I highly recommend Vietnam. I have traveled to many countries in the world and can say that I have not met friendlier people anywhere. If you are an American, frankly, I think you will find a warmer reception in Vietnam than in many countries in Europe. Remember too, that about half the population of Vietnam was born after the war. Also, I would go to the tunnels. Outside of the expected informational bias at the Cu Chi Underground Tunnel, I did not experience any anti-Americanism whatsoever. (As a previous poster mentioned, do not miss the firing range.)

The food may be some of the best in Asia and some of the least expensive. I ate at perhaps the best new restaurant in Vietnam on its opening day, Nam Phan, 64 Le Thanh Tan Street, HCMC/Saigon and ordered some of the most expensive items and the bill was $42 and that was about twice the bill at any other top restaurant. The restaurant had great service and has a stunning décor.

I also recommend Mandarine in HCMC. Elegant and fabulous. Lemon Grass is a great lunch spot.

I stayed at the Sofitel in HCMC. World Class.

In Hue, the restaurant Tropical Garden is lovely. I stayed at the most lovely old world hotel in Hue—the Hotel Saigon Morin. The wood in the room is exquisite and I have never seen such fine silks on chairs almost anywhere as in my room

In Hanoi, I stayed at the classic Sofitel Metropole Hotel, a hotel with real history. Had some very nice meals at Emperor and Club Opera (same owners). Emperor had outdoor dining and was more elegant.

In general, the food was better in HCMC. Also, some interesting choices for those interesting in culinary adventures—fried scorpion anyone—no, not like chicken, but crunchy.

The art and crafts were generally better buys in Hanoi, although HCMC has a thriving business of selling copies of paintings. If you ever wanted an old master, this is the place for around $100. Unbelievably, great places to buy local crafts (as in great lacquer) are in the local malls in both HCMC and Hanoi. The malls are modern looking, but the crafts are local and there are excellent buys. I mean truly excellent.

I also bought some high quality art from one of Vietnam’s top female painters. Not cheap, but stunning. Hillary Clinton and Putin even have her paintings. A tour of her and her husband’s (also an artist) sculpture garden is well worth the visit. Details upon request.

I had the land portion of my trip arranged through a travel agency in Bangkok that I found on the Internet, Royal Exclusive Travel. It was a deluxe tour and I had a guide and driver in each city. Everything was well done.

All in all, I can not wait to go back.