Strung on a network of rivers between the mountains and the sea, Vietnam is a landscape of moody alpine fogs hovering over thatch-roofed villages nestled in forests of rain. Vast expanses of reflective paddy fields posturing rice stands through which gentle breezes eddy. Lacework deltas fretted with canals carrying fertile mud recently arrived from China, and boiling white beaches guarded by island sentinels. More details