Tourist Information Vietnam

What is the Vietnam famous for?

• Beaches, cultural importance, tasty food, good and friendly nature of people
• It is also famous for Vietnam war and history relating to it
• Vietnamese coffee is tasty
• Rice terraces and floating markets are main attractions
• Unbelievable south east Asian cuisine with the correct mix of sauces and herbs are perfect
• Presence of large number of motor bikes in Vietnam results in unpredictable traffic
• Vietnam is one of the best spots in Southeast Asia for Kayaking
• The enormous caves are great for geologists and archaeological interests
• It is full of sand beaches and lush mountains

Location of Vietnam

Best time to visit Vietnam

• Dry seasons are the best time to travel
• October to April is perfect

Temperature of Vietnam

• Average annual temperature remains from 21 degree Celsius to 23 degree Celsius
• During winter, temperature can drop to 20 degree
• January is the coldest month
• During January the temperature can drop to 0 degree Celsius
• Highest temperature are experienced in early summer and late winter

How to reach Vietnam?

By Sea

• If you want to reach Vietnam, Mekong Delta from Cambodia is the possible route
• Choose cruise or ferry to cross sea depending on budget
• It takes 7 to 8 hours

By Air

• There are three international airports – Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh
• The cities are well connected with flights where you can get access to direct flights to other countries

By Train

• You can travel by train from China’s Nanning and cities in Beijing
• When traveling by train, you can only travel to northern part of Vietnam
• The train service is not preferred as it offers slow service

By Road

• Roads through Cambodia and Laos are suitable to opt for road trips
• It takes around 12 hours to travel by train
• You can choose travel by road only if you want to enjoy scenic beauty
• There are total six borders through Cambodia and Laos for road trips

 

Things to do in Vietnam

1. Lighting lantern in Hoi An

• Lantern festival is famous for the kaleidoscope of light and color
• It is a seven days long celebration
• It extends from Hoi An Bridge to the Hoai River Square
• Almost 50 workshops take part in the fair
• Main attraction is thousands of lanterns floating on river
• In 2020, it has been celebrated on 25^th January and next year, it will be on 12^th February

2. Visiting Halong Bay

• It has a 1,600 limestone towers rising from the base of water
• Boats are taken for cruise trips on the bay
• Bai Tu Long Bay is few miles away from Halong Bay

3. Hiking through the Cat Ba Island

• Enjoy trekking amidst pristine rainforest to national park
• The Lookout Tower Trail is a famous hiking place
• Another attraction is Ngu Lam Peak
• Go for the Cang Viet Hai Trail which is stretched over 18 kilometers
• It has slippery paths and dense knots of tree on its path

4. Cruising in Mekong Delta

• It is surrounded by stilted village, rice paddies all around
• Taking a ride on a cargo boat is excellent
• Take cruises from Cai Be to Can Tho at night

5. Visit Phong Nha National Park

• It is known as the largest cave in the world
• You can visit Quang Binh province near to this national park
• It has a tall cavern to fit skyscraper
• The town of Phong Nha is close to this cave
• There are jungles surrounding the place with waterfalls, monkeys and foxes in it

6. Visit Buon Ma Thuot, coffee-making heartland

• It is well-known as the coffee-making heartland
• This area offers thundering waterfall with traditional village people living nearby
• The Trung Nguyen coffee company is a reputed one here

7. Know about Vietnam’s past in Ho Chi Minh City

• More than 60% of Vietnam’s population has been born post the Vietnam war period during 1975
• Artefacts, exhibitions and other photographs at Ho Chi Minh City Museum are useful evidence of the past
• The War Remnants Museum is another attraction to illustrate the ruins of the place

 

Tourist attractions at Vietnam

1. Khai Dinh Tomb in Hue

• The design of the structure is a mixture of European and Vietnamese architecture
• The architecture resembles both Roman and Buddhist style
• It has been constructed in 1920 and it has been commissioned by Emperor of Vietnam
• The entrance of complex is towards Honor courtyard
• It is also part of the building known as “Thien Dinh”
• There is a bronze statue bounded by murals on all sides

2. Con Dao Islands

• The other name of the island ‘Devil’s Island of Indochina’
• It is a group of 16 islands with beaches and scope of scuba diving and snorkeling
• It is located on the southern part of Vietnam

3. Hoi An

• This happens to be a fishing village but has turned to be a tourist spot
• It is located towards the coast of South China sea
• It has been one of the international ports from the 16^th century
• It is also known by the name of “Venice of Vietnam” due to its narrow canals passing through the town

4. My Khe Beach

• Located in Da Nang, it is one of the best scenic spots
• This is also known as China Beach as US servicemen were helicoptered in this place during the era of Vietnam War
• Blue water, pristine white sand, and sunny skies are maintain attraction of the place
• Lounge chairs are available on rent on sand to relax
• Hotel and café facilities are also available with a view of the beach

5. Hang Son Doong Cave

• It is one of the largest caves in world
• It is a huge cave
• It has enough space to camp in it for a dozens of people at the same time
• There is a river that runs through the cave

6. Temple of Literature in Hanoi

• This temple is located in Hanoi and it is dedicated to Confucius
• Its construction dates back to 11^th century
• It has evidence of many academic achievements of that time in Vietnam
• There are pagodas along with a pond which is known as “Well of Heavenly Clarity”

7. Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi

• This historical center is located in Hanoi
• The meaning of this lake is “returned sword”
• The legend King Le Loi was given sword by gods and the lake has been named after this

8. Ha Long Bay

• It is in North Vietnam extended over 120 kilometers long coast line
• It has thousands of islands in this place covered with dense jungle vegetation
• Islands are hollow and has lakes in it
• There are huge caves in this island
• It is also known as “Bay of Descending Dragons”

 

Famous festivals in Vietnam

1. Tet Nguyen Dan or Lunar New Year (Time of this festival )

• Lunar New year is a big festival for family get together
• Local fireworks, interesting flowers and visiting temples with family are major attractions
• Quan Su Pagoda or Ngoc Son Temple is well decorated and lit with lights during the festival
• The larger cities celebrate Tet greatly compared to the small ones

2. Perfume Festival (Time of this festival )

• The festival is accompanied by dragon dance at Den Trinh Pagoda
• In this, the travelers go through Yen River to the Huong Mountain
• Here, travellers have to climb hundreds of steps to go towards Huong Tich Cave
• The Perfume Pagoda in Hanoi is the place to celebrate it

3. Hue Festival (Time of this festival )

• It is a biannual festival in Vietnam
• Here, lots of cultural games, events and performances take place
• The festival is celebrated since 2000
• The traditional customs of this festival has been into practice since the Nguyen Dynasty
• It is celebrated only in Hue city which is known as the capital of Thua Thien Hue province

4. Mid-Autumn Festival

• This festival is celebrated on the 14^th and 15^th day of Lunar month
• Some activities of this festival are children carry paper lanterns, dancing of lion, and food stalls selling mooncakes, fruits, sticky rice, and sweets
• The festival is also known as harvest festival
• The households display offerings on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival

5. Wandering Souls Day

• It is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month
• On the eve of the festival, families visit Buddhist temples and offer flowers, rice, prayers and others to their departed ones
• This festival is best celebrated in Hue’
• The other name of the festival is Cold Food Festival

6. Lim Festival

• It is celebrated in middle of February
• It is held on the 12^th and 13^th day of first lunar
• Locals are seen performing in the festival wearing traditional cloths
• Folk games are hosted like Danh DU, tug-of-war, human chess, blind man’s bluff and others
• It is celebrated in Lim Village which is just 18 kilometers from Hanoi

Food culture at Vietnam

1. Chao

• It is known as porridge, a dish of warm rice
• In this, meat is served as side dish
• If Chao with served it is a popular breakfast menu
• It is considered as a humble meal option for Buddhist monks

2. Banh Chung

• This is a famous cake recipe which is made with rice in sticky form
• It is served with pork meat, beans adding some spices
• This is popular during the new year celebration time

3. The Pho

• It is a famous Vietnamese dish
• It is a kind of noddle soup which is a famous one
• It is made from green herbs, meat and rice noodles
• It is aromatic, a colorful dish perfect for dinner or lunch

4. Banh Mi Thit

• This is known as a Vietnamese bauguette stuffed with different filings like cheese, ham, canned sardines, pickled carrot

The commonly used ingredients are black pepper, coconut milk, lemon grass, hot chili, soy sauce limes, tamarind and cane sugar and the like options

Things not to do in Vietnam

1. Cultural problems

Do not flaunt wealth in public as it is a sign of impoliteness. It is better to avoid wearing short dresses or pants in public or wearing neck-lines tops when visiting the pagodas and temples. It is seen to be criticized in most of the places in Vietnam. Also, you should sit or sleep pointing towards a person when visiting someone’s house.

2. Roaming on the streets

When traveling to Vietnam alone and roaming on the streets, it is better to carry small amount of cash. This helps to prevent problems of pickpocketing as it is a new place. Also, do not carry expensive Jewellery with you. In addition, when riding in taxi or motorbike, make sure that your bag is kept in safe place, not an easy-to-grab position for the thieves and snatchers.

3. Ethnic minorities

Do not give pens, empty bottles, pens and like things when you trek through the villages. If you wish to donate for the schools children, ask the tour guide to help you introduce with the village teacher and then give the teacher the offerings to help the students. Do not take cameras to the ethnic villages to capture images.

4. Political issues

Blogging is allowed if only the content is about sensitive stores relating to government. Never try to take photographs of any actions relating to military. There is no existence of the term “freedom of speech” when traveling to Vietnam. Trading of any kind or possession of drugs is considered illegal.

5. Shopping in public

Make sure that you do not lose your temper when bargaining while shopping.