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History weighs heavily on Vietnam . For more than a decade, reportage of the war that racked the country portrayed it as a savage netherworld, yet, only twenty-odd years after the war's end, this incredibly resilient nation is beginning to emerge from the shadows. As the number of tourists finding their way here soars, the word is out that this is a land not of bomb craters and army ordnance, but of shimmering paddy fields and sugar-white beaches, full-tilt cities and venerable pagodas. The speed with which Vietnam's population of 77 million has been able to transcend the recent past comes as a surprise to visitors who are generally met with warmth and curiosity rather than shell-shocked resentment and war fatigue. Inevitably, that's not the whole story. The adoption of a market economy has polarized the gap between rich and poor: average monthly incomes for city dwellers remain at about $50, but drops to $15 in the poorest provinces. For the majority of visitors, the furiously commercial southern city of Ho Chi Minh City provides a head-spinning introduction to Vietnam, so a trip out into the rice fields and orchards of the nearby Mekong Delta makes a welcome next stop - best explored by boat from My Tho, Vinh Long or Can Tho . Heading north, the quaint hill-station of Da Lat provides a good place to cool down, but some travellers eschew this for the beaches of Vung Tau and Phan Thiet . A few hours' ride further up the coast, the city of Nha Trang has become a crucial stepping stone on the Ho Chi Minh-Hanoi run. Next up comes the enticing little town of Hoi An , full of wooden shop-houses and close to Vietnam's greatest Cham temple ruins at My Son . The temples, palaces and imperial mausoleums of aristocratic Hue should also not be missed. One hundred kilometres north, war-sites litter the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) , which cleaved the country in two from 1954 to 1975. Hanoi has served as Vietnam's capital for close on a thousand years and is a small, absorbing city of pagodas and dynastic temples, where life proceeds at a gentler pace than in Ho Chi Minh. From here most visitors strike out east to the labyrinth of limestone outcrops in Ha Long Bay , usually visited from the resort town of Bai Chay , but more interestingly approached from tiny Cat Ba Island . The little market-town of Sa Pa , set in spectacular uplands close to the Chinese border in the far northwest, makes a good base for exploring nearby ethnic minority villages. Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate , dominated by the south or southwesterly monsoon from May to September and the northeast monsoon from October to April. Overall, late September to December and March and April are the best times if you're covering the whole country, but there are distinct regional variations. In southern Vietnam and the central highlands the dry season lasts from December through April, and daytime temperatures rarely drop below 20°C in the lowlands, averaging 30°C during March, April and May.  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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Along the central coast the wet season runs from September through February, though even the dry season brings a fair quantity of rain; temperatures average 30°C from June to August. Typhoons can hit the coast around Hue in April and May and the northern coast from July to November, when flooding is a regular occurence. Hanoi and Northern Vietnam are generally hot (30°C) and very wet during the summer, warm and sunny from October to December, then cold and misty until March.
Your Tips For Vietnam
hotel ratesrichard says "whats the average rate in usd"
Cao Son travel guideantonia says "Cao Son is one of the most stunning parts of Lao Cai province. The wonder of Cao Son is ever inspirational with mild weather, authentic culture of local hill tribes and spectacular landscapes of ascending rigid mountains bordering river valleys with terraced hills full of rice paddies for as far as the eye can see
Location:
Cao Son is located on the elevation of 1600m.
420km far from Hanoi
80km far from Lao Cai city
120km far from Sapa
What to see in Cao Son:
- Hill tribes market: Coc ly market, Cao Son market, Lung Khau Nhin market, Muong Khuong market, Pha Long market
- Go green: Monkey forest, Lapantan forest, Tin Thang forest, Cao Son forest.
- Adventure: caving, rafting, mountain biking, trekking
- Cultural interact: enjoy the colorful culture of Flower Hmong, Dzao, Nung, Pazi, ...
Where to stay:
- Cao Son Ecolodge ( www.caoson-eco-lodge.com)
- Muong Khuong guest house
- Homestay with local people ( booked via cao son ecolodge)
When to travel:
- Best time: all the year round, more rainy in June.
How to travel:
- Taking overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai then a car to Cao Son.
- Booking car directly rom Hanoi"
Famous Full Moon Festival i Hoian -Vietnamhoiantravelspace says "Famous Full Moon Festival
First thing to note is it's not like the full moon parties in Thailand. Ok? The Full Moon Festival is held on every 14th day of the lunar month. Under the light of the full moon, Hoi An becomes one big centre stage where all the locals & tourists come out and participate in reviving the golden days of prosperity and folklore with music, plays & parties. They shut down the streets in the old town to all motorbikes, so it''s safe to roam around and gaze at the lovely shop fronts full of brightly coloured lanterns. Great time to have a meal in one of the many open restaurants. Very romantic!
More of the important festivals that are celebrated in Hoi An are listed below. Some of the dates are vague because they are based on the lunar calendar.
Feb 17-19: Tet Festival (Vietnam New Year)
April 30th: Liberation Day (Liberation of Saigon ''75)
Mid July: All Souls Day (Pray for wandering souls)
September 2nd: National Day (Hochi''s speech ''45)
October 1st-9th: Autumn Festival (Dragon Dancing)
For detail information:
hoianvietnamtours. com
hoiantravels. com
huevietnamtours. com"
Ha Long trip report 2009halongbaytravels.com says "We slept okay but not great – the time difference was stil making
sleeping through the night difficult. Up at 5 AM – plenty of time for
pushups, shower, internet, breakfast and check-out. While we were
ready for our driver at 8 AM, we weren't sure which side of the hotel
he would come to. As it turned out, he came to the Classic Wing 20
minutes late, but we were traveling light so no big deal. What was a
big deal was that I had reserved a 7-seat SUV for all of our travels
and while the car that showed up was spacious, it was not what we had
paid for. We did not have enough time to organize a switch but I did
ask our driver to get in touch with Tonkin so that we would be assured
of having a large vehicle for the rough roads in the Sapa area a few
days later. After a few calls back and forth, the driver handed me his
cell so I could speak with Hien at Tonkin Travel who apologized for
the confusion and told me that everything was all set for Sapa.
The driver made one stop along the way at a big souvenir emporium for
tourists. We appreciated the bathroom break and Jeane browsed quickly.
She saw a small red lacquerware vase that she really liked and I told
her to buy it, since she might not see it again. Good call. 15 minutes
later we were moving again. We arrived at the cruise waiting area just
shortly before noon. I neglected to mention that we were originally
booked in the single suite on the Valentine, a small ship with only 5
rooms, including the suite. Unfortunately, I had received an e-mail
from Tonkin two days prior saying it was not to be and that Indochina
Sails had offered an alternative, a suite on the brand new (but
larger) Indochina Sails III. Tonkin felt that I should go for it only
if we could do it at half price to compensate and I agreed. Indochina
Sails also arranged for a bottle of Chilean Red in our suite for our
troubles.
From the waiting area there is a shuttle boat to take passengers to
the ship. We departed just before 12:30. After boarding the ship,
orientation and check-in were relatively quick and painless. While the
ship was bigger than we would have liked, our a/c suite was very nice
– king size bed, rain forest shower, plus a jacuzzi bath and a small
private deck. There was also a safe and a minibar in the room. Lunch
was the first activity of the cruise and it was an international/
Vietnamese set menu, not a buffet. Very nice. The price of the cruise
was all inclusive, except for drinks and kayaking. Wine by the bottle
was pricey but normal drinks and wine by the glass were reasonable.
There were two afternoon activities – first, a trip to Titop Island,
named after a Soviet astronaut who visited there with Ho Chi Minh and
second, kayaking at the Hang Doi Bat Cave area. It was pretty overcast
with a few rain drops as we climbed the several hundred steps to the
top of the mountain on Titop Island. In spite of the haze, the views
were pretty good so we took some photos. The late afternoon kayaking
was better – the ship's guide was helpful, we were in a good group and
the skies had cleared somewhat. The lagoon and surrounding waters are
very quiet – it was nice to get away from it all as Halong Bay had
been very busy. Our guide took some great photos of Jeane and I in our
kayak. Kayaking cost $10US extra per person.
Back on the ship, we relaxed with our own cocktails in the room as we
cruised toward our anchoring destination for the night. Afterward, we
enjoyed a food carving demonstration, followed by a nice buffet
dinner. We skipped the movie afterward, "The Quiet American" (I have
it on DVD at home) and turned in early.
We awoke at about 5:30 the next morning (Sunday, 4/12), showered and
got ready for the day. The ship pulled up its anchor shortly
thereafter and we headed towards our next destination, a small fishing
village and the Surprise Cave. Coffee and pastries were put out at
6:45. Jeane and I entertained ourselves by photographing the fishing
village while we waited for the 8 AM transfer to the Cave. We spent
about an hour at the cave, which is actually a series of 3 large caves
with the “surprise” being the size and scope of it all. The caves were
enhanced with artificial lighting. Steps and handrails were in place
where it was necessary to climb. The ship's guide gave us some history
of the caves and pointed out the various formations inside.
We returned to the ship for our final meal, a buffet breakfast which
included omelets made to order – not as good as the Metropole's buffet
but fine none-the-less. The ship's crew requested that we put out our
larger bags before breakfast for transfer to the pier. After breakfast
we returned to our room to find that housekeeping was already starting
to clean it. We used the public facilities instead and retired to the
sundeck to relax and settle our bill while we approached the pier.
Our driver was waiting for us at the pier and the ship's guide helped
us with our bags. I gave him a tip and bid him farewell. The one-
night, two day cruise had been just perfect. We would not have wanted
to stay an additional night. The return drive was fairly quick and
uneventful. We made the obligatory stop at the overpriced souvenir
place but did not linger. I think Jeane would have liked to have spent
more time there but I just don't care for these places on principle.
"
Travel to Sapasapatravelspace.com says "Boasting sublime unspoiled beauty, from rolling verdant hills to
spectacular terraced fields, Sa Pa is a mix of natural wonder.
Pa Cheo farmers cultivate rice
Near the Chinese border in the northwest province of Lao Cai and
around 376 kilometers from Hanoi, Sa Pa, founded as a scenic resort by
the French in 1903, is best known for its wild, unspoiled landscapes.
Sa Pa’s scenic highlights include Hoang Lien Son National Park and the
awe-inspiring 3,143-meter-high Mount Fan Si Pan – the highest mountain
peak in Indochina. Every year, the area attracts thousands of tourists
from all over the world who come to marvel at Sa Pa’s lush vegetation
and spectacular scenery.
Nestled around 1,600 meters above sea level, Sa Pa is cloud-covered
and cool year-round, with occasional snowfalls in the winter.
It is said that visitors who come to Sa Pa in the summer can
experience up to three seasons in a single day. In the morning and
afternoon, the weather is cool like that in the spring and autumn,
while at noon, it is as sunny and cloudless as a warm summer’s day.
Visitors often travel to the city of Lao Cai by train before heading
by coach to Sa Pa. Upon arrival, tourists can learn about the area’s
sprawling rice paddies and observe the ethnic H’Mong and Dao peoples
who wear a brilliant array of colorful, traditional clothing.
"
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