Cool northern mountains
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is the government agency responsible for the country’s tourism development, planning, public relations, personnel training, research and the implementation of policies and other regulations. Assisting VNAT are provincial tourism bureaus.
The country is currently embarking on a sustainable tourism growth path to protect its environment, help alleviate poverty and maintain the cultures and traditions of its 53 ethnic minorities. Much of the current focus is on ensuring safety and security for tourists, developing
Read More…
Category: Profile Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Children's Moon Festival
Most Vietnamese festivals follow the lunar calendar, so the dates vary from year to year. Some of the most important festivals include:
Late January or early-February
Tet – Vietnamese and Chinese New Year - The Tet festival started thousands of years ago when Vietnamese farmers held celebrations to thank the gods for the arrival of spring.
Today’s three-day festival can last a week, with the first day noted for indulging in food and drink. This is also a time to show respect
Read More…
Category: Profile Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Vietnam’s lush northern river valleys presented the perfect backdrop for civilisation to blossom. Archaeological digs reveal the existence of Stone Age man 300,000 years ago, and cave dwellers and agriculture appeared by 10,000 BC.
Patches of civilisation popped up prior to the 1st millennium BC around the Red River, central Vietnam and the Dong Nai River Delta. These were the ancient Viet people, who began paddy farming, irrigation projects and developing handicraft skills in the area that evolved into the
Read More…
Category: Profile Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
The Mekong culminates in Vietnam
Vietnam’s 3,260-km South China Sea coastline defines the Mekong Sub-region’s northeast perimeter. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest and Cambodia to the southwest. Vietnam covers 329,560 sq km, with mountains and hills in the north and east dominating three-quarters of the landscape.
The fertile Mekong Delta in the south accounts for over 10% of the country’s area and close to 20% of its coastline. The delta is where the
Read More…
Category: Profile Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Vietnam Quilts (now also named: Mekong-Quilts)
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
Tip: Take a magazine or some pictures along if you’d like a made-to-order quilt
By purchasing a handmade cotton quilt you help support rural Khmer and Vietnamese women. Regular income from quilting allows them to stay in their village with their children and dependents.
Training and reliable income
The experience: Belgian-French NGO, Mekong Plus, has turned quilting circles into a way to employ groups of rural Cambodian and Vietnamese women while
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: KOTO Restaurant
Location: Hanoi
Tip: Order a mix of Vietnamese and western cuisine and give them constructive feedback
This increasingly popular restaurant pulls street children from the poverty cycle to work on the staff and graduate into higher-level positions.
The chef and his trainees
The experience:Tourists can discover a dining experience that is delivered with a smile from young people, who have been empowered to change their lives, at KOTO restaurant. KOTO stands for “Know One Teach One”. All the restaurant’s trainees come from disadvantaged backgrounds. KOTO
Read More…
Category: Where to Eat in Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Haivenu
Location: Hanoi and Northern Vietnam
Tip: Be ready to rough it
Two-week expeditions take tourists, who are willing to do without comforts, for a memorable experience to seldom-visited ethnic minority villages.
A Haivenu ethnic girl
The experience: For visitors willing to take that extra step to experience ethnic minority villages and immerse themselves in their culture, Haivenu veers away from the usual tourist routes and into the thick of Vietnam.
Among its tailor-made packages, Haivenu presents what it calls “Unusual Tours” that aren’t for “softies”.
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Connections Vietnam
Location: Ho Chi Minh City
Tip: Don’t dumb down your English when talking to the students
See the city and socialise with students. Visit a home and learn to cook local foods. Socialise and take part in an interactive cultural seminar.
Try learning some Vietnamese
The experience: For travellers to Ho Chi Minh City who are seeking to get deeper under the city’s skin, Connections Vietnam offers four cultural tourism services that present a closer look. Each involves local people, especially students who
Read More…
Category: Where to Eat in Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: BikeHike Adventures
Location: Hanoi and Northern Vietnam
Tip: Be in moderately good shape for biking the hills
Pedal, walk and paddle your way through northern Vietnam for a closer look at various ethnic groups.
Sea kayaking
The experience: BikeHike Adventures offers a 12-day multi-sport tour that explores the country’s north on mountain bikes, by foot and aboard sea kayaks. Vietnamese guides lead small groups of between two and 12 on a circuit that stops in Sapa, Bah Ha and Lao Cai. Extensions are available to Hoi An in the
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Craft Link handicrafts
Location: Dong Da district, Hanoi
Tip: There is a Craft Link outlet in the Museum of Ethnology
Browse for crafts created by a diverse group of Vietnamese ethic minorities in a shop once visited by former US President Bill Clinton.
Hmong embroidery
The experience: Craft Link was established in 1996 as a non-profit organisation to provide ethnic minorities and the disadvantaged with the chance to earn a fair wage and keep their culture alive through crafts.
Visitors to Craft Links Hanoi shops on Van Mieu Street
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Vietnam
Tags: bookcontent
