During our 18 month world trip in 2018-2019, we spent a full month in just two countries – Thailand and Vietnam. We wanted to see what the whole Southeast Asia backpacking buzz was about, and it certainly turned out to be a unique experience, especially in Vietnam.
We spent a week working in Hanoi, before spending the next 3 weeks traveling through northern and central Vietnam. Unfortunately, our tourist visas ran out after 30 days so we didn’t make it to the south. But we learned so much about travel and ourselves in the month we spent here!
In this Vietnam travel guide we explain everything you need to know about planning a first trip, including where to go, itinerary, tips and much more.
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Places To Visit
Sapa – Picturesque rice terraces and home stays with ethnic minority communities are a big draw for this small mountain town near the border with China. We did a 2 day-1 night trek and took a cable car to Fansipan, the tallest peak in Vietnam.
Hanoi – Founded over 1,000 years ago, Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital city. We enjoyed its lovely Old Quarter, and we spent 2 full days walking around as many tourist attractions as we could. But our favorite part of Hanoi was the street food.
Halong Bay – Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this beautiful bay is filled with towering limestone karsts and emerald green waters. We took a 1 night cruise into the bay to see the famous floating fishing villages, kayak, explore a cave and make traditional food.
Ninh Binh – Located along the Red River Delta, Tam Coc in Ninh Binh was one of our favorite places to soak up quintessential rural Vietnam. We climbed to stunning viewpoints, visited 300 year old pagodas and explored caves under the limestone karsts by boat.
Phong Nha – This hard to reach national park near the border with Laos is home to some of the biggest caves in the world. We toured some of the smaller and cheaper caves, but if you have a big budget, you might want to splurge on an epic 3 or 4 day cave trek.
Hue – A unique city originally home to the Imperial Citadel and Nguyen Dynasty emperors, Hue was a great place to see mausoleums, pagodas and tombs of emperors. It also has an abandoned waterpark that was cool to see.
Hoi An – One of the best preserved Southeast Asian trading ports, Hoi An’s ancient town is a must-see when visiting Vietnam. It’s filled with yellow buildings, vibrant lanterns and a river of lights. We spent 4 days here and it was our favorite place in the country.
Da Lat – Known for being a peaceful retreat, Da Lat is a quiet mountain town offering visitors mild weather, amazing scenery and lots of outdoor activities. It also has farmers markers, coffee shops and great eateries.
Ho Chi Minh City – A bustling travel destination, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s most modern city with a vibrant and energetic atmosphere, tons of attractions and a vibrant nightlife. It’s also the place to take a tour of the Mekong Delta.
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15 Great Places To Visit In Vietnam
Our roundup of the popular touristy places to consider adding to your bucket list.
Top Experiences
We traveled through Vietnam slowly so we only made it down as far as Hoi An, but we had a bunch of amazing experiences along the way that we highly recommend for your trip.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Trekking in Sapa
- Eating at Michelin restaurants in Hanoi
- Cruising on Halong Bay
- Climbing to Mua Cave Viewpoint in Tam Coc
- Visiting Paradise Cave and Dark Cave in Phong Nha
- Seeing the Imperial City in Hue
- Driving the Hai Van Pass on motorbikes
- Walking around Hoi An’s charming town
And here are the things we didn’t do but would have liked to:
- Driving the Ha Giang Loop on motorbike
- See the Chi Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta
- Visit the Ba Na Hills near Da Nang
- Snorkelling in Phu Quoc islands
Transportation
Okay, we’re going to be totally upfront and tell you that getting around in Vietnam is not fun. Looking back on our month trip, some of the standout memories we have are from how awful the sleeper buses and even regular daytime buses were.
You can fly, take the train or take affordable (relatively speaking) private transfers between places. But buses are very cheap and more importantly they take you exactly where you’re going in one go.
What do we mean? Well, here’s an example – when we traveled between Tam Coc and Phong Nha we took one bus. It was horrendous, but at least it was just one mode of transport. The alternative was a taxi, a train and a bus. And that’s just a lot of faffing around.
Getting from one place to the next was probably our least favorite part of traveling in Vietnam. The infrastructure needs to be improved and the transport needs to be made easier.
Itinerary
There are so many ways you can plan a first trip to Vietnam. It could be 10 days in the north, a week in the center or a month traveling from top to bottom. So there’s no way we could create a one size fits all route for everyone.
But here’s how we’d plan a 3-week trip through northern and central Vietnam if it were our first time again, knowing what we know now:
Hanoi – Days 1 to 2
- Old Quarter
- French Quarter
- Hoa Lo Prison
- Train street
Sapa – Days 3 to 6
- Long day getting to Sapa
- Go up to Fansipan Peak
- Visit Cat Cat Village
- Two days trekking
Hanoi – Day 7
- Long day back to Hanoi
- Posh meal out
Halong Bay – Days 8 to 9
- Travel to Halong Bay
- Board cruise
- Spend two days in the bay
- Travel to Tam Coc in Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh – Days 10 to 11
- Go to Bich Dong Pagoda
- Take the Trang An boat tour
- Climb up to Mua Cave Viewpoint
Phong Nha – Days 12 to 14
- Long travel day to Phong Nha
- Go to Paradise Cave
- Explore the Dark Cave
- Visit the Botanical Gardens
Hue – Days 15 to 16
- Travel to Hue
- Walk around the Imperial City
- Visit the abandoned waterpark
- Relax in the walking street
Hai Van Pass – Day 17
- Drive the pass on motorbike
- Pass through Da Nang
Hoi An – Days 18 to 21
- Go to An Bang Beach
- Walk around the ancient town
- Go to My Son ruins
- Get fitted for clothes
This action packed itinerary stops at most of northern and central Vietnam’s touristy highlights in the most efficient way possible. It’s exactly how we’d do it if we were visiting for the first time again.
We’d then spend the next week traveling south through Dalat and Ho Chi Minh. If we had even more time we’d chill on the beach in Phu Quoc, or we’d go to the nearby Thai Islands instead.
Accommodation
One of our favorite things about traveling through Vietnam was how cheap the hotels, home stays and hostels were. In places like Hanoi and Hoi An you can stay in some pretty luxurious hotels for the same price you’d pay at a raunchy motel in the US.
If you have a healthy travel budget, you can live very well in Vietnam. But if you’re traveling on the cheap and want to get around for as little as possible, you’ll end up staying in some dingy and dirty places. We did a bit of both!
Food
We were all aboard the Bahn Mi train for the full month we spent in Vietnam. But we also ate a ton of Pho, spring rolls, fried rice and noodles. In terms of drinks, we couldn’t stop buying Vietnamese coffee, it’s so good. Oh, and drank our fair share of happy water!
We’re happy to admit we did also throw in a few western style restaurants in various places and we crumbled one day and went for a McDonalds on our last day in Hanoi. One of our favorite spots was Chookies in Tam Coc, and we also loved Le Gecko in Sapa.
We went to a Michelin recommended place in Hanoi called Duong’s Restaurant which was fantastic. But there are also three Michelin Star restaurants you can try called Hibana by Koki, Tầm Vị and Gia.
When To Visit
The best time to go to Vietnam in general is between the months of November and April, but the weather varies significantly by region. Here’s a quick overview:
Northern Vietnam – Mountainous with two different seasons. From May to October it’s very hot and humid, but the weather cools down from November to April and there’s less rainfall. December and January can be cold with temperatures as low as 50°F.
Central Vietnam – Typically hot and dry from January to August, then from September to December it can be very wet but with more comfortable temperatures.
Southern Vietnam – Hot and dry season that lasts from November to April. Rain is common between May and October, but the weather is still warm.
We visited north and central Vietnam from mid-October to mid-November. It was cold and rainy in the northern areas like Sapa and Hanoi, but the weather got better the further we went south.
Tours
There are some countries we visit that we don’t even consider taking tours because it’s easy enough to do it ourselves. Then there are other countries that we’re happy to pay someone to do the driving and explaining. Vietnam is one of those countries.
The great news here is that tours are incredibly affordable. If we went back to Vietnam with a healthier budget, we’d honestly just book a bunch of tours in each place, sit back and be taken around by guides.
Here are some of the top rated tours we’d consider taking:
Keep Exploring
Are you planning a longer trip with stops in more Asian countries? Once you’re finished reading about Vietnam, keep exploring nearby areas by heading over to the following pages:
We hope our Vietnam travel guide helps with planning your trip!
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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