Vietnam

Vietnam is a country most people have heard of but until recently few had had the opportunity to visit. It was not until the early 1990s that the first intrepid travellers started arriving. Things have come a long way in the past decade and visitors from all over the world are now discovering what a hidden gem of a country Vietnam is. Brilliant green rice fields, bustling city streets, thatched bamboo huts, grand colonial buildings, exotic temples and pagodas, deserted sandy beaches, breathtaking mountain scenery, conical straw hats, colourful ethnic minorities, graceful women in ao dai tunics, delicious cuisine, luxurious hotels and resorts and more, much more, it’s all here in Vietnam.

Geographically Vietnam is a very diverse country with a great variety of scenery from the verdant tropical waterways of the deep south to the pine forests and peaks of the far north, from the sandy beaches of the coast to the cool tea and coffee plantations of the Central Highlands.

The country can be conveniently divided into three distinct regions, the south, the centre and the north, corresponding to the three administrative regions of Cochinchina, Annam and Tonkin under the French colonial rule. The north of the country was the first to be settled and is characterised by the rich farming lands of the Red River Delta. The centre contains the Truong Son Mountain Range running along the border with Laos in the west and the narrow coastal strip bordering the Eastern Sea in the east. In the south, the Mekong Delta is the country’s most fertile region and Vietnam’s major rice and fruit producing area.

The two great metropolises of the country are the elegant capital city Hanoi and the dynamic, economic powerhouse Ho Chi Minh City. Since 1993 UNESCO has declared five World Heritage Sites in Vietnam, four in central Vietnam and one in the north. The four sites in central Vietnam are former imperial capital Hue, the historic trading port of Hoi An, the centre of the former Cham Kingdom, My Son, and Phong Nha Caves. The fifth World Heritage Site is the spectacular natural wonder that is Halong Bay in northern Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still known to many, is Vietnam’s largest city with a growing population of around 7 million. This is a city on the go 24 hours a day, where everybody seems to be busy either buying, selling, studying, working or just enjoying themselves. Despite the fact that modern high-rise buildings have begun to dominate the skyline in recent years there are still many fine examples of French colonial architecture in Ho Chi Minh City such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office and the former Hotel de Ville. A stroll down Dong Khoi Street, the Rue Catinat of Graham Greene’s ‘The Quiet American’, will reveal more colonial classics like the Continental, Grand and Majestic hotels as well as dozens of tempting boutiques and galleries.

Ho Chi Minh City is a real shopper’s paradise with modern shopping centres and trendy boutiques rubbing shoulders with traditional street markets. The city’s best-known market is Ben Thanh Market where you can buy anything from fresh fruit and flowers to the latest imported electronics and cosmetics.

One of the most interesting places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City is the former Presidential Palace, now renamed the Reunification Hall. This building remains almost exactly as it was on the morning of 30th April 1975 when the Saigon regime surrendered to the victorious liberation forces and the country was reunified for the first time since 1945. For more war-related history the War Remnants Museum with its thought provoking display of weapons and photographs is also worth visiting.

Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, is the frenetic commercial centre, where every building has a shop or workshop on the ground floor. Cholon also has the city’s largest market, Binh Tay Market, and some fine pagodas including Thien Hau Pagoda, with its huge incense coils suspended from the ceiling.

A visit to the 15 May School, where disadvantaged children have the opportunity to study subjects as diverse as Vietnamese, English, mechanics, sewing and circus performing, is a very worthwhile option during a Ho Chi Minh City tour.

For wining and dining it is hard to beat Ho Chi Minh City. The city is crammed full of restaurants and bars ranging from simple pavement stalls where you can buy a bowl of noodles for a few cents to sophisticated restaurants serving fine European cuisine at a fraction of the price you would pay in Europe. Ho Chi Minh City’s nightlife has become very cosmopolitan in recent years and there are literally hundreds of bars, pubs, night clubs and discotheques to pick from for a night on the town. Further afield, popular day trips from Ho Chi Minh City include the incredible Cu Chi Tunnels built by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long years of struggle for independence and the bizarre Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh.

The Mekong Delta, often referred to as Vietnam’s rice basket, is the biggest rice-growing region in the country, the rich alluvial soils producing three harvests a year. Despite being a

predominantly rural region, the Mekong Delta is one of the most densely populated areas in Vietnam and most of the land is under cultivation. Other delta products include coconut, sugar cane, fruit and fish.

The main towns of the delta are My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho and Chau Doc. Driving south from Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho is the first major Mekong Delta town you come to. Its proximity to Ho Chi Minh City has made My Tho the most popular destination for day-trippers to the delta looking for a taste of authentic delta life. Here visitors can take a sampan along the waterways, visit tropical fruit orchards and try the local delicacy, Elephant’s Ear Fish.

The other popular destination for day-trippers from Ho Chi Minh City is Vinh Long, another 65km deeper into the delta. It is the islands in the Mekong River rather than the town itself that is the highlight of a trip to Vinh Long. Most of the islands are given over to fruit orchards and the narrow canals are often straddled by flimsy-looking wooden bridges made from the trunks of coconut palms or bamboo and known as monkey bridges. An early morning visit to nearby Cai Be Floating Market offers great photographic opportunities as all manner of

produce is traded from boats. To make shopping easier the boats suspend a sample of what they sell from the top of a long pole. On the way back to Vinh Long it is possible to stop off to visit small riverside workshops including blacksmiths, rice huskers, thatchers and coffin makers!

Just over 30km and a ferry ride away from Vinh Long is Can Tho, the bustling commercial centre of the Mekong Delta. Can Tho is one of the more attractive delta towns but as in the rest of the Mekong Delta the best sights are on the water. The delta’s biggest floating market, Cai Rang Floating Market, is 6km from Can Tho and well worth an early morning visit. For a memorable boat trip the Victoria Can Tho Hotel operates sunrise and sunset cruises on the Lady Hau, a renovated traditional rice barge. A spectacular sight outside of town is the stork garden at Thot Not where hundreds of egrets, herons and cormorants gather in the treetops to roost late in the afternoon.

Chau Doc, nestling at the foot of Sam Mountain on the Cambodian border, has a real frontier town feel to it. This busy little riverine town has large Cham, Khmer and ethnic Chinese communities and the distinctive architectural styles of each community can be see n in their places of worship around the town. A boat trip on the river is the best way to see the unusual floating fish farms, houses with wooden pens suspended underneath where live fish are kept. Chau Doc’s Sam Mountain is home to dozens of temples and shrines and is a popular pilgrimage site for ethnic Chinese as well as Vietnamese.

Off the eastern coast of the delta in the Gulf of Thailand, nearer Cambodia than Vietnam, is the island of Phu Quoc. A mountainous island that is still mostly forested, Phu Quoc is blessed with some beautiful white sandy beaches and clear blue seas. The island is famous throughout Vietnam for the production of black pepper and its fish sauce, said to be the best in the country. Several small-scale beach resorts have opened over the past few years on Phu Quoc and it is connected by a daily flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Though not part of the Mekong Delta, Con Dao is another island off the southern coast of Vietnam. Con Dao served as a prison island for political prisoners during the French colonial

era, when it was known as Poulo Condore, and in later years the Saigon regime imprisoned opponents of the regime in the infamous cells known as the ‘tiger cages’. The old prison buildings are still standing and are open to the public as is a small museum tracing the island’s history. Besides having an interesting history, Con Dao is also an island of immense natural beauty with forested hills, deserted sandy beaches and extensive coral reefs making for some excellent diving.

The south central coast has Vietnam’s finest beaches and the best-known beach resort is Nha Trang with its white sandy beach and swaying palm trees. Most of Nha Trang’s accommodation is directly opposite the beach and one, the 5-star Ana Mandara Resort, is right on the beach. Needless to say life in Nha Trang revolves around the beach and the sea for both visitors and locals. A boat trip on the clear blue-green waters of Nha Trang Bay with some snorkelling among the coral reefs and a fresh seafood lunch is a great way to spend a day in Nha Trang. For scuba divers there are several diving shops along the beach offering professional dive services. Away from the beach Nha Trang has some other interesting attractions including Long Son Pagoda, with its enormous seated white Buddha statue, and the 7th century Po Nagar Cham Towers.

Further south, and just 200km north of Ho Chi Minh City, is the small fishing town of Phan Thiet. While Phan Thiet is a pleasant enough town, the real attraction is the nearby Mui Ne Peninsula and its 10km of sandy beaches and coconut groves. Many attractive small-scale beach resorts have opened up in recent years amongst the palm trees of Mui Ne and it

has become a popular place to rest up for a few days. At the end of the peninsula near to the fishing village are some enormous sand dunes that look as if they belong in the Sahara rather than southern Vietnam. For golfers Phan Thiet offers one of the best links golf courses in the region, the Nick Faldo-designed Ocean Dunes Course.

Just 130km to the southeast of Ho Chi Minh City are two more beach resorts, Vung Tau, a popular weekend resort for Saigonese, and the much quieter and more attractive, Long Hai. Around 100km to the south of Nha Trang, near to the dusty coastal town of Phan Rang, is another fine example of Cham architecture, the Po Klong Garai Cham Towers. Perched dramatically on top of a rocky hill surrounded by cactus the Po Klong Garai Towers dominate the surrounding arid landscape. Sixty kilometres north of Nha Trang and a short boat journey out to sea is one of the most delightful little hideaways in the country, Whale Island. Scuba diving, snorkelling, wind surfing, hobby cat sailing or just relaxing with a good book in a hammock, you can do it all at Whale Island. Nearly 240km north of Nha Trang is Quy Nhon, a convenient overnight stop between Nha Trang and Hoi An, with the attractive Life Resort Quy Nhon nearby.

Dalat was established as a hill resort at the beginning of the last century by homesick French colonials who were attracted to its cool, spring-like weather, pine forests, waterfalls and lakes. Many reminders of Dalat’s colonial past can be seen in the hundreds of European style villas, chalets and other buildings still standing around town. One fine example is the creamcoloured art deco villa that was once the summer home of Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai. Another slightly more grand example of Dalat’s colonial architecture is the superbly restored Dalat Palace Hotel overlooking the central Xuan Huong Lake. On the opposite side of Xuan Huong Lake is Vietnam’s first golf course, originally built for Emperor Bao Dai and recently restored, it is now one of the top courses in the region.

Apart from its colonial heritage Dalat is known in Vietnam for its market gardens growing everything from carrots and cauliflowers to avocados and bananas as well as many varieties of flowers. For Vietnamese, Dalat means romance, and with attractions like the Valley of Love it is the destination of choice for local honeymooners. A few kilometres from Dalat, at the base of Mount Langbian is the village of the Lat ethnic minority from whom Dalat takes part of its name. The rugged country around Mount Langbian offers some good opportunities for outdoor activities like hiking and rock climbing. From Dalat the fertile plateau of the Central Highlands stretches northwards for hundreds of kilometres. This is the most sparsely populated region of Vietnam and in the past was inhabited mainly by the dozens of ethnic minority groups known as montagnards in colonial days.

During recent decades the region has seen an influx of settlers from the more densely populated areas of Vietnam and much of the original forest cover has been cleared to make way for coffee plantations. There are however still many places of interest in the Central Highlands and although the main towns of the Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku and Kontum may not have a great deal to offer there are many authentic minority villages throughout the countryside. The traditional thatched, wooden stilt-houses of the Ede, Jarai, Bahnar and others are a feature of the region and an overnight stay in one of the villages is a memorable experience. One such village is Jun village on the shore of Lak Lake about 50km from Buon Ma Thuot. Here visitors can have a real Central Highlands experience with an elephant ride through the countryside, a cruise on the lake in a hollowed-out tree trunk known as a pirogue and spend the night in a village longhouse.

Once known as Faifo, Hoi An was one of the orient’s major trading ports in the 16th and 17th centuries. After the Thu Bon River linking Hoi An to the sea silted up ocean going ships were no longer able to sail into town and trade moved 30km up the coast to Tourane, known nowadays

as Danang.

Despite the passing of 200 years and the ravages of weather and war, the centre of Hoi An remains much the same as it was in its heyday. A walking tour is the best way to see the wooden-fronted houses that once belonged to the town’s prosperous merchants, the Japanesecovered Bridge and the wonderful market. Hoi An is one of the best places in Vietnam to shop for souvenirs at bargain prices including silk, handicrafts, antiques and paintings.

Five kilometres from the centre of town is Cua Dai Beach, popular with both locals and visitors alike, for its sandy beach, warm sea and seafood stalls. Hoi An is known throughout Vietnam for its excellent seafood and it also boasts its own unique dishes such as Cao Lau, a delicious combination of noodles, pork, bean sprouts, mint and croutons.

Inland and a half-day trip from Hoi An is My Son, where the capital of the once great Champa Kingdom stood. The Chams, Hindus originally from India, were the rulers of large areas of central Vietnam between the 2nd and 15th centuries. The Cham Museum, housed in a classical French colonial building in Danang, has the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world, much of it originating from the My Son site.

Right on Danang’s doorstep is Non Nuoc Beach with its miles of golden sand beaches and home to a luxurious beach resort complex. Another popular site in the Danang area is the Marble Mountains, five sacred marble and limestone hills. Many shrines and temples have been constructed over the centuries both on the hillsides and in the spectacular natural caves concealed within the hills.

Many of Hue’s attractions are found along the banks of the romantically named Perfume River that flows through the centre of town. On the north bank of the river is the Imperial Citadel, built along the lines of Peking’s Forbidden City, enclosed by 10-metre thick walls and surrounded by a moat. A few kilometres further up the river is perhaps Hue’s best-known religious site, Thien Mu Pagoda, with its distinctive seven-storey octagonal tower.

The elaborate mausoleums of the Nguyen emperors, more like palaces than tombs, are scattered around the rural areas

surrounding the city. The mausoleums of emperors Tu Duc, Khai Dinh and Minh Mang are particularly impressive being extravagant complexes of pavilions, temples, courtyards and lakes. A leisurely cruise by dragon boat up the Perfume River is a good way to see many of Hue’s attractions. Hue is also famous for producing the best non la or conical hats in Vietnam and the place to buy these is at the enormous Dong Ba Market. The very successful international arts event, Hue Festival, brought Hue to the attention of the world when it was first held in 2000 and again more recently in 2002. Hue Festival looks like becoming a firm fixture in the arts world calendar in the future.

For a day trip from Hue visit beautiful Bach Ma National Park, a hill resort in colonial times, with its stunning mountain scenery, waterfalls and nature trails. For those interested in Vietnam’s recent history it is possible to visit some former battle sites in what was once known as the Demilitarized Zone or ‘DMZ’. Alternatively, around 70 km south of Hue, nestling at the bottom of the Hai Van Pass, is the idyllic fishing village of Lang Co with its blue lagoon, sandy beaches, coconut palms and wonderfully fresh seafood which makes a nice break on the journey between Hue and Danang.

Vietnam’s capital city, has to be one of Asia’s most fascinating cities offering a unique blend of oriental and western charm. It is a city of exotic brightly painted temples and pagodas, elegant ochre-washed colonial villas, bustling narrow streets and alleys, grand tree-lined boulevards and shaded lakes. First established as Vietnam’s capital in 1010, when it was known as Thang Long, the city’s name changed several times before it eventually became Hanoi in 1831.

The Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam’s first university, dates back to 1070 and its peaceful gardens and pavilions offer a relaxing respite from Hanoi’s busy streets. Today Hanoi is still a city that attracts many of the country’s intellectuals as well as artists and writers.

Paintings by Vietnam’s new generation of artists can be seen for sale in the dozens of galleries that have sprung up in recent years in and around the city’s Old Quarter. It is here in the Old Quarter that Hanoi began life as a commercial centre over a thousand years ago. The original 36 streets that make up the Old Quarter are named after the goods once sold there such as silk, paper, silver, copper, herbs, cotton, fish and chicken. Nowadays the goods on sale are more likely to be t-shirts, sunglasses or embroidered table cloths but step back from the main streets and you will still find shops specialising in candlesticks, pagoda flags, engraved headstones and traditional musical instruments amongst others.

Just to the south of the bustling Old Quarter streets is Hoan Kiem Lake, an oasis of calm right in the centre of the city. Old men, students and weary tourists stop to rest in the shade on the park’s benches while local residents begin their day with a lakeside tai chi workout. Some of the capital’s finest colonial buildings can be found in the area of Hoan Kiem Lake including the magnificent Opera House, History Museum and the Metropole Hotel.

A couple of kilometres west of Hoan Kiem Lake is the imposing granite structure housing Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. The mausoleum overlooks Ba Dinh Square, the square where President Ho Chi Minh read Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence at the end of World War Two. Nearby is the lotus flower-shaped temple of the One Pillar Pagoda, first built in 1049, and the grand palace that was once the residence of the Governor-General of French Indochina.

Like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi also has some great shopping, particularly in the Old Quarter where bargains include silk, embroidery, handicrafts and original works of art. There are some interesting day trip options from Hanoi including Hoa Lu, the site of Vietnam’s first capital, Tam Coc Caves, the Perfume Pagoda and Hoa Binh, the home of many ethnic minority groups.

A natural wonder of the world and one of Vietnam’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, magnificent Halong Bay lies 160km to the east of Hanoi. Over three thousand jagged limestone islands emerge from the emerald green waters of Halong Bay. While some islands are no more than large rocks others are much more substantial and contain huge cathedral-like caves of stalactites and stalagmites. Most of the islands are clothed in thick green vegetation and ring with the sound of bird song in the early morning. Secluded sandy coves are everywhere and in the summer months the warm waters of the bay are ideal for swimming. Halong’s largest island, and one of the few that are inhabited, is Cat Ba which has some nice beaches and a national park on it.

The best way to appreciate the delights of Halong Bay is to cruise among the islands on a wooden junk. Fresh seafood can be bought from the local fishermen directly from their rowing boats and cooked up for a delicious lunch. For a real Indochine of old experience cruise the bay’s emerald waters in style with Emeraude Classic Cruises on board their wonderfully nostalgic 37-cabin replica steamship.

Around 50km south of Halong Bay is Haiphong, Vietnam’s third largest city and northern Vietnam’s main port. Despite being a largely industrial city, the centre of Haiphong has many classic French colonial buildings, wide tree-lined streets and some pleasant parks. Haiphong is

a good overnight alternative for visitors to Halong Bay and boats can be taken from Haiphong’s harbour.

Sapa, nestling in a beautiful valley on the border with China, is northwest Vietnam’s most colourful destination. Vivid green rice terraces are sculpted into the mountain sides while in the fields H’mong and Dao women work dressed in colourful traditional clothes. At the end of the week the H’mong, Dao and other ethnic minorities trek into town from the surrounding countryside to trade goods at the weekend markets in Sapa, Bac Ha and other small towns.

Here they sell silver jewellery, traditional embroidered fabrics and authentic articles of hill tribe clothing at the markets. Sapa and its environs has some of the best trekking in Vietnam and there are many ethnic minority villages that can be reached in day treks from Sapa or for a real hill tribe experience it is possible to stay overnight in local villages along the way. The scenery is spectacular, especially in spring and autumn when the skies are clear and blue, and the people are welcoming. Dominating the Sapa skyline is the peak of Vietnam’s highest

mountain, Mount Fan Si Pan, rising to 3,143m above sea level. To the southwest of Sapa, close to the border with Laos, is Dien Bien Phu, where the battle that ended French colonial rule in Vietnam took place in 1954. The area around Dien Bien Phu is also home to many ethnic minorities. Another interesting area with some good trekking, great scenery and authentic minority villages is Mai Chau, just 135km west from Hanoi. Most of the inhabitants of the villages and hamlets that make up Mai Chau belong to the White Thai minority and one of the highlights of Mai Chau is staying overnight in a wooden stilt house with a local family.

Cao Bang, to the northeast of Hanoi, is surrounded by some breathtaking mountain scenery and the nearby Ban Doc Waterfall is Vietnam’s largest. Not far from Cao Bang is another area of outstanding natural beauty, Ba Be Lakes, located within the national park of the same name. Lakes, waterfalls, rivers, caves, lush tropical rainforest and ethnic minority villages are all to be found in Ba Be National Park.

Incentives

In recent years Vietnam has become Asia’s most exciting new incentive destination with its atmospheric capital, Hanoi, and bustling Ho Chi Minh City as its main attractions; Danang and Hue, in the centre, can be included if time permits.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have a wide choice of quality hotels including such well-known international names as Caravelle, Daewoo, Equatorial, Hilton, Marco Polo, Melia, New World, Nikko, Renaissance, Sheraton and Sofitel, while in the centre of the country Danang’s luxurious Furama Resort can be used as a base.

Spectacular Halong Bay, 160km east of Hanoi, is one of the highlights of Vietnam and now incentive groups can discover this wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site in style by chartering the fabulous Emeraude, a luxurious replica steam cruiser.

For an evening to remember, Exotissimo will lay on a banquet for groups of over 40 people in the grounds of the History Museum, a 1930’s colonial building, formerly known as the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient. Or perhaps a ‘Hanoi Follies Night’ held at the capital’s best dining venue, the Press Club, featuring a jazz band and dancers performing the Cha cha cha and Charleston for a guaranteed swinging time. For a more relaxing evening chill out with dinner and a traditional puppet performance or fashion show at the exclusive Moon River Retreat.

The grand monuments built by the Nguyen emperors are the major attraction for visitors to Hue in central Vietnam and a 10-course royal banquet in the Imperial Citadel lit by hundreds of twinkling fairy lights is an unforgettable experience. Further south Danang is blessed with some of Vietnam’s best beaches and one of its best beach resorts is the award–winning Furama Resort. Sitting right on the golden sands of the famous Non Nuoc Beach, the Furama Resort offers many original options for incentive groups including an old ‘Indochine Evening’ and an action-packed ‘Pirate Party’ on the beach. The elegant Victoria Hoi An Resort in the wonderful historic town of Hoi An is an alternative venue for incentive events in the centre of the

country. The Victoria’s private beach is the ideal location for a barefoot BBQ beneath the stars.

Ho Chi Minh City, the former ‘Pearl of the Orient’, still has many reminders of colonial Saigon and a cyclo tour of the city takes in some fine examples of period architecture including the Old Saigon Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral and the former Hotel de Ville. A dinner on the rooftop terrace of the famous Rex Hotel offers a panoramic view of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. For a memorable farewell gala evening dine among tropical gardens at Binh An Village on the banks of the Saigon River while watching a display of oriental martial arts and dancing the night away as the resort’s owner and her jazz band entertain. At the end of 2003, almost a century after the first fleet of paddle steamers cruised on Halong Bay, a replica of one of the original steamers ‘Emeraude’, was launched offering stylish cruises once more in Halong.

The 'Emeraude' is a blend of the past and present, from its polished wooden floors and singlewheeled paddle to the classic décor. The 39 deluxe cabins are equipped with air-conditioning and heating, en-suite bathrooms and individual access onto the promenade deck. The ship’s restaurant, which can seat 80 guests, is the setting for the buffet meals and perfect for private dancing parties with a DJ or band. As darkness falls, relax on a lounge chair at the sundeck bar

with an after dinner drink. Parlour games and in-room massages are also available onboard for your enjoyment.

During the two-day cruise there are ample opportunities to explore some of the natural wonders of Halong Bay like Surprise Cave and Titop Island, which offers panoramic views of the bay from the summit’s observatory. For an early morning workout, try the soothing movements of Tai Chi on the sundeck before breakfast.

The Emeraude is available for private charter and would make any incentive programme to Vietnam a very special one indeed. Halong Bay is just a three-hour drive from Hanoi.