Vinh Hy - beautiful virginal bay of Ninh Thuan

Vinh Hy - beautiful virginal bay of Ninh Thuan

Around 40km northeastern away from Phan Rang – Thap Cham City is Vinh Hy Bay, one of the most beautiful natural landscapes of Ninh Thuan Province.

Nestled between two popular tourist destinations of Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa Province) in the north and Phan Thiet - Mui Ne in the south, the bay still reserves its rural beauty with white sand beach, steep rocky mountain ranges, caves and spectacular waterfalls.

To reach the bay, tourists from HCMC have to pass over 350km by land. There are two routes for tourists to choose: the first and easiest one is from National Highway 1A to the north and then turn right.

The second, longer yet more interesting one is the newly open coastal road from Binh Chau - Phuoc Buu (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province) to Lagi Town (Binh Thuan Province) then tourists follow National Highway 1A to Phan Rang City and turn again to the coastal road, passing Nui Chua National Park to the bay.

Oc gao of Phu Da

Oc gao of Phu Da

The beginning of the fifth lunar month is the season of oc gao (a small edible snail) in Phu Da in Cho Lach District, Ben Tre Province. Visitors who row to an island might witness the lively scene of people searching for snails, for this special food has created many jobs for Ben Tre residents.

Alternatively, a visit to Ba Ngoi garden in Vinh Binh Commune, Cho Lach District will reveal how locals classify snails with a home-made machine or cut shipworms from the snail shells.

Typically there are about 20 workers cutting shipworms, however, around 50 are at work at peak times in the Doan Ngo Festival (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), according to Nguyen Van Nho, technician of Phu Da snail cooperative.

Classifying snails pays VND250 for each kilogram. Shipworms are bought at VND500 per kilogram by the cooperative for duck food. The season of oc gao lasts until the seventh lunar month.

At Ba Ngoi garden, visitors may also enjoy oc gao boiled with citronella for just VND10,000 for a large serving. The snails here live in muddy soil and are smaller and fatter, and more delicious, than those other places. Other foods to try are rice pancakes filled with mussels and bamboo sprouts for only VND8,000 each.

Crispy cake skin, greasy coconut milk and peanut-and-rice cake flour, sweet mussels and bamboo sprouts used with many kinds of garden vegetable are all well-known dishes of southern Vietnam.

The other interesting side of Dam Mon

The other interesting side of Dam Mon

Most leisure tourists leave Dam Mon (Mon Lagoon) in Van Phong Bay after they have cruised to some of the attractions in the wonderful bay in Khanh Hoa Province. But for the few who opt to go trekking, the sand dunes and bushes in this beautiful region of Central Vietnam will be a satisfying adventure.

The sand dunes are located in Van Thanh Commune, Van Ninh District, on the other side of the road to Dam Mon from National Highway 1A. Trekking through these yellow sand dunes is a hard but interesting walk as there is much to explore in the half-desert area.

Along the 4.5km-long path from the road are some ponds which provide water for the wild bushes to grow and bear their clusters of flowers, even in the dry season. The path cuts across these ponds so trekkers have to take off their shoes to wade through in order to keep their shoes dry for the tough hike ahead.

Further along the path trodden by fishermen are hills of stones which have been carved by strong winds and sand into natural wonders of different shapes. Near by is the highest slope on the path so this is an ideal place to stop for a rest and enjoy this natural work of art at the same time.

The wild apricots always bear their bright yellow clusters of flowers in spring, particularly in late January or February when Vietnamese people celebrate their Lunar New Year or Tet, the biggest and longest holiday in this country. Occasionally the plants will surprise visitors with late blossoms in early summer. The apricot plants and other trees grow well in the half-desert area of sand dunes, providing shade for passers-by looking for a place to rest out of the scorching sunlight. Sometimes, the birds will provide entertainment with their songs as they fly around the forest.

Magnificent views of the mountains and waters of the East Sea come into view near the end of the path, which is a good spot for taking pictures of the sea sparkling in the light of the sunset or sunrise.

The path leads to Bai Na, a nun touched white-sand beach and a breathtaking reward for trekkers as they wash away the sweat, dust and exhaustion. This arch-shaped beach is one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen anywhere.

A trek across the sand dunes should be planned for either in the early morning or after 3 p.m. when the sun is not as hot. It takes about two hours or more to complete the hike.

The best way to return to Dam Mon is by boat. The journey takes approximately two hours and on route the boat passes Mui Doi (Twin Cape) of Hon Gom Peninsula in Khanh Hoa Province and stops at Van Phong Bay. The cape is where the morning sun first shines on Vietnamese land.

Tam Giang Lagoon - a place for explorers of indigenous culture

Tam Giang Lagoon is where three rivers - Huong, Bo and O Lau - meet before they flow into the sea through Thuan An Estuary in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

Many traditional craft villages along the three rivers, natural beauty and nearby mangrove forests have made the lagoon a popular destination for tourists.

Sailing down the Huong River from Thuan An Estuary, tourists can visit Dia Linh Hamlet in Huong Vinh Commune, where the craft of wood carving is still preserved.

Thuy Tu Village consolidated by the silt of the Bo River and characterized by the red-roofed houses is recommended as the next stop. The villagers earn a living by making tiles.

An Thuan Village is also worth visiting. There, tourists can learn more about the process of making green rice flakes with the added hot and tasty flavors of ginger, sesame and peanuts.

Thin fishing boats in the transparent water and the fishing nets here and there add beauty to the lagoon.

Tourists could tour Thai Duong Ha fishing village where locals still preserve their traditional lifestyle, rituals and festivities like Cau Ngu (a festival in which fishermen pray for the best catch) and the burial of the whale.

Ru Cha is a very rare primitive mangrove forest in the lagoon, just opposite Thai Duong Ha Village, in Thuan Hoa Hamlet in Huong Phong Commune.

Ru Cha was mostly leveled during the war but now the 5ha area is well restored and protected. Tourists can spend some time trekking this wetland reserve through the short Cha trees with big roots.

Many small caves which small crab use as shelter can be found at the roots of these trees. Be careful when approaching the trees whose resin makes your skin a little bit itchy but the leaves of Mop trees nearby are good for rubbing away the itch caused by Cha resin.

Lu Cam - a 200-year pottery village

Lu Cam - a 200-year pottery village

There is a pathway of which both sides are lined with Cai and Kim Dong rivers leading to a 200-year-plus pottery village, a 10-minute drive from central Nha Trang City.

Lu Cam Village in Ngoc Hiep Commune is known for baked-clay stoves. Despite great social and economic changes, the craft still exists there.

Nearly 200 years ago when trade by sea was active, the village on the bank of the Cai River made various kinds of pottery such as jars, stoves and vases and these products were sold to many places, including the coastal areas of Phan Rang and Phu Yen.

However, waterway transportation ate into profit, so pottery was taken to the marketplace mainly by bike or people.

Lu Cam stoves are still favored although other kinds of stove like electric and gas stoves are dominant on the market. Vietnamese families often use a clay stove to grill meat or cook some dishes.

When the traditional Lunar New Year holiday comes, the pathway is full of stoves that are dried under the sunlight before they are put into a big charcoal oven for baking.

On a 1,000m² area is a house where Lu Cam pottery has been made for generations. Ten years ago, there was a charcoal oven in front of the yard used for baking several thousand stoves at a time. The oven was then over 50 years old.

Due to the fall in consumption, it was replaced by two smaller ovens that are able to bake 500 and 1,000 stoves at a time each.

There are many steps taken to produce such a simple stove. Clay is mixed and stuffed with water and divided into small parts and each is enough to make a stove. The outer cover of the stove is made from galvanized zinc sheets to prevent clay from sticking on the mould. After finishing the first mould, artisans will design the stove shape, and attach handles and other parts. After that the stoves will be dried under the sun for 24 to 48 hours and then put into the oven.

The final step is to wait for the stove to cool, then stick the grid and bring it to the market. A finished stove costs VND8,000. Resellers can cover it with galvanized zinc to increase its durability and sell it for VND18,000 to VND20,000 per unit.

Lu Cam pottery village is a recommended destination for foreign tourists. In this tour, tourists can take part in the stove making process.

Visiting Dau Tieng Lake in Tay Ninh Province

Visiting Dau Tieng Lake in Tay Ninh Province


Dau Tieng Lake, located in Phuoc Minh Commune, Duong Minh Chau District, Tay Ninh Province, is the largest irrigation reservoir in Vietnam with a capacity of 1.6 billion cubic meters, enough for watering 63,000ha of farmland in Tay Ninh and HCMC plus 40,000ha in the provinces of Binh Duong and Long An through the Saigon and Vam Co rivers.

Especially, the lake is also a frequent place for sightseers for its beautiful landscape of mountains, mysterious islets and its fresh and pure atmosphere. Being far away from the residential area, the lake has crystal like, clean water and on sunny days, the water reflects the blue color of the sky.

Stretching along the lake is the Cau Mountain and a valley next to a primeval forest close to its bank, and scattered here and there in the lake are small islets. The lake's bank with its green grass coverage could be an ideal place for camping and visitors coming there could go fishing or watching the locals catch fish in the lake.

Cau Mountain has a height of 198m with a diverse floristic composition and protective forest extending to 1,600ha. At the top of the mountain is Thai Son Pagoda, which attracts many pilgrims in the 15th day of the 1st lunar month.

Next to Cau Mountain in the rubber plantation is Cau Nom Lake, which also has very pure and clean water with fresh air and tranquilizing atmosphere. There is also Tha La peninsula with an area of 57ha next to the lake. On the peninsula, locals grow many tropical fruit trees such as mango and longan.

To reach the lake, tourists can follow the National Highway No.13 to Thu Dau Mot Town in Binh Duong Province. When reaching the second highway toll station on Binh Duong Boulevard, tourists turn right Nguyen Chi Thanh Street and run through this street for about 30km and turn right at the T-junction of Thanh Tuyen Commune in Ben Cat District. Tourists then come to the center of Dau Tieng Town of Dau Tieng District and follow this street to Dau Tieng Lake.

Phuoc Hai Fish Market

Phuoc Hai Fish Market

Tourists who set foot on Phuoc Hai Fish Market are immediately overcome by the fishy smell and the liveliness of the setting as local residents call out nois­ily to each other in this fishing village.

Alongside the local fishing boats, many others from Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa are also moored at Phuoc Hai fish depot.

The market, located in Phuoc Hai Town­ship, Dat Do District, is one of the oldest fishing villages in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. The village springs to life at 3 a.m. in the morning, when darkness still covers the coastal village of Phuoc Hai, as fish catching vessels return from the open sea. The junks come and move their large catch of innumerable fish onto the shore. The fish are everywhere as trolleys are pushed in and out to help transfer fish.

When they are on land, the fish are classified by types and then put into big plastic baskets or skips for transfer onto loaded vans. By around 8 a.m. all the boats are in and their loads have been emptied, the only sight is the bustling vans carrying seafood to further areas

However, behind this excitement and exuberance is the knowledge that risks are taken every day on the ocean, made greater by the exhaustion of those fisher men