This best Vietnam travel guide transports you from the emerald rice fields in northern Vietnam to central Vietnam’s sun-baked beaches and the pumping rhythms of the Mekong Delta. Packed with down-to-earth advice like tipping in Vietnam, where to buy a Vietnam sim card, take a Grab taxi Vietnam, or hire a trustworthy car rental Vietnam, the Vietnam travel guide is the smart start to a privileged cultural, historical, and naturally abundant sojourn. Let’s explore Vietnam like a local, with some knowledge and comfort, and the help of a native guide.
Your journey begins in Hanoi, a bustling capital that melds old-world charm with new-world energy. Loose yourself in the labyrinth of the Old Quarter and find a street for each trade or each food!
Don’t miss:
Getting around? Take a fast and cheap Grab taxi Vietnam ride or rent a bike and navigate through narrow streets as a true Guide local Vietnam!
Pro Tip: Get yourself a Vietnam SIM card right at Noi Bai International Airport for your convenient travels.
Hoa Lo Prison (Sours: xanhsm)
No best Vietnam travel guide would be complete without some time in Ha Long Bay: a comparable jewel of the north and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Imagine thousands of towers of limestone dramatically rising from deep green waters. It is a sight that still takes the breath away from seasoned travelers.
Cruise Options:
Booking Tip: Harmony Cruise, Paradise Cruises, Indochina Junk, or Peony Cruise are the names to go for. Just go to their websites to watch for sales.
Insider Tip: The best time of year to visit Vietnam is in the early spring (March-April), when it’s not so crowded, and the mists of romance fill the air.
Ha Long Bay Cruise (Sours: capellacruise)
Welcome to Ninh Binh, lovingly referred to as the "Ha Long Bay on land." Picture floating on little sampan boats through green valleys and limestone caves.
Top Highlights:
Rent a motorbike (Car rental Vietnam as an option too!) and speed down country roads lined with lotus ponds and water buffalo.
Pro Tip: Tip: Head there in between May and June with fields of gold among rice paddies, the best scene for photographers and Vietnam rice fields trekking lovers.
Trang An Grottoes (Sours: aojourneys)
Get ready for adventure because that is what you will find in Sapa, where the rice paddies cling to the mountainsides like green stairways to heaven! It’s not a choice, and trekking is essential to the experience: Homestaying among the village people makes it a real one.
Trekking Options:
Spend an overnight in a homestay, where you will hearty welcome, a fresh meal, and much more real stuff about mountain culture. (Discover Vietnam adventure tours that have trekking included!)
Pro Tip: The most beautiful month to visit Vietnam is October, to join the golden rice harvesting season in Northern Vietnam.
Trekking in Sapa (Sours: tripfany)
Guys seeking something wild, raw, and truly unforgettable? Ha Giang is, by its position on the map, Vietnam’s last frontier and the top of pretty much any best Vietnam travel guide.
Must-Do Experiences:
You can rent a motorbike for around 200,000-300,000 VND/day or hire an easy rider, a private rider to take you around if you don’t want to ride yourself.
Ha Giang Loop (Sours: vietnamcoracle)
Then these are your kind of havens if you are after tranquil spectacles and rural village lore.
Highlights:
Both are great stops on your Vietnam adventure tours, and an excellent place to relax after busy city life, such as Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang.
Pu Luong Nature Reserve (Sours: vietnamcoracle)
Travel back in time to Hue, once the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. The city murmurs history in every moss-carpeted temple, in every bend of the winding rivers.
Must-visit sites:
Travel Tip: Check out our post on hiring a Grab taxi Vietnam to go from tomb to tomb without any hassle, or simply book a Car rental Vietnam with driver for a complete royal day!
Imperial City of Hue (Sours: centralvietnamguide)
Next: Da Nang, a lively coastal city with a mix of urban lifestyle and natural beauty.
Top experiences:
Arrival Tip: Da Nang International Airport serves flights from all over Asia, and if you have a visa exemption, Da Nang is a great port of entry.
Golden Bridge (Sours: travel.earth)
Hoi An, you will steal the heart of every traveller! This is magic; this UNESCO World Heritage Site, its centuries-old buildings, a river of candlelights, and nightly display of coloured, gleaming lanterns.
Don’t miss:
Getting around: Hire bicycles, walk, or Grab taxi Vietnam and scoot quickly to An Bang Beach and Cua Dai Beach.
Hoi An Ancient Town (Sours: vietnamairlines)
Welcome to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, a stunning home of forests, jungles, and limestone peaks.
Adventure Options:
Pro Tip: Reserve adventure tours in advance, as only a couple of hundred permits are issued a year for Son Doong paddling expeditions.
Son Doong Cave (Sours: baochinhphu)
Miss secluded beaches and authentic coastal culture? Discovering the Hidden Gems of Central Vietnam: Phu Yen and Quy Nhon!
What to explore:
Food Tip: Seafood so fresh from the sea! You must try Quy Nhon’s famous Banh Xeo Tom Nhay or “Jumping Shrimp Pancake”!
Since these towns aren’t very busy, it will be ideal to get a motorbike or a Car rental Vietnam.
Local Flavor: They’re the dream locales if you want untouched, unfettered natural beauty well away from Nha Trang or Phu Quoc.
Ky Co beach (Sours: vov)
Hold onto your helmets, Ho Chi Minh City is a freewheeling adventure from start to finish! The Paris of the Orient, now Saigon, this cosmopolitan city is a never-ending spectacle of motorbikes, neon signs, and an unrelenting lust for Vietnamese food.
Top experiences:
Tip: Recommend using Grab Taxi Vietnam for a fast, cheap, and safe ride through the energetic streets of the city!
War Remnants Museum (Sours: dantri)
Posting back the boat on your way, this is paradise rediscovered. If you want to luxuriate in the lapping of nature and the slow, rhythmic beat of a simple village life, this is it in the Mekong Delta.
Don’t miss:
Local Tip: Carry cash to purchase small items, floating markets do not have Credit Card facilities!
Pro Tip: Rent a Car rental Vietnam service departing from Ho Chi Minh City and easily reach more outlying villages!
Cai Rang Floating Market (Sours: vov)
Ready to unwind like a king? Phu Quoc, the gem island of Vietnam, invites you to enjoy soaked-in-the-crystalline-waters, undiscovered-beaches, seafood-feasts-you ll-never-forget!
Best beaches:
Top activities:
Arrival Tip: Phu Quoc International Airport has a 30-day visa exemption for most nationalities!
Ong Lang Beach (Sours: vietnamtrips)
Looking for something more mysterious and profound? You, Con Dao, are my secret hideaway, a haunt that has been lived in and a mini world of history and nature.
Highlights:
Tip: Flights from Ho Chi Minh City are about an hour, making it an ideal island escape from the chaos of the city.
Con Dao Prison (Sours: condao)
Now welcome to Mui Ne, Vietnam’s beach rechristened playground, where desert meets sea!
Must-do activities:
Getting around: Rent a motorbike, or book a Grab taxi Vietnam ride, to buzz from the beach, to the dunes, to the cafe.
Pro Tip: Rent a bike, or for an unrestricted experience, rent a Car rental Vietnam to explore the likes of Suoi Tien or a fishing village.
Red and White Sands (Sours: vinwonders)
Good news: There is no tipping culture in Vietnam, but tipping in Vietnam is much appreciated! In restaurants, a 5-10% tip on the bill is appreciated, unless it’s an upscale or midrange place where a 5-10% tip of the total bill is acceptable. Give tour guides 50,000-100,000 VND ($2-4 USD) a day, depending on the quality of service. Taxi drivers don’t expect a tip, but rounding up (to 10,000 VND) is appreciated.
Connecting is so quick and easy! Vietnam’s sim card 4G coverage is strong all around the country, even in the countryside in Ha Giang or Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.
Where to buy?
Best Vietnam SIM options for tourists:
|
Provider |
Data Plan (30 days) |
Price (VND) |
Special Features |
|
Viettel |
120GB (4GB/day) |
~250,000 |
Best nationwide coverage (even Ha Giang!) |
|
Vinaphone |
90GB (3GB/day) |
~220,000 |
Strong in big cities, popular with tourists |
|
Mobifone |
60GB (2GB/day) |
~200,000 |
Cheaper, but weaker in remote areas |
Tip: Don’t forget to take your passport with you, you need it for SIM registration!
Vietnamese Dong (VND) is your new best friend. Carry some cash, as that is what most day-to-day transactions use; markets, taxis, and even most cafes prefer cash.
Scams to be aware of:
Learning some Vietnamese words ( such as “Xin chao” = Hello, “Cam on” = Thank you ) can make your meetings charming. Never hurts to know a bit more, does it?
Enjoy the ride, leave the haggling on the streets, Grab Taxi Vietnam has it all!
Grab Services Available:
Average Cost:
If you’re short on time, flying is your best bet as a traveler. There are numerous very reasonable ($40+) and super convenient (Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, and Bamboo Airways) flights from the cities to the cities domestically, such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and more. Some of the pre-bookings done locally via a Vietnam SIM card sometimes have flash sales, so look out for that!
It is a train for slow travel, and for things antique. The train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City offers beautiful scenes of the coast, especially if you travel the Da Nang to Hue route. If you have a superb time, this path is the best for watching Vietnam.
Sleeper buses are the preferred backpackers’ option! Recline in one city and rise in another. They’re perfect for trips like Hanoi to Sapa, Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne, and so on; just opt for VIP sleeper buses and you’ll have a more comfortable journey with less bumping around!
Fly to Ho Chi Minh City (Sours: vietjet)
Car rentals with a private driver are a wonderful way to tour the country at your own pace. They make an especially good way to travel farther afield, to places like Ha Giang, Phong Nha, and in and around Da Nang, in the central highlands. Refer to our dedicated guide on [Car rental Vietnam] companies to find reputable providers.
There is local transportation, like buses, which are cheap but hard to figure out if you are a tourist. But there is a savior in Grab Taxi Vietnam! Simply download the app, specify your destination, and take cheap, secure rides around big cities like Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang.
Ready to explore Vietnam the easy way, the way it was meant to be, with the best Vietnam travel guide!? Whether you are moving with Grab taxi Vietnam, texting with a Vietnam SIM card, making a Car rental Vietnam booking, or navigating Tipping in Vietnam, it’s going to be one exciting experience. For an easy travel, take a grasp of the Vietnam Package Tours, then let our travel experts at Impress Travel customize your trip across this nation of timeless loveliness.
We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.
Impress travel were amazing. Did my bookings with Daniel for our tour of Vietnam and I must say Daniel was very professional and prompt with his services. All the arrangement, plans, pick-up & drop-off services, hotels, vehicles, sightseeing tours and guides were spot on and excellent. Did 4 nights Hanoi, 1 night Hà Long Bay cruise, 3 nights Hoian, 4 nights Saigon and 1 night in Can Tho. It was totally awesome. Every part of the journey was superbly arranged and planned. I will highly recommend Impress Travel for anyone interested in visiting Vietnam. Very organized and reliable!
I booked with Impress Travel in July. My contact person was Tommy Thang. He is an amazing person. He was very helpful. He changed my program twice for me. Very accommodating!
We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
The tour was fantastic, Tommy's arrangements were to the"T".
I will always use them if I have to visit the area again and recommend them to one and all.
Thank you once again Mr.Tommy and the Impress Team.
Sulaiman Pochee
Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.
This is the second time we travel to Vietnam with IMPRESS Travel. First time, we booked our holiday to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa during Dec 2018 with Impress.
Second time, we travel to Hoi An, Hue & Danang (Central Vietnam) during Jan 2019.
My friends & I are very glad & happy with all the hotels stay in Central Vietnam, the meals provided are delicious. We are greatly appreciated with all the tour arrangement by Tommy & his team (tour guide).
Especially, Mr. NHAT C.V. He is helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable and very professional. He always volunteer to take a nice pictures for six of us (group) .
We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel. We will definitely come back to Vietnam again with Impress
Here we offer the outstanding of Vietnam package tours from 8 days to 15 days through Vietnam. We can find out your interested tour or send us your tour information then we will customized your tour as your need. Please contact via Email: info@impresstravel.com & call Mr. Alex: (+84) 9123 79 189.
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A wonderful package tour through Vietnam to discover the hidden beauty of Vietnam. The 12-day package tour starts from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. A feel with authentic experience of friendly people, culture & beauty sports.
14-day package tour to discover the true beauty of North, Central & South of Vietnam. It is the best duration (2 weeks) to explore & study about people, culture, history, food culture & beverage and admire of the most attractive places along Vietnam.
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