Magnificent Halong Bay - Cat Ba Island

Day 1: Hanoi – Halong (-/L/D)

ODC Travel’s tour guide and driver will pick you up between 7:30am and 8:00am at your hotel and transfer to Halong Bay (170km). Stop over at ceramic and hand embroidery workshops in Hai Duong (15 minutes) for refreshment and taking photos.


Arrival in Halong Bay, embark on a tender and transfer to luxurious wooden boat for a cruise in Halong Bay. After lunch, visit Sung Sot Cave - the most beautiful cave of Halong Bay and go swimming at Titop beach (or climb up to the top of the mountain to see the overview of bay). Admire landscape and take photos for the rest of the day. Dinner of fresh seafood is served and a show of traditional music on board.
Overnight on board.

Day 2: Halong Bay – Cat Ba Island – Lan Ha Bay (B/L/D)

Morning cruise to Lan Ha Bay. On the way, you can admire the beautiful morning scenery of the World Heritage site. Stop over in Kiem Lam Wharf, transfer to small boat to Viet Hai. Trek 5km to Viet Hai village (the old fishing village located in the Cat Ba national park). Relax and take photos of the green fields and the daily lives of the local. Trek further along the path to the forest to visit an old house of Vietnam and the hidden local cave and the view of the forest.

Local lunch in a family at the village. Back to the harbor. Kayaking to explore “Tai Keo” lagoon and some sandy beaches then swimming and relaxing at Van Boi Beach. Boat trip to “Beo” Wharf, disembarking and check in your hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Cat Ba.

Day 3: Cat Ba Island – Halong Bay – Hanoi (B/L/-)

After breakfast, take a bus back to “Beo” Wharf. Get on the small boat and cruise along Lan Ha Bay then transfer to our sleeping boat. Stop over for swimming. On the way back to Halong, you will have a chance for sightseeing at Dinh Huong Island “Incense burner”, Cho Da Island "stone dog”, Ga Choi Island “fighting cocks”, etc.

After having lunch at restaurant in Halong City, return to Hanoi and drop off at your hotel.

Tour concluded.

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Vietnam Travel guides

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MEKONG DELTA (VIETNAM)

Getting there: From Phnom Penh, we booked a ticket with the Capitol travel agency to get to Chau Doc by boat. The ride is painless and everything, including passing the border, is very well organized. We highly recommend this option.



What to do: Friends who have taken the 2-day tour on the Mekong with Sinh Cafe were enthuastic about it. My Tho and Ben Tre are worth a visit.

Where to stay: In Chau Doc, we stayed at Thuan Loi Hotel (18, Tran Hung Dao) with a view on the riverside. It was ok.

Where to eat: There are food stalls on the street. Just walk around and you will find! And exotic fruits from the market make a good desert.

HO CHI MINH CITY/SAIGON (VIETNAM)

Getting there: On our way to Ho Chi Minh City (that most local people still call Saigon), we took a local bus. It was not our best experience... We departed 3-hour late. The ticket controller was agressive. We were forced to keep our luggage on us even though there were many empty seats. The bus stopped everywhere. Locals were complaining about the vendors coming in and out, overpricing items and not giving back change. From that point, we decided to take a tourist bus.

Where to eat: Hard to say since we always mostly ate at relatives' places! But one place we would definitively recommend is Nam Giao, where you can find traditional food from central Vietnam (at 26/B13 + 14 Su Van Hanh nd, Quan 10, phone: 8621203 or at 136/15 Le Thanh Ton, Quan 1, phone: 8250261).

HOI AN (VIETNAM)

Getting there: We had a Sinh Cafe "open tour ticket". For 23 US$, you can get from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and stop at different places on the way. The buses (all A/C) are on time, there are stops at points of interest along the way, the service is professional, and the driving safe.

What to do: Visit the typical old houses of Hoi An, walk along the river, go to the Japanese bridge, walk in the market and get yourself new clothes! We went to My Dieu's shop (#14 in the Hoi An cloth market, tel.: 0510. 863252) and were very satisfied. The first day, we only ordered few things. But the following days, seeing the result, we bought a lot more.

We also had shoes made at Hung Vi (tel.: 0510. 910658), the shop next door. Don't forget to mention that you wear socks! Otherwise, they may make your shoes too tight. The final result really suits your foot, and it feels great!

Where to stay: We stayed at Vinh Huy Hotel, which we do not recommend. It is where the Sinh Cafe agency took us. The service is not professional, intrusive, and we had three different rooms during our stay. The first night, they wanted to charge us 10$ while we agreed that we would not pay more than 6$. So they moved us the second day in another room with a "suicidal shower" (electrical shocks when you shower). On the third night, we had a small room with no windows. It was humid, and noisy. However, we have to say that the place is spotless, cheap (when they agree on charging 6 US$!), and... they have satellite TV!

Where to eat: Bobo Cafe (on Le Loi St.) was ok for breakfast. The well-known Cafe des amis (on the riverside) is now relatively expensive (approx. 30 000 VND) for what you get. For the same price, we preferred Nhu Y restaurant, in front of the cloth market. Along the riverside, we recommend Rose restaurant, where we had a good cao lau.

HUE (VIETNAM)

What to do: A visit to the royal tombs is a must, particularly Minh Mang's and Tu Duc's tombs (entrance fees: 55 000 VND for each). We hired a driver with motorbike for the whole day (5 US$) who also drove us to the famous Thien Mu pagoda.

Where to stay: We were at Mimosa Hotel (46/6 Le Loi), which we do not highly recommend. The family is very friendly, but the rooms are so-so (8-12 US$).

Where to eat: For breakfast, try Minh and Coco Mini Restaurant's pancake (1 Hung Vuong). For dinner, we recommend La Carambole (19 Pham Ngu Lao). If you like photography, you can have a coffee at Mandarin Cafe on Hung Vuong where the owner, a photographer, exposes his work.

HANOI (VIETNAM)

What to do: The most interesting things to do are not in Hanoi itself, but depart from Hanoi. Visiting Ha Long Bay is a must, as well as going on a trip to Sapa (which we regret not having done, but heard amazing things about). For any of these activities, we highly recommend ODC travel agency, with which we had a great service. It may not be the cheapest agency (compared to Sinh cafe's rates, for example), but what you get is way superior to what other agencies offer. ODC travel's office can be found in several locations: 43 Hang Bo and 142 Hang Bac streets (phone: (84.4) 828 8729 or 824 3024). A note on shopping: if you ever want to buy a traditional Vietnamese instrument, have a look at Thanh Tuan shop at 1C Hang Manh (phone: (84.4) 824 7166).

Where to stay: We stayed at Anh Dao Hotel (37 Ma May street) in the Old Hanoi Quarter. It was fine. At the time, we paid 10 US$ for a two-bed room with bathroom. The price included the breakfast and free Internet access. It was not our cheapest room, but it was the end of the trip so we decided to splash it all out!

Where to eat: There are many little places to eat. We liked Little Hanoi (there are two on Pho Ta Hien, we liked the one upstairs, if my memory is good, the address was 18). The food is good, but you may see a lot of backpackers since the restaurant is listed in the Lonely Planet... For excellent and more expensive food, there is the Tamarind Cafe (80 Pho Ma May, phone: 926 0580). It is stylish, and the background music would be something like the soundtrack of "In the mood for love"... For culinary experiences, try all these shops on the street that sell "banh cuon" (a kind of pancake made with rice flour) or "pho" (the traditional Vietnamese soup), for example. If they don't have a menu in English, then, you are likely to be in a good spot!
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ODC Travel Co., Ltd

Công ty Du lịch và thương mại Bảo Trung ODC

Địa chỉ: 65 Lý Nam Đế, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội

Tel: 84 4 37478724

Website: http://www.odctravel.com.vn

Email: info@odctravel.com.vn

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Tra Co Beach

Tra Co is one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. Located in Quang Ninh province, next to Vietnam - China border, Tra Co - a good and charming place for vacations is only 8 -9 kilometers away from Mong Cai town.Tra Co Beach is a famous tour attraction in Vietnam with broad fine sand beaches stretching for 17 kilometers from the cape named Got in the north to the cape named Ngoc in the south. Tra Co situates on the outer edge of the island. The coastline is bordered by 3-4 meters high sand dunes and peaceful fishing villages. The beach is shaded by a range of casuarina, protecting the village from the wind and the sand. Tra Co beach is an ideal place to spend holidays. If you spend your holiday on the fifth month of the lunar calendar, you can have a chance to take part in Tra Co Communal House Festival organized from the 30th of the fifth lunar month to the 6th of the sixth lunar month.

Weather:

Tropical monsoon climate. It’s hot and has a lot of rain in summer, in winter it’s cold and has a little rain. From May to September, it is the hot and rainy season, from November to March, it is the dry season. So there are enough four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, winter. The average temperature in Tra Co is 22° 7C, although it tends to fall below 20°C from December to March. The hottest months are June and July when the temperatures reach 26 and 28°C. In July and August, there are many storms and typhoon. Therefore, you should not go on holiday on these months

How to get there:

Tra Co Beach can be reached by boat from Hai Phong to Mong cai (206km) or from Hong Gai (132km). From Hanoi, you can go by bus, then following Highway No 18 to Tien Yen - Hon Gai and after that turn to Road No 4 to Mong cai.

Specialties:

Tra Co is abundant in seafood: fish, cuttle- fish, crab, shrimp, especially Tra Co is well-known for local dishes made from king- crab.

Sightseeing:

When you come to Tra Co, please visit Tra Co Communal House, which was built in 16th century and Tra Co church built in 1880 and since then it has gone through many restorations. You can also come to visit Dong Hung town - China

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Halong Bay Tour (by photots)

Halong Bay Tour (by photots)

On 23/2/2009 I took part in Halong Bay Tour with ODC Travel. I felt very lucky and happy when I visited to Halong Bay - the World's Heritage. And these are some photos I took when I was there.

We started from Hanoi at 8h and stopped for rest and shopping in Sao Do - Hai Duong. I bought some thing there, It's very beautful but really expensive. And then we came to Halong city, we took a small boat to the Sun Cruise Boat from Halong Harbour.

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Hanoi - Halong Bay - Cat Ba Island

Duration: 3 Days/ 2 Nights

Transport: Bus, Boat

Code: ODC HL 03

Day 1: Hanoi – Bai Tu Long Bay – Halong Bay (-, L, D)

We will pick you up between 7:30am - 8:00am at your hotel and transfer to Halong Bay (170km). Stop over at ceramic and hand embroidery workshops in Hai Duong for relaxation and photos (15 minutes). Arrive in Halong Bay, embark on a tender and transfer to luxurious wooden boat for a cruise in Halong Bay. After lunch, visit Sung Sot Cave - the most beautiful cave of Halong Bay and go swimming at Titop beach (or climb up to the top of the mountain to see the overview of bay), admire landscape , take photos and so on. Dinner of fresh seafood is served and a show of traditional music on board. Overnight on boat in Halong Bay.



Day 2: Halong Bay – Cat Ba Island – Lan Ha Bay (Trekking – Kayaking) (B,L,D)

After breakfast, cruise to Lan Ha bay. On the way, you can admire the beautiful morning scenery of the World Heritage site. Stop over in Kiem Lam Wharf, transfer to small boat to Viet Hai. Trek 5km to Viet Hai village (the old fishing village located in the Cat Ba national park). Relax and take photos of the green fields and the daily lives of the local people. Trek further along the path to the forest to visit the “ Nha co” ( the old houses of Viet Nam) and the “Toi” the hidden local cave and the view of the forest. Lunch in the local family at the village. Back to the Habour. Kayak to explore “Tai Keo” lagoon, and some sandy beaches, swimming and relaxing at Van Boi Beach. Boat trip to “ Beo” Wharf. Dinner and O/N hotel in Cat Ba.

Day 3: Cat Ba Island – Halong Bay – Hanoi (B, L, -)

After breakfast, take a bus back to “Beo” Wharf. Get on the small boat. Cruise along Lan Ha Bay and transfer to the Sleeping boat. Stop over for swimming, snorkeling. On the way back to Halong, you will have a chance for sightseeing at Dinh Huong “Incense burner” island, Cho Da, "stone dog”, Ga Choi “ fighting cocks”, etc. After having lunch at restaurant in Halong City, return to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi. Tour finished.
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HALONG BAY - WORLD HERITAGE

Halong is situated in the North – East region of Vietnam, lies 160 km to the east of Hanoi. Halong is a bay in the Gulf of Tonkin comprised of regions of Halong City. Halong borders Cat Ba Islands in the southwest, the east sea in the east and the mainland.

Halong is a natural wonder of the world and one of Vietnam’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Halong is made up of 1.969 islands of various sizes. There are two kinds of islands; limestone and schist with over 3000 limestone islands emerge from emerald green water of Halong. While some islands are no more than large rocks, others are much more substantial and contain huge cathedral – like caves of stalactites. Most of the islands are clothed in thick green vegetation and ring with the sound of bird song in the early morning. Secluded sandy caves are everywhere an in the summer months the warm waters of the bay are ideal for swimming, snorkeling or kayaking. History shows that Halong Bay has been the setting for local naval battles against Vietnams coastal neighbours. On three occasions in the labyrinth of channels in Bach Dang river near the islands the Vietnamese army stopped the Chinese from landing. In 1288 General Tran Hung Dao stopped Mongol ships from sailing up the nearby Bach Dang River by placing steel-tipped wooden stakes at high tide, sinking the Mongol Dubhai Khans fleet.

Local legend says that long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay (hence the name "Bay of Descending Dragons") and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form barriers against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. The best way to appreciate the delights of Halong Bay is to cruise among the islands on a wooden boat while enjoying a tea or enjoy fresh seafood.

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