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Hi alaskaguy... welcome to the group. I agree with IceTrojan... a more detailed/focussed question might elicit more of a response.

But I'll have a bash at running off a short list - this assumes you are a first time tourist there, rather than business traveller. I first went there as a tourist in 1993 and have spent at least some of every year there since 1996.

1) Hanoi gets very hot and humid in the summer. September to March is the best time to visit. Be aware of local holidays. Vietnam is great fun during Christmas, Solar and Lunar New Year holidays, but be aware that local flights and some resorts can be booked solid.

2) Avoid trying to "do everything". This is a recipe for spending your entire time with other tourists and never really mingling with the locals.

3) Get good street maps and aim to wander around on your own for a bit. The ones in guidebooks never seem to be very good - missing out many of the minor roads. Good maps can be had in Trang Tien street in Hanoi or Xuan Thu bookshop in Saigon (Dong Khoi, opposite the side entrance to the Continental Hotel) or a myriad of street vendors.

4) If you can, spend an extra couple of days hanging around either Saigon or Hanoi - even if it means missing out somewhere else. Return to the same coffee shop a couple of times... VN people are not shy and without spending too much time you could even get to know someone. Nobody minds if you ask their name, how old they are etc. If you can, get them to a karaoke (or another coffeeshop).... this is as much a part of VN culture as pagodas etc - and certainly more fun in my opinion. If you invite, you pay... If they invite, they pay. It may prove difficult - people often work long hours.

5) If you are staying a while and want to meet people, then get a local SIM card (vinaphone or mobiphone are the biggest networks) for your mobile phone. It must be GSM900 compatible. Shops that sell them are everywhere - or you could ask your hotel to help you.

6) If you can ride a motorbike, hire one and "go around" the city centre in the evening. Another great way to meet people.

7) Seafood is excellent in Vietnam. Make the most of it. Also have some Pho (pronounced a bit like "fir" in English - its a noodle dish). Pho Ga (Chicken pho) is my favourite.

8) Use VN dong, not US dollars - unless you're in a place where prices are given in USD. (Ie your hotel, some restaurants.) It's true VN people often save in USD (or gold etc), but VND is the currency on the street. For non-Americans, there really is no need to use USD at all if you can take Euros, GBP, Yen etc. Generally there's no tipping.

9) VN is a young country - most people don't even remember the "hard line" communist period, let alone the war. Personally I find these things fascinating - but if you want to engage the modern Vietnamese, you'll get further discussing the latest Nokia phone rather than politics. Even if you try the political thing, the VN take on the world can be quite skewed compared with that of a foreigner - it can be a slow process.

10) Crime is not a great problem, but bag snatches and pickpockets are a growing menace in "touristy" areas. Do not walk on the edge of a road with a camcorder slung over your shoulder if you want to keep it. If you must because the pavement is cluttered, then hold it securely or walk facing oncoming traffic. (They usually snatch from behind.)

11) Don't be tempted by girls that might approach you late at night on certain streets. Any number of scams can be involved, most of which involve you losing your valuables. They may not be girls either and are rarely working alone.

12) Get up around sunrise one morning (or stay up from the night before)... its a whole different world - people exercising, playing badminton etc.

13) My priority for destinations would be: Hanoi, Saigon, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Hue, Mekong Delta, Sapa, Tay Ninh/Cu Chi, Nha Trang, Ninh Binh/Tam Coc, Da Nang, Vung Tau. For a "beach" experience, I would choose from Mui Ne, Phu Quoc, though there are also beaches at Da Nang and Nha Trang.

14) Vietnam is booming - hotel prices have been rising sharply over the past year. Bear this in mind when reading older posts or looking at guide books.