Vietnam is an ideal backpacking destination for the novice and experienced backpacker. With its lively cities, authentic countryside (countryside), the mountains and the limestones and the calm ocean, Vietnam is extremely versatile.
Experience city life, where thousands of motorcycles make crossing the road feel like a game of life and death. Yet this is strangely loving and gives a real sense of local life. Add in the sense of community, with artisan families on the street and friends bent over a steaming bowl of pho. This will make you fall in love with these urban jungles.
Leave the city and follow one of the motorcycle loops, which wind through rice fields and coffee plantations. This is what put Vietnam on the foodie map. Eat your way through a country bursting with flavor and join one of the many excellent cooking classes.
The more bleak side of Vietnam is its hostile history, which can still be seen today. Tributes, museums and even architecture provide insight into the country's war-torn past. But it is this mix of history, culture, coasts and landscapes that makes Vietnam so special and rightly leaves a lasting impression that will never be forgotten.