SAPA, Vietnam

Sapa is an incredibly picturesque village that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in NW Vietnam. It is called as "the Tonkinese Alps" You can see many hill tribe people, their villages, rice terraces, lush vegetation, and Fansipan, highest peak in Vietnam.

How to get here by tour
Very common and popular. Many travel agents organize tours from Hanoi. 4 days / 3 nights incl visiting the most famous Bac Ha Sunday market with $20-25.
How to get here by yourself.
There are many trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai. However almost all sleeper seats are controlled by travel agents. It is impossible to buy sleeper tickets. The seat tickets are available and a few 2nd class sleeper may be available at the train station without makeup.

From Lao Cai train station to Sapa
Many minibuses are waiting at the train station for Sapa. They are offering the service with 25-30,000D but local price is 20,000D. Bargain hard.

Arriving to Sapa
Your minibus stops at the area where many hotels are clustered. This is not the center. The minibus continues to travel. You may ask the driver to take you to the market or Royal Hotel, both are good starting points to look for a room. The entrance of the market is Cau May Street, where most budget accommodation can be found. More GHs are behind the market.
All rooms equipped with HW. Only expensive hotels have a/c but no need a/c. The view to the valley is the key to choose a room.

Weekends: always busy due to the Sunday market at Bac Ha, The most hotels put their prices up during weekend.
Tourist Peak & Dry Season: Mar - May, Oct - Nov. Good season for trekking.
Vietnamese Tourist Season: June and July
Rainy: June - August: and cold at night (Sapa is 1500m above sea level)
Winter: Jan - Feb: Cold specially at night. It sometime snows.

i Tourist Office: None: But you can get info at travel agents. Many in town. They all deal with trekking tours.
$ Agri Bank: M-F7:30-11, 13:30-16:30, Sa7:30-11:00, $1=16,103VD, US$ T/C -> VD com 1%
P Police: near the church.
H Hospital: 3km out from the town.
Hp Pharmacy: Many in town such as Cau May Street, the main street.
M0 Post Office GPO/ Telephone office: Summer 7:00-21:00 Winter 7:30-21:30

TRANSPORT
Train
There are many different classes for the train to Hanoi.
1. Hard seat, 2. soft seat, 3. fan hard bed sleeper, 4. a/c soft bed sleeper, 5 wood carnage, 6 Oriental Express carnage.
You can get 1 or 2 easily at the train station in Lao Cai and you can get 3 & 4 at Pathfinder(see below), but it is almost impossible to get "Wooden carriage and Oriental Express" classes. To get those tickets, ask at travel agents or your guest houses. When you order tickets, please make sure which class your tickets are for.
T Train Station: In Lao Cai. The most minibuses go to the train station. Tickets for night trains are sold after 16:30. Many people come so come early and stay in a line.
T1 Train Ticketing Sapa Pathfinder Travel: #13 Xuan Vien., T873468, sptravel@vnn.vn train ticket counter open only 7:30-11, 13:30-15:30. Ticket prices are offcial one. Commission for seat 7000VD, for sleeper 10,000VD
The cheapest tickets for lower class tickets.
Bus
B Mini bus to Lao Cai:
To Lao Cai: Mini buses leaves near the church when it gets full. Also you can get one in front of Royal Hotel.
local fare 20000/ tourist fare 25-30000D
To the border to China(called "guojing or goukyou")
Take a minibus heading to the Lao Cai train station. Get off just after crossing the bridge and walk to the left for 500m. Ask your minibus driver. Usually he will take you to the border.
B1 Bus station: near the entrace of Sapa. Bus only to Lao Cai. To Hanoi, you can get one from Lao Cai bus station.
B2 Tourist Bus:
Mini buses or jeeps organized by travel agents leave to Lao Cai and Hanoi.

Ba Be Lake is a place with some of the most wonderful sceneries in Vietnam. The lake is in Ba Be National Park, which is about 250km north of Hanoi. It is near Bo Lu and Pac Ngoi villages, the home of Tay ethnic people.

Ba Be Lake is on a limestone mountain, at a height of 150m above sea level. As it looks similar to Halong Bay, the lake is also called "Halong Bay on the mountain." It has a water surface area of 500ha. It is more than 8km long, nearly 2km at its widest, and 20-35m deep. The lake is made up of three river branches - Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng.

Around the lake are primeval forests and mountain peaks with the height of more than 1,000m. Seen from above, the lake shrinks in the middle and looks like a corridor between cliffs. In the center of the lake, there are islets with many species of orchids and birds. The lake has an abundant source of freshwater aquatic animals, with precious kinds of fish such as giant carp.

Two outstanding features of Ba Be Lake are its original scenery and geological conditions. It is one of the few lakes in the world on a limestone mountain. Studies show that the region of karst has been in existence for 450 million years. After millions of years, the limestone has been transformed into unique scenery for the lake.

Travelers to Ba Be Lake can boat on the lake or visit nearby tourist places in the national park such as Tien Pond, Po Gia Mai Island, Puong Cave and Dau Dang Waterfall. If they visit at the time of Long Tong Festival on the 10th and 11th days of the first lunar month, they can see traditional games, performances of martial arts, and the horn dance of Tay, Dao, Mong, Nung and Kinh tribal groups.

In 1995, at the world freshwater lake conference in the United States, Ba Be Lake was recognized as one of 20 special freshwater lakes in the world that should be protected. In September, 2005, the Vietnamese Government had its officials apply for world natural heritage site recognition for the lake.

Ba Ria Vung Tau (Baria - Vungtau)

Ba Ria Vung Tau (Baria - Vungtau)

Ba Ria-Vung Tau

Area: 1,982.2 sq. km.
Population: 897,600 habitants (2004)
Capital: Vung Tau City
Administrative divisions:
- Town: Ba Ria.
- Districts: Chau Duc, Xuyen Moc,Tan Thanh, Long Dien, Dat Do, Con Dao.
Ethnic groups:Viet (Kinh), Hoa, Cho Ro, Khmer...



Geography

Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is located in the Southern Vietnam, to the northeast of the Mekong Delta. It shares its border with Dong Nai Province to the north and Binh Thuan Province to the east, Ho Chi Minh City to the west and East Sea to the South - east.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau is southern coastal province comprising a plain, 100m above sea level, declining gradually to 80km of beautiful swimming beaches. The national park on the island of Con Dao features important historical and cultural remains.



Climate: The province is favoured by sunshine and sea breezes, and has an average temperature of 28 degrees. There are two distinct seasons: the dry (from November to April) and the rainy (from May to December).



Tourism and Economy

Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province is a large tourist center. It has over 100km seashore with beautiful swimming beaches, as well as many lakes and thermal springs. The offshore bench has two kinds of importance resources: petrol and seafood.



In Vung Tau City there are Thuy Van, Chi Linh, Back, Front, and Dau beaches; Long Dien District has Long Hai Beach; Xuyen Moc District has Ho Tram, Ho Coc beaches. In Con Dao Island, tourists are able to swim in Dam Trau, Hon Cau, and Hon Tre beaches... then they can climb in Thanh Gia Mountain, Nho Mountain. If tourists would like to improve their health, they could go to Binh Chau Hot Spring, which its temperature comes up to 80ºC, then visit Binh Chau – Phuoc Buu Natural Preservation Zone.



Other popular places are Communal House of Dao Ong Tran, Ben Da Church, Bach Dinh vestige, Long Phuoc Tunnels, Minh Dam Revolutionary Area... and over one hundred Buddhist pagodas and temples such as Niet Ban Monastery, Thang Tam Communal House, Linh Son Pagoda, Dinh Co Temple…



Located in the 90km southern part of Vung Tau, Con Dao Island has a dense forest, which is Con Dao National Park with rich flora and fauna. The sea in this area is home to various valuable marine species. Especially, tourists have a chance of watching the turtle laying the eggs. It also used to host a convict prison during French colonial era, and later, during the American War.



Aside these, tourist can participate in some traditional festivals as Dinh Co Festival, Nghinh Ong Festival (Welcoming the Lord Whale Festival), play golf or watch dog racing in Lam Son stadium in Vung Tau City every Saturday…



Transportation

Vung Tau is 129km from Ho Chi Minh City, 95km from Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), 513km from Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa)



Road: Ba Ria – Vung Tau has National Highway 56 to Dong Nai Province, National Highway 55 to Binh Thuan Province, National Highway 51 to Ho Chi Minh City. Express buses leave for Bien Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho and some others.



Air: There are flights from Vung Tau to the Con Dao Islands.

Boat: Vina Express operates hydrofoils from central Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau.

Con Dao Island
Really 16 islets covering 72.2 sq km, that were once used as a prison for Vietnamese communists.

Long Hai Beach
Clean white sands. A peaceful haven with expansive ocean views.

Binh Chau Hot Springs
Located in the Xuyen Moc District national park, the springs cover more than a square kilometre and bubble through 70 subterranean outlets. The water temperature ranges from 40 to 84 degrees.

Vung Tau city
A beautiful seaside town built on 5km of coastline, 128km north east of Ho Chi Minh City. Vung Tau is seldom affected by tropical storms. An ideal spots for relaxing, swimming and sun bathing.

Hai Dang
A vintage lighthouse built in 1870 that stands 170m above sea level on Hai Dang Mountain.

Suoi Tien
Its name refers to a legend that on bright nights angels come down from heaven to bath here.

An Giang (ChauDoc - LongXuyen - AnGiang)

Area: 3,406.2 sq. km.
Population: 2,170,100 habitants (2004)
Capital: Long Xuyen City.
Administrative divisions:
- Town: Chau Doc.
- Districts: An Phu, Tan Chau, Phu Tan, Chau Phu, Tinh Bien, Tri Ton, Cho Moi, Chau Thanh, Thoai Son.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Cham, Hoa.

Geography

An Giang Province is located to the west of the Mekong Delta between the Tien and Hau rivers and shares a 100km border with Cambodia in the north – west. It also shares border with Dong Thap Province in the east, Cantho City in the south – east, and Kien Giang Province in the south – west.

An Giang has two main types of topography: midland areas and low mountains. The low mountains is Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) in Tinh Bien and Tri Ton districts. Vinh Te Tunnel runs along with the province’s border in the west, which connects from Chau Doc to Ha Tien.

Climate: An Giang is divided into two seasons: the rain (from May to November), and the dry (from December to April next year). The annual average temperature varies 27ºC. The highest temperature is 35ºC – 37ºC from April to May and the lowest ones is 20ºC – 21ºC from December to January next year. The annual rainfall is 1,400 – 1,500mm.

Tourism and Economy

An Giang is main province in rice output. The province also has corn and aquatic products as basa fish, shrimp, cuttle... An Giang is also renowned as traditional handicraft such as Tan Chau silk, Chau Doc fish sauce and other consume products. Especially, long-standing handicraft weaves fabric industry of Cham ethnic group.

An Giang is famous for particular festivals as Ba Chua Xu, Chol Chnam Thomay, Dolta festival and ox racing. Other famous sites and attractions include Sam Mountain in Chau Doc, Cam Mountain in Tien Binh, Tuc Dup Hill, grottoes network of Thuy Dai Son, Anh Vu Son, Co To, and many historical vestiges.

Transportation

An Giang has a relatively convenient land and water transport system. National Road 91 connects to Cam-pu-chia. Buses run from Chau Doc to Long Xuyen, Cantho, and other destinations in the Mekong Delta.

Long Xuyen City is 62km from Cantho, 125km from My Tho, and 190km from Ho Chi Minh City. Chau Doc Town is 96km from Ha Tien, 117km from Cantho, 179km from My Tho, and 245km from Ho Chi Minh City.

An ode to Ha Long Bay

An ode to Ha Long Bay

It was my fourth visit to Ha Long Bay, but the first time my mother and I could together float on the sea, from sunset to sunrise on a large wooden junk.

Our three days and two nights on a the wooden junk named Valentine, of Indochina Sails may just be our most memorable trip together since I was 10 years old and accompanied my mother to visit the sea for the first time.



Now I was a 20-something girl, old enough to stretch by my mother’s side on two deck chairs and enjoy the darkness surrounding the numerous white limestone towers, not to mention the melodious ballads flying up from the wooden deck into the sky.



It was our first night on board, a moment so tranquil that it made a western couple stand up and waltz. At the time, our junk was still moving slowly ahead, passing through the cool sea-breeze and many gigantic limestone towers, which impressed us with their bizarre shapes in the darkness.



This wasn’t what we were expecting when we joined the newly - designed cruise.



We were excited the moment we took a tender to step onto the gigantic wooden junk, which resembled an ancient French-style palace floating on the sea. Passing through the glittering dining room, with its windows facing the sea, we reached our cabin. My mother and I immediately saw beyond the wooden doors: two parallel white sheeted beds, a jar of white Madonna lilies, two large windows covering almost half of the brown wooden wall, and a splendid view of the sea outside.



Our first day was spent relaxing on the deck and in our cabin, although there were various activities tourists could enjoy partaking in on land, such as visiting Bat Cave, Cua Van fishing village or Soi Sim Beach. Most of us were not interested in stepping off the junk, since it served as an idyllic day-trippers’ paradise. Lying on the beds at night, we could see both the high limestone towers and bright stars glittering in the dark sky.



We went to bed early that night. Perhaps it was the effect of consuming a few glasses of good red wine on deck, or the cool breeze coming in from the large window mixed in with the intoxicating air from the cream lilies, that served as soothing lullabies.



The second day began filled with energy as we woke up early to participate in a tai chi session on the sun deck. We then transferred to the day-trip boat and cruised to the bay’s most untouched areas. A buffet-style breakfast was served on the boat, which was not only impressive in its various delicious Western dishes, but also served very good Vietnamese pho (noodle soup).



By the time we completed our breakfast we had reached Ngoc Vung Island. It was sunny and none of us could refuse to take a light bicycle trip through untouched forests to enjoy the natural scenery here. After half an hour, we found ourselves in front of the endless white sand-beach with not a single human shadow in sight. From afar, the sea could appeared as an emerald. I changed into a bathing suit while my mother chose to relax under the cool shadows of the pine forest.



The highlight of the trip turned out to be kayaking in the afternoon, when our boat reached Cong Do area. All of us were very eager, although my mother seemed hesitant. She had never squeezed into a kayak before and she didn’t know how to swim.



Our yellow kayaks followed each other, moving in the low surf, with the warm waters of the sea lapping, and the cool breeze wrapping around us. The high rock formations seemed much higher when looked up and could make our way through all the narrow slots between the towers to discover a strange area where big boats couldn’t reach.



Our second day came to a good end with a delicious dinner, a grilled seafood feast, after which we went off to see people catching squids offshore. Passengers who caught squids could be found at our table for a second dinner, laughing away as they shared their funny stories.



The next morning our ship steamed forward to Sung Sot Cave, one of the bay’s most impressive limestone caverns. The entrance required a hike up stone steps to a spot high above the bay. More steps led into receding chambers, past humongous stalactites and stalagmites that resembled giant sandcastles.



Our cruise ended in the afternoon with us waving to the staff as we returned to land.



Many hesitate to vacation in a sailboat, but it is worth trying, for once you go, you will want to go again and again. It is advisable to go in a group, as you can share together all the wonderful moments of sitting standstill in the cool sea-breeze, listening to love ballads, sipping Vallformosa red wine, while the limestone towers all around move softly as the boat keeps drifting ahead.



Ha Long is like a story whose ending I thought I had reached but in reality I discovered that it has many alternative endings that need to be discovered, again and again.

Where the wild things grow

After a 40km drive from Hanoi and a long slog up the mountain side, I’m delighted to reach the ruins of Dam pagoda. Found halfway up the mountain, the thousand-year-old pagoda is now overgrown with weeds and bushes. Nature is once again the master of the land.

Walking towards the pagoda I try to picture it as it would have been – once upon a time. No doubt the structure was an imposing one. Large steles with feral looking animal-sculptures still stand tall, if not quite as tall as they once were, at around 5m.

On one pillar two dragons flanking a moon is symbol of Phallus Linga while the surf waves below represents Yoni, the feminine base, both imported motifs from Buddhism in India.



The pillar not only expresses the artistry of the sculptors and profound philosophy of my Vietnamese forefathers. – their aspiration for favourable weather, a prosperous country and reproductive race are evident.



Historically, the pagoda has also been known as Tam Cam pagoda, named after a folk tale about two half sisters,

Tam and Cam, which is sort of a Vietnamese version of Cinderella. After Tam’s mother dies, her father remarries and Cam is born. Tam is the more beautiful of the two sisters, but she’s horribly mistreated by her step mother.



While Cam enjoys a life of leisure, Tam toils under the sun. On the night of a royal banquet, The Goddesss of Mercy – or in some versions Buddha – helps Tam dress up in beautiful clothes, but in her haste she loses a slipper in a river.

The King happens upon the slipper and is so dazzled by its beauty he declares that any maiden at the celebration whose foot fit the slipper would be made his first wife.



Of course, no one’s foot fits, not even Cam’s much to her mother’s chagrin, until Tam arrives in her gown, minus one slipper. A marriage is quickly organised, though no one lives happily ever after just yet, as Tam is killed by the step mother, while Cam is sent to the palace to replace her. To cut a long story short, Tam eventually is reincarnated, while Cam is made into mam Cam – you know like mam tom.

Anyway, Dam pagoda was built in 1086 during the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong on Dam or Dai Lam mountain, the highest peak of Lam Son mountain range.



It was built by order of the Second Queen Mother Linh Nhan (or Y Lan, the infamous imperial concubine).



In her old age, she felt regret for her once nefarious ways – she compelled the First queen mother and 76 other imperial maids to commit suicide, amongst other things – so she built a number of pagodas to ease her troubled mind.

Dam pagoda was so immense it took eight years to complete and covered an area of 8,000sqm. The buildings had their backs to the mountain and were placed on four stone steps along the mountain slope. Each step was made from thousands of carved stones.

To make transporting materials to the construction site easier, a canal named Con Ten (which means Arrow) was built to link the mountain with Duong river.



Legend has it that after finishing the pagoda, seven families living on the foot of mountain were assigned to open and close all the doors.

Besides its harmonious architecture, which of course ticked all the right boxes of feng shui philosophy, Dam pagoda is also well-known for its sculptures which are considered the forerunners of classic Vietnamese sculpture.



But time wears out us all and after a period of neglect, the once opulent building fell to ruin last centruy.



The main building was destroyed in 1946 during the war against the French colonialists,” says Do Thi Quyen, the pagoda’s main caretaker.

A small, spare pagoda was built in the old foundation. Only Quyen lives there now with an allowance of $10 a month.



This paltry sum is merely enough for her to purchase some rice and vegetables. However, the old woman works hard cleaning up the grounds, gardening and clearing weeds and bushes on the old pagoda’s stone walls.
It seems that the weeds are growing too fast for one woman to stop them, but Quyen is an optimist.



“I believe that in the near future, our pagoda will be re-built as big as it was in the past. Monks came here to visit and said they would return here to build a new pagoda,” Quyen says with a smile.

I stand one more time by the pillar with the dragons roaring over the waves. It’s not by chance that a copy of the pillar is displayed in the front yard of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi. Generations of Vietnamese artists have come here for inspiration and to admire the technique.

I take a seat and watch the sun moving across the landscape. The paddy fields stretch as far as the eye can see. A canal lined with lotus flowers flows towards the river. Old villages with brown tiled roofs sit quietly down the mountainside. The ancient pillar still stands between heaven and earth.

Nha Trang’s new island escape

Nha Trang’s new island escapeCoral reefs, edible lizards, and white sandy beaches are all a part of Hon Sam’s attraction. The familiar retreat for Vietnam beach lovers, Nha Trang, has added a new attraction – Hon Sam (Sam Islet).Hon Sam, which is managed by Nha Trang-based Long Phu Tourist Company, opened to tourists this month, so now is the chance to be one of the first to enjoy it.The layout of the islet makes it particularly special.It has two small mountains at either end, with beaches in between both sides within easy walking distance of each other.There’s a view of Nha Trang Town from the sandy beach on one side and nearby Thi Islet can be seen from the opposite side.The ocean surrounding the island is crystal blue and inviting, while Hon Sam’s flora is vivid green.There are natural forests and orchards of longan and oranges, which make contrast with other islands in the area.Daily tours around Hon Sam include caves and nature walks.Hon Sam is home to con dong (a species of sea reptile) which is prized for its delicious meat.The Long Phu Tourist Company plans to start farming these lizards.Tourists who love adventure can go sailing, motorboating, diving and rowing on bamboo rafts to nearby islets.Divers should not miss the magnificent coral reefs south of Hon Sam.To enjoy fresh seafood, tourists can take boats out to fish pens off the island to choose their own fish, which the restaurants on the islet will cook for them.Dang Thai Luyen, director of Long Phu Tourist Co., said all the services and facilities are still in the early stages and there will be more tourist activities in the future.