Vietnam Travel Guide

What are the first things which come to your mind on mentioning Vietnam? We used to think about endless rice fields, pointed straw hats and steaming pho bowls. You may as well dream about thousand islands of Ha Long Bay or recollect the Vietnamese war veteran living next do to you and buying you lollipops on Sundays. And indeed, all of these images are very Vietnamese.

So why should you visit Vietnam?

Despite a notoriously bloody history with the West, Vietnam remains hugely welcoming to Westerners. Even in the biggest cities, tourists will find themselves approached by groups of students eager to perfect their English.

The Vietnamese take great pride in their nationality and culture and will be very grateful of any attempts at the language or to learn more about the county.

Vietnam’s national dish is pho, a beef or chicken soup with noodles, is available almost everywhere you look. The country has a wide variety of food suiting all tastes and diets, with the influence of the French occupation leaving a mark on Vietnam’s menus.

The Vietnamese are one of Asia’s biggest beer drinkers, largely due to the presence of bia hoi (very cheap homemade ‘air beer’) on many street corners across the country. Being the world’s second largest coffee exporter, the drink is also hugely popular, although Vietnamese tradition means it is usually served very strong and with lots of sugar.