Indochina of the French colonial empire, now the nations of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are the top emerging travel destinations in South East Asia. These lands of the Mekong River are the frontiers of adventure and discovery with a history that spans the empire of Angkor to the Vietnam War.
Vietnam's UNESCO World Heritage sites include Halong Bay in the north with limestone peaks rising from the sea, the old world spice trade port of Hoi An and the great caves of Phong Nha where the world's largest cave has only recently been discovered.
Off the eastern coast of Vietnam, the islands of the Con Dao Archipelago lie in splendid isolation. Once the penal island for political enemies of Indochine française, the island rose to infamy for its prison cells called tiger cages during the Vietnam War. At the northernmost of its territory is the Red River Delta while the Mekong Delta dominates the south. And in between are the great mountains of the Annamite Range, home to tribal clans and last refuge of rare animals and birds.
