Discover Thanh Hoa, the Famous Land of History in Vietnam by Motorbike

Thanh Hoa tourism is famous for many beautiful landscape and historic sites. You definitely can explore the natural and cultural beauty in Thanh Hoa during a 2-day journey at the weekend. 

How to get there?

Departing from Hanoi in the early evening of Friday, you can drive along Ho Chi Minh Trail to explore the West of Thanh Hoa. The trail, which was newly renovated recently, is very nice, large and easy to drive. Hence, it takes only 2 hours o get to Thanh Hoa.


The roadside scenery will make you surprised by the beauty of the mountains and vast stretching plains. Arriving in the Thanh Hoa land is also when it's dark, you can find a cheap guesthouse in the town of Cam Thuy (Cam Thuy district) to rest for the journey next morning.

Cam Thuy magical stream

In the morning of Saturday, you should get up early and start the journey from town to the magical stream of Cam Thuy - Cam Luong commune in around 30 minutes drive. This famous scenic spot in Thanh Hoa is the habitat of a fish species which is considered magicl fish byb the locals. The stream segment is only about 100 m or more, but there are thousands of live fish with special mystic beauty. During the day, the fish follow water streamto the outside while at night, they swm back into the cave deep inside the mountain.


Peaceful fresh scene of the stream will give you a very pleasant feeling. Besides is a temple. You can visit and learn interesting stories about the stream from the locals’stories. There are also lots of stalls selling various regional specialties Cam Luong Mountain. You can select an interesting item as a gift for this discovery journey.

Ho dynasty Citadel - World Cultural Heritage

After visiting the magical stream, you can drive along Highway 217 to the Vinh Loc district to visitthe Ho Citadel. It takes around 45 minutes so you absolutely can visit the place in the morning.

This monument is a rare intact stone citadel in Vietnam, the only one in Southeast Asia and one of the few surviving stone castles in the world. After6 centuries, the citadel is still stable with some intact portions of the walls.


The monuments were built under the Ho dynasty, one of the shortest reign in history. Although built in a very short time (according to the history, it just built in 3 months), the citadel has shown the high level of building technique, which expressing on 4 gates, wall sections and huge stones transported from many kilometers away.

In addition to visiting the gates, the wall, you can visit the Museum of the Ho dynasty, the temples around to understand the building's history. Peanut candies and  Vinh Loc tea is also an interesting option for you to enjoy the historic stories about a mysterious dynasty of Vietnam.

If visiting in harvesting season, you can enjoy a great scene with bright yellow paintings inside the 600 year old citadel. The straight path and the ancient wall will give you a memorable photo oppoturnity about the trip. You should also eat lunch at Vinh Loc in order to discover the land in the afternoon.

Lam Kinh - Land of history

Saying goodbye to the the Ho citadel, in the afternoon you continue to move towards west to Lam KinhThis is the tomb and temple of King Le. This is also where the Lam Son revolutionary started by Le Loi, defeated the Ming invaders. Lam Kinh complex is a vast areas with temples, tomb of King Le Loi, Le Thanh Tong ..., memorial house honoring the famous people under Le dynasty. The whole area is cool with lots of trees and extremely quiet..


Sunset is when we strongly feel the nostalgia of historical depth. This place is the mark of the legendary Lam Son - a faraway and dangerous place. This also where many heroes gathered with Le Loi general and made one of the most resounding chapter of the country's history. 

Thanh Hoa city

Ending the first day, you will travel along Highway 47 from Tho Xuan Thanh Hoa city before dark. The road was a ribbon through the famous vast sugarcane fields. It increasingly dim and beautiful when sun sets behind the blue mountains.

In Thanh Hoa, if you are still strong, go down the street to enjoy the cuisine by night with amazing food. Banh khoai (pleasure cake), nem chua (fermented roll meat), banh rang bua, fried shrimp ... are attractive options after an exhausting day exploring the western lands.

You can take a bus to visit Ham Rong bridge at night, walking along Ma river or stroll around the busy streets in the city of Thanh Hoa.

Sam Son on a new day

After a night in Thanh Hoa city, Sam Son is a must see destination of the discovery. It is only about 15 km from Thanh Hoa to Sam Son. Gentle sea, the stretching beach with the salty taste and large space make beautiful and wonderful moments when you put your foot on the coast.

Sam Son beach have been a famous resort place since the French time and the most attractive tourist spot in Thanh Hoa. In addition to the long beaches, Sam Son also have Truong Le Mountain with nice places like Hon Trong Mai (fighting cock), Co Tien Pagoda, Doc Cuoc Temple to explore.

Enjoy fresh seafood at noon is the perfect choice before you return to Hanoi.

At the end of your journey, you can go along Highway 1 back to Hanoi. Thanh Hoa must leave beautiful images after 2 days exploring. Both the mountainous area in the west and the beaches in the east, both the historic sitesand the people will bring a very special experience. Thanh Hoa is both strange and familiar, and colorful on every road you go through. Wish you had fresh and exciting experience.

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