This is just an overview post with links to all the others. There might be some more bonus parts coming, or maybe not.
I liked Vietnam. It's wildly exotic, but at the same time quite civilized and friendly. The chicken embryo was the most memorable thing. But there's a lot of different stuff that's great there: the people, the hike up Fansipan, Hanoi with its bustling street life, the motorbike ride, the caves in Halong. The food isn't bad, either.
What would I have done differently? I would have ridden a bike more, gone to restaurants less, and wouldn't have been afraid to eat the local food right from the start. Maybe I'd have taken off on a motorbike for a couple of days somewhere further out.
Overall, to anyone who hasn't been to Asia but has the chance, I recommend it — everything is different there, although not entirely. Of course, it all depends on the person — I personally like anything that's different from what I've already seen.
Prologue - technical info about tickets and so on