Ancient Nom village in Van Lam district, northern Hung Yen province, about 30km from the capital city, remains intact with its natural beauty of a traditional village.
traditional village
In the centre of the village, there is a beautiful architectural complex of a communal house, an ancient well and a century-old banyan tree – typical features of a traditional village in the north.
village gate.
The arched village gate with sophisticatedly carved pillars was built more than 200 years ago.

Red brick tiled paths and ancient house’s gate

riding bicycle
Simple rural lifestyle is retained and hardly affected by the rapid urbanisation process

nom bridge
Nom bridge – a unique stone one in Hung Yen.
Nom market
Nom market day is held 12 times per month

Built in 1680, Nom pagoda has been restored several times and still keeps more than 100 terra-cotta statues.
source: VOV
TheRichest, a leading entertainment and lifestyle website, has released a video that names the top 10 mostbeautiful places in the world, and includes Vietnam’s northern province of Lao Cai.
The website noted that the beautiful man-made rice terraces in Lao Cai help supply the most staple food item for Vietnamese people: rice.
sapa woman
It also explained that rice grain requires a flat surface and lots of water to grow, which isn’t typical in the country, so people had to improvise and figure out an alternate way to grow their food.

“Their endeavours resulted in a beautiful coloured landscape”, says TheRichest.
sapa landscape
Rounding out the list of top 10 are Geiranger Fjord of Norway, Maldives, Salar de Uyuni of Bolivia, Yosemite National Park of the US, Midway Island of Haiwaii, Pamukale of Turkey, Meteora of Greece, Zhangye Danxia Landform of China, and Fiorland of New Zealand.
Source: Bao moi

Do not hesitate to book tour to Sapa

Phu Quoc, an attractive destination in Viet Nam’s southwestern waters, is striving to become an international eco-tourism and resort centre.
Viet Nam’s largest island, dubbed the Pearl Island in the southern province of Kien Giang, attracts numerous tourism development projects and thousands of holiday-makers due to its stunning landscapes and geographical features. 
Phu quoc island
The efforts of local authorities and investors to support tourism development are certainly paying off: visitor numbers are at an all time high. Phu Quoc welcomed approximately 600,000 tourists in 2014, an annual increase of nearly 40 percent, and this year numbers are expected to exceed 850,000 visitors. 

The island posted an 84.28 percent hike in tourism revenue last year, totalling over 2.2 trillion VND (104.8 million USD), according to the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc district.

However, despite its large number of tourists, the island has yet to attract large investors, General Director of the Sai Gon-Phu Quoc Resort, Phung Xuan Mai, said. He added that local tourism operators still neglect the quality of services amid the fast increase in visitors’ number, which prevent Phu Quoc from becoming a top destination in the region. 

nice resort
To remediate this, Vice Chairman of Phu Quoc district’s People’s Committee said local authorities were working with schools and vocational training centres to boost the island’s human resources in order to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled staff in the tourism sector. 

The locality is also focusing on improving the environment by constructing concentrated waste treatment and collection plants. 

The Prime Minister recently approved a mechanism for the building of entertainment complex with casino on Phu Quoc island, which is expected to help lure more visitors to the island. 
visitor
At present, Phu Quoc Island has more than 4,000 hotel rooms on offer, which can accommodate 7,000-8,000 guests. A number of hotel and resort construction projects are currently under way in an attempt to cater to tourism demands and make the island an international tourism hub.

Source: VNS
Do you spend your days dreaming of your next getaway or planning a spontaneous weekend trip somewhere far and new? If your answer is a big and resounding “yes”, then you are most likely one of the millions of people worldwide, who have a serious case of travel addiction.
And make no mistake about it – travel can be just as addictive as a recreational drug like cocaine or heroin. Once you start doing it, it can be quite difficult for you to stop. The more you travel, the more you want to do it. Try to go without it for a few months, and you might find yourself in a local pawnshop with a fistful of gold or your spouse’s fancy watch, in an effort to plan your next retreat.
travelling
Think you are a genuine travel junkie? Check out these signs, and see if you truly are addicted to travel

1.You daydream about traveling all the time
You never stop thinking and daydreaming about your adventures, experiences and trips. What’s more, you spend more time planning your next big adventure than doing household chores, studying, working, or just about anything else.
dream
2 Nothing excites you more than traveling
When you have a serious case of travel addiction, not even the hottest shows on TV (except for Game of Thrones, House Hunters International and Travel Channel) or the coolest online games can offer as much as excitement as the thought of traveling to a foreign land. Honestly, all other things just seem boring, compared to traveling.

3 You’re an elite packing specialist

You know you have the travel bug, when you have mastered the art of packing, and you can pack everything you need for a 3-week trip in a modestly sized backpack in less than 10 minutes
packing
4 You feel the need to buy a second fridge for your magnets
Seriously, though, your fridge is almost fully covered of magnets from all the cities and places you have been to.
magnets
5 You don’t get homesick
Travel junkies rarely feel nostalgic for home. As a matter of fact, going home feels like more of a pit stop or a vacation between their journeys.
travel alone
6 You watch tons of travel film
When you’re at home, you watch a ton of travel-inspiring films like Wild, Darjeeling Limited, Into the Wild, Motorcycles, One Week, Eat Pray Love, The Bucket List, Under the Tuscan Sun, and a whole lot more.
movie
7 You have a surfeit of friends abroad
Travel junkies, for the most part, have a jillion of buddies who are living in international turfs. Some of them even have more friends abroad than at home.
8 You use your suitcase when at home
You’re so used to living out of your suitcase that you use it, to a great extent, when you’re at home. Also, you think that closets are overrated, and you don’t need hangers for your clothes
9 A travel tattoo
You have, or at least considered getting, a tattoo of a small airplane, map, Lonely Planet or compass.
travel tatoo

10 You spend countless of hours reading travel blogs
While your friends are checking out sports or celeb pages, you usually spend your time on the web reading blogs and articles from Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Lonely Planet and Nomadic Matt.
11 You can sleep anywhere
Whether it’s on the train, bus or office desk, you can easily catch some Z’s wherever you are.
sleeping
12 Your smartphone is full of travel apps
From Google maps to currency converters and language translators, your smartphone is literally stocked with a library of useful travel apps.
13 You are not afraid of getting lost
You’re not afraid of getting lost not because you have an incredible sense of direction, but because you do not believe in wrong turns. You always think that there is a new adventure and surprise in every corner, and the only way to discover it is to put down the map and get off-track.
14 You have extra sources of income to fund your trips
People who have travel addiction usually have a couple of jobs or more, just to fund their trips.
15 You don’t take days off even when you’re sick
Speaking of work, travel junkies don’t take sick days, so they can use them for their extra long trips
16 A plethora of planned trips
You have trips and experiences planned for the next decade.
17 Your bucket list is 99 percent places
Most people fill their bucket with a balance mixture of things to do and places to visit. A travel junkie’s bucket list, however, is completely made up of places.
18 You know how to communicate in foreign languages
You may not be a linguist, but you can say “cheers”, “hello”, “thank you” and “goodbye” in multiple languages.
19 Everywhere feels like home
You believe in the saying “home is anywhere you want it to be”.
20 You’re a travel hacker
You’re a travel hacking expert not because you travel very often, but because you think it is fun
21 You have a colorful passport
Your passport is practically covered with a colorful array of stamps and visas.
22 You follow other travelers
You closely follow other fellow adventurers and travel bloggers on Instragram and Twitter.
23 You only read books related to traveling
Your shelf only contains books that will inspire your wanderlust.
24 Facebook groups and Google communities
You belong to a handful of Google communities and Facebook groups that are travel related, such as Meeple and Trekeffect Travel News & Guides.
25 You’re extremely familiar with airport codes
Travel junkies mostly talk in airport codes, and not in city names.
26 You can’t wait for your next trip
You feel restless, in the between your trips. If you have not been traveling for a few months, your feet will get itchy and you will get anxious.
Your wallet contains a lot different currencies.
27 A galore of currencies
Your wallet contains a lot different currencies.
28 Maps and pics as wall art
Your room isn’t filled with paintings and other magnificent works of art. Instead, it is covered with maps, postcards and photographs of the places you have visited.
29 Memorabilia
Your home or room is littered with souvenirs from all your trips.
30 The thought of staying in the same town for a year scares you
You can barely imagine yourself staying in the same city or town for a whole year.
31 Gifts for your travel escapades
All the presents you receive on birthdays and holidays are related to traveling.
The good news is, travel addiction is not as harmful as using recreational drugs. While it may cost you a small fortune, traveling can give you tons of sweet, memorable, enriching and eye-opening experiences that guarantee to make you a better person. And besides, there are plenty to ways to travel and see the world, without shelling out a great deal of cash.

Source: travelling guide
Heading to Nha Trang, Vietnam and not sure what to do? I’ve spent the past couple of days at the seriously stunning, just-opened Fusion Resort, so I have a few ideas to keep you entertained!
nha trang beach
1. Relax on the beach!

The beach is the main reason that most tourists visit Nha Trang, and it’s not hard to see why. Beautiful white sand, hot hot sun and the warmest sea you can imagine – what else could you possibly need?
relax on the beach
2. Visit the Po Nagar Towers

If you’re not going to make it to the Cham Dynasty ruins of My Son near Hoi An, the Po Nagar Towers are a great alternative. Dating back to the 7th-12th centuries, the towers are located right in the town and are in excellent condition for their age.
ponagar tower
3. See a floating fishing village

Floating villages are not just found in Halong Bay and the Mekong Delta – out in Nha Trang Bay you can take a trip to see how local fishing families live out on the water, farming oysters and serving boatloads of customers who come to buy their wares.
fishing village
4. Go snorkelling

Nha Trang is beautiful above the waves and below, so head out with your snorkelling gear – or arrange a day of scuba diving – to enjoy the amazingly diverse coral scenery out in the bay.
snorkelling
5. Take a sunset cruise on the Quang Truong River

If you feel like treating yourself and seeing life in Nha Trang from a different perspective, take to the water for a relaxing sunset river cruise. You’ll pass brightly coloured houseboats, busy shipyards, a colonial railway bridge and plenty of lush scenery – all whilst enjoying wine, spring rolls, and plenty of fresh fruit.

If you want to visit Nha Trang, do not hesitate to contact us
There are some related article
Hon Khoi- Nha Trang
Nha Trang- Da Lat tour
Traffic in Vietnam is crazy but the train tracks that skirt through Hanoi’s residential areas reach levels of insanity.

Back in April, The Daily Mail took some incredible photos of these routes, capturing the everyday activities that occur next to these potentially fatal pathways.
tiny space
Tight space: A train squeezes past a shop display in the centre of Hanoi, Vietnam, while a man on a moped waits for the tracks to clear
dangerous image
Dangerous: A woman with a baby on her knee by the track. The line is so close to shops and homes that huge trains are forced to squeeze past market traders
sitting on train track
On the line: The track is so close to buildings that locomotives, which negotiate the line twice a day, brush past pedestrians and children playing in the street

Paying attention: Residents have to move out of the way and even dismantle shop displays when the train is approaching





notice the train approcahing


Unusual sight: The photographer said there are barbershops, people selling goods, chefs cooking food and kids running around - 'all within inches of the tracks'

Crossing: Mr Desai said the locals 'know when the train is coming so they all move out of the way - it is a part of their routine'
'There are barbershops, people selling goods, chefs cooking food and kids running around - all within inches of the tracks.
‘The locals know when the train is coming so they all move out of the way - it is a part of their routine. Old men will sit on the tracks all day.
‘Then, as it approaches four or six o'clock, they get up, move their chairs a metre away from the track and continue talking while the train goes past.
‘When the track is clear they move back into the middle.’




In place of a refreshments trolley: The Vietnamese government is currently seeking more than £1billion of investment to improve safety features on its railway




Railway-related accidents account for 2 per cent of all deaths annually in Vietnam.
Many deaths occur at illegally-built crossings with no barriers or warning signs.
There are an estimated 5,000 illegal railroad crossings in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government is currently seeking more than £1billion of investment to improve safety features on its nearly 2,000 miles of railway
Source: Saigoners

HA NOI (VNS) — Vietnamese people should consider tourists their family, Deputy Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a ceremony held on Wednesday  08th July,2015 to mark the 55th anniversary of the tourism sector.


He called on the people to express their national pride, patriotism and responsibility by taking action. They should smile, say thank you, pick up garbage left on the road and not elbow others out of their way in a crowd, he said.
vietnamese smile

"Simple gestures like smiling and saying hello are very important to develop tourism and national culture," he said. "They leave good impressions on foreigners."

Vietnamese smile
Although Viet Nam's tourism industry has seen great achievements in recent years, it's still inferior to others in the region, he said. Tourism officials should work on creative solutions to develop the sector, as tourism plays an important role in the country's socio-economic development.


The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also announced the winners of the 2014 Viet Nam Tourism Awards at the ceremony.


The awards, hosted by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Viet Nam Tourism Association, honoured 70 outstanding travel agencies, hotels, services providers and carriers in the country.


Categories included the top 10 five-star hotels, top 10 four-star hotels, top 10 three-star hotels, top 10 domestic tour operators, best restaurants and best shopping facilities.


The awards aim to encourage travel businesses to improve their performance and service quality, lifting their brand names and enhancing their competitiveness during the international integration process.


The top five most attractive destination awards were given to the Viet Nam Women's Museum, the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology, Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature and National First University), Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort (Da Nang) and the My Son relic site in the central province of Quang Nam.
Nguyen Bich Van, director of the Women's Museum, said she was happy to receive the only prestigious national tourism sector award.


"The award is based on tourists' remarks and service's quality," she said. "It's an honour and motivation to continue improving our services. We're devoted to development."


A conference was held on the occasion in Ha Noi, seeking solutions to the problems facing Viet Nam's tourism sector. It opened with a video clip of the massive Son Doong Cave provided by the VNAT.


The screening showed that Viet Nam's natural treasures and rich culture give it the potential to really develop its tourism industry, said Hoang Tuan Anh, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.


"However, travel statistics haven't met our potential and service quality hasn't satisfied tourists," he said.

Many State-level managers, travel agents and specialists participated in the conference. They discussed improving awareness about tourism development, and policies to develop tourism and service quality.


Recently, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued a decision to waive visa fees for Belarus, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain for stays of less than 15 days.


During the conference, the delegations discussed plans to attract more and more visitors from these countries. Meetings with partners in these countries will be organised in the coming months to look at new ways to collaborate.


They also discussed the organisation and operations of the Fund for Tourism Development Support, which will be established by the government this year, as well as measures to improve the competitiveness of Viet Nam's tourism.


The VNAT will receive journalists from six countries, who will take part in press trips to Viet Nam from August to October.


Viet Nam will attend the World Travel Market 2015 organised in London in November to promote tourism here.


The country now has approximately 1,500 international travel agencies and over 15,500 tour guides. 


Hue holds Tourism Day activities to mark the sector's 55th anniversary


Hue kicked off its Tourism Day  with various activities to mark the 55th anniversary of the country's tourism sector.


The two-day programme started yesterday morning with a bike parade through the former imperial capital city's main streets.


The former Imperial Palace hosted a contest for tourism employees to test their knowledge about responsible tourism practices and conservation.


A concert, a show of bartending skills and traditional folk games will be held. The winner of the contest will receive an award and performers will be congratulated during a closing ceremony this evening.


Phan Tien Dung, the director of the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the programme aimed to create a space for tourism professionals to network.


Dung said the sector contributed 50 per cent of the city's GDP each year and created 30,000 jobs. He expected four million people to tour the city in 2020. — VNS

When the man bringing your meal to the table is missing most of his fingers and the main ingredient is not only still alive but also long and writhing and – hang on, is that a cobra? Well, that’s when you know this is no ordinary dining experience. Eating at one of Hanoi’s snake restaurants is as much a theatrical performance as a meal out.

catching snake
The decor is way over the top. From a grungy side-street you enter a world of exuberant woodwork with mother-of-pearl inlay glowing in the lantern light. Bonsai plants are scattered artfully while off to the side glass jars containing snake wine hint at what’s to come.


When everyone’s settled, the snake handler – he with very few fingers – presents the menu. He kicks off with cobra, the most expensive item on the menu (and a choice photo-op), then runs through the other options, all very much alive and hissing. Traditionally, your chosen snake is killed in front of you, though it will be dispatched off-stage if you ask. The guest of honour (lucky you?) then gets to eat the still-beating heart.


The Vietnamese say it contains a stimulant and that the meat is an aphrodisiac. The jury’s out on both counts, however, because of the copious amounts of alcohol everyone consumes. By way of an aperitif you get two small glasses of rice wine, one blood red, the other an almost fluorescent, bile-ish green… which is in fact exactly what they are.
eating snake

Things get decidedly more palatable as the meal starts to arrive. In a matter of minutes your snake has been transformed into all manner of tasty dishes: snake soup, spring rolls, dumplings, fillets, even crispy-fried snake skin. Absolutely nothing is wasted. It’s washed down with more rice wine, or beer if you’d rather, and to round things off, some fresh fruit and green tea – with no snake sorbet forthcoming.


Hanoi’s most famous snake restaurants are in the suburb of Le Mat, including the reliable Quoc Trieu (+84 (0)4 827 2988)


Source: Roughguide
1.Spend a day visiting some of Luang Prabang’s 32 shimmering temples, most notably Vat Vixoun, Vat Xieng Thong (pictured below), and Vat Sene.
Vat Xien Thong temple
2.Climb Mount Phousi for sweeping panoramic views of this World Heritage City. Mount Phousi is located in the center of town. Climb the 300 steps to the summit, where golden-spired Wat Chomsi sits, in the late afternoon to watch the sunset over Luang Prabang and the Mekong.
Phousi mount
3.Visit the stunning Kuang Sii Waterfalls and Bear Rescue Cente
Koungsi water fall
4.Eat by candlelight with friends, exploring some of LP’s many cafes and bars with lovely outdoor spaces. Some of our favorites include: JoMa Bakery Cafe, Lao Lao Garden, Tangor, and Hive Bar.
hiv bar
5.Channel the Hmong and other mountain tribes at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center. As you exit through the gift shop, be sure to pick up some really cool hand-made gifts. The proceeds go to the hill-tribe people who crafted them.

6.Spend the day (or half a day) washing, riding and learning to train elephants at the Elephant Village.

7.Shop till you drop at the local markets while cruising the streets of LP. Markets include the Phousy Market and the Hmong Night Market. 


8.For the actively inclined: Cycle, Kayak or Trek. Some local outfitters include: Green Discovery Laos, White Elephant Adventures, or Action Max Laos.

9.Get your grub on at the night street food market. This food is no-joke. Fill your plate up, all-you-can eat for $1.00 USD!!!


10.Wake up before dawn to pay homage to the monks, young and old alike


11.Tour the Royal Palace Museum to see an impressive collection of Buddhist art and royal Lao artifacts.
12.Visit the famous Pak Ou Caves.
s stated in the title, the entire city of Luang Prabang is protected as a World Heritage Site (#479).


As I write this post, I am itching to go back to this jewel-like town in Laos to do all the things I didn’t have time to do. I yearn to spend weeks there, just relaxing and taking in the laid-back, magical atmosphere, like so many people we met decided to do when they came for a week and stayed for six… or more!

writen by Lindsay, traverlusters

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