Preparing for the trip

M and I started our preparation about a few weeks back.. can't really remember how early we started and how detailed we started off with. I think we are pretty vague till just one week before departure.

Our budget airtickets fr Tiger Airways are booked several months ago. We decided to fly to HCMC and to concentrate on south vietnam, namely Mekong Delta.

Well, we borrowed lonely planet guides from the library and try to find more information via internet. My idea is to take the hols slowly and relaxingly. If the place is nice, i want to stay one more day, if its bored, i'll just buy a bus ticket and move on to the next destination. I wanted to walk along the streets of vietnam, and have time to sip coffee, observe people + traffic wheezing past me... etc.

My main source of information are from Robert Reid's online vietnam guide. It's great! Of course you have to count in inflation rate for the costs of the buses, hotels, day trips etc. But, most of the information are pretty updated.

From what I gathered from other travel blogs, I've decided to zoom in on Chau Doc, Vinh Long and maybe Ha Tien and My Tho. Then, M and I try to read up a lot on these places: the recommended accommodation, attractions, food, transportation in and out of these places, etc. Then, we allocated a few days to each location.

Oh well, we only have 8 days in Vietnam ie fr 6 -13dec. About a few days before our flight, then we decided to just concentrate on Chau Doc and Vinh Long, maybe a night at My Tho (if we have the time) then the remaining two days at hcmc, before flying back to Singapore.
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All set!

My Son Sanctuary Vietnam

Vietnam tours: My Son Sanctuary, Vietnam is located in the Quang Nam province which is 69 Kilometers south-west of Danang. It was an imperial city during the Champa dynasty, a centre for spirituality and worship between the 4th and the 12th centuries. My Son Santuary, Vietnam has been listed in the World Heritage site as well, for its exemplification of the heights of Cham architectural achievement and hence is one of the top Vietnam tourist attractions. My Son Santuary, Vietnam is a large complex of religious monuments comprised of more than 70 architectural works built by the nobility of the Champa Kingdom deriving their cultural and spiritual influences from Indian Hinduism. Only 25 vestiges remain today as a standing witness to the reign of Chama Dynasty. These are temples and towers connected to each other through complicated red brick design to reflect the divinity of the king.

My Son Vietnam tour

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Dien Bien Phu Vietnam

Vietnam tours: Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam has its place in the minds of the Vietnamese as the battle ground that changed the course of history of the country. The famous battle of Dien Bien Phu was fought in the Dien Bien district of the Lai Chau province and today it has become one of the popular destinations in Vietnam.

Vietnam tour - Dien Bien Phu

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A cheaper way to make a trip to Mui Ne

Thanks to its natural land-scapes and pristine beaches, Mui Ne is a popular destination for international and local tourists who go there to expand their travel itinerary or for a weekend escape from work.

Scattered along the coastline are many resorts offering comfortable and luxury accommodations and other services for tourists to relax during their holidays. And off course, in return for the comfort, vacationers have to pay more money.

However, there is a cheaper, but no less interesting, way to make the trip to Mui Ne for backpackers or travelers on a limited budget.

Bus is the cheapest means of transportation to get there. From HCMC, travelers can buy bus tickets at open-tour operators, such as Sinh Café and Phuong Trang among others. A number of tour providers offering daily tours to Mui Ne have offices located in the heart of the city, on De Tham Street and Pham Ngu Lao Street, with buses usually leaving in the morning.

With tickets costing from VND60,000 to VND65,000 (US$3.8) each, travelers will make their journey in a 45-seat, air conditioned bus. In addition, the ticket includes a bottle of pure water, a paper tissue and a bag of coconut.



Travelers get on a bus at Mui Ne Resort to return to HCMC



For reasons of safety, the driver will often keep the bus running slowly enough for passengers to enjoy looking out of the windows at the landscape and scenes of the daily activities of people living along the national road!

After four hours and some 220 kilometers, travelers will feel the sea winds in the air as they approach the ‘kingdom of resorts’ in the Mui Ne region.

The artery street of Nguyen Dinh Chieu divides the resort town into two separated worlds. One side is dotted with many luxury and comfortable resorts along the pristine beaches, meanwhile on the other side is the world of restaurants, boutique shops, entertainment services and guest houses or inns.

Depending on the weight of their pockets vacationers can choose a luxury service or a comfortable accommodation. For those in search of less expensive options, inns or guest houses are the best choice for their stay during their holidays.

Prices are changed subject to the travel season and days of the week. However, a good bargain will provide travelers an air-conditioned room for two with prices ranging from VND100,000 to VND150,000, or from VND60,000 to VND80,000 for a room with fans.

Vacationers will also find a wide range of pricing for dining, according to their taste. Restaurants scattered along the street serve many different kinds of food, including Vietnamese, Korean, Indian and French among others. However, a seafood barbecue is what a traveler should try, with prices starting from VND35,000 per dish.

To explore the region, one can hire a motorbike or a bicycle priced at VND70,000 and VND15,000 respectively for 24 hours. There are also buses running from Phan Thiet City to Mui Ne every 30 minutes with tickets ranging from VND3,000 to VND8,000 each.

For swimming, one can ask any local for a path leading to the beach, and of course, one can swim freely anywhere once they get to the water.

Practice martial arts in the Delta

A tour to the Mekong Delta could be an interesting trip for visitors who want to explore the culture and the daily life of the local people in the southern area of Vietnam. This time, it could offer them a more special experience as the tour operator has added a new feature: a chance to learn some martial arts.

This two-day tour in Vinh Long Province in the Mekong Delta starts in HCMC in the morning. After a sight-seeing trip to the Vinh Sang Farm in An Thuan Hamlet, An Binh Commune, Long Ho District, martial arts instructors will join the tour to explain some martial arts postures to guests and tourists will practice the postures in the fruit garden.

This not only gives guests some hints on how to protect themselves but also helps them reject stress and improve their health. “With elderly people, we will show them some tai chi and describe methods to reduce stress,” said Cao Ngoc Minh, public relations executive of Ben Thanh Tourist, the tour’s arranger.

Tourists practice the martial arts under guide of the martial arts instructor

Vietnam travel

She said that each group of 15 to 20 guests will receive guidance from a martial arts instructor from HCMC. While the elderly people on the tour are offered opportunities to explore the culture, history, and rural scenery of the Mekong Delta, the younger people will spend more time practicing martial arts.

In the evening, tourists will have a romantic dinner on a three level boat and enjoy don ca tai tu (amateur traditional Southern opera). The ideal time for the tour could be on Saturdays, when all the lights of My Thuan Bridge are turned on creating a wonderful view of the bridge and the river.

On the second day, tourists will practice martial arts again, catch fish and bathe in the Co Chien river. At Vinh Sang Farm, tourists will also have the chance to become farmers as they learn more about the daily lives of the southern delta peoples. They will wear ao ba ba (a kind of shirt used by South Vietnamese peoples), and khan ran (bandanna) provided by the farm to catch fish, and try some of the other daily activities of farmers.

Guests who enjoy adventure could try riding one of the many ostriches at the farm who are used to having visitors ride on their backs.

The tour costs VND675,000 per tourist for groups of ten people, VND595,000 per tourist for groups of 20 people.

By SGT

Enjoying barbeque and hot pot dishes in town

When Saigonese people dine out, they often fre-quent restaurants that serve barbeque and hot pot dishes, making the two dishes popular gastronomic trends in HCMC. The restaurants featuring these dishes are often the choices of Saigonese diners because they are ideal places to not only enjoy tasty food but chitchat with family and friends.

Guests who want to have a quiet, airy space to enjoy barbeque and a view of the city center at night can go to the Breeze Sky Bar on the fifth floor of the Majestic Hotel. This Sunday, the bar will introduce a new “BBQ on the Roof Top” program featuring about 20 selected dishes of shrimp, salmon, beef, chicken, and more.

The barbecued meat of each dish will be combined with special kinds of sauce such as apple or peppermint; dishes of salad and deserts are also included. The “BBQ on the Roof Top” program will be offered daily from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with prices ranging from US$15 to US$24 per dish.

The Breeze Sky Bar with a view of the city center and the Saigon River is open from 10 a.m. to midnight. It also serves an international buffet breakfast, eastern and western food a la carte, plus many kinds of drinks, cocktails, ice-cream and snacks.

Also this July, the Golden Palace Restaurant in the Palace Hotel will introduce a buffet program featuring eight popular kinds of hot pots from three regions to Saigonese diners. The sweet, tasty flavor of the hot pot that attracts many gastronomes comes from beef, goat and shellfish meat, or fish, seafood and curry.



A view of the Breeze Sky Bar in the Majestic Hotel

Hot pot is a dish to share and people can easily see diners gathering around a hot pot chatting happily while putting many kinds of vegetables and meat into the hot soup. The many kinds of ingredients in hot pots are displayed in separated sections for guests to choose from and there will be staff to guide guests when choosing the ingredients for their own hot pots.

The restaurant also offers a dessert buffet corner with tropical fruits, sweet soups, drinks and green tea. Joining this hot pot buffet program, diners will have a relaxing time enjoying the meal with a flow of music in a cozy place. The price is VND144,000++ per person.

Wandering around Hoi An ancient town

Located in the central region of Vietnam in Quang Nam Province, the ancient town of Hoi An, one of six sites in Vietnam granted world heritage status in 1999, is a very popular destination for tourists.

The ancient town is registered UNESCO’s world heritage list as being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port dating back the 15th to 19th centuries. Besides the ancient beauty of Hoi An, local tourism has turned the town into a must-visit tourism destination for shopping and relaxation with various art and craft, and tailor shops as well as a variety of coffee shops, bars and restaurants along the riverfront.

Touring around town by cyclo is the favorite way of local and foreign tourists. Along Tran Phu Street and the Hoai River are best choices

By providing tourists with diversified services and local cultural features Hoi An has become an even more attractive destination and attracts a large number of tourists each year. To explore the ancient town, tourists can walk, bike or use a cyclo-pedicab to peruse the narrow streets. Visitors need to bear in mind that they will need to stop often, as every corner of the town is likely to attract their admiration. Hereunder are some newly-taken pictures that feature many activities of foreign tourists in Hoi An, proving the everlasting attraction of the ancient town.

Tourists buy lenterns at a shop. At night, the town becomes even more beautiful bye the light of colorful lanterns. Particularly on the first day and 15th day of the month, tourists can see flower garlands and colored lanterns on the Hoai River

Tourists enjoy a painting by an artist at a gallery. The gallery's owner said that some foreign tourists decide to buy paintings soon after the works are completed