Top 10 places to visit in Vietnam

1. Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh)

Attractions: Cu Chu tunnel, Chinese town, War remnants museum,Vietnam History Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Notre DameCathedral, Reunification Palace, ...

Ho Chi Minh is a city worth exploring. If you don't think that? You should travel to Saigon.

The best time to travel to Saigon: The best time to visit Saigon is in the dry season – from December to April. Can stay at Eden Saigon Hotel

2. Mekong Delta

Attractions: Homestay, Floating market, Ancient Houses, Pagodas, Khmer peopal pagodas, Eco-National Park, Islands,...

With 13 provinces and 1 metropolitan city (Can Tho), Mekong Delta is the popular place to visit with travellers. If you don't have much time in Vietnam, you should travel to Mekong in one day (Tien Giang, Ben Tre province), 2 - 3 days (Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap province, Can Tho City), 3 days - 4days (Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Can Tho, An giang),...

The best time to travel to Mekong Delta (Vietnam): Travel to Mekong Delta are suitable all year round but the best time is the monsoon from June to September.

Cai Rang Floating Market

3. Phu Quoc (Kien Giang Province)

Attractions: Phu Quoc Sea, Phu Quoc National Forest, Suoi Tranh waterfall , Pepper Plantations, Ham Ninh Fishing Village,...

The same size as Singapore, the island of Phu Quoc lies off the west coast of Vietnam's Mekong Delta. A visit to Phu Quoc is a good, affordable opportunity to relax, spend time on the beach, and snorkel or scuba-dive. Get there soon and someday you'll be able to say, "I went there before it was touristy."

The best time to travel to Phu Quoc: The coolest time to go to Phu Quoc is from December to February.

Phu Quoc

4. Mui Ne, Phan Thiet

Attractions: Phan Thiet Harbour, Thuy Tu Temple, The Sand Dunes, Cham Tower, Beaches,...

Phan Thiet and Mui Ne are basically the same destination. Phan Thiet is the biggest town in the area, but Mui Ne is where you're going to end up. Mui Ne is a beachside town with numerous resort-like accomodation.

The best time to travel to Mui Ne, Phan Thiet: The waves are best from August to December, and the wind is best from November to April, so never really a bad time to go.

5. Nha Trang

Attractions: Po Nagar Cham Towers, Nha Trang Bay (islands,…), The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam, Beach, ...

Nha Trang has a split personality. One takes the form of a smaller Danang – a bustling Viet namese city humming with commerce but blessed with access to a beautiful beach.

The best time to travel to Nha Trang: Nha Trang has a warm, fair and beautiful climate nearly all year round, with the exception of late October, November and early December.

6. Dalat

Attractions: Bao Dai Palace (The last Vietnamese emperor palace), Da lat Market (night and day)

Dalat Railway Station, Falls: Prenn, Datala,…, Pagodas: Thien Vuong Co Sat (Chinese pagoda), Linh Ung,…

The best time to travel to Dalat: The dry season lasting from November to March, and the rainy season from April to November. During the winter months, the average temperature is 10 C while during summer it is around 20 C. Ideal weather is from November to March, when the air is fresh and cool.

7. Hoi An

Attractions: Hoi An District, Japanese Covered Bridge, CentralMarket, Riverside Museum of History and Culture, ...

The best time to travel to Hoi An: February and April are among the best time to visit Hoi an when rainfall is low and temperatures are pleasant. The temperatures can get hot during summer time and during the rainy season, particularly during October and November, rains can be frequent and heavy. If you can, time your visit to Hoi An for the full moon during on the 14th day of the lunar year each month for the Full Moon festivals, when the town becomes the stage for traditional songs, dancing, games and food, with lanterns lining all of the streets.

8. Ha Noi

Attractions: Hanoi Old Quarter, One Pillar Pagoda, Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Museum of Ho Chi Minh, History Museum, Water Puppet Theatre, Hanoi Opera House

The Tran Quoc Pagoda,...

Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of newAsia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. A city with a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony with its history, rather than bulldozing through like many of the region’s capitals. Hanoi is where imagination becomes reality.

The best time to travel to Ha Noi: The best time to visit Hanoi is from September to December when it isn't so humid. The weather turns quite cold and wet in January and this continues until March. The humidity can prove oppressive from May to the start of September and there's a danger of flooding.

9. Ha long

Attractions: Virgin Cave at Bo Hon Island, Pelican Cave at Bo Hon Island, Floating Villages and Fish Farms, Sung Sot Cave at Bo Hon Island, ...

Ha Long Bay is located in the northeast corner of Viet Nam, 165 km from Ha Noi. In the Province of Quang Ninh. Ha Long Bay covers an area of 1,553 km2 with 1,969 islands, of which 90% are limestone islands. To the west and north west, Ha Long Bay stretches from Yen Hung district in Ha Long city to Cam Pha town in Van Don district; to the south-east and in the south, Ha Long Bay borders the western shore of Tonkin Gulf; to the southwest the Bay borders Cat Ba island (Hai Phong province).

The best time to travel to Ha long: It is possible to visit Ha Long Bay year-round, with the best time to visit from October through April, although during the winter months of December, January and February, the weather can be cool and overcast with low visibility. During the summer months from May to September, temperatures rise and storms are more likely during the rainy season.

10. Sapa

Attractions: Cho Phien (Weekend market): Bac Ha, Coc Ly; SilverWater Falls (Thac Bac); Cat Cat Village; Ta Phin Village and Cave;...

The best time to travel to Sapa: The dry season is from January to June with March to May the best time to visit. Temperatures in January and February are regularly around 0ºC. The rainy season falls in June and August. September marks the end of the rainy season which is a good time to visit then by mid-December temperatures start to fall significantly making this September to mid-December period the best time to be there.

Source: etraveltips

A bite of Hue in Saigon

Hue food reminds one of not only sophisticated royal dishes but also simple culinary delights made of the best ingredients from river, green field and mountain in this former capital of Vietnam.

Be it a royal dinner or a simple bánh bèo, Hue food does not merely fill the stomach, it delights discerning palates that appreciate flavor, style and sophistication.

Among the many restaurants serving Hue food in Ho Chi Minh City, Nam Giao is the most famous. Set in a lane off Le Thanh Ton Street near Ben Thanh Market, Nam Giao is named after an open-air altar stage built in Hue in early 19th century where the kings of the Nguyen Dynasty performed offering ritual ceremony in the Spring to honor the Heaven and the Earth.

The cacophony of motorbike horns and market sellers fades away as one enters this restaurant. Though it is packed most of the time, the interiors of the restaurant are peaceful, relaxing, even intimate.

In a small garret on the second floor, diners sit on a wooden floor around a narrow bamboo table feasting on Hue specialties.

The restaurant is popular among not only locals, but also expats and tourists looking for authentic Hue cuisine. And Nam Giao has plenty of those.

The restaurant’s menu boasts of more than a hundred dishes, from appetizers to entreés, snacks and desserts.

NAM GIAO RESTAURANT

136/15 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, HCMC 116 Suong Nguyet Anh Street, District 1, HCMC

Hordes of Hue food lovers throng to Nam Giao for its exquisite bánh bèo (a fern-shaped cake), gỏi cuốn (spring roll) and mít trộn (jackfruit salad).

“I often head to Nam Giao with close friends for dinner. I also like to introduce authentic Hue food to my expat friends,” said Nguyen Thu Van, a fashion designer.

The most popular dishes on the menu are mít trộn, cơm hến and bánh bèo – all of which take much care and time to prepare in the kitchen.

To make mít trộn, young jackfruit is boiled for hours before being chopped finely. Other ingredients such as thinly sliced boiled shrimp and pork, rau răm (smartweed), fish sauce and lime are prepared meanwhile. Everything is tossed together in a wok with a spoonful of oil, and roasted sesame and nuts are added to create mít trộn.

The boiled and sliced jackfruit has neutrality that absorbs the various flavors of pork, shrimp, crunchy nuts and sesame. Mít trộn is a dish truly representative of Hue cuisine.

Cơm hến is a country dish of rice and baby clams, preferably harvested from Huong Giang, or Hue’s Perfume River.

Separating the tiny clams from their shells is a tedious and time-consuming process. To make cơm hến, the shelled clams are boiled and added to rice, which is cooked in the clam broth. Slices of banana flowers, star fruit, bean sprouts, mint and other herbs provide flavor and texture.

Sliced chili, fried nuts and fried pork fat are added to the mix, and the dish is served with a spicy clam broth.

Bánh bèo is another popular dish. To make it, boiled rice powder is poured into dozens of tiny bowls, then ruốc tôm (powdered shrimp), fried spring onion and small pieces of pork crackling are sprinkled on the surface. Bánh bèo is served with sweet and sour fish sauce fortified with sliced chili. It’s an eye-catching dish owing to the contrasting colors and the arrangement of bowls on a round bamboo plate.
Hue food is made of ingredients from a land of diverse geography and oozes love of family.
Most people come to Nam Giao to enjoy Hue flavors with their families and friends. For others, this restaurant is a place to reminisce about time spent and flavors discovered in the former feudal capital city.


Source: thanhniennews