Tam Dao town is a famous tourist destination in Vinh Phuc province, about 80 km from Hanoi. Tam Dao is located at an altitude of more than 900 m above sea level, with a cool climate all year round. The name Tam Dao is because it has three high mountains rising above the sea of clouds, namely Thach Ban, Thien Thi, and Phu Nghia, which can be seen from Hanoi on a sunny day. On January 25, Tam Dao was recognized as a national tourist area.
Coming here in any season, visitors can enjoy the changing atmosphere of 4 seasons in a day. Tam Dao is one of the favorite resorts of the French in the past. Currently, Tam Dao owns a mountainous landscape and many new European-style buildings, which is a suitable backpacking destination for tourists who want to get away from the city on weekends.
What season is beautiful in Tam Dao?
Tam Dao is a suitable place to explore all year round because each season has its own beauty. Coming to Tam Dao in the spring, you have the opportunity to see many kinds of flowers blooming. Summer is crowded on weekends when people come to temporarily avoid the heat when the temperature is always about 4-5 degrees Celsius lower than Hanoi, the highest is usually 27-28 degrees Celsius.
If you want to hunt clouds in Tam Dao, November to January is a reasonable time. This is winter, the low temperature turns the town covered in fog, beautifully romantic and quiet. You should keep an eye on the weather forecast. According to the local people, clouds will appear when it is sunny after a rainy day.
Move
From Hanoi, you can go to Tam Dao by car or motorbike. Passenger cars, limousines, and taxis also take the Hanoi – Tam Dao route, round trip tickets are about 200,000 – 300,000 VND per person. Travel time from Hanoi, is about 2 hours. Note, if you ride a motorbike, you should choose a gear car to be safer because the road has many slopes and bends. The route Hanoi – Tam Dao has about 50 km along National Highway 2, then 24 km along National Highway 2B and finally nearly 13 km of the pass to the town center.
In Tam Dao town, if there is no means of transportation, visitors should rent a motorbike, priced at 150,000 – 250,000 VND a day depending on the type.
Hotels, homestays
Depending on the purpose of your trip, you can stay at a hotel or a homestay – the two most popular types of accommodation in Tam Dao. In particular, the hotel is a more comfortable choice when staying near the town center. Homestays often attract guests thanks to their beautiful views, the rooms often have large glass windows overlooking the whole mountain, but the location is usually 1-2 km from the center.
Room rates in Tam Dao range from 450,000 VND to 2 million VND per night. Some beautiful homestays, and convenient locations with reasonable prices for young people are 90s Homestay, Cuden, Levent, Kumo Chan… If you choose a resort, a more luxurious hotel, you can think of Tam Dao Belvedere, Venus, Bach Xanh, May Villa…
Play where?
Depending on the time, purpose and style of travel, you can choose from the following destinations for a day or 2 days a night itinerary.
Town square with the fountain symbol, carved stone steps and the inscription Tam Dao. This is the first check-in point, almost everyone who comes will bring back some souvenir photos.
The Old Stone Church is the tourist symbol of the town. Tam Dao church was built of stone on a high slope in Gothic architecture, has two floors with a base of 10 m high. The lower floor is spacious, with many paths beside the main road with stone steps leading to the upper floor. Up to the 2nd floor is a large yard, with many stone arches, where people can relax, watch the sunset, and take photos. On the second floor, there is a church built in 1937 for people to worship, next to it is a tall bell tower.
Silver Waterfall is a tourist attraction right in the town center for guests who want to do short trekking and listen to “white noise” from the waterfall to relax. Climbing about 400 steps, you will see the waterfall falling from above. Note that, if going on a rainy day, the road is more slippery, so pay attention when moving, do not wear high heels. If you do not wear shoes to change, you can rent sandals from grocery stores along the way, for 20,000 VND. If you come on a sunny day, the Thac Bac is definitely a suitable vacation spot for you to relax and have fun with the cool waterfall flowing continuously.
The TV tower is 1,400 steps from the foot of the mountain. The journey to the tower is like a small trekking trip, suitable for those who love to experience it, walking in the fall can also see the maple leaves turn red.
Not far from the TV tower is Ba Chua Thuong Ngan Temple . The path leading to the temple is only about 300 stone steps but is impressive with the green bamboo forest. The space of this place is pure and comfortable, you can really immerse yourself in the mountains and forests. Visitors should wear simple, discreet clothes, and climbing shoes, and pay attention not to wear shorts or short skirts to enter the temple.
Cau May photography area is a famous place because of its unique view and check-in corners for you to unleash your creativity. This area is located near Tam Dao Belvedere, so you can see the sea of the resort, and go straight to it. The entrance ticket is 30,000 VND per person, the parking ticket is 20,000 VND, motorbike parking is 10,000 VND. The best time to visit and take pictures is when it’s sunny, at sunset or right after the rain with lots of clouds around. The photography area is wide, it takes at least half an hour to visit all the spots.
Lala Land complex is also worth a visit to take pictures and visit. There is a model bus here, you can go to the roof to take pictures. In addition, you can experience strawberry picking, drinking coffee, and taking pictures in the cactus garden…
Eating
The most famous specialty in Tam Dao is chayote tops. This is a vegetable that is grown throughout the town, so it is always fresh when cooked. Almost every restaurant in Tam Dao also has a sign of “Su Su” to greet customers. The tops of the chayote are smooth, the stems are long, and the leaves are young green. When bought, break the fiber, stir-fry with beef or just with garlic, best dipped with black soy sauce, and add a few slices of chili.
If you choose BBQ when you have dinner at Tam Dao, you will still be served meat roll Su Su. The meat is marinated fragrantly, rolled with crispy chayote, and eaten in a mouthful. You can buy the tops of chayote to bring back as gifts, costing 50,000 VND for 4 bundles.
In addition to chayote tops, you can refer to a number of dishes such as burnt beef, grilled ground chicken, pork man, black sticky rice… Burned rare ant beef is processed in a strange way: hanging medium beef pieces. Cut the meat on the trunk, right in front of the ant’s nest for the ants to burn, then wash it with dilute salt water and bake it again on a charcoal fire. Each type of ant gives a different flavor to the beef. Therefore, each time you enjoy it, you will feel strange with this interesting dish. The dipping sauce is made from corn sauce, bean paste, minced ginger and sugar. When eating, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and sandwich it with green bananas and coriander. This dish is available in specialty restaurants, priced at about 350,000 VND/kg.
The coffee
Located opposite the Stone Church and next to the town center square, Rock Cafe becomes a rendezvous for tourists who love European architecture and cuisine. The restaurant impresses with the cozy space in every corner. European dishes such as BBQ ribs, pasta, pizza and drinks cost from 30,000 – 300,000 VND.
Quan Gio is a cafe with a panoramic view of the town from above with a different look, enjoying the cool breeze and taking unique photos. The drink menu here is quite diverse from cappuccino, latte, espresso, and silver custard to tea, smoothies, soft drinks, juices… priced from 40,000 VND per cup.
Co Strange Coffee Shop is a place for you to both drink coffee and relaxes amidst a sea of floating clouds. Visitors often come here at sunset, watch the sun set, relax with friends and relatives in the soothing music. The shop has many beautiful corners to check-in such as a wooden sign with the line “From Tam Dao with love”.
