H'mong people at Bac Ha market, Vietnam. Photograph: Alamy
NORTHHanoi hotel and trips
The new Boss Hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi is a great new bargain option for exploring the city's nearby sites, such as Hoan Kiem lake, the famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, night markets and Ngoc Son temple. Rooms cost from $75 for a single or $85 a double, and feature wooden bathtubs, pine floors and east-meets-west style.
Through the hotel you can book tours north to the Sapa district, such as a two-day trip to the Bac Ha market where water-buffalo, pigs, horses and handicrafts are traded ($135pp for two days, three nights); or a four-night trekking trip to see the Black H'mong tribe in Cat Cat village, amazing flowers, villages and terraces, bamboo forests and the Rattan (suspension) Bridge ($145pp).
• +84 439 262666, bosshanoihotel.comStylish, stilted Mai Chau Lodge
They may look like bamboo huts from the outside, but Mai Chau Lodge's gorgeous rooms are furnished with polished hardwood floors, bright fabrics and have verandas opening on to a pool. Around 135km south-west of Hanoi in Hoa Binh province, the lodge has eight cottages standing on stilts over the water where lotus flowers float, frogs croak and farmers bring their water-buffalo to graze. The hotel prepares traditional meals for guests, has its own creepy bat cave across the street, yoga and cooking classes, bikes, a Jacuzzi and guided tours, such as those to local Thai hill tribes. But there's lots to do off your own bat too, including wildlife watching in local nature parks, a Black H'mong market, sailing at Da reservoir.
• Doubles from $104, i-escape.comActivity tour
Biking, hiking and kayaking are the means of exploration on a new 11-day group trip with World Expeditions, starting in Hanoi and taking in the valleys of Mai Chau and the traditional stilted villages of the White Thai minority. The group will experience a homestay with the Muong minority at Khanh village and explore limestone karst scenery at Ninh Binh by bike, boat and on foot. Ha Long Bay, one of the most recognisable places in Vietnam, and recently named one of the Unesco natural wonders of the world, is the final destination, where travellers kayak, swim and relax in the turquoise waters.
• 020-8545 9030, worldexpeditions.co.uk. £1,090pp, trips run year-roundTour of the north
Doing a loop around the north of Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular. One option is to circle the mountains towards Laos, first taking a train up to Sapa, then travelling down to Lai Chau, Dien Bien Phu and Tay Trang on the border. Experience South East Asia has a six-day trip including guides and drivers following this route, for £515pp. From Hanoi it takes in Ha Long Bay, an overnight in a cabin on a train to Sapa, where guests experience the market and hiking at Ham Rong mountain and a stay at Topas Ecolodge, visits to H'mong settlements and Giay villages, a drive over mountain passes to Lai Chau where thousands of hill tribe people meet to trade at the market, and Dien Bien Phu, the last stop before the Tay Trang border with Laos. Travellers wishing to combine the two countries can go on from here.
• 020-7924 7133, experiencesoutheastasia.com/vietnam
CENTRAL
My Son temples, Vietnam. Photograph: Christine Kokot/DPA/Corbis
My Son temples
Similar to Cambodia's Angkor Wat, My Son's complex of more than 70 Hindu temples and tombs is one of the largest in south-east Asia, used for religious ceremonies between the 4th and 14th centuries by the Champa. The red brick structures covered in decorative carvings are beautiful, but most lie in ruins, some destroyed by US carpet bombing during the war. Thankfully, a new $3m restoration project, conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India, is likely to start in 2012, if it gets the go-ahead from the Vietnamese government. The temples are located 69km south-west of Da Nang. Book a day tour from Hoi An with Vietnam ANZ Travel for $23.
• govietnamtours.comHeritage of Thua Thien Hue
Hue city was the national capital, and imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and most historic monuments and architecture remained unscathed after French occupation and the war, earning it Unesco world heritage status. With the national tourist board focusing on promoting the Thua Thien Hue region in 2012, visitor figures are expected to swell from 1.6 million this year to 2.5 million next.
To escape the crowds and enjoy some luxury nearby, book a stay at the new Ana Mandara Hue hotel (epikurean.ws/ana-mandara-hue, doubles from around $90 a night), set on a white sand beach with a palm-fringed beach bar, bistro and spa (for exotic body exfoliation, etc), stylish swimming pools and off-the-beaten-track excursions to sites such as the Tiger Arena – like an Asian version of the Roman Coliseum – and the covered Than Toan bridge, a charming architectural novelty. Cycle tours of the area's canals and coffee shops are available too.
Spa hotel
Fusion hotels has several spa resorts in Vietnam, including its newest in Da Nang, the Fusion Maia Resort, which reckons it is Asia's first "spa inclusive" hotel – you get to use the spa, which features Jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, yoga studio and so on, at no extra cost, and treatments are also included. It's rather flash, with lots of white, but the tyranny of minimalism is broken with traditional heavy furniture and bright fabrics. Outside, bamboo-lined paths lead to glassy pools, and stylish loungers are lined up at the sea front. Day trips could include the ruins of My Son.
• fusionmaiadanang.com, doubles from around $360 a night
SOUTH
Six Senses spa hotel in the beautiful and undeveloped Con Dao islands, Vietnam
White sand islands
The Con Dao islands (16 of them) are one of Vietnam's most beautiful and undeveloped beach destinations – 80% of the area is classed as marine park, there are dugongs, stingrays and turtles to spot, and amazing diving and snorkelling on coral reefs. A new Six Senses spa hotel (sixsenses.com) has opened on Con Son (the largest island and once a political prison under the French), a symptom of a government plan to make it a high quality tourism destination by 2020. With villa rooms costing from £365 a night (for that you get infinity pools and butler service) you might prefer one of the cheaper places to stay on Ton Duc Thang road.
The island has a museum, historic tours, a market and hiking in the jungled hills, and it's easy to arrange trips to other islands. It's a 45-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Son with Vietnam Airlines.
Ho Chi Minh City food
Intrepid Travel, the adventure tour operator, claims its former tour leader, Jimmy Pham, is the original Jamie Oliver. Back in 1996 (a year before Oliver was spotted in the kitchen of The River Cafe), Pham set up Koto in Hanoi, a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training school, mainly for street kids. The Intrepid Foundation has supported the establishment of a new training school and restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City too. The operator has a new Taste of Vietnam trip this year, including a cooking class at the Hanoi restaurant.
• 0800 781 1660, intrepidtravel.com, from £1,345 for 12 days excluding flightsMekong cruise
For a seriously relaxing and stylish adventure, book a place on the Bassac Cruise, a small wooden boat that explores the Mekong delta between Can Tho and Cai Be. Voyagers gently motor past fishermen on canoes, floating markets and luscious landscapes on a tiered boat with two upper decks featuring a bar, outdoor relaxation area with hammocks, plus en suite cabins. Stops are made to explore tiny canals and rural villages, and the food is fantastic. It costs £240pp for 24 hours including transfers from Saigon.
• experiencesoutheastasia.com, 020-7924 7133Cu Chi Tunnels encounter
From Ho Chi Minh City, Intrepid can arrange for travellers to spend time with a local family on their way to the Cu Chi Tunnels, as one of their mini urban adventures, available in cities all over the world. Visitors talk to the family over tea to hear what life was like during the war, before visiting the 200km system of tunnels built by the Viet Cong. The excursion from the city includes travel and costs $25.
• urbanadventures.comFoodie tour
Why waste time on bad noodles? Anyone obsessed with discovering the best culinary experiences Vietnam has to offer could book an expert-led tour with foodie adventure specialist Trip Feast, which has a new 12-day holiday for £1,750pp (or £2,550 including flights) to Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Mekong's floating markets and more, meeting chefs, learning to cook Vietnamese dishes and dining out a lot. Accommodation is in high-end hotels, departures in March and November.
• 020-7183 5153, tripfeast.comVietnam Airlines (020-3263 2062, vietnamairlines.com) has direct flights from Gatwick to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi from £618 return
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