Attraction

Hanoi
Hanoi has shaken off its hostile attitude to travelers and has become one of the most beguiling cities in Asia. It is slow-paced and pleasant, with a lovely landscape of lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant public parks, colonial French houses and astounding modern skyscrapers.

Hanoi's enchanting Old Quarter is rich with over a thousand years of history. Surface from its thronged labyrinth to explore the city's lakes, pagodas, historical houses and strange preponderance of turtle imagery. The museums will help make sense of it all.

Da Lat
The city of Dalat is the jewel of the southern Central Highlands region. The cool climate and park-like environment (lathered with Vietnamese-style kitsch) makes it one of the most delightful cities in Vietnam. Dalat is also a good base for trips into the surrounding highlands, which remain tranquil. Make sure you visit the Hang Nga Guesthouse & Art Gallery, nicknamed the Crazy House by locals. It's a counter-cultural gem created by artist and architect Mrs Dang Viet Nga (known as Hang Nga).

Emperor Bao Dai's Summer Palace is stuffed with interesting art and artifacts, and is well worth a look. It's also interesting to stroll around the old French Quarter, which is little changed since the French departed. The Valley of Love, 5km (3mi) north of the city centre, is a bizarre place with a carnival-style atmosphere where you can hire a paddle boat on the lake, or a horse from one of the Dalat Cowboys (no relation to the Dallas Cowboys), who are, indeed, dressed as cowboys.

There are some pleasant walks or rides (on horseback or bicycle) in the countryside around the city, but be aware that areas signposted with a C-sign are off-limits to foreigners. Further out, you can visit the villages of some of the hill tribes, such as Lat Village and the Chicken Village (with a huge statue of a chicken).

Da Lat is famous for its cafes and is a paradise for people who love fresh vegetables. It's extremely popular with domestic tourists and honeymooners, so there's a wide range of accommodation options. You can fly to Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh City, but the airport is 30km (19mi) from town; express buses also link the two cities.

Halong Bay
Magnificent Ha Long Bay, with its 3000 islands rising from the clear, emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, is one of Vietnam's natural marvels. The tiny islands are dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes created by the wind and waves. The most impressive of the grottoes is the Hang Dau Go, a huge cave of three chambers, while the Thien Cung Caves are also very impressive. The name Ha Long means 'where the dragon descended into the sea', and refers to a legend about a dragon who created the bay and islands with its flailing tail. There's even a modern legendary creature, the Tarasque, said to haunt the area.
Taking a tour of the bay is the main activity here; most book a tour at a cafe or hotel in Hanoi. If you want to arrange things independently, be ready for lots of hard sell from touts in Halong Bay City. To see a lot, choose a fast boat. If you want a romantic experience but with the risk of getting hardly anywhere, look for one of the old junks. You have to charter the whole boat, but there are usually enough travelers around to make up a party and keep costs down.

The main town in the region is Ha Long City, which is in two halves, bisected by a bay. Bai Chay (the western part) is the more scenic and has the most hotels, restaurants and persistent touts. Hon Gai (the eastern part) is connected to Haiphong by a ferry. Masochists might try seeing the bay on a day-trip from Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It's a bustling, dynamic and industrious centre, the largest city in the country, the economic capital and the cultural trendsetter. Yet within the teeming metropolis are the timeless traditions and beauty of an ancient culture.

Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon has several excellent museums that explore its dramatic history; the best of them can be visited on foot. Inside you'll find everything from harrowing images of the war and revolution to political art. Botanical gardens, temples, pagodas and churches also await.

Hue
Traditionally, Hue has been one of Vietnam's main cultural, religious and education centres. Its Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the most famous structures in Vietnam. The remains of the huge, moated Citadel (Kinh Thanh), constructed by the Emperor Gia Long from 1804, contain many interesting sights, such as the Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa (the Palace of Supreme Harmony), Nine Dynastic Urns and the Halls of the Mandarins. Sadly, the intriguing Forbidden Purple City was largely destroyed during the Vietnam War. About 15km (9mi) south of Hue are the splendid Royal Tombs, of the Nguyen emperors. Hue has many other places of religious and dynastic importance, and some good museums.

You can do sampan trips up the Perfume River, which include visits to some of Hue's main attractions. If you want to get out of the city for a swim, head 13km (8mi) northeast to Thuan An Beach, where there's a lagoon and a hotel. It can be reached by sampan or bus.

There's a range of accommodation in Hue to suit most budgets, and the city is famed for its fine restaurants. Hue has a long tradition of vegetarian food, which is prepared at pagodas for the monks. Stalls in the markets serve vegetarian food on the 1st and the 15th days of the lunar month, and there are also several restaurants serving it all the time.

Hue is about 700km (430mi) from Hanoi and 1100km (680mi) from Saigon. The Reunification Express train running between those cities stops here, and there are frequent flights and buses to both cities.

Nha Trang
Although it has the potential to develop into a flashy resort such as Thailand's Pattaya Beach, Nha Trang is still a good place to go for sun and partying. But see it while it lasts. With very clear turquoise waters (except for the wet season), snorkelling, diving and fishing are prime activities, and just lazing on the town beach is an experience in itself. You'll be offered everything from lunch to a manicure.

Nha Trang's dry season runs from June to September (which is different from Saigon). To cater for the growing influx of visitors, many new hotels have been built in town. Nha Trang is a major fishing port, so excellent seafood is available. The exotic dragon fruit (thanh long) grows only in the Nha Trang area. It's about the size and shape of a small pineapple, but tastes something like a kiwifruit. The fruit is in season from May to September, when you can find it served as a drink.

Express and regular buses link Nha Trang with Saigon; express buses take about 12 hours. Express trains run to both Saigon and Hanoi, and there are daily flights to Saigon and Hanoi.

Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu, in the heart-shaped Muong Thanh Valley near the Lao border, is in one of the remotest parts of Vietnam. The valley is surrounded by steep, heavily forested hills and the area is inhabited by hill tribes, notably the Tai and H'mong. Dien Bien Phu was the site of that rarest of Vietnamese military events, a battle that can be called truly decisive. It was here in 1954 that Viet Minh forces overran the beleaguered French garrison after a 57-day siege, forcing the French government to abandon its attempts to re-establish colonial control of Indochina. The site of the battle is marked by a small museum, which eloquently tells the story of Vietnamese determination to be rid of the colonial forces.

You can fly to Dien Bien Phu from Hanoi, but getting to the town overland is half the fun since the surrounding mountains are so beautiful. Buses are generally too crowded for you to appreciate the splendid scenery, though, so do yourself a favor and hire a jeep. It's a two-day, 420km (260mi) trip from Hanoi, so count on hiring a jeep for five days.

Hoi An
An important, picturesque and enchanting river port 30km (19mi) south of Da Nang, Hoi An is rich in history and has a unique character. It was a contemporary of Macau, attracting Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese trading vessels, and it retains the feel of centuries past. Its magnificent collection of almost 850 older structures and intact streetscapes just beg to be explored. They include merchants' homes, pagodas, public buildings, a Japanese covered bridge and a whole city block of colonnaded French buildings.

National Parks
Cuc Phuong, 140km (87mi) from Hanoi, preserves 222 sq km (87 sq mi) of primary tropical forest. It's home to an amazing variety of animal and plant life, with animals such as the yellow macaque and the spotted deer, 320 species of bird and has many grottoes, one of which has yielded prehistoric stone tools. Hiking is possible here.

Even more beautiful though, is Cat Ba Island, 30km (19mi) east of Hai Phong city. Its diverse ecosystems include tropical evergreen forests, freshwater swamp forests, coastal mangroves, freshwater lakes and waterfalls, grottoes, caves, sandy beaches and offshore coral reefs. It's home to monkeys, boars, deer, squirrels and hedgehogs, is on the migration route for waterfowl and its offshore waters are also heavily populated by fish, molluscs, arthropods, seals and dolphins. It is hoped that plans to designate further areas of land as national parks in Vietnam go ahead

Sam Mountain
In the Mekong Delta, 3km (2mi) from the riverine commercial centre of Chau Doc and not far from the Cambodian border, this area is known for its dozens of pagodas and cave temples. Favored by ethnic-Chinese pilgrims and tourists, the shrines feature tombs and fine examples of traditional Vietnamese design and artisanship. The views from the top of the mountain are spectacular.

Sapa
Located at an altitude of 1650m (5400ft) in the remote northwest, Sapa entrances most visitors with the spectacular scenery that exists nearby. Built as a hill station for the French in 1922, Sapa went into a long decline from which it has only recently recovered. More and more travellers are braving the bad (but improving) roads and flocking here for the climate (cold in winter, though) and to visit the hill tribes (mostly H'mong, Dao and Kinh people) who live in the area. The Saturday market is the best place to buy handicrafts. Accommodation can be tight, especially on weekends when tour parties visit. Just 9km (5.5mi) from Sapa is Fansipan (3143m/10,309ft), Vietnam's highest mountain. A hike to the top and back takes about four days, and you'll need a guide and decent equipment, as it is usually wet and cold. You can get to within 30km (19mi) of Sapa by train from Hanoi. Once you reach Lao Cai, you'll need to transfer to a local bus.

Western Central Highlands
The western region of the Central Highlands area, along the border with Cambodia and Laos, still sees few visitors. Although much of the forest has been destroyed, the region's varied agriculture and the presence of up to 31 distinct ethnic groups make it a fascinating destination. Towns such as Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku and Kon Tum are peopled by ethnic minorities, while Tua and Ban Don (a gateway to Yok Don National Park) society is matrilineal and matrilocal.