Hanoi, Vietnam

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Vietnam is located in South East Asia with a tropical and temperate climate. The inland border is 4,510 km long with China to the north and Lao and Cambodia to the west. Vietnam's coastline is 3,260 km long with several wonderful ocean sceneries. Most of the land area consists of forests and national preserved parks. The total length of the country from north to south is 1,650 km. Being known for hidden beauties unfound anywhere else in the world, Vietnam has become the destination for millions of travelers every year. For more information about Vietnam (resorts, history, culture, art, food,...), please click here.

1. Hanoi, the cultural and political capital of Vietnam, is a captivating city with a rich and proud history of 1000 years. It is surrounded by the Red river and the To Lich river and dotted by several lakes (West Lake, Hoan Kiem, Truc Bach, Thuyen Quang...) and parks (Thong Nhat, Thu Le...) providing beautiful aerial spaces inside the city. Hanoi was first chosen as the capital of Vietnam in 1010 and its ancient name was Thang Long, "the ascending dragon". The "old quarter of thirty six streets", designed by ancient Vietnamese and French architectures, forms a charming interior downtown, where travelers can enjoy very special and tasty traditional gastronomy. Famous sites include the Temple of Literature (built in 1070), the One Pillar Pagoda (built in 1049), Hanoi Citadel, Hanoi Opera House... For more information, please click here.

2. Ha Long, "the descending dragon" bay, has been recognized as a world heritage by UNESCO and considered to be the eighth natural world wonder. Legend has it that thousands of dragons descended to the bay to help Vietnamese people fight against invaders and stayed there after the victory . Located about 176 km from Hanoi, this unique and magnificent paradise consists of 3000 islands and islets covering an area of 1500 km2 emerald sea water. There are many strangely-shaped islets with special names, Cockfight, Toad, Dome..., covered by green and dense vegetation. The islands have several caves and tunnels built up by wind and tide, such as Pelican, Dau Go, Hanh... More information about Ha Long bay can be found here.

3. Mountainous areas account for three quarters of Vietnam's territory, mainly at the border provinces and inhabited by many Vietnamese ethnic groups. In these areas, travelers can enjoy and experience imposing sceneries, diversified cultures and interesting traditions. Vong Phu, "the waiting lady", is a mountain in Lang Son province with a legend that a lady holding her child was waiting for her husband from war. As the husband never came back, the lady and her child became stone standing there and waiting forever. Lao Cai province has Sapa, a town looming in fog located beside the Muong Hoa river with the altitude of 1750 m. With many villas and hotels, it is compared to Switzerland as a place of ideal weather for vacations and ethnological research. At Dien Bien Phu and Mai Chau valleys, travelers can find villages of nicely decorated stilt houses on top of stepped rice fields. Going to Huong Tich (Perfume), a complex of pagodas and temples on limestone mountains, travelers will ride a boat on the Yen stream through rice fields, clime thousands of stone steps up to the peak of the mountains and get transferred to the holy world of Buddha with the incense smoke and the bell sound. For more information, please click here.

4. The centre of Vietnam has a long coastline and many beautiful beaches. Hue, the ancient royal city, is located on the banks of the Perfume river, 15 km from the ocean. Several royal places, citadels, temples and tombs with charming traditional architectures are situated on the riversides and the Ngu Mountain attracting tourists from all over the world. The Danang beach with white powdery sand stretching a long way from Danang city to the Marble mountain has been recognized as a world class tourist spot and famous with another name "China Beach" on American TV reels. The Marble mountain, also called the site of five elements, has many caves with Buddhist temples. Hoian, a famous and well-preserved ancient port, had been an important commercial centre since the 10th century. In this city, travelers can find ancient architectures such as Chinese Fukien temple, Japanese-style bridge built in 1593 and old hard-wood houses. Nha Trang, located in the religious area of Cham, is a popular beach resort with palm trees and white sand washed by the emerald sea. More information about this region can be found here.

5. The southern area is mostly covered by the Mekong delta, the rice stock of Vietnam, where farmers are bending their backs over cultivated fields from sunrise to sunset under the blue sky. The economical centre is the dynamic, eventful and vibrant Ho Chi Minh city, long known by the West as the Far East Diamond. Tourists can visit the historical museum, Notre Dame cathedral, presidential palace, Ben Thanh market, Thien Hau temple, Giac Lam and Giac Vien pagodas and Cu Chi tunnels. Not far from Ho Chi Minh city are Vung Tau and Long Hai beaches. Vung Tau also has Jesus' statue on the mountain facing the ocean as one in Rio de Janeiro. Another long beach with white sand, green trees and emerald sea is Long Hai with a summer palace for the last king of the Nguyen dynasty. In the countryside, several evergreen fruit gardens, some of which are on beautiful islands, attract thousands of visitors every year. Ha Tien, a small Ha Long bay of the south, possesses beautiful sceneries of the open sea and mountains with farms of pepper plants. For more information, please click here.