Visiting Vietnam

Looking to sidestep the well-worn footpaths of Westerners on your journey to the East? Pack your bags and head for Vietnam. With its years of war far behind it, this dynamic country is an emerging travel destination far less frequented than neighboring Thailand, and has much to delight and astound visitors, particularly its surging metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City.

Midway between India and China on the old ocean trade routes, Southeast Asia can trace its diverse and unique cultures to its position as a global crossroads. A rainbow of religious, artistic, and culinary forms has emerged in Vietnam over its long history. From Buddhist temples to Muslim mosques and Catholic cathedrals, from Indian and French cuisine to spectacular water puppet shows, Vietnam offers surprising variety.

It is recommended that travelers try to focus their trip either on Hanoi in the north or Ho Chi Minh City in the south if they are on a limited time-frame. North-south travel is lengthy in this long, skinny nation and can be time consuming. Ho Chi Minh City, in the south, is nearer to Phnom Penh in Cambodia than it is to Hanoi, while Hanoi is closer to the border Vietnam shares with China.

Vietnam boasts over three thousand kilometers of coastline and two enormous wetland areas. The Mekong Delta near Ho Chi Minh City and the Red River Delta near Hanoi offer ecologically minded travelers much to explore. The jutting limestone at Ha Long Bay brings to mind classical Chinese painting, and islands off the coast include Hon Ong (Whale Island) known for its views of humpbacks and whale sharks. Inland wonders include the 50-meter Dambri waterfalls and mountains where rural villages are home to Vietnam’s distinctive ethnic minority communities.

Rural explorations aside, no visit to Vietnam should be without a plunge into its thriving cities: the capital of Hanoi in the north and in the south, Ho Chi Minh City. Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s largest city and most cosmopolitan. Boiling with activity, the city is filled with street markets and cyclos, mopeds and jeeps, sidewalk cafes and fruit vendors. You’ll find fresh and spicy Vietnamese cuisine everywhere, as well as French and Indian restaurants, sushi, or shish kebab. Stunning pagodas such as the Jade Emperor Pagoda provide a glimpse into Vietnam’s distant past, while more recent history is documented in sobering detail at the War Remnants Museum. The Hotel de Ville and Post Office are remnants of French colonial architecture, and the vibrant present of Vietnam is on display at the Ben Thanh Market. Finally, don’t miss the traditional entertainment of mua roi nuoc – water puppets – as dragons and kings dance on water to live music and narration.

To plan your trip to Vietnam, visit:

Ho Chi Minh City Hotels
Adventure in Dalat, Vietnam

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