Attractions from Vietnam

Halong Bay

Cat Ba:

The island Cat Ba is 120 km2 and is situated in the southern part of the bay. The island has amazingly clean beaches where you can enjoy the sea and the nice weather. The national park on the island is one of the most beautiful parks in the country, and it has a rich flora and fauna. There have been found 6-7000 years old traces of humans on the island.

The Cua Ong temple:

The Cua Ong temple is situated on a hill, and there is a fabulous view of Bai Tu Long Bay. The temple was erected in honour of the Mandarin Tran Quoc Tang, who was the son of the most famous general of Vietnam. The temple was built during the Le dynasty in the 17th century.

The limestone formations:

If you hire a boat and sail from Bay Chai, it is possible to see some of the most fantastic limestone formations in the world. The shapes of the stones are sometimes bizarre and awful. Others look like animals or humans, and most of them are named after local personalities.

Hanoi

Ho Chi Mins house on piles:

As Ho Chi Min did not want to live in the presidential palace, he lived instead in a beautiful house on piles in the garden behind the presidential palace. The ground floor is open as in the villages in the north provinces, and it was used for meetings etc. The first floor was Ho Chi Min's private chambers.

The art museum:

The art museum of Vietnam opened for the first time on 24th June 1966. An extensive collection of Vietnamese architecture, art of drawings, sculptures and art is exhibited in the museum. The museum also has a fine exhibition of the special art of ethnic minorities.

The Hoan Kiem Lake:

The Hoan Kiem Lake is situated in the part of Hanoi. According to the legend, a giant golden turtle came up from the lake and took the sword it had lend to King Le Li in 1427 so that he could drive away the Chinese occupying troops. There are still turtles in the lake, and if you see the golden turtle it means good luck.

The pagoda on a column:

The pagoda was founded in the 11th century by King Ly Thai Tong. The pagoda, which can be seen today, is from 1955 as the original pagoda was destroyed in the war. The pagoda is shaped as a lotus flower; the column is the stalk and the pagoda is the flower. The pagoda has great symbolic value for the Vietnamese.

Ho Chi Minh City

The Giac Lamp Pagoda:

The pagoda, which is considered to be the oldest pagoda in the city, was built in 1744. Just before you reach the pagoda, is a 32m tall tower built in 1993. Inside the pagoda is a large number of bronze figures of which the oldest one is from the 18th century. The characteristic altar has 49 arms.

The museum of war crimes:

The museum is situated in the French part of the city, and it is open every day. The museum exhibits several American planes and helicopters used during the war. A large photo exhibition shows the terrors of the war.

The post office:

Very unusually, the post office in the city is tourist attraction. The building was erected in 1886-91, and important scientists are commemorated on the front of the building, e.g. the Danish scientist H.C. Ørsted, who discovered electro magnetism.

Hue

The Museum of Modern Art:

The museum exhibits works of modern Vietnamese artists. There are e.g. works of the painter Diem Phung Thi, who returned to Vietnam in 1993 after having lived in France for 51 years.

The Thien Mu Pagoda:

The Thien Mu pagoda was build by the duke Nguyen Hoang in 1601. The pagoda was rebuilt several times, and in 1844 King Thieu Tri built the 21m tall tower. Thien Mu means "the divine woman".

The Tu Ducs mausoleum:

The Tu Ducs mausoleum was erected from 1864-1867. The King was a hopeless romantic and ordered that the grave was to be like a fairyland. The buildings are in perfect harmony with the surroundings. The Poet Pavilion at the Lotus Lake is a popular sight in the romantic garden.

Nha Trang

Dao Chi

Dao Chi means "the monkey island". The island got its name because of the several hundred monkeys, which live on the island. The monkeys are the cause of many funny situations. They are so used to the tourists that they fearlessly steal hats or sunglasses from the visitors of the island.

Hong Chong:

The rocks Hong Chong are famous for the enormous rocks, which are piled on each other. These rocks look like enormous toy bricks. There are also granite boulders as big as small houses, and a formation, which look like a giant hand with five fingers.

The Museum of Alexandre Yersin:

Alexandre Yersin was Louis Pasteur's student, and his name still decorates Vietnamese street signs. The local Pasteur Institute, which is still in use, was founded by Yersin in 1895. He lived in Na Trang, and in the museum you can see his instruments and library.

Northern Vietnam

Cuc Phuong:

The most famous national park in Vietnam, Cuc Phuong, is situated south of Hanoi. The park, which is surrounded by two chains of mountains, has a very special climate providing splendid growing conditions for the plants in the park. In the sanctuary, there are almost 170 mammal species and more than 130 different bird species.

Dien Bien Phu:

The battle at Dien Bien Phu has become to mean a lot for the Vietnamese struggle for liberty, and today this town is more than any other town the symbol of the defeat of the French colonial power. The town has a museum, which e.g. exhibits weapons. There is also a model of the battle.

Farms

Farms in the north-western mountains are still build in traditional Vietnamese style. The open ground floor in the house is used as stable and workshop. The upper part of the house is living quarters. The houses look as if they were built on piles

The Mekong Delta

Bird sanctuaries

In the Dong Thap province are the famous bird sanctuaries, Tam Nong and Vuon Co Thap Muoi. The sanctuaries are home for thousands of wading birds, e.g. the rare redheaded cranes.

Floating markets:

The Mekong delta is famous for its floating markets, where you can buy everything. The traders arrive by boat and the goods are exchanged from boat to boat. With an incredible ingenuity, the boatmen succeed in sailing around each other. The market in Phung Hiep is worth visiting. Here you can watch the whole market from the bridge.

Nui Sam:

Nui Sam is a tall mountain near the small village Chau Doc, which borders to Cambodia. From the top of the mountain is a remarkable view. You can see the Mekong delta spread across the landscape from one side, and from the other side, you can see into Cambodia, which is why a guard is stationed at the top of the mountain.

Vietnam

Chua ma Toc:

This interesting temple is situated in the town Soc Trang in the Mekong delta. It is not as much the pagoda itself, which is interesting, as it is the surrounding garden. Thousands of bats live in the trees of the garden. They weight up to 1kg and have a wingspan of up to 1.5m.

Nha tho Toc Tran:

This temple in the town Hoi An was erected in honour of the ancestors of the Tarn family. The temple is not very large, but it is an adequate example of the Vietnamese ancestor worship. The temple is still in use and it contains many symbolic objects. There are guided tours in the temple, which give a thorough introduction to Vietnamese traditions.

Po Nagar:

The Po Nagar towers near the town Nha Trang were built between the 7th and 12th century. Most of the originally ten towers were built between 813 and 817. Today, there are only four towers left. The largest tower is 23m tall and is dedicated to the protectress of the town, Po Nagar.

The art museum:

The art museum of Vietnam opened for the first time on 24th June 1966. An extensive collection of Vietnamese architecture, art of drawings, sculptures and art is exhibited in the museum. The museum also has a fine exhibition of the special art of ethnic minorities.

The citadel of Hue

The citadel was built in 1802-1832. The construction was carefully planned based on the surroundings. To the south-east, the Ngu Binh Mountain forms a natural shield, and in the middle of the River of Scents, two islands play the role as sentries. The citadel was made to room 24 bastions with more that 400 canons to protect the Royal Town.

The Ho Chi Min mausoleum:

Ho Chi Min is regarded as the father of the Vietnamese. His mausoleum is a symbol of respect for his character. Even though Ho Chi Min wanted to be cremated and to have his ashes divided in three and placed in Northern, Southern and Central Vietnam, his body was embalmed and placed in the mausoleum on the Ba Dinh square.

The Inner Royal City in Hue:

The Royal City in Hue is built according to the same principles as those of the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the inner city was reserved for the King and his Court. In "The Great Inner" are the royal palaces and temples. "The Inner City" was surrounded by 4m tall walls, which were 1m thick.

The pagoda of scents:

The pagoda of scents is south-east of Hanoi, and it actually consists of several caves and pagodas. The pagoda is situated on the mountain of scents, and you get there by foot and by boat. The cave Hung Tich is the main attraction in the scattered pagoda area.

The Royal graves in Hue:

The Nguyen Dynasty was the last Vietnamese royal family. There was a total of 13 kings, but only 7 of them have graves. The grave monuments were built with the same solid components to give an impression of totality, and they are in perfect harmony with each other and the surroundings.

The temple of literature:

The temple was build in 1070, and few years later, Vietnam's first university was build behind the temple. The temple is dedicated the Chinese philosopher Konfucius and other scholars and it is build strictly symmetrically. In the temple court, there are 82 memorial stones; each of them raised on the backs of turtles. The stones were raised for the students who graduated and took a doctor's degree.

Thoy Son:

Thoy Son is the most visited mountain of the five mountains. On the top of this mountain is the Huyen Khong cave, which is 30m from floor to ceiling. In the cave are narrow challenging tunnels. On the mountain is a pagoda, which was built by King Minh Mang.

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