Vietnam (Asia)

Vietnam stretches over 1600km along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. Vietnam's two main areas are the Red River Delta in the North and the Mekong Delta in the South. Most of Vietnam is made up of mountains.

The main parts of Vietnam that you should visit are Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Halong Bay, North-West Vietnam, Hué, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Dalat.

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are enormous cities that have such attractions as museums, markets, parks and pagodas, many restaurants and bars and an exciting nightlife.

Halong Bay has beautiful emerald green waters and thousands of islands and caves that you can explore.

North-West Vietnam's breathtaking mountain scenery and colourful hill tribe minorities should not be missed.

When visiting Hué you absolutely must visit the ancient citadel and take a 'Dragon Boat' trip to the majestic Royal Tombs.

Hoi An has a charming atmosphere and while here you must see the extraordinary Cham ruins, located at nearby My Son.

Nha Trang has crystal clear turquoise waters and offers great island-hopping and scuba diving.

Dalat is made up of pine-forested hills, cultivated valleys, lakes and waterfalls.

Four great philosophies and religions have shaped the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity.

The Vietnamese language (kinh) belongs to the Mon-Khmer stock, which comprises Mon (spoken in Burma) and Khmer (the language of Cambodia), as well as Khmu, Bahnar, Bru and other languages of the highlands of Vietnam. Mon-Khmer, Tai and Chinese elements with many of its basic words derived from the monotonic Mon-Khmer languages. The most widely spoken foreign languages in Vietnam are Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), English, French and Russian, more or less in that order.

Popular artistic forms include: traditional painting produced on frame-mounted silk; an eclectic array of theatre, puppetry, music and dance; religious sculpture; and lacquerware.

Vietnamese cuisine is especially varied - there are said to be nearly 500 different traditional dishes, ranging from exotic meats such as bat, cobra and pangolin to fantastic vegetarian creations.

Most visitors to Vietnam are overwhelmed by the sublime beauty of the country's natural setting: the Red River Delta in the north, the Mekong Delta in the south and almost the entire coastal strip are a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies tended by women in conical hats.

There are some divine beaches along the coast, while inland there are soaring mountains, some of which are cloaked by dense, misty forests. Vietnam also offers an opportunity to see a country of traditional charm and rare beauty rapidly opening up to the outside world.

Despite its ongoing economic liberalisation and the pressures of rapid development, this dignified country has managed to preserve its rich civilisation and highly cultured society.

It has discarded its post-war fatigues and the boom in budget travelling, coupled with the softening of government control, have enabled more contemporary and relevant portraits of the country to gain currency in the West.

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