‘Through the Bamboo Curtain’

Vietnam, a name too long associated with the horrors of war, has finally won its last battle – to capture the imagination of the travelling public. Elegant Hanoi now vies with its dynamic sister, Ho Chi Minh City (still fondly called Saigon by the locals), for the attention of visitors drawn by the eclectic mix of old and new.

Elsewhere, the scenes are timeless. Early morning on the Mekong Delta brings the daily floating markets where fruit and vegetables are peddled. Everywhere the green patchwork of rice paddies stretches into the distance, broken only by the silhouette of water buffalo and conical-hatted peasants bending down to tend the young plants. The soaring mountains in the north of the country tower over tiny villages where life continues much as it has done for centuries, with traditional costumes still proudly worn. Old French hill stations survive throughout the country offering welcome respite from the heat of the plains below. And, in the South China Sea, the 3000 chalk islands in Ha Long Bay are not to be missed.

The ancient former imperial capital, Hue, takes you back to a time of concubines and eunuchs. In every town, young women wearing the simple but feminine national dress, the Ao Dai, weave their way through the traffic at the controls of a motorbike. Only in Vietnam could the past and the present be encapsulated so perfectly.

Anita Sach

South-East Asia.

GMT + 7.

329,247 sq km (127,123 sq miles).

83.6 million (UN estimate 2005).

253.9 per sq km.

Hanoi. Population: 3.08 million (official estimate 2004).

Vietnam shares borders to the north with the People’s Republic of China and to the west with Laos and Cambodia. The South China Sea lies to the east and south. The land is principally agricultural with a central tropical rainforest.

Socialist republic since 1980. Gained independence from France in 1954. Head of State: President Nguyen Minh Triet since 2006. Head of Government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung since 2006. Recent history: Reforms have resulted in rapid economic growth in the last decade (see Economy) but there has been no parallel development in the country’s political environment: the Communist Party has no intention of relaxing its hold on political power for the time being. The present constitution, promulgated in 1992, asserts the political supremacy of the Communist Party of Vietnam. In April 2001, the party chose a new Secretary General in Nong Duc Manh, who consequently began a crackdown on dissident and ‘unauthorised’ literature. Nong is one of the triumvirate that now governs Vietnam, along with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and President Nguyen Minh Triet. The latter two were appointed in June 2006. Both hail from southern Vietnam, meaning this is the first time two southerners have led the country since 1975.

Vietnamese is the official language. English, French, Chinese and occasionally Russian and German are spoken.

Buddhist majority. There are also Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Caodaist and Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) minorities.

220/110 volts AC, 50Hz; plugs are mostly flat pin.

Handshaking and a vocal greeting is normal. Clothing should be kept simple, informal and discreet. Avoid shorts if possible as they are usually only worn by children. Footwear should be removed when entering Buddhist pagodas. Vietnamese people should not be touched on the head. Photography: There are restrictions at ports, airports and harbours, and in similar areas elsewhere. It is courteous to ask permission first before taking photographs of people.