We are often asked what sights we think are worth seeing, which places we found interesting and what would we recommend doing.  These are our thoughts. There is much more detail in our Journal for Vietnam.

The details may change so we suggest you check with a good guide book. We prefer the “Rough Guide” series because they are well written and kept up to date.  You can get more information on www.roughguides.com 

These notes are based on our journey in 2007 from the Mekong Delta in the south to Sapa in the North. So the listing here does not imply a preference. However we did greatly enjoy the Mekong Delta, “Tet” in Saigon and the beaches and cities in the South. Hanoi on the other hand was a trial of wits to prevent being ripped off.  

Mekong Delta

   

Floating Markets of the Mekong Delta are fast disappearing as the road and bridge network is improved. The floating Market at Can Tho is a wonderful sight and is best visited in the early morning. 

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

The City

   

Notra Dam Cathedral   Hotel De Ville

    

General Post Office and the Opera House

It is worth spending a few days taking in the French architecture and the many excellent museums.  Don’t miss the War Remnants museum, it gives a frank view of the American War from the Vietnamese perspective. 

Cao Di Cathedral 

       

An interesting excursion is to visit the Cao Dai Great Temple at Tay Ninh.

Chu Chi Tunnels

    

The network of tunnels 60km from Saigon used by the Viet Con to resist the American and south Vietnamese forces are open to the public.  Here you see destroyed US tanks, crouch in the tunnels and fire a variety of weapons from the period. 

Tet

    

We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Chinese New Year or “Tet” in Saigon in February 2007. There was an air of friendly festivity and the streets were full of lion dancers, dragons and colourful lanterns.    

Mui Ne

Beach

      

The beautiful beach at Mui Ne is clean and relatively free of traders and hawkers. There is accommodation to suit all pockets.  This is a good place to chill out and relax for a few days or few weeks. 

Sand Dunes

    

Around Mui Ne there are a few sights worth a few hours diversion.  The picturesque white sand dunes occupy a relatively small area but are nice place to spend an hour or so.  The red sand dunes and the “Fairy Stream” are exaggerated attractions and not worth going out of your way to see.   

Da Lat  

   

This former hill station is worth a couple of days to escape the heat of the coast.  There are waterfalls to visit and other attractions such as the Summer Palace of the last Emperor Bao Dai and the Crazy House built by architect Hang Nga. A walk around Lake Xuan Huong makes for a pleasant afternoon. 

Nha Trang

    

There is a nice beach, plenty of hotels to suit all pockets and a wide range of eating places; from good restaurants to pavement cafés.  You could do worse than spending an hour in the fascinating Alexander Yersin Museum. The Thap Ba Hot Springs offers an afternoon of wallowing in warm oozing mud, washed off by warm invigorating mineral rich water. 

    

The Po Nagar Cham Towers and the big white Buddha in the Long Son Pagoda merit about half an hour each.  Be careful not to be ripped off by a friendly monk in the Pagoda.   

The Nha Trang highlight is probably a trip around the islands with an opportunity to snorkel amongst the richest coral colonies in Vietnam.     

Hoi An

The Town

    

An old town full character and narrow streets fronting the Thu Bon River.  The highlight is the sixteenth century Japanese Bridge.  Whist the town and the bridge is a UN World Heritage Sight it can be fully explored in half a day.  The real attraction of Hoi An is the tailor shops, shoe shops and friendly people.  They can make made to measure clothes and shoes in any style in 24 hours.   

My Son  

   

This old Cham civilisation site is the best archaeological remains of the thousand year old civilisation in Vietnam. It is in a lovely setting and represents a nice day out from Hoi An for a walk in the woods.  However it is no where near as large and impressive as Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  If you have been to Angkor Wat My Son will be disappointing.   

Da Nang

Cham Museum 

      

The excellent Cham museum holds many of the carvings and statues recovered from My Son and the other Cham sites around Vietnam. The city itself is not particularly attractive but the people seemed friendly and happy to just chat to visitors.  

Hué 

Imperial City  

    

The Imperial City within the mighty Citadel is rich in the architecture of the seventeenth century Emperors. There are palaces, temples, theatres and courtyards in well laid out walks and gardens. It’s not as well preserved as the Forbidden City in Beijing but we spent whole days there, even going back to relax and see some things again. 

    

Outside the Citadel there are interesting sights in the Chinese Quarter and the European Quarter. If you have time to spend in Vietnam it is probably best to spend it in Hué rather than Hanoi. 

Perfume River  

    

Emperor Ming Mang Mausoleum. Thien Mu Pagoda 

The Mausoleums of the Emperors were built in the valley of the Perfume River. A day trip takes in these and interesting temples. A good day out.  

DMZ  

    

For those of a certain age the American War and the infamous Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) rings bells.  The Vietnamese people however have sensibly worked to unify the country and erase the evidence of conflict.  So there is really not much to see apart from a small museum at Khe Sanh.  On the other hand a day trip to the former DMZ goes through spectacular countryside along highway 9, the road to Laos. 

Hanoi 

City 

Hanoi is a pleasant city to walk around.  Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of the city provides good views and shady trees.  The Old Quarter is packed full of hustle and bustle and interesting shops. Hopping over the waste water flowing in gutters to avoid the thousands of darting motorcycles is part of the fun.   The budget hotels however are a pain.  The price charged by some is based on the assumption that guests will book a tour from which a commission can be extracted or a scam executed. If tours are not booked other means of extracting money is achieved, like trebling the price of drinks in the room fridges or fiddling the exchange rates.  When we booked our Halong Bay cruise the staff from the hotel booked us on a much cheaper boat trip and pocketed the difference. Don’t book tours from the hotels in Hanoi.  

Perfume Pagoda  

    

A day trip to the Perfume Pagoda involves a row boat ride up the peaceful Red River with high craggy mountains up each side.  The Pagoda itself is high in a mountain at the end of the valley. It is reached after a two hour walk up a rocky path or using the new cable car.  Be prepared however for the aggressive insistence of a substantial “tip” from the ladies who row the boats.

 Ha Long Bay 

     

Ha Long Bay is an area of outstanding natural beauty.  Seen in good light on a sunny day it is magnificent. A three day two night cruise on a reputable cruise boat is definitely recommended.  Take care to book directly with the cruise company and not through a hotel or a local travel agency 

Sapa

 

    

The mountains around Sapa are breathtaking and the trekking opportunities great.  The local indigenous peoples are a delight, very friendly and open. Certainly they want to sell you their craft work, but they don’t seem to mind if you smile and say no. The train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, near Sapa, has six berth compartments, four berth compartments and very comfortable two berth compartments.

 

Where we were: