Hugging the coast of southeast Asia lies the fascinating country of Vietnam.
With a history dating back thousands of years and an infamous war leaving much of the country in pieces, it has prospered in recent years to become one of the most loved places on the continent.
From the picture perfect Halong Bay to the bustling city of Hanoi, the charming town of Hoi An to the floating markets in the Mekong Delta, the country is full to the brim of exciting and once in a lifetime experiences waiting to be had.
Whether you are planning a backpacking trip to Southeast Asia or are dreaming on exploring Vietnam, view my tips and start planning a dream break today.
Vietnam Travel Booking Resources
These are my favourite companies to use when I travel.
• Search cheap flights with Skyscanner.
• Find the best deals on hotels on Booking.com.
Vietnam Tours
Travelling solo? Worried about the language barrier? Or just want a hassle-free way to discover the highlights of Vietnam? Browse small group adventure tours with G Adventures or Contiki. Both companies offer multiple itineraries with weekly departures.
Reasons to Visit Vietnam
Vietnam is located in Southeastern Asia, is located on the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered on the north bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia. Hanoi is the capital, and Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon) is the largest city.
The far north and much of central Vietnam are hilly or mountainous. In the north, the highlands slope gradually toward the eastern coast, forming broad plains.
In central Vietnam, the narrowest part of the country, the mountains and highlands extend nearer to the coast, in a few places jutting into the sea and elsewhere dropping sharply to a narrow coastal plain.
Southern Vietnam is very low lying, containing the broad, fertile delta of the Mekong River. Like the northern plains, much of the Mekong Delta is cultivated, and there are vast tracts of rice paddies.
Vietnam is… motorbike-driving, communist haven of Hanoi – the capital and last resting place of North Vietnam’s hero, “Uncle” Ho Chi Minh, who has been lying perfectly preserved and astonishingly revered since his death in 1969; and it’s the awe-inspiring natural beauty of more than 3000 islands in Halong Bay.
Vietnam is… the old spiritual capital of Hue, with its stone armies, fortified citadel, picturesque oriental serenity and delicious snakes; and it’s the quaint village of Hoi An, with its Franco-Chinese ambience, lantern-encrusted streets, culinary delights and almost unending supply of cheap tailors waiting to measure you up.
Vietnam is…the beautiful beach resort of Nha Trang, where glorious seafood, late-night traveller debauchery and motorbike-driving prostitutes who just want to be friends (yeah, right), are more than a match for any of Thailand’s offerings.
Vietnam is… Saigon, officially Ho Chi Minh City – home to seven million people and more motorbikes than anywhere else in the world (4.5 million with just 135,000 helmets), the best karaoke bars, and the finest bargains, scams and aggressive free enterprise ethos in all the land.
And finally, Vietnam is… the colourful, farming and food-trading hub of the Mekong delta, with its bizarre fruits and vegetables, filthy canals, floating markets and feisty water buffalo.
Weather & Best Time to Visit
Vietnam’s climate is tropical in the south and monsoonal in the north with a hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March). The terrain is low, flat delta in the south and north, central highlands, and hilly and mountainous in the far north and northwest. I really don’t think there is one perfect time to visit, this is an all year round destination.
Where to Go
If you are planning the ultimate Vietnam itinerary these are some locations you really can’t miss:
• Ho Chi Minh City
• Hanoi
• Nha Trang
• Hoi An
• Hue
• Danang
• Sapa
• Ha Long Bay
Itinerary
Travelling the length of Vietnam is an amazing adventure. Choose an itinerary that takes you from north to south (or vice-versa), covering many of the major attractions along the way.
You could start in the capital Hanoi, with its tree lined boulevards and lakes, and then continue to Halong Bay and stay overnight on a traditional junk, cruising the thousands of limestone islets. The Reunification Express will take you to the former Imperial capital, Hue, situated on the Perfume River, where you will be introduced to your bikes.
Visit the picturesque fishing village and old trading port of Hoi An, the Central Highlands area of Dalat and the sandy beaches of Nha Trang, before ending your trip in the vibrant metropolis of Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City where you can visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The scenery along the way is spectacular, and travelling overland gives you the chance to meet a multitude of people.
Getting Around
If you are travelling solo or independently, this means less expense overall, but it also means much more frustration and disorganised travelling chaos – or, to coin a phrase, the “Hanoiing Hanoiances” of the typical Vietnamese sojourn.
One of the most effective ways to experience Vietnam in the shortest time is with a guided trip. If you have a good tour leader and local guides, you can have the best experience on a tour. Everything you need – at every airport, train station, tourist excursion and hotel (most hotels are 3- or 4-star and include breakfast buffets) – is taken care of.
It’s an adventure without threats in a country that’s had its teeth filed, its claws cut and its hair combed for your arrival.
Top Things to Do
Cruise through Halong Bay
Sheer limestone outcrops, standing proudly in the sheltered waters of the South China seas, are the classic postcard images of Halong Bay.
More than 1600 islands can be explored on an overnight cruise on a sturdy traditional junk, using smaller vessels to enter lost-world lagoons, dramatic caves, uninhabited islands and unspoiled beaches.
As daylight fades, toast the sunset with a glass of rice wine before sampling the flavours of a traditional Vietnamese feast. Overnight cruises among the mountain islands of Halong Bay can book book with local and international travel operators.
Explore Hanoi
Hanoi is crazy, hectic and dizzying all at once. The old quarter is seeping in history and culture, but come evening transforms into the perfect party haven.
The “Walking Street” combines 26 streets around the Hoan Kiem lake which are all sealed off to vehicles come the weekend, therefore making it perfect to enjoy the lively atmosphere free of dodging motorcycles.
Visit Ta Hien Street, where you can find delicious beers at great prices and an abundance of restaurants and street food vendors. The square outside the famous Thang Long Puppet Theatre is crammed with performers, boom boxes and travellers from all over soaking up the atmosphere.
Bike the Coast
Travel the length of Vietnam on two wheels! You’ll see spectacular scenery and some really special destinations along the way. Several local and international travel operators offer trips.
Food & Drink
I’ve got two words to say to you: Cheap. Food. Wait, here’s one more: Delicious.
Vietnam is more than just pho and banh mi (although NOTHING beats loudly slurping up noodles while seated on a tiny plastic stool in a jam-packed Hanoi restaurant); there’s banh xeo, that salty crispy pancake rolled around pork and prawns; there’s ca cha, that saucy fragrant fried fish dish, served alongside rice noodles and herbs aplenty; there’s congee and hot pots and curries and bun…
Discounting Vietnam’s more popular edible exports – pho, bánh mì, vermicelli salads and summer rolls, I image your knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine is pretty limited.
Here are some of the foods I think you should sample whilst in Vietnam:
Cha Ca
This concoction originated in Hanoi but has since spread south. Cha ca is made up of morsels of flakey white fish marinated in turmeric, galangal, garlic and shallots. It’s then fried and served with lashings of fresh dill, roasted peanuts, fresh mint, lettuce, and a selection of dipping sauces. So much yes.
Bahn Xeo
This dish may be more familiar, but bahn xeo, Vietnam’s answer to France’s galette, hasn’t found as much popularity as the likes of banh mi and pho outside of Vietnam. Bahn xeo is essentially crispy savoury pancake made with rice flour, turmeric and water.
It’s stuffed with pork, prawns, green onion and bean sprouts and served wrapped in crunchy lettuce or bahn trang wrappers (the edible rice paper used for summer rolls) with fresh herbs and a sweet and sour fish sauce. Locals love it, and I did too.
Ga Nuong
A pretty solid example of the foolproof simplicity of Vietnamese cuisine, this popular creation is straight-up grilled chicken. Street Vendors across Vietnam create their own variations, but when it comes down to it, ga nuong is essentially marinated chicken that is charred on a hot grill. Hunt down the best in town and you’ll be back every day, forever.
Bahn Khot
A specialty of the former fishing village, Vang Tau, bahn khot is a small savoury pancake that does very little for the eye but wonders for the palate. Made with rice flour, coconut milk, spring onion and prawns, and topped with pork floss and fresh spring onion, these little pancakes are a simple delight.
Again served with crisp lettuce and an array of fresh herbs, dipping sauce and green papaya, bahn khot is another example of Vietnamese simplicity.
Bot Chein
Another staple on the streets in Vietnam, bot chien is simply fried rice cake served with egg. The cubed gelatinous rice cake becomes crispy when it is fried, and the egg is pretty much just an egg. Served with salty soy and fresh crisp vegetables, bot chien is a cheap favourite among local university students and hungry travellers alike.
Vietnam Travel Tips
Currency
£1 will buy you around 32,000 Vietnamese dong, so you really will be a millionaire in Hanoi. As well as dong, take some US dollars too — despite the Vietnamese government’s attempts to phase them out, they’re still widely accepted.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that the dong is non-convertible, which means that you will struggle to change any surplus cash that you have left over at the end of your stay. If you do find yourself with some left over, it’s best to sell it to fellow travellers.
Unofficial money changers can be found in the city’s plentiful gold shops, but word has it that this practice is being phased out, as the government begin the crack down.
Budget
Vietnam is cheap, really cheap – four-dollars-a-room, one-dollar-a-beer-cheap, your spending money goes a long way. This is one of the best value destinations in Asia and accommodation and sightseeing activities are a fraction of the cost of places like China and Thailand.
Safety
Generally, Vietnam is very safe. But like everywhere in south east Asia be aware for pickpockets, lock your luggage in the hotel and don’t wear jewellery. Petty crime seems to be increasing everywhere in Vietnam, especially in HCMC. The overnight train to Lao Cai also gets his share. Personally I never felt unsafe, and I didn’t get anything stolen though.
Shopping & Souvenirs
There are plenty of places to go shopping including:
• In Sapa and Bac Ha you can buy all kind of textiles, bags, jackets, shirts etc. I thought shopping in Bac Ha was a bit better then Sapa.
• All over the country you can buy clothes, but the best place to buy tailor fit clothes is certainly Hoi An: cheap and good quality.
• Toys are also popular souvenir. For wooden toys, Hanoi is the best place, for toys made from cans Saigon and Danang are good, for aluminum toys you can find them all over the country.
• You’ll also find plenty of shops selling rucksacks of brands like The North Face, Jack Wolfskin, Lowe etc. You won’t see the difference with the real thing, but once you touch the tissue, you’ll see it lacks the strength of the real stuff. Plenty of choice in HCMC.
Events & Festivals
Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas on days when the moon is either full or the merest sliver. Many Buddhists eat only vegetarian food on these days.
Some of the major religious festivals follow a lunar calendar. They include:
• Tet (late January or early February, coinciding with Chinese New Year), the most important festival of the year, which lasts a week (with rites beginning a week earlier), marking the new lunar year
• Wandering Souls Day (Trung Nguyen), held on the fifteenth day of the seventh moon (August), the second-largest festival of the year, when offerings of food and gifts are given to the wandering souls of the forgotten dead
• Tiet Doan Ngo (Summer Solstice Day) in June which sees the burning of human effigies to satisfy the need for souls to serve in the God of Death’s army; and Holiday of the Dead (Thanh Minh) in April commemorating deceased relatives.
Public Holidays
• January 1 : New Year ’s Day
• Traditional lunar New Year Festival (Tet Nguyen Dan): This four day holiday often falls between January and F ebruary beginning on the e ve and the first three days of the Lunar New Year
• February 3 – Founding Day of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
• March: Commemoration of the Trung sisters, who in the year 41 of Christian reckoning led a rebellion against the Chinese rulers. The celebration depends on the lunar calendar.
• April 30: Saigon Liberation Day .
• May 1: International Labor Day.
• May 19: Ho Chi Minh’s birthday; national holiday
• May 28: Commemoration of the birth, the enlightenment and the death of the Buddha.
• August: Trung Nguyen (Day of the Wandering Souls ), celebrated according to the lunar calendar.
• September 2: National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• September 3 : Day to commemorate the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969; national holiday
• September : Trung Thu ( autumn celebration ) celebrated according to the lunar calendar.
• November : Birthday of Confucius , follows the lunar calendar.
History
I always think its good to know a little about a destination before arriving, so to help you understand more about Vietnam, I’ll leave you with a brief overview of the history of the country.
Vietnam has about 50 ethnic and language groups, but ethnic Vietnamese, or Viets, constitute the vast majority of the population.
The original homeland of the Vietnamese people was in the valley of the Red River, a river that originates in southern China and flows through northern Vietnam before entering the Gulf of Tonkin. China conquered the region in the 2nd century bc, but the Vietnamese successfully restored their independence in AD 939.
France invaded Vietnam in the late 19th century. After World War II (1939-1945), anticolonial groups led by the Indochinese Communist Party revolted against French rule.
In 1954, after Vietnamese forces defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam was temporarily divided into two zones: North Vietnam, led by a Communist government under Ho Chi Minh , and South Vietnam, headed by anti-Communists.
For the next 20 years the country was torn apart by a civil war in which the United States so famously became embroiled. The United States withdrew its combat troops in 1973, and South Vietnam fell to a Communist offensive two years later.
In 1976 a unified Communist state was established with its capital at Hanoi. Although Vietnam remains under Communist rule, its leadership has begun implementing aspects of a market economy in order to promote economic development.
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi Minh, who took control of the North.
US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South.
Despite the return of peace, for over two decades the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies.
Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries.
Book a Trip to Vietnam
Get to grips with all of Vietnam’s magnificence right now and plan a trip for yourself. Hopefully my guide has given you some ideas for where to go, what to do and how to save money. I really loved backpacking in Vietnam and I know you will too.