Man, I am on a roll- two entries in two days!
Took a look through our Lonely Planet Vietnam to see the places that Pearce and I were most interested in visiting. As is stands, our top picks are the following:
Hanoi - The grand old dame of the orient, Hanoi is perhaps the most graceful, atmospheric and exotic capital city in Asia. Highlights include Hoan Kiem Lake, Big Hoi junction where you can grab a locally crafted beer; the Hanoi Opera House; Water Puppet show and the night market. Pearce will most likely get his tailored silk suits here as well!!
Hanglong Bay - Majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious. 2000 or more incredible islands rising from the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Highlights include Cat Ba island, with hiking, climbing, sailing, kayaking and of course a Junkboat ride.
Sapa- This charming highland town in tucked into the mountains overlooking a plunging valley of cascading rice terraces and is a great place to see the "Hill Tribes" of Vietnam. Highlights include hiking, visiting the local villages and maybe even seeing the "Love" market where country folk come to town to speed date.
Hoi An - Once a sleepy town, Hoi an is now a developed tourist town and designated world
heritage site due to its old architecture and cultural history. Highlights included a cooking class, and diving at Cham Island a off-the-beaten- track island located right off the coast.
Nha Trang - The beach capital of Vietnam- beaches, diving and mud baths await!
Dalat - The bizarro Vietnam, it is spring-like and cool instead of having tropical heat, it has French colonial villas instead of socialist architecture and farms with strawberries, not rice. A very romantic feeling escape.
Con Dao Islands - Isolated from the mainland, the Con Dao Islands are one of the star attractions of Vietnam with plenty of hiking, swimming, diving and rare animal sightings. Have you every heard of the Dugong?
Let us know what you think and if we are missing anything!!
This is as far as we are going with any pre-planning for traveling. That is not to say that we will not be going to other SE Asian countries, but as I have been to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, we do not feel as pressured to map out a plan of attack so formally. We will let our whims take us where they will and see what happens. That is half the fun of travel after all!
Until Later,
Allyson (and Pearce)
Get your tailoring done in Hoi An!! Excellent work and very cheap.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the turn around? I was leaning towards Ha Noi because we could leave the stuff there to be created while we go up to Sapa area and then pick it up on the way back...
ReplyDeleteI had a coat made in 8 hours - but it's better if you have at least a couple of days. You can't throw a rock without hitting a tailoring shop in Hoi An (it's its main revenue, I believe) - you could consider rotating around a couple of the best if you had a lot to be tailored...
ReplyDelete