Tam Dao town is a famous tourist destination of 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 reason it is called Tam Dao is because there are three high mountains rising above the sea of clouds, 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 no matter what season, visitors can enjoy the changing atmosphere of the four seasons during the day. Tam Dao is one of the resorts loved by the French in the past. Currently, Tam Dao possesses mountainous landscapes and many new European-style buildings, making it a suitable backpacking destination for tourists who want to stay away from the city on the weekend.
What season is Tam Dao beautiful?
Tam Dao is a suitable place to explore all year round because each season has its own beauty. Coming to Tam Dao in spring, you have the opportunity to see many types of blooming flowers. Summer is crowded on weekends when people come to temporarily escape 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 mist, making it beautiful, romantic and quiet. You should monitor the weather forecast. According to local people’s tips, clouds will appear when the sun shines after a rainy day.
Move
From Hanoi, you can go to Tam Dao by car or personal motorbike. Passenger cars, limousines, and taxis also shuttle Hanoi – Tam Dao, round-trip tickets cost about 200,000 – 300,000 VND per person. Travel time from Hanoi, about 2 hours. Note, if you ride a motorbike, you should choose a manual car to be safer because the road has many slopes and curves. The Hanoi – Tam Dao route is about 50 km along National Highway 2, then 24 km along National Highway 2B and finally nearly 13 km of mountain 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 per day depending on the type.
Hotels, homestays
Depending on the purpose of your trip, you can stay in a hotel or homestay – the two most popular types of accommodation in Tam Dao. In particular, hotels are a more convenient option when staying near the town center. Homestays often attract customers thanks to their beautiful views, rooms often have large glass windows overlooking panoramic mountain views, but the location is usually 1-2 km from the center.
Room prices in Tam Dao range from 450,000 VND to 2 million VND per night. Some beautiful homestays, convenient locations and reasonable prices for young people are 90s Homestay, Cuden, Levent, Kumo Chan… Choosing more high-end resorts and hotels, you can think of Tam Dao Belvedere, Venus, Bach Xanh, May Villa…
Where to play?
Depending on time, purpose and travel style, you can choose the destinations below for a day or 2-day-one-night itinerary.
Town square with fountain symbol, curved stone steps and the words Tam Dao. This is the first check-in point, almost everyone who comes takes home a few souvenir photos.
The Ancient Stone Church is the town’s tourist symbol. Tam Dao Church was built of stone on a high slope according to Gothic architecture, has two floors with a 10 m high foundation. The lower floor is spacious, has many paths next to 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 enjoy the cool air, watch the sunset, and take photos. Inside the second floor there is a cathedral built in 1937 for people to hold ceremonies, next to it is a high bell tower.
Silver Waterfall is a tourist destination right in the town center for guests who want to do a short trek and listen to “white noise” from the waterfall to relax. Climbing about 400 steps, you will see the waterfall pouring down from above. Note that if you go on a rainy day, the road is more slippery, so be careful when moving and do not wear high heels. If you don’t bring shoes to change into, you can rent slippers from grocery stores along the way for 20,000 VND. If you come on a sunny day, Silver Falls is definitely a suitable vacation spot for you to relax and have fun with the cool, continuously flowing waterfall.
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. Going in the fall can also see the maple leaves in the forest turning red.
Not far from the TV tower is Ba Temple, Thuong Ngan Pagoda . The road leading to the temple is only about 300 stone steps but is impressive with a cool green bamboo forest. The space here is pure and comfortable, you can truly immerse yourself in the mountains and forests. Visitors should wear simple, discreet clothing, hiking shoes, and be careful 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 if you see the resort sign, go straight and you will reach it. Entrance ticket is 30,000 VND per person, car parking ticket is 20,000 VND, motorbike parking ticket 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 playing around. The photography area is large, it takes at least half an hour to visit all the spots.
Lala Land complex is also worth a visit to take pictures and sightsee. There is a bus model here, you can go up to the roof to take pictures. In addition, you can experience strawberry picking, drinking coffee, taking photos with the cactus garden…
Eat and drink
The most famous specialty in Tam Dao is chayote tops. This vegetable is grown throughout the town so it is always fresh when prepared. Almost every restaurant in Tam Dao has a chayote sign to greet customers. The tops of chayote are lush, long stems, and young green leaves. When you buy it, break it up, stir-fry it with beef or just garlic, best dipping it with dark soy sauce, and add a few slices of chili.
If you choose BBQ grill when dining at Tam Dao, you will still be served chayote meat rolls. The meat is fragrantly marinated, rolled with crunchy chayote, and is delicious to eat. You can buy chayote tops to bring home as gifts, priced at 50,000 VND for 4 bundles.
In addition to chayote tops, you can refer to a number of dishes such as burned refried beef, grilled chicken covered in clay, pork belly, black sticky rice… Burned refried beef is prepared in a strange way: hanging medium sized pieces of beef. Cut the meat on the tree trunk, right in front of the ant nest so that the ants can gather and burn it, then wash it with diluted salt water and grill it over a charcoal fire. Each type of ant brings a different flavor to a piece of beef. Therefore, every time you enjoy it, you will feel strange about this interesting dish. Dipping sauce made from corn sauce, bean sauce, 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.
Coffee
Located opposite the Stone Church and next to the town center square, Rock Cafe has become a meeting point for tourists who love European architectural style and cuisine. The restaurant impresses with its 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 coffee shop with a unique view of the entire town from above, enjoying the cool breeze and taking unique photos. The drink menu here is quite diverse from cappuccino, latte, espresso, silver tea to tea, smoothies, soft drinks, juices… priced from 40,000 VND per cup.
Co La Coffee Shop is a place for you to drink coffee and relax in the sea of floating clouds. Tourists often come here at sunset, watch the sun set, relax with friends and relatives in the sound of peaceful music. The shop has many beautiful corners to check-in like the wooden sign with the line “From Tam Dao with love”.
