“Pocket” travel experience in Nghe An from AZ

When should I go to Nghe An?

You can almost travel to Nghe An in any season of the year. Although located in a tropical monsoon climate zone, directly affected by the hot and dry southwest monsoon (from April to August) and the cold and humid northeast monsoon (from November to March of the following year), the diversity of tourist destinations here still gives you many options: Beach tourism from April to September; community tourism, homestay experience from February to the end of the year; agricultural tourism depending on the fruit seasons, for example, the orange season (with the famous Vinh orange brand) is in season from September to October, the persimmon season is around September and lasts until the end of the year... The New Year's Eve is a great time to go to the highlands of the West to welcome the snowfall and admire the white plum blossoms. Also don't forget the wonderful experience in the sunflower fields in March - April and November - December every year.

Transportation

Depending on your starting point, you can choose the appropriate means and method of transportation.

By public transport

Vinh City (Nghe An) is 298 km from Hanoi, so from Hanoi you can take a bus, train or plane to Vinh. From Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang or other provinces in the South Central and South, the distance is quite far so it is best to travel by plane to save time and health.

Note, taking a bus from Hanoi has many options for travel time frames. Starting from 5am to 11pm, midnight, Nuoc Ngam or Giap Bat bus stations both have trips from Vinh to Ha Tinh. Similarly, traveling by train is also quite comfortable when Vinh station is considered one of the main stations, large stations, long stopover times, you can choose SE train codes running North - South with many time frames, or NA train running directly from Hanoi to Vinh, tourist train codes with more luxurious interiors such as Song Lam train, Hoa Phuong Do train... Travel time by bus and train is about 5 - 6 hours.

For the South Central and Southern provinces, traveling to Nghe An by plane will be the most convenient. For the Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh route, there are currently 3 domestic airlines operating: Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar; Da Nang to Vinh is only operated by Vietnam Airlines... Other provinces can refer to the websites of the airlines, all of which have detailed schedules. A useful tip is that if you plan to travel to Nghe An in advance, you should "hunt" for cheap tickets about 1 - 2 months before departure. Airlines often have "golden hours" and significant promotions and discounts.

By personal vehicle

The distance from Hanoi to Vinh city can be traveled by motorbike or car without worrying about affecting health and time. However, if you depart from the southern provinces, it is best to travel by public transport to ensure safety as well as avoid fatigue or risky situations on the road due to the pressure of long-distance driving.

Where to sleep?

With a system of more than 830 hotels and motels spread across the province, you have many accommodation options. In Nghe An, there are 3 5-star hotels, 8 4-star hotels, 10 3-star hotels, over 80 1-2 star hotels, the rest are motels and hotels that have not been rated... Prices are quite flexible: the floor price is about 150,000 VND/day and night at motels and 1-2 star hotels; about 280,000 - 300,000 VND/day and night at 3-star hotels... Most reputable hotels in Nghe An have websites, posting detailed pictures of the interior and exterior of the rooms, along with convenient online booking applications.

In addition, what is quite interesting for those who love community tourism and experience is that in Nghe An there are many homestays imbued with national cultural identity. The homestays are located in the heart of ancient Thai villages and hamlets, very beautiful, with fresh air, ancient stilt houses with additional investment in standard sanitary facilities, bathing facilities, etc., and prices are considered by many backpacking forums to be much cheaper than homestays in the northern provinces.

Where to go and what to do in Nghe An?

Don’t worry about “dying of boredom” in Nghe An because there are many destinations, with diverse types of tourism: spiritual tourism, sea tourism, community tourism, agricultural tourism, experiential tourism…

For spiritual tourism, if you come to Nghe An but have not visited Uncle Ho's hometown Sen Village, it is considered that you have not been to Nghe An! Sen Village - Kim Lien Relic Site is located in Nam Dan District, about 20 km from Vinh City, with convenient bus routes. In addition, you can experience a meaningful pilgrimage tour to Truong Bon Historical Relic Site, Cuong Temple, Mai Thuc Loan Temple, Bach Ma Temple, Nguyen Xi Temple...

For beach tourism, there is a long list of “sea paradises” such as Cua Lo, Quynh beach, Bai Lu… Cua Lo beach was once known as the most beautiful beach in the North Central region with a long, gentle coastline, fine sand, and clear water; other beaches such as Quynh beach, Bai Lu… are both wild and beautiful, poetic, very suitable for “virtual life” photo sets…

In addition, the Western tourist cluster also pleases visitors with Pu Mat National Park - home to many rare animals and majestic waterfalls, notably Khe Kem waterfall, Bay Tang waterfall... From the park, you can experience community tourism spots such as Nua village, Pha village (Con Cuong), Hoa Tien village (Quy Chau)...

In addition, if you have time, don't forget to explore a series of other places in the West such as Nam Can border market, experience "heaven on earth" with the blooming white flowers in Ky Son...

Delicious food in Nghe An

Central cuisine is famous on the national “map”, and Nghe An cuisine is considered to be the most unique. Coming to Nghe An, you should not miss dishes such as eel porridge, eel soup, congee, banh beo, banh muot, congee, banh da xoc hen…

Coming to Nghe An, you can visit Vinh market to buy specialties as gifts for your relatives. If you come here in September, you will see the market full of juicy and delicious oranges from Xa Doai. After September, the market will be filled with Phuc Trach grapefruit, Nam Anh persimmons or Tuong Duong mangoes... then there is Nghi An wine, Nam Dan soy sauce, Thanh Chuong pickled vegetables and many other delicious seafood.

Seafood is also a must-try. In Cua Lo, there is a night squid fishing service, sitting on a basket boat drifting with fishermen, catching strings of fresh squid, then steaming them or grilling them to keep the taste of the sea, is an unforgettable culinary experience in life. If you go to the seafood markets in Cua Lo, don't forget to buy some as gifts, including fresh seafood and dried seafood. Most stalls have a vacuum-sealing service, convenient for you to bring when traveling by train, car or plane.