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SOUTH VIET NAM & MEKONG DELTA
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Ho Chi Minh city (Ex-Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon) is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It's a
bustling, dynamic and industrious centre, the largest city, the
economic capital and the cultural trendsetter. The streets, where
much of the city's life takes place, is a myriad of shops, stalls,
stands-on-wheels and vendors selling wares spread out on sidewalks.
Within the teeming metropolis are the timeless traditions and
beauty of an ancient culture. Sights include the Giac Lam Pagoda, the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral,
Reunification Hall, Cholon market and the former US embassy, scene of such havoc during the 1975 evacuations.
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Central Market The Ben Thanh Market, formerly the main railway terminal, is
the largest of the markets scattered throughout the city.
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Cu Chi Tunnels This extensive
network of nearly 500 km of Viet Cong tunnels used in the French
Indochina and American wars. The tunnels have complete facilities,
from kitchens to printing presses and even street signs, all of
which were used to aid the NLF (National Liberation Front)
military. Tours involve a description of the tunnels, after which
tourists are allowed to crawl about the maze. Located in Tay Ninh a
suburb it is 39km northwest of central Ho Chi Minh City
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Dong Nai
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Cat Tien National
Park Cat Tien
National Park is located
in three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc. Cat Tien National
Park has a diversified topography with hills along the banks, plains and sloping
flows. So far, in Cat Tien
Park, 1,610
kinds of flora have been classified which belong to 75 species, 162
families and 724 branches, many of them listed in the Red Book
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Vung
Tau-Long Hai
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Vung Tau Beach
Located at the mouth of the Saigon River
is the popular Vung Tau beach resort. Pineapple Beach is probably the most pleasant, with its villas and
genericly tranquil atmosphere. The temples are a definite must-see . Long Hai is located about 30 km east of
Vung Tau, and is somewhat noisy due to the many karaoke bars in the
area at night but if you don't mind the evening disturbance
(that goes on till about midnight) then the area can be very
pleasant
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Binh Chau
Thermal Springs are located 70km east of Vung Tau
City.
Covering an area of 1km2, Binh Chau Thermal Springs
consist of many lakes and ponds joining through an underground pool
of mineral water coming from a network of 70 main sources. The hot
water is used for its medicinal values; water that is 73ºC is led
to pools used to cure skin diseases and rheumatism .The water
temperature reaches up to 80ºC, a temperature at which an egg can
be boiled in 10 minutes
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Tay Ninh
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Cao Dai Great
Temple is the
cathedral of the Cao Dai religion. The temple, built between 1933
and 1955, is located more specifically in Long Hoa, 5-km southeast
of Tay Ninh. The Great Temple is 140 m long
and 40 m wide. It has 4 towers each with a different name: Tam
Dai, Hiep Thien Dai, Cuu Trung Dai, and Bat Quai Dai. The interior
of the temple consists of a colonnaded hall and a sanctuary. The 2
rows of columns are decorated with dragons and are coated in white,
red, and blue paint. The domed ceiling is divided into 9 parts
similar to a night sky full of stars and symbolizing heaven. Under
the dome is a giant star-speckled blue globe on which is painted
the Divine Eye, the official symbol of Caodaism. Cao Dai
followers worship Jesus Christ, Confucius, Taoism, and Buddha
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The Mekong
Delta
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Thoi Son
Island, accessible by a
45-minute boat ride on the Mekong
River from Mytho, is
located in Tien
Giang Province , The path through the island is bordered with
fruit trees bearing plums, mangoes, and longans. Visitors will also
enjoy Con
Phung Island, Vinh Trang Pagoda,
and coconut sweets and jams.
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Cai Mon orchard is
located on the bank of the Tien River in the village of Tien Thuy
in the Chau Thanh District, Ben Tre province . It is considered the
cradle of fruit trees in South Vietnam, with
fruit ready for visitors in any season. Cai Mon’s professional
village annually supplies millions of products, such as durians,
mangosteens, mangoes and longans.There are also artists who use grafting
techniques to create fantastic ornamental plants is the shapes of
deer, dragons or phoenixes
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The island of An
Binh-Binh
Hoa emerges from the middle of the Tien
River, just opposite to
the town of Vinh Long.
The island’s area covers around 60 sq. km and has four villages: An
Binh, Binh Hoa Phuoc, Hoa Ninh and Dong Phu. Its soil is fertile
and rice, and there is fresh water and fruit trees. Some of the
attractions include Boat
Trips that take you across the water or through the local canals
on many interesting sightseeing , visit
and enjoy the tropical fruits such as longans, grapefruits and
sapoches with hundreds of various ornamental plants: yellow
apricots, chieu thuy plums and jasmine. Llongan and mango
tree gardens and fish ponds are all around the garden
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Ba Om Pool, also called Ao Vuong,
lies in Ta Cu Quarter in Nguyet
Hoa Village.
The pool, covering an approximate area of 10 ha, lies along
the National Highway 53, 7 km southwest of Tra Vinh.The pool
consists of limpid and calm water surrounded with sand dunes. The
air around the pool is healthy and fresh
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Floating markets are the Delta's prime attractions of Can Tho
. Early each morning the Bassac River
and its tributaries swell with vendors in sampans, houseboats and
longtails jammed with fresh Delta produce: jackfruit, mangosteen,
durian, papaya, mango, bananas, pineapple, guava, fresh vegetables
and smuggled sundries from cigarettes to shampoo. The famous
floatting markets is Cai Rang and Phong Dien on the Nga Bay river ,
but the best market to visit is Phung Hiep , about 30 km south of
Can Tho in Phung Hiep town
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Doi Pagoda (Bat Pagoda) is located on Le Hong Phong St.,
2km from downtown Soc Trang, Soc Trang
Province. It
also called Ma Toc Pagoda, or Mahatuc Pagoda was built during the
16th century, and it has been renovated several times
since. The pagoda is famous for its beautiful architecture,
especially its very large roof that houses tens of thousands of
bats. They cling to tree branches all day, fly away at night to
seek food, and return the following morning. The bats never eat the
fruit in the garden
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Xeo Quyt belongs to two Commune
of My Hiep and My Long, Cao Lanh District. With the 20 ha cajeput
forest of present-day Xeo Quyt has been reclaimed and become an
attractive historical and ecological tourist site in the southern delta . The cajeput forests,
submerged in the red brown water, are an ideal habitation for
numerous kinds of birds, fish and wild animals, typical for the
tropical region . To visit the boundless
watery cajeput forest in the Plain of Reeds during the wet season
by boat is really an interesting excursion. Boating in the cajeput forest of Xeo Quyt requires a lot of
skill. To move forward, the boat glides between cajeput trees,
whose roots are rough and covered with a brown and thin multi-layer
skin. The air is cool and humid and has the fragrance of the
cajeput flowers and latex. Now and then, a bird singing or fish
splashing produces a sudden sound that echoes amid the quiet
environment.
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Tay An Co
Tu Pagoda Lying
on one side of the Sam Mountain, Chau Doc
Town, An Giang Province. Tay
An is an ancient pagoda with a mixture of Vietnamese and Asian
architectural styles
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Ba Chua Xu
Temple At
the foot of Sam Mountain, Vinh Te Commune, Chau Doc Town, An Giang
Province. Ba Chua Xu Temple is constructed according to the Chinese
character "quoc", has 4 square roofs, roofed with blue
pile-shaped tiles
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Floatting
village and Muslim village on Tien island in the area consist of the Chau Giang Mosque and the Murbank
Mosque. There are others in the area but those mentioned are the
largest,. Visitors are permitted but
please respect the faith and do not enter them during 'calls of
prayer' which occur 5 times a day unless you are of the Islamic
faith
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U Minh forest The section of U Minh
Forest in the Kien
Giang Province is U Minh Thuong
and the other section in Camau is U Minh Ha. U Minh Forest
comprises several types of plants, the most common being mam,
mangrove, and indigo. The biological productivity of this land is
the highest among Vietnam’s
ecosystems.
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Ca Mau bird sanctuary is actually 45 km
south-east of the town in the Dam Roi District. It is a living and
gathering place of indigenous storks The birds make their nests in
tall trees and spend their mornings searching for food; the perfect
opportunity for tourists to take out the cameras
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Ha
Tien is
a seaside and fishing resort . It’s about 90km from Rach Gia Town , Ha Tien is such a delightful
location that a French film company chose it to produce the movie
"L'amant" (The Lover) in 1995. There are several
attractions in the area: Thach Dong stone grotto, a piece of green
stone emerging from the ground; Chong stone; Hon Phu Tu, Father and
Son rocks which lie approximately 100 m offshore. By boat, one
can reach Hai Tac islets, 16 islets around which the water is
4 m deep. On the coast of Hon Doc,
the largest islet, is a magnificent white
sand beach running towards the sea. Near Hon
Chong Beach is Tien
Cave that has 2 openings;
the east door on the sea and the west door, opening on Duoc Beach. Hang Pagoda is
40 m underground, somber and foggy, echoes the sounds of the
pagoda’s bell on the stone drops
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Islands offshore
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Con
Dao Island is situated in Ba Ria - Vung Tau
Province.
Originally a prison for patriots and revolutionists during the
French and American resistance . Con Dao Island
is also famous for its nice beaches shaded with evergreen trees,
fresh air, clear blue waters, and primitive forests
. The ocean around Con Dao
Island is a
heaven for sea life and the splendid forest cloaks the land. Con
Dao is one of the few places in Vietnam that is home to
rare dugong, sea turtles, and dolphins, and to varieties of orchids
found nowhere else in the country
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Phu Quoc Island is the largest island in Vietnam
and lies in the Gulf of Thailand, 45 km from Ha Tien and
15 km south of the coast of Cambodia. Phu Quoc Island,
part of Kien Giang province, is also part of an archipelago
consisting of 22 islands of all sizes. The island covers an area of
585 km2 and is 50 km long and is also called the Emerald Island because of its
natural treasures and infinite tourism potential. Phu Quoc
Island has
many historical sites on the island: National Hero Nguyen Trung Truc's military base, Gia Long King relics , Phu Quoc prison
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