Posted by Jim Sullivan from Mandarin Media

Last week, Conde Nast Traveler magazine revealed the results of its Reader’s Choice Awards for 2010. We at Mandarin Media were thrilled — three of our clients in Vietnam made the list — but not all that surprised.

I lived in Southeast Asia for three years. Vietnam for two. During that time, a smattering of friends and relatives came to visit. We traveled up and down the country. From the sensory overloaded streets of Saigon to the majestic mountains of Dalat. From the broad beaches of Danang to the spellbinding bay of Halong. And when they got on that plane to return to Australia or America, the parting comment was always on the order of, “I’m so glad I came. I had no idea how beautiful this country was.”

It’s no secret Vietnam is open now in a way that it’s never been before. Those adventurous enough to see it for themselves are never disappointed. Proof is in those Reader’s Choice rankings.

I think it’s cool. Cool that travelers are broadening their horizons. And cool that Vietnam is being recognized for what it’s become, instead of what it once was.