A long, narrow country squeezed in between the East Sea and the Laos andCambodia borders, Vietnam is a land of striking landscapes that rangefrom the lush rice terraces and forested mountains in the north to thepicturesque valleys of the Central Highlands and the fertile delta andbeautiful beaches of the south. Included in the mix are booming moderncities, colonial towns, traditional villages, archaeological sites andotherworldly islands.
An overview of the bestplaces to visit in Vietnam by touropia.com, a travel list website thatfeatures the most amazing sights around the world divided into various“best of” lists.
10. Da Lat
Year-round cool weather and idyllic scenery of misty valleys, lush pinetrees and colorful flowers are some of the reasons that Da Lat was onceused by Vietnamese emperors and French colonials as a summer retreat.Today, this charming town in the South-Central Highlands of Vietnam is apopular destination for honeymooners, weekend getaways and for thoselooking for relief from the heat.
A walkable city,Dalat is a beautiful scene of French colonial architecture and villasset amid picturesque landscapes. The city is well known for its royalpalaces owned by the last emperor of Vietnam. These lovely palaces areopen for tours as is the Hang Nga Guesthouse, the city’s most bizarreattraction. Informally called the “Crazy House”, this structure is afantastical construction with caves, spider webs and shapes of animalsand mushrooms. Dalat’s lively market is a great place to find fruits,flowers and vegetables grown in the local area as well as handicraftsand silk embroidered items.
Outside the city arescenic lakes, flower gardens, historic monasteries, plantations andmountains offering pretty waterfalls and trails for hiking and mountainbiking. A must-do is the Valley of Love, an incredibly beautiful valleywith pine forests, flowers and lakes where tourists can enjoypedal-boating, horse riding, jeep safaris and canyoning.
For dining and nightlife, Dalat offers numerous cafes and restaurantsto suit every budget and taste from regional dishes to French andWestern cuisines as well as a few bars and nightclubs.
9. My Son
Located on the central coast of Vietnam near the Duy Phu village isthe important archaeological site known as My Son. One of SoutheastAsia’s most notable heritage sites, My Son was once a significant centerof religious Hindu ceremonies where the kings of the Champa Kingdombuilt numerous temples devoted to the worship of the god, Shiva, betweenthe 4th and 14th centuries.
Believed to have oncecontained more than 70 temples that were constructed with brick anddecorative carvings and sculptures bearing scenes of animals, priests,gods, mythical battles and inscriptions of Sanskrit and Champa, My Sontoday features a complex of ruins in varying states of disarray andrepair, all arranged in several groups that are marked by letters of thealphabet.
Within the site is a museum wherevisitors can check out exhibits and artifacts to better understand andappreciate the ruins. Near the entrance of My Son are a few cafes, foodvendors and a shop selling souvenirs. At certain times of the day,visitors can watch live Champa dance performances. Additionally, thesite is surrounded by jungle, hills and a lake where visitors can enjoyhiking and kayaking.
My Son is often reached byorganised tour groups in vans and buses from Hoi An. However, visitorscan also arrive at My Son by motorbike taxis and motorbike rentals.
Lying along the SaigonRiver near the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City wasformerly known as Saigon and served as the capital of South Vietnamduring the Vietnam War. Today, Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city ofthe reunified country, offering plenty of reasons to visit, from itsblend of historic and modern attractions to vibrant shopping, dining andnightlife.
Ho Chi Minh City is most commonlyexplored by motorbike taxis, but buses and car taxis are also plentiful.Sightseeing the city’s centre awards elegant boulevards lined withFrench colonial architecture, beautiful churches, pagodas and prominentlandmarks like the Reunification Palace, City Hall, the Opera House andNotre Dame Cathedral. A number of museums exhibit war history and localculture.
The city’s business and entertainmentdistrict offer modern attractions like the Bitexco Financial Towerskyscraper and the Dai Nam Tourist Park, which features a man-mademountain range, zoo, temples, hotels, shops and restaurants. The NightMarket and the Ben Thanh Market are lively places to buy food,handicrafts, souvenirs and experience local food and culture. Outsidethe city, jungle and river tours are available to see bamboo villagesand floating temples.
From market stalls to streetvendors, cafes, coffee shops and international restaurants, Ho Chi MinhCity offers the largest variety of dining choices in Vietnam. Localcuisine consists of traditional dishes like Pho (beef and chicken noodlesoups) and Com tam (a plate of rice, grilled pork and vegetables).Nightlife in Ho Chi Minh City buzzes with a wide selection of bars,lounges, nightclubs and theaters.
7. Mekong Delta
Colorful floating markets, fruit orchards, rice paddies, sugar canegroves, bird sanctuaries and quaint villages are all what draw many tothe Mekong Delta in southwestern Vietnam. Nicknamed “Vietnam’s RiceBasket”, the Mekong Delta is an agricultural region made fertile by themaze of canals and streams fed by the Mekong river. Stretching from theGulf of Thailand to Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta feeds more than athird of the country from its rich plantations, orchards, rice paddiesand fish farms.
With plenty of bus connections andmotorbikes, tourists can explore the Mekong Delta and its towns like TraVinh, which is considered one of the prettiest villages of the delta.Many towns in the region provide shops, restaurants and hotels fortravelers. Others places like Hon Chong, feature attractions likepictorial stone grottoes, while Ben Tre is dominated by fruit orchards,Sa Dec is rife with colorful flower farms, and Cao Lanh is a paradisefor bird lovers. The beautiful island of Phu Quoc offers scuba diving,snorkeling, kayaking and hiking. Just outside Chau Doc, Sam Mountainpresents temples and lovely views. A river boat cruise in Vinh Longbrings tourists to a floating market teeming in busy workers and freshproduce and fish.
6. Nha Trang
Located on one of Asia’s most beautiful bays off the coast of SouthCentral Vietnam, Nha Trang is a popular seaside resort city. Picturesquemountains, beaches and lush islands all make it a favorite destinationamong tourists, Vietnamese and scuba divers.
Adornedwith resorts, palm trees and a lovely promenade, Nha Trang’s beach isits main draw. As a popular stopover for sea cruises and annual HongKong yacht races, Nha Trang and its beach offer plenty of wateractivities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, kite boarding, sailing andcatamaran rides. Amusement and water parks provide fun for everyone withroller coasters and wave pools.
Within the city ofNha Trang, tourists can visit a few important landmarks like pagodas,the Nha Trang Cathedral and the historic Po Nagar Cham Towers. The NhaTrang Oceanography Institute is home to an aquarium housing thousands ofocean creatures. Just outside the city, tourists can enjoy river boatcruises and explore the picturesque countryside, fishing villages,plantations, waterfalls and natural hot springs.
Dining choices in Nha Trang are abundant for every budget and taste fromcasual sidewalk cafes to high end restaurants. The city’s cuisine isknown for its seafood dishes as well as bird’s nest soup and barbecuedpork rolled in rice paper. Bars, lounges and clubs provide plenty ofnightlife options.
Nha Trang is easy to explore bywalking and cycling, but tourists can also get around by buses, taxis,motorbikes and cyclos (three-wheeled motorised vehicles).
5. Sapa
Surrounded by pictorial mountains, rice terraces and a diversity ofhill tribes in the remote northwest of Vietnam, Sapa is a quiet townfrequently used as a base for trekking in the Hoang Lien Son Mountainsand touring rice paddies and traditional villages.
Sapa’s main attraction is its proximity to the mountains, villages andrice terraces. From the town, there are many organized tours that aidetourists in mountain hikes and exploring the nearby rice paddies andremote villages. These tours present views of wildlife, beautifulwaterfalls and the opportunities to experience the food, customs and wayof life among the local tribes.
In the town of Sapaitself, there are attractive French colonial sites worth visiting suchas the Gothic church, the town square and city hall. Sapa is a majormarket town where the various ethnic tribes in the area often gather tosell their handicrafts, which make excellent souvenirs. At the SapaCulture Museum, visitors can learn all about the history and cultures ofthese ethnic groups.
Because it is a populartourist base, Sapa boasts a wide variety of restaurants ranging fromtraditional Vietnamese to international cuisines. At the town market,food stalls serve the local specialty, hot pot, a simmering broth ofmeat, greens and mushrooms. Nightlife options are limited in Sapa, butthere are a few bars where one can enjoy drinks, music and socializing.
Getting around Sapa is easily done by walking, butexploring outside of town should be done by organised tours, motorbikesand 4WD vehicles that can be rented at hotels.
4. Hue
Situated on the banks of the Perfume River in Central Vietnam, Hueonce served as the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty, which ruledfrom 1802 to 1945. Today, the vestiges of this former glorious periodare reflected in the city’s architecture, culture and cuisine, making ita popular tourist destination.
Hue is a compactcity, making it easy to get around by walking although motorbikes,cyclos and taxis are plentiful. The city’s main attractions are itswell-preserved historic monuments that mostly lie along the PerfumeRiver, a scenic river so named from the pleasant aromas of floweringorchards. Of the city’s monuments, the Citadel is the most famous. Oncethe seat of the Nguyen emperors, the Citadel is a sprawling complex ofgrand palaces, ornate temples, walls and gates. Prime attractions withinthe Citadel are the Forbidden Purple City, Thai Hoa Palace, and the NgoMon Gate. Another important landmark on the river is the city’sofficial symbol, the Thien Mu Pagoda.
Just a shortbicycle ride or scenic river cruise outside of the city is the must-seeTombs of the Emperors, an elaborate tomb system of which the Tomb of TuDuc is the finest. While exploring the tombs, tourists may also want tovisit the nearby hot springs and spas for a bit of pampering andrelaxation.
Hue’s cuisine is another of itsattractions, noted for its refined presentations that date back to theimperial period. Popular local dishes are Nem lui (sweet pork grilled onbamboo sticks) and Banh khoai (a pancake of shrimp, pork and beansprouts). Hue offers a good supply of cafes, restaurants, bars andclubs.
3. Hoi An
Located offthe coast of the East Sea in South-Central Vietnam, Hoi An is abeautiful, old city dating back 2,000 years to the Champa Kingdom. Thecity’s historic architecture, traditional culture and textiles make it apopular destination in Vietnam.
At the heart of HoiAn is its atmospheric Old Town, which is small enough to walk aroundeasily. The narrow, winding lanes of the Old Town are lined withbeautiful old architecture, traditional wooden houses and hundreds oftailor shops selling clothing, shoes, bags, souvenirs and custom-madeservices. The central market is here as well, bustling with vendorsselling fresh food, cooked dishes, ceramics and handicrafts. Importantlandmarks not to miss are the 17th century Japanese covered bridge, theQuan Cong Temple and the Cantonese Assembly Hall.
Outside the historic center, motorbikes and taxis provide transportationaround a more modern district booming in attractions, museums, hotels,restaurants, shops and tourist facilities. To experience the city’shistoric culture, the Hoi An Handicraft Workshop and the TraditionalTheatre present performances of folk customs and music. Bicycle tours tonearby villages offer picturesque countryside, rice paddies, waterbuffalos and traditional cuisine.
Hoi An has a goodrange of restaurants, pubs and clubs. Many of the city’s restaurantsoffer cooking classes, so visitors can learn to cook the city’s localspecialties that include Cao lau (rice noodles topped with roasted pork,vegetables and dough fritters) and White rose (a shrimp dumpling shapedto resemble a rose).
2. Hanoi
For the last century, Hanoi has survived through the invasions andoccupations of Japan and France as well as the Indochina and VietnamWars to emerge as the booming capital city of a reunified Vietnam.Located on the banks of the Red River in northern Vietnam, Hanoi is alarge city offering more than 1,000 years worth of history and culturenow blended with modern attractions, dining, shopping and nightlife.
At the heart of Hanoi is its Old Quarter, an open-air museum ofhistoric Asian and French colonial architecture that has largelyremained intact despite the bombings of the Vietnam War. Here amongscenic tree-lined boulevards, tourists can browse busy markets, sipcoffee at quaint cafes and visit prominent sites like the Grand OperaHouse, the Presidential Palace and Saint Joseph Cathedral. Beyond theOld Quarter, the city is full of impressive temples and museumsexhibiting the country’s eventful history.
Hanoi has many beautiful lakes surrounded by parks and green spaces withthe most popular being Hoan Kiem Lake. A good way to experience thelocal culture is to attend a live performance of Ca trù, a traditionalform of Vietnamese music, or to see history and folklore demonstrated atthe Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. One of Asia’s top shopping cities,Hanoi is teeming in malls and shopping centers.
Hanoi’s dining scene is vibrant from numerous market stalls and streetvendors selling traditional dishes like Pho bo (Beef noodle soup) andPho ga (chicken noodle soup) to fine restaurants serving a variety ofAsian and international cuisines. Nightlife choices are plentiful fromkaraoke bars and dance clubs to cinemas and theaters. The best optionsfor getting around Hanoi are bus, taxi and motorbike taxi.
1. Ha Long Bay
With its aqua-green water and cluster of limestone rocky outcropsrising from the water like sea dragons, Ha Long Bay resembles a scenefrom a fantasy story. Located about 130 km east of Hanoi in northernVietnam, this otherworldly bay features more than 2,000 jungle-coveredislands pitted with intriguing caves, grottoes, sinkholes and lakes.Ranging between 50 and 90 metres high, many of the islands and outcropshave been sculpted over the centuries by natural processes intofantastic formations. The names of these islands reflect the unusualshapes they resemble such as Voi (elephant) islet, Mai nha (roof) isletand Ga choi (fighting cock) islet.
Although most ofthe islands are uninhabited, some of the larger islands such as Cat Baoffer restaurants, bars, hotels and tourist attractions like beaches,historic sites, a national park, markets and souvenir shops. Otherislands like Dau Be and Bo Hon feature lakes, coral and grottoes thatare ideal for swimming, kayaking, diving and cave-exploring. Rockclimbing, jungle trekking and wildlife viewing are also availableactivities.
Boat cruises are the best way toexperience the natural wonder of Ha Long Bay. With hundreds of boatsranging from traditional Chinese junks to luxury cruisers, boat tourscan vary from day trips to multiple-night journeys. These tours oftenprovide meals, nightlife activities and excursion stops where islands,caves and lagoons can be explored. Most boat cruises are arranged eitherfrom Hanoi or from ports such as Hai Phong, Halong City and Cai Rong.-VNA
