Six of the best places to visit when in Vietnam
Vietnam is home to incredible natural landmarks and memorable urban hubs so it is no surprise that it has become a tourist hotspot for citizens from India in recent years. Here are a few of the best places to visit.
Hue
The historic town of Hue is located on the banks of the picturesque Perfume River. One of the most notable landmarks here is the Imperial Enclosure, a 2.5km stretch which allows visitors to take in the finely decorated Thai Hoa Palace, the large-scale Ngo Mon Gate and the Dien Tho Residence, once home to a lineage of Queen Mothers.
If you want to visit Hue in style, take a riverboat cruise which will stop at several royal tombs including the Tomb of Tu Doc and Thien Mu Pagoda with its 21-metre high tower. This city in central Vietnam is a window into everything that made the 19th-century Nguyen emperors so iconic.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
The national park in the north-central coast region of the country is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and covers more than 857.54 square kilometres. The Son Doong Cave, only discovered in 2009, is the largest of its kind in the whole world.
There are other incredible physical landmarks to discover including the stunning karts mountain formation with its stalactite and stalagmite displays.
Halong Bay
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site sits at Halong Bay which offers incredible sea views against a dramatic backdrop of limestone islands. Cruising in a boat by day enjoying the ever-changing scenery is bliss, however, an overnight tour will enable you to unpack all the secrets this location in the Gulf of Tonkin has to offer. Caves are plentiful in Halong Bay. The Hang Sung Sot, for example, has three huge caverns.
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam excels at sprawling landscapes and memorable vistas but you can mix it up with a travelling to the bustling commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. It is located in the south and is home to more than eight million people.
There are a number of historical landmarks in this city, formerly known as Saigon, including the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ben Thanh Market and the Reunification Palace.
A visit to the city will also give you the time and opportunity to make use of the available technology to check on your investments or to compare the best forex brokers available.
Sapa Countryside
If you want to get back out into the countryside, Sapa is the perfect destination. Sapa is Vietnam’s trekking hotspot and it is easy to see why. The jagged peaks and green land seems to stretch out endlessly.
The country’s tallest mountain, Fansipan, is located here, as are a winding mix of deep valleys and steep land formations. A day hike in Sapa can take you between a number of tiny villages and you will encounter a variety of different cultures and people.
Hanoi
Finish your trip with a visit to Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. The city’s streets are lined with vendors serving up delicious local delicacies. There is an old quarter with unique architecture and a number of great museums including the Vietnam Fine Art Museum.