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BEFORE visiting a country, including Vietnam, tourists should plan their trip as well as possible so that the tour at their destination is enjoyable.
A tour guide for Indonesian tourists named Chau Quang Huong Duong or who is familiarly called Joko, when met in Da Nang, Vietnam last weekend, said that it is best to prepare suitable clothing because the weather in Vietnam, especially South Vietnam is mostly hot.
“The weather in South Vietnam is hot and rainy. You have to look at the weather, prepare an umbrella and sunblock (sunscreen), if it rains, prepare an umbrella and raincoat,” said Joko.
If you want a trip with lots of information related to history and tourist recommendations to places to eat, Joko said it’s a good idea to hire a licensed tour guide from the local government.
Indonesian tourists don’t need to worry because many tour guides from Vietnam can already speak Indonesian fluently.
“There are already plenty of Indonesian language tour guides so they can help with stories, good food suggestions, and stories about the place. If there is a tour guide, you can communicate with the driver,” said Joko.
Joko gave several recommendations for tourist attractions that are worth visiting by region, namely North Vietnam, you can visit Hanoi, Ha Long Bai, and Sapa. Meanwhile, in Central Vietnam tourists can visit Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An, and in South Vietnam there is Ho Chi Minh, Mui Ne where the red desert is, the Mekong River and Vung Tau where the tallest statue of Jesus is.
For foodies, popular dishes to sample are pho (noodles), banh mi (stuffed bread) and banh xeo (pancakes). Banh mi is a French-influenced food that was brought to Vietnam, with modifications adding chicken and vegetable fillings. Likewise with pho, which they modified from a French dish of gravy and bread to use noodles made from rice flour.
For shopping recommendations, tourists can try shopping at the Benh Tan market in Ho Chi Minh City. According to Joko, Indonesians often buy several Vietnamese souvenirs such as pia durian, lotus nuts, cashew nuts, mangoes, souvenir magnets and Vietnamese clothes. Just like in Indonesia, tourists can bid on the price of goods in the market.
Unique spinning boat tour at Coconut Tour Hoi An
If you are looking for a unique tour in Vietnam, maybe you should try a spinning boat ride on the Coconut Tour Hoi An. Rotating boat or in Vietnamese it is called Quay Thung is a round-shaped boat tour around the water coconut plantation area which in Vietnamese is called Dua Nouc.
The boat made of bamboo was originally a boat that was often used by fishermen to find small fish, shrimp and small crabs in the Thu Bon tributary. During the war with America, this area became a hiding place for Vietnamese guerrillas.
However, at present, the river has become a tourist center that attracts tourists and fishermen to switch professions to become rowers for tourists.
In this tour, visitors are presented with attractions from boat drivers who will shake and even spin the boat in the middle of the river. They also often shout cheers to make the tour more enlivening.
Joko said the Coconut water tour with this round boat was visited by many tourists from Korea and Thailand. This tourist spot is open from 7 am to 5 pm. However, Joko suggests coming to the Coconut Tour in the morning around 8 am or 4 pm so that it is not too crowded and hot.
Make sure you wear sunscreen and skin protection such as a hat or umbrella to protect from the hot sun and wear a life jacket for safety. For one person it costs 10 US dollars or 200,000 Vietnamese Dong. Tourists can come here by taxi from Da Nang for 40 minutes by paying 350-400 thousand Dong Vietnam, and from downtown Hoi An in approximately 15-20 minutes by paying 200,000 Dong. [antaranews]
