Con Dao Islands – Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province

Con Dao Islands are an archipelago that consists of 16 islands in the Southeast region of Vietnam. Once you reach it, you will constantly have a feeling that you’ve found yourself on a picture from some beautiful postcard! Wherever you go, you will see breathtaking sceneries of a wild untouched nature. Except this, Con Dao is also an important place in the history of Vietnam. It really seems that even time stops here. This is a real paradise off the beaten track, which you will, probably, never forget! South Vietnam tours

Con Dao Islands – Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province

How to get there?
By plane
Côn Sơn Island, which is the biggest island of the archipelago, has an airport that serves domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Cần Thơ, operated by VASCO (Vietnam Airlines). The round trip from Ho Chi Minh City costs nearly $350.
To get from the airport to the city centre, you can use any hotel bus – the drivers will be only happy to give you a ride only for $2 (50,000 VND). The taxi from the airport will cost approximately $15 (300,000 VND). JAHAN CRUISE

By boat
You can hire a boat at the national park office on the Côn Sơn Island, in a case you want to explore the islands around by boat. A 12-person boat costs about $50 (1,200,000 VND) per day.  Dragon Pearl Junk

Things to do at Con Dao Islands

Enjoy a day on the beach
Probably, spending a lazy day on the beach will be your biggest wish after a flight and long travel to the island. Be careful, the Con Dao beaches are so beautiful that you may easily spend here the rest of your trip, but there’s still a lot of other interesting things to do and to see! If you stay on the Con Son Island, you may check Bai Dat Doc beach, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful on the island. It’s a lot of less crowded with tourists, but no less awesome than other beaches on the smaller islands around. If you want to explore them as well, visit a beautiful white sand beach of Tre Lon Island, located to the west of Con Son.

Take a tour in Phu Hai Prison

Phu Hai Prison was built in 1862 to house the first anti-colonial agitators. Nowadays this is an important historical site of the country that attracts visitors from all the parts of the world. It is known that the prisoners were kept here in the terrible conditions and more than 20,000 of them have died here. Next to the prison, you may find a Revolutionary Museum, where the guided informative tour costs less than $1 (20,000 VND).

See the turtle sanctuary
If you want to see an exciting natural phenomenon of turtles laying eggs, you can book a special turtle tour at the National Park Office. When booking your trip, remember that the turtle season lasts only from June till the middle of September. It may still happen that the office will sell you tickets out of season and promise turtles, but in the end you will see nothing. However, if you come during the right season, use your chance to see it!

Scuba Dive!
Con Dao has a reputation of one of the best destinations for diving in Vietnam. It’s corals are untouched, the underwater life is diverse and the flocks of fish are colourful and impressive! Among the reliable and trustful companies that provide diving service there are Dive! Dive! Dive!, Rainbow Divers and Senses Diving Con Dao. The prices start at $75. Pay attention that the medical insurance is obligatory due to the island’s remote location.

Visit the Con Dao National Park
Almost 80% of the land area of the archipelago are a National park. Here you can see the unique animals, for example, the endemic black squirrel and the crab eating macaque. Part of the territory is covered with wild rainforests with beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Remember to plan and check your route in advance. Doesn’t matter how beautiful are the landscapes, it’s never a good idea to get lost!

Dong Van Karst Plateau Ha Giang Vietnam

Dong Van karst plateau has an area of 2.350 square kilometers, spreads over four districts of Ha Giang province: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac at an average height of 1.400 - 1.600 meters with a number of beautiful limestone and winding road. Here, scientists have found 33 tectonics heritages, 45 geomorphology heritages and many unique fossils in sedimentary rock, which creates opportunities for the tourist attraction, brings income for indigenous people. Mai Chau Valley 2 days

From Ha Giang town, along 4C Highway about 50 kilometers, tourists step into Quan Ba districts with spectacular and grandeur mountain scenery. In the journey to the rocky plateau, visitors can enjoy the beauty of Can Ty Pass. Dong Van karst plateau has 80% limestone, is one of the most distinctive karst in Vietnam with black and majestic boulders. The shapes of boulders are created by environmental conditions and different stages of development. Here, the whole scene is rocks with various shapes such as petals, flowers, flower branch (Khau vai rock garden, Veo Vac District) or the shape of tiger (Lung Cu rock garden). Van Chai rock garden has green grass that creates the majestic and grandeur beauty for landscape. PANDAW CRUISE

Besides the geological value, Dong Van karst plateau also attracts tourists by the unique cultural and spiritual values associated with the ethnic Mong, Dao, Lo Lo… living on the plateau. They picked up stones to build house, walls. They carved stone to grow corn. They renovated the mountainside into a vast of rice. The beauty and grandeur of Dong Van plateau comes from not only the huge natural boulders but also the fair of the H’mong, Dao, Lo Lo… In the morning, ethnic people from neighbor districts come to fair with colorful costumes.

• Treasure Junk, Halong Travel

Dong Van Karst Plateau Ha Giang Vietnam

From the geological unique, in the end of 2010, Dong Van karst plateau was recognized as the first geological park of Vietnam and Geoparks of the world. Dong Van karst plateau is one of the special limestone mountain, including the marks of the history of the earth’s crust process and tradition of indigenous communities.

Dong Van karst plateau has all elements convergence to become global Geoparks. Rocky plateau also has national relic such as: mansion of Vuong family, Lung Cu flag pole, Dong Van ancient, Ma Li Peng pass, Quan Ba Twin Mountain…

How to Spend a Weekend in Hanoi, Vietnam

Iconic image of Vietnam, with tea-pickers dressed in local conical hats

There are so many things to see in Hanoi and the real question is not ‘How to spend a weekend in Hanoi” but how much can be possibly be fitted into one weekend?

A good place to begin is the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Complex. This attraction was developed around a old French palace. The first unique feature is having to enter the museum passing through a rigorous security system. Guards ensure visitors do not stray from the accepted area during tours that can require several hours if all areas are visited. The first area, devoted to Ho Chi Minh photos and biographical information has explanatory data in English, French and Vietnamese. Classic North Package 7 days

The next area contains the body of Ho Chi Minh. Upon entering here, visitors are given a list of rules that must be strictly observed including no photography allowed. Visitors are required to leave such equipment at a check-point. Guards have authority to issue warnings and/or escort offenders out of the mausoleum. Guests are encouraged not to miss a massive statue of Ho Chi Minh located on the fourth floor. Huong Hai Sealife

Continuing around the complex, visitors pass the palace, not open to the public, but are allowed to enter and photograph Ho Bungalow which is a wooden structure on a stilt base. One highlight of this area is viewing the presidential vehicle collection.

How to Spend a Weekend in Hanoi, Vietnam

A very popular site within the complex is One Pillar Pagoda. This Gothic-style edifice was erected in 1049, only to be almost totally destroyed when set on fire by the French in 1884. Restored around 1955, the pagoda was originally created by Emperor Ly Thai To to honour the mercy goddess, Quan An. The base of One Pillar Pagoda is situated in a lotus pond. JAHAN CRUISE

One must-see during a weekend in Hanoi is St. Joseph’s Cathedral erected in 1887. The church was closed for 10 years (1975-1985) during the North/South Vietnamese reunification period. This massive structure, flanked by two towers, dominates the entire city. Whether entering the cathedral or electing to walk around it, visitors are treated to breathtaking stained-glass windows and beautiful paintings of Christ on the outer walls. At Christmas, the courtyard becomes a festival site complete with vendors selling refreshments including a confection resembling cotton candy.

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Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) is definitely a not-to-be-missed site. According to legend, Emperor Le Loi encountered a giant tortoise while boating on the lake. The tortoise gave him a gigantic sword and a set of directions he was to follow regarding this sword. After defeating his enemies and returning the sword to the tortoise, the emperor erected a pagoda out in the lake to honour the tortoise. While no visits are allowed at this particular pagoda, a similar site, Ngoc San Pagoda, is open to the public. This pagoda whose name means ‘Bridge of the Rising Sun’ is entered by crossing a red wooden swinging bridge. Ngoc San Pagoda honours various Vietnamese forefathers.

One place of special significance to Americans is Hoa Lo Prison, more familiarly-known as the Hanoi Hilton, dating back to 1896. Among many military personnel incarcerated at this facility was current Arizona Senator John McCain. Exhibits in the prison include McCain’s flight suit and photos depicting his capture. One eerie, up-close-and-personal experience is afforded by seeing the guillotine where many prisoners met their death.

History and military buffs must also see Viet Nam Women’s Museum housing exhibits including feminine accounts of life in a tunnel located under the DMZ. Also on display are implements and outfits worn by women soldiers fighting alongside North Vietnamese male soldiers.