There's a buzz about Vietnam a im we're not just talking motorbike engines. Vietnam is hot and the word is travelling far and wide. The country offers an intoxicating blend: vibrant yet traditional cities, unashamedly idyllic coastline, incredible scenery, pulsating history and culture, and a kaleido­scope of people. Vietnam has it all, but it's also raw in places, so pack some flexibility, hum our and patience. Come expecting the unexpected, be ready for an adventure as much as a holiday, and Vietnam will deliver.

Many tour com-panies offer this trip in a two-week timeframe, but this barely allows enough time to unpack your bags in each place. Train, bus or opt for a car and driver for this 171 Okm epic. Trains and buses stop at most destinations, but to cover this huge distance a Hue-Hanoi flight could save time. Travel by boat around the Halong Bay area -the only way to get a good look at the crazy karsts.
The snaking roads on this Journey are some of the most treacherous in Vietnam, and land-slips and floods are common. The motorbiking here is pure heaven for seasoned two-wheelers, but for the majority a 4WD is the sanest wayto go. Down to Chau Doc, public transport is a breeze; after that, it's sparse and requires flexi-bility. Flights from Phu Quoc Island to HCMC run daily; if flying back to HCMC, book return flights well before hitting the delta to guarantee a quick getaway.

Vietnam has a history as rich and evocative as anywhere on the planet. Sure, the American War in Vietnam captured the attention of the West, but centuries before that Vietnam was scrapping with the Chinese, the Khmers, the Chams and the Mongols. Vietnamese civilisation is as so­phisticated as that of its mighty northern neighbour China, from where it drew many of its influences under a thousand-year occupation. Later came the French and the humbling period of colonialism from which Vietnam was not to emerge until the second half of the 20th century. The Americans were simply the last in a long line of invaders who had come and gone through the centuri es and, no matter what was required or how long it took, they too would be vanquished. If only the planners back in Washington had paid just a little more attention to the history of this very proud nation, then Vietnam might have avoided the trauma and tragedy of a horribly brutal war. Visitors to Vietnam can't help but notice that the same names pop up again and again on the streets of every city and town. These are Vietnam's national heroes who, over the last 2000 year, have led the country in its repeated expulsions of foreign invaders and whose exploits have inspired subsequent generations of patriots.
TRACKING THE AMERICAN WAR:
The American War in Vietnam was the story for a generation. Follow in the footsteps of soldiers, journalists and politicians on all sides with a visit to the sites where the story unfolded.
China Beach: The strip of sand near Danang where US soldiers dropped in for some rest and relaxation.
Cu Chi Tunnels. The Vietnamese dug an incredible and elaborate tunnel network to evade American forces, just 30km from Saigon and right under the noses of a US base.
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) The no-man's land at the 17th Parallel, dividing North and South Vietnam after 1954, became one of the most heav ily militarized zones in the world.
Dien Bien Phu:The ultimate historic battle site , where the French colonial story came to a c lose in May 1954.
Ho Chi Minh Trail: The supply route for the South; the North Vietnamese moved men and munitions down this incredible trai l through the Truong Son Mountains in an almost unparalleled logistical feat.
Hue Citadel: The ancient citadel was razed to the ground in street-to-street f ighting in early 1968 when the Americans retook the city from the communists after a three-week occupation.
Khe Sanh: This was the biggest smokescreen of the war, as the North Vietnamese massed forces around this US base in 1968 to draw attention away from the coming Tet Offensive.
Long Tan Memorial: The Australian contingent who fought in Vietnam, mostly based near Vung Tau in the south, is remembered here.
The Long Tan Memorial: Cross was erected by Austra lian survivors of a fierce 1967 battle. The original is now in Bien Hoa Military Museum. The Vietnamese erected a memorial cross in 2002. but you need to arrange a permit to visit, My Lai: The village of My Lai is infamous as the site of one of the worst atrocities in the war, when American GIs massacred hundreds of villagers in March 1968. ' Vinh Moc Tunnels: The real deal, these tunnels haven't been surgically enlarged for tourists and they mark yet another feat of infrastructural ingenuity.

One of the delights of visiting Virtnam is the cuisine. and there are said to be about 500 traditional dishes. Eating is such an integral patt of the culture (hat a time-honoured Vietnamese proverb. 'hoc an. hoc noi' dictates that people should 'learn to eat before learning to speak' Vietnamese cuisine is the sum of many parts. Vietnam has an enviable natural prosperity and the cooking echniques showcase the bounty from land and sea to great advantage. Colonialism and foreign influences led to a marrying of techniques and ingredients. The result? The Vietnamese table. Famous dishes such as pho(rice noodle soup) and fresh spring rolls are but the tip of a gastronomic iceberg. In addition to a myriad of foods and preparations, there are a staggering number of sauces and dips limited only by the imagination of the cook, If cooking were painting. Vietnam would have one of the world's most colorful palettes. The Vietnamese have no culinary inhibitions and are always willing to try something new. When you combine these two tendencies. nothing is ruled out

THERE'S SOMETHING FISHY AROUND HERE...
Nuoc mam(fish sauce) is the one ingredient that is quintessentially Vietnam ese and it lends a distinctive' character to Vietnamese cooking. Yhe s auce is made by fermenting highly salted fish in large ceramic vats for four to 12 months. Connoisseurs insist the high-grade rocket fuel has a much milder aroma than the cheaper variety Dissenters insist it is a chemical weapon It is very often used as dipping sauce, and takes the place of salt on a Western table Insist on the real thing (rather than the lighter stuff) - you will not have been to Vietnam otherwise,
If nuoc-mam isn't strong enough for you, try mam tom,a powerful shrimp paste that American soldiers sometimes called 'Viet Cong tear gas’. It's often served with dog meat. a popular dish in the north - foreigners generally find it far more revolting than the dog itself.

DISPATCHES FROM THE NORTH
How has Vietnam changed in your lifetime?: Life was very hard before doi mo (economic reform; 1986 ) as many people lived on subsidies. Doi moi was not only an economic awakening, but a social awakening, as people had a better understanding of the shortages and the misery of the past. Now we have access to information and news from all over the world and this has raised our national expectations. The government has begun to look after the cultural history of the country. Monuments and buildings have been restored; artists like me have more freedom to express our vision and the media is more free to discuss the bad as well as the good.
How has Hanoi changed?: Life is changing every day in Hanoi. Hanoi is no longer poor like it was in the 1980s. There is lost of construction and it sometimes seems the buildings sprout like mushrooms after the rain. Many people in Hanoi are earning high salaries working for foreign companies, but they soon start to live a foreign lifestyle. They forget who they are and lose touch with their traditions and this is also changing the face of Hanoi. Hanoi is growing, but growth is not always for the best.
How has your Life changed?: When I came back to Vietnam from the Soviet Union 20 years ago, life was difficult. I had to cycle daily from Hanoi to Bat Trang to work as a painter to earn money to attend the Hue Arts University. In 1993, I graduated but it was not an easy climate to find a job I had to take a job in advertising to make money to follow my dream to bea painter in 1996 the tourism industry starred to grow and I started work as a painter for a tourist company , which allowed me to travel all over the country.

Commonly known as 'hill tribes', a mosaic of ethnic minorities inhabits the mountainous regions of Vietnam, Encountering these hardy people in their mystical mountain homeland is undoubtedly one of the highlights of a visit to Vietnam. Many of the minorities wear incredible costumes and this isn't just a day job. So elaborate are some that it's easy to believe minority girls learn to embroider before they can walk. Even the architecture is individual and most minority houses are raised on stilts and finished in natural materials, in tune with their environment.
The French called these ethnic minorities Montagnards (highlanders or mountain people) and this term is still used today. The Vietnamese traditionally referred to them as moi, a derogatory term meaning savages, which reflects all too common attitudes among lowland majority Vietnamese. The current government prefers the term 'national minorities'. The Vietnamese nation was formed through a process of anthropological interference and the interexchange of two major ancient cultures, the Chinese and the Indian. As far as anthropology is concerned, the Vietnamese people have their origin in the Mongoloid race, believed to be one of the major races of the world and often found in northern and eastern Asia. At present, there are 54 different ethnic minority groups inhabiting Vietnam. The Kinh people (or Viets) account for nearly 90 percent of Vietnam's total population. Major ethnic minority groups include the Tay, Thai, Muong, H'Mong, Dao and Khmer.
The most colourful of these minorities live in the northwest of Vietnam, carving an existence out of the lush mountain landscapes along the Chinese and Lao borders. Many of the minorities in the central highlands and the south can he difficult to distinguish, at least by dress alone, from other Vietnamese.
While some of these minorities number as many as a million people, it is feared that other groups have dwindled to as few as 100. Some hill-tribe groups have lived is- Vietnam for thousands of years, others only migrated south in the past few hundred years from China. In some ways they are 'fourth world’ people in that they belong neither to the first-world powers nor to the developing nations. Rather, they have crossed and continue to cross national borders, offen fleeing oppression by other cultures, without regard for recent nationhood. They inhabit a world that falls beyond the boundaries of moderm nation stales. The areas, inhabited by each group are often delineated by altitude, with more recent arrivals at a higher altitude. First come, first served even applies tothe remote mountains of the north.
Each hill tribe has its own language, customs, mode of dress and spiritual beliefs. Language and culture constitute the borders of their world. Some groups are caught between medieval and rnodern worlds, while others have already assimilated into moderm life.
Most groups share a rural, agricultural lifestyle with similar village architecture and traditional rituals, couple with a long history of intertribal warfare.Most hill tribe communities are seminomadic, cultivating crops such as rice and using slash and burn methods,which have taken a heavy toll on the environment.The government has been trying to encourage the hill tribest to adopt standard agriculture at lower altitudes, including wet rice agriculture and cash crops such as tea and coffee.Despite incentives such as subsidised irrigation, better education and health care,the long history of independence and a general distrust of the ethnic-Vietnamese majority keep many away from the lowlands.
As in other parts of Asia, the traditional culture of so many of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities is gradually giving way to a variety of outside influences.Many no longers dress in traditional clothing and those who do are offen found only in the remote villages of the far north. Often it is the women of the community who keep the costume alive, weaving the traditional clothes and passing the knowledge on to their daughters.While factors such as the introduction of electricity, modern medicine and education improve the standard of living, they have also contributed to the abandonment of many age – old traditions.
A more recent, and equally threatening, outside influence is tourism. With growing numbers of people travelling to see the different ethnic minorities, increased exposure to business-savvy lowlanders and ever greater commercialism, it is a situation that could get worse before it gets better. It has resulted in some children, particularly in Sapa, expecting hand-outs of money or sweets. Worse, domestic tourism has created a market for karaoke, massage and sex, and in some areas unscrupulous ethnic-Vietnamese are luring minority women into this trade (see Prostitution). See Tread Lightly in the Hills, for tips on minimizing impact.
Vietnam's hill-tribe minorities have .substantial autonomy and, though the official national language is Vietnamese, children still learn their local languages, though this can vary from group to group (see Hill Tribe Languages, for useful phrases). Taxes are supposed to be paid, but Hanoi is far away and it seems that if the Montagnards don't interfere with the political agenda, they can live as they please. But if they choose to interfere it's a different story, as shown by the harsh suppression of demonstrations in the central highlands during 2001 and 2002 over language rights in schools and against the Vietnamisation of their culture,While there may be no official discrimination system, cultural prejudice against hill-tribe people helps ensure they remain at the bottom of the educational and economic ladder. Despite improvements in rural schooling and regional healthcare. many minority people marry young, have large families and die young. Put simply, life is a struggle for most of the minority people. Here we profile some of the better known minority groups in Vietnam, including those that many visitors will encounter on a journey into the mountains.

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Getting There & Away
Entering Vietnam
Air
Land
River
Tours
 

Getting Around
Air
Bicycle
Boat
Bus
Car & Motorbike
Hitching
Local Transport
Tours
Train
Walking

Before You Go
Insurance
Vaccinations
Medical Checklist
Internet Resources
Further Reading

Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam, and it is spoken throughout the country. There are dialectical differences between the north, central and southern regions. There are also dozens of different languages spoken by the various ethnic minorities, particularly in the central highlands and in the far north of the country. Khmer, the Cambodian language, is spoken in parts of the Mekong Delta, and Lao and various Chinese dialects are evident in areas bordering Laos and China. The Vietnamese people's knowledge of foreign languages reflects their country's relationship with foreign powers - cordial or otherwise - in recent history. Much of Vietnam's elder generation still speak French, while many middle-aged Vietnamese speak Russian and other Eastern. European languages - many of these people spent time in countries like Russia, Bulgaria and the former East Germany during the Cold War (at least until it thawed in the late 1980s). Today, however, Vietnam's youth has fully embraced the English language. A fair number of young people also study Japanese, French and other Western European languages. The most widely spoken foreign languages in Vietnam are Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), English and French, more or less in that order. People in their 50s and older (who grew up during the colonial period) are much more likely to understand some French than southerners of the successive generation, for whom English was indispensable for professional and commercial contacts with the Americans. Some southern Vietnamese men - former combat interpreters - speak a quaint form of English peppered with all sorts of charming southern-American expressions such as 'y'all come back’ and 'it ain't worth didley squat', pronounced with a perceptible drawl. Apparently, they worked with Ameri-cans from the deep south, carefully studied their pronunciation and diligently learned every nuance. Many of the Vietnamese who can speak English - especially former South Vietnamese soldiers and officials - learned it while working with the Americans during the war. After reunification, almost all of them spent periods of time ranging from a few months to 15 years in 're-education camps'. Many of these former South Vietnamese soldiers and officials will be delighted to renew contact with Americans, with whose compatriots they spent so much time, often in very difficult circumstances, more than half a lifetime ago. These days almost everyone has a desire to learn English. If you're looking to make contacts with English students, the best place is at the basic food stalls in university areas. Spoken Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin) is making a definite comeback after years of being supressed. The large number of free-spending tourists and investors from Taiwan and Hong Kong provide the chief motivation for studying Chinese. In addition, cross-border trade with mainland China has been increasing rapidly and those who are able to speak Chinese are well positioned to profit from it. After reunification, the teaching of Rus-sian was stressed all over the country. With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, all interest in studying Russian ground to a screeching halt. Most Vietnamese who bothered to learn the language have either forgotten it or are in the process of forgetting it.