Hoi Aan is one of the most tourist-focused cities in Vietnam, and with good reason because, in addition to its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city has everything to attract tourists: charming restaurants and narrow streets, exceptional local cuisine, and idyllic beaches. Hoi An will also charm lovers of ancient ruins, who will enjoy discovering the remains of the Cham city of My Son.

Fall under the spell of Hoi An and the surrounding area

Dien Bien Phu is the capital of the province with the same name. It was the location of a battle which took place in Tonkin from 20 November 1953 to 7 May 1954 against the French Union forces. It is considered to be the place of victory for national liberation.

Dien Bien Phu and its history

The town of Sapa is located at the summit of a hill, at 1,600 metres of altitude. It is surrounded by beautiful scenery and sits above the Muong Hoa valley, where it is dominated by the famous Fansipan at 3,143 metres. An obligatory stopover during your tour of Vietnam.

Sapa and its surroundings

I'd like to give an insight into&nbsp;Hué, a tourist town that was once an imperial city and is famous throughout the country for its food! But what tourists often don't realise is that there are numerous wonderful sites just a few kilometres from this town that are seldom visited but are nonetheless authentic and magnificent&nbsp;

Hué and the riches of its surroundings

Asia

Someone talks about Vietnam and you automatically think of spring rolls, pointed hats or shoulder yokes, those large sections of bamboo and their two suspended woven baskets. Our collective imagination has been flooded with these images... But do they correspond to the current reality of Vietnam? Even if they are not all representative of life in the cities, they still subsist in the countryside... However, Vietnam cannot be summarized by these few clichés. Its people have come far with a particularly turbulent 21st century. The country is now decidedly turned towards the future: Vietnam changes and evolves. The former children of the “boat-people” are returning to Saigon to fulfil their dreams and seek success. Hanoi has opened superb art galleries... For many, Vietnam consists of mountains and plateaus, Vietnam is marked by two major waterways, the Red River to the north, and the mother of all rivers, the Mekong to the south. Between equatorial plains, temperate plateaus and high summits, you will be awestruck by the tender green rice paddies, the canyons of Red River and the superb Mekong Delta.... And if beyond its people and nature you still need a reason to visit Vietnam, let’s mention gastronomy! Vietnamese cooking is one of the most renowned worldwide, light and refined by the same token: spring rolls of course, but also Pho, Cha cà, Oc nhoi and other delicious meals...

Vietnam

Lào Cai

Bac Ha is a village in northern Vietnam, a quiet and peaceful village except on Sunday mornings, which is market day, attracting all the ethnic minorities to the area.

Bắc Hà

Sapa

Vallée Muong Hoa

At 35km from Hô Chi Minh, the Củ Chi Tunnels are a dark reminder of the Vietnam War.

Củ Chi

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Củ Chi is a <a href="/vietnam/">Vietnamese tourist 'attraction'</a> with a particular story to tell. Lots of people visit the country due to its dark past. In this respect, Củ Chi is a site you should visit, if only to understand some harsh realities. These underground tunnels were dug in the 1940s and resemble an ants nest. This 200 kilometre maze was a Việtcộng hideaway and HQ. To get a feel of the place, you need to head about three metres further underground. It's claustrophobic and oppressive. I crawled through the tunnels with only my torch to guide me. The atmosphere was quite overwhelming. I gasped for air, my heart raced and every muscle in my body tensed up the further in I went. The fear of getting lost in this dark labyrinth terrified me and I stuck as close as possible to the person in front of me. I spent an hour exploring this tunnel, which is one that is suitable for visits. I was relieved when I emerged from the tunnel, although being bent in half for so long took its toll. What I don't recommend is the M-16 and AK-47 firing range, where for a quid or so you can take a shot. In view of what happened during the war, I found the idea very distasteful.

At 35km from Hô Chi Minh, the Củ Chi Tunnels are a dark reminder of the Vietnam War.

<a href="/vietnam/">You can discover part of Vietnam's history</a> when you visit Cu Chi, which was the most heavily bombed and destroyed area of Vietnam, and which delonstrates to you the extent of the war between the Americans and the Vietnamese. There are 250 km of tunnels from Cu Chi to the Cambodian frontier, which were first used for moving soldiers and arms, and which then became places to live and find protection from American attacks. The description of some of the traps created by the Vietnamese makes you realise how ingenious they were, but also how violent the war was. If you want to know the details, and understand how cleverly the Vietnamese managed to defend themselves with very limited means, then a guide is indispensable. The most difficult part of this visit for me was imagining human beings living in the conditions that we saw in the tunnels. It was a real underground city with bedrooms, kitchens, hospitals and meeting rooms - almost unbelievable but nevertheless real. The deeper you go into the tunnels, the more their particular atmosphere makes you feel tense.

Cu Chi's tunnels let you literally dive into one of the Vietnam war's historic sites. You begin with some archive film and then go off to discover the tunnels, dug by hand by the Vietnamese, by torch light...

Củ Chi Vacations

Củ Chi: How to get there?

Củ Chi: See when to go ?

Củ Chi: For how long?

Củ Chi: What to see nearby?

Vietnam: our articles for your vacations