Ho Chi Minh City, the new official name for Saigon since 1975, is by far the largest city in Vietnam, home to more than 7 million, and the economic engine of the country. It might first appear to the traveller a hectic and noisy place, with fewer monuments and history than Hue or Hanoi, besides the French-area buildings and the relatively low-profile pagodas and temples. Only after a while, one discovers its personality, that of a diverse, energetic, commercial and entrepreneurial, rebelious meridional city which emerges from a long economic sleep imposed by two decades of bureaucratic restrictions to catch on with a frenezy of life.

The Mekong Delta, at the south end of Vietnam is a vast and low plain, divided by the "Nine Dragons", the arms of the mighty Mekong River. The country most fertile soil is formed by alluvions and sediments deposited by the great river. This prosperous region produces close to half the agricultural production of the country, with only 12% of its superficy. It is a world of rice fields, orchards, arroyos, and canals, where water and earth are intrically interlaced, where in many places a boat is the most convenient way of transportation, where many people live on the water, depend on the water for fish and rice, and perform functions such as shopping and eating on the water. The insularity of the Delta has made it a refuge for minority religions such as the curious indigenous Cao Dai religion and the Muslim faith of the descendants of the Cham people.

The center of Vietnam was historically the Cham kingdom, before becoming the ancient empire of Annam. This heritage can be explored in the site of My Son, the town of Hoi An, and the city of Hue, three of the architectural gems of the country, each of them a World Heritage Site. It is a distinctive region, a narrow band of beautiful highlands and coast, where people speak the langage with a heavy melodious accent. Further south, Da Lat in the highlands, and Nha Trang on the coast are two of the most pleasant resort towns.

The North Central, with its fertile Red River plain, is the historical craddle of Vietnam, whose kings ruled from Hoa Lu and Hanoi. It is a beautiful area characterized by limestome geology, which give rise to the sugar-loafed landscapes of the Perfume Pagoda pilgrimage and Tam Coc, as well as the vast underground passageways of Phong Nha cave, all of them are explored via pleasant boat trips along rice fields. Because development has been slower there than in the south of the country, the rural landscapes and way of life have not changed much over the last centuries.