Travel Guide to Vietnam

When Vietnam finally started to open up to foreign tourism after decades of division and war in the country, it was initially the domain of the well-healed French, package tourists and Australian backpackers. All of which returned with stories of how difficult it was to travel in this new frontier.

Well, things have changed. In 2005, Vietnam celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Reunification and the end of what they call the American War and the skies above Vietnam are now full of tourists!

Vietnam has now become one of the easiest, safest and most inexpensive countries in South East Asia in which to travel independently.

It boasts world-class tourist attractions, including four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the Vietnamese people are friendly and welcoming. From a food perspective, the Vietnames cuisine is world famous and includes numereous vegetarian dishes.

The Vietnamese government has recognised the importance of the tourist industry and has eased visa restrictions.

In addition, it has supported the development of a large number of luxury 4 and 5-star hotels and resorts which now complement an already excellent range of budget accommodation supported by an excellent, inexpensive transport infrastructure.

The "S" shaped geography of Vietnam allows you to travel easily from the north to the south (or vice versa), taking in all the major tourist sights along the way.

Direct, international flights into the main tourist cities make Vietnam easily accessible from all other Asian cities and enable you to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia from either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) as an effortless side trip.

The country, however, has not as yet been overrun by tourists and its natural beauty remains unspoiled. In other words - Vietnam is still an extraordinairy experience and Arikah recommends it as an ideal destination for your next holiday!

The free, 2007 Editions of the on-line Cambodia and Thailand Travel Guides are now available in English. Other Travel Guides will be available in the near future.

In addition, Arikah now also features free, online encyclopedias in Dutch, English, German, French, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.