Special-Interest Vacations

Cultural Tours

A visit just to Hanoi puts vast resources at your fingertips -- from museums to vestiges of architecture as far back as the 13 century. Walking tours of the Old Quarter, an area of the city that a curious traveler could literally pick apart block by block, is like a giant textbook. Here you'll learn about early Vietnamese commerce, the colonial administration of the French, early Vietnamese unrest, and eventual insurgency, not to mention the more heavy-handed legacy of a triumphant Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh in the vestiges of his mausoleum and museum.

Asia Transpacific Journeys, is quite typical of the many international tour agencies running trips to Vietnam. They offer specialized itineraries focused on Vietnamese culture -- such as the ancients, the Cham people, vestiges of the Chinese millennia, and the years under French colonialism.

Outdoor Adventures & Ecotours

If you live life like a Mountain Dew commercial or just like to get out into the countryside, you can find much to do in Vietnam. Consider first the kind of terrain you'd like to explore -- ranging from dense jungle to high mountains, coastal estuaries to inland rivers on flooded rice plains. Next, choose your weapon: kayak, mountain bike, motorcycle, jeep, hiking boots, or flip-flops.

The best areas for some good trekking are in the far north and Central Highlands of Vietnam; both regions have large populations of minority ethnic hilltribes, and the scenery -- rice terraces and spiked peaks -- is stunning. Highlights include visiting Halong Bay and the country's many national parks.

In the north of Vietnam, the folks at Handspan, as well as Buffalo Tours, put together exciting kayaking adventures in Halong Bay. In the far north, they offer good hiking trips to Sapa and by jeep up to Dien Bien Phu. In central Vietnam the old French colonial hill station of Dalat plays host to a great outfitter, Phat Tire Ventures, where you can rock-climb, mountain -- bike, or trek with the most professional guides and experienced technicians.

Off-road adventures on motorcycles and by jeep abound along the length of Vietnam. See chapter 5 for more extensive information on motorcycle and jeep touring north of Hanoi along the Dien Bien Phu Loop or up to Cao Bang. Small outfitters in Hanoi can help with rentals or guide hires.

In the Central Highlands, hiring an Easy Rider motorcycle guide out of Dalat is all the rage. (See chapter 9 for contact information.) Riding a big (for Vietnam) 125cc Honda Bonus -- you sit on the back -- the Easy Riders, most of whom retired from the South Vietnamese Army and speak English well, will take you across the ridge of the highlands all the way through Ban Ma Thuot and on to Kontum where the Ho Chi Minh Trail (now a major highway) leads as far as Danang or Hue. Easy Rider can make arrangements for groups and even rent motorbikes if some members of the group want to ride their own bikes alongside a guide. The same routes can also be done by jeep.

Diving

In Vietnam, Rainbow Divers has a virtual monopoly on services at the major spots (on Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Nha Trang, and just north of Nha Trang at Whale Island), but there are a number of small outfitters out of Nha Trang. Seasons alternate, and it works out that somewhere is always in high season for good visibility.

Cooking Schools

Sampling Vietnamese cuisine is a highlight of any trip, so why not learn to make it yourself? In Hoi An in central Vietnam, Ms. Vy at the Cargo Club Patisserie and Restaurant (tel. 0510/910-489; www.hoianhospitality.com) runs great programs of varying length.

Tours for Vietnam Veterans

A good percentage of visitors to Vietnam are American Vietnam War veterans. It's not unusual to run across groups or individuals as you make your way across the country, some simply seeing how the story ended or others on more somber missions, such as staging memorial services.

But why would a veteran want to return to Vietnam, the scene of such tragic events? Most say they seek closure and that only by finally crossing the 17 Parallel can they find that; many also say that a trip to Vietnam gives them a chance to truly experience Vietnamese culture this second time around and visit peaceful villages devoid of barbed wire, mines, and terror.

Tours of Peace (TOP), a nonprofit organization started by Jess DeVaney, a retired U.S. Marine, arranges tours of Vietnam for veterans not only to come to terms with their past, but also to participate in the future. DeVaney's tours bring friends and family to points of historical or personal significance, but what is unique here is their humanitarian focus: The folks at TOP believe that through helping others, we heal ourselves, so humanitarian-aid projects are part of every tour. TOP visits orphanages, homes for the elderly and the homeless, poor rural villages, and schools, providing food, medicines, and supplies that save lives and give hope. Participants have a chance to return again as jolly green giants of yore, only this time able to help and spread kindness. Trip participants say that the tour is a great step in their recovery and toward acceptance of the past.

According to a spokesperson, "TOP participants come home from Vietnam this time feeling whole and understood. Vietnam is no longer a secret and a source of nightmares for them. A Tour of Peace helps participants exorcise the demons of war and find peace of mind."

TOP offers financial assistance for those who find it difficult to foot the bill and organizes tours year-round.

Applications for a Tour of Peace can be printed from TOP's website, www.topvietnamveterans.org, or by writing to TOP Vietnam Veterans, 7400 N. Oracle Rd., Suite 100-W, Tucson, AZ 85704.

Also consider Vets with a Mission, a large nonprofit that has been in business some 17 years and runs annual trips, for veterans only, to Vietnam. Like Tours of Peace, Vets with a Mission -- as their name suggests -- is a group out to make a difference on their trips, and they bring large medical donations and services. The group helps veterans cut through the outmoded notion of heavy remorse, and gives vets a chance to weigh in with their actions. Go to www.vwam.com or contact the group by e-mail at vetswithamission@backroads.net or by snail mail at: Vets with a Mission, P.O. Box 202, Newberry, SC 29108.

A few tour operators cater to veterans and can tailor individual tours to follow a division's history or customized travel for an individual returning veteran's wishes. Most groups visit general operating areas. An itinerary might include starting out in Saigon with an excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels, going down to the Mekong Delta, then heading up to Qui Nhon and to the Central Highlands and Pleiku, and then moving on to Danang, China Beach, Hue, and, of course, the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

Contact the following: The Global Spectrum, 5683 Columbia Pike, Suite 101, Falls Church, VA 22041 (tel. 800/419-4446 or 703/671-9619; fax 703/671-5747), or Nine Dragons Tours, P.O. Box 24105, Indianapolis, IN 46224-0105 (tel. 800/909-9050 or 317/329-0350; fax 317/329-0117; www.nine-dragons.com).