Vietnam

Vietnam - Once, the name Vietnam signified not so much a country as a brutal jungle war or a spectacular failure of American power. In recent years, however, the lifting of Vietnamese government restrictions and the boom in budget travelling, have enabled more contemporary and relevant portraits of the country to gain currency in the West. An understanding of history still goes a long way in Vietnam, since the country has a unique civilisation and a highly cultured people, but nobody needs to swot to be entranced by the sublime scenery, the delicious cuisine and the opportunity to witness the invigorating, early days of Vietnam's renewed contact with the West.

Environment - Vietnam borders Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over 1600 km along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. The country's two main cultivated areas are the Red River Delta (15,000 sq km) in the north and the Mekong Delta (60,000 sq km) in the south. Three-quarters of the country is mountainous and hilly; the highest peak is the 3143-metre-high Fansipan in north-west Vietnam.

Vietnam is made up of equatorial lowlands, high, temperate plateaus and alpine peaks. Although Vietnam's wildlife is rich, it is in precipitous decline because of the destruction of habitats and illegal hunting. Less than 20% of the country remains forested, and what remains is under threat from slash and burn agriculture and excessive harvesting. Fauna includes elephants, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, black bear, snub-nosed monkey, crocodile and turtle.

Vietnam has five national parks: Cat Ba, Ba Be Lake and Cuc Phuong national parks in the north; Bach Ma National Park in the centre; and Nam Cat Tien National Park in the south. In an attempt to prevent an ecological and hydrological catastrophe, the government has plans to set aside tens of thousands of sq km of forest and to create 87 national parks and nature reserves.

There are no good or bad seasons to visit Vietnam. When one region is wet or cold, or steamy hot, there is always somewhere else that is sunny and warm. Basically, the south has two seasons: the wet (May to November, wettest from June to August) and the dry (December to April). The hottest and most humid time is from the end of February to May. The central coast is dry from June to October. The north has two seasons: cool, damp winters (November to April) and hot summers (May to October). The highland areas are significantly cooler than the lowlands, and temperatures can get down to freezing in winter. There is the possibility of typhoons between July and November, affecting the north and central areas.

Travellers should take the Tet new-year festival (late January or early February) into account when planning a trip. Travel (including international travel) becomes very difficult, hotels are full and many services close down for at least a week and possibly a lot longer. 

Culture - Four great philosophies and religions have shaped the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity. Over the centuries, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have melded with popular Chinese beliefs and ancient Vietnamese animism to form what is known as Tam Giao (or `Triple Religion').

The Vietnamese language (kinh) is a hybrid of Mon-Khmer, Tai and Chinese elements with many of its basic words derived from the monotonic Mon-Khmer languages. The most widely spoken foreign languages in Vietnam are Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), English, French and Russian, more or less in that order.

Popular artistic forms include: traditional painting produced on frame-mounted silk; an eclectic array of theatre, puppetry, music and dance; religious sculpture; and lacquerware.

Vietnamese cuisine is especially varied - there are said to be nearly 500 different traditional dishes, ranging from exotic meats such as bat, cobra and pangolin to fantastic vegetarian creations (often prepared to replicate meat and fish dishes). However, the staple of Vietnamese cuisine is plain white rice dressed up with a plethora of vegetables, meat, fish, spices and sauces. Spring rolls and steamed rice pancakes are popular snacks, and the ubiquitous soups include eel and vermicelli, shredded chicken and bitter soups. Some of the more unusual fruits available include green dragon fruit, jujube, khaki, longan, mangosteen, pomelo, three-seed cherry and water apple. Vietnamese coffee is excellent.

Events - Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas on days when the moon is either full or the merest sliver. Many Buddhists eat only vegetarian food on these days. Some of the major religious festivals follow a lunar calendar. They include: Tet (late Jan-early Feb), the most important festival of the year, marking the new lunar year as well as the advent of spring; Wandering Souls Day (August), the second-largest festival of the year, when offerings of food and gifts are given to the wandering souls of the forgotten dead; and Holiday of the Dead (April), which commemorates deceased relatives. 

Attractions:

Nha Trang - Although it could well develop into a flashy resort such as Thailand's Pattaya Beach, Nha Trang is still fairly quiet. Things are moving, though, so see it while it lasts! With very clear turquoise waters, snorkelling and diving are prime activities, and just lazing on the town beach is an experience in itself. You'll be offered everything from lunch to a manicure. 

Hue - The most beautiful city in Vietnam, Hué was the country's capital from 1802 to 1945, and has long been a major cultural, religious and educational centre. The remains of the huge, moated Citadel, constructed by the Emperor Gia Long from 1804, contain many interesting sights, such as the Nine Holy Cannons, the Imperial Enclosure, the Palace of Supreme Harmony and the Halls of the Mandarins. Sadly, the intriguing Purple Forbidden City was largely destroyed during the Vietnam War. About 15 km south of Hué are the Royal Tombs. Hué has many other places of religious and dynastic importance, and some good museums.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It's a bustling, dynamic and industrious centre, the largest city (3.5 million), the economic capital and the cultural trendsetter. The streets, where much of the city's life takes place, is a myriad of shops, stalls, stands-on-wheels and vendors selling wares spread out on sidewalks. The city churns, ferments, bubbles and fumes.

Halong Bay - Magnificent, with its 3000 islands rising from the clear, emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, is one of Vietnam's natural marvels. The tiny islands are dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes created by the wind and waves. The most impressive of the grottoes is the Hang Dau Go, a huge cave of three chambers. The name Ha Long means 'where the dragon descended into the sea', and refers to a legend about a dragon who created the bay and islands with its flailing tail. There's even a modern legendary creature, the Tarasque, said to haunt the area. Taking a tour of the bay is the main activity here. If you want to see a lot, choose a fast boat. If you want a romantic experience but with the risk of getting hardly anywhere, look for one of the old junks. You have to charter the whole boat, but there are usually enough travellers around to make up a party and keep costs down.

Sam Mountain - In the Mekong Delta, three km from the riverine commercial centre of Chau Doc and not far from the Cambodian border, this area is known for its dozens of pagodas and cave temples. Favoured by ethnic-Chinese pilgrims and tourists, the shrines feature tombs and fine examples of traditional Vietnamese design and artisanship.

National Parks - Cuc Phuong, 140 km from Hanoi, preserves 222 sq km of primary tropical forest. It's home to an amazing variety of wildlife, with animals such as the yellow macaque and the spotted deer, and has many grottoes, one of which has yielded prehistoric stone tools. More beautiful however is Cat Ba Island, 30 km east of Haiphong. Its diverse ecosystems include tropical evergreen forests, freshwater swamp forests, coastal mangroves, freshwater lakes and waterfalls, grottoes, caves, sandy beaches and offshore coral reefs. 

Activities - Vietnam has 3260 km of coastline, and you can hire snorkelling and diving gear at most beach resorts. The most popular beaches are Vung Tau, just north of the Mekong Delta, and Nha Trang, near Dalat. There is good hiking, horse riding and cycling in the beautiful countryside around Dalat. Vietnam is a favourite place with long-distance cyclists because much of the country is flat and the shortage of vehicles makes for light traffic. Groups of Western cyclists have begun touring, especially around the Mekong Delta.

Spelunkers should head for the spectacular Pong Nha river caves, north-west of Dong Hoi. Those interested in the Vietnam War can walk part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a series of roads, trails and paths used as supply routes by the North Vietnamese during the war. It ran from North Vietnam southward through the Truong Son Mountains and into western Laos. Those with a 4WD can drive a 60-km stretch between Aluoi and Hue. The network of tunnels at Cu Chi (35 km from Saigon) and Vinh Moc (near the old border between North and South Vietnam) enable visitors to experience the claustrophobic life led by villagers and guerrillas during the war. 

Getting There & Away - Bangkok, only 80 minutes flying time from Ho Chi Minh City, is the main port of embarkation for air travel to Vietnam, followed closely by Hong Kong. There are also direct Bangkok-Hanoi flights. V ietnam Air, the government airline, still has a stranglehold on flights into the country, although other airlines are allowed some access. Consequently, there aren't many bargain deals available.

It's become very popular to cross the border at Dong Dang, 20 km north of Lang Son in north-east Vietnam, to get to/from Nanning in China's Guangxi Province. The other popular border crossing is at Lao Cai in north-west Vietnam, which lies on the railway line between Hanoi and Kunming in China's Yunnan Province. A new Hanoi-Beijing passenger train began operating in February 1996. Buses run daily between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City via the Moc Bai border checkpoint. It's possible to enter Laos from Lao Bao in north-central Vietnam. Note that Vietnamese visas specify your departure point from the country. If you want to change this you'll have to pay a visit to the immigration police or the Foreign Ministry.

Getting Around - Vietnam Airlines has a near-monopoly on domestic flights, which are relatively expensive. Thanks to a new computerised booking system, buying a ticket is fairly painless, although you will have to show your visa and/or passport. It's usually faster to buy a ticket from an airline office rather than a travel agent. The departure tax on domestic flights is d15,000.

Ramshackle, slow and hugely overcrowded buses run just about everywhere in the country, at rock-bottom fares. Bus travel is definitely uncomfortable and frustrating, but if you treat it as a social function rather than a means of getting from A to B, you should survive with your sanity intact. Most long-distance buses leave early in the morning, so it's a good idea to buy your ticket the night before. There are express buses, but few are really fast. Count on an average speed of 50 km/h for a genuine express bus, 35 km/h for a so-called express bus and 25 km/h for an ordinary bus.