The low point of visitor numbers to Vietnam in recent years was 2009; the recession had just hit worldwide so it was no surprise. Recovery was almost immediate and year on year since, the numbers choosing Vietnam for their main annual holiday are growing impressively. They now exceed 10 million annually, tourists coming from all parts of the world for a Vietnam holiday. There is infinite diversity in this South East Asian country; Vietnam tour packages can reveal that diversity or concentrate on client interests. A good Vietnam travel agent is an excellent place to start when planning a trip. Vivu Travel, based in Hanoi, has earned an excellent reputation through these years of growth for devising personalised tours for its increasing number of clients. Read more: About us

Vietnam has an extensive coastline, and covers several degrees of latitude. Not surprisingly, there are climatic differences across the country and one region’s high season may be low season elsewhere. The word ‘’monsoon’’ has connotations of torrential and persistent rainfall. That is not really accurate because in some instances, the monsoon season may just mean an afternoon shower. You can do plenty of research online but it makes absolute sense to open a dialogue with someone like Vivu Travel to discuss the best time of year to visit particular parts of Vietnam, and the best compromises if you want to see the whole country at a time when it is monsoon season in some parts.

There is no charge for seeking advice and you can expect to be presented with an itinerary in line with your interests soon after you have provided Vivu Travel with the information it needs to proceed. If you intend to see the whole of the country, it makes little difference whether you start at Ho Chi Minh City in the south or Hanoi in the north. Both international airports have direct flight services to and from a huge number of destinations in the world.

When it comes to a tour of Vietnam, you may want to enjoy its diversity and a personalised tour can reflect that. Equally, if you have specific interests yet not too much time, you can arrange to have an itinerary put together specifically concentrating on them.

•    Activity Holidays.
•    Beach Holidays.
•    Historical, Cultural and Religious Holidays.
•    Cuisine Holidays.

Activities
Vietnam is still largely a rural area with villagers living their lives as they have always done. The Northern and Central Highlands both offer the chance to walk in forests, explore caves, swim in the rivers and streams and simply enjoy the environment. You can kayak and even enter some of the caves by boat.

Beach
Vietnam’s coastline is well over 3,000 kilometres and there are plenty of sandy beaches along its length. Resorts have developed to cater for local and overseas tourist demand with excellent hotels and restaurants serving the freshest of seafood, caught that day. If you want to do more than just relax, sunbathe and take the occasional swim, there is scuba diving, snorkelling and sailing.

An increasing number of people are picking a Vietnam honeymoon vacation in one of the luxury coastal resorts.

Historical, Cultural and Religious
The history of Vietnam is rich and varied. It is difficult to know where to start when it comes to the wonderful landmarks in the country, many dating back centuries. The temples and pagoda, palaces and tombs, French colonial architecture throughout the country, the choice of the best, and the locations involved in seeing them, is not easy. With the help of an agency experienced in putting together personalised tours of Vietnam, you can put together a shortlist and then make your final decision.

If you are lucky enough to be in Vietnam during any of the major festivals, Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, being a good example, you will also see how the Vietnamese celebrate.

Cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine is becoming increasingly popular far beyond the national borders. While there are some things that may not be to everyone’s taste, there is plenty that is. There are cookery classes many places in Vietnam with ‘’pupils’’ often beginning by going to the local market to buy the fresh produce needed for the meals to be cooked. A day finishes with eating what has been cooked. You may not learn much in a single day but if cooking is a real interest of yours, you can perhaps have 3 or 4 days learning about Vietnamese food. It will impress friends and family at home. Read more: Vietnamese Food and Drink

Time
When it comes to a holiday far from home, it is worth making sure you have the time to really enjoy yourself. The ideas above of specialist personalised holidays require various amounts of time. There is nothing to stop you taking a few days on the beach or learning about the cuisine as part of a holiday that includes the main highlights of this diverse country, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong, Halong Bay, Hue and Hoi An and perhaps the Sapa

Terraces?
The transport infrastructure of Vietnam is very good so you might be surprised how easy it is to get around. If you booking a personalised tour, all your transport and accommodation will be booked for you and you will be met on arrival in Vietnam and looked after throughout your holiday.

It is possible to do a personalised tour in a week or so but the country deserves more of your time than that.  If necessary, you can fly from north to south but you would miss all that the central part of the country, Hue, Hoi An and the Central Highlands centred around Dalat have to offer. That would be a shame. Once you have decided that Vietnam is the place for you, if you can take two or even three weeks away from work and home, you will not regret it. Vivu Travel will be happy to expand on the reasons why and put together a holiday for you that you will never forget.