Luxury Vietnam Holidays

Recent history that, for several decades, virtually closed the frontiers of Vietnam and Cambodia to the western visitor is now being overtaken by the natural hospitality of the Indo-Chinese people and their desire for cultural and commercial contacts.

Vietnam�s capital, Hanoi, is an old French colonial city of unexpected architectural delights and boasts a charming and wonderfully preserved Old Quarter. Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) also retains many of the hallmarks of its colonial past, with tree-lined boulevards, open-air cafes and huge bustling market-places.

Can Tho
Cần Th� is a city in Vietnam. The city, regarded as "Western capital", with an estimated population of 1,121,000 as of 2004, is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta. The city is located on the south bank of the Hậu River, the bigger branch of the Mekong River. It is 169 km from Hồ Ch� Minh City, Vietnam�s largest city. Cần Thơ�s climate is tropical and monsoonal with two seasons: rainy, from May to November and dry, from December to April. Average annual humidity is 83%, rainfall 1,635 mm and temperature 27 �C.

Dalat
Da Lat, or Dalat, is the capital of L�m �ồng Province in Vietnam. The town is located 1500 m (4,920 ft) above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands. According to a myth from the French colonial era, the name derives from the acronym of the Latin phrase 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem' ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others"), which the French colonial government used in their official emblem of �� Lạt. In reality, the name derives from the language of the local ethnic group Lạt and its original meaning is "Stream of the Lạt," and the acronym above is in fact a backcronym. In Vietnam, �� Lạt is a popular tourist destination. It is the location of the Novotel Dalat (formerly Dalat Hotel) and Sofitel Dalat Palace (formerly Dalat Palace built in 1922).

Danang
Da Nang is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea. It is one of the five independent municipalities in Vietnam. It was called Tourane or Turon during the French colonization of Vietnam. Danang is the largest city in central Vietnam and one of the country's most important ports. Ringed by mountains on one side and the East Sea on the other, Danang has numerous sites of natural beauty and historical interest. The city�s origins date back to the ancient Champa Kingdom, established by Indonesian settlers in 192AD. At its peak, the Cham�s sphere of influence stretched from Hue to Vung Tau. The expansion of the Chinese, Vietnamese and Khmer led to the decline and fall of the Cham by the mid-15th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, French and Spanish traders and missionaries made landfall at Hoi An, just south of Danang. By the 19th century, Danang had superseded Hoi An as the most important seaport in the central region. The presence of the French in the 19th and early 20th centuries and the Americans in the 1960s, led to continued growth of Danang, and it is now Vietnam's fourth largest city

Halong
Hạ Long Bay, is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Local legend has it 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 began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam.

Hanoi
Hanoi, is the capital of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, with a few brief interruptions, it was the political centre of an independent Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam. The city is located on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is located at 21��2��N 105��51��E / 21.033��N 105.85��E / 21.033; 105.85Coordinates: 21��2��N 105��51��E / 21.033��N 105.85��E / 21.033; 105.85, 1760 km (1094 mi) north of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon. On May 29 2008, it was decided that Ha Tay province, Vinh Phuc's Me Linh district and 3 communes of Luong Son district, Hoa Binh is merged into the metropolitan area of Hanoi from August 1 2008[2]. Hanoi's total area increased to 334,470 hectares divided into 29 subdivisions[3]. The new population is 6,232,940[3]. October 2010 will officially mark 1000 years of the establishment of the city.

Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, is the largest city in Vietnam. Under the name Prey Nokor (Khmer: ) it was the main port of Cambodia, before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding province of Gia Định and was officially renamed Hồ Ch� Minh City (although the name S�i G�n - formally known as District 1 - is still commonly used.)

Hoi An
Hội An, is a small city on the coast of the South China Sea in the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is located in the Quảng Nam province and is home to approximately 88,000 inhabitants. The city possessed the largest harbour in Southeast Asia in the 1st Century and was known as L�m Ấp Phố (Champa City). Triều Ch�u Assembly HallThe former harbour town of the Champa people at the estuary of the Thu Bon river was an important Vietnamese trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) in Vietnamese. Originally Hai Pho was a divided town with the Japanese settlement across the "Japanese Bridge"(16th-17th century). The bridge (Ch�a cầu) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side.

Hue
Huế is the capital city of Thừa Thi�n - Huế province, Vietnam. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty. As such, it is well known for its monuments and architecture. Its population stands at about 340,000 people. Huế originally rose to prominence as the capital of the Nguyễn Lords, a feudal dynasty which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trinh Sam captured it, it was known as Ph� Xu�n. In 1802, Nguyễn Ph�c �nh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Huế the national capital.

Nha-Trang
Nha Trang pronunciation is a coastal city and capital of Kh�nh H�a province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is well known for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving and is fast becoming a popular destination for international tourists, attracting large numbers of backpackers as well as more affluent travelers on the Southeast Asia circuit. It is already very popular with Vietnamese tourists.

Phan Thiet
Phan Thiết town is the capital city of B�nh Thuận Province, in southeastern Vietnam. Located on an arm of the South China Sea, Phan Thiết is one of Vietnam's most important fishing areas. Its population is roughly 205,333 (as of 2004). During the Vietnam War, Phan Thiết was the site of the U.S. military base known as Landing Zone Betty, which was located at the now closed airfield southwest of the city. In recent years, Phan Thiết (specifically Mũi N� Beach district) has been transformed into a resort destination.

Sapa
Sa Pa, is a frontier town and district in the L�o Cai province in northwest Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where many ethnic minority groups such as H'mong, Dao and Tay live. Sa Pa District is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. The Hoang Lien Son range of mountains dominates the district, which is at the eastern extremity of the Himalayas. This range includes Vietnam's highest mountain, Fan Si Pan, at a height of 3142m above sea level. The town of Sa Pa lies at an altitude of about 1600 m. The climate is moderate and rainy in summer (May�August), and foggy and cold with occasional snowfalls in winter.