Welcome To Vietnam
Vietnam Overview
Vietnam is a tropical paradise of charming people, heavenly beaches, brilliant green rice paddies and lush emerald rainforests. Like the rest of Indochina (including Laos and Cambodia), Vietnam is a former French colony and has been independent since 1954. It still retains a strong French cultural influence, with wide boulevards, magnificent Belle Epoque architecture, fresh baguettes sold on every corner, and good espresso and fine Bordeaux widely available. Unlike Laos and Cambodia, where the people have more in common with India, the Vietnamese are much closer culturally to China, with Confucian ethics valuing age, education and hard work. The Vietnam War has long since been forgotten, and the people are exceedingly warm and hospitable in this nominally communist country which is an absolute delight to visit.
