Cycling
Vietnam is a perfect country for long-distance cycling because
much of the country is flat and the lack of cars makes for light
traffic. Caution is required, particularly on busier roads
since traffic can be chaotic. Bicycle hire is cheap and widely available.
Hiking
There is excellent hiking and horse riding
in the lush countryside around Da Lat. Guides are
helpful and can be hired locally. The northwest is generally the
most favourable region for hiking. Other good destinations include
Cuc Phuong National Park (near Hanoi), Bach
Ma National Park;and Lang Bian Mountain
(in Da Lat), where guides are mandatory. In the north, Ba
Be Lake National Park (which has many lakes, caves, and
waterfalls) and Cat Ba National Park on Cat Ba
Island also has beautiful scenery.
Water
sports
Vietnam features 3,260 kilometres or 2,021 miles of coastline. The well-known
beaches are Vung Tau,
located north of the Mekong Delta; and Nha
Trang, near Da Lat, where the crystal clear, blue
waters provide excellent scuba diving and snorkeling. Diving
and Snorkeling equipment is available for hire at most
beachfront resorts. Other fine beaches are Phan Thiet
(south central coast); Mui Ne Beach (famous for its huge
sand dunes); and the marvelous Ha Long Bay, where
3,000 islands, lush with plantation and dotted with beaches and grottoes,
protrude out of the Gulf of Tonkin. One can access
the islands by boats, which are available to hire in Ha Long City.
Other
Caving buffs can travel to the amazing
Pong Nha river caves, northwest of Dong Hoi. Boat trips
are very popular in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s
southernmost region, which is an elaborate network of swamps, rice
paddies, and forests joined together with rivers and canals. River
cruises can also be arranged on the Saigon River
(an excellent way to see Saigon) or the beautiful Perfume River
(near Hue).
There are plenty of opportunities to visit many of the Vietnam
War historical spots. It's possible to walk part of the Ho
Chi Minh Trail, a series of paths, trails and roads used
to transport supplies to the North Vietnamese during the war. It
stretches from North Vietnam and continued south through the Truong Son
mountains and into western Laos. The Chu Chi tunnels, 35 kilometres or 22
miles from Ho Chi Minh City, a network of narrow tunnels used by
guerrillas and villagers during the war and Vinh Moc can also be visited. |
