Vietnam | Experience the unexpected

This untouched piece of South East Asia is blessed with soaring mountains, radiant rice fields, cascading waterfalls and contrasting stretches of natural countryside, where visitors will experience the unexpected.

What to do?

The largest city in the country, with over 6 million inhabitants (and over 8 if you count temporary residents), Hu Chi Minh, better known as Saigon, is a crowded, fast, noisy, and overwhelming place at first. In around ten years the city went from a city of 3,000,000 bicycles to 5,000,000 motorbikes, leading the Saigon's very unique brand of traffic. Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll find there is an energy and vibrancy to the city that can be very infectious.

Travel to Tay Ninh mountain and the Cao Dai temples in the North West, the famous Cu Chi Tunnels where the resistance launched sneak attacks on the US forces based in Saigon, boat trips to Vung Tau, or to Can Gio, the huge area of mangrove swamps to the south, known as 'the lungs of the city'.

Nearly every hectare of the Mekong Delta - the 'rice basket' of Vietnam - is intensively farmed and yields enough rice to feed the country. Explore quaint river side towns, floating markets, fish markets and tantalise your taste buds with Vietnamese cuisine, widely regarded as one of the healthiest in the world.

Hoi An is a charming little riverside town famed for its beautiful old buildings, its narrow, quiet streets and its history as a merchant trading post. As the citizens of the town grew richer from trading with China, Japan and the rest of Southeast Asia, they spent their money on building attractive houses and pagodas.

The tailors in Hoi An are legendary, able to make a suit for under $50 or copy an item of your favourite clothing off of the actual piece or even just off a photo from a magazine, and all at inexpensive prices.

Try your hand at one of the workshops on offer by local families. Learn to cook some typically Vietnamese dishes or handcraft silk lanterns in the traditional Hoi An style.

As the ancient capital of Imperial Vietnam, Hue is a city of tradition where even the young people feel the need to preserve Vietnam's ancient traditions.

The emperors used to demand the very best delicacies, and thousands of special dishes were developed to satisfy their tastes. The result is a huge selection of light, delicate and immaculately crafted dishes, designed to allow the emperor to eat at leisure, each one unique, and deliciously individual yet not so heavy as to prevent him trying more dishes.

Visit The Citadel, the grand fortress-palace built by Emperor Gia Long in 1804. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, The Purple Forbidden City was once the home of the emperor and his family. Though badly damaged during the Vietnam War in 1968, it remains one of Vietnam's top tourist destinations.

As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is considered to be the cultural centre of Vietnam, where every dynasty has left behind their imprint. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike.

The Old Quarter is one of the first places you'll want to visit in Hanoi if you love looking at old buildings. It's in this popular tourist spot that you'll find the famous Temple of Literature and other landmarks.

Many of the French buildings from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries remain in Hanoi, such as the Grand Opera House, the Presidential Palace, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, and St. Joseph Cathedral. The outsides of these buildings harken back to a previous chapter in Vietnam's history, while the insides are filled with relics of Vietnam's history and culture. Inside the National Museum of Vietnamese History, there are antiques and displays that document the thousand years between the 10^th century and the 20^th.

Besides its buildings, Hanoi is especially well-known for its many lakes. In fact, there are so many lakes in Hanoi that it is sometimes referred to by its nickname, 'city of lakes'. The most famous lake is probably the West Lake, known in Vietnamese as Ho Tay. With its banks dotted by Buddhist temples, the West Lake is a great place to tour.

Hoan Kiem Lake is another popular lake amongst tourists. With a curious pagoda in the centre of the lake known as the Turtle Tower, and a legendary history that involves a turtle reclaiming a magical sword from the emperor shortly after China accepted Vietnam's independence, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of those places in Hanoi that takes visitors back to another time.

To escape the buzz of the vibrant cities, head south to watery landscapes of green rice fields and sleepy old villages in the Mekong Delta, the 'rice basket' of Vietnam. Nearly every hectare is intensively farmed and yields enough rice to feed the country. Explore quaint river side towns, floating markets, fish markets and tantalise your taste buds with Vietnamese cuisine, widely regarded as one of the healthiest in the world.

Where to stay?

The Caravelle Hotel, www.caravellehotel.com, has been the centre of Saigon society since it opened its doors on Christmas Eve in 1959. With commanding views of the city and an enviable location, opposite the Opera House, the hotel is a favourite for nostalgic travellers and discerning visitors alike.

Centrally located in Hanoi's elegant French Quarter, the Hilton Hanoi Opera hotel, www.hilton.com/Hanoi-Opera, is a short walk from the famous Old Quarter and the city's bustling business district. Rooms are furnished in traditional style and dining options enable you to enjoy contemporary Vietnamese cuisine which makes it a perfect place to enjoy this classic city. The hotel curves around the nearly century-old Hanoi Opera House (now known as the Municipal Theatre). The Neo-Baroque facade is designed to mirror the loggias and high plinths of the opera house itself, and it does it well, even down to an identical colonial-yellow paint job.

Spend four days on magnificent Cua Dai beach, at the Boutique Hoi An Resort, www.boutiquehoianresort.com, relaxing or exploring the town and its attractions. Located in the centre of Vietnam, Hoi An is a destination with two faces and offers a balance of history and leisure. The charming, old-world trading port town features narrow streets and traditional houses which now host a range of craft shops and artisans, including some of Asia's best bespoke tailors. The central coast is noted for its pristine beaches marked by palm-fringed white sands, local seafood restaurants and with views of limestone islands in the distance.

Where to eat?

This classy Temple Club, www.templeclub.com.vn, in Saigon is housed on the 2nd floor of a stunning colonial-era villa and has been decked out in spiritual motifs. Follow the trail of lanterns up the dimly lit stairs to this elegant restaurant. The menu includes delightful dishes such as fish with tamarind or shrimp in coconut milk and other Vietnamese specials. The spirited cocktails are a good way to prepare for the experience.

Pho Gia Truyen, in Hanoi, is perfect broth for pho (rice-noodle soup) It looks like it should - as though it was ladled from the river. It's opaque and brownish after beef bones have boiled in it for hours. Some places try to take the mystery out of pho by serving weak, see-through broths, but here you get the good stuff. Once you've experienced it you'll understand why some can't start their day without a bowl.

For regional goodies in Hoi An, try Café 43, which has received rave review for seriously good food at reasonable prices. The café is run by a family giving it a warm and casual atmosphere - a home away from home.

How to get there?

Emirates offers regular flights from Malta to Vietnam with a stopover in Dubai. Flights departing from Malta, arriving at Ho Chi Minh City Airport on 4 September and returning on 27 September were priced at €799.44 including taxes, at the time of going to print. Total flying time is approximately 14.5 hours.