"■ The land of dragons and legends... " a Vietnam Travel Page by globe_trekker

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It may be a culture shock for those who first visit the first country in Southeast Asia. For those who already visited the Vietnam neighbor countries, you are not so surprised. The crowd, the noise, the smell, etc. it looks and sounds so familiar, isn't it? However, if you look closely, there are many differences.

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Geographically, Vietnam looks like the stretching "S". It borders with Laos, Cambodia and the mighty China. It has some 3400km coastline. History wise, it has a long history of fighting with the foreigners. In Vietnam, there is a song about Vietnam that says it was under Chinese influence for thousand years, hundred years with the French. The structures in Hue, Hoi an, and those colonial buildings in Hanoi/Saigon have shown it clearly.
Vietnam was once divided into North and South ( just as you look at Korea nowadays) after the French pulled out in 1954. After April 30, 1975, the whole country finally became one Vietnam again. The last war had left many destructions and scars, but the Vietnamese has already determined to move on.
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● Hanoi - The 36 streets | The Highland ( Hue .. Nha Trang ) | Saigon (Ho chi Minh city) ●

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The Vietnamese usually distincts themselves into three major groups: the North, the Highland and the South. Although they all speak the same language, Vietnamese, they can all tell where the opposite person coming from by their accent/dialect. If you travel to the mountain area or far out of the city, you will also certainly encounter the other ethnics group such as the Cham, The Nung, etc. Beside Vietnamese language, the French was used to be a second language. English will be becoming popular as the country has opened itself to the world. And don't count out the Chinese language either.
Out of the three regions, the South is most blessed with Mekong delta river while the other two, North and Highland, have frequently been encountering much hardship from nature such as typhoon, flood, and dryness. Vietnam was once largest rice exporter in the world, and now is second after Thailand. With the current political climate, it will be taking back that title, hopefully. Did I mention coffee? Yes, coffee is also another major agriculture product that Vietnam enjoys exporting. Visit Buon me thuot and you will definitely smell the bean.
Beside the scenery, most of the sightseeing are the cultural centers. In my opinion, Sapa - a quiet little town , the one that really took my breath away. The North has more beautiful mountains landscape, while the Highland have many unspoiled secluded beaches waiting to be explored. For the South, don't forget to check the Delta Mekong where you can truly see the southern Vietnamese simple daily life. Last but not least, try to taste the Vietnamese food. It is superb, delicious and cheap.
Welcome to Vietnam and enjoy it.

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► A return trip to Vietnam | Perfume Pagoda | Vietnam in a bowl ◄

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