North Vietnam is still ruled by communism but in the south the hammer and sickle fades into capitalism that is gradually beginning to dominate all. One country and two lifestyles, Vietnam has opened up its borders. It is a country of beautiful landscapes, amicable people and a great cultural heritage.

Hanoi is North Vietnam’s lively capital city located in the north of the country and set amid the delta plains of the Red River. The Chua Mot Cot Pagoda is one of the oldest religious buildings in Hanoi and is a temple built upon a single column in the centre of a small lake.

On the shores of the Song Huong, Giang in the heart of Vietnam is a former royal city and today’s provincial capital of Hué. Nine mighty canon are the symbolic guards of the historic citadel. Beyond its defences are five hundred hectares that contain the Imperial City and also the Forbidden Purple City.

Da Nang’s Cham Museum contains a fine collection of Cham sculpture from the surrounding provinces. It boasts more than three hundred exhibits divided into ten rooms, with sandstone deities, monsters and heavenly dancers.

With nearly six million inhabitants, Saigon is also known as Ho Chi Minh City. The Jade Pagoda, the Temple of the Jade Emperor, highlights the country’s religious faith. The interior features Daoism in all its splendour and it was here that it all began, at the junction of the Ben Nghe Canal on the slowly flowing Saigon River.

Vietnam is a colourful land that still contains ancient tribes and exotic landscapes – a fascinating paradise located on the exotic edge of South East Asia!