Vietnam is a country with so much to offer, from trekking rice fields and navigating
war tunnels to buying custom clothing, this country is a must see.
Recommend time for all destinations 24-30 days depending on how quickly you want to move.
Estimated Minimum cost £200 per week
This goes down in order from North to South if you are coming in from Cambodia or flying into Ho Chi Minh you will want to work from bottom to top.
Hanoi | Sapa | Ha Long Bay | Phoung Nha | Hué |
Da Nang | Hôi An | Nha Trang | Dalat | Ho Chi Minh | Mekong Delta
Entry: For those coming over land you should have no problem at the boarder if you're flying in make sure you have your visa.
Accommodation: Easy to find you can turn up and find a place to stay, if you want to book check out our accommodation page for suggestions
Getting round: there are loads of tourist buses which stop at all the locations with the exception of Phoung Nha. There's a train and if you're feeling adventurous you can even buy a motorbike. Within a city get a motorbike ride, tuck tuck or walk.
Food: Everywhere has cheap local and western food, get out there and find what you like.
TOP TIP: ALWAYS agree a price for motorbike or tuck tuck ride before you set off!
Hanoi
In Hanoi the best place for travellers is the old quarter, a great part of the city full of culture, places to eat and hostels. I spent my time in Hanoi just potting round visiting the site including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the temple of literature. I also got my haircut by a man on the street for like £3 which was awesome.
Top things: Trips to Sapa & Ha Long bay | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | More city exploring
Sapa
One of my favourite places in Vietnam, the rice fields in Sapa are incredible. I booked from Hanoi which included a bus ride there, a tour, accommodation and the bus back. This will be one of the more expensive things you do in Vietnam but 100% worth doing. The woman who took us was 18 with self taught English and she was brilliant. There are lots of locals trying to sell hats and bracelets, if you show interest you will be swarmed. Also they grow a lot of marijuana for "clothing purposes".
Top things: Trekking
Ha Long Bay
These unbelievable limestone islands are not to be missed. Whilst there you can explore the caves and go kayaking round the islands. Again I recommend booking from Hanoi, there are so many choices so just pick the one thats right for you. I did a day trip because it was the cheapest but if I were to do it again I would definitely paid a bit extra to stay the night. This was a place where my photos really don't do it justice.
Top things: Boat tour
Phoung Nha National Park
Here you definitely should book beforehand and this is purely for the hostel shuttle. You will need to get a bus or train to Dong Hoi then it's about a 45 minute shuttle to Phoung Nha. Rarely name hostels but here I would say book with Easy Tiger hostel and coordinate times with them.
As for Phoung Nha it was totally worth going out the way for. With some of the largest commercial caves in the world to explore don't miss out! If you want to access all the caves take you swim stuff, they have lockers for you to leave your valuables.
Top things: Exploring caves | Cave boat tours
Hué
Hué is right in the middle of Vietnam, it was the north-south divide during the war and has some incredible stories. You can go and visit the Forbidden Purple City and take a tour around on old war sites. I toured with an ex-prisoner of war and it was one of the most interesting things I did in my whole time in Vietnam.
Top things: Forbidden Purple City/Imperial City | Exploring the town
Da Nang
I didn't real see any of Da Nang but this is the place to do the Hai Van Pass from, I did this because I'd seen it on Top Gear. Just rent a bike for the day for the chance to see him stunning scenery. It's about 45 minutes from Hoi An so you could do it from there too.
Top things: Marble mountain | Hai Van Pass
Hôi An
Hôi An is a beautiful little town, take a walk round and enjoy the shops and markets. You can get loads of things custom made at low prices. If you want a day trip rent a motorbike and go visit the My Son ruins. Just try not to get lost on the way there or back.
Top things: Exploring town, markets and shops | My Son ruins | The Beach
Nha Trang
Personally I think the most interesting things to do here are visit the Big Budda and the Po Nagar temples. It also has a pretty nice beach and you can get a cable car to Vinpearl theme park. There are rides but I was too busy riding them to take photos, it was a good day but not a must see by any means.
Top things: Po Nagar | Big Budda (long son pagoda) | Vinpearl amusement park
Dalat
Dalat is a little place with not too much going on. It's got some cool waterfalls a short drive away and you can take a canyoning tour which is pretty awesome for those of who like your outdoor activities. To visit the waterfalls you will need to rent a motorbike.
Top things: Canyoning | Datanla Waterfall & Cable car | Elephant waterfall | Crazy house
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh also known as Saigon is Vietnam biggest city and it's bloody hectic. I was really really ill while I was there so I didn't get out much. A few popular things to do while you are there are to visit the Independence Palace and the Chu Chi tunnels which are meant to be pretty good. Just get out there and have a walk round there's a lot of cool buildings and museums scattered round.
Top things: Explore the city (Independance palace/post office etc) | Chu Chi Tunnels
Mekong Delta
Below Ho Chi Minh is the Mekong Delta this is a massive maze of rivers that you can take a boat tour down. I didn't have time to visit while I was in Vietnam but I've been told pretty pretty decent if you've got time to do it.
Thanks for reading my top tips on Vietnam if you have any questions feel free to contact me.