The natural beauty and cultural variety of Vietnam are astoundingly diverse. So, picking the 10 best places to visit in Vietnam was very difficult, but we did it for you.
The country of Vietnam has a long history and a multicultural population that includes more than 50 ethnic minority groups, which makes travel there rich in cultural heritage. The scenery ranges from jagged peaks seen from winding mountain passes down to verdant paddy fields painted every shade of green in the palette.
Even the most slothful can see nature up close on a cruise to Halong Bay, Vietnam’s most famous natural tourism site. Outdoor enthusiasts can get their teeth into the countryside within the various national parks, where hiking, biking, and kayaking are popular activities.
READ MORE: Here’s our Vietnam travel guide to help you get started on your planning
The big cities hum with contemporary activity and offer plenty of opportunities to bite into Vietnam’s delectable culinary delights, while the rural parts are filled with magnificent landscapes.
This intriguing nation is one of Southeast Asia’s most undervalued travel destinations and is full of surprises. Here is our list of the 10 best places to visit in Vietnam:
- Halong Bay
- Hue
- Hoi An
- My Son
- Ba Be National Park
- Nha Trang
- Cat Ba Island
- Phu Quoc Island
- Ha Giang
- Mekong Delta
Halong Bay in Hanoi
Halong Bay’s karst seascape is one of the top sites in the world to visit for breathtaking sea views and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is why it often makes a list of the best places to visit in Vietnam.
This harbour in the Gulf of Tonkin contains thousands of limestone islets that have been worn over millennia by wind and water into sharp pinnacles.
This is an ideal cruising region because a boat is the finest way to view the bay’s splendour. To truly see Halong Bay’s famous sights, choose at least one overnight vacation because a day trip falls short.
The Hang Sung Sot, which has three enormous caverns, and the Hang Dao Go, which has incredibly bizarre stalactites and stalagmites, are only two of the many caves in the bay that may be accessed. However, for the majority of travellers, the pleasure is simply driving through the karsts and taking in the ever-changing view of the pinnacles as you go.
The city of Hue
Hue, one of Vietnam’s most ancient cities, is stuffed to the gills with artefacts from the time of the Nguyen emperors in the 19th century.
The Imperial Enclosure is a vast area enclosed by walls that extend for 2.5 kilometres, sitting along the banks of the lovely Perfume River.
Visit the stunning Ngo Mon Gate, the Thai Hoa Palace with its exquisitely lacquered interior details, the Dien Tho Residence, where the Queen Mothers would reside, and the Halls of Mandarins with their intact ceiling murals while strolling through the grounds.
Outside the Imperial Enclosure walls, there are a plethora of historic sites. A riverboat cruise on the Perfume River is one of the most enjoyable ways to visit a collection of outlying sites. A day cruise can take you to several royal tombs as well as some pagodas.
If you’re 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 21-meter-high tower. Though not the best known city, it is truly one of the best places to visit in Vietnam.
The historical city of Hoi An
Beautiful Hoi An is Vietnam’s most atmospheric city, with plenty of surviving historic architecture.
The old town quarter is a delight to explore, with well-preserved merchant houses dating back to Hoi An’s heyday as a trading centre in the 15th century, when the town was a major meeting point for Japanese and Chinese merchants who flocked here for the local silks.
Many of the old merchant houses have been opened to the public, so you can get a sense of what life was like back then. Tan Ky House, built in the 17th century, is the best. It has fascinating architectural and decorative elements.
The delightful Japanese Bridge at the western end of Tran Phu Street is Hoi An’s main symbol, while the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation is the old town’s most ornate temple.
There are numerous small pagodas and museums dotted around town, but the true charm of Hoi An can be found simply by strolling through the old town streets and admiring the well-preserved facades.
My Son near Hoi An
My Son is a ruined Cham-era temple city from the 4th century, surrounded by lush jungle-covered mountains.
This ancient Hindu religious centre was still in use from the seventh to tenth centuries and only fell into complete decline and abandonment in the thirteenth century.
Around 20 temple structures remain, all constructed of brick or sandstone blocks and displaying interesting influences from various Asian empires, including Indian and Malay.
It’s worth noting that Group B’s temples are the oldest, whereas Group A once housed the site’s most important monument but was deliberately destroyed by US forces during the Vietnam War.
On-site, there is a good museum with a lot of information about the Cham.
My Son can be reached from Hoi An.
Ba Be National Park
The three interconnected Ba Be Lakes are at the heart of the tranquil Ba Be National Park, which is rimmed by jagged karst peaks and densely forested slopes. If you love nature, this is one of the best places to visit in Vietnam.
Most visitors come here to take peaceful boat trips or kayak on the lake and explore the nearby caves full of stalactites and stalagmites, but there’s also excellent hiking and trekking in the hills here between ethnic minority villages for the more active.
This is one of the most tranquil places in Vietnam, and visitors who stay here sleep in the traditional stilt-house homestay accommodation along the lakeshore, giving them a taste of simple rural life.
The beaches of Nha Trang
Nha Trang is the king of sandy fun in Vietnam. The well-kept beach trundles for six kilometres along the shoreline of central Nha Trang city and is popular with both local families on vacation and foreign visitors during the summer.
There is excellent swimming here, as well as designated swimming areas and manicured lounging areas, making this a great option for relaxing days in the sun and sand.
If you get tired of sunbathing, head north across the Xom Bong Bridge to the ancient Po Nagar Cham Towers, which have been used as a place of worship since at least the 7th century (with some historians saying the site itself has been a place of active worship since much earlier).
There is also a fantastic museum dedicated to the work of Alexandre Yersin, who discovered the cause of the bubonic plague and founded the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang (which still carries out vaccination programmes in Vietnam today).
Explore the Cat Ba Island
Cat Ba Island, located on the western edge of Halong Bay, is one of Vietnam’s major centres for activities and adventure travel attractions. If you want to see a different side of the country, this is one of the best places to visit in Vietnam.
If you want to organize cruises and kayaking trips in Lan Ha Bay, which is located off Cat Ba’s southern coast, this is the best place to go. Lan Ha Bay is a less-visited seascape of karst islets and outcrops that provides a more peaceful alternative to Halong Bay.
Off the water, much of Cat Ba’s dense jungle interior is part of Cat Ba National Park, where hikers can see a variety of birds and animals such as macaques.
However, for many visitors, Cat Ba is all about climbing opportunities. Climbing excursions here make use of both the island’s limestone cliffs and the outcrops of Lan Ha Bay, providing experiences for both complete climbing beginners and experienced climbers.
Visit the Phu Quoc Island
Phu Quoc is a densely forested island 45 kilometres off the country’s southern coast in the Gulf of Thailand, speckled with sweeps of white-sand beaches that attract a lot of sunseekers during the winter dry season.
During the dry season (November to May), the island’s underwater and on-the-water tourism attractions come alive, with plenty of dive sites just offshore, as well as opportunities for snorkelling, kayaking, and boat trips.
Many of the main boat excursions head to the An Thoi Islands, just to the south of Phu Quoc, which is home to the best snorkelling in the area.
Off the water, the Phu Quoc cable car offers bird’s-eye views for eight kilometres, soaring over the seascape and islands from Phu Quoc to Hon Thom in the An Thoi Islands.
The island of Phu Quoc can be reached by plane or regular ferries from the mainland towns of Rach Gia and Ha Tien. Because Ha Tien is so close to the southern border crossing with Cambodia, it is a popular first (or last) stop for overland travellers in Vietnam.
Enjoy the scenery at Ha Giang
The emerald-green karst mountain landscapes that line Ha Giang’s mountain passes make this far-north province ideal for scenic road trips by motorcycle or car.
The twisty Quan Ba Pass, which connects Ha Giang town and Tam Son, offers panoramic views of the karst plateau and its jagged limestone outcrops, while the zigzagging Mai Pi Leng Pass, which connects Dong Van and Meo Vac, provides dizzying views of the lush mountain scenery and narrow valleys below.
Visit during one of the area’s market days, when traders from the surrounding mountain villages descend on the town. The Sunday market in Dong Van is one of the best.
Explore the Mekong Delta
The mighty Mekong River finally finds its way to the sea in the far south of Vietnam, through a maze of waterways that crisscross the floodplain.
The delta is one of the most interesting regions for travellers to discover, with its incredible lushness, paddy field vistas, and mangroves, as well as chaotic floating markets to explore by boat.
Can Tho is the most popular base because it is close to the floating markets of Phong Dien and Cai Rang, and boat trips from Ca Mau allow you to visit the U Minh Mangrove Forest and Cau Mau Nature Reserve.
Are these your choices for the best places to visit in Vietnam?
It is simple to see why Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia’s most sought-after travel destinations. It offers fantastic food—one of my favourite foods in the entire world—is reasonably priced, and it’s home to some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever see in Asia.
If you have any suggestions, drop us a message or leave a comment and we’ll add them in.
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