Vietnam Destinations

• Hanoi
  Hanoi, one of the most beautiful of the colonial Indochinese cities, is often the start or end point of a trip to Vietnam, and what a great welcome or farewell it is. Oozing with charm, Hanoi has gone through wholesale changes since Vietnam swung open its doors to tourism, but it remains true to its essential personality and is an amazing city to experience.

• Halong Bay
  There isn't much to do in Ha Long City -- most people pass through it quickly after booking a Ha Long Bay tour that begins and ends in Hanoi. Probably the wise move. Those that stay usually only linger a day or so.

• Sapa
  Sapa ranks along Ha Long Bay and Hoi An in terms of attracting tourists solely on the merit of its natural beauty and surrounding attractions. It's particularly rich in opportunities for treks, homestays, and (on clear days) the kinds of panoramic views that leave travel writers searching for fresh adjectives.
• Bac Ha
  Bac Ha is a 'little Sapa', and while it's much less developed for tourism, it's in an ideal location for off-the-beaten-track treks to visit colourful weekly markets. The Can Cau and Bac Ha markets, in particular, feature local scenes that have been going on every week for generations, where cattle, horses, goats and dogs are bought and sold, as well as many traditional goods like saddles and plowshares, along with elaborate textiles, handbags and other trinkets made by the local tribespeople, the Flower Hmong. Their intricately woven daily costume is one of the main drawing points in itself. This is an incredibly beautiful part of Vietnam.

• Ninh Binh – Tam Coc
  Ninh Binh is the hopping off point for Tam Coc, Bich Dong, Hoa Lu, Phat Diem, Van Long and Cuc Phuong National Park.

Built on both sides of Highway 1 and the railroad connecting Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City, Ninh Binh is a fairly uneventful place with only a few minor sights of its own to arouse interest but as a base to explore the spectacular surrounds for a day or two it is ideal. Cycling to nearby Phat Diem to view its stone church is easily arrnaged through many of the small hotels in Ninh Binh.

• Cuc Phuong National Park

This National Park can be included in a visit to Ninh Binh if you have 2 or 3 days. It features some easy walking and sights and nearby there is the Endangered Primate Centre and the Turtle Rescue Centre.

• Phong Nga
  A pleasant, sleepy town, Phong Nha is nestled at the foot of a series of limestone cliffs in an otherwise flat region, 45 km to the northwest of Dong Hoi.
  The limestone massifs are similar to those seen on the Andaman coast of Thailand and mark are stark change in the geology of Vietnam as you pass from south to north.
  The only reason to visit Phong Nha is to visit the Phong Nha cave system, but an overnight here makes sense if you have time in your schedule.

• Hue
  The historic capital of Vietnam, Hue, sits astride a truly majestic and beautiful river, the Song Huong (Perfume River). The north-bank is host to its share of hotels and restaurants, but the area is dominated by the old fortified city known as the Citadel, spread across more than 5 square kilometres of ground, crowding out development on that side of the river. As a result, guesthouses, hotels and restaurants have sprung up on the south bank, starting with the river road, Le Loi Street, and stretching further south. The south bank of the river has been developed as park cum promenade, with an eclectic variety of public sculptures on display.

• Hue is the capital of Thua Thien Province, with a population of about 340,000. Its location in central Vietnam, just south of the DMZ, made it a scene of heavy fighting during the American War. It's 15km west of the South China Sea and about 540km south of Hanoi and 644km north of Saigon. While the city is also known for the manufacture of textiles and cement, tourism has become its bread and butter.

• Hoi An
  Pale yellow houses draped in bougainvillea, shopfronts lit with the glow of silk lanterns, women in conical hats lifting baskets of slippery fish from their boats -- life in old town Hoi An looks like a picture postcard of a Vietnamese country town. Of course, that didn't happen by accident. In 1999, the riverside town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in an effort to preserve its core of historic architecture, a unique mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and European styles. The listing gave Hoi An the resources and impetus to better protect and maintain its wonderful architecture, and to market itself as a tourist destination. It worked, and the town now attracts visitors by the droves.
  The tourist trade is now Hoi An's bread and butter, and just about every business in town is geared to it. Restaurants offer menus of local specialties and American breakfasts, tailors offer suits made in less than 24 hours. It can easily feel like one giant showcase with little in the way of an independent life of its own. Yes, it's a big tourist trap, but even so -- it's an excellent tourist trap that shouldn't be missed. Most people who visit are charmed, and even cynics will likely seek an excuse to justify liking it.

• Saigon and surrounds
  As Ho Chi Minh City's cyclo drivers rest easy below vast neon billboards, the emerging Vietnamese middle class -- mobile phones in hand -- cruise past draped in haute couture on their imported motorcycles. Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City -- Vietnam's largest and most exciting city.
  How things have changed from the sleepy days pre-16th century, when the Khmer fishing village of Prey Nokor was established on a vast swampland. Saigon's origins date back to the early 17th century when the area became home for refugees fleeing war in the north. Towards the end of the century, once the population was more Vietnamese and Cambodia weak enough, Vietnam annexed the territory. Over the following decades Prey Nokor developed into the Saigon the French found when they conquered the region in the mid 19th century.

• Dalat
  Unabashedly kitsch, Da Lat tends to either charm or repulse. The town's penchant for Disneylandesque attractions leaves many scratching their head. For others however, the stunning rural scenery, cool climate and somewhat avant-garde student scene more than compensate for the undeniably appalling taste displayed across Da Lat, the capital of Vietnam's Lam Dong province.
  The town was established in 1897 after explorers decided it would make a fine resort centre. At the time, the region formed a part of French Cochinchina and offered an ideal escape from the steaming delta plains of Saigon. With an altitude of 1,500m, an average temperature of just 17 degrees Celsius and dawns often bathed in early-morning mist, it's easy to see what lured the early explorers, including bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, whose name you'll see adorning street signs across Vietnam.

• Mekong Delta

A truly memorable part of Vietnam
Highlights
Explore Chau Doc, the riverine gateway to Vietnam and Cambodia. The bustling centre of Can Tho is well worth a stop, while sleepy My Tho attracts mostly day-trippers from Saigon.
The Mekong Delta forms both the far southern region of Vietnam and one of country's two main ricebowls. Dominated by the Mekong River and its many tributaries, the surrounding lands are comprised of low lying rice paddies and the rivers are bordered by dense mangroves and palms. The tributaries of the hectic Mekong River highway provide a comprehensive network of canals and channels acting as on and off ramps to the main throughfare. For the independent traveller, these rivers and tributaries can be the best method to explore the Mekong Delta at a leisurely pace and offer the opportunity to experience the truly unique Mekong River lifestyle.

By embarking on a comprehensive exploration of the Delta, you will have the opportunity to observe and participate in an extra dimension of Vietnamese life and culture. The attractions to this region of Vietnam include the way in which life exists around the comprehensive river system, the heavy Khmer influence from nearby Cambodia and the extensive coastline, boasting some of the nicer beaches in Vietnam.

For those with time on their hands at least a month could be spent exploring this part of Vietnam, yet the vast bulk of tourists and travellers alike spend no more than a handful of days here, generally as a part of a tour organised out of Saigon. Chau Doc

• Bordering Cambodia, An Giang province is best-known for being home to pastel-painted Chau Doc, the closest large town to the Vietnamese/Cambodian border crossing on the Mekong River. Wedged between the Cambodian frontier, Kieng Giang and Can Tho provinces to the south and Dong Thap province to the north, An Giang is a particularly riverine province, with both the Bassac and Mekong Rivers within its boundaries.
  The nondescript provincial capital Long Xuyen lies around 50km southeast of the border with Cambodia. Some travellers may find it convenient to pass through here for its transportation connections but there are otherwise few other reasons to stay in the capital.
  Chau Doc sits at the junction of a tributary linking the Bassac and Mekong Rivers and the Bassac River itself. An incredibly friendly and bustling little city, it has a colour scheme to match its ambience, with bright pastel hues of green, blue and purple adorning many of the newer shopfronts. If you're arriving here from Cambodia, be prepared for the shock into technicolour paradise.
  Chau Doc locals are known for being very warm and approachable -- even the xe dap loi drivers, as pestering as they are, are friendly. English is spoken in most of the foreigner-targeted guesthouses and hotels, and most restaurants have an English menu.
  A highlight of a visit to Chau Doc is a boat trip on one of the small paddle boats that collect near the western end of the park. For a few dollars an hour they'll paddle you around the many floating raft houses and fish farms. Doing this at dawn can be very photogenic and rewarding.