Vietnam stage of round-the-world trip “World’sPIRIT”

The web site mapstor.com sponsors the round-the-world trip World'sPIRIT by providing topographic maps of Vietnam.

The stage in Vietnam has started on 22 of October and finished on 8th of November. The participants have covered 2750 km.

The route of the expedition: Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) - Dalat - Nha Trang - Lake Lak - Kom Tum - Danang - Lang Co - Cha Lo (cave Fong Nya) - the island of Halong Bay - Hanoi.

Vietnam is one of the few countries still trying to build communism. It is promised to be built by 2020. The Communist Party is at power. Each village is a commune. Gates leading to it are always decorated with the sickle, the hammer and the star. There are many slogans, such as «What is good and what is bad». Vietnam remembers Soviet aid, but the Russians are met without enthusiasm. At least, Vietnamese didn’t allow the cars of the expedition to cross the country. Even the intervention of the consul did not help. Again they had to rent local transport.

Vietnam from north to south is slotted by two roads: Western, called «path Ho Chi Minh» - mountain, desert, often sleeps mudflows. The wars have destroyed almost all the monuments and ancient temples of the country (except tombs Hue). Nature and wild tribes in the mountains are not allowed by the Party to be shown to foreigners, for them not to say that under socialism people live poorly. Therefore, all the tourists and invited to go and rest along the ocean.

But the participants had rest in Taiwan and, of course, chose «guerilla Ho Chi Minh trail». But even along the dangerous road, they found the town of Dalat - very beautiful mountain resort, built by French.

Further plans of the expedition broke because of the entrenched nature. The rainy season was very long this year. The country experienced the highest floods over the past 50 years. Even in the capital on the streets, people traveled by boat. So the expedition had to drive round by road running along the coast.

On the way the participants visited the city of Nha Trang – the centre of tourism in the south. Here the longest cable car in the world hangs over the bay. They do a lot of diving and fishing.

Once again the expedition decided to tempt fate and return to the western mountain road. In the area of Lak Lake expedition visited the largest waterfall in Viet Nam - Dray Sap. And the most beautiful, perhaps. It looks like Victoria: two cascades of 100-150 meters and a height of 15 meters.

The participants have tried to break into the natural mountain reservation Ngog Linh, but did not pass. Landslides red-brown viscous mud blocked the road in many places, and finally forced them to turn back to the coast.

Further, the way of the expedition was laid through the famous Halong Bay. It is a unique natural monument, shattering any imagination: three thousand rocky islands sticking up out of the water and forming the most bizarre shapes and sizes. Here the expedition traveled for three days on the canoe, getting to many grottos, caves and stone castles.