Salzburg

Northeast Vietnam includes Halong Bay, one of the region's biggest draws. Reasons to linger after your boat trip include the lesser-known but stunning Bai Tu Long Bay, the intersection of nature and culture that is Ba Be National Park, the otherworldly karst landscapes outside of Cao Bang and the urban options in Haiphong.

Sleepy Bac Ha wakes up for the riot of color and commerce that is its Sunday market, when the lanes fill with villagers who flock in from the hills and valleys. Once the barter, buy and sell is done and the day-tripper tourist buses from Sapa have left, the town rolls over and goes back to bed for the rest of the week.

Lao Cai is squeezed right next to the Vietnam–China border. Razed in the Chinese invasion of 1979, most of the buildings here are modern. The border crossing slammed shut during the 1979 war and only reopened in 1993. Now it’s a bustling spot fuelled by growing cross-border trade.

A French-era hill station, this national park reaches a peak of 1450m at Bach Ma mountain, only 18km from the coast. The cool climate attracted the French, who built over a hundred villas here. Not surprisingly the Viet Minh tried hard to spoil the holiday – the area saw some heavy fighting in the early 1950s and again during the American War.

The site of Vietnam’s most extensive Cham remains, My Son enjoys an enchanting setting in a lush jungle valley, overlooked by Cat’s Tooth Mountain (Hon Quap). The temples are in poor shape – only about 20 structures survive where at least 68 once stood – but the intimate nature of the site, surrounded by gurgling streams, is still enthralling.

Steadily being transformed into a vast new city, Tuy Hoa is characterised by its vast plaza and multi-laned boulevards. It’s a possible overnight stop to break up a longer journey, especially for cyclists brave enough to tackle Hwy 1, but most visitors are just passing through.

This stupendous coastline of ravishing white sands and azure bays is Vietnam's premier destination for beach holidays.

Northwest Vietnam, with its rocky, cone-like mountains, high vistas and deep valleys, encompasses some of the most extreme geography in the country – if not all of Southeast Asia. Travelling to the more remote parts of the region takes time and effort, but those short on either can stick around Sapa, the surrounding hills of which are a microcosm of the region as a whole.

A breathtaking cluster of granite islands, set in aquamarine seas around 15km directly offshore from Hoi An, the Cham Islands make a wonderful excursion. The islands were once closed to visitors and under close military supervision, but now day trips, diving or snorkelling the reefs, and even overnight stays, are possible.

Highlights of the Danang region include the city's impressive urban energy, the rapidly evolving beach scene to the east of the river, and more remote and spectacular coastal scenery of the nearby Son Tra Peninsula. Look forward to some of Vietnam's best seafood and street food. It's worth booking a walking tour with a local to best understand Danang.