Blocs Blocs

cruise in Ha Long bay

Amazing time with emotion cruise in Ha Long bay
We, the two girls have done a 2-day/ 1-night Ha Long bay trip with Darian Culbert, and it is amazing experience. There were only 18 of us on a big luxurious boat – Emotion Cruise. Its outside color and decorations looks new and striking. When we came inside the cruise, we were warmly welcomed by friendly waiters and waitresses. I recognized many pictures along the passage. They look old, traditional and interesting.
Our lunch was a set menu with 9 dishes for everyone. Foods were good and nice decorated. I really enjoyed the buffet dinner. There was a variety of food and fruits. The foods were delicious and abundant. In the afternoon of the first day, we visit surprising cave. The stalactite shaped interesting animals and human beings. Then we headed for kayaking. The young boys from Italy, they were so interested in kayaking. They were eager and energetic to row the kayaks to far distance. For two of us, we are so scared of water, so we didn’t do kayaking. But we saw the others did it. Some didn’t know how to paddle kayaks, they looked very funny.
The evening was a very nice time for us relaxing on sundecks. Wind blew strongly at night, so I felt the sense of flying to the stars. The weather was not good the 1st day. It was cloudy all the time and we couldn’t hunt impressive pictures. However, the sun shone early morning the second day. We were crazily happy about it. The bay was lightened up and everything seemed amazing: high consecutive big rock mountains, green water and white blue sky. We took lots of wonderful pictures of the bay. So enjoyable!
I also love Tai chi practice early morning. If I didn’t do it, I would stay long in bed as my usual Sundays and miss the breathtaking fresh air of the bay. After a slight breakfast with bread and coffee, we joined spring roll cooking lesson. This was the second time my friend tasted the dish and she truly loved it. It was great she could make it herself. For me, I seem to taste the flavor of the heaven. It is so special, so delicious when relaxing on sundecks and having them. The sense of relaxation! The sense of enjoyment! Great! Amazed!
 
Next, departing from convenient sundecks, we continued an interesting journey to Ba Hang fishing village. We got in small boats going through Luon cave. The cave is actually two wide low holes between water and limestone. The farther we went, the cooler it was. I loved it really cool. Here I took very meaningful pictures of a 73 years old man rowing a boat of six young guys. He looked industrious and enthusiastic.
The whole tour on the cruise, we were guided by a humorous energetic man – Mr Hung. He told us about the village in very details. So, I had a deep look of people living here. They were highly admirable. I saw many middle- aged women who paddled the goods boat to sell to tourists in the bay. They looked simple and smiled friendly.
Coming back from the village, we enjoyed a buffet brunch. Again, I loved the food so much. I was impressed by the deep care and great hospitality of the cruise staff, who always asked us those questions: “how did you sleep, how the food is, do you enjoy it, how is the bay” and so on… with sparkling bright smiles.
I also loved making friends with people from Vietnam, Europe, America and Malaysia on the cruise. Chatting with them several times was great. Thanks to the tour including Vietnam visa service, I have some more friends. I hope to talk with them more when we come back. All in all, the tour is the most memorable that I have had. I understand more about Vietnamese people and like them a lot. They are simple friendly and working very hard.

Source: getvietnamvisa.com

Travel to Hoi An Vietnam

My cousin studied in Hoi An for two months in 2019, and he'll tell you all about Hoi An. All tips and advice about this town are his. Old Town is the heart of Hoi An and unsurprisingly it's an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Walking around in Old Town, is like stepping into colonial time. French colonial time to be exact. What I love about Hoi An is the peacefulness and the historical feel, delicious food and nice beaches. And speaking of beaches; there are basically two beaches in Hoi An, called An Bang Beach and Cuai Dai beach. My day started with a bicycle ride in the morning to our cultural study center passing long stretches of rice paddies along the way. The study center was close to Cuai Dai beach - my all-time favorite - so it was perfect!
 
After studies, me and a couple of friends would head out Cuai Dai and spend the rest of the day sunbathing and swimming. And maybe a little reading, yeah well that didn't happen very often. Cuai Dai beach was our little paradise away from the touts and large packs of tourists. White-sand beach surrounded by crystal clear water. It wasn't all clean to tell you the truth, but it's not overly polluted. An Bang Beach on the other hand, is where most travelers and tourists hang out and you can book a room at hotels in Hoi An online. Here you have access to typical beach amenities like sun beds and sun umbrellas, and of course there are restaurants here too.
 
How to get to Hoi An
By air:
The closest airport to Hoi An is near Da Nang, called Da Nang International airport and tourists can apply Vietnam visa on arrival and get visa here. Da Nang airport is about 30 minutes from Hoi An, and 5 minutes from downtown Da Nang.
In February 2018, I flew from Hanoi to Da Nang with Vietnam Airlines which was OK. The flight took about an hour. After flying with Aeroflot from Moscow to Hanoi, the flight with Vietnam Airlines was 'heaven' compared to Aeroflot. It felt safer (PS: I thought I was going to die after the Aeroflot plane left Moscow. There was turbulence for at least an hour!)
From the airport's arrival terminal, you have these options:
Go to the taxi desk at the arrival terminal and arrange a taxi to Hoi An. We paid like 320,000 VND ($15) to our hotel in Hoi An. You might try Mai Linh taxi company which has a good reputation.
An ordinary taxi or a motorbike taxi to Da Nang's Intercity Bus Station, and then the local bus from Da Nang to Hoi An. Buses ply the route between Hoi An and Da Nang, so no need to worry about it. A local bus ticket is 15,000 VND. The local bus will drop you off at Hoi An bus station, in the outskirts of Hoi An center. Taking a local bus can be interesting; many pit-stops and to make up for the lost time they sometimes drive like satan. It took us about 40 minutes to get to Hoi An by local bus.
 
By bus:
Local buses drop you off at Hoi An's bus station. If you arrange a bus with a tour company, the bus will drop you off in different parts of Hoi An. If you need a specific location contact the bus company.
Hue: 5-6 hours, Mui Ne: 17 hours, Dalat: 18 hours, Nha Trang: 12 hours, Saigon (22 hours). Of course, buses booked by tour companies are normally faster and effortless than local buses. As an example; we booked a sleeping bus in Hoi An to Hue ($10). Instead of 5-6 hours, the bus arrived in Hue in 3,5 hours.
 
By train:
The closest train station to Hoi An is in Da Nang. Grab a taxi at the train station. Expect to pay about $15 for the ride.
 
Train Information for Saigon
In my opinion, it's more convenient to take the train from Da Nang to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) than taking the bus.
SE1 is one of the fastest trains and will get you to Saigon in about 17 hours.
SE1, SE2, SE3 and SE4 are the best trains as they have air-conditioned sleepers and soft seats. The other train types don't have soft sleepers. You might consider soft sleeper since the ride to Ho Chi Minh will take you a while. We don't regret buying these tickets even though they weren't the cheapest.
I love taking the train in Vietnam since I always seem to get to know locals.
During the ride from Da Nang to Saigon, I got to know a nice Vietnamese lady on the train to Saigon, who was a professor at the University. She told us that at the end of Tet (Vietnamese New Year), the trains were so full that people had to stand in the aisle.
 
Getting around Hoi An Vietnam
In Hoi An, you'll have to rely on bicycles or motorbikes because for some reason, larger vehicles are not allowed in Hoi An center. Renting a motorbike for the day cost 80,000 VND (= $3-4) and a full tank of gasoline cost about 40,000 VND, so in total - 120,000 VND (= $5-6). Bicycle rent per day: 20,000 VND
And please, for your budget's sake, don't fill up the tank at gasoline stations in or near Hoi An. Some of these guys at the stations are sneaky. When they fill up the tank the price starts at 0, but suddenly jumps to 140,000 VND. I asked the guy why it was so expensive, but he didn't answer. I didn't want to argue with him, so I let it go. But as we drove further away from Hoi An town, we got a full tank at 40,000 VND.

Exploring the vivaciousness of Vietnam

Exploring the vivaciousness of Vietnam
There are a number of reasons people choose their vacation spots. Maybe you’ve heard it has the best beach in the world, or the hottest nightlife, or the greatest shopping. I remember when I first went to Rio, it was because it held a kind of cultural mystique like no other city. Visiting Peru was all about seeing Machu Picchu, whose pictures had haunted me since I was a kid. And my desire to go on safari was born long before I ever saw “The Lion King.”
But my desire to visit Viet Nam came for one reason: a good friend of mine who travels more than anyone I know said that it was her favorite place she’d ever been. I had to see why. As a small child, I associated Viet Nam with images of war, pain, and destruction, and I knew that tourism in Viet Nam had undergone a renaissance over the past 15 years. I was right.
My journey would take me to Saigon, the Mekong Delta, Hoi An, Halong Bay, and Hanoi, which comprised the perfect combination of experiences in this incredible country. I have applied Vietnam visa online and get my visa at Tan Son Nhat airport in Saigon. 
Saigon offers a culinary scene that rivals some of the best cities in the world, with its mix of French, local, and fusion dishes. Our tour group had a passionfruit sauce on the first day that were still talking about by the end of the trip. Of course, one of the most interesting things one can do in Saigon is take a trip through the Mekong Delta, visiting local communities and passing gorgeous tropical countryside from the comfort of a chic, teak boat.

Back in Saigon, the city is yours to take in a vibrant ever-changing nightlife, offering some of Asia’s hippest, newest venues. Everyone in Viet Nam takes motorcycles and Vespas, and so, always wanting to do like the locals do, we took Vespas to dinner at an exquisite French restaurant.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is also home the one of Viet Nam’s most visited sites, the War Remnants Museum. Take everything you know about the Viet Nam War, flip it upside down, and add perhaps the most visually disturbing photos you have ever seen in your life, and you’ll know you’re in the right spot. You will also see some of the actual telecommunications offices from the war. The Museum’s collection is well laid out, and taking in the collection can be a very emotional experience. You will come away with a new understanding of the Viet Nam War, and a greater appreciation of the resilience, strength, and kindness of the people.
From Saigon, we took a short flight to Danang, and drove just a few minutes to one of the most charming cities in Viet Nam, Hoi An, famous for the TV show “China Beach” and for its silk lanterns which ignite the small streets at night in vibrant luminescent color. This place abounds with stunning hotels, and ours was located right on China Beach. My room was about 4 times the size of my apartment I used to share in New York City, with its own large plunge pool. Complimentary massages were also available whenever I wanted. Somehow, I managed to pull myself away from this oasis, and enjoyed some fantastic shopping in town. Of course, I had to buy some silk lanterns, and I also bought silk ties and some incredible art made by a local artist.

One of the great things you can do in Hoi An is enjoy a cooking class, which we did. I was so busy filming the cooking that my own creations failed in comparison to my cook-mates, and I had to cheat off the woman next to me. Ah, it was just like being in high school again. Seriously, we made some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten, and I can’t wait to try out these recipes back home. One of the most interesting things we learned was for one of our dishes, they differentiate between pork for the locals and pork for tourists. Our “tourist” pork was clean and lean, whereas the pork for the locals is full of fat. Our teach-chef told us that if either gets the wrong pork, they will complain.
After significantly helping the local economy, we flew to Hanoi and drove a few hours to famous Halong Bay. You may not have heard of Halong Bay, but if you have seen any tourist photos of Viet Nam lately, you’ve definitely seen it. Our overnight cruise took us past fellow boats with brights yellow jagged sail, reminiscent of bat wings and tremendous limestone peaks that seemed to sprout from the calm waters and exalt to the Heavens.
Our cruise lacked for nothing, with nice sized rooms, beautiful common spaces, and terrific local cuisine. By day we visited ancient caves that once held cities what went deep inside the limestone mountains and various grottos and wilderness preserves rich with wildlife.

At night we had a grand Vietnamese Bar B Q and drunks on the top of the boat, with the lights of follow boats and the dark shadows of the enormous peaks as our backdrop.
We disembarked the next day and drove back to Hanoi where we immediately got on cycles to immerse ourselves in the historic old town section. Cyclos are a great want to kick back on a comfy seat and enjoy the town, weaving in and out of little winding streets, while your pedaler behind you takes care of the momentum. We passed by people cooking lunch on the street for local businessmen, fellow cyclists carrying so many bundles of fresh flowers that you couldn’t see the pedaler, and numerous shops selling virtually anything you can imagine.
Even though I spent most of my day sitting, as the city came alive before me, I somehow worked up an appetite and for our last exquisite dinner in Viet Nam we dined in a garden outside the gorgeous Hanoi Opera House, which was celebrating its 100-year anniversary that night. Of course, this was after cocktails in a large art gallery nearby, where we entered to little girls throwing flower petals for our arrival.
These people really know how to make one feel special. the art in this gallery was remarkable, and we all kept commenting how we could easily see 20 or more pieces looking beautiful adorning our walls back home. Fortunately for my bank account, my will power held out and I didn’t buy anything, but admittedly, there is one piece that is still haunting my memory. But I did take the shopkeepers card…

Source: www.dulichso.com