Whether its culture, places of interest, fantastic scenery, historical sites or the best beaches ever seen then visit Vietnam as it has it all and more. Villages, towns, cities, islands and mountains are waiting for you to discover. A lot of ethnic minnority people, such as H’mong, Flowermong and Zay are happy for you to experience their daily lifestyles.

Hanoi is so very interesting whether you want to visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and his living quarters, or sites such as Temple of Literature and One Leg Pagoda, just to name a few. Wander around the Old Town where streets are named after the trades practised there, e.g. Hang Gai, silk street, Hang Bac, silver street. Eat street food and sit and enjoy a beer at one of the bars or a coffee at one of the many coffee shops. Visit the Opera House and museums at the other end of Hoi Kiem Lake.

Travel north east of Hanoi, which is a bit out of the normal tourist area its phenomenal and a totally different experience. The scenery is breathtaking, but then again most is in Vietnam. The Ban Gioc waterfalls are beyond belief, the sound and sight are mind blowing as is the Ma Pi Leng pass, both near the Chinese border.
Travel to Halong Bay and take a boat trip around all the limestone karsts visit the fishing village and caves on the bay.

Visit the ancient town of Hoi An, so very beautiful and you can chose to stay in the town, on the river or out at the beach. Shopping here is fantastic. Visit one of the many tailors or shoemaking shops. Grab a cycle and enjoy seeing the surrounding area at a leisurely pace or try your hand at farming. I think a must is to take a trip to Ba Na Hills, its almost magical, experience the cable car ride to the top.

Ho Chi Minh city is a very good base to experience a trip on the Mekong Delta. Visit the floating market where the Vietnamese people sell their produce. No visit would be complete without a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Vietcong people hid during the war with America. Again museums and palaces are here to be visited.

Travel inland to the town of Dalat. This is a busy working town and a visit to its fantastic gardens is a must. See the local mechanic repairing motor cycles on the corner of the road and eat at some fantastic restaurants. Take the old train to see the beautiful pagoda (Thiền Viện Trúc Lâm) Visit tea and coffee farms and taste the famous weasel coffee.

From here take the road for a fantastic scenic journey to Nha Trang, a large town on the coast. Here you’ll find beautiful white beaches. Take a boat trip and go snorkelling and visit the island where the sea food is like no other, or get the cable car over VinPearl an amusement park.

Mui Ne is another beach resort that offers miles of white sandy beaches and the most fantastic sand dunes you will ever see. Experience driving a quad bike up and down the dunes and then as you return to Mui Ne centre stop off to sit at the top of the sand dunes and watch the sun go down, magnificent.

Phu Quoc is an island that offers complete relaxation, favoured by honeymooners, again with white beaches and the most fantastic fish market at night. Enjoy your fish cooked in so many different ways here.

Con Dao, another small island offers the chance to relax and take a trip to see the pearl farms around the island. Again another great place for snorkelling and the market is a must see. This is also the island where Vietnam’s prisons once were, see the tiger cages where prisoners were kept.

This is a very basic look at Vietnam as we have visited 5 times already and have done much more than this account and there are still loads and loads left to see and experience. The day I discovered Vivutravel on the internet was one of my best finds ever. They have devised our itineraries each year, with some input from us, to make the most of our visit to this glorious country.

Vietnam offers good standards of accommodation, whatever star rating you want. Food is always very fresh and there are restaurants to suit all pockets. You’ll be surprised at the value you get for your money.

It doesn’t matter whether you are travelling alone, as a family, honeymooning or in a group Vivutravel can and will arrange a trip tailor made for you that you will never forget and you will come back for a lot more, that I can guarantee.

So whatever you want from your holiday visit Vivutravel’s site, look at their different itineraries and don’t hesitate to contact them even with your own ideas.

Lyn & Barry from the UK
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