Tai chi is known as the most graceful martial art, where the body functions smoothly and fluidly. It is a cleansing, meditative discipline, and best performed at dawn in a pristine environment. What better place to indulge in this ancient practice than on the deck of a boat in the middle of Halong Bay, Vietnam, surrounded by some of the most sublime scenery in the world?!

In North Vietnam, life is slower and more traditional than a part in the Southern. The city center of Hanoi, the county’s capital, is arranged around a lake that is often misty and quiet. It is also an artisan's town, and what you'll do there is less destination-oriented, than just wandering, stopping for food along the way. Art galleries are common, and the streets are wide promenades. Still, the relaxed, rural-like pace of Hanoi makes it hard to remember that this is the capital of a country of 80 million, the size of Germany.

China Beach was merely the backdrop for a hit TV show. Nowadays, hawkers sell seashells and stalls grill up local delicacies for a new invading force apart from the pass: foreign tourists. This is healthy tidings for China Beach. After decades of confusing infamy, it’s finally gaining acclaim for what it has always been, even when nobody noticed: A beach, one of the finest in Asia. Restitution for the white sands blanketing a breathtaking bay outside Danang, in central Vietnam, started a few years ago, when renegade surfers held a competition in the choppy waves of China Beach.