Vietnam Travel Guide
Vietnam runs 1,700 kilometres down the eastern edge of Indochina, and it changes character every few hours of that journey — terraced mountains in the north, imperial cities in the centre, and a delta in the south where life is lived on the water.
Vietnam is a country that rewards travellers who slow down. The scenery is spectacular, but what people remember is the texture: a bowl of pho eaten on a plastic stool at six in the morning, a lantern-lit street in the rain, a grandmother expertly threading a motorbike through a crowded market.
Vietnam is remarkably good value, deeply safe, and increasingly well connected. A coastline of nearly 3,500 kilometres carries a new generation of resorts, while the interior remains genuinely rural — rice, coffee, buffalo and limestone.
Explore our Vietnam Tour Packages to see how we build these regions into a single seamless journey.
Where to Go in Vietnam
Most itineraries move north to south, or the reverse. Two weeks covers all three regions at a civilised pace; 10 days means choosing two. Give yourself all three if you can — they feel like different countries.
The North
Hanoi is the obvious start: a thousand-year-old capital of tree-lined boulevards, lakes and a tangled Old Quarter where every street once sold a single trade. Allow three days for:
- The Temple of Literature
- The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
- A water-puppet performance
- A glass of the city's famous egg coffee
East of the capital, Ha Long Bay needs no introduction, though quieter Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long are often the better overnight cruise. Ninh Binh — sometimes called "Ha Long Bay on land" — is the region's most underrated stop: limestone towers rising from flooded rice fields, best seen by sampan at Trang An or Tam Coc.
Inland, the mountains begin. Sapa is the best known, famous for rice terraces and hill-tribe markets, with trekking for every fitness level. Ha Giang further north has become the country's great motorbike and 4WD loop — switchbacks and karst plateau along the Chinese border. Mai Chau offers stilt-house homestays within easy reach of Hanoi, while Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Muong La and Hoa Binh remain a genuine frontier.
The Centre
The heart of old Vietnam. Hue was the imperial capital, and its Citadel and riverside royal tombs remain the country's most atmospheric historical site. South over the Hai Van Pass, Da Nang offers beaches, bridges and modern comfort, with the Marble Mountains and the Cham ruins of My Son close by.
Hoi An — a preserved trading port of tailors, lanterns and yellow-washed shophouses — is the single most loved town in Vietnam. North of Hue, Quang Binh holds Phong Nha-Ke Bang, home to the largest caves on earth, and Quang Tri carries the weight of the country's wartime history at the DMZ. On the south-central coast, Quy Nhon remains refreshingly unhurried.
Highlands & Coast
Cool, green and often overlooked. Da Lat (Lam Dong province) — flower farms, pine forests and waterfalls — was built as a French hill station and still feels like one. Dak Lak is coffee country, with elephant conservation projects and Ede longhouse villages.
On the coast: Nha Trang delivers a long municipal beach, islands and diving; Mui Ne (Binh Thuan) the red sand dunes and kitesurfing; Vung Tau the classic weekend escape from the south.
The South & the Mekong Delta
Ho Chi Minh City is fast, loud and thoroughly enjoyable — colonial facades, rooftop bars, the War Remnants Museum, and the best southern cooking in the country. Within reach are the Cu Chi tunnels and the extraordinary Cao Dai temple at Tay Ninh.
Then the delta itself — floating markets and fruit orchards best seen by boat: My Tho, Cai Be, Vinh Long, the flower village of Sa Dec, Chau Doc on the Cambodian border, and Can Tho, whose Cai Rang floating market is the largest and best worth the early start.
The Islands
Phu Quoc, off the Cambodian coast, is Vietnam's largest island and its principal beach resort destination — white sand, national park interior, and a growing luxury hotel scene. Con Dao, further out and far quieter, pairs superb diving and turtle nesting with a sombre former prison island history.
Best Time to Visit Vietnam
Vietnam is long enough that no single month is perfect everywhere. Broadly, February–April and August–October are the sweet spots for a full north-to-south itinerary.
- The North: cool and misty December–February (genuinely cold in Sapa); hot and wet May–September
- The Centre: best February–May; September–November brings typhoon and flooding risk (we advise carefully on Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An travel in this window)
- The South: warm year-round; wet season May–November usually means a heavy afternoon shower rather than a lost day
- Phu Quoc: driest November–April
How Many Days Do You Need in Vietnam?
Seven days is enough for one half of the country. Ten days is the standard first-visit length, covering Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Fourteen days shows the whole country without rushing. Three weeks or more suits a second visit.
Sample Itineraries
- One week: Choose one half. North: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, overnight in Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay. South: Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and either Hoi An or Phu Quoc by short flight.
- Ten days: Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → fly to Da Nang for Hue and Hoi An → finish in Ho Chi Minh City with a Mekong day trip.
- Two weeks: As above, adding Sapa or Ha Giang in the north, Phong Nha in the centre, and 2–3 nights on the beach at Phu Quoc or Da Nang to finish.
- Three weeks+: Add Ha Giang's mountain loop, Con Dao, Quy Nhon, the Dak Lak highlands, or an extended run through the Mekong Delta to Chau Doc and into Cambodia.
Getting Around Vietnam
Domestic flights are cheap, frequent and usually the sensible way to cover the length of the country — Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is a two-hour flight against a thirty-hour train.
The Reunification Express railway is nonetheless a genuine experience, and the coastal stretch between Hue and Da Nang is one of the most scenic rail journeys in Asia.
Within cities, ride-hailing apps are cheap and remove any haggling. Private car and driver is the standard for touring — traffic is the thing that surprises visitors most. Crossing a street is a matter of walking slowly and predictably rather than waiting for a gap that never comes.
Where to Stay in Vietnam
Vietnam offers unusually good value at every level:
- Boutique colonial hotels — a particular strength in Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An
- International beach resorts — Da Nang, Nha Trang, Mui Ne and Phu Quoc, often a fraction of comparable Asian properties
- Homestays — northern mountains and the Mekong Delta, usually with a shared family meal and an early start
- Overnight cruise cabins — Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay, ranging from simple to genuinely luxurious
- Eco-lodges — Ninh Binh, Phong Nha and Pu Luong, among the best-value stays in the country
What to Eat in Vietnam
Vietnamese food is fresh, herb-heavy and regional to the core.
- North: pho, bun cha (grilled pork with noodles and herbs), cha ca turmeric fish
- Centre: bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) and Hue's royal banquet tradition; Hoi An's cao lau, white rose dumplings and banh mi
- South: banh xeo sizzling crepes, com tam broken rice, hu tieu noodle soup, superb seafood
Everywhere: banh mi (a genuine culinary legacy of French colonisation), goi cuon fresh spring rolls, and ca phe sua da — iced coffee with condensed milk. Adventurous eaters should try egg coffee in Hanoi and coconut coffee in the south.
Festivals and Top Experiences
Major festivals:
- Tet (Lunar New Year) — late January or February; the country's biggest event. The country effectively closes for a week; transport books out and many businesses shut, so plan carefully.
- Hoi An Lantern Festival — the 14th night of each lunar month; the old town switches off electric lights entirely
- Hue Festival — biennial royal arts festival
- Mid-Autumn Festival — lion dances and mooncakes
- Perfume Pagoda pilgrimage — after Tet
- Northern hill-tribe love markets
Top experiences:
- An overnight cruise among the limestone karsts of Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay
- A street-food walking tour in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City
- Cycling the rice paddies around Hoi An, then having clothes made overnight
- A homestay in the northern mountains or the Mekong Delta
- Sunrise at the Hue royal tombs, or a boat along the Perfume River
- A sampan through the flooded karst of Trang An in Ninh Binh
- The dawn floating market at Cai Rang, near Can Tho
Shopping in Vietnam
Vietnam is one of the best-value shopping destinations in Asia, and Hoi An is its centre — several hundred tailors will make a suit, dress or coat overnight from a photograph, with a fitting the next morning. Quality varies enormously, so use a recommended workshop and allow two nights rather than one.
Elsewhere: lacquerware and silk in Hanoi's Old Quarter, ceramics from Bat Trang, ethnic minority textiles and indigo from Sapa and Ha Giang, coffee from the Dak Lak highlands, and conical hats, basketry and mother-of-pearl inlay almost everywhere. Ben Thanh market (Ho Chi Minh City) and Dong Xuan (Hanoi) are the big general markets. Bargaining is expected in markets and not in shops — start around half and settle warmly.
Essential Travel Information
- Visa: Most Australian passport holders now require an e-visa, straightforward to obtain online — rules change, so we confirm requirements for every booking.
- Currency: Vietnamese dong. Cards widely accepted in cities; cash essential in markets and rural areas.
- Dress: Modest at temples and pagodas — shoulders and knees covered.
- Health: No vaccinations mandatory, but consult a travel doctor about hepatitis A, typhoid, and — for rural or extended stays — Japanese encephalitis and malaria prophylaxis. Dengue is present year-round in the south, so repellent matters more than tablets.
- Insurance: Comprehensive travel insurance covering motorbike use is strongly advised if you plan to ride — standard policies routinely exclude it.
- Water: Drink bottled or filtered water only.
- Connectivity: A local SIM or eSIM is cheap, with good coverage even in the mountains.
- Responsible travel: Choose observation-only elephant experiences, avoid close-contact captive wildlife attractions, and be wary of "orphanage" visits, which are widely discouraged. Buying directly from ethnic minority artisans in the north puts money where it does most good.
Ready to plan your trip?
Explore our Vietnam Tour Packages, or speak to an Instatrip Vietnam consultant about a tailor-made itinerary.
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