Basic HTML Version
18 | FireFlyz
T
he
countries that cram
together to constitute
South East Asia all offer
fabulous experiences to
the interested traveller,
but none in the region
can touch Vietnam for
variety and intrigue. This is land where
every city and town offers a new slice of
culture, history and beauty, every corner
unfolding elements of fascination that
will make you long to return to Vietnam
the minute your plane leaves the runway.
Perhaps it is the length of the country
that facilitates such variety, stretching as
it does 1,650km and touching Cambodia,
Laos and China on its merry way down
to the sea. Travelling north to south – or
get
away
Long, luscious Vietnam is a treat for the traveller, offering a variety of cities, sights and
experiences tomake it a topdestination for those looking for a littleof everythingduring
their holiday.
Once is Never Enough
vice versa – is the recommended means
of observing the country change shades
and get a taste of some of the goodies
that makes it one of the most popular
destinations in the region.
If you only have time for three stops,
this is the trio that serves as a satisfying
showcase of a country touched by history
but bursting with character and beauty,
not to mention food to make you smile
and people to warm your heart. Read on
and get your flight booked!
Hanoi
Touch down inHanoi, Vietnam’s throbbing
capital, and believe for a moment that
you have stepped back in time. Hanoi
is a taste of old Asia, with colonial-era
buildings still standing in faded pomposity
while alleyways are alive with markets
and people and two-wheeled vehicles
(motorbikes) weaving between cars,
bicycles and pedestrians in gay abandon.
The city blossoms around the beautiful
Hoan Kiem lake, with the Old Quarter
teeming with shops selling curios and
markets bursting with fresh produce, the
buildings pressed in against each other as
if shielding themselves from the madness
on the streets.
The antitheses to this sensory explosion
are the wide boulevards and spacious
grandeur of the areas around the Presi-
dential Palace and the Mausoleum of Ho
Chi Minh, or the opulent area around the
Opera House where the money of the
W o r d s :
S a r a h R e e s
Ho Chi Minh City has some
beautiful historical buildings
amid the skyscrapers