Da Lat's Bushels of Blossoms

Nestled 1,500 meters above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau in the southern area of Vietnam's Central Highlands, the picturesque landscapes of Lam Dong Province's Da Lat Town attract large numbers of tourists annually.

Fruit and floating markets: Life in Vietnam's Mekong Delta

Vietnam's Mekong Delta is a vibrant, lush landscape of increasingly modern cities amid sprawling rice fields and jungle. The Mekong River and its branches shape life in the region. People live, shop, sell and eat from and in their vessels and homes on the water. Here, the sun rises on the Hau River. Like much of the rest of Vietnam, the day here begins at the crack of dawn when the weather is still cool. ( Jason La / Los Angeles Times )

Cu Chi Tunnel

Cu Chi Tunnel is 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City in the Northwest. It is miniature battle versatile of Cu Chi’s military and people during the 30-year struggle longtime and fierce to fight invading enemy to receive independence, freedom for motherland. It also is the special architecture lying deeply underground with many stratums, nooks and crannies as complex as a cobweb, having spares for living, meeting and fighting with total lengths over 200 km. Real legends coming from the Tunnel are over human imaginativeness. Creeping down into the tunnel, only some yards, you can find out why Vietnam? A tiny country could defeat its enemy, the large and richest country in the world. Why Cu Chi, a barren and poor land could face strongly for 21 years to the army crowded many times compared with its force, warlike and equipped modern war weapons and means. In the fight, Cu Chi people won illustriously. Thanks to systems of tunnel ways, fortifications, combat trenches, soldiers and people of Cu Chi fought very bravely creating glorious feat of arms. The American invaders at first time stepped into Cu Chi land, they had to face so fierce resistances from tunnels from important and very difficult bases that they cried out, “Underground villages”, “Dangerous secret zone”, “cannot see any VC but they appear everywhere”… With its war pasture, Cu Chi Tunnels become a historical war hero of Vietnamese People like a 20th century legend and famous land in the world.

Phu Quy Island

120 kilometers southeast of the Phan Thiet Sea, lies ten beautiful islands which comprises the known Phu Quy District. From the range of islets, Phu Quy Island is deemed the largest with 16.5 km2 in area and a population of about 25,000. With its long stretch of white sandy beaches and dense coral reefs, only the rocky, northern half of the island is inhabited. Endowed with beautiful landscapes which include vast rows or casuarinas trees, the entirety of the island is very pristine.

Con Dao Islands

The Con Dao Islands are an emerald archipelago situated in the South China Sea about 50 kilometers off the south-eastern coast of Vietnam, including 16 islands and islets. Con Dao is around 185 kilometers away from the town Vung Tau. The largest island is Con Son Island, famous for its prison built by the French colonial government and giving Con Dao the name Devil’s Island, for nobody was supposed to ever return after embarking a boat heading for the island. The remains of these buildings can be visited today.

Phu Quoc Island

The tear-shaped Phu Quoc (Vietnamese Phú Quốc) is part of the Kiên Giang province. The distance from Phú Quốc to mainland Viet Nam is 45 km to Hà Tiên and 120 km to Rạch Giá. The island is 50 km long (from north to south) and 25 km wide (from east to west at its widest part).

Surrounded by more than 40 km of white beaches decorated with coconut palms, Phú Quốc, situated in the Gulf of Thailand near the Cambodian border, is Vietnam’s largest island. Its western coastline is sparsely populated while the interior is largely covered with jungle and mainly deserted.

An ethnic Khmer celebration

Ethnic Khmer’s welcomed summer during a traditional celebration in Soc Trang Province.

The festivities are held every year on the 15th day of the 6th month according to the lunar calendar.

Participants bring with them offerings to pagodas in order to pray for a good year for their families and for the country.

Vietnam to woo UAE tourists

Vietnam Embassy in Abu Dhabi is launching intense efforts to enhance the flow of tourists from the 
UAE to Vietnam.

Hoi An, Vietnam

“Even though the number of UAE tourists visiting Vietnam is low now, about 300 or so per month, we want to push this to very significant levels in the very near future,’’ Nguyen Quang Khai, Ambassador of Vietnam to the UAE said here on Thursday.

Banh mi Doner Kebabs, Hanoi

Over the last year or so, the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich has taken New York by storm, elevating the once humble pork and pickled vegetable sandwich to heights of gastronomic chic. In Hanoi, however, the typical banh mi (which translates simply as “bread” in Vietnamese and is written in English as banh my in Hanoi) is a pedestrian fried egg or pâté sandwich with a few slices of cucumber or a light smearing of chili sauce.

Banh My Van's baguette is filled with an array of fresh and pickled vegetables and tender pork flavored with Vietnamese spices, generously doused with both a chili and a creamy white sauce.

An unlikely variation on the sandwich is thriving in the Vietnamese capital: the banh mi doner kebab, which incorporates elements of a doner kebab, the Turkish staple, tucking shaved pork, pickled vegetables and chili sauce inside a warm baguette. Turkish doner kebabs are usually halal, meaning pork-free. Is this version culinary sacrilege? Perhaps, but a tasty one.

Saigon's Banh Mi

Booming Saigon, a city on the move, lays claim to a specialty that Vietnamese-American writer Monique Truong, author of "The Book of Salt" and the coming "Bitter in the Mouth," calls "the ultimate on-the-go fare": the extravagantly stuffed banh mi sandwich.

Saigon signature sandwich David Hagerman for The Wall Street Journal

The most popular form is banh mi thit ("thit" means "meat"), a warmed baguette spread with mayonnaise and pâté and filled with ham, headcheese and sausage. Cucumber, tomato, cilantro, chilies, and do chua, a bracing radish-and-carrot relish, add characteristic Vietnamese freshness. Optional condiments include chili sauce, Maggi (a bottled sauce of Swiss origin) and soy sauce.

Ordered to go, banh mi comes wrapped in scrap paper secured with a rubber band, a portable meal epitomizing Saigon's "insatiable appetite and deep desires, for better or worse, to keep moving," says Ms. Truong, who was born in Saigon, now officially called Ho Chi Minh City.

Nha Trang's stunning coastal road

Situated between both the mountain and the sea, Nha Trang - Cam Ranh route is truly a sight all travellers should experience.

Stretching over a distance of 30 kilometres, the route from Nha Trang City to Cam Ranh is one of the most beautiful and scenic in central Vietnam. Visitors are often overwhelmed with the picturesque landscape they see. The water is blue and clear, while the mountains reach into the sky in for a stunning view.

Moving toward the Cam Ranh International Airport, white sand hills can be spotted on both sides of the road. The white sand here has been exported as the ideal raw material for the production of glass, crystal, camera lenses and camcorder industries. Amid the hills are many beautiful lotus lakes.

To the back of beyond

In Ha Giang province in the northeast of Vietnam you can find truly awe inspiring views in one of the most remote parts of the country, writes Nguyen Duc

Ha Giang is in the northeast of Vietnam. It shares a border with China and is home to the country’s northernmost point. It has previously enticed only the intrepid traveller though in recent years improved road access has made it easier than ever before to explore this extraordinary mountainous realm.

Roads may be smooth, but it is still a hard slog from Hanoi. Ha Giang town is located in a beautiful valley urrounded by thick forest and grey, rocky mountains – seven hours by car or bus from the capital city. As soon as I arrive the long day of travel catches up with me. I find a guest house for the night and get a good night’s rest after a simple but delicious meal of cabbage, chicken and rice.

For the love of durian

Prickly. Heavy. "Oh, please don't let it fall on my foot." This was the thought that entered my mind the first time I held a durian. Noble as it is ugly, this expensive fruit definitely stands alone. The Durian is seen as the king of all fruits and is highly sought after in Asia as I was informed by my good Vietnamese friend.

Durians on sale in France

Nathalie Girod holding her new favorite fruit

Praised for its exorbitant nutritional value, it is known to be eaten by pregnant Oriental women. High in iron, it is also rich in vitamin B-complex and vitamin C, minerals, potassium and essential amino acids. Amazingly your energy level stays at a nice constant rate with its great composition of fructose, sucrose and some cholesterol free fats. My friend swore by its nutritional benefits and ate it throughout her pregnancy.

So why is this incredible fruit banned in certain establishments in Asian countries? Apparently for its infectious smell which I did not understand until I had my first personal whiff. Amazingly, I found this aroma to be neither foul nor disgusting as most would expect. At first I thought I had left a great piece of cheese in the fridge, since I live in France, it happens often enough. For the next few days, this odor invaded my space, lingering long enough for me to judge for myself. The smell has an unusual mixture of fresh vomit mixed with a lush creaminess. A perfect melange of love or hate. For me, it was love at first smell. I just could not wait to taste it!

A local classic

Pho might be the darling of Vietnamese cuisine, and perhaps, bun cha is the people’s favourite ‘underdog’, but there’s another dish which is closer to the heart of less carnivorous Hanoians.

Bun dau mam tom is basically chunks of tofu served in a hot soup on a bed of rice noodles with a dollop of shrimp paste. It’s an extremely popular meal that’s often overlooked by guidebooks and seldom-tried by tourists or even long term residents of Hanoi.

Discovering the mysteries inside Tham Nam Caves

Tham Nam Caves have wowed visitors who make the journey with its magnificent features and stunning sights.

The caves are located inside Pha Chang Limestone Mountain by Nam Non River, Huu Khuong Commune, Tuong Duong District, Nghe An Province.

Tham Nam’s caves cover thousands of square metres and are filled with unique stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes. How they look can vary depending on the imagination of visitors.

Discovering the mysteries of these caves followed by enjoying fish caught fresh from the river that runs through it, is a delightful experience for those who visit Tham Nam.

Central Vietnam drawing domestic travellers

Central Vietnam has seen a tourist boom this year, welcoming 30-40% more tourists than last year. According to tourism companies in Da Nang, most of these tourists are domestic, coming from cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

Da Nang Beach: an attractive destination for tourists.

Cao Tri Dung, Deputy General Director of Vitours Company said, “This summer, we’re seeing an extremely high number of tourists booking with us. From accommodation to plane trips, coaches to tour guides, the booking for these services is overwhelming, and we haven’t been able to meet the demand. It’s going to be this hectic at least until August 15.”

Viet Da Travel Company has experienced the same situation. Dinh Van Loc, Director of the company, said that their company has also been overbooked. The company has been unable to find any 30 - 45 seat coaches over the past week, and rooms at luxury hotels have all been fully booked, Loc said.

In response to why there is a sudden increase of tourists this summer, Cao Tri Dung said that there are probably many different explanations, but the main reason would lie in the very attraction of the destination. Da Nang is one of the few places that could offer such a diverse variety of activities for tourists, whether they want to go hiking up a mountain or go sunbathing at the beach, and there are many options for hotels as well as restaurants in the area.

Nha Trang's special cathedral

Located on the peak of a small mountain in Nha Trang City, Nui Church is an ideal attraction thanks to its intricate architecture and serene surroundings.

The church is adorned with an elegant French style of decoration and architecture.

Construction began in 1928 by a French Catholic priest named Louis Vallet (1846-1945). At that time, the priest used 500 bombs to level the mountain.

The church is a must-see destination in a city best known for its beaches.

Nui Church is one of the most stunning destinations for tourists to Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province

Rustic resort powerless to fully satisfy

A charming forest get-away in Hoa Binh strays a little too far away from comfort for the price.

A group of 50 some holiday-goers excitedly loaded onto a roomy tour bus to head for the promise of an overnight getaway in nearby Hoa Binh Province, eager to get away from the heat of summertime in Hanoi.

The destination: La Ferme du Colvert in Hoa Binh, described online as a “Vietnamese - French resort set in wild countryside” and as a place “ideal for those who need a break from the noisy busy cities.” I’ll happily attest to the natural appeal of the land and the peace and quiet. However, the establishment’s problems with supplying power and inability to respond adequately to the needs of guests indicate that it’s got a ways to go before becoming the truly spectacular oasis it has the potential to be.

Guests were given a range of choices in rooms; some went for the cheaper beds in rooms with only fans; others chose to pay a premium for the promise of a cool night’s sleep.

Our arrival and welcome from the staff was pleasant, if oddly complicated by a two-step queuing and check-in procedure. Everybody was shown to their rooms, oohing and aahing over the rustic charm of the grounds and the abundant vegetation (think jack-fruits the size of small poodles growing overhead).

The décor is a quirky blend of traditional Vietnamese textiles combined with carved wooden signs and nautical trinkets like wooden ducks and large-scale model ships. The rooms themselves range from basic (and a bit dingy) to grand, complete with old-fashioned carved wooden beds.

After check-in most guests reconvened around the pool, beneath overhanging branches of bamboo and palm. Beer was discovered, and serious relaxation began.

Vietnam's unique horse races

Following an annual tradition, a horse racing festival will take place this summer on June 19 in Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province. Perhaps, nowhere in the world such a unique, pristine and genuine event such as this is held.

An image of last year's horse race.

The jockeys are of Dao, Mong and Tay ethnic descents and race without any kind of protection. The only things they are equipped with are a plastic hat in replacement for a helmet and a pair of plastic slippers, not even a saddle is used. The man and his horse will use all their skills and determination to win the race and bring pride to their village.

Hoi An: An unforgettable experience

Tham Nam Caves have wowed visitors who make the journey with its magnificent features and stunning sights.

The caves are located inside Pha Chang Limestone Mountain by Nam Non River, Huu Khuong Commune, Tuong Duong District, Nghe An Province.

Tham Nam’s caves cover thousands of square metres and are filled with unique stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes. How they look can vary depending on the imagination of visitors.