Farmers wearing conical hats have become a traditional beauty of Vietnam
A gap year is a period of time during which a student takes a break from studying after they have finished school and before they start college or university. Around this time, many young people choose to travel to explore themselves and new lands.
According to ABTA, there has been an increase in bookings over the last 12 months, as interest in taking a gap year returns among school-leavers this year.
Describing Vietnam, Roughguides said: “Few countries have changed so much over such a short time as Vietnam. It is a country on the move: access is now easier than ever, roads are being upgraded, hotels are springing up.”
As the number of tourists visiting the country soars, their talk is now about paddy fields and sugar-white beaches, full-tilt cities and venerable pagodas.
Many visitors find a vast number of places to visit that intrigue and excite them in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city and the other major centers; but despite the cities’ allure, it’s the country’s striking landscape that most impresses.
“To the north and south of its narrow waist, it fantails out into the splendid deltas of the Red River and the Mekong, and it’s in these regions that you’ll encounter the paddy fields, dragonflies, buffaloes and conical-hatted farmers that constitute the classic image of Vietnam,” said the website.
Other places which made the list are Thailand, Australia, the US, South Africa, Peru, Brazil, India, New Zealand and Fiji./.