Since opening its borders to tourism in the late 1980s, Vietnam has become an incredibly popular destination. Still, the country remains relatively unspoiled as a tourist destination in Southeast Asia and holds many pleasant surprises for first-time visitors.
Vietnam has in excess of 3,000 kilometers of coastline, most of which is lined with sandy beaches providing an excellent location for scuba diving and relaxing beach holidays. The remote hills of northern Vietnam on the Chinese border are home to more than 40 ethnic minority peoples. In many cases the culture and lifestyle of these groups has remained unchanged for centuries and exploring this region provides a rare glimpse of an undiscovered Asia.