Following the history from northern to southern Vietnam..

content:
photos:
Vote this travel review

If in addition to Vietnam to find out more about other countries that we visited at:

WWW.PIEDISTANCHI.COM

valuable advice and stunning images will take you through new cultures ...

Hanoi: tireless. Already in the early morning people of any age, or jogging in the park can be found in gymnastics. And then starts the workday, the traffic of scooters and bicycles, people walking with rocker full of goods that, with their strange gait head to the market to sell it.
Important steps to visist:
- Old Market (food)
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
- Temple of Literature
- Hoan Kiem Lake
Hanoi is the starting point for different places (do it yourself or with organized tours) to do some day as "the perfume pagoda" (best with a tour), others require several days such as Sapa and Halong Bay (we have preferred to do it yourself).

AROUND Hanoi
- THE PERFUME PAGODA: just 2 hours of bus you are immersed in the Vietnamese countryside where the peasants are seen wearing the traditional conical hats and work the land. In a short time on small boats like canoes, you reach a point from which a walk ("trek") about an hour that leads to the Perfume Pagoda.
This is a very impressive cave, hidden by dense vegetation. The dark walls and statues of the ancestors, is lit by candles lit by pilgrims. The scent of incense fills the surrounding area.

- Sapa (Queen Hotel): the hills dotted with bamboo plants and green paddy fields cultivated in terraces. The local ethnic groups of the 'Mong and Ngzu and walks to the campaign through their villages.
A good lunch at the covered market where you have the opportunity to interact with local people, in turn, intrigued by the presence of tourists.

- Cat Ba (My Ngoe Hotel): beautiful island in Halong Bay. The floating villages, ride the bike to discover the most picturesque corners, coves, bays, palm trees, fruit trees and exotic plants with huge leaves. And yet the lush vegetation, colorful flowers and butterflies. And where you least expect it hidden military hospital, built during the war. And finally in wonder, the amazing dinners of fresh fish.

Hue '(Mai Dao Hotel): Imperial City where the emperor resided in Vietnam. It affects the style of the typical oriental pagodas and colorful work, golden inscriptions, the predominance of red, religious symbols.
From Hue, part of the boat trip on the Perfume River where you have the opportunity to visit the imperial tombs. In our opinion, the name of the trip is much more appealing than what you see actually. We do not recommend.
In fact we did not find this very interesting city so that the only thing the stay was a seafood restaurant overlooking the river bridge with lighting and changing the Mandarin Cafe, where we made some good breakfast surrounded by photos of the Vietnamese countryside without the owner.

Hoi An (You Bao Hotel): charming village, famous for its lively shops and the ability of its tailors. Heads of all types are made in less than 24 hours for visitors who book them. Wide selection of styles and fabrics: wonderful.
Same goes for shoes: slippers, sandals and everything is done very quickly and easily. They take the shape of the foot on a white sheet. Choose the model, hide any decor and in a few hours ... you're all set.
In addition, each day of the 14th lunar month is celebrated on the full moon festival of lanterns bright on that occasion are immersed in river. As a final step may be interesting to see how they were once decorated old houses. If you do not go there, you will not lose anything.

Saigon / HO CHI MIN CITY: a beautiful modern city, clean, alive. Shops and department stores have nothing to envy to those of our cities. Fun to visit the various neighborhoods and markets. Although praised by all, Cholon, the Chinese district famous for the way of herbalists, for us it was a great disappointment.
Worth the trouble instead go get a massage at the institute for the blind where the gain (a figure really ridiculous when it comes to 1.50 euro per course serves to support this community).
We strongly recommend that you spend the time to visit the museum which tells the crimes that were committed during the war. A museum primarily photographic, but that tells well the terrible years that people had to pass.
From Saigon, other agencies (Sinh Cafe is among the best) are organizing tours to the Mekong Delta and for those who want the transition from Vietnam to Cambodia via the river as lies.

Mekong Delta (from Saigon to Cambodia) by boat, the Delta landscape before one's eyes like a movie houses in stilts that rise on the banks of the river, trees completely submerged by water, the life of local populations that runs on banks of the Mekong where the water is used for washing dishes, brushing your teeth and take a shower and wash the dishes.
The point of arrival and Cantha, where we start the next day to visit the floating markets of Cai Rang. Interesting to see how the boats that sell the merchandise counter stabbing a stick with various products and how people, with their characteristic way of rowing will come close.
A series of canals that curve and then cross back to our memory the same landscapes of Apocalypse Now. Banana palms, sometimes a house, children returning from school by bike with their beautiful uniforms ..
Chau Doc is the intermediate step before arriving in Cambodia. Here you have the opportunity to visit the floating villages, where the piles are bred fish. Campaigns and flooded villages dot the landscape. From here you can go to visit the Sam Mountain where there are dozens of pagodas and temples many of which are carved into the caves, but to do so must wake up at dawn to about 4:30 to meet the new start time of that door in Cambodia.

WWW.PIEDISTANCHI.COM