This enormous gold Buddha statue was hidden inside a stucco decoy for centuries.

For true northern-style phở with broth as clear as consommé, hunt for this restaurant hidden within a residential home.

Unbeknownst to many, this fountain was erected as a tomb and still holds the remains of a Frenchman.

Home of the unusual art of water puppetry, one of Vietnam's oldest curiosities.

Walk through a clothing store, across a courtyard, and up several flights of stairs for delicious coffee with a side of beautiful views.

Twice a day a speeding train passes only inches from the homes of this residential neighborhood.

The notorious "Hanoi Hilton" where Vietnamese colonial subjects and later American POWs, including John McCain, were imprisoned.

A gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, this is the only statue of the Soviet dictator in Southeast Asia.

Under Hanoi’s medieval citadel sits a secret military headquarters from the final years of the Vietnam War.

Ho Chi Minh's perfectly preserved body has been on display here since 1975.

Ha Long Bay's "Cave of Surprises" houses a popular phallic rock formation.

This cavern was used as a hidden hospital and safe house during the Vietnam War.

Perhaps the only one of its kind, the nearly-forgotten site once held mortal (and rigged) gladiatorial games between tigers and imperial war elephants.

Giant pagoda houses the car that drove Thích Quảng Đức to his death by self-immolation.

This bridge is embedded with a giant steel dragon that breathes fire from its mouth.

Home to the world's largest collection of ancient Champa's sculptural works, featuring many Hindu and Buddhist deities.

This candy-pink cathedral of Da Nang is also known as the Chicken Church.

Vietnam's largest Buddha statue depicts a female sage.

This Vietnamese hell cave lets visitors take a walk through a devilish underworld full of demons.

Founded by French colonists in 1919, this mountain resort has been transformed into one-of-a-kind theme park.

This spectacular bridge supported by two gigantic hands looks like something out of a fantasy universe.

This antique shop offers affordable 15th-century Vietnamese ceramics salvaged from a local shipwreck.

A small museum dedicated to Vietnam’s lesser-known Iron Age culture.

One of Vietnam's most iconic landmarks was built by Japanese traders and is now in danger of sinking.