Visiting beautiful Danang at the central of Vietnam

Setting off from the North and stop at the central of Vietnam, located a great coastal city named Danang with hills, moutains, islands and seas where you can feel the fresh air filled all around. This is one of the most stunning places worth visiting in Vietnam.

The city of Danang is situated close to plains, hills, mountains, islands, and the sea. Its climate is temperate and there are many historical and cultural sites in and around the city. The tourism sector of Danang offers a variety of tourism products.

Approximately 13km east from the center of Danang is the large Son Tra Peninsula. From a distance, the peninsula looks like a mushroom that sits 693m over the water. The cap of this mushroom is the Son Tra Mountain, and the stem is the Son Tra Beach with smooth, white sand – an ideal place to play sports and enjoy fishing or swimming.

The Son Tra Peninsula is a national park where many species of wild animals and plant varieties are preserved and fresh water is available. On the Son Tra Peninsula there’s a 4,370ha primeval forest. With the green of forest trees and the blue color of seawater, the Son Tra Peninsula has a romantic but imposing beauty.

On the Son Tra Peninsula, one can enjoy the fresh air and contemplate the wonderful natural landscape of this place, and learn about the lives of fishermen here. They can also enjoy various kinds of seafood.

Not very far from the Son Tra Peninsula to the south is the Ngu Hanh Son mountain range, which is a special attraction of the entire central region.

The Ngu Hanh Son mountain range consists of six limestone mountains, each with its own name. The legend is that there was a sea dragon that flew to the seashore and laid some eggs. After 1,000 days the eggs hatched and out of one came a beautiful girl. The egg shell became the five mountains, which were then named by Lord Nguyen after the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth.

The northern-most mountain is called Thuy Son (Water Mountain), the one to the east is Moc Son (Wood Mountain), to the west is Kim Son (Metal Mountain), to the south is Hoa Son (Fire Mountain) and in the middle is Tho Son (Earth Mountain).

Hoa Son is actually two small mountains, Duong Hai Son and Am Hoa Son. So, you can say that the Ngu Hanh Son mountain range consists of six mountains – your choice. But regardless, it also has many caves.

At Ngu Hanh Son there is also a famous pagoda, named Chua Khong, and the Tang Chon Cave. The six Ngu Hanh Son mountains are adjacent to the Non Nuoc Beach, one of the six most beautiful beaches in the world.

Not far to the west of Danang is a large mountainous area that is adjacent to the Truong Son mountain range. In this area there are primeval forests with various animals and plants. There are also old houses built in the French style.

In the area of the Ba Na Mountain Range there are adequate tourist facilities, including villas, restaurants and a modern cable car to take visitors from Vong Nguyet Hill to the highest mountain, 1,400m above the sea. From the top of this mountain one gets a panorama view of Danang – the city on the banks of the charming Han River.

When it’s not raining at the Ba Na mountaintop, one can perhaps watch it raining below. At the Ba Na mountaintop, the weather keeps changing so that people can see and feel the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, all within one day.

The Museum of Cham Sculpture, in the center of Danang, is enjoyed by almost every visitor to the city. This museum was built in 1915. It preserves and has on display thousands of Cham sculptures that are from between the seventh and the 15th centuries.

Leaving the center of Danang and going to the north one can see Hai Van Pass – an imposing picture created by nature. From the top of the Hai Van Pass one can see an overview of Danang – a young city that is changing everyday.

Hat xam’ – awakening one part of Vietnamese culture

Artist HA THI CAU

Professionalism

Xam is a genre of folk songs in northern Vietnam. Xam is also a word used to call blind people who sing xam songs to earn money so hat xam is considered a job.

Many equate xam with beggars but they are different. Xam don’t live on free food or money but they live on offerings from people. Before receiving tokens, they have to win people’s hearts with their voices and music.

In the first half of the 20th century, xam grouped up to travel everywhere. Each group was often led by a group leader, who was a blind man.

The word “professional” is needed to describe xam, who earn their living by singing. The professionalism of this job is also shown through the organisation of xam groups, which are linked with each other under the control of a leader.

Normally, each xam leader controls an area. If a xam group wants to sing in another area, it needs the agreement of the xam leader who controls that area.

It is also professional in the way xam choose sad or merry melodies to be appropriate to the circumstance and the attitude of listeners.

Hat xam’s founder is a prince?

Normally, only jobs related to production have founders, but hat xam also has a founder. And the founder of hat xam is a dignitary, Prince Tran Quoc Dinh.

According to legend, in the Tran Dynasty, there were two princes, Tran Quoc Toan and Tran Quoc Dinh. As both sought the crown, a power struggle ensued. During an altercation, Tran Quoc Toan tore out Tran Quoc Dinh’s eyes and threw him into the forest.

Tran Quoc Dinh couldn’t do anything but cry. He fell asleep. In a dream, a Buddha appeared and gave him a musical instrument which was played with a bamboo rod. Upon awakening, he made the musical instrument based on his dream. It was odd that the instrument created sweet sounds. Hearing the sound, birds brought fruits to him. Some lumbermen heard the sound and took care of him.

Prince Tran Quoc Dinh taught poor and blind people how to play the instrument and sing as well. He became famous, even in the capital. He was invited to sing in the royal palace, where his father recognised his son. Even after returning to the palace, the prince continued to teach poor and blind people.

Hat xam was born then and Tran Quoc Dinh was honoured as the founder of hat xam. Xam consider the 22nd day of the second lunar month and the 22nd day of the eight lunar month as the prince’s death anniversary and the founding anniversary of hat xam.

The Vietnam Music Art Development Centre has an award in the name of Tran Quoc Dinh for artists, collectors, researchers and journalists who make great contributions to traditional music

Based on the characteristics of this job, the anniversary is often organised on wide plots of land, not in a temple or a fixed place.

Restoring hat xam anniversary

Hat xam and hat xam anniversary was popular in the 1950-1960 and it disappeared after that. In 2008, the Vietnam Music Art Development Centre resumed the anniversary for the first time at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature). This is part of a programme to restore hat xam art conducted since 2005.

Restoring the anniversary is also the aspiration of the living treasure of hat xam, artisan Ha Thi Cau.

This year, the second anniversary will be held at the communal house of Hao Nam village, on Vu Thanh street. According to musician Thao Giang, who initiated the resumption of this anniversary, as of 2009, this anniversary will be organised annually at this communal house.

It is pity that this year artisan Ha Thi Cau will not attend the anniversary because she is very weak now. After the anniversary, some xam singers will go to Ninh Binh province to visit the latest famous xam singer of the 20th century, Mrs. Ha Thi Cau.

As eco-tourism gains popularity, more tourists are opting to take bike tours.

A cycling tour in the northern province of Ninh Binh was one of Rett Townsley’s favourite activities while travelling around Viet Nam.

“It was not my first bike tour but I have not ridden a road bike in several years. It was a good tour, even though it was very tiring. It definitely left me with a lot of good memories,” Townsley says.
Townsley is among a small group of tourists who travelled to Ninh Binh’s Hoa Lu District, the nation’s former citadel, which lures millions of local and foreign tourists every year.

A bus leaves Ha Noi early every morning for the two hour journey to the district. Townsley and his partners book rooms at the Xuan Hoa Hotel, which is said to provide the best travel services in the district, such as meals, rooms, bikes and tour guides.

The hotel provides an excellent jumping-off point for tourists to enjoy a visit to the ancient Hoa Lu citadel which was the country’s capital city for the Dinh dynasty (968-980) and the tien Le (Earlier-Le) dynasty (980-1009).

Maps to these destinations are free from the hotel. Townsley and his friends pay VND20,000 (US$1) for their bikes and share the $10 for a tour guide to show them around for a full day.

It takes Townsley and his friends nearly one hour to travel the 12km to the citadel, where they admire the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang, who developed Hoa Lu as the capital and set up the first centralised feudal State in Viet Nam. They also enjoyed the temple to the first king of the tien Le dynasty, King Le Dai Hanh.

Their next destination is Tam Coc-Bich Dong, also known as Ha Long Bay on land. The area is home to an awesome stretch of giant limestone karsts jutting out of the rice paddies on the banks of a small river. Townsley and his friends leave the bikes aside for a short time to travel by boat through this secluded oasis away from the haze of the big city.

If they have planned for an extra day or two of holiday, the group can sail on to the Trang An Eco-Tourism complex, which is said to host a world of natural and cultural heritage.

With its striking limestone mountains, caves and clear streams, combined with the ruins of the former capital at Hoa Lu, the area annually attracts millions of tourists from across Viet Nam and around the world.

Back on land at Van Lam Wharf, an expanse of art work is waiting for the group. The area is a great place for tourists to explore Viet Nam’s needlework.

Thousands of embroidery and thread work products with many designs in different sizes are so beautiful that most people cannot deny at least one indulgence for themselves or as a gift for a loved one back home.

“I especially enjoyed the part of the ride that took us right up to the limestone mountains,” says Townsley, who also expresses his pleasure with the boat ride and the walk around the Trang An complex.

“However, the most interesting part of the tour is the bike ride itself. Our tour guide, Trung, leads us over the country lanes that link villages, rice fields and homes.

“It was one of the greatest experiences we had on this tour,” says Thanh Hoa, another member of the group.

“I’m a city girl so I have very little idea about rural life. I have been curious about the lives and activities of farmers, but now my mind has been opened quite a lot,” she says.

Despite his poor English, Trung guides people to the most beautiful and special places in the area where they can witness the beauty of the rural scenes or give a hand to local farmers with their work.

Open-minded

“Local people are open-minded. They are happy to let visitors help them cultivate rice seedlings, bail water to the fields or dig a fish breeding pond. You can even take a meal with a family or ask them to teach you how to embroider a simple product in Van Lam Village,” says Trung.

It seems as if the landscape has been untouched by time, and that’s exactly how locals want it to stay. “Although tourism has developed over the past few years, we still want to keep the original features of the region,” he says. As the only foreigner Townsley is the happiest person in the group – many people, including a lot of children, greeted him enthusiastically.

“I think the biggest advantage of the tour is just the fact that you can see so much more when you are on a bike than you would see from a tour bus. Also, bikes don’t cause pollution,” he says. He adds that he thinks the route is a little too long for most tourists. “I think 12km is okay but 20 is a little much.”

He suggests that better quality bikes would make the tour a better experience and that larger groups should come with a support vehicle. But he still intends to recommend the tour to his family and friends when they come to Viet Nam.

“My customers are really interested in this tour because it puts them closer to nature and to the culture, customs and habits of the local people, which are often very different from their own,” says Nguyen Viet Trinh.

“Most of our travellers are currently white-collar workers who don’t generally have time for biking. Bike tours give them chance to discover many new things and recover their health with exercise and fresh air,” Trinh says.

“However, we have only met 85-90 per cent of their demands because of a few customer service problems, including the quality of the bikes and tour guides,” he says. He adds that customer service improvements would increase the number of tourists to Viet Nam. — VNS

Ceramic Road along the Red River, Vietnam

The 2.018 meter-long project with total squares of 6.500m² is an art construction playing a great meaning to welcome 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi and honor art heritages to patterns of history from the periods of Dong Son to dynasties of Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen. The 2.018 meter-long project with total squares of 6.500m² is an art construction playing a great meaning to welcome 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi and honor art heritages to patterns of history from the periods of Dong Son to dynasties of Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen.
The road runs from Au Co Avenue through Nghi Tam, Yen Phu, Tran Nhat Duat, Tran Quang Khai and Tran Khanh Du roads. As planned, it comprises 21 sections of ceramic pictures with verities of interesting and colourful objects.
Taking part in this project, not only Vietnamese artists, Ceramic Road receives a very enthusiastic response of international artists. All with wishes to contribute a meaningful gift to bring beauty to the community as well to welcome 1000 year-old Hanoi Capital. Apart from the assistance of Michael Geertsen, a Denmark artist, and Dominique de Miscault from France, many other artists from many countries all over the world as UK, United State, Netherlands, Italia, Spain and Finland have registered to join. Ceramic Road is striving to set Guiness Record and become the longest Ceramic Picture in the world.

Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu to host World Food Festival

The southern coastal province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu will host the World Food Festival 2010 from July 21-25.

A 3km-long party will be arranged along the beautiful beaches of Thùy Vân and Bãi Sau in Vũng Tàu City, representatives of the Organizing Board revealed at a press briefing held in Hà Nội on March 11.

The festival will also include markets on specialties and dishes from all 63 provinces and cities in Việt Nam and more than 80 nations in the world, they added.

With five main facets – gastronomy, culture, festivities, shopping and relaxing- the event is expected to provide visitors with opportunities to enjoy traditional dishes and beverages, explore different cultures, shop and take part in a colorful parade with thousands of other people from different countries as well as areas in Việt Nam.

During the festival, cooking demonstrations will be held on the beaches.

The Organizing Board hopes the festival will become an annual traditional event in Vũng Tàu Province and will be recognized as a Guinness world record in terms of the largest space for a gastronomy festival.

Nghệ An appeals for tourism investment

VGP – Nghệ An, the largest province in the North Central part of Việt Nam, is calling on massive investment of around US $250 million in 22 projects on marine and eco-tourism from now to 2015.

A beach in Nghệ An – Illustration photo

These projects include an eco-tourist area at Khe Kèm Waterfall (worth of US $63 million), a tourist area at Quyết Mountain-Bến Thủy (US $25 million), Sao Va Waterfall (US $10 million), and Nghi Thiết Beach (US $6 million).

To tap its tourist potentials, the local authorities of Nghệ An called upon investors to get involved in sea, convalescence and eco-tourism, sites in Quỳnh Lưu, Cửa Lò, Nghi Lộc, Con Cuông and Nam Đàn Districts.

These projects are expected to create new, attractive and typical tourist products for Nghệ An and the Central region of Việt Nam.

In addition, the locality also thirsts for more flows of investment building more commercial centers, sports services, entertainment parks, and so on.

The authorities of Nghệ An pledge to grant numerous incentives for investors in terms of investment promotion, site clearance, better infrastructure, and land lease./.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Vung Tau, just 125km away, is about the nearest beach from Saigon. Beside the beaches, Vung Tau also offers great seafood, some attractions with the pagodas and gigantic religious statues on the mountains. And as far as I know, it’s the only place in Vietnam where you can find greyhound racing (www.vietnamracing.net/). For a brief tour to Ba Ria Vung Tau, check out 36 hours in Vung Tau.

There are about 3 ways one can get to Vung Tau from Saigon:

1. Tour bus from Sinh Cafe and other tour agencies. About 3 hours.

2. Drive or ride to Vung Tau from Saigon. About 3 hours (under 2 hours if you are a hell rider).

3. Take the hydrofoil. It is the most comfortable and fastest at just under 1.5 hours.

In this travel tip on how to get to Vung Tau from Saigon, I’ll show you where to buy the hydrofoil or ferry ticket, the timings of those ferry services and how those hydrofoils to Vung Tau feels like.

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We are now standing directly behind the Rex Hotel at Nguyen Hue Street. From the Saigon Tax Trade Center, or commonly known as the Saigon Tax Center or Thuong Xa Tax in Vietnamese, head down in the direction of the yellow arrow. Use the blue Sun Wah Tower (circled in red) as the next landmark.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

With the blue Sun Wah Tower on your right, head down about 150m in the direction of the yellow arrow. Use the Duxton Hotel and Harbour View building (circled in red) as your next 2 landmarks.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Just after passing by the Harbour View building, you will be at this T-junction where there are always lots of cars and especially big trucks. Yellow arrow is where the main ferry or hydrofoil terminal is. You can buy your tickets from all 3 different hydrofoil operators here. At the same time, the blue and green arrows indicate the positions of ticket booths also from the same 3 operators. The difference here is that you can get your tickets without having to get off your bike

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Main ferry terminal.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Once you enter the ferry terminal, you’ll see the 3 different operators’ booth. They are all selling at the same price of 160,000vnd per ticket (about US$9).

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

This is the waiting area.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

How the hydrofoil looks like.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Inside the hydrofoil. Air conditioned and fairly comfortable seats.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Lots of space for your bags and luggage.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

The toilet. Not the best time to have a bad stomach on board the hydrofoil.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

This is how the ferry terminal at Vung Tau looks like.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

Inside the ferry terminal at Vung Tau. This is where you buy your tickets back to Saigon.

How to get to Vung Tau from Saigon

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Hope the above guide has been clear to you. If there’s anyway I can improve on my ‘directional tips’, do feel free to leave a comment here.

Phu Quoc Island La Veranda Resort

Vietnam720: Phu Quoc Island and the review on La Veranda Resort and Spa in Phu Quoc Vietnam by Thomas from Thomas Wanhoff in Vietnam.

Phu Quoc Island, La Veranda terrace

Thomas: I am writing this blogpost while sitting in a white bamboo style plastic chair, having a cappuccino and enjoying the sea view. I am at the La Veranda Resort and Spa on Phu Quoc Island. Nearly everyone I know told me to go to Phu Quoc now, because in a few years the beauty of this island might be gone. So we took the plane (one hour flight) from Saigon to Duong Dong, landed smoothly with this old, but still well doing ATR planes. La Veranda might be one of the most expensive hotels on the island, but we a) had a package price and b) like to have some comfort (yes, we aren’t backpackers anymore). The resorts is worth the money. Beautifully designed as a garden with bungalows hidden between all kinds of tropical flowers, this place is exactly the kind of hotel we like for a short vacation.

Phu Quoc Vietnam, sunset on Phu Quoc Island

What we like:

- the design of all the buildings and rooms is awesome. It’s French colonial style, but ant it’s best. Colors fitting as well as the smallest details like the elephant faces on the wall lights, the fresh flowers on the tables or the lemongrass smell in the toilet.

- the staff. If I would open a hotel on Phu Quoc, I would try to hire the La Verandas stuff. Overwhelming friendly and helpful, with good English skills and well trained. Nothing to complain about.

- the beach: it’s clean, safe, and quiet (at least when we were there and the neighboring Eden bar was closed), the sea is not to rough and you have a wonderful sunset.

- food: the prices are reasonable, that’s what we were surprised of. 2 Dollars for a coffee is actually low for a hotel like this. The Vietnamese food we had was delicious (Nuong Xo Ot). The breakfast buffet is good, nothing to complain.

- the spa: .. we had several treatments. one hour body massage was included in the package and we had chosen the Vietnamese massage. One the next day we had a hot stone massage for my wife and an Indian head massage and facial for me. The massage itself was ok, the stone were not too hot, and the pressure was fine, nice ambient music (although it comes from a gettoblaster. The a/c was on, a bit too cold for me. The facial treatment feels good in general, you also get an arm massage and the upper part of your breast.

What we don’t like:
There was only one thing we didn’t like: We had a package price including a dinner, a one hour spa treatment and a half day excursion. The excursion was interesting and well operated. The spa treatment was good. The dinner was (under)average. Because my wife is a vegetarian, we asked for dishes without beef or pork, but all kind of fish and seafood is fine. What we got was a pineapple-squid salad as starter and 4 shrimps in tamarind sauce. We were a bit disappointed about the quality and taste. It was not but, but, as I said, just average, and we know they can do better.

Spa: Although the spa treatment was ok, it was not special. In the brochure they offer different types of oil, but ever asked us to choose. When I had my second treatment (the one I was extra paying for) they did not ask for anything, skin type, allergies, and any special requests. The Indian head massage wasn’t better: I felt very uncomfortable sitting on the massage table getting a back massage instead of lying(I have some back pain, so sitting in a position like this is actually hurting me).

Summary: La Veranda is a beautiful place to stay, with a wonderful layout, nice rooms, delicious food for reasonable prices. The spa management has to improve, and even if you sell a package with a set menu you should not offer a lower quality of food for an included dinner.

Phu Quoc Hotels

Vietnam720: Jon from Connections Vietnam recently visited Phu Quoc and returned with a general list of recommendation on Phu Quoc Hotels. Jon: A recent half-term and a short trip to Phu Quoc, a third visit to the Island in Kien Giang Province. We stayed at the Sea Star Phu Quoc Resort, a place I stayed over New Year in 2005. Back then it was a little less developed and certainly less busy, and I seem to remember getting the bungalows on the beach for $30. One thing that hasn’t changed is the road. Despite this beach (Long Beach) being the main beach for tourists on the whole island, it is still unsealed and at one point just past the Saigon tourist resort is horrifically pot-holed (is that a hidden message?). Beach bungalows now go for $60 per night here, a fairly standard price along the beach for such accommodation. The Garden Bungalows, set a little further back, are $45 per night. Some pictures of the resort.

Garden Bungalows

Phu Quoc Hotels

Our Beach Bungalow

Phu Quoc Hotels

Phu Quoc Hotels

View from the restaurant

Phu Quoc Hotels

The beach

Phu Quoc Hotels

I don’t intend to advertise for Sea Star, but it is fairly typical of the accommodation on Long Beach, which is a 10 minute drive from the airport. This beach is also a short motorbike journey to town and its selection of restaurants, the night market and the collection of dive shops. Other recommended stays are Cassia Cottage and Mai House.

Alternatively, Ong Lang beach is about a 20 minute drive from town along in places a very bumpy road. We visited Mango Bay one afternoon to check the place out. It boasts secluded bungalows built with an eye on sustainability, and most are lofted up into the foliage, set back in a garden, with views out over the private bay the resort is situated on. Mango Bay raises too many questions in my mind for a comfortable stay. No where else to eat without a long journey by bike or taxi. Very isolated and quiet. But of course, this is what some people crave, and sitting on the decking at one of the two resort restaurants supping a cocktail and watching the sun go down in absolute tranquility wasn’t that bad…

Chen La is another posh alternative nearby this part of the island. Chi and I also stayed at Thang Loi on our first trip to Phu Quoc, much cheaper but the same isolation. – this resort is just the other side of Mango Bay.

As for our own holiday, Louisa decided to develop a bizarre rash which made her miserable and spread from head to toe over three days, finally clearing up on the last couple of days. Whilst other tourists spent their time posturing on their hired automatic bikes and really trying to look like they weren’t possibly going to crash, visiting pearl farms, snorkeling and diving, sampling seafood cuisine and getting lost on inland island dirt tracks, Chi and I were back in the bungalow battling with a raucous, unhappy and uncooperative 11 month old baby. Finally, we settled on a solution that everyone was happy with.

Phu Quoc Hotels

Vietnam720: I didn’t catch the joke on the last photo until my 2nd visit back to Jon’s post. Hope you guys are sharper than me

If you had enjoyed this article, feel free to SHARE with all your friends. Jon runs a travel business here in Saigon. You can get him HERE

Po Nagar Cham Towers

Vietnam720: Po Nagar Cham Towers from Nha Trang, brought to you by Aimee from yVietnam. She calls it ‘The absolute wonders of Cham Culture’.

Aimee: This was an unexpected surprise, as we were looking for things to do in Nha Trang, aside from the beach since we had the entire day unplanned.

Po Nagar Cham Towers

In the picture above, worshipers are getting ready to enter one of the temples, with their offerings for the Gods. Before entering, there is a receptacle which holds burning incense. I am wearing a light lavender dress, and I am to the right of the entrance, as I decided to join the faithful inside.

You are bound to hear about the Cham while in Vietnam. They are an ancient civilization that had its influences mainly in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam and Cambodia. Their domain was called Champa, and their architecture and art style is unmistakable. Though we did not see My Son, it is reported that the finest examples of their architecture is to be found there. The Cham were influenced by the Khmer, who, in turn, were influenced by India’s Buddhism, so that one can easily make the connection between Angkor Wat and the buildings found in My Son and Nha Trang. The Cham ruled Vietnam for 10 centuries.

Absolutely amazing was our cab driver who did not know the Po Nagar Cham Towers. Initially, he stopped at a restaurant bearing that name. Add heat to this frustration and you get the meaning of potboiler.

(This is the Xom Bong Bridge you will cross to get to the Towers)

Po Nagar Cham Towers

Essentially, you need to cross the Cai River via the Xom Bong Bridge, and then you will have arrived. Once again, you are at the bottom of a hill looking up, and don’t be surprised if your jaw drops a few inches as you do. But first, you must buy your ticket (VDN5000), as all good tourists must. If you come here to worship, then it’s free.

Po Nagar Cham Towers

Po Nagar Cham Towers

(There are carvings of Brahma, Shiva, and other symbols of Hindu religions)

The first pillars you will see will be in two rows under the main tower. At one time, they enclosed a meditation hall. The burnt orange color of the brick and terracotta monuments are very distinctive, and you will recognize many of the elements of Hinduism sculpted into the towers, such as the Brahma with his four arms and four faces and his wife Saravasti.

Shiva, with the third eye in his forehead, has many wives, and Vishnu (a sculpture of this god is found on the northernmost tower, with Sanskrit writings on the sides of the entrance arch), whose wife is the goddess of beauty, holds an object in each of his four arms. The mythical Garuda is also present and was prominent during our travel to Bali’s temples.

Po Nagar Cham Towers

Inside the temple is a veritable feast of offerings, things that glitter and shine, strong Hindu colors, especially reds, fuchsias and marigolds. Bows of fruit are everywhere and the smell of incense is intoxicating.

As you scale a circular stone stairway, the splendor of the towers comes into view. They are dedicated to the Hindu goddess Po Nagar (don’t pronounce the “r,” because no one will understand you). Only four towers remain of the original seven, and we had an opportunity to enter one of them along with the worshippers; the Vietnamese are not really Buddhist, but observe a combination of three different principles, including Taoism and Confucianism.

(a woman prays)

Po Nagar Cham Towers

Po Nagar Cham Towers

(an offering rests in a pink hat: dragon fruit, a rose, and an apple protected by netting)

It was fascinating to watch as one woman on her knees was rubbing the statues knees and praying. Incense joss sticks are lit and placed in one of the outer urns, and you must leave your shoes at the entrance. The dark interior corridor leads to the main room, where the likeness of a gold Buddha sits in lotus pose. Everyone worships differently and prays for different phenomena. There are magnificent views of the river.

Po Nagar Cham Towers

(Even nature has sculpted its trees a little differently here at the Po Nagar Cham Towers)

Po Nagar Cham Towers

(Bougainvillea flower everywhere)

Vietnam720: For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit Nha Trang Hotels for more information.

Green Hotel Nha Trang

Vietnam720: The Green Hotel Nha Trang is a 3 star hotel at 6 Hung Vuong Street, Nha Trang and Aimee from yVietnam gives us a review.

Nha Trang

Aimee: We only scratched the surface of this aspect of Vietnam travel when we stopped in Nha Trang. We arrived there by train from Hue, and really did not know what we would find except for what I had read in the ‘guide books’. The photo at the top is taken at dusk, and what you’re seeing is the South China Sea. There are treasures that await you here, especially if you scuba dive or snorkel. Unfortunately, I do neither…But I grew up in a culture that considered the seashore part of its everyday life. Thus, it is no wonder that no matter which corner of the globe I find myself in, the radar is always on for palm trees, balmy breezes, and white sands.

Green Hotel Nha Trang

Let’s start with our hotel…appropriately called the Green Hotel Nha Trang, the outside is a bit deceiving. The color may not sit well with many people, and even myself, a lover of green, was a bit curious upon arriving. However, having arrived at night, the color is more subdued.

Getting to the hotel itself was an adventure. What should have been no more than a 5-minute ride from the station turned into an excursion with our driver, who stopped in front of a very formal-looking, deserted building. Caution: if you are not where you need to be, don’t get out of the taxi, as it may take forever to find another one, especially in a blind alley. Our taxi driver had expectedly gone through all of his “OK, OK, OKs”, which at this point meant zero, as the number of the building was not even the same as our hotel. Eventually, we did get to the right place!

Green Hotel Nha Trang

(yes, rattan, but with an Oriental flavor all its own; the room was cool and made up for the very uncomfortable heat outside)

The heat and humidity were relentless, even at 11pm, and were alleviated by the delightful icy air blowing out of the overhead unit above the sliding glass doors of our room. This was luxurious indeed, and the first king-size bed I had seen on this trip before our return to Saigon. The room was appropriately furnished in rattan in traditional Vietnamese style; the parquet floors were spotless. We were recommended to this hotel by VietnamStay.Com, and frankly, it was better than either one of us expected. I was already beginning to regret that we were here for only a day, but already we knew that this country had not seen the last of us, so there was some consolation on that end.

Green Hotel Nha Trang

Twenty-four-hour room service is available here from the Jasmine Restaurant, where we had delicious food. We were on the fifth of seven floors, so we were able to enjoy an extended view that borrowed some pieces of the ocean. Direct dialing can be arranged from your room, where you can also enjoy satellite TV if you have the time. There is also an in-room minibar, electric water heater, and yes, a hair dryer, along with the extra toothbrushes and paste. All the amenities are wrapped in green!

The people at the reception desk are amongst the most courteous we encountered; they can arrange for any tours and book air and train tickets for you, should you require it. Safe deposit boxes are also made available.

The gift shop downstairs also has Internet stations, but I don’t recommend them, as the connection is slower than molasses. For the tired and weary, massage, Jacuzzi, steam baths, and sauna are to be had right in the hotel. For the business-oriented traveler, they have a center downstairs as well that offers photocopy machines, secretarial and typing services, translation, and interpreters.

Green Hotel Nha Trang

(if you look very closely, you can see through the glass one of the diners in the huge Jasmine restaurant)

In-house function hall and summit rooms make meetings possible on the premises. Taxis are usually available during the day, as they are parked directly across the street from the Green Hotel. Otherwise, the staff will make the call for you. I truly loved this place!

Green Hotel Nha Trang

Vietnam720: The website for this Green Hotel Nha Trang is : www.GreenHotelNhaTrang.com

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

Following a tip from Bennett of Good Morning Vietnam, I went to check out Lam Tong Restaurant, aka Popular Restaurant, of Mui Ne.

Bennett recommended the seafood and in his words ‘for fantastic and cheap seafood – value for $$$ – go to Popular Restaurant’. But being a budget backpacker, I went for the budget food and here’s what I returned with:

Only about US$0.50 for a bottle of Saigon beer.

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

Ordered the curry chicken with rice but it turned out to be more of a spicy chicken than actually having curry in it. Still, I find it nice. Cost only US$1.60.

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

For an alternate version of Pho Bo, or the Vietnamese beef noodles, try instant noodles with beef instead. Big chucky pieces of beef, together with vegetables and tomatoes – all for only US$1.10.

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

Another big plus about this Lam Tong Restaurant (aka Popular Restaurant), beside the nice food, is how they are located right on the beachfront. Provides great view of windsurfing and kite boarding on the Mui Ne beach, especially during the mid morning and evenings.

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

Lam Tong Restaurant Mui Ne

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