Hoi an travel guide

Hoi An Ancient Town certainly lives up to its recent status of UNESCO’s world heritage. Bustling with life, antique and mystical, Hoi An is an outstanding material manifestation of the fusion of cultures over time in an international commercial port. Despite the more-than-ever amount of motorbikes and tourists, everything else in Hoi An looks as if it had stayed the same since the 19th century. History
Since the 1st century AD, Hoi an had already been a bustling trading port founded by the ethnic group Champa. Until the 1700s (when the Champa group were overthrown by the Viet ethnic group), Hoi Anremained one of the Champa dynasty’s major harbors. After that, Hoi Anremained an important Vietnamese node on the silk road. Due to its strategic location and economic promises, many Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled down in the city. Entering the 19th century, Hoi An lost its role of major port and bustling economic zone to its more industrialized neighbor Da Nang. However, this decrease in business opportunity has prevented Hoi An from becoming industrialized, allowing Hoi An to preserve many of its cultural and historical aspects. Geography
The city of Hoi an lies on the coast of the South China Sea in the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is located in the Quang Nam province and is home to approximately 88,000 inhabitants. The town is situated on the North bank of the Thu Bon river over an area of 0.3 square kilometers.

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Hue travel guide

I came to Hue during Tet Doan Ngo (Doan Ngo festival, a minor Buddhist festival) and it was impossible for me to find an open restaurant or shop in town. Vietnam’s ancient capital, booming city and a world renown tourist area, yet Hue is not at all noisy, rushed or commercialized like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Hue is honest and sweet. It is tranquil like the Perfume River that flows through it, majestic like the Royal Palace and tombs that would never let its secrets out. Geography
To be precise, Hue city is the capital of Thue Thien – Hue province. Hue lies on the banks of the Huong (Perfume) river, in the narrow central of Vietnam, only a few miles west from the sea. History
Hue first assumed its role as a capital city, during the Trinh - Nguyen civil war, when it was the capital of South Vietnam. In 1802, Nguyen Anh succeeded in unifying his rule over both North and South Vietnam, forming the Nguyen dynasty. Hue remained the capital of Vietnam until the end of feudalism in 1945.
During the Vietnam War, Hue held a strategic positioning as it was near the dividing line between North and South. The city’s elegant and refined architecture witnessed and suffered from one of the most lengthy and bloody battles in the War, the Battle of Hue (during the Tet offensive 1968). Many of Hue’s palaces, tombs and temples were destroyed by American bombs and bullets, as well as by neglect in restoration by the Vietnamese government during early years of independence (they saw these historical artifacts as remains of the oppressing feudal system).
Hue has now been returned the peace, attention and protection it clearly deserves. The remains of the Inner City (where the Royal family lived), tombs and temples offer insight into Vietnam’s past and rich culture. Hue has been certified by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Hue royal music (nha nhac cung dinh) is also considered a UNESCO intangible heritage. Religion
Hue is the center of Buddhist worship in Vietnam, with many temples and tombs.

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Nha trang travel guide

Name:Nha Trang is the Vietnaminized version of the Champa name Ya Trang. Ya Trang means “river of reed”, originally used to describe the river Cai and surrounding land. History
Until the 19th century, Nha Trang was still made up of remote fishing villages, surrounded by jungles and full of wild animals. It was the French that first saw Nha Trang’s prospect as a bathing spot, and quickly put the white sand beaches and clear sea into use. Under French rule, Nha Trang first became town and later township of Khanh Hoa province. During the Vietnam war, Nha Trang grew as a popular holiday destination for American soldiers. During this time, Nha Trang was under the rule of the South Vietnamese government (backed by the US) and was taken over by the National Liberation Front on April 2nd, 1975 (nearly a month before the fall of Saigon). In 1999, Nha Trang officially became a city. Geography
The city of Nha Trang lies in a valley surrounded by mountains on the North, West and Southern side. Nha Trang borders the Pacific ocean on the East. Cai Nha Trang river and Cua Be river divide Nha Trang into three parts, with 19 islands in total. The largest island, Hon Tre is 36km2 large and blocks all wind coming into Nha Trang, giving Nha Trang much less wind and waves.

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Dalat travel guide

City in the clouds. Dalat’s cool winds and temperate climate, its French architecture and evergreen pine trees separate this “Little Paris” from the hot and humid tropical South Vietnam surrounding. Recent urban development and opening of many new resorts has made Dalat become more modern and tourist-convenient in the eyes of some, yet less romantic in the view of others. Though less popular among foreign visitors, Dalat remains the natural beauty, the city of thousand flowers, and the destination for lovers in the eyes of the Vietnamese. Meaning of name
The name derives from the language of the local ethnic group Lat and its original meaning is "Stream of the Lat”.History
Prior to 1893, the Lang Biang highlands were home to various ethnic groups. The French governor of Indochina Paul Dommer, together with Doctor Alexandre Yersin, decided to establish a sanatorium on the cool highlands of Lang Biang in 1899. In 1916, emperor Duy Tan decided to form Dalat town (centre urbain), township of Lam Vien province. The first Viet ethnic people who settled in Dalat were prisoners sent up here to build roads and other infrastructure.
The French built two new roads leading from Saigon and Phan Thiet to Dalat, providing the right conditions to turn Dalat from a nearly wild area to a 1.500 people town in 1923. It was Emperor Khai Dinh h who decided that Dalat should be come not only a city, but a tourist center. During World War 2, many of the French could not return to their country.
They stayed in Đà Lạt, giving the city its French town look which it holds onto until now. In 1975, Da Lat became one of Vietnam’s four governmental cities (along with Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh city). Geography
The city of Dalat is built on the Lang Biang highlands, North of Lam Dong province. The highlands are surrounded by continuous mountains.
Further Reading
Dalat weather and climate - information on the best time to visit the city.

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