Why
Vietnam Holiday? 10 Reasons Everyone Should Know
Most
travellers place
Vietnam in
a comparison chart as they decide where to go next: will
Thailand,
Laos,
Hongkong or
Vietnam
be worth my precious vacation? Will my kids have fun in that place? Will I
encounter any problems as a single woman traveler? Vivutravel will tell you the
top 10 reasons why
Vietnam
should be on the agenda for your upcoming trip.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 1: Breathtaking landscape:
There are
no matches to
Niagara Falls, Sydney Opera House
or the
Grand Canyons. However,
Vietnam is a
truly hidden gem that only those visiting the country themselves will be able
to tell. To put it correctly,
Vietnam
is not short of World Heritage Site:
Halong
Bay, Phong Nha Ke Bang caves, Hoi An
Ancient Street and
Cham
Islands are all
recognized for their intense beauty. However, it is the bits and bites of the
non-heritage site that will surprise you further. Da Lat, for example, is too
picturesque to miss. French style villas sitting next to a pine forest,
bordered by strawberry garden- you feel like
Europe
but the market scenes speak otherwise. Keo pagoda in Thai Binh province also
exemplifies well the no-name beauty of
Vietnam: feel the serenity of a religious
place, situated amidst greeneries of paddy farms. Whether a must-see site or an
off-the-beaten-path attraction, you will not be disappointed.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 2: Friendly and hospitable Vietnamese:
Like many
other neighbor countries in
Southeast
Asia, Vietnam
has a precious treasure: its people. Everywhere you go, you will be welcomed by
smiles and kind helps from the locals- whether they know Vietnamese or not.
People from
Hue,
for example, are famous all over the country for their royal-like attitude:
elegant and sweet. Those from Hoi An, on the other hand, are known for being
honest. If you have time to spend in the Mekong delta of
Vietnam, you
will even be more surprised and inspired by the way you are received by local
farmers. Get impressed!
WHY
VIETNAM
HOLIDAY # 3: Affordability
Vietnam is a
well-known destination among budget travellers. Though the price is climbing
monthly at a daunting rate, it is still much cheaper than travelling in other
continents. There is almost every price for every wallet: a 5 star resort in
Danang will cost you an equivalent amount to a 3 star hotel near JFK airport.
For lower end market, there are a plenty of hostels and guest-houses in most
cities. Food costs even lower and street foods are among the best in the world.
That says, even in biggest metropolitan areas like
Hanoi
or
Ho Chi Minh City,
you can get by a day with $15.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY # 4: Coffee
coffee coffee in Vietnam
Who do
not like coffee (excuse me, tea fans)? There is no Starbuck with the humongous
frap and latte but there is the French drip coffee that can be found in EVERY
single street of
Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City. Why rush in a country like
Vietnam? Enjoy
a cup of black coffee (ca phe den) or iced coffee with condensed milk (cap he
sua da) and watch life goes by on a corner of the street- you will never forget
Vietnam.
For those who would like to take some coffee home, visit Café Mai (79 Le Van
Huu,
Hanoi) or Highland Coffee (26 Le Loi,
Ho Chi Minh City).
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 5: A nowhere-to-be-found travel experience
Vietnam has all
the off-the-beaten-path experience that you are all looking for. From staying
with an ethnic family in the Northern mountain area of
Sa Pa to
taking photos over the sunrise in Hoi An to sand-surfing with local kids in Mui
Ne- you name them all. A unique travel experience is all about yourself- and
the best part about
Vietnam
is that there are so much to discover after all. Read our “Best of Vietnam”
page for more suggestions.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 6: Exquisite Vietnamese cuisines
Have you
always been a fan of Vietnamese food? Pho Hung on
Spadina-
Toronto,
Nam Son
near
Bowery- New York,
Le Lotus Blanc on Bourgogne of Paris- They can never be as authentic as the
food served in
Vietnam
(though they all do an awesome job). Vietnamese food goes beyond pho and spring
rolls and varies by regions: fresh vegetables continue to dominate the tables,
while meat and poultry are rising in popularity. Near the beach such as Nha
Trang and
Da Nang,
you can find plenty of fresh seafood caught in the morning and served in your
dinner at very affordable price. A big size king crab costs about $8 and can be
shared between 2 people.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 7: Fast and easy immigration process
Applying
for a visa to
Vietnam seems
stressful at first- why would you need a visa to
Vietnam
while you are granted free 30 day entry to
Thailand
and
Ecuador?
Vietnam
requires you anyway, and to alleviate the pain, the process has been made quite
easy. Besides visa at the embassy,
Vietnam visas can also be granted
upon arrival. All you need to do is to apply online for your approval letter
via a number of online travel companies, which are plentiful on the net. The
visa letter will be emailed to you after 2 days. If you leave close to the
embassy, it will take only about a week.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 8: It’s a natural thing
Think
Vietnam and
many still think about a war-torn country- not necessarily but that is usually
the case.
Vietnam
is more than just its war memory: its natural resources are something worth
talking about. National parks abound, and you can enjoy a variety of activities
you could never enjoyed back in your country: camping and bird-watching in the
tropical forest of Cuc Phuong or Cat Ba; renting a jeep and touring Cat Tien
national park; wind-surfing crash course in Nha Trang. The bad news is that
tourism has brought a lot of commercial activities into the nature. The good
news is that there are still a lot more to see, and enjoy.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY # 9: Vietnam Traditional
festivals
Thanks to
its long history, rich tradition and Buddhist influence,
Vietnam has
festivals organized all year round- many of which are unheard of in the West
and really fun to learn about. Tet holiday, for example, is an ideal time to see
how families celebrate their love for their ancestors and for each other. Tet
should not be mistaken or called Chinese New Year, which may even be an insult
to some nationalists. It resembles the Lunar New Year in many ways, but
modified with a Vietnamese feel in it. For example, in the countryside, people
stay over night and make chung cake- over a bit of fire and some end-of-year
gossips. In Hai Phong, the buffalo fighting festival is a well-known occasion:
the winning buffalo will get killed and presented to the village god. Even
public holidays in
Vietnam
are worth joining: come to
Vietnam
on the 2nd of September and you will see nation-wide parades. The whole streets
will be lighted by the red flags- and fireworks take over the sky at night.
Check our events page to see what events you can join in your next trip.
WHY
VIETNAM HOLIDAY
# 10: World famous beaches
What is more relaxing than spending time in the
blue water under the shining sun. Let the waves of Da Nang, Nha Trang or Mui Ne relieve all the
stress of the busy day-to-day life. Vietnam has several of the world’s
top beach listing. Most of them are safe to swim and there are opportunities
for water-sport activities as well. In Nha Trang, for example, you can do
kite-running and wind surfing. In Da
Nang, enjoy one of the world-class beach resorts- a
romantic get away for couples and families alike. In Mui Ne, enjoy the quite
with some added wildness while planning for your seafood dinner venture. For
beach fans, Vietnam
should really be on your list.
By: www.vietnamvisaprovider.com
