Vietnam is within easy reach now that VFS has begun processing visas, and that too with a three day turnaround time. “Indians do not know much about Vietnam,” says Dr Ha Van Sieu, vice chairman of Vietnam tourism, which is on a nationwide connect programme. “We are a friendly nation with cuisine, heritage, culture and beauty that would appeal to global travelers. Only 50,000 people from India visit Vietnam every year while millions do from other nations, especially China, Japan, USA and Columbia,” he said.The best time to visit is from October to January. As Vietnam is 95 per cent Buddhist, the people have deep reverence for the Indian Buddhist site of Bodhgaya, and it’s a life time dream to pay a visit there.

Here are top 10 places to visit in Vietnam

Saigon
Saigon is also known as Ho Chi Minh city and it is spelled as Sai Gon in Vietnam.The city welcomes you with the Cu Chu tunnel, the,War remnants museum, Chinese town, Vietnam History Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Ben Thanh Market and the Reunification Palace among others.

Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta offers you floating markets which would be a unique experience for anyone from the US,Australia,Canada or Europe, essentially for people from beyond Asia.There are national parks, pagodas, ancient homes and albeit some amazing landscape.You can engage some tour and travel services to visit Mekong Delta.

Mui Ne,Phan Thiet
Head to Mui Ne, Phan Thiet and visit the Phan Thiet Harbour,The Sand Dunes,Thuy Tu Temple, and Cham Tower apart from the beaches.

Nha Trang
Visit the Po Nagar Cham Towers,The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam and Nha Trang Bay.

Dalat
Dalat brings you to the Bao Dai Palace which is the last Vietnamese emperor palace and the day through night Dalat market.

Phu Quoc (Kien Giang Province)
Your trip to Vietnam cannot be complete if you don’t visit the Phu Quoc National Forest, the Suoi Tranh Waterfall, the Ham Ninh Fishing Village and the Phu Quoc Sea.The pepper plantations, snorkeling and scuba diving encounters are not to be given a miss here.

Hoi An
At Hoi An, you should visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Riverside museum of History and Culture and the central market among others.

Ha Noi
Visit the Hanoi Old Quarter,Temple of Literature, the Hoan Kiem Lake, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Water Puppet Theatre among others.

Ha Long
The attractions at Ha Long include the Pelican Cave, the Virgin Cave at Bo Hon Island, Floating Villages and Fish Farms among others.

Sapa
Sapa is known for its weekend market,Cho Phien, the Silver Waterfalls and unique villages