Vinh

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Sprawling Nghe An province juts westward into northeastern Laos and cups around the South China Sea to the east. To the north lies Thanh Hoa province and to the south you'll find the equally uninteresting Ha Tinh province. Nghe An though is a little more interesting.

For starters, as soon as you step into Nghe An you're steping into Ho Chi Minh's birthplace and as such, for cadres-cum-tourists Nghe An is where it's at. Uncle Ho was born in the hamlet of Kim Lien some 15km north of the provincial capital and today it's a pilgrimage spot.

The provincial capital on the other hand, Vinh, is a large industrious town, home to a sizeable port -- if that doesn't sound too enticing then you're right on the money. US bombers absolutely flattened the city during the American War and while scarce evidence of the bombing remains, what does remain are loads of what-were-they-thinking communist-era buildings which were built with East German assistance once the war ran down.

When they think of Vinh, the first thing that comes to mind for the Vietnamese is "Ho Chi Minh". He was born and raised in the small, humble hamlet of Kim Lien just 15 km outside the city. Today, it's a well-preserved pilgrimage spot for the party faithful, and a good stop for travellers interested in a thorough understanding of Vietnamese contemporary culture.

The port of Vinh was a major source of supplies destined for the Ho Chi Minh trail, and as a result, the city was repeatedly bombed back into the stone age during the American war. You won't see much evidence of that now, though we did spot some old bunkers along the nearby beach at Cua Lo.

 

Cua Lo is a popular Vietnamese tourist magnet, with many hotels that have been around since before Doi Moi. The beach is quite decent, the scene is very local, with a strong reputation for massage parlours and the associated sex trade. You'll probably want to do your serious summer beach going further to the south, but if you wind up here in good weather it's worth a day-trip or an overnight.

Vinh is located along Highway 1, 197 km north of Dong Hoi, and just under a hundred kilometres from the Lao border at the NamCan / Nam Khan crossing. It's about 290 km south of Hanoi, 1,430 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, and its an express stop on the train line.

The main reason people find themselves in Vinh is to make a run for the border between Vietnam and Laos. There's now two border crossings one can opt for -- to the southwest via Route 8 lies the Nam Phao / Cau Treo which leads to Lak Xao and eventually Tha Khaek; and to the northwest via Route 7 is the NamCan / Nam Khan crossing which ends up in Phonsavan in Laos.

Text and/or map last updated on 21st August, 2009.

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Fresh off our Asia travel forum

Here are some discussions off the Travelfish forum, perhaps related to Vinh. You can find the full forum here.

Topic	Replies	Views
Vinh Moc Tunnels  In Vietnam: by EdSue	0	209
Vinh Moc tunnels by motorbike from Dong Hoi?  In Vietnam: by Dylan, last reply by Dylan	2	290
From Vientiane to Lak Xao to Vinh to Hanoi  In Laos: by dispoiler	0	333
Mekong Travel Ltd Vinh Long - recommended  In Vietnam: by justwondering, last reply by justwondering	7	1339
nearest railway station to Vinh Moc tunnels  In Vietnam: by roynolan, last reply by somtam2000	1	511
Hue to Vinh Moc Tunnels and Phong Nha Cave  In Vietnam: by roynolan, last reply by roynolan	2	796
No renter for (motor)bikes in My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho?  In Vietnam: by jensmichael, last reply by jensmichael	2	871
buses to Chau Doc from CanTho and Vinh Long  In Vietnam: by joeandnicky, last reply by krisim	2	975
If I'll see the DMZ's Vinh Moc Tunnels, are the Cu Chi Tunnels still worth seeing?  In Vietnam: by dnovsky, last reply by somtam2000	1	1106
Mekong Delta - Tra Vinh  In Vietnam: by rdavout	0	1037
Vinh Moc Tunnels  In Vietnam: by MissParker22, last reply by MissParker22	2	1756
Vinh Moc tunnel tour price advice please  In Vietnam: by JaTo, last reply by somtam2000	1	1095
Vinh Long - Mekong Delta  In Vietnam: by manna, last reply by CatBa	1	1190
Urgent! Phonsavan to Vinh - VIP bus scam?  In Laos: by tombra, last reply by tombra	2	1497
Vinh - Border crossing from Laos  In Vietnam: by pauljaymes	0	1134

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