The 10 Top Places to Visit in Vietnam

Home to vibrant coasts, vast highlands, and mountainous forests, Vietnam is quickly becoming a go-to tourist destination in Southeast Asia. 

Over 10 million international visitors toured the country last year, likely drawn in by its unique blend of history, culture, and all the fast-paced trappings of modern life. 

If you're planning a trip and are looking to add the very best stops to your itinerary, keep reading for the top places to visit in Vietnam. 

10 Top Places to Visit in Vietnam

1. Ho Chi Minh City

Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is a populous metropolis located in Southern Vietnam. 

The city is home to a mix of colonial buildings, historical monuments, and museums dedicated to the end of the Vietnam War. Those staying in the city can also choose from a variety of historic hotels dating back to the nation's French colonial history. 

With its lively nightlife, theaters, art galleries, heavens of street foods, and restaurants, travelers will find no shortage of activities in Ho Chi Minh City.

Best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City:

-Got an adventurous spirit? Immerse yourself in a city motorcycle tour

-Learn about the Vietnam War in-depth at the Cu Chi Tunnels

-Enjoy a 360 degrees view of the city from the Bitexco Financial Tower

-Visit these historical buildings:

-Central Post Office

-Notre Dame Cathedral

-Independence Palace

-The Women's Museum

-War Remnant Museums

-Fine Arts Museum

-Fito Museum of Traditional Medicine

-Are you a foodie? Satisfy your cravings on a Vietnamese food tour

To have fun trips in Ho Chi Minh City, check out our authentic motorbike tours with professional local guides!

2. Mekong Delta

Commonly known as the rice bowl, this one-day or two-day homestay trip from Ho Chi Minh City is a place of a visit to the countryside away from the busy city life. There are many provinces in the region, depending on where you visit, some are more touristy than others.

Sampan tour in the Mekong Delta

Things to do in the Mekong Delta include taking a motorized boat ride to see the floating market, taking a smaller sampan ride through canals surrounded by fruit trees, partaking in a cooking course, visiting local artisans making coconut candy, rice paper, or bricks, or ride a bicycle through the archipelagoes.

3. Mui Ne

Located 220 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, this coastal city is famous for its waves for surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and sand dunes. The white and red sand dunes offer activities such as sand sliding on plastic slides or RV riding.

Mui Ne offers a beautiful beach and quiet time for a relaxing mini vacation.

For an unusual place to visit, check out the Mui Ne fairy stream.

4. Da Lat

A city located in the highlands, Da Lat offers cooler weather compared to the Southern region of Vietnam. Its nature and landscape are beautiful for those who like to trek to see the waterfalls or admire the flower parks.

If you have a chance to visit Da Lat, take a jeep ride up to Lang Biang, which offers panoramic views of the Highlands.

If you book a guided tour, you will be able to arrange a visit with the ethnic minorities. Things to do include drinking local wine from ceramic pottery jugs, BBQ, and singing and dancing around the bonfire with local tribes.

Tuyen Lam Lake in Da Lat

Best things to do in Da Lat:

-Datanla Falls

-Linh Phuoc Pagoda

-Bao Dai’s Palace

-Thien Vien Truc Lam

-Dalat Railway Station

-Domaine de Marie Church

-Mount Liang Biang

5. Nha Trang

Other than Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Nha Trang is arguably the next famous beach city to top the list of places to visit in Vietnam.

In recent years, Nha Trang has expanded and developed much that it now offers international flights at the Cam Ranh International Airport.

Find your ticket to travel to Nha Trang:

Best things to do in Nha Trang:

-Scuba dive

-Sunbath at the clearwater beach

-Mud baths and massages

-Po Nagar Cham Tower

-The National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam

-The Alexander Yersin Museum

-Vinpearl Island visit by Cable Car

-Monkey Island

-Long Son Pagoda

-Enjoy a morning Vietnamese coffee next to the coast and take in the view

6. Hoi An

Known as the Ancient town, Hoi An’s government officials have been making efforts to preserve many of the housing architecture. Hoi An ancient town is nice to walk around during the day and at night giving you the feel of fully immersing in the Chinese culture back in time.

Fujian Assembly Hall in Hoi An

There are many famous tailors for a reasonable price, so if you want to get suited up, make it the first task on your bucket list to get measured, so that you’ll have time to pick up your tailored clothing.

Hoi An is where you can pick up great Vietnamese souvenirs for your friends and family.

Best things to do in Hoi An:

-Get yourself a tailored suit

-Visit a vegetable village, take a countryside bicycle ride, or take a cooking class

-Take a photography tour

-Try Cao Lau

-Thanh Ha Terracotta Park

-Hoi An Night Market

-An Bang Beach

7. Hue

The ancient city of Hue is located in the central part of the country. With roots tracing back to a 17th-century dynasty, Hue is home to numerous monuments and royal relics, sure to draw in historically minded tourists. 

Hue Imperial Cty

Visitors to Hue can enjoy walking tours through the historic Citadel, which encompasses the Imperial City and a mind-blowing array of monuments and shrines. The complex is another UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam.

Check our blog on the Best things to do in Hue

8. Hanoi

As the country's capital, Hanoi is a must-see city for anyone traveling to Vietnam. Located on the banks of the Red River, Hanoi is home to a unique and striking blend of the different cultures and historical influences that have impacted the nation. 

Tourists can view the city's European architecture and a network of museums, or take advantage of Hanoi's myriad of entertainment, shopping, and dining options. 

Hanoi is particularly famous for pho, a rice noodle soup often sold by street vendors in the region.

Best things to do in Hanoi:

-Walk around the Old Quarter for some photographic cultural scenic shots

-Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

-Vietnamese Women’s Museum

-Vietnam Military History Museum

-Hoa Lo Prison

-Go back in time by taking a visit to the Temple of Literature

-Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

-Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

-St. Joseph’s Cathedral

-Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem Lake)

-Try your egg coffee

Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi - one of the most beautiful pagodas in Asia

Thang Long Imperial City

9. Ha Long Bay

Located in northeast Vietnam, Ha Long Bay offers a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Tonkin. Warm and tropical, it is home to a vast network of plants and animals.

Countless islets in Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to the 1,600 limestone islands that dot the landscape. Many of these islands, which have been carved into pillars and other shapes by the water of the bay, are largely untouched by humans.

Aside from touring the islands, visitors to Ha Long Bay can enjoy leisurely boat cruises, swimming, hiking, and kayaking. 

10. Sa Pa

Nestled in the mountainous northwest, the township of Sa Pa is situated next to the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. The peak of Vietnam's highest mountain, Fan Si Pan, is visible in Sa Pa on clear days. 

Enchanting nature in Sa Pa

Visitors can tour the numerous traditional villages in the area and view the region's dramatic, terraced agricultural fields. To get to Sa Pa from Hanoi, travelers could take an overnight train (approximately 6 hours) or a bus to the neighboring China-border city called Lao Cai, then catch a bus or private van for 2 hours upward to Sapa.

If a mountain adventure, nature photography, ladder rice fields, trekking, hiking, and visiting ethnic minorities and culture are more your speed, there is no better place to visit than Sa Pa. 

Best things to do in Sapa:

-Sign up for a trekking tour to admire the ladder rice fields

-Fansipan Mountain

-Love waterfall

-Muong Hoa Valley

-Ta Phin Village

For more tips on the top places to visit in Vietnam, check out more of what i Tour Vietnam has to offer.

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