Vietnam listed in Rough Guides’ top-20 most beautiful countries

The British publisher's cited the country's wealth of natural beauty, including the impressive rock formations in Ha Long Bay and the terraced fields of mountainous Sapa, as the factors that influenced its choice.

“Despite its increasing popularity, Vietnam can still claim to be one of Southeast Asia’s bargain destinations in 2014. Street food in particular is famously good and cheap: dishes like banh cuon for £1 are common, and even a meal in a simple restaurant is unlikely to be more than £3. If you can get the local rate, bus travel and motorbike hire are also great value,” described the popular travel website about Vietnam.

Another famous travel guide, the Touropia.com also cited the terraced fields outiside Sapa as one of the top-11 natural beauties in the world, while the US-based Travel and Leisure selected it as one of the 7 most-spectacular destinations. Sapa's ethnic minority groups also create a special cultural identity, appealing to tourists.

Vietnam is also famous for its stunning beaches, such as Cua Dai in Hoi An and Non Nuoc in Da Nang on the central coast, the magazine reported.

Topping of the list was Scotland, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Indonesia, the UK, Iceland, and the US.

Other countries in the list were Slovenia, Mexico, India, Finland, Switzerland, Peru, Norway, Ireland, Croatia and Vietnam.