Floating Restaurants
There are numerous 'floating' seafood restaurants just offshore in Cat Ba Harbour. There have been several stories of overcharging, so be sure to work out in advance the price, as well as the cost of a boat to get you out there and back. Locals advise heading around the bay to the couple of floating restaurants in Ben Beo Harbour the water's cleaner and it's less touristy. A boat ride there and back, including waiting time, should cost around 50,OOOd. Ask your hotel to recommend a boatman. One...
SLEEPING Eko
Paradise Resort 670 480 www.vngold.com dodet paradise bungalows s USS14-16, d USS20-22 Quite separate from the busy part of the beach in the tiny village of Dom Hai, this simple place is run by a Frenchman and his young Vietnamese family. Accommodation is basic, but the flimsy new bamboo huts are atmospheric at least, fitted with mosquito nets and tiny fans. The price would seem hefty if it didn't include three meals, as well as free bottled water, tea, coffee and fruit. Being in the village...
Sleeping Jzc
Giao Te Hotel 843 1 75 ks_giaote_na yahoo.com.vn 9 6 Ho Tung Mau r 100,000-220,OOOd One of the better state-run hotels you'll find, this quieter option is set back off the road near the park. Breakfast is included in the price. Dong Do Hotel 846 989 14 Mai Hac De r 110,000-170,OOOd S A basic place at a good price on a noisy street. Phu Nguyen Hai Hotel 848 429 ctpnh hn.vnn .vn 816 Le Loi s d USS15 20 Built in 1928, this charming place has tatty bathrooms but otherwise nice rooms with views....
Long Khanh Pagoda
It's hard to miss the 17m-high Buddha built in 1972 , heralding Quy Nhon's main pagoda -set back from the road next to 143 D Tran Cao Van. Founded in 1715 by a Chinese merchant, the monks who reside here preside over the religious affairs of the city's relatively active Buddhist community. The pagoda was repaired in 1957 after being damaged during the Franco-Viet Minh War. Mosaic dragons with manes of broken glass lead up to the main building, flanked by towers sheltering a giant drum on the...
Hang Pac Bo WaterWheel Cave
HangPac Bo Water-Wheel Cave is just 3km from the Chinese border. The cave and the surrounding area is sacred ground for Vietnamese revolutionaries. Here, on 28 January 1941, Ho Chi Minh re-entered Vietnam ready to lead the revolution that he had long been planning during 30 years of exile. Ho Chi Minh lived in this cave, writing poetry while waiting for WWII to end. He stuck close to China so that he would be able to flee across the border if French soldiers discovered his hiding place. He...
AROUND HU Thien Mu Pagoda
Built on a hillock overlooking the Perfume River, 4km southwest of the Citadel, this pagoda Linh Mu admission free is an icon of Vietnam. The existing 21m-high octagonal tower, Thap Phuoc Duyen, was constructed under the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri in 1844 and has become the unofficial symbol of the city. Each of the seven storeys is dedicated to a maniishi-buddha, which is a Buddha that appeared in human form. Thien Mu Pagoda was originally founded in 1601 by Nguyen Hoang, governor of Thuan Hoa...
Established in Cue Phuong National Park
848 006 www.cucphuongtourism.com admission adult child 40,000 20,OOOd is one of Vietnam's most important protected areas. Ho Chi Minh personally took time off from the war in 1963 to declare this Vietnam's first national park, saying 'Forest is gold. If we know how to conserve it well, it will be very precious. Destruction of the forest will lead to serious effects on both life and productivity.' This national park is 70km from the coast and covers an area about 25km long and 11km wide,...
Hon Lao Monkey Island
The island is named after its large contingent of resident monkeys and has become a big hit with tourists. Most of the monkeys have grown quite accustomed to receiving food handouts, providing ample photo opportunities. However, these are wild animals and should be treated as such. Bear in mind that monkey bites are a fairly reliable source of rabies. Aside from being unwilling to participate in a cuddle, the monkeys are materialistic. They'll grab the sunglasses off your face or snatch a pen...
Doc Mieu Base
Doc Mieu Base, next to Hwy 1A on a low slope 8km south of the Ben Hai River, was once part of an elaborate electronic system McNama-ra's Wall, named after the US Secretary of Defense between 1961 and 1968 intended to prevent infiltration across the DMZ. Today it is a lunar landscape of bunkers, craters, shrapnel and live mortar rounds. Bits of cloth and decaying military boots are strewn about on the red earth. This devastation was created not only by the bombs, but also by scrap-metal hunters,...
Hoang Nguyen Hotel Pho Tran Dang
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Bai Bau Beach
While the Life Resort charges nonguests an extortionate US 10 to lounge on their beach whether they've spent a fortune at the restaurant or not , those in the know will head a kilometre to the north for an even better beach at less than a 10th of the price. Bai Bau admission 5000d, deck chair 5000d is a beautiful white-sand crescent no more than 150m wide, sheltered by rocky headlands, with mountains for a backdrop. It can get busy on the weekend and during Vietnamese holidays, but midweek...
Champy New Year
The Cham New Year kate is celebrated at Po Klong Garai in the seventh month of the Cham calendar around October . The festival commemorates ancestors, Cham national heroes and deities such as the farmers' goddess Po Ino Nagar. On the eve of the festival, a procession guarded by the mountain people of Tay Nguyen carries King Po Klong Garai's clothing, to the accompaniment of traditional music. The procession lasts until midnight. The following morning the garments are carried to the tower, once...
Ho Cc Beach
Keep heading along the coastal road, another 12km or so from Ho Tram, and you'll arrive at the remote and beautiful Ho Coc Beach. Golden sands backed by dunes and clear waters, along with the lack of development, make it a draw - particularly on weekdays, when you'll have the beach largely to yourself. As elsewhere along the coast, weekends bring crowds of Vietnamese tourists. The area around the beach is part of an 11,000-hectare rainforest that was designated a nature reserve in 1975. Most of...
Mulberry Beach
Mulberry Beach's main road has several good seafood places down on the water. Cay Bang 838 522 69 6 Tran Phu mains 45,OOOd Sllam-IOpm This local favourite, serving fresh seafood, overlooks the water and is a festive place on weekends. Quan Tre Bamboo 836 157 7 D Tran Phu mains 45,000-90,OOOd S lunch amp dinner Go to this place if you're hankering for lobster or a cocktail with a view of the giant Mary with Baby Jesus statue, best enjoyed from the upstairs terrace. Ganh Hao 550 909 3 6 Tran Phu...
Tri An Falls
An 8m-high and 30m-wide cascade on the Song Be Be River , the Tri An Falls are awesome in the late autumn, when the river's flow is at its greatest. Tri An Falls are in Dong Nai province, 36km from Bien Hoa and 68km northeast of HCMC via Thu Dau Mot . Further upstream is Tri An Reservoir Ho Tri An , a large artificial lake fed from the forest highlands around Dalat and created by the Tri An Dam. Completed in the early 1980s with Soviet assistance, the dam and its adjoining hydroelectric station...
Quan Lan Island Dao Canh Cuoc
The main attraction here is a beautiful, 1km-long white-sand beach shaped like a crescent moon. The water is clear blue and the waves are suitable for surfing. However, there is no shortage of blissful beaches on the eastern seaboard, so take a hike. The best time to play in the water is from about May to October -winter is a bit chilly. The northeastern part of the island has some battered ruins of the old Van Don Trading Port. There is little to show that this was once part of a major trading...