Destinations

The charming French colonial architecture of Hanoi, along with a delightful landscape of lakes, shaded boulevards, and verdant public parks, makes the Vietnamese capital the perfect place to get a feel for this fascinating country. Hanoi personifies the spirit of historic Vietnam in the temples, monuments and pockets of ancient culture along the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, yet at the same time reflects the rapid changes sweeping the country, and has evolved in recent times into a dynamic, modern metropolis.

Located 1,500m above sea level, Sapa lies in Hoang Lien Son Mountains, northwest of Hanoi and has an amazing diversity of flora and fauna. Mount Fansipan, the highest mountain in Indochina at 3,134m, is covered with clouds all year round and temperatures often drop below zero. For visitors the various ethnic minorities in their colourful customs, who visit the local weekend markets on foot or on horseback, are a fascinating sight to witness.

Halong Bay is one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions and has been listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site and an area of outstanding natural beauty. Halong Bay covers an area of 1,500 square kilometres. The bay is filled with thousands of islets of all shapes and sizes. A wide variety of birds and animals including bantams, monkeys and iguanas live on the islands. With its spectacular beauty, Halong Bay is a wonderful destination for any visitor.

The ancient town of Hoi An lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of South-East Asia in the 16th Century, and was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. Hoi An has a distinctive Chinese atmosphere with low, tiled-roof houses and narrow streets. The houses were constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the romantic Thu Bon River, Cua Dai Beach and the Cham Islands.

Founded as a Royal City in 1687, the original citadel city of Phu Xuan was built on the site of present day Hue, the gateway to the treasures of Vietnam’s royal past. The city served as Vietnam’s political capital from 1802 to 1945 under the 13th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty and was a major centre of Vietnamese culture, region and education. This small and quiet city is justly famed for the magnificent architecture of the citadel, the palaces, royal tombs, pagodas and temples built under the Nguyen dynasty in an elegant verdant setting on the banks of perfume River. UNESCO has labelled Hue “a beautiful architectural poem”.

With over 6 million inhabitants, Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam and is located in the south near the Mekong Delta. It was originally a Khmer city named Prey Nokor, before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under French rule it was the colonial capital, Saigon, but after the reunification of the country following the Vietnam War it was renamed as Ho Chi Minh City. The city’s sights include Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office, the former Presidential Palace of Ho Chi Minh, Thien Hau Pagoda and Ben Thanh market.