VIETNAM – THE HIDDEN CHARM
With each passing year Vietnam continues to lure more and more visitors. The country possesses a unique cultural and historical heritage coupled with a diverse and engaging landscape. Add to this a vibrant and colorful people and it’s easy to see why Vietnam is the attraction that it is.
An increasing number of tourists however are coming to Vietnam simply to relax. With over 3,000 km of coastline and sun-drenched sandy beaches to rival any in Asia a number of deluxe five-star beach resorts are now available to those seeking sun, sand and luxury. Throughout Vietnam internationally-run hotels and resorts are rightly acknowledged as being among the finest in the region, if not the world: the magnificent Evason Hideaway near Nha Trang was recently voted as the hotel of the year by readers of Tatler magazine.
Vietnam’s cultural legacy stems from a turbulent past which has included invasions by her larger neighbor to the north, China as well as more recent colonization from Europe. Each successive occupier has left an indelible mark on Vietnamese culture as can be seen at the Imperial Citadel in Hue (modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing) and the neo-classical French architecture that permeates both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The country is also blessed with a dramatic countryside, from the sand dunes of Mui Ne to the magnificent lagoons and islands at Ha Long Bay and rugged mountain ranges in the far north. It is in these remote parts of the country that a host of colorful ethnic minority peoples can be found, most notably in and around the small town of Sapa. Indeed, when asked to cite the most pleasing aspect of their time in Vietnam most visitors invariably cite the people and Vietnamese hospitality is genuine and affectionate. There has never been a better time to visit Vietnam than now as the country with a fascinating past warmly embraces its future.
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Hanoi is arguably Asia’s most charming capital city. Hanoi, meaning – where the river bends’ is a city of broad, tree-lined boulevards, elegant French villas and colonial-era buildings painted in muted hues of yellow and orange. It is also one of Asia’s greenest cities with an abundance of parks and lakes as well as a host of cafes and art galleries and an Old Quarter steeped in history. By day the city hums with commerce and moves at motorbike speed; by night the city is an enchanting, 19th century Asian village best experienced from the seat of a silent cyclo.
Hanoi sits alongside the Red River, Vietnam’s second largest river. Beneath modern-day Hanoi lie artifacts and relics of the early Bronze and Iron ages, dating back to 2,000 B.C. The city was officially founded by Emperor Ly Thai To, who in 1010 renamed the area Thang Long or Soaring Dragon. Soon after some of the city’s oldest structures were built including the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s oldest university.
