Vietnam destination guide

I made a trip to the Mekong Delta in 5 days, departing from Hochiminh City on March 9th, 2007. It took 5 hours to go by bus to Long Xuyen where I took another one-hour trip by motorbike to Nui Sap town. Nui Sap is the last mount of the That Son range in the Southwest corner ofVietnam, near the Cambodia border. From this base I spent a day and a half exploring the Long Xuyen quadrangular and the Seven Mountains. On the third day I traveled from An Giang to Can Tho, then to Ben Tre on the fourth day. Long An was my last destination before I went back to Hochiminh City in the evening of March 13, 2007.

Wandering in Dalat City

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VietNamNet Bridge – When wandering around Dalat, the city of mist and pine trees, tourists might experience four seasons in one day: a spring morning, summer afternoon, autumn twilight and winter evening. However, in terms of business, the flower city has only two seasons: peak season and low season.

A view of Datanla Waterfall.

About 300 kilometers from HCMC, Dalat City, capital of the central highlands province of Lam Dong, exhales its own poetic and romantic charm with its beautiful mountain scenery and delightfully cool mountain weather. Peak season is from January of the lunar year and lasts until summer. During this time there are a number of festivals and tourist services tend to be priced higher.

On the other hand, tourists who visit the flower city in the low season can still enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the small city without spending a lot of money. Hotels and lodging houses nestled in corners of the city are at ‘soft’ prices, for example from VND150,000 to VND200,000 for a stay at two-star hotel and about VND80,000 to stay at lodging house.

To experience the romance of valleys, magnificence of waterfalls and art of ancient houses and pagodas visitors can rent a motorbike to ride around the poetic city, or a tandem tourist bicycle, for only VND50,000 to VND80,000 per day.

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T’nung Lake – an untouched charm of Pleiku

18:29' 09/12/2008 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – The central highlands of Vietnam embrace many mysterious charms. Tourists willing to get off the beaten path will discover pristine lakes and rivers, vast swathes of old-growth jungle, and isolated ethnic minority villages. Any journey from Pleiku to Kontum should include a stop at T’nung Lake; the flooded cater of a volcano millions of years old which now serves as the city’s reservoir.

A view of the path to T'nung Lake in the morning.

T’nung Lake, also known as Ia Nueng, is located in Bien Ho Commune in the north of Gia Lai Province, about 7 kilometers from the heart of Pleiku City. The lake, surrounded by pine forests and mountain, is 230 hectares wide, expanding up to 400 hectares in the rainy season, and about 30 meters deep. In the early morning when the sun is still low in the sky the sun beams reflect like a silver band on the lake.

T’nung is the name of the village. According to local folklore T’nung Lake was named after an ethnic village named where everyone lived happily together. One day a fierce quake erupted and destroyed the village, turning it into ash. When the fire was finally doused all that remained was a deep hole. The survivors stood besides the deep hole and cried, filling the hole with their tears and turning it into a lake.

The road to T’nung Lake is through a green canopy of pine trees. To satisfy curiosity, if contemplating the charms of the lake is not enough, tourist can take a thuyen doc moc (hollowed – tree boat or a dugout canoe) trip to explore hidden charms of the lake, to see their shadows on the pure and sparkling surface of the lake and to delve into the forest to discover magnificence of exotic lifestyles in harmony with wild nature. Here tourists will see the abundant and varied fauna and flora. Meandering around the lake, tourists can add to their fun with some fishing, and watching the turtles.

Peace and Quite

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VietNamNet Bridge - The wonderfully tranquil air at Tu Hieu pagoda in Hue means some visitors find it hard to leave at the end of the day, says Vo Lan

Known as the “root pagoda” of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, Tu Hieu pagoda is not only a place where monks seek enlightenment but also where people can find a serene, safe haven or even learn meditation. Nestled on low hills of Thuy Xuan commune in Hue, the historic Tu Hieu is one of the most ancient pagodas in Hue.

Built in 1843, Tu Hieu was a modest temple, said to be little more than a large hut, founded and headed by Thich Nhat Dinh, a noble monk, who was a religious figure head under the Nguyen Dynasty. In 1848, the pagoda was renovated and expanded with the financial support of imperial eunuchs who in return wished to be buried in the pagoda’s graveyard and find solace for their souls after death.

Their graves are still on the pagoda’s grounds Today, past the newly-built gate, you will find a narrow lane winding through bushes and pine trees to the main gate of Tu Hieu pagoda. Opposite the gate, there is a pine tree hill where the Bodhi tower was built in 1896 to store scriptures.