Americans have obvious reason to be curious about Vietnam, and most return from their visits stirred by the beauty of the landscape and the generosity of their hosts. Hotels and resorts in Vietnam have attained a commendable level of excellence.

Ho Chi Minh City, which nearly everyone still calls Saigon, is the bustling commercial capital. Hanoi is an unexpectedly gracious French colonial city with tree-lined boulevards and fine neoclassical buildings.