There are several mountain streams and cascades inside the reserve, including the impressive Thac Hieu waterfall. Walking between villages or doing a multi-day trek taking you deeper into the forest, it’s not at all uncommon to have the trail all to yourself. The central valley features incredible rice terraces and small villages belonging to families from the Thai and H’Mong ethnic minority communities.īecause Pu Luong is more remote and harder to reach, tourism has developed here at a slower pace making it one of Vietnam’s hidden gems. The reserve encompasses two mountain ridges. The reserve is in Northern Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa Province, four hours southwest of Hanoi or three hours west of Ninh Binh by road. Perfect for trekking, mountain biking and homestays, Pu Luong Nature Reserve is a great off-the-beaten-track alternative to popular 2-day stays in Sapa or Mai Chau. There is so much to do and see in Vietnam that a short trip might not be enough! Moving to Vietnam might be the perfect way to see it all! This journey is recommended only for experienced travellers and drivers. It is also a perfect halfway point to visit the incredible Pu Luong Nature Reserve, which is only a few hours away by scooter. Scooters are available for rent and can be used to explore the surrounding rice paddies and mountains.
Instead of a checklist of tourist activities, Mai Chau is more of a place to relax and observe Vietnam’s nature while enjoying local food and hospitality. The cave is secondary to the sights but worth a peek! One thousand steps may seem daunting, especially with the humidity of Vietnam, but the hike is well worth it for the incredible views of the surrounding valley. A local may or may not be there to charge an entrance fee at the start of the hike, which shows in itself a bit of the town’s character. In Mai Chau, the main attraction is the Chieu Cave, 1000 steps above the city. Mai Chau’s journey begins with a long and twisty bus ride along a steep cliff that eventually leads down into a valley of rice paddies surrounded by green mountains. It’s one of the places in Vietnam where true, off-the-beaten-path adventure is found. Mai Chau is one of Vietnam’s hidden gems in the north, about 4 hours from Hanoi. With this all in mind, I asked some fellow travel bloggers to contribute to this blog, and I think you will agree that some of Vietnam’s hidden gems need to go on your next Vietnam trip itinerary – I know a few of them will make it on to mine!Ĭontributed by Dayna from Happily Ever Travels Those that had weathered the long, arduous bus journeys to sleep in a traditional bamboo hut, or those that had encountered animals on the brink of extinction. I wanted to hear stories from travellers who had experienced these hidden gems in Vietnam to find out where these places were. Would I discover the “forgotten” Vietnam I had read about in guidebooks or stumble upon villages where I would be the one observed? My trip was marvellous, but it got me thinking that if I was so enamoured by the tourist route, I had taken, what could I find if I stepped off the beaten track in Vietnam and headed into more remote and unknown territories? I chose the well-trodden tourist trail for my first trip to Vietnam, heading from Hanoi to Halong Bay, then on to Hue and Hoi An and finishing off at a beach resort in Da Nang. Vietnam is my favourite place on earth, and that’s official! I have only travelled there once but spent two of the best weeks of my life discovering its history, its culture, its food and its people.īeing a first-timer to Vietnam, I planned an extensive 2-week Vietnam travel itinerary travelling from the north of the country to the south.
10 of Vietnam’s hidden gems you didn’t know existed: Vietnam off the beaten track.
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