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Halong Bay
Halong Bay is located in the Quang Ninh province and is a World Heritage Site. The history of Halong Bay dates back to times when the Vietnamese fought the Chinese invaders. A family of dragons was sent by the Gods to help the Vietnamese ward off attacks from the Chinese. In the process, jewels and jade were strewn on the island that took the shape of islands and islets that helped the Vietnamese protect the island from the invasion.
Halong bay coastline is about 130 kilometers long with 1970 islets in the bay. The World Heritage Site comprises of an area of 434 square kilometers in this island. Ba Ham Lake and Cong Tay Island surround the Halong Bay .
Halong Bay experiences wild swings in its temperature. Summers are generally hot and moist, with the winter seasons generally being cold and chilly. Halong Bay experiences good rainfall in the range of 2000-2200 mm. The salinity of water ranges from 31-35 MT depending on the season overhead.
Halong Bay is known predominantly for the islands and caves. In Halong Bay , you would find 1969 limestone islands with each island having really thick vegetations. In fact, Halong Bay appears rising over the ocean, making it a visual treat for many. Most of these islands are hollow yet huge in size. The Wooden Stakes cave is the largest amongst all the caves in Halong Bay .
Expect a lot of fauna in the Halong Bay ! Precisely for the reason that 200 species of fishes inhabit the waters of Halong Bay , a lot of fishermen have set their base here. In fact, most islands in Halong Bay have rather unusual names, mostly due to their unusual shapes – Voi Islet (Deriving its name due to its appearance as an elephant), Ga Choi Islet (Deriving its name due to the appearance of fighting cocks) are some examples.
Each of these islands is known to have a lot of lakes. This is a bit unusual for islands, as they normally do not have lakes in their topography. Be surprised to know that the Dao Be Island has 6 lakes enclosed in its topography.
Expect fish to be a main ingredient in all your foods in the Halong Bay ! Cuttle fish, Oyster, Prawns, neritas and much more dominate the menu more than anything else here. Obviously, these dishes are known by some peculiar sounding Vietnamese names, which you will find out when you reach here!
Remember, Halong Bay is a heritage site! Please be sure not to pollute the environs of this place. Already, Halong Bay has damaged quite a bit of its ecosystems in clearing sea grass, to accommodate jetties for the boats. The occasional bout of game fishing is fine here, but just do not go overboard with it. You do not want to be accused of endangering some species of fishes that can only be found in Halong Bay .
The Halong Bay is known as a Tourists' paradise in Vietnam . So much so, that any visitor to Vietnam makes it a point to come here. The limestone islands and the exciting floral diversification make it a tourists delight! Be sure to go to the Halong Bay when you go to Vietnam !
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
About 500 kilometers south of Hanoi , you would find Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park , a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Phong Nha-ke National Park is known for its proximity to its Laotian counterpart, Him Namno Nature Park. In fact, Phong Nha-Ke National Park is located in 200,000 acres of area in Vietnam bordering another 200,000 with the Him Namno Nature Park.
About 300 caves and grottoes form two large karst regions here. Karst is a topography made of soluble bedrock; on most occasions carbonate rock or limestone rock. The 300 caves and grottoes make up for about 70 kilometers of area in the Phong Nha-Ke National Park . Longest river running underground and Largest passageways – these are couple of milestones of Phong Nha-Ke. In fact, these milestones hold world records for what they are now!
The most beautiful of the 300 caves in this locality is known as Phong Nha-Ke, thus giving name to the National Park.
Territories located in – Tan Trach, Thuong Trach, Phuc Trach, Xuan Trach; all in Bo Trach district of the Quang Binh province.
How to reach Phong Nha-Ke National Park – Drive from Hanoi for 500 kilometers and you would reach Phong Nha-Ke national park. Remember, the roads are a bit rough and it would take you 12-14 hours to reach the place. Alternatively, you could drive down from Da Nang . The easiest way to reach Phong Nha-Ke is by rail. This place is just 28 kilometers west of the Saigon-Hanoi rail link.
Climate – Phong Nha-ke boasts of a tropical climate round the year with temperatures at a median of 23-25 degree Celsius. It can get really hot in the summer with the maximum temperature touching high 40s and really cold in winter with the temperature shooting down single digits. Be sure to be adequately covered for either season, and by the way it rains hard during monsoon season too!
Mounts and Summits – You just cannot skip seeing the dozen plus peaks that you will find in Phong Nha-Ke. Most of these peaks are karstic in nature, with Co Rilata the tallest amongst all the peaks.
Rivers – Phong Nha-ke is known to have the longest running underground river. Visiting Phong Nha-ke, do not miss out on seeing the Son and Chay rivers. These rivers are responsible for forming the structure of most caves and grottoes you would see in Phong Nha-ke.
Caves and grottoes – What else is this place all about? With 300 caves dotting the topography of Phong Nha-ke National Park , expect to stumble on to one or the other cave every 5 minutes. There is no way though that you can miss out on the Phong Nha cave, the most beautiful cave in this place that has given this place its name.
The Tien Son Cave is another of the places that can be visited by people on expeditions. This place is not safe for tourists, with the way the cave opens up underground. Expeditionists though have reported top-quality stalactites and stalagmites in this cave.
96% of Phong Nha-Ke is made up of forests. Approximately 75% of this forest area is a tropical rain forest area with the forests on top of the limestone rocks. In Phong Nha-Ke National Park , you would find evergreen trees with a liberal scattering of deciduous trees. Truly, it is a botanic' delight to be in Phong Nha-Ke National Park .
The Phong Nha-Ke National Park is also a place where you could find rare species of vertebrates and generas, apart from it being home to 256 genera and 381 species of vertebrates. Expect to find Francois Langur in a herd here, along with their Hatinh and Black counterparts. In addition to them, you would also find the Asiatic Black Bear and Sunda Pangolins, two species that are considered endangered.
Expect to find a lot of birds chirping around in the wet forests of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park . A recent World Wildlife report suggested that you could find more than 200 species of butterflies here.
Discover the caves and grottoes on a boat – Speak to a local travel agency and arrange for a boat to take you to the 300 caves and grottoes you would find in Phong Nha-Ke.
Mountain climbing – There are many mountains in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park that you could afford climbing. These peaks are all of 1000 meters tall, so climbing them should not be a problem for an expert mountaineer.
Adventure boating on the Chay River – Visitors who want to have an adrenaline pump can get boating on the Chay river and move upwards to the primitive forests of Tro Mong. This route is especially ‘rocky' what with a lot of waterfalls and whirlpools greeting you, as you ride by.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is a place that offers something to everyone. If you are adventure minded, and like exploring stalactites and stalagmites, this is the place to be!
Can Gio Mangrove Forest
Travel 40 Kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh and you will get to the Can Gio Mangrove Forest . This is a biosphere reserve, as listed by the UNESCO. In the long list of beautiful places to visit in Vietnam , Can Gio reserve is certainly one of them. This forest extends over 75.74 hectares and is home to about 150 botanical species.
From Ho Chi Minh, you must take a boat to cross the river to get to Can Gio Reserve. By taking the Binh Kanh ferry, you would reach the ecological tourism area of Vam Sat. That is precisely where the Can Gio Forest is.
Expecting good roads in the Can Gio forest area or even on the lead up to this place would be a miracle. The roads are full of potholes primarily due to the silt of the soil. Basins of rivers supply the silt and nutrients to the soil of the Can Gio. This may be bad for setting good roads, but certainly is good for maintaining a sanctuary of sorts with plenty of Flora and Fauna.
On reaching Can Gio, expect to find yourself almost alone in the place. Not many people actually visit this place, except for the ones who wish to find new botanical species. After spending some time in the place, you would find local villagers who stay in the Can Gio Mangrove forest, more specifically in the Vam Sat area. These villages work as farmers in the area.
Your visit to the Can Gio forest will not be considered complete if you do not visit the Bat Swamp . To get to the swamp, you would need to take a boat along the Lo Ren River. As you ride by the boat, you will also note mangroves dotting the banks along with homes of some local farmers. After some time, you will be going around the swamp on its periphery.
At the center of the Bat Swamp , you would be able to see the bats staying in mangroves. Ideally, the bats like a quiet ambience. So, be sure to go on a manual boat with oars! You can chug along in a motorboat, but be sure to switch off the engines when you near the place, else you would be disturbing the bats!
One can also visit the Can Gio Mangrove forest to see the meeting of the Vam Sat and Lo Ren rivers. The other major attractions in the Can Gio forest are the lagoons that you will see here. These lagoons are used to catch crabs and oysters.
Cat Tien National Park
Travel 150 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh towards Saigon , and you would get to the Cat Tien National Park . Vietnam is not known for its tropical rainforests, though the Cat Tien is the one of the very few tropical rain forests in Vietnam now. The Cat Tien National Park was witness to some of the heaviest damages caused during the Vietnam War.
A lot of herbicides were sprayed over the area of this park during the War, inflicting heavy damage to the ecosystem. In fact, till date a lot of the bamboo and shrubs have not managed to grow back after the spray of herbicides.
You will find some really rare species of fauna here in the Cat Tien National Park. Some of them include Fabacecae, Lythracecae amongst others. Bamboo Woodland make up 40% of the area of Cat Tien with another 10% contributed by wetland, farmlands and grassland.
As for species of animals found in Cat Tien, the list is impressive and long at that. In the Cat Tien National Park, you would find Sun Bears, Asian Elephants, Gaur, with some flocks of Asian Water Buffalo. Some researchers have also reported the sight of Asiatic Black Bear and Leopards, but these are not confirmed reports as yet.
In the Cat Tien National Park, you would also find White-winged ducks, Siamese Firebacks and the Black Eagles.
The presence of a lot of rhinos in this park, makes this critical to the Vietnamese. In fact, the Javan Rhinos have already been classified as one of the endangered species inhabiting this park. A lot of logging and poaching done by the locals here have threatened to spoil the ecosystem of this place.
Remember, Cat Tien National Park is a place where animals live in peace! Do not try to hunt them down or poach on them. Already, Cat Tien National Park has damaged quite a bit of its ecosystems due to the extensive logging and poaching in this place. Please also be sure to carry your trash with you. Dumping the trash in the forest may also lead to causing environmental pollution here.
Cat Ba Island
If you are in Halong Bay , you cannot afford to visit the Cat Ba Island. Occupying about 140 square kilometers of the World Heritage Site, Cat Ba Island offers more than just a relaxation stop for travelers who wish to visit the Halong Bay .
Cat Ba Langur, one of the endangered species of monkeys inhabits the Cat Ba Island. This island, in fact is home to some of the most endangered species of langurs including the golden-headed langur. Civet cats and Giant Squirrels of the Oriental class are two other popular species of animals you will find in the Cat Ba Island.
Unlike other tourist destinations in Vietnam , reaching the Cat Ba Island is not much of a headache. To reach the Cat Ba Island, all you have to do is drop by the Cat Ba town, which is not too far away from the island itself. The other alternative though is a simpler one – Drop by on your way to the Halong Bay to enjoy all what Cat Ba has to offer you!
Explore the flora and fauna of the Cat Ba Island during the day. Trust this place is like a dream, especially with birds chirping around the trees.
Be at the Cat Ba town during the night, especially as you would not be able to do a lot in the Island during nights. In the town, you would be able to enjoy the beauty of a colorful fountain that plays in the dark in the town's promenade. You could also enjoy a drink or two at a cheap rate under the background of wooden limestone hills.
A lot of people stop by at the Cat Ba Island on their way to the Halong Bay . The island and the town, at most times wear a festive look especially during weekends and public holidays. Tempting enough for you to get carried away with your spirits! Remember, some basic rules of traveling in Vietnam still apply to you irrespective of the fact that you would be tucked away in a lonely island.
Red River Delta
Known as Dong Bang Song Hang by the locals, the Red River Delta is one of the landmarks of Vietnamese topography. Red River Delta contributes to a lot of agricultural output of Vietnam . Located in North Vietnam , the Red River Delta is formed due to the meeting of the Thai Binh River and the Red River along with its distributaries.
Red River Delta, as a plain exists ever since Red River and Thai Binh river were in existence. This goes to say that this is one of the oldest places in Vietnamese history. Yet, the popularity of the Red River Delta stems from the fact that this is not a place. In fact, it is a conglomeration of various districts including Hanoi , the capital of Vietnam .
Some of the provinces of the Red river Delta are Bac Ninh, Ha Nam , Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thai Binh and Vinh Phuc. This list does not include Hanoi , the capital of Vietnam and Hai Phong, the main port of Vietnam . The list of provinces in itself is not complete with another 20 odd provinces covered by the Red River Delta.
Three reasons why you should be visiting the Red River Delta are as follows.
Most other tourist places of attractions would offer you in-depth look at the florae and faunae of Vietnam . This is one place that will allow you to take a look to understand one of the key drivers of the Vietnamese economy – agriculture. Understanding the topography of the Red River Delta will be more than enough for you to understand everything you wished to know about it.
Of course, visiting Hanoi ! How can you ever leave Vietnam without visiting Hanoi ? Being the capital of Vietnam , it offers you an urbanized outlook of Vietnam , which no other place here can offer you.
You would also be able to visit Hai Phong, the main port of Vietnam . Visiting the main port will give you a detailed outlook on the trade and export/import regime of Vietnam .
Already, you could be feeling that visiting the Red River Delta will give you a very commercialized outlook of Vietnam . In fact, it is this diversification that makes Vietnam so popular amongst tourists. You have places like Cat Ba Island and Halong Bay ; places that offer you excellent insights into Vietnamese florae and faunae.
Ho Chi Minh City
Named after the legendary Ho Chi Minh City who was born in 1890, Ho Chi Minh City is one of the cosmopolitan cities of Vietnam . Also known as Thahn Po Ho Chi Minh City by the locals, Ho Chi Minh City formerly known, as Saigon is really Vietnam 's largest city in terms of size. Ho Chi Minh City is located in the Mekong Delta and is inhabited by more than 9 Million people.
You quite don't need a reason to visit Ho Chi Minh City , do you? Its date with history and active participation during the French invasion and; of course, the Vietnam War is more than enough to get you here. Below mentioned are places you should see when you visit Ho Chi Minh City City .
Reunification place, also known as Dinh Thong Nhat is one big attraction in Ho Chi Minh City . This was the place where the South Vietnamese used to plot the downfall of the North Vietnamese guerillas. Locals say that huge and powerful North Vietnamese tanks broke open the gates of this monument when Saigon fell in 1976.
Notre Dame Cathedral – This is one of the French masterpieces, constructed by the French in the 19 th century. This cathedral was granted the status of a basilica in 1962. Recently in 2005, a lot of people reported that Virgin Mary cried and tears were seen rolling down her eyes from the statue. Authorities though refuted these claims quickly.
Museums, Museums and more – One thing you would surely find in Ho Chi Minh City City are museums. The Ho Chi Minh City City Museum , the War Remnants Museum , and the Museum of Vietnamese History are some of the popular ones here in Ho Chi Minh City City .
The average humidity reported in Ho Chi Minh City City is about 75%. Known for its tropical climate, Ho Chi Minh City City averages a high of about 32 degree Celsius throughout the year. The equanimity in temperature is due to its proximity to the South China Sea . Winds blowing from the South China Sea moderate the temperature of Ho Chi Minh City city.
It rains quite a bit here. In fact, locals say it rains for about 150 days in a year with an average of 12 mm rain recorded daily. The reason for you to cheer is that it rains between May and November, so you could have a rain-free trip, should you plan one between December and April.
Acknowledged as one of the important cities of Vietnam from the economic standpoint, Ho Chi Minh City lives up to its reputation with an excellent Gross Domestic Product performance. As per statistics, the GDP contribution of Ho Chi Minh City wa $14.3 Billion, 20% of the country's GDP . Tourism statistics are pretty encouraging as well, with about 3 Million visitors visiting the city. Don't be surprised to know that 70% of the visitors, who came to Vietnam , visited Ho Chi Minh City City .
Travel about 4 miles north from the city center, and you would reach the Tan Son Nhat International Airport . This airport is well connected to all major cities of the world with daily flights.
The roads of Ho Chi Minh City City , especially the streets of this city are completely inhospitable. Full with potholes, be sure to get a definite backache when you ride through them. The main roads though are in a much better condition. Any rules and regulations followed while driving! No way, as you would find motorbikes zipping around from any direction you could imagine. By the way, Ho Chi Minh City City is also known as the City of Motorbikes !
You could ride on the city buses, a much safer option if you wish to get around Ho Chi Minh City City . The average fare of these buses would be approximately 3000 dongs, and would take you to your destination rather safely, unlike motorbikes.
Ho Chi Minh City City though is one place from where you could go to almost anywhere in Vietnam . Being the main stop of the North South rail link, it will get you connected with Hanoi if you wish.
Ho Chi Minh City City is definitely one place you would not wish to miss visiting when you are in Vietnam . This place offers you a classic combination of a date with history along with modern entertainment!
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