10 Best Places to Visit in Vietnam

Vietnam is a pleasant as well as a peaceful country around the Southern East of Asia. Vietnam, one of the most unique countries in South-East Asia, is a promising destination for those looking for a perfect mix of culture and heritage. With an extended coastline line from the North to the Southeast along with high foothills as well as highlands, Vietnam offers both beaches as well as mountain scenery.

Vietnam is among the many densely-populated nations on earth. The Vietnamese New Year is by far the biggest celebration in Vietnam. In Giao Thua, midnight of New Year's Eve, the whole family meets at the table, lights incense for the ancestors. Every year, millions of people fly, drive and float to their hometown to spend quality time with their friends and their families.

The meals are great, the songs are noisy and everyone is in a good mood. The Tet in Vietnam coincides with the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls around the end of January or the beginning of February. A week before the arrival of the Tet, the families rejoin and together prepare the traditional food in Vietnam like the typical dessert of the party called Banh Chung, a typical cake with rice attached, boiled soy and pork.

In addition, another important moment, typical of the Tet are the Lucky money or Li Xi sachets, which are a gift for people close by and for children. They are strictly red and yellow, the colors of luck and prosperity, and contain new banknotes. With many islands of Southeast Asia, you will find fantastic vacation spots you could wish to visit while traveling Vietnam.

Vietnam is the very beautiful country with it beaches, rivers, pagodas and mostly for the war with America. Vietnam is now fast growing as you can enter over land from China, Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam is cheap and you can taste varieties of fruits.

Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An, Hue, Sa Pa, Dalat, Nha Trang, Hanoi and others. it depends how much time you have, if you have short time fly to Hanoi and vsit Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba islands. you will love it.



Take a look at a few of the many tourist destinations and things to do in Vietnam which provide exceptional types of encounters which you will not find anywhere else in your life. Here are the best places to visit in Vietnam.

1. Sa Pa

Visit Sapa (northern region) where you can meet with tribal people, enjoy mountainous fairs and festivals, and hike easily. Nestled in the North West of Vietnam, Sapa Valley was once a road less traveled. It is home to some of the lushest trek routes, scenic views of the local villages, and home to the tallest mountain in Vietnam: Fan Si Pan. It is also well known in the travel world for responsible and sustainable tourism practices!

Close to the China border, it is a quaint but beautiful space. Take a walk around this lovely town, enjoy some street food, unwind in a spa, ride across the countryside in a luxury train. Take a road trip to Sapa but in a comfortable limo van that will take you gliding from the capital to the valley. April is perfect timing because the mountains will be in bloom with white pear flowers and peach blossoms.

Once a French hill station, now a gorgeous valley, home to multiple ethnic tribes of Vietnam, Sapa Valley is one of the most underrated and overlooked spots of South East Asia. Undulating hills of green, terrace farms with paddy fields, and the rolling fog parting around the tallest peak of the country - Fan Si Pan - are what await you.

Home to the highest mountain in Vietnam - Fansipan, Sapa should be your next holiday destination especially if you are a mountain lover. Cat Cat Village and Ta Phin Village are also a part of this park along with the cave which are all tourist attractions. So with hiking options, the beautiful mountain, Hoang Lien National park and an opportunity to visit tribal villages - Sapa makes for the perfect travel destination.

2. Ho Chi Minh City

For many years it was the main port of Cambodia before the region was annexed to Vietnam. Saigon was the old name of the capital of South Vietnam. But after the war in Vietnam and the triumph of the north (communism), Vietnam reunified, Hanoi became the capital and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh, in honor of the communist leader. It mixes European designs with Asian culture.

The energy in this southern metropolis is infectious. I love exploring the War Remnants Museum for its powerful exhibitions, bargaining at Ben Thanh Market, and enjoying the city's vibrant food scene. The Cu Chi Tunnels, just outside the city, offer a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam's wartime history. There are many road vendors and late night meals stalls that smell quite great. The food is perfect, which infuses the same perfect mix. The coffee, is mind blowing.

Ben Thanh Street Food Market is a food court with a delicious, inexpensive and infinite offer of Asian food.
Precisely the Backpacker Quarter is another place you should visit in Ho Chi Minh City. Here the offer of accommodation, restaurants and entertainment and services is inexhaustible. Beer is cheap, t-shirts are nice and photocopied travel guides are on offer.

Bitexco Tower, at 260 meters is the highest in Ho Chi Minh City. Although by day they attract a lot of attention, at night it is truly spectacular. The city at night is just as chaotic as at 8 in the morning, but it has a certain touch of elegance that is almost invisible during the day. It is impossible to understand this city without the Saigon River, the absolute protagonist of Ho Chi Minh's daily life.

Mekong Delta tour is a couple of hours by bus from HCMC and offers you a understanding of daily lives of river people. Go to the floating market, observe men and women create neighborhood meals (like coconut candy, vermicelli, rice-paper).

The passport must have a minimum validity of six months. In the case of having planned more than one entry within that period or a stay of more than 15 days, a visa must be obtained. Vietnam is one of these weird countries that has a complicated Visa process that everyone games. Officially you're supposed to apply for a Visa at the Vietnamese consulate in your home country. That takes time and planning and work.

Instead, what most people do is get a variant of a Visa on Arrival. There are agencies on the web where you submit your information (passport number, etc), and for a nominal fee they issue you a certificate saying that they are a travel agency that is sponsoring your travel to Vietnam. Then you present this at the border, and you're issued a Visa right there and then.

The online process takes like 10 minutes, and the border process takes another 30 minutes or so while you wait for the border control to process you.

If you travel more than 15 days to Vietnam you need a visa. And to get it you have to request an invitation letter, fill out an infinite document at the airport, hand in a passport photo and pay 25 dollars. At least the airport of Ho Chi Minh do not accept credit card. AirBnb is a great option to sleep cheaply and meet local people.

The climate in southern Vietnam is very suitable for tropical fruits, and fresh fruits are sold on the roadside. Mui Ne is the source of dragon fruit, in addition to jackfruit, mangosteen, durian, etc. are very good choices. The price of fruit is low, the price is lower than that in China, and the taste is several times better than that in China.

French loaf is a hard loaf of bread, which is made by adding cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, ham or fried eggs. There are many French stick stalls on the roadside in Mui Ne, so it is best to come early.

Shrimp cake is also a famous snack in Vietnam. The method of shrimp cakes is to wrap fresh prawns in the seasoned batter, and deep-fry them in a frying pan. After they are out of the pan, they are fragrant and crispy and delicious.

Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Da Nang, Halong Bay and other cities close to the sea, you can eat the most famous lobster. When night falls, seafood stalls in a humble environment and delicious barbecue lobsters attract a large number of tourists. Smear the local special sauce, and eat it with sweet sauce after barbecue, which has a special flavor.

Interesting Reads: Best Beaches in Vietnam

This applies to everywhere in Asia, but get Uber or Grab (formerly Grab Taxi) on your phone. The difference between those apps and taxis is staggering. Not only are they cheaper, but they are often faster, and you don't feel like you're being ripped off.

3. Ninh Binh

We started a new route to Ninh Binh, a town south of the capital. The surroundings of Ninh Binh hide dream landscapes. Many call it Halong Bay in land. The well-known Vietnamese bay is famous for its karstic islets jutting out from the sea, with a vegetation of such intense green that when you visit it it seems that you have strained into Jurassic Park.

The difference with Halong Bay is that here the sea gives way to the rice fields. Trang An located about 8 kilometers from Ninh Binh is a natural park declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. To visit Trang An, you have to do it by boat. The boat will take you go inside some caves and temples to explore. Some caves are dark and dangerous.

Moreover, the caves were very low as the water level was high after all the flooding so that was a bit scary. Especially, your head should be low if you do not want to hit the ceiling of the caves. The boatman will also drop you at the temples where you can get down to get some photos and then hop back the boat again. Tam Coc is the sister landscape of Trang An. Just do not hesitate to take a bike ride around Tam Coc.

There are beautiful landscapes between rice fields and mountains, and other places of interest, such as Bich Dong or Mua Caves, are nearby. It does not hurt either to shop around the town because it is very lively. The grace of Mua Caves is to climb the 500 steps that cross the zigzag mountain and reach their viewpoints, from which you have spectacular views.

Near the start of the climb to the Mua Cave viewpoint is a lotus pond with a wobbly bamboo bridge on top of it. Even if it is not the season for lotus to bloom, the entire experience of walking on top of a wobbly bamboo bridge over a lotus pond is very exciting, to some extent even better than the trek.

You will see the Tam Coc river and the boats that make the walk, which are tiny from the heights. Also, if you like dragonflies, you will go crazy because it is plagued! With 700 hectares, temples of Bai Dinh is the largest Buddhist complex in Vietnam. The site is so large that it is recommended to take a minibus that transports you to the lower part or symbolic entrance.

To climb up to the different temples there is a way in which 500 statues of Arhats (in Buddhism, someone who has gained a deep understanding of existence) accompany you at every step. I would recommend that you take your time and go see all the temples and pagodas that you find on the way.

The temples of Bich Dong are not as spectacular as those of Bai Dinh, but they also have something that makes them special. Its peculiarity is that this small complex is formed by 3 temples, which are located in natural caves of the mountain. Very close to Trang An and Bai Dinh is Hoa Lu, which was the former imperial capital of Vietnam in the 10th century.

Nestled between the mountains of the Pu Luong nature reserve in Vietnam, Kho Muong village charms the visitors with a wild landscape and well-preserved cultural traditions. The local food here is so good that you should order is Dê núi means goat meat and Gà đồi means chicken meat. You can try them with a local wine and fried rice.

From Ninh Binh you will easily find transportation to the busiest places, such as Hanoi, Halong Bay, Cat Ba, Sa Pa or Hoi An.

4. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Sanctuary offers much scenery. However, nothing is indeed well-liked as the caves. The Phong Nha Caves consist of many cave systems, lots of which are massive enough to contain whole town blocks. The greatest, as well as most remarkable, is Hang Son Doong. The Son Doong cave is the result of the local karstic geology. Access to the caves is Son Trach, an ample township which is the center of many transportation links all over Vietnam, local dining places as well as conference places for directed trips to the caves.

5. Hue

The world is full of unknown places, lost corners to discover, wild scenes that have never before known the human presence. It seems surreal that there are still places around the globe, virgins, that do not know what that is about the human footprint. Humans believe that we have control over all things, but, luckily, the planet is still a little more powerful than we are.

Also, there are abandoned places, where man has left his trail without any purpose. It seems that we enjoy the idea of transforming things to our liking, as if only the evolution of the planet depended on us. We are not alone in this world. We are not the owners of anything.

We are known for getting tired of things quickly. Why do we build something, often we do not even finish it, and we abandon it? This is the case of the Ho Thuy Tien water park, just one of the many thousands of abandoned places that exist. In the center of Vietnam, between the cities of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi is an abandoned water park, a rather terrifying place that has become a must-see for the most daring adventurers and travelers.

This place is practically unknown, because neither the travel agencies know that it exists, but Ho Thuy Tien is there. Its existence is transmitted from backpackers to backpackers and thanks to the photographs of the visitors. Its location does not appear in Google Maps and not even the inhabitants of the area know where it is.

It is an authentic ghost park in the middle of the wildest jungle in the area. It is located near the Thien An monastery. Among the jungle undergrowth, the visitor can discover in the center of Ho Thuy Tien a giant sculpture of a dragon from which to see the wildlife that surrounds the Park.

6. Bach Ma National Park

The 26 years old, country Local Park boost of rich floras plus faunas with 233 varieties of wild birds. It has also fifty-five varieties of mammals, more so it has over five hundred plant varieties. The Bach Ma National Park covers 22, 031 hectares; the sanctuary is among the biodiversity sites of Indochina. Guests have been touring locate since the 1930's. This Park offers you the best Vietnam Travel experience. A visit to the park comes with lots of benefits to say the list.

7. Da Nang

Many travelers eliminate Danang from their travel list or simply use it as a stopover to get from Hue or Hoi An. Is it worth visiting Danang? The answer is yes. Here are my reasons and what you need to know to visit one of the most unknown places in Vietnam. There are five marble mountains, as the name says, hiding caves, temples and Buddhas. They are inside the city of Danang.

Bảo tàng Đồng Đình is a museum that goes unnoticed but that is worth including in your Da Nang itinerary. It shows the evolution of the homes of the inhabitants of Da Nang.

There are 5 different types of houses surrounded by a magnificent garden. It is on the way to the famous sculpture of Lady Buddha. Da Nang Museum is a very interesting museum to know the history of the Cham ethnic group, majority in this Vietnamese region. You can see traditional costumes and ancient sculptures.

Ba Na Hills is a complex that combines Buddhist temples, a replica of a French village, pagodas and themed gardens. And, if that were not enough, all this is reached by traveling on the longest cable car in the world. The river walk in which the Dragon Bridge reigns is ideal for walking or working for a while in one of its cafeterias.

Hai Van Pass is just around where you can enjoy stunning views over the city and have an unforgettable driving experience. Also, Son Tra peninsula is just around with numerous hidden beaches, breathtaking views from various places, a lot of hiking trails and just amazing driving experience.

Also, Quang Nam province is just next to Da Nang and the nature there is simply amazing! It’s very convenient to just jump on the bike and drive one of many loops around Quang Nam.

Da Nang coffee and cashew nuts are also worth giving to friends and relatives. Two coffee beans like Arabica and Robusta are roasted with special cream, so they will give out rich cream when they drink. Fragrance; and cashew nuts are a specialty of Vietnam and a specialty product of Da Nang. Perfume reflects a person's taste. As the world's main producer of natural fragrances, it is a good choice to buy perfumes in Da Nang. For example, some famous perfume brands in France are basically imported from Vietnam.

Tourists who like jewelry and other crafts come to Da Nang to shop are very valuable, especially the low cost, various styles of gold and silver jewelry, etc., which are beautiful and affordable; and silver crafts are also The best souvenir when traveling in Vietnam. Through this exquisite craftsmanship, you can see the strong Vietnamese style, but when buying it, it is best to look at whether it is pure silver or silver-plated; the so-called coal carving crafts are mainly used Hongji and Jinpu are made of raw materials and have many styles.

Danang is a relatively hot city. Slippers are a must-have item for locals, especially rubber slippers. However, it is difficult to buy more natural rubber slippers on the market. There are still several shops in Da Nang that sell more genuine rubber slippers, so tourists can go shopping. However, it must be remembered that rubber slippers are only black in color, and rubber slippers in other colors must be fake.

Of course, in addition to knowing to buy these things, tourists also have to go to the duty-free shops in Da Nang. They are full and the prices are very reasonable, so tourists should not forget to check out the duty-free shops. In short, shopping in Da Nang is a crazy thing. Tourists can buy things to buy something soft, but their wallets may be deflated. If Da Nang can harvest so many good things at once, I believe it is also very worthwhile.

In addition, there are other delicacies in Vietnam, such as mung bean cake, which is handmade by local residents, as well as fruit candy, coconut sugar, etc. In addition to delicacy in Vietnam, you can also buy perfume here, which is very unique. There are also many handicrafts in Saigon and Hanoi that are good, and you can buy a lot of good products with Vietnamese characteristics, so it is easy to solve what to bring back when you come to Vietnam, mainly buying food or souvenirs at all prices It's very cheap, so don't miss the opportunity.

Compared with other countries in Southeast Asia, the food in Vietnam is more refreshing and delicious. Fresh ingredients are steamed, cold, grilled, braised, etc., combined with lighter flavors such as lime, herbs, coriander, and fish sauce to cook delicious Vietnamese dishes. The food style of Vietnam is deeply influenced by foreign culture, and Chinese and French food have a greater influence on it.

Vietnamese rice noodles are made from high-quality rice, with beef or chicken, various coriander and spices. Among them, beef pho is the most popular, and it can be described as a representative of Vietnamese cuisine.

Spring rolls are the most popular dish in Vietnam. The spring rolls are made of glutinous rice, wrapped in bean sprouts, vermicelli, shredded squid, shrimp, green onions, etc., and fried in a frying pan until they are crisp and brown. Dip it with seasonings such as fish sauce, sour vinegar, and chili.

Coffee is to Vietnam, just like tea is important to the Chinese people, it is a deep penetration into the bones. The style of Vietnamese coffee also lies in the special brewing process. It is not brewed with a coffee pot, but a special drip coffee cup, which is pressed tightly with a thick layer of coffee powder, poured into hot water, and waited patiently. The coffee falls into the cup drop by drop, and a cup of coffee may have to drop on...

Rou Zong is a traditional Vietnamese delicacy. In the past, the average Vietnamese could only eat it during festivals. This kind of meat dumpling is not what we imagined, it is made entirely of meat. Whenever festivals, especially before the Spring Festival, every household makes meat dumplings. Add good lean pork with various spices, put it in Ishida and make a paste, then wrap it with banana leaves or lotus leaves...

8. Hoi An

Over 1,600 years back, the Cham folks from Vietnam started building on several Hindu shrines around the township of Duy Phu. Under the shadow of Cat's Tooth Mountain, which is enclosed by an eco-friendly valley, many of these historic temples still endure. Well-known jointly as My Son, lots of the historic temples are, yet that naturally enhances the ambiance.

Touring My Son is a lot like walking way back in time, thanks to the out-of-the-way location with insufficient touristy system. Cau Lau is a typical dish of the city of Hoi An made with noodles, pork and vegetables. Apparently they cook it with water from a well of Cham, whose location is completely secret somewhere on the outskirts of the coquette Hoi An.

In all the restaurants of Hoi An they include it in the menu and they will say that it is the best Cau Lau of all! White Rose are a specialty of Hoi An. In almost all restaurants in Hoi An you will see them announced. It would be sacrilege to talk about Vietnam, without mentioning it’s culinary delicacies. You won’t find better street food at lower prices elsewhere. Vietnamese food is cheap, healthy, diverse, and of course, tasty.

Local vendors generally price food at around 1–5 dollars in Vietnam. This depends if you’re in a metropolitan area or in the countryside. Vietnamese cuisine is heavily influenced by France during the colonial period. This means that westerners can easily adjust to trying Vietnamese food because there are aspects that they are already used to such as bread (Bánh mì), chocolate (Sô-cô-la) and coffee (Cà phê) and chances are you can enjoy something similar in Vietnam.

Vietnam has one of the best street food in the world and nothing is better than a well-made Banh Mi, it is in fact a work of art. Banh Mi is a typical Vietnamese food cataloged at the top of the best cheap restaurants in each city. Banh mi is a type of sandwich on a baguette, and it doesn’t take long for locals to cut a baguette and put the good stuff inside.

You can try traditional dishes, such as typical Hanoi spring rolls or a delicious Vietnamese mango salad. Vietnamese like to eat green mangoes as a snack, soak in chili salt and chop into a hearty mango salad (goi xoai). The classic fried rice that is in any Asian country, is also eaten in Vietnam at any Vietnamese restaurant. And special mention deserves the Bia Hoi, which is said to be the cheapest beer in the world.

Vietnamese coconut candy is rich and delicious, using fresh coconut and glucose as raw materials, refined by tradition, and has a pure taste. Vietnam is the largest coffee producer in Southeast Asia. If you like the convenience of instant coffee, you can buy some G7 coffee. It is the most famous brand. In addition, if you like coffee powder or coffee beans, you can go to the chain of Highland coffee shops to buy, quality and price are guaranteed.

The Hoi An and Nha Trang areas in central Vietnam are rich in agarwood, which is called the Champa country area in Ming history. Since ancient Vietnamese incense wood was traded in Hoi An, the distribution center, Vietnamese agarwood is also commonly known as Hoi An agarwood. Nowadays, due to the decreasing output and the rising prices, the illegal vendors are making fake sales. Therefore, it is not recommended for inexperienced people to buy it here. If you use it yourself, you can buy entry-level agarwood with less than 50 dollars.

Walking on the streets of Vietnam, you can see many lanterns with Chinese style at the door of the house. This is also a major specialty of Vietnam. The hometown of lanterns in Vietnam is Hoi An. Hoi An lanterns are very famous, with a wide variety of colors, very good workmanship, and full of Hoi An characteristics. Just be careful not to buy a lantern that is too big, it is not convenient to carry.

In Vietnam’s tourist attractions, especially the ancient city of Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi, which have a long cultural history, there are many galleries run by folk art masters. Many of these studios are hidden in the alleys for creation. Not to be disturbed by the outside world, famous charcoal paintings and finger paintings can be found in such galleries. If you lack a characteristic painting to decorate the wall at home, you may wish to consider taking one back home here.

Vietnam is rich in precious wood. You can see exquisite woodcarving works in shops, ancient houses and temples on the streets and lanes. There are also many shops selling these woodcarvings. The skills of Vietnamese craftsmen are inherited from ancient China. Because of the settlement of Chinese caravans, they began to use wood carvings to decorate the interior on a large scale. Some of these ancient craftsmanship have long been lost in China, but they are well preserved here.

9. Dalat

Bao Loc, in the heart of a fertile region, is known above all for its silk factories, although what attracts tourists are the Dambri waterfalls. The torrent rises from a bamboo forest to fall 60 meters below with a deafening clatter. An elevator (for a fee) allows you to get off without any effort, although the truth is a bit of a sight to the landscape.

10. Cat Tien National Park

The Cat Tien National Park is a treasure trove of biodiversity. Here, in the tropical forests of southern Vietnam live some of the most threatened species in the world. Apart from the great variety of unique and endemic species, Cat Tien is perhaps most famous for its Java rhino herd, which for 40 years was thought to have become extinct.