Ba Da Pagoda

Built in the 15^th century, it is a charming Buddhist pagoda, located close to the lake.

Around HCM’s Mausoleum

The Ho Chi Minh Museum,
opened in May 1990. Actually a MUST for museum enthusiasts! 

...mausoleum

My daughter did not like to visit the embalmed body of Uncle Ho (it was also against his will!) There are daily hundreds and hundreds of visitors,not only foreigners, but Vietnamese from all over the country. He still 'travels' once a year for 3 months to Russia to 'maintain his body'... Much more interesting is his house... which shows that he was really modest...

Ho Chi Minh’s House Was built in the grounds of the old Presidential Palace. The house has been left as a shrine and exhibits many of his personal belongings.   The One Pillar Pagoda, Built in the 11th century, this pagoda, quite unique in its structure, sits on a stone pillar - originally made of wood - in the middle of a pond. It had been restored twice. The Temple of Literature is long and narrow (70 by 350 meters/230 by 1,150 feet) and inside the compound are 5 court yards.

One Pillar Pagoda

Bich Cau Taoist Temple

Built in the 15h century, it is one of the most beautiful temples in Vietnam - go and see!

Museums - around the Opera House

The Vietnam History Museum

Is located near the Opera House. It’s a nice structure, built in 1926 in neo-Vietnamese style.

It has a remarkable collection of archaeological and artistic artifacts, including the paleolithic era, Nguyen Dynasty as well as objects from the palace in Hue .

The Museum of Revolution

You may see there documents from the Marxist-Leninist National Vietnamese Movement for Independence, proclamations, photographs, etc...

Room-size bouquet of downed French and U.S. aircraft wreckage...

Other Museums   The Army Museum The museum is worth a visit, not only for its location but also for some of its content. What really is worth a visit is definitely the

Vietnamese Water Puppetry Troupe

Is not exactly a museum  but a visit to Hanoi would not be complete without having seen a Water Puppetry Show as it has such a prestigious place in traditional Vietnamese culture.

The Culture Museum of Nationalities (Museum of Ethnology)

For visitors who are interested in the cultural heritage of Vietnmas’s ethnic groups, this museum is the right place. It covers ethnic groups such as Tay Tai, Mong Dzao, Han Hoa, Mon Khmer, Viet-Muong, Tibeto-Myanmar and Malayo-Polynesia.

The Fine Art Museum

also has artifacts of some ethnic minorities. It’s a pretty impressive building, exhibits a collection of ancient artifacts such as bronzes paintings and wood carvings as well as an interesting collection of ultramodern paintings und sculptures.

Again, also this museum is a MUST for enthusiast and even non enthusiasts!

The North:

Sapa
A beautiful and romantic Swiss style resort town, 380 km Northwest of Hanoi, among the Hoang Lien Mountains, in Lao Cai Province, near the Chinese border. 1,650 meters above sea level, famous for its pristine environment, colourful markets and cool climate, Sapa is home to more than 30 ethnic hill tribes who live in nearby villages and Vietnam 's highest peak, the 3,143 meters Mount Fansipan .

Military Museum

Housing photographs, maps from the Vietnam War - just military ‘staff’…

Around Hue:

Thien Mu Pagoda, the first building in a complex, located on the hillock overlooking the Perfume River was built in 1844 by Thieu Tri emperor on the ruins of a Cham Temple. The complex includes the Tower of the Source of Happiness a 21m-high, 7-storey octagonal tower which is one of the most famous structures in Vietnam and which has become the unofficial symbol of Hue. To the right of this tower is Dai Hung, the Pavilion of the Great Hero, dedicated to the Buddha Sakyamuni, as well as to his assistant Amithba and the Maitreya - both personifications of Buddha.

Thien Mu Pagoda

The Imperial Tombs

Outside the imperial city, along the Perfume River are the imperial tombs of the 13 Nguyen rulers. The tombs consist of pavilions and traditional buildings which are located around the Perfume River.

The most interesting tombs are Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Tu Duc.

Gia Long (1759 - 1820),

constructed between 1814 and 1820 in a pine forest and overlooks Hue from the top of the White Mountain (Bach Son).

Minh Mang (1791 - 1841)

This tomb can be approached by boat. Also here the construction was begun during his lifetime and only completed in 1843 - 2 years after his death.

Thieu Tri (1807- 1847)

This tomb was constructed in 1847, the year he died. It’s a smaller Minh Mang tomb version.

Tu Duc (1829 - 1883)
located at the tributaries of the Perfume River, the tomb was built by mountain people who were executed after completion of the tomb. It’s probably the most expensive tomb, built in 1863 and completed in 1868. At the entrance, there is a great artificial pond.

... entrance to the tomb

Khai Dinh Emperor's Tomb This is the final resting place (built on top of a hill and surrounded by a wall adorned with porcelain and coloured glass embedded in concrete) of Khai Dinh, Emperor of Vietnam from 1916 - 1925. The tomb represents a fusion of traditional Vietnamese style and modern influence. The complex features ceiling murals, frescoes and a dragon staircase - it is really completely unlike the others' tombs.

Danang City:
From Hue it’s a distance of a 100 km and you drive over the spectacular Hai Van Pass, which forms the mountain border between the cool north and the warm south. If you are lucky and you travel on a clear day, you will have one of the most spectacular views in Asia .

Known as Tourane under the French, Danang is a seaport of endless stretches of white, white sand and crystal clear sea and midway between Ha Noi to the north and Ho Chi Minh City to the south. It’s a city without any important architectural distinction. Places of Interest are the Cham Museum, China Beach and the Marble Mountains . Museum of Cham Sculptures, built in 1915, expanded in 1935 and completed in 1936. It has some very fine Champa pieces dating back to the 7th century and around 296 statues, many of them from My Son. This museum is a MUST to see if you are interested in visiting the sites of  My Son - and of course first visit the museum and then enjoy My Son! Yolanda next to an elephant (her Burmese zodiac) at the museum...

China Beach With 30 km palm-fringed white beach it was a famous R&R haunt for US GI's in the war. Most of the travelers stay in nearby Hoi An, but it’s worth it to stay at the Furama Resort - not only that the service is excellent, but the beach is just a dream!

Marble Mountains
Consisting of five limestone peaks, about five miles (8 km) south of town. They can be explored by following the paths leading to the peaks.

Hoi An - The Ancient Town, 25 km (15 miles) south of Danang and only a 45-minutes drive, it is one of South East Asia ’s gems… Originally a seaport in the Champa Kingdom, by the 15th century it had become a coastal town under the Tran dynasty. Also served as the hub of East-West cultural exchange, Hoi An's ancient past is superbly preserved in its fascinating temples, pagoda, shop houses and home which make up the town's old quarter. This city is a fascinating mix of merchant houses, Chinese buildings and pagodas. The most famous place is the Japanese Covered Bridge, Built in the 16th century by the Japanese community just to connect their neighborhood with their Chinese neighbours. There is a small pagoda on the bridge, guarded by a pair of dogs.   Hoi An Museum Exhibits photographs, showing the history of the town.   Hoi An Market, actually one of the best, if not the best market, in Vietnam.

...lots of shopping...

Temple B, A huge structure taking almost a quarter of the enclosed area. Not much left nowadays, just its sandstone base one meter (three feet) above the ground, but still containing its lingam. There is a main gate (B2), a small chapel (B7 and a superb pavilion (B5). On the west of temple B is a little sanctuary (B4)  and there is a very well preserved sanctuary (B3). Temple C Similar to Temple B, but smaller which also contains a lingam, just smaller in size. The main gateway (C2) in pretty good condition whereas the three temples which stand together (C5, 6 and &) are in poor condition.

Swiss Miss not in Bagan, but at My Son...

Temple D or the Court of Steels,

Located between B and C and the small river to the east. It consists of 6 buildings. D1 and D2 building are oriented toward the interiors of Temple B and Temple C. The space between the two big buildings, was an open-air ritual area: The Court of Steels.

Nha Trang
The central region near Nha Trang features some of the spectacular beautiful beaches in Asia . The ocean waters are transparent, and the sands immaculate, attracting more and more visitors in recent times.

South of Nha Trang:

My Lay

THE most emotive name of Vietnam War… 506 men and women got killed without any resistance. There is nothing left of this village but plaques denoting the original site of houses and the names and ages of the family members who died there.

The Central Highlands:

The Ethnic Minority Museum

is certainly worth visiting for those interested in the costumes, gongs, ornaments and other artifacts collected by locals from the Lam Dong province.

...beach, beach, beach...

Pan Thiet, On Highway One, is not only famous for its fish sauce (nuoc mam) but much more for its nearby coastline, especially the sand dunes at Mui Ne Cape. No need to mention that there are already hotels and more to come... BUT head for nearby

Mui Ne Beach! ...a beautiful stretch of a white 22 km white sand beach... with lots of little resorts, really, really nice! And it is famous for its enourmous sand dunes - for less than a DOLLAHHH you can slide down the dunes!

...one of the sand dunes...

Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, The Pearl of the Orient:

It’s cosmopolitan, a city akin to Bangkok or Singapore, and is the industrial, commercial and cultural center of the country. Formerly a trading settlement with one wooden fort when the French came in 1859.

By the way, the central city area is still called Saigon - and the dynamism of the area is complemented by excellent cafes, great shopping and the many bars and restaurants.

...view from the Caravelle Hotel, Saigon

Having enjoyed a reputation as a freewheeling frontier town sine the mid-1950s, there have been great changes since 1986. The skyline is beginning to alter dramatically, whole block of buildings or even a complete street will be razed to the ground to make way for a multi-storey building. There is a LOT to see and many of the places of interest are within walking distance of each other. Probably the most visited place is the

War Remnants Museum,

which has a superb exhibition of work by war photographers killed in action. It exhibits crimes committed by the Americans during the war such as photographs of the famous My Lai massacre, human embryos, genetically deformed babies and innocent civilians being tortured. But there is also one exhibit showing a collection of medals awarded to one Sergeant William Brown (seems he won every medal possible there was to win). In 1990, he sent them to the museum together with an inscripted brass plate: ‘To the people of a united Vietnam. I was wrong. I am sorry.’

Historical Museum,
built in 1929 by the Societe des Etudes Indochinoises, formerly named Blanchard de la Brosse is included within the Botanical Gardens. A big statute of President Ho Chi Minh stands in the main lounge of the museum. The museum has an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating the primitive age, bronze age, the Tran dynasty and the Le Dynasty.

Displays are chronological and include a section on Vietnamese ethnography.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum,

The most beautiful colonial building in Ho Chi Minh City, built in 1863, and housed in the old customs house by the docks, where ships from France used to tie up.

The Museum of Revolution,

Is in the former building of the Government of Cochinchina and exhibits artefacts from the Communist struggle with the French and the Americans.

Reunification Hall,
stands on an impressive historical site. It was first built in 1868, for the French Governor-General of Indochina. In 1962 replaced by a modern architecture when the original buildings were damaged by bombs. It has a ground floor, 3 main floors, two mezzanines and a terrace, with ist helicopter pad which has a magnificent view down Le Duan Boulevard.

The basement has a network of tunnels connecting to the operations and communications rooms, exhibiting equipments which were once supplied by the Americans and are still intact

The Thieves Market

Was during the Vietnam War full of goods from the American PX store plus stolen goods. Today they sell fake CDs, videos, etc...

Jade Emperor Pagoda (Tortoise Pagoda),

Is one of the most attractive in Ho Chi Minh City , dedicated to a pantheon of mythological Chinese-Vietnamese divinities - a Taoist/Buddhist mix.

Chua Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (Pagoda of the Holy Eternity),
a modern Japanese-style Buddhist temple, actually recalling the Japanese presence in Vietnam since the 17^th century. Many anti-communist monks from the north took refuge in this pagoda during the Vietnam War.

Vicinity of Ho Chi Minh City:

Vung Tau Beach,

Formerly seaside resort in colonial times and nowadays a popular expat weekend resort. There are 4 beaches of which the best for swimming is the Back Beach (Bai Sau). The other beaches are more scenic but quite rocky.

The Niet Ban Tinh Xa,

the largest temple in Vietnam which has a 12 meters (39 feet) long reclining Buddha.

Cu Chi Tunnels,
35 km (21 miles) north-west of Ho Chi Minh City, a formerly huge American base during the Vietnam War. It was here that the Viet Cong constructed an extensive network of nearly 200 km (124 miles) tunnels having complete facilities, from kitchens to printing presses, from living quarters to hospitals and even street signs, all of which were used to aid the NLF (National Liberation Front) military - IT IS JUST IMPRESSIVE...

and unbelievable, what kind of 'torture traps' were invented...

Mekong Delta:

It is different from the Red River Delta in the north. It’s one of the world's largest deltas and formed by the various tributaries of the mighty Mekong River. The Vietnamese name for the Mekong is Cuu Long which means "nine dragons". The delta is known as Vietnam's breadbasket respectively rice bowl, producing enough rice to feed the entire country with a sizeable surplus leftover.