The northerly situated trekking hub of Sapa draws those in search of stunning scenery and mountain thrills around the year. It rests at the base of one of the region’s highest peaks, Fanxipa, and is easily reached from Hanoi.

To experience the highlands at their best, a trip to Sapa is a must. This peaceful trekking town is perched on the side of a mountain and offers amazing views of the surrounding terrain. The town is often shrouded in mist, but this adds to its appeal and mystique.

Depending on what season you arrive, you should come prepared for cold weather. Night-time can see temperatures plummet, but the log fires available in many hotel rooms keep guests toasty. For the beginner there are unaccompanied walks just outside of town, but those wishing to go farther afield will need to enlist the help of a guide.

Guided treks are offered all over Sapa and will take you along lovely wooded trails to places you would not otherwise find. The tough climb to the summit of Mount Fansipan takes around four days and is best left to experienced climbers while dozens of shorter, easier excursions are possible.

Trekking is not the only activity in Sapa; shopping is also a popular pastime. H’mong handicrafts and clothing are sold at reasonable prices at the local market and make for excellent souvenirs.

Travelling in Vietnam by rail is one of the best ways to see the country at a leisurely pace, stopping off as and when you please. The single main rail line runs all the way from north to south, spanning 1,700-plus kilometres, meaning you can traverse the country in just over two days.

Budget travellers often opt to travel the country by bus, but those who have tried both bus and rail travel in Vietnam will tell you that the latter is the way to go – despite being slightly more expensive. Rail travel is more comfortable and gives you the freedom to move around as you please. 

The Reunification Express runs all the way from Hanoi, the capital in the north, to the country’s economic heart in the south – Ho Chi Minh City. The entire trip takes 30-plus hours and is best broken up with stop offs at major cities en route. As you travel from north to south or vice versa you can take in the varying countryside and meet with fellow local passengers. 

Air-conditioned hard and soft sleepers are available and should be booked one week to three days in advance. You can book directly at the train station or through a local tour operator but beware of unscrupulous agents who charge for a soft sleeper but book a hard sleeper. If you haven’t managed to book in advance, it is often possible to pick up discounted tickets near to departure from touts at the station.

After the Vietnam War, golf – considered imperialistic and bourgeois – was all but banished from Vietnam’s sporting activities. But the emergence of foreign investment has seen the sport stage a comeback.

The French were the first to import golf back in the 1920s but the handful of small courses and lack of interest from the Vietnamese elite meant the sport didn’t take off. When the Americans arrived a few decades later they used Emperor Bao Dai’s defunct course in Da Lat, further giving golf the tarnish of imperialism.  

But since the collapse of the Soviet Union and Vietnam’s warming to international commerce, golfing tours have become big business. The arrival of the foreign businessman has not only seen a demand for luxury hotels, but luxury links too. Old courses have reopened and new ones have been built.

One of Vietnam’s best loved and oldest clubs is the Dalat Palace Golf Club, which reopened in 1994. The north of the country saw its first club – Kings’ Island Golf Club – open in 1993. Today more than a dozen links welcome tourists, with plenty more in the pipeline.