Vietnam AT A GLANCE

Vietnam is a vibrant and progressive country with outstanding natural beauty, friendly, humble and humorous people and topped off with great food - what's not to love about Asia's rising star writes Aoife Kelly who travelled with her daughter.

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NORTH: HANOI & HA LONG BAY

Hanoi is an assault of the senses with busy streets of the old quarter and if you visit Dong Xuan market you will be immediately immersed into everyday life. Experience the hubbub of the night market or have a truly authentic Hanoian experience at Hoàn Kiếm Lake at dawn watching locals doing Tai Chi in the morning mist. A visit to Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake is an easy outing and insight into Vietnamese culture.

Hanoi is the cultural capital so be sure to check out some cultural sites; we visited the Women's Museum which offers a look into the role women have played in shaping Vietnam. Of course there is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, one of the city's most visited monuments, to view Uncle Ho at rest in a glass sarcophagus. Enjoy enchanting traditional puppetry at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre and if you're lucky, pick up an opera in Hanoi Opera House. On a more serious note a visit to Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) is a sobering experience of American POWS during the American Vietnam War.

Options for eating in Hanoi are endless and range from street food to high-end restaurants. Preferring to live like a local' we enjoyed delicious Banh Mi and Banh Xeo from streetfood vendors and a visit to the popular and reasonably-priced, Quan An Ngon restaurant where you can sample cuisine from north, central and south Vietnam.