Vietnam

Vietnam is a nice and peaceful country located in the South East of Asia. With a long coast line from the North to the South and a lot of mountains and highlands, Vietnam has both sea and mountain attractions. Having the area of 331,688 square km and a population of more than 84 million people, Vietnam is one of the most densely-populated countries in the world.

Known as the heart of this beautiful country, Hanoi capital is one of the two biggest cities in Vietnam. This city is located in the Red River Delta in the North of Vietnam and is the economic centre of the whole delta. Hanoi is a cultured city with many traditions, old streets and houses. Even nowadays, when globalization is becoming more popular and Hanoi is influenced strongly by this trend, the traditions and many old features cannot be lost and are still an important and memorable part of this city.

In the middle of Vietnam, the most famous city is Hue. It was the capital of Vietnam during the feudal system's time. Hue has many old temples and palaces which date back from many centuries ago, when the King was still in power. It is also famous for many kinds of unique food which are usually very hot and spicy.

Ho Chi Minh City is the biggest city of Vietnam and is located in the Mekong River Delta, in southern Vietnam. It was previously known as "Saigon" and that name is still used nowadays. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is a young city with much economic potential. Lots of foreign companies have invested in HCMC, which makes this city the most developed one in Vietnam. When coming to Saigon, you are easily tempted to do a lot shopping. There are many shopping centres as well as open markets in HCMC where you can find a wide range of goods at incredible prices. Most foreign tourists visiting HCMC will come to Ben Thanh market, the symbol of this active city. There you can find many traditional items as well as modern ones and you can bargain for your desired prices.

Besides the aforementioned cities, there are many other beautiful cities and towns with lots of attractions. Tourists can enjoy beautiful beaches in Vung Tau or Nha Trang city, green mountains and peaceful lakes with European pine forests in Da Lat, splendid waterfalls in Cao Bang and mysterious caves in Ha Long, Quang Binh. That's the reason why Vietnam has been chosen as a favourite destination of millions of tourists all over the world.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Asia Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell