Vietnam is a stunning, exciting country relatively untouched by tourism but a delight to explore. Vietnam holidays offer the opportunity to relax on a pristine white sand beach or travel the country to discover a unique culture and some extraordinary sights. Between the bustling centres of Hanoi in the north and Saigon in the south, Vietnam is a slender country of jungles, rice fields, beaches and bays, mesmerisingly beautiful and never less than enthralling.
Vietnam holiday highlights
• Ho Chi Minh City - Formerly known as Saigon, this is a young, fun city, with boulevards, churches and villas from its French colonial days, superb nightlife, restaurants and shopping.
• The fascinating, albeit sobering, reminders of the 'American War', such as the War Remnants Museum in Saigon and the remarkable Cu Chi tunnels.
• Hanoi - the ancient, conservative and traditional capital, where the Chinese influence is tangible in the old artisan quarters, temples, puppet theatres and lakeside pagodas. Hanoi also has a distinctive French influence, ie The Colonial Offices and shutters windows of its French quarter, to the south of Hoan Kiem Lake.
• The legendary imperial capital of Hue, a once awe-inspiring complex of gilded pavilions, lily ponds and terraced gardens, partly destroyed during the 1968 Tet Offensive.
• The idyllic beaches of Phan Thiet and Nha Trang.
• The natural beauty of Halong Bay.