What are the must see places in Vietnam visitors should know

You are planning a trip to Asia and wondering which country to choose? Not only famous as one of the holiday destinations in Asia, Cheap holiday packages to Vietnam is home to 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Starting in northern Vietnam is HaLong Bay. The city of Hue, The Ruins of My Son and the Ancient Town of HoiAn are located in the central area of Vietnam.

Take a few moments to explore these 4 attractions and why you should include them in your Vietnam travel itinerary.

Hoi An town

HaLong Bay is best accessed via Hanoi and traveling east for about 4 hours by tour van or private car/taxi to Hai Phong Harbor. Here you will be escorted aboard your boat. Most Vietnam travelers arrange for a 1 or 2 night cruise on a modern Chinese style junk boat, there are some colonial-style cruisers also. These boats can accommodate 8 - 20 or more guests. These cruises are known for the excellent cuisine that is prepared on board - usually fresh sea food and vegetable from nearby farms.

The main attraction of HaLong Bay is the hundreds of sandstone islets that are found throughout the bay. Be prepared to take a lot of photographs as you cruise across the still waters of HaLong Bay.

In addition to "Island Watching", you can go kayaking, swimming or take a trek on one of the larger islands, such as Cat Ba Island. You will see "Floating Villages", where local families live and make their living from the sea. Be sure to plan you day to appreciate both the sunsets and sunrises over HaLong Bay.

Vietnam attractions and you can then travel to Hue by air, railway, tour bus or even rent a car. Hue is the former imperial capital. Here ou can visit the tombs of the former emperors, such as the Thien Mu Pagoda, dating back to 1602 and walk through its graceful gardens.

On north bank of the Perfume River, is the famed Citadel, built by Emperor Gia Long in 1804. Surrounded by a moat and walls 20 meters thick the Citadel contains the Forbidden Purple City, home to the Emperor and his court.

Be sure to sample Hue's world famous cuisine. You might even consider taking a short cooking class to learn more about Hue cuisine and prepare your own culinary masterpiece.

After spending a bit of time in Hue you can travel a few hours south to HoiAn by tour bus or private car/taxi.

The third of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites was Vietnam's "Window on the World" before the arrival of the French. Ships from all over the world called on this port city to trade with each other and the inhabitants of HoiAn. The Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and French traders all influenced life in HoiAn. Some more than others - the Chinese and Japanese merchants contributions can still be seen in the well preserved architecture of the ancient village. The most famous landmark in HoiAn is the "Japanese Bridge" with its unique Buddhist Pagoda on one side.

Take a walk along the riverfront, shop in the local market or have a silk dress or suit custom tailored, and explore the many restaurants, old houses, craft shops and art galleries, where local artisans sell their works. Relax on Cua Dai Beach for a few hours - your can get there by taxi or rent a bicycle from your hotel.

The fourth of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be experienced on a day trip from Hoi An - visit the Cham ruins at My Son. Your My Son visit might be best arranged by an private tour arranged through your hotel or one of the many travel agencies in HoiAn. An early start is recommended because of the popularity of the Ruins and it is about a 2 hour journey west of HoiAn.

My Son was built by the Cham Empire between the 4th and 14th Centuries. It is Vietnam's most important Cham Ruins. The Ruins are fairly well documented so as to provide visitors with an interesting history of the area. Some of the organized tours also arrange a return to HoiAn by river boat, visiting various craft villages on the way.

DaNang is the major city in the area and it is served by an international airport. It is also home to one of the most complete Cham Museums in the world. If you have the time, you should visit the Cham Museum before you head for the My Son Ruins located about 70 kilometers southwest of DaNang.

When making your Vietnam travel plans be sure to include at least a couple of these sites. If you had to pick 4 scenic and/or cultural places to visit outside of Hanoi and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) these would be the most highly recommended by other Vietnam travelers. Find a good Vietnam Travel Book and explore Vietnam's UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites.

Discover all Vietnam highlights from north to south

Vietnam is emerging as one of the most fascinating holiday destinations in Asia. Cheap holidays to Vietnam, viewed by many as a far-off land, has joined Thailand as an exotic destination in South East Asia. Vietnam travel has caught the imagination of bargain seeking travelers from all over the world. Hanoi competes with its better known counterpart, Ho Chi Minh City (still referred to as Saigon by the locals), for the attention of travelers drawn by the blend of old and new.

Hue ancient citadel

More forward-looking than other Vietnamese cities, Saigon has also kept its French colonial charms. Its energy is kept alive by the local people who have adopted the recent government economic reforms (doi moi). Young and old have been swept up by the reborn free market after years of austerity. Saigon streets are packed with motor scooters, often carrying whole families. The open-air markets, such as the Binh Tay in the Cholon District, attract local shoppers; as well as curious, bargain seeking tourists. 

Everywhere, the views are fantastic. Enjoy the floating markets of the Mekong Delta, where fresh picked fruit and vegetables are sold at the break of day. Luscious green rice paddies in the lowlands tended by farmers give a look at a centuries old way of life.

Misty mountains stretch from the south's central highlands to the China border northwest of Hanoi. Coffee plantations, terraced vegetable farms and water falls provide awesome photographic opportunities. Small villages of minority people (montagnards or hill people) in traditional costumes give travelers a look at mountain life.

On the central coast, Nha Trang, Hoian and Hue are popular destinations for people who enjoy beaches, delicious seafood dinners, and relaxing tropical evenings. The Cham ruins inland from the coast and the imperial capital, Hue, take visitors to historical times in Vietnam travel guide. Everywhere tourists are welcomed by friendly hotel staffs and local shop owners eager to please their guests.

On the East Sea, east of Hanoi, is one of the wonders of the natural world. Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must see destination for any traveler to Vietnam. Bargain travelers are urged to take a two day / one night cruise of this geologic attraction. Halong Bay is a photographer's dream with over 2000 limestone islands, some with mysterious caves and darting wildlife.

Cheap off season airfares make Vietnam holiday a viable alternative for your next overseas vacation. The bargains once you get on the ground will make it well worth the trip. Give Vietnam a look!.

Find out a reliable travel agency for your Vietnam holiday package

Booking a cheap holiday to Vietnam through a travel company you leave everything at the arrangement of the tour operator without worrying about transports, itinerary, hotel accommodation, food and eating...however travelers don't know how to choose the right tour you will have a boring trip and thus waste your money. Therefore, you should prepare yourself for the experience of buying cheap tour with good quality.

Some experiences about how to book tour at cheap prices:

- Choose tour company

Vietnam holiday

Currently, there are many tour companies in Vietnam but not all companies are reliable and trustworthy. Especially some agencies sell tours to customers and then sell to other operators in order to get commission or un-experienced travel companies run tours with low quality. Below we give you a tip to find out a reliable travel company:

+ Check company's name, large tour companies usually have better reputation than other companies.

+ Operating time of the company: If a travel company founded for a long time and still operating it means that travel companies are doing well

+ Study the specific products of the travel company: There are some companies specializing in special tours and their products are usually better than the same products of other companies, for instance if you want to book a cheap holiday to Vietnam you should stay away from deluxe companies that usually offer high end services, just search around the net for budget tour companies or cheap travel agent that run the tours for backpackers.

+ Check with friends who have done the trip to Vietnam adventures before, it is always a good idea to book the trip through recommendation of your friends or past travelers

+ Check information about the tour company through internet. To find out if the tour companies are of good quality or not, you can go to prestigious forums: Tripadvisor, Lonely Planet to read feedbacks and review from other travelers.

+ Travel companies with good names usually offer higher prices than small or unknown companies. Small companies usually organize cheap holidays and thus put down service quality. However please note that the same itinerary offered by different companies with different prices the reason is the quality of services such as hotels, transport, food...

+ You need to find out if the company's program is affordable and assured quality services, don't be too concerned about the brand name, even the most reputable company has bad services and an unknown company may satisfy you with their dedicated service.

Stay away from shopping tours:

A note when booking a tour that is stay away from the tours that focus on shopping activities. A tour with shopping activities are usually cheaper than a non-shopping tour, the reason is the tour companies have commission from the shops and they bring tourists to the shop as part of the deal.

To offer commission to the travel companies the shops and stores have to put up prices on their products or sell low quality products to tourists, many tourists got ripped off from buying souvenirs at these shops.

Our tip is check the program carefully by yourself, stay away from tourist trip shopping places. If you like shopping you can do it in your free days.

Study the itinerary, airlines, hotels...

When booking a Vietnam holiday at cheap price you need to check if the price includes everything from food, accommodation, transport as a package, most tour companies in Vietnam don't include air fares, tax and other hidden cost, for example a tour to Hue and Danang doesn't mention transportation by road or flight from Hanoi or Sai Gon, or how you will get to hotel from airport and vice versa...you need to make this clear before booking a tour, make sure that there is no hidden cost.

In addition, you should also learn about the standard and quality of the hotels in tour, room type and quality of service, check flight times, the waiting time at the airport and select the tour that has appropriate flight time in the morning. For example a 5 day 4 night tour but departs in the evening you will lose one day or the tour operators buy cheap tickets for travelers to fly at midnight and you will need to pay extra for late check out at your hotel.

If your tour is a road trip you need to pay attention to vehicles, type of car, quality is not good or not. Do not accept the old car with cramped seat that will affect your well being. In addition, you also pay attention to places to visit, choose the tour with a moderate number of attractions, a trip with too many stops and destinations will make you tired and have not enough time to visit.

Source: http://www.cheapvietnamholidays.com/blog/tips-to-book-a-vietnam-holiday-at-low-cost.htm