Vietnam is known for its plethora of stunning natural landscapes, quaint villages, museums, untouched islets, ancient citadels and colonial structures. The unique blend of the east and the west makes major cities like Hanoi and Saigon special vibes that you will fall in love with.

On your Vietnam visit, there are many things that you can do to make your visit a life time experience. Here are Best Things to do in Vietnam in Less Than 24 hours

1. Enjoying aromatic street foods

Street food is one of the best highlights of Vietnam travel that impress every single tourist and visitor. Internationally, Vietnamese food is recognized for its culinary uniqueness, aromatic flavors, and fresh ingredients. You can consider a culinary adventure to enjoy the Vietnamese flavors, colors, and textures of street food.

Saigon, the biggest city in Southern Vietnam, is considered to be the best street food capital where every night thousands of informal eateries serve hundreds of dishes to food lovers.

2.Trekking in Sapa or Fansipan

Once known as the colonial hill station, Sapa in Vietnam is the mountainous town that is located in the Northwest region. Sapa is known for its picturesque scenery such as the bamboo forests, rolling Green valleys, ethnic minority villages and patchwork terraced fields.

You can also do trekking on the Vietnam’s highest mountain, Fansipan, which is said to be one of best trekking route in less than 24 hours. While you are trekking on the mountain, ensure you have a standard backpack, for example, a sling backpack. It allows you to effortlessly shift your backpack from behind your back to the side of your hips or to your front, to give your back a rest.

3. Cycling along the countryside

You can explore the small and beautiful towns in Vietnam by riding a bike that will help in learning more about the Vietnamese culture and the lifestyle of the locals in less than 24 hours.
During your Vietnam visit, you can ride a bike to have the utmost fun and enjoyment while discovering the beautiful locations and stunning attractions. Nature lovers don’t miss on this cycle Ride as it will mark a perfect end your visit.

4. Shopping Around the market Like a Local

Local markets are one of the main attractions, which a visitor or tourist should explore. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam is a home to the most bountiful, colorful and frenzied markets in the country. In this market, you will get an opportunity to shop like a local with great bargaining skill to buy some exotic fruit.

5. Visiting the Chill Sky bar for a night treat

The great place- Chill Skybar offers the most beautiful view of Ho Chi Minh City, where you can enjoy an all night long party. If you are a party addict and want to discover the famous Vietnamese nightlife, then the Chill Skybar is the right place to explore and have fun.

6. Cruising along the Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is known as Vietnam’s Rice Bowl that has a diverse vegetative life and rugged landscape. While cruising along the Mekong Delta, you will get lost in the labyrinth of canals lined with mangrove forest, agricultural plots, and the floating markets. Drifting down these waterways has become one of the best tourist activities to do in Vietnam in less than 24 hours.

Conclusion

By booking a guided Vietnam tour, you will get a chance to enjoy a memorable holiday trip. You can rely on a reputable tour operator or agencies to get the best deals on booking a Vietnam travel or tour package to have the utmost fun and enjoyment. With a reliable tour operator, you will get the assistance of experienced guides to indulge in lovely scenery and exciting activities
to do in less than 24 hours.

About the author: Ryan Smith is a full-time traveller and founder of MrAbroad.com, where he turns his passion into interesting information for travel lovers. MrAbroad focuses on travel destinations, helpful tips&tricks. It is built to inspire you to live a life full of adventure, joy and experience.

Follow Ryan on Twitter : https://twitter.com/RyanSmi09679811

The post 6 Best Things to do on a Wonderful Vietnam Tour in less than 24 hours appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Anyone with time on their hands can make a journey through Southeast Asia that will leave them breathless. The car or bus rides in themselves are nothing to write home about but the four cities on this ride are as varied, as fascinating and as completely mind-blowing as anything you are likely to encounter, anywhere in the world.

Bangkok

The Big Mango or City of Angels as it is called in the Land of Smiles, Thailand, is as wild and whacky a place as you’ll find. Some amazing temple sites, arguably the finest cuisine in the world, the wildest nightlife on the planet and hundreds of terrific hotels. The Chao Phraya River that flows through the city is a thoroughfare and trade route that has supplied the city since it was founded. Its Thai name is the longest name of any city in the world. Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit is known by locals, simply as Krungthep. The full name means city of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Visvakarman at Indra’s behest.

This is no ordinary city. Its notorious nightlife is centred around three distinct areas, Patpong, Nana and Soi Cowboy. It is estimated that there are 400,000 working girls in Bangkok. Of course some of these are not girls in every sense of the word. Thailand’s Ladyboys are famous throughout the world. Successive governments keep saying they will clean up the Bangkok’s lurid reputation, but it always carries on regardless.

The food here is astonishingly good. Many rightly claim that Bangkok has the best street food in the world, and it is hard to argue. Take a riverboat trip to see the amazing temples of Wat Arun and Wat Phrakaeo and you will pass some of the city’s finest five star hotels as you sail by. The nighttime diner cruises are very popular and a great way to spend an evening.

Just about 6 hours away by road and you’ll be in:

Siem Reap

You will have to encounter one of the weirdest border crossings imaginable, in order to get there, but it is worth the trip. The Thai border town is Aranyaprathet and it’s a quiet sleepy border town like any other. Pass into no man’s land between the two countries and you are in something that looks like the set of Blade Runner. Poipet on the Cambodian side is even worse. Dust filled in the dry season and ankle deep in mud in the wet, it is a terrible introduction to a wonderful country. I have never understood why they don’t at least try and do something with it. Still from here one of my favourite towns in the world is not far away.

Siem Reap is a languid, tranquil frontier town where the pace of life seems slower than anywhere else. It is famous of course for the incredible temple complex of Angkor. Angkor Wat is the largest religious temple in the world and the whole complex of Angkor Thom is breathtakingly beautiful. This area really is spoilt for choice when it comes to temples. Angkor Wat will always be the star of the show but for me Ta Phrom and the Bayon are just as terrific in their own right.

Right on the doorstep here of course is The Tonlé Sap waterway system. A lake and river of the same name this is one of the most amazing waterways in the world. In the dry season it is 3 feet deep and covers and area of a thousand square miles. Come the monsoon rains and the river changes direction, whilst the lake becomes 30 feet deep and covers an astonishing sixteen thousand square miles, making it the largest lake in Asia.

Six hours south of here and you arrive in:

Phnom Penh

This fabulous old colonial French city sits at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers. It must have been amazing in its heyday, but the crumbling facades on Sisowath Quay are a shadow of their former glory. For me though this simply makes it more interesting. It has the look and feel of an old cowboy town. Ageing U.S. Vietnam Vets propping up the bars in any number of the town’s increasing number of girlie bars merely adds to that flavour. This really is the Wild East!

The Riverfront restaurants are great places in which to sit and watch the world go by. The French influence here is strong and is reflected in the bars and restaurants. But that is not to say that’s all there are. Irish bars, English pubs, European style wine bars and restaurants of every colour are to be found here. I think Phnom Penh is unlike any other place I’ve ever been.

Even in the heart of the city, some of the streets are unsealed and unlit at night. Barefoot children beg for scraps and the local tuk tuk drivers constantly pester for clients. It is like going back in time. And speaking of going back in time, the nearby Killing Fields and S-21 death camp makes for a sobering trip back to the days of Pol Pot’s reign of terror. These people have suffered unimaginable horror and still manage to remain the most pleasant, happy and friendly people I can think of.

7 hours and another border crossing brings you to:

Ho Chi Minh City

The more romantically named Saigon changed its name following the end of the war in 1975. When the tanks crashed through the gates of the Royal Palace on April 30th that year, it signalled the end of the war and the end of the old city name; a shame in any ways, as few city names on earth conjure up the magic and mystery of Saigon.

This is a fabulous city in every meaning of the word. Massive glass towers, ancient Chinese style structures and wonderful French colonial buildings, all rub shoulders in a chaotic, riot of noise and wonderment. It is also one of the greenest cities in Asia with tree-lined boulevards running through its heart.

Motorbikes rule here, there are around 4 million of them and the chaos in the rush hour has to be seen to be believed. Somehow though, it all works. It is astonishing. In the midst of all this old world madness there is a thoroughly modern city waiting to greet you. It has fabulous restaurants and bars, amazing shopping, terrific culture and at its heart the wonderful Vietnamese people. If there is a more beautiful, traditional, national dress anywhere on earth than the Ao Dai then I haven’t seen it, and women of all ages will wear it. To see young women walking through the city centre wearing it is a delight. Elegant, respectful yet sexy, it is the epitome of style.

So there you are about a day on the road, and four incredible Southeast Asian Cities. This region is truly beautiful.

About the author: Keith Hancock  is owner and writer for InSeAsia.com. Following a highly successful 25-year career as a singer/songwriter and musician, Keith left the rat race and moved to Southeast Asia in 2008. He lived in Thailand, Cambodia and now Saigon. He started the Saigon Districts website, turning it into the fastest growing site in Vietnam. After careful consideration, he decided to cover not just Vietnam but the whole region that he loves so dearly.

Keith has had work published in magazines and websites in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and Asia. He has written for the BBC and has appeared on TV and radio in many different countries. His great loves are music and travel, but he writes on a whole range of subjects.

InSeAsia.com is a labour of love as Keith’s travels round the region garnering subject matter

The post Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, What a Road Trip! appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Southeast Asia is a great place to travel to. A while ago, when I decided to quit my 8 to 5 office job and go travelling for a year, it “won” the competition against South America and Europe. Friendly, safe, cheap — how can you beat that? I’ve been to most of the countries in the region, but in this article I want to focus on one of them — Vietnam.
The whole of Southeast Asia is the choice for travellers on a budget. But no country can beat Vietnam in sense of price / quality ratio of the accommodation. It is cheap, hostels are abundant and the standard is rather good. You can’t ask for a personal jacuzzi when you are paying 7 USD for a room, now can you?
The only beef I had with amenities, were occasional separate hot and cold water taps. 21st century, anyone?

Hanoi

Take an early stroll around the lake of Hoan Kiem, and join the crowds crazy about fitness. Jogging, Tai-Chi, badminton, you name it, they’ve got it. Oh, and did I mention that you’ll have to be there at around 6 AM?

If that is too early, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum for a much more serious experience. Wipe that smirk off your face, as the guards will have none of it.
In the evening, visit a street stall for a dinner, and try to find out what kind of meat is in your soup. Adrenaline guaranteed!

Fansipan mountain

From Hanoi, taking a northbound train, and later a crazy minibus ride up the mountain road will take you to Sapa, a tranquil town with a rich French colonial history.
Ask around for a guide, or visit one of many tour companies that will help you arrange a trek to the Fansipan – highest mountain in Indochina standing at 3,143 metres (10312 ft). Plan for a trip of at least two or three days. And sore muscles afterwards.

Ha Long Bay

Being UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature implies certain expectations.

And Ha Long Bay delivers. Hire a boat and slowly float amongst thousands of beautiful limestone cliffs, mountains and islets, visit the Hang Đầu Gỗ cave (Wooden stakes cave), or just gaze at the daily life in one of the fishing villages comprising of floating houses.

Mui Ne

What good is a trip without spending a few relaxing days on the beach? Take a good rest, soak in the warmth, or be a daredevil and go surfing, kite-surfing or windsurfing, the choice is yours. Just make sure to take it easy with the beer during a seafood rich dinner, as one of the mornings has to be reserved for getting up at 5 AM and driving a rented motorbike to red sand dunes, where the sun is about to rise.

Arriving early will put you ahead of the crowd, and, most importantly — will help you take that stunning photo you always dreamed of.

Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City now, Saigon before — call it what you want, but the name won’t change the place. It is big, dynamic, bustling megapolis, with crowds and crowds of people. If you are up for a challenge, try to cross a never-stopping river of motorbikes flowing along any of the bigger streets. The only way to do it is walking slowly and steadily, without jerky movements.

The lifestyle here is much more business oriented than in the capital Hanoi, but at least a few historical sites, like Củ Chi tunnels, or War Remnants Museum are really worth a visit.

About the Author: Marius has left his well paid office job for a career break in Southeast Asia. Now he is a photographer and blogger. On cringel.com he shares his knowledge and expertise about the region in a witty and straightforward way.

The post 5 places to visit in Vietnam appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.