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   Hanoi: Vietnam's capital, has just celebrated its 990's anniversary. Unlike any other city in Asia, Hanoi is the country's political center with a unique blend of oriental and western charm. Unlike any other city in Asia, Hanoi is a charming capital adorned by remarkable French-style buildings, large shady avenues and numerous lakes and gardens.
It is a city adorned by remarkable exotic brightly painted temples and pagodas, elegant ochre-washed colonial villas and bustling narrow streets.

   Sights to see in Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hoan Kiem Lake (Restored Sword Lake), the Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature, the Opera House, the History Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda. There are many other museums, pagodas and temples in which visitors will very much be interested, as well as abundant shopping opportunities in the city. Please, do look out for silk, handicrafts, embroidery, and excellent art galleries. The Water Puppet Show has always been considered as a must for Hanoi visitors.

Hoa Lu: For 41 years, in the X - XI centuries, Hoa lu was the capital of Vietnam. There are now the temple dedicated to the Kings (King Ding Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh) built on the site of the ancient citadel.
Bich dong is a harmonious natural setting comprising mountains, rivers, grottos, forests and ancient pagodas. Sailing in a small boat from Bich dong, visitors will reach Tam coc (Three Grottos) all adorned with beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.

Perfume Pagoda: Visiting the Perfume Pagoda, you can go boating and climb mountains to reach the central cave, adjacent grottos. In the Pagoda you can pray for your hopes to come true. From time immemorial, the Perfume Pagoda was already considered as a mountain resort with many wonders. The area is not only a natural beauty with mountains, rivers, streams and vegetation, but also a potential site of attraction with a system of caves and unique smaller pagodas.

Hoa Binh: The area is known as one of the earliest Vietnamese settlements where remains of the Hoa binh civilization (dating back 10,000 years) still exists unearthed. What is more interesting about Hoa Binh is its hill-tribe people commonly known as mountaineers including: Muong, Thai, Zdao, H'mong, all with their unique and diverse traditional culture.

Mai Chau: 80 km past Hoa binh is the peaceful town of Mai chau where the Thai ethnic group settled. The whole district lies in a green valley of paddy fields dotted with rows of houses on stilts. Thai communities here cultivate the fertile valley.

Hai phong, Vietnam's third largest city and the main port of Northern Vietnam, is also a convenient starting point for a Ha long Bay discovery.

Cat Ba: Some 140 km from Hanoi and 80 km from Hai phong, half of Cat ba island and 5,400 ha of adjacent inland waters were declared as a national park to protect the diverse ecosystem which includes tropical evergreen forests on the hills, fresh water swampy forests at the foot of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, lakes, sandy beaches and off-shore coral reefs. Cat ba Island is a great destination which should not be left out in your itinerary.

Ha long bay is one of the World's wonders which was recognized by UNESCO in 1994 as a World's heritage due to its special topography and geology. A boat trip will take you to discover the bay with its three thousand limestone islands and islets dramatically emerging from the emerald green sea. This area is blessed with numerous beautiful grottos.

Sa pa was founded in the early years of this century as a hill-top summer retreat for the French administrators. At an altitude of over 1,000 meters, Cat ba has warm days and cool evenings. With its remaining architecture such as a church, villas and a small hydro-electric station, this place still has the air of an old French town.
The town, built in a beautiful valley, at an elevation of 1600 meters, is a most picturesque hill station . Sa pa also is the place to see some of Vietnam's colorful hill-tribes. Trekking around and many spectacular scenic views will make Sa pa one of your unforgettable memories: Vietnam's highest peak, Mount Fan Si Pan (3,143m) is just a few kilometers from Sa pa.

Dien Bien Phu is the site of the decisive battle in Vietnam's struggle for independence from the French. The battle there put an end to French colonialism in Indochina in 1954. On 6 May 1954, the day before the Geneva Conference on Indochina was set to begin, half a world away, Vietminh forces overran the beleaguered French garrison at Dien bien phu after a 57day siege. The defeat shattered French morale and forced the French government to abandon its attempts to re-establish colonial control over Indochina. This is a small town ringed around by high mountains populated by many ethnic minorities.

The North | The Center | The South

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