Vietnam is a country with many faces and a history that reflects a long series of conflicts with its neighbors. After you have organized your travel insurance and sit down to plan your visit to Vietnam, there are plenty of things to consider and plenty of places to visit.
If you are of a historical persuasion, there will be plenty to occupy you as you travel from town to town building up a picture of a long history of conflict that has marked Vietnamese history over the past thousand years.
Alternatively, if you are an everyday tourist who is looking forward to enjoying the sights and sounds and food of an exotic country, then Vietnam will serve it up to you in platters.
Without wanting to crowd your itinerary, let's look at a shortlist of three destinations that offer you a broad cross-section of Vietnam and which capture the essence of the country as a whole.
Halong Bay
This stunningly beautiful bay has a collection of over 3000 islands which seemed to emerge from the water like a flotilla of green emeralds. Now a world Heritage site, Halong Bay is the place to take a boat cruise so you can get closer to the spectacularly beautiful beaches and grottoes that are dotted around in their hundreds.
If you choose the right cruise, you will also have time to explore the magnificent caves which have been illuminated for the benefit of tourists. After that you can relax on one of the many sandy beaches and soak in the atmosphere.
Nha Trang
There are some wonderful contrasts in this indisputably beautiful town.
On the one hand you will witness a bustling, Metropolis driven by commerce, and on the other Western-style resort town with hotels and restaurants strung out along a beautiful beach.
Nha Trang will keep you busy with boat trips and scuba diving both popular pastimes. Add to that the famous mud baths all surrounded by dozens of historic sites and you have the complete tourist package in one place.
Phong Nha Cave
Located in the Ke Bang National Park, these 400 million-year-old caves are the oldest in Asia. To get there in need to take a charter boat which departs early in the morning arriving back late in the afternoon.
After travelling the 55 km you'll be able to marvel at the limestone formations as you wind your way through the kilometres of underground passageways. The main underground cavern is nearly 8 km long and you will be able to choose from 14 other caves to explore in what must be one of the wonders of Vietnam. The caves are often closed during November and December during the rainy season, so make sure you schedule your visit outside of these months.
These three must see destinations are not generally on the itinerary of most tourists. Do yourself a favour and make sure you include at least one of these exciting destinations on your list of must see places. Most important of all, make sure your holiday insurance is arranged well in advance.
No comments:
Post a Comment