Exotic Voyages Travel Blog
On a sunny day in Siem Reap, my friend told me about a story “15 minutes waiting for 50 tons of fish on Tonle Sap Lake”. I couldn’t believe this until I saw it with my own two eyes. The story definitely was the one that brought me here - to the Tonle Sap - the land of “Sea” Lake. It took me about 30 minutes by car from the center of Siem Reap to Tonle Sap Lake area. Tonle Sap Lake is located in Kompong Chnang province, Cambodia. People know about Cambodia as a land of myths and temples or about the brilliant Angkor civilization, but I hadn’t yet explores Cambodia from a different perspective. On the national road No 5, from the center of Siem Reap to Kompong Chnang province, seeing the scenery pass by the car’s window, I was excitedly looking for the unique lifestyle of the fishermen in the Sea Lake area. I had often wanted to follow the fishermen with their daily traditional fishing activities in their block, but now I can deeply understand why fishermen here can supply all the fish for the entire Cambodia fish market. Tonle Sap area includes Tonle Sap “Sea” Lake (about 300km long in dry season) and Tonle Sap river (about 120km long), but during the rainy season, the total area of water can increase by 6 times. The rainy season is about to start from May to November, and the rest of the year is dry.
If you asked me to choose my favorite destination in Northern Vietnam, I would say Sapa without thinking twice. It is a small highland town in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam. I recently took a trip to Sapa this January, right after my Tet holiday (the Lunar New Year celebration); and it was my most memorable trip to date.
If you are looking for a quiet and tranquil trip in Vietnam, Lang Co beach is an ideal vacation destination. The beach is located north of Da Nang approximately 25 miles from international airport. Lang Co is an island with white sandy beaches that stretch over 6 miles surrounded by palm trees and a beautiful turquoise lagoon. From Lang Co Beach, you will have a spectacular view of Hai Van pass which was featured by BBC as “one of the best coastal roads in the world”.
Da Lat is located in southern Vietnam and is much warmer then it’s northern neighbor, Hanoi during the winter months. January is a great time to visit Da Lat, Vietnam particularly because of the very colorful flower festival held each year in the city. I had wanted to travel to Da Lat for the flower festival for some time now so I was excited when I found out I would be able to attend the 4th annual Da Lat flower festival.
As I continue traveling Vietnam, I leave Ho Chi Minh City and continue my trip on a cruise toward the Cuu Long delta. Cuu Long delta (Mekong) is full of rivers and canals. Known as the land of “Nine Dragons”; abundant water overflows onto the banks of the Mekong Delta as the seasons change. Night and Day thousands of boats cruise along the Mekong. Thousands of rivers and canals spread out along the Mekong Delta for miles and miles. There are rivers, canals, waterway transportation's, daily trading activities and my favorite destination on the Mekong, the floating markets.
April 17, 1975; The Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh. The streets were soon filled with bewildered, fearful people of all ages on their way to evacuate, forcefully, to the countryside. This would become an image marking the beginning of the darkest days of Cambodia’s history.


















