A British caver wades through Vietnam's Son Doong cave, Earth's largest known cave passage, according to a survey team.
A massive cave recently uncovered in a remote Vietnamese jungle is the largest single cave passage yet found, a new survey shows.
At 262-by-262 feet (80-by-80 meters) in most places, the Son Doong cave beats out the previous world-record holder, Deer Cave in the Malaysian section of the island of Borneo.
Ha Long Bay is located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and constitutes part of the western bank of Bac Bo Gulf, including the sea area of Ha Long City and Cam Pha Town and part of Vân Don island district. It abuts Cat Ba Island in the southwest. Toward the west is the shore with a 120 km-long coastline. It is located within 106o58’-107o22’ east longitude and within 20o45’- 20o50’ north latitude. The site is 1553 sq. km with 1969 islands of various sizes, of which 989 have been named.
The islands in Ha Long Bay are mainly limestone and schist islands most lying in the two main areas: the southeastern part of Bái Tử Long Bay and southwestern part of Hạ Long Bay. These islands represent the most ancient images of a geographical site having a tectonic age of from 250 million to 280 million years. They are the result of many times of rising and lowering processes of the continent to form a karst. The process of nearly full erosion and weathering of the karst created the unique Hạ Long Bay in the world. In a not very large area, thousands of islands with different forms look like glittering emeralds attached to the blue scarf of a virgin. The area where many stone islands concentrate has spectacular scenes and world-famous caves and is the center of Ha Long Bay Natural Heritage, including HaLong Bay and a part of Bái Tu Long Bay.
The area is recognized as the World Natural Heritage that is the area of 434 sq. km with 775 islands. It looks like a giant triangle with Ðầu Gỗ Island (in the west), Ba Hầm Lake (in the south) and Cống Tây Island (in the east) as its three angle points. The nearby area is the buffer area and areas classified as national beauty spots in 1962 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.
Viewed from above, Hạ Long Bay looks like an extremely vivid huge drawing. This is a wonderful and skilful masterpiece of the Creation and of nature that turns thousands of dumb soulless stone islands into fantastic sculptural and artistic works of various graceful shapes, both familiar and strange to human beings. Thousands of islands emerging uneven in the fanciful waves look strong and magnificent but also mild and vivid. Amidst these islands we feel as if we were astray in a petrified legendary world. There are many names given to islands according to their shapes and forms. This one looks like somebody heading toward the shore: Hòn Ðầu Người (Human Head Island); that one looks like a dragon hovering above the sea surface: Hòn Rông (Dragon Island); another looks like an old man sitting fishing: Hòn Lã Vọng; some look like big sails struggling amidst the wind to set off for the sea: Hòn Cánh Buồm (Sail Island); then two islands look like a pair of chicken lovingly playing with each other above the sea: Hòn Trống Mái (Male and Female Chicken Island); and amid the vast sea stands an island like a big incense burner like a ritual offering to Heaven: Hòn Lư Hương (Incense Burner Island). All are so real that people are taken aback by them. Those stone islands have experienced unpredictable changes over time and they take different shapes from different angles of view. Here, we come to realize that they are not dumb inanimate things but are vivid and soulful.
Inside the stone islands are various breath-taking caves, such as Thiên Cung, Ðầu Gỗ, Sửng Sốt, Trinh Nữ, Tam Cung and others. These are really magnificent palaces of the Creation on earth. Long ago, Hạ Long Bay has been called by the great national poet Nguyễn Trãi:“a wonder of the earth erected towards the high sky”. Many men of letters from all over the world have been taken aback at the grandiose scenery of Hạ Long. They seem to get puzzled and incompetent as their treasure of vocabulary is not rich enough to depict the splendor of this place.
Hạ Long Bay is also attached to glorious pages of Vietnamese history, with famous sites such as Vân Ðồn, a bustling trade port in the 12th century, charming Bài Thơ Mountain, and not very far away from here is the Bạch Đằng River which witnessed two famous naval battles of the Viêt’s ancestors against invaders. Also, Hạ Long is one of the cradles of human kind with the glorious Hạ Long culture in the late Neolithic age, discovered at such archeological sites as Ðộng Mang, Xích Thổ, Soi Nhụ and Thoi Giếng.
Hạ Long is also home to great biodiversity with typical eco-systems like mangrove forest, coral and tropical forest. It is also home to thousands of plants and animals of numerous species, for example shrimp, fish and squid. Some species are particularly rare and can be found no where else.
With such special values, at the 18th Session of UNESCO’s Council of World Heritage held on 17 December 1994 in Thailand, Hạ Long Bay was officially placed on the list of the World Natural Heritage. In 2000, UNESCO recognized it as the World Heritage for the second time for its geographical and geomorphologic values. This confirms the global premier value of Hạ Long Bay.
Being an independent entity of the Vinpearl Tourism and Recreation Complex in harmony with Vinpearl Resort, Vinpearl Amusement Park (Vinpearl Land) covers an area of 200.000 m² and features a number of modern and unique facilities, which makes it rank high among renowned recreation parks in the region and Asia.
Vinpearlland is the first in Vietnam who uses the “Full Package Card” for its services. The card entitles visitors to a round trip to and from Vinpearl Land either by cable-car system or by ferry, unlimited participation in all the games there, including Vinpearl Water Park.
Let’s come and have a whale of a time with thrilling games at Vinpearl Land! Big surprises are waiting for you!
Facilities available at Vinpearl Land:
- Sea-crossing cable car system with a total length of 3,320m, which has been nominated for Guinness Book of world records with
- Indoor and outdoor games
- Shopping Mall of 6,000 m2 with uniquely designed shops;
- Vinpearl Water Park of 60,000 m2 with amazingly adventuring games;
- Amphitheatre with Musical Water Fountain and a capacity of over 5,000 seats;
- 1,500-seat Event Hall, equipped with state-of-the-art audio and visual systems
- Underwater World: featuring a 90-meter-long underwater tunnel and housing over 300 species of sea life
- Food village
The historic capital of Vietnam, Hue, sits astride a truly majestic and beautiful river, the Song Huong (Perfume River). The north-bank is host to its share of hotels and restaurants, but the area is dominated by the old fortified city known as the Citadel, spread across more than 5 square kilometres of ground, crowding out development on that side of the river. As a result, guesthouses, hotels and restaurants have sprung up on the south bank, starting with the river road, Le Loi Street, and stretching further south. The south bank of the river has been developed as park cum promenade, with an eclectic variety of public sculptures on display.
Hue is the capital of Thua Thien Province, with a population of about 340,000. Its location in central Vietnam, just south of the DMZ, made it a scene of heavy fighting during the American War. It’s 15km west of the South China Sea and about 540km south of Hanoi and 644km north of Saigon. While the city is also known for the manufacture of textiles and cement, tourism has become its bread and butter.
Trang Tien Bridge
Hue’s complex history has earned it a reputation as a political, cultural and religious centre, but nowadays, visitors to contemporary Hue will find a city that only dimly reflects on its past, and only does so as a begrudging nod to its western visitors. Like Halong Bay to the north, the complex of tombs, pagodas and palaces throughout Hue and its surrounds has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. But to the Vietnamese psyche, shaped by centuries of war and struggle, tempered by nearly forty years of communist rule, this heritage is largely irrelevant and completely disconnected from the present. The overwhelming sense one gets from the city, on even the most casual visit, is of an unstoppable forward drive, and of a people constantly looking to the future.
But the profitability of tourism has lead to a paradoxical situation where, in order to move forward, the citizens of Hue must pry open those doors to the past they would rather leave shut. As a result, the tourist industry here has developed into a half-hearted attempt to give the foreigners what they want and send them on their way. While this has been effective in one sense — a steady stream of tourists keeps showing up and paying for tours — in the larger scheme it has also meant many poorly-run tours and disappointed travellers.
At the moment, Hue is a premier tourist destination mostly in theory. In practice, it’s still a work in progress. That notwithstanding, it’s a beautiful, vibrant city, with great places to stay, great food, and a number of interesting things to do, on and off the well-worn tourist trail of historic attractions. Vietnam tours advice on tours in Hue
Basically, if you want to be sure to enjoy the ‘culture tour,’ you’re going to have to pay for it. The only consistently worthwhile tours we’ve heard of, or taken ourselves, were private tours where you get to roll your own itinerary. It needn’t be that expensive. A day-long tour by motorbike should be US$7, by car, $40 for 2 people, and by Minivan, $60 for up to 10 people. Some tours include admission: the Citadel, and three tombs: Tu Duc, Khai Dinh, and Minh Mang, are all 55,000 VND, so be sure to factor that in to the price. All other sites are free of charge.
As a rule of thumb, go for a small group tour booked through a reputable company rather than a ‘guide on the street.’ That said, we met some good guides on the street, and some crappy guides that worked through companies. So, in either case, being able to size up your guide makes the critical difference.
Thien Mu Pagoda
Be sure to invite your guide to sit down for a drink and discuss the specifics before you commit. It doesn’t matter what you drink — green tea is just as appropriate as beer — but this is how Vietnamese do business. Take your time, talk about things other than the tour, and leave yourself an out from the beginning, in case you’re not happy, i.e., “I’m waiting for my friends to come into town, so I’m not sure when I want to go…” Gauge the extent of your guide’s knowledge and language skills. Use your gut. If they strike you as creepy or obnoxious, that’s not just the culture barrier. The best guides are cool dudes you want to spend more time with. That’s what you’re looking for.
We found an excellent guide, Mr. Thanh, who was full of interesting information, a took us on a very creative route to see some of the major sites. If he’s not available, he can probably hook you up with another guide.
Other than Mr. Thanh, there are good guides to be hired at Stop and Go Cafe and people seem quite happy with the tours out of Cafe on Thu Wheels, though some of the guides don’t speak much English. Also, Mandarin Cafe has a good steady reputation. Some of the better independent guides have staked their claim on Le Loi across from La Residence Hotel — their ringleader is Mr. Tho. Stop and Go Cafe: 18 Ben Nghe St, Hue. T: (054) 827 051 Cafe on Thu Wheels: 3/34 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Hue. T: (054) 832 241. E-mail: minhthuhue@yahoo.com. Hours: 06:00 to 23:00 Le Cong Thanh (Mr. Thanh): 1/2 To Hien Thanh, Hue. T: (054) 531 760, (0905) 290 039. E-mail: lethanh2006@yahoo.com.vn. Mandarin Cafe: 24 Tran Cao Van, Hue. T: (054) 821 281. mandarin@dng.vnn.vn. Mr. Tho: T: (0905) 376 609
Even if you have a guide, a lot of the onus still falls on you to make sure you see the sites you want to see. Most guides will happily take you anywhere you want to go, but if you don’t speak up, they’ll just take you to the most convenient spots for them. Touring the Sites on your Own
Otherwise, skip the tour altogether and do it on your own. Take your time. Don’t try to see everything — just target a few key spots. Expect nothing much more than you would from a lovely, relaxed day in the park, and you’ll avoid some of the frustrations and let-downs we keep hearing about.
Everything can be visited by car, bicycle, or motorbike on your own. However, everything worth seeing is dubiously marked, and there are a lot of fuzzy maps available that put things in the wrong location. We wonder if this isn’t partly by design since it forces people to book a tour.
But a great way to wile away the hours in Hue on a beautiful day is to try to find some place on your own anyway, get lost, see the countryside, stop along the way, and you’ll eventually wind up some place interesting, even if it isn’t the place you were heading for when you set out!
Today, Vietnam tours give to all of travelers the Nhatrang guide travel:
Nha Trang is known for its beaches and there are plenty of private and public beaches. These beaches are mostly located to the north of the city and on some of the islands along the bay. Among them, Tran Phu is the most inviting and Hon Chong Beach is easily accessible by motorbike, cyclo or taxi. The Dai Lanh Beach is about one hour north of the city and near this is the Cham ruin of Ponagar. So if you are in a mood to picnic, there are lots of options.
Nha Trang Sea
The Tran Phu Beach with its soft golden sand is arguably the best beach in Vietnam. The beach is sparsely populated even during the peak Tet season (Vietnamese New Year). You can hire sun beds for 10,000 VND or 60 cents per day, and order food and drinks from the nearby restaurants. The sea is a little rough so unless you are a seasoned swimmer, don’t attempt to swim or get adventurous. Most of the restaurants and hotels are along the beachfront. They serve fresh seafood caught from the sea and cooked right in front of your eyes. The most popular section of the beach is its central area with many eateries and joints.
Going to the beach is a family affair in Vietnam. Big families and many generations bonding together in the sandy beaches is a familiar sight here. The Nha Trang Beach is filled with local people socialising, playing badminton, practising Tai chi and breathing in the fresh sea breeze. The mornings, between 5-8 am, are packed with these activities. Many of the people form groups and go for their morning swim, exercise and discuss national and international news. News is conveniently spouted out of loud speakers placed strategically on electrical poles. They also deliver music and discussions. The hustle bustle is seen till 8 am. Post 8 am, silence and serenity are restored as the beach is magically emptied of all the commotion. Vietnam tours advises you things to do when you come to Nha Trang city: Hon Mun
This is the island where all dive sites already mentioned in the Nha Trang section are located. It also has a couple of other sites such as Rainbow Reef and Tiger Wall. There are some shallow spots which offer good night diving and a smaller southern island called Hon Mot with a could of good dive sites. There are no wrecks around the islands of Nha Trang as everything above 50 meters has been salvaged by locals. Depth: 5 – 40m Viz: 5 – 20m Currents: Occasional Getting there : Boat 1 hour Best months: Jan / Oct
Nha Trang Beach
Madonna Rock
There are a couple of good swimthroughs at this dive site. It is a small rocky outcrop off Hon Mun Island, marine life includes giant morays, lionfish, scoprion fish and a wide array of breath taking coral. Depth: 5 – 25m – Viz: 5 – 20m – Currents: Occasional – Getting there : Boat 1 hour Best months: Jan / Oct Moray Beach
A shallow dive with a sandy bottom, also some bizarre rock formations here. The site gets its name from the resident giant moray eels that are upto two and a half meters long. You may find the rare black spotted moray (Gymnothorax-favagineus) here too. This site is also good for spotting pipefish, razorfish and trumpetfish with a couple of leaf fish hiding in a small cave at 3 meters. Depth: 3 – 18m – Viz: 5 – 20m – Currents: Occasional – Getting there : Boat 1 hour Best months: Jan / Oct Goat Rock
A spectacular vertical wall dive down to 40 meters can be done here. The wall is covered with hard and soft coral and provides home to all manner of marine critters. Electric Nose
A little further towards the mainland is another little rocky out crop where deep diving can be done. The underwater terrain drops to 45 meters here but currents can be strong so only recommended for experienced divers. Depth: 5 – 40m – Viz: 5 – 20m – Currents: Occasional – Getting there : Boat 1 hour Best months: Jan / Oct
And now, Vietnam tours give you a list of Nha Trang Restaurants: Ship & Sea Café
Address: 56 Dong Da St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583)512420 Red Lantern Restaurant
Address: 137 Hoang Van Thu St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 815006/ 819660 Que Do ResstaurantAddress: 15A Truong Cong Dinh St., Nha Trang
Tel: 0918035827 Lys Restaurant
Address: 117A Hoang Van Thu St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 822006 Tan Binh Minh RestaurantAddress: 64 Hoang Van Thu St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 821861 Sailing Club Restaurant
Address: 72 Tran Phu St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 813788 Pho bien Restaurant
Address: 36 Tran Phu St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 817882 Ngoc Tien RestaurantAddress: 59 Le Thanh Phuong St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 810482 Lac Canh Restaurant
Address: 44 Nguyen Binh Khiem St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 821391 Hai Vy RestaurantAddress: 44 Tran Phu St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 524299 Tamarind Tree RestaurantAddress: 284, 2/4 St., Nha Trang
Tel: (84-583) 811576
Once dearly called “Diamond of the Far-east” with the luxury level overriding that of Hongkong or Bangkok, Hochiminh City is now the most populated city in Vietnam. Modern office skyscrapers, amidst Chinese style pagodas and food stalls along the street, create a dynamic urban area in very special sense. It is not overly tidy like in Singapore, nor is urban slumps omnipresent like in India.
Hochiminh City’s architecture and lifestyle is the reconciliation between American and Chinese influence, with many dots of modernity yet without losing Vietnamese traits.
Hochiminh City is as much historical as it is modern. Reunification Palace is definitely the place to visit, for its significance and archival of Vietnam War. Museums are abound and the admission fees are generally low: Hochiminh Museum, Revolutionary Museum, Vietnam History Museum, etc.
If you are tired of talking about the past and want to learn more about the presence, District 1 may fit a walking tour. Streets are lined with tall evergreen trees and you can easily walk around with a map. A few notable sights you will spot on the way are the city post-office, Notre Dame church, Ben Thanh market, etc…
The tourist hub is Pham Ngu Lao area, where gathers most travel agency, Western-style restaurants and bars and of course budget accommodation for travellers.
It might be a relief for some to know that Hochiminh City is also the best place in Vietnam for entertainment . The three main amusement parks: Dam Sen, Suoi Tien and Dai Nam are the three complexes with zoos, sceneries, water and non water games.
Ben Thanh Market
There is no Disneyland in Vietnam but these complexes do their job: they replace the fairy tales of Andersen stories with the folk tales in Vietnamese. In short, good places for family with kids!
If Hochiminh has things to win the rivalry against Hanoi, it is night life. Bars are open late and vary in style. Adding to that, Hochiminh has many tea-house which hosts live music performance of both Vietnamese and international artists.
However, if you really want to go local for night-life, hop into one of the street food stalls, order some drink and peanuts and chat until midnight.
Dining
Saigon is not a place where you will easily go hungry, regardless of your budget.
A glut of foreign business people with expense accounts has created plenty of elegant, albeit overpriced restaurants. You will find everything from enchiladas to dim sum here, although I can not imagine why anyone but terminally bored expatriates would even bother. Many of these places are pretentious and offer only passable food. Vietnam tours recommend restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City:
Most of the Vietnamese restaurants which cater to the business community are quite Westernized. If you insist on a crisp, white table cloth, the best of these is Blue Ginger, housed in a former journalists’ club at 37 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. Viet Nam House upstairs at 4 Nguyen Thiep Street is under the same ownership. Both are magnificently decorated. You can expect fabulous service and live music.
Lemon Grass, at 93-95 Dong Khoi Street, is a bit more modest and relaxed, but still fairly good. On most nights, a string quartet entertains diners.
But for those who want to enjoy real Vietnamese food and contemporary Saigon living, forget about all the tourist restaurants with their white linens and bloated prices, and instead dine where the Vietnamese do. . Thanks to cheap food and local whisky everyone makes merry in Saigon every night.
Notre Dame church
Don’t leave Ho Chi Minh City without trying one of the banh xeo (pancake) places on Dinh Cong Trang Street, one of the most unusual eating experiences in the city. About one block down this little alley you will find hundreds of people eating outdoors around an open-air kitchen. While you may receive a menu which includes a variety of banh xeo and other specialties, it’s just as easy to look at what other people are having and point. Except for some seafood dishes, the food is very cheap. Just keep ordering one dish at a time until you have had enough.
The small and sumptuously decorated Phu Xuan offers the traditional culinary specialties of Hue, Vietnamese cooking’s equivalent of Imperial court cuisine. Unlike most Saigon, flavors are rich and subtle, and dishes are beautifully presented. Although a bit more spendy than street food, Phu Xuan is a wonderful and relaxing place for a romantic supper or a small party. In District 3 at 128 Dinh Tien Hoang.
A final culinary curiosity is the Binh Soup Shop at 7 Ly Chinh Thang, in District 3. Before North Vietnamese tanks rolled down the streets in 1975, Viet Kong infiltrators used this little dive as their secret headquarters. While serving up helpings of noodle soup to thousands of unsuspecting Vietnamese and Americans, cooks and waiters here plotted sabotage, and ultimately, the fall of Saigon.
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