Discover 5 best islands in Vietnam

With thousands of islands, islets, and atolls, one could spend a lifetime exploring the stunning coastline of Vietnam. Picture-perfect to behold, the pristine turquoise waters that border the idyllic sandy beaches beckon alluringly. While the sun glints off the surface of the sea, below the waves, the rich underwater ecosystems teem with life, making scuba diving and snorkeling an unforgettable experience.

Quan Lan

Very much off the beaten path, Quan Lan is a world away from the frenetic streets of Vietnam’s main cities. Despite being in Ha Long Bay, it is sparsely populated and sees relatively few tourists. A quiet, peaceful place, Quan Lan Village has one street full of bars, restaurants, and hotels. Apart from that, there are just pockets of activity and life around the island. With its laidback way of life, just wandering around and taking in the beautiful scenery is the main thing to do if you’re not lounging on one of Quan Lan’s fantastic beaches.

Binh Ba Island

Lying just twenty kilometers off the mainland, Binh Ba Island is absolutely gorgeous and well worth heading to if you have the chance. Relatively easy to get to, it is also known as Lobster Island because of the large, tasty crustaceans that you can find here. While the residential part of Binh Ba is a tightly packed mess of houses, there are still lots of secluded and peaceful areas of the island that aren’t too far away. Its two main beaches are lovely to lounge upon, and the beautiful waters that border them are picture-perfect. The reefs around the island make for some great diving spots.

Tuan Chau Island

Lying only eight kilometers away from famous Ha Long Bay and its gateway point Ha Long City, Tuan Chau Island has loads of fun and entertaining activities on offer and is a great place to kick back and relax. With many different hotels, resorts and villas to choose from, as well as numerous dining options, visitors to the island will never be bored. Although artificial, the beach is perfect for taking in the sun and there are lots of water sports for you to partake in, with jet skiing and kayaking being particularly popular. Everything imaginable is available here, and lucky visitors can enjoy rock climbing and deep sea fishing before watching a circus performance or martial arts show. With spectacular Ha Long Bay just a short trip away, Tuan Chau Island an ideal beach holiday destination.

Co To Island

One of the most beautiful places to visit in the north of Vietnam, Co To Island is popular with local tourists but as yet, is relatively undiscovered by foreigners. With stunning beaches bordered by pristine, turquoise waters, the island is home to some distinctive rock formations at Cay My, which are well worth visiting. While Van Chai beach is particularly lovely to kick back and relax on, more adventurous holidaymakers may prefer to go rock climbing or hiking in the interior of the island. With lots of accommodation and dining options on offer catering to every budget, Co To island is an easy and attractive place to visit with a range of incredible vistas.

Phu Quy

Blissfully undeveloped and untouched, Phu Quy is mainly made up of fishermen’s villages. As such, there is a delightful, laidback vibe and it is a lot less touristy than many other islands in Vietnam. Rocky in places, with undulating sand dunes and hills in others, the island is best viewed from the lighthouse at Cam Mountain. Here, you will also find the delightful Linh Buu Pagoda, which is well worth visiting. As most of the island is relatively untouched by tourism, the beaches are uncrowded and often empty; it is very easy to arrange boat trips to nearby deserted islets.

See more: Northern Vietnam and the most amazing destinations

Source Touropia

The unusual destinations you might not know in Thailand

When you think about Thailand, you may think about white sand beaches and sparkling blue seas in Phuket, or maybe busy streets and magnificent temples in Bangkok. But hidden deep in the unknown, there are many places in Thailand where you see it, you would not believe these places even exist, not in Thailand, nor even in this world.

Sam Phan Bok

Located in the beautiful low key province of Ubon Ratchathani close to Laos, you will find Sam Phan Bok, otherwise known as the Grand Canyon of Thailand. Unlike the Grand Canyon in Chiang Mai, Sam Phan Bok is a natural land formation made up of unique land formations, as well as a river with little pools of water. The place is called Sam Phan Bok which translates to three thousand holes due to the 3000 icecream-scoop-like holes on the ground.

Holes, basins, and various depressions fill the area as far as the river stretches. As the place is very peaceful and tranquil, it is common for photographers to come to this place at night in order to capture the beauty. Most people recommend visiting during the dry season (December-June) in order to see the many holes and imprints that you can see when the water levels of the river is low.

Talay Bua Dang (Red Lotus Sea)

Located near the Udon Thani Province, you can head to the Kumphawapi district which is located between Udon Thani and Khon Kaen. From the Udon Thani Airport, the lake is around 50km.
You can hire a boat to get close to these beautiful flowers. When you are out in the lake, gliding among the floating beauties, you cannot help but feel imbued with a touch of magic and romance. That is why Talay Bua Dang is very popular destination for many pre-wedding photo shoots.
The best time to go is before 10am when the flowers at their peak bloom, and if you are there to take photos, remember to wear white clothing. It will make you really pop in the photo among all that red.

Lalu, Sa Kaeo

A natural oddity close to the Cambodian border, Lalu is a formation of eroded earth. Strange jagged pinnacles rise from the dusty terrain or, if viewed from above, a strange canyon gorges its way into the earth, filled with odd protrusions. The means of accessing the site is also a little bit unusual and plenty of fun, you must go there along a bumpy road in a cart pulled by a tractor.

Sra Morakot

Located in the popular town of Krabi, Sra Morakot is a day trip that we urge everyone to take. The pond is created from a natural water stream coming from the forest. There is an entrance fee of 200 THB which is collected by the entrance. It is recommended to go during the weekday to avoid the crowds. Mornings are also best as it is often uncrowded. As soon as you get there, you will see the crystal lagoon or the crystal pond gleaming in the sun. Here, you can take an enchanting dip to cool off.

Hin Sam Whan, Phu Singh Forest Park

It is impressive enough how these massive and ancient (over 75 million years) rocks can sit on top of the mountain 350 meters high above the ground. But from a drone view, it has been revealed that these giant rock formations look like a family of whales. The heads of the whales stick out from the mountain as if they were about to fly off from their mountain home into a magical land. The surface of the rocks are so smooth, and even has bumps and scratches like real whale skin.

You are allowed to walk on the rock but do be cautious as there are no guard rails, and you should not walk too close to the steep edges. There are also many shapes of rock formation in Phu Singh Forest Park. According to locals, you can find Elephant Stone, Heart Stone and Stone Wall along the way.

Read more: Top 10 tourist attractions in Thailand

Source Internet

All about beers in Vietnam

In Vietnam, beer is everyone's favourite drink to cool down and refresh after a long day. In fact, most of Vietnam's nightlife is based on beer. This makes Vietnamese beer inexpensive and rich in variety.

1. Draft Beer

Draft Beer or Bia Hoi is the most common kind of beer you will find in Vietnam. Bia Hoi is brewed in 7 - 10 days and hence has a shorter shelf life. It is pasteurized and has a lower ABV and sugar content than other beers. During the fermentation process, no preservatives are used. After fermentation, the beer is extracted into kegs and sterilized with compressed air and warm water, sodium hydroxide and hot steam. It is then cooled down with carbon dioxide gas. This is the kind of beer you will see on sidewalks throughout Vietnam. Bia Hoi is cheap (VND 10,000 per mug) and is a local delicacy you cannot afford to miss. 

2. Craft Beer

Craft Beer is brewed with a lot of skill and care and is often very expensive. Some popular Vietnamese Craft Beer producers include Platinum, Pasteur Street Brewing, east West Brewing, Winking Seal and Heart of Darkness. Craft Beer is brewed from all sorts of substances such as cocoa beans, local fruits, coffee beans, passion fruit and durian. The brewing process is highly complicated and sophisticated as a result of which craft beer is often very expensive, starting from VND 100,000.

Vietnam has a number of beers that you must not miss. These beers include:

3. 333 

This beer was first produced in 1893 and initially known as Beer 33. Later, another digit was added to it. It is most commonly available in the south.

4. Bia Hanoi 

It is the most popular beer in Vietnam. This beer is brewed and served fresh and has a nice and crisp taste. It is found easily in Hanoi and the northern region in general but not as much in the south. It is estimated that around 3 - 4 litres of Bia Hanoi are sold in Hanoi every day.

5. Saigon Beer

These are relatively lighter beers produced in the south but are found all over Vietnam. The beer has about 4.7% alcohol and has a very distinctive Asian Rice flavour.

6. Huda 

This beer's name is derived from Hue (Hu) and Denmark (Da). This beer is confined to Central Vietnam and rarely found outside.

7. Heineken

This foreign beer brand is vastly popular amongst the foreigners and expats in Vietnam.

8. Tiger 

This beer is brewed by the Asia Pacific Breweries and is considered a premium brand everywhere else in Asia but is the cheapest international beer you can buy in Vietnam.

See more: 8 beverages you should try when visiting China

Source: holidify