Saturday 5 May 2012

Walking tour of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)


The best way to explore Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city) is walking. It's cheap and exciting. Here is my route:

Getting started

Start at Pham Ngu Lao Area (Backpacker Area) - Ben Thanh Market - Le Loi Street (Shopping at Sai Gon Trade Center, Thuong Xa Tax on Nguyen Hue corner) - Nguyen Hue Street (People Committee Hall Sai Gon) - Dong Khoi Street (Opera House) - Dong Khoi Street (Shopping) - Sai Gon Post Office - Catheral - Reunification Palace - Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street - Vo Van Tan Street - War Remnants Museum - Le Quy Don Street - Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street - Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street - Le Loi Street - Ben Thanh Market - Pham Ngu Lao Area.



Shopping:
Sai Gon Trade Center (Le Loi Street), Thuong Xa Tax (The corner of Nguyen Hue Street and Le Loi Street), Some shop on Dong Khoi Street (near Continental Hotel), Parkson (The corner of Dong Khoi corner and Le Thanh Ton Street), Vincom Center (Dong Khoi Street), Sai Gon Post Office,  War Remnants Museum.

Drinking and Eating:
Bach Dang Ice Cream (Le Loi Street), NY Desert (Time Square, the corner of Dong Khoi Street and Nguyen Du Street, near Sai Gon Post Office), Jolli Bee, KFC (Pasteur Street).

Note:
This route take about 3-5 hours (depend on you).
I draw the route map, the blue line is back route.

Some Pictures i took:

Pham Ngu Lao Street


People Committee Hall Sai gon

Opera House

Sai Gon Post Office

Cathedral

War Remnants Museum


Friday 4 May 2012

Cat Tien National Park

Cat Tien National Park consists of two adjacent segments, separated by agricultural land:
Cat Loc is in the north and Nam Cat Tien - which contains the Park HQ and is most often visited
The Park is located in the three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc and approximately 160 km north-east of Ho Chi Minh City

Distance: 160km (From Ho Chi Minh City).


Get in & get out




Motor bike

If you have some experience while travelling in Vietnam with motor bike, you could travel to Nam Cat Tien Nationtal Park by motor bike. If not, you should travel by other transports.

Follow the Number 1 National Road, ride to Dau Giay corner, turn left (No.20 Nationlal Road – to Da lat). At Ta Lai corner (the difference name is km Number 125), turn left. After 24km, you see Nam Cat Tien Namtional Park.

Note: Nam Cat Tien National Park is a part of Cat Tien National Park. The place you travel is Nam Cat Tien, is not Cat Tien (“Nam” it’s mean “South” – in Vietnamese).

Bus

- From Ho Chi Minh City

From Ben Thanh Bus Station (infront of Ben Thanh Market), you take a bus number 26 to Mien Dong Bus Station (East Bus Station).

At Mien Dong Bus Station, you buy a bus ticket at ticket door number 5 (Kim Hoan Bus) to buy a ticket to Nam Cat Tien National Park.

+ Time of departure:
7h30 AM & 1PM.
Ticket price: 30.000 – 40.000dong/ticket.

+ Mien Dong Bus Station:
292 Dinh bo Linh St, Ward 26, Binh Thanh Dist, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 3899 4056; (08) 3898 4441; (08) 3898 4442; (08) 3898 4893
Email: webmaster@benxemiendong.com.vn
Website: http://www.benxemiendong.com.vn/

Another way: you can take Mailinh bus, Phuong Trang bus, Thanh Buoi Bus to Nam Cat Tien. You stop at Ta Lai corner. Frem there, you can take a motor taxi (xe om) to Nam Cat Tien Namtional Park. If not, you can contact with Nam Cat Tien National Park ((+84.61).3669227 - (+84.61).3669228) to pick you by car.

- From Da Lat

You can buy a ticket to Nam Cat Tien National Park: Mailinh bus, Phuong Trang bus, Thanh Buoi bus…
At the Ta Lai coner. turn right. After 24km, you see Nam Cat Tien Namtional Park.

• Mailinh Bus
Add: 64 - 68 Hai Bà Trưng, P.BN, Q.1, TP Hồ Chí Minh
Email: ml@mailinh-corp.com
Website: http://www.mailinh.vn/
Booking ticket: 08.9292929 (Tp.HCM) or some branch of Mailinh Bus.

• Mai LinhBus at Da Lat
Add: 14 Nguyen Van Cust, Ward1, Da Lat.
Tel : (84.63) 542 888 Fax : (84.63) 571 999

• Phương Trang Bus
Add : 274 - 276 De Thamst, Pham Ngu Lao Area, Dist1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel : (08) 3920 6564 - Fax: (08) 3920 6571
Phuong Trang at Da Lat: 11A Le Quy Don st, Da Lat.
Tel: 063.3585858

• Thanh Buoi Bus
Add: 266-268 Le Hong Phong st, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (08) 38306306 - 38308090
Thanh Buoi at Da Lat
Add1: 5 Lu Gia St
Add2: 55 Phan Bội Châu St.
Tel: (063) 3540540 – (063) 3837838.

Daily tour

You can book tour at some travel agency in Pham Ngu Lao Area to Nam Cat Tien National Park.

Sleep
. Camping (tents): You can use your tent or hire at reception desk (Price from 80.000 dong - 200.000 dong). There are some kind of tent : for 1 people, 2 people, 4 people, 15 people.
. Groupie Room (Hostel)
Facilities: Fan, Bed, Toilet (out room)… This room is large, it could contain 15 people (15 beds).
Price: 30.000 dong/pax/night
. Standard Room: Fan room, Con-air room,… The lowest price is 100.000 dong/room/night. The highest price is 350.000dong/room/night. Single room, double, twins…

Restaurant
There are 2 restaurants in Nam Cat Tien National Park.

See
You can contact Nam Cat Tien Office to book tour travel around Cat Tien National Park. It's exciting.

Contact to Nam Cat Tien National Park:
Tel: (84).61.3669227; 61.3669228
Fax: (84).61.3669159
http://cattiennationalpark.com/

Travel Guide to Cu Chi Tunnel


Distance: 70km (from the center of Ho Chi Minh City).
Information: Cu Chi Tunnel is 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City in the Northwest. It is miniature battle versatile of Cu Chi’s military and people during the 30-year struggle longtime and fierce to fight invading enemy to receive independence, freedom for motherland. It also is the special architecture lying deeply underground with many stratums, nooks and crannies as complex as a cobweb, having spares for living, meeting and fighting with total lengths over 200 km. Real legends coming from the Tunnel are over human imaginativeness. Creeping down into the tunnel, only some yards, you can find out why Vietnam? A tiny country could defeat its enemy, the large and richest country in the world. Why Cu Chi, a barren and poor land could face strongly for 21 years to the army crowded many times compared with its force, warlike and equipped modern war weapons and means. In the fight, Cu Chi people won illustriously. Thanks to systems of tunnel ways, fortifications, combat trenches, soldiers and people of Cu Chi fought very bravely creating glorious feat of arms. The American invaders at first time stepped into Cu Chi land, they had to face so fierce resistances from tunnels from important and very difficult bases that they cried out, “Underground villages”, “Dangerous secret zone”, “cannot see any VC but they appear everywhere”… With its war pasture, Cu Chi Tunnels become a historical war hero of Vietnamese People like a 20th century legend and famous land in the world.


Cu Chi Tunnels have two places:
- Ben Duoc Tunnels is Zone Party Committee Base & Saigon – Gia Dinh Military Zone, which is protected in Phu Hiep Hamlet, Phu My Hung Village, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Ben Dinh Tunnels is Cu Chi District Party Committee, which is protected in Ben Dinh Hamlet, Nhuan Duc Village, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City. Coming to Ho Chi Minh City, you should visit Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Monument to understand what the protracted and arduous struggle is. You will evidence clearly and directly an exploit of loving peace, independence and happiness at the present.

You can find more information about Cu Chi tunnel at http://www.cuchitunnel.org.vn/

Get in and get out:
- Motor bike: From Pham Ngu Lao Area (near Ben Thanh Market), you can hire a motor bike to travel to Cu Chi tunnel. But that’s not a good idea if this is 1st you travelto Vietnam (Traffic in Vietnam is…). You can take a motor taxi (xe om) to travel to Cuchi tunnel.

- Bus: From Ben Thanh Bus Station (in front of Ben Thanh Market) you take a bus to Cu Chi Bus Station (Bus number 13). From Cu Chi Bus Station, you continue take a Bus No.79 to Cu Chi tunnel (Ben Duong temple). From Cu Chi tunnel, you must back to Cu Chi Bus Station before 4PM because the last bus from Cu Chi Bus Station to Ben Thanh Bus Station is at 4PM. Bus ticket: 3000 dong/pax.

- Daily Tour: In Pham Ngu Lao Area, you can book tour to Cu Chi tunnel in a day or ½ day (1 day: you visit Cu Chi tunnel and Caodai Temple (Cao dai holy land in Tay Ninh Province – offical of Cadaism, a Vietnamese religion.). Tour Price is about 7-9 usd/pax. All travel agency in Bui Vienst, De Tham st, or Pham Ngu Lao st have the same service.

See
- Cuchi tunnel (the difference name is Ben Duoc underground tunnel complex).
- Project of recounting Cu Chi liberated zone
- Ben Duoc Temple
- Ben Dinh underground tunnel complex

Buy ticket at Project of recounting Cu Chi liberated zone.
You should go follow this way: Project of recounting Cu Chi liberated zone -> Cuchi tunnel -> Ben Duoc Temple (Bus Station is located at in front of Ben Duoc Temple’s Gate.

Service & Entertainment
Shooting with AK, M16, Carbine, M30.
Sourvenir stand: clothes, hat, …
Floating restaurants on Saigon River.

Do and don't while traveling to Laos

A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Travel in the Lao PDR, published yearly by the Lao National Tourism Authority.

The Lao National Tourists Authority {LNTA} publishes a little pamphlet nearly yearly on the 'DO's and Don'ts in Laos, a guide for culturally sensitive travel in the Lao PDR' but many of the recommendations are highly applicable to its neighboring countries like Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and China. It's a great little pamphlet done with humerous cartoon-ish drawings by Chongkham Phonekeo and designed by Paul Bloxham.

Please read the Do's and Don'ts in Laos
for culturally and environmentally friendly travel in the country.


Top ten best places to trekking in Vietnam


Trekking in Vietnam is one of the prime attractions for those looking for active adventure holidays in Vietnam. Apart from the sheer thrill factor of exploring the many untouched territories and marveling at the wonderful beauty herein, these Vietnam treks will also familiarize you with the indigenous flora and fauna of the country. It is no wonder that trekking is one of the most popular of the options for adventure and recreation in Vietnam.

Here are top ten trekking destinations in Vietnam:

Sapa: The mountain terrain with magnificent scenery and rich nature,cool climate and colourful cultures of the ethnic minority peoples make Sapa and surrounding area a superb place for trekking,Sapa where is really one of the most attracting tourists in Viet Nam.


Pù Luong: With the house on stilts is located in flanks,and is confused in plants ,among wild mountain and forests … It is the most wonderfull when trekking about long roads to discover the hidden charm of western border’s mountain and forests.

Mai Chau – Hòa Bình: It’s about 130 km far from Ha Noi,valley tourism Mai Chau – Hoa Binh is a favorite destination of many tourists.

Cao Bang: Located in the northern of Viet Bac region,where the first of country,Cao Bang is blessed the tourism potential richness such as spread superb mountains,forests,rivers ,streams and many wild and raw natural features.

Ha Giang: Ha Giang has many of village where is quite wild and keeping almost intact cultures has not been throught away by trade storm such as Tay people’s Tha,Tien Thang mountain village about 5 km far from Ha Giang city,LoLo people’s Sang Pang A mountain village in Meo Vac town…Foreign tourists especially like nature beautifull sceneries in Xin Man district and interesting natural forests which has many kinds of valuable woods.

Cat Ba: is converged by forest and sea. Forest and sea are combined together to make the unique beauty.

Ba Be: Ba Be lake is about 300 km far from Ha Noi capital, about 50 km far from Bac Can city. Pre historic man called Ba Be lake “Natural best lake”
Cuc Phuong forest:Typically tropical with an area of 7 hecta.This is a forest of limestone mountainous region with a lot of caves.There are also relics of approving that people had used from 12.500 years ago.


Nam Cat Tien: is a national forest which located in three provinces Dong Nai,Lam Dong and Binh Thuan,has many rich and attravtive botanic and animals, is protected by the most strict methods. NCT has many kinds of millions years trees with more than 30m diameter. Stream,waterfall and mountain system is very gigantic and attracting…

KonTum and central highland: Arriving Kon Tum,we can visit a lot of Central highland’s mountain and forets’s beautifull sceneries such as Ngoc Linh mountain, Chu Mon Ray, Sa Thay wild forest, Dak Tre tourism region in Kon Plong district,hot water stream Dak To.


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