North Central Vietnam

The North Central, with its fertile Red River plain, is the historical craddle of Vietnam, whose kings ruled from Hoa Lu and Hanoi. It is a beautiful area characterized by limestome geology, which give rise to the sugar-loafed landscapes of the Perfume Pagoda pilgrimage and Tam Coc, as well as the vast underground passageways of Phong Nha cave, all of them are explored via pleasant boat trips along rice fields. Because development has been slower there than in the south of the country, the rural landscapes and way of life have not changed much over the last centuries.