Product Description This authoritative guide to all the major sights you'll want to see in Vietnam?and many lesser known surprises as well?leads readers from the ancient capital of Hanoi, a lovely city of parks and lakes, to the now-silent battlefields where first France and then America met defeat, to booming Ho Chi Minh City (once Saigon) and the steamy waterworld of the Mekong Delta.
Northern highlights include magnificent coastlines and tiny villages tucked away in the mountainous jungle. North-Central Vietnam echoes with wartime memories, evoked by a visit to Vietnamese tunnels or a drive along the DMZ. Historic Hue offers a centuries-old citadel and the fabled Nguyen tombs; farther south, the Central Highlands boast national parks like Cat Tien, home to rhinoceros, crocodiles, and many species of monkeys. Ho Chi Minh City offers urban sophistication: skyscraping hotels, boutiques full of Western-style goods? and the sobering Museum of Ho Chi Minh City and Reunification Palace commemorating the North's victory in 1975.
Accompanying the lively text, photographs capture Vietnam's dazzling beaches, spectacular mountains, emerald rice paddies, ancient pagodas, and vibrant cities, with four-color maps to guide you along the way. One chapter details the nation's history and heritage; a second brims with practical information, including advice on how to get around, a selection of activities and entertainments, and an extensive listing of handpicked hotels and restaurants. Suggested walks and drives reveal the many faces of this culturally rich, beautiful land?a treasure trove of pleasures unlocked with a key called National Geographic Traveler: Vietnam.
Customer Reviews:
It's a Vietnam primer, not a Travel Guide November 29, 2008 Nothing wrong with this book if your pursuits are intellectual. If you are planning a trip to Vietnam it is not very helpful. I also bought Frommers which is much more useful.
expected more October 6, 2007 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
doesn't have enough indepth information, just simple references for the most part. thought I'd give it a try to compare to Footprints, Eyewitness, etc. It's more armchair reading than in-country helpful. Beautiful pictures, of course!
great value for a family trip June 30, 2007 1 out of 3 found this review helpful
When you are planning a family trip to Vietnam, this book is a very precious tool. I gives you accurate information for a traveller with special needs like me,a thing very difficult to find in other books, more dictated for the needs of backpakers...
great for info on sights, and history January 16, 2007 20 out of 20 found this review helpful
This book has great color photos and is great to bring along as a sightseeing guide. It even has maps and diagrams of some major sights, which are really useful if you don't have a tour guide. It doesn't have as much info on hotels and restaurants (only a few are listed for each city, and all are in a separate index in the back of the book - not in the main section for each city). It also doesn't have much in the way of practical info (i.e. where to find an internet cafe or postoffice, public transportation info, airline office locations, etc.) I took this book and Let's Go Vietnam with me on a recent trip. I preferred to bring this book with me when I went sightseeing, but I wouldn't have been able to get by without the practical info I got from Let's Go.
A Beautiful Look at Vietnam January 11, 2007 12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Vietnam has never looked so good. The writing is superb, giving the reader a rich history and an insider's view of Vietnam today. The photography is what you would expect from National Geographic, each photo telling a story about the place it was taken. In all, the book is the best of the lot of Vietnam travel books. I recommend it for your trip to Hanoi, Saigon or anywhere in between.
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