Travel guide

Vietnam Country Profile

For a country that is only a little larger than Italy, Vietnam has immense geographic and cultural diversity. Its varied climate and landscape range from four seasons of the mountainous north to year-round tropical temperatures of the lush south.

Vietnam's cultural diversity stems from its intriguing history dating back more than 4,000 years. Its historical legacy includes a century of Chinese occupation, which has left a very strong foreign cultural influence, evident in the pagodas, local cuisine, and continuing practice of Confucianism. Vietnam's regal past can be revisited in the former capital city of Hue, where the Citadel and Royal Tombs represent an era of cultural renaissance. The French colonial legacy is still evident in many parts of Vietnam, as illustrated by the distinctive yellow pastel-colored architecture of its villas and administrative buildings. read more

Vietnam Destination Guide

Mention the name Vietnam, and most people assume you mean the war, thirty years since the end of the war, it is a country at peace, with spectacular geography,  a vibrant culture, and genuinely friendly people. it is in reality a country filled with captivating natural beauty and tranquil village life. Its highlands and rainforest regions, far from being devastated, continue to yield new species and team with exotic wildlife. Its islands and beaches are among the finest in all of Southeast Asia.   
Shaped like an elongated ‘S’, Vietnam stretches along the east coast of the Indochinese Peninsula and is likened by its people to a long bamboo pole hung with two baskets of rice, represented by the two fertile regions at either end of the country. Between the lush Red River Delta and the highlands in the north, known for their magnificent scenery and colorful hill tribes, and the agricultural plains and floating markets of the Mekong Delta in the south, lie miles of white sandy beaches, towering mountains, rivers and dense forests, and the thousands of bizarre rock and cave formations on the islands of Halong Bay.

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Laos Country Profile

Laos’ history is one of colonization and occupation. Some of the earliest conquerors were the mighty Khmer Empire. The nation of’ Lane Xang’, or the Land of a Million Elephants was born with Luang Prabang as its capital. Khmer power yielded to that of the neighboring Thais until towards the end of the 19th century the Thais were forced to give up large parts of their territory to France. Lan Xang was renamed Laos and became part of French Indochina. France granted Laos sovereignty in 1953 although many nationalists were not convinced that government with a constitutional monarch was the answer. After France vacated Vietnam in 1954 Laos was dragged into the wider conflict in Vietnam. In 1975 both Saigon and Phnom Penh fell and Vientiane soon followed with little opposition as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was established.. read more

Laos Destination Guide

Vientiane

Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, has a population of just over half a million. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane is the centre of Lao culture, commerce and administration.

Major attractions are Buddhist monasteries and monuments that dominate the streets of central Vientiane.

It's a small city and easy to get around with pleasant streets in the central area and an easy going, friendly ambience... read more

Cambodia Country Profile

The name Cambodia is derived from the word Kambuja –meaning the sons of Kambu. According to legend Kambu, an ascetic, married a celestial nymph named Mera and founded the kingdom of Chenla. The neighboring Funan kingdom, the first Hindu State in Southeast Asia gained the kingdom of Chenla in the 6th century. This in effect was the precursor to the great Khmer Empire – the creators of the Angkor temple complex. read more