Many of today’s travellers are beginning to focus their attention on southeast Asia, and more and more people are discovering the delights of Vietnam. Tours around the country are now quite established and a well-beaten track has already emerged, criss-crossing the country and taking in the most popular tourists sites. If you’re a more intrepid traveller, you might want to find out about some of the lesser-known delights of the country. After all, it’s often the places you hadn’t expected to discover that are the ones that last longest in the memory. Here is a brief rundown of a couple of places you may want to explore that come highly recommended by those in the know.
Da Nang
An interesting city that is too often unfairly overlooked, Da Nang is the fifth largest in Vietnam. Tours including this city can satisfy a number of different desires for travellers. Those who want a slice of the vibrant and intense street markets that are a trademark of this part of the world should head to the Han Market, located in the city centre near to the western bank of the Han River. This is the place for those who want to shop for items such as clothing, jewellery, food, tea and wine, as well as silk and flowers.
Da Nang is also a great place to head to for those who are seeking out some beach-life. Considered one of the most beautiful in the world, China Beach was one of the highlights for Americans based in the country during the protracted war. It’s not geared up for the tourist trade like some of the other destinations in the country, but this is often a selling point rather than any kind of negative. The proximity of the beach also means that the city is home to some of the finest seafood you could hope to sample in the region.
Hon Gai
There’s one thing most people agree on when they visit Vietnam: tours along the country’s highways aren’t the highlight of their holiday. However, the Hon Gai Peninsula might just be an exception to this. In fact one of the most picturesque places you could ever hope to visit, the region around the Hon Gai Peninsula is well worth a visit, even if it requires a trip along the less salubrious Highway number 1. If you’ve never experienced sand dunes the height of a house [and not many of us have], then you’ve got a treat in store if you make it up to Hon Gai. There are plenty of photo opportunities for the creatively minded. Hon Gai is another place where the tourist infrastructure is still a work in progress, but when somewhere is this beautiful and unspoilt, you really won’t mind.
