Halong Bay
Cruise Trips
Other Junks
Sights
Cycling/walking tips
Cycling/walking tips
LP maps really suck in all three cases below, this is
why I believe directions could be handy. For the recors,
the fourth mistake in LP map is a railroad in the center
of Danang which does not exist (at least, if one follows
from the Cham sculpture museum to the bus station, one
does not cross this road).
Hanoi: Centrum to the Museum of Ethnology
From the center, take either Thuy Khue or Hoang Hoa Tham
direction West, they are parallel to each other and are
both on LP large map. They both terminate at Buoi road,
just on the edge of the map. At the T-junction, turn
LEFT, not right, like the LP map suggests. In seeveral
hundred meters, watch on the right for Hoang Quoc Viet,
it is a big street with several lanes, clearly
signposted, buses take it. Then after walking or cycling
a kilometer or two, watch on the left Nguen Van Huyen, a
smaller street. If you have gone as far as a T-junction,
you have already passed it. Turn left to this street and
in 300 meters or saw watch the Ethnology museum on the
left.
Ninh Binh to Hoa Lu
First, get to the National Road from Saigon to Hanoi, it
is pretty easy to do using a LP map or the map you get
in the hotel. Move direction Hanoi (North). On the left
hand side, you will have mileage posts signed from both
sides. Watch for the post "Ninh Binh 6" (this is the
reverse side, obviously 6 km from Ninh Binh center but
much closer, may be 1km from the official border of the
city). Shortly afterwards, you will see a two-lane road
(highway style, with separated lanes) branching to the
left. The road sign says smth like "Tam Yin", but nest
to the road there is a plaque, which, in particular,
says "Hoa Lu - ancient capital". It is impossible to
miss the road, there is nothing like it closer to Ninh
Binh. Take the road. After 900 m the separator
terminates, and the road turns rleft. At this point, on
the right there is Thien Ton temple, a former entrance
point to Hoa Lu, worth a visit. Then you continue the
road for 3 km, and shortly after the post "T Yin 1"
searh for the left turn to Hoa Lu. It is not signposted,
but there is a shield like an ad shield, with a
vietnamese inscription containing the words "Hoa Lu".
Turn right and after 500 m get to the ticket office.
From the ticket office, turn ruight to the main complex.
After visiting, (a) continue the same road to the right,
after 200 m it comes to the temple; (b) return to the
entrance to the main complex and get up the mountain for
the shrine and a nice view; (c) follow the road left -
along the mountain. There must be a temple in 500 m, but
I did not check this one.
Hue to Tu Duc mausoleum to Minh Mang mausoleum
Hue to Tu Duc is pretty much straightforward, using the
LP map: from the train station left, then the first big
street right, across the railroad. When the street
terminates (2km), at the T-junction turn right. In 200
m, there is another T-junction. To the left, there is
the shortest road to the Perfume River Bridge and Minh
Mang mausoleum. To get to Tu Duc, head straight on, and
take the first big road on the left (several hundred
meters from the T-junction). The tomb is a kilometer
further on. To proceed to Minh Mang mausoleum, you have
two options. One is to return to the main road, follow
it and get to the bridge. The second is to proceed
straight on to the second tomb (currently closed for
renovation, no admission). At the second tomb, the paved
road ends. Follow a narrow gravel path. It will come to
a bamboo bridge. If you are asked to pay, pay, it is not
a scam (even though it looks like a scam). Follow
straight and come to a T-junction with a big paved road.
Here, turn RIGHT. After several kilometers, you are on
the bridge. Just after the bridge, turn left (signposted
as "Minh Mang"), pass the first road to the left (not
signposted, 100 m), and look for a gravel path between
the houses. If the road you are following turned right
and started to climb, you have passed the turn. At the
pass, follow it until it terminates; at the T-junction,
turn right. The tomb is 5 minutes by bike from the
bridge.
Other tips
Useful sites
1. Red Dragon
Junk, Cruise Halong Bay: 5 cabin boat on
Halong Bay
All cruises on
Halong Bay Online,
Halong bay
travel guide, Hanoi Halong Bay Tours, Maps to Halong,
2. Prince
Cruise Halong Bay Vietnam: 4 cabin cruise on Halong
Bay
3. Jayavarman
Cruise on Mekong River Vietnam Cambodia: luxury
cruise on the Mekong River
4. Hanoi Airlines:
book flight tickets to Hanoi
5. Halong Bay
Cruise: list all cruise boats on Halong Bay & Bai Tu
Long Bay
6. Hotel
Vietnam, Vietnam Hotels: book hotels and resorts in
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
7. Laos Travel
Guide: book tours in Laos with the New Road Tour
8. Cambodia
Travel: useful guides, hotels, flights, tours in
Cambodia
9. Phu Quoc
Travel Guide: useful information on Phu Quoc Island
Vietnam
10. Travel Sapa
Vietnam: tours, hotels, maps to Sapa Vietnam
11. Mekong
Delta Tours: cruise, hotels, tours in Mekong, Saigon
Other new travel sites
1. Vietnam Travel
Company: First Choice Tours in Vietnam
2. Hue Travel Guide:
guide, maps, tours in Hue Vietnam
3. Sapa Travel Tips:
Sapa guides, tourist information
4. Mekong River
Tours, Mekong Amalotus Cruise, Amalotus Cruise,
Amalotus Boat Mekong River
5. Amalotus.com,
Amalotuscruise.com, Amalotus Indochina Sails Mekong
River
6. Mekong
River Boats: Mekong Tours, Mekong River Tours
7. Hoi An Travel
Guide: Tours, maps to Hoi An
