Top 7 things to see in Rach Gia

Top 7 things to see in Rach Gia
How To Get There?
By plane
Rach Gia Airport serves domestic flights to and from Phu Quoc Island and Ho Chi Minh City operated by Vietnam Airlines. The flights are served on a daily basis.

By bus 
Buses and minibuses connect Rach Gia with the nearest big cities of the country:
To/ from Ha Tien: 2,5 hours, $2,5 (50,000 VND);
To/ from Hon Chong: 2,5 hours, $2,5 (50,000 VND);
To/ from Can Tho: 3 hours, $3,5 (75,000 VND);
To/ from Long Xuyen: 1,5 hours, $1,5 (30,000 VND);
To/ from Ho Chi Minh City: 6 hours, $8 (165,000 VND).
You can buy a ticket at the bus station. If there’s an opportunity, it is recommended to do it in advance, as due to lack of the transport connection, the tickets may be sold out in a few hours before departure. You can also do it with the help of reliable travel companies. Mekong river cruise

By boat
There are regular hydrofoils cruising between Phu Quoc and such destinations as Rach Gia. One way trip from/to Rach Gia lasts approximately for 2,5 hours and the ticket should costs about $15 (350,000 VND). There’s also a discount for senior (above 60 years old) and disabled people, as well as for children under the age of 11. The timetable of arrivals and departures is available on the webpage of the Superdong transfer company. Halong bay cruise

Top 7 things to see in Rach Gia

Thing To See At Rach Gia
Tam Quan Gate
Tam Quan gate, or as it is also called, Three Entrance Gate, is a true symbol of Rach Gia and is considered to be an entrance to the city. This is a beautiful triple arch bearing the traditional elements of Vietnamese architecture. Travel to Vietnam

Nguyen Trung Truc Temple
The temple is dedicated to Nguyen Trung Truc who was a leader of the resistance movement against the newly arrived French in the end of 19th century. Today this is one of the biggest attractions of Rach Gia and an important religious destinations for the entire region.

Tam Bao Pagoda
This is another destination of Rach Gia with a beautiful story behind. It was built in the beginning of 19th century by the Vietnamese Emperor Gia Long to honour a local woman who aided him after the Tay Son Rebellion. It is surrounded by a quite and cozy garden with numerous sculptures and is definitely a great place to spend some time and enjoy its peaceful atmosphere.

Phat Lon Pagoda (Khmer pagoda)
This is an amazing Cambodian Buddhist pagoda, which name is translated as Big Buddha. Even nowadays the majority of the monks living here are the ethnic Khmers. It has a magnificent architecture and zen garden in the courtyard with an over hundred-year old tree originated from Sri Lanka.

Kien Giang Museum 
The museum is housed in one of the most ancient and beautiful buildings in the city. It has an outstanding and sophisticated exterior design with traditional oriental elements inside of the building. The museum is exposing a big collection of war memoirs, historical photos and cultural relics.

Local Specialities 
Are you a foodie? Then probably, you will enjoy your visit to Rach Gia, Being a port town, it has a big choice of sea specialities as well as traditional Vietnamese dishes. The most popular places to eat and drink among locals and travelers are Thanh Binh, Hai Au, Ao Dai Moi,Valentine, which also offer sometimes different types of entertainment like karaoke or sport events.

Rach Soi Market
Market is a right place to go, if you want to explore people’s everyday life, local culture and of course, buy cheap, fresh and exotic fruits, vegetables and other local specialities. The biggest one in Rach Gia is the Rach Soi market, located close to the port of the town.

Top 7 activities in flooding days

All travelers should be aware that annual monsoon season is from 1 September until mid-December at least! Great care by all visitors should be taken during extreme rains & when there are strong onshore North East winds during lunar calendar days close to 1st or 14th – this is when danger of flooding in Hoi An and surrounding areas are highest. In truth, there is no bad time to visit Hoi An. Even it is unusual , but you will get a special experience that not many tourist have.  There are some activities for those day. Danang – Hue – Hoian 4 days

1. Do a special trip around town.

When the old town is under water, it has a unique and special charm. If you are an adventurous guy, just take the life vest, pick a good and reliable boat and start your trip around the town enjoying one of the highlight of your trip. Remember do not take the old or ruin boat, and life vest is necessary item to you. If you want to walk with the water around, you can get some plastic boots from local market or local shops. They are better for your toes! Avoiding the low lands, An Hoi  and Cam Nam Ward are the places that you should not go which are seperated from other areas of Hoian. MEKONG EYES

2. Café and Bar

Unfortunately, most of the good bars located in the town, and most of them are under water when it is flooding. Most shops in the old town close for sercured reasons. In the day time, you can visit some nice coffee shops in the high lands. Café Shop in Hoian historic hotel
This shop is located on the left side of Hoian hotel, nice coffee, good environment and you won’t be bothered by vendors. Pelican Cruise

Top 7 activities in flooding days

Google Coffee shop: located at 10 Phan Chau Trinh street, this one mostly open because of its high location. Serve different types of local coffee, soft drink and good ginger tea (so good with this weather)
Nep Café 62- Phan Chau Trinh street: another nice coffee shop with amazing decoration!

3. Restaurant

We need to accept that most of nice restaurants in town are not available. So finding some nicer and more local one will be our solution.

Madame Phuong Bread  - 2B Phan Chau Trinh.

Famous for the recomendation of Anthony Bourdain with his show, this is one of the best banh my in Vietnam with terrific gravy that they put on the sandwiches. Luckily, it does open in the flooding days. You should go to this shop as early as possible because most of the locals go their for their food too.

If you are a vegan, or just want a quiet place for finishing your book, just go to Minh Hien Vegetarian restaurant, one of the best ones in Hoian. Located in a high area, no worry, this is our option for flooding day. Start out with one of the set menus (I prefer the first one, for one person). You get to sample delicious veg versions of Hoi An’s local specialities, including white rose dumplings, cao lau noodles, fried spring rolls, and wonton.

4. Go to Danang

The town is flooding, so let discover some places in Danang that not sinked into water. Marble Mountain, Cham Museum and Linh Ung pagoda with big statue of Laddy Bodhisattva or Goddess of Mercy will make your boring days gone! And there are more restaurants in Danang open in this kind of weather. If you have kids, they won’t get bored with many shopping and entertainment centers open in Da Nang.

5.  Join Foodtour

Event haft of Hoian is under water, there are plenty of local places that you don’t know (and don’t try without guidance of local buddies). Hence, by taking part in a custom foodtour, this is a great time to learn about the culture, local life and different things of locals. I’m sure, this one will brighten your day.

6. Get your tailor made clothes.

Most of the tailor shops are still open in flood season. Just hang around and pick some tailor shops you like and get your dress or shirt,… made. Some good ones are Yaly Couture, A Dong Silk with the highest price in town but best quality. The other recommendation ones are Mr. Xe, Bao Khanh Silk, Thu Thuy Silk, Kimmy,…

A tip when shopping: avoid tailor recommendations from unreliable sources. You will most likely encounter locals offering to tell you the best tailors.The prices you will be quoted by the tailor shop will be padded with this extra cost, which means you will probably pay about 40% or maybe 50% more if you take their recommendation than you would otherwise. So be wise!
 
7. Watch DVD or reading books.

If your heart is set on a lazy day ensconced in your room, check out some DVD shop or bookshops in Hoi An, buys some discs or books and enjoy your days indoors. Legends DVD shop on Phan Chu Trinh Street has the best selection of movies and box set series for a dollar a disc. For those who love reading, grab a book from Randy’s book exchange over on Cam Nam Island.

Top 5 Things To Do In Hue in Vietnam

Top 5 Things To Do In Hue in Vietnam
Somewhat surprisingly Vietnam’s central cities aren’t on every traveller’s radar even though they are home to some of Vietnam’s most interesting architecture and history. Located on the banks of the Perfume River, Hue is home to a variety of war-torn temples, tombs and palaces, many of which were the homes and places of worship of Nguyen-era emperors. Many of the buildings and structures in Hue are still quite damaged, giving it the feel of a modern-day Pompeii, despite mass tourism. However, there have been some efforts to restore buildings in Hue since 1990 when the area was declared a World Heritage site. Mekong river cruise

Don’t miss out, make sure you include a trip to Hue in the North Central Coast district on your Vietnam travel itinerary. Hue sits in the Thua Thien Province and is about 700 km south of Hanoi and about 1,100 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon. And Vietnam has just been named as the fastest growing tourist destination.

Imperial Citadel (Dai Noi)

Built in the early 19th century, circa 1804, by thousands of labourers at the request of Emperor Gia Long, the Imperial City and Citadel was a massive structure, large enough that a 10 kilometer moat was constructed to surround and protect it. Modelled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial City and Citadel was designed to be the royal quarters of Emperor Long. When the last Emperor of Vietnam stepped down the structure had expanded to include hundreds of rooms. While quite grand in scale, many of the buildings were in a state of disrepair due to typhoon and termite damage. In 1968 the Imperial City and Citadel were bombed by American forces during the Vietnam War, demolishing most of the buildings. In 1993 the Imperial Citadel and the collective ‘Complex of Hué Monuments’ was declared a UNESCO site, and some of the buildings have been restored for historical preservation. Travel to Vietnam

Top 5 Things To Do In Hue in Vietnam

Tu Duc Tomb

Emperor Tu Duc, the longest reigning Emperor in Vietnamese history isn’t actually buried at the site of the Tu Duc Tomb, pictured above. Completed nearly 20 years before his death in 1883, the building of the Tu Duc tomb required so much funding and labor that there was actually a coup against Tu Duc in 1866. Near the site you’ll find his epitaph, inscribed on a piece of stone brought from a quarry over 500 miles away from the site. The journey took workers four years to complete. Tu Duc had to write his epitaph himself because he was unable to father a son before he became sterile because of smallpox, despite his many wives and concubines. While the Tu Duc tomb is recognized as the Emperor’s official resting place the actual burial site is still unknown. The 200 labourers who prepared the actual burial site were beheaded by the King after burying the body. Halong bay cruise

An Dinh Palace

The architecturally stunning An Dinh Palace was the residence of the Nguyen dynasty and was built in early 20th century and is one of Hue’s best known historic sites, although it isn’t often included on mainstream itineraries. The An Dinh Palace, built in the typical style, was restored several years ago and a new project to fully restore the surrounding three storey buildings will return the An Dinh palace to a primary tourist spot.

Situated on the bank of An Cuu River in Hue City’s Phu Nhuan ward, the An Dinh Palace was commissioned by King Dong Khanh and at the time called Phung Hoa, as a gift for the Crown Prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Dao. When the Prince was made King in 1916 the palace took on the current name and passed through the family until the palace was presented to the Revolutionary government. Sadly the palace fell into severe disrepair until 2001 when the palace underwent extensive restoration in readiness for hosting the 2002 Hue Festival. An Dinh Palace also hosted the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Hue Festivals.

Following the next stage of restoration, ancient artefacts and works of art that portray the Nguyen Dynasty’s royal lifestyle will be displayed. This project is a part of the drive to preserve and restore the history, culture and architecture of Hue City. Earlier this year the center unveiled a 3D project which shows the heritage and architecture in its full glory.

Minh Mang Temple

Take a boat ride up the Perfume River to the Minh Mang Temple which is a fine example of an emperor’s tomb. The Minh Mang Temple is located about 12km outside of Hue City, on the West Bank so the Perfume River in Cam Ke Hill. Construction began in 1840 and during the build Minh Mang actually passed away. Hi son completed the works and his father was interred in the temple as requested. The temple is also part of the UNESCO-recognised Hue complex.

Perfume River Tour

Hire a boat for a day and take a trip along the Perfume River to explore the various Tombs of the Emperors. Dating from the 19th century, the best preserved examples are the Tomb of Tu Duc and The Tomb of Minh Mang already listed above. In addition there are wonderful examples of Vietnamese architecture including the Tomb of Khai Dinh, the remote ruins of the Tomb of Gia Long and the Tomb of Thieu Tri which was built in 1848. There is also the Tomb of Dong Khanh which was constructed in 1917 and the Tomb of Khai Dinh which is the best preserved tomb along the river.

When to visit to Hue

If you’ve never been to Vietnam or Southeast Asia before, visiting Hue during the Festival of Hue may be the best time to visit since there will be many international travelers there and you may feel more comfortable navigating the city. The Festival of Hue takes place between April 8th and April 15th in even numbered years. Hotel rooms and travel amenities come at a premium during the Festival of Hue, so book your stay early to avoid high costs. Even if you don’t plan on going to Vietnam when the Festival of Hue is taking place, many people still consider February to April the best months of the year for travel to Vietnam. However, you should remember that weather can change from region to region because of opposing monsoon seasons in the north and south.