Vietnam Travel Guide

Vietnam has three distinct climates, so the best time to visit depends entirely on which regions you are combining. The north (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa, Ha Giang) is best from October to April, with a cold, damp winter in the mountains and a hot, wet summer. The central coast (Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An) is driest from February to August. The south (Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc) is warm year-round and driest from December to April. If you are travelling the whole country, February to April is the safest compromise. The one window to plan around is the central coast between mid-September and mid-November, which is peak typhoon season — Hoi An in particular floods most years, sometimes badly enough to close the old town for days, so build in buffer time if you travel then.

1. 01

   Hanoi

   The capital — Old Quarter chaos, French-colonial boulevards, lakeside cafes and arguably the best street food in the country.

2. 02

   Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay

   Thousands of limestone karsts rising from the sea. Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long offer near-identical scenery with a fraction of the boat traffic.

3. 03

   Ninh Binh

   Karst towers over rice fields and rivers, often called Ha Long Bay on land. Trang An and Tam Coc are easy day trips from Hanoi.

4. 04

   Sapa and the far north

   Rice terraces, hill-tribe villages and the country's best trekking, reached by overnight train or road from Hanoi.

5. 05

   Ha Giang Loop

   A three to four day circuit through Vietnam's most dramatic mountain scenery, ridden yourself or with an easy-rider driver.

6. 06

   Hue

   The Nguyen dynasty citadel, royal tombs along the Perfume River and Vietnam's most distinctive imperial cooking.

7. 07

   Hoi An

   Lantern-lit merchant town of tailors, cafes and cycling routes, with beaches minutes away. Prone to flooding late in the year.

8. 08

   Da Nang

   A long city beach, the Marble Mountains, the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills and the Hai Van Pass heading north.

9. 09

   Phong Nha-Ke Bang

   Some of the largest caves on earth, including Son Doong, set in jungle and river country in the centre-north.

10. 10

    Da Lat

    Cool highland town of pine forest, waterfalls and coffee farms — a welcome break from the coastal heat.

11. 11

    Ho Chi Minh City

    Vietnam's engine room: the War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh market, rooftop bars and a fast-moving cafe culture.

12. 12

    Mekong Delta

    Floating markets, fruit orchards and homestays among the waterways south of Ho Chi Minh City.

13. 13

    Phu Quoc

    Vietnam's largest island — beaches, snorkelling and resorts ranging from simple to high-end.

• Cruise or kayak the karsts of Lan Ha Bay, a quieter alternative to the main Ha Long routes
• Ride the Ha Giang Loop, or hire an easy-rider driver and let someone else take the mountain roads
• Drink ca phe sua da and Hanoi egg coffee, then argue about which cafe does it best
• Eat bun cha in Hanoi and cao lau in Hoi An — both are strictly local to those cities
• Have clothes tailored in Hoi An, leaving time for at least two fittings
• Take the train over the Hai Van Pass between Hue and Da Nang for the coastline
• Cycle the rice paddies and back lanes around Hoi An at sunrise
• Boat through the caves and karst towers of Trang An in Ninh Binh
• Trek between hill-tribe villages around Sapa and stay overnight in a homestay
• Visit the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi tunnels for the other side of the war
• Start early for a Mekong Delta floating market, before the heat and the tour boats
• Sit at a street kitchen and simply order whatever the table next to you is eating

Vietnam is long, so fly the big hops and save the ground legs for the scenic stretches. Domestic flights on Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo are frequent and inexpensive, and turn a two-day journey into two hours. The north–south railway is slow but memorable: the Hue to Da Nang run over the Hai Van Pass is one of Asia's great rail rides, and overnight sleepers to Sapa and Ninh Binh cover distance while you sleep. Sleeper buses are the cheapest option and vary enormously in comfort. In cities, use the Grab app for cars and motorbike taxis — the fare is fixed in the app, which removes almost all the haggling and overcharging, and Ho Chi Minh City now has a metro line as well. Renting a motorbike is a rite of passage, but be careful with the paperwork: Vietnam recognises the 1968-convention International Driving Permit alongside your home licence, not the older 1949 version. Riding without the right licence usually means your travel insurance will not pay out, which matters in a country where traffic accidents are the single biggest risk to visitors.

Vietnam is one of the best-value destinations in Asia and the quality is high right across the range. Hostels in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are modern and sociable, family-run guesthouses and homestays are often the most memorable stays, boutique hotels in Hoi An and Hue cost a fraction of the European equivalent, and the beach resorts of Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc run from simple to genuinely luxurious. In the north, a homestay in Sapa or on the Ha Giang loop is worth choosing over a hotel for the setting and the family cooking. Book well ahead around Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, when the entire country travels at once and prices climb, and in Hoi An and the islands during peak season.

Vietnamese food is fresh, herb-heavy and far more regional than most first-timers expect. Pho, banh mi, bun cha, banh xeo, fresh spring rolls and com tam are the staples, but the best dishes are tied to a specific place: bun cha and egg coffee in Hanoi, fiery bun bo Hue in the old imperial capital, cao lau and white rose dumplings that barely exist outside Hoi An, and seafood the length of the central coast. Northern cooking is subtler and less sweet, the centre spicier and more layered, the south sweeter and more tropical. Coffee is a culture of its own — strong robusta dripped over condensed milk, plus egg, coconut and salt versions worth trying at least once. Eat where the plastic stools are full and the turnover is fast, and vegetarians will find com chay (Buddhist vegetarian) places in most towns.

Budget notes are qualitative on purpose — figures are added only from tracked, real trips.

• Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal, evisa.gov.vn. Search results are full of look-alike reseller sites charging several times the real price — the official fee is US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple entry.
• Check whether you need a visa at all first. More than 30 nationalities get 30 or 45 days visa-free, so plenty of short trips need no e-visa.
• Apply about a week ahead. E-visas are usually approved in roughly three working days, and the fee is not refunded if the application is refused, so check every detail against your passport before paying.
• Vietnam recognises the 1968-convention International Driving Permit, not the 1949 version. Without the right licence a rented motorbike is uninsured and most travel policies will reject a claim.
• Build buffer days around the central coast between mid-September and mid-November. Typhoons and flooding regularly disrupt Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang for a day or two at a time.
• Carry small notes. The dong runs into large numbers, street vendors rarely have change for the biggest bills, and it is easy to misread a zero when you are tired.
• Use Grab for cars and motorbike taxis. The fare is fixed in the app, which removes the most common source of overcharging.
• Cross the road at a slow, steady pace without stopping. Traffic flows around pedestrians who move predictably — hesitating mid-road is what causes problems.
• Stick to bottled or filtered water rather than the tap, and take advantage of the many hotels and cafes that now refill bottles free.
• Learn the coffee words: ca phe sua da is iced with condensed milk, ca phe den is black, bac xiu is milkier and sweeter.
• Book far ahead for Tet, or avoid it. Around Vietnamese Lunar New Year transport sells out, prices rise and many family-run places close for several days.