HUE, Vietnam - "You're vacationing WHERE?!" Expect that response from people when you tell them your plans. Then expect to be bowled-over by Vietnam's friendly people, its beauty and its bargains.
Far from being a bombed-out wasteland of war-weary citizens, Vietnam is a thriving coastal nation of lush green rice fields, budding entrepreneurs and windswept beaches that run the length of the country.
Tourists buy fruit at the floating market in the Mekong Delta.
The formerly-closed communist country has opened up its economy and its doors to visitors. It's an inexpensive holiday destination steeped in history, and unspoiled by Western commercialism. Expect a very warm welcome from people who are genuinely happy to see you.
It's untouched by Western food chains and corner stores. On every street corner in every town, you'll find sidewalk kitchens and scooter taxis happy to feed you and get you on your way.
The country is poor, with people living on an average of less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank. That's triple what it was in 1993, thanks to economic reforms called doi moi which have encouraged private enterprises, like tailor shops, to pop up all over.
In the ancient trading centre of Hoi An, a whole market full of tailors vie to provide your couture. You can have a suit custom-made for $50. Dress shirts will run you about $8. Browse through the latest pattern books and the bolts of fabric then get measured and your order is sent to workshops. You'll have a three or four hour wait, but no trouble filling the time. Dozens of boats line the Thu Bon River, and their owners will be happy to give you a floating tour of the picturesque town.
Or keep shopping. A dozen-or-so cobblers can make you a pair of shoes, boots or sandals for under $25. Lantern shops light up the night. Vendors sell everything from delicate silk scarves to snake wine (rice whiskey with a snake in it for extra potency and virility).
Cham dancers at the ancient Po Nagar Cham Towers in Nha Trang.
Those with more timid taste buds can enjoy a big glass of sweet, strong, iced Vietnamese coffee for about 50 cents. It's available at any of the ubiquitous, portable sidewalk kitchens throughout the country, as is Pho, the happy meal of Vietnam.
Pronounced "fur", Pho is a hearty, steaming bowl of rice noodles, beef or pork, and broth and you add your own fresh cilantro, greens and bean sprouts. For people who worry about street vendors and the lack of sanitation, it's probably safer to eat on the street where you can see the freshness of the food and how it's prepared. Go where the locals go and you can't go wrong. Enjoy the good company and the savings - it only costs about a buck for a filling, delicious meal.
Transportation is also inexpensive in Vietnam. Flying from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to Da Nang halfway up the coast costs a little more than $50, but you need to book your flight well in advance. Trains, buses and hiring a driver with a car can cost a fraction of the air fare but are a slower way to go.
What looks on the map to be a half-day, 400-kilometre drive could be a two-day trip. The speed limit for most vehicles is 60 kilometres per hour on the two-lane Number One Highway. The main north-south route serves Vietnam's 83 million people on bikes, in lorries, riding water buffalo and scooters. Mini-bus and transport drivers use their horns and nerves of steel to make a two-lane highway serve five lanes of traffic. A driver passing on a curve uses a "beep-beep-beep" to let whoever is around the bend know to slow down and move over.
It works. In two weeks, we saw only three accidents- a drop in the bucket compared to the number of vehicles we saw.
Don't even think about renting a car. Foreigners aren't allowed to drive cars, and that's a good thing. Once you get there, you'll know why. World travellers who've seen the worst rush hour traffic in Rome say it's a picnic compared to Vietnam.
This Mekong Delta farmer turned a Vietnam War bomb crater into a fish pond.
While getting there is half the fun or thrill, in Vietnam's case, the destinations are matchless for history buffs and beach fans.
In the ancient capital, Hue (pronounced "Hway"), you can visit the emperor's citadel and go for dragon boat tours of the Perfume River with traditional cuisine and music.
At the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda, young Buddhist monks are trained on site at the monastery. There is a shrine dedicated to one of its monks who set himself on fire in 1963 in Saigon to protest the persecution of Buddhists under the rule of President Diem. The car that he drove to Saigon is on display with the horrifying photo that ran in newspapers around the world.
A day's drive south of Hue is the Waikiki of Vietnam - Nha Trang. It's a bargain beach holiday destination with the amenities of a city, and the charm of an ancient port.
At the beach, a group of middle-aged female Vietnamese tourists frolicked in the surf fully clothed, alongside vacationers from Australia, Malaysia and Europe in their Speedos, thongs and bikinis.
Nha Trang's lively waterfront includes an amusement park full of kiddie rides, massage kiosks and a smorg of swanky restaurants with cuisine from as many countries as the Vietnamese diaspora.
You'll see a huge flotilla of fishing boats as soon as you enter the city from the north, and the Po Nagar Cham Towers. They were built between the fourth and seventh centuries by Hindu people called the Cham. They were farmers, fishers and maritime traders who dealt with the Indians, Chinese, Japanese and Arabs and lived throughout central and southern Vietnam. Echoes of the Indian influence can be heard in the music played today by the interpreters at the tourist site who are Cham descendants.
The towers, intricately carved with gods and goddesses, are rare survivors of the invasions of Vietnam over the centuries.
At the docks at the south end of the city, pleasure boats take visitors on day-long cruises. The boats stop for snorkelling, swimming and beach activities like parasailing, jet-skiing and, for the more sedate, manicures and pedicures. A day trip on The Fairy with fresh seafood including sea urchin soup and fruit buffet cost 100,000 dong, or about $7.
I think one of the biggest thrills visiting this country is just watching the Vietnamese people going about their business.
A man on a scooter moves a living room sectional on his own with only a length of rope. A women heads to the market with two dozen live ducks quacking in baskets on the back of her bike. A young, sinewy man pulls a hand-cart of bricks up an incline and over a bridge in rush hour traffic. Water buffalos can be seen in the rice fields up to their haunches in water or strolling along the side of the road.
In Vietnam, watching people and the world go by can be a wonder in itself.
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