I translated this through Google translate and got: ban - you; g i o c - descent; c a o - high bang - state. I must put this place on my list. But where is it? Can I travel there easily, quickly, affordably. Would I only get that view from a helicopter, not from the ground in rainy season?
Story
Friends of mine recently told me that they went on their honeymoon a couple of years ago to Cambodia where I recently had a wonderful trip. I was delighted to learn from them that the sunrise trip to see Ankor Wat, which I had missed, not wanting to ruin my holiday my making myself tired, was,in their opinion, not necessary, in fact a waste of time and effort. They said too many people got in the way of photographs. It was bad weather and the sunrise was not good.
Problems
How do you decide what to see in Vietnam? What is the layout of the land? How do you remember which place is where?
Answer
It's a long thin country, the reverse of Chile (which is a long coast down the west of South America). Vietnam is long north to south down the ease coast, so lots of beaches. Historically, Americans and British movie goers will be familiar with the Vietnam war, the names Hanoi and Saigon, and the Vietcong tunnels.
You have to choose whether to take a trip to one area or all three, south, middle and north, and if so, which season.
Simple way to remember what's where:
In the South is Saigon - now known as Ho Chi Minh city.
Up north is Hanoi.
Answers
1 Read the tourist board sites and pick your favourite places.
2 Check cheap last minute deals to the capital or another city. Check out the hop on hop of buses or cheapest guided tours and list your top ten attractions, or three per day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the evening.
3 See TripAdvisor for their top ten attractions.
4 Compromise with your fellow travellers, both pick one attraction per day, and one nearby which both of you would like to visit.
5 Whoever is paying and booking the trip decides after buying a guide book such as Lonely Planet.
6 Pick the cheapest hotel within your budget and ask the concierge to book a tour.
7 Ask your friends.
8 Ask people who live in the country. (But their trips home might only involve seeing granny and relatives.)
9 Travel with a local who speaks the language who can bargain for better prices and spot scams and dangers.
10 Pick up maps and leaflets at the airport on entering, local leaflets at hotels and nearby shops, look for and select coupons and discounts.
11 Make one sight your reason for going and treat everything else as a bonus.
12 Pick beauty spots featured on the internet.
Warnings
The featured beauty spot may depend on weather and your tolerance of isolation or crowds. I don't like big crowds but nor do I like to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a driver who is a complete stranger.
My lists:
Vietnam Sightseeing
North: Capital Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, world Heritage Site. Ha Long bay has those dramatic isolated rocks which look like double height sugar cubes.
Take two buses and a motorbike taxi to
Ban Gioc Waterfall, Cao Bang, Vietnam. See the nearby cave.
Hanoi Museums: Vietnam Women's Museum (first in TripAdvisor); Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology (second); Vietnam Military History Museum; Ho Chi Minh Museum; Hanoi Police Museum.
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), biggest city.
Cu Chi guerillas' tunnels. French Notre Dame cathedral. Museums include: Southern Women's Museum; Ho Chi Minh Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, 3D art museum.
Activities and Workshops
Kite-making or
Pottery.
Shopping
From Wikipedia:
'The áo dài is a Vietnamese national costume, now most commonly worn by women but can also be worn by men. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pants. The word is pronounced [ʔǎːw zâːj] in the North and [ʔǎːw jâːj] in the South. Áo classifies as shirt.[1] Dài means "long".'
Also look at the simplified Wikipedia. Elsewhere I read that Ao means clothing. The man's version is called Ao gam. You can also buy these from websites.
Tips and Trips on Websites
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attractions-g293924-Activities-c49-Hanoi.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hạ_Long_Bay
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Tourism-g293921-Vietnam-Vacations.html
https://www.viator.com/tours/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/Cu-Chi-Tunnels-and-Countryside-Tour-by-Luxury-Speedboat/d352-6765SGNCCCSSPEED (Trip promising speeding down the Saigon river to the war memorial park and see the entrance to the labyrinth of tunnels; riverside lunch and stop at cricket farm to try eating a cricket, and on to see rice paper being made.
Reading and re-reading and film/movie list:
Good Morning Vietnam.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.
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