Vietnam is a country of extremes where the people welcome visitors with enthusiasm. Bright colours, divine tastes, a dramatic coastline, and fascinating natural wonders are just the beginning. There are spectacular mountains, glowing verdant rice paddies and an intricate and mysterious coast on the South China Sea. Travel insurance is always recommended for any travel, but especially for adventure tourism.
A real escape from the bustle of Ho Chi Min City (HCMC), the Mekong Delta offers rustic accommodation in a beautiful tropical setting. It is peaceful and cool with lots of activities available for those who want. Cooking classes, a fabulous floating market, live performances of folk songs, biking around the islands and much more.
Also near HCMC are the Cu Chi Tunnels. They were used by the North Vietnamese guerrillas to hide during the Vietnam War. They were also used as supply and communication lines. They are 121 kilometres long and today a well preserved memorial park. Visitors can enter the safer areas.
Hue is the old imperial capital and still the capital of the intellectual and cultural heritage of Vietnam. Hue has hundreds of tombs, pagodas, temples and palaces of which some are now ruins. This complex of monuments in Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been restored and preserved. Visitors also love this city for the food. It is famous for its cuisine and no one should leave Vietnam without tasting some of the flavourful dishes.
A completely different UNESCO World Heritage site is Halong Bay. It has many beautiful and mysterious caves where at least 20 are open for visitors to explore. The Do Go or Cave of the Sticks is the place where a Mongol invasion was stopped in 1288 with sticks in the water that were tipped with steel. These caves and some of the islands can be seen by tour boat in one day, but it is much better to stay overnight on Cat Ba Island and take more time to see the sights.
For visitors seeking a beach holiday destination, Mui Ne Beach is a good choice. It has a long white sand beach with many resorts. A favourite with the surfing crowd, there are many more water sports available. Kite-surfing, windsurfing and excellent swimming in the clean, clear water are a few of the activities, and the resorts offer many more. The climate is protected by the sand dunes, so when the rain comes to the rest of the country, Nui Ne Beach just gets bigger waves and remains sunny.