Vietnam is truly unique, despite it's French colonial past and the horrors of the Vietnam War, the modern country remains relatively untouched by Westernization. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is a real Asian metropolis. An endless maze of streets and neighbourhoods with no real centre. Every house is a shop or restaurant, in every nook and cranny there is someone selling something! There are 7 million people in Ho Chi Minh city alone (not to mention almost 3 million motorbikes) and the rush hour lasts from dawn until midnight. But you don't have to go far out of the city before you reach unspoilt countryside. I managed to visit a temple in the Southern region of Vietnam which is the home of a little known religion called Cao Dai-ism. I also toured the Mekong Delta visiting river communities and the well known floating market. Also well worth a visit are the Cu Chi tunnels, a few hours north of Ho Chi Minh City. This is an incredible 200 kilometer complex of tunnels dug to avoid the bombs of the Vietnam War. If you fancy something a little different from South East Asia, Vietnam is the place, this is pure Asia, go there before it's spoilt.