Vietnam

What to see

Hanoi

Atmospheric, elegant capital steeped in history that’s full of French colonial charm and traditional buildings and boasts a host of attractions including a fascinating Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum.

Ho Chi Minh City

Riverside metropolis that is the country’s commercial heart, home to contemporary restaurants and bars as well as a bustling centre.Hue The old imperial capital is still the intellectual, cultural and spiritual heart of the country.

Hoi Ann

Attractive riverside town with winding cobbled streets that has a proud history as a port. There are also masses of pagodas, temples and the ornate Japanese Covered Bridge to explore before you hit the cafés, tailors and artisan markets in the evening.

Quy Nhon

Coastal town that’s a little off the beaten path but has access to some superb beaches and breathtaking Cham architecture and ruins.

Nha Trang

Backpacker haven where people lured by the beach come to relax, party and possibly dive in some of the country’s best underwater spots.

Cat Tien

National Park thickly vegetated area that’s ideal for walking and wildlife watching with opportunities to see elephants, Javan rhinos, crocodiles and dozens of bird species.

Top experiences / sites of particular interest

Cu Chi Tunnels

Complex network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong when fighting the Americans, which lead from the southern tip of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the Saigon River.

Mekong Delta

A fascinating area of traditional towns, sleepy villages and floating markets where locals congregate to trade and barter amidst the rice paddies, orchards and palm trees.

Halong Bay

Hundreds of giant karst limestone pillars rise abruptly from the sea in this extraordinary archipelago. Explore the scenic, tranquil area on a traditional junk or head to the areas beaches to relax or snorkel.

Sapa

Rugged mountain retreat and hill town that has cooler temperatures and spectacular views and is an excellent base for encountering a number of minority tribes or exploring the Tonkinese Alps.

Phu Quoc Island

Tropical island that makes the perfect getaway given the white-sand beaches, dense forests and lack of development here.

When to go

Weather & Seasons: The country has a very diverse set of weather conditions. On the one hand it is generally warm and dry, on the other it is lashed by the monsoon rains, which fall from May to October. Temperatures in the south can hit 40˚C whilst you can expect snow in the north. High season is typically July to August when you should also look out for local tourists in their droves. The best time to visit is therefore April to May and October.

Important Dates and Festivals: There a number of major festivals . Tet Nguyen Dan, the Lunar New Year, is the largest festival and is celebrated in late January or early February.

Getting there / around

Flights: There is an international airport at Noi Bai (HAN) some 45k from Hanoi. There is also an international airport just outside Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). There isn’t an internal flight network of note.

Rail: The railway network is limited, but efficient.

Road: Roads are good and more widespread. Buses travel between most destinations but tend to be busy and crowded. Car hire usually involves hiring both a vehicle and a driver.Motorbikes are ubiquitous and often the best way to get around – ride the Ho Chi Minh Highway for four days to get off the tourist trail and explore the mountains and villages of the central highlands.

Potential itineraries

One Month: The classic Vietnam trip entails travelling the length of the country by train, bus or car. Although it can be done in two weeks the 1700km journey demands three or four weeks if you are to see everything along the way. Start in the modern, lively streets of Ho Chi Minh City, detour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and then head to the coast and ease your way north via Nha Trang and Quy Nhon before arriving in charming Hoi An. Push on to Hue before making the long journey to Hanoi via Tam Coc and the Cuc Phuong National Park.

Longer Trips: If you have time, or can stay for up to six weeks, divert east to Halong Bay in order to drift around the outrageous karst landscape then continue north west to Sapa for a chance to explore the hill-tribe region.

2 Weeks: To get a better feel of the remote north east you’ll really need two weeks to explore it properly, using Hanoi as a base and then setting out on motorbike or 4WD.Two weeks also allows you to get a better sense of the Mekong Delta, where, with your own transport, you can access the islets, beaches and small towns here.

Guides

Overview of Vietnam:There are several comprehensive guidebooks to Vietnam including books from Lonely PlanetRough Guidesand Footprint. There are more heavily illustrated, inspirational guidebooks to Vietnam on offer from Insightwho combine Vietnam and Angkor Wat in a single title.

Combined Guides: Footprint produces a combined guide to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for people travelling throughout the region.

City Guides: People combining Hanoi and Halong Bay should look out for the Lonely Planet Encounters guide. Luxe produces a compact, top-end guide to Ho Chi Minh City.

Maps

Nature Maps: Bird or wildlife enthusiasts should take the Vietnam Nature Tourism Map.

Detailed Maps: For improved scale and more detail pack the Reise Know-How maps of Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam. ITMB also offer maps of Northeast Vietnam, including Hanoi, Central Vietnam, including Hue, and Southern Vietnam, including the Mekong Delta.

City Maps: ITMB are also responsible for street plans of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Read More

A Dragon Apparent is Norman Lewis’s classic account of travelling through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 1950s and contains vivid portraits of each country in the last days of colonial rule. Andrew Pham escaped war-torn Vietnam in 1977 and only returned two decades later.

The Quiet American by Graham Greene tells the fictional story of an idealistic young American sent to promote democracy in 1950s Vietnam that is at once an historical portrait of the end of colonial rule and a complex story of a triangular relationship set to end badly.

Sight & Sound

Music: Traditional Vietnamese music is played on do son drums, a single-stringed zither known as a dan bau and a large bamboo xylophone called a rung. Traditional Vietnamese puppetry, roi can, and the unique water puppetry, roi nuoc, are often accompanied by folk music using these instruments.

Film: There are a wealth of films based on Vietnamese history, including a number dealing with the American experience of fighting in Vietnam. Check out Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Deer Hunter, by Michael Cimino, Platoon, by Oliver Stone and We Were Soldiers, by Randall Wallace. The Graham Greene novel The Quiet American was made into a film by Philip Noyce. For an alternative perspective and subject matter, look for the films of Anh Hung Tran, including Cyclo, The Scent of Green Papaya or The Vertical Ray of Sun, which deals with life in modern Hanoi.

Language

Vietnamese.

Currency

New Dong (D).

Visas

UK and US citizens require a visa before entering the country.

Health issues

Inoculations for Cholera, Diphtheria, Hep A, Hep B, Rabies, Typhoid and Yellow Fever are recommended. Malaria is also present in parts of the country.

Safety, FO travel advice

The country is generally safe, warm and welcoming – look out for scams in cities or at border crossings though.

Useful Telephone Numbers

Vietnamese country representatives can be found

in the UK at

and in the US at

There are no tourist boards in either country.

For more information visit: www.vietnam-tourism.com, www.vietnamonline.com or www.vietnamadventures.com.