Top ten tourist attractions in Vietnam seen by Touropia

 Most travellers to Vietnam are attracted by the country’s wonderful natural beauty: From the green rice fields in the north to the fascinating bustle of the Mekong Delta in the south. Vietnam however is also a country with a long history and ancient traditions. It has many historic attractions and old temples.

 

The Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. — File photo

Following is an overview of the most amazing tourist attractions in Vietnam by touropia.com, a travel list website that features the most amazing sights around the world divided into various “best of” lists.

10. Nha Trang

Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most popular seaside resort town located along the second most beautiful bays in the country. It features beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperatures. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It’s also a major scuba diving centre of Vietnam.

9. Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located about 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City centre. The tunnels, measuring 200km in total length, were used by liberation soldiers as hiding spots during the Vietnam War, and were the base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system.

8. Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is the region in southern Vietnam where the river approaches and empties into the sea. It is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields, that produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output. Subsequently, life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road.

7. Mui Ne

The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Due to strong sea breezes it is a popular destination in Vietnam for kite and windsurfing. No trip to Mui Ne is complete without a trip to the famous sand dunes located a short distance north of the town. The vast sandy expanse provide some great panoramic views especially during sunset.

6. Sa Pa Terraces

Sa Pa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the Chinese border. Rice terraces can be found in the Muong Hoa valley between Sa Pa Town and the Fansipan Mountain, on a backdrop of thick bamboo woodlands. Local mountain people, the Hmong, Giay, Dao, Tay, and Giay, grow rice on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables.

5. Phu Quoc Island

Located in front of the Cambodia coast, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam. Phu Quoc is what Phuket would be if it hadn’t been overrun by development. The island features pristine tropical forests, undamaged coral reefs and great beaches. One of its beaches, named Bai Dai (Long Beach), was chosen by the ABC News as one of five beautiful and clean beaches. Phu Quoc is famous for producing the best nuoc mam or fermented fish sauce in the world.

4. Hoi An

This fishing-village-turned tourist attraction is situated on the coast of the East Sea. Hoi An has been an international port from the 16th century although the serious shipping business has long since moved to the city of Da Nang. The heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shops. It is sometimes called the “Venice of Vietnam” because of the narrow canals that cut through part of the town.

3. Hoan Kiem Lake (Hanoi)

Located in the historical heart of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as the locals’ favourite leisure spot. Hoan Kiem means “returned sword”, and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese. Later he returned the sword to the Golden Turtle God in the lake.

2. Thien Mu Pagoda (Hue)

With seven stories, the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. The pagoda overlooks the Perfume River and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital. The temple was built in 1601 during the rule of the Nguyen Lords. The initial temple was very simply constructed, but over time it was redeveloped and expanded with more intricate features.

1. Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is situated in north Vietnam round a 120km-long coast line and is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay features thousands of islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others islands include lakes and some support floating villages of fishermen.

Top ten tourist attractions in Vietnam seen by Touropia

Lau tha - a simple but tasty hotpot

Lau tha, which can be translated simply as hotpot, appeals to the taste buds of sophisticated diners because this special dish of Phan Thiet City in Binh Thuan Province not only looks beautiful but also tastes delicious.

 

An employee of The Cliff Resort serves lau tha with peanut sauce or broth. A bowl of lau tha is ready for diners to enjoy.

Lau tha features numerous ingredients such as rice vermicelli, pork bone broth, boiled pork slices and egg cuts, steamed shrimp, fresh mai fish or cucumber, star fruit, mango, tomato and onion slices, herbs and baked rice paper with sesame.

The dish is usually served in two different ways. First, you can place in a bowl some rice vermicelli, some mai fish already dipped in the broth and the remaining ingredients before spooning the broth into the bowl until it soaks up all the ingredients. The dish is then topped with breaks of the baked rice paper and herbs.

The dish is also eaten in another serving, in which the sauce of ground peanut and sesame replaces the broth before breaks of the baked rice paper and herbs are put in. Fresh chili slices will whet the appetite of spicy food lovers.

You can try the healthy lau tha in both servings. However, locals advise visitors to try the serving with peanut sauce before the one with the broth, as they can enjoy to the fullest the fresh taste of mai fish mixed with the buttery flavor of peanut sauce and the aroma of herbs.

Lau tha is available for serving at the main restaurant at The Cliff Resort and other resorts as well as food outlets in Mui Ne, which is also known as the kingdom of resorts in the central province of Binh Thuan.

Lau tha - a simple but tasty hotpot