Cham Island, a group of eight islets off central Quang Nam province, is a romantic tourist spot. One of the islets is home to salanganes - the bird whose nests are nutritious and expensive. Of the seven other islets, two have residents and are named after Lang and Huong villages.

Maybe it is the flowers that make Dalat such a haven for lovers. Situated halfway between heaven and earth on a plateau that separates it from more mortal places, this honeymooner’s heaven is nestled amid immense pine forests and rolling hills.

In 1802, the ruling elite in Vietnam changed. Nguyen Anh came to the throne and became King Gia Long, the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty, which reigned from Hue until 1945.

Located 40 kilometres from Dong Hoi city and near the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail is Phong Nha-Ke Bang, one of the World’s Cultural Heritage Sites which is the pride of central Quang Binh province.

The island district of Phu Quy is located some 120 kilometres southeast of Phan Thiet, the capital of Binh Thuan Province on the central coast. The island is less popular than other attractions in Binh Thuan such as Mui Ne (Ne Cape) and Phan Thiet.

Bach Ma National Park protects a unique natural forest stretching from the East Sea to the Vietnam-Laos border. Located at the end of the North Truong Son Mountain Range, Bach Ma's highest mountain peak is 1,450 metres above sea level. Other mountains over 1,000 metres include Nom (1,259 metres) and Truoi (1,154 metres).

When the zoning plan for Dalat was mapped out in 1936, Doi Cu was designed as a "green lung" in the middle of the city, which is the capital of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

A weekend boat tour on the Red River (Song Hong) is a wonderful escape from the noise and dust of Hanoi. Visitors can choose to travel upstream or downstream on the river. Each direction reveals a piece of the history, geography, and people of the rural countryside in northern Vietnam. The upstream route offers fewer stops, but the landscape along the way is more picturesque.

Tram Chim National Park comprises 7,600 hectares of protected wetland in Tam Nong District, Dong Thap province, 240 kilometres southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese Government recognised Tram Chim as a national park in December 1998, thus preserving one of the last extensive remnants of grasslands and freshwater swamp forests in the Mekong Delta.

Life Resort Quy Nhon seems on the right track to become a favourite among tourists travelling to central Binh Dinh Province, offering a variety of treats for the body and mind.

Da Lat city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is not just a pretty respite from Vietnam’s sweltering lowlands, it also has beautiful pagodas and churches. Here’s a brief rundown of two of the most visited Catholic churches.

Cat Ba Archipelago, off the northern port city of Hai Phong, has received UNESCO recognition as a World Biosphere Reserve. With the UNESCO special title received late last year, Cat Ba Archipelago becomes the fourth such reserve in Vietnam after Can Gio in Ho Chi Minh City, Cat Tien in Dong Nai Province and the Red River Delta.

Rising up from the green midlands of Vinh Phuc province, Binh Son Tower looks like a massive phoenix spreading its wings to fly south. It's also a bird within a bird: the tower makes up the eye of an even larger feathery figure, with nearby Vinh Khanh Pagoda acting as the animal's head.

Quan Thanh (Holy Mandarin) temple is an important historical and cultural place in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district.

The Thung Lung Dao Hoa (valley of peach blossoms) nursery draws local visitors and even foreigners into its shaded enclosures and belongs to master grafter and hybridist Bui Van Loi.

The 710-metre Nui Cam is the highest peak in the mountainous region of That Son, or Bay Nui (seven mountains), in southern An Giang province.

The Meo Vac district of Ha Giang province is just 150 kilometres from Ha Giang town. High passes, deep abysses and razor sharp turns transform our coach into a cautious turtle as we creep up and up, at times touching or crawling through the clouds.

The former imperial capital of Hue has many pagodas, each designed differently, and all offering tranquility and an escape from the bustling former imperial city in the central region. At one of them, visitors can even get some valuable lessons in calligraphy.

Most people who have been in Vietnam for any length of time will have heard of Lac Long Quan. Legend has it he was the dragon prince who came from the oceans, married a fairy princess and fathered the descendants of Vietnam.