A country where the colors are more vivid, where the landscapes are bolder, the coastline is more dramatic, where the history is more compelling, where the tastes are more divine, and where the life leads in the fast lane. This is Vietnam , the latest (last?) Asian dragon to wake up from its slumber.  Vietnam is endowed by the nature with a bountiful harvest of soaring mountains, a killer coastline and radiant rice fields; Vietnam is a cracker. Inland, peasant women in conical hats still go to their fields; children ride buffalos along country path, and people who are from ethnic minority groups scratch out a living from impossible gradients.

Hanoi, the country’s captivating capital, rises early to watch the city exercise by Hoan Kiem Lake, then pay your respect in person to Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (a truly surreal experience). Eventually you’ll be enticed out of the city by the stunning offerings of the country’s northern provinces . Nothing can prepare you for the beauty of Ha Long Bay and its 2000 limestone karsts, nor the experience of trekking around mountainous Sapa.

To feel the intellectual, cultural and spiritual heartbeat of Vietnam , make a stop in the old imperial capital, Hue- a home to ancient palaces and pagodas, tombs and temples, and host of the biennial arts festivals. This is the place to go for historical, cultural and culinary stimulation.

Hoi An might weigh you down - but in a good way - you’re bound to add kilos of made-to-order clothing to your luggage. With an estimate of 300 to 500 tailors working in this beautiful city, this is a fashionable heaven.

To escape the buzz of millions of motorbikes in Saigon , head west to the watery landscape of green fields and sleepy villages in the Mekong Delta. There is an adventurous galore on Phu Quoc Island to discover and stunning white-sand beaches to relax . Back on the east coast at Mui Ne Beach, you’ll be challenged internally by yourself with a similar dilemma: action or inertia?

Vietnam has it all. Go expecting the unexpected, be ready for an adventure as much as a holiday, and it is Vietnam that deliver all of this to you!.