Experiences in Ha Giang Province

Ha Giang, one of the northernmost provinces of Vietnam, is gifted with magnificent mountains and endless rice paddle terrace fields. You can travel in Ha Giang all year around, however, the best time to go is the blooming seasons when you are surrounded with many colours of flowers such as purple colour of buckwheat flowers, pink colour of cherry blossom, and white colour of plum and pearl flowers. It is also known for trekking on passes and slopes where you stop on top of them to contemplate the natural beauty that seems to be a reward for you.

Another interesting thing you would enjoy is to stay at villagers' houses for the rest during a journey. You would be received with the hospitality and friendship of the minor ethnic people. In addition, Ha Giang features primitive caves as many places here have not been developed in terms of tourism. Thus, the discovery would bring unexpected things and adventures to tourists.   

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Yen Trung Lake

Yen Trung, a deep and romantic lake and a weekend gateway for locals, is known as a Da Lat miniature in Quang Ninh Province. The lake is surrounded by pine trees hanging out under the wind that cover roads leading to the lake. They are supposed to be a professional guide for visitors coming here. The climate in Yen Trung Lake is as mild as the one in Da Lat. The turquoise water in the lake is clear and as flat as a mirror.

Fortunately, Yen Trung has not been exploited to develop tourism in this province. Thus, it still retains its natural beauty and green environment that attract local and international tourists.    

The photograph courtesy of Thanh Nien Online

Pu Luong Naturar Reserve

Pu Luong Natural Retreat which sits about 160km southwest Hanoi is considered as a weekend getaway for locals. Pu Luong features verdant rice terrace fields where farmers toil and moil from early in the morning till sunset, pristine forest and lush green valleys. It is also an ideal place of biodiversity. Pu Luong means a high peak in a valley in Thai language.

Pu Luong is one of the off-the-beaten-path places in Hanoi where you enjoy trekking and multi-day hikes among rice paddy fields and forests. Pu Luong is home to the ethnic minority people who live on stilt houses and are very hostile and willing to invite travellers into their houses for a cup of tea. 
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 The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Notre Dame Cathedrale

Saigon Notre Dame Cathedrale, which was established in the 1880's by the French, is considered as a stronghold of Catholicism in a Buddhist country like Vietnam. The church took the name after the Virgin Mary statue that was built in front of the church. The Virgin Mary statue was told to shed tears in 2005 that created a scandal that hooked the attention of thousands of Catholic worshippers from every corner of the country to come to witness or to pray for the good. However, the Catholic community refuted this incident. 

Saigon Notre Dame Cathedrale was constructed with red bricks that were imported from Marseille. On the top of the church, it exists six bronze bells that still ring to tell the time to people. A small piece of a garden sits in front of the church where the Virgin Mary Statue stands. 

The church serves religious masses not only for locals but also for expats. Now it is under restoration by the Catholic community.    

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Then-and-now Vietnam

The photo above describes the before-and-after Vietnamese girl. The Vietnamese girl is known for a long dress and a conic hat shown in the lefthand side of the photo that has attracted the attention of international tourists to visit Vietnam. However, most of them have mistaken for it. It would say that the image of a Vietnamese girl clad in a long dress mostly appears on calendars and papers only. 

The righthand side photo is a current image of a Vietnam girl. Due to the western influence and following the existing trend, the Vietnamese have lost their unique traditional clothing that had spellbound millions of people as their long dress embodies their gracefulness of the silhouette. 

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Vinfast Vehicle

Vinfast has created a breakthrough

 in Vietnam’s automobile industry

Vinfast conglomerate came in the Paris Motor Show to show off its brand new sedan and SUV. The first is named the Lux A2.0 and the latter Lux SA2.0, which have drawn the car fans as they contain letters and numbers instead of a name like Cadilac.

The ambitious fledging automaker has plucked Australian senior engineers who ever helped Fords, Holdens, and Toyota and now help kickoff the newcomer Vinfast. Those engineers are highly regarded in this industry.

Australia is known for the cutting edge car industry that has produced many talented engineers and designers. Many of them have relocated due to the redundancy and uncertainty about the future of this field in this country.

Vinfast Vice President Roy Flecknell revealed at the show that the flexibility and broad knowledge are vital to Vinfast’s first-two-year development.

In addition to the Vinfast car show, the media attention presence of football star David Beckham has created a surprise and has hooked the interest of car enthusiasts. It is an impressive highlight of a high profile marketing campaign for their premium vehicle. David Beckham is known for driving all manners of luxury rides from Range Rover, Porches, Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, saying that it’s incredible to produce vehicles such as Lux A2.0 and Lux SA2.0 in short a space of time.

Vinfast has not only made a miracle for Vietnam but also has spell-bound the world in terms of the automobile industry. 

Hue City

Hue used to be a formal imperial capital sitting in Central Vietnam. It is located along the bank of the Perfume River, one of the landmarks of Vietnam. Tourists would find the footprint of one-time political, cultural, and religious centre through ancient constructions and monuments that have been changed or worn less or much with time. However, with its historic values, Hue is recognised as one of the world heritage sites by UNESCO.

If you are a history buff or a person who wants to discover the exotic culture, Hue definitely stays in your top list of a tour in Central Vietnam because it is an opportunity to learn about the vanished Vietnamese feudal empire, the complex of monuments, shrines, tombs, and pagodas that have spellbound thousands of tourists.

A top list of a tour may be Hue Citadel which scatters along the Perfume River, occupies a large and bound area that protects a royal imperial and comprises royal palace, shrines, and an inner city. It takes a day to discover this mysterious complex.

What to do in Hue is a question in your mind when arriving in Hue. In addition to visits to tombs, pagodas, you will find moments of relaxation lying on a white silky sand beach, twinkling in sunshine with blue ocean.

A coffee shop above is a place for a tourist to take a rest in a middle of a trip. It is designed under a rustic construction that creates a rural environment.

Da Lat City is known as a city of flowers, a place for honeymooners. It attracts the interest of tourists thanks to beautiful waterfalls, lakes that sit in lush, green valleys. Da Lat City used to be under the management of French Administration, thus, it retains French construction villas. Da Lat City is also noted for a city of thousands of pine trees. It is gifted with the mild climate quite different from most of the other regions in Vietnam, a temperature country. With such of these advantages, Da Lat City is always overwhelmed with tourists on holidays like Christmas, New Year, and Lune New Year. As a result, many homestays have mushroomed recent years that helps travellers with much more choices in terms of accommodation.

In addition to the beauty of nature, Da Lat is home to coffee, tea and rubber plantations that extend to the horizon. Those who love Da Lat City name it a city of love, a city of poetry, and a green city. These names prove that Da Lat City is a must in an itinerary of your tour in Vietnam.

The photograph courtesy of Thanh Nien Online

Sapa is a must in your itinerary

Sapa today changes completely into a tourist centre in northwest Vietnam, quite different from a hill station it used to be in 1922. When coming to Sapa, you discover spectacular cascading rice terraces, surrounded by hills and mounts that tour all of their sides. Standing on a hill and looking down, you are thrilled with views subdued by thick clouds rolling across the peaks and hill tribe people who fill their town with their colourful clothing.

Sapa is quite changed as the tourism has developed to meet the requirement of tourists. However, thanks to building height restriction, Sapa still retains its skyline thrusting upwards. Once launching yourself in Sapa, don't miss its love market, a single's night imaginable.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Safety first

A UN model of sustainable construction in Vietnam

The Green One United Nations House (GOUNH) in Hanoi, which was inaugurated in 2015 with the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, indicates the Growth of Viet Nam and UN cooperation in terms of sustainable development. The GOUNH staff has been encouraged to work in a way of green behaviors by reducing printing, replacing plastic products and using means of public transport. As a result, GOUNH achieved a third of their energy reduction target by boosting solar water heating and smart environment control. The appropriate fixture also generates a 42% reduction of water use. In addition, the building uses solar panels to collect power energy.

After three years putting into operation, the GOUNH has been acclaimed by international community with a lot of awards. This is a sustainable model in which innovative models and sustainable management practice represent foundations to meet sustainable development goals. GOUNH is considered as a typical, successful building of the cooperation between Vietnam and UN. 

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An is known for its ancient construction style. When the night is falling, all-kind lanterns are lightening the town. You come here not only to discover long-standing houses but also enjoy authentical foods of middle Vietnam.

The photo above illustrates a typical restaurant in Hoi An Town with ancient furniture which seems to be made for some decades ago.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

A Horse-Drawn Carriage

Before 1965, a horse-drawn carriage was commonly used in Vietnam's big cities. It was a public transportation then. A carriage is pulled by a horse and a rider sits in its front part. A carriage maximally contains 4 pax. 

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

Da Lat City

Dalat City in the early morning is a time to capture romantic, beautiful photos. It is not only a tourist attraction for local and international travellers but a place for photographic enthusiasts to satisfy their hobby.

To experience these sceneries, an advice for tourists is to rent a motorcycle to drive around the city and its suburban.

The photograph courtesy of Thanh Nien Online

Long-Standing Church in Kontum

An over-100-year church in Kontum, middle Vietnam was built from 1913 to 1918, a mix of Roman style construction and stilt house of Bana. Bana is the ethnic minority people in this region. The church was made of wood. It is not only a religious place for Christian but also a tourist attraction.   

The photograph courtesy of VN Express

Cajuput Forest Tra Su

Cajuput Forest Tra Su offers you tours on creeks meandering between two sides of cajuput which provide more cooling shades, particularly on sunny days. You could also discover customs of ethnic minority people Khmer and Cham, their mosques in this region.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express

The Park near Prenn Waterfall

Da Lat is known as a tourist attraction and noted for hills, valleys that draw the attention of thousands of loving couples or those who want to enjoy honey-moon voyages. The photo above depicts a small park near Prenn waterfall where students organize open-air activities in summer.

Photograph courtesy of VN Express

Coffee shop in Hoi An Ancient Town

A coffee shop is found the off beaten path in Hoi An Town. A small alley leads to this shop whose owner decorate it with the yellow, colourful lanterns to create a cosy atmosphere.   

The photograph courtesy of  VN Expess

Coloured Lantern Festival

Coloured Lantern Festival enlights the spiritual culture of the Vietnamese that takes place on occasions which people pray welfare for the dead.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express Online

On the opening school day

The opening school day is on the corner. Students across the country come back to school after summer vacation. On these days, some regions in northern Vietnam have hit by some typhoons or floods due to heavy rains. The photo above describes students crossing a so-called bridge on the way to school. Fatal risks are waiting for them.

The photograph courtesy of VN Express online