Vietnam PUPPETS, PAGODAS & PHO

Vietnam's treasures, from marble mountains and island coves to imperial tombs and rickety trains, offer a touch of wonder and whimsy. Here's a ten-day itinerary specially curated for families with children to discover the country's natural beauty, history and culture

- Punita Malhotra

Vietnam is a land of dragons and lanterns. Cradled between the jagged spine of the Annamite Mountains and the shimmering curve of the South China Sea, Vietnam shares a long land border of 4,550 km with China to the North, Laos and Cambodia to the West, and the Pacific Ocean to the East. Over the past quinquennium, this Southeast Asian country has become a tourism hotspot drawing over 18 million tourists annually to its scenic coastlines, rice terraces, ancient Buddhist temples and modern cities.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (pop.100 million), one of two officially communist countries in Southeast Asia (the other is Laos), was ruled by China for over a millennium (111-938 CE), during which it absorbed Chinese administrative systems, Buddhism, and Confucianism. A successful rebellion led by Ngô Quyền in 938 marked the beginning of independent Vietnamese dynastic rule. These dynasties repelled invasions, developed agriculture, literature, and governance, and laid the foundation of its national identity.

In the 19th century, Vietnam became a French colony. After World War II, nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh declared independence in 1945, leading to France’s famous defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. This was followed by the Vietnam War (1955-1975), in which communist North Vietnam fought and defeated US-backed South Vietnam. The war ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975, unifying the country under communist rule. Since the 1990s, Vietnam has introduced several economic reforms, transforming it into one of Asia’s fastest-growing and prosperous economies.