Hai phong travel guide

Travel 102 km from the capital Hanoi, one will find Hai Phong – one of North Vietnam’s most beautiful yet strategically important port cities. “Hai” means ocean, and “Phong” means to defend. Hai Phong thus can be fierce, its oceans more than once fighting off invaders to protect Vietnam’s sovereignty. But this city with its temples and beaches can be magnificently elegant and rich at the same time. It is nicknamed “Flamboyant city” after the red flamboyant trees which grow abundantly around the city. GEOGRAPHY
Hai Phong lies 102 km from Hanoi, on the very East of the Northern Vietnam coastline. The city is one of Vietnam’s major ports and industrial area. Conveniently situated at the crossroads of major sea routes, water ways, railways and highways, Hai Phong is a main traffic connection in North Vietnam. CLIMATE
Affected by monsoon winds, Hai Phong has a cold, dry winter from November to April and a hot, humid summer season from May to October. The average rain fall is from 1.600 to 1.800 mm, and storms tend to occur from June to September. Average humidity is 80 – 85%, average temperature is 20C to 23C. The temperature may vary from 40C in the summer to 5C in the winter months.

PLACES TO SEE
Do Son beach
Stretching 22km wide between two rivers Cam and Van Uc, Do Son with its soft white sand has always been an ideal beach destination. Besides the luscious natural beauty of its 3 beaches, Do Son also processes many cultural and historical artifacts.
Here, on top of Ngoc Son mountain are the remains of a 10 story tower made of clay and an ancient Buddhist temple (both built in the 11th century). The temple displays one of the most grandiose and significant Vietnamese Buddhist bells of the era. The bell was, for a few hundred years, submerged in the ocean after its fall during a large storm. It wasn’t until 1958 that local fishermen managed to re-discover the bell and bring it up to land. After nature’s harsh treatments, the bell (made of a large percentage of pure gold) still chimes near to perfection.
Buffalo fighting is a famous local tradition that has dated back hundreds of years. Tourists coming to Do Son on the 9th of the 8th month yearly (according to the lunar calendar) can witness the final rounds of this much anticipated festive event at the town stadium.
Those keen on history may chose to visit the “No-Number Port” where ships without license numbers from North Vietnam started their journey on the Ho Chi Minh sea route to bring aid to the North Vietnam army during the war. Another historical destination is the newly restored Bao Dai mansion, where Vietnam’s last king spent many summer holidays and served important guests.
Do Son also boasts a grand casino that promises to bring fun and entertainment to all who remember to bring their passport upon entry. Cat Ba Island
Cat Ba is the largest out of the nearly 2000 islands surrounding the Halong bay area. Cat ba possesses 17.300ha of tropical forest, 570 of which is primeval. Under the green canopy is a diverse ecosystem, with hundreds of valuable medicinal herbs and trees. Cat Ba is also home to the endangered Komodo iguana, which can way up to 100kg. Tourists visiting Cat Ba have plenty of choices between the island’s tropical beaches, caves and the Cat Ba National Park. Quán hoa (Flower market)
Designed in 1941 by the French, Quan Hoa is a complex of small flower stalls and boutiques designed to combine Western and Oriental standards of beauty. This bustling yet elegant flower marker has become inspirations for many artists and photographers. Den Nghe (Nghe temple)
The temple worships the female general Le Chan, who is considered the founder of Hai Phong city. The temple is unique because it has a bed and musical stone carved from completely stone, with intricate dragon decorations.

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Halong bay travel guide

Located in the North East of Vietnam in Quang Ninh province, Halong bay with its clear emerald waters and 1969 limestone and schist islands that come in all shapes and sizes is a spectacular creation of nature. The bay deserves its title as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site and is a must-visit to all tourists.History of its name
Like many other locations in Vietnam, Ha Long bay’s geography and name is connected to ancient legends. In Sino-Vietnamese, Ha is to lower and Long is dragon – Ha Long describes a dragon descending to land on earth.
The Vietnamese people have always believed in their connection to dragons – legends tell that the ancestors of all Vietnamese are in fact Lac Long Quan (a dragon god from the ocean) and Au Co ( a beautiful mountain goddess).
Halong legend tells that many centuries ago, the Vietnamese were attacked by vicious foreigners and had to fight back to protect their country. A mother dragon and her children were sent down to help the people in this ocean area. The dragons spit out pearls from their mouth, which formed into islands and created a defense system that helped the Vietnamese win.
Culture and History
Most of Halong bay’s local inhabitants live on fishing. There are currently 4 fishing villages within the World Heritage Protected area, with around 1600 inhabitants who live on floating houses and boats.
Ha Long was also home to many ancient Vietnamese people and different ethnic groups. Archeological evidence is present showing the lives of the Soi Nhu culture (16000 – 5000 BCE), Cái Bèo culture (5000-3000BCE) and Halong culture (2500-1500 BCE)Biodiversity
Halong bay area has rich biodiversity, with 2 main ecosystems: tropical moist evergreen rainforest ecosystem and marine and coastal ecosystem with 7 endemic species.

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Hanoi travel guide

Indochina’s old dame, Hanoi is striving to modernize, yet unwilling to let go of the beauty of its glorious past.
Slightly vain, the city won’t bow down and give any tourists and easy time. Only those who are truly willing to understand and listen will recognize the logic of Hanoi's beauty, the complexity of its chaos and peace, its urban speed and rural tranquility.
History and name
Hanoi used to be called Thang Long (flying dragon). The myth was that in 2010, the new king Ly Cong Uan while visiting this valley saw a dragon flying into the sky, and took this as an omen that this place was a suitable capital to rule. Thang Long had rich soil and good defense because it was surrounded by the Red River and backed by mountains.
The city was later renamed Hanoi (which means inside the river) in 1831 when the Nguyen dynasty moved capital to Hue. Hanoi was returned its status as capital during the French rule from 1887 to 1954, and continued to be the capital, first of Communist North Vietnam (from 1954) and later, of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
As of 2008, Hanoi will be expanded to include the surrounding province of Hatay and parts of Ha Dong, to a size of 3.200km2 and population of over 6 million people.
Getting there and around
Most visitors will land at Noi Bai international airports through one of the following airlines:
• Vietnam Airlines - the primary national carrier • JetStar Airlines (tel: 84-4 9550550) - discount Vietnamese carrier • Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines fly daily to Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur• Cathay Pacific - upscale airline with flights to Hong Kong • Hong Kong Airlines - new carrier with daily flights to/from Hong Kong • Thai Airways International - two flights daily to/from Bangkok • Lao Airlines – operating flights from Phnom penh to Hanoi• Nok Air - budget airline flies to/from Bangkok • Tiger Airways
It takes around 40-60 minutes to get to the city downtown from the airport by taxi and costs 30 US$.By trainVietnam’s major north-south train, the Reunification Express, runs from Hanoi south to central Vietnam (Hue and Danang) and then further to Ho Chi Minh City (more than 30 hours from Hanoi). By busHanoi is the main gateway for buses run from north to south on the coast of Vietnam. There are daily bus routes from Hanoi to all cities around Vietnam at Kim Ma, Giap Bat, Luong Yen and Gia Lam bus station.

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Sapa travel guide

Above the clouds, at 1600m high, lies the tranquil and colorful village of Sa Pa. Lustfully rich in nature and culture, Sapa for the last 100 years has been many’s ideal, mystical refuge from everyday bustle and heat. Geography
The village lies on the Hoang Lien Son Alps, known in English as the Tonkinese Alps. To the South West of Sa Pa, on this beautiful alp, is the 3143m high Fanxipan Mountain, known as the roof of Indochina – the tallest mountain not only in Vietnam but in all of Indochina. Between Fanxipan Mountain and Sa Pa town is Muong Hoa valley, which is terraced into wet staircase rice paddies. Demographics
The village of Sa Pa is rich in culture and ethnicity. Out of its 36,000 scattered population, the Kinh group (who are the ethnic majority in Vietnam) only make up 15%. Most inhabitants of Sa Pa are ethnic minorities: Hmong 52%, Dao 25%, Tay 5%, Giay 2% and a small number of Xa Pho, who up to this day still preserve very much of their traditional life style, culture and clothing. History
The area was originally inhabited by the ethnic groups H’Mong, Dao, Tay and Giay. The spectacular site was first discovered by the French around the 1880s. In 1891, along with the whole of Lao Cai province, Sa Pa was officially incorporated into colonial Vietnam and acted as a major defense point in the North West.
Fascinated by the town’s lust nature, clear air and cool climate (which strongly contrasts with the humidity and heat of the rest of the country), the French colonizers quickly turned Sapa into a retreat center. A flux of missionaries, militaries and wealthy business men came here building sanitariums, villas and churches; turning parts of the town into pleasant European villages.
Nowadays, Sapa is once again open for tourists, waiting to share its secrets and surprises with everyone.

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