Hoi An
There’s a whole block of colonnaded French colonial buildings on Ð Phan Boi Chau between Nos 22 and 73, among them the 19th-century Tran Duong House. It’s…
Must-see attractions in South-Central Vietnam
My Son
The effusive have described this as Vietnam’s Angkor Wat, but that’s hardly fair: My Son contains fewer ruins (and they are very much ruined) within a…
Danang
This pagoda has three giant Buddha statues in the courtyard, and an equally imposing large gold one in the temple.
My Son
Group A was almost completely destroyed by US bombs. According to locals, the massive A1, considered the most important monument at My Son, remained…
Ho Thuy Tien Abandoned Water Park
Hue
Closed for mysterious reasons in 2006, this long-abandoned water park outside Hue centres on a dramatic dragon head poking from the waters of Thuy Tien…
South-Central Vietnam
The elegant Cham towers at Chien Dan are located just outside the town of Tam Ky on a wide open field; the only other building nearby is a small museum…
Hue
Overlooking Dong Ba Canal, this pagoda was built under Emperor Thieu Tri’s rule (1841–47) and is celebrated for its four low towers, one on either side of…
Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation
Hoi An
Built in 1752, the highlights in this congregational hall are the gleaming woodcarvings on the beams, walls and altar – absolutely stunning in their…
Demilitarised Zone
Hamburger Hill was the site of a tumultuous battle in May 1969 between US forces and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) over a 900m-high mountain – resulting…
My Son
Buildings D1 and D2 were once meditation halls and now house small displays of Cham sculpture. Preservation has now been completed at Group G, where a…
Hue
Located just inside the Citadel ramparts, near the gates to either side of the Flag Tower, are the Nine Holy Cannons (1804), symbolic protectors of the…
Hue
This 1803 palace is a spacious hall with an ornate timber roof supported by 80 carved and lacquered columns. It was used for the emperor’s official…
Hue
The exquisite (though crumbling) little two-storey Emperor’s Reading Room was the only part of the Purple Forbidden City to escape damage during the…
Bach Ma National Park
A French-era hill station, this national park reaches a peak of 1450m at Bach Ma mountain, only 18km from the coast.
Chinese All-Community Assembly Hall
Hoi An
Founded in 1773, this assembly hall was used by Fujian, Cantonese, Hainanese, Chaozhou and Hakka congregations in Hoi An. To the right of the entrance are…
Demilitarised Zone
A deeply evocative memorial to the legions of North Vietnamese soldiers who died along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, this cemetery is a sobering sight. More than…
Hoi An
The master woodcarvers who crafted the intricate detail adorning Hoi An’s public buildings and the historic homes of the town’s merchants came from Kim…
Danang Region
The major man-made draw on the peninsula is Chua Linh Ung, a temple whose name means 'Spirit Responding Temple'. The highlight is a simply colossal statue…
Ba Na Hill Resort
Designed to seem like it's supported by two massive stone (fibreglass and wire mesh, actually) hands, this recently constructed 150m-long bridge (or…
My Son
The 8th-century C1 was used to worship Shiva, portrayed here in human form. Inside is an altar where a statue of Shiva, now in the Museum of Cham…
Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese Congregation
Hoi An
Founded in 1786, this assembly hall has a tall, airy entrance, which opens on to a splendidly over-the-top mosaic statue of a dragon and a carp. The main…
Hue
This museum is located in the baroque-influenced An Dinh Palace, commissioned by Emperor Khai Dinh in 1918 and full of elaborate murals, floral motifs and…
Hoi An
This square well’s claim to fame is that it’s the source of water for making authentic cao lau, a Hoi An speciality. The well is said to date from Cham…
Cham Islands
Bai Lang's only real sight is this modest temple dedicated to the whales (and whale sharks) once abundant around the Chams. Locals worshipped whales as…
Hue
Occupying the northeast corner of the Imperial Enclosure, these delightful gardens were developed by the first four emperors of the Nguyen dynasty but…
Cham Islands
A concrete path heads southwest from Bai Lang for 2km past coves to a fine, sheltered beach, where there’s great swimming, powdery sand, and hammocks and…
Hoi An
Occupies a restored wooden house and contains a small collection of artefacts from all over Asia, with oddities from as far afield as Egypt. While this…
Hoi An
Founded in 1454 by a Buddhist monk from China, this is the oldest pagoda in Hoi An. Among the antique ritual objects still in use are several bells, a…
Convent of St Paul de Chartres
Danang
You can't enter through the convent gate on the road behind the cathedral, but it's worth taking a look at the church architecture from the outside. The…
Hoi An
This house is three centuries old and was built by a Chinese captain. As usual, the architecture includes Japanese and Chinese elements. There are some…
Hue
Emperor Gia Long founded the Nguyen dynasty in 1802 and ruled until 1819. Both the emperor and his queen are buried here. Badly damaged during the…
Hue
Formerly a school for princes and the sons of high-ranking mandarins, this slightly rundown complex has a pagoda devoted to archaeology, a small Natural…
Hoi An
Housed in a 200-year-old Chinese trading house, the Handicraft Workshop has artisans making silk lanterns and practising traditional embroidery in the…
Hue
The father of the modern Vietnamese nation spent 10 years in Hue, and you’ll find intriguing photographs of Ho Chi Minh as well as a collection of his…
Hoi An
Built for a wealthy Chinese merchant in the late 19th century, this old house looks like an apothecary from another era. The front room was once a…
Danang
Despite its huge grounds, this museum is typically unenlightening for a site venerating Ho Chi Minh. At the front is a display of the usual US, Soviet and…
Hue
One of the most famous secondary schools in Vietnam, the National School was founded in 1896. Its former pupils include General Vo Nguyen Giap and Ho Chi…
Hue
Around 8km past Beach Bar Hue, the remains of Phu Dien, a small Cham temple, lie in a hollow in the sand just off the beach. Protected by a glass…
Hoi An
Meaning the 'Treasure of the Law Temple', Phap Bao Pagoda has a colourful facade of ceramics and murals and an elaborate roof with snake-like dragons…
Hue
Founded in 1670, this hilltop pagoda is on the southern bank of the Perfume River and has a striking triple-gated entrance reached via a wide staircase…
