Vietnam for beginners
Highlights
Photo show: Traveling in Vietnam
Great for swimming: Mui Ne. The small fishing village in the south has a fantastic 20 kilometers of the finest sandy beach - perfect for long bathing, surfing and sunny days. In the harbor colorfully painted fishing boats swing, which leak early in the morning. Does your catch bring round braided shuttle boats to shore? where the fish are freshly sold or laid out to dry. And if you want to go for a walk, there are 30 meters high sand dunes (the White Sand Dunes) and a lake covered with lotus flowers (www.muinebeach.net).
A perfect evening: Ho Chi Minh City. The most beautiful view of the city and the river in the sunset is between 17 and 18 o'clock from the pool bar on the 21st floor of the Renaissance Riverside Hotel (8-15 Ton Duc Thang Street, Tel. 0084/8/38 22 00 33, Fax 38 23 56 66, www.marriott.com). And then for dinner in the Xu Restaurant Lounge, just a few minutes walk from the Opera House. On the first floor there are e.g. pork belly steamed in coconut milk, cattle cheeks with pumpkin blossoms and tamarind, and hazelnut cake with coriander sauce (Level One, 71-75 Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1, Tel. 0084/8/38 24 84 68, www.xusaigon.com).
In the middle of life: Mekong delta. The floating markets are a particularly intense Vietnam experience. The best place to stay is Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta, some 180 kilometers south of Ho Chi Minh City. After an evening stroll along the busy river promenade with many restaurant ships better go to bed early! In the morning the boat chugs off before sunrise, always along the river, until you get stuck? in the most beautiful traffic jam, surrounded by ships, full of pineapple, dragon fruits, papayas, coconuts, fish and seafood, cereals and spices. The Sinhbalo travel agency with several branches in Vietnam offers transfers by minibus or car including driver, hotel accommodation and Mekong cruises packages according to your wishes and budget (www.sinhbalo.com).
Pure relaxation: the spa in Nha Trang. Recharge your batteries after a long trip to Vietnam: in the luxurious, villa-like bungalows of the Evason Ana Mandara hotel amidst a tropical garden on the fine sandy beach of Nha Trang on Vietnam's southeastern coast. Float in the sea, lie in the tropical garden in the sun and above all: let yourself be pampered - with baths and massages. The fastest way to get there is by plane from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City or by round trip (Evason Ana Mandara & Six Senses Spa, Beachside Tran Phu Boulevard, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam Tel. 0084/58/352 22 22 , www.sixsenses.com).
Vietnam flat rate
By bike and rickshaw: Experience land and people in close proximity: From Hanoi you cycle on two wheels through the Cuc Phuonh National Park, the gardens of the ancient imperial city of Hue, to tombs of various emperors and through the Mekong Delta. Also on the program: a rickshaw tour of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An, a short boat ride through world famous Halong Bay and a walk through Saigon. Constant escort vehicle. Cycling stages 10 to 40 kilometers. 17 days incl. Outward and return flight and domestic flights, tour guide, transfers, visits, double room / half board from 2155 Euro (Gebeco, Holzkoppelweg 19, 24118 Kiel, Tel. 0431/544 60, www.gebeco.de).
In the train: High with the Victoria Express: In the evening, the luxurious train from Hanoi north to Lao Cai in the Red River Valley starts; from there it goes on to the former mountain health resort of Sa Pa and by car to Lao Cha. Walks to hill tribes, past rice plantations, waterfalls and bamboo forests - and later back to Sa Pa through the rainforest-covered landscape of Lin National Park. In the night train back to Hanoi. Five days incl. Train journeys, transfers, sightseeing, two hotel nights / F from 552 Euro (Karawane Reisen, Schorndorfer Str. 149, 71638 Ludwigsburg, Tel. 07141/284 80, www.karawane.de).
Photo show: Traveling in Vietnam
On a junk: In Halong Bay, three hours' drive east of Hanoi, about 2000 islets of emerald-colored water jut out. The mystical landscape is World Heritage. On a Vietnamese junk, a 40-meter-long wooden boat with an orange sail, you pass the island of Titop with its glorious white sandy beach and the mysterious Bat Cave, which you can explore by kayak. Other highlights include a floating fishing village in Cua Van Bay and the large Sung Sot Grotto with stalactites. Two days including transfer to and from Hanoi, sightseeing, tour guide, Tai Chi, double cabin / FB from 217 Euro (Lotus Travel Service, Baaderstraße 3, 80469 Munich, Tel. 089/20 20 89 90, www.lotus-travel.com ).
info: INDOCHINA SERVICES, Enzianstrasse 4a, 82319 Starnberg, Tel. 08151/77 02 22, www.indochina-services.com
