Vietnam Airfares

By Roz Andrews: Vietnam is a long, thin country of vivid green rice fields, mountains tapering down to the sea, and pristine white beaches. Less developed than other East Asian countries, Vietnam is bordered by China, Laos and Cambodia, and its coastline extends for more than 2,000 miles.

Most tourists visit only the south of the country, including the hot, busy, noisy city of Ho Chí Minh City (formerly Saigon), but the mountainous north is very beautiful. Cao Bang, for example, is encircled by waterfalls, lakes, caves and pretty villages.

Take a boat trip to see the floating villages of Châu Doc near the Cambodian border. Boats that have been fashioned into houses range from metal drums topped with corrugated iron roofs to much more complicated structures, some of which even have electricity and computers. They are home to fish farmers who catch fish in wire mesh hanging underneath their homes.

Hanoi, the capital city, is less busy and has more green spaces than Ho Chí Minh City. Its Old Quarter is a maze of 36 narrow streets, each of which used to be home to a different guild selling a certain type of ware, such as wooden bowls, baskets and brushes.

Throughout Vietnam, you can enjoy delicious, inexpensive food. The staples, available from street stands, are rice dishes (co’m) and noodle soup (pho). Go!