Vietnam’s fertile S-shaped land, extending from the mountainous north and Red River Delta through to the rich floodplains of the Mekong Delta, offers a wealth of cultural delights. Charming Hanoi in the north, with its distinctive blend of French-colonial influence…
The far south is studded with wonderful attractions: from pristine jungle scenery to the cooler Bolaven Plateau and the rambling ruins of Wat Phou, once an important regional powerbase. The true gems of the south, however, are the Siphandon (4000…
A good day stop along Route 1A between Hue and Danang/Hoi An, Lang Co Beach is a sweeping expanse of sand good for dipping your toes and taking a rest. The absence of group tours and touts is the main…
Bach Ma with more than 20, 000 hectares (49, 400 acres) of high mountain trails and sweeping valleys was once a playground for the French, who built villas on these mountaintops to stay cool when on holiday from Hue. You’ll…
The misty, mountain scenery of the far north conjures up classic Indochina imagery of striking rice terraces, golden, thatched huts and dense, tropical forests, all dissected by a cross-hatching of waterways. Here, life is beautifully interwoven with the ebb and…
Hue’s Citadel and Imperial City are the main attractions, but a visit here is usually done in conjunction with half-day trips to outlying temples and the many imperial tombs. You might want to bicycle to the Citadel itself, then along…
The central provinces of Laos, sandwiched between the Mekong (and Thailand) to the west and the Annamite Mountains (and Vietnam) to the east, are the least visited in the country, which is a shame as the scenery here is stunning,…
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…
The west of Cambodia is made for the hearty traveler, a place to get off the track if you have the gumption. The far west, areas like the southwestern Cardamom Mountains and the northern border region with Thailand, are virtually…
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…