Travel guide
Vietnam Travel Guide
Vietnam rewards travellers with an intensity few countries can match. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City sit at opposite ends of a country far longer than it is wide, and nearly every first trip travels between them, so how you cover that distance — by train, sleeper bus or a short domestic flight — shapes the journey more than any single sight along the way. The food alone would justify it, and Vietnam remains one of Southeast Asia's most affordable countries to travel.
Updated 2026-09-19
Deep dives
Deep dive
The Ha Giang Loop: The Plateau and the Road That Reached It →
The Ha Giang Loop's dramatic scenery isn't just scenic backdrop — it's a UNESCO-recognized karst plateau that a single road made rideable. That road was hand-carved by volunteer laborers in the 1960s, and understanding both explains the route better than a list of viewpoints.
Deep dive
Vietnam's Tunnel Networks: Combat Network and Underground Village →
The Cu Chi and Vinh Moc tunnels both get filed under “war tunnels,” but they were built for genuinely different purposes. Cu Chi, near Ho Chi Minh City, was a combat network for a mobile guerrilla force; Vinh Moc, near the former DMZ, was an underground village built to keep an entire community alive under sustained bombing.
Itinerary
Vietnam in Two to Three Weeks: The Open-Jaw Route →
Vietnam's two major gateway airports sit at opposite ends of the country, which means a well-planned route never needs to backtrack. Fly into one end, work steadily toward the other, and fly out from there — building the itinerary around that shape, rather than a round trip, is the single most useful planning decision.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Pho (the national dish), banh mi (crispy baguette with meat and herbs), bun cha (grilled pork with noodles — Obama's famous Hanoi meal), cao lau (Hoi An exclusive), fresh spring rolls, egg coffee, and Bia Hoi draught beer poured fresh daily at a genuinely low price. Vietnam's cuisine ranks among the world's finest and remains remarkably affordable.
Hanoi's 36-street Old Quarter around Hoan Kiem Lake and its thousand-year history, Hoi An's UNESCO lantern-lit ancient town — widely considered Vietnam's most beautiful — with world-famous tailors, Hue's imperial citadel and royal tombs (UNESCO), and Ho Chi Minh City's French colonial landmarks, Reunification Palace and late-night streets. Four UNESCO sites within easy reach of each other.
Ha Long Bay's 1,600 limestone karsts (UNESCO), usually seen on an overnight cruise that wakes to sunrise over the bay, Sapa's rice terraces, golden at harvest, and hill tribe villages, Phong Nha-Ke Bang with the world's largest cave (Son Doong), the Mekong Delta's floating markets, and the Ha Giang Loop in the far north — Vietnam's most dramatic mountain scenery.
Phu Quoc's white-sand tropical beaches, Da Nang and Hoi An's An Bang Beach, Nha Trang's bay, Con Dao as an untouched island paradise, and Mui Ne for kitesurfing. Vietnam's coastline stretches over 3,400 km with options from budget backpacker to luxury resort.
The Hai Van Pass (Hue to Hoi An, called one of the world's most beautiful coastal roads by Top Gear), the Ha Giang Loop (3-4 days of breathtaking mountain roads in the far north), trekking in Sapa, kayaking in Ha Long Bay, and cave expeditions in Phong Nha. Easy Rider tours with experienced local guides are the safer alternative to self-driving.
The Cu Chi Tunnels near Saigon, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) near Hue, Hue's imperial history, and Hanoi's Ho Chi Minh era landmarks. Vietnam's modern history is moving, sobering and impossible to ignore.
City guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vietnam have one climate, or does it vary by region?
It varies significantly by region, so there's no single perfect time to visit the whole country. The north (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long) has a genuine cool winter and hot summer; the centre (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang) gets heavy rains from September to December; the south (Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc) stays tropical year-round with a May-to-November rainy season.
Should I fly into Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?
Either works as a starting point — the more useful question is whether to fly open-jaw, entering one and exiting the other. Vietnam's elongated shape means a route naturally moves in one direction from north to south or south to north, and an open-jaw ticket avoids backtracking to the original entry city entirely.
Is it worth renting a motorbike to get around Vietnam?
For a single region with a specific route in mind, like the Ha Giang Loop, yes, provided the rider has genuine experience or joins a guided Easy Rider tour. For general point-to-point travel between cities, trains, sleeper buses and domestic flights cover the distances far more practically than a rental motorbike would.
Can I do both northern and southern Vietnam in one trip?
Yes, and it's the standard approach — two to three weeks comfortably covers the north, centre and south end to end, typically moving in one direction rather than looping back. A week or ten days usually means picking one region instead, most commonly the north or the centre.
Is Vietnam a good destination for a first trip to Southeast Asia?
Genuinely yes — tourism infrastructure is well developed in the main cities and along the standard north-south route, e-visa access is straightforward for most nationalities, and the country's linear shape makes route planning more intuitive than in destinations with less obvious structure.
Entry rules, visa types and practical notes live on the Vietnam overview.
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.