Visit Hoi An

Visit Ho Chi Minh City, the bustling metropolis of southern Vietnam. Explore the War Remnants Museum (powerful exhibits on the Vietnam War), see the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica (19th-century French Gothic architecture), wander through Ben Thanh Market (iconic indoor market with local crafts and street food), and admire the historic Central Post Office (designed by Gustave Eiffel).

Rice terraces and Hmong villages in the mountains near the Chinese border, under Fansipan.

A fire-breathing Dragon Bridge, My Khe beach and the Golden Bridge held up by giant hands in the Ba Na hills.

A French hill station of pine forests, flower farms and a Crazy House, cool all year in the Central Highlands.

The floating markets of the Mekong Delta at dawn, boats selling fruit under a pole that shows what they sell.

The port for Ha Long Bay: 1,600 limestone islands and an overnight on a junk boat.

Visit Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Explore the Old Quarter (a maze of 36 streets each named for its traditional trade, like Hang Bac for silver), see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (resting place of the revolutionary leader), and try street food like pho (noodle soup) at a local stall or bun cha (grilled pork with noodles). Don't miss the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first national university, founded in 1070) and take a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake (home to the iconic red Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple).

Thirty-six guild streets of scooters, street kitchens and colonial shophouses around Hoan Kiem Lake.