Vietnam Travel Guide

Vung Tau is a resort town in the province of Dong Nai 125 km from Saigon. The town is a long strip approximately 14 km long and 6 km wide. Where the southern tip of town meets the ocean stand two famous mountains Nui Lon (Truong Ky) and Nui Nho (Tao Phung) or Large mountain and Small mountain.

The remote Con Dao group of islands is about 180km from Vung Tau, and has a local population of around 5,000. The main island, Con Son, was a much-feared former penal colony until 1975. Most of the archipelago is now a National Park with some good beaches, clear water with pristine coral, lush tropical forest with many flowers, coconut groves, and few visitors. Accommodation is limited, but a new air link is starting to generate interest in visiting this largely unspoilt area.

Phu Quoc is called the island of "99 mountains" because of its many sandstone chains gradually descending from the north to the south. The longest one is Ham Ninh which stretches for 30 km along the eastern edge with its highest peak called Mt. Chua (603m).

Ha Tien is in the extreme south-west of the Vietnamese mainland close to the Gulf of Thailand and the Cambodian border. It’s a busy, but remote, town of about 42,000 people around 100km from Chau Doc and 340km from Ho Chi Minh City by road. There’s also a canal to Chau Doc.

One of the very beautiful place of the Mekong delta - Chau Doc, as close as you can get to Cambodia without being in it. The Bassac River flows through the town and is a border crossing for river borne traffic, and the small Sam Mountain has an excellent view of the flat plain on the other side. It’s an attractive, busy place with a good hotel and several interesting attractions.

For most travellers, Vinh Long is the first place in the Mekong Delta where it’s possible to gain a reasonable experience of the area’s distinctive culture. Most head straight for a boat to cruise some of the Mekong's famous canals and channels. This is a pity, for the town itself is something of a backwater is thus worthy of attention by those wishing to escape the commercial side of tourism.

Can Tho is located in the center of the 11 provinces of the Mekong Delta, 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City, south of the Hau River. The Hau River is considered a benefactor of this region, since yearly floods deposit large quantities of alluvia to the rice fields. The climatic features of this area are similar to the other provinces of the Mekong Delta. The temperature rarely falls under 15°C and the rainy season lasts from May to November.

Located in Binh Thuan province, Phan Thiet is 200 km from Saigon and lies south of Cam Ranh bay on the southernmost stretch of Central Vietnam. Mui Ne is one of the most stunning beaches in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan. Mui Ne gets its name from the local fishermen using this area as a shelter during the stormy season. Mu~i meaning nose or peninsula and Ne meaning to duck or to take shelter.

The city of Nha Trang is becoming more popular with the tourists in recent years. Yet, with a population of 300,000, Nha Trang still retains its small town atmosphere. This resort town is well known for its miles of beach and the friendliness of its people. The city is flanked by nearly ten kilometers of prime beach where the water is warm year round.

The Cu Chi tunnels of Vietnam are one of those horrible remnants of a horrible war that most folks would probably rather forget.  So, of course, they've become a tourist attraction. The Cu Chi Tunnels lie 75 km northwest of Saigon ... which nobody these days but the government and maps call Ho Chi Minh City.  At the height of the Vietnam war, the tunnel system stretched from the outskirts of Saigon all the way to the Cambodian border ... something like 250 kilometers of tunnels.

Like many cities in Vietnam, Saigon did not escape the wrath of war. Since the beginning, Saigon has had quite a traumatic history. There are many citations to the birth of Saigon and the origin of its name. In the 15th century, this area were swamps, marshes and thick forests. By the early 17th century, a small township was formed. According to one theory, Saigon or Sai Con has its root in a Khmer word Prei Kor (Kapok Tree Forest)....

Qui Nhon is the little visited provincial capital of Binh Dinh province. Although it was recognised as a city as late as 1898, its history reaches back to the days of the Kingdom of Champa. In the 11th century, the Cham people migrated southwards and moved their capital city to a location about 30km north of present-day Qui Nhon and named it Vijaya.