Dalat - the city of romance and flowers of Vietnam

If you want to find a tranquil, romantic and beautiful place in Vietnam to visit and especially to enjoy your honeymoon, Dalat is the best choice for you. The city is actually the city of romance of Vietnam. Going to the city, visitors will feel the tranquility and romance with hundreds of flowers. Let’s find out more about it. 

Dalat - The romantic city of Vietnam

Located in the central highland of Vietnam, Dalat has a perfect weather that is not so hot in the summer and not so cold in the winter that the weather in Dalat is quite similar to the one in the Mediterranean. The city is so great and beautiful that it was chosen as the place for Vietnamese Kings and the French colonists in the 19^th century to build resorts and villas.

Xuan Huong Lake next to the Love Valley

Xuan Huong Lake right in the center of the city should be the first place to visit. The lake stands next to the so-called Love valley is the two most attractive and romantic sites in Dalat that are certainly perfect for couples. Besides, Dalat is viewed as the heaven of flowers of Vietnam. Owing to its perfect weather and terrains, there are numerous kinds of beautiful and colorful local and popular flowers in Dalat. Therefore, a lot of small flower gardens across the city. Especially, a big flower festival is held in the city every year attracting tens of thousands of visitors come and enjoy beauty of the flowers.

Beautiful Pongour Fall

In Dalat, the mountains, lakes and falls are also the best things to explore. Langbian Mountain, Prenn and Pongour Falls, Tuen Lam and Xuan Huong Lakes can not be missed when coming to the city. Dalat also owns a rich culture of the local people. Gongs of the local people have been awarded as the world intangible heritage. People will have a great chance to ride horses or elephants to go around the city. This is sure to be a unique and unforgettable experience for visitors.

Perfume Pagoda - the holiest site of Vietnamese religion

Buddhism is the main religion in Vietnam. Therefore, visitors can easily find out a numerous number of pagodas and shrines dedicated to Buddhism in the country. However, different from Thailand where Buddhism is also the principal religion, the architectures of pagodas in Vietnam are totally different. While in Thailand, people will see many pagodas like the Golden Temple, in Vietnam people must see the Huong Pagoda, the most outstanding symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism architectures.

The Yen river on the way to the Huong Pagoda complex

Just a 30-minue drive from Hanoi, Huong Pagoda is the holiest site in Vietnam. Huong Pagoda is actually a great complex of numerous Buddhism temples on a mountain called Huong or Perfume near to the Yen River. It is said that the first temple in Huong Pagoda was constructed nearly 600 years ago on the top of the mountain. The temples used to be the chief religious sites of Northern Vietnamese monks.

The main holy site of Huong Pagoda in the Huong Cave

Annually, the Huong Festival is held and it lasts from the middle of January to the middle of March. The festival is the longest one in Vietnam and attracts the biggest number of pilgrims across the country. The scene in the Huong Pagoda is like a peaceful heaven for visitors to explore. On the route to the Huong Mountain where the temples are placed, people have to take a trip along the beautiful and tranquil Yen River. The green water of the Yen River is so clear. Travelers will have a chance to sit on the small boat getting alongside the river and contemplate the harmonization between the river and mountain. In order to reach the temples on the Huong mountain, visitors nowadays can have two options of hiking or chairlift. Most of the Vietnamese travelers will choose the first option of climbing up to the temples. It is because of the fact that the Buddhism teaches people to experience the hardship and then the accomplishment will be fully and happily enjoyed. The trip from the foot to the top of the mountain is about 4 kilometers. Huong Tich cave on the mountain is where the main temple is placed. Around this main holy site are numerous temples and shrines for visitors to explore their unique architectures and shapes.

One of the temples in the Huong Pagoda complex

The trip to the Huong pagoda to Vietnamese people is not just a traveling, but it also a real hardship to challenge people. The beauties of the river, mountain and sceneries in addition to the tranquility and peace of the holy site will certainly make every feel perfectly great. 

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Visit Nha Trang, incredible Vietnam - one of the 29 most beautiful bays of the world

Vietnam is renowned for its beautiful and sometimes intact beaches with a tropical climate, ranges of coconuts, white sand as well as clear water. Amongst them, Nha Trang is considered as the most attractive beach spot for both domestic and international visitors. Located in the south central coast of Vietnam, Nha Trang is actually a bay city next the sea. And it is noticeable that Nha Trang Bay is listed as one of the 29 most beautiful bays of the world. The weather in Nha Trang is also very perfect for beach tourism because it lies in a tropical part of the country with a lot of sunshine and warm weather. 

Beautiful beach in Nha Trang

Beaches of course are the ‘specialty’ of Nha Trang that tourists can find out a great number of beautiful beaches around this small city like Dai Lanh, Tran Phu or Doc Let. These are the most beautiful and crowded beaches in Nha Trang that attracts millions of people every year. Especially, because Nha Trang’s beaches lay on a bay the conditions for surfing, diving as well as sea kiting are perfect. In the Bay Nha Trang, there are also a great number of isles that are so beautiful and intact. The most beautiful isles to visit in Nha Trang are Bamboo Isles and Silkworm Isles. On Bamboo Isles in particular, visitors also can be able to experience the greatest entertainment complex of Vietnam called Vinpearl with numerous modern recreational activities. The seafood in Nha Trang is very delicious and attractive with hundreds different dishes made from the local fishes, shrimps, lobsters and cuttlefish.

Vinpearl - Vietnam's best entertainment complex on Bamboo Isles

Besides beaches, there are also many other great venues and places for tourists to explore in Nha Trang. One of them is Po Nagar Cham Towers. Cham is an ethnic minority group in Vietnam and they live mainly in the South Central Coast of Vietnam. The Po Nagar Cham Towers right in the middle of the city with delicate and unique Cham’s architectures and arts will certainly lure you away. National Oceanographic Museum is also a great place to visit. Located right in the center of Nha Trang, the museum dedicates on exhibitions of living sea creatures of the local seas in addition to precious fossils of ancient sea creatures. Right on the first floor of the museum, visitors will be amazed at the 18-meter whale skeleton. And it is worth to remember that whale to the locals are regarded as a saint who guardians the fishermen and help their fishing industry to develop. Therefore, it can be easy for visitors to see some shrines praying for the whale or Big Father as the locals usually refer to, Local ancient boats and fishing artifacts can also be found there.

Po Nagar Cham Towers

The tourism infrastructure in the city is quite perfect with both luxurious and high-ending hotels, resorts and entertainment facilities in addition to low and affordable accommodations to meet the demands of tourists. Moreover, the transportation systems to the city are good to. Come and enjoy this beautiful city.

Hue city - cultural city of incredible Vietnam

Talking to Hue, Vietnamese people will certainly use such descriptive words like beautiful, solemn, old, poetic and picturesque, etc. Indeed, Hue city in the central part of Vietnam deserves to be named as the city of poetry of Vietnam. The color of the time, solemnity and simplicity all of these words will capture the heart of anyone who has ever come to the city.

Ngo Mon Gate

Hue city was used to be the ancient capital of the country from 18^th – 19^th century under the Nguyen Dynasty. The images of Hue are stick to the feudality. Visitors when visiting Hue city will be stunned by its old and beautiful feudal architectures. The first thing visitors can explore about the city is tombs and citadels of the Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty. The monuments In Hue were acknowledged as World Heritage Sites. Situated on the bank of the Huong or Perfume River, the citadels, monuments and tombs of Nguyen Dynasty’s Kings are very interesting places to visit and check out not only this history of Vietnam under the feudality but also a unique cultures and architectures related to these sites. At the Imperial Citadel, people will have a chance to contemplate a great deal beautiful and complex architectures of temples, monuments, throne rooms, gates, walls as well as pavilions. Tombs of Emperors are also very attractive sites to see. These tombs were built in the late 19^th to earlier 20^th century. With very beautiful and unique ways of constructing and architectures, these tombs are sure to be very attractive.

Huong or Perfume River

Besides those amazing things about the time of feudality in Hue city, visitors will also have many other great chances to explore the rich and deep culture of Hue as well as various tourist attraction sites. Pagodas are the feature of Hue city. In other words, Hue is the hometown of Buddhism in Vietnam. Ancient pagodas that many could be hundreds years of age are absolutely great venues to visit. Thien Mu a nine-storey pagoda, for example, is the most outstanding pagoda architecture to explore. Huong or Perfume River is also a great spot in Hue city. This beautiful and poetic river, which runs through the center of the city, is a great inspiration for poets and musicians in Vietnam. Especially, visitors can hire a small boat running along the river and drop by the beautiful ‘garden house’ near to the river banks. These garden houses are best places for tourists to enjoy the culture, tranquility and a great number of specialties of Hue. Interestingly, you can pick first hand fresh and unique local fruits right in these beautiful and green gardens.

Hue Festival is another great highlight of the city’s tourism. The festival is held every two years attracting a lot of arts groups from many countries all over the world to showcase the bests of Vietnam in general, Hue city in particular and of the guests as well.

Hanoi the beating heart of Vietnam

Hanoi, the 1000-year-old capital of Vietnam can’t be missed if you are traveling to Vietnam. There are some important facts about Hanoi that will certainly attract people to the city, as followed:

-         Hanoi is the UN-awarded city of peace and it is the only city in Asia Pacific to receive this honored award.

-         Hanoi is the UN-awarded green city that it is the only city in Vietnam to receive this honor.

-         Hanoi is one of the oldest cities of the world and the oldest city in Vietnam that it was founded more than 1000 years ago. In 2010, the city magnificently marked and celebrated 1000^th anniversary of the city establishment.

Those important facts can somehow point out the green, peace and rich and deep culture of Hanoi – the beating heart of Vietnam. Located in the north of Vietnam, Hanoi is the economic, political and cultural center of the country with rapid economic growth and infrastructure development. However, there are a lot of things for visitors all over the world to check out this old beautiful city. 

Hoan Kiem Lake with the Turtle Tower in the middle

One of the best spots for tourists to explore when traveling to Hanoi is Hoan Kiem Lake which situates right in the heart of the city center. Hoan Kiem in Vietnamese means Returning Sword. The legend is that centuries ago a hero King used a great magical sword and led the country to expel the Chinese invaders. Once he was traveling on a boat with his courtier on the Lake, a big holy turtle ascended from the lake and told him to return the sword he used in the war. The Turtle said that the sword was given to him by the Saint of Water to help him expel the enemies. Nowadays, Hoan Kiem Lake is the most attractive site for tourists. The lake itself has a special unique deep green color. Especially, the lake is the home of a few big rare turtles. These turtles are thought to be thousands yeas of age. In the middle of the lake is an old turtle tower that is the sanctuary for the turtles to relax when they are ascending from the water. On the right of the lake, there is a beautiful red bridge connecting to a holy shrine of those turtles. It is important to remember that in the perception of Vietnamese people, turtles are one amongst the four holiest creatures. Therefore, the shrine on the lake is where people practice their belief into the holy tortoises.

Beautiful handmade crafts sold in the Old Quarter of Hanoi

Next to the Hoan Kiem Lake is the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Hanoi is a city of more than one thousand years of age, therefore beside the development and modernity, the city also reserves its oldness and solemnity. In the Old Quarter, people will see the old brick houses that have experienced the ups and downs of the city. In addition to that, tourists can also explore many kind of traditional handcraft villages inside the quarter such as silversmith, blacksmith and many other great handmade products.

Phu Quoc - Vietnam's richest island of sea and jungle

Located in the southwestern part of Vietnam, Phu Quoc is the largest island of the country with an area of 547 square km. Phu Quoc is Vietnamese means the land of wealth. And actually, the island is a fantastic heaven of Vietnam, that it is seen as the gem of Southern Vietnam. Long coasts, beautiful beaches with pristine white sand, luxurious resorts, hospitable people in addition to the great and unique ways of life of the locals, all will make you cherish this beautiful island very much. 

Beautiful beach in Phu Quoc

The most outstanding tourism activity in the island is certainly beach. Phu Quoc owns a long coastline with white sand and clear water. Visitors will be amazed by the long range of coconut trees along the coastal lines that sometimes Phu Quoc is compared to another Phuket of Vietnam. Beaches with beautiful and luxurious resorts and residences will make you enjoy the environment there on the island very much.

Jungle on the island

The flora system on the island is also very diverse too with a big and long primary forests right at the northwest corner of the island. People can walk through 5-kilometer path through the forest to explore the beautiful old big trees, flowers as well as many precious animals including birds, monkeys and much more. Visitors can choose bicycles, walking as well as scooters to explore the forests.

Natural pearls in Phu Quoc

Farming on the island is also a very attractive thing for visitors to explore. One of the most featuring farming products of Phu Quoc is its pepper. The quality of Phu Quoc pepper is the best in Vietnam. Another renowned farming product of Phu Quoc is ‘nuoc mam’ or fish sauce. This unique product has been exported to a great number of countries including Europe and the U.S. Beside these two outstanding farming products, visitors will have a great chance to watch first hand the pearl farming and of course they can buy beautiful and delicate products and souvenirs made from the local pearls.

Extra info: recently, Vietnamese Government has passed a code aiming at building the Phu Quoc island to become a major economic zone of the country with a heavy investment on infrastructure and economy. This certainly will help boost the economic development and tourism industry of the island. Especially, in October 2014 the direct flight between Phu Quoc and Singapore has been opened facilitating the tourism from Singapore and many other countries all over the world to the island.