While it has been a while since I have been to that part of the world and old friend of mine, probably the one I have known the longest of any friend in my life - excluding people that you barely keep in touch with of course - decided that he was going to go on a south-to-north 15-day trip of Vietnam.   Despite having lived in that part of the world for more than 20 years, he had never been to Vietnam.   He is figuring out in just a few days what it is that makes that particular country so worth traveling to.

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For starters, he was amazed immediately at how cheap everything is and this is a big part of why it is that I enjoyed that part of the world and Vietnam in particular.   Most of South-East Asia is very cheap, but Vietnam is kind of in a world all its own.   It is truly remarkable how inexpensive almost anything is there and I have no idea how that can possibly be the case.  It is surrounded by countries with similar economies, yet it manages to be around half the price of Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos.   I can't comment on Cambodia because I have never been there and honestly, don't really have much desire to do so.  

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A beer for example, even a craft beer, is going to cost you around $1 or maybe $2.   This is a real joy to anyone that enjoys the suds because it is available everywhere and they apparently have very relaxed regulations on microbreweries as well as quite low import taxes.  This is probably a big part of the reason why things cost so little no matter what it is that you are talking about.

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Another great benefit that I recall from many years ago and was confirmed by my friend who is there now is that despite being a very populated country with tons of tourists, the scams that are so prevalent in other South-East Asian countries don't exist in such great numbers there.  I'm sure there are some scams but it isn't lying around the corner in wait like so many other nations have.   You can basically tour around without much concern about being robbed or conned into a bad deal.   Of course you should probably be on your guard a little bit, but you don't need to be as paranoid as you would need to be in say, Thailand.  

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Nightlife is abundant as well and especially in places like Saigon, it is centralized and caters to every budget.  If you want to sip on signature cocktails on a rooftop or drink 10 cent local beers in a dive bar, they cater to everything you can imagine.   This will also come at a fraction of the cost that you would expect basically anywhere else in the world.   My buddy went to a rather fancy cocktail bar and was amazed that a properly made Old Fashioned, served by a mixologist wearing a bowtie, was just over $3.  

If nature trips are your thing Vietnam has you covered there as well.   While the price of these excursions have increased since I was last there, as one would expect given inflation and all, it is not only possible but very common to have full-day cycling trips in the jungle offered for under $40.   

I realize that for a lot of us that Vietnam is a very long journey from where we are and this includes me since I spend most of my time in Central and South America these days but there is so much to see in that part of the world and out of the many countries in that part of the world, there is something that is going to suit you no matter what kind of traveler you are.  

I think Vietnam is probably one of the best backpacking countries in the world because the scams that exist in other places that tend to target budget travelers don't really exist in great numbers there.   They have everything from extremely cheap guesthouses to 5-star luxury and it all costs significantly less than most places I have ever been.... and I have been to all of the continents except that really cold one in the south.

<center> <sub> Images not sourced because they were taken by a friend who has granted me permission to use them </sub> </center>