Vietnam Holidays » Square Kilometers

Vietnam Travel – A Truly Exciting Experience

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:00:41 +0000

Vietnam is a peaceful country situated in South East of Asia. With a large number of highlands and mountains and an extended coastline from North to South, this marvelous country has features of both- mountain as well as sea attractions. Having the total area of about 331,688 square kilometers, Vietnam is among the thickly populated countries of the world. Traveling in Vietnam can prove to be highly exciting and interesting. Even with a small and affordable budget, tourists can relish the vacation to the most possible extent.

The most popular city in this country is that of Hue. This was the Vietnam’s capital during the feudal system. Hue is also known for its old palaces and temples that date back to numerous centuries ago. It is known for its unique food items. Considered to be the heart of Vietnam, Hanoi is the known capital of the country. This beautiful city is situated in the Red River Delta and is also considered to be an economic centre of the entire delta.

Hanoi is a very cultured city known for its different types of houses, traditions and old streets. Even though, Hanoi is no way behind the latest trend and fashion, its old features and traditions cannot be taken away from this charming city.

Attractive destinations

Apart from the various cities, there are numerous other beautiful towns and attractions that add beauty and charm to the country’s life. The travelers can have a great time visiting the silent and enchanting beaches in the Nha Trang or Vung Tau city.

The peaceful lakes and green mountains with pine forests in the Da Lat, mysterious caves in the Ha Long and waterfalls in the Cao Bang will surely touch the hearts of many a visitors. This is the major reason that tourists choose to plan their vacations in Vietnam.

Vietnam bike tour and cycling trip

There are numerous activities and sports in this magnificent country that the travelers can enjoy. The top of the list among the favorite activities include Vietnam cycling. If you are cycling enthusiast, you should not miss the cycling trip that this country offers. The mind blowing cascading rivers along with the plush landscapes make this country a truly prized possession in the whole world. Travelers should not miss the opportunity of experiencing various attractions of the country on a bike travel.

The Hoan Kiem lake is another top destination of the country that the tourist cannot afford to miss. This charming lake, which is surrounded by the famous Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thai To, Hang Khay street, offers stimulating experience to the visitors. By getting the Vietnam tour duly booked with a reputed travel agency, the tourists can get the best of the vacation facilities and plans.

The best part about advance booking is that the travelers can save a lot of money by taking advantage of the attractive vacation schemes and discounts that are offered by various travel service providers.

Popular hotels in Vietnam

The most popular and great service offering hotels in the country of Vietnam includes Legend Hotel, Sheraton Ho Chi Minh Hotel, Horison Hotel Hanoi, Imperial Hotel, The Hai Resort, Victoria Sapa Resort and ATC Resort to name a few. So, what are you waiting for? Plan a trip to Vietnam now and enjoy the exciting culture, history and attractions it provides to its visitors.

By: Andynguyen

Vietnam Tour Operator: A One Stop Economical Solution for Vietnam Tour

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:44:18 +0000

Every tourist goes for vacation in order to explore the astonishing scenery, have a close view of mountains, and indulge in adventure sports and so on. If you are also planning for the same, then it is advised to visit Vietnam as the place is home to unmatchable scenery, calm coastline, green mountains, sunbathing and so on. Spread over an area of 332,000 square kilometers, Vietnam is bordered with Cambodia, China and Laos. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the largest city, while Hanoi is the capital city of the country. Before visiting the place, you need to accomplish some formalities like hotel bookings, reservations and so on. Whether you do not have time or looking for quality services, you can hire Vietnam tour operators who try to make your journey to Vietnam memorable by providing excellent services at cost effective rates. Vietnam Tour OperatorCommitted to offer world class facilities and services, Vietnam tour operators are associated with a number of hotels and resorts with convenient locations. Apart from these, most of the reputed tour operators offer other services including domestic as well as international airline tickets, hotel and resort booking, Vietnamese tourist visas, car rental, and bus and train tickets and so on. They arrange their customer’s tour according to budget and time frame. Vietnam Travel AgentIf you are planning to discover Vietnam, then it is advised to find a responsible Vietnam travel agent as there is a number of fake travel agents available who can do anything to cheat travellers. For knowing authenticity of a travel agent, you need to make an extensive search through the internet. They arrange your tour in the most desired manner. They work with the sole aim to provide fully satisfaction to their customers. Finding Reliable Vietnam Tour OperatorsFor finding a reliable and authentic tour operator, customers have to make an extensive search through the internet. This is because; there are a number of online travel agents come up to provide customized services for their customers. So, why are you waiting for? Just search an agent and fill out its online form. You will get response as soon as possible.

Vietnam City Voted in World’s Top-ten Destinations for Winter Holiday

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:09:05 +0000

The U.S.-based Huffington Post has named Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi among a top ten of great winter destinations in the world.

“Hanoi maintains a relatively warm and dry winter, which can be a lot more manageable than the hot, wet summers. Combined with the city’s fascinating history and amazing food, Hanoi a great winter destination,”

the website wrote.

Vietnam’s capital last year drew more than 1.3 millions international visitors and is currently preparing hundreds of cultural activities for its 1,000th anniversary in 2010.

The other Top Ten are St. Petersburg, Russia; Reykjavik, Iceland; Krakow, Poland; Tokyo, Japan; Tallinn, Estonia; Mumbai, India; Edinburgh, Scotland; Berlin, Germany; and Sydney, Australia.

General Information

Population-84million people

Total Area – 329,560 square kilometers

Capital – Hanoi

Time Zone – Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +7 hours

Location

Vietnam is one of the most beautiful countries located in the South East Asia. In the North, Vietnam shares the long borderline with China. In the East, Vietnam is bordered by the Gulf of Tonkin, inn the East and South by the South China Sea, in the South West by the Gulf of Thailand, and in the West by Cambodia and Laos. Owning to stretching the length of the Indochinese Peninsula, Vietnam boasts a unique shape of an elongated S and a long coastline of 3,444km (2,140 miles) with a lot of wonderful sites.

Climate/Weather

Although Vietnam lies entirely within the tropics, the Vietnam’s climate surprisingly varies from region to region with the annual average temperature from 22ºC to 27ºC because of its topography. The mountainous people of Sapa in the north might be seeking shelter from snow while the urban dwellers of Ho Chi Minh City in the south seek refuge from mid-day heat.

In the North (from Hai Van mountain pass in the middle of Vietnam to the North), it is the weather of four different seasons in a year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Spring lasts from February to April with warm weather. In Spring, it is characterized by fine drizzle that helps plants grow fast and flowers bloom brightly. Summer lasts from May to August with hot and showery weather. The sun shines almost days. And there are sometimes sudden thundershowers that make summer less hot and become cooler. Autumn lasts from September to November with cool air, and dry and lightly windy weather. It can be said that it is the most beautiful season in a year with yellow leaves falling on the streets and yellow bright shines in day time although sometimes typhoons threaten life and agriculture in the country. Winter lasts from November to January with cold and dry weather. It is the coldest season in a year. Frost and snow can also occur in the mountains (over 1000m above level sea), that make Vietnamese people eager to go up to see and take nice photos of such scare event of a year.

The southern region is predominantly sub-equatorial with two main seasons of wet rainy season and dry season. A wet rainy season ranges from April to September. It is often sunny in mornings and rainy in late afternoons. Showers often rain heavily but stop quickly. A dry season spans the months of October to May. The weather becomes hotter. The Sun shines all days. But it becomes so cool at night. Definitely, the weather is rather stable in the south.

Language

The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese, which is the mother tongue of the Vietnamese people who constitute 86% of Vietnam’s population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. And it is the second language of the ethnic minority groups in the country. It is monosyllabic, with each syllable having six different tones that can change the meaning of the word. This makes it quite difficult for new learners. Beside the official language, each ethnic minority group has its own dialect that has been used and preserved in daily life.

The Vietnamese writing system in use today is an adapted version of the Latin alphabet, with additional diacritics for tones and certain letters. The different tones are indicated by the use of accent marks. This system of writing, called quoc ngu, was created by a French Catholic missionary, Fr. Alexander De Rhodes, in the 17th century to translate the scriptures. When France invaded Vietnam in the late 19th century, French gradually replaced Chinese as the official language in education and government. Vietnamese adopted many French terms, such as ??m (dame, from madame), ga (train station, from gare), s? mi (shirt, from chemise), and búp bê (doll, from poupée). In addition, many Sino-Vietnamese terms were devised for Western ideas imported through the French. However, the Romanized script did not come to predominate until the beginning of the 20th century, when education became widespread and a simpler writing system was found more expedient for teaching and communication with the general population.

People

Although it is a small country with the area of 329,560 square kilometers, there are up to 54 different ethnic groups inhabiting in Vietnam, of which Kinh (Viet) people accounts for nearly 86% of the whole population, and the others are ethnic minority groups that represent about 14%.

According to historical materials, Viet people was the first group living in Vietnam. And then other people came from the Southeastern Asian area. Almost of them are from China. Their ancestors migrated to Vietnam few hundred years ago. There are ethnic minority groups such as Khmer and Cham, descendents of inhabitants who lived in central and southern Vietnam before the area was conquered by Vietnam. The other groups are Muong, Pathen, Pu peo,etc. All of them are divided into 5 major groups following the language they speak: Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Viet-Muong, Sino-Tibetan, and Austronesian.

Nowadays, Kinh (or Viet group) mostly base in plains, especially in the Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta. The ethnic minority groups locate in the mountainous areas. Each group has their own custom and tradition. However, they are all friendly and love peace.

Food

Eating out in Vietnam ranges from street food to fine dining in luxury hotels. Though from anywhere, it cannot be denied that Vietnamese food is tasty and healthy. It is often made by different kinds of vegetables. Rice is the staple cereal and fish-sauce “nuoc mam” is extensively used. The most popular dish among the local people is the Ph? – a noodle soup with meat, beef or chicken. The chicken soup (pho ga) or beef soup (pho bo) is quite spicy and available at all food stalls at US $0.60 per bowl. Pho Bo Tai is a soup with rare beef fillets. Another specialty is the spring roll, which is found in many versions, with varying ingredients used.

The menu in restaurants is mainly non-vegetarian with dishes made from pork, fish and beef, snake and soft-shell turtle, which is considered a delicacy. Chè is a dessert made from sticky rice, beans, and a seasonal fruit. International cuisine such as French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and American is also available.

Fruit smoothies made from seasonal fruits are popular. Fruits such as custard apple, sugar apple, banana, avocado, durian, strawberry, jack fruit, passion fruit, dragon fruit, lychee and mango can be found in fruit stalls. You will need to clean the fruit thoroughly before eating.

It is also recommended that you buy bottled water rather than drinking tap water. Don’t miss out the bia h?i (meaning ‘beer gas’), as the Vietnamese call draught beer. Imported brands such as Carlsberg, San Miguel and Heineken are available along with local brands such as Tiger, Saigon, and 333 (pronounced “ba-ba-ba”).

Currency/ Money

The currency is the Vietnamese Dong (VND). Notes are available in denominations of VND 100,000; 50,000; 20, 000; 10,000; 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; and 200 hundred. Many tourists call Vietnam is a country of many thousand Dong.

Coins have just recently been re-introduced and are available in 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; and 200 Dong denominations.

The USD is widely used in Vietnam’s cities. Tourists can use USD when travel around Vietnam but please look at exchange rate in the exchange rate table before coming to Vietnam.

VISA, MasterCard and American Express cards are accepted in major hotels, restaurants, and shops in the urban areas. Travelers Checks are easily changeable at banks and moneychangers all over the country. Commissions are US$1 for a US$100 TC at Vietcombank, US$2 at ANZ Bank.

Shopping

Vietnam is not exactly a shopper’s paradise, and the streets are awash with little shops selling all manner of items. You can do a lot of souvenir shopping in Hanoi, Hanoi’s Old Quarter is particularly excellent for visitors with shops selling clothes, gold, embroidered tablecloths and handbags. Around Hanoi have many handicraft villages, Good souvenirs are marble figurines and vases, ceramics from Bat Trang village, silk paintings from silk village, and hand-painted greetings cards. In particular, the lacquer ware, tailor-made ao dais (female national costume), mother-of-pearl inlay work, silk paintings, and wood block prints are very artistic and worth acquiring to take back home. The hill tribes of the Central Highlands and the north of the country now sell colorful woven bags and clothing. Ho Chi Minh City is also a good place to shop for jewellery, carpets and leather work.

By: Linh Phuong

Indochina Sails Luxury Cruises on Halong Bay Vietnam

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:33:50 +0000

One hundred and seventy kilometers from Hanoi, in northeastern Vietnam, Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on earth. The bay is a magical blend of land and sea with thousands of limestone islands and islets in a myriad of shapes and sizes. Many of the islands contain caves and grottos, some hidden away for millions of years, but now accessible for our lucky guests to explore and marvel at their immensity and spectacular displays of stalactites and stalagmites. The bay is bordered on the south and southeast by the Gulf of Tonkin, on the north by China and on the west and southwest by Cat Ba Island and encompasses 1553 square kilometers.

Backed by 10 years experience hosting international guests on the tranquil waters of Halong Bay, Indochina Sails has set a new standard for luxury cruising. The first company to offer overnight cruises on the bay, Indochina Sails is now widely known as the number one choice for discerning travellers, operating a fleet of four newly built wooden junks designed in time-honoured traditional style, with contemporary and luxurious cabins and facilities.

Each of our boats features spacious, well-appointed cabins and suites with large en-suite bathrooms, a large sundeck with comfortable lounging furniture and an elegant dining room and bar. We have designed and fitted our boats to international standards while maintaining traditional styling, creating the perfect balance of modern comforts and nostalgic ambiance.

Our boats are built in Vietnam, utilizing local materials and the handiwork of skilled craftsmen and artists. The wood featured in the interiors is called “go huong”, which translates as aromatic wood, it is a highly durable and beautifully grained wood which adds to the rich and warm character of the boats.

Our newest boat, the Indo 3, also features ceramic artworks handcrafted in Bat Trang, well known as the home of the country’s most talented ceramic craftsmen. All of our boats are decorated with silk from Van Phuc, the “Silk Village”.

The “Valentine”, perfect for those seeking a more exclusive and intimate experience, is a full service vessel offering all the facilities and amenities of our larger boats, but with only five cabins; four Deluxe cabins at 19 square meters each and one Suite cabin at 30 square meters, all with Jacuzzis.

Whichever of our boats you sail on we make your journey special right from the start by providing our own private pier to embark from.

By: Trang Nguyen

Enjoy a Vietnam Vacation like no other

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:13:35 +0000

When you are looking to travel Vietnam, you must be prepared to be amazed at the wealth of beauty and history that you will find here. There are tons of exciting destinations in Vietnam with the best Vietnam destination among others being Halong Bay. This place is thought of as an 8th wonder of the world and is known to the Vietnamese people as the bay of the descending dragon.

Indeed this UNESCO heritage site is one of the greatest places to enjoy a honeymoon trip in Vietnam as well as adventure travel Vietnam. Some of the lovely Vietnam beaches are found here and with a trusty Vietnam tour operator by your side, your Vietnam holiday will be most enjoyable. There are lots of other places that one can enjoy here like Hanoi, the capital city, Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An, Hue, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Dalat, Sapa, and Ninh Binh. In fact, these are the top Vietnam tours that are available from a Vietnam responsible travel agent.

In Halong Bay you will find over 3000 islands to choose for your exciting and most romantic honeymoon trip to Vietnam and at each island you will find of the most outstanding resorts Vietnam has to offer. Beautiful scenery awaits and breathtaking opportunities for photos will have you ready to come back to this beautiful country time and time again.

It is quick to reach Halong Bay from Hanoi and once you have toured the interesting capital city, you can truly relax in style and indulge in the peace and quiet of the islands. For the adventure traveler, Halong Bay offers some of the best caves to explore along the limestone islands that stretch 430 square kilometers. One of the best ways to travel the entire country of Vietnam is on a luxury cruise liner or junks that are quite a popular mode of transportation here. Once you are in this area you should also consider other Vietnam tours to the close by places of Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang.

For a wonderful Vietnam experience you can make your way to the southwest of the country where the Mekong Delta is located, or the Nine Dragon River. Here is the region where Ho Chi Minh City is located and you will find very interesting geographical elements and natural wonders like the mangrove swamps. For a more stylish Vietnam holiday you will find that the Nha Trang City is one of the best places to go. Here, some of the most affluent travelers come on vacation and there are pristine beaches with excellent activities and accommodation facilities. The Miss Universe Pageant was held here in 2008. Nha Trang is the capital of the South Central Coast Province and attracts most international tourists in Vietnam.

A gorgeous place in Vietnam is the mountainous frontier town of Sapa on the border with China. Here you can enjoy the mountains of the Himalayas and the lovely terraced fields and market places. This area offers plenty of unique plant life and forest areas which are stunning.

By: Andynguyen