Vietnam train

Traveling by train is a commonly affordable way in Vietnam. It generally costs you less than flying or renting car and that too, it is safe and comfortable. What’s more, impressive sightseeing from train will make your trips the most fascinating.
Vietnam railway system
Vietnam Railways Corporation (VRC)-Duong Sat Vietnam is the national railroad carrier with dozens of trains.
Train & routes
VRC has two main types of trains, S/E express and TN, in which the latter are much faster and equipped with more modern coaches.  
The major route is Hanoi- Saigon with stops along the way in Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang and other smaller provincial cities. Every train traveling on this journey is called the Reunification Express.
Trains S/E1 to S/E6 have air-conditioned restaurant cars and soft-sleeping berths with western toilet facilities. They have 3 classes: air-con soft sleeper, air-con hard sleeper and air-con soft seat. Some S/E trains are attached with high-quality sleeping cars (run by private companies) for tourist to Lao Cai, Hue and Da Nang (see below).
Trains TN1 & TN2 are older, slow and very basic with only hard sleepers and hard seats.
Trains TN3-TN10 have 6 classes: air-con soft sleepers, air-con hard sleepers, hard sleepers, air-con soft seats, soft seats & hard seats.
Trains LC1- LC4 and Sp1-Sp4 ply the route Hanoi-Lao Cai. SP trains sell 6 types of tickets like TN3-TN10 and have some deluxe sleeping berths attached. LC1 and LC2 have 5 classes (no air-con soft seats) while LC3 and LC4 only have soft seats and hard seats like TN1 and TN2.
For long distances, it is most advisable for you to choose air-con soft sleeper of S/E trains. Soft seats are tolerable for short distance only. If your time budget are generous and your trips involve no night travel, or when S/E tickets are sold out, then try soft sleeper/seat of TN3-TN10 and save some dollars. Some non air-conditioned trains reward you better chance for sightseeing or photographing with their open windows though they are rather hot in summer. Hard sleepers and hard seats should be ignored all together as they are very uncomfortable and usually crowded.
Fares
Children 1-4 travel free and 5-9 half fare. Others older than 10 must pay full fares which change every 6 months. Cost varies among the train types (express/slow) and ticket types (hard/soft, air-con/fan, sleep/seat). In addition, for sleepers, top bunks are cheaper than bottom bunks.
Here are major routes and fares (for air-con soft sleeper class of S/E trains - TN trains often cost US$2 less):
Saigon – Hanoi.......... (1,726 km, 36-40 hours).......... US$62
Saigon – Danang....... (935 km)............................... US$36
Saigon – Hué............ (1,027 km)............................ US$42
Saigon - Nha Trang... (411 km)............................... US$17                    
Hanoi – Saigon.......... (1,726 km)............................ US$62
Hanoi – Hué.............  (688 km)............................... US$28
Hanoi-Da Nang......... (791 km)............................... US$32
Hue-Da Nang............ (103km)................................ US$4
Da Nang- Nha Trang.. (524 km)............................... US$20
Hanoi-Lao Cai........... (294 km)............................... US$17
Reservation
In peak season (around Tet Holiday), it is wise to have your ticket booked in advance by local travel agents (and expect to pay a bit more). Otherwise, you should buy ticket directly at special counters for foreigners in stations. Note that at Hanoi or Saigon station, you can buy journeys of all itineraries while in others, only journeys starting at that particular station can be booked. Passport is required on booking, payment is preferable in VND and credit cards are yet to be accepted.
Ha Noi stations: No 120 Le Duan St (Tel: 84.4.39422770 or 84.4.39423949)
Hue station: No 573 Bui Thi Xuan St (Tel: 84.54.3822175)
Da Nang station: No 202 Hai Phong St (Tel: 84.511.3823810)
Sai Gon station: No 01 Nguyen Thong St (Tel: 84.8.38436524 or 84.8.38436528)
Nha Trang station: No 17 Thai Nguyen street - Nha Trang city (Tel: 84.58.3822113)
Note: Online booking is reported to be already available, yet it is not working now. You may check it at the Website of Vietnam Railways Corporation: www.vr.com.vn
Also, please note that VRC trains to Lao Cai depart at Hanoi sub-station on Tran Quy Cap St, opposite to main station on Le Duan St.
Hanoi-Sapa deluxe trains
These luxurious trains are run by private companies with the target at tourists traveling in style.  Actually, they are special cars attached to the SP3 and SP4 trains of VRC. Currently, you cannot book for them at the stations but through travel agencies.
Vietnam Victoria Express travels daily (except Saturdays). This is private service of Victoria Sapa Hotel for its guests only. Cost is from US$145 for a round trip, much higher than VRC trains. Livitrans, Tulico, Ratraco, Friendly, Royal or King Express generally cost you a bit less than Victoria. For more information and booking visit: www.livitrantrain.com
Saigon-Nha Trang Golden Train (old name Five Star Express)
These high-quality trains, owned by a private company, ply the routes Saigon-Nha Trang, Saigon-Phan Thiet and Saigon-Quy Nhon.  It also boasts with luxurious sleeping compartments as well as modern and comfortable sofa style seats.  Golden Train’s sleepers cost around US$20 for the Saigon-Nha Trang journey and US$25 for Saigon-Quy Nhon.
Booking office:
Ho Chi Minh: No 297 Pham Ngu Lao St (Tel: 84.8.39206868)
Quy Nhon: D07 Le Duan St (Tel: 84.56.3501599)  
Website: www.5starexpress.com.vn

Vietnam Weather - Best time to travel..

Vietnam weather chart
Month	Hanoi (North)		Danang (Centre)		Saigon (South)
	Av.Temp (C)	Av. rainfall (mm)	Av.Temp (C)	Av. rainfall (mm)	Av.Temp (C)	Av. rainfall (mm)
January	17	18	22	101	27	15
February	18	28	22	31	28	4
March	20	38	24	12	29	13
April	24	81	27	18	30	42
May	28	197	29	47	29	221
June	30	238	30	42	29	331
July	30	322	30	99	28	314
August	29	343	28	117	28	268
September	28	252	26	447	27	334
October	26	98	24	530	27	268
November	22	42	22	221	27	114
December	19	21	21	208	27	56

Vietnam Weather - Best time to travel

Undoubtedly, weather is one of the determining factors for your traveling decisions. If you are heading to Vietnam, then, take it easy to make up your mind. Vietnam’s climate is not just steamy hot as what you are frequently exposed to on movies. All year round here, there is always a perfect place where it is pleasant to stay. Basically, the whole country falls into the tropic and subtropics but its stretching length and diverse topography allow it to span several different climate zones. The weather thus, tends to vary considerably from season to season and also from region to region.
Northern Patterns
The North of Vietnam is generally cooler than other South East Asian regions in the same longitude. It experiences two main distinct seasons. In winter months, the weather gets colder and colder from November to March and considerably warmer in April (a leap into summer).  This is also time to observe much cloud and frequent drizzle. The average winter temperature is 17.2°C (62.9°F). Particularly, the mountainous areas (Northwest) are often much colder, temperature may keep below 10°C (50°F) for long period. Ice and snow even cover Hoang Lien Son Mountains and nearby Sapa town for some times with the lowest record of -3°C (26.6°F) in Feb 2008.
In the summer (from May to October), the whole region is quite hot. Temperature may rise to 37°C (98.6 °F) in the peaks of June and July. Hanoi and coastal provinces around the Red River Delta generally enjoy equitable weather with high average humidity (80%) all year round though they may occasionally be subjected to typhoons and heavy rain in late summers (September to November). Vietnamese people even identify four seasons in the Northern provinces (from Hai Van Pass toward the north) with their distinct features: pleasant spring (typically March-April) and autumn (October-December), a chilly winter (December- February) and a hot summer (June – July).
Central Pattern
The Central Vietnam with two sub-regions, coastal lowlands and central highlands, can be seen as an in-between climatic area of the North and the South. The coastal strip is usually dry and hotter than the rest in the summer, as the Truong Son Mountains do not allow it to enjoy most rainfall of south-western monsoon (from April to October). Unprotected coasts in their turn, however, make it wet and colder than the rest in winter-monsoon season (from November to March). Also, storms and typhoons strike this area more frequently than the northern coasts in summer months (from July to November). The Central Highlands in particular enjoys nearly double the average rainfall of the country. Two biggest towns in this plateau, Dalat and Pleiku, are ideally cool throughout the year. Near-the-south coastal cities, Quy Nhon,  Nha Trang and Phan Thiet, on the contrary, experiences steamy hot weather (21°C-32°C / 70°F-90°F) all year round.
Southern Pattern
The South of Vietnam, merely 8 degrees north of the Equator, is typical of humid tropical climate which is excellent for growing rice. The region’s temperatures experience little variations in a year (around 27-32°C/80-90°F). There are two main seasons: the rainy and the dry. During the rainy/monsoon season (from May to November), downpours are expected to happen nearly every afternoon, resulting in occasional street flooding in and around Saigon. In the dry season, it is hot from late February to April then slightly cooler when first downpours come. Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) enjoys rather equitable tropical climate with high humidity all year round. December to March is said to be the most pleasant time to hit this region’s center.
Note: In all, Vietnam climate is so diverse that there is almost no definition of an average temperature for the whole country. Thanks to these regional variations in weather, generally, you can drop in Vietnam at any time of year. Commonly, based on the duration of your stay, you should plan to catch the good weather and places by either dropping in Saigon in February or March then following the coast to north or hitting Hanoi in October-November then tracing southward. The choice is entirely yours.
Whichever way you choose, however, it is important to keep your luggage as light and loose as possible. Vietnam is not subject to extreme weather, thus loading up with clothes is never necessary. And a final word, stay with us for up-to-minute information on Vietnam’s weather and tourism hot news.
continue ....................

International Firework Competition to be held in Đà Nẵng

VGP – The Đà Nẵng International Fireworks Competition 2011 will be held on April 29-30 on the banks of the Hàn River.

Illustration photo

It is the 4th such competition and will attract five teams: the Jubilee Fireworks Company (England), the Hanwha Company (South Korea), Parente Fireworks A&C SNC Company (Italy), Panda Fireworks Company (China) and the host team Đà Nẵng (Việt Nam).

Many foreign and domestic tourists are expected to watch the displays on Reunification Day, April 30, and International Labor Day, May 1.

Đà Nẵng has planned its own design and artistry to be set off in harmony with music by composer Trần Ái Nghĩa.

With the theme Sparkling Hàn River, the 21-minute performance will have four parts featuring the beautiful landscape and people of the central province.

Đà Nẵng has hosted the competition every year since 2008.

International teams are selected on quality, capacity and ranking in world fireworks competitions. Their displays are bound to be unique and colorful. - VNS

Source : http://news.gov.vn/Home/International-Firework-Competition-to-be-held-in-Da-Nang/20114/10399.vgp

Co Loa to seek UNESCO cultural heritage status

The Centre for Preservation of Co Loa Relics – Thang Long Ancient Citadel has asked for permission to conduct research and compile a dossier for the Co Loa citadel to seek world cultural heritage status.

The Co Loa ancient citadel is located in the suburbs of Hanoi , about 20 kilometres from the centre of the city.
Covering nearly 500ha, it is a place to worship King An Duong Vuong and Princess My Chau with the magic crossbow legend that has been woven into the anti-foreign aggression history of the Vietnamese people.
The citadel and its remains are a significant cultural heritage of the Viet people.

Many archaeological sites have been discovered there, reflecting the continuous development of the nation in many periods, especially the Dong Son culture of the Bronze Age./.

Hung Kings’ worship seeks UNESCO title

Vietnam has submitted documents on the worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings in the midland province of Phu Tho to the UNESCO to seek its Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity recognition.

The worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings, the nation’s legendary founders, have existed through thousands of years, deeply taking root in the Vietnamese people’s mind and t he annual festival to commemorate the Hung Kings, which falls on the 10 th day of the third lunar month, was recognised as a national event in 2007.

Nguyen Tien Khoi, Director of the Hung Kings’ Temple Relic Complex said that “Hung Kings worship rituals” is part of the Vietnamese people’s culture of worshiping ancestors. Throughout history, Hung Kings’ worship rituals have always been the source of the national culture’s internal power, contributing to fostering national pride, solidarity and patriotism of the Vietnamese people.

The Hung Kings worship rituals represent not only the belief in the protecting saints in the spiritual cultural life of the Vietnamese people but also the nation’s ethic of gratitude to the predecessors, Khoi said.

He noted that there are over 1,400 places of worship dedicated to the Hung Kings across the country and numerous festivals are held every year, every where to commemorate the nation’s founders. The festival at the Hung Kings’ Temple in Phu Tho province is the main and official event dedicated to the Kings.

This year’s festival will be held from April 7-12 with a wide range of cultural activities, taking place in Viet Tri city to the Hung Kings’ Temple and surrounding areas.

The festival will draw participation of several provinces nationwide, including Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh , Nam Dinh, Quang Ngai and Dong Thap province, which represent the three regions of the country.

Some 5-6 million visitors will make the pilgrimage to Phu Tho to offer their respect.
source : http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Hung-Kings-worship-seeks-UNESCO-title/20114/17305.vnplus