Travel & Holiday Tips

Hanoi & The North

The capital, Hanoi, sprawls on the banks of the Red River. It is a beautiful city that retains an air of French colonial elegance with pretty yellow stucco buildings lining leafy streets. Hanoi is also a city of lakes, which adds to its air of sleepy grace. At present there are relatively few cars – many people travel by bicycle or moped. It is a city that appears lodged in a bygone age. In the middle of the city lies the peaceful Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword) with the 18th-century Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) sitting on an island in its centre. The temple can be reached by The Huc Bridge (Rising Sun Bridge).

To the north of Hoan Kiem Lake is the Old Quarter, a fascinating maze of small antiquated streets lined with markets and pavement restaurants and cafes. West of the Old Quarter and south of the West Lake is the former Ville Française. This is the old French administrative center and is characterized by enormous colonial-era châteaux and wide spacious boulevards. It also houses Hanoi’s most popular attraction, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

When visiting the Mausoleum, it is important to be respectful both in dress and attitude. Ho Chi Minh was the father of the modern state and is still held in reverential regard. His house, built in 1958, is also on public view. Other museums in Hanoi include the Bao Tang Lich Su (History Museum), the Bao Tang Quan Doi (Army Museum), Ho Chi Minh Museum, Bao Tang My Thuat (Fine Arts Museum), Bao Tang Cach Manh (Revolutionary Museum) and Independence Museum.

There are a number of interesting pagodas in Hanoi. The One Pillar Pagoda, first constructed in 1049 (subsequently destroyed by the French just before they were ejected from the city and then rebuilt by the new government), was built to resemble a lotus flower – the symbol of purity rising out of a sea of sorrow. The Temple of Literature built in 1076 was the first university in Vietnam. It is a graceful complex of small intricate buildings and peaceful courtyards. To the northwest of the Citadel is the West Lake, which is about 13km (9 miles) in circumference. The shores of the lake are popular amongst the Hanoians for picnics and there are a number of cafes. The lake also contains the wreckage of a crashed American B52 bomber.

Main Attractions in Hanoi

The Old Quarter
A maze of 36 narrow streets named after the products that were traditionally sold here and home to the amazing tunnel houses which have a very narrow frontage hiding very long rooms.

Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
Former President Ho Chi Minh lies in state here and people come from all over Vietnam and the world to pay their respects.

The Temple of Literature
A beautifully preserved temple dating from 1070 which became the first university in Vietnam where the sons of mandarins were educated.

Fine Arts Museum
Museum housed in a fine building with exhibits of artworks from prehistory to the present day.

Ho Chi Minh’s House
The simple stilt house where Ho Chi Minh occasionally lived when he was president, still containing many of his personal effects.

Tran Quoc Pagoda
A well used pagoda on an islet on the West Lake which has a tranquil garden and spectacular centerpiece.

Ho Chi Minh Museum
Dedicated to the life of the former President, Ho Chi Minh, with many of his personal items.

Elsewhere outside Hanoi
About 160km (100 miles) from Hanoi, near the port of Haiphong, is Ha Long Bay. This is an amazing complex of 3000 chalk islands rising out of the South China Sea. The area is strange, eerie and very beautiful. Many of the islands contain bizarre cave formations and grottoes. Near Ha Long Bay is Catba Island, a designated National Park and a rich repository of plants and wildlife.

About 250km (155 miles) north of Hanoi, high in the Hoang Lien Mountains, is the old hill station of Sapa. This area is inhabited by the Hmong and Zhao hill tribes. Every weekend there is a market when the local tribes people come into town to trade. In the evening, they celebrate with huge amounts of potent rice alcohol. It is absolutely vital that when visiting this area tourists are sensitive to local culture and traditions. If one follows the road from Sapa 200km (125 miles) further into the mountains (this can only realistically be attempted by jeep), one reaches Dien Bien Phu, scene of the humiliating defeat of the French by the Viet Minh that finally put paid to French colonial occupation in Indochina. This is a wild, beautiful and remote region.

Central Vietnam

Hue
Midway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City lies the city of Hue. The former capital of the emperors of Vietnam, it is known for its beautiful imperial architecture, although a great deal of this was destroyed during the Tet offensive in 1968. The Perfume River forms the border between the city itself and the former ‘Forbidden Purple City’, the mighty Citadel. This ‘city within a city’ with its tombs, pagodas and lakes covered in lotus flowers was largely destroyed during the Vietnam War, but one can still see evidence of its former magnificence. Within easy reach of the city are the tombs of several of Vietnam’s emperors. Most interesting, perhaps, are the Tomb of Minh Mang and the Tomb of Tu Duc. The city also houses fine examples of Buddhist pagodas and other temples, such as the Thien Mu Pagoda.

Elsewhere outside Hue Near Hue is Da Nang, city of China Beach, the Marble Mountains and the Cham Museum, which houses magnificent examples of the art of the Indianised Cham civilization. Approximately 20km (12 miles) from Da Nang is Hoi An. This is a delightful small riverine town replete with temple and pagodas A day’s drive from Hoi An, through some of Vietnam’s most breathtaking scenery, is Nha Trang. This is a pleasant resort with a good beach. From here it is easy to reach the town of Da Lat in the Central Highlands, evocative of a typical French town, which is popular among domestic tourists for its cool climate and alpine scenery.

Ho Chi Minh & The South

Ho Chi Minh City
Set back from the delta formed by the Mekong River, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is the main commercial centre of the southern part of Vietnam, receiving its name in honour of the leader who successfully led the nation against both France and the USA. Locals still like to refer to it as Saigon. More modern than other Vietnamese cities, Ho Chi Minh City has also retained its French colonial influences. Its vibrancy is maintained by the ever-entrepreneurial Saigonese who have taken the Government reforms to heart and re-embraced the capitalist ethic with unrestrained enthusiasm. The streets are jam-packed with mopeds and scooters, often carrying whole families. The markets are chaotically busy.

There is a lot to see in Ho Chi Minh City. The colourful Emperor of Jade Pagoda is an excellent example of a Chinese temple. Inside, there are elaborate woodcarvings decorated with gilded characters and sculptures depicting local deities. The hustle and bustle of trading is best observed in the markets of Cholon, the ancient Chinese quarter. The Hôtel de Ville is a wonderful example of French colonial architecture. The twin towers of Notre Dame Cathedral have been a familiar landmark in Ho Chi Minh City since the 1880s. The War Remnants Museum bears witness to the suffering inflicted on the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. Other sites relevant to that era are Re-Unification Hall and the former US Embassy. An interesting excursion from Saigon is a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels in which the South Vietnamese Communists concealed themselves and from which they launched attacks on US soldiers.

Walking (or riding around in a cyclo) is the best way to absorb the sights and sounds of this dynamic city, as most places of interest are located in the central District 1. A walk along the riverfront is an ideal way to enjoy the constant activity on the Saigon River, as small and large boats ply to and from the opposite bank. Alternatively, the rooftop bar of the Majestic Hotel gives the best bird’s eye view of the river. Dong Khoi Street, once again the main shopping street in the city, is crammed with gift shops, tailors, jewellers and restaurants. At one end of this street are Notre Dame Cathedral and the huge central Post Office, with its enormous portrait of the former President, Ho Chi Minh. Just off this busy shopping area on Dong Du is the Saigon Central Mosque, an oasis of calm. The busy streets and river can be exhausting but a fast-paced cyclo ride to the Botanical Gardens is worth it, while the small pagodas in Cholon are symbols of tranquility in an area frantic with commercial activity.

All attractions in District 1 are best reached on foot; other attractions further out should be visited by taxi or cyclo.

Main Attractions in Ho Chi Minh City

Dinh Thong Nhat (Reunification Palace)
The Reunification Palace is beautiful in its ugliness, a 1960s monstrosity designed with the help of Soviet architects. Most people will remember the image of a North Vietnamese tank crashing through the gates on 30 April 1975 signifying the fall of Saigon. The tank still graces the front lawn. Rooms open to the public remain exactly as they were in 1975, showing where important meetings were held during the war, as well as some of the private quarters of the president and his family. Most fascinating are a series of underground tunnels housing a telecommunications center.

Nha Trung Bay Toi Ac Chien Tranh Xam Luoc (War Remnants Museum)
Formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, the name has been toned down so as not to offend its US visitors and is now the War Remnants Museum. This is not a museum for the sensitive as it houses instruments of torture and hundreds of photographs of atrocities committed during the 20th century and, in particular, the Vietnam War. Visitors cannot fail to be moved as the exhibits provide a context for a period of history many only know from old newsreels and Hollywood movies. At the front of the museum is a small collection of military hardware and, most interestingly, the mobile guillotine used by the French colonists to dispense justice throughout the country before World War II.

Notre Dame Cathedral
The twin towers of Notre Dame Cathedral have been a familiar landmark in Ho Chi Minh City since the 1880s. In front of the cathedral in a small garden is a delicate statue of the Virgin Mary. The interior of the cathedral is rather plain, unlike most French cathedrals, with no stained glass, but it is a cool escape from the heat outside.

Ho Chi Minh City Museum
Housed in the former building of the Government of Cochinchina, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum (formerly the Revolutionary Museum) contains artifacts, such as weapons, uniforms, medals and old photos, from the period of Communist struggle against the French and the Americans. Unfortunately, the exhibits are only labelled in Vietnamese but some are self-explanatory. Outside the museum is a collection of military hardware including a tank and a helicopter.

Vien Bao Tang Lich Su (Historical Museum)
Located just inside the entrance to the Botanical Gardens and Zoo, the Historical Museum houses a collection of artifacts covering the last 2,000 years of Vietnamese history including items belonging to ancient cultures such as Dong Son, Oc Eo and Cham. The museum was built in 1929 and the collection assembled by the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient.

Cholon (Chinatown)
Cholon is in District 5 and is a maze of narrow streets, bustling with people. Most of Vietnam’s ethnic Chinese live here and they are the largest single ethnic minority group in the country. Merchants began to settle in Cholon in the 1770s, although many ethnic Chinese fled the country in 1975.

Binh Tay Market throngs with people from early morning and the gloomy, narrow walkways are crammed with consumer items and exotic foodstuffs. The sound of bargaining, quite often in Chinese rather than Vietnamese, and the calls of the vendors constantly fill the air. This is one of the best places to see the locals going about their daily lives.

Chua Ngoc Hoang (Jade Emperor Pagoda)
The Jade Emperor Pagoda is one of the most attractive pagodas in the city. Dedicated to various Chinese-Vietnamese divinities, in a mixture of Taoist and Buddhist styles, the pagoda houses numerous statues and delicate woodcarvings with intricate tiles on the roof.

Giac Lam Pagoda
Located 3km (2 miles) from Cholon, the Giac Lam Pagoda is believed to be the oldest pagoda in the city and is a calm place to visit. Families of the old and sick regularly go to the pagoda to pin supplications to the large bronze bell, in the belief that when it is rung, the messages will be sent to the heavens above.

Thao Cam Vien (Zoo and Botanical Gardens)
The Botanical Gardens were established by the French in 1864 and once had the reputation of being some of the finest in Asia. Now, however, the area is just a pleasant one for a stroll in the heart of the city, among tropical plants and trees. The zoo is not up to Western standards, with poor enclosures.

Elsewhere outside Ho Chi Minh City
Northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh is an interesting destination as it is the home of the Caodai religion. This is a purely Vietnamese sect formed this century which takes teachings and precepts from most of the world’s major religions. Tay Ninh is the site of the largest Caodaist temple in Vietnam. This structure is colourful and unique.

South of Ho Chi Minh city are the flat, verdant planes of the Mekong Delta where much of Vietnam’s rice crop is grown. There are several towns in this region from which the visitor can take boat trips on the many tributaries of the Mekong.