Tourist Places in Vietnam: 20 Famous Spots, North to South

Vietnam is about 1,650 km long, and its three regions have different weather in the same month, so a place that is perfect in December can be flooded in October. That is why this page groups the 20 places by region and gives each one the days it needs, the months that suit it and the airport to fly into. Use the table to shortlist, then read the cards for the places you like. If you want long write-ups with ticket prices for 25 destinations, read our detailed guide to places to visit in Vietnam. For visas, money and the wider country, start at our Vietnam travel guide.

Seasons, flight gateways, visa rules and UNESCO listings on this page were checked by our Vietnam desk against airline schedules, the official e-visa portal (evisa.gov.vn) and the UNESCO World Heritage List on 1 November 2026.

Vietnam Tourist Places at a Glance

All 20 places, north to south. Days are the minimum we suggest on a first trip. "Nonstop from India" tells you whether you can fly straight there or need one more flight inside Vietnam.

Two patterns stand out. Every northern place works from a Hanoi landing, and every southern one from Ho Chi Minh City. The centre has no nonstop from India, so most travellers reach it with a 1 hour 20 minute domestic flight from Hanoi to Da Nang.

Northern Vietnam Tourist Places

The north is limestone country, with bays, river valleys and mountain terraces all within a day's drive of Hanoi. It is dry and mild from October to April. Hanoi drops to about 15°C in December and January, and Sapa can touch freezing, so pack a jacket for the hills.

Hanoi

Most trips start in the capital, and the Old Quarter is the reason to give it two days. Its "36 streets" still carry the names of the guilds that once worked them, and from Friday to Sunday evening the roads around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic. The Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and home to Vietnam's first university from 1076, and the UNESCO-listed Imperial Citadel of Thang Long are a short ride apart. Our Hanoi places to visit hub goes sight by sight, and Hanoi tour packages bundle the airport transfers.

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long is the scene on most Vietnam posters, close to 2,000 limestone islands in the Gulf of Tonkin, listed by UNESCO in 1994 and extended in 2023. It is 2.5 hours from Hanoi on the expressway. Day boats stop at Sung Sot Cave, while overnight cruises add kayaking and the climb up Ti Top Island. See our Ha Long Bay tour packages and Vietnam cruise packages.

Ninh Binh

Two hours south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh is Ha Long's scenery on rivers and rice fields. You sit in a small rowing boat and duck through low caves on the Trang An route, which UNESCO listed in 2014. Climb the 500 steps of Hang Mua for the view over Tam Coc, then cycle to Hoa Lu, the capital from 968 to 1010. One night lets you take the boats early, before the coaches arrive. Read our Ninh Binh guide or browse Ninh Binh tour packages.

Sapa

Sapa is where the rice terraces are. Hmong and Dao farmers carved them into the Muong Hoa valley, and the 10 km walk from town down to Lao Chai and Ta Van is mostly downhill. Above it rises Fansipan, 3,147 m and the highest peak in Indochina, reached by cable car in about 20 minutes. Come in May or June for water-filled terraces, or September when they turn gold. Our list of things to do in Sapa has the walking routes, and Sapa tour packages include the 5.5-hour transfer.

Ha Giang Loop

This is northern Vietnam's great road trip, about 350 to 400 km along the Chinese border over three or four days. Most visitors ride pillion with a local "easy rider" driver rather than taking the mountain bends themselves. The road crosses the Dong Van Karst Plateau, a UNESCO Global Geopark, and the Ma Pi Leng Pass above the Nho Que River gorge. Pink buckwheat flowers cover the slopes in October and November. Skip it in July and August, when heavy rain closes stretches of road.

Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay

Lan Ha Bay has Ha Long's karsts with a fraction of the boats. It lies off Cat Ba Island and joined the same UNESCO listing in 2023. Cruises here are smaller and stop at beaches you can swim from, and half of Cat Ba is national park, home to the golden-headed langur. Plan to kayak, not snorkel, because the water is green and silty. From Hanoi it is about three hours by bus and speedboat via Hai Phong. See Cat Ba tour packages.

Central Vietnam Tourist Places

The centre holds Vietnam's old capitals, its trading town and its best city beach, and it runs on a different calendar from the rest of the country. February to August is the season. September to December brings typhoons and floods to Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang. We include the south-central coast (Quy Nhon, Nha Trang) and the Central Highlands (Da Lat) here, because you reach all three the same way, by a domestic flight.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

Phong Nha-Ke Bang has some of the largest caves on earth, including Son Doong, the biggest cave passage in the world, which only one licensed operator may take you into on a four-day expedition. The caves most visitors see are far easier. A boat glides straight into the mountain at Phong Nha Cave, and Paradise Cave has a 1 km boardwalk past white stalactites. UNESCO listed the park in 2003. Fly to Dong Hoi, 45 km away. Our Phong Nha Cave guide covers tickets and boats.

Hue

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945, and in 1993 it became Vietnam's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Give the walled Imperial City on the Perfume River a morning, then visit the royal tombs to the south, each built to a different emperor's taste. Khai Dinh's is lined inside with glass and porcelain mosaic. Thien Mu Pagoda, from 1601, is a short boat ride upriver. Read our guide to the places to visit in Hue or see Hue tour packages.

Da Nang

Da Nang is the easiest place in Vietnam to pair a beach with sightseeing, because My Khe beach is 15 minutes from the airport. The big day out is Ba Na Hills, where the Golden Bridge, held up by two giant stone hands, has drawn crowds since it opened in 2018. Ride one of the first cable cars of the morning to see it before it fills. The Marble Mountains have pagodas inside their caves, and the Dragon Bridge breathes fire and water at 9 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Read about the Golden Bridge and browse Da Nang tour packages.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a 16th-century trading port, listed by UNESCO in 1999 for its Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese houses. The old town takes 20 minutes to cross on foot. After 6 pm motorbikes are kept out, the lanterns go on, and boats on the Thu Bon River sell candles to float on the water. Tailors here will make a suit in 24 to 48 hours. Avoid October to December, when the old town floods most years. Our guide to the places to visit in Hoi An goes house by house, and Hoi An tour packages start from Da Nang airport, 30 km away.

My Son Sanctuary

My Son is a jungle valley of red-brick Hindu temples, built by the Cham kings between the 4th and 13th centuries and dedicated mostly to Shiva. For Indian travellers it is a rare chance to see Shiva temples this far east. UNESCO listed it in 1999, the same year as Hoi An, and bomb craters from 1969 still sit between the towers. It is about an hour from Hoi An, so go at opening time, when mist hangs over the ruins. Our list of Hindu temples in Vietnam has the other Cham sites.

Quy Nhon

Quy Nhon is the beach town Vietnamese families have kept to themselves. It has a long, clean city beach, seafood along Xuan Dieu street and almost no high-rise resorts. Just outside town, Ky Co is a bright cove reached by boat, and Eo Gio is a windy headland with cliff paths. Two Cham towers, Thap Doi, stand right in the city. Fly into Phu Cat airport, about 30 km away, from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Our Quy Nhon guide has more.

Nha Trang

Nha Trang is Vietnam's best-known beach city and the most practical place in the country to learn to dive. Hon Mun, a marine protected area 30 minutes out by boat, has the clearest water near shore, and dive shops run trips every morning. On land, the Po Nagar Cham towers above the Cai River are still used for worship, and the Thap Ba mud baths fill with families in the afternoon. Rains run October to December. See places to visit in Nha Trang and Nha Trang tour packages.

Da Lat

Da Lat sits at about 1,500 m in the Central Highlands, and days rarely go above 25°C, which is why the French built a hill station here. It is the coolest break from the coast. Walk around Xuan Huong Lake, visit the still-unfinished "Crazy House", and ride the mountain coaster at Datanla waterfall. The night market's grilled rice paper is the local snack. December to March gives the driest, clearest days. Our guide to places to visit in Dalat and Da Lat tour packages help you plan.

Southern Vietnam Tourist Places

The south is hot all year, about 30°C in December, with a dry season from December to April and short afternoon downpours from May to November. Ho Chi Minh City is the gateway, and everything below is within a few hours by road or a short flight from it.

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, which almost everyone still calls Saigon, is Vietnam's largest city and its food capital. District 1 is walkable in a day. Start at the War Remnants Museum, the most visited museum in the country, then tour Independence Palace, where a tank broke through the gates on 30 April 1975. The Central Post Office is fully open, while Notre-Dame Cathedral is under restoration until 2027. Eat lunch at the Ben Thanh Market stalls. See places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh City tour packages.

Cu Chi Tunnels

The Viet Cong dug more than 250 km of tunnels here by hand, with kitchens and field hospitals up to three levels deep. Guides show you hidden trapdoors and booby traps, and you crawl through a short stretch that has been widened for visitors. Ben Dinh, about 50 km from the city, is the site most tours use. Leave District 1 by 8 am to beat the traffic, or take the slower boat up the Saigon River. It is a half-day trip. Our Cu Chi Tunnels guide has the details.

Mekong Delta

The Mekong splits into a maze of rivers and canals before it reaches the sea, and life in the delta still happens on the water. Stay a night in Can Tho, about 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City, and take a boat at 5 am to the Cai Rang floating market. Wholesale boats hang a sample of what they sell, a pineapple or a pumpkin, from a pole above the deck, and by 8 am trading is mostly done. Read our Mekong Delta guide or browse Mekong Delta tour packages.

Mui Ne

Mui Ne, about 200 km east of Ho Chi Minh City, is a fishing town known for sand dunes that look borrowed from Rajasthan. Go to the White Sand Dunes at Bau Trang for sunrise, before the sand heats up, and to the Red Dunes nearer town for sunset. In between, walk barefoot up the Fairy Stream, a shallow red creek between sandstone cliffs. From November to April the steady wind makes it one of Asia's kitesurfing centres. Our guide to the sand dunes of Mui Ne covers jeeps and timings.

Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is Vietnam's largest island and its easiest beach holiday, with sunsets over the Gulf of Thailand from Long Beach. Sao Beach on the south-east coast has the whitest sand, and the Hon Thom cable car crosses about 8 km of sea. Foreigners flying in from abroad can stay up to 30 days without a visa, as long as they stay on Phu Quoc. The Vietnam Embassy in New Delhi says this also covers a connection through a Vietnamese international airport such as Ho Chi Minh City. Most Indian travellers still take an e-visa, because it lets them add the mainland and avoids questions at check-in. Read our Phu Quoc island guide and see Phu Quoc tour packages.

Con Dao Islands

Con Dao is the quiet opposite of Phu Quoc. It is a group of 16 islands with one small town, a few resorts and some of Vietnam's emptiest beaches. Most of it is national park, and from May to October green turtles come ashore to nest on Bay Canh island, where rangers run small night tours. The islands were also a prison colony under the French, and the old prisons near Con Son town, including the "tiger cages" of Phu Tuong camp, are open to visitors. It is about an hour's flight from Ho Chi Minh City.

More tourist places for a second trip: Bai Tu Long Bay for a quieter cruise, Mai Chau and Pu Luong for stilt-house homestays, Ba Be Lake and Ban Gioc Waterfall in the far north-east, the Cham Islands off Hoi An for snorkelling, Buon Ma Thuot for coffee country, and Vung Tau as a beach weekend from Saigon. Each has a full entry in our guide to places to visit in Vietnam.

When to Go: Seasons for Each Region

No single month is perfect for the whole country. The north is best from October to April, the centre from February to August, and the south from December to April. February to April is the one window that works almost everywhere at once.

Travelling in October or November? Stick to the north and the south, and leave Hue and Hoi An for spring. Our best time to visit Vietnam guide has month-by-month weather and festival dates.

How Many Places Fit Your Trip?

Plan on one place for every one and a half to two days, plus a travel day between regions. Most Indian travellers have 5 to 10 days, and these are the combinations that work without backtracking.

For 7 days or more, book an open-jaw ticket, into Hanoi and home from Ho Chi Minh City. Both cities have nonstop flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, so you fly the length of Vietnam only once. Our 7-day Vietnam tour package follows the second route, and the 8-night Vietnam family tour runs close to the third. Every itinerary on our Vietnam tour packages page can be changed around the places you choose here.

Which Is Better? Four Common Choices

Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City

Pick Hanoi for history, the Old Quarter and easy day trips to Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh. Pick Ho Chi Minh City for food, nightlife, war history and the Mekong Delta. Hanoi feels older and is cooler from November to February. Saigon is bigger, faster and hot all year. On a first trip of a week or less, Hanoi wins, because the north's three headline places sit within 3 hours of its airport.

Da Nang, Nha Trang or Phu Quoc

All three are beach bases, with different strengths. Da Nang suits travellers who want sightseeing too, with Hoi An, Ba Na Hills and Hue all within reach, and it is best from March to August. Nha Trang is for diving, island boat trips and a lively seafront from January to August. Phu Quoc is the pure resort holiday, with the calmest water from November to April, which also makes it the only one of the three that works in an Indian winter.

Ha Long Bay or Ninh Binh

Do both if you can, since they are two hours apart. If you must choose, Ha Long gives you the bay from a boat, with a night on the water, caves and kayaking. Ninh Binh gives you the same limestone from a rowing boat on a river, with rice fields, temples and cycling, and it costs far less. Ha Long suits couples and first-timers. Ninh Binh suits families with young children, who find an overnight cruise long.

Sapa or Ha Giang

Sapa is the easier choice. It has hotels, marked trails, the Fansipan cable car and a bus from Hanoi in 5.5 hours. Ha Giang is wilder and more dramatic, but it means three or four days on the back of a motorbike on mountain roads, with simple homestays. Pick Sapa for terraces and treks with comfort. Pick Ha Giang if the road itself is the trip.

Visiting Vietnam's Tourist Places from India

Vietnam is closer than most Indians expect. Nonstop flights reach Hanoi from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, and Ho Chi Minh City from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi, in about 3 to 5.5 hours. Kolkata to Hanoi is the shortest hop, at about three hours. Da Nang, Phu Quoc and the other central and island airports have no nonstop from India, so you add a domestic flight. Our guide on how to reach Vietnam compares every route by city, including the Delhi to Vietnam and Mumbai to Vietnam flights.

Indian passport holders need a visa. Apply for the e-visa on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn, which costs US$25 for a single entry or US$50 for multiple entries and is valid for up to 90 days. Avoid reseller sites that add a fee. Vietnam also runs a free online Digital Arrival Card, compulsory at Ho Chi Minh City's airport since April 2026. Since June 2026 immigration has been extending it to Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, so fill it in during the three days before you land, whichever airport you fly into. Our Vietnam visa guide for Indians walks through both forms.

Vegetarians manage well in the big tourist places. Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City all have Buddhist vegetarian restaurants (look for "com chay"), and the cities have Indian kitchens too, listed in our guide to Indian restaurants in Vietnam. For temple visits, My Son and Nha Trang's Po Nagar towers are Hindu sites from the Cham era, and Hue and Hanoi have the country's oldest Buddhist pagodas.

Vietnam Tour Packages That Cover These Places

Every package below can be customised around the tourist places you shortlisted on this page, from a 5-day Hanoi and Ha Long trip to a two-week north-to-south route. For the full range, prices and departure cities, see all Vietnam tour packages.

Edited by TravelTriangle