My 19-day trip to Vietnam in June 2010 was a revelation. Naively, I expected to see the country that was depicted on television 40 years ago during the Vietnam War, but, today, the Vietnam reality is much better than my long-ago memories led me to believe it would be.

It was easy to pick out our driver/guide, Anton Prole, at the arrivals area of Gatwick airport. He was the epitome of a proper British gentleman — ramrod-straight posture, perfectly trimmed moustache and beard, knife-sharp creases in his trousers and a twinkle in his eye. My husband, Steve, and I had traveled to dozens of countries over the past 40 years, but we had never visited England. When we finally decided to make it our next destination, it wasn’t easy to find a trip to our liking.

For many years I had wanted to sail in French Polynesia on the M/S Paul Gauguin. I was attracted by my love of the sea and snorkeling and by the ship’s reputation for the pampering of its passengers. So I chose an itinerary, in late August ’09, that would give me maximum time to snorkel.