Vietnam Travel Tour Guides

Vietnam Travel Tour Guides

By   November 09, 2020   No comments:

 The goal and purpose of these people is to give a comprehensive and up to date report and information about the travelling and staying in the country. Vietnam’s official language is Vietnamese, a tonal language spoken as a mother tongue by 90% the country’s population. Vietnamese is written using a 29 letter alphabetical system. However, the accent of Vietnamese varies from province to province. Besides Vietnamese, around 50 other languages are spoken by ethnic minorities. English is a popular foreign language and is used in mostly in offices, restaurants in big cities or tourism places. French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese… are also popular and can be found in tourist places. Worry not when planning a Vietnam travel, these tour guides will always help translate the language to you understanding. Try to find an English speaking tour guide so as not to miss on the Vietnam history and culture, without a guide who will be interpreting to you.

Tour guides will always tell and advise you that Vietnam travel is always friendly and safe place to travel. With a sprinkling of common sense, your trip should be smooth and trouble free. Tourists usually complain about over-aggressive street vendors, tour operators with a bad attitude and dangerous driving habits. However, with a cool head and sensible planning, you can avoid these problems by simply finding the best tour guide to take you through.

 DO

Vietnamese dress conservatively. Despite the heat, it’s best not to show off too much skin. If you do, especially girls, you’ll only draw stares from the locals.

Dress well when visiting pagodas. No shorts or tatty beer t-shirts. Shoes are fine, and rarely will you have to remove them. If unsure, just follow what the locals do.

Drink plenty of bottled water, especially when walking around sightseeing. No need to carry huge bottles around with you, a vendor is never far away and no doubt they will find you before you find them.

Keep your cash, credit cards, airline tickets and other valuables in a safe place.

Travel with recommend tour agencies. Even if you plan to buy tickets when in country, research your journey a little first on the Internet. A good resource is Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum, where fellow tourists discuss travel in Vietnam.

DON’TS

Violent crime is highly unusual in Vietnam, but petty crime is more apparent. If you have a bag, or tout a digital camera around your neck, you are a potential target.

When taking a ride by motorbike taxi (xe om) make sure your bag, if any, is not on display or easy to grab. Bag snatches, although still rare, are probably the most likely crime a tourist would encounter.

Don’t wear singlets, shorts, skirts or dresses, or revealing clothes to temples or pagodas.

Physical displays of affection between lovers in public are frowned upon. That’s why you may come across couples holding hands but not hugging or kissing.

Losing your temper in Vietnam means a loss of face. Keep a cool head and remain polite, you’ll have a greater chance of getting what you want.

Remember, this is Vietnam, is a developing country, and things don’t quite work as you are maybe used to. Don’t be paranoid about your safety; just be aware of your surroundings.

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Vietnam Travel Packages

Vietnam Travel Packages

By   November 08, 2020   No comments:

 For the few past years, Vietnam has become a world class attractive terminus for vacationers over magnificent packages to discover unbelievable sites from excellent surroundings of Halong Bay to SAPA of the UNESCO world heritage Hoi An.

There are various packages for different purposes to suit different individuals or groups that wish to have a taste of the Vietnam travel. For instance at Laos there are family holiday, cruise tour, luxury vacation packages among many more. There are at least 4000 highlands in the region which are so fascinating and attractive. All the packages have a price tag attached to them and they vary from the region of interest and the hotel and meals you will wish to stay in and eat.

Holiday packages to Laos.

At Laos, there are customized packages for both individual and group bookings. There private and luxury packages which are so gorgeous and splendid at a very affordable prices. There are also various geographical features that will always attract your eye sight. The mountainous terrain, extensive networks of rivers, cultural relics among others are some the features you will experience in Laos. We have beautiful sites for coffee and tea taking as you enjoy the cascading waterfalls in the Tad Lo and the Tad Fane Waterfalls. The UNESCO world heritage is beautifully maintained and preserved in the area for visitors who may come and feel its beauty. The atmosphere is also very cool and romantic also the elephant riding to mount ASA that overlooks a wide area of the Laos. In the evening there is a market for the handicrafts that comes to sell their products to the tourists.

Meals

The meals served are purely local unless on special request, both from the breakfast through to dinner. If you have any preference of the kind of food you will wish to have you are advised to do so early enough so as to a notice is sent to the restaurants so as you are always served better and how you want to. The tour guides will always order meals according to your appetite and choice.

Accommodations

Accommodation is a very vital thing to any tourist who wishes to have a Vietnam travel or any visit anywhere, at Laos the hotels chosen are always inspected to match your standards of three, four or five star hotels that must be comfortable and very clean indeed. The hotel staff must also be very helpful to help the tourists in case they need assistance of any kind.

Tour guides

All the tour guides are purely local residents of Vietnam and will take you to all the destinations that you will wish to travel to as planned and scheduled. Their role is purely to make sure you have an enjoyable a Vietnam travel holiday or vacation tour. They have good understanding of the foreign languages so don’t worry about the language barriers. The working hours are from Monday to Sunday (8:00 am to 22:00 pm)

For any questions and more clarifications on the type of packages available feel free to contact us and we will be very glad to respond to your requests and suggestions if any.

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Why Consider Ha Long Bay And Sapa When On Vietnam Travel

Why Consider Ha Long Bay And Sapa When On Vietnam Travel

By   November 07, 2020   No comments:

 Being a very beautiful country of striking landscapes, Vietnam also offers world class tourist destinations for anyone in the holiday spirit. The country has many unforgettable beautiful places to visit. The two major ones I think you should not miss out on when on Vietnam travel are the Ha long bay and Sapa. The two are great highlights of Vietnam for good reasons. The two are in no way the same but are both beautiful and major spots you wouldn’t want to miss out on. However, the main driving factor behind you choice should be solely grounded on your interests and what you wish to get out of your trip.

Ha Long bay

Ha long bay (bay of descending dragons), is situated in North of Vietnam around a 120km coastline. It is so breathtaking and it features thousands of islands. Most of them are hollow with enormous caves. Others include lakes and some even support floating villages of fishermen. Each is topped with thick jungle vegetation forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. This beautiful bay offers an array of activities that will make Vietnam travel even more interesting. This includes kayaking, swimming, rock climbing, cycling and boat trips. Boat cruises happen to be the best way to experience the natural wonder of Ha long bay. There are several boats ranging from traditional Chinese junks to luxury cruisers, and when on board, meals are provided. You also get to enjoy nightlife activities and excursion stops where islands caves and lagoons can be explored.

Sapa on the other hand has some jaw dropping scenic vistas on a clear day. It is a place in the remote northwest of Vietnam surrounded by pictorial mountains, rice terraces and a diversity of hill tribes’ .If by any chance you are interested in ethnic minorities or you are a trekker, this is definitely the place to be in the course of your visit. This is due to the fact that, guided treks which include visits to the ethnic minority villages are available from half day and range from easy to challenging. These tours present views of beautiful waterfalls, and the opportunities to experience the food, customs and way of life among the local tribes. This fascinating experience will make your visit very unforgettable.

If you are looking to relax during your visit, both places offer this opportunity. When in halong bay, you can relax on deck or on Cat Ba Island, on the beach, whereas in Sapa, relaxation will be in the form of finding a spot overlooking the valley maybe with a good book to read. Unfortunately, Sapa has no sunbathing spots as the only pool in town is covered and only accessible to guests of the Victoria Sapa Hotel, and also if you are looking to party Sapa is also not a place for you. Both places can get very chilly during winter; therefore they may not be suitable if you are looking to make the best of some warmth during your Vietnam travel.

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Vietnam Travels Advisories

Vietnam Travels Advisories

By   November 06, 2020   No comments:

 There is no nationwide advisory body in effect to give travellers advisory for Vietnam travel. However, you are advised to practice a high scale of restraint due to increasing petty crime affecting foreigners. It is not somebody else responsibility to tell you to make a Vietnam travel. Before you make such plans you are required to get informed on the current issues and information so as to make good decisions for your trip.

Crime

In most of the big cities though there are no serious crime reported, but there have been some minor crimes where the perpetrators use razors and knives to threaten and steal from the tourists who make travel to Vietnam. When leaving the airport always use the airport taxis or hotel travel services to avoid theft and other forms of crimes.  If on arrival you expect to be picked up, then always asked for the drivers name and phone number this is because there are some people who will pretend to be your driver and they will take you and loot everything you may be carrying. Remember also to know where you are going to avoid to be taken to a wrong place where you might be robbed off.

Credit card fraud

There are several forgeries in credit cards that are meant to steal your money. It’s advised not to use your credit cards in small shopping places and always to remain keen when doing your transactions. It will be safer if you get another credit card and load it with not more funds but only which you will wish to spend while in Vietnam.

Piracy

They mostly occur in the coastal regions and in the waters. Yes there is the Vietnam navy that patrols but sometimes the pirates may use tricks to get to you and others while on the shore.

Accidents

Be informed as you make plans for the Vietnam travel that there are accidents that do occur in Vietnam and in most cases lead to death and total deformation. The roads and cars are poorly maintained, the cities are densely populated and the drivers are driving recklessly so as you travel, take caution for such. In case of rainfall most roads become very impassable and night travels are very dangerous more so to foreigners. Regardless of whether you are a driver in your home country with a valid driving license, when you get to Vietnam and wish to drive you must get a Vietnam driving license else you risk arrest and prosecution for violation of the state laws. It is even better if you hire a car and a driver to avoid this arrests and prosecutions.

Food and meals

While in the hotels, never at any given time leave you food in the hands of a stranger even when going for a short call or whatever thing that may make you leave your table. Also don’t take or accept any kind of snacks, cigars or gums from stranger, this because they may contain drugs that may impair you thinking and even the eye sight. Remember also not to buy any drink from street vendors as the quality of the drink may be questionable.

Emergency

In case of any emergency dial 113 for the police assistance, 114 for firefighters, and 115 for ambulance.

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Vietnamese Foods You Must Try Out During Your Vietnam Travel

Vietnamese Foods You Must Try Out During Your Vietnam Travel

By   November 05, 2020   No comments:

 A  Vietnam travel cannot be complete without experiencing their finger leaking foods. Vietnamese food has on several occasions been voted to be the healthiest foods in the world as confirmed by nutritionist all over the world. The food is a blend of different foods eaten by some countries. It includes French influences including pate and baguettes, Malay and Indian cuisines with chilies and curries. Vietnamese mostly eat grilled meats, seafood dishes that are mostly spiced with chili and tamarind and not recommended for the faint hearted, fresh vegetables and cold noodles. The foods are available in the streets and mostly impossible for you to resist the amazing aroma oozing from the incredibly prepared foods.  Time is not a limiting factor when it comes to Vietnamese foods as they are prepared all day and night. 

Vietnamese people are also among the healthiest people in the world. This is mostly because their snacks are healthy seafood’s that one can grab in between meals.

To spice things up, foods vary depending on the location. Different parts of Vietnam people eat different foods which are really interesting and an advantage to you as a tourist since you do not have to eat the same type of food throughout your Vietnam travel. When you travel to the north of Vietnam, expect to consume a variety of hot soups because of the weather. The north of Vietnam is known for its cold weather hence the hot soups. There is the Vietnam’s soup which depending on where you consume it will cost you between five thousand to ten thousand dong. The soup is made with mint leaves, peanuts, bean sprouts, white vermicelli noodles and wedged chicken or beef and eaten with chilies and sauce using a spoon and chopsticks which can deem hard for a fast timer. The North also enjoys grilled meat which is mostly known as Bun Cha in Vietnam. A serving of the grilled meal will keep you full for long hours hence preferred by most Vietnamese and tourists besides, their aroma as the meat is grilled is hard to resist.

Alcohol in Vietnam is brewed for people who enjoy a drink or two after a long day touring Vietnam or a long day at work. It is commonly known as BIA Hoi. Apart from soups, dog meat, Cobra meat, fried silk worms among others are some exotic foods eaten in the north. Central Vietnam people consume foods eaten by emperors. Bun Bo Hue a spiced beef soup and imperial spring rolls are most common. A pancake like food containing shrimps, bean sprouts and eggs is commonly preferred and served with a rich peanut sauce. Seafood, rice and boiled crabs are a specialty in the center of Vietnam. The south of Vietnam is said to be developed than the rest of Vietnam hence known for the best foods. Only high quality foods can be found here from fresh meats, vegetables, fruits and foods from different countries like America, India and Mexico are common. You must try the Banh Xeo, spring rolls and Hot Vit Lon during your southern Vietnam travel.

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Vietnam Travel Statistics

Vietnam Travel Statistics

By   November 04, 2020   No comments:

 Over the past ten years Vietnam has experienced an extraordinary growth in tourism industry as the numbers of people applying for a Vietnam travel goes up; the increase has been experienced from the 1998 which shows up to 286%, with a farther increase in the late years where there has been an increase of 20%. The number tourists planning for a Vietnam travel is expected to go much higher as a result of the combined effects of the global collapse and the 30% deflation that rocked the country, coupled with massive reduction in the price of fuel resulting in lower tour and accommodation prices. Prices have since begun to fall across the country, and many hotels have reduced their prices. With some many challenges in this industry, the number of guests is assumed to reach 4,350,000 – a 3.5-4% growth compared to the previous years, and it is reported that the Vietnam Administration of Tourism will soon begin running worldwide television adverts which will result to a much higher margin of guests visiting Vietnam.

Currently tourism generates $3 billion in revenue for Vietnam, which based on 2007’s GDP resulting to $71 billion (based on market exchange rate, not Purchasing Power Parity) means it accounts for 4.2% of the nation’s GDP, and is an important source of foreign currency that assists the Vietnam government to manage its debts and budget as well.

By 2010 the administration of tourism projects visitor numbers to rise to 6 million arrivals and $4 – $4.5 billion in revenue.

A survey done in 2010 showed that of the 8,300 tourists who responded 34% had visited Vietnam before, 74% felt Vietnam had a clean and beautiful environment and 66% complimented the country’s accommodation. Surprisingly just 65% stated they had enjoyed Vietnam’s food, something was expected to be ranked even much higher.

Over 65% of Vietnam’s visitors are from Asian countries, followed by 15% from Europe and 13% from North America. Top countries by visitor numbers in Asia include China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, followed by other South East Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia.

Amongst ‘western’ countries the biggest source of visitors was the USA with 350,000 visitors, followed by Australia and France with between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors per year. The UK, Germany and Canada were trailing with between 70 and 90 thousand visitors per year.

African countries also contribute to the number of visitors who visits Vietnam though the margin for the African countries is very much lower as compared to this other continents. The main reason to why Vietnam travel has been among the best tourism attraction is due to the hospitality of the Vietnamese people who are very friendly to foreigners, with a very small margin of those who even steal from the visitors. Also the rate of security purely high and this makes anyone planning for a Vietnam travel to always have confidence and sure of his or her safety.

The Vietnam tourism departments will be happy if you call or mail them to book with them and enjoy the beauty of Vietnam, feel free to do so at any time.

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Vietnam Travel Information At Embassies

Vietnam Travel Information At Embassies

By   November 03, 2020   No comments:

 An embassy is a permanent diplomatic mission and the building in which the diplomatic missions are done. They are very important when it comes to foreign issues like traveling across countries. Vietnam has its own almost in all the countries. They serve very important missions when it comes to Vietnam travels. They serve both its citizens, foreigners and the Vietnam government. The government always comes first and its citizens.

Embassies provide travelling documents to those wishing to have a Vietnam travel for various reasons. Embassies are headed by ambassadors who act as the presidents of the embassy. The ambassadors and other officers check out and give lee ways to other people to enter their countries after verifying their travelling documents. Consular officers deal with issuing visas and handling issues which arise for travellers while they are abroad. These officers must always make sure no terrorist and other unwanted people seek and get Vietnam travel documents and cause havoc and unrest in their country. We have those whose job is purely to check on the stability of the government of the host nation. They do so and give advice to those citizens wishing to travel to the host nation for various reasons. The people who work in the embassy are called diplomats. They are very special and enjoy so many privileges. One of them is that nobody of the host country can enter and interfere with the proceedings in the embassy. For one to come and enter the embassy of any country he/she must have been invited for specific reasons of which after he/she must leave immediately. These diplomats are always free from any sort of attack unless otherwise. This is because they are highly protected.

Just like any other embassy in the world, Vietnam embassies have their own army, travel agencies and marketing department. The army is to ensure that the embassy is well secured from any attack. The role of the marketing is to look for opportunities in the host country which can be worked on to generate money for its country. They also negotiate to the host nation to allow the Vietnam citizen to come and invest in various parts of the host nation. The travel agency is responsible for the travels to and from Vietnam. They make sure no unwanted person is issued with a Vietnam visa. To do so they look for any information about the applicant who may be seeking a Vietnam travelling documents.

 Other functions done here are mediation. The diplomats are supposed to mediate upon any difference that may arise from the two nations. They sit together with the government officials of the host nation and try to fix the problem amicably without going into war or unnecessary unrest. They also convey conferences to enlighten and discus about investments among the two countries. This is one of the biggest and the most important task they do. This diplomacy is either done openly or secretly. Those done secretly are very sensitive and very crucial. Things like security cannot be done in open forums in Vietnam embassies.

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SAPA Vietnam - Cat Cat Village: Black Hmong Village

SAPA Vietnam - Cat Cat Village: Black Hmong Village

By   February 27, 2018   No comments:

We went to visit Cat Cat village with our guide at the beginning of the rice planting season. We walked there from Sa Pa, saw the waterfall and walked back. The walk was scenic and not too tough.

The village was an eye-opener as it is very poor and not as well built and maintained as the Red Zhao village, or indeed any other village I saw. Buildings with gaps in the walls, no natural light allowed inside, muddy paths are all prevalent which made us wonder what was the cause. Our guide’s explanation was that the Hmong enjoy their free time and don’t work unless they have to.

The rice paddies are photogenic and obviously hard work to maintain.

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Fansipan Mountain: A One-day Workout

Fansipan Mountain: A One-day Workout

By   February 27, 2018   No comments:

Climbing Fansipan is great fun and a nice accomplishment. While you should not take it lightly, if you are prepared it can be very satisfying.

We paid $40 per person and did the climb in one day – a minibus picked us up from our Sapa hotel at 0600 or so, we started climbing at 0700, and we were done the climb by 1630 on a day with rather poor weather (nearly continuous rain and, closer to the top, hail). Our relatively fast trip is probably not typical – most people do it in 2 or 3 days, which has the advantage of allowing you to take a different route down than up, but the disadvantage of that you get to sleep in the mountain huts there, which, while if the weather is nice might be ok, when it’s cold and raining as it was on our day, is pretty unappealing – our group basically didn’t want to stop (we had to only because the guide was tired) in order to preserve warmth.

The climb itself can be broken into thirds: the first third (to the first station) is relatively flat – up and down gentle hills. the second third (is considerably more vertical and monotonous, and the last third features a surprising amount of descent (to get off a false summit) before making a final push for the Fansipan summit. there is some variation of vegetation over the whole trek, but not that much – the summit is only 3300m or whatever, after all. there is considerably more variation at Kinabalu in Malaysia (a hair over 4000m). what we did see a heck of a lot of us was mud – mud and water. your shoes will get soaked with it no matter how good they are.

I think key to success at Fansipan is this:

1. Be realistic about your fitness level. don’t just assume that you are fit because you more or less have the body shape of a fit person. if you don’t exercise aerobically regularly (run at least 10km every 2 days), don’t even think about the 1 day trip and expect the 2 day to be hard. honestly, we were a bit slowed down because one member of our group was a bit behind in fitness – he did it valiantly, but suffered badly the next day – and he was actually in reasonably good shape.

2. Have appropriate shoes. you can buy fake climbing shoes at Sapa – probably it is far better to have brought your own from home. good hiking socks are a plus too. probably this means starting to think about Fansipan before you get on the plane to Vietnam.

3. Pack light. there’s no point in carrying crap you don’t need. maybe everybody in your group doesn’t need their own camera, for example.

4. Dress warmly. i have no idea what the place is like on days when the sun is beating down. i do know that i was very happy for having taken thermal trousers underneath my hiking trousers, a medium weight hat (with anti-rain brim), and a warm top. the trip would have been torture without these items.

Under ideal conditions, very fit people could probably take an hour or two off of our time easily. we really were in some pretty strong downpours and were slowed a bit by both our guide (who wanted breaks) and one member of our party. in other words, if you are used to hiking light and fast, this is not the hardest trip in the world.. however, if you mostly work in an office or in a store and so don’t regularly hike that much, this will be a big challenge indeed, and so don’t underestimate it. this includes the vast vast bulk of the Vietnamese population, the majority of whom are terribly, terribly out of shape (if you take issue with my comment, I suggest you wait until you visit Vietnam and see for yourself before you accuse me of making inappropriate generalizations here).

If i had to do it again, i’d bring a sack to collect rubbish on the route. there is a disappointingly large amount of candy wrappers, water bottles, and other junk on the path. as much as i love the Vietnamese as a people, too many of them have no conscience of their responsibilities in this regard whatsoever. if you stray a bit from one of the hut stations, you will run into a dump where even the staff there simply dump trash on the countryside. if any Fansipan official is reading this – your young adolescent porters routinely come down empty. how about enlisting them on clean up duties?

At $40 per head, our trip was expensive by Vietnam standards, but reasonable (or at least comparable) to how much other visitors pay. it is not clear what we actually paid for – the guide gets some, sure, but the food provided us was not worth than $1 or $2 in Vietnam. while we were shopping around for tours, some agents boasted that they provided enough food to give us an energy boost ‘every hour.’ had we done this, we probably would have killed ourselves from overeating. after a moderate breakfast, a single apple and some water are sufficient for fast hikers.

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Giang Ta Chai Village: Amazing Small Village

Giang Ta Chai Village: Amazing Small Village

By   February 27, 2018   No comments:

Hiking from Sapa we originally planned to stay in Ta Van for the night as all tours do, but we arrived in Ta Van after 2 hours of hiking and were pretty shocked by the tourist infrastructure there. We decided to go further and were rewarded with some of the most beautiful views, meeting almost no tourists and got an insight into living in a Hmong village.

Take the walk through the bamboo forest if you have some time left. The views are superb and you’ll pass by a larger waterfall on the way to the village. Take a bath if you feel like. Then you can search for a place to stay, there are some home-stays around.

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Inside Hang Son Doong, the world’s largest caves in Vietnam

Inside Hang Son Doong, the world’s largest caves in Vietnam

By   February 27, 2018   No comments:

At more than 200m high, 150m wide and 5km long, the Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam is so big it has its own river, jungle and climate. Australian photographer John Spies, 59, spent a week photographing the natural wonder of the cave system. “With ceilings towering over 200 metres high in places, the cave is a humbling and belittling experience,” said John, who has lived in Thailand since 1977 and runs the Cave Lodge guesthouse.

“The entrance is quite small and mist from the cave, caused by the cooler air inside meeting the hot air outside, rises into the surrounding forest. Visitors must descend 80m down a steep wall with the use of harnesses and ropes. The huge temperature difference also creates moving clouds of mist, especially near the two karst windows, which gives the cave its magically surreal atmosphere.”

Inside Hang Son Doong, the world's largest caves in Vietnam

“It is amazing to be 3-4km inside the cave and have daylight illuminate the cave formations. The dimensions of the cave are incredible and to camp for five nights in the biggest cave in the world is not something most of get to do in our lifetime,” said John.

Son Doong is large enough to fit a Boeing 747 in its biggest cavern

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Ham Rong Mountain: Panoramic view of Sapa town and surrounding mountains

Ham Rong Mountain: Panoramic view of Sapa town and surrounding mountains

By   February 27, 2018   No comments:

Decided to drive around the area and followed some locals using a smaller entrance which led me to this mountain. Simply amazing !! Never regretted my decision. Had to stop myslef from stopping all the time to take pictures and appreciate the view !!

This short walk up the hill to the lookout is a great way to appreciate the location of Sapa and get your bearings. From Sapa town you can see the lookouts on the nearby Ham Rong Mountain.

Just walk along the road on the left side of the church and then up the steps. The first lookout is near the orchid garden, off to the right. If you continue up the hill you’ll pass Mickey mouse and some other large brightly painted statues. A path climbs up the hill on the right past the gardens. When you get near the top there is a path that goes further up on the right. Go pass this and you’ll come to the top lookout a few minutes later.

What a view!!

You can see mountain peaks far off in the distance as well as the rice terraces in the valley across from Sapa and a great view of Sapa itself. So glad we did this walk on the first day we arrived.

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