Vietnam

For luxuries like satellite TV and minibars, the shipshape Hanh Hoa Hotel (237 Pham Ngu Lao Street; tel. 8/836-0245; fax 8/836-1482) charges just $25 for deluxe rooms; and while the hotel is small (13 rooms), its units are large. Alternate choices nearby include the friendly Mini Hotel Cam (40/31 Bui Vien Street, tel. 8/836-7622), sitting dead center along a solid strip of about 20 tall and narrow concrete "mini-hotels." This 15-room, clean, quiet, five-story hotel costs $7/night with fan, or $10-$15 with air conditioning.

An upmarket choice is the plush Giant Dragon Hotel (173 Pham Ngu Lao Street; tel. 8/836-4759, fax 8/836-7279), a shiny, neon-lit place with 34 well-appointed rooms for $15-$25/night. All have air conditioning and satellite TV. Nearby are excellent restaurants such as Zen (175/6 Pham Ngu Lao Street), where for under $2 you can fill up on fresh vegetarian spring rolls and the best guacamole this side of Mexico. The oddest sight: the famed Cu Chi tunnels, a vast underground network of secret passageways utilized by the Vietcong against French and American forces.

Agencies like Kim Cafe or Sinh Cafe (see "Getting Around") in Saigon charge as little as $4 for a full-day excursion (add a $4 entry to the tunnels), including a stop at Tay Ninh for noontime mass at the striking Cao Dai Temple. The religion is a unique and colorful blend of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam.

The Mekong Delta

One excursion not to be missed is a journey into the Mekong Delta, the "rice basket" of Vietnam. Boating through the narrow canals offers an up-close glimpse of life on the Mekong River and its countless tributaries. Visit incredible "floating markets," snake farms, and quaint rural villages, or stop to chat about Buddhism with the friendly monks at one of the delta's abundant Khmer-style temples and pagodas. Nominal food costs aside, all-inclusive two-day/one-night programs cost as little as $18 per person, while more extensive three- and four-day trips cost from $27 and $50 respectively. Delta tours can be booked at one of countless travel agencies in Saigon (about 30 or so in the Pham Ngu Lao area alone; see above).

Dalat

North from Ho Chi Minh City, many head for the cool mountain climate of Dalat. Prized as the "Jewel of the Central Highlands," Dalat boasts the outdoor beauty of the Adirondacks, with all the honeymoon kitsch of the Poconos or Niagara Falls. Visit the bizarre Valley of Love to catch Vietnamese cowboys decked out in chaps and spurs, or pay the 30¢ admission to visit the other-worldly Hang Nga Guesthouse & Art Gallery (3 Huynh Thuc Khang Street, tel. 63/822070). The architecture at this Disneyesque attraction features a giant wire spider's web in the courtyard and one building in the shape of an immense concrete giraffe! At the tranquil Lam Ty Ni Pagoda, share a cup of tea with Vien Thuc, an eccentric Zen monk who draws visitors from all corners of the globe. Possibly Vietnam's most prolific artist, his provocative "instant paintings" sell for a mere $2. Dalat has a treasure trove of hotels in the $5-$10 range and plenty of charming villas in the $20-$50 range from its days as a French hill station. A delightful family-run inn, the Hotel Chau Au Europa (76 Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, tel. 63/822870, fax 63/824488), offers comfy and charming doubles for $25-$35; it's close to the center of town but tucked away so you can sleep peacefully at night. For the bottom end of the budget hotels, try the 12-room Highland Hotel (90 Phan Dinh Phung Street, tel. 63/823738), a nondescript concrete building whose basic rooms are $4-$6 for singles, $7-$8 for twins. Rooms can also be booked at the bizarre Hang Nga Guesthouse (described above), whose funky little twin units rent for $29-$60 and are charming in their own way. But as the Hang Nga doubles as a tourist attraction, it lacks privacy. Dalat can be reached by the Open Tour buses discussed earlier, by private car, public bus, motorbike, or even bicycle; there is no train service. It takes about six hours to drive.

Hoi An, Hue, and points north

The charming, historic town of Hoi An is a place to linger amid quiet streets, a sixteenth-century Japanese covered bridge, and well-preserved examples of Chinese and French architecture. Incredibly, this little town has close to 100 expert tailor shops that can fit you in hours for anything from a silk kimono to a Chinese smoking jacket -- and for less than the material alone would cost in Hong Kong. Hoi An's local delicacy is cao lau, a delicious noodle dish prepared with fresh vegetables and sliced pork. Most local eateries serve it, but for ambiance, the soft-lit Yellow River Restaurant (38 Tran Phu Street, tel. 510/861053) cannot be beat. Another gem is the Faifoo Restaurant (104 Tran Phu Street, tel. 510/861548), which serves savory cao lau as part of a laudable $3 full-course dinner. After dark, stop in at the excellent Tam Tam Cafe & Bar (110 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, tel. 510/862212) for a game of billiards in a restored tea warehouse. The delightful 12-room Vinh Hung Hotel (143 Tran Phu Street, tel. 510/861621, fax 510/861893), an atmospheric old Chinese trading house, has standard rooms for $20, or courtly suites furnished with classic Chinese antiques for $45. Or try the brand new and quite snazzy 24-room Pho Hoi 2 Hotel (Cam Nam Bridge, tel. 510/862628, fax 510/862626), which offers comfortable fan rooms from $8, or $18-$35 with air conditioning (ask for a river-view room). Stop by Danang to see the superb Cham Museum (entry $2), or travel out to the Marble Mountains on the way to China Beach, immortalized by the TV series. Not far from the extravagant Furama Resort ($160-$500 a night!), the Non Nuoc Seaside Resort (tel. 511/836215, fax 511/836335), right on the beach, is an excellent value at $10-$15, or $27 with sea views. North from Danang, over breathtaking Hai Van Pass, is the ancient capital of Hue, where an impressive complex of monuments is preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A $3 boat trip along the scenic Perfume River will take you to the magnificent tombs of Vietnam's former emperors ($5 entry fee each). Military buffs will appreciate a day's sojourn from Hue out to the Vietnam War-era Demilitarized Zone, where $25 buys a full-day tour of the battlefields and relics.

Hotels in Hue

The popular Thai Binh is down a quiet street (10/9 Nguyen Tri Phuong; tel. 54/828058, fax 54/832867); it offers basic twins in a concrete structure for about $10-$15, or larger rooms with bathtubs for $20-$25. There are nice little balconies on each of the five stories to sit and eat or sip a coffee. Or try The Guesthouse (5 Le Loi Street, tel. 54/822155, fax 54/828816), a classic old French colonial villa right on the banks of the Perfume River. The grounds feature well-kept gardens, and rooms start at $25.

Hanoi and the north

Vietnam's capital and political center, Hanoi ranks among the most pleasant cities in Asia. It boasts a distinctly Parisian ambiance, yet along the 36 ancient streets of the picturesque Old Quarter you'll find a Chinese-flavored charm. After seeing the lakes, parks, museums, and impressive architecture, stop to visit one of Vietnam's best free tourist attractions, the embalmed body of Vietnam's beloved "Uncle Ho" at the massive Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Don't leave town without taking in a performance of Hanoi's extraordinary water puppets ($2) or sampling the delectable cha ca fish cakes at acclaimed local eatery Cha Ca La Vong. Guesthouse/cafe/tour operators like TF Handspan (116 Hang Bac Street, tel. 4/828-1996, fax 4/825-7171) and the Queen Cafe (65 Hang Bac Street, tel. 4/826-0860, fax 4/826-0300) offer lodging for less than $10, and are also excellent places to book day trips to the Perfume Pagoda ($17), a remarkable complex of Buddhist temples on the outskirts of Hanoi. One of the city's most unique lodgings is the Ho Tay Villas (West Lake, tel. 8/047-772, fax 8/823-2126), housed in an enormous former Communist party guesthouse about three miles north of downtown. Rates of $35-$40 are a relative bargain for the experience. More central is the 32-room Dong Xuan Hotel in the Old Quarter (26 Cao Thang Street, tel. 4/828-4474, fax 4/824-6475), popular with the backpacker set. Fan-equipped rooms cost just $4-$6; they're $7 with air conditioning. Nearby, the Van Xuan Hotel (15 Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, tel. 4/824-4743, fax 4/824-6475), also gets a steady stream of budget travelers. Basic doubles with air conditioning cost $10, and those with more space and a private balcony cost $15-$25. Cafes in Hanoi also offer tours to UNESCO-protected Halong Bay, one of the world's most spectacular natural monuments. Two- and three-day all-inclusive packages to tour the 3,000-plus islands and grottoes are attractive, costing from $24 and $38 respectively -- prices that are hard, if not impossible, to beat on your own. Vietnam offers so much for so little. Where else can you surf the net at cyber cafes for 6 per minute, find exquisite lacquerware boxes for $1, or stumble upon world-class paintings by undiscovered artists for less than $50? Those lucky enough to visit revitalized Vietnam will find it all, while discovering a vast and varied blend of traditional culture, strikingly beautiful landscapes, and some of the world's most hospitable hosts.

Vital Numbers

VISAS: Embassy of Vietnam, 1233 20th St. NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20036 (tel. 202/861-0737, fax 202/861-1297); 30-day tourist visas cost $65. Phone Numbers: Country code 84; city codes have two, three, or four numbers; local phone numbers have six or seven digits. Thus, to call Ho Chi Minh City (city code 8), dial 011-84-8 and seven digits. When calling from one city to another within Vietnam, dial O + city code + number.

AIRFARE: Round-trip excursion: New York to Ho Chi Minh from $804. Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh from $714.