Vietnam travel advice

"Learn the different ways to deal with local people. With street vendors, you need to learn how to say no politely and happily – but firmly, so that they know that you are not a customer. However, people in rural areas are often very shy and genuine, so you act differently – show your appreciation, show your interest in their stories. You will get so much more out of it, and those are the visits that create long-lasting memories. They’re very special."

"Vietnam combines fantastically with other countries. Cambodia is just a short hop up the Mekong. And you can then contrast the two countries, which are really quite different. Vietnam is still a communist country so it’s got quite a different feel to it. The other place it combines very nicely with is Yunnan – that’s a fantastic trip from Hanoi up through the rice terraces into China. The other country is northern Laos. You can go into a very remote border crossing right up in the north of Vietnam. So if you do either the north or the south, and then combine it with a neighbouring country, you actually have far more overland travel and fewer flights than if you try to see all of Vietnam. It’s a bit like Europe as you only travel a very short distance to be in another country with a totally different feel."