Today's Post is a guest post by David Elliot. The best way to see a country like Vietnam for the first time is to join up with an organized tour or, if you’re set on striking out on your own, to do some serious research beforehand in order to pack as much in as you can manage. Travel to Vietnam with a tailor made itinerary and you can take advantage of its unique shape and demarcated regions to create a remarkable getaway experience.
With Saigon and the Mekong Delta down south and the old capital of Hanoi in the north, each having an international airport, you can start at one end or the other and work your way along the S-shaped country at your leisure. If you don’t have a lot of time, concentrate on the coastline with its many attractions like the delta regions and Halong Bay near Hanoi, or the interior hills and mountains for great trekking.
Alternatively, take a cultural tour of the major cities. Saigon is a busy port city with great markets and shopping, whereas if you’re more into cultural heritage and atmosphere you’d do better concentrating on Hanoi in the north with its pagodas and palaces, Buddha statues and air of somewhat disdainful calm.
Vietnam today has a fascinating mix of natural beauties and cultural attractions both old and new. Like Turkey in some respects here, it presents a charming blend of Western and Eastern values, so you’ll feel strangely at home some of the time in the big cities but almost on another planet when you turn the next corner and come across rice fields, pagodas or vast statues of the Buddha sitting contemplating your rolled-up cargo pants and camera with barely concealed amusement. It can be a bit unnerving at first, but you’ll soon settle in and learn to expect the unexpected in this remarkable country.
If you’re looking for perfect sandy beaches and charming offshore islands then you’ve come to the right places too. Vietnam is a sort of backbone to this part of the Indo China peninsula, and there are miles of gorgeous beaches to offset the hard and unyielding mountains to the west. Take some time out from the sightseeing and trekking in places like Phu Quoq with its crystal clear waters. This tropical island is in the Gulf of Thailand and is only starting to attract the attention of tourists, so grab this slice of paradise while you still can. It has a forested interior which is ideal for trekking, along with several small resorts.
A cruise on the beautiful Mekong Delta in the south of Vietnam is an absolute must if you’re based around Saigon, and you can combine it with a visit to the famous Cai Rang floating market, where time seems to have stood still since ancient times.
There is so much to do in Vietnam these days, and the landscapes are so varied, that there is more or less something for every taste, and whether you’re after stunning natural scenery, treks through the forested interior or delving into the remarkably rich heritage of the big cities, you’ll find it all here.
David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.
