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Ports & Places

We couldn’t wait to share Voyages of the Great Explorer 2011/2012 with you. Stay tuned for specific information on Ports and Places, coming soon.

	Da Nang, Vietnam The third largest city in Vietnam, Da Nang is one of the country’s most important ports. Ringed by mountains on one side and the East Sea on the other, the city has numerous sites of natural beauty and historical interest, including spectacular white sand beaches. It is considered a key commercial and educational center of central Vietnam. The final U.S. ground combat operations of Vietnam War ceased here in 1972, when a residual force of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade stood down.
	Guangzhou (Canton), China It was once part of the legendary Han Dynasty. Southern China's largest city, often anglicized as Canton, is one of the nation’s key transportation hubs and trading ports. It is situated on the Pearl River, which is navigable to the South China Sea. Sitting in the middle of one of China’s wealthiest provinces, greater Guangzhou’s population is nearly 12 million.
	Ha Long Bay, Vietnam Ha Long Bay—translated, “Bay of the Descending Dragon”—is one of the wonders of the world. Located in the Gulf of Tonkin near Vietnam’s border with China, it is a dense cluster of 3,000 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, that rise spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, and some islands support floating villages of fishermen who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different mollusks.
	Hanoi, Vietnam As the capital of Vietnam for almost 1,000 years, inhabited since 3000 BC, Hanoi is viewed as the nation’s cultural center. Most of Vietnam’s major universities are found here. While the great Vietnamese dynasties all left behind imprints in Hanoi, some relics have not survived wars and time. Still, the city has numerous cultural and historical monuments of interest, including more 600 pagodas and temples. Frommer's Travel Guide has designated Hanoi as one of the world's "Top Destinations 2010.”
	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Once known as Prey Nokor, and later as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City sits on the banks of Saigon River approximately 40 miles from the South China Sea. Since the end of the Vietnam War, this huge city has been the powerful economic engine of the former French colony. The cityscape has changed dramatically since the end of the war, but more than a century of French influence remains visible in architecture that once gave the city the nickname “Paris of the Orient.”
	Hoi An, Vietnam Hoi An, Vietnam’s “Ancient City,” was a busy commercial port in the 16th and 17th centuries. Merchants from Japan, China, Holland, India and other nations came to trade. Its downtown is exceptionally well preserved, with much of the architecture reflective of both indigenous and foreign historical influences. Hoi An is a shopper’s paradise. Many visit for the numerous arts and crafts shops, as well as the Hoi An’s tailors, who produce made-to-measure clothes for a fraction of what they would cost in the west.
	Hong Kong, China Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China; the other is Macau. Situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, this mighty financial center is renowned for its expansive, dramatic skyline and deep natural harbor. Hong Kong has a landmass of just 426 square miles and a population of seven million, making the former British colony one of the most densely populated and expensive cities in the world.
	Hue, Vietnam Once the imperial capital of the last ruling family of Vietnam, the Nguyen Dynasty, Hue is located in central Vietnam along the banks of the Perfume River. The city is best known for its historic monuments, including The Citadel, a walled forbidden city where only emperors, concubines, and those close enough to them were granted access. Hue also was the site of a pivotal battle of the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, during which many of the city’s historical treasures were lost.
	Macau, China Both the first and last European colony in China, Macau is 37 miles southwest of Hong Kong. Like that city it is an almost autonomous administrative region of China. China provides Macau’s defense and foreign affairs, while the city maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy and immigration policy. Tourism and gaming are enormously important to Macau’s economy. The city was originally on an island, but a connecting sandbar gradually turned into a narrow isthmus, thus changing Macau into a peninsula.
	Mekong Delta, Vietnam Sitting at the southern tip of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is formed by the Mekong River as it approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The region is famous as a large rice growing area. In fact, the delta produces more rice than Korea and Japan combined. Many villages here are only accessible by rivers and canals. The delta has recently been dubbed a 'biological treasure trove' where more than 1,000 new species have been discovered in previously unexplored areas.
	Nha Trang, Vietnam Nha Trang is arguably the most important tourist hub in Vietnam. The coastal city is celebrated for its pristine beaches with fine, clean sand, startlingly clear water, mild year-round temperatures, and recreational sports attractions including scuba diving, kite boarding and catamaran sailing. Nha Trang Bay is widely considered among the world's most beautiful bays. Just south of the city is Cam Ranh Bay, a U.S. Navy base during the Vietnam War and one of the largest military installations ever constructed.
	Qui Nhon, Vietnam Qui Nhon is one of three important commercial and tourism centers in central Vietnam. The others are Da Nang and Nha Trang, with which Qui Nhon shares the distinction of having incredibly beautiful beaches. An estimated 240,000 people live here, many of whom are engaged in fishing and farming. The topography of the Qui Nhon area, which had a huge American military presence during the Vietnam War, is quite varied, encompassing mountains, forests, hills, fields, salt marshes, plains, lagoons, lakes, rivers, shorelines, peninsulas and islands.