It’s one of the world’s fastest emerging tourist destinations, a thundering hive of history, hospitality and home-brew beer, but as I found, there’s an altogether stranger side to Hanoi lying at its heart.

A few hours from the rush of Kuala Lumpur, peninsular Malaysia quietens, slows, and, most importantly, cools. The rapid evolution of this stunning country from coastal metropolis to pleasant peaks gave rise to one of the greatest hikes I have ever had the pleasure of setting out on.