Vietnam

Vietnam is a country shaped like a dragon, or perhaps a letter S, stretching 1,650 kilometers along the South China Sea coast. It is impossibly narrow in places - at its thinnest, just 50 kilometers separate the mountains of Laos from the sea. From the rice terraces of the north to the floating markets of the Mekong Delta, from the limestone towers of Ha Long Bay to the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, Vietnam packs more visual drama per kilometer than almost any country on Earth.

But Vietnam's real genius is its street food culture. Pho, the aromatic beef noodle soup eaten for breakfast across the country, is just the opening act. Banh mi sandwiches, bun cha grilled pork noodles, fresh spring rolls, egg coffee, ca phe sua da - the food is extraordinary, endlessly varied, and served on plastic stools on sidewalks for less than a dollar. Vietnam has been invaded by the Chinese, the Mongols, the French, the Japanese, and the Americans, and defeated them all. The result is a culture with a granite core of resilience, a wicked sense of humor, and an absolute refusal to be told what to do. The motorbike chaos of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is not disorder - it is organized freedom, Vietnamese style.