Travel tours and holiday advices in Vietnam today? The verdant rice field countryside surrounding Sapa, bordered by the jagged peaks of the Hoang Lien Mountains (often still known by their French colonial era name of the Tonkinese Alps), are home to Vietnam’s most beautiful rural vistas. The deep valleys here are home to a diverse mix of the country’s ethnic minorities including the Hmong, Giay, and Red Dzao people while the rippling hills are terraced with rice fields and overlooked by the country’s tallest peak, Fansipan Mountain. This is the top trekking destination in Vietnam, with oodles of options to trek or day hike between tiny villages and experience the staggering mountain views. Sapa itself is the main base here – an old French hill station and now a bustling and forever growing tourist center that is a stark contrast to the sumptuous tranquil countryside right on its doorstep. See additional information at https://khachsandanang.shop/vn/tour-ba-na-hill.html.
Attractions in Vietnam are plentiful, ranging from stunning natural landscapes, untouched islets and quaint villages to war museums, colonial structures, and ancient citadels. The Cu Chi tunnels, located outside Ho Chi Minh City, represent the sheer grit and ‘can-do’ attitude of the Vietnamese while a visit to the War Remnants Museum brings home the horrible reality of war. On the more positive side, the marvellous Hue Monuments, along with the My Son Sanctuary will awaken your spiritual side. Attracting millions of visitors all year long, its colonial heritage also means that many hotels feature a unique blend of French and Asian influences while its cuisine is highly regarded as one of the best in the world. With so many things to see and do in Vietnam, planning your travel itinerary as a first-time visitor can be a challenge, so we’ve compiled a general list of Vietnam’s must-see attractions.
The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Due to strong sea breezes it is a popular destination in Vietnam for kite- and windsurfing. No trip to Mui Ne is complete without a trip to the famous sand dunes located a short distance north of the town. The vast sandy expanse provide some great panoramic views especially during sunset.
Wartime legacies are prominent attractions in Ho Chi Minh City and these two museums are the most popular, equally fascinating, and a must-do experience. The imposing Independence Palace (or Reunification Palace) is of great symbolic importance in the nation’s history. Formerly, the South Vietnam government’s HQ and official presidential residence, this was where North Vietnamese Army tanks crashed through the main gates on April 30, 1975: the defining ‘Fall of Saigon’ moment and the start of Reunification. Now a ‘National Cultural and Historical Relic,’ museum and VIP function space, this landmark monolith building, ensconced in pretty grounds, stands frozen in time from that fateful day. Take a guided tour through five floors and rooms preserved in the 1960s and 1970s time-warp: highlights include the bomb-proof basement, with secret tunnels and war command room, kitschy cinema and casino, and glittering reception halls.
The southern Mekong Delta is Vietnam’s most productive agricultural area, with an intensively cultivated bountiful landscape brimming with rice paddies, banana, sugarcane and coconut plantations, tropical fruit orchards and more. Visiting the Mekong Delta is one of the absolute musts when in Vietnam. This lush, flat ‘Delta is also dominated by – and highly dependent on – the Mekong River, which branches out into a network of waterways and tributaries that for many is the main way of getting around. This may explain why this region’s traditional means of trading are floating markets, a way of life and trade for well over a century. Above-ground attractions include a shooting range, display of mantraps and burnt-out tanks and a restaurant serving simple meals that the soldiers would have eaten. Some half-day tours offer speedboat transport along the river, for part of the journey here.