The prosperous capital of Kien Giang province, Rach Gia is a booming port city on the Gulf of Thailand. The population includes significant numbers of both ethnic Chinese and ethnic Khmers. Most travellers give the chaotic centre short shrift, heading straight to the port for boats to Phu Quoc Island. 

The prosperous capital of Kien Giang province, ...

Quite possibly the friendliest city in Vietnam, when people stop you on the street in Kon Tum to ask where you’re from, it’s because they’re actually interested.

 In the Bahnar villages, discreetly hidden behind trim rows of Vietnamese houses on the town’s outskirts, the kids love to pose for giggly photos and the adults may ev...

The capital of the province of the same name, Quang Ngai (aka Quang Nhia or Quangai) was only officially awarded city status in 2005, so the impression of a big country town is justified. The city itself offers no obvious attractions and those few travellers that venture here generally come to pay their respects to the victims of the most famous atrocity of the American War. 

The capital of the province of the sam...

Den Quan Thanh (Quinn Thanh Temple) : The three ancient Chinese characters which are still seen today on the top of the entrance to the temple mean Tran Vu Quan.

Literally, the temple is dedicated to Saint Tran Vu. Temples are places for worshipping saints while pagodas are dedicated to Buddha and faithful disciplines.

Saint Tran Vu was a le...

The site of the most famous siege – and one of the most controversial battles – of the American War, Khe Sanh Combat Base

Khe sanh combat base
 (admission 30,000d; 7am-4.30pm) sits silently on a barren plateau, surrounded by vegetation-covered hills that are often obscured by mist and fog. It is hard to imagine as you stand in this pe...

Well off the tourist track, Pleiku (or Playcu) makes for little more than a pleasant stopover on Hwy 14. The threat of unrest among the local ethnic minorities means that much of the potential for village tourism has been stymied. You’ll need a permit to go anywhere off the highway, and Westerners with their own wheels may find themselves quickly separated from them if they attempt to go it alone.;

However,...

One of Vietnam’s star attractions, mountainous and forested Phu Quoc is a splendid tropical getaway set with beautiful white-sand beaches and quaint fishing villages. 

Adventure comes in many forms here – from motorbiking the empty dirt roads circling the island to sea kayaking its quiet inlets, scuba diving the coral reefs or si...