Vietnam
An Introduction to Vietnam
Vietnam has become a favourite on the backpacker trail in south-east Asia. It's a medium-sized country – the same area as Finland – with a a large population, nearly 90 million, and one of the most rapidly industrialising countries on the planet. It's a really extraordinarily vibrant place, and there's a vast amount to see and do.
Its beaches and national parks are some of the most spectacular in the world, there are hundreds of historic sites both ancient and modern, the food is fantastic, the people are friendly – and it's cheap and easy to get around, with plenty of internal flights and a north-south railway that's safe and reliable...
There are lots of adventure activities available as well as dozens of opportunities for volunteering.
Vietnam has its downsides. It remains an unreconstructed single-party communist state and it is still very poor. But it is definitely worth a visit either as part of a round the world trip, as part of a multi-country journey through south-east Asia or as a single-country expedition.
Map of Vietnam
Country Expert
Hannah Gamble
Hannah is our country expert for Vietnam. She lived in Thailand when she was training to be a dive instructor and it wasn't long before Vietnam got a visit.
Hannah took the rough with the smooth and then wrote a brilliant, humerous guide about her trip. It's an amazing little travelogue packed full of tips! If you have any questions about Vietnam or Thailand then ask Hannah; she'll be more than happy to help out...
