maps & guides
Southeast Asia on a Shoestring
This is the granddaddy of all travel guides aimed squarely at budget travelers and backpackers. Southeast Asia on a Shoestring has been in print for over 35 years. Southeast Asia on a Shoestring covers the following countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, East Timor, and Cambodia. Although not as detailed as specialized local guidebooks, it does give enough information to make travelling in each of these countries both inexpensive and simple.
The main reason most people visiting Vietnam may wish to purchase Southeast Asia on a Shoestring is the excellent section which deals with inter-country travel. If you are planning a trip which takes in more than one Southeast Asian country, then you will not regret grabbing a copy of Southeast Asia on a Shoestring. It advises on visas, travel options, routes and a whole host of other useful information for people who are hopping from country to country, which other localized guides do not include.
Southeast Asia on a Shoestring contains only budget travel information, so this means the lower end accommodation option and cheaper places for food, as well as many backpacker type bars. If you are looking to explore Vietnam and Da Nang on a budget, then you will find this guide useful.
Lonely Planet – Vietnam
The Lonely Planet range of guidebooks is generally considered to be just about the most comprehensive travel guides available. Originally Lonely Planet guide books were aimed squarely at backpackers and other budget travelers. However, the most recent editions open up the price range considerably, splitting listings into three categories, budget, mid-range and luxury. This makes the Lonely Planet Vietnam travel guide perfect for the entire spectrum of people visiting the City of Da Nang.
The Lonely Planet Vietnam guide book contains not only travel information such as accommodation listings; it also presents an excellent section upon the history of Vietnam and its culture.
One of the best things about the Lonely Planet Vietnam guide book is the wealth of travel tips, many entirely unique to Vietnam, which are delivered at strategic points throughout the book.
The Lonely Planet Vietnam guide book is the only guide to Vietnam you will ever need, whether you are exploring the country in its entirety or simply spending some time discovering Da Nang.
Travel Vietnam Illustrated Guide, Phrasebook & Maps
The Travel Vietnam Illustrated Guide is unique among Vietnam Travel guide sin the fact that it is delivered in Amazon Kindle format. This makes it ideal for people who prefer to carry their travel library in digital format. It is published by Mobi Travel, one of the smaller travel publishing houses, and in many ways this has led to the Travel Vietnam Illustrated Guide being a superior, more up to date product.
The Travel Vietnam Illustrated Guide contains plenty of listing for accommodation to suit every budget, as well as an extensive list of food and entertainment venues. Where the Travel Vietnam Illustrated Guide differs from other Vietnam travel guides lays in the fact it includes an excellent phrase book section, which is far more detailed than the short list of phrases most other guides provide.
As the name suggest, this guide book contains lots of high quality pictures, maps and other media, almost every major site within Vietnam is presented in image form. If you are looking for an alternative style of guidebook for your Vietnam trip, the Travel Vietnam Illustrated Guide could well be the guide book for you.
Vietnam Handbook
Now in its 6th edition, the Vietnam Handbook remains one of the most popular of all Vietnam travel guides. The Vietnam Handbook covers every part of Vietnam, and includes a large section solely dedicated to the City of Da Nang.
This guidebook contains all of the information you will ever need to enable you to explore the incredible country of Vietnam. Included within its pages is a very detailed history of the Vietnam War, and a section which gives an in-depth background on Vietnamese life. Of course, it also contains all of the usual information to be found in books of this type, including listings of places to eat and sleep to suit every budget.
In addition to covering standard Vietnam travel, the Vietnam Handbook also contains an excellent chapter dedicated to crossing the Mekong Delta, and trekking in the mountains in the North of Vietnam.
If you only purchase one guide book to take with you on your trip to Vietnam, even if you only intend to visit a major city such as Da Nang, then this is the guidebook you should purchase. In many ways this is the Vietnam travel bible and thousands of visitors each year rely upon it.
