5 destinations near Saigon to avoid crowds during Tet

Within 300 km from Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can go to the forest, down to the sea, camp, climb mountains on their own or with a guide.

Departing from Ho Chi Minh City, there are many tourist destinations close to nature, national parks, streams, beautiful waterfalls, suitable for tourists who love to explore. Mr. Nguyen Quang, owner of a campsite in Dong Nai, said that the cost of traveling to these places is less than 3 million VND per person, the itinerary is about 3 days and is not as crowded as some entertainment spots near the city.

Mr. Quang suggests 5 destinations for tourists to consider if they plan to travel economically, experience activities close to nature, and avoid crowds at the beginning of the year.

Bu Gia Map National Park, Binh Phuoc

Bu Gia Map National Park (NP) is located in Phu Nghia Commune, Bu Gia Map District, with an area of ​​over 25,000 hectares. From Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can reach the NP by personal vehicle or bus, the travel time is about 4-5 hours, the distance is 190 km. Currently, the NP is in the dry season, the weather is clear, the average temperature is 26 degrees Celsius, suitable for outdoor exploration activities.

Tourists check in at Bu Gia Map National Park. Photo: Vo Thi Hong

Coming to the National Park, visitors can experience trekking, admire the bamboo forests, dipterocarp trees and many typical tree species of the transitional forest from the Central Highlands to the Southeast region; visit the rescue center for conservation and development of living creatures, learn about the ecological habits and interesting characteristics of primates and some animal species of the National Park.

On the journey, visitors will camp by Dak Ca stream and Dak Manh lake, where the water is clear and cool. They can go down to the lake to catch fish, take a cool bath, cook bamboo rice, set up tents, and enjoy typical dishes such as wild vegetables, thut soup, and roasted duck with mac mat leaves.

Package trekking tours to the national park cost about 2.5 million VND. Visitors only need to prepare necessary personal items before setting off.

Dinh Mountain, Tien Stream, Ba Ria - Vung Tau

Dinh Mountain is about 6 km north of Ba Ria city, in Tan Thanh district. Distance from Ho Chi Minh City is nearly 70 km.

On the top there is Suoi Tien, Suoi Da with five swimming pools. Next to it is Nui Dinh base - the revolutionary base of units under the Southeast battlefield. On the top of Dinh mountain there are also beautiful pagodas hidden among the rocks, notably Hang pagoda, Dai Tong Lam pagoda, Tay Phuong pagoda.

The road to the top is cool because there are many trees on both sides and birds chirping. However, the road up has many trails, without many clear signs, requiring caution or hiring a local to go with you. On the top of La Ban, there is a large, flat rock. Here, visitors can observe almost the entire Long Son peninsula and part of Vung Tau city.

Cu Lao Cau, Binh Thuan

Cu Lao Cau, also known as Hon Cau, is a small island in Tuy Phong district (Binh Thuan). This island is about 110 km from Phan Thiet city and about 240 km from Ho Chi Minh city. From the mainland to the island, you need to take a boat or a large ship or canoe, which takes about 40 to 50 minutes. From January to May of the lunar calendar every year is the ideal time to travel to Cu Lao Cau because at this time the sea is calm, the waves are calm, and the climate is cool.

The pristine harbor in Cu Lao Cau. Photo: Tran Le Ngoc Thang.

To explore Cu Lao Cau, visitors can go for the day or stay overnight on their own or buy a tour. The island is uninhabited, has no services, and visitors even have to bring fresh water from the mainland. A one-day tour to explore Cu Lao Cau costs 650,000 VND per person, including round-trip boat service to the island, seafood lunch, and snorkeling equipment, with a local guide.

Coming here, visitors can check in at Tien beach, Tien well, Ba Hon cave, Tinh Yeu cave, Ca Suot beach, Nam Hai god temple.

Phi Lieng Waterfall, Lam Dong

Phi Lieng Waterfall is located in Phi Lieng Commune, Dam Rong District, Lam Dong Province, 70 km southwest of Da Lat City and less than 290 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Phi Lieng has 7 waterfall levels with the main waterfall being over 100 m high. The attraction of this camping site is the road to admire the wild natural scenery. To reach the foot of the waterfall, visitors must go through a dirt road. This road will be difficult during the rainy season, but at the beginning of the year it is the dry season so traveling is easier.

Tourists without trekking experience should buy a tour to get guidance, because this is not an easy route for beginners. Tour price starts from 2 million VND per person.

Trekking Bidoup - Ta Giang

With a distance of about 30 km, the Bidoup - Ta Giang trek passes through three provinces of Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa. The starting point is Hon Giao in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park, Lam Dong province, about 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City.

Tourists camping on a grassy hill in Phuoc Binh National Park. Photo: Duc Anh

Before trekking, visitors need to complete procedures with the Park Management Board. After that, the ranger will accompany and guide the group to the end of the National Park. The terrain in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park is mainly low slopes. After Bidoup forest, the altitude gradually decreases to Phuoc Binh area. Visitors will experience the second type of terrain, which is cogon grass hills almost half a person high. Trekking and camping in Phuoc Binh National Park also require the consent of the Park Management Board. The final destination of the journey is Ta Giang stream located in Thanh Son commune, Khanh Son district, Khanh Hoa.

Visitors bring their own food, drinks and cooking utensils when trekking. They can directly use bamboo tubes to cook rice and meat. The suitable time to trek Bidoup - Ta Giang is from January to September, ideally from March onwards because before that is the windy season.

Bich Phuong

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