Fifteen kilometres northeast of Tay Ninh, Nui Ba Den (Black Lady Mountain; admission adult/child 8000/4000d) rises 850m above the rice paddies, corn, cassava (manioc) and rubber plantations of the surrounding countryside

. Over the centuries Nui Ba Den has served as a shrine for various peoples of the area, including the Khmer, Chams, Vietnamese and...

Welcome to the roof of Vietnam, where the mountains of the Tonkinese Alps (Hoang Lien Mountains) soar skyward, their long shadows concealing some of the country’s best-kept secrets.

The landscape is a rich palette that provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Vietnam. Forbidding and unforgiving terrain for lowlanders, the mountains have long bee...

Most tourists’ only experience of north-central Vietnam is a torturous 16-hour bus trip from Hanoi to Hue. 

While it’s true that you’ll find more English-speakers and Western-style hotels in the south, this region offers something perhaps more tourist-friendly – the opportunity to potter about, largely left to your own d...

Southeast of Phan Rang, Ninh Chu Beach is increasingly popular with local tourists.

Apart from a bit of litter, the 10km-long beach is quite nice. It makes a quieter alternative to Phan Rang as a base for visiting the Cham ruins.

A bizarre local attraction is the Hoan Cau Resort (890 077; waterpark admission adul...

Ninh Binh has the pace of a large country town – a welcome respite if you’ve just escaped the bustle of Hanoi.

 Apart from the scrum of guesthouse owners greeting the trains, and the charming chorus of ‘Hello, how are you’ from the local children, you’ll largely be left alone as you wander the quiet streets.

The s...

Nha Trang has a split personality. One takes the form of a smaller Danang – a bustling Viet­namese city humming with commerce but blessed with access to a beautiful beach

. The other is a Western resort town encompassing several blocks of hotels, tourist shops, bars and international restaurants. Entering this sheltered enclave you could be ...

Except for a minuscule fishing hamlet (Tran De) and an offshore island (Hon Khoai), Nam Can stakes its claim as the southernmost town in Vietnam

. Few tourists come to this isolated community, which survives mainly from the shrimp industry.

At the southern tip of the delta is the Ca Mau Nature Reserve, sometimes referred to as Ngoc Hie...