Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

Location: Binh Thuan, Vietnam
Hon Ba is an island rising high up in the middle of the sea, nearly 2 kilometers East of LaGi seashore, Ham Tan district; and about 70 Km South East of Phan Thiet City.

History
Hon Ba is also a young mountain on which there are a lot of big ancient trees at the first half of the seventeenth century, Cham people erected a temple to worship Goddess Thien Y Ana - the ancient Champa Kingdom’s sacred goddess. Since then, this island has got the name “Goddess’s island - Hon Ba “.

The temple has the same architectural structure and art decoration as the Vietnamese temple at the same time. In this temple, the rock statue of Goddess Thien Y Ana was sculptured from an integral rock mass in its place by Cham artisan - artists.

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Van Phong Bay is a place of superlatives. A report of the Vietnam Maritime Department shows that Van Phong is one of the world’s deepest bays.

United Nations tourism experts have also recognised it as one of Asia’s most perfect sites for eco-tourism, and the bay has been rated as an ideal place for scuba diving.

Its clear, turquoise water and coral reefs are even said to be more beautiful than those at the Hon Mun Nature Reserve in Nha Trang.

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Highland hamlets of B’Nur, Dangya and Dung and the whole Lat commune of the Lac Duong district, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is close to Lang Biang mountain. All the hamlets lie on a gentle slope next to a hundred-year-old valley at the legendary mountain foot.

Many senior people in the Lat commune say that it’s a long time since they climbed the mountain in their youth. They could no longer behold Fairy U Yang’s two breast-like mountain tops in the morning, and they missed it so much.

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Fansipan, or Fan Si Pan, towers over in the northern province of Lao Cai. The well-known mountain, seen as the roof of Indochina, is the place in Vietnam for hikers and adventurers.

Doubtlessly, standing on its top is a dazzling, unforgettable memory. But of course, there is no laurel wreath without sweat.

According to the stories of those who have conquered the region’s tallest peak, Fansipan is a place of beauty, danger and pride.

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Back in 1893, French professor and doctor, Alexandre Yersin looked out over an area that has since become renown in Vietnam as a premier place of beauty and elegance. Although 113 years (and times of war and economic hardship) have elapsed since Mr. Yersin first fell in love with Da Lat, its natural beauty, historic sites, quality tourist services, and excellent food together make Da Lat the first option of many Vietnamese and foreign visitors.
Natural beauty

It would take hours to talk about the natural beauty that is in and around Da Lat. Within the city are colorful flower gardens, the Lam Vien plateau, Than Tho and Tuyen Tam Lakes, the Dankia Suoi Vang tourist resort, Prenn and Cam Ly waterfalls, the Langbiang mountains, and much more. It seems that there is either a colorful flower or smooth grass carpet alongside every Da Lat road and if one gets out among the continuous hills, going home will seem like a very unpleasant idea.

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Vung Tau sits at the end of a promontory of land marking the north end of the Mekong and Saigon deltas. Its only 128 kilometers (80 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City by road, and so has become a favorite weekend getaway destination for the residents of Saigon. The development this has lead to has not been entirely for the good, but Vung Tau is still a nice beach, although far from the best Vietnam has to offer. You can conveniently get to Vung Tau by hydrofoil from Ho Chi Minh City. The trip takes just over an hour.

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Situated just 5 km from the ancient town of Hoi An, palm-lined Cua Dai Beach - part of an enormous strand of sand lining the coast as far as the Mekong Delta - is a scenic and romantic place with fine sands. During the full moon, people wander around until late at night. Fresh seafood and refreshments are sold at a line of kiosks that lead to the beachfront. The road from Hoi An to Cua Dai offers a stunning view upon the Vietnamese countryside.

Don’t be misled by references to ‘China Beach’ – that’s a section of Danang’s My Khe beach. Cua Dai is just as good: clear water, and palm/ pine fringed sandy beaches.

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Danang has a coastline of 30 kilometres long, famous for many beautiful seashores stretching from the north to the south such as Nam O, Xuan Thieu, Thanh Binh, Tien Sa, Son Tra, My Khe, Bac My An, Non Nuoc… in which international tourists came for convalescence and relaxation, recognised as the most ideal beaches of the region.

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Located 200 kms (31/2 hours drive) from Ho Chi Minh City in the south-west of Vietnam, Phan Thiet is a friendly fishing town close to the beautiful and peaceful beaches of Cape Mui Ne. Some 10-12 kms out of town are the beaches stretching along the Mui Ne peninsula where most of the hotels are located. The area also boasts an 18-hole Nick Faldo-designed golf course with stunning views of beach and dunes. The impressive sand dunes at Hom Rom beach are also well worth a visit.

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Photos

Nha Trang is Vietnam’s premier beach resort with a couple of kilometers of relatively pristine white beach and several hotels catering to both local and foreign tourists. For a country with such a long coastline it seems surprising that Nha Trang is the only diving hub along it. There are a couple of local islands off shore that offer some interesting diving possibilities and most dive operators here also run to the more remote loactions. Big animals are hard to find here (apart from the local morays) but the abundance of marine life makes fascinating diving. Nha Trang is more renowned for its vibrant nudibranchs and extensive coral biodiversity, over 350 species of coral can be found here.

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