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Vacation, vacation
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Dear readers,

We guess you get quite tired striving hard after a work week so let’s take a break and talk about something everyone loves: vacation!

Earlier last month, we have our readers introducing some holiday destinations in Vietnam and we did receive several good stories.

Young English teacher Michael chose to go to the beach in Nha Trang with his friends on a tour organized by themselves.

“Most of the time, [..] I prefer to do my own exploring. This is the best way to interact with a country, since you can stop and go wherever you please, meet everyday people that you wouldn’t meet on a tour, and experience the location in your own way,” Michael talks about his travelling style.

Although he did not think Nha Trang as one of the worst beach destinations in the world as rated by National Geographic, Michael still noticed the place’s ugly side caused by trash everywhere:

“There aren’t enough trash cans on the streets or near the beach, which leads to huge, unsightly piles of garbage being stacked up by night’s end [...] There is also trash in the water, which is an ugly sight, not to mention dangerous for the marine life in the area.”

While Michael went to the sea, Vietnamese reader Quynh Trung spent his holiday in the mountain. Da Lat in the central highland province of Lam Dong is said to be a romantic city due to its blooming flowers, foggy roads and a cool climate. However, Trung introduced a more adventurous way to discover Da Lat: a motorbike tour downhill to Nam Ban town.

“On our way to Nam Ban, we saw Cam Ly Waterfall and numerous green houses growing flowers. At a T-junction we turned left to head to Ta Nung Valley and soon found ourselves immersed in the greenness of a forest, surrounded by fragrant pine trees. As we set off to discover this captivating land, the wilderness gradually gave way to organized coffee plantations where we tumbled downhill toward a residential area of Nam Ban Town,” Trung described his thrilling trip.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? If you have 3-4 days off, why not plan a trip to Nha Trang or Da Lat, two sites in Vietnam famous for their scenic landscapes, and discover a part of beautiful Vietnam that you have not seen?

For those who are busy with work this summer and cannot afford a long vacation, do not worry. Tara Vargas, a Filipino travel blogger and a mother of two boys, introduced us a getaway very close to the city: Mango Garden in Dong Nai province, one hour ride from Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7.

“There’s grass-skiing, four-wheeled cart sliding (similar to a go-kart but without the steering wheel), and cycling which my boys enjoyed a lot. They also explored the lake with the water-pedal boat then they went up close to a duo of monkeys on a man-made island but they were too tired to try canoeing. You can also ride on an ostrich (which we didn’t dare to do). Despite their exhaustion, my boys had the time of their lives! My younger son cried a bit after a crash from the cart slide plight but most of the time, we were filled with laughter,” recalled Tara of the fun trip with her family.

If you’re a parent reader and just realized you haven’t taken your kids on summer vacation, maybe Mango Garden is a good choice for a weekend outing with your beloved ones.

Voilà, we hope we have provided you some ideas on where in Vietnam to travel with your partner, friends or family. Summer is going to end soon, so what are you waiting for? Whether you take a long or short vacation, we hope that you will have a lot of fun and enjoy great moments with people you love.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!