Dos and Donts when travelling to Vietnam.

Dos and Donts when travelling to Vietnam. I'd like to add some more information on the top of this post. There was a sinking boat killed over 11 forein tourists in Ha Long Bay in Feb, not long enough since that day, another boat sank right in HaLong Bay. Fortunetly, no one was killed . Another sinking boat killed over 12 local people when they were having a party on the boat in Binh Duong Province, not far from HCM City. Firstly, I want to introduce to everyone a little bit about the Mekong Delta because I have read on many travel forums and see that many people dont know clearly about Mekong Delta. Mekong Delta includes 13 provinces from Ca Mau, located on the gulf of Thailand, to Long An. (Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, An Giang, Can Tho, Long An, Tien...

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To explore Phu Quoc – a passionate island involved with nature

To explore Phu Quoc – a passionate island involved with natureTo explore Mekong Delta I suggest you to visit Phu Quoc island, The biggest island in Vietnam – Phu Quoc or “Pearl Island” – is loved by thousands of people thanks to it beautiful natural sea landscape and huge potential Overview “Pearl Island” Phu Quoc is a large tropical island off the coast of Vietnam. It is the biggest one in the 22-island complex of Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand, Kien Giang province. Its northeast cape is 4 sea miles from the neighbour Cambodia. The island is 62 sea miles east of Kien Giang capital (Rach Gia town), and 25 sea miles from Ha Tien town....

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To explore Bai Thom, Phu Quoc - Phu Quoc homestay

 To explore Bai Thom, Phu Quoc - Phu Quoc homestay  Many people have explored Phu Quoc island before, and I can not remember how many times that I have visited Phu Quoc. I usually stay in a hotel right in Duong Dong, Phu Quoc every time I get there, but that time is different, staying in friend's home instead. It was a good trip of mine in Phu Quoc. If you want to explore the Mekong Delta, I recommend you to explore Phu Quoc. You will love the island as soon as I am When my friend invited me to explore Phu Quoc island and to stay at his friend house - who lives in Bai Thom, Phu Quoc - 30km far away from Duong Dong-  I was not very interested in because I thought It was too far from the central, so I told him to hire a hotel right in Duong Dong instead. After one day exploring...

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Vietnamese wine

When we say that Vietnam is warming with reds these days, we aren’t making a political statement, of course. We’re talking about wine. With the easing of government restrictions, both commercial and cultural, the past ten years have seen a welcome increase in wine importing and awareness. You can now find a good quality Bordeaux in most upscale and many mid-range restaurants or chic wine bars and shops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Nevertheless, while international wines are making headway, the most interesting vintner we find on the market are local contenders. Rice alcohol. Alcohol has been called spirit because it symbolizes...

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Exploring Mekong Delta - Full-moon Festival in Mekong Delta

 Exploring Mekong Delta - Full-moon Festival in Mekong Delta The Khmer ethnic people annually celebrated their traditional Ok Om Bok Festival on the Full-Moon day (15th day) of the middle Winter to shows their gratitude to the Moon Goddess for giving them a bumper harvest and rich aquatic sources. Ok Om Bok is now a popular festival celebrated not only in Soc Trang but also in other Mekong Delta provinces of Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Kien Giang and An Giang. In the Khmer belief, the Moon Goddess is the one who cares for the crops, aquatic sources and human life. Also called Festival of Worshipping the Moon, the Ok Om Bok Festival of each village takes place on the yard of a local pagoda, and the whole province’s Ok Om Bok Festival takes place at Ba Om Pond. The festival...

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Exploring Chau Doc - Pilgrims flood Ba Chua Xu Temple Festival

 Exploring Chau Doc - Pilgrims flood Ba Chua Xu Temple Festival A pilgrimage to Ba Chua Xu Temple Festival will help you to experience the local culture. It is a very colorful and attractive festival attended by people from all over Vietnam and is surely a treat for the tourists.Ba Chua Xu Temple was built in 1820, at the foot of Sam Mountain, Vinh Te Commune, Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province. Ba Chua Xu Temple is constructed according to the Chinese character “quoc”, has 4 square roofs, roofed with blue pile-shaped tiles. According to a legend, in the early 1800s, villagers found a statue of a lady dating to the 6th century in the forest. They built a temple in her honour, hoping that she would bring them better crops and better lives. This is why the marble statue of...

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Exploring Rach Gia - Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival

 Exploring Rach Gia - Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival From the 18th to the 19th day of the tenth lunar month, Nguyen Trung Truc Temple Festival is annually organized in Long Kien Commune, Cho Moi District, An Giang Province. The temple is dedicated to Nguyen Trung Truc, the leader of an insurrection who rose up against the French in the South. Among other exploits, he led the raid that resulted in the burning of the French warship Esperance. Despite repeated attempts to capture him, Nguyen Trung Truc continued to fight until 1868, when the French took his mother and a number of civilians hostage and threatened to kill them, he did not surrender. Nguyen Trung Truc turned himself in and was executed by the French in the market place of Rach Gia on 27 October 1868. The...

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Vietnamese Lunar New Year

Vietnamese Lunar New Yearhe festival is the best epitomizes Vietnam’s cultural identity Meaning of Vietnamese New YearThe festival which best epitomizes Vietnam’s cultural identity is Vietnamese New Year or Tet. “Tet” is the phonetic deformation of “Tiet”, a Sino Vietnamese term which means “Joint of a bamboo stern” and in a wider sense, the “beginning of a period of the year”. The passage from one period to the next may cause a meteorological disturbance (heat, rain, mist) that must be exercised by ritual sacrifices and festivities. There are many Tets throughout the year (Mid-autumn Vietnamese New Year, Cold Food Vietnamese New Year, etc.). But the most significant of all is “Vietnamese New Year”, which marks the Lunar New Year. Vietnamese New Year occurs somewhere in...

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Full moon (Mid-Autumn) Festival

Full moon (Mid-Autumn) FestivalTet Trung Thu, as it is known in Vietnam, or the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival as we refer to in foreign countries, is a wonderful, ancient festival that revolves around children. Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (or Full moon Festival) takes place on the full moon night (15th of the Lunar August), the most charming and picturesque night of the year. The festival involves the customs of moon contemplating, procession of star & moon – shaped lanterns, lion dance, as well as holding parties with moon cakes and fruits. Do you know why we have this special festival? The origin… The Festival dates back as far as 15-20,000 years ago in Southeast Asia, and is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month. Looking at the moon on this day,...

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Exploring Chau Doc - Sam moutain (Nui sam) - a place of pilgrimage for the Vietnamese

Exploring Chau Doc -  Sam moutain (Nui sam) - a place of pilgrimage for the VietnameseLocated about 6km to the west of Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province, you will have a chance to view the 230m-high Sam Mountain with beautiful landscapes and many historic remains. It's one of the That son moutains Sam Mountain is the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta. On the way there, you can enjoy the sights of the two rice fields along the road, and drop by for a short visit to a small Khmer village. You will have a short walk up on the mountain side to see the daily life of mountain people. There are dozens of pagodas and temples, many of them set in caves, around Sam Mountain. The Chinese influence is obvious and Sam Mountain is a favourite spot for ethnic Chinese (both pilgrims...

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Exploring Kien Giang - U Minh Thuong National park the highest bird species richness among any sites visited

Exploring Kien Giang -  U Minh Thuong  National park the highest bird species richness among any sites visited Take your time to enjoy one of the most interesting National park in Mekong Delta, U Minh Thuong, which is located about 40km away from Rach Gia City, Kien Giang Province. The place of boats and floating markets. If you come here someday, You will see people go to a wedding by boats and boats, and the only transportation in U Minh Thuong may be boats. Let take a look to know what U Minh Thuong is. Located in An Minh and Vinh Thuan districts,Kien Giang Province and about 365km south-west of Ho Chi Minh City, U Minh Thuong...

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To explore Ben Tre - Coconut palms, the symbol of Ben Tre

Exploring Ben Tre - Coconut palms, the symbol of Ben TreTravelling by boats along rivers and canals intertwined under the shade of coconut trees in Ben Tre Province, you can enjoy traditional special dishes in its orchards and coconut gardens. Ben Tre is a province that lies in the lowest part of the Mekong River Basin, some 85 km south of Ho Chi Minh City. Ben Tre is made up of three main islands wedged between the Tien Giang River to the north and to Co Chien River to the south with the Ham Luong River running straight down the centre. All are effectively offshoots of the Mekong River as it splits out into many fingers before spilling out into the South China Sea. Verdant and flat, the province is mostly given over to rice and fruit cultivation. Traditional Mekong life is...

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Exploring Dong Thap - Tan Qui Dong The town of flowers

Exploring Dong Thap - Tan Qui Dong The town of flowers Today, I am going to post the information about Tan Qui Dong village which is known as the village of flowers. Located about 150km from HCM, not far from HCMC but It seems a hidden spot that not many people know about it, and there are no tourists have introduced to travellers. It's worth visitng for travellers who interested in photography or exploring new thing in Mekong delta. For more than 100 years, Sa Dec has been known all over the country for the cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants. Sa Dec flowers and plants have been provided to all parts of the country and exported...

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To explore Hang Pagoda - Tra Vinh Province

Exploring  Hang Pagoda - Tra Vinh ProvinceHang Pagoda - Located in Chau Thanh District, Tra Vinh Province. Hang pagoda is one of the Khmer ancient pagoda system in Tra Vinh, and the architecture is uniqe. If you visit Hang pagoda you will see that they are not only monks but also artirst. also known as the stork pagoda owing to the great white birds that nest in the tall trees here. Although the pagoda itself is modern and painted in soft pastels, the birds are a worthwhile sight if you come at the right time - around dusk during the rainy season...

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To explore Ha Tien

Exploring Ha Tien - Kien Giang, Mekong Delta Located about 100km away from Rach Gia City, Kien Giang province. Lying just 8km from the Cambodian border, Ha Tien is on the Gulf of Thailand and has a vastly different feel from other delta settlements. All around the area are lovely, towering limestone formations, which support a network of caves, some of which have been turned into temples.  If you are planning to visit Ha Tien, I suggest you to visit some nice places below : - MAC CUU FAMILY TOMBS On a low ridge not far from town are the Mac Cuu Family Tombs (Lang Mac Cuu). They are known locally as Nui Lang, the Hill of the Tombs....

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To explore Bai Thom, Phu Quoc island

Bai Thom is located 30km from DuongDong District; It was being built when I visited in June, 2010. It was the hardest road to ride a motorbike and impossible to drive a car. I have a friend who lives there so he asked me to visit his home, and I decided to try. It took me up to 2 hours to get there although It's only 30km from Duong Dong To there. Anyways It was worth visiting, he invited me to go fishing with him and we got some delicious seafood then his mom cooked it. He also introduced me to the border to cambodia; What a surprise, I can see cambodia by standing from there. I stayed at his house, and It was one of my great trip. Thanks...

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To explore Can Tho floating markets

Exploring Can Tho floating markets Cần Thơ, the name comes from cầm thi giang; - river of poems, is a city in Vietnam. The city, regarded as;Western capital;, with an estimated population of 1,121,000, is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta. The city is located on the south bank of the Hậu River, the bigger branch of the Mekong River. It is 169 km from Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city. Cần Thơ’s climate is tropical and monsoonal with two seasons: rainy, from May to November; and dry, from December to April. Average annual humidity is 83%, rainfall 1,635 mm and temperature 27 °C. Cần Thơ City constitutes an independent municipality...

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To explore Ham Ninh, Phu Quoc

Exploring Ham Ninh, Phu Quoc Ham Ninh, which is located 30km from Duong Dong district, known as a good place for eating seafood in Phu Quoc and a good place for photography- If you want to enjoy eating seafood I will recommend you visiting Kim Cuong Restaurant, It's a good restaurant and the owner also love taking photographs so ask him if you have a meet. If you come there in the morning you will see that the water looks like a mirror, and there are many boats stopping there. You can also get to Ha Tien from there; It only takes you 40km instead of 120km from RachGia. There are many people who write the information about PhuQuoc so I am trying...

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Travelling Phu Quoc - Phu Quoc island

 Travelling Phu Quoc - Phu Quoc island The tear-shaped Phu Quoc (Vietnamese Phú Quốc) is part of the Kien Giang province. The distance from Phu Quoc to mainland Viet Nam is 45 km to Ha Tien and 120 km to Rach Gia. 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, Phu Quoc , 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. You can start exploring the island in Duong Dong, the biggest town on the island (west of Phu Quoc), where most of hotels and resorts are located. Going south, you can drive along Bãi...

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