Vietnam is located at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, and borders China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west. Holidays in Vietnam are a fascinating mix of bustling cities, charming towns and scenic beaches. Marvel at Vietnam’s historic landmarks, hike through the country’s national parks or sample its delectable cuisine. Vietnam’s natural beauty is magnetic.
Vietnam is defined by three regions:
Northern Vietnam
Hanoi
Founded over 1000 years ago, Vietnam’s capital city is rich in history, with the streets of its rambling Old Quarter dating back to the 14th century. For an authentic taste of Hanoi, look to the street kitchens of the Old Quarter.
Ha Giang
Ha Giang lies in the remote far northern region of the country. To visit this province is to journey back in time and encounter some of Vietnam’s most rugged and grand landscapes.
The small city of Ha Giang is the gateway to the province, and approximately 300km from Hanoi.
Ha Long
Ha Long Bay is not just a UNESCO-listed site, it’s also home to a number of fishing communities who have lived on the water for centuries. Take a boat tour around a floating village for a glimpse of this rare and beautiful way of life.
Mai Chau
The Mai Chau’s proximity to the capital makes it an ideal escape for nature lovers. For a full day trip, spring for a kayaking excursion on Hoa Binh Lake, a beautiful body of water surrounded by jungled hills. Or venture further to Pu Luong Nature Reserve where cool, fresh streams run among the trees, feeding waterfalls and aquamarine pools.
Ninh Binh
Get a bird's-eye view of Ninh Binh at Hang Mua, where 500 steps have been dramatically carved into the steep face of a mountain. At the top, a lookout point offers a surreal vista of the river winding lazily among paddies and limestone outcrops.
Sapa
Sapa town stands at the head of a deep valley of magnificent rice terraces that are still farmed today as they have been for centuries. Sapa offers some of Vietnam's best trekking, and some villages such as Cat Cat and Ta Phin can be seen without a guide. Book an overnight trek to wander through rice terraces, bathe in waterfalls and experience ethnic culture first-hand.
Central Vietnam
Da Nang
Da Nang hosts some of Vietnam's top luxury resorts, but much of the beach still belongs to the people who make it their playground, gym, and source of livelihood.
Da Nang is a dream destination for foodies, with scores of seafront eateries and street food
stalls.
The Son Tra Peninsula strikes out into the ocean, its densely forested hillsides are home to the endangered red-shanked douc langur – one of the world’s most striking primates.
Da Lat
Hidden away in the Central Highlands, Da Lat plays the cooler cousin to Vietnam's seaside destinations. Famous for its countryside charm, Da Lat draws couples, wellness seekers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Hoi An
Hoi An was a one-time trading port. Outside the Old Town, two-lane roads slice through waving rice fields and emerge at a frothy coastline. An Bang Beach is just a 10-minute drive from the Ancient Town and promises seafood lunches, sandy stretches and cool waves.
Hue
Travellers with an eye for architecture will enjoy seeing what remains of French influence in Hue. Stroll down Le Loi to encounter the art déco lines of La Residence Hotel, and the stately crimson buildings of Quoc Hoc High School. Get acquainted with Vietnam’s last royal dynastic family by exploring what survives of their 143-year reign. Roam the palaces, pavilions and theatres.
Nha Trang
Perched on a pristine stretch of the southern coast, Nha Trang is a playground for sunseekers. Nha Trang lays claim to some of the country's finest luxury resorts and thrilling water sports. Daylong island excursions will show you around Nha Trang Bay, and a series of small islands nearby such as Monkey Island, Hòn Mun Island, and Yến Island where you’ll be greeted by beautiful, untouched shores.
Phong Nha
The Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park is a rugged swathe of limestone mountains riddled with gigantic caves. It's also home to endangered wildlife and ethnic minority groups. Hang Sơn Đoòng is said to be the largest cave in the world. It’s big enough to accommodate skyscrapers and has its jungle ecosystem.
Southern Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
Vibrating with energy, innovation and traffic – lots of traffic – Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the economic heart of Vietnam and the main hub of the southern region. Vietnam in the most compact of spaces, representing the city’s past as well as its future, and is the place to discover the Historic Cu Chi tunnels.
Con Dao
A tiny archipelago off the southern coast, with some of the country's most blissful beaches and best snorkelling. Much of the island is covered by the Con Dao National Park. Its dense jungle will give you ample chance to uncover a paradise of your own. Con Dao is also home to one of the most infamous former prisons in Vietnam, which was an incarceration facility for the French as well as the Americans.
Binh Thuan
Binh Thuan has some hilly and mountainous terrain for adventure-seekers or those wanting cooler, forest-like spaces, but also hasgorgeous lakes, gurgling streams and dreamy, desert-like spaces. There are many stretching dunes, sand, and beaches which attract tourists to come, play and snap away.
Can Tho
Whether you go by bicycle or sampan, the islets of Can Tho are where you feel the real pulse of local life. Explore rice paper villages and fruit orchards, and enjoy a taste of pure Mekong Delta charm. Cai Rang is the most famous in the area with smaller floating markets where you can engage with the vendors.
Chau Doc
Brimming with lush forests, bustling riverbanks, and brilliant temples, the border town of Chau Doc is a compelling spot to experience the fusion of cultures and colours that make up Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.
Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc's gleaming white sand beaches have earned it the nickname "Pearl Island." Home to fish sauce, pepper, and pearls, Phu Quoc offers both luxury and local life, with clean water by day and clear skies at night. Phu Quoc's 150-kilometer coastline, with gentle waves and transparent turquoise water, makes it Vietnam's most popular destination for water sports.
Climate
Vietnam’s unique geography creates a range of weather patterns, with both tropical and temperate zones. While March to May offers the best weather countrywide, there is no bad time to visit Vietnam, as there is always some part of the country with holiday skies.
Weather in Hanoi (North)
December - March: cool to cold, misty, cloudy
April - June: warm to hot, clear skies, sunny
June - August: hot, humid, rainy
September - November: cool, clear skies, sunny
Weather in Huế (Central)
September-February: cool to cold, rainy, cloudy
March-August: warm to hot, sunny, clear skies
Weather in Ho Chi Minh City & the Mekong Delta (South)
May to November: sporadic rainfall, hot, humid
December to April: clear skies, hot, sunny
Currency
The official Vietnam Currency is called VND, or simply the dong. You can change your USD and other major foreign currencies into Vietnam money at any banks anywhere in Vietnam. There are ATMs throughout Vietnam, even in small towns. Cash rules, but they accept debit and credit cards in most hotels. ATMs are easy to find in the big cities and they are also find in the smaller town and usually in the main streets.
Tipping is not expected in Vietnam, but it is enormously appreciated. For a person who earns US$250 to 300 per month, a US$1 tip is significant.
Cuisine
Vietnam is best known for its age-old recipes, from warming noodle soup to Franco-Vietnamese bánh mì baguettes.
Vietnam was once colonized by the French, which has greatly influenced the country’s cuisine. During this time, the country was divided into the South, the Central, and the North. Since the war was over, there has been a big difference in the culinary style and tastes of each region.
Northern Cuisine
The northerners experience a 4-season climate, so they usually use seasonal spices.
Northern dishes have a great balance in their flavours, not too spicy or sweet, nor too bold either. On the other hand, using many ingredients makes their dishes colourful and sophisticated.
Central Cuisine
The spiciness and pungency are remarkable features of Vietnam’s central cuisine. Locals prefer the spicy taste and use less sweetness than southerners. The sophistication of daily meals can be seen in most central provinces. In Hue, a meal often has many different dishes and adds shrimp sauce to use with other dishes.
Southern Cuisine
Visiting the southern region, you will have a chance to meet honest and subtle southerners and the food here clearly shows the characteristics of the locals there.
Southern cuisine is varied, bringing up an unpredictable transformation with spicy, sweet, and the greasy of added coconut milk. Compared to northern dishes, southern ones are sweeter.
Just a few of many dishes..
Pho
The bowl of Pho looks quite simple, consisting of tasty broth, banh pho (rice noodles), meat, and a few herbs. The dish is primarily served with chicken or beef. Sometimes, you can try it with ‘quay’ – a kind of finger-shaped bagel. Dipping it in the broth, it will bring you a unique and special taste.
Spring Rolls
Vietnamese spring rolls are hard to resist. Fresh, light, and flavorful; there are quite a few different versions depending on the ingredients used.
Those include meat, seafood, lettuce, vegetables, and herbs neatly rolled in a small piece of translucent rice paper.
Com Tam
Com Tam is a simple dish with fractured rice grains served with grilled marinated pork chops, thinly shredded pork, tomato, cucumber, pickled vegetables, grilled prawns, and egg meatloaf. As it is a dry dish, most restaurants in Saigon serve it with a small bowl of dipping sauce made from fermented fish sauce and a small bowl of broth on the side.
Bun Cha
Bun Cha is Vermicelli with grilled pork. To put it in other words, there will be a dish of soft rice vermicelli served with a bowl of meatballs and grilled sliced pork in special fish sauce. The sauce is probably the most important part to decide whether the dish is delicious or not. Holding the spirit of the dish, the dipping sauce is a harmonious and perfect mixture of fish sauce, sugar, lime, vinegar, pickled carrot, and papaya.
Banh Xeo
Banh Xeo, simply called sizzling pancake in English, is on the list of must-try dishes in Vietnam. The flour batter is always its main ingredient, and the dish is served with dipping sauce and some kinds of vegetables and herbs. The flour batter mixture is spread thinly on the hot fired wok. Pork belly, whole prawns, mung beans, and bean sprouts are stir-fried before pouring the batter over the fillings. The folded halfway pancake is placed on the plate, served with vegetables like lettuce, fish mint, perilla, and many more.
Chè
Chè is a sweet dessert, served either hot or cold and in the form of a pudding or dessert soup. Cold chè is filled with jellied ingredients and tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes and longan, usually doused in coconut cream.
Exploring Vietnam
*Visit the Famous Cu Chi tunnels. Built in 1948 to shelter people against the enemy, as well as escape during the American War in Southern Vietnam.
*Explore Mekong Delta, the magic land of Vietnam and considered ‘the rice bowl of Vietnam’. A water world that moves to the rhythms of the mighty Mekong, where boats, houses and markets float upon the innumerable rivers.
*Take an empty suitcase to Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter, comprising of nearly 40 streets packed with shops.
*Tour around the Temple of Literature & National University. Precious history, culture and culture.
*Visit Hoa Lo Prison, the famous prison built between 1886-1901. It was a place of incomprehensible brutality and the home to over 2,000 inmates, originally intended for only 450.
*Climb the Marble Mountains in Da Nang. Consisting of a cluster of five marble and limestone hills. The five mountains are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth).
* Explore the picturesque World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay on a 2-day cruise, and discover paradise. Climb aboard a traditional junk boat and zigzag through the tiny islands. Enjoy swimming, kayaking in the blue waters, and discover hidden caves.
*Visit Trang An grottoes which is a gathering of 31 valleys, 50 cross-water caves, and home to 600 kinds of flora and over 200 kinds of fauna, many of them in the Red Book of Vietnam.
*Shop in Duong Dong Market, the largest market in the pearl island and also home to purchase seafood, it is considered a seafood shopping centre in Phu Quoc.
Fun Facts of Vietnam
*Motorbike is the main way of transportation. There are more than 45 million registered motorbikes in the country, which means that almost half of the population own their own motorbike!
* Ho Chi Minh was and still is a national hero. Also known as “Great Uncle Ho”, Ho Chi Minh is the founding father of modern Vietnam. He is the symbol of liberation after the War. His remains are mummified and guarded in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi.
* White skin is a beauty standard in Vietnam. Just like in many other Asian countries, the thought of white skin as pure and beautiful is something that lies deep within the Vietnamese beauty standards.
* Pho is the national dish. Almost every Vietnamese restaurant will serve this traditional dish, no matter if it’s a street vendor or a fine-dining restaurant.
* The Lunar New Year is the most important event of the year. Also known as Tet, the Lunar New Year marks the new year for Vietnamese people, and it’s the most important event of the year.
* Snake wine is drunk for vitality. It’s believed to enhance vitality, life, and other health benefits.
* Around 16% of the world’s species can be found here. Some of the most famous Vietnamese animals are Great Hornbills, Indian Elephants, Sun bears, Pygmy Slow Loris, Asian Water Monitor, Water Buffaloes, Burmese Pythons, Tigers, Dolphins and many other species.
* Water puppet shows are very popular among tourists, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. However, the art form of water puppetry is ancient and has been going on for a long time here.
* Home to the world’s largest cave. Hang Son Doong Cave is the world’s largest natural cave!
* According to ancient Vietnamese folklore, Vietnamese people are descendants of dragons.
* There is a local fruit known as “the breast milk fruit”
* The water buffalo is the national animal of Vietnam.
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