Hanoi is also becoming Vietnam’s new capital of style, with modern art galleries, custom furniture stores and specialty luxury boutiques. One such shop is Song. It captures the romance of Hanoi in sophisticated embroidered silk and cotton loungewear, cushions and linens.

Great style and great shopping are nothing new in Hanoi. For a thousand years, artisans have occupied tiny workshops in the Old Quarter, fashioning products from tin, bamboo, paper and other materials, then stacking them into piles along the narrow streets.

More recently, the French colonial-era had a major impact on the city’s architecture. Particularly notable are the French villas lining many streets and Hanoi’s landmark hotel, the Sofitel Metropole , whose shuttered windows overlook a courtyard of flowers and palm trees. But “vintage” need not mean “old”—a number of villas have been converted into gourmet restaurants, and the Metropole has recently undergone a renovation.

In addition to Hanoi, our luxury Vietnam Luxury Tours feature many other great destinations such as Saigon, the fast-paced commercial capital; the Mekong Delta, a vast rural area of narrow waterways, floating markets and island farms; Sapa, a mountain town surrounded by colorful hilltribe villages and markets; Hue, the former imperial capital known for royal ruins and Buddhist vegetarian cuisine; and Hoi An, a charming port town whose centuries-old temples, merchant homes and shops reflect years of international exchange. Most of our travelers also like to incorporate special activities such as cooking classes or meals in private homes into their Vietnam tour.