Hue (pronounced Hway) is culturally and historically significant. It was once Vietnam’s Imperial City and later the country’s capital under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945). The Thua Thien Hue region was a political football during hundreds of years of early Vietnamese…
Many of Vietnam’s most significant historical sites and some of its best beaches are clustered along its central coast. This is the country’s narrowest region; in some places, there’s just over 50km (31 miles) of land between the sea and…
Most visitors give Pleiku a pass and move on to the quieter town of Kontum, which played its own important part in the Vietnam War and has a number of interesting sights outside of the city. Komtum, and the hills…
There isn’t much to this little provincial capital, just a maze of busy streets surrounding the center Thang Loi (Victory) Monument, with its high arch and a statue of the first tank to enter the town during liberation in 1975….
Much of what there is to see in Dalat is natural sights: Lakes, waterfalls, and dams dominate the tourist trail. Things are spread over quite some distance, so consider booking a tour or renting your own car or motorbike. If…
The French called them Montagnards, or “people of the mountains,” and these groups have long suffered under more powerful central governments. Hill tribe people paid dues to early Vietnamese kings and later achieved some autonomy under the French, who converted…
The mountainous Central High-lands are a few hundred very hilly kilometers inland from NhaTrang, a bumpy ride north from Ho Chi Minh City, or over the paved and very scenic Ho Chi Minh Trail south from Hoi An. The area…
To truly honor the memory of Ho Chi Minh, visitors to these sights are obliged to buy a bouquet of flowers to lay at three separate places: One at the foot of his statue in the central square in the…
The sights of Ninh Binh are scattered outside the city, too many to see all in one day. Most travelers visit Ninh Binh on a tour from Hanoi, so it’s a good idea to look closely at the sights below…
The city of Lang Son is connected to Hanoi by a broad, flat highway, and is more or less a sleepover stop after the stunning ride from Cao Bang, before you make your way back to the capital. Dining and…