Vietnam
Vietnam offers adventures and curiosities around every corner. Be ready for a wild ride in a colorful and chaotic land -- along the way, you'll discover tranquil places and opportunities to connect with local people. Literary and nonfiction works about the Vietnam War era alone are legion, and Vietnam's cultural heritage goes back thousands of years. Vietnamese are careful to distinguish their cultural traditions from those of its neighbor China. With its distinct, very sophisticated traditions of painting (particularly lacquer painting), crafts such as weaving and woodcarving, theater, opera, dance, and water puppetry, Vietnam's own cultural landscape is as varied and colorful as its topography. And despite centuries of occupation by foreigners, Vietnamese cultural traditions have survived. Opportunities abound to explore trade villages, learn about Vietnamese cooking, witness the country's performing arts like water puppetry (in Hanoi), court dance (in Hue), catch a traditional opera, or look over the shoulder of artists at work in studios or at street-side.
Regions in Vietnam
Around Hanoi
Invading forces from every direction agree: Hanoi makes a fine capital. It has held that title for more than a thousand years, through several invasions, occupations, restorations, and name changes. The Chinese... read moreCentral Vietnam
The Central Coast is likened by the Vietnamese to the bamboo pole connecting the baskets of the North and South. The Truong Son Mountains, which stretch all the way to the coast between Hue and Danang, have... read moreNorth-Central Vietnam
Northern Vietnam gets fewer visitors than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the coastal cities in the south, but it's full of culture. Historically, and to this day, it has been significantly poorer than the southern... read moreTop Destinations in Vietnam
