Holidays to Vietnam

The country's twin cities

Most people begin their Vietnam trip in one of these two cities (both have accessible international flight routes). In Hanoi, you'll find canary-yellow French palaces with colourful and chaotic market streets, Ngoc Son temple (meaning Temple of the Jade Mountain) sitting in the middle of central Hoan Kiem Lake, connected by a bright scarlet bridge, and narrow streets lined with rows of old-fashioned guild shops, spilling over in the Old Quarter. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to its friends), on the other hand, is the country's largest city and arguably its modern heartbeat. With an international mindset and a restless creativity, it makes an exciting base from which to explore the history of the Vietnam war: from the reunification palace to museums or modern day exhibitions.

Twin cities, these former enemies are now close rivals, matching one another point-for-point when it comes to historic monuments, cultural experiences, and (most importantly) delicious food.

Towering natural landscapes

Beyond the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the sheer variety of scenery means a visit to Vietnam can feel like several countries in one: encompassing everything from lush lowland and tropical, palm-fringed beaches to the majestic Mekong Delta, with its 4,000 miles running from the snowy Himalayas to the steamy South China Sea.

Limestone pinnacles thrust skyward at Halong Bay, thatch-roofed stilt villages dot the rippling rice terraces of Pu Luong, and the misty mountains of Sapa, with their densely forested highlands, beckon hikers from across the globe.

In the north, where the Annamite Mountains reach down from Tibet and Yunnan, hilltribes of the Hmong, Dao, Thai and other ethnic minorities live in remote communities where the past few centuries feel like they never happened.

In the south, there are the stilt villages and floating markets on the Mekong Delta. On the beaches and islands, there are white sands, azure seas, and beachside bars. And in Mui Ne, you'll find some of the best kite surfing in Southeast Asia - guaranteed almost all year round.

A centre overflowing with history

While Ho Chi Minh City might have the museums and palaces, and Hanoi preserves tradition, it's in central Vietnam that you'll find history most impossible to ignore.

There's Hue, home to the imperial Citadel of Vietnam's last royal dynasty, where meticulously-preserved garden houses that belonged to Mandarins still stand. There's the ancient, reddish-toned Hindu ruins of the Champa Kingdom to be found at Mỹ Sơn. And, of course, there's the 15th-century port of Hoi An, once one of the most important in Asia, now famed for its picturesque ancient town and iconic Japanese covered bridge, with streets festooned with brightly glowing lanterns.

Travel overland, slowly

While seeing the whole of the country in a short space of time means taking internal flights (trust us - a one hour plane is usually preferable to a 14 hour overland transfer taking two days...), focusing on a smaller area and travelling slowly, overland, is one of the best ways to get under the skin of Vietnam.

Combine an overnight cruise through the dramatic karst scenery of Halong Bay with a city break sampling street food or catching elderly Vietnamese ladies practicing tai chi as the sun rises around Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi. Mix trekking in the remote jungles and cave systems of Phong Nha with some beach lounging beneath the palm trees of tropical Phu Quoc Island. Visit the labyrinthine network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong, or get to know the rhythms of life on the water in the mighty Mekong river: home to floating markets, ornate pagodas, and sleepy, riverside villages.

Cap off your adventure with a visit to Ninh Binh, Vietnam's serene 'Halong Bay on Land,' or take a sea plane over the famous Bay's lesser known, but just as beautiful, sister, Lan Ha Bay. It looks totally different from above.

Unpacking Vietnam's rich history

Vietnam's transformation has been incredible. Before economic and political reforms in 1986, it was one of the world's poorest countries, with a poverty rate over 70%. For decades its name was synonymous with war. All that has changed. Vietnam now has a poverty rate below 6%, and one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. While the effects of the Vietnam war indisputably live on, both in global politics and in the memories of those who survived it, to most young Vietnamese it feels like ancient history. War sites are preserved and respected, but the events they commemorate are presented with nuance and even-handedness rather than bitterness and vitriol. Hostility towards the West is rare.

When you think about it, it's hardly surprising that the people who fought and won two long, bitter wars against all odds have managed to turn that hard-bitten determination to lifting their country out of poverty. If the Vietnamese have anything in their national character, it's grit.

A country filled with 95 million people

Whether you start in the north or the south, the chances are that one of the first things that'll strike you is the sheer volume of people. Vietnam is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and at times it can feel like all 95 million of its inhabitants are riding scooters down the same street in Saigon. It's overwhelming. While you spend ten minutes plucking up the courage to cross the road, old ladies with baskets hanging from bamboo poles weave fearlessly through swarms of tuk-tuks and smartphone-wielding pedestrians, seemingly invincible through sheer force of will. By evening, all these people are crowded around low tables, shoulder to shoulder on little plastic stools, sipping cold beers over steaming dishes loaded with fresh seafood and char-grilled, marinated meats, while live music drifts out of bars and delicious-smelling steam billows into the night.

A cuisine as varied as Vietnam's geography

Vietnam covers a huge array of different topographies and climates, and each region has its own speciality crops. Banana and coconut in the Mekong Delta, black pepper and fish sauce on Phu Quoc, coffee and tea in the central highlands, and fresh seafood all along the country's 3,444 kilometres of coast – and that's just for starters.

You'll find stalls tucked down narrow streets in Hanoi, proclaiming to make the best banh mi you'll ever taste. Rose-shaped dumplings made only in central Hoi An, allegedly following a fabled family recipe that dates back years. Regional specialities of noodle dishes, each with their own unique twist, using micro-herbs grown only in the immediate surrounding farmland.

This means that wherever you go, there's a whole new menu of dishes just waiting to be sampled. Travelling the length of the country, it's hard to get bored: and each region will insist that theirs is the best.