Northern Vietnam
Northern Vietnam
Hanoi
A thousand-year-old capital that still runs on plastic stools, motorbike horns and the smell of charcoal — and the natural first stop for the north.
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Vietnam travel guide
Everything you need to plan a trip to Vietnam
Where to go, what it really costs, how many days each place is worth, and how to get between them.
Destinations
Where to go in Vietnam
From the karst bays of the north to the Mekong Delta — the places worth building a trip around, and how long each one needs.
Northern Vietnam
Lao Cai Province, Northern Vietnam
Sapa
Terraced valleys under the Hoang Lien Son range, and the easiest place in Vietnam to spend two days walking between highland villages.
MountainsCultureAdventure
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Northern Vietnam
Ha Giang Province, Northern Vietnam
Ha Giang
The northernmost province in Vietnam, and the country's best road trip: three or four days of limestone plateau, hairpin passes and border villages.
MountainsAdventureCulture
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Northern Vietnam
Ninh Binh Province, Northern Vietnam
Ninh Binh
Ha Long Bay's limestone towers, but standing in rice fields instead of the sea — and only 90 minutes from Hanoi.
MountainsCultureAdventure
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Islands & Beaches
Quang Ninh Province, Northern Vietnam
Ha Long Bay
Around 1,600 limestone islands in the Gulf of Tonkin, seen properly only from a boat that stays out overnight.
BeachesAdventureResorts
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Central Vietnam
Quang Nam Province, Central Vietnam
Hoi An
A UNESCO-listed trading port that stopped growing in the 19th century and therefore survived intact — lanterns, tailors and a beach twenty minutes away.
CultureFoodResorts
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Food
What to eat in Vietnam
Regional specialties, the street food worth queuing for, and roughly what a bowl costs.
Regional specialty
Banh Beo: Hue's Tiny Steamed Rice Cakes
Hue, central Vietnam
Thumb-sized saucers of steamed rice batter topped with dried shrimp floss and pork cracklings, eaten a dozen at a time in Hue with sweet fish sauce.
~$1–$2 (20,000–50,000₫) Estimate for one serving, which usually means a tray or a stack of eight to fifteen small dishes. Around 20,000-50,000d, roughly US$0.80-2. Prices move with the venue and the season, so ask before you order in a tourist area.
Regional specialty
Banh Xeo: The Mekong Delta's Sizzling Rice Crepe
The Mekong Delta, southern Vietnam
A turmeric-yellow rice flour crepe the size of a dinner plate, fried crisp with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts, then torn up and wrapped in herbs.
~$0.5–$2.5 (15,000–60,000₫) Estimate per crepe: roughly 15,000-30,000d (about US$0.60-1.20) at a roadside or market stall, and 40,000-60,000d (about US$1.60-2.40) at larger places or for premium fillings. One delta-sized crepe feeds one to two people. Prices vary by town and season.
Regional specialty
Bun Ca Fish Noodle Soup: Hai Phong's Spicy Bowl
Hai Phong, northern Vietnam
Hai Phong's signature bowl: crisp fried fish and springy fish cake in a sour, chili-red broth with rice vermicelli, eaten at any hour of the day.
~$1–$2.5 (25,000–60,000₫) Estimate per bowl: around 25,000-35,000d (roughly US$1-1.40) for a standard bowl, and 40,000-60,000d (roughly US$1.60-2.40) for a loaded bowl with extra fish cake and mackerel. Prices vary by place and time of day.
Regional specialty
Bun Rieu: Hanoi's Crab and Tomato Noodle Soup
Hanoi, northern Vietnam
A tart, tomato-red noodle soup built on freshwater paddy crab, with clouds of crab curd, fried tofu and a basket of raw herbs. Hanoi's classic morning bowl.
~$1–$3 (30,000–70,000₫) Estimate per bowl: around 30,000-50,000d (roughly US$1.20-2) for a standard bowl, rising to about 50,000-70,000d (roughly US$2-2.80) when you add pork rolls, ribs or beef. Prices vary by neighborhood.
Regional specialty
Cha Ca La Vong: Hanoi's Turmeric Fish Dish
Hanoi, northern Vietnam
Turmeric-marinated fish grilled, then finished in a pan of hot fat at your table with a bale of dill, eaten over rice noodles with peanuts and shrimp paste.
~$4.5–$10 (120,000–250,000₫) Estimate per person, including noodles and herbs: roughly 120,000-180,000d (about US$5-7) outside the center, and 150,000-250,000d (about US$6-10) at the well-known Old Quarter places. Prices vary and premium fish costs more.
Regional specialty
Com Hen: Hue's Baby Clam Rice, Explained
Hue, central Vietnam
Cold rice tossed with tiny river clams, pork cracklings, peanuts, crushed crackers, herbs and fiery shrimp paste, with a bowl of hot clam broth on the side.
~$0.5–$1.5 (15,000–40,000₫) Estimate per bowl: roughly 15,000-30,000d (about US$0.60-1.20) at a neighborhood stall, and up to 40,000d (about US$1.60) at a sit-down place or with extra clams. It is one of the cheapest dishes in Vietnam.
Worth trying
Goi Cuon: Vietnamese Spring Rolls Done Right
Vietnam, most strongly associated with the south
Fresh, unfried rolls of shrimp, pork, noodles and herbs in translucent rice paper, dipped in a thick peanut and fermented soybean sauce.
~$1–$3 (25,000–80,000₫) Estimate per portion of two to four rolls: around 25,000-50,000d (roughly US$1-2) at a street stall or market, and 40,000-80,000d (roughly US$1.60-3.20) at a sit-down restaurant. Prices vary by city.
Regional specialty
Hu Tieu: Saigon's Other Great Noodle Bowl
Ho Chi Minh City, southern Vietnam
A clear, sweet pork and dried seafood broth over springy noodles, loaded with shrimp, minced pork, quail eggs and offal. Ho Chi Minh City's breakfast of choice.
~$1.5–$3 (35,000–70,000₫) Estimate per bowl: around 35,000-60,000d (roughly US$1.40-2.40) at a neighborhood shop, rising to about 70,000d (roughly US$2.80) at long-established places or with extra toppings. Prices vary across the city.
Guides
Vietnam travel guides
Visas, eSIMs, scams, safety and getting around — the practical answers you want before you book.
Apps to Download Before Visiting Vietnam
A short, opinionated list: ride-hailing, offline maps, camera translation, the messaging app Vietnamese businesses actually answer, and an honest account of why local payment apps will not work for you.
5 min readRead more
Ba Be National Park Travel Guide: Doing It Yourself
Ba Be is one of the few places in the northern mountains you can organize without a tour, a motorbike license or any trekking experience. The awkward part is that the information is scattered and most homestays are not on the big booking sites.
5 min readRead more
Ban Gioc Waterfall Travel Guide: Doing It Yourself
Ban Gioc is a long way from anywhere you land, and worth it if you plan the road properly. This guide covers the transport chain from Hanoi, the water seasons, what else in Cao Bang justifies the distance, where to sleep and what the trip costs.
5 min readRead more
Cat Ba Island Travel Guide: Getting There and Doing It Right
Cat Ba is the independent traveler's answer to a packaged Ha Long cruise. This covers the transport chain from Hanoi or Hai Phong, how to pick a Lan Ha Bay boat, what three days actually costs, and the mistakes that cost people their trip.
5 min readRead more
Dien Bien Phu Travel Guide for the 1954 Battlefield
Dien Bien Phu is a pilgrimage rather than a general holiday stop, and it needs planning that most Vietnam destinations do not. This guide covers getting there from an international arrival, what it costs, when to go and how to organize the days on the ground.
5 min readRead more
Ha Giang Travel Guide: The Loop, Costs, Logistics
Ha Giang is the far northern corner of Vietnam and the reason people go is a single loop of mountain road. This guide covers getting there from Hanoi, the three ways to ride the loop, what a trip costs and everything to sort out before you leave home.
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Ha Long Bay Travel Guide: Planning It Yourself
Everything a first-time visitor needs to arrange Ha Long Bay without a package: how to get there from Hanoi or the airport, which bay to choose, day boat versus overnight cruise, what things cost and what the fare does not include.
8 min readRead more
Hai Phong Travel Guide: How to Visit and What It Costs
Hai Phong is one of the easiest places in northern Vietnam to travel independently, until you try to reach the island. This covers getting there from Hanoi, crossing to Cat Ba, choosing a base, splitting the days and what a trip actually costs.
5 min readRead more
Blog
Latest articles
New guides, seasonal advice and updates from the Viet Global Travel team.
Cai Rang Floating Market: Go Before Sunrise
The Mekong Delta's biggest floating market is a working wholesale trade that peaks in the dark and thins out by mid-morning. Timing is the whole trip, and this is how to get it right.
28 August 20265 min read
Best Time to Visit Phu Quoc, Month by Month
The island has two seasons and they are not subtle. Which months give you flat, clear water, which give you cheap rooms and afternoon rain, and what each one costs.
28 August 20265 min read
Da Lat for Couples: Three Slow Days in the Hills
Cold mornings, pine ridges and more cafes than anywhere else in Vietnam. A three day plan for two people who would rather sit somewhere with a view than tick off a list.
28 August 20265 min read
Da Lat Itinerary 3 Days: Pines, Coffee and Cold Air
Three days is the right length for a cool-climate hill town that is smaller than its reputation. Here is how to spend them, what it costs, and which parts of the Da Lat sales pitch to ignore.
28 August 20265 min read
Da Nang Travel Guide: Beaches, Bridges, Day Trips
The airport most visitors to central Vietnam land at, attached to a long beach, a mountain theme park and two of the country's best day trips. How many days it deserves and what it costs.
28 August 20265 min read
Hue Travel Guide: Citadel, Tombs and the Best Food
Vietnam's imperial capital for a century and a half, with a walled citadel, a scatter of royal tombs along the river and the most distinctive regional cooking in the country.
28 August 20265 min read
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