Best FREE attractions in Da Lat is the most beautiful places in Vietnam

Da Lat has long been one of the most beautiful places in vietnam. Once traveled to this city of love, you shouldn’t miss these 12 best FREE attractions. All of them are worth a try.

Van Thanh flower village. Da Lat is is the best places to visit in vietnam

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Van Thanh is the most popular and oldest flower village in Da Lat. It is located about 5km from the city centre. With a total area of over 200 hectares, this village produces a huge quantity and variety of the flowers. For example, it provides over 80% roses of Da Lat.

This place is one of the best FREE attractions that tourists always want to visit at least once in Da Lat. The glamourous beauty and fragrance of thousand flowers can make you feel like you’re losing in Wonderland.

Truc Lam Zen monastery

Truc Lam Zen monastery, one of the largest monasteries in Vietnam, is located on Phung Hoang Mountain. This pagoda is simply designed but very modernly in structure and use. With the beautiful landscapes and peaceful environment, the pagoda is not only a place for meditation but also an ideal place for sightseeing.

Tuyen Lam lake

From Truc Lam Zen monastery, walking down a slope of 140 stone steps then you will reach to Tuyen Lam lake. It’s such a romantic natural lake with the water surface of 350 ha and the scene of pine forests. Maybe because of the grandiose nature around this lake, it has the name “Tuyen Lam”. Tuyen stands for stream, Lam stands for forest. This place is where water and tree meet each other.

Da Lat market

Da Lat market is situated right on the main road Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. People often come to this place to buy winter clothes and delicacies such as artichoke, jam, dried fruits, etc. This market is not only a trading place but also a characteristic of Da Lat.

Xuan Huong lake

Located in the centre of the city, Xuan Huong lake is recognized as the heart of Da Lat. This artificial lake is crescent, about 7 km in length. It flows through many destinations including Yersin Park, Da Lat flower garden, Cu hill. Dawn and gloaming are the best moments to enjoy the beauty of this lake.

Cau Dat tea hills

About 25km from the city’s centre, Cau Dat village with its tea hills is one of the most favourite free attractions in Da Lat City. The green and fresh landscape with cool weather of this place attracts more and more tourists. In November, when wild sunflowers and tea hills fill the city with amazing colors and fragrances, Da Lat becomes more beautiful than ever.

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Ba Na Hill Resort in Da Nang

Besides the gifted weather, Ba Na Hill is endowed with primitive forests, where nature lovers can scout out the 543 species of flora and 256 species of fauna, a diverse collection including rare plants, pheasants and deer; spectacular views over the South China Sea and the Lap Mountain range, portraying itself a popular retreat for locals and tourists alike.

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The cable system in Ba Na Hill, running to the top of Mount Chua and set two Guinness World Records, is honored as the longest and highest of its kind in the world by Telegraph, the English newspaper.

At the top, you can have the view cover all the way to the coast, surveying a part of Danang and the contiguous areas. Although having foggy weather often obscure the panorama, like Dalat and Sapa, Ba Na remains its romantic and ethereal beauty in its gray appearance as it does in its blue one.

Coming to Ba Na Hill Resort, you ought to brace yourself for some fantastic entertainment in numerous forms ranging from air hockey to rock climbing. The entertainment service system caters to all age tourists. Young people and parents can make a tour through the French village, Jadin De L’Amour (Love Garden), mountain climbing coaches,… while their children enjoy a separate children’s area with ball pits and mini playgrounds.

Ba Na Hill features Fantasy Park, which is one of the largest-scale entertainment center in Asia, providing a variety of extreme games

Arcade Center in Ba Na Hill

After a long day walking around contemplating Europe-style theme park-inspired structures scattering over Ba Na Hill zone, you may feel puckish. You are always welcome at one of the many cafes and restaurants located about the resort. There are smaller cafes for a quick bite and more polished restaurants for full service.

Bana Hills Mountain Resort Hotel

If you prefer finer things in life, there are three superior accommodations at your choice: Morin, Le Jardin and L’Indochine luxurious hotels. Ba Na Hill is truly an escape for you from busy, rushing life and diligent hours spent in your working office.

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Ha Long kayak – an amazing experience

Kayaking is a kind of paddling, using a kayak to move across the water. Kayaking has been in Ha Long Bay since the late 20th century. At first, this kind of activity was mainly selected by the foreign tourists who like adventures. However, a lot of the Vietnamese enjoy kayaking in Ha Long Bay today, especially young people.

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Kayaking in Ha Long Bay attracts foreign tourists a lot.

Discovering Ha Long Bay by kayaking, visitors can feel other beauty of the international wonder that can’t be seen from the cruises. Visiting the floating fishing village, exploring the mysterious caves, and hidden lagoons or enjoying dreamy beaches are things travelers can’t miss when traveling to Ha Long.

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Ha Long kayak

Tourist will be deeply impressed when riding the kayak into the caves. The further you go inside, the darker it is. It’s so exciting and amazing to touch hundreds of stalactite, exotic flowers, and rare herbs with your own hands.

Visitors are excited and fun when kayaking in Ha Long Bay

In 2000, Ha Long Bay was voted one of the World’s top 25 destinations for kayaking by National Geographic Adventures Journal. If you have a chance to visit Ha Long, don’t hesitate to try kayaking in order to fully discover magnificent beauty of the Bay as well as the interesting life of the local people.

It’s recommended that Luon cave, Ba Trai Dao, Ba Ham, Dau Be, Co Cave are suitable places for kayaking.

kayaking into Luon Cave, Ha Long Bay

In Ha Long, you can rent a kayak at some islands or at the port with the price from 100,000 to 200,000 VND per hour depending on kinds of kayaks (1, 2, or 3 seats).

When kayaking, you must follow the tour guide. It is risky to do it yourself without instruction. The tour guide will help you use paddles and guide you to the safe area. If you can’t swim, don’t worry because you will be provided with a life jacket. You may need to prepare suitable clothes such as T-shirt and short, swimming suit, sunglasses, and hat. Especially, you can also bring a camera to capture the beautiful moments.

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Do you love HaLong Bay?

Ha Long is most satisfying in a breezing day of autumn. A little early wind from the ocean might require you to put on a jacket, but the oozing scent of the ocean should make the exhaustion and frustration go away.

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Ha Long is most lovely when your boat is floating on the bay, when the children go out to greet visitors, and the foreigners appreciate the young’s hospitality. A simple moment that makes our heart warm, telling us have faith in peace and unity across the globe.

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As the sailor steered the boat, I stood up to indulge myself in this beauty one last time. A light layer of fog gently covered the trees, the rocks, and the sailboat. The boat flowed into the silence, the heart of the bay. Time stopped as I held my breath and my heart literally skipped a beat.

I stepped on the deck, in my head still echoed the voice of the late sailor. “The sea of Ha Long is always this peaceful?” – I asked. “No my boy.” – He replied – “All seas are cruel. But as the storms pass, she loves us, she loves those who lives in her heart. She eases the pain and the loneliness of those who seek her”.

And so, in Ha Long Bay, I find peace again, I found life, I gained faith in myself. I learned to love myself more. I know of Ha Long as a love to share. And surely when the storms take over me, I would seek out the love of this place.

Watching Ha Long transforming herself over seasons, I have come to a realization that Ha Long is at her best under the sun. The image of the sun in the water looks like a giant treasure chest. Even the hardest-to-please customers would not hesitate to take a picture of this sparkling water.

Ha Long bay Viet Nam is most surreal with a little rain, maybe a bit foggy. The green islands, the rocks that take the shapes of turtles, lions, whales, etc. They create stories under the mysterious smoke. It is like you are lost in a fairy tale.

Ha Long is most romantic in a summer night, as the lights of the cruise ships and the fishing boats shine down the surface. And you suddenly realize that down there is another star-studded sky.

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Come to visit Nam Giao Esplanade

Emperors under feudalism often regarded themselves as "thien tu" (son of the God). Hence, to express their respect to Father God, they often held annual offering ceremonies to worship.

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Location and history

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That's why Nam, Giao Esplanade was built by King Gia Long after being crowned, in Duong Xuan Village, south of Hue City. It was started constructing on 25th March, 1806. At the beginning of 1807, its first God worship ceremonies were held there. Among several offering terraces of previous dynasties, Nguyen's is the only one that still exists until today.

Architecture

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The open-air monument obviously reflects the old misconception of people about the universe (circular heavens and square earth), follows the principles of Yin and Yang and also represents 5 elements of the nature: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth (in order: Kim, Moc, Thuy, Hoa, Tho).

As well, the esplanade is designed to symbolize oriental theory of 3 agents: Heaven, Earth, Man (Thien, Dia, Nhan respectively). Each is represented by one terrace with distinctive color and shape: circular blue heaven, square yellow earth. The bottom terrace is square and red-painted which stands for Man, as there is a phrase “red child” (xich tu – con do) to call the normal people. The top terrace (Heaven) is the place to hold offering ceremonies to God, Earth and Nguyen Dynasty’s ancestors and also called Vien dan. The middle one (Tung dan) is for worshipping the Sun, Moon, Stars, Cloud, Rain, Wind, Lightning, Year and Month, Mountain, Ocean, River, Lagoon, Lake, etc. and all other kinds of holy spirits throughout Vietnam. The last terrace is where to offer sacrifice.

Along with the main esplanade, there are several other building sites to support the offering ceremony like “Trai cung” (where the king stays before the ceremony), “Than tru” (the kitchen to prepare sacrifice), “Than kho” (the warehouse to place ceremony’s tools).

In the past, Nam Giao Esplanade was surrounded by a thick basalt wall which has been destructed. Pine trees were also planted around, as Emperor Minh Mang has followed his father’s tradition and asked all his sons and mandarins to plant their own pines with their name card on it and take care of their own trees.

Nam Giao Esplanade plays a very important role in religious and political life of Nguyen Dynasty. It took the Protocol and Administration Ministries many months to prepare for the ceremony. Before the sacrifice offering day, all villages and communal in Thua Thien-Hue had to complete making triumphal arches, to put alters on both sides of the route where the Emperor would pass by from Ngo Mon Noon gate to Trai Cung. During the ceremony, big flags with different colors were hung on all four doors of the esplanade: black flags on the north door, blue on the east, red on the south and white on the west. The kings often had to operate the ceremony on his owns. In case he wasn’t capable, his son or one of his mandarins would be ordered to take this task.

Today, visitors can come here to understand about the religious and political belief of Oriental feudal society in general and Nguyen Dynasty in particular, which is completely different from that of Western people.

How to get there

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Follow Dien Bien Phu Street till the end. There stands the esplanade. Suggested means of transport include: bike, motorbike and car.

When to get there

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The site is open for tourists all the time, but it’s highly recommended to get there when the ceremony is held.

The royal ceremony is especially often restored on the occasion of Hue Festival (in 2002, 2004 and 2006 already), to pray for a peaceful country and prosperous people. This is a particular performance you can’t find anywhere else. Similar ceremony will be held again in Festival Hue 2012, which will take place on April.

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Hang market _ the most famous fairs in Haiphong

In recent years, Hang market, the most famous fairs in Haiphong with the goods such as bonsai trees, traditional domestic animals, becomes quite crowded flea markets with sufficient items, bringing many choices for residents and visitors to the fair.
Bustling old items market

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At 5 am, on every Sunday, street of Hang market (Le Chan district) is crowded by motorcycles, passenger cars of all kinds of goods, domestic appliances from around sold at Hang market. The weird thing is the goods sealed and carriers are often thrown them from the vehicle without fear of damage. Each bag is opened and poured out on wrinkled available covering cloth.

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Hang market Bustling with sellers and buyers

Goods in this area are the old items. Secondhand goods corner of Hang market stretches on roads being less than 200 meters from the house no.465 to no.517 on Market street with diversify in types such as sophisticated electronics as loudspeakers, Karaoke machines, televisions, wireless computer mouse and compass, cross-head screwdriver screws, the wire supplying water to rusty automatic heater advertised as a Japanese goods carried by ocean vessels to Vietnam travel.

Because there aren’t a lot of goods, the owner of booths don’t need to ship or sale goods early as flowers and domestic animals corners. Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan having sold old items for nearly 2 years old at Hang market said: “Although my house is near Sat Market, with small capital source I only retail some old and sundry furniture, and irregular volumes, I do not dare to hire booth here. Every Sunday morning, I sell old items at Hang Market”.

Each fair, people selling old furniture pay 5,000 VND for the local market ticket and extra cost of renting seats in doorstep of households in fairgrounds. The owners of stalls pay fees depending on are of stalls and the agreement. Averagely, one old items stall is under 2 square meters, with about 100 -120 thousand per month. For those stalls selling electronics using power of the household will have to pay more.

At 8 am, as usual, Hang market is crowded. Previously this road was only the space to park vehicles since there is corner for old items; each market session, streets in Hang market are always filled with people. The cars accidentally “falling into” this way can not move, despite loud honking.

Both buyers and sellers are happy
Because it is a market selling old items and do not pay too much money for business surcharge, so commodity prices here are much cheaper than in other business stalls. A new California karaoke machine is about VND 2 million, but the price of used goods being intact stamp of manufacturer is sold for nearly VND 500 thousand.
Apparently, you get what you pay for. However, this is a notable choice for customer groups with average incomes. Besides traders, some people aged nearly 70 still sell to enjoy their life. Their commodities are items, components seemingly only seen in black and white films of the last century as pedals, chain axis, fenders Phoenix bicycle, mechanical clock.

Mr. Hoang Van Duy, an owner of shall in front of the house no. 507 in Hang market said: “The highest commodity is only VND 20 thousands, the stall has about 50 items. Even, bicycle pedals are usually sold in pair, sellers ask to buy one piece, so there isn’t any profit. I am sitting here to sell, mainly looking for a place to exchange and talk with people. At home is so sad”. Mainly supply source of owners of second-hand stalls here are from people who sell junk, or purchase of acquaintances.

Mr. Hoang Van Duy added: “In the corners of old items, there are many salesmen used to be a mechanic, they can recognize items are still able to use. Many items which seem to be broken, but they pick them up, repair and resell”

However, the old and fragmentary items which no one wants to buy sometimes are difficulty to find. Nguyen Van Hung, who likes to collect antique bikes, in No. 229 of Mieu Hai Xa street cheerfully: “I’ve just found an intact motors generating power for bicycle lights, with VND 15 thousands. After long time looking, finally I found it in my “village market”. Maybe some people those in need to find old things like Mr. Nguyen Van Hung. And the area of market selling secondhand goods is increasingly wider, creating more jobs as well as attracting many people to the unique market session of Hai Phong city.

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American habits to save you in Vietnam

American habits to save you in Vietnam

Never carrying cash

Haggling 101: Tell the seller you don’t have that much cash on you, tell them you live there, stick to that strategy. That feeling when you know all those amounts of stuff you can buy at ridiculously cheap rates because you’re “out of cash” is almost like highway robbery. And if you’re genuinely an American, maybe you don’t have to lie because you actually don’t have the cash on you for real.

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Sincere and friendly smile of Vietnamese people

Speaking your mind

“No, I’m not gonna pay 100k vnd for these coconuts. No, please don’t try to sell me any cocaine. Yes, I can see you staring at me? Would you like anything? Want me to kick that cute little ass? No? Ok, then let’s move on, shall we?”

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Showering more than necessary

If it’s April through October, you’re sweaty. If it’s October through April, you’re wet and sweaty. Luckily, you’ve got this hygiene thing down to an art.

Watching your six

You’ve watched way too many episodes of The X-Files, and wherever you go, you “trust no one”. Your eyes are in your back watching for that motorbike pulling a U-turn and driving up to you a little too slowly. You take a second to summon your ninja skills and BAM! You’re wrestling for your bag and some karate chops later, they drive off empty-handed.

That relentless optimism and can-do spirit

You don’t even bat an eye when that man on the side of the road patches your tire with an old piece of rubber and a lit cigarette. Crazier things have happened, say Kim Kardashian being taken seriously. And you think handing over that 50 cents is totally worth it. Will this tire stay good in the next six months> you bet. However, 50 cents for a story and a tire is not bad.

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Special list of products to buy in Vietnam

Travelers always want to bring home some souvenirs that remind them of their journey. However, they often get into trouble of deciding what to buy. Here is a special list of products that you should buy as souvenirs when you travel to Vietnam.

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 Silk

Silk used to be a luxurious and notable material. It signified social status since it was only worn by Vietnamese royalty. It is now an affordable product.

The silkworms after feeding on mulberry leaves will attach themselves to the mulberry tree then spin cocoons. Silk is woven from that cocoons. Silk products of Vietnam are famous for its brilliance, skilful technique, and its color.

Van Phuc Silk Village is the best place to buy silk products. It’s the cradle of Vietnam’s silk

Conical hats

Non la or conical hat is circular cone made of bamboo and young palm leaves, notable for its romantic adornment. It is an indispensable tool for Vietnamese people of all age. It is rain and sun protector.

Non la is a typical cultural symbol in Vietnam.

Depending on the quality, the price may range from 30,000 – 100,000 VND at souvenir shops.

Ao Dai

Ao Dai is the traditional dress of Vietnamese women. It’s a great work of art signifying women’s elegant beauty. Ao dai has changed with many innovations through the impacts of time. It current form is a tight-fitted long silk tunic worn over long pants.

If you want to get an ao dai, you will need to pick the fabric first then bring it to a tailor. It may take about a week until you can get the product.

An ao dai may cost about 700,000 – 1,500,000 VND

“Ao dai” – Vietnam’s traditional costume

Ceramic products

You can easily find various kinds of ceramic products in Vietnam such as vases, plates, cups, bows, etc. They are hand-crafted by experienced Vietnamese people.

Bamboo and wooden products

These products are hand woven and available in Vietnam with a large variety of colors.  They are eco-friendly in nature.

Bamboo dragonfly

“Guoc moc” – Wooden clogs – typical kind of footwear in Vietnam

Embroidered paintings

Hand embroidery is a 700-year-old tradition in Vietnam. It’s made from the patience and skill of the artisans sewing, tinting tiny threads then create a graceful work. Theme can be varied. It can be picturesque natural scenes or it can be life scenes or portraits.

A small hand embroidered product may cost about 500,000 VND. The bigger ones may cost 2,000,000 VND.

Spring – Summer – Autumn – Winter

Silk paintings

Silk paintings are a unique art of Vietnam. Silk paintings have elegant beauty due to its rustic and poetic themes including the countryside, pagodas, and scenes of daily life.

You can easily find them in many gift shops or find art galleries in Hanoi and Saigon city. Price may range from $5 – $50/piece.

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Before venturing into the wilderness by motorbike

Before venturing into the wilderness by motorbike, you will need a little plan and preparation to have memorable outdoor experiences in your life. Here are some of basic things and travel tips that you should bear in mind.

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Take care of your motorcycle

So you’re going to leave the campground behind and pass through winding roads full of rocks and potholes by motorbike. Then motorbike maintenance is absolutely necessary. You should carry some essential items such as a screwdriver, a wrench, and pliers, etc

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Fill the gas tank

Beside rugged roads, gas station is another problem. There will be not many gas stations along your trip and the running-out-of-gas problem will put you into a terrible dilemma. Hence, don’t forget to fill your gas tank.

Pack essential items

If you think that backpacking is similar to a normal trip and you stuff your suitcase with a heap of clothes, shoes, and hats, then you should reconsider. You should pack in a smart way and carry only essential items.

The way you pack can save a lot of hassle. Have cooking gear, water, and some other items close to the center of your rucksack, essential items near the top, and bulky items at the bottom.

Do a research on local culture

It’s imperative that you study about cultures of places you are heading to since customs and norms differ from place to place. Knowing local norms will allow you to avoid looking like a awkward traveler.

Pick a reliable and experienced leader

Knowledgeable company is good for your trip. He must be experienced and capable of handling bad situation. The safety of your journey depends much on him.

Pay attention to the weather

If you backpack to mountainous area with erratic weather, you need to check the weather forecast to ensure safety for yourself and your companion. Driving on steep mountainous passes with dense fog and heavy rain is really dangerous and difficult.

 

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