Top Sites in Vietnam

Vietnam has some amazing sites to see. It is one of our favorite countries that we have ever visited.  We spent 30 days in Vietnam and it was barely enough time to see everything that this diverse nation has to offer.  From great natural wonders to fantastic shopping, mountain adventures and chilling beach life, Vietnam has something to offer for everyone.

Once you get passed aggressive nature of the touts on the street, it can be a wonderful and fulfilling travel.  The people will soon win over your hearts and it will become one of your top travel destinations like it is ours.

Ha Long Bay

Halong Bay Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is definitely the number one attraction on any one’s list of sites to see in Vietnam.  Located about 165 km East of Hanoi on the Gulf of Tonkin.  It is a spectacular destination.  You can book a two night, 3 day cruise from Hanoi at any hotel or hostel.   Tours range in price but start at $80 per person and rise drastically for more luxurious cruises.

Halong bay consists of almost two thousand islands.  Giant limestone karst formations just out of the sea for as far as the eye can see.  You will witness this natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Sight up close and personal from your wooden cruise liner.

Relax on the top deck of your beautiful Junk Boat.  A classic Chinese sailboat made of teak, as the crew prepares your dinner.  You won’t go hungry out on the water, a feast of seafood, fresh vegetables and traditionally Vietnamese dishes awaits you. You will be served breakfast, lunch and dinner while enjoying local beer and wine.

You will anchor overnight right in the middle of this mountain range on the sea watching the sun descend below the horizon. When the mist rolls in, Ha Long Bay is spectacular.

The tour consists of exploring Cat Ba Island, kayaking and snorkeling and touring Sung Sot Cave (cave of surprises), the largest and most spectacular cave in all of Ha Long.  While it is over developed for tourism complete with lighting and paved walkways, it is still an impressive sight and the view of Ha Long from an opening from above is well worth the visit.

Sapa

Rice Terrace Sapa

Located in the North West Corner of Vietnam, Sapa is a must for anyone wanting to add a little adventure into their travels while in Vietnam.  Book a tour from Hanoi, or catch a train north to Lao Cai and find a guide to take you deep into the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range.  Sapa has become a little overcrowded with tourists, but if you book a multi-day trek to stay in a home stay with one of the ethnic minority peoples, you will get a feel for traditional life and will be far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Sapa for an authentic experience.

The giant rice terraces cascade down the mountains as the sun reflects in their pools of water.  You will trek right on the ledge of these terraces following your guide through every corner where it feels as if you are in the middle of a National Geographic issue.  The days are physical as the climbs are steep, but you will be rewarded with a feast of rice and vegetables, meats and stews at the end of the day as your hosts prepare dinner over an open fire.

Hoi An

Our Seamstress in Hoi An

Ever wanted an Armani suite or designer dress?  Or are your tastes more practical and you are looking for trekking pants or a new shirt?  Hoi An is a town in Central Vietnam that attracts tourists for its tailor made clothing.  Even if you think that you don’t need a new wardrobe, once you arrive at this picturesque town on the South China Sea, you will be drawn into the excitement of shopping for quality clothing at extremely discounted prices.

You can’t help but buy an item or two.  The talented seamstresses will have you measured and sized up in an instant.  They will pick out patterns, show you catalogues and find the right material for the perfect one of a kind item that you will wow your friends and colleagues at your next function.

The best thing about Hoi An is that even if you a backpacking through Asia, you can send your clothes home from the post office in town and they will keep your measurements on file for when you are ready to order more!

Cu Chi Tunnels

Dave going into Original Entrance

Agent Orange, napalm and constant bombing wiped out the jungle during the Vietnam War but it is now lush and green and Vietnam is capitalizing on tourism. The Cu Chi Tunnels are the most fascinating historical site of Vietnam.   Over 250km of tunnels weave their way underground and they were the key component in winning the war.

Most Guides are former soldiers that fought on these very grounds and they will tell you in intimate details of how the Vietnamese outwitted the Americans while living right under their noses.

Entrances were camouflaged by termite hills, cayenne pepper was sprinkled around to confuse the scent dogs and breakfast was cooked in the morning mist so that the smoke from their fires could not be detected.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can go into the original entrance and crawl through 150 metres of a tiny, dark and damp tunnel.  It is not for the faint of heart, but you will get a small idea as to how difficult it was for the people that lived in these tunnels for years on end during the war.

Mekong Delta

Rowing in a Tributary, Mekong Delta

Trips to the Mekong Delta can be booked from Ho Chi Minh City and it is definitely worth the trip.  This is the part of Vietnam that everyone envisions when they picture the country.  Hundreds of tributaries make their way through thick jungle.

You will explore the Mekong area by tour boat, traditional rowboat and minibus.  The highlight of the trip is a visit to the famous Cai Ba floating market. Hundreds of boats line the harbor filled with fruits and vegetable waiting to be sold.  You will also walk through villages and markets, cross canals on traditional bamboo bridges and visit rice paper mills and sample coconut candy and rice wine.

The Mekong Delta tours can be a little touristy, but it is worth the visit to explore the backwaters of this famous area of Vietnam.

Mui Ne

Vietnam's Grand Canyon

It isn’t as popular as Na Trang, but Mui Ne is a beautiful beach area perfect for relaxing after the Chaos of Ho Chi Minh city.  Located North East of Saigon on the South China Sea, Mui Ne has everything for beach lovers and adventurers alike.   Perfect conditions allow for great kite surfing.  Be sure to take a lesson however as this adventure sport can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.

There are some amazing sites around the  area such as the incredible sand dunes and red rock.  You can take a tour that includes a visit to the fishing village and walk on the dunes and a stop at the famous red rock and fairy stream.

If adventure is not what you are into, relax on the white sandy beach and enjoy a massage by ladies with bionic hands.

All of these sites are stops on the tourist bus that travelers can buy open tickets from Saigon to Hanoi or vice-versa.  Tourist can buy a one month ticket with hop on hop off privileges to take their time exploring the country from North to South.  Price is approximately $32 US dollars giving you the freedom to enjoy the countries top attractions at your leisure.

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Cu Chi Tunnels of Vietnam

Today’s destination is the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam. A fascinating 200 km system of underground tunnels.  You can visit Cu Chi from  Ho Chi Minh City on a day tour.

We booked ours with Happy Tour and we were off in a comfortable minibus to see one of the most famous battlegrounds on earth. Then we paid $6 US per person, I see now that it is $20 online with Happy Tours, but I am sure that you can still book in Saigon for a better deal. How quickly prices rise with the onslaught of tourism.

For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit Ho Chi Minh Hotels for more information.”

A Recreation of the tunnel system

All of those old war movies that you watched where the US soldier ran after a rebel in the jungle only to have him disappear in plain sight…well a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels explains all that.

It was a masterful system right under the noses of the US army. The American’s knew they were there though they just couldn’t find them. Not for lack of trying however. Agent Orange, napalm and constant bombing was used to try to find the tunnel system that had eluded them.  The jungle was completely wiped out and barren.  It had been ruined by man, but Mother Nature’s is a strong entity and with time has healed herself and it is now lush and green.

You Can Shoot a gun here, we didn't but couldn't resist the Photograph

Our guide, a former translator for the American army led our group telling the story of the North Vietnamese.  He explained how they could disappear in the jungle by sneaking into cave entrances camouflaged by having termite hills placed on top.  Cayanne pepper would be sprinkled around the entrance to disrupt the search dogs senses.

We learned that they fought in sandals made from tires to avoid jungle rot. The Americans struggled greatly with wet feet rotting in their boots.  Little did they know, sandals were their best defence.

We also learned about the booby traps laid out, waiting for the moment when the U.S. would find a cave entrance. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like for the tunnel rats (that was the name of the poor soul that had the task of exploring the cave when they did find an opening) to have to go into darkness knowing that bamboo spikes or other painfully slow ways to die were waiting for him around the corner.

A Booby Trap at a Tunnel Entrance

We learned how the Viet Cong wore checkered scarves to announce that they were fighting for the North. Farmers would sneak food to soldiers as they were living underground for years on end. They had kitchens and they would only cook during the fog that their smoke would not be seen, they had makeshift hospitals, quarters.

There was a living civilization struggling and surviving underground for years on end.

And yet, the thing that we found most interesting was when our guide showed us the plants of the jungle. As you walked by, they would bend and their leaves would curl in the direction that you were walking. It was so easy to track the enemy once you knew this secret.  There was no walking through the jungle unannounced when the trees were telling everyone that you were there. Incredible.

It was then time for the star attraction of the tour. If we had the nerve to go into an original tunnel entrance and crawl 150 metres to the exit we could.   Only five in our group decided to go for it and it really gave a sense of just how uncomfortable the conditions were.

The dim lights went out for a few seconds but we kept crawling in the dark.  Earlier, I saw some lights leading to another direction through another tunnel, and I was starting to panic that we had taken a wrong turn.

The tunnel system is several kilometres long and the irrational worry that happens when you panic was that we may become lost in the maze.

The lights came back on, just in time for 3 bats to fly by our heads. I was definitely ready to get out of there. I don’t know how anyone could last in there for hours on end, let alone years on end. Unlike during the war, we didn’t have to worry about meeting up with an unexpected enemy in the tunnel, we didn’t have to worry about bombing, malaria, lice or infection.  We only had to worry  about making to from point A to point B so that we could catch our bus back to the city in time for dinner.

Souvenirs for Sale at Cu Chi

We were dropped off at the War Remnants museum.  An emotional look at the effects of war.  Photos of the effects of Napalm and victims of torture, the tools they used and devastating photos of the effects of Agent Orange.  There are tanks, bombs and planes outside. You will see torture chambers, cages that POW’s were kept and cells. It is difficult to see, but once again, I learned a great deal.  There is however a display honouring photographers and correspondents who lost their lives covering the war.

Kim Phuc’s picture is on display. She was the girl in the photo running down the road with her body covered in burns from Napalm.  I had a chance to meet her here in Canada a few months ago.  She now travels the world speaking about war, peace and healing through faith. I wrote about her a couple of months ago, in my Girl in the Picture post.

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Vietnam In 30-Days

It is a frantic travel from South to North Vietnam.  30-days is just enough time to scratch the surface of this diverse country.

First Impressions

We drove non stop from the border of Cambodia to downtown Saigon.  A city etched in my brain from all of the war films that I watched as a kid.  Women whiz by on their mopeds, dressed in white from head to toe.  White gloves, white hat, flowing white silk suits and a white mask to block out exhaust pollution.  Motorbikes span the streets in thick packs making crossing feel like a game of Frogger.  The city is a bustle with markets, food stalls, and nightclubs.  Where shopping is the main priority and dodging touts is a full time job.  Trishaw drivers won’t take no for an answer as they follow you down the street looking to make their fare and precocious children sell photocopied books for $2.

The Cu Chi Tunnels

The fascinating Cu Chi Tunnels were our first visit.  Agent Orange, napalm and constant bombing wiped out the jungle during the Vietnam War but it is now lush and green and the Vietnamese are capitalizing on tourism.  Our guide, a former translator for the American army leads our group telling the story of the North Vietnamese and how they defeated the U.S.  The caves were right under the Americans noses, literally.  They showed us how they would escape in the jungle and camouflage the entrances with termite hills.  We learned that they fought in sandals made from tires to avoid jungle rot and we learned how they wore checkered scarves to announce that they were fighting for the North and how farmers snuck food to soldiers.

For Those Who Dare
It was then into the claustrophobic original tunnel to crawl for 100m in darkness to get a sense of just how uncomfortable the conditions were.  The dim lights went out for a few minutes and for a while there and I had no idea where our guide was, being near the back of the crowd.  Earlier, I saw some lights leading to another direction and I was starting to panic that we had taken a wrong turn.  The tunnel system is hundreds of kilometres long and worry was setting in that we might be in here for a very long time.  Three bats flew through our little conga line in the dusty tunnel, but a few minutes later, we emerged drenched from the heat and covered in dirt.  I was feeling proud for making it through, and glad that I did not opt to take the chicken route near the start of the tunnel.

War Remnants Museum

Back in Ho Chi Min, we visited the War Remnants Museum, an emotional look at the effects of war and a fascinating display honouring photographers and correspondents who lost their lives covering the war.  We walked by the Armerican Embassy known for the infamous rooftop helicopter evacuations after the fall of Saigon and we checked out the thriving waterfront with luxury hotels, nightclubs and bustling river.

Mekong Delta Tour

The three day trip to the Mekong Delta is a steal.  Tour companies in Ho Chi Min City offer great package deals fighting for tourist dollars to all destinations.  For only $30 an all-inclusive trip supplies you with a guide, food, accommodation and transport.

Life remains unchanged here as farmers still bring their produce to the floating market and people still wash their clothes by hand on its banks.  Strong women row our boat down an estuary surrounded by thick jungle and we don conical hats pretending to be Rambo.  We are paraded from one shop to another set up strictly as a tourist trap.  At small factories, we learned how to make coconut candy and rice paper being offered a taste to entice us into buying a souvenir. It is all a little contrived at times as they try very hard to make you purchase something, but the scenery is incredible and watching local life unfold is fascinating.

Travel in Vietnam

We return to the city and buy a “tourist” bus ticket north.  This great invention allows us to travel from Ho Chi Min City in the south all the way to Hanoi in the north.  For $30 US, you can stop at as many places as you like for as long as you like.  Just hop off at your destination, and then when you want to move, go to the office in town and book a seat for the next day.  It makes traveling a cinch.

Beach Life

• Our first stop is Mui Ne.  A spectacular beachfront visited by very few tourists. Kite surfers ride the waves in its windy bay, women offer cheap massage on the beach that is so vigorous that it leaves bruising and the sunsets here are some of the most spectacular you will ever see.  The high winds whip and swirl the clouds throughout the day and when dusk sets in the setting sun illuminates the sky with deep reds and bright yellows.

• A short jeep ride takes you out to the town’s main attraction, the sand dunes.  Giant rolling hills of sand surrounded by green fields looking as though a bit of the Sahara has been dropped on the land.  We walk to the top in the scorching heat and take a thrilling magic carpet ride down its sandy banks.

• After wasting away five days in paradise, we decide that we need to see more ot the country and time is an issure, so we reluctantly pack our bags and head north.

Nha Trang

Next stop, Nha Trang, a far busier beach town with high-rise buildings, giant resorts, nightclubs, and fine dining.  This long stretch of beach is well developed and touts are everywhere selling jewelry, hats, t-shirts and of course cheap photocopied books.

We take a day to visit the mud baths to bask in its cool medicinal mud.  All of my travel weary bones and muscles are treated to a relaxing day of pampering and nurturing, preparing me for the days to come.  We will be going to Hoi An next, and I need to be in top form for the ultimate shopping experience.

Hoi An

Hundreds of shops vying for your business to sell you tailor made clothes whipped up in a matter of hours.  Chosing a shop can be difficult and we were standing in the rainy street confused when a lady approached us and said to follow her.  Reluctantly we followed her through winding streets and alleyways, when we finally came to her shop in the market.  We proceeded to pick out patterns and styles, while an army of women took our measurements, aided us in choosing material and colours from the walls of fabric.  Tailors work around the clock to please the many passing travelers and our new wardrobe was ready the next morning for pick up.  From cashmere suits, cocktail dresses and silk shirts to cargo pants and surf shorts, we bought it all for a steal and end up sending 12 kg of clothing home to Canada

Hue

After shopping till we drop for 3 solid days, we are off to Hue close to the North-South border Staying in one of its many clean and cheap mini hotels, we stumble onto Café on Thu Wheels, a unique café with its walls covered in writing from past guests.  We book a motorbike trip to see the sights and it is a thrill to explore the countryside in the fresh air.
Taking another trip to see some tunnels and old war sights, I grow weary and look forward to moving on to Hanoi, the nations capital.

Hanoi

A colonial city full of French architecture, sidewalk cafés, and cobblestone streets.  We explore its sights eating French baguettes and sipping lattes on Hoan Klem Lake, then book a tour to Halong Bay.

A wonder of nature in the South China Sea, where 1000’s of island jut out of the turquoise water creating a never ending horizon of mountains.  We explore the labyrinth on a small teak cabin cruiser, where we have our own private bunk and are treated to a feast.  Sleeping in the bay surrounded by these sleeping giants while looking into the clear night sky is a unique experience.

Sapa

The final destination of our Vietnam adventure takes us to Sapa, a mountain town near the Chinese border.  We stay with the hill tribes in the vast rice terraces and trek for three days in this rugged land.   The beauty is overwhelming as every corner I turn leaves me more awestruck.  Giant terraces filled with water glisten in the sun for as far as the eye can see.  Water buffalo graze in the fields and villagers dress in traditional hand made clothing.

The villagers live by the old ways, harnessing water from the mountain to use as irrigation, weaving their own material, growing their own rice and vegetables and raising their own livestock.  They are a people truly at one with the land, but that hasn’t stopped some of them from owning a satellite televisions.

Vietnam is a fascinating adventure with so much to see, you could easily spend two months exploring its countryside.

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