In the northern capital of Hanoi sits the oldest university in Vietnam, the Temple of Literature. First utilized as a university in the year 1076, the school was set within the walls of a Confucian temple built in 1070.
The Champa Kingdom flourished in what is now central and southern Vietnam until the 10th century. Their Indian influenced capital was known as Indrapura and visitors can find impressive ruins to explore here.
Thanh Hoa Province is the site of ruins of the Dong Son culture. The Dong Son culture are famous for their distinctive bronze drums, some of which date back to 1200 BCE.
Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Phu Quoc is a sleepy place that makes for an interesting weekend away from Saigon. Snorkeling and scuba diving sites here are arguably the best in the country.
One of the northernmost provinces in the country, Lao Cai is home to some of the country's hill tribes, ethnically and culturally quite different from the Vietnamese.
