Starting at big, bustling, sweaty Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), with its dichotomy of free wheeling modernization and local tradition, the guide sends you on retreat to the idyllic French colonial town of Dalat for a mountain cool down and a tribal village visit. From there the winding mountain road descends to the spectacular beaches of Nha Trang and the famous Thap Ba Hot Springs & Mud Baths, the ultimate road rejuvenator.

Awaiting now are the Central Highlands, with the multi-national UNESCO town of Hoi An and its tailor-made to fit garments, then an exploration of Vietnam's cultural and intellectual center, the former capital city of Hue.

Finally, we travel to the north on the mystical seas of Halong Bay, culminating the Vietnam adventure in the nation's capital of Hanoi, a city with a thriving Old City of narrow specialty lanes and intriguing architecture, bordered by numerous lakes to take the urban edge off.

This is Vietnam, a place of incredible beauty, diversity, heritage, and grace, shaking off a painful past.


Published on 07-09-2009
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