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PLAN YOUR TRIP
Welcome to Vietnam...... 20 Top Experiences ....... Need to Know ................. What’s New ..................... If You Like... ..................... Month by Month ............. Itineraries ........................ Vietnam Outdoors ......... Regions at a Glance .......
YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT
Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions to help you put together your perfect trip
2 6 18 20 21 23 26 30 36
Vietnam
Vietnam is a nation going places. Fast. Its people are energetic, direct, sharp in commerce and resilient by nature. This is an outrageously fun country to explore, the locals love a laugh (and a drink) and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to socialise with them and hear their tales. The American War is over, and yet its impact endures – you’ll Ànd reminders of that cataclysmic conÁict everywhere you travel. That said, the country was never broken and emerged with its pride intact. Poor in parts but never squalid, Vietnam is developing at Currency Language an astonishing pace. For travellers, there » Dong Vietnameseminor are (d) issues to consider» (including
Need to Know
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Hanoi Food 333 History 33 Culture 33
Food Discover – meal by tasty meal – that Hanoi is one of the planet’s great food cities. Dine in restored colonial villas or contemporary cafes, or pull up a stool and chow down on street food classics like pho bo (beef noodle soup) or bun cha (barbecued pork and rice vermicelli).
by Month Major religious festivals in Vietnam have lunar dates; check against any Vietnamese calendar for the Gregorian dates. If you know when Tet kicks oՖ, simply count from there. Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas when the moon is full or a thin sliver. Many Buddhists eat only vegetarian food on these days, which according to the Chinese lunar calendar, fall on the 14th and 15th days of the month and from the last day of the month to the Àrst day of the next month.
US$40 #
» Cheap hotel: US$10– 15 a night, dorms less
Hanoi GO Mar-May & Sep-Nov
» Eat in local, not Western-style places »
Danang Fireworks Fest April Buddha’s Birth, Enlightenment and Dea
February North of Danang, chilly ‘Chinese winds’ usually mean grey, overcast conditions. Conversely, sunny hot days are the norm in the southern provinces.
(Tet Nguyen z Tet Dan) The Big One! Falling in late
Midrange
Danang GO Mar-Sep
US$40– 100 » Comfortable double room: US$20–50
Buon Ma z Coffee Fe
CaՖeine cravers sho make for the Centr lands during March High Season Buon Ma Thuot pla (Jul–Aug) to an annual coՖ»ee Prices increase by up to 50% by the Growers, grinders, coast; book hotels and addicts rub sho well in advance. in the city’s main» All p Vietnam, except and local entertain the far north, is hot and humid with the provided.
Get a taste for bia hoi
» Can survive on as little as US$15 a day #
#
» Eat and drink almost anywhere
Ho Chi Minh City GO Nov-Feb
» Indulge in the odd spa treatment
Shoulder (Dec–Mar) During the Tet festival, the whole country is on the move and prices rise.
»
» North of Nha Trang
can get cool weather. Expect cold conditions
Low Season (Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov) Perhaps the best time to tour the whole nation.
»
Typhoons can lash the central and northern coastline
»
» Travel by taxi when necessary
SHOESTRING • Big trips, small budgets • Multicountry
Top End over
US$100 » Luxury hotel room: from US$70
» Shop in smart boutiques
Saigon Cy 2 Race
On your marks…get dling. Ho Chi Minh fastest rickshaw dri battle it out in their wheeled chariots to
History Explore the centuries-old commercial labyrinth of the Old Quarter, before moving on to understand the tumultuous events of the 20th century, recounted in fascinating detail at Hanoi’s excellent museums.
UNDERSTAND 425 VIETNAM 426 429 447 457
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Learn about the big picture, so you can make sense of what you see
belief systems
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Other Foreign Involvemen
Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the P sent military personnel to South Vietnam a
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The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is proclaimed as Saigon is re-named Ho Chi Minh City. Hundreds of housands Áee abroad, including many boat people.
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» Ho Chi Minh portrait in the central post oce, H
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Culture There’s a lot more to Hanoi’s l l h b l
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Vietnam Today................ History ............................. People & Culture ............ Hill Tribes of Vietnam ..... Architecture in Vietnam ........................... Regional Specialities...... Food & Drink ................... Environment ...................
Budget less than
Sapa # GO Mar-May & Sep-Nov
Wandering Souls Day, A
town involved. Increasingly it’s become an international event, with music and fashion shows and a wine festival.
A Cultural Smorgasbord This is a country of myriad inÁuences and reference points. In the south, Indian and Hindu culture had a lasting inÁuence in the Cham temples and spicy regional cuisine, spiked with chilli and tempered with coconut. Head north and Chinese connections are far more apparent. Between these two competing cultures, you’ll Ànd a quintessential Vietnam in the central provinces: the graceful historic old port of Hoi An, and the royal tombs, pagodas and imperial cuisine of Hue. Oh, and there’s
Set Your Budget
Warm to hot summers, mild winters Tropical climate, wet & dry seasons
Hue Festival, June (bien
COUNTRY COUNTRY COUN • The original Comprehensive nsive • Comprehen Adventurous us • Adventurou
scams), but little real danger – on the whole it’s a safe, wonderfully rewarding and incredibly varied country to explore.
The Vietnamese Experience 8
When to Go
ce
Blessed with a ravishing coastline, emerald-green mountains, breathtaking national parks, dynamic cities, outstanding cultural interest and one of the world’s best cuisines, Vietnam has it all.
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