iHue is located in Thua Thien prefecture and is in the central part of Vietnam. Located 660 km from Ha Noi and 1080 km from Saigon, Hue has always been considered the fulcrum of Vietnam's two rice baskets, the Red river delta and the Mekong delta. Hue became the name of Vietnam's most well known ancient capital because of the local mispronunciation of the word Hoá in Thuân Hoá.

Since the 16th century, Thuan Hoa, due to its strategic location, has been a very prosperous area. The Nguyen Lord chose this area to be their headquarters. Nguyen Anh made it Vietnam's capital city in 1802 after he defeated the Tay Son and ascended to the throne with the name Gia Long. King Gia Long (1762-1819) was credited for building and fortifying Hue from the very beginning. Since then, successive king of the Nguyen Dynasty has added to the foundation set by his predecessors.

Although Hue has sustained much damage from natural disasters and wars, the city and most of the architecture remain. As a capital city, Hue is relatively young since the Nguyen dynasty only ended some 50 years ago (1802-1945). Of the ancient capitals in Vietnam, Hue is the only one that still has the intact appearance of a complex of the monarchic capital consisting of walls, palaces, and royal tombs. Consequently, Hue is among Vietnam's most valued national treasure in terms of history and heritage

In 1981, after visiting Hue, Mr. Amadou-Mahtar-M'Bow, then Director General of UNESCO proclaimed Hue to be "a masterpiece of urban poetry". On December 11, 1993, UNESCO's Director General, Federico Mayor acknowledged the Complex of Monuments of Hue to be a World Culture Heritage.

Some attractions in Hue 

Thien Mu Pagoda

Built in 1601 between a river and a pine forest, the Thien Mu Pagoda ("Heavenly Lady Pagoda") in Hue is one of the oldest and prettiest religious buildings in the country. Among the many interesting artifacts housed at the complex is the car that took the monk Thich Quang Duc to his self-immolation in 1963 Saigon.

The Thien Mu Pagoda has its roots in a local legend: an old woman once appeared on the hill and said that a Lord would come and build a Buddhist pagoda for the country's prosperity. Hearing of this, Lord Nguyen Hoang ordered the construction of the pagoda of the "Heavenly Lady" (Thien Mu).

Construction began in 1601 under Lord Nguyen Hoang, and it was renovated by Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan in 1665. Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu contributed a great bell in 1710 and and a stele erected on the back of a marble tortoise in 1715. The Phuoc Dien Tower in front was added in 1864 by Emperor Thieu Tri.

The main reason to visit Hue is the citadel of the old capital, along with the royal tombs scattered around the countryside. In the early 19th century the Emperor Gia Long chose the present site at Hue. The Emperor wished to recreate, in abbreviated form, a replica of the Forbidden City in Beijing. This vast structure is an unusual hybrid, built according to the notions of Chinese geomancy but in the style of the noted French military architect Sebastien de Vauban.

Imperial city

The lower part of the gate is stone, while on top is the “Belvedere of the Five Phoenixes” where the emperor appeared on important occasions, and where the last emperor abdicated to Ho Chi Minh’s Revolutionary Government in 1945.

Thai Hoa Palace : (the Palace of Supreme Peace) was built in 1805 in the style of architectural designs made for the construction of the other structures like shrines, palaces and mausoleums in the imperial city of Hue in the 19th century. The size of the structure is about 1,300 sq. meters. The main hall is 43.3 meters long and 30.3 meters wide. The palace is made of two separate halls. The front hall is called ante-chamber and the other is billed as the main hall where is erected throne of the king.

This is the most significant place in the royal palace. It was used for the king's official receptions and other important court ceremonies such as anniversaries and coronations.

Thai Hoa Palace

The Royal's Tomb: The Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) is the last of Vietnam's Royal families. In all, there were 13 kings, however, due various reasons, only seven had tombs. The seven imperial tombs were planned and constructed in a hilly region southwest of the Citadel. Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Dong Khanh and Khai Dinh all had a tomb built. All tombs were constructed during the reign of the respective kings for which they were named. Each tomb was laid out with statues and monuments in perfect harmony with one another to form a poetically natural setting. The following elements were incorporated in all the tombs: walls, triple gate (Tam Quan Gate), Salutation Court, Stele House, temples, lakes and ponds, pavilions, gardens, and finally the tomb.

Khai Dinh's Tomb Inside of Khai Dinh Tomb  Gia Long's tomb Dong Khanh's tomb Thieu Tri's tomb Minh Mang's tomb Tu Duc's tomb Inside Tu Duc's tomb

Another attractions

Huong River (Perfume River)

Truong Tien bridge

Located by the banks of the peaceful Thu Bon River, Hoi An Ancient Town (Quang Nam province) is about 30 kilometers Southeast of Danang City. Hoi An shares the borders with Duy Xuyen district in th South, Dien Ban district in the West and North and the Pacific ocean (the East Sea) in the East. Hoi An Ancient Town consists of 10 wards and 3 villages, one of which is an 15 kilometer offshore island

Hoi An is an enclave of beautifully preserved yellow and blue buildings that makes you feel like you just stepped back in time into an 18th-century trading post. Sapphire waters lie on the other side of a 10-minute bike ride north through stagnant rice paddies, old French colonial villas, and the occasional propaganda billboard. The beachfront of the famed China Beach — the beach where soldiers were sent for R&R during the war — makes up the southern stretch. Recently named one of the most luxurious beaches in the world by Forbes, this white sand beach is home to comfy resorts and secluded swaths of sand.

Hoi An, however, has much more to offer than just a beach. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999, this coastal village was once known as the premier trading post in Southeast Asia for the Chinese and Japanese.

A bike ride around town takes you back to life in a small far-flung trading settlement. However, since the influx of visitors, shoppers are more likely to come across trinkets and “made-to-measure” one-day tailors than authentic goods.

Market life is still prevalent next to the river where you will find fishermen paddling along in their boats, stirring up their catch of the day. For a sense of life before modern times, head into select buildings in the Old Quarter where you can view 200-year-old interiors that have been preserved for public viewing.

The streets in Hoi An are lined with ancient wooden houses with ancient wooden houses which possess both old and sophisticated styles. Visitors can recognize that these houses are always open to visitors so that visitors can look through to the back of houses with frames, pillars, rafters and collar beams. Long parallel streets have the wooden bridge with a low tiled roof and handrail for pedestrians. It is where Pagoda Bridge or Japanese Bridge - the symbol of Hoi An Ancient Town - is situated

This ancient town had been under impact of the old Chinese culture for ages; thus upon arrival in Hoi An, visitors might see colorfully-decorated and pagodas located here and there in the town with their high and wide gates, blue curved ceramic tile on roof, which are very distinctive and unique. Such temples, communal houses and assembly halls, etc had been deeply influenced by the Chinese architecture. Shops along the sidewalks have only enough space for arranging a few chairs and table sets to serve visitor’s food and beverage needs or give them room for reading books comfortably. Everything - houses, pagodas, temples etc in Hoi An are old-aged and ancient but affectionate, familiar and warmly-felt, with make travelers feel relaxed, unworried and unhurried.

Hoi An is most graceful when lanterns are lighted along old streets. Upon the sunset, hundreds of silk lanterns emit light which are sufficient enough for visitors’ walking on sidewalks. Here and there in the street corners or on the sidewalks sat old-aged women by their food-selling bamboo frames whose baskets containe food and are surrounded by clients eating and talking excitedly. Visitors can obtain a fantastic relaxation while walking on Hoi An streets by night. The ancient town seems to bring visitors back hundreds of years ago at a place where there were neither high-rise buildings nor advertising-neon-light supermarkets. The living pace pace appears to be slower so that visitors can get always from hertic life and daily concern. Hoi An has been preserving cultural values which fascinate visitors to come, to explore and discover. All the things in town has been waiting for visitors’footsteps, even once.

Hoai River

Hai Van Pass is one of the most scenic hillside roads in Vietnam. When braving the steep winding roads of a paved mountain pass, you will have a chance to discover peace, quiet and history along the way...

On the north – south nation highway, Hai Van Pass is an impressive landscape. It is like a giant dragon, lying on Highway 1 on the border between Thua Thien-Hue Province and Danang City.This is the highest pass in Vietnam (500m above sea level). This rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea. Hai Van means "Sea Clouds", since the peak of the mountain is in the clouds while its foot is close to the sea. In the past, Hai Van Pass was known as the Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam frontier. In the early 14th century (11306), Che Man, a king from Cham Pa, offered two mountainous administrative units of O and Ri as engagement gifts to Princess Huyen Tran, daughter of King Tran Nhan Tong. On his way to see off the Princess in the Quang area in a Summer sunny noon, the King and his entourage were on horse back for almost half a day but could not reach the top of the pass. Facing upwards, the King saw a rampart of mountains in dim clouds, and at the foot of the pass, an immense ocean, of waves. Though sorry for his daughter's difficult journey, the king was comforted by the closer ties between the two nations.

Whenever one goes through Hai Van Pass, two feelings are experienced: amazement at passing through the clouds and fear when seeing the dangerous bends of the road. After climbing through several hair-pin curves for close to an hour, you reach the crest of the Hai Van Pass. Here, if the weather affords it (which it often doesn't), there are views to both the North and the South. The pass forms an obvious boundary between North and South Vietnam, and if proof were needed, you need look no further than the fortifications built by the French and then later used by the South Vietnamese and the Americans. You will of course want to stop here if you make this trip, but be warned that you will have to fight off a large band of souvenir and snack sellers who are among the most aggressive I encountered during the whole trip.

With sudden curves and blind corners, Hai Van Pass is likened to an arrogant but beautiful girl challenging drivers' skills. Hai Van is considered to be the largest frontier post in Vietnam. The name “De Nhat Hung Quan”, meaning the most colossal frontier post, is engraved on an incense burner in Thai Temple.

On a journey through the land, Hai Van is always an attractive landscape, full of perilous obstacles and is the last spur of the Truong Son Range reaching to the sea. On the top of the pass are the vestiges of long ago, a fortified gateway. The gate facing to Thua Thien-Hue Province is inscribed with the three words “Hai Van Quan” and the other gate looking down on Quang Nam province is engraved “the most grandiose gateway in the world”. The entrance to Hai Van Quan looks like the entrance to an old citadel with its stone structures. Time, war, and neglect has taken its toll on Hai Van Quan, as it sits today in near ruins. he old story is only a memory, old vestiges covered with green moss, among vast spaces vast of plants and trees, tourists are filled with the emotions of the past.

The most impressive about the journey is the sense of isolation you feel as you move further along. There is a strange delight about the desolate conditions, a seemingly unbroken asphalt road that cuts through a mass of forest. Below you, the green trees contrast with the breaking waves in the blue sea. And herein lies the beauty of Hai Van. While many rave about the charm of the Bao Loc mountain pass, the road is crowded with people and villages nestled along the way. But just as civilisation characterises the allure of Bao Loc, Hai Van’s beauty is closely connected to nature and its lack of population.

Lining the peak of the mountain is the immense abyss dotted with the light and dark green colours of the trees. The scene is capped off with fanciful clouds flying across the sky. The area is a perfect place to have a cup of coffee and contemplate the scene, looking over Hai Van as if from the heavens as the trees blow with the wind.

Hai Van is well know for its dangerous roads, and accident warning boards carefully appear regularly along the side. It’s a surprising sight to see the animation and modernity at the peak as foreign visitors buzzed about buying souvenirs. Those who do not make it to the peak would have a hard time believing there was such a busy trading and modern scene, as foreign women made their way up the rough staircase at the Hai Van Quan ancient vestige to take photos.

Whatever endowed by nature, time by time and by hands of man will be something of humanitarian values. Coming to Hai Van is to come to the sanction of two land, to satisfy the peak-conquering philosophy, to mix ourselves in to echo of heroic songs of Vietnamese ancients when they went to find new lands to be emotional to prolong past of the Center region where suffering a lot of losses in the course of finding and protecting the nation.

Hai Van Pass will satisfy your desire to conquer high peaks and remind you of the glorious past of the Viet people. Moreover, from the pass, on nice days, visitors can enjoy the whole vista of Danang, the Tien Sa seaport, Son Tra Peninsula, Cu Lao Cham Island and long sandy beaches.

The 21km that stretch over the Hai Van mountain pass may sound like a challenging journey, but after having done, it is certainly that you will find it is one worth taking.

Halong Bay (Water Gulf where the dragon land) is an inlet of the western coast of the Gulf of Tonkin in northeastern sea area of Vietnam, including the sea islands of Ha Long City, Cam Pha Town and part of Van Don island district.
 

Is the center of a large area there are many factors at similarities in geology, geomorphology, landscape, climate and culture, with Bai Tu Long Bay northeast of Cat Ba Island and the southwest, Ha Long Bay is limited to an area of about 1.553km ² including 1960 islands, mostly limestone islands, which are the core of the Bay area of 334km ² clustered dense 775 islands. Tectonic history of the limestone geology of the Bay has undergone about 500 million years to the ancient geographical circumstances are very different; and Karst evolution fully experienced over 20 million years with a combination of factors such as thick limestone floors, hot and humid climate and tectonic processes improve the overall slow. The combination of environment, climate, geology, geomorphology, Ha Long Bay has made to become clustered biodiversity of forest ecosystems, including closed moist tropical evergreen rain and marine and coastal ecosystems banks with more sub-ecosystems. 14 plant species endemic and about 60 endemic species of animals  have been detected in thousands of plant and animal populations in the Gulf residents.

Nha Trang is also known as the ideal site of big events as Sea Festival organized annually and beauty Contest as Miss Universe 2008, Miss Global 2010 and Miss World 2010.

Attract tourist Sites:

Long son pagoda

 Long Son Pagoda: Locates at 22 October 23 Street, Phuong Son District, and sits at the foot of Trại Thuy mountain. This pagoda was built over one hundred years ago, and it is the most famous one in Khanh Hoa province. On the top of the hill, there is Kim Than Phat statue (known as White Buddha Statue)

Chanh Toa Church

Mountain Church (Chanh Toa Church): The church also arouses curiosity by its bronze bell that was cast in France and the bell-tower which is 32 meters high and striking with a large watch which has four faces toward the four directions

Nha Trang Oceanography Institute

Nha Trang Oceanography Institute: It was established in 1922 by French. It is considered as one of the first centres for scientific research in Vietnam.

The Marine Animal Museum shows more than 20,000 sea and freshwater specimens, as well as living creatures that are kept in glass tanks.

A corner of Diamond Bay

Diamond Bay: (Wonderpark Resort): in Nguyen Tat Thanh Boulevard, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa opened on June 30, 2008 after 4 months construction. This is well-known as the site organizing Miss Universe 2008

View from Lau Bao Dai

Palace of Emperor (Lau Bao Dai): locates on the top of Chut mountain (Canh long mountain), is a famous historical monument, about 6km far from the centre. This original architect is famous for the blend between Western and Eastern Style.

During 1940s, Bao Dai King and Nam Phuong Queen often visited and relaxed at Xuong Rong and Bong Xu villas. Since then it was called Palace of Emperor then.

Con Se Tre island

After 15 minutes boating, you will find Con Se Tre Resort at 3 km from Nha Trang City. Con Se Tre was established from a stone island to a romantic resort with a peace asmosphere, clean coast, lovely scene, folf activities and perfect service

Tri Nguyen Water Palace

2 kilometers south of Nha Trang Port, Tri Nguyen Resort is located on Tri Nguyen Island. Here, you can discover the bottom of the ocean with a very abundant and varied botanical system as sharks, corals, sea tortoises, seahorses, sea anemones... From here, tourists can be also picked up to series of islands where they can camp, fish and to visit Nha Trang Fishing Village.

Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam was built by bricks with typical architecture of Cham People. Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam has a lot of statues of human beings as well holy animals of Hinduism. The main tower in Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam is prayed for Ponagar God, the symbol of beauty, art and creation. Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam has 4 storeys and each storey of Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam has its own door, statues of Hindu Gods and holy animals made of stone. Other towers in Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam are used to pray for Siva, Sanhaka and Ganeca. The festival of Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam is one of the most 16 important festivals in Vietnam. Ponagar Tower in Nha Trang City in Vietnam’s festival is taken place from 21 to 23 march every year

Nha Phu Lagoon

Nha Phu Lagoon, located 12 kilometers north of Nha Trang along the central coast in Khanh Hoa Province, has peaceful waters and breathtaking scenery and boasts a chain of islands, beautiful beaches and several resorts.

The biggest of these islands is Hon Lao, also called “Monkey Island” because of the thousand or so monkeys who inhabit the island.

Previously some of Hon Lao’s monkeys would end up as test subjects in vaccine laboratories, but since the island was given over to resort developers, the animals spend much of their time amusing the tourists.

There are three types of monkeys on Hon Lao, red-buttock with short tails, red-faced with yellow coats and long-tailed with gray coats.

They usually comb the forest for food during the day, although many feel trusting enough to enter Hon Lao Tourism Park to try to get fed by the visitors.

More images from Nha Trang:

Vinperland

Yangbay stream

Chanh Toa Church

Hon Chong

Sanest island (Hon Yen)

According to Bootsnall travel network, there are 5 adventure destinations Vietnam recommended for tourists to travel.

Vietnam seems to be one of the new hotspots in Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s new slogan is “it’s a country, not a war”. Currently Vietnam is experiencing a massive influx of tourists not only interested in it war history, but also interested in the immense amount of soft adventure trips available throughout the country.

Below are a few of our favorites and recommendations:

HALONG BAY

Ha Long Bay

Often touted as Vietnam’s number one tourist destination, Halong Bay, literally means “where the dragon descends into the sea.” This is an area of more than 3000 islands, where tourist come to swim, explore, and visit a natural, scenic areas recognized in 1994 on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. This is a scenic area not to be missed!

Many of the islands are uninhabited, but some have floating villages of fishermen. Most travelers rent boats and spend multiple days exploring the tiny islands. There are some great caves and inlets to explore. The great way to experience this is on sea kayak, and sleeping in a tent at night, instead of taking the main tourists boats like everybody else.

 
BACH MA MOUNTAIN

Bach Ma mountain

The highest point in Bach Ma National Park, the mountain is only 140 meters above sea level and about 18 miles from the coast. Although the mountain is steep and dense, it makes a good day hike to the top. There are great view on the way.

Bach Ma Mount also has many limpid brooks and picturesque waterfalls. At the 16th kilometer on Cau Hai - Bach Ma road, turning left and walk for 20 to 30 minutes, tourists will also find 400m high, 20m wide Do Quyen waterfall which suddenly appears as if it were suspended in the sky... In the summer, rhododendron flowers are blooming on both sides of the fall like two huge flowery silk carpets. In the centre of the resort is Bac (Silver) waterfall, only 10m high and 40m wide and look like a spotless white curtain swayed by the wind.

More than half a century ago, the French recognized the beauty of Bach Ma and began to develop it. Within 5 years (1942-1946), 139 villas were continuously built under the foliage of old trees and by sheer cliffs.

From the top of Bach Ma, people can view landscapes of Hai Van Pass, Tuy Van mount, Cau Hai lagoon with heaving fishing boats and even the shimmering electrical lights of Hue city at night as well as the huge and boundless Eastern Sea.

DA LAT

DaLat city

 

NHA TRANG 

Nha Trang Bay

The coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province, Central Vietnam, lies on the trans-Vietnam highway, 1,278km from Hanoi, and 448km from Ho Chi Minh City.

Nha Trang is endowed by nature with deep, quiet and warm waters all the year round, surrounded by archipelagoes, islands, mountains and white sand beaches - a wonderful and attractive tourist resort. To the north of Nha Trang stands the Hong Chong Promontory which looks like a wide open hand over the sea (stack of large rocks in the ocean). Far offshore, the Yen (Swallow) Island appears with lush green colors where salangane nests have been harvested for years to make the traditional "bird’s nest" tonic and food. The 7 km white sand beach of Nha Trang is often called Vietnam’s Mediterranean Area, considered one of the jewel along Vietnam’s long stretching coast line. Nha Trang is sunny all year round, with an average temperature of 23°C due to northern winds. (November is rainy season) The rainfall is less than anywhere else in the country and the area is not threatened by storms since it is protected by the Truong Son Mountains and Ca Pass. From Ca Pass, one can see Ro Bay (Vung Ro), Hon Do Island

Nha Trang is home to many famous beautiful spots and landscapes and is a major tourist center in the country. Typical landscapes and beautiful sites in Nha Trang are Ponagar Tower Temples, Chong Rocks, Do Islet, Yen Islands, Noi Island, Ngoai Island, Mieu Island, Tre Island, Tam Island, Mun Island, Lao Island, Thị Island, Lo River, Tien Beach, Ngoc Thao isle, La-San Hill, Bao Dai Villas, Long Son Pagoda, the White Buddha Statue, Tri Nguyen Aquarium, the Water Palace, Da Hang Pagoda, etc.

MEKONG DELTA

Mekong Delta

In southern Vietnam near the border of Cambodia lies Mekong Delta. Known as “Vietnam’s Rice Belt,” the Mekong Delta is a huge system of canals of all sizes that flow into the Mekong River, one of the longest rivers in Asia. This picturesque area is almost all under cultivation, and produces enough rice to feed the entire population of the south and the central regions of Vietnam. This is a great place to relax away from the big cities, taste good fruit and vegetables, and meet local people.

There are a number of interesting adventures through the Mekong Delta. You can take a boat through some of the rural waterways. Most people hire guides but you can also attempt it on your own. The Mekong Delta is also a fascinating place for cycling. You can get a true glimpse of rural life and interact with locals, although conversations are difficult.