Adecade after tourists began returning, Vietnam's cultural revolution isin full swing. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, a new generation istaking over. Peter Jon Lindberg reports.                               

        So, have you been yet?
You have no idea what you're missing. After years of false starts,Vietnam is finally having its moment, thanks to a new generation ofentrepreneurs, restaurateurs, designers, club owners, and artists—manyborn after the war. This is no longer the hermetic nation of ageneration ago: two-thirds of the population is under 30 and eager toengage the world at large. The country is still nominally Communist,and its leaders remain socially conservative. But young Vietnamese areenthusiastically absorbing and remixing global culture. I first fellfor Vietnam in the mid-nineties, and have returned every year or twosince—yet until my most recent visit, I'd never seen the country sovisibly charged.
Foreign arrivals in 2002 shattered all previous records, while bookingson Vietnam Airlines rose by 80 percent—even as terrorism concerns cutinto travel elsewhere. Indeed, post-9/11 anxiety played a part in thecountry's surging popularity. "Vietnam, poor but orderly, is nowtourists' safe haven," declared the New York Timesin January. Almost 30 years after the war, Vietnam was being touted asthe safest place in Asia, owing to its stable population, effectivesecurity, and negligible crime rate. Luxury hotels were booked solid,and developers were seizing the day: Sheraton opened its first propertyin Ho Chi Minh City this spring, while the much delayed Park Hyattresumed construction up the street. Restaurants and boutiques sprang upin newly trendy neighborhoods. A gleaming airport terminal opened inHanoi, with passenger Jetways (no more trudging across the 98-degreetarmac) and actual air-conditioning. After a fitful decade, Vietnam wasat last enjoying a legitimate boom.
And then SARS hit. When Vietnam reported cases in February, tourismscreeched to a halt. But the virus was contained within two months, andVietnam became the first affected country to be declared SARS-free.Tourism has been picking up where it left off.
Why such intense interest? Because Vietnam teeters giddily betweenfast (Saigon nightclubs) and slow (bicycle rickshaws); traditional(silk ao dai tunics) and cutting-edge (fur and vinyl ao dai tunics);exotic (barbecued goat nipples?) and familiar ("You from L.A.? Mycousin's from L.A.!"). Add to the mix one of the world's greatcuisines, stylish boutiques, inviting resorts, and a buzzing nightlife.Moreover, Vietnam is surprisingly accessible now: English is spokeneverywhere, prices are low, and there's more to see and do than you canpossibly imagine.
So, when are you going?
The Lay of the Land

• HANOI AND HO CHI MINH CITY Rarely are a nation's two poles soopposite. With its mist-shrouded lakes, faded colonial façades, andcooler climate, Hanoi is the moody, reflective older brother, harboringa rich intellectual and artistic life. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is thebrash younger sibling: faster, newer, hotter in every sense—Miami toHanoi's Boston. In the nineties Hanoi was said to be 10 years "behind"cosmopolitan H.C.M.C., with fewer high-rises and discos. But thecapital's culinary scene now rivals H.C.M.C.'s, and many restaurateursand designers have outposts in both cities. Still, the two remainperfect antipodes—and antidotes—to each other.

• THE BEACHES Development has been limited to a few key areas,though the current tourism boom has quickened the pace: acres ofoceanfront outside Da Nang (whose China Beach is the settingfor the splendid Furama Resort) are earmarked for future hotel sites.Just 20 miles away is tranquil Hoi An, the prettiest village in Vietnamdespite its increasing commercialization. There's now a nascent resortscene on the coast. Farther south, Nha Trang draws backpackersto its seaside bars and cheap guesthouses, and weekending expats to theAna Mandara resort. Travelers seeking a less manic scene prefer Phan Thiet, an emerging resort hub close to tranquil Mui Ne Beach. Also on the radar is remote Phu Quoc Island, near Cambodia, which will surely become a full-fledged beach mecca, but for now is just a slow-paced retreat.

• HUÉ AND CENTRAL VIETNAM The old imperial capital, Hué, issleepier than Hanoi and H.C.M.C. but compensates with a wealth ofhistoric landmarks (the city is a World Heritage Site). Many visitorsuse it as a base for touring the former Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. Huéis as famous for its cuisine as for its monuments, though some of thebest Hué-style cooking is actually served in Hanoi. Still, architectureaficionados and war historians will find the city compelling.

• THE MEKONG DELTA The delta is popular with tour groups andday-trippers from H.C.M.C. Endless rivers and canals wind past drippinggreen jungle, fruit plantations, and fishermen's shacks—but it's not asuniformly beautiful as it sounds. The marketplace at Can Tho (the delta's largest city) is a maelstrom; the Victoria Can Tho, nearby, is a pleasant riverfront resort.

• FARTHER AFIELD Those with more time might consider excursionsto Dalat, a French-era mountain retreat surrounded by lakes and teaplantations; Sapa, a remote northwestern hill station populated bycolorful tribal minorities; and Halong Bay, where re-created Chinesejunks carry tourists past the limestone islets that jut out of theblue-green water.