Quan Lan Island

Quan Lan is a large island, located in the Van Don island district, in Bai Tu Long Bay, 45 km to northeast of Halong. Quan Lan Island is a large island with an area of 11 square kilometers..

Since the 11th century, Quan Lan had been a centre along the commercial route. In the 12th century, Quan Lan was the first trading port of Vietnam built under the Ly dynasty.

In 1149, King Ly Anh Tong took this place to set up Van Don town and Van Don trading port in order to speed up commercial relationships between Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries. Relics of former trading port have been discovered with traces of ancient architecture and grazed terracotta of metres thick to prove that this place used to be a crowded urban.

 

In 1288, the beach was also the site of the well-known defeat of invading Mongol troops, who were destroyed by General Tran Khanh Du's army. Tourists in Quan Lan can visit a temple dedicated to the General, where they can learn about the history of the region and the achievements of the commander. The temple's roof is hidden under pine canopies. Approximately 100 steps lead to the temple's entrance that is halfway up a mountain.

 

Quan Lan has a series of beautiful beaches. Viet My Beach has high, fine white sand & Minh Chau Beach has a beautiful curved sandy shoreline. The clean and clear deep blue waters reflect the white sand and the blue sky. Along the coast is the hundred-year-old Tram Forest.

 

Cycle on the slopes of the hills, to the beach, across the white sand dunes with many wild flowers, and back to talk with local people. Then you will really feel the “soul” of the island.

The island is also the residence of many aquatic species such as squid, butterfish, mackerel, sea cucumbers, shrimp, etc.

Among the network of inhabited islands, the beautiful isle of Quan Lan still remains largely unexplored. The undeveloped island and its gorgeous white sand beaches have been tagged by major investments that are aiming to expand its shaky tourist infrastructure.

 

The sand on Quan Lan Beach is stranger than the sand on other beaches. It's white, tiny, pure and smooth. The transparent water allows you to gaze at the bottom of the sea where you can watch fish swim around colourful coral.

Visitors can stay in bungalows on the beach or with locals in a quiet village. In the future, tourists are bound to discover the gorgeous shores of this island paradise, and its unsullied beaches are likely not to stay isolated for too much longer. 

For tourists resting on the beach in evening, the illuminations from the lighthouse look like a twinkling star.

The dearth of post-midnight electricity makes night life a wee bit difficult to sustain in this town. During the evening hours, locals and a few tourists stroll along the village's main street, where sugarcane juice vendors and a few cafes stay open. The only sounds that dare to disturb the island are the melodic vibrations of karaoke bursting from living rooms and local cafes.

 

Sa sung (kind of sea worm) is a speciality of the region. It's used in cooking soup, which helps provide a wonderful taste and adds nutritional sustenance to dishes. Fishing for sa sung with the locals is a popular activity for tourists.

"While men in the village go fishing in the sea, we catch sa sung and sell them to tourists and businesses on the main land as our secondary job," says a local woman.

There are no five-star hotels at Quan Lan Beach, but tourists are able to enjoy a pristine atmosphere that has yet to be overdeveloped

Minh Chau Beach

Minh Chau Beach is a private beach located on Quan Lan Island, Quang Ninh Province, which is only 15 kilometers away from Quan Lan Beach. For those who want a long journey, a trip to Minh Chau Beach would be a wise choice.

The unique feature is the pristine white non-sticky sand that gives a comfortable sensation walking on. The beauty of the beach resembles the famous Snow White.

On Minh Chau Beach, tourists would love to enjoy a variety of beach activities, camping, exploring the island, looking for rare sea animals of the island, or releasing your body and mind into a quiet and relaxing ambiance on the beach under the moonlight.

Tourists who are interested in visiting Minh Chau Beach can depart from Cam Pha District (Halong) and get a ferry for 9 kilometers to Cai Rong Town. Then, canoes would be the last transportation to Quan Lan Island, where Minh Chau Beach is located, for around three hours. I that three hours, tourists can also visit fishing villages and tropical green islands to enjoy the stunning landscape of the bay.

Besides the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent landscape and beach activities, tourists will be pleased with a lavish menu of delicacies from Halong Bay from high-end hotels and restaurants on the island.

Van Don island

Van Don is an island district which is50km from Ha Long (Quang Ninh province). Located in the country's northeastern sea, Van Don (Vandon) island has been gradually turned into one of the four key economic-tourism areas in the northern border province of Quang Ninh . Its population of 23,000 people belong to the Kinh, San Diu, Dao, Tay, Hoa, Muong and who are living in 20 large and small islands, including the Cai Bau, Quan Lan, Ngoc Vung, Ban Sen...

About 60 km from Bai Chay resort in HaLong city, Van Don island has 600 islets, covering an area of 584 square metre. These islets form firm screens and small bays, facilitating vessels.

Cai Rong (Cairong) Town , the major town of Van Don Island , was one of the first prosperous commercial ports under the Ly and Tran dynasties. In the recent years, Van Don has experienced great changes in its economy. The wharf is lively crowded with ships and fishing boats. Every year, ships catch hundreds of tons of fish, which assures the inhabitant significant revenues and a comfortable life. 

Visitors to Van Don island can see lovely white-sand beaches with clear blue water, the Van mountain at the height of 445 metres on Ban Sen islet and the Bai Tu Long national park on Ba Mun island. The national park boasts a primeval forest with precious trees like erythrophleum fordii, burrettiodendrom hsienmu, madhuca pasquieri, vatica tonkinensis and podocarpus fleuryi, and wild animals such as wild boars, monkeys, nemorrhides, gibbons, varans, eagles, squirrels and deers.

Unspoiled natural beauty and cultural, historical values are favourable conditions for tourism development in Van Don. Over recent years, changes have been seen with the increasing flow of tourists to Ha Long bay. Together with strength in aquaculture and fishery industries, the tourism industry will help Van Don's economy take off. In the near future, Ngoc Vung, Minh Chau, Quan Lan, Bai Tu Long park and Cai Rong town will form a maritime tourism complex with various kinds of activities such as trekking, relaxing and caves to explore. Tourists are attracted by the green water and white sand, especially at Dai beach in Cai Bau, Ngoc Vung beach, Son Hao, Quan Lan, Minh Chau beach. Tourists can stay in fishing villages and join with local residents activities.

When the bridge linking Cua ong to Cai Bau island as well as the project to build an airport and upgrade infrastructure facilities become operational, Van Don is expected to be a new destination for island tourism.

Bai Tu Long Bay

Bai Tu Long is a beautiful Bay lying within the area of the gulf of Tonkin, on the northeast of Vietnam. The bay comprises a part of Halong’s sea, Cam Pha town and Van Don Island District. It shares the border with Halong Bay on the southwest, with the sea on the east, with Cam Pha town on the west and with Co To island district on the northeast. Bai Tu Long Bay includes hundred of islands and islets, several among which are residence for local people.

Along with Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay is one among the wonderful natural wonders, with beautiful islands and long-white-sandy beaches. Bai Tu Long is well-known for foreign tourists not only for its natural beauty, but also for a special tourist attraction – Bai Tu Long eco-tourist site. Bai Tu Long eco-tourist site lies within the area of Van Don Island district. It covers a total area of 100 ha with over 10km coastline. The construction style is the combination of the Asian and Western architecture style with coastal self-contained stilt houses harmoniously lying among the natural scenery.

Bai Tu Long National Park is another must-see destination, which represents Vietnam’s sea preservation site, which has attracted a larger number of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Bai Tu Long Bay’s eco-system is a highly diverse one with typical ecosystems such as mangrove forest, coral reef, tropical forest ecosystems. It is estimated that there are 391 species of marine creatures, most of which bring about high economic and scientific value.

Bai Tu Long Bay has great potential for developing tourism. Recently, the Bay has received much concern from visitors. With fascinating beauty and originated landscape, Bai Tu Long Bay promises to be a popular tourist attraction in coming time.

Co To Island

Located in Co To Island District, Quang Ninh Province,Vietnam. Co To Island, described as a green pearl with smooth white sand and wild beaches, clear blue water and primeval forest, has become a popular tourist destination in recent years. In general, Co To Island District is comprised of 40 islands varying in size. Three ofthe largest islands are Co To Island, Thanh Lan Island and Tran Island.

From Hanoi, tourists can take a bus to Cai Rong Town, Van Don District. From there, Co To Island is just a two-hour high-speed boat trip away. The boat travels across Bai Tu Long Bay with its mountainous scenery, like hundreds of baby dragons sleeping on a giant green carpet.

A statue of Uncle Ho and the Memorial House are the two most noteworthy sites on the island. Co To lighthouse, known as the ‘roof of the pearl island’, is also an attractive place for visitors. After climbing up 72 stairs, visitors can take in a panoramic view of the island from the top of the lighthouse.

Beaches on Co To Island, including Hong Van, Van Chai, Bac Van and Vung Ong Vien, are very clean and beautiful with white sands and blue water. Hong Van, with its small waves and peaceful aura, is considered the most beautiful beach on Co To. Visitors should not miss out on the chance to admire the sunrise over the beaches of Co To Island.

Additionally, tourists should visit Thanh Lan Island under Co To island district to admire its primitive forest and beautiful beaches, take tours of the jellyfish processing facility or fish with the local fishermen.

During the first six months of 2013, Co To Island welcomed nearly 30,000 tourists. Its tourism sector brought in VND20 billion (US$940,000) in that time. The pearl island is expected to welcome 60,000 tourists in total this year.

Halong Bay - one of the most beautiful destinations of Vietnam

I’ve been haunted by Halong Bay for years. This beautiful spot on the north coast of Vietnam screams ‘dream holiday’ from every photo, with its famous blue skies, clear seas and towering limestone columns.

We ignored the hundreds of touts offering organized tours and arranged an independent trip from Hanoi. Our reward was a personalized, cheap and flexible weekend, minus the crowds.

Transport was easy to arrange. We bought a local bus-boat-bus combination ticket from Hanoi’s Luong Yen Bus Terminal to Cat Ba Island. To return, we organized a speedboat and bus trip which took us directly to Ninh Binh. Our bumpy bus rides passed beautiful rural scenes and we felt like pirate explorers when our boat approached Cat Ba Island - the first views of around 1,600 islands and islets are dreamlike.

Budget accommodation was readily available on the sea front and our evenings were spent exploring the many restaurants which sell delicious sea food and Vietnamese dishes at low prices.

On our first day we hired scooters and traversed the length of Cat Ba Island. We stopped off at the national park and went hiking for hours, listening to the call of monkeys and tropical birds. At sunset we went to the public beach - a glistening expanse of white sand and turquoise waters.

The second day was water based, with a boat tour round the islands by a local fisherman. We stopped off at a floating village to marvel at life-lived-on-water and share some rice wine with fishermen.

Did I mention the weather? Sadly, it being January, there were no blue skies and not a drop of sunshine. Testament to the wonder of the place, the poor weather did not detract from our experience. Whatever the conditions, Halong Bay - Quang Ninh is one of the most beautiful places on earth to visit and a attractive destination of Vietnam's tourism.

Experiencing a wonderful summer holiday in Sam Son

Sam Son is a resort town in Thanh Hoa province in northern Vietnam.

In order to go from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa, you can choose to go by coach or train. The coaches start from My Dinh, Giap Bat bus station. The price of ticket is 60,000-100,000 dong. You go by coach to Thanh Hoa city and then catch a bus to Sam Son. It just takes you about 10-15 minutes. If you go by train, the ticket is 70,000-120,000 dong. You will feel safe when swimming in Sam Son beach because there are always a rescue team of nearly 50 people here. Since early summer in 2013, the rescue team rescued successfully more than 200 drowned tourists. Besides, Sam Son also has Truong Le mountain that is 76 meters in height with imposing cliffs. There is Doc Cuoc shrine, Co Tien shrine, To Hien Thanh shrine on the mountain. You should not miss Trong Mai  isle, a symbol of Sam Son. On Truong Le mountain, there are a lot of large lawn, and old pine trees so this is an ideal place for camping and outdoor activities. You also can visit relics and tourist spots in Thanh Hoa such as Ba Trieu temple at Gai mountain, Phu Dien village or city walls of the Citadel of the Ho Dynasty. In addition, being 60 kilometers from Sam Son, Ben En National Park in Nhu Thanh district has mountains, river and lakes with an area of over 16,000 hectares. There are many rare species of animals here such as elephant, tiger, bear, monkey, etc. If you are a romantic person and you want to travel around Sam Son and enjoy the atmosphere, you can hire a tandem bycicle. This service is about 50,000 dong an hour. Besides, on the way to leaving Sam Son, you can stop at Thanh Hoa city and visit Dien Bien market on Phan Chu Trinh street to buy fresh seafood.

River-way tourism – Saigon’s new resources

Two months after the Ho Chi Minh City authorities announced the river-way tourism development strategy with six routes from Bach Dang Wharf to Binh Dong, Cu Chi, Can Gio, Long An, Binh Quoi and Phu My Hung, assigned to Saigontourist, Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper conducted an independent survey in late August to outline the panorama of river-way tourism in the city.

Saigon, a look from the river

At 7 am on a Saturday. Mrs. Elisabeth Ngondara Olivry (French) and her husband cautiously crossed the busy road in front of the Majestic hotel to go to a pontoon to join a river trip on the Saigon River.

After checking at the ticket counter, Elisabeth and her husband were warmly welcomed by the staff of the Saigon River Express boat on board. Other passengers included Mr. Graham Taylor, an Australian and three young American.

The boat staff gave them lifejackets and the breakfast was served on boat, with bread, bottled water and some native fruits like bananas, Bon Bon, rambutan...

The boat sped up, leaving the city with high-rise buildings behind. Elisabeth and her husband sat at the prow to enjoy the early sunlight. She said: "The villages along the river are fresh and peaceful. I used to try a canoe tour in Bangkok, but the river there did not make me feel to be close to nature as the tour on the Saigon River does."

"Why do you choose the river tour to explore the city but nothing else?" "This tour was recommended by the hotel receptionist. We also know that this city has many rivers and canals so it would have been a mistake if we did not choose this tour to learn more about Saigon," Elisabeth said.

Unlike the French couple, Graham Taylor, a retired teacher from Australia who had to walk with crutches, chose this tour because his friend, a reporter of the Saigon Times Daily recommended it. Taylor said his condition could not allow him to get into the Cu Chi tunnels, but lying on the stem of a boat to see the scene on and along the river and breathe fresh air are indescribable.

Inside the boat, the group of young Americans enjoyed fruit and took pictures.

Waterway tours are outstanding products which have brought about significant revenue for travel companies that focused on city tours in the last over ten years. However, according to our survey at the ticket counter of some travel companies, there are not many choices for tourists.

Among Saigon River tours, visitors often choose the two midrange tours, which have been very familiar with tourists for decades: Sai Gon - Cu Chi and Saigon - Vam Sat, with the travel time of 4-6 hours, the price from VND1.7 to VND2.2 million ($70-110).

"The time and the price are reasonable while visitors can learn more about the history, culture, and nature of Saigon," Nhat Hai, a tour guide of Exptissmo explained. Hai added that each week he had three or four Saigon-Cu Chi or Saigon-Vam Sat tours.

However, river tours are only favored by foreign tourists. In the first month after the city launched the strategy to develop river-way tourism (June 4 to July 3, 2013), Saigontourist had 231 tourists and 80 percent of them were foreigners.

Of the six river tours, visitors still selected two "traditional" tours that have been offered for decades – Saigon-Cu Chi and Saigon-Vam Sat.

Waiting for the better days

“18 years ago, when I was a tour guide of the Youth Travel, I dreamed of tours on the Saigon River. At that time, my company purchased a 25m boat with 50 seats to serve tourists on the Saigon - Cu Chi route. When the tour was just launched, it attracted a lot of foreign tourists but after several trips, we did not have enough passengers and the river tour was then canceled," said Mr. Tran The Dung, who is now deputy director of the Young Generation Travel Company.

In fact, about 20 years ago, many tour operators discovered the tourism resources on the Saigon River. But let's return to reality.

Bach Dang Wharf, the starting point of most of tours on the Saigon River for decades, is not invested properly to be a tourist wharf. As a tourist port, Bach Dang Wharf does not have a parking lot. Foreign tourists have to cross a busy road to enter the wharf.

The wharf is small and does not have enough space for boats. Mr. An Son Lam, director of Indochina Sails, said that his company had to invest VND2 billion ($100,000) to build a pontoon bridge to serve the company’s 10 boats. The boats of other companies have to temporarily anchor in Thu Thiem.

Mr. Hoang Cam Giang, who is in charge of the river tours of Saigontourist added that restrictions on anchoring space is one of the reasons hindering the development of river tourism in the city.

Giang said of the six river tours launched in June, after one month, one route to Phu My Hung was canceled just because of lacking a wharf in Phu My Hung.

Another problem comes from the old bridges of Binh Loi, Long Phu, Rach Ong and Dan Xay. These bridges hinder the operation of big boats. As a result, travel firms can only organize tours for small groups of tourists of less than 25 people. Mr. Tran The Dung, deputy director of the the Young Generation Travel said the cost of small tours like this is high, so river tours are only suitable for foreign tourists.

But why inner-city tours, with low prices, do not attract tourists? The cruise ticket for the tour from Bach Dang wharf to Binh Dong is only VND300,000 ($14) and it is only $10 for the tours to Thi Nghe and Nhieu Loc canals.

A tour guide explained by personal experience: "The tour to Tau Hu canal is very interesting but on the day the tide ebbs away, the section from Ben Nghe to Tau Hu is a dark, fetid canal.

Mr. Cam Giang from Saigontourist added that the best tour to introduce the history, culture and the development of Saigon is the Bach Dang-Cho Lon route but it is important to re-create the floating market, maintain old houses along the river and build a wharf to the commercial area of the Chinese community.

“Besides water pollution and insufficient infrastructure, another problem is the lack of fascinating stopovers along the route," Giang added.

Ban Gioc waterfall – the largest in Southeast Asia

In famous tourists attractions in Cao Bang, Ban Gioc waterfall tourist area is considered as the fourth largest waterfall in the world. It is also the largest natural waterfall in Southeast Asia.

Ban Gioc waterfall, the most beautiful waterfall in Vietnam, is one of invaluable gift of the nature for Cao Bang. It is located in the border of China and Vietnam in Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district that is 89 kilometers from Cao Bang city. On the way to go to Ban Gioc from the city center, you can contemplate imposing and charming beauty of rivers, streams and forests. Ban Gioc waterfall lies on Quay Son river rising from China and flowing through communes in Vietnam such as: Ngoc Khe, Phong Nam, Ngoc Con, Dinh PHong, Chi Vien and Dam Thuy. It is 53 meters in height and 300 meters in width. In the foot of the waterfall, Quay Son river is flat as a mirror, reflecting the clear and blue sky into water. Visitors can hire a bamboo raft to travel around the foot of the waterfall to contemplate its stunning beauty. Coming to Ban Gioc, tourists have a chance to see Tay people’s houses on stilts. In order to develop tourism in Ban Gioc, in 2012 December 8th, Saigontourist Company began construction of high-class Ban Gioc Resort with an area of 31 hectares. It will include a hotel with 60 rooms, 24 high-ranking villas, restaurants, entertainment and spa area and areas for camping and outdoor activities. The project is expected to complete in late 2013. The total expenditure is about 170 billions dong. In 2013 June 15th, Cao Bang province People’s Committee and Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam began construction of “Phat Tich Truc Lam Ban Gioc pagoda” in Dam Thuy commune. The pagoda is a significant construction to serve people’s need of spirituality and religion in Ban Gioc.

Lam Kinh – A national historic relic

Being 150 kilometers from Hanoi, the national historic relic Lam Kinh in Xuan Lam commune, Tho Xuan district is a famous tourist spot in Thanh Hoa province. 

Here, tourists have a chance to visit a well-known historic relic related to the life and career of King Le Thai To, a famous king in Vietnamese history, and the uprising of the Lam Son troops in the 15th century. After ten years of leading the Lam Son (1418-1428) uprising to fight against the Northern invaders, Le Loi won and became a king in 1428 with the official name of Le Thai To. He set up the capital in Dong Kinh (Thang Long – present-day Hanoi). Simultaneously, he ordered an imperial city built in his birthplace and called it Lam Kinh or Tay Kinh. According to historical documents in the excavations in the area, the imperial city of Lam Kinh was built on a large-scale with the architectural style of “Noi cong, ngoai quoc”. The imperial city sits on Dau Mountain in the north and faces towards the Chu River in the south. Chua Mountain is in front of it, Phu Lam Forest is on the left and Huong Mountain is on the right. To reach the central area of the royal citadel, tourists have to pass over a stone bridge crossing the Ngoc River. Walking for about 50m, tourists see a green plot of grass and an ancient well with clean and clear water. Next is the southern gate with a 300-year-old banyan tree covering up the roof of the gate and then a dragon yard. Passing the dragon yard, tourists come to the central palace where kings gave audience and discussed state affairs. The central palace includes three large wood buildings which had great architectural value in the Le So Dynasty (1428-1527). Behind the central palace are nine imperial temples that were successfully restored. Lam Kinh is not only a historic relic but good for eco-tourism. More and more visitors travel to the place.

Amateur movie makers draw attention to Vietnam’s north-west

The stunning beauty of the northwest region of Vietnam has been exposed through the lenses of several young amateur movie makers.

Vu Nam Duong is a graphic design teacher who loves travelling and has made several short clips about beauty spots in Vietnam such as Nghe An, Hue, Co To, and Hoi An.

This time, Duong and his fellows include Nguyen Khac Hiep, Tran Huan, Nguyen Hoang and Khanh have created some more amazing clips about the nature and lives in the northwest region, gaining a lot of attention and comments on internet.

“They’re still the familiar routes and people but this is a more refreshing and interesting angle. Very impressive,” young architect Duy Tung said.

“I like the music, it fits right there with the frames. This is a meaningful movie to me,” a commenter said.

According to the group, they wanted to make a clip about Vietnam’s northwest for long time ago but could only use weekends for travelling and filming.

“Audiences are very critical. If we didn’t put our hearts into the product, they’ll watch it carelessly too. So we must convey our feelings in everything we make. We should assess ourselves first before blaming anyone else. I’m very happy that our works are appreciated,” Duong said.

Tam Dao: Unforgettable memories in visitors's mind

Tam Dao is located about 80km away from Hanoi, Vinh Phuc Province’s Tam Dao town, is incredibly blessed with majestic scenery.

Coming here, visitors will be deeply impressed by this small town, which is nestled on steep slopes with winding roads.  Most notably, the town also boasts a wonderful climate with 4 seasons each day.

Here are some of photos about this amazing town.

Mist-covered town at daybreak  An old stone church

Chayote bud is local specialty of Tam Dao, Vinh Phuc