Top Da Nang, Vietnam destinations and holiday recommendations? Ha Long Bay is situated in north Vietnam round a 120 kilometer long coast line and is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay features thousands of islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others islands include lakes and some support floating villages of fishermen. Discover more information at https://tourdulichgiare.com.vn/tour-da-nang-4-ngay-3-dem/.
Hoi An Ancient Town offers a breathtaking mix of ornate Chinese temples, a Japanese-designed bridge, wooden shop-houses, French-colonial houses, and old canals. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, most of the old shops have been carefully converted to modern businesses aimed at tourists including countless tailors, souvenir shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafés. An entrance fee of VND 120,000 is required for foreign tourists and VND 80,000 for locals – each ticket is valid for 10 days and covers entrance to entrance to Hoi An Ancient Town, six points of interest, and street entertainment (folk dancing, singing, and traditional games).
Wartime legacies are prominent attractions in Ho Chi Minh City and these two museums are the most popular, equally fascinating, and a must-do experience. The imposing Independence Palace (or Reunification Palace) is of great symbolic importance in the nation’s history. Formerly, the South Vietnam government’s HQ and official presidential residence, this was where North Vietnamese Army tanks crashed through the main gates on April 30, 1975: the defining ‘Fall of Saigon’ moment and the start of Reunification. Now a ‘National Cultural and Historical Relic,’ museum and VIP function space, this landmark monolith building, ensconced in pretty grounds, stands frozen in time from that fateful day. Take a guided tour through five floors and rooms preserved in the 1960s and 1970s time-warp: highlights include the bomb-proof basement, with secret tunnels and war command room, kitschy cinema and casino, and glittering reception halls.
Traditional water puppetry originated in the North’s Red River Delta, where for centuries, farmers practiced this recreational art form in flooded paddies. Handed down the generations, this unique puppetry nearly died out but has seen a huge revival, recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage and performed in theatres in major cities and award-winning international tours. Hidden behind a bamboo screen, puppeteers manipulate lacquered wooden puppets using rods while wading in waist-deep water, which act out traditional stories based on ancient folk tales and rural village life on an ever-changing, watery stage, The hour-long shows of short vignettes are accompanied by live traditional music and while all in Vietnamese, the comical, delightful puppetry and music keeps the audience enthralled. In Hanoi, book your tickets at the world-famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theater and in Ho Chi Minh City, at The Golden Dragon Water Puppetry Theater or Museum of Vietnamese History.
Beautiful Hoi An is the most atmospheric city in Vietnam, with bags of surviving historic architecture. The old town quarter is a joy to explore, packed to the brim with well-preserved merchant houses that hark back to Hoi An’s trading center heyday of the 15th century, when the town was a major meeting point for Japanese and Chinese merchants who flocked here for the local silks. Plenty of the old merchant houses have been opened to the public, so you can get a taste of these times. The best is 17th-century Tan Ky House, with fascinating architectural and decorative elements. Hoi An’s major symbol is the delightful Japanese Bridge at the western end of Tran Phu Street, while nearby, the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation is the old town’s most highly decorated temple. There are numerous small pagodas and museums dotted about town, but Hoi An’s true charm is found in simply rambling the old town streets admiring the well-preserved facades.