Vietnam’s landscapes are wonderfully diverse. Stretching from the mountains and rice terraces of the northern highlands to the magnificence of Halong Bay’s karst towers, to the rich, lush greenery of the Mekong Delta. One of the most wonderful things about all this beauty is how easy it is to access on your Vietnam tour – an overnight train from Hanoi up to the spectacular views of Sapa, a couple of hours by road from Saigon into the heart of the Mekong Delta. It is all within reach.

Vietnam’s culture is a real melting pot of influences, but all the more fascinating for it. Under the influence of China for a millennium and part of French Indochina for 70 years, this is a country where about half of the population earn their living from agriculture. As you can imagine, the Vietnamese people’s way of life, beliefs and values are very different from our own – ancestor veneration is a part of everyday life and many people still wear traditional dress.

Vietnam’s cuisine is not only one of the world’s healthiest, but also one of the most delicious and the cuisine is sure to be a highlight of your Vietnam tour! Full of distinctive flavours, created by perfectly balancing salty, sweet, sour, and hot, it is the use of plentiful fresh ingredients, herbs and spices that make it so good. Whether you are eating in a high-end restaurant, or find a mouth-watering snack on one of the plentiful Vietnamese street stalls, your food will be prepared and cooked to order – be it summer rolls, pho, or a banh mi.

Ha Long, the Bay of Descending Dragons, is one of the Vietnam’s most spectacular destinations. Out of the emerald waters of the bay, thousands of sheer limestone karst pinnacles and islets rise, creating an element sculpted ocean-scape of magnificent proportions. It has long evoked the imaginations of the many who have seen it and has plentiful myths and legends of invading armies and heroic dragons told about it.