Last week, we visited North Vietnam. Now it’s time to head south.

Ho Chi Minh City (H.C.M.C., though locals still call it Saigon) will have you double-checking the definition of “developing nation” as you order another chocolate martini.

Sleep chic at the spanking-new Park Hyatt Saigon (2 Lam Son Square; +84-8-824-1234). Or rough it (read: no spa treatments or landscaped swimming pool) at the Saigon Boutique Hotel (57 Pham Viet Chanh; +84-8-833-0540), where breakfast is served on a rooftop overlooking a decidedly untouristy part of town.

The glam go to Q Bar (7 Cong Truong Lam Son; +84-8-823-3479), where fancy drinks cost more than most Vietnamese meals. Or hop a motorbike ($1 per ride) and head to the Rex Hotel rooftop (141 Nguyen Hue; +84-8-829-2185), where Saigon beers are cheap and the views are free. Design snobs will faint over the glorious ’60s architecture at the Reunification Palace (106 Nguyen Du; +84-8-829-0629).

Slurp pho (the national noodle dish) at swish chain Pho 24, a cult fave that gets its name from the number of ingredients. You’ll find the city’s best street vendors whipping up their famed delicacies under one roof at Quan An Ngon (138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street; +84-8-825-7179). Grilled blood cockles, anyone?

Time to shop. Dong Khoi is the main strip; start at the Magestic Hotel and work your way down. Don’t miss Anna Bui (#157; +84-8-827-9011) for great bags, dresses, and tops. Do miss all the designer knockoff jewelry stores you’ll pass — stop only at Therese (#88F, in the Sheraton Hotel).

When you’ve had enough motorbike exhaust, hop a quick flight to Nha Trang and, shebang, you’re sitting by the infinity pool at the cushy Ana Mandara, where Paris-trained chef David Thai’s cuisine is as heavenly as the thatched-roof oceanfront digs.

If you’d rather a smaller beach town, head to Hoi An (a little touristy, a lot gorgeous), stay at the beachfront Victoria Hotel, and treat yourself to a tamarind spa treatment.

From North to South, it’s just the right amount of yin and yang.