I haven’t traveled to Mui Ne yet…if you have been there and would like to share your experience with everyone on this site,  you are most welcome to leave a comment!

Aisa

I haven’t gotten around writing anything here…if you have been to Phu Quoc and would like to share your experience with everyone on this site,  you are most welcome to leave a comment!

Aisa

I haven’t gotten around writing anything here…if you have been to Da Nang and would like to share your experience with everyone on this site,  you are most welcome to leave a comment!

Aisa

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Halong Bay

Culture & Sightseeing
Wildlife & Nature

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Halong Bay lies in the Gulf of Tonkin in northeastern Vietnam. The bay has a 120 km long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square km in size with 1969 islets. It features thousands of limestone Karsts in various sizes and shapes. It’s a legendary world of stone islands!

Halong Bay is 165 kms east of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The journey is about 3 hours and a half as traffic can be bad in Hanoi. It is probably the most popular travel destination of the country.

Halong bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site, listed by UNESCO on December 1994 for its outstanding universal aesthetic value. Sightseeing in Halong bay is a feast to the eye - beautiful limestone formation, rock arches, clear turquoise water, scenic lagoons, caves, coves, cliffs and thousand of limestone islets…Among thousands of caves, Hang Dau Go (Grotto of Wooden Stakes) is one of the largest consisting of three chambers. Other big caves include Grotto of Bo Nau and 2 km long Hang Hanh Cave.

A trip to Halong bay usually includes a tour of the limestone cave, and a kayake around the caves and karsts to enjoy the spectacular scenery. The view is simply breath taking and Aisa found it difficult to describe in words - you have to see it for yourself! Imagine thousands of stunning islands rising from the turquoise water…It’s geographical art work! The landscape resembles Gulin in China. But Halong bay is of much larger scale. Sunrise in Halong Bay is amazing too.

Many take a traditional Chinese junk for the cruise. It’s a small boat with a high poop, lugsails and nice wooden floors.

There are hotels and a few quiet beaches in a Cat Ba Island. It’s a small island, although the biggest in Halong Bay.

Halong Bay is one of the most visited and recognized of the Vietnam tourist attractions. It houses a great diversity of ecosystems including coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forest, small freshwater lakes.

Seafood in Halong Bay is great.Read more about Vietnamese seafood at Seafood

Did you know There are two types of islands, limestone and schist. They are concentrated in two bays: Halong bay in the southwest and Bai Tu Long Bai in the southeast.

Ha long means descending dragons in a local myth.

Part of the James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun” was filmed in Halong Bay.

Seasons There are two main seasons in Halong Bay: hot and moist summer from May to October, dry and cold winter from November to April. November to March is considered low season because the weather is foggy, cold and drizzly . Visibility is reduced.

Beware of over charging and prostitution.

Official website
http://www.halongbay.net.vn/

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

A Beautifully Island with Bay View Beaches

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Nha Trang

SPA & Massage
Diving & Snorkeling

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Aisa votes Nha Trang one of the Top 10 Tropical Paradises in Asia for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving sites! Nha Trang is the best municipal beach in Vietnam, and Nha Trang Bay is one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

Nha Trang is a coastal town on the South Central Coast of Vietnam, with beautiful islands off shore. It is becoming a popular destination for international tourists. Many take a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly know as Saigon).

Nha Trang Bay was chosen by Travel and Leisure in two succeeding years as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world. It’s a stunning place with clear ocean, rocky shorelines, and mountainous islands.

Na Trang is good for diving from mid-January to mid-October, and there are nearly ten diving spots. The cost is probably the lowest in Asia. It can be roughly US$20 per dive.

Na Trang would not be complete without a boat trip through its turquoise waters to view the abundant coral reefs and numerous surrounding islands. The Mama Linh boat offers trip to Monkeys Island. Sightseeing includes Long Son Pagoda and Giant Seated Buddha.

Na Trang is famous for its fresh seafood. The area’s Bird’s nest soup is deemed one of the best in Vietnam. Bird’s nests are collected naturally and in bird’s farms in the islands off the city coast and in some houses in the inner city. As a seaside city, its cuisine is characterized by several seafood dishes. Aisa had one of the best seafood meals here!

Nightlife in Nha Trang is limited comparing to destinations in Thailand.

Did you know Nha Trang is a well kept secret of Vietnam but the world will be in on the secret very soon - Miss Universe 2008 Pageant will be held in Nha Trang on July 14, 2008.

Tourists can participate in Sea Festival and August- Nha Trang Rendezvous Festival every 2 years.

As a coastal city, Nha Trang is developed in marine science with Nha Trang Oceanography Institution. There’s also Hon Mun marine protected area - one of four first marine protected areas in the world admitted by IUCN.

Seasons Monsoon season is from October to mid December. It is usually the busiest around the New Year period.

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel