Vietnam

Vietnam packs an extraordinary amount into one country: the chaos of Saigon, the elegance of Hanoi, the karst seascape of Ha Long, the ancient lanterns of Hoi An, and beach towns scattered down a 3,400 km coast. The food is the strongest argument for going — and it's hard to overstate how good it is.

The classic run goes north to south: Hanoi's old quarter, a night on a boat off Cat Ba or the Ha Giang loop by motorbike, then Hue, Hoi An, and finally Saigon's roar. Sleeper trains and cheap domestic flights stitch it together. Street food sets the daily rhythm — pho at dawn, banh mi on travel days, bia hoi on plastic stools — and it costs so little that splurging on a good hotel still leaves the budget intact.

Vietnam asks for patience. Three climate zones mean somewhere is always raining, so a full-length trip rarely catches perfect weather throughout. Crossing the street is an act of faith, overcharging in tourist zones is routine, and Ha Long Bay's beauty comes with a fleet of near-identical cruise boats. English runs out fast beyond the trail. If you want polish, pay for it in Hoi An. The food and the prices forgive everything else.