Vietnam

Before traveling to Vietnam, make sure there’s plenty of memory space on your smartphone because you’ll be taking a lot of photos. From the karst-studded seascapes of Ha Long Bay and the terraced valleys of Sa Pa to the Colonial-era architecture of Hue and the lantern-lit canals, it is a land of photogenic opportunity and iconic images.

Women stroll busy city streets in flowing white ao dai dresses and conical no la hats; rice farmers guide water buffaloes through emerald rice fields; fishermen drift the Mekong Delta in woven thung chai coracles and markets in northern provinces are brightened by the colorful and intricately crafted paj ntaub textiles of the Hmong people. The rewards go beyond the visual with cuisines rich in fresh, fragrant, and aromatic flavors and aromatic coffees prized by connoisseurs around the world.