Vietnam

At a Glance

Vietnam is a long, narrow Southeast Asian country of great geographic variety, from the terraced rice fields of Sapa in the north, through the ancient royal city of Hué and the lantern-lit old town of Hội An, to the Mekong Delta in the south. The culture carries a Confucian sensibility of family, hard work, and education, alongside a food tradition that is widely considered one of the finest in Asia. The pace of development is rapid, but the country's beauty and the tenacity of its culture make it consistently compelling.

• World's second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil.
• Communist government, capitalist economy — growing faster than most of Southeast Asia.
• More motorbikes than cars — Hanoi has roughly one bike per person.