One of the most popular tourist destinations in the country is the Dalat mountain resort., lying in an area of extensive forests on the Central Plateau (height 1475 m.).
According to localbusinessexplorer, the Dalat region is famous for its mild cool climate, evergreen forests and a huge number of rivers and lakes. In addition to numerous cozy hotels, the “madhouse” of the Hang Nga Hotel and the art gallery of Madame Dang Viet Nga, the summer palace of Emperor Bao Dai (1933), the residence of the French Governor General (1933, now a hotel), the tomb of Nguyen deserve attention here Huu Khao, Thung Lung Tinh Yew Valley (“Valley of Love”) around Da Thien artificial lake, Dalat Cathedral (1931-1942), Dalat Evangelical Church (1940), Virgin Mary Monastery (Nha Tho Domain, 1940- 1942), Zuxin Church (1955), famous Dalat Flower Gardens (Wuon Hoa Dalat) and Xuan Huong Lake, Lam Dong Lynh Son Pagoda (1938), Sony Nunnery (Chua Linfong, 1952),
Da Nang lies in the very center of the country, in a picturesque area on a heavily indented coast, among low mountains. Founded in 1333, today it is a large industrial and commercial center, one of the main ports of the country.
The main attractions of Da Nang are the luxurious Museum of Cham Culture (Bao Tang Cham, 1915), historical sites in Dong Duong (Indrapure), Khuong My, Chykyeu (Simhapur) and Thap Ma Me (Binh Dinh), Dien Hai Fortress (1813), a cemetery Hu Tyng, one of the best water parks in the country “Danang Water Park”, the nearby Marble Mountains, the famous Hai Van Pass (“Sea Cloud”, 496 m.) with an old French fort, Nguhan Son Mountains (“Five Poetic Mountain Peaks”) and stone-cutting handicraft workshops of Nguhan Son, Langkau Island, as well as many wonderful beaches.
– (in Vietnamese transcription – Ho Chi Minh, until 1976 – Saigon) – one of the largest cities in Indochina (founded in 1698) and a significant trading port.
Over the years of its development, it has experienced many difficult years, which are reflected in the architecture and numerous monuments of this huge city. It is a noisy, ever bustling and dynamically developing center of the south, the economic capital and cultural center of all of Vietnam. The streets are the focus of a myriad of markets, shops, cafes and hawkers selling their goods right on the sidewalks.
The most interesting sights of Ho Chi Minh City are the seven-tiered Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, the Imperial Jade Pagoda, the pagodas of Jacques Lam (1744), Fung Son, Ha Loi and Jacques Vien (currently the original sculpture museum is located here), Trang Hang Dao Temple (1932-1958 years), Notre Dame Cathedrals (1877-1880) and Duc Ba, Thong Nhat Palace (1868), Independence Palace (Presidential Palace), Bien Tan and Colon markets, the famous Bien Sup store (during the Vietnam War – Viet Cong secret headquarters in Saigon), as well as the Hotel De Ville – a wonderful example of French colonial architecture. No less interesting are the City Historical Museum (1929), the Ho Chi Minh Museum on the pier “Dragon House”, the extensive and tragic Museum of Military History (Museum of War Crimes), the Municipal Theater, Dam Shen parks (”
Stretching from the capital of South Vietnam to the Cambodian border, a complex system of hand-dug 250 km. (approximate figure), located on several levels, includes countless secret manholes, living quarters, warehouses, workshops, hospitals, control centers and food points. Serving as a stronghold of guerrilla warfare in the region, the tunnel system caused a lot of trouble for American troops and is still a place of pilgrimage for the Vietnamese.
In the city of Cu Chi (30 km from Ho Chi Minh City) there is an interesting military history museum, as well as several small pagodas. Only 60 km. from Ho Chi Minh City is the city of Tay Ninh – the birthplace of one of the most colorful and eclectic religions in the world – Caodaism. Formed in 1919, this religious movement absorbed the components of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, traditional Vietnamese spiritual traditions, Christianity and even Islam, turning into one of the fastest growing young religions in the world. The main shrine of Caodaism is also located here – the “great temple” of Cao Dai. 128 km. southeast of Ho Chi Minh City is the largest tourist center of the country
Vung Tau. The resort town is located in the middle of the long beaches of the coast of the South China Sea and has been the country’s most popular resort for more than 100 years. Considerable significance in the eyes of local residents is attached to it by the fact that it was from here that the last American units were evacuated. Also of interest here are the Son Am temple, two Khon Ba temples, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Vietnam – Niet Ban Tinh Sa (“House of Pure Nirvana”, 1971), Thich Ka Phat Dai Park (“Buddha Altar”), Thich Pagoda Ka Phat Dai (the largest in the region) and the sculpture park of the same name, a huge statue of Jesus (“Thanh Zok”, 1974, height – 30 m), Nyet Ban Tin Ha monastery, Ngoc Bith pagoda, lighthouse (1910) on top of Mount Nui Nyo and the former royal residence of Bat Dinh (“white villa”, 1909).
Also, the Mekong Delta can be considered a major tourist complex in the south – one of the most branched and extensive (70 thousand sq. Km.) Estuaries of the world, stretching from Ho Chi Minh City almost to the very border. The land here, although swampy, is very fertile, and the climate is favorable for agriculture, so the largest rice-growing region in the country has formed here. Deservedly popular with tourists here are Kan Zo Island, the famous river markets and pile settlements, the trading city of Chaudok, many cave temples and pagodas in the Sam region (3 km from Chaudok), many green areas and rich ethnic villages of the delta.
