Sublime Odyssey

Practise some pranayams before heading to Vietnam — there’ll be a lot of gasping at the vistas that await you.

Halong Bay

Located in the Gulf of Tonkin in northeastern Vietnam,165 km from the capital Hanoi, Halong bay was deemed a Unesco world heritage site on account of its exceptional scenic beauty and biodiversity. Covering over 1500 square kilometres, it includes hundreds of islands and islets that form a stunning seascape of limestone pillars, each topped with thick tropical vegetation. The limestone in this bay has weathered at least 500 million years of formation through different conditions and environments. Most of the islands are uninhabitated and several of them have enormous caves. Another interesting feature of Halong bay is the abundance of lakes within the larger limestone islands. For example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes.

Tam Coc

Another destination known for its breathtaking limestone landscapes is Tam Coc — situated near the city of Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam, about 110 km from Hanoi. Tam Coc means three caves in Vietnamese, and is named after the three low caves through which the Ngo Dong river flows. A three-hour boat excursion along quaint rice fields and dramatic rock formations is truly a surreal experience. While Halong bay has spectacular monoliths rising out of blue waters, here they soar skywards from an expanse of green. This is why Tam Coc is often referred to as ‘Inland Halong’. The boats are usually rowed by local women who also sell embroidered goods. The route includes floating through the three natural caves.

Mu Cang Chai

Terraced rice fields can be seen everywhere in the mountainous province of Yen Bai, but perhaps the most beautiful ones are found in Mu Cang Chai district. Once an opium poppy hub, it’s now famous for its glittering sea of golden paddy that one can behold during harvesting season, when the whole of Mu Cang Chai is dyed in the dazzling yellow of ripe rice. Sometimes, young green rice fields join yellow ones to create a colourful patchwork of paddy. People in Mu Cang Chai grow only one crop annually. After harvesting rice, they let the land lie fallow. They believe that the land, like people, needs time to relax. In the between-crop period, they hold festivals, make new clothes and pound corn. Harvesting season is from September to early October.

Sapa

The dreamy fairytale town of Sapa is wrapped in mist for 160 days in a year. It is the capital of Sapa district in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam. Situated close to the border with China, it is home to several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao, Giay, Tay and Xa Pho. The Hoang Lien Son mountain range, which lies at the eastern extremity of the Himalayas, dominates the district. The town of Sa Pa lies at an altitude of about 1650 m. This highest of Vetnam’s valleys lies in the shadow of Fansipan (3143 m), the highest peak in the country. On a clear day, the imposing peak comes into view. The unique geographical position of the area — at the convergence of the world’s 14 ‘biomes’ (distinct biographic areas) — has produced an assemblage of animal and plant species, many very rare or endemic to the region.

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