Travel in Vietnam is a mix of comfort and weary experience. Comfort comes from the ease of domestic travel without worry about language and from the thought that my trip contributes directly to my country economy. Weariness still exists with responsibility to plan the whole travel well for co-travelers, for safety of myself and other in new places.
3 provinces in the middle of Vietnam are quiet towns but
have beautiful landscapes. Exciting city life is only existed in 3 centers of
VN which is Hanoi, Danang, HCMC with good food of variety restaurants from
high-end luxury to budget style. Step out of those cities, especially in the small
cities like Quang Binh, Ninh Binh, Hue, small dining inn with local dishes is
common. In Quang Binh province, Dong Hoi city, small Starbuck, Phuc Long, Highland
coffee shops can be found which is a lot improved than Ninh Binh with only
local food or Western food restaurants around town. Hue is a bit better in 3 provinces,
nearly as same as Hoi An, the restaurant style is more high-end. Nothing fancy
could wait in the place have no economy potential.
Ninh Binh is famous with Trang An scenic area, Tam Coc, Mua
caves, easy transportation of taxi, grab car.
Quang Binh has similar scenes with Ninh Binh at Phong Nha cave
which accesses by boat only. Paradice cave is in the middle of the forest and the
walk uphill is neutral for all ages. But the cave is dark for higher than
65-year-old people. Like many places in the middle of VN, the beach in Quang
Binh also has a long white sand shore to walk and dramatic sky as a background
for travelers’ photo.
Hue with its long history has a long list of places to visit
included 3 worth-to-see monuments (Khai Dinh, Tu Duc, Minh Mang), the citadel,
An Dinh palace.
To travel in these 3 provinces, walking is the most chosen
sport. Running is possible in Quang Binh and Hue, they both have long rivers
with wide pavements. Kayaking is favored sport in Quang Binh and Ninh Binh.
Best time to travel these places would be depended on traveler
wishes. For quiet time and cool weather, Feb to March is the least crowded
season. About the service, Hue might be the best in 3 provinces. Its city is
more developing than the 2 remaining. Transportation in these provinces by
rented car is best supported by the hotel. All hotels have their own car agency
and if any problem, traveler can provide feedback directly to hotel. Rented car
agency or individual on Google search is not professional enough.
Bang onsen resort & spa is the worst experience in Quang
Binh because of their unreasonably high price without significant activities. 1
million VND for the entrance ticket, 1.3 million VND of transportation car to
arrive in a small bath area, a little hot water in small built pond, a small
lunch in not more than 1 hour. It is not worth the cost and the time to travel
40km distance from Dong Hoi city to the resort.
This bad experience is not strange to Vietnam native but
bothersome in Travelling. Be prepared for such thing so that the good can still
be observed.
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| Phong Nha cave, Quang Binh |
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| A corner of Hue citadel |
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| Tam Coc, Ninh Binh |
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