Posted by admin on July 25, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the Central, vietnam beauty | 
Admiring the bay from the Hai Van Pass, going fishing in the bay or swimming in the blue water are among pleasures of tourists at the Lang Co Bay in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue, one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
Lying between Da Nang and Hue cities, Lang Co is the third bay in Vietnam being admitted to the World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club (Worldbays Club) following Ha Long Bay and Nha Trang Bay.
The bay was selected for its preserved natural beauty, which harmonizes with local people and attracts a lot of tourists.
Lang Co Bay has a 13-kilometer long beach with white sand and blue water. It has Lap An lagoon, a brackish water lagoon extended to 1,500 hectares with rich natural resources.
The bay adjacent to Hai Van Pass lies in the central area, where visitors can reach four world cultural heritages in Vietnam, namely Hue relics, royal court music, Hoi An ancient town and My Son relics, within a radius of 70 kilometers.
The bay is also included in many travel tours and is the nucleus of four national tourism complexes as well as one of the three main points of Thua Thien-Hue Province’s tourism.
Let’s discover the bay through photos:
On July 9-10, the Lang Co – World’s Beautiful Bay Festival took place, with various activities like painting exhibition…
… Kite flying
Beach volleyball
Swimming
The afternoon in Lang Co
Lang Co at sunset.
VNE
Posted by admin on July 21, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the Central, vietnam beauty |
When the sun is about to cast its last beams over ranges of mountains and hills surrounding Nha Trang Bay and the central coastal city, the Altitude Bar has soft music mixed with the sound of gentle waves slapping against the ocean shore beneath.
Nha Trang Bay at sunset taken from the Altitude Bar
Then as the afternoon breezes from the world-recognized bay come in, they awaken and breathe new life into the Altitude on the five-star Sheraton Nha Trang’s 28th floor.
Considered the highest bar in Nha Trang, it offers an incomparable spot for visitors to have a bird’s-eye view of Nha Trang bay and the city.
The Altitude is open to both hotel guests and visitors from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but the hotel’s director of food and beverage Michiel de Kleer says the best time to visit the bar is from around 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. when the sun is going down behind the mountain ranges and hills in the west, leaving a lot of beautiful colors in the sky as dusk settles.
As darkness comes, we see the city at night. From the Altitude, guests can spot the Ponagar tower, the giant statue of Buddha and other city attractions lit up in all their glory.
The neon lights along the seaside street of Tran Phu point hungry travelers towards the restaurants that serve a wide selection of seafood and specialties of the city and the central region as a whole.
The moon appears in the clear, summer night, radiating its light all over Nha Trang Bay, which has been called one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
Under the moonlight, tourists and locals swim in the calm sea of summer, stroll hand in hand or chat in groups along the arch-shaped beach with some sitting down on the white sand to take it all in.
And you can see it all from the Altitude Bar. Guests can order a cocktail, mocktail, fruit juice, wine, champagne, beer, coffee and other drinks as they look onto the bay. Or they can sit indoors and immerse themselves in the music and enjoy their beverages. For more information and reservations, call (058) 388 0000.
Source: SGT
Posted by admin on June 23, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the Central, Vietnam travel News, vietnam beauty |
Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park has come to be well-known for the Phong Nha Cave and its natural beauty. Starting in June, the park’s management board launched a tour from the Chay River to Hang Toi (Dark Cave).
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Boat trips along Chay River
The tour is environmentally friendly, and offers visitors a chance to try out the local cuisine of Quang Binh Province.
The Chay River begins at the limestone plateau of Ka Bang, with the clear and blue waters of the Son River’s tributary.
The stone peaks provide a lovely foil to the surrounding corn fields, making unique and picturesque scenery.
Hang Toi or “The Dark Cave” is 5,258 metres in long, and 80 metres in high. It is also the home of a number of animals, from bats to swallows.
Hang Toi
Underwater lime stone caves of Hang Toi
Grandiosity puts human life in perspective
Soure: Dtinews
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Posted by admin on May 30, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
The plan on developing the Bai Dai tourist area kicked off seven years ago in 2004, when 50 investors registered investment projects. However, it is surprising that the wonderful tourist area remains deserted.
The tourist area in the north of Cam Ranh peninsula, or Bai Dai, with its wonderful charm, is considered the ideal place to develop tourism. That explains why tens of investors come here to seek business opportunities. However, licensed investors have still been slow in implementing projects.
Why hasn’t the wonderful tourist area woken up?
In 2004, the Khanh Hoa provincial authorities approved the plan to develop Bai Dai tourist area which covers an area of 2300 hectares. More than 50 investors immediately registered to make investment in the area.
In order to help investors to speed up their projects, the provincial authorities requested local relevant agencies to build infrastructure items, including the 110KV transformer station, the water supply and drainage system and the waste water treatment system.
However, investors have been very slow in implementing the registered projects. In 2007, the provincial people’s committee revoked the investment licenses from the investors of 20 projects who had bad financial capability.
In an effort to force investors to take more responsibility for the projects’ implementation, the provincial authorities requested investors to advance the money for land leasing. Nearly 30 investors paid 560 billion dong in rents. However, the projects’ implementation speed has not been improved.
There are 30 valid projects in Bai Dai tourist area. Of these, only projects have got the permission for construction, and six projects have completed the procedures relating to the land leasing. Meanwhile, other projects are still following legal procedures: some investors are still projecting the construction, while others are trying to complete legal procedures.
To date, only three projects have been officially started, while others have not taken any move.
The Khanh Hoa provincial authorities have pointed out that all the tourism projects in Bai Dai area have been implemented at a snail’s speed. Some projects got the permission for construction three years ago, but they have not fulfilled any commitments made to the provincial authorities.
At the meeting between the Khanh Hoa provincial authorities and investors on May 18; investors blamed the delay in the projects implementation on the legal procedures. Some said they met difficulties in the site clearance work, while others said they still have not fulfilled necessary procedures due to the changes in the planning and investment capital.
The investor of Bai Rong project said that the investor has decided to make some changes with the project. Since the project now has a bigger investment scale, the investor needs to wait for the decision from the central agencies; because this is beyond the jurisdiction of the provincial authorities. The investor also blamed the changes in the regulations on ranking resorts for the delay.
Stronger sanctions to be applied to speed up projects’ implementation
The Khanh Hoa Construction Department has denied the reasons; stressing that the projects have been slow in implementation not because of the changes in the investment capital. The department’s representative affirmed that the reasons cited by investors were not reasonable.
Vo Tan Tai, Director of the Khanh Hoa Planning and Investment Department, also said: “There is no problem in the investment procedures. The projects’ implementation has been slow because of the problems in the investors’ capability”.
Chair of Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, has stated that if investors do not speed up the projects’ implementation, the provincial authorities will revoke the investment licenses and allocate the projects to more capable investors.
Thang said an inspection team will be set up which will supervise the implementation of the projects in Bai Dai, and that stronger sanctions will be applied to speed up the projects. He wants to see the projects become operational by 2014 at the latest, and promises to give preferences to the projects which can begin operation in 2013.
Source: SGTT
Posted by admin on April 15, 2011 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
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Clean and primitive, Mui Ke Ga (Ke Ga Cape) is the most favorite destination for visitors to the central province of Binh Thuan.
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Over 20 kilometers from the city of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province, tourists can travel by bus or motorbike along the coastline to Ke Ga Island. At Ke Ga Cape, visitors are able to wander around and clamber over cliffs and boulders piled up all over the place.
There are many international and domestic ships and fishing boats coming and going in the area. As there are reefs in the area, French and local people decided to erect Ke Ga lighthouse to warn ships of the danger.
Visitors can also stay on the island overnight to go fishing. Fishing during the full moon is another unforgettable experience. People can taste the baked sea fish they have caught themselves and then stay up to see the first sunlight.
At Ke Ga Cape stands a lighthouse, built in 1899, it is considered as the tallest and oldest existing lighthouse in Vietnam.
The lighthouse is called Ke Ga by local people. Ke Ga Lighthouse was built on the top of Ke Ga Island, which has a total area of about 5ha in the coastal area of Tan Thanh Ward, Ham Thuan Nam District, about 30km away from Phan Thiet City to the South East.
This lighthouse was designed by a French architect named Chnavat to guide ships to go back and forth. The construction started in February 1897 and was completed by the end of 1898, and the lighthouse was put in operation in 1900. To mark the construction period, local people put a big granite panel carved the number 1899 at the lighthouse entry gate. The lighthouse has now been operating for 108 years.
The light house with its unique architecture is about 60m tall. From that height, visitors are able to see a vast expanse of sea and sky, as well as enjoy cool ocean winds. The most beautiful moment to visit the lighthouse is at sunset. People can see a fantastic sight with splendid colors. Sometimes they can not distinguish the boundary of the sky and sea. Only 500m from the coast, people can walk to the island when the tide is low.
Ke Ga Lighthouse was built grandiosely and is classified as Vietnam’s tallest lighthouse. It was built from granite stones brought from France. A unique character of this lighthouse is that the granite stones were carved out of different cells, shapes, sides that are well-fit. So in building, they were put together and stuck by mortar.
On the lighthouse, there is a big light of 2000W, which was brought from France and used to give signals ships back and forth. Presently, Ke Ga Lighthouse has become a tourist attraction, not only for its art and architecture, but also for its beautiful natural landscape.
Besides the beautiful landscapes, Mui Ke Ga is an interesting experience for visitors, from tours to the seafood market in the early morning, to fishing in the sea, catching crabs at night, and seeing the sunset on the mountain top.
The beauty of Mui Ke Ga:
The early-morning fish market:
Source: Vietnam-beauty/VNE
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Posted by admin on April 14, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, vietnam beauty |
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What goes on behind the bland-looking shops in Hanoi’s Old Quarter? To find out, you need to sign up for a tour with Hidden Hanoi.
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The Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam, is every tourist’s destination. The narrow streets offer a slight refuge from the throbbing traffic of the city’s main thoroughfares but the main attractions are the craft shops that line the sides of every lane.
Here you can find the city’s oldest goldsmiths and silversmiths, and traces of other crafts that have almost died out now. Nowadays, there is little call for the work of traditional ironmongers, and the sugar trade largely takes place elsewhere. Instead there are small shops selling beautiful paper, bamboo bowls, posters from the Vietnam war and elegant lacquerware.
The Old Quarter
There are also workshops that will copy for you, with immense skill, almost any work of art — Picassos, Warhols and a dozen versions of the Mona Lisa (one with Jennifer Aniston’s face) jump out at you from small courtyards and the long narrow shops that characterise the Quarter. Provide these artists with a photograph or picture, and they will copy it for you for the price of a few dollars.
The Old Quarter is the heart of Hanoi, bustling, noisy and endlessly fascinating, its picturesque buildings containing treasure troves of handicrafts and providing chic little cafés to rest limbs weary from too much sightseeing. It is the oldest, continuously developed area of Vietnam, with some estimating settlement here to date two thousand years back.
But even if that is a little optimistic, there is no disputing that the Old Quarter celebrated its 1,000 year anniversary in 2010. When King Ly Thai To moved his capital to the area, he wrote in a royal proclamation, “The land here is spacious and flat, such a fresh spot and a hub of commerce for the whole country.”
I doubt that he would describe it as a “fresh spot” today but as with most successful commercial areas of the time, it was trade that made the city thrive and its inhabitants rich. But to find this richness, you have to go behind the scenes.
It’s difficult to exaggerate the change that occurs when you get behind the shopfronts on the busy main streets and start to explore the alleyways behind them. The shop fronts themselves are narrow because storekeepers were taxed according to the width of their storefront. The financially astute solution, therefore, was to have buildings that were narrow but went back a long way.
The passages are so narrow, shoulders touch both walls.
Alongside them are alleyways to gain access to the rooms that lie furthest back from the road. Often the entrances to these are so tiny that you will find your shoulders touching the walls on either side. Some are poor, almost derelict; others contain surprising richness. Almost all take you past tiny cramped dwellings, often single rooms, and under the strings of washing that festoon the tiny courtyards.
Many of the families of the Old Quarter live around these tiny courtyards and in these tiny rooms, which is odd when you consider that property prices here are extremely high. Prices, I was told, are as high here as in Tokyo and New York. This is seriously expensive real estate.
So why the apparent overcrowding and poverty?
The answer lies in the politics of succession. Over generations, these properties have been handed down, and each time they have been passed on, they have been divided between more and more people. Each person’s share has got smaller and smaller. But no-one wants to give up their share or to leave. So the density of population gets higher and there is less and less to go round.
Your chances of finding the world behind the shopfronts is small if you leave it to chance, but there are now small businesses that are in love with their heritage and culture that will take you to sights that you would never find on your own.
Some alleyways lead to rich temples. — MARTIN SPICE
Our tour with Hidden Hanoi started inauspiciously outside a very ordinary-looking shop selling small tourist items. But down the side of the shop was a very tight alleyway, and within a few steps we were in an entirely different world.
After walking the not-inconsiderable length of the building, we went under an arch and through a fine wooden doorway to emerge in a brightly painted yellow courtyard, at the end of which was a flight of steps. Up the steps we climbed, only to find ourselves in a chic little rooftop café with stunning views over the Old Quarter. From the street outside, there was no indication that this little jewel even existed.
This was truly refreshment for those in the know. On the way back down the same steps, we stopped to look at the family’s chapel, full of intricate sculptures and treasures handed down from heaven knows how many years ago. Despite the inheritance divisions, this was clearly an affluent family home.
Over the next hour, the pattern was repeated. We would turn off the main streets into little alleyways and find ourselves in labyrinths of tiny lanes leading to who knew what?
We found more resplendent chapels but also stumbled across an old woman living in a sparsely furnished single room, betel juice seared like a red scar across her face. These lanes were nothing if not varied.
Our tour finished with a traditional cyclo ride around the main streets of the Old Quarter, but my appetite had been whetted for the scenes and the life that lay tantalisingly behind the bland shopfronts.
The next day, we tried to retrace our steps but much of what we had earlier discovered now eluded us. Hidden Hanoi had clearly decided to live up to its name.
By Martin Spice
Source: thestar
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Posted by admin on April 5, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
Nestled peacefully on Huynh Thuc Khang Street under the shade of coconut lines, Mui Ne fishing village boasts its rare charms from early twilight to sunset, literally waving at passers-by to stop and admire the splendid sceneries and take photos.
A small area of 1,000 meters of coastline in Mui Ne Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, the fishing village is endowed with calm waves all year round so naturally it is the home pier for fishermen in the city. Considered as the miniature of Binh Thuan Sea, Mui Ne Fishing Village is attractive not only by its spectacular surroundings but also by the bustling rhythms of daily coastal life.
Every moment of the day is different. From the deafening silence at twilight when hundreds of boatpeople have some shuteye, to hustle and bustle of morning with some boats anchoring off for a new day, while others return from off-shore fishing with loads of catches to sell. The boats go about their business out in the calm waters at noon, before the fishermen return with their haul at sunset just in time to keep the local seafood restaurants in business.
Le Van Bay, a 72-year-old fisherman said: “If you want to sense the daily life here, you must come between 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. to see the peak time of the village with images of tired men coming back from the sea, while their radiant wives and daughters pick them up and quickly unloading baskets of seafood to sell during the day.”
The seafood market in the village is jam packed during early morning. Together with local market visitors, this hotspot is popular with foreign tourists who are keen to buy fresh seafood at a bargain price.
Book mui ne resort at http://Vietnamhotels.net/ soon to enjoy the people’s lives there!
Source: SGT
Posted by admin on March 31, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the Central, vietnam beauty |
Visitors to Dalat City in southern Vietnam will find transfixing views of terraced fields which will bring to mind the mountainous Northwest.
Travelling around the outskirts of Da Lat, tourists can enjoy viewing terraced fields of vegetables and flowers, like the work of an artist.
In Da Lat, terraced fields surround small houses and winding roads curve around wooded hills, creating a romantic and peaceful space.
Many local vegetable and flower growers say Da Lat’s terraced fields have their own special beauty. They are most beautiful in the morning sunlight.
Further information about dalat hotel, please kindly visit http://Vietnamhotels.net/.
Some photos of Da Lat terraced fields:
Despite not being as famous as terraced fields in the Northwest, Da Lat fields have their own unique beauty
Vegetables are mostly grown in the fields, along with flowers
Terraced fields surround houses
You can see terraced fields from the surburban outskirts
Terraced fields besides pine tree-covered hills
Valley of terraced fields
Curving terraced fields look like artistic creations
An extremely peaceful and poetic space
Posted by admin on March 11, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, vietnam beauty |
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 For these H’mong and Dao ethnic women, life is a hard struggle. To make their living in Sapa mountain, these women, including young girls, have to walk around 10km per day to sell brocatelle. |
| Sapa mountain, Lao Cai, is located in the North of Vietnam. With the natural beauty and the cool climate, Sapa attracts thousands of tourists every year. Tourists from all corners of the world come here to enjoy their vacations amidst the beautiful nature. However, not all people you find in Sapa have the privilege of such a luxurious lifestyle.
These pictures from VnExpress show that in the quiet beauty and glamour of Sapa, many H’mong and Dao women are busy fighting for their lives in Sapa.
In the early morning, these H’mong women have to walk about 10km per day to sell brocatelle in Sapa
Two 3 and 4 year-old girls engage in selling brocatelle wallets and cellphone cases to tourists. They speak Vietnamese quite well
These women have to walk many streets, wait outside many sapa hotels to find customers for their brocatelle handicraft
This 10 year-old H’mong girl also follows her mom to the market
Dao women are sewing brocatelle for customers
Approaching hotels, or food stores, to find foreign customers
At Sapa market, this 70 year-old Dao woman is selling and sewing brocatelle
Source: tuoitrenews.vn
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Posted by admin on March 4, 2011 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
By Dang Hoang Tham in Kien Giang
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| The beautiful Hon Nghe Islet off Kien Giang Province – Photo: Dang Hoang Tham |
On my trip to Kien Giang Province, in the far south of Vietnam, I traveled to Kien Luong coastal district to see what is reputedly the most beautiful island in the Mekong Delta. To get to Hon Nghe Islet I took National Road 80 to Nga Ba Hon wharf and caught a boat.
The cruise departed early in the afternoon and we seemed to get lost in a wonderland, a small Ha Long Bay in the south. The cruise glided past many islands. The famous mountainous Phu Tu Islet was to the north surrounded by many smaller islands. The little islands have weird shapes – a stone castle, a whale and there’s the coconut tree covered Ba Lua Island.
After two hours we arrived at Hon Nghe Islet and went ashore in a small wooden boat. The first thing I saw, halfway up Lau Chuong Mountain, was a 20-meter-high statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. The limestone mountain has many stalactite caves.
We decided to go to the old Lien Ton Co Tu Pagoda. We had to conquer hundreds of stone steps to get the sanctuary. On the way, we passed the statue of Sakyaminu Buddha and Chuong (Bell) giant rock which will made a “boong… boong” sound like a bell when I struck it with a small rock.
Further up are beautifully carved Arahat statues.
The pagoda is about 20 meters inside a stone cave. On the mountain walls are many statues of lion, tiger and dragons.
Night time in the pagoda is really peaceful and still. It was a full moon, so the ocean that looked amazing. The pagoda was blanketed in mist. Sometimes, the monks struck the wooden bell while they prayed. The gongs of the bell resonated with the other sounds in the forest.
Early in the morning, I got up to enjoy the dawn. It was a contrast to the stillness of the night; the islet was very busy with fishing boats, fishermen and traders.
Hon Nghe Islet is 320 meters high and 380 hectares. Tourists can take a boat trip to a fish farm to buy fish and discover the lives of local fishermen. The islet is also home to many species of birds.
Phat Co Don Cave can be accessed by a winding path. Inside, it is like a living room and there is a Buddha statue. Some other caves are also worth a visit.
Book mekong river cruise now to enjoy best rate!
