Top attractions and activities
Vietnam’s largest island is a tropical playground of white-sand beaches, coral reefs, pepper plantations, and pearl farms — with a growing roster of luxury resorts for those who want to do it in style.
Vietnam’s original beach resort city. Nha Trang has a long urban beach, excellent diving in a protected marine reserve, and islands accessible by day-trip boat.
Vietnam’s kite-surfing capital and home to dramatic red and white sand dunes. Mui Ne is a low-key beach town that attracts wind-sports lovers, sun-seekers, and anyone tired of the party crowds further north.
Home to the world’s largest cave — Son Doong — and dozens more in a UNESCO National Park of dense jungle, underground rivers, and unique cave ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.
UNESCO-listed Hoi An is Vietnam’s most Instagram-famous town — and rightly so. Silk lanterns, centuries-old merchant houses, the best tailors in Asia, and a beach just 4km away make it almost impossible to leave.
Da Nang is Vietnam’s most liveable city — clean beaches, a lively food scene, great infrastructure, and easy access to both Hue and Hoi An make it the ideal central Vietnam base.
Vietnam’s last imperial capital, Hue is a city of walled citadels, lotus-filled moats, royal tombs, and a cuisine so refined it was once served only to emperors.
The Ha Giang loop is the ultimate off-road Vietnam adventure — 350km through a UNESCO-listed karst plateau, over dizzying mountain passes, and through ethnic minority villages that see few tourists.
Vietnam’s trekking capital. Sapa’s stacked rice terraces, fog-draped valleys, and H’mong and Dao hill-tribe villages make it one of the most visually stunning destinations in Southeast Asia.
Dramatic karst landscapes without the cruise-ship crowds. Ninh Binh rewards slow travellers who want rowing boats through rice paddies, ancient temples, and hilltop monastery views.
One of the world’s most recognisable seascapes — 1,600 limestone islands rising from emerald water. Ha Long Bay is best seen slowly, from the deck of an overnight cruise.
Vietnam’s 1,000-year-old capital blends French colonial boulevards, a maze-like Old Quarter, and world-famous street food into one of Southeast Asia’s most captivating cities.
