Bai Chay Beach

Bai Chay beach is a large, beautiful, artificial beach, which lies closed to the coast of  Ha Long Bay. The 100-meter-wide-sandy beach spans over 500 meters. In summer days, the beach is a popular destination not only for local people, but also for tourists. Early in the morning or in late afternoon, thousands of people liven up the atmosphere here. The asphalt road winds its way through the white sandy beach and luxuriant casuarinas. Having received much investment, Bai Chay tourist site has rapidly transformed into one of the most captivating beaches in Halong City.

There are many legends for the name Bai Chay. According to local people, legend has it that when the fleet carrying food for the Yuan-Mongolian invaders led by Truong Van Ho came there, the Vietnamese troops and locals under the leadership of Tran Khanh Du set fire to it. The whole fleet was engulfed in fire. Meanwhile, the northeast wind blew hard and further added fuel to it. The fire was so fierce that it burned down the forest in the western side of Cua Luc. The name Bai Chay then came into popular.

Another legend has it that the western side of Cua Luc used to be a wharf for seagoing boats. Acorn-barnacles firmly attached to these boats’ sides and underneath, and might wreck the boats. The local people had to use casuarinas leaves to burn acorn-barnacles. From Hon Gai and other neighboring places, people always see a blaze from there, so they called it Bai Chay.

The Bai Chay tourist site is fast changing into one of the most captivating of this kind in Halong City. It comprises restaurants, water puppet and traditional music theater, Hoang Gia Park, water-skiing, and sea motorcycling. Today, Bai Chay is a well-known attraction with qualified services, which can meet the increasing demand of visitors. From Bai Chay, it is also convenient to Ha Long bay cruise tours or Halong bay tours to visit other tourist attractions nearby such as Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Quan Lan island, and other captivating islands and beaches.

Mekong delta

Mekong delta is located in Southwestern Vietnam. In Vietnamese, it was called Cuu Long. It means Nine Dragons for the nine months that terminate the flow of this great river as it is absorbed by the sea. Its total area is around 39.734km2 and include provinces: An Giang , Ben Tre, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long.

Mekong delta is well-known as the biggest rice-growing region in the country.  Other products of the delta include coconut, sugar cane, fruit and fish.The main towns of the delta are My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho and Chau Doc. My Tho is the first stop when you go from Ho Chi Minh city to the delta. It is popular with a taste of authentic delta life. Here tourist can take Sampan along the waterways, visit tropical fruit orchards and enjoy the local delicacy, Elephant’s Ear Fish. Then you will come Vinh Long. It is the island in Mekong River.  Coming there you have a chance to take part in Floating Markets in which all kinds of product are traded from boats. To make shopping easier, the boats suspend a sample of what they sell from the top of a long pole. 

Besides, you can visit small riverside workshops including blacksmiths, rice huskers, thatchers and coffin makers. Contemplating local orchards, flower markets and fish farms is other interesting activities when you come Mekong delta.  

Say goodbye to Vinh Long, you will come Can Tho. It is a commercial center of the Mekong Delta. Here you can visit the biggest floating- Cai Rang Floating Market in the morning. A spectacular sight outside of town is the stork garden at Thot Not where hundreds of egrets, herons and cormorants gather in the treetops to roost late in the afternoon. 

The last place is Chau Doc. It is located at the foot of Sam moutain on the Cambodian border. Here you can enjoy the large Cham, Khmer and ethnic Chinese communities and the distinctive architectural styles of each community can be seen in their places of worship around the town. 

You can take a boat trip to see the unusual floating fish farms, houses with wooden pens suspended underneath where live fish are kept. You will get exciting experiences in Mekong delta which nowhere can bring to you. Let come and discover by yourself

Ba Be

Ba Be is a rural district of Bac Kan province in the northeast region of Vietnam. Ba Be has diversity flora and beautiful natural scene. The famous destination is Ba Be National Park which is a popular Vietnam’s natural complex mainly consisting of Ba Be Lake, the supposed largest natural fresh water lake in Vietnam. The 150m altitude makes it the Vietnam’s highest lake above sea level.

Located in the Nam Mau Commune, Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province and about 220 km from Ha Noi, Ba Be Lake is one of the top 100 freshwater lakes in the world and the largest one in North of Vietnam. 

The name Ba Be comes from its water sources those are the three branches, Pe Lam, Pe Leng and Pe Lu. Ba Be Lake is 650 hectares width, 145 meters altitude, 8 kilometers length, 20-25 meters average depth and be surrounded by the limestone mountains with caves and underground streams. 

Due to favorable position, at the centre of the Ba Be National Park, Ba Be Lake is the home to a giant fauna with 81 kinds of animal, 27 kinds of reptile, 322 kinds of bird, 106 kinds of fish and 553 kinds of insect and spider.  In 1995, Ba Be Lake was recognized as one of the 20 special freshwater lakes in the world.

In 2004, ASEAN also recognized it as the Heritage Garden. And now Ba Be Lake, with Ba Be National Park, is one of the most precious gems of Vietnamese tourism and an ideal ecological site for any visitors, especially spring and summer.

Hanoi Museum

Besides the well-known attractions such as Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam..., Hanoi Museum is a place not to be missed for tourists who want to explore the capital.

Hanoi’s newest museum opened in 2010 as part of the city’s 1000th birthday celebrations.  Located on Pham Hung Street, next to the National Conference Center. In architectural terms this is far and away the country’s most ambitious museum project.  Hanoi Museum is where reflect the past and present of Hanoi with thousands of artifacts relating to the capital. 

With more than 50.000 m2 and 12.000 m2 for construction, this is the biggest and the most modern museum in the country. From a distance, Hanoi Museum impressed with the unique architectural design with inverted pyramid building.The museum has 6 floors, the floor area scaled down from top to bottom. Hanoi museum give to visitors impression by modern design and convenience.

Tourists can go to other floors by elevator or stairs that are designed into a spiral round inside the museum. When entering the first floor, visitors will see "botanical dragon column"-a large lamp lighting the room sighting the majestic flying dragon. First floor area was designed as a temporary place to display some of the pottery together with the souvenir.

The second floor has a small model of Hanoi: Tien Thang Long area, Phung Nguyen Grave, the map of Co Loa, Dong Son culture and other pictures of Hanoi. There has the dried leaf sample and dried flowers which remind about passionate of Hanoi’ autumn. Memories of Hanoi have gone into the poems, music, and graphics that become a love not only for The Hanoi but also for tourists from whole the world. Coming to Hanoi museum, visitors will have opportunity to admire the antiques that are collected from around the country. 

The third floor of the museum where displays of documents and exhibits are donated by organizations and individuals has large space. A lot of potteries such as bowls, vases or production tools found in Tien Giang, Ca Mau…are displayed on the fourth floor museum.

Most Popular Tourist Attractions in Vietnam

Vietnam is a country that is situated in the Southeast Asia. It was once a country ravaed by war, now, Vietnam has opened its doors to tourists that it is now fast becoming a must-go place in Asia, and here are most popular places that one should visit and see in Vietnam.

Vinpearl Amusement Park, Nha Trang 

 

Coming to Vinpearl Park (Vinpearl Land), you will have exciting experiences with your family. Best of all, this spectacular fun park is located in the popular beach resort town of Nha Trang, which is home to some of the best beaches in Southeast Asia. There is lots of fun stuff you can do in Vinpearl like playing water games, driving the bumper cars, play arcade games and ride the water slides.

However, the interesting thing about the park is being able to ride the famous Vinpearl cable car, which is the longest in the world and offers stunning panoramic views over the entire city of Nha Trang.

Halong Bay, Quang Ninh

Halong Bay is a popular tourist destination and one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam with its unusual rock formations, islands and caves such as the famous Kissing Rocks, Sung Sot Grotto (Cave of Surprises), Hoang Tan Island, Hon Trong Mai, Bai Tho Mountain, Thien Cung grotto (Heavenly Cave) and Cat Hai Island. 

War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

The War Remnants Museum is a war museum at 28 Vo Van Tan, in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It primarily contains exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s another tourist attraction you can’t miss visiting in Vietnam. You can’t really say you’ve been to Vietnam unless you’ve visited the War Museum and learn about the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese point of view. 

The museum illustrates history through video and photos the horrors of war and more particularly the use of chemical warfare during the American-Vietnamese conflict. There are also dozens of artifacts on display that you can loo at such as tanks, helicopters, bomb shells and more.

Hanoi Old Quarter

The Old Quarter is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It’s truly a fascinating place to explore anytime of day because this part of town never sleeps and it’s bustling everywhere with shops and food vendors selling tasty delicacies.

Hanoi is packed with hundreds of tourist sights and interesting places such as the Old Quarter of Hanoi, which is unarguably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vietnam.

Coming here, you should spend time wandering the famous streets of Ma May and Hang Buom, shop at Dong Xuan market and taking a boat ride of Hoan Kiem Lake. By the way, be sure to hire a cyclo (bicycle rickshaw) or hop on a “Green Tourism electric bus” to explore the Old Quarter, your feet will love you for it!

Imperial City, Hue

 

Hue Imperial City is definitely one of the most visited historic sites in Vietnam. The walled city of Hue spans a one-mile area and it is truly an impressive feat of architectural wonder given its size. Visitors to Hue would like to wander freely through the site and explore the rooms of the palace and the beautiful courtyard of the imperial enclosure.

In addition, make sure you visit the Tu Duc Tomb while in Hue. The tomb is located in Duong Xuan Thuong village (not far from the center of Hue) and it’s another sight that you have to see because of its scenic location, beautiful gardens and stunning pagodas.

Paying a visit to Saint Giong Temple

Saint Giong Temple, also called Soc Son Temple, is located in Soc Son District of Hanoi, 40km from the city center.

Soc Son Temple is o­ne of the oldest and most holy sites in Vietnam. Coming here, visitors will hace a chance to be far from the bustle of Hanoi. The temple is built at the foot of the Horse Mountain which was believed to be the place where Saint Giong stopped for a rest after fighting off the invaders restoring peace to Vietnam...

Soc Son Temple is surrounded by mountains: Mt. Cao Tung to the South, Mt. Cấm to the East, Mt. Cổ Ngựa to the West, and the Mt. Rứa and a piece of flat land to the Southeast. In the ancient past, these mounts were covered with thick forests. The area is also bathed by two rivers: one following from the North-West to the South-East, the other from the West to the South.

According to the legend, After defeating the Ân invaders, hero Dóng galloped to the top of Mt. Sóc, then hanged his suit of armor on a scandal-wood tree, and vanished into the sky with his iron horse.

In commemoration of the event, a festival is held every year in Sóc Sơn Temple, involving festivity, the Mộc Dục ceremony, the Bamboo flowers procession, the Elephant procession, the Betel plant procession, the Paper boat rituals, and the beheading of the enemy commander.

Nowadays, visitors can walk among these temples, pray to Thanh Giong and generally soak up the ambience of the area. Anywhere at the foot of the mountain makes a great picnic spot, but those feeling a bit more athletic can climb the steps to the top of the mountain.

During Tet, Soc Son also hosts o­ne of the country’s biggest festivals. o­n the sixth, seventh and eighth days of the Lunar New Year, it becomes an explosion of colour, religion and tradition. Big crowds, processions and even an amusement park for kids appear as if from nowhere. At other times of the year, guests tend to be in the form of school trips bused in from Hanoi. They climb the mountain, are taught the religious and mythological significance of the place, recount their achievements for the year, make resolutions and even listen to Vina-house while playing tug-of-war. Other visitors are worshippers, daytrippers and the occasional foreigner.

Bac Giang: "Da Huong" ancient tree

Da Huong tree in Giua village, Tien Luc commune, Lang Giang district, Bac Giang province has been ranked national cultural-historic relic since 1989. It has been immortalized in many old books, Bach khoa Larousse dictionary.

Da Huong tree in Giua village, Tien Luc commune, Lang Giang district, Bac Giang province has been ranked national cultural-historic relic since 1989. It has been immortalized in many old books, Bach khoa Larousse dictionary.

Da Huong tree has a height of 31m. Crust covering its body is thick about 15cm. In 2000, the survey team of Biological Diversity Center ( Hanoi Education University) in collaboration with the Institute of Biotechnology, Institute of Forest Inventory and Planning…had biological survey of Da Huong tree and made claims: All trunk contains essential oils. In particular, root contains safrol substances that are very valuable component for processing cosmetics, pesticides, herbal…

In Vietnam, there are only 2 existential Da Huong tree that are kind of rare ancient tree ( other is being planted in Vietnam  Museum of Ethnology). Over thousands of years, this tree has shaded people, street, and witness and recorded ups and downs traces of Tien Luc commune. 

However, this ancient tree has overcome many times of danger.In 1979, a large branch of tree broke.  In 1983, children burnt fire to make warm and its trunk was burn inadvertently for two days and two nights. Ha Bac province had to mobilize 2 new fire engines to extinguish fire. After many accidents and biological changes, current trunk is hollow in the middle. This hole can contain 7-8 persons.

Da Huong tree is considered a village patriarch to protect people here. If you make a plan to Bac Giang, don't miss the opportunity to visit this ancient tree.