Vietnam

The Vietnamese countryside can feel like an impossibly beautiful place, with rice paddies extending in every direction, or at least up to the highlands, a mountain chain often shrouded in blue mist that forms the western spine of the country. The eastern side of Vietnam faces the South China Sea, with palm-lined beaches and islands that are emerging as popular resort destinations. You may also be surprised by the length of the country—at roughly 1,025 miles, it’s longer than California, and offers a surprising variety of destinations from bustling Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south to Hanoi in the north, with countless historic sites and natural wonders between the two. Halong Bay has left poets and painters—and travelers—in awe for centuries, while the country’s hill stations provide cool, literally, escapes.

Vietnam Has Reopened Borders to All Travelers

Photo by Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin/Shutterstock

Overview

When’s the best time to go to Vietnam?

Given Vietnam’s enormous length, it can be difficult to pick a perfect time of year if you want to visit the entire country with the southern and northeastern monsoons impacting different regions at different times of the year. The safest months, however, are in the fall (September to December) and spring (March and April). The north of the country, and the highlands generally, can be cold in the winter while lower areas can become sweltering hot, and wet, in the summer.

How to get around Vietnam

Vietnam’s train service is dependable if not glamorous, and a good way to travel the length of the country. The journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi takes about 30 hours in all, though you will most likely want to stop en route at Hoi An, Hue, Da Nang, or other cities along the coast. If you prefer the freedom of your own car, hotels and travel agents can assist with hiring one with a driver. Given the relative cheapness of taxis, there’s little need to attempt to navigate the public transportation systems of Vietnam’s cities.

Can’t miss things to do in Vietnam

The must-see sites in Vietnam includes its two major cities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the bustling, brash and buzzing metropolis of the south, which even 40 years after unification remains the country’s economic powerhouse. Hanoi, in the north, is the country’s capital and relatively more sedate. It has also managed to preserve more of its historic districts and buildings. Halong Bay is a can’t-miss-sight not just for Vietnam, but for the world generally. The UNESCO World Heritage Site has thousands of islands and karst formations that create an otherworldly seascape. Vietnam’s smaller cities like Hoi An and Hue provide relaxed and atmospheric counterpoints to the country’s metropolises and compared to the other parts of Southeast Asia, many of Vietnam’s beach resorts have yet to be overwhelmed by mass tourism.

Food and drink to try in Vietnam

In recent years, Vietnamese cuisine has made inroads around the world, with pho, banh mi, and other dishes are now familiar to diners far from the country. Given that Vietnamese cooking emphasizes fresh ingredients, however, there’s no comparing a banh mi served in Brooklyn or Berlin to one prepared using cilantro from a stand’s own garden and fish straight the sea. In Vietnam’s major cities, you’ll find a range of international restaurants and whether you are in the mood for pasta, sushi, or Chinese noodles, you won’t go hungry. The French influence in Vietnam extends to its food, and you’ll find excellent baguettes and pastries throughout the country.

Culture in Vietnam

Many of Vietnam’s cultural highlights are architectural: the Champa ruins at My Son; the 16th-century buildings of Hoi An, reflecting Japanese and Chinese influences; and boulevards, churches, and theaters constructed by the French and found throughout the country, though many are increasingly threatened by development. There are, however, other cultural highlights from water puppetry performances to the textiles and crafts created by Vietnam’s indigenous peoples.

Guide Editor

Singapore-based writer Sanjay Surana has traveled extensively in Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia.

Read Before You Go
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Resources to help plan your trip
Vietnam’s capital offers hotels with pockets of peace—lakeside tai chi sessions and ancient pagodas—amid the city’s motorbikes and hawker stalls. For a classic stay, book a room at the Sofitel Legend Metropole, a landmark in Hanoi’s French Quarter. Culture junkies should base themselves at the Hotel de L’ Opera Hanoi or the Hilton Hanoi Opera. InterContinental Hanoi Westlake is just north of the bustling Old Quarter, but offers a serene waterfront setting.
Eat the best of Vietnamese food in the country’s largest city—from pho to clay-pot catfish to irresistible banh mi.
While big international bands tend to stick to Ho Chi Minh City (if they visit Vietnam at all), Hanoi can nonetheless offer its share of quality live tunes. And when no live musician is onstage, a talented DJ is often on hand to lend a creative soundtrack for the evening.
Two of Vietnam’s most dynamic destinations, both Da Nang and Hoi An have plenty to entice visitors. From the best banh mi sandwiches in Vietnam to a fire-breathing bridge, these are experiences that will live in your memory long after you’ve left the country.
From October to December (and often longer), Da Nang and Hoi An are hit by the winter monsoon, ensuring wet conditions for much of the time. Thankfully there are plenty of rainy-day activities in the area, with everything from attractive cafes to secondhand bookstores to explore.
Although there is really no bad time to visit the central part of Vietnam (although high summer can be exceedingly unpleasant), by far the best time is the clement and dry period that usually extends between February and May. During this time warm days give way to clear and pleasant evenings, perfect for discovering the very best of what Da Nang and Hoi An have to offer.
Hoi An and Da Nang are perfectly positioned for exploring Vietnam’s narrow waist. With the Hai Van Tunnel shortening the journey to Hue by as much as an hour, it is simple to get from Da Nang to all points north. Other excellent excursions can be achieved more easily and involve little more than a short hop into the countryside from your hotel.
From ancient kingdoms to reminders of the period of French colonial rule and the “American War,” Vietnam is filled with UNESCO World Heritage landmarks and architectural wonders, like royal palaces and fishermen’s stilted houses. Add in traditional markets, ethnic villages, and otherworldly landscapes, and you have a country that promises surprises at every turn.
French-colonial influences meet Vietnamese cultural touchstones in the design hotels and family-friendly resorts of Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City. From opulent luxury or low-key authenticity, you’ll find the hotel that fits your style here.
Vietnam’s street markets are the beating heart of its small villages and big cities, where locals work, shop for vegetables (and outboard motors and live animals), and eat. Beyond the often noisy and chaotic street stalls and night markets, be sure and also visit the craft cooperatives, tailor shops, and elegant design stores. Whether you shop high or low, you can find excellent souvenirs of your visit here.
Looking for a good bar? Vietnam has something for everyone: rooftop bars, chill hotel lounges, glittery discos, informal open-air cafés, and high temples of craft beer worship. Order yourself something cool and sit back and watch the show at these great places, full of Vietnamese flavor.
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