an additional choice is actually Ta Phin town house in order to Red-colored Dzao around 10kms aside. The majority of vacationers looks for helpful information as well as has a Xe Om (motorcycle) to some starting place 8kms through Sapa, after that journey the 14km cycle round the region going to towns on the way.

Conquer Fansipan, Vietnam

There is lots of walking as well as hiking choices in the region for those health and fitness amounts, going to slope group towns as well as waterfalls. For that severe mountaineer why don’t you undertake the actual 19km trip towards the peak associated with Fansipan, Vietnam’s greatest maximum?

An additional appeal associated with any kind of Sapa journey may be the marketplaces. You will find several marketplaces kept round the region usually about the weekend break upon whether Sunday or even Weekend. The well-known marketplace may be the Back ‘Weekend marketplace, the industry buying and selling center as well as conference location with regard to family and friends.

You will discover the neighborhood minorities putting on their own conventional clothes, the actual Hmong tend to be recognized through their own indigo stitched garb and also the Red-colored Dao through their own red-colored headdresses along with hanging cash as well as waistcoats which are intricately stitched as well as put on through the ladies. The actual Adore Marketplace is actually an additional famous marketplace — typically it had been a location in which the youths from the nearby slope tribes might arrive to locate a partner.

If you have fulfilled the actual local people, trekked the actual valleys as well as marvelled the actual sights associated with significantly terraced grain areas, shopped in the marketplaces and also have your own cherished times taken, you’ll return in order to Lao Cai train station for the immediately teach to Hanoi. The Sapa journey experience is really a particular emphasize associated with any kind of day at Vietnam.

Source: wannawatch.info

Active Travel Asia Explores Pu Hu Nature Reserve In Vietnam

2011-12-04T19:45:00.001-08:00

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA and GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit in Vietnam) working together in a survey of responsible tourism project in Pu Hu Nature Reserve, Thanh hoa province, Vietnam.

The survey trip will be held in middle of December, 2011 by ATA team with support of GIZ Vietnam. ATA inspection team will spend about 3 days to scan this area, evaluating the suitable activities for a tourist site. This activity is a part of project “Protection of the forest and wildlife” implemented by GIZ Vietnam, under the management of Forest Protection Department of Thanh Hoa Province.

Pu Hu Nature Reserve is situated in the North-West of Thanh Hoa Province. It has a big diversity of plants and animals with 508 plant species and 266 animals species. It also has a role in protecting the catchment of the Ma river. The inhabitants of the nature reserve and buffer zone belong to the Thai, Hmong, Dao and Kinh ethnic groups.

The tourist will discover illegal cutting of trees, hunting and other illegal activities in the forest. Their movement in the forest will help to keep these illegal activities under control and is therefore very important!

As Mr. Georg Kloeble, Senior Advisor Natural Recource Management of GIZ said “Pu Hu is very rugged and mountainous and might be demanding on the fitness of the participants! Rainforest, it might be misty and wet. I myself was only one time in there, hiking for one day! It was fantastic!”

After the trip, ATA inspection team is going to propose interesting activities, suitable routes which would make Pu Hu nature reserve to be a tourist site. ATA also works with GIZ Vietnam to run and manage the potential trip tours here to complete one of the most important parts of project.

Active Travel Asia announced the prizes for the contest “Indochina in Your Eyes”!

2011-11-30T00:35:00.000-08:00

First word Active Travel Asia sent to you to joint our competition “Indochina in yours eyes” most sincere thanks!

“Indochina in yours eyes” contest lasted over 2 months (1st Sep 2011 to 20th Nov 2011) and ends on 20 Nov 2011. Organizing Committee has received many entries with unique ideas, deeply felt and very sincere, especially from customers love traveling and traveled to Indochina in a lifetime.

Now is the time to honor the winner. The winner is the person who has the amount of LIKE ranked highest on our facebook page plus 2 travel news sites. It meant that many people had read and liked your story.

The highest prize of the contest “Indochina in your eyes” is Yasmine Khater with entry "South to North Vietnam : An Unforgettable Experience".

The prize is a 3 day 2 night tour costing from 700$ - 1000$ for 2 persons. The winner can choose one of out door activities including Trekking, Cycling, Motorcycling, and Kayaking in wide areas of Indochina plus interesting gifts.

• Kayaking Halong Bay

• Trekking Sapa and homestay

• Mai Chau Trekking

• Motorcycling the Ho Chi Minh Trail

• Biking Angkor Wat

Besides the highest prize, to encourage the writers ATA awards 3 incentive prizes for the entry which had the amount of “Like” followed by the highest:

• Andrew Faulks with entry “Pol Pot’s Clipper”

• Raelene Kwong with entry “An expedition to Vietnam’s Son Doong Cave – what could go wrong?”

• Manasi Subramaniam with entry “How Saigon Feels”

The incentive prize is a full day city tour for 2 persons. Besides, you will get some extra values as below:

• a couple of sleeping bags by fabric filter.

• a couple of T-shirts with ATA logo.

• 2 water puppet tickets

• lunch included

• 1 hour Cyclo (Xich Lo) around old quarter.

All the prizes will be available in 2 years from the day of award announcement (Nov 30th, 2011.)

Active Travel Asia thank all of your contest whether your felt and shared were not high rank but your sharing for ATA is the most precious. All good thoughts of you for Indochina and ATA will be the core values which always lead to ATA.

Please thank most respectfully to you, wish you good luck and congratulations again!

Please refer any questions about the award to us at: event@activetravel.asia.

Vietnam - A cultural feast

2011-11-24T00:20:00.001-08:00

I envisioned hiking to remote villages to find mountain hill tribes; people living in indigenous villages, untouched by outside influences.

Instead, as we pulled into Sapa, in the northern part of Vietnam, a group of Black Hmong women gathered on the side of the road as our shuttle pulled into the center of town. A welcoming committee, perhaps?

As the van came to a stop, my jaw dropped as the entire group charged at our vehicle screaming “You buy from me!”

This was not the authentic Vietnamese experience I had in mind.

Returning to Southeast Asia was a dream of mine since my last trip to Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia eight years ago. So when the time finally came for my boyfriend and I to head out for a three-week romp around Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia this past September, I went with a backpack full of expectations, hoping to get off the beaten path and discover the “authentic” cultures of Southeast Asia.

Traffic flows near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Expectations and reality are hardly ever one in the same, as I was soon reminded. As a tourist, I had as much to do with the cultural changes taking place in the places I visited as the people who live there. The fact is that with tourism spreading rapidly throughout Third World countries, “off the beaten path” is now the most-sought after destination.

East meets West

We began our trip with two days in Hanoi, a city well known for its organized chaos. Hanoi is a perfect blend of Eastern mystery and Western old world charm dating back to the early French colonialists.

The narrow streets were choked with a million scooters driving alongside street-hawkers selling their wares. All the while, the constant smell of delicious Vietnamese food wafted out from the thousands of restaurants and sidewalk food stands. Vietnamese women wearing traditional woven cone hats sold everything from T-shirts and balloons to exotic fruits and chickens (both living and dead) from their yoke-slung baskets. Spend a morning sipping Vietnamese coffee and eating tiramisu at a cafe on the banks of Hoan Kiem Lake and watch the world go by and you could be in an Asian-style Paris.

To dive into Hanoi’s culture headfirst is to master the art of crossing the road and bartering. It’s also a commitment to eating anything and everything cooked on the street, in spite of any Western health warnings. So this is what we did.

In a city where traffic lights mean nothing and the only road rule seems to be to keep moving, we began our road-crossing lesson by subtly tagging along with locals as they crossed. The key is to cross slowly and steadily and trust that the one million scooters, cyclists, cars and other pedestrians that share the road will flow around you — a belief that contradicts all western road-crossing training.

The art of bartering was our next cultural lesson and my boyfriend approached it with game and gusto while I, recognizing his strength and my relative weakness, timidly left all negotiations to him. He proved his mastery after intense, extensive negotiations for a .25 cent Zippo lighter. Eventually, the sales person shoved the lighter in his hands, refused his money and said “go away.”

While haggling was his fortay, eating was my greatest strength. I attacked the street cuisine, inhaling delicious pho noodle soups, rich French pastries and baguettes, and any street-side delicacy set in front of me. I was never disappointed. Hanoi proved to be a foodies paradise, not just for the amazing flavors, but for the whole experience. Eating on the street is a must as, for one, it is usually the cheapest option and two, it will give you the most authentic Vietnamese food experience. Our last day in Hanoi, we were enticed away from shopping to a street cafe where we were the only non-Asian diners. We sat on plastic child-sized chairs and watched as eight small dishes of food, some recognizable, most not, were immediately placed in front of us in dim sum style. Delicious! Next to us a family of servers/cooks rushed around, dishing up trays of food for our fellow enthusiastic diners as they loudly slurped and chatted.

Ha Long Bay – Sapa – Hanoi

From Hanoi we headed east for a two night stay on a traditional junk boat in Ha Long Bay. This UNESCO World Heritage site on the Northeastern coast covers an area of 1,553 km (965 miles) and is made up of almost 2,000 stunning, mainly limestone islets rising from the Tonkin Gulf. Scattered throughout the islets are small floating fishing villages whose inhabitants farm oysters, mussels and fish for food and trade. It is possible at times to be distracted from the allure of the area by the amount and effects of tourism there. The 450 boats anchored in the crowded bay host thousands of tourists a day. The amount of trash floating in the otherwise emerald waters is a sad reminder of how the desire for tourist dollars can become more important than protecting tourist destinations. However as the sun sets on the limestone karst and the last of the water traders ply their goods to colorful tourist filled junk boats, of which you are a part of, it is impossible not to appreciate the obvious beauty and cultural significance of Ha Long Bay.

Next stop, Sapa, a small French colonial town in the misty northern mountains of the Lao Cai provence. Located near the Chinese boarder, it is home to several different ethnic minority groups whose villages are scattered among the rice terrace-covered mountains and valleys. We took a night train to get from Hanoi to Sapa, sleeping in quaint bunk beds that conjured up historic images of an Orient Express experience, to Lao Cai and from there, took a shuttle to Sapa.

Our initial surprise and fear of the welcoming committee was replaced with curiosity on our hikes to nearby Black Hmong villages with our guide, Quong. Traditionally dressed Black Hmong ladies casually followed along, asking a series of basic questions over and over again: “What’s your name?” “Where you from?” “How many children you have?” and inevitably “You my friend?… You buy from me?” as they dug into their woven baskets for both handmade, and Chinese-made goods. The question of why we were hiking to meet the Black H’mong when they had already made the hike to meet us was ever present. Ever the entertainer and salesman himself, my boyfriend asked them to buy his handmade fly fishing flies and individual pieces of chewing gum. He did eventually manage a trade, a piece of gum for a hand-made bracelet, much to the frustration of the Hmong lady who soon realized she didn’t like the taste of the gum.

Despite the never-ending sales pitch, it was impossible to ignore the magnificent scenery surrounding us: waterfalls, rivers and terraced rice paddies in mist-covered mountains.

Our home-stay was a fun-filled night of amazing food and home-brewed “happy water,” which broke down all cultural and social walls and had us convinced we were fluent in local dialects. Our morning headaches reminded us otherwise. Waking before the rest of our group, my boyfriend and I spent the morning with our host, who spoke no English, and her outgoing five-year-old grandson. We got a glimpse into their everyday life, as our host’s son and daughter-in-law puttered around doing morning chores.

We returned to Hanoi from Sapa the same way we arrived, by sleeper train, and spent one more night in the energetic city, surprised to see capitalism thriving so well in this still communist country. The next morning we headed off to our next stop, a whirlwind two days in Bangkok.

Source: darianculbert

Vietnam: gems of the north

2011-11-08T00:12:00.000-08:00

Vietnam is increasingly becoming a popular destination for travellers each year. Its large chaotic cities are popular stop-offs for young travellers, and a great place to spend a few days. However, it can be nice to get away from the hustle and bustle, and northern Vietnam boasts fantastic scenery for those able to pull themselves away from the captivating capital of Hanoi.

Northern Vietnam boasts fantastic scenery

Hanoi is a bustling city, riddled with motorcycles, bright lights, and street vendors; it can be hard to keep up with. There is much to see in and around the city and plenty of culture to absorb in the ancient architecture which is dotted throughout the vibrant city.
Although everyone advises you to try the street food, be careful what you order as Vietnam is notorious for its taste for dog, and locals prefer boiled eggs with developing chicks in to dunking eggs with toast soldiers...

Amid the shops selling richly-coloured, handmade clothing and ornaments you may also find propaganda art shops selling reprints of posters from various areas of Vietnam culture and the Vietnam War.
If you have a few days to spare however, it’s worth going a bit further afield, as northern Vietnam has some fantastic varied landscapes; the two most popular being the protruding rock formations of Halong Bay, and the terraced farms of Sapa.

Halong Bay is a UNESCO world heritage site and consists of over 3,000 islands scattered across the sea. You can choose to stay a number of nights on a trip to the bay, but two days one night is plenty of time. Make sure to visit the famous cave; with three increasingly large chambers to walk through, it is quite a sight to behold. There is also an opportunity to go kayaking which I would recommend.

If offered the choice of staying on land or boat, I would advise you stay onboard as the sea is calm and it’s quite an experience waking up and walking out of your cabin to such a spectacular view. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing number of tourists means the ocean is usually scattered with other boats making it a slightly less unique experience but it is worth a trip none-the-less.

From Halong Bay, you will need to detour back through Hanoi in order to get a night train to Sapa (pictured below). These trains are very different to the sleeper trains of Thailand, in which you are bundled into bunk beds lining either side of the carriage, as most trains running this journey have four-bed carriages which seem quite luxurious in comparison. You may either book a tour or decide to freestyle on arrival (which will often get you a cheaper trekking trip), however due to lack of time on my trip, I decided to book a tour.

From the train station in Sapa it is a dodgy drive up through misty mountains; the morning I arrived you could barely see the white markings in the road six feet ahead of the minibus! The somewhat frightening experience seems even more surreal when you glance out the window to see the lush green hills and terraced farms that almost give the impression of an optical illusion.

On my trip I was unfortunately greeted by torrential downpour, and with only my canvas plimsolls I resorted to plastic bagging my shoes, so be warned - the weather is unpredictable, particularly in rainy season (May to September).

A trek is a great way to take in the scenery and if booking a tour beforehand, most travel agents will offer the opportunity of a homestay, which if you are willing to rough it, I would highly recommend. The place I stayed was very basic, a cement building with curtains separating the beds from the main living area, and an upper terrace with mattresses and mosquito nets for the guests.

The family spoke very little English, but our guide stayed over and was happy to translate. The food was delicious traditional Vietnamese cuisine, and despite the basic facilities of the homestay, the location was fantastic in the dip of a valley by a river in which you could view local children fishing, and at walking distance from local villages.

The local saleswomen are persistent, and be warned that they will walk alongside you for the duration of the trek until you buy something from them unless you make clear at the start that you are not going to make a purchase. Back in the town at Sapa, there is also a large market selling many different things, but always be prepared to barter as they will normally ask for almost twice above the selling price.

Embrace the overland travel, that’s when you’re likely to see the most unspoilt landscapes and the towns that are really representative of the country’s economy and lifestyle. Vietnam is a country with varied landscapes, and although the big cities are great to spend some time in, it’s well worth a trip to some of the farther stretches of land to get an understanding of just how diverse the country is.

By Alice Woodward

The first expedition to Son Doong Cave with ATA – Unrevealed stories!

2011-10-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

On 28th Sep, 2011, carrying the eager to explore the grandeur of nature, the first travelers together with ATA’s product manager – Mr. Tony Tran had launched the discovery to Son Doong Cave, the biggest cave in the world.

Accompany with the group is Mr. Ho Khanh who found the Son Doong Cave as a tour guide. The first meet with Mr. Ho Khanh really impressed everyone. Just a warm smile, a strong handshake from him is enough to make everyone feel warm at heart. At Ho Khanh ‘s house, the group had the moments of relax with green tea, a simple lunch with steamed rice cake and salted peanut and an open conversation. All of that was promising for a memorable journey.

Mr. Ho Khanh in old costume of troop

The first obstacle for the group is leaches. They are everywhere and all in hungry for blood. It was really a nightmare at first but as time passes, the scare was fade when everyone got used to them and they weren’t the obstacle anymore. In the deep jungle under shade, the expedition team followed jungle trails that on limestone Mountains to the Swallow Cave.

As planned, the expedition team would camp at the Swallow Cave. But “Man proposes, God disposes”, everything weren’t going as planned, it was dark so quickly so the expedition had to camp at a clear ground that is 30 minutes walking to the Swallow Cave. The tents were pitched up, dinner was also cooked and everyone had a good time to eat dinner together. Camping in the deep jungle, it was indeed an interesting experience!

Everything was not easier on the next morning. Although the sky seemed so bright, no rain and the ground was dry, the obstacles was still waiting for them. This time was the torrential river bank. If the expedition team couldn’t cross the torrent, that meant they wouldn’t be able to get to Son Doong Cave. This case forced everyone had to discuss and find the way to cross the torrent and after that decided if they could go any further or not.

In the torrential river bank....

Ho Khanh proved himself as a local guide with many years of experiences. At the hard times, his skill is very essential. He swam to the other side with a rope, he tied it to a tree then he led them crossing the river one by one. After much effort, finally, the group crossed the river safety. With the hope “After a storm comes a calm”, everything would be smooth but the obstacle has passed, another comes. A lake blocks the way to Son Doong Cave. To cross the lake at that time was impossible and instead of risking themselves, it was better to take the photos of Swallow Cave then head back to the other side of the cave using rope to cross the river again.

The trek back is so nice with not climbing and great view. Crossing over shallow stream, walking through banana forest and spending sometime for hot green tea in Doong Village. All of that little things made a memorable tour.

Due to bad weather, the expedition might not succeed as planned but everyone was all happy with what they experienced. Son Doong - We will come back soon.

Clip about the first expedition to Son Doong Cave

Mai Chau Homestay Trek Was So Much Better Than I Ever Imagined

2011-10-13T20:27:00.001-07:00

"A buddy and I did 10 days in Northern Vietnam and wanted to get a few days of hiking in. We opted for ATA's 4-day Mai Chau Homestay. Mr. Hai picked us up at our backpacker's hostel with a private car and driver. Mr. Hai was very knowledgeable, had a great sense of humor, and spoke great English. The drive was quiet and comfortable, though uneventful as it was raining.

When we reached Mai Chau, we stopped at the Homestay HQ where we were treated to a good 4-5 course meal and waited for our local guide, Thanh. Thanh did not speak a word of English, but was friendly and pleasant from the start. She would prove to be absolutely wonderful once the trip started. From Mai Chau, we took a short car ride to the beginning of the hike.

We departed our transport and hiked to a Hmong village high in the mountains. Though it was still raining and chilly, the Hmong house was warm and comfortable. Right when we arrived, Thanh headed to the kitchen and began working over a wood fire. We quickly learned that this would be the norm, regardless of how long the hike was prior. The Hmong family pressed on with their day-to-day activities. At dinner time, Thanh delivered the first of several unbelievable meals. The typical dinner meal was about 7 courses with the freshest ingredients I've ever tasted. I can't begin to express how good the food was throughout the trip. The Hmong husband and wife joined us during the dinner and shared their company as well as their homemade corn wine with us.

The next morning, we were welcomed with a delicious breakfast. I can't recall what we ate on any particular day, but it ranged from noodle and vegetable dishes to omelets to banana pancakes. Fresh fruit was always served. The second day we hiked down the mountain to a black Thai village. The terrain was extremely slippery. With hindsight, I would probably have been much better off with a lightweight hiking shoe rather than a heavier boot.

We broke for a quick lunch midway through the hike...tuna sandwiches and fresh fruit. Arriving at the black Thai house, we were drenched and the lady of the house helped us figure out how to wash some clothes and helped us hang them to dry. We were offered beer or other softdrinks for about $1 each. Again, we were treated to a wonderful meal, great company, and homemade rice wine. After dinner, we grabbed some more beers and walked down to a rice patty wall where we sat, talked, and enjoyed the night scenery. I felt completely safe in the sleepy village (as well as everywhere else I visited in Vietnam).

After a delicious breakfast, we began our third day of hiking. We hiked through some amazing scenery...limestone cliffs towering hundreds of feet above plush, green rice fields. There was no shortage of activity to witness, from girls working the fields or busy embroidering to men leading their water buffalo to graze. We even got to take about an hour break to watch a local soccer match, complete with water buffalo running through the middle of the field. Another quick lunch included sandwiches and custard apple fruit. The only way I can explain what a custard apple is that it is somewhat of a pineapple-like fruit, but with pudding inside. It was amazing!

We spent our last night at a black Thai house where we were again treated with Thanh's wonderful cooking, pleasant company from our hosts, and homemade rice wine.

The next day, we started off with a good breakfast again and had a 3-4 hour hike back to the Homestay HQ. There, we had a refreshing shower followed by a good meal. This village has plenty of shopping available, so definitely save your shopping for the last day.

Bottom line...

Mr. Hai was wonderful. We is an entertaining, knowledgeable guide. We were constantly engaged in entertaining dialogue, exploring everything from local customs to Vietnam history and politics. I can't imagine a better English-speaking guide in Vietnam.

Thanh was unbelievable. She led us down slippery trails and through river crossings wearing only her flipflops. Each day, following the day's hike, she would cook the most amazing meals over a wood fire. She was the first one awake, greeting us each day with a delicious breakfast.

Mai Chau is unspoiled. Not once was I approached to provide change or to buy something. The people all seemed pleasantly indifferent to us. Smiles and greetings were exchanged, but I never felt any pressure common in similar tourist situations. The people of Mai Chau seemed to be proud, friendly, and respectful.

Planning the trip was easily done via email. Ms Sunny helped me up until she took leave to deliver a baby. After that, Ms Candy ensured we were taken care of.

I don't know what else I can add. It was simply wonderful!

Visited September 2011”

By Eric Dean McCammond

Source: tripadvisor

Kayak Tourism in Vietnam

2011-10-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

According to the Central Intelligence Agency's 2011 World Fact Book, Vietnam ranks seventh in the world in terms of navigable rivers, canals and inland bodies of water. When you compare the size of most of the countries above it on the list, which includes the United States, Russia and China, you realize how much water Vietnam has per square mile. All this water means plenty of kayaking opportunities, but there are just a handful of established kayak tourism points in Vietnam.

Halong Bay

Just over 100 miles east of Hanoi in northern Vietnam, Halong Bay is famous for its dramatic
rock formations. With thousands of limestone karst rock islets soaring from its waters along with caves, mangrove forests and sandy beaches, the bay offers spectacular kayaking opportunities.

Caves give way to hidden lagoons, channels are bordered by tall cliffs covered in lush, green vegetation and locals sell crafts and snacks on small boats around the bay. Many people choose to stay on a traditional junk boat in Halong Bay and take day trips by kayak to secluded lagoons, caves and floating markets. The best time to visit is October to June, but kayaking is available year round. Halong Bay is connected to Hanoi by bus and taxi.

Ba Be Lake

Located in the Can Province northwest of Hanoi, Ba Be Lake is the centerpiece of Ba Be National Park. Surrounded by tall limestone cliffs, the shores of the 4-mile-long lake host traditional villages inhabited by ethnic minorities making their living farming and fishing. The tropical forest in the surrounding park is home to 300 wildlife species, including one of the world's rarest primates, the snub-nosed monkey, and more than 400 plant species.

Kayaking is usually offered as part of a tour of the national park, which also includes biking and visiting traditional villages. Kayak tours include paddling on the Nang River followed by an entry onto the lake through a striking 100-foot-high, 1,000-foot-long cave. The bus ride from Hanoi to Ba Be Lake takes six to eight hours.

Mekong Delta

Probably the best known waterway in Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is actually fairly new in the kayak tourism industry. The locals have been paddling these rivers and canals for centuries using their famous stand-up paddle method, but most tourists view the region from larger boats.

Located to the south of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, the Mekong Delta has a flatter terrain than the destinations to the north. The river is lined with farms and towns and river traffic is high in some areas. A network of tiny canals cuts through the water plants on the banks, leading to small villages and floating markets. You can kayak along the Mekong, staying the night in small guesthouses along the way. If you join a kayak tour, you will be able to visit local farms, gardens and homes. Many tours also use a larger boat with sleeping cabins as a base.

Perfume River

Located about 600 miles south of Hanoi, the Perfume River winds its way through verdant tropical forests dotted with ancient pagodas and the tombs of several Nguyen emperors, including Gia Long and Minh Mang, to Hue on Vietnam's eastern coast. In addition to the tombs and pagodas, kayakers can visit a traditional bronze casting village and Sinh village with its rustic paintings. Bicycle trips just off the river visit sites such as the Royal Tiger Arena, an historic animal fighting place, and Emperor Tu Duc's tomb.

References: Kayak Halong Bay

Source: usatoday

Vietnam: ethnic tourism among the valleys with no name

2011-10-06T20:14:00.001-07:00

A typhoon had blown in during the day. White rain clouds lay like a boiling sea in the valleys, creating the illusion that the twisting mountain pass was an ocean road. As our vehicle turned a blind corner we came across a gaggle of motorcyclists, caped against the rain and gawping over the edge.

A Red Dao mother and child

A lorry had gone over while overtaking another lorry, trusting to a hard shoulder that had gone soft in the rain. Through the clouds we saw that the plummeting vehicle had ploughed a vertical groove of red earth in the sheer mountainside. Its roof was visible, a couple of hundred feet below.

Incredibly, the driver had just been hauled up alive and whisked off to hospital. As the men continued to stare, a woman in a beautiful and strange costume strode away from the scene as if in disgust. She was the reason we had come to this remote, mountainous region in the north of Vietnam, just 50 miles from the Chinese border.

Her distinctive look – black tunic and trousers embroidered with red-and-white patterned panels, red scarf and headdress – marked her out as a member of the Dao ethnic minority, one of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. The Viets are the biggest group, accounting for 86 per cent of the population and dominating mainstream culture. To varying extents, the remaining minorities lead marginalized lives, both culturally and geographically.

Most live in rural areas, growing rice, practicing slash-and-burn farming, keeping animals, making handicrafts, worshipping their ancestors and believing in spirits. Many still wear their distinctive, traditional dress – or at least the women do; men tend to go for the easy option and wear Western clothes these days – and this is part of what makes them especially intriguing and attractive to foreigners. Market days, when different groups come together in a throng of color and noise, are thrilling spectacles.

In recent years, tourism has cottoned on to this, and some minority communities have benefited by offering homestays and selling their beautiful textiles. This "ethnic tourism" is at its busiest in the old French hill station of Sapa, 150 miles north-west of Hanoi, where each year hundreds of thousands of trekkers and photographers pitch up via train and bus from the capital.

Hearing stories of commercialization and exploitation in Sapa, my partner and I had decided to hire a car, driver and guide and head instead to less-visited minority areas, culminating in the province of Ha Giang to the north-east of Sapa. Abutting the border with China, this province was the scene of heavy fighting with the Chinese in the Eighties; though it is now completely safe, tourism there remains undeveloped.

Hmong women in Sapa

Our goal, a cluster of ridges and valleys said to harbor the largest diversity of ethnic populations in Vietnam, is so little known by the outside world that it doesn't yet have a name. If I were a marketing person, charged with putting it on the map, I would name it after the high pass that is the main route into it.

The pass is called Cong Troi, which means Heaven's Gate. We crossed it shortly after passing the scene of the lorry accident. The landscape around us, glimpsed through the clouds, was indeed celestial – rice paddies cut into the hillsides that looked like the steps of Aztec temples, valleys plunging to hazy nothingness and waterfalls in noisy spate. Here, where many had seen white faces only on television, we were often as much objects of curiosity to the minority peoples as they were to us.

From Cong Troi we twisted down through clouds to the valley bottom and the village of Thong Nguyen, which serves a local population of about 5,000 living in the surrounding hills. Tourism has already arrived in a small way here – there's a French-owned lodge on the outskirts – and the village authorities are evidently fearful of what it may yet bring.

Using Pan Hou Lodge as a base, we spent the next two days trekking up into those shimmering green hills to visit remote communities perched on the lips of steepling rice paddies. In a Dao village we drank green tea beneath an old picture of Ho Chi Minh and then, inevitably, the woman who made it, with a baby in a sling on her back, submitted to photographs.

And that, of course, is the subtext of ethnic tourism. You come to gawp and click, to capture those eye-catching costumes and quaint customs in pixels. One woman I tried to photograph, with a mouth blackened by betel nut, covered her face, saying, "I am not beautiful any more. I look like a goat!"

I knew what she said because our guide translated. Having him around enabled us to enrich encounters that were inherently voyeuristic. And his life story, which he related in a series of chats over the week, provided great insight into the minority way of life.

On our visits to minority houses he would explain layouts and functions. The houses tend to be built on stilts, with motorbikes and chickens kept on the open ground floor and cooking and sleeping taking place on the enclosed first floor.

The Dao, of which there are several subgroups such as Red Dao and Long Dress Dao, live pretty hard and basic lives up in these mountains. One woman laughed at the idea of having a day off. "If we rest, nothing to eat," Son translated. Other communities are visibly more prosperous.

We had started our tour in the village of Mai Chau, a three-hour drive south-west of Hanoi, where the Mai Chau Lodge was the base for walks out to White Thai villages. Here, among gardens of jackfruit and banana, and fighting cocks in wicker cages, they sell textiles and offer homestays with Western lavatories and hot showers.

As thunder drummed on the surrounding hills, women toiled in the paddy fields, their conical hats periodically bobbing up to the surface of the rice (quick, photo!). Daily life here is still back-breaking, but not as tough as it once was, judging by the cars parked next to some of the stilt houses.

Between Mai Chau and Ha Giang Province we broke our journey at Thac Ba Lake, where La Vie Vu Linh Eco-Lodge is part of a long-term project aimed at rejuvenating the local minority culture. The lodge – jointly owned by a French-Vietnamese called Frédéric Tiberghien and a Dao family from the adjacent village – runs a school teaching cultural history, languages and hotel management to 15 or so children.

Vietnam's ethnic minorities had a particularly hard time of it following reunification, but projects like this give hope that their distinct ways of life can flourish. Tourism is certainly a vital part of the process. And it's not, of course, a one-way street. As Tiberghien said to me, "Next time you come to Vietnam, stay longer with the ethnic people. After two weeks, you will be amazed how similar you are."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Four seasons in Sapa, Vietnam

2011-09-28T19:50:00.001-07:00

The four seasons are distinctly felt in Sa Pa, Vietnam when nature changes her costume.

The four seasons are distinctly felt in Sa Pa when Nature changes her costume. Spring in the season of pear, peach and plum flowers. Summer comes blooming with Gladioli, Pancies, Dahlias, Sun-flowers and numerous temperate fruits. Autumn is the time for perfume mushrooms, woodears and plenty of specious medicinal plants such as Black Ginseng, Amomum,Cinnamon, Anise etc.

The sky is the vividly brightened with golden sun-rays and playful white clouds which seem to land on the ground, over the heads of people or on tops of trees. In Winter, the forest is almost whitened with snow, making the landscapes look more attractive.

But Summer is said to be the most charming season in the year. It is extremely interesting to experience all the four seasons within a summer day time: spring in the morning, summer at noon, autumn in the afternoon and winter in the evening and at night.

Sa Pa, with its surprisingly wonderful and orginal nature, the sky, the air, the clouds, the flowers and fruits there is openly inviting…

Source: Sapabeauty

Recommended Tour By Active Travel Asia: Sapa Trekking & Homestay

Night 1: Night train to Lao Cai

Transfer from your hotel to Hanoi Railway Station for the night train to Lao Cai. Overnight in AC soft sleeper cabin.

Summary:

Transfer hotel – railway station: AC vehicle

Accommodation: Soft sleeper in AC cabin

Day 1: Transfer to Sapa – Trek to Giang Ta Chai Village

Arrive in Lao Cai around 5.30 am. We will take 1hr bus ride uphill to the beautiful town of Sapa. The ride give you a glimpse of the stunning vistas and impressive rice terraces. Upon arrival in Sapa Town we have breakfast in local restaurant and prepare for a great trek down to the picturesque valley of Muong Hoa.

You will commence your journey from Sapa by car to Lao Chai village, a Black Hmong ethnic minority village. You will then be able to walk from Lao Chai to Tavan village where the Giay ethnic minority hill tribe lives. After lunch the walk continues through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic minority village where we will have unique homestay experience among hill tribe people. Pinic lunch on the way. Dinner and overnight in the local house.

Summary:

Transfer Lao Cai – Sapa: 45 mins

Trekking: 5-hr trek/dirt paths/downhill

Accommodation: Homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Trek Giang Ta Chai – Su Pan – Thanh Kim - Thanh Phu Village

After breakfast, we start the trek through the rice terraces to the village of Su Pan then continue to Thanh Kim for lunch. After lunch time, we will trek along a narrow valley downhill for 2 hour to the Ngoi Bo River, then uphill for 1 hour to Muong Bo Village at the center of Thanh Phu Commune - a village of Tay minority. We will have dinner and stay overnight in a wooden Tay stilt house.

Summary:

Trekking: 7-hr trek/dirt paths/downhill

Accommodation: Homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Thanh Phu Village - Sapa

After breakfast, we walk down hill to Thanh phu bridge to take a beautiful drive back to Sapa. Upon arrive in Sapa we take shower and spend the rest of the day exploring Sapa town. 5.30 pm we will be transferred to Lao Cai for the night train back to Hanoi.

Summary:

Trekking: 3 km - Introductory grade ( 1 hours trekking)

Transfer Sapa - railway station: 1-hr

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Soft sleeper in AC cabin

Day 4: Back to Hanoi

Arrive in Hanoi around 5 am. Tour ends at Hanoi Railway Station.

For more information and booking this tour, please access ATA's website or contact us through ATA's email: info@activetravel.asia

Bike Tour of Vietnam

2011-09-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

On the first day of our bike tour of Vietnam, we took them for a spin to brave the chaotic traffic of Hanoi. It was pretty intense riding alongside dozens of motor bikes and cars and other bicycles. Plus the inhaling of constant exhaust fumes kinda makes you feel like you’ve smoked a pack of cigarettes by the end. We were ready to get out into the countryside and explore.

A crowded street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter (Photo by Lisa Lubin)

Our first day of real cycling we cycled 37 km to Cuc Phuong, Vietnam’s first National Park. Inside the park we visited the Endangered Primate Rescue Center. The center, run by German biologists and local Vietnamese, rescues and cares for primates that are often hunted and traded for eventual medicinal ingredients. There are several different species cared for here including the long-armed Gibbon, the long-tailed Langur monkey, and Lorises—smaller nocturnal primates.

Monkey at the Primate Rescue Center in Vietnam (photo by Lisa Lubin)

After a tiring first day of riding, we then did a ‘mini-trek’—up about one thousand steps in the forest…quite possibly harder than the cycling trip we had just done.

Our third day was a rain and mudfest into the town called Hoa Lu and possibly my favorite ride of the trip. It drizzled all day and the roads were dirty so when you are going fast through puddles there was no helping the Jackson Pollock effect of mud splatter all over your body.

Muddy legs after a day of riding (Photo by Lisa Lubin)

Despite the free mud wraps (you’d pay about $100 for a spa treatment like that in Chicago), we rode about 70K through some of the most charming and tiny, stone-walled villages and mysterious misty mountain towns For lunch some of us tried a ‘hot pot’ goat soup for lunch…somewhat tasty, but a little gamey for me. After replenishing our energy we rode further into the city of Ninh Binh where good tour planning allowed us to check in to day rooms at a local hotel to shower and relax with a beer in the rooftop bar before hopping on the overnight train to the town of Hue.

Goat Stew for lunch (Photo by Lisa Lubin)

Hue was a charming cultural town of pagodas, temples, and a citadel. We did an easier cycle tour around the city checking out the sights. The following day we tackled our first major hills. The first one was a four-km, uphill mountain climb. It was super hot and humid out and the salty sweat was dripping into my eyes as I huffed up the mountain pass. I stopped mid-way for a breather and some water. I was happy and proud to reach the top as this was probably the biggest hill I’d ever climbed. Not only was my rear sore, but my thumb was a bit chaffed from the constant downshifting of my 24-speed bike. But it was only the beginning.

After a fun beach lunch and refreshing dip in the ocean we were faced with the infamous Hai Van Pass, an 11 km, 10 percent grade uphill climb of curvy road and switchbacks. I use the term ‘we’ loosely, since myself and two other gals skipped the bike ride up and caught a ride with Loi on the bus. It just didn’t look fun to me and a bit too intense for my leg muscles.

Making up the Hai Van Pass (Photo by Lisa Lubin)

The other tough mountain bike-trained girls peddled up the winding mountain pass road. It took them about an hour to an hour and a half. For many it wasn’t the climb, but more the heat that made if difficult. When I did my hill that took about 20 minutes for me and I felt proud of myself and called it a day. Coming from the Chicago ‘flatlands’ I have no training with hills and pretty much despise them. But I will say that after five days of riding all day, I was certainly getting better. Back at home I’ve done long rides (about 70K or 40 miles), but never intensely or as consecutively as this.

It was fun stopping along the side of the road to take photographs and cheer on the others as they climbed the mountain pass. It was like we were part of a triathlon or something.

The wonderful pay off of the pass was heading down the 11 km on the other side. We hit speeds of close to 30 mph, which is pretty fast on a bike and cruised down the mountain with a wonderful cooling breeze in our faces. This time I was one of the first to the bottom….love the speed.

Now, on our way to Hoi An, we cruised past the infamous China Beach where U.S. soldiers went for a little ‘R & R’ during the Vietnam War (or American War as they call it here—makes sense, I guess).

Charming pagoda of Hue (Photo by Lisa Lubin)

Inevitably I always ended in the back of the herd, many times because I would stop and take photos while many of the girls raced on by, but mostly because I just wasn’t as fast as them. Many of these girls were on a mission to be number one. Whereas I was on a mission to just get good exercise and see the country from this unique perspective.

Another thing that inevitably slowed me down were these amazingly adorable kids that we would pass on the way. As we cruised by, eager kids greeted us with excited ‘hellos’ every few yards the entire way. I’ve never seen such innocent smiles as the kids would run out of their homes and drop anything and everything just to be able see us and to shout their one English word, “hello.” I’ve never heard so many “hellos” shouted at me in my entire life. Plus from all the cyclists that go this route over the years they have learned to do hand slaps. I would slow down and give them a “high five” as I whizzed by. And then I would hear their chuckles as I continued down the road to the next group of excited kids.

Vietnamese boys in the countryside on the way to Hoi An (Photo by Lisa Lubin)

These are incredibly poor kids, that couldn’t look happier. It always made me smile to see them, even if bugs were getting in my teeth. And I did my best to wave and say hello to each one …

Source: http://www.britannica.com

A sweet little mystery in the highlands

2011-09-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

If you set off from Hanoi in the early morning, you can be in another world by the afternoon – Dong Van town sits over 1,000 metres above sea level in a green valley surrounded by rocky mountain ranges in the awe-inspiring province of Ha Giang, one of the most spectacular rural destinations in all of Southeast Asia – truly, a far cry from the bewildering heat and hectic streets of Hanoi at the height of summer.

The town is the capital of Dong Van district, one of four districts surrounding the Dong Van Geopark, a karst plateau featuring large tracts of limestone with many fossils of creatures that walked the earth 400 to 600 million years ago.

The plateau’s average elevation is 1,400-1,600m above sea level. The route up the mountains to the town is precipitous and slow-going, but the views of the imposing rocky mountain ranges make the trip a constant pleasure.

Near Dong Van town we came across a group of H’Mong people preparing for a local music contest that was to be held in the morning. Some of them were playing a khen (pan-pipe) and a ken la (leaf-horn) while others were harmonizing their sweet voices.

The town’s old quarter was lit up with red lanterns hanging from the window ledges of houses along every street and all around the market. As night fell, the town took on a wonderfully fanciful light in the midst of the mysterious rocky highland.

The locals always celebrate the full moon nights on the 14th, 15th and 16th of the lunar calendar to preserve and promote the town’s cultural heritage and customs. During these festivals, cultural and artistic activities take place in the old market. Visitors can taste the local cuisine, watch musical performances, or check out some of the traditional handicrafts, and much more.

Dong Van Market

In the evening, an ebullient crowd of H’Mong begins to gather. Soon there are more than 300 artisans and artists from all corners of Ha Giang province ready to perform. A small stage has been set up for the occasion and there is music and dancing; everyone is happy to be part of the show. We listen to the melodies as well as the sounds of the valleys, forests and mountains, and everyone smiles.

There are 40 houses in the centre of Dong Van’s old quarter, which are most beautiful at sunrise or sunset when the dark grey houses are suddenly brightened by golden sunlight.

The town was built in the early 20th century and, in the beginning, mainly Tay and Hoa people lived here. During the 1940s and 1950s, the Kinh, Dzao and Nung tribes also settled in the area. The two-storey houses are a combination of architectural styles and there is influence from the Zhongnan region of China. The houses are built with tick earthen walls, dark brown wooden frames and stairs and dark grey Chinese yin and yang tile roofs. Each house has a yard and three-step staircase made from bluish limestone pillars. The houses are designed according to the principles of feng shui, balancing the natural and structural energy that courses through the environment.

By nine in the evening, the old quarter is empty and quiet. The ceremony is over; the winners have been awarded their prizes and almost everyone has wandered off home. I stroll over to the old market which was built in 1920 as a central trading place for local tribes to exchange clothes and tools. At night, the market is closed for business, but open for romance. Some of the young women are beautifully dressed and the young men do their best to woo the ladies by playing their khen or ken la.

Leaving the young ones, I step into Pho Co Café, which is located in one of the oldest houses in town; the owners claim it was built in 1890. By a flickering oil lamp I sit sipping my hot tea and gazing out at the street through the faded wooden window bars. I can hear the sound of a khen and a ken la playing in response.

Pho Co Cafe

The café stays open till midnight and I am perfectly consent to sit there, soaking up the sense of mystery exuded by Dong Van town. As I walk home through the shadows in the still night, I am already looking forward to the first rays of golden sunlight that will herald the dawning of the day.

Source: Dtinews

A very good trip with Active Travel Asia

2011-09-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

Our first trip with Active travel was the Sapa valley trek homestay with ecolodge option. Everything was handled very professionally for this by Active Travel Asia.

We were picked up by an agent at our hotel exactly on time and they actually escorted us right onto our train for our night trip to Lao Cai. The train station at Hanoi can be somewhat intimidating and getting tickets can be frustrating so this was really appreciated.

Sapa, Vietnam

Our guide and driver were waiting for us when we arrived in Lao Cai. They drove us to Sapa where we had breakfast and then our guide, Duc, took us on a walking tour around Sapa. Duc spoke very good English and he was very informative and receptive to all of our questions and needs. We then did a short drive to a trailhead and our trek began . If you want to get away from the tourist horde then you really need to go with a guide and be prepared do some walking. The tourists really thinned out after a couple of hours. Our first night of homestay was excellent, great food, nice sleeping quarters and even a hot shower! Duc prepared all of our meals for us and was an excellent cook!

Our next day was 7 hours of walking. I would not recommend this trip to people unaccustomed to long walks in hilly and sometimes unstable terrain. We hike in the mountains at home a lot so it was no big deal. Very beautiful views. We had lunch in a local village house, and then pushed on to our next homestay. Again, decent enough sleeping quarters and a delicious meal prepared by Duc.

Our last day was a stay at the Tapas ecolodge and was this ever worth the money! Beautiful accommodations, great food, and 5 star views.

We were picked up the next morning and returned o sapa by van. Duc met us there and we did a trip to cat cat village and saw H’mong dancing. Duc arranged some cheap scooter rides for us back to Sapa as he could tell that we were pretty worn out. (Thank you Duc!)

The ethnic Mong girl

Duc and driver then escorted us back to Lao Cai and we had extra time so they drove us to see the Chinese border! Cool! Duc then took us to the train station, waited with us, and personally escorted us to our compartment for the night trip back to Hanoi.

As I stated in other reviews, we usually shy away from guided trips as we don't like being part of the herd, but seriously this trip was the opposite of that. We left the tourists behind in the sapa valley and I really don't see how you could do this without having a guide.

Other big thanks to our guide Duc who made the whole experience very memorable. I would very much recommend Duc and Active travel.

Supported by: ActiveTravel Asia

Recommended tour:

Sapa Trekking & Homestay

Sapa trek & Topas Eco Lodge

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA announced to launch travel writing contest 2011 for travelers from across the world

2011-08-29T00:05:00.001-07:00

code ANP6KUFSQFC8

The participants will have a chance to win special out-door trips by sharing their best holiday experiences in Indochina (Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia).

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA, a leading adventure tour operator in Indochina, has launched a travel writing contest 2011 for travelers from across the world.

The participants will have a chance to win special out-door trips by sharing their best holiday experiences in Indochina (Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia)

The participants are encouraged to write about their interesting stories, nice memories or any impressive experiences that made the holidays to be the time of their lives.

The winner will receive a trip for 2 persons costing from $700-->$1000 depend on their selections of out door activities including Trekking, Cycling, Motorcycling, Kayaking in wide areas of Indochina.

The entries can be made by email to event@activetravel.asia in 350 - 1000 words and must be original works of the participants along with the entrant’s name, e-mail and telephone number by 20th October 2011.

All eligible entries will be posted on ATA’s facebook page and 2 travel news sites Activetravel Magazines & Vietnam Adventure News. The winner is the entry that has the amount of LIKE ranked highest on facebook page plus on 2 travel news sites.

PRIZE

The winner will receive the prize based on their selection of out door activities such as: Kayaking Halong Bay, Motorcycling Ho Chi Minh Trail, Trekking Luang Prabang, Cycling Angkor Wat…

These tours are designed especially for 2 persons, costing from $700 - $1000. This must be a memorizable exploration & real experience of lifetime

3 incentive prizes are also available for 3 entries ranked following the winner. The prize is a city tour with the private tour guide for 2 people plus some valuable extra.

For full details of information, please visit: The ATA Travel WritingCompetition 2011

Vietnam Cat Tien National Park Recognized Global Biosphere Reserve

2011-08-17T00:19:00.001-07:00

On 30 June 2011, the United Nations added 18 new sites to its global list of biosphere reserves, bringing the total to 581 in 114 different countries, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported.

Cat Tien is the new name of the former Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve in Viet Nam, which was designated in 2001. Two new core zones have been added to the site, bringing its total area to 966,563 hectares. Cat Tien National Park covers the area of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc Provinces in southern Vietnam. Cat Tien National Park is 15km north of Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon).

Biosphere reserves are places recognized by MAB (The International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme ) where local communities are actively involved in governance and management, research, education, training and monitoring at the service of both socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation. They are thus sites for experimenting with and learning about sustainable development.

Soure: travelnewsnow

Tour Trekking Nam Cat Tien National Park with ActiveTravel Asia

Riding Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh trail

2011-08-08T02:29:00.001-07:00

The mountain paths of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail offer visitors to Vietnam an adventurous alternative to the well-worn coastal route - especially if you travel on the back of a motorbike

It was more like a hamlet than a village. A simple collection of stilted wooden houses perched on the side of a mountain overlooking seemingly-endless rows of rice terraces, but even after a long and tiring day on the back of a motorbike passing through startling terrain it was hard not to be caught breathless by its isolation and beauty in the twilight.

Rows of rice terraces are a continual feature on any ride through northern Vietnam.

The primitive village of Ban Hieu is inaccessible except by motorbike or on foot – it's up a long, steep and winding two-metre-wide dirt path flanked on one side by a sheer drop into the paddy fields far below. It was precisely the reason I had set off the previous day along paths once used by the Vietcong to deliver weapons and supplies to the armies fighting in the south during the Vietnam war.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail has always been the stuff of legends, a seemingly endless number of backwater paths and trails that started near Hanoi and ran almost 1,000 miles down the length of the country, crossing into Laos at several points, and ending near Saigon (today's Ho Chi Minh City) where it deposited weapons into the hands of the communist guerrillas fighting against US and Southern Vietnamese forces.

While most visitors to Vietnam travel the well-worn coastal road, I had set out the day before from Hanoi, along with a friend and our mechanic/guide, on the back of three sturdy Russian Minsks, heading south on what would be a three-day bike trip following less well-developed and at times almost non-existent roads. (This would allow me to do part of the northern section, though not enough time to complete the whole route, which takes upwards of 14 days.)

A local rides through paddy fields in Hoa Binh province, northern Vietnam.

With little chance to dwell on the fall and already far from civilization, I had simply but shakily climbed back on the bike and, following Dang Van Diep, our smiling, non-English-speaking mechanic, soldiered on.

An hour later the fall was already far from my mind as I emerged for the first time from a patch of mountain fog to look down upon the vast, green landscape of rural Vietnam stretching out before me.

The view would repeat itself regularly over the next few days (and would never cease to thrill) as our small convoy climbed and descended thin mountain paths, crossed through knee-deep rivers, and rode through dozens of isolated villages of smiling and waving children. All the while we were flanked by miles upon miles of muddy rice paddies filled with young and old women cultivating the land by hand as they and their ancestors have done for centuries.

I soon found a simple but beautiful monotony in riding through these lush green areas, with long hours between stops passing in a meditative blink of the eye. Yet by the end of each day, as the strain of holding firm to the throttle as the bikes bounced over rock and skidded through mud, thoughts of that night's accommodation slowly crept into our minds.

The Russian-made motorbikes outside the homestay in the village of Ban Hieu.

We spent the first night in Mai Chau, a scenic village without roads 135km from Hanoi that is quickly being discovered by tourists looking for somewhere off the beaten path.. That night, after 10 hours on the bikes, we arrived at the truly isolated Ban Hieu.

A village of a few dozen families, an hour by motorbike from the nearest community with a shop, and inaccessible by car, it felt like a forgotten land. The manmade rice terraces – irrigated by intricate bamboo piping snaking down the hillside – and other human intrusions all felt in harmony with nature, and in the miles upon miles of land spread out before us, no city, town, or even single human dwelling was in sight.

Our smiling hosts were already pouring hot water for us and preparing food and beds for the night as I returned.

The following day at dawn we started our journey back north, reaching the noisy and crowded streets of Hanoi by nightfall. Despite one bad fall, aching limbs and over 300-plus miles of dirt trails on the back of a relic of the Soviet Union, it was hard not to turn the bike around and head back out to continue down the trail southwards.

• Hire motorbikes and all-inclusive organized tours can be arranged through tour companies such as Ride Ho Chi Minh Trail (www.ridehochiminhtrail.com).

Recommended tours:

Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail
Motorcycling the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Half Challenge

Source: guardian.co.uk

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA organizes the first trip to discover Son Doong cave for travelers

2011-07-29T19:27:00.001-07:00

At the end of Sep, 2011, the first trip for travelers to discover SON DOONG, the world’s largest cave will be implemented by ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA. Mr. Ho Khanh, who is the first person to find the entrance to cave will be the tour leader of this adventure group.

The lucky tourist group is from Australia, they are researching scientists from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries in Australia. This group of four is going to take 3 days 2 nights to explore parts of the cave system where the regular tourists are still not allowed to go.

This trip not only brings the real experience but also is a challenge for tourists when they take 3 day trekking and 2 night camping in the cave.

Son Doong cave (meaning Mountain River Cave) is a cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. The cave is located near the Laos-Vietnam border.

It was first discovered by a local in 1991 (Mr.Ho Khanh), and surveyed by the British Cave Research Association from April 10 to April 14, 2009. According to the survey team, Son Doong is the Earth's largest known cave passage at present. It is more than 200 meters wide, 150 meters high, and at least 6.5 kilometers long, though the explorers said they were unable to explore it fully.

With these information, Son Doong is much larger than Deer Cave in Malaysia, currently considered the world's largest, an explorer said (Deer is 90 meters wide, 100 meters high and 2 kilometers long). The Son Doong cave has replaced to take pole position as the world's largest cave.

Son Doong is formed by a system of grottos, flowing underground rivers, giant walls and deep lakes. In the 200m high arch of the cave, the sight is extremely magnificent with images of the Eden in the grotto, stalactites giant wall or the collection "Pearls" with thousands of years. The grandeur of the nature is really unbelievable.

“Son Doong Cave is the masterpiece of nature. It is the must-see destination once in a lifetime for those who love adventure”, Mr.Tony Tran – The product manager of ATA said. He also added: “I will join the first group in the expedition to Son Doong Cave this September”, showed his excitement about the next coming trip.

With ATA holding the adventure tour to Son Doong Cave will give travelers the chance to explore the world largest cave and see the magnificent beauty of nature. It also marked ATA as the first company organizes the tour to discover Son Doong cave.

Source of Photos: National Geographic

TOUR INFORMATION:
Ha Noi - Dong Hoi – Phong Nha-Ke Bang – Son Doong Cave – Chay Lap – Vinh Moc – Hue
5 days with 3 day trekking & 2 night camping
Grade: Moderate
Head office: Floor 12 Building 45 Nguyen Son street, Long Bien district, Hanoi, Vietnam
Operation office: 367 Ngo Quyen St., Son Tra Dist., Da Nang
Operation office: 108 Le Lai St., Dist. 1, HCMC
Support number: (04) 3 573 8569

Ba Be National Park, Vietnam – The beautiful Ramsar of the world

2011-07-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ba Be Lake, the most important part of Ba Be National Park which forms the unique natural beauty in this area has just become the 1,938th Ramsar of the world and the third Ramsar of Vietnam following Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh Province and Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai Province.

Located in Bac Kan province, about 300km from Hanoi capital, Ba Be lake is a highlight of northwest forest of Vietnam. Surrounding by limestone hills of up to 500-600 m above sea level, the lake consists of three parts, Pe leng, Pe lu and Pe lam of which the total length is 9 km, the width changes between 0.2 km and 1.7km and the average depth varies from 17 to 23 m (maximum depth reaching 38 m).

The beautiful Ba Be Lake

The Ba Be Lake is connected with the Nang River by Be Cam Channel, to which the water drains during the dry season. The lake thus serves as a natural reservoir for the Nang River system, while the Dau Dang Waterfall plays a role of dam for the lake.

The lake has an abundant ecosystem and also home to many types of water birds. In addition, surveys affirm the unique biodiversity of Ba Be National Park with 1,288 types of vascular plants. Noticeably, it supports a number of globally threatened species such as the endangered burretiodendron hsienmu (a species of flowering plant in the Tiliaceae family) which is considered as an endemic plant in Ba Be Lake and has a habitat restricted to Vietnam and southern China

In terms of animals, the site includes 553 types of vertebrates with 81 beasts, 332 birds, 48 amphibians and 106 fishes. Many of which are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Book on endangered species such as the lutra lutra, miniopterus schrebersii, belomys pearsonii, trachypithecus francoisi, hemigalus owstoni and gorsachius magnificus.

With the values endowed by the nature, Ba Be Lake was recognized as one of 68 most important wetlands of high national and international environmental value. This recognition will advertise Ba Be National Park and Bac Kan Province to international tourists, has become a national pride. The potential for outdoor activities is great for adventure tours including trekking and river kayaking tours. The surrounding area make it a good place for trekking tours and exploring culture of Dzao and H’mong ethnic minorities who live in the national park. And the lake seems to be a heaven for kayaking.

Acording to Mr. Tony, The product manager of Active Travel Asia (www.activetravel Vietnam.com), - one of the most first-class companies in providing adventure tours: “I have traveled to Ba Be Lake several times and really impressed with its beauty and its potential for outdoor activities. Ba Be Lake with its location and stunning scenery is perfect for designing multi-sport tours. We are offering tours combining trekking in Cao Bang and kayaking in Ba Be”. He added: “Ba be lake is the paradise on earth for kayakers”

Ba Be lake is really a great destination for those who love adventure and want to explore natural beauty.

For more information about Ba Be Tours:

Kayaking & Trekking Ba Be Lake 3 days
Kayaking & Trekking Ba Be Lake 4 days

NHK TV to broadcast Son Doong cave reportage - The largest cave in the world

2011-06-08T20:13:00.001-07:00

Japan’s NHK World TV will broadcast on June 25 a 3D scientific reportage on Vietnam ’s Son Doong cave, which is classified as the largest cave in the world.

NHK TV’s broadcast will reach 60 countries around the world, according to the Foreign Affairs Department of the central province of Quang Binh , where Son Doong cave was found.

Department Deputy Director Nguyen Ngoc Quy said this scientific reportage is the first in the world using 3D technology.

The reportage, called “Let’s fell the grandness of nature”, has been made by Japan ’s Kyodo film studio with assistance of Quang Binh province and the British Cave Research Association (BCRA).

Hang Son Doong (Mountain River Cave was announced as the largest in the world by BCRA, and selected as one of the most beautiful in the globe by the BBC news, according to Quy.

Son Doong cave was first spotted in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991.

The cave was then made known publicly as lately as in 2009 by a group of British scientists from BCRA, led by Howard Limbert, after their surveying trip in Phong Nha-Ke Bang Park .

According to Limbert, the cave is five times larger than the nearby Phong Nha cave, previously considered to be the largest cave in Vietnam .

Son Doong cave is found to have a length of at least 6.5km. It is estimated to be 200m in width and 150m in height. The largest chamber of the cave is judged to be 250m in height.

Scientists have also discovered a great number of stalactites in astonishingly extraordinary shapes and also primitive forests in the cave.

Source: Vietnamplus

Note: ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA kick off Summer Promotion 2011 until Sept 30 for travelers book Son Doong cave's tours

Vietnam where I saw the most beautiful

2011-06-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

In your eyes, where the place Vietnam most beautiful? Our questions are foreign photographer responded with these images upset: the picture angle is so simple that with them – people from a distance – that’s where most Vietnam features. And more beautiful images are to carry the most emotional story.

Surface of the Ba Be Lake

Of all the places I’ve been to in Vietnam, causing nowhere and touched fresh my soul with Ba Be Lake that day. That day, we went back a video with beautiful images of Vietnam, suddenly there are six women in traditional costumes of the Tay is smooth sailing on the lake near where we shoot. So glad we invited two people to model for us. Do not hesitate, despite the weather and the director asked to turn back, return, the two women still try to smile real big to get the best picture for us.

Back now though Ba Be lake many times since taking this picture, it’s hard to see the picture of Tay people wearing traditional dress here, but the image of two women always keep on smiling and generous in my mind. And so I found from Vietnam’s most beautiful places.

Love letter S

First time visit to Chau Doc on the west region, I saw the beauty of the season rice area Ta Pa of Tri Ton distance Chau Doc by 20km. Sitting on the scenery from the hills, I’m ecstatic in front of a vast field of golden wheat and blue layers. After 5-10 minutes, I saw a big tree and a very impressive way, S-shaped drawing up of Vietnam’s beloved. And the assiduous of mothers with heavy two shoulders quietly away in the rice fields have suggested in my real passions.

Fun time

In Sapa, when not in school, the Mong baby help parents sell traditional gifts such as handmade wallet, or souvenirs made from raw materials to earn in the forest. With no guests, the children play by holding the interesting folk game like me takes refreshment stalls in this way. The box game, jump rope, hopscotch is very attractive because despite differences in culture, history and language of our childhood also experienced moments like this.

To Vietnam, I discovered a number of major cities, but where I enjoy most Sapa. I myself moved from noisy Saigon, bustling Hanoi, on the misty highlands full of SaPa. And to come here, I have the impression of a land of fun colorful culture. Price as cultural identity to be kept here forever; do not fade over months on…

Peddled wares

One night, I was lost in the small streets of Hanoi. I have ventured to ask the way woman selling rice vermicelli in the lane. She is busy with scoop each bowl of noodles to visitors, who sit around waiting for food, has always urged her out but she still put bowl down, pointing the way for my guidance. She was laughing and everyone around you is laughing. I feel quietly pleased.

I have read somewhere that the sidewalk food in Vietnam is very interesting. And to come here, I discovered something new again. Sidewalk food in Vietnam is not only interesting because of the abundance of spices, but also by the friendliness of the people. Yes, delicious food around us when there is sincere.

Marking time

Old cars on the famous Hang Ngang in Hanoi. Features blends old and new are always giving me good feelings. I appreciate what goes through but also to the future. Hanoi thousand years of beautiful and graceful as the morning fog in Hoan Kiem Lake and spread around, covering the tree-lined streets, the crowded streets, the cone course, lakes and parks. With dozens of pagodas, communal houses, temples hidden away, with restaurants in the street find their ancient flavor, this city deserves to anyone taking the time to explore the treasures in the quiet, peaceful and forget the loud sounds, speakers, and the sound of motorcycle engines are everywhere.

I have had countless times and went walking along the horizontal motorcycle cities are constantly expanding this. But Hanoi’s Old Quarter is always deep in my heart.

Truong Tien Bridge

As I was walking on Truong Tien Bridge (Hue), a cyclo runs and the children shouted “Hello.” I also see this scene, this smile, and these greetings across Vietnam, but where I come across. Dumplings car by pushing the older woman on the bridge also reminds me something interesting: great food in Vietnam, despite enjoying the sidewalk.

I took this picture with a new discovery, an assertion is true about my country than I have been engaged for several years: Truong Tien bridge not Trang Tien as I (and many) each mistake.

Morning kiss

Morning, the floating markets near Long Xuyen (An Giang province), the boat carrying a man and a woman to visit a surfing boat light food. Between the noises of passing ships, my dear man I call: “Hello, hello.” When I raised the camera up, linked arm in arm across his neck woman hugged and kissed a bit. The woman hesitated; perhaps the first time she was married midst of people should blush, only laughed. I love this moment, I like Vietnamese people, so sincere. I saw Vietnamese little kiss at crowded places, but so do not mean they can not show love.

An Giang women

The people that I met in Me Kong River Delta were sincere, generous. Especially river man met me always ready to offer a glass as if had known each other for so long.

Source: xinchaovietnam

Active Travel Asia Launches Great Vietnam & Cambodia Summer Promotion 2011

2011-05-29T20:11:00.001-07:00

Active Travel Asia (ATA) is offering Great Summer Promotion 2011 in Vietnam and Cambodia. These promotions are guaranteed by luxurious adventure tours, add-on values and reasonable prices.

Active Travel Asia kicks off Special Summer Promotion 2011 covering all kinds of adventure tours include trekking, biking, motorcycling, kayaking and family adventure in Vietnam and Cambodia. All promoted tours are in Vietnam (http://www.activetravelvietnam.com), Cambodia (http://www.activetravelcambodia.com) and three others between Vietnam and Cambodia (http://www.activetravelshop.com). Depend on the value of tours; travelers are got special value-added services.

With this promotion is starting from May, 1st to Sep, 31st 2011, ATA guarantees the best Vietnam and Cambodia travel packages with good prices as well as attractive add-on values as below:

Travelers book tours and services with ATA under US$ 300, ATA offers free visa approval letter.

Travelers book tours and services with ATA from over US$ 301 to US$ 1000, ATA offers free visa letter, free water Puppet Show and free 2-hr rickshaw guided tour in Hanoi’s Old Quarter

Travelers book tours and services with ATA from over US$ 1000 to US$ 2000, ATA offers free visa letter, Free water Puppet Show +and free half-day guided city tour.

Travelers book tours and services with ATA from over US$ 2000, ATA offers free visa on arrival, free airport transfer (2 ways) and free guided half-day city tour.

Conditions:

This promotion is applied for group size from minimum 1 person to maximum 4 persons. If group is bigger than 4 persons, the promotion for 4 people is applied for the group.

This promotion is applied for booking from May, 1 to Sep, 31

The promotion provides travelers real experiences in hidden Indochina (Cambodia and Vietnam travel) with add-on valued services. This makes it suitable all types of groups and those who love any kind of adventure activities.

For the whole Summer Promotion of Cambodia and Vietnam Tours, please refer to http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/ or contact ATA at info@activetravel.asia

With the add–on values from this Great Summer Promotion 2011 of ATA, the hesitance will be replaced by the smart decision from who are exited in traveling and getting more real experience.

# # #

ACTIVE TRAVEL ASIA (ATA) is established in 2006 and has grown to become one of the Indochina's leading adventure travel companies. ATA offers a wide selection of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, biking, motorcycling, overland touring and family travel packages.

A 'Junk' Trip in Vietnam

2011-05-23T03:07:00.000-07:00

I hunkered in the doorway of an office building as gray clouds moved in, threatening to break open above me. Piles of luggage were stacked in the doorway, but I held tightly to my backpack. As a solo traveler making my way through Vietnam, I had yet to let someone else touch my bag, the essence of my livelihood halfway around the world.

Earlier that morning I had taken a hired car from Hanoi to the coast of Vietnam. This part of the country, known as Halong Bay, was rumored to be tacky and touristy, so I opted instead to head straight for the water.

In fact, most travelers come to Halong Bay for one thing: To tour the bay by junk. These pirate-looking ships generally hold anywhere from a single couple to several dozen people, depending on the boat and tour operator.

Cruises at Halong Bay, Vietnam

Of the nearly 2,000 islands in Halong Bay, only about 300 of them have names. These sheer-faced rocks, covered with luscious trees and foliage, rise out of nowhere in the sea. Apparently birds, snakes, and monkeys live on them, but I can’t imagine that much else does.

As the junk floated among the islands, I sat on the top deck; my legs dangling over the edge of the boat, watching the world recede behind us. The warm, humid air sat heavy on my shoulders, and the dark green of the islands reflected onto the rough surface of the water despite the overcast sky. I felt like we were cruising through a waterlogged version of Jurassic Park.

We piled into the day cruiser that was pulled alongside the junket. One of the boat hands steered the craft toward Công Ðâm. The village “chief” greeted us, poured lukewarm tea into a set of chipped mugs and answered our questions about his home. This, the second largest fishing village in the bay, is only inhabited by 163 people.

As we floated in boats paddled by women in the village, I watched daily life on the water. Dogs lounged on the porches; wet clothes hung from the eves above makeshift porches that surrounded colorful homes sitting atop big plastic barrels.

Fishing village in Halong Bay

Despite rain, we set out in kayaks the next morning. I’d been kayaking in calm, clear waters before, but the rough conditions and inclement weather made the paddling tough, despite the fact that I was sharing a boat with Ahn, our guide, who kayaked several times a week.

He muscled our boat between the outcroppings as I feigned my attempt to help power the boat. Several times we stopped the kayak, rain pouring down, waiting for the others to catch up.

The next morning, our final day in the bay, I awoke to a bright sun and clear sky. The emerald foliage of the outcroppings was painted a surprising shade of brilliant green, which reflected in the water like a flat mirror.

We hopped in the kayaks and paddled to a small island with a large cave. The opening on the island was heavily trafficked.

And so we moved through the cave, trying to guess Ahn’s made-up formations quickly so we could get back in the sun.

Source: volumeone

From the Back Seat: Memories on a Motorcycle in Vietnam

2011-05-15T21:06:00.001-07:00

Riding a motorbike from the North to the South of Vietnam was an amazing experience. Now, while I didn’t ride the motorcycle on myself (Anthony did an amazing job!) it is still something that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Each day we were faced with new challenges and amazing sights making the journey all the more incredible. I think what made it so momentous was the simple fact that we were in control of where we wanted to go on the trip. It didn’t have to be governed by train and bus timetables (how we normally get from A to B). We were able to stop anywhere we wanted to and take our time to stop and smell the rice paddies!

It was hard to pinpoint my favorite memories, but for anyone thinking of doing a trip similar to this, I hope this post inspires you! It was an amazing journey and loved every minute of it!

Rice Paddies

Rice fields in Vietnam

I had always wanted to see the bright green rice paddies that I seen in so many photos and our time in Vietnam I defiantly got what I asked for! We would ride for hours and hours through countless rice paddy fields, each one greener than the last. The fluorescent color of the neat fields would be on either side of us. We stopped often just to stare at the endless plains of the newly growing rice.

Road Butterflies

When we were riding on the Ho Chi Minh Road, there would be stretches of the trail where hundreds of butterflies would flutter up from the road and surrounding trees and shrubs. We would sometimes find ourselves riding through almost hundreds of them-I felt like I was in the forests of Narnia! Anthony said they were just moths but I still protest that they were beautiful butterflies just fluttering by!

Iced Tea

A common drink in Vietnam is Iced Tea or Tra Da, and it quickly became our favorite drink to rehydrate with whilst on the road. Rather than being a sweet tea it is usually just green tea or another kind of herbal tea with ice added. So thirst quenching and refreshing!

We would stop at little roadside cafes regularly to grab one of these cheap and satisfying drinks. Many a time the owners would continually top up our glasses with a big grin. They seemed to be so proud to serve us.

At one town, Kham Duc we stopped in and got ourselves tea from a family. Minutes later the wife brought out some freshly baked teacake for us to eat with cream-scrumptious! We had about three glasses of tea each and chatted to the family in broken English.

When we were ready to leave and went to pay they would not take our money. No matter how much we plead with them, they would not take our cash. This was true Vietnamese hospitality that we had experienced and were so grateful for.

Motorcycling in Ho Chi Minh trails, Vietnam

Getting Dirty

One day we were taking our motorbike through the countryside around Hue so we could independently visit some tombs and mountains. Since I was in charge of the map it was my job to get us to where we wanted to go. Bumping along a dirt road I soon realized we were going the wrong way and the actual track was on the opposite side of rice fields. We sloshed our way slowly through. We weren’t hurt-just dirty, but that didn’t stop us from continuing the day to see the tombs!

Being on the open road in Vietnam was unbelievable. Noisy at times, busy most of the time but such a great trip. We did over 3500km in the two months we were there. I love thinking that in years to come I can look back on my trip with Anthony on our trusty ‘Bullet’ and have great stories to tell the Grandkids!

Find our more Vietnam motorcycling videos here

Source: positiveworldtravel

A Look into Beautiful Halong Bay, Vietnam

2011-05-11T01:05:00.000-07:00

Halong Bay has been declared a UNESCO World heritage site and it really deserves the designation. It is one of the most exciting unusual places I have been to in my life.

Halong Bay -Halong meaning “Descending Dragon”- is named after the thousands of island with bizarre rock formations and limestone cliffs that are within the Gulf of Tonkin, in the north shores of Vietnam. It is composed of more than 3000 islands of all shapes and forms, covered in green vegetation and protruding from the ocean’s surface.

If you are a nature lover, this place will enchant you with its many awe striking sites, and majestic natural composition.

Halong Bay's Sculptures

Halong Bay has plenty of grottos created by the wind and the emerald water of the gulf; it is a beautiful example of the effect wind and water erosion has on the landscape.

Among the sculptured islands and rock formations, Halong Bay also hides many deserted tinny white sand beaches that you can visit by boat, stop and enjoy for a while. In these locations you’ll be surrounded by nothing but nature.

A wonderful aspect of Halong Bay is that it has so many islands and rock pillars that every turn comes up with a surprise: another astounding sculpture, a perfect archway through the mountains, a peaceful lagoon where you can Kayak and enjoy the scenery……

Kayaking at Halong Bay

Another curiosity of Halong Bay is that, while sailing through it, you will occasionally come across floating fishing camps that are stationed in the middle of nowhere and are also an interesting site.

I was in Halong Bay during the rainy season, it fortunately didn’t rain but there was a lot of fog and the sun hid on and off behind the passing clouds. I reckon April would be a better month: no clouds, no fog; plus, when the sun shines and illuminates the Bay, it comes to glow in its entire colorful splendor.

I reserved my boat trip in the hotel I was staying in Hanoi and the service was very good. I had a cozy little cabin with a queen size bed and private bathroom in a wooden double decker old fashioned boat, with a windowed dining room from which you could appreciate the view and a deck to enjoy the fresh air; just perfect.

Halong Bay's Most Impressive Grotto

The boat tour will probably take you to the most visited grotto in Halong Bay, a massive cave formation on top of one of the mountain-islands. It is a cave complexly sculpted by the forces of nature. The ceiling, walls and floor are covered in stalactites, stalagmites and all sorts of strange formations. The cavern is well illuminated for one to fully appreciate the splendor of this majestic piece of art.

Cat Ba Island

The Boat Tour through Halong Bay includes an overnight stay in Cat Ba Island, the only populated island of them all. Cat Ba has a little town of about thirteen thousand plus inhabitants and nice long beaches, where you can swim, take nice walks, sit back and relax, or enjoy a sea side meal. But most importantly, Cat Ba Island is home to Cat Ba National Park, where hiking, trekking and/or biking are a pleasant way to explore the local flora and fauna.

Source: hubpages

Recommended tours:
Kayaking Halong Bay
Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Kayaking Lan Ha Bay & Halong Bay

Adventure hike in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

2011-01-06T00:15:00.000-08:00

Only 170 kilometers from HCMC, Cat Tien is an ideal piece of the wild for an Vietnam adventure trip.

At more than 71,000 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has plenty of untamed places that are off the beaten track.

Hiking or biking are the best ways to travel on the forest tracks. The park has important conservation value because of the rainforest, mountains, river and rich biodiversity that attracts thousands of tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Instead of risking it alone, the team at Vietnam Adventure, organizes hiking and biking trips into the Cat Tien jungle with a back-up crew to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Catch the bus from HCMC in the afternoon to the national park in Tan Phu Commune, Dong Nai Province, arriving in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep in accommodation at the park headquarters. The hike starts early the next day to avoid the mid-day heat and jungle humidity.

The destination is Green Hill; to get there the track goes past ethnic minority Ma and S’Tieng villages then continues through a thick bamboo jungle following one of the local tribe’s tracks. It’s likely to pass some of the minorities as they go about their business in the forest and see some deer and birdlife but the going is not easy. The tour arrives at the top of Green Hill, an inactive volcano over 300 meters above sea level in time for lunch. Before getting to the top, there’s a cave containing thousands of bats.

Another village path is taken for the trip down, which is a scramble over the loose red basalt soil. The scenery is different with streams, tall grass and bamboo.

Laos: Drifting amid lost dreams

2010-07-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

With 17 years' experience navigating the Mekong River, Mr Puoy is reckoned to be the best riverboat captain in southern Laos. The watery labyrinth he works in contains a reputed 4000 islands, so he needs to be pretty good.

Sunset in Don Det, SiPhanDon, Laos

But right now, at the end of a harsher than usual dry season, the region's Laos moniker Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands), seems just a tad inaccurate.

In a fading tropical dusk, Mr Puoy is steering the imposing teak-trimmed hulk of the Vat Phou through a dynamic environment of sand bars and swirling eddies, ripples and rapids.

Rustic nets are being cast in graceful arcs from low-slung boats bobbing just centimetres above the waterline, as local ferries transport monks, buffaloes and backpackers across the Mekong's silvery expanse.

Like any good riverboat, the Vat Phou comes with an interesting backstory. It used to transport teak and rice down the Mekong, and was once owned by a Laos princess.

Recently rock royalty Sir Mick Jagger chartered the whole shebang, replicating our own itinerary of visiting local villages, French-colonial towns, and Khmer temples.

In a telling reminder of the area's remoteness, apparently no one recognised rock's most iconic hips and lips.

David Beckham would no doubt be mobbed by the kids playing on the Mekong's sandy makeshift football pitches, but in one of Indochina's quieter corners, music's most kinetic 65-year-old was just another skinny falang with a flash camera.

Si Phan Don hasn't always been drifting off the edge of the map. On the tiny islands of Don Det and Don Khon lies evidence of a grand French plan to transform Asian trade in the 19th century. Linked by a bridge from French colonial times, the twin islands are now a sleepy haven for backpackers who arrive for a night and stay for a month.

Amidst the scrawled signs for bumpy onward transport to Vietnam and Cambodia, a compact French locomotive and a few metres of rusted track are all that remain of Paris's designs.

Downstream the Khon Phapeng waterfalls thunder towards the border with Cambodia. During the wet season the cataracts swell to a width of 11km, and year round, travel and transport upstream is impossible.

The French planned to link the Mekong's southern and northern banks by Don Det's toytown railway, eventually hoping to expand the lucrative trade caravan all the way from Beijing to Saigon and the South China Sea. The weed-strewn and rusted hulk of a locomotive remains a poignant counterpoint to lost colonial dreams.

More colonial ambition lingers in the sleepy riverside town of Champassak. Before the Pathet Lao Socialist revolution in 1975, the town was the seat of Laos royalty, and amid the Chinese shophouses and wandering cows and buffaloes are glorious French mansions. The faded ochre residences are now dusty and overgrown, but still stately and elegant, if curiously out of place in the shimmering tropics of Laos.

More layers of history reside at the nearby Wat Phu temple, arrayed on the gentle slopes of the Phu Pasak range, and trimmed with mini-glens of frangipani. Sanskrit and Chinese inscriptions confirm the Unesco World Heritage site was inhabited in the 5th century, but the star focus in contemporary terms is the pair of gracious Khmer temples - male and female - that predate Cambodia's Angkor Wat by several centuries.

Compared to the tourist bustle of Siem Reap, this is a sedate and relaxing scene, with just a few Lao tourists ascending the temple's 180 steps slowly in the afternoon heat.

By the 12th century, the focus of Khmer society had moved on to the architectural overachievement of Angkor Wat, and this sleepy but spectacular slice of Indochina again drifted into languid obscurity until the thwarted 19th century dreams of Paris merchants. And despite a recent visit by an incognito rock superstar, it's still in little danger of becoming the Next Big Thing.

Four thousand islands, they reckon. On a river cruise this laidback and relaxing, who's counting?

CHECKLIST

Getting there: One of the best ways to get there is to go on Cathay Pacific to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City and then connect with Vietnam Airlines.

Cruising: Mekong Cruises runs three-day trips on the Vat Phou in southern Laos, and two-day cruises ending in Luang Prabang on the Luangsay in northern Laos. Accommodation is in well-appointed, air-conditioned cabins. All meals are included, with a focus on Laos, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.

Source: nzherald

Recommendation for travelling in Laos:
Laos Travel Tips
Luang Prabang Trek

Vietnam, Cambodia among World’s Top 30 Honeymoon Destinations

2010-06-30T01:22:00.000-07:00

Once synonymous with war and genocide, Vietnam and Cambodia are coming into the second decade of the 21st Century as one of the world’s premier honeymoon hot spots.

Hoi An Beach, Quang Nam - Vietnam

Virtuoso, a leading luxury travel network in the U.S., recently unveiled the 30 Top Honeymoons chosen by some of its most experienced honeymoon specialists. And Vietnam and Cambodia were prominent on the list.

“We’re in the midst of a remarkable journey,” said Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, general manager of The Nam Hai in the central of Quang Nam province, one of the resorts featured in Virtuoso’s ‘Romantic Southeast Asia’ honeymoon promotion. “From all over the world, people are dropping into this region for a distinguished honeymoon.”

Honeymooners have been in the Caribbean or Greek and done that. Now, they’re raising the bar on their expectations.

In its current honeymoon campaign, Virtuoso looked to TheKnot.com, the No. 1 online wedding planning resource, to create an email and website promotion that will be viewed by millions of registered brides-to-be., the No. 1 online wedding planning resource, to create an email and website promotion that will be viewed by millions of registered brides-to-be.

Angkor Temples, Cambodia

The nine-night escape to Vietnam and Cambodia includes stays at The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi and Siem Reap’s Hotel de la Paix — three of the premier properties in Southeast Asia — for reasonable price per couple. Renowned regional tour operator, Trails of Indochina, takes care of the ground transportation.

The trip is arranged by TravelCorp International’s Luke Breaux, one of 24 featured Virtuoso honeymoon specialists. The U.S.-based consultant has 15 years experience arranging memorable itineraries for visitors to Southeast Asia.

“Vietnam and Cambodia possess a kind of cultural and exotic appeal that you can’t find anywhere else,” said Laubichler-Pichler. “Between its abundance of UNESCO World Heritage sites, dramatic beaches and world-class accommodation, the region has everything a couple could want.”

Situated on 35 hectares of landscaped tropical gardens, The Nam Hai is an all-villa property managed by GHM and featuring 60 one-bedroom villas and 40 pool villas ranging from one to five bedrooms, each with its own infinity pool.

Opened in 1901, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi reigns as the Grande Dame of Vietnamese hospitality and one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic hotels. In 2009, the hotel became the first in the Sofitel portfolio to acquire Accor’s Legend brand distinction.

Located in the heart of Siem Reap, close to the cultural and historic heart of Cambodia, Hotel de la Paix is a luxury boutique hotel within easy reach of colorful markets, vibrant nightlife and the breathtaking complexes of Angkor Wat, often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.

Source: Vietnambusiness

Suggestions for traveling:
Hoi An – Quang Nam
Angkor Wat Highlights

The Great Red Spider Vietnam Motorcycle Tour with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA - Part 3

2010-04-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Coming to the last part of Spider Group's story, let’s discovery the fascinating scenery with the wide open feeling when they were riding and other 2-day relaxing in Ho Chi Minh city before they came back home.

- The Great Red Spider Vietnam Motorcycle Tour with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA - Part 1
- The Great Red Spider Vietnam Motorcycle Tour with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA - Part 2

The Great Red Spider Vietnam Motorcycle Tour with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA

Wednesday January 27th
Well we left Kon Tum this morning for another 280 KM or so ride and now we have arrived in Buon Ma Thuot, from now on referred to BMT. We left KT and hit the road. The sun was shining brightly and very hot all day. The ride was good, but long, especially since we took a couple wrong turns and ended up adding about 30KM's to our trip, which may not seem like much but is nearly an hour. This city is the capital of the Dac Lac province and the site of the last battle of the Vietnam war in 1975.....which was long after the Americans left.

This region is well known for its coffee and in fact Vietnam is the second largest coffee exporter in the world behind Brazil. And.....Vietnam has the largest per capital consumption of coffee in the world. This is hard to imagine after the coffee we have been having each morning. We passed through rolling hills the entire time with numerous coffee plantations. They are beautiful large green bushes with many white flowers. They put off a very pleasant aroma that fills the air. Driving along the roads in this area, we go by countless homes with the green coffee beans spread out on the front "driveway", if you will, drying. Some are very fresh and green, some are red and some are clearly nearly dried and more brown in color.

We also passed through many kilometers of rubber trees and there are pix of them in this section of the update. Seems like a very antiquated process but, nonetheless, there were literally thousands of trees for many KM's dripping slowly the rubber from the trees into small pans attached to the trees.

We have all decided that the North of Vietnam is has a lot more going for it than that part of the south we have seen.

Roads much better
Much cleaner
Better scenery

That said, we did have a good ride and stopped in Pleiku, which Bruce Wingman was stationed for a small amount of time during the war. We ended the day by riding on the most dusty, traffic jammed road we have yet to be on, which was under construction. It was a mass of cars, people, dust, trucks, buses and us of course. When we got the hotel we each went to rooms and when we turned on the showers, the black dirt just ran off our bodies.

Oh, and the latest 31 Card Game and who got the single update is in from yesterday and today. Bruce now has 4 wins after a face off with Kenny for the pot last night. And, Bruce also won the draw for the single room tonight meaning he would have it for the THIRD time. But being the good guy he is, he donated it to Dave Morocco Dryden.

Tomorrow is our last day of riding. We are headed for Nha Trang, which is directly east of here about 200 KM's and supposedly has the most beautiful beaches in all of Asia. We plan to leave early so we can get there for an early afternoon lunch and enjoy the place. We plan a going away party Thursday night in Nha Trang for our bike guide Kenny, our driver Luc and our mechanic Qin who will not be going on with us on Friday to Ho Chi Minh City.

Tomorrow is our last day of riding. On the one hand it seems like we just started the trip and its sad to be at the end of the ride. On the other hand, I think we are all happy to get back to civilization, a soft clean bed, a hard and hot shower and the little things that make travel more enjoyable. We are all looking forward to getting to Nha Trang and also onward to HCMC.

Thursday January 28th
Today we leave BMT for Nha Trang, the beautiful resort coastal city for the final push of our Hanoi to Nha Trang, 1,800 KM Journey. Five years ago or more I read a book entitled "Up Country." It was the story of a guy who rode a motor bike from Hanoi to Saigon investigating a murder that occurred during the Vietnam war. I promised myself that I would one day do a motorbike ride in the same fashion. After coming to Vietnam many time for business, this was the experience of a lifetime, a way to check off something in my Bucket List. A sense of accomplishment and happiness for sure.

As we pulled out of BMT this morning, everyone was aware that it was the last day of our long ride together. Strangers other than Steve, we became good friends, had great laughs and enjoyed a great experience together. The ride from BMT was across the high plains of Vietnam, the Highlands as they call them. About an hour into the ride, we rode up into the last set of mountains we would see before descending to the sea and the port of Nha Trang.

Dave Dryden reminded us that this road was the site of the largest exodus of people in the Vietnam war. When Buôn Ma Thuột fell in the final battle in 1975, thousands, if not millions of South Vietnamese fled down the road we rode on today. Fleeing for their lives from the North Vietnamese army.

The ride through the mountains was beautiful. A reminder of all the gorgeous mountains, passes and beauty that we have seen throughout our trip. As we descended down the steep hills we began to get a whiff of sea air every now and then and we know our journey was coming to a close.

Then as we rounded a bend and a steep decline, there it was, the ocean and the most beautiful scene we could have possibly imagined. We rode hard and reached the last 10 KM's of road that ran right along the seacoast. What a great last ride that was. The wind in our face, the cool air, the smell of the sea. We really soaked it up.

Later we had our farewell lunch with Kenny, Loc and Qin our guide, driver and mechanic. We toasted some beers and sent them on their way back to Hanoi. The bikers then went to a beach bar and reflected on the trip, our new friendships and the exciting next few days we have to enjoy Ho Chi Minh City. Its been a great trip, with great guys and memory of one sort or another for each of us.

Enjoy our last biking day pix and videos below, and be on the look out for our updates from Ho Chi Minh City in the next couple of days.

Friday and Saturday January 29th, 30th Ho Chi Minh City
We left Nha Trang on Friday late morning for a short hour flight to HCMC. Upon arrival we were very surprised to have a special greeting, arranged by the AB importer and distributor, Walter Gannon. He sent his large Bud Bus and Bud Angels as they call them to greet us at the airport and give us VIP travel for the 45 minute ride to our hotel.

We chilled out in the afternoon and mostly just walked around downtown HCMC. We are staying at the Caravelle Hotel, in the center of the city. There is lots of activity here. Then in the evening, Walter arranged for a reception in our honor at the Park Hyatt Hotel out on a veranda. It was USA-like BBQ and he invited all his management to come and join us. He also invited the US Ambassador to come and he did. He is in a group shot with us standing next to Bruce. After a fun evening at the reception, we returned to the hotel for a good night sleep.

Today on Saturday we had a tour of several places. The War Museum which was a horrible place where we saw the harm and torture that all sides in the conflict performed. We visited the Presidential Palace, most known for the scene when the VC tanks burst through the gates and took over South Vietnam, officially ending the conflict. We visited the Notre Dame Cathedral which is a replica of the one in France. We also saw the famous Post Office with its fabulous design.

We ended the tour with a lunch at a local restaurant which was excellent and had an old guy playing piano throughout. Then we had a farewell coffee with Dave Dryden who is flying out of HCMC back to London this evening. The rest of the crew will be hosted tonight for dinner by Amy Wu, former AB China and now the General Manager for the Circle K convenience business for Vietnam.

We depart the hotel at 4:00am Sunday morning to catch our departing flight, which leaves at 6:00am local time to Hong Kong and then on to Chicago. So this will be the final update for the Red Spider Motorcycle Tour. We hope everyone enjoyed following us on our exciting adventure. We had a great time, but everyone is ready to come home and see family and friends again.

Source: peterb.yolasite.com

Vietnam Motorcycling recommendation:
Motorcycling tours in Summer Promotion 2010
Motorcycling travel guides
Motorcycling tours in Vietnam

Travel tips for adventure holidays in Vietnam

2010-04-15T03:12:00.000-07:00

Imaginative travellers looking to head to south-east Asia might want to make Vietnam a priority stop-off, as a website has provided tips on how to survive a stay in the country.

Ha Giang Province Vietnam

Suite101 has reported that following the culmination of war in recent years, the nation's economy has started to "boom" and visitor numbers are on the increase.

It has thus offered some guidance on the best ways to stay safe and save money while journeying across the place.

An easy - and relatively cheap - way to get between destinations is to fly, the portal has advised, although those who do not fancy taking to the sky can travel by rail - along such routes as the Reunification Express.

Sturdy walking shoes are a must for those wanting to venture around by foot, along with sunscreen, shorts and loose clothing - although access to some temples and restaurants may require people to cover up.

Suite101 recently recommended a boat trip along Vietnam's Mekong Delta to individuals hoping to experience the country's diverse food and culture

Source: imaginative-traveller.com

Adventure Travel Resource

- Adventure holidays in Vietnam

- Adventure holidays in Laos

- Adventure holidays in Cambodia

Six places you never thought you could afford include Ho Chi Minh city Vietnam

2010-04-09T01:15:00.000-07:00

Dreaming of a far-flung vacation? This year, those out-of-reach destinations may be surprisingly affordable. Last year, we covered six places you never thought you could afford. This year, we've compiled another six hot spots, with a twist—while these locales may be expensive to get to, the in-country costs make the vacation budget easy. In fact, we've even compared these far-flung locales with more traditional vacation destinations to show you just how budget-friendly globe trotting can be. Read on to start planning this year's vacation of a lifetime.

Notre Dame Cathedral backside, Ho Chi Minh (Sai Gon)

Editor's Note: All price comparisons feature round-trip airfare, including taxes and fees. Hotel prices reflect the room's base price, are based on double occupancy, and do not include taxes and fees.

Buenos Aires

History, food and wine, art, and nightlife—there may be no better value-packed destination this year than Buenos Aires. Nicknamed the "Paris of South America", Buenos Aires can give you a cultural experience with both Latin American and European influences. And with the country celebrating its bicentennial in May, it's an ideal time to visit.

The country, still recovering from the peso crisis of 2001, offers a great value for overseas travelers, particularly Americans. At press time, $1 US gets you 3.86 Argentina pesos (see USATODAY.com's currency converter for current exchange rates), so your money goes far in-country. Frommer's notes that while the Argentinian economy has been steadily recovering, a Buenos Aires vacation still typically costs about 30% less than popular destinations in North America or Europe.

Airfare from New York City starts around $700 round-trip, taxes included, for travel in April and May; three-star downtown hotels can be found from $56, and one-bedroom downtown apartment rentals start at $250 per week. For two people traveling together, you can ballpark about $1,650 to $1,800 for airfare-and-accommodations for a seven-night vacation this spring.

Let's compare that price tag to a week in Paris during the same time period. Airfare from New York starts around $650 in April and May, a three-star hotel near the Champs-Elysees/Belle Epoque district costs $109 per night, and a one-bedroom Montmartre apartment can be rented for $436 per week. All told, a seven-night Parisian vacation starts between $1,750 and $2,100 for airfare and accommodations for two people traveling together. In this case, the base price for the Buenos Aires vacation cost about $100 to $300 less than Paris.

The real sticking point in Paris, however, is the currency exchange rate. At press time, $1 is worth just 0.73 euros. According to Parislogue, daily food expenses can cost up to $109 per person per day for three meals. Of course, that's budgeting on the high end, but already-pricey city costs and an unforgiving exchange rate can really add up.

Keep your per-day costs in mind when comparing destinations for your upcoming vacation—especially if you're the type of traveler that likes fine dining, shopping for souvenirs, and patronizing attractions with admission fees. In this case, you may find the far-flung destination is a lot more budget-friendly.

Ho Chi Minh City

A vacation to Southeast Asia is a bargain hunter's paradise, once you get past the airfare prices. Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City can provide travelers with worldwide cuisine, tailor-made shopping deals, and bustling nightlife, all on the cheap.

The U.S. dollar will get you about 18,685 Vietnamese dong (as of press time), and many travelers can comfortably get by on less than the equivalent of $50 per person per day. The region's countless options for affordable food, accommodations, transportation, and tours make sticking to a budget easy. The city's infamous street food carts offer delicious options for all three meals, but there are also plenty of higher-end establishments if you want to splurge.

Airfare from Los Angeles starts around $900 in April and May, and I found a three-star District 1 downtown hotel from $49 per night. For two people traveling together, base prices start at $2,143 for a week's vacation.

Let's compare prices to New York City, another major metropolis, commercial center, and major entry point for overseas travelers. Flights from Los Angeles start at $230 in April and May, and I found a three-star hotel in the Financial District from $175 per night. For two people traveling together, the base price comes to $1,685 for a week's vacation.

At first glance, Ho Chi Minh City seems more expensive—$458 more, to be exact. But let's take a closer look at your per-day costs. Realistically, travelers in Vietnam can expect to spend about $50 per day for food, attractions, and transportation. In New York City, that daily budget may be tricky (if not near impossible) to stick to. Consider that the average cost of a meal in the city is roughly $42; you're already planning for an inflated per-day budget. And back in 2007, the average price of a cocktail was $10. Going out for dinner and drinks could quickly cost you upwards of $100. Of course, there are ways to find cheaper eats, attractions, and transportation deals, but you've got your work cut out for you. That extra $458 in New York City may only go as far as a few meals, museum fees, drinks, and cab rides.

Consider, too, that Ho Chi Minh City provides the chance to travel halfway across the world for not much more money, as well as the opportunity to experience a different culture up close. Leaving your comfort zone and seeing a new country firsthand offers a whole host of benefits that can't be replicated stateside.

Once again, look at your travel habits critically when comparing possibilities. Do your tastes and activities tend to inflate your budget? How far will your money go once you're at your destination? Comparing average costs is a smart way to get the true value of your chosen location.

Krakow, Poland

Krakow, in southern Poland, offers an affordable alternative to other European capital cities. Teeming with art and architecture, historical artifacts, fine food, and nightlife, Krakow rewards its visitors with a value-packed experience. Tour an authentic castle and its dragon's lair, feast on pierogies and bigos, and visit ancient churches and synagogues, among other countless options in the greater metropolitan area.

Poland is still on the zloty, which is good news for American travelers wary of the euro. At press time, $1 USD gets you 2.80 zloty, which goes a long way in day-to-day expenses such as meals and transportation. Spring airfares from New York City start at $615, and a three-star downtown hotel can be booked from $59 per night. A week's vacation (airfare and accommodations) would cost $1,643 for two people traveling together.

Let's compare a Krakow vacation with a trip to Florence, another major European city known for art, architecture, and culinary delights. Flights from New York to Florence start at $820 in spring, and a three-star downtown hotel starts at $92 per night. Two people taking a week's vacation could expect to pay $2,284 for airfare and accommodations—about $640 more than a comparable Krakow trip.

Then, consider how far the dollar goes in Poland compared to Italy (which is on the euro), and Krakow becomes an even more desirable destination. Meals in Krakow can be had for just a few dollars per day. In 2007, my friend and I often went out for dinner and typically spent in the range of $30 total for a multi-course meal, including drinks and gratuity. Pub food and more modest options can be purchased for even less. Additionally, the Krakow Tourist Card offers transportation and attraction admission on the cheap. Choose a two- or three-day pass for 45 zloty or 65 zloty ($15 or $23), respectively, and get unlimited travel on city buses and trams and free admission at up to 32 Krakow museums. If you didn't already consider Krakow a bargain, the tourist card adds even greater value.

Panama City

Frommer's describes Panama as "deliciously free of crowds"—and what better endorsement do you need? Even if you're based in Panama City, a range of outdoorsy activities including watersports in both the Caribbean and Pacific, bird watching, and hiking, can fill a vacation. Mountains, rainforests, and beaches are plentiful, creating a spectacular setting for vacationers, regardless if you want to break a sweat or just relax by the waves.

The country's currency, the balboa, is interchangeable with the U.S. dollar. Additionally, the dollar is accepted nationwide, so no worries about exchange rates or inflated prices here. Better yet, food and transportation are very affordable, and Lonely Planet estimates travelers can get by quite comfortably on $60 per day. Penny-pinching travelers should have no difficulty budgeting even less. Regardless of whether you want to scrimp or splurge, the possibilities are affordable.

Flights from New York start at $355 in spring and I found a three-star Panama City hotel from $60 per day. A seven-day vacation for two comes in at $1,130.

Let's compare a week in Panama City to a week in Miami. While at first this comparison may seem to be a contrast between outdoorsy adventure and city nightlife, both destinations offer easy beach access, rich Latin culture, and a laid-back atmosphere. Flights from New York start at $162 in April and May, and I found a three-star hotel in Miami Beach from $114 per night. A seven-night vacation for two would cost $1,122—just eight dollars less than a comparable Panama trip.

That paltry savings, however, would be blown by Miami's high food and entertainment prices. It's not unusual for cocktails to cost $10 and up, and many clubs will have a cover charge for you just to walk through the door. Unless you want a vacation full of deli and fast-food options, most restaurants will have an average cost of $25 per person. And in this glitzy city, the sky's the limit for boutique shopping and other entertainment options. At least the beach is free... but compared to Panama, in this case you'll be spending a lot more to stay stateside. With a trip to Panama City, you'll be paying a comparable base price for a chance to experience the unfamiliar, and expanding your horizons by immersing yourself in a new culture.

Auckland, New Zealand

It may take awhile to get to Auckland, but this Middle-Earth-esque, adventure-packed destination offers rewards for those willing to make the trek. Hike, surf, bungee jump, or stargaze; taste local wines and cheeses; or take a glass-bottom boat ride to see nature up close. Most amazing of all, perhaps, is that this far-flung adventure can be cheaper than a trip to Europe.

The value is in the currency. At press time, $1 USD buys you $1.40 New Zealand dollars, which goes a long way toward containing your in-country costs. Round-trip flights from Los Angeles cost $765 for spring travel, and I found a three-star hotel from $78 per night. A one-week spring vacation for two would cost $2,076.

I then took a look at a spring vacation in Hamburg, Germany, a strategic alliance city to Auckland and one also known for an artsy, creative culture; an active sporting scene; and fine dining. Round-trip airfares from Los Angeles came in at $807 in May, and a three-star hotel in the city center cost $115 per night. Based on these prices, a one-week vacation would cost $2,419 for two people traveling together.

While Hamburg is already more than $300 pricier than the New Zealand trip, the major sticker shock is the daily expenditures under the euro. As discussed in previous European comparisons, the dollar is still weaker than the euro, and inflated prices for food and transportation can add up fast. According to the TEFL Professional Network, a fast-food meal in Hamburg can cost 7 euros (about $9.50) and a beer 4 euros (approximately $5.40). It's not unusual for two- or three-star hotel rooms around town to go for 140 euros ($189 U.S.). Add in a few non-fast-food meals, museum admissions, some upscale cocktails, and you see where the budget is going.

Mumbai, India

Once known as Bombay, Mumbai offers the full range of emotions to travelers willing to take a thrilling, eye-opening ride. Expect a vacation filled with highs and lows—the best restaurants, the sleekest hotels, and pulsing nightlife, side by side with unavoidable poverty, hot climate, and crowds. Your visit will be what you make of it. But while you're here, the one thing you won't be is bored.

Airfare from New York starts at $855 for travel in April and May, and I found a three-star hotel from $88. A week's stay comes in at $2,326 for two. Once in Mumbai, $1 USD gets you 45 India rupees, and it's not unusual to pay $12 or $13 for a mid-range restaurant meal for two. Bargain for one-of-a-kind finds at one of the city's many bazaars, or take in the city's colonial and art deco architecture with a self-guided walking tour.

Let's then compare a Mumbai trip to a London vacation. Both are the gateway cities to their respective countries, serve as important commercial and tourism centers, and have thriving arts scenes and fashionable nightlife. Airfare from New York starts at $523 in spring, and I found a three-star hotel from $140 per night. All told, the base price for a week's vacation for two is $2,026, about $300 cheaper than Mumbai (on first glance).

The currency, once again, is what will make costs add up. The U.S. dollar is only worth about 0.66 pounds, and considering London is widely known as one of the most expensive cities worldwide, we budget-conscious travelers have our work cut out for us. Lonely Planet notes that a "good meal for two with wine" usually costs 80 to 100 pounds ($121 to $151), movie tickets are 10 pounds ($15), and transportation can add up without pre-ordered discounts (such as an Oyster card). The one silver lining is that all public museums are free, so your per-day costs could be kept down provided you stick to those establishments. Additionally, too, London features exorbitant airport taxes, which may increase your overall airfare and the base price of your trip. Any way you cut it, though, that $300 base price savings (compared to Mumbai) will quickly be eroded once you try to enjoy all London has to offer.

Source: usatoday.com

Great Travel Summer Promotion 2010 in Vietnam and Cambodia

2010-03-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) is offering Great Summer Promotion 2010 in Vietnam and Cambodia. These promotions are guaranteed by luxurious adventure tours, add-on values and reasonable prices. More http://www.sbwire.com/news/view/39632

có liên quan tới:

"ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) is offering Great Summer Promotion 2010 in Vietnam and Cambodia. These promotions are guaranteed by luxurious adventure tours, add-on values and reasonable prices"
- ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) Launches Vietnam & Cambodia Summer Promotions - SBWire (xem trên Google Sidewiki)

The Great Red Spider Vietnam Motorcycle Tour with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA - Part 1

2010-01-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Series of blog entries from Burrows Red Spider group describe their great 16-day motorcycling trip in Vietnam with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA. Let's follow their trip day by day!

Red Spider bikers over the wood bridge

Saturday Jan 16th

They came from London, Birmingham, St. Louis and Chicgao....that gang of Red Spider bikers. All on a mission, to see new things, to meet new people and to have a great adventure and make friends. Today we made our first new friend..... JOSEF, who took our group picture at O'Hare. So we promised him a spot on the RS Website. We are enjoying our pre-departure time getting to know one another better.

Sunday Jan 17/Monday 18

Lost Luggage has haunted the Red Spider tour at the onset. BeerPong Bill, had his luggage get sent to Honolulu becuase of course the airline code for hong kong which is HKG is so much like HNL....gofigger. So beer pongs bag is yet to arrive. Morrocco Dave had his bag left in Hong Kong but it arrived here today Monday safely. And finally Red Spider Steve received his bag as normal but many items missing and now a part of the TSA Christmas party for 2010 no doubt.

Today we enjoyed a short day touring the Hanoi Hilton, and then had a great lunch and a few beers. Now we are fitted with our cycle helmets and chillin at the hotel. And Wingman with all bags in hand has been busy trying to find that perfect sweatshirt for his favorite sweetie.

Tonight we will hit the town locally and enjoyed some good local cuisine and some beers and generally some good laughs. Tomorrow, our Tuesday we do some morning sight seeing and then we...................are off folks to Mai Chau around noon for our first leg of the journey.

Tuesday 19

Road to Mai Chau

Its early in the morning here and jet lag and anticipation of the trip has the Red Spider gang up early. We will go to the lake where John McCain crashed his plane and a few other sites today before heading out to Mai Chau for our first leg of the trip. We stay in a local home tonight so the next website update may be a few days away. We will update when we can so be patient. We, and especially Beer Pong, hopes that Beer Pongs bag will catch up to us tonight. Wish us well and we send our greetings to all of you enjoying our trip.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday January 19, 20 and 21

Sorry that we have been off line for so long but we have not had any i-net connections for 3 days. And we have so much to catch up on. Since we left Mai Chau, the Thai community we have moved south by about 600 KM's to Tan Ky and now to Dong Hoi. Check the map on the "Tour" tab if you really want to know where that is. So what have we seen and experienced since we last logged on?

Arrival in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh, Vietnam

• we learned that vietnam roads are for bikes, people, motorcycles, cars, trucks, cattle, dogs, cats and people.
• We learned that the roads are used for not only transportation, but for bathrooms and for agriculture to dry anyting from corn to wheat, to bamboo and other things
• We finally got Beer Pongs Bag. What a happy moment that was after four days of United Airlines total screw-up
• We played the first of many 31 card games which bruce wingman won kicked butt on the first night
• We saw beautiful Thai villages, chopstick factories, the most incredible rivers and topography that you could imagine
• we saw "Indian Jones" type bridges and crossed two of them ourselves on the bikes.
• We went from orange groves, to sugar cane fields, to bamboo forests to tea plantations and always surrounded by the perpetual rice paddies with hard working people in them at all times of day
• We found some of the dumpiest hotels in the world but still had a good time
• We learned that driving at night in Vietnam is a bad idea and we wont do it again
• We decided that a rainy day is good day to load the bikes in a truck and take the van to the next destination rather than risk harm on a slippery road.
• We saw a spectacular river cave
• We had lots of laughs and a great time so far and only in day 3 and about 380 KM's of a 1,500 KM trip

Tomorrow, our Friday, we travel from Dong Hoi south to the infamous DMZ and end up in the coastal city of Dong Ha.

Friday January 22

Today we are off to Dong Ha, similar sound as where we are now which is Dong Hoi. On the way we will visit several famous spots from the Vietnam War and will pass thru the DMZ. We departed Dong Hoi, a city of about 500,000 people around 9:00am and headed to our first site in a light mist and drizzle which made the ride more interesting, but we maintained slow pace until the roads dried out.

Tunnel entrance DMZ

The first stop was the Truong Son National Cemetery....the Vietnamese version of Arlington Cemetery. More than 10,000 soldiers are buried here and we paid our respects. Next rode to the Vinh Moc Tunnel. An amazing place with three underground tunnel systems that the VC used to hide from Americans and plan attacks on the South. There are over 40 KM's of underground tunnels and some are more than 24 meters below the surface. Some of the bikers adventured into the tunnels, but Red Spider and Feel Good took a pass.

Then we moved on along the coast which was beautiful and headed to the 17th Parallell.....the dividing line in history between the north and the south. We viewed the memorials on both the north side of the river and the south side of the river built to honor the respective soldiers who gave their lives. We also visited the Doc Mieu firebase, which was a French installation perched high on a hill just over the boarder to the south and a great place to launch many rocket attacks on the north we suspect. Today we completed another 250 KM's of our trip bring us to about 550KM's in total under our belts.....or butts as the case may be.

Tomorrow we head for Khe Sanh Air Base among other things.

Saturday January 23rd

Today we go west from Dong Ha to the famous US Airbase called Khe Sanh. Go to "Part 2" for the next update

Source: peterb.yolasite.com

Travel Tips
- Motorcycle tips: Viet Nam motorcycle travel tips
- Motorcyle guide & trail: Ho Chi Minh trail & travel guide
- Motorcycle tours: Motorcycle tours in Vietnam

Halong Bay - with enormous caves, Vietnam

2010-01-13T02:07:00.000-08:00

Leaving Hanoi, the author and her friends traveled to Ha Long Bay. They had interesting experiences there.

Ha long bay, Vietnam

Our last morning in Hanoi I got up at 5am - Wayne and Kev decided to stay in bed - and walked down to Hoan Kiem Lake where, at 6am each morning, many people congregate to practise Tai Chi all around the shores of the lake which has the Ngoc Son Temple on a little island in the middle. (Thanks Julie for the suggestion - I wouldn't have thought to do it otherwise!)

Music was playing from PA systems - groups of 6-10 people (it seemed to be mostly older men) were standing in line slightly bent forward. Each person was massaging the back of the person in front of them; every now and then the person at the front moved to the back so everyone got their turn. Having never done Tai Chi in my life before I joined one of the groups and copied, as best I could, what everyone else was doing. It wasn't easy.

After it was all over the lady next to me told me that Tai Chi takes years to perfect. Afterwards some people began playing Shuttlecock and Battledore by which time I had to make my way back. Initially getting a little lost I was saved by the hotel card which had a map on the back!!

Leaving Hanoi we embarked on a tour bus which took us to Halong Bay, a journey of about 3 ½ hours.

Our companions on the bus came from Belgium, France, Corsica, Bali, Hong Kong, Adelaide and Christchurch - all of whom we got to know during the next day and a half. Halong Bay - a UNESCO world heritage site - consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean.

Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. We spent a night aboard a junk - we had an ensuite room with a double bed - docking twice, first to visit Hang Sung Sot cave then to board kayaks in which we did our own bit of exploration. (Thanks James for the lesson in kayaking!!)

The next night was spent at Tua Than Island which overlooked some of the bay. In the afternoon, when Kev decided it was too hot to leave an air-conditioned room I ventured out for a walk and ended up going into a Beauty Parlour/Spa where I had a pedicure, manicure (both complete with nailpolish), a haircut, shampoo and blow dry.

Vietnam is a land of contrasts, natural beauty and innovative people - it's also noisy and it always seems to be busy, busy, busy! While the great majority of people ride motorbikes which cost approx $US7,000, in Hanoi we saw two Bentleys being driven and they cost approx $US1 million each. At the bottom end of the scale are those who ride bicycles.

But despite the lack of material goods so cherished by most Australians the Vietnamese people appear happy and they couldn't be friendlier.

Today we said goodbye to Wayne who flies back to Australia to start work on Monday! Tomorrow Kev and I are off to Siem Reap, Cambodia - looking forward to some new experiences there.

Source: travelblog

Recommendation for trip in Ha long bay:

Ha Long bay cruise

Ha Long bay kayaking

Christmas in Vietnam

2009-12-18T02:10:00.000-08:00

In Vietnam, Christmas was celebrated joyously with people thronging city roads right from Christmas Eve, which is often more important than Christmas Day!

Christmas, Vietnam

Christmas is one of the four most important festivals of the Vietnamese year, including the birthday of Buddha, the New Year and the Mid-autumn Festival. Although the Christians observed the religious rituals of Christmas.

Traditional Vietnamese religions are Buddhism and the Chinese philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. However, during French rule, many people became Christians, that occupy 8 to 10 percent of whose population. This is because the Vietnamese are a fun-loving, sociable people and the various Vietnam festivals and events are actually occasions for them to a gala time, all together. Christmas in Vietnam is a grand party.

History Of Christmas In Vietnam

Christmas in Vietnam has had a tumultuous history. The Catholics are a minority in Vietnam but they used to celebrate Christmas in Vietnam quite in peace right from the days of the French rule. That is until the Communists took over political power in 1975. The church-state relations soured during that time and the Catholics were relegated to celebrating Jesus’s birthday in privacy.

Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, church-state relations have not always been smooth. However, they have been improving since the introduction of economic reforms in the late 1980s. Liberalist policies adopted since the 1980s saw Vietnam warming up to western influences and ideals and Christmas in Vietnam came back triumphantly. Now Christmas is one of the major festivals in Vietnam, celebrated with much fanfare by all religious communities.

Phat Diem Cathedral in Ninh Binh Province is considered the spiritual home for the seven million Catholics who live in Vietnam, a predominantly Buddhist nation. Hundreds of Catholics gather for Christmas Eve Mass in the northern city of Phat Diem. Children staged a nativity play to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - or Kito, as he is known in Vietnamese -- in front of the city's cathedral, built in 1891.

Christmas In Vietnam

Christmas in Vietnam is a huge event, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the Vietnamese Christmas celebrations here are like any other city in the western world. The Christians in Vietnam attend a Midnight mass on Christmas Eve and return home to a sumptuous Christmas dinner. The Christmas dinner usually consists of chicken soup while wealthier people eat turkey and Christmas pudding.

Christmas tree at Fortuna Hotel (Hanoi,Vietnam)

On Christmas Eve, Vietnamese people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, especially young people, like to go into the city centre, where there is a Catholic Cathedral. The streets are crowded with people on Christmas Eve and in the city centre cars are not allowed for the night.

People celebrate by throwing confetti, taking pictures and enjoying the Christmas decorations and lights of big hotels and department stores. Lots of cafes and restaurants are open for people to enjoy a snack!

Vietnam used to be part of the French Empire and there are still French influences in the Christmas traditions. Many Catholic churches have a big nativity crib scene or 'creche' with nearly life size statues of Mary, Joesph, baby Jesus, the shepherds and animals. In some areas of Ho Chi Minh City, usually in Catholic parishes, people have big crib scenes in front of their houses and decorate the whole street, turning it into a Christmas area! These are popular for people to visit and look at the scenes.

Also like in France, the special Christmas Eve meal is called 'reveillon' and has a 'bûche de Noël' (a chocolate cake in the shape of a log) for desert. Vietnamese people like to give presents of food and at Christmas a bûche de Noël is a popular gift. Other Christmas presents are not very common, although some young people like to exchange Christmas cards.

The Yuletide spirit of giving and sharing has been embraced with an earnest by the Vietnamese. Generous as they are, the Vietnamese give out gifts and presents in plenty during the Christmas celebrations in Vietnam. However, the children are more keen to have their stockings and shoes stuffed in with goodies from Santa’s bulging sack. The European customs of Santa Claus and the Christmas tree were popular and children would leave their shoes out on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas in Vietnamese is “Chúc M?ng Giáng Sinh”!

Source: Vietnam-beauty

Recommendation for Christmas in Vietnam:

Ha Noi City tour

Ho Chi Minh City tour

Nature & nurture in Ha Giang, Vietnam

2009-12-15T23:12:00.000-08:00

They grow their crops on the rocks and walk several kilometers of steep, cold mountain roads to buy and sell small goods, but the Mong families on the Dong Van Plateau are some of the most hospitable in the world.

Family in Ha Giang Province Vietnam

After the long journey, settling into the silence and peace of a stop high mountain road in Ha Giang Province can be an arresting experience.

Vietnam’s northernmost province is located in the northwestern. Hoang Lien Mountains – the Tonkinese Alps as the French called them – near the border with China.

All’s quiet except for the whisper of the crisp breeze and the crunch of a local Mong family’s sandals on the road as they walk carrying large bamboo backpacks filled whatever produce or goods they’ve either just bought or are about to sell at the market.

The language barrier keeps us at a distance in one way, but the simple smiles of the family bring our two very different worlds close together.

Mesmerized by the strength and spirit in their faces, the natural beauty that surrounds us – limestone peaks creeping above a dense mist, vibrant green valleys descending into earth-red rivers – is equally enchanting. I’ve never met anyone who came here and didn’t want to come back.

The sturdy roads on the steep sides of the Dong Van Highlands tower above green corn fields in the summer and colorful valleys of wild flowers in the autumn and spring.

The carpet of colors – even on grey, overcast and otherwise dreary days – is breathtaking.

Life in the slow lane

The journey to Dong Van is not exactly easy, but it’s worth it.

At an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level, the bends are sharp and the passes narrow for hours along the rocky plateau. Drive slow, especially if you go by motorbike, as the safety rails are not very high.

The motorbike is the most intense way to experience the trip, but most rides in Ha Giang are not only gorgeous, but also tiring and at times dangerous.

There is only one road connecting the town of Ha Giang to the smaller towns of Quan Ba and Yen Minh and then Dong Van and Meo Vac districts, the most remote part of the trip.

From Quan Ba, a beautiful road takes you on cliffs beside the Mien River. The road goes through several Mong villages before it lands in Dong Van Town, where the local Tay community has been living for around 200 years.

The French army landed here in the 19th century and there are still several rows of old French tile-roofed homes alongside other Vietnamese homes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Mong market is open every Sunday, producing a variety of different sounds and smells.

About 20km from Dong Van is Meo Vac Town, the capital of Meo Vac District. Meo Vac is famous for its “Cow Market” where 300-400 cattle are sold every Sunday in northern Vietnam’s largest bovine exchange.

The sellers, who can earn tens of millions of dong per animal, always invite the buyers to enjoy local wine after the transactions.

Meo Vac is near Dong Van, so some people go to both markets on a Sunday morning.

Happy trails

The road between Meo Vac and Dong Van may be one of the most beautiful in Vietnam.

But it has a sad history.

For years in the 50s and 60s, tens of thousands of migrant laborers from six surrounding provinces worked to break the mountain and build the road.

But due to wartime deprivation, many died of diseases and accidents. Now the road is known locally as the “Happy” road, perhaps for its beauty. But there is a monument commemorating the dead workers who built it.

The Dong Van Plateau is made even more beautiful by the Mong people who live there.

Life can be difficult for a poor Mong family, but in my years of visiting Ha Giang, I’ve never heard anyone complain or ask for a favor. The Mong always smile and are extremely friendly to visitors.

All the intricacies and grace of the Dong Van Highlands can hardly even be mentioned in this story alone. More stories will soon follow to elaborate on the culture, history and natural wonder of the area.

REACHING FOR RECOGNITION

The Dong Van Highlands, encompassing total area of more than 574 square kilometers in Ha Giang Province’s Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac districts, could eventually be recognized as a UNESCO Global Geological Park.

UNESCO Vietnam has sent an application based on a recent study which concluded that limestone can be found in 11 layers on 80 percent of the surface of the plateau. Two of the layers are sediment dating from 400 to 600 million years ago.

How to get there

The highlands are about 450km north of Hanoi. Visitors can take National Road 2 by motorbike or ride in cars with fewer than 30 seats. A tour from Hanoi to the plateau should take four days and three nights. There are basically-equipped hotels in Ha Giang, Dong Van and Meo Vac.

Source: TN

How to find Ha Giang Adventure tours
- West to East Biking Exploration
- Motorcycling adventure in Northern Vietnam

Smooth sailing in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

2009-12-15T01:36:00.000-08:00

My Tho Town offers a welcome respite from the rough and tumble of Ho Chi Minh City.

After five days of shop-till you-drop in Ho Chi Minh City, a splendid place for such activity, we were sorely in need of another short holiday to recover from this one.

“Why don’t you travel to My Tho this weekend?” a Saigon friend of mine, suggested. She described the perfect antidote to our days in HCMC: “It’s a peaceful, riverside town hidden in lush orchards.”

Float Market in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

A day trip to Tien Giang Province sounded like a great idea to us – me, this northern girl, and two friends of mine from Los Angeles.

On the road to this town, there was a curious sense of homecoming for me as my father used to work here as an engineer during the subsidy period.

My Tho is around 72 kilometers south of HCMC. Since the 17th century, the fertile land in the north of the Tien River has been reclaimed and developed by generations of inhabitants into an area lush and green with rice fields and orchards, and trade has thrived for centuries along its river banks.

As the road became broader and many small canals, green rice fields and orchards came into view, I knew we would be in My Tho before long.

In the town, we started to stroll aimlessly through peaceful lanes with no names, inhaling the fragrances of garden fruits carried by the breeze. Then we entered a small lane leading to one of the tributaries of the legendary Mekong River. It was noon and we could see the sun shining brightly and proudly on the magnificent river with many colorful boats sailing up and down.

Both banks of the river were bordered by water coconut groves and orchards. It was so peaceful it seemed that it was only yesterday I was walking with my father on the green banks of the river to the wooden wharf looking at pretty goby fishes swimming by.

“It’s so beautiful! I have seen this river in a film on old Indochina and I hope one day we can travel along this river up to Cambodia,” said my friend Robert Sheen.

Accepting our tour guide’s suggestion, we took a boat on the Mekong River and later moved to one steered by a woman in a conical leaf hat, through the red canals were shaded by water coconut trees. It was not difficult to blend into the surroundings with our silence broken only by the slapping sounds the boat made as it moved through the water.

“The water here is red because of the alluvial soil which creates fertile islands like Thoi Son, which we are going to visit now,” said Muoi, our tour guide.

On the island, sitting in the shade of the orchard, tasting its fruits plucked fresh off the trees, listening to don ca tai tu (amateur southern Vietnamese Opera) – it was exactly the experience we wanted. Then we walked around some gardens, listening to the crunch of dry leaves under our feet and watching, but not envying, the hard working tiny bees flying from one tree to another to make honey and pollinate flowers.

As the sky got darker, we had to travel back to HCMC. I was a bit jealous as I saw other relaxed tourists coming into the town. But I knew I would come back to My Tho to discover the place afresh, every time.

Reported by Thy Nga

Source: Thanhniennews.com

Recommendation in Mekong Delta, Vietnam:
- Mekong Delta Travel Guide
- Cruise Mekong Delta
- Mekong Explore Tour

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA inspects Hoa Binh lake for new kayaking tour in Vietnam

2009-12-08T23:38:00.000-08:00

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) inspects Hoa Binh reservoir, Vietnam to design a kayaking tour in this beautiful hidden area. This new kayaking tour will help tourists to have more options for exploring the Vietnamese natural charm by kayaking.

“We are going to launch this new adventure tour in Jan, 2010” said by Mr.Tony Tran - Product Manager.

Hoa Binh reservoir is located on a section of the Da River which has stream flow from Van nam Province, China to Phu Tho Province, Vietnam with total length is 910km including 383km of chinese territory and 527km of vietnamese territory.

Hoa Binh Lake, Vietnam

In Vietnam, the start point of the Da river is Muong Te district - Lai Chau Province. The river flows through the northwestern provinces of Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho and ends at the Da Hong fork, Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province.

When the biggest hydro power plant in Southeast Asia – the Hoa Binh Hydro Power Plant – was under construction in the 1980s, the Da River was stopped up to keep water for a reservoir. The water level then rose and submerged the valley together with hundreds of mountains, turning them into islands.

Today, Hoa Binh reservoir is not only plays an important role in providing a huge of electricity for daily life, but also famous for its significant scenery. The reservoir is surrounded by many limestone hills with height from 10m - 100m above water surface. Islands of different shapes and sizes are embraced by the spacious reservoir. The water also brings out the green colors of the surrounding countryside.

Kayaking Hoa Binh Lake, Vietnam

"There is no word that can describe my feeling when I saw the reservoir. Nothing difference between here and Halong Bay but the geographical name” said by Mr. Tony Tran - Product Manager.

The ATA’s inspection team scans the Hoa Binh reservoir to design new outdoor tours for adventure travelers. The potential outdoor activities can be designed in this area is kayaking.

“If you find somewhere for kayaking, this is where to stop your search” added Tony.

Kayakers are able to have short break to visit temples or discovery caves along riverside.

If you need a light meal on the lake, Muong ethnic people can enchant you with the crispy roasted meat of the Muong boar. There’s a large number of Muong ethnic people living in the region.

ATA plans to launch new kayaking tours to Hoa Binh reservoir early Jan, 2010 and they would offer good promotion rate for first bookings. The new tours will be for travelers as it shows in the company’s motto “Actively exploring hidden lands.”

By Eric Nguyen

Kayaking Recommendation in Vietnam:
- Kayak Travel Guide
- Kayaking Tours in Vietnam

Can Gio - Vietnam- top venue for nature lovers

2009-12-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

About 50 kilometers from HCMC, the Can Gio Mangrove Forest, a world-class biological reserve recognized by UNESCO in 2000, is proving to be a top tourist destination with its system of canals, its spectacular ocean scenery and its tranquility.

Can Gio Biosphere Reserve

From the center of HCMC, there are two ways to the eco-tourist site. The first is biking or motor biking to the Binh Khanh Ferry which crosses the river and lands at Can Gio Street. A short ride down this street gets you to the Vam Sat Ecological Tourist Area in the Can Gio Mangrove Forest. The second, and more interesting way, is to board a canoe at the Bach Dang Wharf and glide down the Saigon, Soai Rap, Dinh Ba and Lo Ren rivers.

Can Gio conforms to the wishes of many tourists who want an easily-reached ecological area with features like history, culture and especially a vast wilderness. The Can Gio Museum displays antiques dating back 2,000 years, the astounding Rung Sac Revolutionary Base which represents a page of national history and an animal circus with tamed and untamed beasts, including crocodiles, excites visitors. There is a troupe of 1,000 monkeys that are always ready to have fun with tourists. Typical dishes of the area can be had at Rung Sac Restaurant and eateries that line the river.

The Vam Sat Ecological Tourist Area is one of the world’s Salt-Marsh biosphere preserves and is ideal for canoe trips to swampland where rare flying foxes and bats live high in the trees and crabs are caught for their succulent meat.

Tourists can also enjoy the local sport of teasing hungry crocodiles with food from the canoe. Floating on a top of a saltwater pool, visitors do not have to worry about drowning because the salt concentration is 10 times higher than seawater and the crocodiles do not come here.

The three-star Can Gio Resort is recommended with its 80 rooms and proximity to 30/4 Beach and is offering couples one night in a superior room for only VND500,000, a 50% discount for a second night and a 60% discount for a third night. Tourists will be discounted 10% entering Lam Vien Park (monkey island) which offers bicycling, tennis, karaoke, body massages and sauna-steambath services. The program runs from June 20 to September 20.

Can Gio Tourist Area is in Long Hoa Commune, in HCMC’s Can Gio District, tel: 3874 3335. The office of Can Gio Ecotourism Company is at 68A Nguyen Hue Boulevard, in HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3829 2969.

Soure: VietNamNet/SGT

Recommendation:

Vietnam travel guide

Ho Chi Minh Trail Vietnam, from soldier's road to tourist highway

2009-12-01T01:07:00.000-08:00

HO CHI MINH HIGHWAY, Vietnam — If relentless American bombing didn't get him, it would take a North Vietnamese soldier as long as six months to make the grueling trek down the jungled Ho Chi Minh Trail. Today, you speed along the same route at 60 mph, past peaceful hamlets and stunning mountain scenery.

The trail, which played an important role in the Vietnam War, has been added to itineraries of the country's booming tourist industry. Promoters cash in on its history, landmarks and the novelty of being able to motor, bike or even walk down the length of the country in the footsteps of bygone communist guerrillas.

Women on bicycles make their way along a section of the newly built Ho Chi Minh highway near Vinh,Vietnam. David Longstreath, AP

Many sections of the old trail, actually a 9,940-mile web of tracks, roads and waterways, have been reclaimed by tropical growth. But a main artery has now become the Ho Chi Minh National Highway, probably the country's best and the largest public works project since Vietnam War ended 30 years ago.

The highway, more than 745 miles of which are already open to traffic, begins at the gates of Hanoi, the capital, and ends at the doorsteps of Ho Chi Minh City, which was known as Saigon when it was the former capital of South Vietnam.

In between, the route passes battlefields like Khe Sanh and the Ia Drang Valley, skirts tribal villages of the rugged Central Highlands and offers easy access to some of the country's top attractions — the ancient royal seat of Hue, the picturesque trading port of Hoi An and South China Sea beaches.

We began a recent car journey in the newly rebuilt city of Vinh, along one of the trail's main branches. Here in "Vietnam's Dresden," every building but one was obliterated by U.S. bombing, which attempted to stop the flow of foreign military aid through the city's port. American pilots also suffered their greatest losses of the war over its skies.

Nearby, in the rice-farming village of Kim Lien, is the humble hut where Vietnam's revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh was born and a museum dedicated to his turbulent life. Given Ho's standing as a national icon, the village draws an average of 1.5 million domestic visitors and a smattering of foreigners each year.

It was on one of Ho's birthdays, on May 9, 1959, that construction of the trail began with the establishment of Military Transport Division 559, made up of 440 young men and women. Over the next 16 years, the trail, which also wound through neighboring Laos and Cambodia, carried more than a million North Vietnamese soldiers and vast quantities of supplies to battlefields in South Vietnam despite ferocious American air strikes.

"There are some who argue that American victory would have followed the cutting of The Trail," writes John Prados in "The Blood Road." "The Trail undeniably lay at the heart of the war. For the Vietnamese of the North the Ho Chi Minh Trail embodied the aspirations of a people ... hiking it became the central experience for a generation."

At Dong Loc, 18 miles south of Vinh, we stopped at one of many memorials to the thousands who didn't complete that hike — a hillside shrine with the tombs of 10 women, aged 17 to 24, killed in bombing raids. Joss sticks, flowers and the articles of female youth — pink combs and little round mirrors — lay on each of the last resting places.

"School children come here every day. It's important in educating the young about the sacrifices of the old generation," said Dau Van Coi, secretary of the local youth union guiding visitors to what was once a major trail junction. Exhibiting no hostility to American visitors, he noted that U.S. warplanes dropped more than three bombs per 10 square feet on the area.

Farther down the trail, at the Highway 9 National Cemetery, bemedaled veteran Nguyen Kim Tien searched for fallen comrades among the 10,000 headstones. An elderly woman and her daughter wept before three of them — those of the older woman's father, husband and a close relative.

Although it's still a trail of tears three decades after the guns fell silent, Ho's road looks decidedly to the future.

"We cut through the Truong Son jungles for national salvation. Now we cut through the Truong Son jungles for national industrialization and modernization," said former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet when the 10-year project began in 2000.

The government says the highway will stimulate the economy in some of Vietnam's poorest, most remote regions, relieve congestion on the only other north-south road, National Highway 1, and increase tourism revenue. Besides conventional tours, several companies offer mountain biking along sections of the trail and expeditions on Russian-made Minsk motorcycles out of the 1950s.

However, the highway has sparked domestic and international criticism that it will lead to further decimation of Vietnam's already disappearing forests, attract a flood of migrants into ethnic minority regions from the crowded coast and disturb wildlife at several protected areas. The Switzerland-based World Wide Fund for Nature has criticized the project as "the single largest long-term threat to biodiversity in Vietnam."

So far, little of the officially hoped-for development is evident. In central Vietnam, one drives for long stretches meeting just the occasional Soviet-era truck, decrepit tractor or water buffalo-drawn cart as the highway winds through valleys flanked by spectacular limestone cliffs.

At some places like the A Shau valley town of A Luoi, just a few shacks and farm houses when seen five years ago, a mini-boom is clearly afoot. There's a bustling market selling baskets of fruit, Japanese watches and delicious French bread, and newly built houses abound.

From the highway, which expands to four lanes as it runs through the crossroads town, Dong Ap Bia looms in the hazy distance. American soldiers called it Hamburger Hill because of the number of lives ground up in the 1969 battle on its ridges.

Almost all traces of American presence in A Luoi have vanished. Only the old people can point out the helicopter landing field, now a school playground with a decrepit merry-go round featuring three little airplanes. The laughing youngsters who crowd around the foreign visitors know nothing of the war.

By Denis D. Gray, Associated Press

RELATED ITEMS
Ho Chi Minh Trail Tours: http://www.ridehochiminhtrail.com
Active Travel Vietnam offers motorcycle tours that last seven to 18 days; www.activetravelvietnam.com.

Buffalo tours of pottery town, Vietnam

2009-11-25T01:38:00.000-08:00

Among the tourist sites surrounding Hanoi, the Bat Trang pottery village with 500 or more years of history, is an ideal place to visit, attracting a large number of people from the city – and foreign tourists. Slow and steady: Japanese visitors enjoy a buffalo cart tour around the pottery village.

Buffalo tours in Vietnam

Just 14km from central Hanoi, the village is easily reached by motorbike – the most popular transport means in Vietnam.

If you’re too lazy to drive yourself or are not game to sit on the back of a xe om or hired motorbike, you can catch a bus at Long Bien Bus Station.

This way takes three times as long, but it’s so cheap! Tickets only cost VND3,000 – about US$0.10. The bus will take you to the village pottery market, where more than 100 stalls present tens of thousands of ceramic and pottery products.

The items include fine celadon from an ancient tradition and other great examples of ceramic arts and crafts. The high quality porcelain is decorated with dragons and phoenix, flowers and images of people and landscapes, all reflecting daily and spiritual activities in Vietnam.

Visitors can spend several hours just browsing among the endless little shops, each with different wares produced in a different family kiln.

According to the head of the market management board, Tran Quoc Viet, the market welcomes a large number of visitors every weekend.

A group of middle-age women look happy with heavy sedge bags containing pottery products they bought in the market.

"Although my family has every household product, sometimes I and other neighbours call each other and go to the village. It’s the way we unwind," a woman cheerfully said.

For these women, beautiful ceramic objects, mostly at surprisingly affordable prices, are the main attraction. "I’ve bought a charming vase with the lotus motifs for just VND20,000," another woman said.

Thuy Linh, a grade-10 student, said she sometimes went to Bat Trang with a group of her friends. "Unlike other people who usually buy ceramic household products, we only pick up cute stationary or ceramic jewellery," she said.

"I’ve just bought a black-and-white Japanese Monokuro Boo pig, plus a keyholder with the ceramic initial ‘L’, the first character of my name, carved on it. My friend bought a wind chime and a cute piggy bank," she said.

There’s more than just searching among the stalls, tourists can also experience pottery artists a work – on the spinning wheel, painting objects when they dry or loading up the kilns.

Visitors can also make their own cups, dish, bowl, vase or animal – and they will receive the finished, fired product within a few days. Many villagers offer this service for VND10,000 to 30,000, depending on the size of product. "I relived my childhood when fiddling with a piece of clay," said Tuan Nam, a first-year student.

Recently, a new and relaxing way to see Bat Trang has been offered. A buffalo cart takes tourists around the village.

According to Nguyen Minh Hai, director of the Minh Hai Ceramic Company, who offers this first-ever service in the village, most who tour the village this way felt relaxed and interested because they could view the scenery at their leisure.

"The idea of using a buffalo cart to carry tourists was initiated when I went to Japan looking for business opportunities for our products. I realised the buffalo was easily recognised as a symbol of Vietnam – a rice producing country. So why not use farm animals to transport tourists around the village?" he said.

Before starting their cart journey, tourists are shown the way ceramic products are made in a workshop. Teams of young men and women work on production lines, baking, sanding and painting.

A journey around the village, a distance of about 2km, takes an hour. The price ranges from VND50,000 to 100,000 depending on the duration of the tour and how many stops are made. There are two buffalo carts working in the village, providing tours for about 100 visitors a day.

Like other villages in the north, the village hold its main festival in the second lunar month. This year, this fell in March. During the three-day festival, many traditional activities were held in and around the village temple, situated close to the steep banks of the majestic Hong (Red) River.

Among the various ritual activities held during the festival, the most important is a boat procession by village elders and monks to the centre of the river to collect the purest flowing water.

Before they set out, the boats made offerings to ask the Water Genie for permission to take the water.

The water was then scooped from the river by two prestigious elders, brought to shore and then paraded around the village before being taken to the communal temple.

Source: Viet Nam News

Related sites:
City Guides in Vietnam
Hanoi tours

How Vietnamese People Cultivate Wet Rice?

2009-11-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

Some 70 per cent of Vietnam’s population is engaged in agriculture, which uses over 20 per cent of the country’s area and produces 15 per cent of its GDP.

Vietnamese Cultivates Wet Rice

Vietnam has two huge deltas: the Mekong in the south and the Red River in the north. From time immemorial the Vietnamese have known how to build dykes and avoid flooding, creating more land for wet –rice cultivation. Thousands of kilometres of dykes have been built along the Red River to protect this vast fertile delta and its population.

Recently my friend Huong Do and I visited her uncle, who is a farmer in Hai Duong province in the very heart of the Red River delta. The host, Mr. Hien, was very enthusiastic about showing us rural life.

Generally they cultivate two types, sticky rice and ordinary rice. The first is used for special events and ceremonies such as Tet ( lunar New Year) and weddings.

Talking about wet-rice-cultivation, Mr. Hien recites a Vietnamese proverb:’Nhat nuoc, nhi phan, tam can, tu giong’. This translates as ‘First one needs water,then manure,then diligence, and finally high quality seed’. ‘In the north we have two rice crops and one subsidiary one, according to the weather’, he said.

The winter –spring crop begins in the 12th lunar month and finishes in the fourth. The summer –autumn one lasts from the sixth to the 10th lunar month. After these crops there is time for the land to heal and we plant maize,taro, potato and sweet potato’.

To Start a crop we have to prepare the land. We empty the water from each field. Then we plough deep and rake it carefully with the help of the buffalo. The buffalo is well cared for and respected in the same way that many foreigners care about dogs’.

There are three things that are critical to every Vietnamese farmer’s life: purchasing a buffalo, getting married and building a house.

‘In order to prepare the land we put down fertiliser, either natural or chemical.water is constantly needed too’.’Different varieties of rice are very important.

Normally we select the best species from previous crops, using techniques passed down through generations. “In order to germinate it we put the paddy in a jute sack and soack it in water for 24 hours. We then take it out of the water and arrange it in a dark, damp place to facilitate germination. After 12 hours we repeat the process.

In cool winter weather straw ash is mixed with the paddy in order to keep it warm. When the roots reach two to three centimetres you can sow rice in a small prepared area.

During this period the young rice plants need water, but not too much. After one month you pick the young shoots and transplant the rice seedling to another field. ‘Working the fields requires diligence, During the three- and-a- half months of rice development you have to constandy watch your field! You need to pull out any weeds growing with the rice. This work is normally reserved for women.

There has to be water in time for each period of development of the rice’.

The ethnic minorities in mountainous areas practice wte- rice-cultivation on terraces.

It is not until you actually take off your shoes, roll up your trousers and muck in that you really appreciate the skill and energy required to harvest rice.

As Mr Hien says,’when the rice is mature the whole family has to work. We cut the rice with sickles and bring it home by ox cart.

Fortunately, machines are now used for separating the paddy and straw. Last year we had a big harvest. This year we have had to work very hard due to floods’.

With a trace of sadness Hien adds that the farmer’s life is till difficult. ‘We depend on rice but if the price is too low there is no profit. The government should pay more attention to our life, to build processing zones for agricultural products and find markets for us’.

Famers in the south harvest three crops a year and the wet-rice-cultivation technique is also different.

Source: thingsasian

Recommendation in Vietnam:
- Travel Guide in Vietnam
- Trekking tour in Vietnam
- Adventure travel in Vietnam

Phu Quoc, Vietnam: the coast is clear

2009-11-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

Phu Quoc island in Vietnam offers chances to relax on the beach, explore fragrant countryside, marvel at wildlife – and enjoy sumptuous seafood. Just get there before mass tourism, says Sam Llewellyn.

The plane crawls high above the Mekong delta – flooded paddy, intestinal loops of river, roads crammed with Honda 50s and lined with shops selling rice and Marlboros. Then suddenly there is sea, muddy at first, then a cheerful turquoise. The propellers change pitch. The nose drops. A green mountain flicks past the wing, then a white beach. We bank steeply, lining up with a runway on which two people seem to be riding bicycles. And down slams the plane on the pockmarked concrete of Duong Dong airport, gateway to the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.

Phu Quoc beach, Vietnam - Photo by Getty

Outside the terminal a little group of drivers are whisking red dust off Japanese four-wheel-drive taxis. In Duong Dong high street, our driver carefully skirts a cow and calf, who regard us with soulful Jersey eyes. "Manchester United," says the driver, using the universal language of south-east Asia. He grins. His English gives out. So does the tarmac. Towing a lofty plume of red dust, we pass a memorial bearing a star and the likeness of Uncle Ho, and jounce into the interior.

Phu Quoc is the biggest island in Vietnam. It sits in the Gulf of Thailand, minding its own business. Until recently, this consisted of the manufacture of a world-beating nuoc mam fish sauce, the cultivation of black and white pepper, and the maintenance of a nature reserve occupying most of the northern part of the island. The fish sauce is so pungent that Vietnamese Airlines is reputed to have installed special sniffers to prevent passengers taking it in their luggage and endangering the purity of the baggage hold; the pepper is undeniably delicious, growing in palm-shaded vineyards in the sandy interior. During the Vietnam War, a camp on its east coast held 40,000 North Vietnamese prisoners, but little trace now remains. As Ho Chi Minh's tanks drove into Saigon and Americans scrambled into choppers on the Embassy roof, the population of Phu Quoc got on with its farming and fishing.

The island's northern extremity lies less than 10 miles from Cambodia, and in 1975 it was briefly invaded by the Khmer Rouge. Soon after the Khmer Rouge had been chased away, backpackers started to arrive. A few hoteliers followed. The four turboprop flights a week became four 64-seater turboprop flights a day. And there they seem to have stuck, for the moment. "We are roughly where Phuket was 25 years ago," said one of the co-proprietors of the Mango Bay Resort, leaning back in his armchair as the sun plunged into the sea.

Phu Quoc now has many hotels, mostly of the beach-bungalow type. Most are concentrated on Long Beach, a 12-mile strip of white sand running south from Duong Dong. Those closest to the town back onto a dusty dual carriageway studded with melancholy hawkers' stalls selling cans of green tea and the aptly-named Harpoon Gin. A safer distance down the beach is La Veranda, an elegant air-conditioned establishment with a swimming pool, cooled towels and sorbets delivered to sunloungers at noon. La Veranda is the poshest spot on the island and appeals to colonial nostalgics with deep pockets. A charming hotel at the opposite extreme is the Bo Resort, on Ong Lang beach well to the north of Duong Dong. Bo is a group of cottages dotted around a beautiful garden on a headland with splendid views over wild sea and empty shore, and knock-down prices.

Somewhere between la Veranda and Bo in both style and location lies Mango Bay. This is an eco-friendly straggle of elegant cottages with verandas, sprawled along three quarters of a mile of wooded coast. More than half the Mango Bay's guests do not leave the resort, and as you lie in the warm, glass-clear water watching a squid boat on the horizon, it is easy to see their point. The restaurant is simple and excellent, the cocktails cheap and powerful, the massages deeply relaxing. One of the three owners has started a butterfly breeding programme and a propagation scheme for endangered orchids that grow wild in Phu Quoc's jungly interior. The cottages are not air-conditioned, but they are made cool and airy by the sea breeze. We lay in the gauzy cloud of our mosquito-netted four-poster, breeze wafting in at the linen-curtained windows of the hardwood bungalow, watching a fat lizard patrolling the bamboo ceiling for stray mosquitoes. The only sounds were the brush of waves on the beach, the distant thud of a fishing boat engine and the hoot of an animal in the far wooded distance. It might have been one of Phu Quoc's resident gibbons. Whatever it was, it was calling us forth to look at the world beyond Mango Bay.

There are rumours (unsubstantiated by recent sightings) that Phu Quoc is one of the few places in the world where dugongs still live. I asked the French hotel manager. "Dugong? Non," he said. "They keep very much to the deep forests of the nature reserve." Suppressing a well-founded suspicion that the dugong is a marine mammal, I asked how we could visit the nature reserve. "You cannot," said the Frenchman, with powerful Gallic finality. "It is for nature, not people."

This was a good point, and unanswerable. So we rented a Honda 50 from one of the Mango Bay's gardeners and set off into a land without tourists.

Red dust rose behind us. Peppercorns wafted spice from the roadside, where they lay drying on blue tarpaulins watched over by Buddhist shrines. The road narrowed to a five-foot path. It wound behind the beach, threaded fishing villages studded with reeking piles of anchovies, crossed causeways through mangrove swamps, passed mile after mile of empty beaches. Farmers had limed their mango orchards with shell-sand. Fish pens the size of kitchen gardens lined the sides of creeks. A watchtower stood in the forest, flying the red flag of the People's Republic, the guard keeping an eye on things from a hammock strategically slung in the gun emplacement. We paused to let two wild bulls fight it out in the middle of the road. A feathery-trousered eagle sailed out of the clouds on the mountains and sat gigantic in a tree, regarding us with a fierce yellow eye.

In the early afternoon we arrived at Cape Ganh Dhau, the island's northwesternmost corner. Howling and clanging emanated from a rickety building overhanging the beach. This turned out to be the proprietor of the local restaurant, a noted poet and electric guitarist. He laid down his guitar to show us to a table on the shaky terrace. Five miles across the sea, the first islands of Cambodia loomed out of their thundercloud. This is smuggling country. Some of the islands in these seas are no-go areas, full of drugs and guns, gangsters and brothels. Another is one of at least six islands on which Captain Kidd is said to have buried his treasure. Lunch arrived.

This consisted of a saucepan of boiling broth on its own gas stove, and slabs of raw fish to cook in it. After a mighty repast of squid and sea snails I waddled onto the beach. Small boys were walking past, eating white berries off sprigs of greenery. A polite child gave me a handful to try; they tasted a little like myrtle. At this point the restaurateur picked up his radio mike and launched into a poem for the benefit of our five fellow lunchers. They clapped politely when he had finished. "What was that?" I said to the slightly bilingual waitress.

"Hymn to Sea Insect," said the girl, watching apprehensively as her boss headed for his guitar.

We drove back to Mango Bay and soaked off the road dust in the warm sea, watching a remora trying to attach itself to a bather until it was time for cocktails at sunset. It had been a day fraught with interest.

Naturally, there are plans to make Phu Quoc even more interesting by bringing in mass tourism. A government minister appeared recently and inaugurated the building of a new international airport capable of accommodating full-sized airliners. Completion is promised for 2012. "Which means 2015," said an Australian in the bar. "If at all." Before the world financial system caught flu, tourism entrepreneurs had parcelled up the island into lots and erected billboards showing vast developments with canals, marinas and thousands of villas. These schemes are now in abeyance, but they may return. Phu Quoc is one of the world's great islands. Go now, while the going is good.

Best time to visit

Between October and April. May and June can be ferociously hot. In July, August and September there is a slim chance of good weather (and a high chance of cut rates in hotels) – but torrential rains turn the roads to red slime and the sea to soup.

How to get there

Vietnam Airlines flies from Ho Chi Minh City and Rach Gia; then get the fare from Ho Chi Minh to Phu Quoc. It is wise to get return tickets, as the small number of daily flights makes it possible to get stuck on the island.

Singapore Airlines offers London to Ho Chi Minh return inc tax from March 3 to April 3. Less frequent ferries are also available from Rach Gia (six hours, daily) and Ha Tien (four hours, every other day). Both these mainland ports can be problematic of access.

Source: by Sam Llewellyn/Telegraph.co.uk

Recommendation in Phu Quoc, Vietnam
- Hotels and Resorts in Phu Quoc
- Beaches in Vietnam

Exploring water lifestyle of Mekong Delta Vietnam

2009-11-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

When the conversation is about the Mekong Delta, people immediately think of tropical rivers, interlacing canals, immense rice fields and the floating homes.

A view of floating Market in Mekong river, An Giang province.

Lazing on a small sampan, tourists can feel they are so tiny on the boundless river and under the shade of countless trees. Witnessing the trade on the floating markets surely makes an impression on those in the delta for the first time.

Upon reaching the raft village, tourists are introduced to the structure of the rafts which are designed as homes and as floating fish farms. Tourists can catch a view of farmers feeding fish and can be served indigenous dishes made from local fish.

Tourists should not miss a visit to a weaving village of the Cham people. Here, tourists can witness the dexterity and talents of Cham ladies who painstakingly weave on looms by the riverside.

On the way back, tourists should not miss the floating restaurants to enjoy specialties of the Mekong Delta in tide-water season. Floating on the immense rivers and taking a look at the lifestyle in the delta are unforgettable experiences.

Chau Doc town is about 300 kilometers from HCMC.

VietNamNet/SGT

Related to Mekong delta, Vietnam
- The Mighty Mekong delta Vietnam

Hoi An, Vietnam is one of Top 10 Old Town districts - theatre of the streets

2009-10-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Heading to the oldest parts of a city delivers the richest rewards, writes Kerry van der Jagt.

You have arrived in a new city and don't know where to start. Tempting as it is to hop on a sightseeing bus with a two-kilogram guide book in one hand and a list of "must-sees" in the other, there is a better way. Get off the bus, tear up the list, pull on your walking shoes and head to the oldest part of town. Yes, you will get lost. And yes, your feet will hurt. And yes, you'll be stuffed by the end of the day. But I guarantee you will be richly rewarded. The sights, the sounds and the tastes will linger long after the blisters have healed. And, as a bonus, with all that walking and climbing, you can eat guilt-free from one cobblestoned alley to the next. Here are my 10 favourite cities with Old Towns.

Hoi An, Vietnam

The Old Town, with its narrow cobblestone streets, low tile-roofed houses and ancient wells, is a spicy wok-full of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles. Cars are banned, pedestrians rule and conical hats are the order of the day.

Hoi An was relatively untouched during the Vietnam war and the old buildings, with their wooden fronts and unique "yin" and "yang" roof tiles, are now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The faded houses are ageing gracefully, old ladies carry their produce across their shoulders in cane baskets and the damp smell of the river lingers in the air.

INSIDER TIP On the 14th day of each month residents switch off their lights and hang paper lanterns on their verandas and windows. Strolling through the lantern-lit streets is like stumbling into a fairytale. More info at: Hoi An Travel Information

Seville, Spain

Seville is the very heart of Andalucian culture. Think Don Juan and the lusty Carmen. Think sequined matadors and dark-eyed beauties. Think palm-burning flamenco and neck-craning architecture.

Better still, don't think, just surrender.

El Arenal is an historic neighbourhood in the centre of Seville, lying between the Guadalquivir River and the old Jewish quarter, Santa Cruz. Some important sites include the Torre del Oro, the Reales Atarazanas and La Real Maestranza, Seville's famous bullring.

But to be honest, it's the gut-busting tapas (or better still, their larger cousin, raciones) of El Arenal I love the most. Start with plump olives and creamy potato croquets, move on to calamari and grilled red peppers and finish with Andalucian ham (Jamon iberico) and Spanish omelet.

INSIDER TIP Avoid the middle of summer. Seville isn't known as the frying pan of Spain for nothing.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Croatia's jewellery box is the World Heritage-listed old city of Dubrovnik. In October 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Dubrovnik was tragically bombed and shelled for eight months by the Yugoslav People's Army.

Today, the dust has settled and the city has been rebuilt but on the two-kilometre walk atop the ancient city wall, the patchwork of bright new terracotta tiles hints at the city's dark past.

Culture vultures will love the Franciscan monastery with its 14th-century pharmacy, Onofrio's Fountain and St Saviour's Church. Penny pinchers will hate the exorbitant restaurant prices. Unless you plan to rob a bank, don't eat inside the city walls.

INSIDER TIP Walking the wall is fun but for a unique perspective hire a kayak from the beach at Fortress Bokar and paddle around the walls at sunset.

Old China Town, Shanghai

As Shanghai races to reinvent itself before hosting the 2010 World Expo, Old China Town, with its colourful street stalls, traditional shops and teahouses, is an unexpected surprise. (Though, to be honest, finding out that China has a Chinatown was an even bigger surprise). Old China Town, surely, is Shanghai's attic.

It's where this modern metropolis stores its trash and treasure.

Chinatown includes the Old Town Bazaar, Yu Garden, Shanghai's old city wall and the famous Confucian temple. The red lacquered buildings, the curved roof tiles, the old men playing mahjong are all present and accounted for in this exciting theatre on the street.

INSIDER TIP Huxinting Teahouse, near Yu Garden, is said to be the source of inspiration for the famous Willow pattern porcelain.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Old Town district is the thumping heart of Scotland's capital city. The Royal Mile, with its branching side streets of Grassmarket and Candlemaker Row, is its lifeblood. For lovers of kilts, whisky and pubs, this is your mile-high club.

Geoffrey (Tailor) Inc. can run you up a kilt faster than you can say "Braveheart", Royal Mile Whiskies is the place for a drop of the amber liquid and, for lager lovers, try the Ensign Ewart the highest pub in Edinburgh. As the locals say, "Going home after a big night is all downhill from here."

INSIDER TIP The Doors Open Days event in September gives visitors an opportunity to get inside some of the historic buildings in the Old Town. www.cockburnassociation.org.uk.

Cordoba, Spain

Cordoba will seduce you faster than the legendary Don Juan himself. The leading lady is the Mezquita, originally a mosque built in the 8th century but now a Catholic cathedral and one of the world's great architectural wonders. The first glimpse of the cathedral's spacious interior, with its forest of columns, is overwhelming.

Next to the Mezquita is the Jewish quarter, a delightful maze of narrow streets, whitewashed buildings, trickling fountains and intimate courtyards. During May the annual "Festival of the Patios" is in full bloom but if you're not of the floral persuasion, you can always bare all for a beating in a bathhouse or puff on a hookah in a teteria (tea room).

INSIDER TIP The early bird gets free entry to the Mezquita before 10am.

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, the city of seven hills, is one of the most enchanting cities in Europe. Its sense of weathered grandeur set within a natural amphitheatre of hills, together with its breathtaking views across the River Tagus is hard to match.

The old Arab quarter, also known as the Alfama, is located on the south-east slope of the hill crowned by Castelo de Sao Jorge. Moors, Christians and Jews have all lived here.

The Alfama retains its medieval layout, with winding alleys, steep steps and wrought iron balconies.

Bright washing flaps in front of colourful house fronts, Fado music drifts from bars and blood-red geraniums drip down whitewashed walls.

INSIDER TIP To rest your legs and your lungs, catch the smiley-faced, yellow tram 23 or 28.

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto guards its secrets better than any geisha. Arriving at Kyoto Railway Station the first-time visitor is treated to a magnificent view of the city's backside drab flats, building works and traffic congestion.

Yet planted among this unattractive concrete forest are 1700 temples, 400 Shinto shrines, dozens of gardens and a handful of palaces but even Marco Polo wouldn't be able to find them all.

A good place to start your own exploration is in the Gion district, on the eastern bank of the Kamo River. Stroll the narrow alleys at night and you will pass charming teahouses and traditional shops and restaurants, many of which are exclusive establishments for geisha entertainment.

INSIDER TIP If you wish to go on a geisha walking tour or have a private engagement with a geisha, see kyotosightsandnights.com.

Venice, Italy

Venice, the city of reflections, will seduce you even before you cross the lagoon from the airport. The shapes, the silhouettes, the dazzling light. Oh the light. And that's before you set eyes on your first gorgeous gondolier.

There really is no "old" part of town, it's all equally ancient. And it's all made for walking. Night is best the day trippers have fled and you can cross ancient footbridges and twist and turn through the labyrinth of alleyways behind the Grand Canal with only your shadow for company.

INSIDER TIP The three-day vaporetto (water bus) ticket for about $60 is good value. Buy them where you see the "helloVenezia" sign.

Source: The Sun-Herald

Recommendation

Hoi An Tour

Hoi An Hotel

Celebrating the New Year 2010 at the Dalat Flower Festival, Vietnam

2009-10-26T21:06:00.001-07:00

The 2010 Dalat Flower Festival will be held in Dalat from January 1 to 4. This is one of the biggest festivals to start those celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Dalat Flower Field, Vietnam

With the theme ‘Dalat-the Kingdom of Flowers’, the festival is expected to become an international event, so the organizing committee has invited famous flower-growing countries Japan, the Netherlands, the U.S. and China to be part of the festival. Ben Thanh Tourist is offering four day/three night tours to Dalat to experience Flower Festival 2010 that leave on December 31 and January 1.

Tourists pose for a photo at the Dalat Flower Festival in 2008.

Dalat is a place of beautiful waterfalls, tortuous mountain roads and unique architecture in villas hidden under the pine trees. It is popular at Christmas and New Year as the atmosphere here is cool all year round. Moreover, it is the most attractive resort and tourism hub in Vietnam. Coming to the Flower Festival, visitors have the opportunity to see many valuable and rare kinds of flowers.

On the way to Dalat, the tour stops for sightseeing at Damb’ri Waterfall in Bao Loc. This is one of the most beautiful and impressive waterfalls in Lam Dong province. After Damb’ri, the tour takes in Thien Vuong Co Sat Pagoda with its three Buddha statues made of agarwood. After arriving in Dalat and checking into the hotel, Ben Thanh Tourist will hold an evening party with flowers and red wine to celebrate New Year 2010.

On the second day, the tour visits Lat Village at the foot of Langbiang Mountain to conquer the peak and take a panoramic view of Dalat City in the mist. In the afternoon, the tour visits Domain de Marie Church and Hang Nga Villa. Then tourists will share the joy with local people at Flower Festival 2010 at Xuan Huong lake.

The following day, the tour moves to Truc Lam Monastery, Robin Hill, Tuyen Lam lake, Phoenix Mountain and the Valley of Love to contemplate the mystery of Da Lat Su Quan. Tourists will love the horse-drawn carriage ride around Xuan Huong lake. The final stop is the Dalat Market to buy specialties for relatives.

Source: Ngoc Minh/Saigon Times

The real dirt bike on the northwest, Vietnam

2009-10-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

Motorbike trip is wonderful for those who have good health and like more adventure in their travels. Bike tours to the rugged region offer a more direct experience of the life of its people.

It is probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but discovering Vietnam’s rugged and scenic northwest on a motorbike is more than an exhilarating experience.

Motorcycle tours in Northwest Vietnam

Those who have undertaken it say it enables them to see “life as it truly is for the Vietnamese people.”

Dramatic landscapes and sweeping panoramas become more direct and intense when the visitor is not enclosed within a vehicle. Watching the rural population doing about its business also becomes a more intimate affair.

“We started the itinerary to four mountainous provinces – Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien, Lao Cai – in the northwest region with a 130 km ride to Mai Chau,” said Andre Prince, who took the 7-day journey with six friends from Canada.

Together with a tour guide, they left Hanoi at 8:30 a.m. and rode the dirt-bikes (175cc and 250cc Yamaha and Honda) west to Mai Chau, home to the Thai ethnic minority.

They traveled on road No. 6 passing expansive rice paddies and scenic villages and stopped for refreshment before tackling 70km of undulating roads with great views of mountains and valleys before reaching Mai Chau at noon.

“We were really impressed by the traditional stilt-houses, the dances and meals at Pom Coong, a village of the White Thai ethnic minority,” said Andre.

The group left for Son La Province the next morning.

Kien, the tour guide, said the motorbike trip of about 1,000 km is wonderful for those who have good health and like more adventure in their travels. The tour is also great for finding several vantage spots for photography, he added.

Besides the tea plantations in Moc Chau Plateau – the destination of the best green tea in Vietnam that grows along the roads on the hillsides in Son La, the valley of Dien Bien Phu also offers magnificent views.

Here “the ride is more adventurous with more winding roads and longer passes, while offering more colorful minority groups and more stunning scenery,” said Andre, adding that the highlight of Dien Bien Province could be the impressive Pha Din

Pass, which means Heaven-Earth. According to local legend, it was the frontier between Heaven and Earth. Pha Din is some 1,000m above sea-level.

“Climbing and descending the slopes with their many bends and deep gorges is a really unforgettable experience,” Andre said.

The fourth day was scheduled for Lao Cai, where stops at H’mong and Dao villages refreshed the crew after a 225 km ride along stunning gorges and the Nam Na River.

Fittingly, Sa Pa was the pinnacle of the trip, where the group stayed for two days and visited several ethnic minority villages deep in the forest.

“Sa Pa is a paradise for trekking lovers. It has so many routes with views of beautiful terraced fields, diverse minority groups and the highest peak in Indochina, the Fansipan.”

The group also got off their bikes to take a jeep ride downhill to the Muong Hoa Valley, where they trekked on dirt paths through pine forest, terraced fields and H’mong villages. En route they stopped to visit minority schools and had a picnic lunch by the river.

TOUR INFORMATION
Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Son La – Dien Bien – Lao Cai – Hanoi
7-day trip with 5 days of motorcycling
Motorcycling grade: Moderate to Challenging
From US$546 per person
Contact: Active Travel Vietnam
Head office: 31 Alley 4, Dang Van Ngu St., Hanoi
Operation office: 367 Ngo Quyen St., Son Tra Dist., Da Nang
Operation office: 50 Bis Co Bac St., Dist. 1, HCMC
Support number (24/7 service): +84 (04) 3 573 8569

Reported by Hoang Kien/Thanhniennews

Hanoi Autumn, Vietnam

2009-10-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi, Vietnam

There are hundreds of songs and poems written about Hanoi in autumn, which talk about the beauty of Hanoi and I agree with these poets. Between September and November is the best time to discover Vietnam, especially Hanoi.

Milk Flowers, Hanoi, Vietnam

Walking along the streets and lakes and you can enjoy breathing in the beautiful sweet flavor of Hoa Sua flower(Hoa Sua means Milk Flower in English) and the willow trees hanging low. Autumn turns Hanoi into a really romantic place. It affects the people, too. Lots of young couples walk together or sit down alongside the lakes to exchange their kisses.

Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi, Vietnam

The weather in Hanoi during autumn is cool, a little bit sunny with a nice breeze that makes everyone much more active after the long hot summer. I love hanging around Hoan Kiem Lake and Truc Bach Lake on these days, looking at people and taking some photos or sitting down with a beer waiting for the sunset.

Milk flowers, Hanoi, Vietnam

A warning - don't breath the milk flowers in too deeply as this might give you a headache.

Related to Hanoi, Vietnam

- Hanoi tours & excursions
- Hanoi hotels

Exploring the Central Highlands, Vietnam

2009-10-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Gia Lai province in the Central Highlands is famous for its splendid scenery, magnificent waterfalls, poetic lakes and endless forests and mountains. Taking a trip to the Central Highlands to discover the wonders of nature is a worthwhile experience in the fall, according to baogialai.vn.

The most impressive poetic scenes of the province that are recommended for a visit are the Kon Ka Kinh and Kon Cha Rang tropical forests, the Ayun Pa and Phu Cuong waterfalls, Da Trang and Mo springs and Ayaun Ha lake, an extinct volcano.

Topping the list is Ayun Ha lake with its cool air, blue waters and romantic surroundings.

Waterfall in Central highland, Vietnam

Located in the region between Phu Thien and Chu Se districts, about 70 kilometers west of Pleiku city, Ayun Ha lake is a man-made lake supplying the Ayun Ha area and Pleiku city with a big source of aquatic products.

Coming to Ayun Ha, tourists will have a chance to intermingle with romantic scenery and enjoy wild nature and pure air. The atmosphere is jubilant when taking part in water sports or cruising on the lake on holidays or at festivals.

Phu Cuong waterfall, 45 km southeast of Pleiku city, with its height and smooth rock walls, is imposing amid the green jungle carpet. Buses come to the foot of the waterfall and tourists continue their trip on elephant.

Lying on the current of the Ia Pech stream, the waterfall shows off its beauty with a height of 35 meters as a silver carpet amid the green forest.

On the tour visiting Ayun Ha lake and Phu Cuong waterfall, tourists should not miss Ayn Pa which is endowed with attractive landscapes such as Pink Valley-Violet Horizon, Dream Beach and Stone Stream.

Gia Lai province has a long-standing history as an ancient culture bearing traits of the ethnic groups of Giarai, Ba Na, Gie Trieng, Xo Dang and K’ho. This is manifested through the architecture of the communal rong (long house), stilt houses and burial grounds. Visitors to this windy and sunny land can not only admire the splendid landscapes but can see the unique architectural style of the statues in funeral houses, investigate local customs and ethnic cultural features and hear some of the folklore. Another attraction is the performance of gongs, soul of the highlands.

Gia Lai province is 550 kilometers from HCMC. Tourists can book return flights from HCMC, Hanoi and Danang. By road from HCMC, tourists can book at travel agencies in downtown HCMC. Heading on National Road 13 to National Road 14, or on National Highway 1A to Quy Nhon and then to National Road 19 or to Tuy Hoa, National Road 25 leads into the province.

VietNamNet/SGT

Related to Centre Highland, Vietnam
- Biking Adventures Mekong & Centre Highland
- Ho Chi MInh & Mekong tours
- Mekong Delta and Angkor Wat

Sapa tourists walk on the clouds, Vietnam

2009-10-15T01:42:00.001-07:00

Tourists visiting Sa Pa this weekend will have the chance to learn about local ethnic people's courtship and marital life, through the Sa Pa love market and kidnapping wife ceremony of the Mong group.

The ceremony will begin this Saturday and is part of a five-day festival, titled Festival on the Cloud, to mark the beginning of the Sa Pa 2006 tourism year, in the northern mountain township of Sa Pa, in Lao Cai Province.
Held by the Sa Pa Trade and Tourism Department (STTD), the Festival on the Cloud will also feature photo exhibitions to showcase the most impressive pictures of Sa Pa from both today and the past. The Festival will also sell a variety of orchids that originated in the Hoang Lien National Park.
Climbing up Ham Rong Mountain visitors will enjoy singing and dancing performances by five ethnic groups including the Mong, Dao, Tay, Giay and Xa Pho.
The ethnic groups are scheduled to compete in traditional sports, for instance tug of war, walking on stills and archery.
Sa Pa, which is 400km north-west of Hanoi, is now one of the most popular destinations in the country.

Cruise tourism ‘needs strategic plan’ in Vietnam

2009-10-15T01:38:00.001-07:00

Poor port facilities have contributed to an alarming drop in cruise tourism to Viet Nam, according to Vu The Binh, a senior official of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism.

A Viet Nam Shipbuilding Industry Group cruise ship with foreign visitors on board, docks at Hon Gai Port, Ha Long City, in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Since the beginning of this year, only 52,300 visitors came to Viet Nam by sea, Binh said, a fall of 54 per cent from the same period last year.

This number was equivalent to 2.11 per cent of the total foreign visitors to the country, against a peak of 12 per cent.

"The number of cruise tourists coming to Viet Nam has still been low despite the fact that the country has great potential to develop cruise tourism with its 3,260km of beaches," Binh said.

Other than the economic crisis, poor infrastructure was a key reason for the downturn, he said.

While other regional countries such as Singapore have built modern ports for cruise tourists, Viet Nam only had industrial ports.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, a senior official of the administration, agreed. He said cruise tourists were well-heeled so their demand for service was high.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, director of Tan Hong Tourist and Trade Company Ltd’s Ha Noi branch, said the fact that ports and their service roads were clogged with street vendors didn’t help – they made cruise tourists feel uncomfortable.

Also, cruise tourists liked shopping and cuisine, which was not up to the standard in many parts of Viet Nam. Added to that was the poor condition of roads from the ports to the main attractions.

The experts agreed that upgrading infrastructure was necessary. Specialised ports must be constructed with high services in some or all of the most attractive places, such as Hue, Da Nang, Sai Gon, Phu Quoc, Ha Long, Con Dao and Nha Trang.

Provinces needed to re-organise their services by developing craft villages and entertainment around the tourist centres.

Promotion also was important, such as boosting co-operation with other countries in the region where cruise ships stop, such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Viet Nam is a transit place for cruise ships. The ships stop for a short time, only two or three days, which makes the exploitation of this type of tourism difficult.

Travel companies should forge relationship with foreign tourism companies so that they could visit Viet Nam to study its cruise destination potential, they said.

Vietnam: Vietnam’s Quan Ho songs recognised as world intangi...

2009-10-15T01:14:00.001-07:00

Vietnam’s Quan Ho folk songs were recognised as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO on September 30. UNESCO declared the list of “intangibles” at the 4th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, which took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Vietnam’s Quan Ho songs

From Abu Dhabi, Dr. Nguyen Chi Ben, dean of the Culture and Art Institute and member of the National Heritage Council said that this is a great news for the two provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang - the home to Quan ho folk songs - and for Vietnam in general.

Ben said on October 1, Vietnam’s Ca Tru singing was also be considered as intangible heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

Quan ho folk songs stand alongside 76 additions to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. These 76 were decided by 24 member states of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage.

To date Vietnam has had three such intangibles recognised by UNESCO. They are the Hue royal court music, the gong area Central Highlands and now the Quan ho folk song.

Vietnam: Long Bien Bridge Memory Festival opens, Hanoi, Vietnam

2009-10-15T00:57:00.001-07:00

The Long Bien Bridge Memory Festival opened in Hanoi on October 10 to mark the 55th anniversary of the Capital’s Liberation Day and the 10th year Hanoi has been recognised as a City for Peace by UNESCO.

Representatives from ministries, the municipal administration, ambassadors, international guests and about 50,000 local people attended the opening ceremony that included a wide range of activities at the bridgeheads and along the historical bridge.
Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi, Vietnam
Before the opening ceremony, a vintage train carrying passengers from Gia Lam station over the bridge to Long Bien Station to attend the ceremony.
Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi, Vietnam
Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi, Vietnam
The 1,628-meter bridge is divided into 12 sections representing the 12 decades of its existence (1890-2009). Each section is covered with images from the Long Bien Bridge Memory Exhibition that represent its decade.
Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi, Vietnam
After the opening ceremony, participants joined a “Walk for Peace”.
During the two-day festival, there will be a programme to introduce traditional crafts, a traditional fashion show, firework displays and flute kite flying show. The release of 999 lanterns down the Red River will be included as a prayer for peace and prosperity for the city.
Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi, Vietnam
Proudly spanning the Red River for more than hundred years and having withstood several attacks during wartime, Long Bien Bridge has been a witness of the bravery of the Vietnamese people and deserves to be a symbol of Hanoi in the present era of peace and integration.

Follow the Mekong - Vietnam travel guide

2009-10-15T00:42:00.001-07:00

With time to watch the ebb and flow of a river’s life, Graham Reilly floats from Vietnam to Cambodia.

I stare from the riverbank at this astonishingly vast and lively world of water. Here, in the charming provincial city of Can Tho in the heart of southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, it is as if the land is merely an afterthought. Everything is about the river and the way of life it sustains.

Cai Rang floating market, Mekong delta, Vietnam

It is a world of colour and movement, of a comforting spray of cool water on your face as you are rowed back to your hotel at night in a slim stick of a boat, of the sleepy glint of dusk as you trail your finger across the river’s surface, of the cough and splutter of a small passenger ferry as it crosses the river to Vinh Long, of the throaty gurgle of a rice boat as it slowly motors to Ho Chi Minh City or Cambodia.

The Mekong begins its 4500-kilometre journey to the sea in Tibet and winds its way through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and finally into the Mekong Delta. The Vietnamese call the river Cuu Long, or nine dragons, and it is easy to see why, for here the Mekong spreads in great tentacles into nine exits to the sea.

Can Tho sits on the banks of one of these tributaries, the Hang Giang river, also known as the Bassac, an impossibly broad, bustling expanse of brown water. It is a pleasant capital of 300,000 people, with tree-lined boulevards, cool grassy squares and 19th-century buildings that are remnants of French colonial days.

One of the great pleasures of Vietnamese provincial towns such as Hoi An or Nha Trang is the local markets and Can Tho is no exception.

Selling vegetables, fruit and seafood, its large market spreads over an entire city block on one side and follows the curve of the river on the other. There is much to do here and it is a good place to organise a home stay with a farming family. It is also a good place to do nothing much at all. Gazing out from the pleasant promenade, I see boats of all shapes and sizes, one of which takes my friends and I early next morning to the famous Cai Rang floating market. Boats from all over the region – from Bac Lieu, Vinh Long and Camau – come here to sell what seems like every fruit and vegetable ever imagined: jackfruit, oranges, rambutan, bananas, longans, pineapples and sweet potatoes.

An, 30, is our guide. It is her father’s boat and her husband navigates it safely through the shifting mass of craft on the river. “He is a good husband,” she says, smiling. “He is happy to cooking and washing with me at night.” We nod in agreement. A good husband can be hard to find.

I explain to her that we want to travel to Cambodia by boat, from Can Tho to Chau Doc, across the border and up to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and then on to Siem Reap, home of one of the great wonders of the world, the temple complex of Angkor Wat. We’ve got six days for the journey of more than 400 kilometres. An offers to arrange the journey and a few phone calls later we agree to meet at the Can Tho dock at 2pm the next day.

I tell her I have visited these places before but always by road or air. This time I want a gentler, more romantic mode of transport along the mighty Mekong and its tributaries. I want to hear the gentle slap of the water against the boat, feel the tropical breeze on my skin and watch people go about their lives on the riverbanks. I want to be part of the landscape. I want to make the journey as important as the arrival.

Can Tho has several restaurants along the waterfront and that night we decide on the Thien Hoa. We settle happily at a pavement table in the evening balm, show no restraint and order a feast – fried snake with onions, sea bass soup with tamarind, prawns steamed in beer, catfish hotpot and coconut ice-cream. It is a meal to remember and a harbinger of culinary experiences to come.

Loaded up with fruit and sandwiches we’ve borrowed from the sumptuous breakfast buffet at the Victoria Hotel, we board the “fast boat” to Chau Doc, a journey An tells us will take about three hours. She says the slow boat, which leaves at 6.30am, takes about eight hours.

The fast boat is a long, relatively sleek, metal-hulled craft that does not go particularly fast, which turns out to be a blessing, given the pleasure of being on the water and lounging on the deck and watching the world go by. Most of the passengers are part of a package run by Delta Adventure Tours that includes a night at the company’s floating hotel in Chau Doc. As we are travelling independently, we each pay $US20 ($23) for the trip.

The boat seats about 30 people in something more or less resembling comfort. Sitting on the deck munching on a bag of rambutan, it becomes immediately clear to me that this is a working river. Large boats, washing fluttering in the breeze and overloaded with bananas, take their produce to market. Other boats dredge silt from the riverbed to be used in the construction industry. The weight of their cargo lays them so low in the water it is as if just one more grain could tip them into the muddy depths.

The riverbanks jump with activity. A line of brick kilns several kilometres long puffs smoke as families stack freshly baked bricks or load them on to waiting boats, the children straining under the burden. The smell of fermenting fish sauce wafts from factories onshore. Much of the riverbank is lined with sandbags to protect stilted houses from the river, which swells dramatically during the wet season.

There is so much of interest to observe on the water and the riverbanks that the journey passes quickly and before I know it we are approaching Chau Doc, a journey of 5 hours. The river seems to settle in the dusk and takes on a kind of dreamy indolence, as if it has done enough work for the day. Meanwhile, I have been lulled into a sense of well-being I’ve never experienced when travelling by road or air.

Impressed with our stay at the Victoria Hotel in Can Tho, we decide to spend a few nights at the Victoria in Chau Doc. It is another elegant, splendidly positioned, colonial-style building perched on the banks of the Bassac. The view from our room across the spreading river takes my breath away.

Chau Doc shuts down early and we are lucky to get to the Bay Bong restaurant while it is still serving dinner. The restaurant forgoes interesting decor for delicious Mekong cuisine. It’s another feast. We start with canh chua, the local sweet-and-sour fish soup, and follow this with steamed fish and prawns, including ca kho, stewed fish in a clay pot. It’s so good we return the next night.

Chau Doc is another attractive and welcoming provincial town of about 100,000 people with an enormous market that snakes along the riverfront. The fish section alone – which has not just fresh fish but dried, spiced, marinated and salted – is wondrous.

We’re close to the Cambodian border here and the people are more obviously Khmer, with their fuller features, darker skin and a preference for a chequered scarf over the ubiquitous Vietnamese conical hat. It is also home to a sizeable community of Chams, a Muslim minority of Malaysian appearance who live on the other side of the Bassac river.

We hire a boat and motor across to the Cham village. On the main street, dotted with stalls selling fruit and vegetables and snacks, women chat in the shade of the verandas of their wooden houses. Little girls sell waffles and simple cakes to visitors. I meet the caretaker of one of the two mosques. He shows us a short film about the history of the Cham but it is in Vietnamese so we leave none the wiser.

This part of the Bassac river, where it meets the Mekong, is home to an extraordinary concentration of floating houses, each of which is a self-contained fish farm. In the centre of each house is a large cage submerged in the river, in which families raise local bassa catfish, thousands of tonnes of which are exported to Australia every year. The fish are fed a kind of meal made from cereal, fish and vegetable scraps in cauldrons that rumble and roil. The smell is challenging.

At eight the next morning, we board another fast boat for the journey to the Cambodian capital. On another steamy, insanely hot day, we are looking forward to spending the trip on the deck, savouring the breeze. But a gaggle of young American backpackers with newsreader voices storm the boat and secure the outdoor area as their headquarters. It is their world. We just live in it.

As we travel towards Cambodia, the river begins to change. Gone is the frenetic boat activity and on the riverbank life takes on a less industrial, more bucolic demeanour. As we rejoin the Mekong, the river widens and soon the factories on the shore are replaced by cornfields, banana trees that shift and flap in the breeze and ragged, palm-thatched huts. Families bathe in the shallows and children scrub and splash their wallowing buffaloes. One-and-a-half hours later, when we reach the border at Vinh Xuong, Vietnam, and Kaam Samnor, Cambodia, we’re in a different, more lush, more languid world.

We disembark at the border post and after an hour or so filling in various forms and questionnaires, we say goodbye to the Vietnamese boat and board the altogether less salubrious Cambodian craft for the rest of the journey. But in the end the boat’s state of rugged disrepair matters little and most people spend the afternoon sitting on the rear deck or lounging on the bow and impairing the vision of the driver.

It is all too idyllic and, as it turn out, too good to last. Low water levels in the Tonle Sap river mean we have to complete the final leg of the journey by bus. But even this is fascinating, if cramped, as we hurl through the countryside and the sedate outskirts of Phnom Penh. As we arrive in the busy heart of the capital, I check my watch. It was just over seven hours ago that we boarded the boat in Chau Doc.

At our hotel, the owner tells us the water levels in the Tonle Sap are too low for us to go by boat to Siem Reap and that we’ll have to take the bus or fly. He dismisses our disappointment, saying the boat has a karaoke machine on board. “Very noisy.”

But we won’t decide what to do until after dinner – perhaps some steamed fish in coconut milk or fried squid with green peppers. As we hop into a tuk-tuk to take us to the waterfront, a young girl, brown as a nut and cute as a button, implores us to buy some bottled water.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Cosmic,” she replies, beaming. “Where are you from?”

“Australia.”

“Do you know Kevin Rudd?” she asks.

“Of course.”

“Well, he is my father.”

I look puzzled and she giggles. We are smitten and it’s bottled water all round. As we putter away, she yells to us: “Tell Kevin his daughter says hello.”

I wave and promise I will.

ActiveTravel Asia upgrades challenging and extends outdoor activities in future.

2009-10-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Leading local adventure specialist, ActiveTravel Asia (ATA) has announced launch of its upgraded and extended adventure products. Focusing on its adventure tours of the area - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Asia, ATA is now expanding further outdoor packages and tailor-made private itineraries in the 2010 and 2011 with the true value for customers.

Motorcycling Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam with ATA

The challenging and outdoor activities of tours with a reasonable level of personal fitness, good health, and interest in the area have been upgraded to be suitable for more customers this year. More cheaply optional tours with adventure guideline and tips have been created for active customers.

ActiveTravel Asia’s local product team has worked hard to create more packages and tailor-made private itineraries through exotic destinations to really experience the culture, history and nature of Asia with local negotiated prices. However, the adventure tours retain their key points of difference without compromising on quality, and provide excellent value for money.

ActiveTravel Asia’s emphasis is on taking travelers to experience the ‘real taste of Indochina and Asia” and, as such, its itineraries stand out from the crowd.

With the active local young team and guide, ATA makes the different outdoor products and activities in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Asia include good standard accommodation and local home stay, thoughtfully outdoor itineraries and reasonable price reductions in 2010.

Bobby Nguyen, ActiveTravel Asia’s director comments” In the current outdoor products, we make a desire to show the hidden lands and bring the real taste of Indochina and Asia to customers thus we have created further different outdoor packages and tailor-made private itineraries with price reductions without compromising on quality”

“With local young dynamic team of ActiveTravel Asia and rich local knowledge, ATA's accumulated expertise ensures that travelers can always trust they are maximized their precious holiday time and to experience the very best of their chosen destination, which can really make a difference to what is usually someone’s only visit to a country.”

For more information visit http://www.activetravel.asia/ or our network:
ACTIVETRAVEL VIETNAM
ACTIVETRAVEL CAMBODIA
ACTIVETRAVEL LAOS

Cu Chi tunnels one of Vietnam's most popular tourist attractions

2009-10-13T00:43:00.000-07:00

War's reality closes in when you take plunge into underground passageways - Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- The sound of gunshots pierce the thick jungle air. I'm on my hands and knees, crawling through the subterranean darkness, sweating in places I didn't know I had sweat glands.

"Keep on coming! Keep on coming!" urges a wiry Vietnamese man in fatigues, waving me forward.

Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

A Cu Chi tunnel worker demonstrates how villagers and Viet Cong would enter the hidden tunnels during the war. The openings were incredibly small and hidden by leaves. When tourists visit the tunnels today, they go through segments that have been widened to accommodate Westerners' bodies.

If you go

CU CHI TUNNELS: Open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Admission costs about $5.
We're in the infamous Cu Chi tunnels, the Viet Cong's network of secret underground passageways that proved to be one ginormous thorn in the side of the American military during the Vietnam War.

The claustrophobic tunnel system -- dug by hand -- at one time measured more than 120 miles, stretching from the Cambodian border to the outskirts of what was then Saigon. A virtual city, the web of tunnels was home to local villagers seeking shelter from bomb raids, plus thousands of Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese Army-backed guerrillas who battled South Vietnamese and U.S. forces. Here, right under the boots of American GIs, is where the Viet Cong ate, slept, hid and launched deadly surprise attacks.

It's also where a select group of American soldiers -- a k a tunnel rats -- engaged in what has to be the world's scariest game of hide and seek. These tunnel rats inched their way through the cramped, dark passageways, trying to find the enemy before the enemy found them. Something to think about this Memorial Day.

For obvious reasons, not a lot of soldiers wanted to set foot in these booby-trap-filled hell holes. But these days, the Cu Chi tunnels are one of Vietnam's most popular tourist attractions. Some 1,000 visitors flock daily to the site, located about 45 miles from downtown Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

Only a few short sections of the tunnels are accessible today. They've been expanded a bit to accommodate Westerners' super-sized bodies, but that didn't keep me from struggling to hunch low enough so my back wouldn't scrape against the dirt ceiling.

"Are there snakes in here?" I ask my Vietnamese guide, who seems almost comfortable in these ridiculously confined quarters.

"Not anymore," he answers with a big grin, followed by a few more rounds of "Keep on coming!"

Tourists can make their way through three sections of tunnels ranging from 150 to 650 feet in length. If you're claustrophobic or have a bad back or knees, you're probably better off staying above ground -- at least when it comes to the longer tunnels.

And don't worry: There's plenty to see above ground. A display of horrific spiked contraptions once hidden under trap doors in the jungle floor, craters left by bombs dropped from B-52s, abandoned U.S. tanks you can climb in, mannequins of North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong guerrillas -- it's like the Disneyland of Death and Destruction.

The whole experience gave me a better sense of what American soldiers went through. It's one thing to stand in front of a war memorial or monument; it's another to get down and dirty in the proverbial trenches, especially with the eerie sound of assault rifles blasting in the distance.

"If you want to shoot gun -- AK-47 or M16 -- you can do it ... $13 or $14 buys 10 bullets," says Nguyen Cao Van, my above-ground tour guide at Cu Chi. "If you don't want to shoot gun," he adds, "you can buy ice cream next door."

Just like Disneyland.

Nguyen's uncle was a colonel for the South Vietnamese army. After the war ended in 1975, his uncle spent seven years in a re-education camp.

"And he was a quick learner," Nguyen says.

Nguyen's wife is from North Vietnam. They tied the knot in 2005. Marriages between people from the North and South have become more common in the last few years, Nguyen says, now that animosity between both halves of the country has finally started to die down.

Before I arrived in Vietnam, I was a little worried that I might face lingering animosity over the American War, as they call it. When you carpet bomb a country and spray its landscape with Agent Orange, people might hold a grudge.

But the only accosting this Yank got was from overeager Vietnamese street vendors desperate to sell their bamboo bowls and other tchotchkes.

"What happened has happened," Nguyen says, adding that most people in Vietnam are too young to even remember the war. Some 55 million of the country's 87 million residents were born after Saigon's fall in 1975.

"We don't look to the past," he says. "We look to the future."

Source: suntimes.com/lifestyles/travel/asia/

Related to Cu Chi Tunnels
- Biking Adventures Mekong & Centre Highland
- Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon) & Mekong tours
- Mekong Delta and Angkor Wat

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA hosts a group of Burrows Red Spider Travel Vietnam in Jan 2010

2009-10-09T01:51:00.000-07:00

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) will host a group of Burrows Red Spider to take the motorcycle trip in Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam. This trip will start from Hanoi and finish in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Jan 31, 2010.

Motorcycle tours in Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam

With 10-day motorcycling tour in Ho Chi Minh trail in total 16 day trip from Hanoi to Saigon, this motorcycling grading of tour is considered as Moderate to challenging by ATA

Recent road work that follows original sections of the trail has changed this. Besides incredible driving, deep in the Vietnamese countryside; this ride takes in the charming ancient trading town of Hoi An, Khe Sanh battle site and DMZ. Travelers also take time to stay overnight in a traditional Thai hill tribe and visit to some tribal villages on the way.

Burrows Red Spider is group of American motorcyclists and love motorcycling travel especially travel to Vietnam War in the past by motorcycling.

Travel Tips
- Motorcycle tips: Viet Nam motorcycle travel tips
- Motorcyle guide & trail: Ho Chi Minh trail & travel guide
- Motorcycle tours: Motorcycle tours in Vietnam