Travel Viet Nam, Sapa is a beautiful valley.

International visitors to Vietnam in March estimated 561,877 arrivals, increasing by 18.7% over the same period last year. Total international arrivals in the first 3 months reached 1,873,726 representing a 24.5% growth the same period last year.

The General Statistics Office of Vietnam reported that International visitors to Vietnam in April estimated 620,000 arrivals, increasing by 18.4% over the same period last year. Total international arrivals in the 4 months reached 2,493,726 representing a 22.9% growth the same period last year.

More than 4 million arrivals travelled by air, 50,500 arrivals by sea and more than 937,000 by roadand almost of them used vietnam visa or vietnam visa on arrival to get visa to Viet Nam.

This figure shows that Vietnam was the traveler more options are popular tourist destinations and attractions. Most tourists coming to Vietnam have spent a certain time to get to sapa admire stunning beauty of this valley.

Sapa of Viet Nam.

Often considered the number two destination in Vietnam behind Halong Bay is Sapa.  The Northern mountain town is the go to spot for trekking, near immeasurable quantity of rice terraces, and visiting local tribal villages.  Of course, visiting Sapa at any time of the year puts you in for a very high risk of being caught in the frequent rain storms the region enjoys.  This shouldn't be a deterrent, as hiking in Sapa was one of my favorite experiences, even if it did require a bit of extra preparation when rainy.

Sapa, Queen of the mountains.

The Queen of the Mountains, Sapa sits regally overlooking a beautiful valley, lofty mountains towering over the town on all sides. Welcome to the destination in northwest Vietnam, gateway to another world of mysterious minority cultures and luscious landscapes. The spectacular scenery that surrounds Sapa includes cascading rice terraces that spill down the mountains like a patchwork quilt. The mountains are often shrouded in mist that rolls back and forth along the peaks, offering tantalizing glimpses of what lies in wait on a clear day. The valleys and villages around Sapa are home to a host of hill-tribe people who wander in to town to buy, sell and trade.

A recent survey released by the Sapa Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism showed that among 600 foreign tourists in a random interview, 23% said that they came back Sapa for the second time and 20% appeared for the third time.

The number of foreign tourists who came to Sapa for recreation and ecotourism made up 74% and almost all of them were from England, France, Russia, the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Have you ever come to Sapa? I sure you will be not frustration when come here. Well come to Viet Nam!

Hoa Lo Prison

Just 5 minutes away from the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel, Hoa Lo Prison is well worth a visit.

The name Hoa Lo, commonly translated as "fiery furnace" or even "Hell's hole", also means "stove". The name originated from the street name "Pho Hoa Lo", due to the concentration of stores selling wood stoves and coal-fire stoves along the street from pre-colonial times.

The prison was built in Hanoi by the French, in dates ranging from 1886–1889 to 1898 to 1901, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. The French called the prison Maison Centrale - a traditional euphemism to denote prisons in France. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter. It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution. A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600. It was nevertheless often overcrowded, holding some 730 prisoners on a given day in 1916, a figure which would rise to 895 in 1922 and 1,430 in 1933. By 1954 it held more than 2000 people; with its inmates held in subhuman conditions, it had become a symbol of colonialist exploitation and of the bitterness of the Vietnamese towards the French.

Known widely by the nickname ‘Hanoi Hilton’ given to it by the Americans during the Second Indochina War, Hoa Lo Prison was originally established by the French colonial government in 1896 for the purpose of detaining political prisoners and formed part of a northern network of ‘unjust and cruel prisons’ which included Cao Bang, Son La, Lai Chau and Hai Phong. Many leading revolutionaries were incarcerated here during the French colonial period, including Phan Boi Chau, Hoang Trong Mau, Luong Van Can, Nguyen Quyen, Nguyen Luong Bang and five future General Secretaries of the Communist Party - Nguyen Van Cu, Le Duan, Truong Chinh, Nguyen Van Linh and Do Muoi. Between 1964 and 1973 the prison’s inmates included several captured American pilots, notably Senator John McCain and Douglas 'Pete' Peterson, America’s first Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Most of the original prison was demolished in 1996 to make way for the Hanoi Towers (now Somerset Grand Hanoi) serviced apartment and office complex, but the southernmost corner has been preserved and reopened to the public as a memorial to the revolutionaries who died here in atrocious conditions. Visitors can view the original cells, complete with leg-irons, along with a selection of bilingual (Vietnamese and English) displays illustrating the horrors of life in the prison during the French colonial period.

Conditions were appalling; food was watery soup and bread. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured for countless hours and paraded in anti-American propaganda. "It is easy to die but hard to live," a prison guard told one new arrival, "and we will show you just how hard it is to live." The prison is really “A Hell on Earth”.
The Hanoi Hilton was depicted in the eponymous 1987 Hollywood movie The Hanoi Hilton. Hanoi Tower, built on the site of the infamous prison "Hanoi Hilton"; the entrance to the remaining parts of the prison visible in the foreground. By 1996, most of the walls of the Hanoi Hilton had been torn down to make way for new construction. Portions of the walls were retained for historical reasons. The Vietnamese also have bitter memories of the prison, for many communist revolutionaries were kept and tortured there. In 1998, the old front of the prison was painted and restored and the remaining portions of the prison were turned into a tourist site. Some of the cells have been opened and considerable information about Vietnamese prisoners is available. The information about the U.S. prisoners of war is unreliable. There is now a Hilton Hotel in Hanoi, called the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel, which opened in 1999. It was built decades after the Vietnam War was over, but Hilton carefully avoided reusing the dreaded name Hanoi Hilton.

Hoa Lo Prison is a historical attraction to many local and foreign visitors. You should pay a visit to the prison to experience the history with your own eyes.

Easy to apply Vietnam visa

Well come to Viet Nam, it's a beautiful country with friendly people, good food and nice scenic. It's wonderful holiday of you.

People of Viet Nam is friendly, hospitality, food of Viet Nam is good and unique taste suit with the most fastidious travelers. So all of things, Nowadays, It is choosing the idea place of foreign travels and The country has been registering an increasing flow of visitors, which has averaged 4 million foreign arrivals during the 2011. The number will be fast increase in next year.

The visa procedures are simple, faster and suit fee, it is one of the reason make foreign travelers choose Viet Nam. One visitor wants apply visa to Viet Nam, He only need access internet and click to vietnam visa or vietnam visa on arrival and make follow 4 steps:

Step 1: Fill in the visa form

Fill in the secure online form. * Only takes a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Confirm and pay

Confirm the information for processing your visa and pay the service fee.

 Step 3: Get your approval letter

Get the "Visa approval letter" within 1 or 2 working days and pick up your visa at the Vietnam international airports.

Step 4: Get your stamped

Bring "visa approval letter", passport, 2 photos, "exit and entry form", and stamping fee to get your visa stamped at the Vietnam international airports.

In general there are two main types of visas for Vietnam, which are suitable for visitors from abroad.

Business Visa – It is designed for people, who want to visit Vietnam with a commercial purpose. Normally issued for a period of maximum three months, but can be extended for three more months.

Tourist Visa – This visa is applicable for people, who intend to visit Vietnam with a touristic purpose. The maximum period of stay is one month, but the visa could be extended to up to three month if necessary.

If you chosen a place of Viet Nam then hesitate any more, please access to website:  http://getvietnamvisa.orgfor instructions and complete the visa procedures. Well come to Viet Nam!

Beautiful of Tam Cốc -Bích Động

Now in this articles, vietnam visa will be introduce with you about Hoa Lư, Tam Cốc and Bích Động
Ninh Binh province is located 100km south of Hanoi. It has evolved into a major travel center in recent years.
Its sudden transformation from sleepy hamlet to tourist magnet has little to do with Ninh Binh itself, but rather with its proximity to nearby Tam Coc (9km), Hoa Lu (12km) and Cuc Phuong National Park (45km). Although it is certainly possible to visit these sights as a day trip from Hanoi, many travelers chose to overnight in Ninh Binh or national park to appreciate the scenery at a more leisure pace.

Hoa Lu
Hoa Lu used to be the capital of Vietnam in 1020 when Dinh Bo Linh took his crown after he defeated 12 regional armies and pacified the country. Mountains, rivers and old citadel make the scenery wonderful. The two temples dedicated to Kings Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh offer tourists a glimpse of Vietnam image in the 10th century.

Tam Coc
Some million years ago, Halong Bay used to connect with these limestone mountains. Vestiges of the ocean still remain through the erosion of the mounts-Caves can offer an adventurous tour to many curious tourists. Boat trips on the rice fields to three mountains with caves are very interesting. Two tourists on one small boat ride through the mountains on the rice fields with lotus flowers. An interesting walk through the rice fields to the temple in memory of the Kings of Tran Dynasty. The bell tower is prominent in the front yard. The temple seems small but the heroes worshipped here used to defeat Kublikhan’s army for three times. Perhaps very few world figures could do the same ever.

Bich Dong
A nice pagoda built quite long time ago is situated at a scenic area. There are many statues of Buddha. The bell tower is well decorated. The incense and the sound of the bell seem to transfer tourists to the holy world of Buddha

Hạ Long Bay

Halong Bay is the jewel in the crown of Vietnam’s travel destinations. One hundred and seventy kilometers from Hanoi, in northeastern Vietnam, Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on earth. The bay is a magical blend of land and sea with thousands of limestone islands and islets in a myriad of shapes and sizes.

The shapes are as varied as the sizes and many of the islands have been given names, derived from their shapes, such as Voi Island (Elephant), Ga Choi Island (Fighting Cock), Qua Chuong Island (Bell) and Mai Nha Island (Roof); incredibly 989 of the islands have been given names. Numerous islands contain caves and grottos, some hidden away for millions of years, but now accessible to explore and marvel at their immensity and spectacular displays of stalactites and stalagmites.

The bay is bordered on the south and southeast by the Gulf of Tonkin, on the north by China and on the west and southwest by Cát Bà Island and encompasses an immense area of 1553 square kilometers.

According to local legend, long ago when the Vietnamese people were fighting foreign invaders, the Gods sent a family of dragons to help them defend the land. The dragons spat out jewels and jade, which transformed into the islands and islets dotting the bay. Their miraculous handiwork formed a great wall blocking the invaders path.

With the invaders repelled and the people safe again, the family of dragons became interested in more peaceful endeavors and decided to stay to enjoy their stunning creation. Hence the name Ha Long (Ha: descending, Long: dragon). The island where the dragon children attended to their mother was named Bai Tu Long (Bai: attend to, Tu: children, Long: dragon) and the place where the dragon children wriggled their tails as they frolicked in the sea was called Bach Long Vi (Bach: white – the color of the foam from the wriggling tails, Long: dragon, Vy: tail).

Whether or not you are a believer of legends you will be lulled into a sense of peace and contentment by the magical and surrealistic seascape of Halong Bay.

The tranquil emerald green waters and the captivating vistas of the seemingly countless jutting limestone mountainous islands will soothe the soul and stimulate the senses. Few places in the world offer a more breath-taking glimpse of the awesome creativity of Mother Nature.

The Halong Bay World Heritage Site is universally recognized for the significance of its exceptional geology and distinctive biodiversity, and the rich culture of the local people adds to the charm and enchantment of cruising the bay.

Halong Bay cruises have been a fovourite pastime for the Vietnamese for centuries. Now it’s your turn. What better way to enjoy this unrivalled destination than aboard an Indochina Sails junk.

Sam Son beach in Viet Nam

Introduction

SamSon beach is 16 km from Thanh Hoa city, Thanh Hoa province. Sam Son Beach is a famous beach with the cool wind, healthy sun, fine sand and clear water all made this a sought out place for rest and relaxation.

Sam Son coast line is 10 km long and is one of the most beautiful beaches in the north of Viet Nam. Impressive scenes, historical vestiges and hospitality of local people are always in tourists’ mind.

Other Spots

• Hon Trong Mai
• Doc Cuoc temple
• Co Tien Mountain
• Truong Le Mountain

Fireworks light up Da Nang sky

A display by the Chinese team on Sunday, the first night of the Da Nang Fireworks Festival. - VNA photo Minh Duc Presentation by the Canadian team. VNA photo Minh Duc Presentation by the Vietnamese team. VNA photo Minh Duc