The Lunar New Year of the Goat (Tet) is a nine-day holiday, which is an opportunity for people to choose destinations to visit after a hard year at-work.

The following are some suggestions of places to experience during the Tet holiday given by the Communist Party of Vietnam online newspaper.

1. Ha Giang province

Located in the far north of the country, Ha Giang province is home to beautiful landscapes, attracting a lot of tourists.

The province is also the source of the Lo River flowing into Vietnam, contiguous to China to the north with Thanh Thuy international border gate. South of Ha Giang is the province of Tuyen Quang; to the east is Cao Bang and the west Lao Cai. Ha Giang is about 320km to the north of Hanoi, following National Road 2.

Like the other northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam, the climate is cool in the summer and extremely cold in the winter with, on some occasions, the white of frost and snow. The temperature in Ha Giang ranges from 5 - 28 degrees Celcius, somewhat ideal for tourism.

Visitors can see the twin mountain in Quan Ba district, Pine hills and terraced fields in Yen Minh district, Dong Van market, Ma Pi Leng Pass, Lung Cu Flag Pole and Dong Van Rock Plateau recognised by UNESCO as one of geological parks in the world.

The province is also well-known for many grandiose mountains. Standing on them and overlooking to the extensive area of limestone with unique formations is a wonderful experience.

Ha Giang is also famous for its magnificent forests in which there are more than 1,000 species of trees with unique medicinal properties as well rare animals like the peacock or pangolin.

This mountainous province’s residents consist mainly of ethnic minorities with the Hmong in the majority then the Tay, Dao and Nung ethnic groups. Each of the ethnic groups has its unique custom in terms of marriage, worship, festivals or funerals.

Ha Giang’s infrastructure is still developing and visitors can reach this destination by car or motorbike along National Road 2, to the north of Hanoi. It’s excellent if one has a private car or if not, you can take a coach.

2. Ninh Chu Beach

Located in Binh Son, Van Hai commune, Ninh Thuan Province, Ninh Chu Beach is more than 10km in length and the shape of a nice crescent. It is one of the top beaches of the central region for every tourist.

Ninh Chu Beach is attractive with rows of poplar palm trees, humming in the wind nearby the beach. The sand is yellow, clean and fine. Going there, visitors can visit Vinh Hy Bay, Bau Truc pottery village or the Lo O stream.

Apart from seafood including shrimp, prawn, lobster, crawfish, and cuttlefish, tourists can enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables such as grapes, apples, garlic, and onion in Phan Rang city and durian, rambutan, jackfruit in Ninh Son district.

Tourists can fly to Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa province and then get a coach to Ninh Chu or get a train to Thap Cham and then take a taxi or coach to a resort.

3. Phu Yen province

The central coastal province of Phu Yen borders Binh Dinh province to the north, Khanh Hoa province to the south, the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai to the west and the East Sea to the east.

It is about 1,160km from Hanoi and 560km from Ho Chi Minh City. The province has the sea and many beautiful landscapes such as Bai Tram, Dien cape, Vung Ro bay, Da Ban, Dong Cam dam, Da Dia reef and Dai Lanh cape, O Loan lagoon.

Visitors can fly to Phu Yen or take the North-South train to the province.

4. Da Nang city

Da Nang, one of the major port cities in Vietnam, is a beautiful city on the Han River with wonderful beaches.

Da Nang is a young and dynamic city, which is developing every day. Its tourist services and infrastructure are developing strongly, attracting more and more tourists.

The attractive destinations in Da Nang such as Son Tra Peninsula, Ngu Hanh Son mountain, Han River bridge at night, Dragon bridge, Museum of Cham Sculpture, Linh Ung Pagoda, Non Nuoc, My An and My Khe beaches.

Visitors can fly to Da Nang and then take a taxi or motorbike-taxi to any of the destinations.

5. Phu Quoc island

Phu Quoc, also called Pearl Island, in the southern province of Kien Giang is the largest island in Vietnam with a total area of about 580 square kilometres.

Phu Quoc is becoming well known for its stunning beaches, the untouched natural environment, its relaxed atmosphere, friendly and easygoing local people, and fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling.

From the island, visitors can bathe in the sea at Dai or Sao’s white sand beaches, dive to see magnificent soft and hard coral, or discover the Tranh stream, visit the dog farm or the Cau Palace in Dong Duong town.

In addition, you can go sea fishing both during the day and at night. All kinds of fish and seafood are plentiful. Phu Quoc fish sauce, wine from Rhodomyrtus tomentosa and pepper are famous specialties of the island.

Visitors can fly to Phu Quoc or take a coach or a train to Rach Gia and then take a boat to the island.-VNA