Halong Bay

Located in the North East, 165km away from Hanoi, Halong Bay is known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bay encompasses 1,969 limestone islets of various formations. The emerald water of the Bay covers an area of 1500 sq km. Halong means “where the dragon descends into the sea”. Local legend tells that a celestial Dragon and her children were sent by the Jade Emperor to stop foreign invasion. After the victory, the Dragons were charmed by the this world so they decided to stay there forever and transformed themselves into rocky islets. Many foreign visitors said that if you miss exploring Halong during your stay then you cannot say you have visited the country. It is true. Halong is one of the most relaxing holiday destinations in Asia.


Hanoi Capital

Hanoi, dwelled by 3.5 million people, is one of the most charming cities in Asia. Hanoi or former Thang Long, the city of Soaring Dragon, founded by Emperor Ly Thai To in 1010 AD is located in the center of the Red River Delta where it is the cradle of the Dai Viet civilization. According to the laws of geomancy, Hanoi possesses a holy location of Rolling up Dragon and seated Tiger remaining “ten thousand generations of kings”. The beauty of Hanoi is characterized by bustling Old Quarter, Lakes, Tree lined streets, Temples, Colonial city and lovely street foods. In the early 19th century, the capital was moved to Hue so Hanoi became a provincial capital. After 1887, Hanoi became the center of government for the entire Union of Indochina. The last French troops left Vietnam in 1954. Hanoi has been the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since 1976 when the North and South joined into a single country. Since the early 1990s, Hanoi has been growing rapidly and receiving more and more international tourists. High rise flats; luxury hotels, craft shops and restaurants are increasing. Hanoi possesses more than 2 million motorcycles so city traffic is heavy.


Sapa town

380km away from Hanoi- discovered in the late 19th century, is a popular summer resort located in a high mountainous area, 1,600m above sea level. Sapa can be compared with the Alpine landscape in Europe, so it attracts many European visitors. They began coming to Sapa in the early 1920s for their holiday. The annual average temperature is between 15 and 18oC. The coldest months are January and February. The French built more than 200 villas. Unfortunately, they were almost destroyed by a border war in 1979. The lovely scenery of cloudy streams, imposing valley and amazing formation of mountains bring you a poetic emotion. The most impressive tour is to walk to the villages. You will see H mong and Red Dzao people, the largest and most colorful ethnic groups in Sapa. These people go to market on Saturday and Sunday. You can stay in hotels in the town or in villages. It takes you 3 days to hike to the top of Fansipan peak, 3143m above sea level.


Hue

Hue is located in Central of Vietnam (about 700 kilometers from Hanoi). The city was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 – 1945. Between 17th and 18th centuries Hue was the capital of the southern part of Vietnam ruled by the Nguyen lords. The Tay Son dynasty (1788 – 1802) established Hue as its capital. Nguyen Anh, a descendant of the Nguyen Hoang lords, overthrew the Tay Son dynasty in 1801 and declared himself Gia Long Emperor in 1802. This marked the beginning of the Nguyen dynasty. He didn’t move the capital to Thang Long (the ancient capital in the North, present – day Hanoi) because he was not supported by the Northern people. Additionally, he thought the territory of the unified country is quite long, so it was more suitable to set up the capital in the Central region. Hue was ruled by 13 Emperors of Nguyen clan. The last Emperor was Bao Dai, who resigned after the successful revolution led by Ho Chi Minh in August 1945.
In 1993, Hue was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It preserves many ancient vestiges such as its Citadel, tombs, pagodas, temples, and residences with lush gardens on Perfume River banks. The city is situated along the naturally banks of the Perfume River and the Five Marble mountain. Hue citadel was built in 1805 and completed in 1832. It has an area of 5.2 sq.km. It is situated on the Northern bank of Perfume River. The model of the citadel is harmonized between European and Orient architecture. It consists of a defensive border, imperial enclosure, and Forbidden Purple city. Inside high, thick walls and deep moats, a hundred buildings were arranged on both sides of a north-south axis from a the flag tower through the Ngo Mon gate to the royal citadel and Forbidden City. The Citadel defensive border is 10 km around with 10 gates. Its walls are 21 m thick and mounted with 24 cannons. The royal citadel within the city walls is 2.45 km in circumference with four gates: Hoa Binh (North), Ngo Mon (South), Hien Nhon (East), and Chuong Duc (Tay). Ngo Mon is the main and famous one for Emperor only. Within the Imperial Enclosure is the Forbidden city with a perimeter of 1,225 meters. It has 7 gates. The Forbidden City was reserved for Emperor and his family.
Tombs of the Nguyen emperors were built west of Hue, along the Perfume River. The west is where the Sun sets, representing death. Burial residences took ten years to build Hue is unforgettable tourist site. According to the words of M’Bow - general director of UNESCO, who visited Hue in 1982, "Washed by the Perfume River, surrounded by wooden hills, ornamented by verdant gardens, set off by canals flowing around it, the city is a masterpiece of urban poetry."

Hoi An

Hoi An is a small, old riverside town located in Quang Nam Province (30 km south of Danang – a central province of Vietnam) . During the 16th and 17th centuries, the town was known as Faifoo. It was a popular merchant port for Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Italia, and Indonesian vessel. From the 17th to the, 19th centuries, Hoi An was a large international port in South East Asia. With the passing of centuries, due to silting up of Thu Bon river and other historical movements, Hoi An is no longer a merchant port. However, traces of its prosperous past are still in evidence today. In 1993, Hoi An was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In town, there are around 1,360 vestiges listed as preserved program. Most of them were built between the 19th and 20th centuries. Models of houses are rectangular in shape with two narrow frontages facing two streets or the river. Houses generally have one or two stories. The front room was used as a shop. Houses were constructed with traditional materials such as brick, wood, and tile. Roofs were sloped with the tiles bearing the "yin-yang" symbols. Interior decoration is of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese influence. In the old days, each clan had its own hall and temple where they gathered to discuss social and business affairs. Today, Hoi An people preserve their town and spiritual values, both of which create a particular flavor within the town.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Cu Chi is a famous revolutionary vestige located 70 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. During the war period, Cu Chi was regarded as a “district of steel land, bronze rampart”, which referred to the iron will of the Liberation Army and local people who fought against French, American and Republic of Vietnam troops. The tunnels are a thick network stretching more than 250 kilometers. The Cu Chi tunnels contained many divisions of the Liberation Army that launched the 1968 Tet Offensive. Originally, the tunnels were created during the French Resistance War. During American War they were expanded and have innumerable trap doors. The network consisted of several levels of depth; the deepest one is between 8 to 10 meters. Tunnel width is from 0.5 – 1 meter, enough space for an average Vietnamese person to get through. Some parts of the tunnels have been widened to accommodate foreign visitors. The tunnel system contained all types of functional rooms such as sleeping quarters, schools, hospitals, weapon factories, and meeting rooms. Today, this national historic vestige has become a famous tourist site, which attracts many domestic and international visitors.



Mekong Delta

The Me Kong Delta covers an area of 67,000 sq. km in the southern region of Vietnam. The Delta is known as the biggest ‘rice basket ‘ in Vietnam. The Me Kong river is 4500 km long and flows through six countries: China, Myanmar, Lao, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In this region, there are three rice crops per year. The Delta provides enough rice for domestic needs as well as a surplus for export. With huge silt deposit from Me Kong River, it creates bumper harvests for farmers. Water levels of the Me Kong River change periodically, that is why residents build their houses on bamboo stilts to avoid rising water. There is a vast network of rivers and canals in the delta. Traditional transportation is by boat moving from village to village, market-to-market, home to school. It is amazing to take part in floating markets that gather in early morning or explore villages by boat along the canals. You can taste fresh fruit planted in a tropical region and will be fascinated by luxuriant gardens. It is possible to arrange day trips departing from Ho Chi Minh City. Tourists also can arrange a home stay to fit into rural life and relax.

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