🇻🇳Vietnam

Discover Vietnam

In-depth guides to help you travel Vietnam like a local — cities, culture, food, and practical tips.

Travel Guides

Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi: tickets, opening hours, dress code and whether it is worth visiting

Searching "Ho Chi Minh Museum" returns at least five different places, from Hanoi's lotus-shaped landmark to museums in Saigon that share the name. This guide covers the Hanoi museum at 19 Ngoc Ha Street: what it costs, when it opens and when it does not, what to wear, how to fit it around the Mauso

Mu Cang Chai rice terraces: the complete guide

Mu Cang Chai is Vietnam's most dramatic terraced landscape, but it sits 6 to 7 hours from Hanoi, the golden window lasts about three weeks a year, and most guides skip the road risks, the timing traps and the 2025 administrative change. This guide explains what the terraces are, where to stand, when

🇻🇳

South Vietnam travel guide: regions, best places, seasons and costs for 2026

"South Vietnam" means two different things: a country that disappeared in 1975 and a travel region that now draws millions of visitors. This guide separates the two, then maps the real south, from Saigon and the Mekong Delta to the southern highlands and the offshore islands, with seasons, transport

🇻🇳

Bao Lac travel guide 2026: is this Cao Bang stop worth the detour?

Bao Lac sits on the long, tiring stretch between the Dong Van plateau and Cao Bang city, and most travellers either blast through or never hear of it. This guide explains what the town and its surroundings actually offer, how long the roads really take, what it costs, and whether a night here is wor

Lam Vien Square and Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat: the complete guide

Lam Vien Square and Xuan Huong Lake are the first things most visitors see in Da Lat, yet most guides reduce them to a photo stop beside a shopping centre. This guide treats them as one visit, in the order a visitor walks it. It covers where the lake came from, what the two glass domes are, what eac

🇻🇳

Chạo tôm: Vietnamese sugarcane shrimp paste explained

Chạo tôm shows up on banquet menus, wedding tables and street grills across Vietnam, yet almost every page ranking for it is a home recipe written in Vietnamese. Travelers see the words on a menu, order blind and end up chewing a stick of sugarcane wondering what to do with the fibers. This guide co

🇻🇳

Sa Đéc travel guide 2026: what to see, how to get there and when to go

Sa Đéc is a small Mekong Delta city known for its flower farms and as the setting of Marguerite Duras's *The Lover*. It is easy to misread. It can be a half-day stop, a two-day slow stay, or a skip. This guide gives the real distances, costs and seasons, and says plainly what is worth the detour and

🇻🇳

Hà Tiên travel guide 2026: how to get there, what to see, where to stay and when to go

Hà Tiên is where the Mekong Delta meets the Gulf of Thailand and the Cambodian border, and most visitors treat it as a transit stop between Phú Quốc and Kampot. It is a quiet, historic and underrated town, and it deserves a planned stop of one or two nights. This guide explains how to reach it, what

🇻🇳

Tiết canh: what raw blood pudding is, how it is eaten and whether to try it in Vietnam

Tiết canh is Vietnam's most polarising dish: raw, freshly set animal blood topped with cooked meat, peanuts and herbs. It is loved at nhậu tables in the north, feared by many visitors, and repeatedly flagged by Vietnamese health authorities. This guide explains what it is, how it is made and eaten,

🇻🇳

Bánh da lợn: Vietnam's pandan and mung bean layer cake explained

Despite the name, bánh da lợn contains no pork. It is a chewy, coconut-scented steamed cake built from green pandan and yellow mung bean layers, sold in markets across Vietnam for a few thousand dong a slice. This guide explains what it is, how locals eat it, which regional and modern variants exist

🇻🇳

Incense village Hue (Thuy Xuan): how to visit, what to expect and what to skip

Hue's incense village is a small cluster of family workshops on the road to Tu Duc tomb. Its rainbow-coloured incense fans have turned it into one of the city's most photographed stops. This guide explains exactly where it is, what it costs, why it can look very different on a rainy October day, and

🇻🇳

Shaking beef (bò lúc lắc): what it is, how to eat it in Vietnam and what it costs in 2026

Shaking beef sits on almost every Vietnamese restaurant menu abroad, yet most guides online are home recipes that never explain how the dish is actually served, ordered and priced in Vietnam. This guide covers what bò lúc lắc is, where the name and the dish come from, how it differs from the steak s

An Bang Beach, Hoi An: practical guide to access, costs, season and where to stay

An Bang is the easiest beach to reach from Hoi An, but most online guides mix outdated prices, conflicting distances and "sunset over the sea" claims that do not match reality. This guide explains what the beach is actually like, what it costs (free entry, but not free sunbeds), when swimming is saf

Nam Du Islands travel guide: ferry, permits, costs, best season and where to stay

Nam Du is a small archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand that few foreigners reach, and the information online is scattered and often out of date. Competitor pages disagree on whether foreigners need a permit, how long the ferry takes, and whether electricity even works. This guide gives a verified, st

🇻🇳

10 best things to buy in Vietnam in 2026: what is worth it, what to skip

Most "what to buy in Vietnam" lists are long souvenir catalogues with prices that do not add up, no warnings about fakes, and nothing on what survives a flight or a customs check. This guide ranks 10 purchases that are actually worth the luggage space, with realistic prices in VND, the right city or

🇻🇳

Bò nướng lá lốt: a traveler's guide to Vietnam's grilled beef in wild betel leaves

Small, smoky beef rolls wrapped in a fragrant leaf and dipped in a funky pineapple-anchovy sauce: bò nướng lá lốt turns up on menus across Vietnam, yet few visitors know what it is, how to assemble it or what a fair price looks like. This guide covers the dish itself, the correct way to eat it, how

🇻🇳

Bánh hỏi: what it is, how to eat it and where to try it in Vietnam (2026 guide)

Bánh hỏi looks like a small woven pillow of rice noodles. Most visitors see it on a plate, next to a pile of herbs and a bowl of sauce, and have no idea what to do with it. This guide explains what bánh hỏi is, how locals eat it, which regional versions are worth a detour, what a portion costs in 20

🇻🇳

Tam Cốc-Bích Động: entrance fees, boat ride, best season and where to stay (2026 guide)

Tam Cốc-Bích Động draws more visitors than almost any site in northern Vietnam, yet the practical details shift depending on who you ask. Fees are quoted per boat by some sources and per person by others. Opening hours are vague. The rowers' tipping culture rarely gets an honest paragraph. This guid

Son Tra Peninsula travel guide: what to see, how to get there and what to avoid

Son Tra Peninsula is the green headland that frames Da Nang, and most guides stop at "rent a motorbike and go". This guide covers what travelers actually need: how likely langur sightings really are, what a foreign rider needs legally, which roads and trails are restricted, when the weather shuts th

🇻🇳

Bún thịt nướng: the complete guide to Vietnam's grilled pork noodle bowl

Bún thịt nướng appears on nearly every Vietnamese menu worldwide, yet almost every page ranking for it is a recipe. This guide explains what is actually in the bowl, how locals mix and eat it, how it differs from Hanoi's bún chả, where to find a good one in Vietnam, and what it should cost. It also

🇻🇳

Bánh tét: what it is, how to eat it and where to try it in Vietnam

Bánh tét (also written "banh tet") is the log-shaped sticky rice cake that southern Vietnam eats at Tết and, increasingly, all year. Most English results are recipes or cooking videos, so travelers are left asking how it differs from bánh chưng, how to eat it, where to find a good one and what it sh

How to dress for Vietnam in June: a complete packing guide for every region

June in Vietnam is not one climate. Hanoi bakes at 33-37°C with violent evening thunderstorms, Sapa sits in fog and leech-ridden mud at 16°C at night, Hue is the hottest spot in the country under a dry Lao wind, and Ho Chi Minh City gets a daily afternoon deluge. This guide gives precise garments, f

🇻🇳

Da Nang Cathedral (Pink Church): hours, dress code, Mass times and how to visit

Da Nang Cathedral is free, central and very photogenic, but online sources disagree on opening hours, on whether tourists can go inside and on basic facts such as the tower height. This guide separates what is confirmed from what varies, explains how to visit without disturbing worshippers, and give

🇻🇳

Limousine buses in Vietnam: what they are and how to book

In Vietnam, the word "limousine" does not refer to a luxury car but to a 9- to 11-seat minivan fitted with reclining leather seats and door-to-door service. It is often the best choice for short journeys, and the worst for long overnight trips. Here is how to tell the difference and book at the righ

🇻🇳

Banh bot loc: the chewy shrimp dumplings of central Vietnam

Banh bot loc looks simple: a small, glassy, chewy dumpling with a shrimp inside. But order it in Hue and you will meet two very different versions, a wrapper that behaves nothing like a wheat dumpling, and a dipping sauce that decides whether the plate works. This guide explains what the dish is, ho

Bai Tu Long Bay: the quieter side of Ha Long, and how to choose a cruise

Everyone planning a trip to northern Vietnam's limestone seascape runs into the same question: Ha Long, Bai Tu Long or Lan Ha? The three sit within the same geological formation, share the same water, and appear in the same brochures. They are not interchangeable.

Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi: opening hours, dress code and what to see

Most guides tell you Tran Quoc Pagoda is free and open all day. Both claims are wrong or incomplete. The pagoda closes at midday, the dress code is enforced at the gate, and the stupa everyone photographs is only about 25 years old, not 1,500. Here is what you actually need to know before you go.

What to wear in Vietnam in May female

May in Vietnam means heat, humidity, and sudden downpours. But the right wardrobe makes all the difference. This guide goes beyond generic packing lists to give you a region-by-region, activity-by-activity plan for exactly what to wear, what to avoid, and why it matters.

Is travel insurance mandatory for Vietnam? Entry rules and what border officers check in 2027

Vietnam welcomed over 17 million international arrivals in 2025, and the number keeps climbing. With that volume comes a flood of questions about entry requirements. One of the most persistent: do you actually need travel insurance to get in?

Vietnam for students and gap year travelers: budgets and visas

Vietnam remains one of the best value destinations in Southeast Asia for students and gap year travelers. A bowl of pho costs less than a bus ticket in most Western cities. Hostel beds go for the price of a coffee back home. And the country stretches 1,650 kilometers from north to south, giving you

Vietnam visa for US citizens: e-visa, 5-year visa, delays and fake sites

American passport holders can enter Vietnam on a 90-day e-visa for US$25 to US$50, but the process fails for predictable reasons: mismatched passport data, amendment requests that never arrive by email, and paid ads that imitate the official portal. This guide walks through the official application,

Vietnam visa exemptions: which nationalities can enter visa-free

Vietnam's visa policy changed more in the last three years than in the previous decade. The country now offers visa-free entry to citizens of 36 countries, expanded the e-visa program to cover most nationalities, and extended stay durations across the board. For many travelers, the question is no lo

Long Beach, Phu Quoc: the complete guide to Bai Truong

Long Beach is the reason most people end up in Phu Quoc without quite planning it. The island's main runway of sand, known locally as Bai Truong, stretches about 20 km down the west coast, and almost every road, resort and seafood shack on this side of the island is pinned to it. It is not the prett

Vietnam package tour from Manila price: the 2027 complete guide

A Vietnam package tour from Manila can cost anywhere from $350 to over $1,500 per person for 5 days, depending on inclusions, hotel class, and season. This guide breaks down real prices, what you actually get for your money, and where tour packages quietly add costs that a self-planned trip avoids.

Do Indians need a visa for Vietnam transit?

Indian passport holders transiting through Vietnam face confusing rules that vary depending on whether they stay airside, clear immigration, or catch a domestic connection. This guide explains exactly when a visa is required, when it is not, and how to avoid being denied boarding.

Vietnam trip cost from India for couple: Complete 2027 budget guide

Planning a Vietnam trip as a couple from India means navigating a maze of conflicting price estimates. Package tours quote lump sums that hide real costs. Blog posts use outdated numbers from 2023. This guide breaks down every expense for two people in 2026, from visa fees to street food, so you can

Marble Mountains in Da Nang: caves, pagodas, the lift and the monkeys

Most guides tell you the Marble Mountains are worth a visit and leave you unprepared for the 40,000 VND ticket, the 15,000 VND lift, the slippery marble steps, and the fact that the monkeys everyone mentions are not actually here. This guide covers what you will really find across the five limestone

Temple of Literature in Hanoi: tickets, dress code and what to look at

The Temple of Literature is Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070, and the single best place in Hanoi to understand why this country treats exam success as a national virtue. This guide gives you the practical facts (tickets, hours, dress code, transport) and then decodes the five courtyards i

Visa Vietnam for Moroccans: Complete Guide 2027

You are Moroccan and dreaming of discovering Vietnam? Good news: the eVisa is now accessible. But be careful, the rules changed in 2023 and pitfalls are numerous. This guide gives you all the factual information to obtain your visa without any nasty surprises.

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum: opening hours, free entry and the dress code

The mausoleum opens only five mornings a week, closes for roughly two months every year, and turns away visitors daily for wearing shorts. Entry is free, but the rules are strict and rarely explained clearly. This guide covers the exact hours, the dress code, security screening and the rest of the B