Thứ Tư, 17 tháng 6, 2015

THE 20 BEST BEACHES IN VIETNAM

Cyclo Tours

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    • 30 Phan Boi Chau street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
  • Phone:(84-8) 38229068 - 38229069 Hotline:0965555678
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With over 2000 miles of coastline, Vietnam has plenty of secluded coves with white sands and waters fit for snorkelling. For days spent sunbathing and evenings watching stunning sunsets, these are the best beaches in Vietnam:

Long Beach, Phu Quoc

Long Beach (Bai Trong), spanning the west coast of Phu Quoc Island, is a 20km stretch of largely deserted soft yellow sand and swaying coconut palms. Ideal for sunbathing, sunset watching and swimming, this beach is great for classic tropical beach views and is undoubtedly the best Phu Quoc has to offer.

Star Beach, Phu Quoc

The largely undeveloped east coast of Phu Quoc is less frequented than, but just as beautiful as, the more popular west. A strong contender for the most beautiful beach on the island, Star Beach (Bai Sao) has dazzling white sands and mesmerizing, often calm waters. A few beach restaurants line the pale blue waters, and in season there are kayaks for rent and half-day snorkelling trips by boat.

City Beach, Nha Trang

Nha Trang, a delightful south coast city, is generally recognised as Vietnam’s premier beach destination. Six kilometres of sand joins the sea to the city, with rolling waves on one side and fringed on the other by cafes, restaurants, and some unusual modern sculptures. Watersports, day trips by boat and of course fresh pineapple are all readily available, but bear in mind the more choppy waters of November and December mean the beach loses much of its appeal.
Beach in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Hon Chong Beach, Nha Trang

Just north of Nha Trang lies the secluded Hon Chong Beach – less refined than its central counterpart but worth the trip for the night-time views across the bay to the city centre. Cheap seafood restaurants abound at its far end.

Ho Coc Beach, Ho Coc

A spellbinding, often deserted beach, Ho Coc offers a primitive but wonderful five kilometre stretch of golden sand. The beach has clear waters and is backed by fine dunes, and the Binh Chau Hot Springs are located conveniently nearby in case sunbathing gets too much.

Doc Let Beach, Hon Khoi peninsula

Doc Let beach, on the splendid Hon Khoi peninsula, is a pristine location for a day’s beach-bumming. White sands and casuarinas (evergreen trees) make for a delightful, uncrowded scene. Good accommodation options are available, and even more secluded beaches can be found nearby.

Dai Lanh, Hon Ghom peninsula

The Hon Ghom peninsula is coated in largely empty, endless beaches. Perhaps the best is next to Dai Lanh, a tiny fishing village at the northern end of a one kilometre-long beach, hemmed between clear, turquoise waters of the South China Sea and a mantle of green mountains.
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My Khe, Quang Ngai

My Khe in Quang Ngai consists of seven kilometres of powder-soft sand, backed by casuarinas (evergreen trees), and is very good for swimming. Hamlets stand along the beach, while fishing boats are sometimes moored off it, and there’s a handful of restaurants that only get busy at the weekend.

Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An

It’s a popular bike (or motorbike taxi) ride from Hoi An to the clean, white sands of Cua Dai Beach. The best way to enjoy this stretch is to take an umbrella and deck chair at one of the many beachfront café-restaurants – you’ll be expected to at least buy a drink – to minimise hassle both from hawkers and other visitors. That way you can sip cocktails and watch spectacular sunsets over the Chám Islands just off the shore.

Cam An Beach, Hoi An

Cam An Beach, just north of its more popular counterpart, Cua Dai Beach, is a pleasantly scruffy alternative to the tourist focused Cua Dai. Ramshackle bars dot the far less visited beach, seen as the local expats’ beach of choice.

Con Son Island, Con Dao Archipelago

Con Son is ringed with pleasant beaches – Lo Voi and An Hai are nearest Con Son town, but Dam Trau to the north and Bat Dat Doc to the east are less frequented and just as nice.
best beaches in Vietnam

Ca Na, southern coast

Numerous parked coracles (round boats) line the beach at Ca Na, with its invitingly clear water and healthy, but razor sharp, coral. It’s easily accessible and, if wanting a little more solitude, just 2km to the south lies another good stretch of sand.

Ninh Chu Beach, Ninh Chu

Five kilometres north of busy Phan Rang lies the pleasant, wide crescent of Ninh Chu Beach. Less popular with tourists than Mui Ne or Nha Trang, the beach still provides a quiet midweek stop, good for swimming, sunbathing and beach games in general.

My Khe, Da Nang

About three kilometres south of the city of Da Nang, My Khe is a long stretch of sand popular with seafood-craving locals, where US servicemen were once flown for R&R during the war.

Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province

Quy Nhon, a small seaport town, is bordered by a beach admittedly less picturesque than others along the coast, but, for this reason, almost free of foreigners. For more adventurous travellers, this is a good place to get away from tourists, something which only adds to the town’s intrigue.
best beaches in vietnam

Non Nuoc Beach, Da Nang

Non Nuoc is a dusty, unkempt village, inhabited since the fifteenth century by stone carvers. Follow the paved road east from the village and you reach Non Nuoc Beach, a pleasant and stretch of beach that competes for business with its northern neighbour, My Khe. A note of warning, however: there’s a powerful undertow off this coast, so riptides are particularly dangerous.

Cat Co 1, 2 & 3, Cat Ba

Three small, sandy beaches lie to the east of Cat Ba Town on the island of Cat Ba, just to the west of Ha Long Bay. Romantically named Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2 and Cat Co 3, One and Three are linked by a cliffside path that’s a joy to walk anytime, day or night, and Two is a quieter retreat.

Doi Duong, Phan Thiet

The unassuming capital of Binh Thuan Province, Phan Thiet is generally of less interest to foreigners than the sands of Mue Ne just along the coast. However the absence of tourists is, for some, a draw in itself. Doi Doung is the town’s own stretch of beach, and is very popular with the locals. To get to the best bit, head around 700m northeast from the main entrance point on Nguyen That Thanh.
Halong Bay and Cat ba Island, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay

Whilst not technically a beach, kayaking across tranquil waters and swimming amidst twinkles of phosphorescent plankton are both possible in spectacular Ha Long Bay. From November to March there can be chilly days of drizzly weather when the splendour and romance of the bay are harder to appreciate, but the gorgeous caves and beautiful scenery make up for this in the summer months.

Quan Lan, Bai Tu Long

A long skinny island on the outer fringes of Ha Long Bay, Quan Lan’s main attractions are the empty, sandy, and relatively clean beaches lining its east coast. Few specific sights in this area mean the beaches are relatively deserted – prepare to find yourself engaging even more closely with locals than you’re used to.
Explore more of Vietnam with the http://cyclotour.com.vn/tours.html for your trip and don’t forget to purchase travel insurance before you go.

Thứ Năm, 11 tháng 6, 2015

10 Vietnamese street foods we can't live without!


Cyclo Tours

  • Address
    • 123 Ly Tu Trong street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
    • 30 Phan Boi Chau street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
  • Phone:(84-8) 38229068 - 38229069 Hotline:0965555678
  • Fax:(84-8) 38229070
  • Email:booking@cyclotours.com.vn
  • Website:http://www.cyclotour.com.vn
  • Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/cyclotours.com.vn

I love to check the articles on CNNGo, they have many interesting things about food, sightseeings, adventures, travel tips...Especially about the food, very interesting to know how Western tourists taste what we love to eat, to drink in Asia...and how they think about it!
Many articles about the most stinky foods, most repulsive (disgusting) dishes in Thailand or those foods that will send you running to the bathroom...then running back for more!
Or best foods that Taiwanese or Hong Kong can't live without!
So I wonder what could be the street foods that we can't live without in Vietnam? I try to list down within 10 but as I'm living in Sài Gòn, probably my focus is more on the South! I may miss something that is your favorite, please add it to the list and make it 40 (*) street foods that we, Vietnamese, can't live without!
By the way, from this list of 10, we have two - beef noodles and summer roll which have been considered on CNNGo as ones of the world's 50 most delicious foods. To me, it should be more than 2 compared to our neighbor - Land of smile, but as usual that list of 50 always remains a subject of many discussions and argues!

1. Beef noodles (Phở bò)
This could be the No 1 street food in Vietnam and most recognizable Vietnamese food outside of Vietnam. Originated from the North, but has found home in the South since long time, that's why we have "phở" in two different styles: northern and southern. According to some foodies, in Sài Gòn besides these two official northern and southern styles we still have some other "styles", but I would say it's more like taste. Good Phở should have all good three components: soup, beef and noodles! To me beef noodles should be a dish that inspires competitiveness and innovation in chefs, at that time everyone wants to claim the honor title "Beef noodles King"!


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Beef noodles at Phở Tàu bay

2. Broken rice (Cơm tấm)
My all time favorite, but today "cơm tấm" is quite different and to be honest, I don't like it as before. Cơm tấm An Dương Vương or Kiều Giang are far from the best, too commercial! They make so many dishes to go with broken rice and by somehow it makes the broken rice lost the traditional taste as in the old days: broken rice with pork skin (cơm tấm bì) or egg cake (chả trứng)! But even saying so, I still can enjoy good cơm tấm at different places: simpler but more original! To me, most important for broken rice is the rice itself and fish sauce, flavorful rice and a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, a little bit spicy fish sauce and by the way don't forget to top broken rice with special minced green onion stirred in the oil (mở hành)!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Broken rice with roasted chicken, egg cake and pork skin at Ba Ghiền

3. Sticky rice (Xôi)
This is a great breakfast dish that give you a boost of added energy. Similar to beef noodles, sticky rice also has two styles: northern and southern and they are quite different. Example, corn sticky rice (xôi bắp) in a northern style is very different from a southern and to me tastier! Sticky rice has sweet and salty. My favorite for sweet is a corn sticky rice in a northern style (xôi bắp), there is many things: softly cooked corn mixed with sticky rice, topped with green mung bean, tasty fried shallots, sugar. For salty one (xôi mặn), my choice could be a sticky rice with dried shrimp, chinese sausage, green onion stirred with oil, flavored with soy sauce.


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Sweet corn sticky rice in a northern style


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Sticky rice with chicken floss


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Sweet sticky rice in a southern style

4. Saigon baguette (Bánh mỳ Sài Gòn)
Along with beef noodles, Saigon baguette (bánh mỳ Saigon) is the most famous dish outside of Vietnam, something that tourist rave and hype about. But in Sài Gòn to taste the best Bánh mỳ, you should know the place! Not every place! A good, warm and crunchy bread is filled with many things!
It could be several kinds of Vietnamese pork ham, liver paste (pâté gan), veggies (cucumber, coriander, green onion, chili...) and sour things (đồ chua) which made from pickled shreds of carrot and white radish!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Saigon baguette is filled with "everything" Bánh mỳ đủ thứ!

5. Rice noodles (Bún)
There is many dishes with rice noodles. Many! I tried to count but then gave up. Because living in Sài Gòn I may know only those popular dishes here, but in North or Central? Anyway to me most popular dish with rice noodles (bún) could be bún thịt nướng (rice noodles with grilled pork), bún riêu (rice noodles with sour crab soup), bún chả giò (rice noodles with deep fried spring rolls)! I personally select two to represent rice noodles: bún thịt nướngfor rice noodles served without soup category and bún riêu for rice noodles served in soup category!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Rice noodles with grilled pork

It would be a big miss if I don't mention a glorious dish from Huế, super popular in Saigon! Beef noodles in Huế style, same as traditional beef noodles that I list down on the top, we can have this bún bò Huế for breakfast, lunch or late dinner! The most distinctive is its flavor - thanks to the special Huế shrimp paste (ruốc Huế) and lemon grass added to the soup during cooking!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Beef noodles in Hue style - strong flavor and mildly spicy!



http://cyclotour.com.vn/ A popular rice noodles with sour soup, crab paste...bún riêu!

6. Roll cake (Bánh cuốn)
Again and again we have two different: roll cake in a northern style, filled with pork meat (bánh cuốn nhân thịt)and roll cake in a southern style - we call bánh ướt (wet cake!). Both are made from rice, steamed and served with sweet, spicy fish sauce, ham and blanched bean sprouts, herbs. Both are most popular but wet cake (bánh ướt) could be more popular as street food in Sài Gòn as it's easy to sell from a moving cart! These days I saw many these carts on the street!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Roll cake in a southern style - we call "wet" cake (bánh ướt)



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Roll cake filled with pork meat in a northern style at Thiên Hương

7. Papaya salad with pork liver (gỏi bò)
My childhood favorite snack and until now I'm happy to have it whenever I have a chance! Used to be one of the most popular snacks among the youth, esp. school teenagers. These days maybe the taste has been changed, we may not find this street stall selling this yummy papaya salad in front of many schools anymore but certain places are famous for this special salad. Made from shreds of young papaya, served in sour-sweet spicy sauce, topped with roasted peanut, Vietnamese basil, shrimp cracker and most important beef liver or lung (!?) that has been braised in secret aromatic dark sweet sauce with probably different spices!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Green papaya salad topped with secret beef liver, peanut...

8. Big noodles (Bánh canh)
I love the big noodles or I always call it jokingly "udon" due to its jumbo size! Vietnamese udon or bánh canh! We have a quite large variation of bánh canh, depends on the area. In South we have bánh canh with pork knuckle (bánh canh giò heo), or with crab (bánh canh cua). Very popular. Then in Central we have bánh canh with crab in a Huế style or with snakehead (bánh canh cá lóc)...We even have sweet bánh canh in coconut soup, very tasty, the speciality from Mekong Delta! Bánh canh is good for breakfast or light meal before dinner! My all-time favorite isbánh canh with crab. The soup with crab meat, crab cake or some other stuffs, we need to add only some fresh chili, squeeze some drops of lime juice, all of it makes bánh canh heavenly good!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Vietnamese big noodles with crab (bánh canh cua)


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Big noodles with flower crab - another version from Central!

9. Yellow noodles
Originated from China, but this noodles dish already found home in here, probably hundred years ago!
I did try yellow noodles in Beijing and in Hong Kong, I may prefer the Vietnamese version, probably I already used to the local taste here! Good for breakfast or late night meal! Yellow noodles can go with either seafood, chicken, pork or little of everything (mỳ đủ thứ). I love the noodles texture - should be a bit hard, not too soft! And, of course, the soup itself!


http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Yellow noodles with everything at Minh Ký Mì Gia!

10. Fresh spring roll (Gỏi cuốn)
If talking about the roll in Vietnam, it would take days...as we have so many things that we can roll in rice paper (bánh tráng)! The most popular among the rolls - deep fried spring rolls but as street food - by somehow fresh spring roll or we simply call "gỏi cuốn" - more popular!
Just a good rice paper, we roll with rice noodles, veggies and veggies, then cooked pork meat (thịt heo luộc) and cooked prawn! Dip sauce is sweet soy sauce mixed with chopped roasted peanut!



http://cyclotour.com.vn/ Summer roll as it's called on CNNGo - one of the world's 50 delicious foods!

(*) The list still goes on! As we may end it up not with only 20 but 40! I don't know why 40! Could be 100? 100 street foods that we can't live without! It would be a good guidebook for any tourist in Vietnam!