(CNN) — Thanks in part to its serpentine shape and lengthy coastline, Vietnam is home to wildly diverse landscapes.

As you travel around the Southeast Asian country, you'll be surrounded by photogenic scenery -- from lush rice terraces in northern Sapa to the white sandy beaches of Phu Quoc.

Vietnam's architecture is particularly notable, too.

As a French colony from 1887 to 1954, the country is also peppered with historic government buildings and merchant houses along crucial trade routes -- such as Hoi An, in central Vietnam.

There's more to Vietnam's diverse noodle scene than pho. You'll be seeing red when you tuck into a bowl of bun rieu, a crab-based vermicelli soup.

The mighty Mekong adds to the diverse scenery, rushing through the southern lowlands and branching off into tiny canals that fuel agriculture in rural communities.

