Sapa travel guide, Vietnam

Choice views of the Muong Hoa valley and Mount Fansipan are the prime commodity on sale in Lao Cai's signature destination, Sapa, a hill station high in the mountains and a vestige of the French colonial era.

Sapa ranks along Ha Long Bay and Hoi An in terms of attracting tourists solely on the merit of its natural beauty and surrounding attractions. It's particularly rich in opportunities for treks, homestays and (on clear days) the kinds of panoramic views that leave travel writers searching for fresh adjectives and a larger camera memory card.

Mountaintop Sapa began life as a hilltop retreat for French colonialists desperate to escape the searing heat of the Vietnamese plains. They chose the lofty cool of Fansipan's surrounds, and it's easy to see why — the humidity of Hanoi peels away as you ascend the mountain peaks skirted with finely-sculptured, emerald-green rice terraces.

If you're only in Sapa for a few days, be forewarned that the views do not come with a money-back guarantee. The best time to visit Sapa is in the summer months of August to December, when skies are more likely to be clear. These months are rainier but they are also warmer, and sometimes you can't beat a nice summer rain for atmosphere — showers are typically brief, but it pours in buckets. Winter can be cold, foggy and rainy, but every three or four days, the weather clears and the views are more gorgeous than they are any other time of year.

No matter what time of year you arrive, Sapa has its drawbacks and advantages. Your top priority when selecting a room from December to February should be heat. Some places have electric blankets or heaters built into the bed frame, but that means the rest of the room is going to be freezing. Electric space heaters are better, and best yet, many places come with wood-burning fire-places. Make sure the fireplace works before you hand over your passport -- some we saw were only ornamental -- and check on the price of firewood as it rarely comes free and burns quickly.

Around Sapa you may come across a multitude of ethnic minorities. Chief among them are the Hmong (pronounced MONG), often referred to as the Black Hmong partly because their dress is a very dark, almost black, indigo ornamented with colourful brocade and silver jewellery, but mostly because of their black, fez-like headgear. The second largest group are the Dao, who also dress in dark clothes. The women of those referred to as Red Dao wrap up their hair in a bright red scarf bedecked with silver-beaded tassels while those of the Black Dao wear distinctive headwear — a pile of coiled, braided hair, with an elaborate, rectangular ornament of silver metal sticking out of the top. They will happily remove their headdress for tourists to show that it's just a hat and not their real hair.

Since the advent of tourism these tribes have reinvented themselves as hawkers of handmade trinkets and textile goods. They are the genuine 'native' inhabitants of the area, and they clearly regard all of the political nonsense that has been going on for the past 1,000 years as background noise. People invading and leaving. Governments coming and going. Many tribes straddle the border with China, which they ignore, circulating freely on both sides. As far as they are concerned, the lowland ethnic Vietnamese who have shown up in recent years to make a buck are simply arrivistes.

Sapa is sharply stratified — almost all the businesses in town are owned and staffed by Viet Kinh, and the only trade the tribes do is on the streets in the form of handicrafts, fruits and vegetables.

The fact that the tribes continue to live a very basic existence is partly economic and partly cultural. To them, a rice field, a garden, some cattle and a stilt house are all the prosperity they ever hoped for, going back countless generations. Homestays in these same stilt houses are very popular, of course, though some villages are more 'authentic' than others. The most-easily accessed destinations feel more like 'theme resorts' for tourists, where they get to rough it local-style, though technically they are real villages. If you venture to the more remote hamlets, they offer fascinating glimpses of lifestyles seemingly stolen from history.

Life is probably better for the tribes than it once was, but it may still take all day for vendors to make a few dollars profit. Despite the steady flow of tourists, supply far outweighs demand. You may notice that if you wander beyond the last tourist-oriented business on any street, there are precious few businesses thriving on local dollars alone. In a sense, it's not really a town at all — the tribes live elsewhere and come into town to do business, often trudging along on foot for hours or nowadays just as likely to jump on the back of a motorbike. The ethnic Vietnamese, for their part, are from other cities in Vietnam. Many live in cheap, shabby rooms but it still takes a lot of postcards and sweet potatoes to make the monthly rent. And there are few other options than family farming, since there are no major industries in the area aside from tourism.

To describe Sapa as 'over-touristed' is a bit beside the point, since that is the sine qua non of its existence, which may be something to think about when you are having brocade thrust into your hands or being dragged against your will into a shop. Visitors are often surprised by both the ruthless selling prowess and candour of the minorities. If you feel you've just been cursed in Hmong after refusing to buy, rest assured, you probably have. But their cunning and sales routines come just as naturally as their giggles and smiles. The Hmong in particular are as tough as they are sweet and naive as they are savvy. Patience, curiosity and a sense of humour are requisite attributes for all visitors.

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Hue travel guide, Vietnam

Set between Dong Ha and Dong Hoi to the north and Da Nang and Hoi An to the south, Vietnam's old imperial capital of Hue features on the itinerary of just about every first time visitor to Vietnam, and justifiably so. Straddling the truly beautiful Song Huong (Perfume River) the city first rose to prominence in the 18th through 19th centuries when it was the seat of power for the Nguyen lords. It remained the national capital until 1945, when then-emperor Bao Dai abdicated as the nation was sliced into two. This imperial legacy manifests itself today through the fortified city (better known as the Citadel) and a collection of tombs – from the grungy to the grandiose – dotting the landscape around the modern city.

During the American War, Hue's location roughly half way between Hanoi (540 kilometres away) in the north and Saigon (644 kilometres away) in the south, 15 kilometres west of the South China Sea and just south of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), meant it saw heavy fighting. The tombs themselves saw little damage, but the Citadel and central city were badly damaged during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Hue's complex history has earned it a reputation as a political, cultural and religious centre, but nowadays, visitors to contemporary Hue will find a city that only dimly reflects its past, and only does so as a begrudging nod to its Western visitors. Like Ha Long Bay to the north, the complex of tombs, pagodas and palaces throughout Hue and its surrounds has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, but to the Vietnamese psyche of many, shaped by centuries of war and struggle, and tempered by nearly 40 years of communist rule, this heritage is largely irrelevant and disconnected from the present. The overwhelming sense one gets from the city, on even the most casual visit, is of an unstoppable forward drive, and of a people looking to the future.

But the profitability of tourism has lead to a paradoxical situation where, in order to move forward, the citizens of Hue must pry open those doors to the past they would rather leave shut. As a result, the tourist industry has developed into a half-hearted attempt to give the foreigners what they want and send them on their way. While this has been effective in one sense -- a steady stream of tourists keeps showing up and paying for tours -- in the larger scheme it has also meant many poorly run tours and disappointed travellers.

At the moment, Hue is a premier tourist destination mostly in theory. In practice, it's still a work in progress. That notwithstanding, it's a beautiful and vibrant city, with great places to stay, delicious food and a number of interesting things to do, on and off the well-worn tourist trail of historic attractions. Be warned though, that those intent on seeing the sights themselves rather than going on an organised trip may find things a tad frustrating.

Advice on tours in Hue
Despite some great universities focusing on languages and tourism, Hue has yet to stick with a free tour programme. If you want to be sure to enjoy a "culture tour", you're going to have to pay for it. The only consistently worthwhile tours we've heard of, or taken ourselves, were private tours where you get to roll your own itinerary. It needn't be that expensive. A day-long tour by motorbike should be US$14, and by car, $70.

Very few tours include site admissions. The Citadel is 105,000 VND including entrance to the royal antiquities museum, housed in a building to the right of the citadel on Le Truc Street. The tombs of Tu Duc, Khai Dinh and Minh Mang will each set you back 80,000 VND, while the recently renovated Dong Khanh and Thieu Tri tombs are 40,000 VND each. All other sites are free of charge unless a snarling warden guards the site -- handing over a voluntary 20,000 VND in this case will get you a big smile and a full guided tour – albeit in Vietnamese.

One thing not advertised is a 265,000 VND ticket available from the ticket office at the citadel. You have to ask for it, and it covers the entrance for all sites for 48 hours from the first stamp; it's well worth the investment if you are planning on seeing them all.

Extensive renovations of sites were ongoing during our visit in 2014. Most of it was concentrated on the golden mile surrounding Tu Hieu pagoda and Dong Khanh tomb. Once completed, these lesser-visited sites will all come with a 40,000 VND entrance fee. What struck us was that the renovated sites, although opulently restored, were no match for the deserted, crumbling facades of the tombs that have yet to charge.

Despite guide services being very well advertised at each ticket office, be warned that English-speaking guides are pretty thin on the ground, and there is no communication between the ticket office and the guide hut just inside the various entrances. This means the ticket office will happily take your 100,000 VND guide fee and point you to the hut, where you will be met by blank faces and waving hands. Often reading before you go or booking a professional guided tour in town is a better option than relying on on-site guiding.

While as a rule of thumb going for a small group tour booked through a reputable company rather than hiring a freelance guide may pay dividends, we met some good guides on the street, and some crappy guides who worked through companies. Your mileage will vary.

Be sure to invite your guide to sit down for a drink and discuss the specifics before you commit. It doesn't matter what you drink -- green tea is just as appropriate as beer -- but this is how Vietnamese do business. Take your time, talk about things other than the tour, and leave yourself an out from the beginning, in case you're not happy – perhaps say for instance that you are waiting for friends to come into town, so you're not sure when you want to go. Gauge the extent of your guide's knowledge and language skills. Use your gut. If they strike you as creepy or obnoxious, that's not just the culture barrier. The best guides are cool dudes you want to spend more time with. That's what you're looking for.

Even if you have a guide, a lot of the onus still falls on you to make sure you see the sites you want to see. Most guides will happily take you anywhere you want to go, but if you don't speak up, they'll just take you to the most convenient spots for them. One of the biggest problems we encountered with motorbike guides was their reluctance to take us to the further flung tombs; time and time again we were told they were not worth seeing as they were exactly the same as more conveniently located sights. This isn't really true though, as these are the tombs that have escaped the shiny makeovers, crowds and entrance fees of other attractions on the map. If the first guide you ask says no, move on to another until you find one who will; to save misunderstandings on the tour, get them to mark the agreed route on a map before you go.

We found an excellent guide, Mr Vui, who was full of interesting information, and took us on a very creative route to see some of the major sites. If he's not available, he can probably hook you up with another guide.

Other than Mr Vui, there are good guides to be hired at Mandarin Cafe and Stop and Go Cafe and people seem quite happy with the tours out of Cafe on Thu Wheels, though some of the guides don't speak much English. Also, Mandarin Cafe has a good and steady reputation. For further flung tours, Le Family Riders is a family-run motorbike tour company with some excellent itineraries well off the usual beaten path. Everything is included in their day rate, including fun and informative guides and meals. They can also arrange for luggage to be forwarded on to your next destination and pre-book the best guesthouses available in each town on longer tours.

Mr Vui: T: (84) 0945 288 097. vuiphn@yahoo.com.
Stop and Go Cafe: 03 Hong Vuong, Hue. T: (054) 0905 126 767. stopandgocafetours@gmail.com
Mandarin Cafe: 24 Tran Cao Van, Hue. T: (054) 382 1281. mrcumandarin@gmail.com
Cafe on Thu Wheels: 3/34 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Hue. T: (054) 3832 241. minhthuhue@yahoo.com. Daily 06:00 to 23:00
Ly Family Riders: 44 Dang Thai Than St, Hue. T: (016) 8926 6792.

Touring the sites on your own
Another option is to skip a tour and do it on your own. Take your time. Don't try to see everything -- just target a few key spots. Expect nothing much more than you would from a lovely, relaxed day in the park, and you'll avoid some of the frustrations and let-downs we hear about.

Everything can be visited by car, bicycle or motorbike on your own. However, everything worth seeing is dubiously marked on the maps: particularly the sights located further afield. We found the best of the lot to be the free Hue Tourist map, available at most hotels and tour booking offices. Even armed with that, we'd recommend taking advice on your planned route before you go as there are some easily navigated off-map shortcuts and it's not uncommon for some of the tombs to be closed for renovation work.

But a great way to while away the hours in Hue on a beautiful day is to try to find some place on your own anyway, get lost, see the countryside, stop along the way and eventually wind up some place interesting, even if it isn't the place you were heading for when you set out.

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Nha Trang travel guide, Vietnam

Vietnam's most popular beach destination Nha Trang, the capital of Khanh Hoa province, sits in the south of Vietnam around 450km north of Ho Chi Minh City -- a train journey of as little as seven hours or 45 minutes by plane. The trip brings the weary traveller to the best city beach Vietnam has to offer. The town sits in a spectacular setting, surrounded by paddy fields which eventually yield to a semi circle of mountains that loom over this bustling coastal centre.

Most are attracted here for the same reasons -- a beach perfect for a few days relaxation, where the sand stretches along the bay for 6km and for most of the year the sea is a brilliant turquoise colour. Ideal for backpackers, the city also has arguably the best nightlife in Vietnam outside of Saigon, with numerous bars catering to the budget and tourist market, and parties raging until late every night in the Sailing Club -- the only post-midnight destination for the late crowd. It doesn't look like Pattaya just yet, but the rapid transformation of seafront Tran Phu St shows the influx of 5 star resorts and high rise hotels is not going to slow -- Nha Trang even has its own private island resort, Vin Pearl Land.

Many also come for the diving -- Nha Trang will argue to be the best location for diving in Vietnam. Visibility can hit 30m, though usually more like 15-20m, and the marine life includes reef sharks and stingrays. More than eight dive shops work the thirty or so sites in the bay and beyond. Plenty resides above water in the ocean around Nha Trang, so diving is not essential as swimming and snorkelling are just as easily enjoyed -- simply hop on one of the many boat trips that cruise the bay and its islands daily.

For those not interested in diving or sunbathing, other attractions in the city and surrounding area include, the Ba Ho waterfalls, the 'mineral' mud baths, the Cham Tower and Long Son pagoda. Further afield, Nha Trang is a perfect base to explore outlying places such as Whale Island, Jungle Beach and even the central highlands -- Buon Ma Thuot is just a bumpy 205km away.

Nha Trang caters for all, from the 5 star high end family holiday to the backpackers budget rest-place, from the long sandy beach to the (sometimes) crystal seas, and not forgetting the lively bar scene in the evenings -- and that's without even leaving town limits. Don't forget to try freshly caught BBQ lobster on the street, after all, seafood is one of Nha Trang's many highlights!

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Mui Ne travel guide, Vietnam

One of southern Vietnam's prime slices of beach real estate, Mui Ne is a kilometres-long sweeping bay boasting a huge range of guesthouse and resort options, with the actual village set at the far northern end of the bay.

The accommodation and services scene, heavily influenced by its proximity to Saigon which is a mere four hours away, has developed rapidly in recent years and now offers some outstanding mid-range resort options, and while the options for budget travellers have dwindled somewhat, there are still some get budget haunts worth seeking out.

The beach itself is yellow sand with a semi-fine grain. While the central stretch of the beach through to the northern end is poorer quality and dominated by the fishing industry (ie there's a fair amount of refuse, netting, dead fish and other fishing paraphernalia), the southern stretch is better suited to swimming, sun-baking and deck-chair reclining. Obviously the bits of beach right out front of individual resorts is better kept than the more deserted stretches.

Famous for its wind- and kite-surfing, in season, the winds here are as reliable as clockwork, though if you're planning on spending a prolonged period of time doing either, bring your own gear as the prices are not cheap.

Away from the beach, the key attraction of Mui Ne are its sand dunes, of which there are three sets which can easily be visited from Mui Ne, either independently by bicycle or motorbike or by motorbike taxi or jeep.

While not of Lawrence of Arabia proportions, they are nevertheless very photogenic and with a bit of trick photography, you too can be Lawrence.

Best visited in the late afternoon when the light is sublime, you can also catch the sunset from above Mui Ne village which, with its bevy of fishing boats, is particularly scenic.

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Ha Long Bay travel guide, Vietnam

A cruise on Ha Long Bay -- or the Bay of the Descending Dragon -- for many represents the pinnacle of their experience in Vietnam. easily one of the most popular destinations in the country, UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay is both mystical and magnificent, an incredible feat of nature that almost never fails to impress.

Yes, it really is that good.

Last time we counted, UNESCO had picked out 830 World Heritage sites around the world, chosen for their cultural and historical importance, and also for their geological uniqueness. Ha Long Bay offers a little of all three.

It's not the cliffs themselves that make Ha Long Bay unique, but rather their sheer number. A huge bay, dotted with nearly 2,000 mostly uninhabited limestone cliffs, the breathtaking scenery is very similar to that of the Andaman coast of Thailand, Vang Vieng in Laos and Guilin in China.

Created over millions of years, tectonic forces slowly thrust the limestone above the water-line. During this process waves lapping against the stone carved out a number of vast, striking caverns, as well as other geologically interesting formations, such as tunnel caves and uniquely shaped massifs.

Over the ages, Vietnamese fishermen with too much time on their hands began to see shapes in the stone massifs atop many of the islands, and named the islands accordingly -- Turtle Island, Human Head Island, Chicken Island and so on.

In what constitutes one of the most fascinating cultural features of the area, some of these fisherman still live on the bay today -- on floating fishing villages, where houses are set atop barges year round, the inhabitants catching and cultivating fish throughout.

Ha Long Bay cruises mostly run out of Hanoi or the coastal town of Halong City (which faces out and over the bay). There are hundreds of agencies selling tours on the bay, but very few actually run their own boats -- instead most are consolidators or resellers. Organising a tour is very much a buyer beware scenario -- talk to other travellers and shop around -- if you're paying $15 a head for a two day tour of Ha Long Bay rest assured it will be pretty dodgy. Try to include a stay on Cat Ba Island if you can.

We've put a series of stories together concerning trying to pick the right tour, and there's also some good threads on the Travelfish Forum, including:
Ha Long Bay tours (long)
Bad Ha Long trip
Ha Long Bay tours
Ha Long Bay daytrip

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Hoi An travel guide, Vietnam

Yellow houses draped in bougainvillea, shopfronts lit with a glow of silk lanterns, fisherpeople hauling up baskets of slippery fish from their boats -- life in old town Hoi An looks like a postcard of a classic Vietnamese riverside town. In 1999, the old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in an effort to preserve its core of historic architecture, a stunning mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and European styles. The listing gave Hoi An the resources and impetus to better protect and maintain its buildings, and to market itself as a tourist destination. It worked, and the town now attracts visitors by the droves.

The tourist trade is now Hoi An's bread and butter, and just about every business in town is geared to it. Restaurants offer menus of local specialties and American breakfasts, tailors offer suits made in less than 24 hours. It can easily feel like one giant showcase with little in the way of an independent life of its own. Yes, it's a big tourist trap, but even so -- it shouldn't be missed. Most people who visit are charmed, and even cynics will likely seek an excuse to justify liking it.

Historians believe that Hoi An was founded more than 2,000 years ago as a primitive port for the Sa Huynh people, thanks to evidence from archaeological excavations that have also pointed towards early trade with the Han dynasty in China. Through to the 15th century, the port was absorbed into the kingdom of Champa and was known first as Lam Ap and later as Faifo. During this period, it developed into a prosperous trading port visited by trading fleets from as far afield as the Arabian peninsula. As a hub of regional trade, Hoi An brought considerable affluence to the Champa kingdom, evidence of which can be seen at nearby My Son.

The number of traders visiting Hoi An escalated as the centuries marched on, with the Portuguese, Dutch, British and French all making an appearance, along with the ever-present Chinese, Japanese and Indians. The majority of Hoi An's most beautiful buildings were constructed from the 15th to 19th centuries.

Hoi An's star began to fade as trade slowly moved north to the larger and more industrial port of Da Nang. Today, little trade occurs aside from tourist boats, and only small-scale fishing boats use the port commercially. The foreign visitors are no longer traders, but tourists. Many visitors pass through quickly, catching a glimpse of the colourful atmosphere, and perhaps having a rush order put through on a suit or a dress. However, those willing to stick around a little longer will be rewarded. The town hosts a dozen or so engaging historical attractions, and the area offers beaches and ruins worth some daytrips. And most importantly, those who linger in town will get to see the real life lurking behind Hoi An's fading facade.

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Hanoi travel guide, Vietnam

Hanoi, one of the most beautiful of the colonial Indochinese cities, is often the start or end point of a trip to Vietnam, and what a great welcome or farewell it is. Oozing with charm, Hanoi has gone through wholesale changes since Vietnam swung open its doors to tourism, but it remains true to its essential personality and is an amazing city to experience.

Though considerably quieter than big sister Saigon, Hanoi still retains a vibrant atmosphere. From the early hours until late at night, the fig-tree shaded streets swarm with careening motorbikes, often with four, five or even six people aboard. A cyclo is available on most street corners, but unless you are making a particularly long trip, the best way to explore Hanoi is by foot.

It seems that in Hanoi, no two streets meet at 90 degrees and there so many one-way thoroughfares it sometimes feels like you can't get there from here, nor here from there. Count on getting lost. But a day of dodging traffic and elbowing your way through overcrowded footpaths is exactly how most people spend their time in Hanoi, and it's more fun than any purpose-built tourist attraction. Keep a map close at hand though, so when you find something that tickles your fancy, you can mark it down -- otherwise you risk never finding it again.

Hanoi has a number of lovely parks and museums where you can while away the hours of a warm summer's afternoon -- Lenin Park, south of Hoan Kiem district and just north of Bay Kau Lake are among the most popular, especially on holidays, when it's packed with picnickers.

In winter months, you can find yourself a cozy cafe to snuggle up in, or find a streetside restaurant boiling up a pot of something belly-warming and delicious. While Hanoians are certainly happy to be free of the French occupation, they continue to embrace French culinary culture.

Big, fat, fresh baguettes are sold everywhere, good for a pate sandwich or smeared with the ubiquitous Laughing Cow cheese. The coffee is world class -- served strong and rich in demitasses -- with the best blends being smooth and chocolatey. Wine is widely available, though inadequate storage and rotation lead to some bad bottles.

Specialty places like The Warehouse on Hang Trong are good for a wide, reliable selection of domestic and foreign vintages. And, of course, the pasteries beckon too. Hanoi has a plentiful and delicious collection of patisseries spread all over the city boasting decadent but very affordable treats.

Finally, the people of Hanoi are some of the warmest and most approachable in the country. Though English is not as commonly spoken as in the South, many of the older generation have a working vocabulary of French. Regardless of language, people will attempt to have a conversation with you irrespective of whether you can understand them. Many of the city's cyclo drivers speak some English and often have intriguing pasts that they are now willing to discuss with foreigners.

In Hanoi, you may find yourself sitting in a cafe sipping excellent coffee, nibbling a pastry, chatting in French to an old gentleman sporting a beret, while looking out on a vista of French-style buildings in the shadows of fig trees. You may begin to doubt that you got off the plane in the right city. But then, sitting at a streetside restaurant, slurping up a bowl of bun cha with a side of fresh springrolls, watching the 'yoke ladies' trundle by in their conical hats, hawking their wares -- nope, it's not Paris warmed over ... It's full-on Hanoi, a city to be savoured.

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Vietnam_From Ha Long Bay to Ho Chi Minh City

From the vertiginous rice valleys of Sapa in Vietnam's north stretching to the fascinating bustle of the Mekong Delta in the south, Vietnam is home to a wealth of attractions that will seduce both budget and top-range travellers.

Vietnam's war-torn history -- both the French and Americans have left their own unique and not often positive stamps on the nation -- as well as its stunning and varied geography, delicious cuisine, hedonistic beaches and amazing shopping are all reasons to travel to the fast-paced Communist nation.

Welcoming foreign tourists and their dollars for well over a decade, enterprising Vietnam has rapidly developed a well-trodden trail of tourist attractions. Many travellers kick off their vacation in the former capital of Hanoi in the north, where smokey French-style cafes rub shoulders with traditional stores hawking most anything and internet cafes frequented by well-groomed teenagers who otherwise hang out on the streets on their sharply polished motorbikes.

From here, popular side trips for travellers include Ha Long Bay, where soaring limestone karsts boggle the mind, and the former French hill station of Sapa, where hilltribes in colourful dress who work the terraced rice paddies -- and now the masses of tourists -- combine with cool weather to make a must-see destination.

Travel by train, or bus, to take in the remainder of Vietnam. Remnants of the American War in Vietnam provide sobering viewing around the central region's demilitarised zone (DMZ), an essential stop for the many war veterans returning to this now-vibrant nation.

The nearby imperial capital of Hue offers a glimpse into yesteryear, while incredibly popular Hoi An offers an opportunity to get an entire new wardrobe -- shoes included -- stitched up for a song, as well as some great cafes and cuisine to while away a few days enjoying.

Adventurous travellers will want to head further south again and inland to the little-touristed Central Highlands region, where ethnic minorities scratch out livings for themselves -- not always in harmony with the central government.

A trip to Vietnam would not be complete without a stop at one of the beach strips for some surf, sun and sand, and perhaps a sipped cocktail or two. Nha Trang and Mui Ne are popular vacation spots, offering backpacker accommodation as well as some remarkable luxury resorts these days.

The country's southern capital of Ho Chi Minh city, or Saigon, is a throbbing metropolis where some might be as enthralled with the mesmerising traffic as they are with the sights.

Below Saigon the Mekong Delta offers particular delights to the independent and intrepid traveller -- think freshly caught crispy fish, eaten while sitting on a barge cruising the waterways. Be sure to palm off the organised tours and do this part of the country on your own.

Sublime Phu Quoc Island is another excellent retreat, lapped by turquoise waters and a wealth of sea life.

Backpackers could easily spend a few months taking in Vietnam at a leisurely pace, though Vietnam Airlines and burgeoning regional budget airlines with their cheap flights now make spending say a long weekend in Hanoi or a quick break in Nha Trang a viable prospect for short-term, luxury tourists -- or those who just want a taste of a fast-developing country that was off limits for so long.

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Ko Samet travel guide, Thailand

As the closest major island to Bangkok, Ko Samet is one of the most popular places in Thailand to watch teal water caress feathery white sand shores. It's not the kingdom's most picturesque, enchanting or cleanest island, but Samet consistently draws droves of travellers seeking a quick, easy getaway from the Thai capital.

One of the very first Thai islands to surface on the foreign traveller radar back in the 1970s, Samet's old days of crashing in hammocks next to beach campfires are long gone. The island now competes with Hua Hin as the weekend beach playground of choice for middle to upper class Thais from Bangkok. This means better Thai food than on some islands, though it also results in bars and resorts that chiefly aim to satisfy middle- to high-end Thai tastes. On weekends, big groups of Thais zoom by on ATVs before congregating around bottles of scotch in the beachside bars (hopefully after returning the ATVs).

The island is famous among Thais as the setting for a story by their most beloved poet, Sunthorn Phu, who was a native of Rayong province. The main character, Phra Arpaimanee, travels with his flute around Thailand until he's captured by a ravenous giantess. After watching her chomp a buffalo's head off, he manages to escape by lulling her to sleep with his entrancing flute music. He then uses his magical flute to win over the heart of a beautiful mermaid. The pair marry and live happily ever after with a son, Tusakorn, who incidentally has the body of a horse and head of a dragon. An imposing statue of the giantess meets all who arrive at Nadan pier, and at the far southern end of Haad Sai Kaew, a photo next to decaying statues of Phra Arpaimanee and the mermaid is obligatory for all Thai visitors.

Given that it's one of Thailand's more developed islands, many are surprised to learn that Ko Samet is part of Khao Laem Ya Ko Samet National Park, which also encompasses Khao Laem Ya on the mainland along with various smaller islands. The only way you'd know you're in a national park is via the flabbergasting 200 baht entry fee. Tacky resorts have gobbled up every inch of the most popular beaches, ditches along the main road look like small landfills, and plastic is regularly burned in the village. With no national park-maintained hiking trails, campgrounds or other facilities to speak of, you have to wonder where all of those pricey entry fees end up. We feel that Ko Samet makes a mockery of the Thai Department of National Parks.

Adding to this not-so-environmentally-conscious image, in July of 2013, 50,000 litres of crude oil gushed into the sea near Samet after a pipeline owned by PTT Global Chemical ruptured. The golden sand of Ao Phrao on Samet's west coast was painted a stinking black by the oil slick, forcing the closure of Ao Phrao's resorts and causing serious damage to the area's already fragile marine life. By September of the same year, Ao Phrao had rebounded surprisingly quickly and only a faint smell of oil remained.

Locals informed us in late 2013 that major plans are underway to widen the island's main road, replacing hastily thrown up structures with "contemporary" two-storey concrete buildings. This is potentially a positive development as it might make way for a streamlined trash removal system, which Samet appears to be in desperate need of. On the other hand, it could just result in more traffic and overpriced hotels. Some stretches of the main road that winds down Samet's long southern tail had already been sealed with concrete during our most recent visit, and we would be surprised if the length of the road from the village down to Ao Thian isn't fully paved by 2015.

Despite Samet's considerable environmental issues, it remains exceedingly popular with Thais, expats and foreign travellers. You can still find idyllic beaches in the sheltered southern bays of Ao Tubtim, Ao Nuan and Ao Wai, and even the most developed beaches still manage to be beautiful -- if you can ignore the jetskis, speedboats and bars. While Samet sees its share of rain from June to October, it's a solid alternative to the far southern Thai islands that tend to partially close up shop when they're hit by more intense monsoon storms at this time of year. Virtually every place to stay and eat is open for business year-round on Ko Samet.

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Ko Lanta travel guide, Thailand

Lanta. The word alone conjures daydreams of lazing in a hammock, soothed by tepid waves and refreshed by the juice of coconuts that collect on the sand. The exact meaning is unknown, but the island's old Malay name of Pulao Satak translates as "Long Beach Island". Four splendid stretches of powder-white sand span several kilometres each on Ko Lanta, with many more secluded beaches just waiting to be lounged upon.

First "discovered" by Scandinavian backpackers in the 1980s, this long and slender Andaman Sea island stayed largely hidden in the shadows of Ko Phi Phi and Phuket for many years. As more travellers moaned about crowded beaches and overpriced bungalows on these, word about Lanta's near-empty beaches spread. By the early 2000s, it had become a choice destination for families, honeymooners, backpackers and anyone looking for a thriving yoga scene.

In addition to the vast beaches, Lanta boasts inland mountains shrouded in old-growth jungle, a protected mangrove forest and a pristine national park. If there's one activity that should get you out of that hammock, it's a walk to the park's antiquated lighthouse perched atop a dramatic white-rock cliff that affords some of the most dazzling views you'll find anywhere in Thailand.

Lanta's traditional Urak Lawoi (nomadic sea dweller) and Chinese-Malay Muslim communities add an intriguing splash of culture to that beach holiday. While the west coast has been taken over by tourism, the east is home to shrimp farms, fishing villages and a historic Old Town where Chinese lanterns and wooden bird cages hang from century-old teakwood houses.

Though Ko Lanta has retained much of its charm and even a few undeveloped patches of beachfront, it now shows up loud and clear on the mainstream travel radar. The northwest has become a bustling tourist centre, complete with neon signs, tattoo parlours and tailor shops. The main road here is something of a disaster, with litter-strewn ditches and countless ugly, ill-planned concrete developments that often stand abandoned.

You'll now find two muay Thai stadiums, three cooking schools, snake shows, elephant camps, an international language school and even a few seedy bars that would have been unthinkable to the conservative locals when 24-hour electricity arrived in the late '90s. One life-long islander complained that the tourism industry has brought an influx of greed while threatening the island's traditional ways of life. But the worst could be yet to come.

At time of writing, plans are being drawn up to erect an 800 megawatt coal-fueled power plant on the mainland near Ko Lanta, with a coal dock slated for the island itself. If this becomes a reality, coal barges will lurch straight through the national park, spewing harmful carcinogens into the air and water, killing marine life and ruining those breathtaking sea views. If a coal plant on the Krabi coast and coal dock on Lanta sounds as crazy to you as it does to us, please sign the AVAAZ petition and visit the "Say No to Krabi Coal Power Plant" web page.

For now, the sheer size of Lanta's "big four" beaches -- Khlong Dao, Phra Ae, Khlong Khong and Khlong Nin -- leave plenty of breathing room, even during peak season. Far southern beaches like Ao Kantiang retain a remote and romantic atmosphere. Though it's changing fast, Ko Lanta remains a fantastic choice for everyone from families to hippies to high-end luxury travellers.

Orientation
For travellers, the term "Ko Lanta" specifically refers to Ko Lanta Yai ("Big Ko Lanta"), as opposed to Ko Lanta Noi ("Little Ko Lanta"), with the latter being a quiet rural island that sits between Lanta Yai and the mainland. The Ko Lanta archipelago includes dozens of smaller islands that can be visited as day trips. All of them are part of Mu Ko Lanta National Park.

At 25 km long and five km wide, "Big Ko Lanta" lives up to its name. It stretches from northwest to southeast in a manner that will remind North Americans of a miniature Florida, minus the panhandle. Most of the west coast is lined with beaches that can feel more like one endless stretch of sand broken up by a few rock cliffs.

From a traveller's perspective, Ko Lanta Yai can be loosely divided into three sub sections:

The northwest is the most popular and busy part of the island, home to the mostly midrange accommodation on Haad Khlong Dao, the vast Haad Phra Ae (aka Long Beach) and its diverse mix of backpacker to luxury accommodation, and the hippie-party scene of Haad Khlong Khong, with a couple of smaller beaches peppered in between. Connected by a relatively wide paved road, the northwest is a good choice for those keen on meeting people and sticking close to nightlife and conveniences, but some might find it too touristy or lacking charm.

South of Khlong Khong, a narrower paved side road continues into the southwest. This section includes the beautiful and conveniently located Haad Khlong Nin, with the more remote Ao Kantiang, Haad Khlong Jak and Ao Mai Pai, along with a handful of smaller beaches and the national park, located further south. This general area is a fine fit for those seeking a secluded or romantic getaway. It reminds us of parts of Bali thanks to the many yoga-enthusiasts, Balinese-style villas and the narrow paved road that winds along the sea and up over dense green hills.

Three paved roads provide cross-island access to the third sub section, which covers everything on Lanta's picturesque but beach-less east coast. Here you'll find the "mangrove village" of Thung Yee Pheng to the north, the historic Lanta Old Town in the centre, and an Urak Lawoi village known as Sang Kha-U further south. While some excellent guesthouses and homestays are found in these areas, most choose to stay on the west coast and hit the east as a day trip.

No matter where you choose to stay, you will almost certainly arrive in Baan Saladan at Ko Lanta's northernmost point. This one-time fishing village has become a full-scale tourist town that brims with ATMs and bank branches, internet cafes, restaurants, bars, travel offices, convenience stores and shopping plazas. Along with a few dirt-cheap guesthouses, some of the island's best and cheapest food can be scored here.

Lanta's food scene is quite good on the whole, though it's worth travelling from beach to beach as each area has its highlights. The best Italian is in Khlong Nin; Haad Phra Ae is the place for Indian and Mexican; Saladan has the cheapest (and possibly best) seafood; Khlong Khong is the only option for Greek; and Khlong Dao boasts some of the finest bakeries. Though you'll find exceptions, the cheapest and most authentic Thai is usually found in roadside eateries rather than resorts.

Not usually thought of as a party destination, Lanta's nightlife scene has steadily grown over the years. You'll now find thumping live music venues, sports bars, gay nights and no shortage of fire-spinning shows at chilled-out reggae bars along the beaches. For details on the latest parties and events, check out facebook.com/groups/lanta.

A roving local market sets up on different parts of the island depending on the day and can be fun for a poke through the cheap clothes and food stalls. Apart from the Sunday morning market that takes place from 8:00 to 11:00 in the Old Town, the markets typically runs from around 16:00 to 21:00. The schedule is as follows:

Sunday: Morning market in the Old Town central square
Monday: Off the main road in southern Haad Khlong Dao
Tuesday: Off the southernmost cross-island road, just east of Khlong Nin
Wednesday: Near the car ferry in Baan Saladan
Thursday: Off the main road between Haad Phra Ae and Khlong Khong
Friday: Again off the southernmost cross-island road, just east of Khlong Nin
Saturday: Off the main road in northern Haad Khlong Dao

ATMs, convenience stores, internet cafes and petrol stands are found in all of the island's major beaches and towns, and any guesthouse or resort can help travellers arrange onward transport and tours.

For medical emergencies, your best bet is Siam International Clinic (T: (075) 684 747), which is located along the main drag in southern Haad Phra Ae and has a medical speedboat shuttle for emergency transfers to the mainland. Haad Phra Ae is also home to the smaller Dr Salarin Clinic, while Saladan has a local clinic. Both of these have English speaking staff and should be fine for minor scrapes. Just south of the Old Town, the main Ko Lanta Hospital offers a 24-hour emergency centre.

The main police station is located off the east-coast road in the Old Town, with tourist police boxes found in most of Lanta's major centres. The Post Office is located along the main road in northern Haad Phra Ae and is easy to spot. The closest immigration office is in Krabi town.

Ko Lanta is a seasonal destination. The best times to visit are November 1 to mid December and February to the end of March, when there's mostly sunshine to go with thinner crowds and slightly cheaper room rates than you'll find during peak season from mid December through January. Many resorts stay open year round, but the island is very quiet during the monsoon season from May to October, with July to September being especially wet.

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Ko Chang travel guide, Thailand

Sometimes called the "Beast of the East" thanks to its sheer mass and location in the eastern Gulf of Thailand near Cambodia, Ko Chang might just be the quintessential Thai island destination. From breathtaking mountains to idyllic beaches, hippy hangouts to salubrious resorts, and traditional fishing villages to neon nightlife, "Elephant Island" truly has something for everyone.

Some say that Ko Chang's name derives from its shape on a map that somewhat resembles the head of an elephant. Others claim it's due to the vast inland mountains that, apparently, resemble an elephant lying down. But the moniker most likely comes from a local legend that tells of a certain rebellious domesticated elephant (the animals are not indigenous to Ko Chang) whose three baby elephants drowned while trying to accompany her on a long swim to the mainland. As the legend has it, the babies transformed into three rocks off the northern coast that can still be seen today.

Whatever the true origins of the name, Ko Chang is most certainly a beast -- Phuket and Ko Samui are the only Thai islands that are bigger. Most of its 217 square kilometres remains unspoiled inland rainforest. The tallest of eight notable waterfalls, Khlong Neung, cascades down a 120-metre-high cliff. The island's highest peak, Khao Salak Phet, stands imposingly at 744 metres tall. Mongooses and macaques roam the jungle among an abundance of birds, including the majestic great hornbill, reptiles and other wildlife. Dolphins can sometimes be spotted off the southeast coast.

Despite its formidable rainforest, Ko Chang is most certainly a developed island. Long gone are the days when intrepid backpackers crashed on empty beaches. Today, Ko Chang is home to hundreds of places to stay, with new developments popping up every month. Every inch of Haad Sai Khao (White Sand Beach) has been filled in with concrete hotel blocks, convenience stores, tacky bars and tourist trinket shops, with Khlong Prao and Kai Bae gradually following suit.

Even so, Ko Chang has a long way to go before reaching the frenzied levels of development found on its larger cousin, Phuket. Its vast terrain and the fact that it can only be reached by car ferry have seemingly kept the building projects from getting too out of hand. On the quiet east coast, traditional fishing life continues in the tiny villages of Dan Mai, Salak Khok and Salak Phet, and a 10-minute walk from some of the western beaches brings you to picturesque fields of pomelo, banana and rubber trees.

First settled by Chinese traders and Thai and Khmer fishermen, Ko Chang was the focal point of two tragic historical events. The first, which is glorified by Thais, was the sinking of a Thai warship, the Thonburi, in Salak Phet Bay during a 1941 battle with French naval forces. The second, which most Thais never talk about, were the supposedly Thai government-sanctioned sinkings of rickety vessels carrying Vietnamese refugees, or "boat people", in the 1980s. The island remained quiet into the ‘90s when large-scale tourism finally took hold.

Ko Chang's almost-white sand beaches don't quite achieve the sparkle of some of the more spectacular islands down south, but they're no slouch either. While Haad Sai Khao is the largest and widest stretch of sand, the clearest water and most irresistibly "tropical" settings can be found further south in places like Lonely Beach and Bang Bao.

Off the sand, activities include snorkelling and diving trips to nearby coral reefs, jungle treks to waterfalls and mountain peaks, elephant rides and motorbiking adventures to the stunning southeast coast. If all this isn't enough, 51 more islands await in the Ko Chang archipelago, including Ko Kut and Ko Maak.

Orientation
An upside-down U-shaped road runs from Salak Phet on the southeast coast, up past the sleepy eastern shore and the two main ferry piers in the north, then down the length of the developed west coast all the way to Ao Bang Bao in the southwest, where boats can be caught for Ko Maak, Ko Kut and other islands.

There is no road connecting Ao Bang Bao directly to Salak Phet; motorbiking from one end to the other takes between two and three hours without stopping. A partial connector road was built several years ago but the project was abandoned before it could complete the loop.

Use extreme caution when motorbiking or driving on Ko Chang, particularly on the steep and treacherous switchback roads that connect Khlong Son to Haad Sai Khao, Kai Bae to Lonely Beach, and Salak Khok to Long Beach. With numerous hairpin turns high on the cliffs there is little room for mistake. Even on straighter sections, minibuses and songthaews often barrel down hills at breakneck speeds.

Most of the beaches are on the west coast, and each has built up with a distinctive atmosphere.

Khlong Son has a local flavour; travellers usually only stay here if seeking peace and quiet on its sheltered bay, or along a scenic inland valley road. South of that, Haad Sai Khao is by far Ko Chang's most developed area. It's home to countless characterless resorts, but also some interesting budget and midrange accommodation on the beach's quieter northern end. The main drag is a tacky swirl of souvenir shops, convenience stores and pubs, some of which have a seedy element.

Continuing south, the local village of Chai Chet almost feels like a typical mainland Thai town, with a motorbike dealer, hardware store, butcher, small supermarket and night market lining its not-so-attractive main road. The town's northern section has a string of neon pink bars where some of the resident expat men can be found drinking their nights away, though a decent beach is also found in this vicinity.

The road then tapers into Khlong Prao, which hosts a few kilometres of great beaches that are gradually becoming more developed. This is also where you'll find a hidden inland shanti-town where many low-wage Cambodian workers live. A non-profit school, Study Buddies, meets the needs of local children -- you might consider stopping by to donate during your stay. A large number of traveller-oriented services and restaurants are found along the main road, especially towards the south of Khlong Prao.

The restaurants and travel offices become more densely packed in Kai Bae, a favourite of families and couples, including no shortage of mainland Europeans, Scandinavians and Russians. Some of the island's best international food can be scored here, and though narrow, the beach is lovely.

After a tight pinch in the headland road that's sure to make some butts squirm, Lonely Beach ushers in a more "out there" feel that attracts budget backpackers and Bob Marley worshipers. The small beach is also excellent, though most seem to stay here for the affordable bungalows and party scene. A 10-minute walk south of Lonely Beach village lies Ao Bailan, which makes up for its mostly rocky coast with a pleasantly quiet atmosphere suited to families, flashpackers and backpackers who appreciate a good night's sleep.

Beyond Bailan lies Ao Bang Bao, a picturesque bay and former fishing village that has now almost entirely switched to tourism as its chief industry. A 700 metre-long pier juts out into the teal water, and some interesting places to stay are found both on the pier and the rugged peninsula that forms the bay's eastern half. To the west of the pier is Khlong Kloi, a tranquil beach that's a favourite of hippies and long stayers.

Most of the island's eastern coastline is made up of rocks and mangroves, though a few isolated beaches can be discovered if you poke around. We highly recommend motorbiking all the way down to the charming villages of Salak Khok and Salak Phet. The dirt road to Long Beach is one of the bumpiest we've ever ridden, but it's also one of the most breathtakingly scenic. If you seek some serious quietude, a handful of low-key homestays and bungalow joints are also found here.

ATMs and currency exchange booths are scattered throughout all of the island's major centres, with full-on bank branches found in Haad Sai Khao. A quality international medical clinic run by Bangkok Hospital is located between Haad Sai Khao and Khlong Prao. They charge a minimum of 4,000 baht even for something minor, though your travel insurance should cover this. If you're dumb enough to travel without insurance, the Koh Chang Hospital in Dan Mai on the east coast will be cheaper, and a smaller, less expensive medical clinic is also located in Khlong Prao. The island's central police station is found in Dan Mai, with tourist police boxes scattered around the west coast.

Ko Chang experiences a severe monsoon season from July to October. Some resorts close during these months, while others scale down to skeleton staffs. On the other hand, if you don't mind some rain and a very quiet atmosphere, discounts of up to 50% off high season rates are readily available.

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Chiang Mai travel guide, Thailand

Thailand's northern capital, Chiang Mai is the country's second most-visited city, yet in terms of size it does not remotely compare to Bangkok. With its smaller size and population, Chiang Mai has a lot in its favour for tourists and travellers alike, with the centre of town packed with glittering wats, excellent restaurants and expansive shopping markets all of which are easily taken in on foot.

If Thai temples are your thing, then Chiang Mai has a lot to offer -- the hill-top Wat Doi Suthep is the crown jewels, but the old city is packed with a vivid collection of traditional Thai temples, with Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Chiang Man being three of the true standouts -- there's even a developing "monk chat" scene. The city's temples and Lanna architecture are so popular in fact that one of Chiang Mai's most luxurious hotels (with some controversy) modelled itself on one.

The city is also home to some excellent museums, with both a museum district developing within the heart of the Old City and the long-running National Museum sitting outside the centre of town. Chiang Mai is also as much a living museum with sleepy back lanes lined with attractive traditional houses and plenty of markets to explore.

Home to the prestigious Chiang Mai University, the city has quite a cosmopolitan feel when compared to other northern Thai provinces and it has a lively entertainment scene accompanied by some of the best eating in northern Thailand -- this is not a town you'll go hungry in.

Most famous for its khao soi, Chiang Mai also delivers solid Northern Thai cuisine both at a street and market level and in its burgeoning selection of more upmarket restaurants. Thanks to its proximity to both Burma and Laos there are even more foods to try.

Accommodation-wise, Chiang Mai has an outstanding selection of options, from friendly budget guesthouses through to luxurious hotels and resorts. In the Old City area along you can barely throw a plate of somtam without hitting a guesthouse.

By northern Thai standards, Chiang Mai has a pretty comprehensive light-life scene, with everything from trendy riverside bars with live music through to grungy student bars and expat pubs. There's also a lively scene primarily aimed at helping backpackers meet more backpackers -- not quite mini Khao San Road, but not far off either.

But most foreign holiday-makers find themselves in Chiang Mai not for the temples nor the food, nor even the entertainment scene, but rather for the hill-tribe trekking. For decades Chiang Mai has formed the trekking base of northern Thailand -- and while there are some excellent tour companies in the city, there remain a number of shoddy operators -- be sure to do your research before heading into the hinterland.

Many travellers are now opting to commence their treks further afield in Mae Hong Son, Pai or Soppong (amongst others) where the tourist numbers are lower and the perceived experience more "authentic".

For those who choose to stay in the city, other popular activities include taking a Thai cooking course, a river cruise, learning a bit of Thai or maybe flying through the jungle.

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