Vietnam Off The Beaten Path

  Red Zao couple seeking medical service...
by SUN_69
 
  • Red Zao couple seeking medical service outside Hek
      Red Zao couple seeking medical service...
    by SUN_69
  • New Cao Dai temple rises in southern part of Hue
      New Cao Dai temple rises in southern...
    by mtncorg
  • a catholic church in da nang
      a catholic church in da nang
    by aalayaa
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by eMGeographer
  • A child on Vietnamese countryside
      A child on Vietnamese countryside
    by eMGeographer
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Vietnam

1.

Out of Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels   Ho Chi Minh City

Out of Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels, Ho Chi Minh City

 19 Reviews  An easy daytrip from HCMC is Cu Chi tunnels, scene of the underground resistance to American occupation during the war. You can crawl through the tunnels, learn about life inside and even fire an... 

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2.

Out of Hanoi-Halong Bay   Hanoi

Out of Hanoi-Halong Bay, Hanoi

 29 Reviews  We are family of 05 persons chose the Charter White Dolphin Cruise for the trip to Bai Tu Long Bay for 03 days 02 nights. All was over expectation! We had a great time kayaking & swimming on our... 

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3.

Mekong   Ho Chi Minh City

Mekong, Ho Chi Minh City

 30 Reviews  We had only 2 days for Mekong Delta and selected Mekong Lodge as a base. The Mekong Lodge was a dream I dreamed. Lush vegetation, lots of tropical sun and rain, all about Mekong Delta in a beautiful... 

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4.

Miscellaneous in Hanoi   Hanoi

Miscellaneous in Hanoi, Hanoi

 45 Reviews  Hoan Kiem Lake means "Lake of the Restored Sword" --in the 15th century, legend has it that a young fisherman named Le Loi found a magic sword caught in his net. For 10 years (1407-1417) he used the... 

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5.

Out of Saigon - Cao Dai Temple   Ho Chi Minh City

Out of Saigon  - Cao Dai Temple, Ho Chi Minh City

 9 Reviews  The capital of the same-named province, Tay Ninh is situated 95km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City and is the original home of the Cao Dai religion which has around 3 million adherents in Southern... 

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6.

Out of Hanoi-Sa Pa   Hanoi

Out of Hanoi-Sa Pa, Hanoi

 17 Reviews  Located in Vietnam's remote northwest mountains, Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. It is an incredibly picturesque town and area that lies in the... 

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7.

Reunification Palace   Ho Chi Minh City

Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City

 2 Reviews  The Huge Park facing the Reunification Palace (Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street) that ends in front of the Diamond Plaza Mall in Pham Ngoc Thach Street and bisected by le Duan Street is a favorite of... 

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8.

Miscellaneous outside of Hanoi   Hanoi

Miscellaneous outside of Hanoi, Hanoi

 9 Reviews  Pick a tour from any agency in the old quarters to go out of Hanoi and most tours will have temple visit. About 70% of the population re buddhists. It is interesting to see the architecture of their... 

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9.

Out of Hanoi   Hanoi

Out of Hanoi, Hanoi

 16 Reviews  A tour to the Bat Trang Pottery Village was included in My CITY TOUR. This village is located in the countryside and is a famous trade village, with over 6,000 people in 1,500 families living and... 

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10.

"Hash House Harriers"   Hanoi

"Hash House Harriers", Hanoi

 3 Reviews  I've been Hashing for about ten years now and recently came to one of the Hanoi Hash's. Wow, what a great group of people! It's a great mix of local expats, visitors and local Vietnamese. Everyone is... 

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Comments

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Rent a motorbike or a bicycle

by eMGeographer

If you want to see a real Vietnam you should literally 'get off the beaten path'. It isn't complicated - just take a bike or a motorbike and go out of the city/town in any direction. After some time turn to into a less popular small road and follow it. For sure after a few miles you will find a place not spoiled by tourism yet. Driving any vehicle in Vietnam may seem crazy because the traffic rules probably don't exist or are completely different than you are used to. There is simpler way to find some 'wild' places. While visiting town or city forget about your Lonely Planet or any other guidebook, just walk ahead and live old quarter or any other popular among tourists place.During our journey I practiced these rules and we experienced unforgettable moments like....meeting a group of children who didn't know what camera is!

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Nha Trang

by martensd

Do not discount Nha Trang. It depends on what you want to do but it has alot of bang for the buck.I was just there last month and while I found it alot more "busy" than previous trips, I still had a great time.You can go to Doc Let which is about two hours north of Nha Trang. It is much more quiet but not cheap.Check out the posts for Nha Trang and other locations and decide what it is you want to do and if it fits your plans.If it's a beach, there are both public and private beaches in Nha Trang. We went to the public beach right by the amusement park, paid a few dollars for two chairs and then got a lobster from a vendor who walks up and down the beach. Grilled right there for us for about $8.00 USD. A very nice day to say the least.

as Day turns to night in Nha Trang
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The Hai Van pass.

by cachaseiro

The Hai Van pass is located in central Vietnam and in many peoples opinion is the deviding point between north and south Vietnam.When the country was devided the border was a little futher north though.The pass is 497 meters above sea level and it´s a popular stopping point for peole on a roadtrip as the views from there are very good.At the top of the pass you also have some old bunkers from the wars Vietnam had against France and USA, aswell as an old gate build by the emperor Ming Mang in the 19th century.There is also a car tunnel going under the mountain that takes a lot of the heavy business traffic and that is real nice as that means the narrow road to the path is not that crowded.

The Hai Van pass.
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Mekong River tour

by Azone2008

When I went from Saigon to Phnom Phen I took a tour on the Mekong river. I truly recommend this, it was a journey of a lifetime. There are many tours to take from Saigon to Cambodia, make sure to bring a few photos for the visa procedure at the border. But there are no worries otherwise.

Mekong River
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Vietnam Cookery Center cooking class

by seoulgirl

We took a cooking class in Saigon. They picked us up from the hotel, took us to a market to shop for the ingredients, had a half day of cooking and then ate what we made. It was the best meal we had in Vietnam and the food there is awesome! It was conducted in English. I booked the class on-line. We emailed back and forth. We made caramalized pork, green mango salad, and Vietnamese spring rolls. We drank beers the whole time, fun! It was just us three guys too.Vietnam Cookery Center, 177 Dien Bien Phu , District 1, Ho Chi Minh-Ville , VIETNAMTél: +848 82 35 872 Fax: +848 82 35 873 e-mail: vietnamcookery@expat-services.com

Receiving the certificate
LeMat Snake Village

by galy

This village is famous for snake breeding and processing .Snake is a special food of Vietnam. you can buy liquor of snake or, you can taste foods processed from snake(beware, some people are alergic to snake meat). Annual festival is carried out on the 23rd of the third lunar month . In festival, there is an unique dance of snake.

preparing snake meal
Where the buffalo roams....

by minhphat01

Get off the beaten path.....you'll see so many more of what you came to Vietnam for.Imagine a quiet and calm field of rice patties in you view, a flock of ducks paddling in the pond nearby....and a few water buffalos grazing across the field. The sun shine may get too bright at midday....you could sit down on a grassy patch under a cool shade of the bamboo trees. Light winds blow through your hair....and no horn noises that mixed with dust in the air. Everything is just so pure of peace and calmness. Enjoy Vietnam.

Mekong Delta, Thanh Binh, Dong Thap.
Quy Nhon.

by cachaseiro

Quy Nhon is a fairly big seaside town situated between Da Nang and Nha Trang.It´s not a big tourist place at all, but the place has a decent beach, a vibrant fishing scene and is in general a very friendly town.I stopped there for the night while cycling through Vietnam and thought it was one of the nicer towns in Vietnam.Quy Nhon has a nice seaside promenade where you have hotels in all price ranges and plenty of nice seafood restaurants.If you are on a roadtrip though Vietnam then this is an obvious place to stop by for a night.

Quy Nhon.
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The Cu Chi tunnels.

by cachaseiro

The Cu Chi tunnels were one of the main factors in the Vietnam war and mabye the most important symbol of the war in the country.It´s an enourmous network of tunnels through southern Vietnam that the Viet Cong used to hide in and the americans never knew when someone stuck their head out of the groud and shot at themThese days, some parts of the tunnels are open to the public and some very interesting tours are given there.They have even made a few of the tunnels a little bigger so that it´s possible to fit western tourists in the, so you can get in to one of them and get a little taste of what it was like to live underground during the Vietnam war.They are located about 2 hours drive north east of Saigon and you have many tour s from Saigon leaving to the tunnels.

The Cu Chi tunnels.
Mekong delta by bike

by cachaseiro

Cycling the Mekong delta is one of the best things i have ever done. Not that there are a lot of big sights, but this is truly Vietnam without the souvenier shops and motorbike taxi drivers.Get off the main road and in to the rice fields and just pedal along the rice workers, who are not very likely to have seen a tourist on a bike before.

Mekong delta street scene.

Top 3 Hotels in Vietnam

Park Hyatt Saigon  Ho Chi Minh City

 5 Reviews and 616 Opinions  All rooms offer pool of City views with full luxury amenities. As true sense 5- Star hotel, it is... 

 Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City

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Sofitel Metropole Hotel  Hanoi

 13 Reviews and 1659 Opinions  We booked 2 rooms and all of us simply loved it. We are given complementary drinks at the restaurant... 

 Hotels in Hanoi

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Victoria Hoi An Resort  Hoi An

 4 Reviews and 637 Opinions  It's worth the money to stay and enjoy the beach like in Victoria Hoi An. Price from 150$++ public... 

 Hotels in Hoi An

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Vietnam Off The Beaten Path

Reviews and photos of Vietnam off the beaten path posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Vietnam sightseeing.
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