vietnam

A beautiful country with a rich culture and history dating back over 3,000 years. A former French colony, along with Cambodia and Laos, from the late 1800s to the early 1950s; as such, Vietnam's two largest cities, the capital Hanoi and the financial center Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), share the title of "Paris of Southeast Asia" and have many buildings and monuments of French design. However, the cultural heart and soul of Vietnam is undoubtedly the ancient imperial capital of Hue, with its beautiful palaces, mausoleums, parks and canals. In 1995, more than twenty years after the end of a tragic and horrible war with the United States that scarred both countries deeply — one physically and the other psychologically — relations with the US have been normalized; contrary to popular belief in the States, most Vietnamese are very friendly and hold no animosity towards Americans, who now vacation in Vietnam in great numbers.