Hai Phong Overview

With its wide avenues and grand parks lined with colonnaded buildings of a yellowed, aging stucco, Haiphong is like a smaller, more manageable version of Hanoi. You won't find jaw-dropping sights, but the town is worth a wander and not a bad stop on the way to, or from, the likes of Cat Ba or Halong Bay.

Architectural sights include the classic old city theater, the town's large cathedral (Nha Tho Lon), an eclectic museum of history, and a museum of the navy. Central An Bien Park is also worth a wander, and the town boasts a few good hotels, one rather high-end as well as affordable mid- and low-end haunts.

On your way to Haiphong from Hanoi, you'll pass through Binh Duyen, the industrial district east of Hanoi, where you'll find big, belching factories churning out Nike and Adidas shoes or name-brand shirts. There's an enormous Ford factory and other automotive and technical production facilities as well. Nearby, farmers use manual scoops to "cup" water from one rice terrace to the next, true manual irrigation, while just a stone's throw away, intricate pumps for automotive engines are manufactured by the thousands.

Do Son Beach

Do Son is a small peninsula located between the Lach Tray and Van Uc Rivers. Do Son beaches are shaded by thousands of sandalwood trees and surrounded by mountains and Pine Hills...more

The pagoda was built under the Ly Dynasty. It was later renovated in the 17th century by Nguyen Dinh Sach, an officer of the imperial guard who resigned and became a Buddhist monk...more

Hang Kenh Communal House

Hang Kenh Communal House, also referred to as Nhan Tho Communal House in Sino-Vietnamese. Built in 1717, Hang Kenh Communal House was later expanded in 1905. The main front hall, also called “dai dinh”, connects to the back part through a tiled roof bridge...more

Buffalo Fight in Do Son

The Buffalo Fight in Do Son (Haiphong City) is officially held every year on the 9th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. There are, in fact, two rounds of elimination before the middle of the fifth month and 8th day of the sixth lunar month...more

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island is a tourist spot, attractive for its natural beauty and wonders endowed by nature. Taking a ride on a car or train for two hours from Hanoi to Haiphong, then on a high-speed vessel for another hour, travelers will arrive at Cat Ba Island, the biggest island (100km²) out of the 366 islands on the Lan Ha Bay...more.