South Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, sometimes called Saigon, is Vietnam’s buzzing, tropical metropolis – a business-mad place packed with skyscrapers, tree-lined boulevards and enough tasty food to last a lifetime. From here you can float around the Mekong Delta, known as the region’s “rice bowl”, or fly to resort haven Phu Quoc Island before heading north to the sand dunes of Mui Ne and the picture-perfect beaches of Nha Trang.

Though it can be tough to tear yourself away from the city and beach life served up in the south, don’t miss the chance to head inland, ideally by motorbike. Dalat in the Central Highlands is the “city of eternal spring” and is the cool antidote to the sweltering south.