Vietnam is an amazing mix of natural highlights and cultural diversity. The landscape stretches from jagged peaks seen from winding mountain passes to verdant rice fields painted every shade of green in the palette, while the nation’s long history and astonishing number of ethnic minorities mean that culture vultures will find plenty to admire. Hikers, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts can get their teeth into the countryside in the many national parks, while the spectacular karst sight of Halong Bay is a natural sight that even the more slothful can experience up close on a cruise. While the rural areas are full of fantastic vistas, the big cities breathe with modern life and provide plenty of opportunity to get stuck into Vietnam’s tasty culinary delights. This fascinating country is full of surprises and is one of Southeast Asia’s most underrated destinations.
Read also: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Hanoi
1 Halong Bay
The karst scene of Halong Bay is one of the world’s most fascinating seascapes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thousands of limestone islands sit in this bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, eroded into jagged pinnacles by wind and water action over millennia. With the bay’s scenery best seen by boat, this is the prime cruising area. Opt for a night tour to see the iconic views of Halong Bay as a day trip. There are numerous caves in the bay that can be entered, including the Hang Sung Sot, with three gigantic caves, and the Hang Dao Go, with extremely weird stalagmites and stalactites. For most people, however, the highlight is simply cruising amid the karsts and enjoying the changing landscape of pinnacles as you pass by.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Halong Bay
2 Ho Chi Minh Stad
For big city fans, no visit to Vietnam is truly complete without a visit to Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s bustling and crazy commercial center. The streets are a crazy cluster of motorcycles and cars, the restaurant and cafe scene is incredibly cosmopolitan, and the shopping is the best you can find in the country. At its heart is Dong Khoi, a relatively small and easily navigable central district that houses most of the city’s attractions. Here you will find the HCMC Museum, with a wonderful collection of objects that bring together the story of the city and the great Cathedral of Notre-Dame, built at the end of the 19th century. Check out the Old Quarter of Da Kao nearby for some of the city’s best surviving examples of French colonial architecture and also visit the Jade Emperor Pagoda with its dazzling array of Buddhist and Taoist religious iconography. Afterwards, the History Museum is a must for history buffs with piles of relics on display at various archaeological sites.
For many visitors, the two big hitter attractions that cannot be missed are just a little way out of the center, along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. The Reunification Palace, then known as the Independence Palace, was the residence for the President of South Vietnam. It is most famous as the place where North Vietnam’s tanks stopped on April 30, 1975, officially ending the war. It’s a completely fascinating place to visit, complete with furniture from the 1960s still in situ. Nearby is the War Remnants Museum, which, although very clearly biased, provides a disturbing picture of the brutality of war and the many atrocities committed by the US forces during their Vietnam campaign.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Ho Chi Minh City: Best Areas and Hotels
3 Tint
One of Vietnam’s most historic cities, Hue is packed with relics from the time of the nineteenth-century Nguyen Emperors. Located along the banks of the beautiful Perfume River, the Imperial Enclosure is a huge site within walls that stretch for 2.5 kilometers. As you tour the grounds, see the beautiful Ngo Mon Gate, the Thai Hoa Palace with its finely lacquered interior details, the Dien Tho Residence where the Queen Mothers are said to live, and the Halls of Mandarins with its preserved ceiling paintings. A staggering number of historical sites also lie beyond the walls of the Imperial Enclosure.
One of the most fun ways to visit a collection of remote locations is to take a riverboat cruise on the Perfume River. On a day cruise you can visit several royal tombs, along with some pagodas. If you are short on time, the best tomb to visit is the Tomb of Tu Doc and the most important pagoda in the area is the Thien Mu Pagoda, with its tower rising 21 meters high.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Hue
4 Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
One of the best caving destinations in the world, the World Heritage-listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is an impressive honeycombed karst mountain range with enormous caves, showcasing beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. The most popular destination within the park is Paradise Cave, which extends no less than 31 kilometers underground. The yawning caves here are truly spectacular. Tu Lan Cave is a “wet cave” and a visit here includes swimming through the river of the caves. The other most popular excursion is to the Phong Nha Caves, where the interior is accessible by boat. You can access Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park from Son Trach.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
5 My son
Surrounded by lush, jungle-covered mountains, My Son is a ruined Cham-era temple city dating back to the 4th century. This ancient Hindu religious center was still very much in use in the 7th to 10th centuries, only falling into complete disrepair and abandonment in the 13th century. There are about 20 temple structures still standing here, all built of brick or sandstone blocks and showing interesting influences from several Asian empires, including India and Malay. Note that the temples of Group B are the oldest, while Group A once contained the site’s main monument, but was deliberately destroyed by American forces during the Vietnam War. A good museum on site houses a lot of information about the Cham. Access to My Son is from Hoi An.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Hoi An
6 Go back
Beautiful Hoi An is the most atmospheric city in Vietnam, with bags of surviving historic architecture. The Old Town is a delight to explore, packed to the brim with well-preserved merchant houses that harken back to Hoi An’s heyday in the 15th century, when the town was an important meeting point for Japanese and Chinese merchants who flocked here for the local silk. Many of the old merchant houses are open to the public, so you can get a taste of those times. The best is the 17th-century Tan Ky House, with fascinating architectural and decorative features.
The main symbol of Hoi An is the beautiful Japanese bridge on the west side of Tran Phu Street. Nearby, the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Municipality of China is the most decorated temple in the ancient city. There are countless small pagodas and museums dotted around the city, but the true charm of Hoi An can be found in simply walking the streets of the old town and admiring the well-preserved facades.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Hoi An
7 Sapa Countryside
The verdant rice paddy landscape surrounding Sapa, bordered by the jagged peaks of the Hoang Lien Mountains (often still known by their French colonial-era name of the Tonkinese Alps), is home to Vietnam’s most beautiful rural vistas. The deep valleys here are home to a diverse mix of the country’s ethnic minorities, including the Hmong, Giay and Red Dzao people, while the rippling hills are dotted with rice fields and overlooked by the country’s tallest mountain , Fansipan Mountain. This is the top trekking destination in Vietnam, with many opportunities to hike or take a day hike between small villages and experience the stunning mountain views. Sapa itself is the main base here – an old French hill station and now a bustling and ever-growing tourist center that provides a stark contrast to the lush tranquil countryside just on your doorstep.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Sapa
8 Hanoi
Vietnam’s capital is the frenetic heartbeat of the nation and a place that confuses and charms travelers in equal measure. The motorcycle frenzy, pollution and constant noise of street vendors may be too much for some travelers, but if you want to explore Vietnamese city life, Hanoi is the place to do it. The old town has plenty of run-down charm to offer, while history fans should find a spot here to see the cluster of excellent museums. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Vietnam Fine Art Museum are both wonderful introductions to the country’s diverse art, while the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is an important tribute to the founder of modern Vietnam.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Hanoi: Best Areas and Hotels
9 Nha Trang
For sandy fun in Vietnam, Nha Trang is king. The well-maintained beach flows for six kilometers along the coastline of central Nha Trang and is packed with holidaying local families as well as foreign visitors in the summer. There is excellent swimming here with designated swimming areas and manicured lounging areas making this a great option for relaxing days taking advantage of the sun and sand. If you get bored of sunbathing, the ancient Po Nagar Cham Towers are just north over the Xom Bong Bridge and have been used here as a place of worship since the 7th century (some historians say the site itself was built a place of active worship since much earlier). There is also an excellent museum dedicated to the work of Alexandre Yersin who discovered the cause of the bubonic plague and founded the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang (which continues to run vaccination programs in Vietnam today).
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Nha Trang
10 Cu Chi tunnels
An absolutely fascinating experience for all travelers, not just those interested in Vietnam’s modern military history, the Củ Chi Tunnels are an extensive tunnel network that stretched for more than 250 kilometers during the war, allowing VC forces to operate and communicate in the Ho Chi Minh City area. Two short sections of the network can be visited with a guide who will take you into the narrow, unlit confines, which are definitely not for claustrophobic sufferers. You literally crawl on your hands and knees and at some points. You can access the tunnels at Ben Dinh village (the more popular choice) or Ben Duoc village.
11 Ba Be National Park
Tranquil Ba Be National Park is absolutely breathtaking with the three interconnected Ba Be Lakes at its heart, rimmed by jagged karst peaks and densely forested slopes. Most visitors come here to take peaceful boat trips or kayaking on the lake and explore the caves full of stalactites and stalagmites in the area, but for the active, there is also excellent walking and hiking in the hills here among ethnic minority villages. This is one of the quietest places in Vietnam and overnight travelers sleep in traditional houses in stilt-house accommodation on the lake shore, experiencing a simple rural life.
12 Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
In the far south of Vietnam, the mighty Mekong River finally makes its way to the sea in a maze of waterways that cross the floodplains. Incredibly lush, with rice fields and mangroves, and teeming with local life, with chaotic floating markets to explore by boat, the delta is one of the most interesting regions for travelers to discover. Can Tho is the most popular town to use as a base as it is close to the floating markets of Phong Dien and Cai Rang, while boat trips from Ca Mau allow you to explore the U Minh Mangrove Forest and Cau Mau Nature Reserve.
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