🇻🇳Vietnam

Discover Vietnam

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

Travel Guides

Where to stay in Hue: neighborhoods and hotel picks by budget

Hue is a city that rewards a good base. The imperial capital of Vietnam's last dynasty, the Nguyen emperors, spreads across both banks of the Perfume River. The sights are scattered. The Citadel sits on the north bank. The royal tombs lie in the hills west of town. The food scene hides in alleys and

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Traveling in Vietnam with pets: entry rules, hotels and vets

Vietnam is not an easy country to travel with a dog or cat. The paperwork is extensive, the flights are restrictive, and the heat can be brutal. But it is possible, and a growing number of travelers are doing it every year.

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Vietnam in January: weather, crowds and where to go

January sits at the heart of Vietnam's peak tourist season. The weather splits sharply across the country, creating a simple rule: the further south you go, the warmer it gets. That same rule applies to crowds. Everyone heads south for the sun, while the north stays quieter, colder, and significantl

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Hue things to do: the citadel, tombs and the Perfume River

Hue gets less hype than Hoi An and fewer beach days than Da Nang, but it holds the deepest concentration of history in central Vietnam. This was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and the city still carries that weight. The Perfume River splits it in two, with the walled C

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Ninh Binh food scene: goat meat, local rice wine and where to try them

Most travelers come to Ninh Binh for the karst mountains, the boat rides through cave systems, and the rice paddies that mirror the sky. They stay for a day, maybe two, and leave without understanding what the province actually tastes like. That is a mistake.

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Ninh Binh travel costs: a realistic day-by-day budget for 2026

Ninh Binh gets called "Halong Bay on land" so often that the phrase has lost meaning. But the comparison holds. Limestone karsts rise from rice paddies instead of water. Rivers thread through caves instead of between islands. The scenery is genuinely spectacular, and the costs are lower than most tr

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North, Central and South Vietnam: how the three regions actually differ

Vietnam is often described as one country, but it behaves like three. The north, central and south regions have distinct climates, cuisines, paces of life and even dialects. A traveler who plans a two-week trip without understanding these differences will waste time packing the wrong clothes, orderi

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Ninh Binh: when to visit for the best light on the rice fields

Ninh Binh gets called "Ha Long Bay on land" so often that the phrase has lost all meaning. The comparison is lazy but understandable. Limestone karsts rise from flat rice paddies, rivers curl through dark caves, and the whole landscape looks like a painting that got left out in the rain. But unlike

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Where to stay in Ninh Binh: Tam Coc versus Trang An

Ninh Binh gets called "Ha Long Bay on land" so often that the phrase has lost all meaning. The comparison does help first-time visitors picture the landscape: limestone karsts rising from flat rice paddies, rivers threading through dark caves, and a slow pace that feels a century removed from Hanoi'

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Golf in Vietnam: top courses and what a round actually costs

Vietnam has become one of Asia's most compelling golf destinations. The numbers tell the story: over 90 courses spread across the country, with more opening every year. The quality matches the quantity. Several layouts have earned spots on global top-100 lists, and the prices remain lower than equiv

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Laundry in Vietnam: prices, turnaround and how it works in hotels and shops

The backpacker in the Hoi An hostel hand-washes socks in a sink. The business traveler in the Da Nang high-rise sends out a suit for pressing. The motorbike rider on the Ha Giang loop scrubs trail dust out of a t-shirt in a guesthouse bathroom. Everyone deals with laundry differently in Vietnam. The

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Ninh Binh things to do: caves, rivers and rice paddies

Ninh Binh gets called "Ha Long Bay on land" so often that the phrase has lost all meaning. But the comparison sticks for a reason. Limestone karsts punch out of emerald rice paddies. Rivers slide through dark caves. Valleys sit wrapped in morning mist like something out of a Chinese ink painting.

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Best day trips from Ha Long Bay: Cat Ba, Lan Ha and beyond

Ha Long Bay gets the postcard credit, but the real question for travelers in 2026 is where to go after you have seen the famous limestone pillars from a cruise deck. The bay is vast, and the best experiences are not always where the tour boats cluster.

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Luggage storage in Vietnam: where to leave bags between trains, flights and hotels

The checkout is 11 AM. The flight is 9 PM. The hotel wants the room back, and the backpack weighs more than a bag of cement in the tropical heat. This is the classic Vietnam travel problem, and it hits every traveler eventually.

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Ha Long Bay food scene: what's served on board and on shore

The limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay draw millions of visitors each year. Most come for the scenery. Few come prepared for the food. That is a mistake.

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Where to stay in Ha Long Bay: cruises versus land hotels

Ha Long Bay forces a decision that most Vietnamese destinations do not. The accommodation is not just a place to sleep. It determines how the bay is experienced, when it is seen, and whether the trip feels like a postcard or a logistical puzzle.

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Kitesurfing in Vietnam: Mui Ne, Phan Rang and the best wind seasons

Vietnam's 3,200-kilometer coastline gets plenty of hype for its beaches, but most of it is flat-calm for months at a time. The kitesurfing scene is concentrated in two spots on the south-central coast, and the difference between them comes down to one thing: wind.

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Public holidays and closures in Vietnam: a year-round planning guide

Vietnam runs on two calendars at once. The Gregorian calendar sets official holidays, but the lunar calendar decides when most of them actually happen. That means Tet, the biggest holiday of the year, falls anywhere between late January and mid-February. Mid-Autumn Festival, Hung Kings Festival, and

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Ha Long Bay things to do: beyond the cruise deck

The cruise boat is the default way to see Ha Long Bay. Everyone knows that. You board, you eat a buffet lunch, you visit a cave, you kayak for 45 minutes, and you sail back to port. It works. The limestone karsts are spectacular from the water, and for many travelers, that is enough.

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Getting to Ha Long Bay: from Hanoi by bus, car and high-speed boat

Ha Long Bay sits roughly 170 kilometers east of Hanoi. The distance sounds manageable, but the journey can take anywhere from two and a half hours to four hours depending on how you travel and what day of the week it is. This guide breaks down every option, with honest 2026 prices, realistic travel

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Translation apps for Vietnam: what actually works when you don't speak Vietnamese

Vietnamese is a hard language. Six tones, a completely different grammar structure, and vocabulary that shares almost nothing with English. Most travelers arrive with a few phrases memorized: *xin chào* for hello, *cảm ơn* for thank you, and maybe *một bia* for one beer. That gets you through the fi

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Hoi An daily budget: what a realistic 2026 trip actually costs

Hoi An has a pricing problem. The Ancient Town itself is free to enter, but everything around it carries a premium that creeps into your wallet. A bowl of cao lau costs three times what it does in a nearby village. A tailored suit runs hundreds of dollars. And the lanterns, the boats, the cooking cl

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Where to stay in Hoi An: old town versus the beach

Hoi An presents travelers with a genuine dilemma. The ancient trading port packs centuries of history into a pedestrian-friendly core of yellow-walled buildings, silk shops and lantern-lit alleys. Five kilometers east, An Bang Beach offers a completely different rhythm: sand, surf and seafood restau

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Surfing in Vietnam: seasons, breaks and where to learn

Vietnam is not the first country that comes to mind when you think of surfing in Southeast Asia. Bali, Siargao, and Sri Lanka dominate the conversation. But Vietnam has a real, if underrated, surf scene. It is seasonal, fickle, and often messy. Yet when the northeast monsoon pushes swell into the So

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Hostels in Vietnam: how to pick one and what to expect for the price

Vietnam runs on hostels. From the backpacker warrens of Hanoi's Old Quarter to the beachside dormitories of Nha Trang, the country has one of Southeast Asia's most developed budget accommodation networks. The sheer volume of options is both a blessing and a problem. With thousands of hostels listed

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Hoi An things to do: beyond the old town lanterns

Every travel guide tells you to see the lanterns, cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, and order cao lau. Those things are worth doing. But Hoi An is more than the UNESCO-listed old town that fills with selfie sticks after sunset. The city stretches across rice paddies, river islands, and a coastline

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Getting to Hoi An: from Da Nang airport and beyond

Hoi An sits 30 kilometers south of Da Nang, and almost everyone arrives through Da Nang International Airport (DAD). The airport handles domestic flights from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and several regional hubs, plus direct international routes from Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, and Kuala Lumpur. The tr

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Driving in Vietnam: international permits, rules and renting a motorbike legally

The question comes up in every Vietnam travel forum. Can you rent a motorbike without a license? Should you bother with an International Driving Permit? What actually happens if police stop you?

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Best day trips from Da Nang

Da Nang gets treated as a stopover. Travelers land, sleep, and move on to Hoi An or Hue. That misses the point. This central Vietnamese city sits at the center of one of the most concentrated clusters of attractions in the country. Within two hours in any direction, there are UNESCO sites, mountain

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Da Nang food scene: what and where to eat

Da Nang does not get the food attention that Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City get. That is a mistake. The city sits in the middle of Vietnam's culinary map, and it eats like it. Central Vietnamese cooking is bolder than the north, less sweet than the south, and built around fresh herbs, turmeric, and ferme

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Where to stay in Da Nang: neighborhoods and hotel picks by budget

Da Nang has a split personality, and that is exactly why so many travelers end up staying longer than planned. On one side of the Han River, you have a beach town with high-rise resorts and surf shops. On the other, a working Vietnamese city with markets, coffee shops, and traffic that never quite s

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Rock climbing in Vietnam: Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba and where to book

Vietnam is not the first country that comes to mind when climbers think of Southeast Asia. Thailand gets the coverage. Vietnam gets the limestone. The karst landscape that defines Ha Long Bay and the surrounding region is some of the most dramatic rock on earth. Towers of grey limestone rise hundred

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Ferries and boats in Vietnam: routes, tickets and what to expect on board

Vietnam has 3,260 kilometers of coastline and thousands of islands, yet most travelers never step on a ferry. They fly instead. That is a mistake. Ferries in Vietnam are not just transport. They are the only way to reach some of the country's best destinations, and the crossings themselves are often

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Da Nang things to do: beaches, bridges and the mountains behind the city

Da Nang gets overlooked. Most travelers use it as a transit hub, sleeping one night between Hoi An and Hue before moving on. That is a mistake. Vietnam's fifth-largest city has the best urban beach in the country, a mountain peninsula covered in jungle, and some of the most photographed bridges in S

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Getting to Da Nang: flights, trains and the airport transfer options

Da Nang sits in the middle of Vietnam, a coastal city that functions as the region's transport hub. The airport is close to everything. The train station is central. Buses arrive from every direction. For a city of 1.2 million people, getting here is remarkably straightforward.

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Drugs and penalties in Vietnam: laws, risks and what travelers get wrong

Vietnam's drug laws are not a gray area. They are severe, enforced, and regularly applied to foreigners. Every year, travelers from Australia, the UK, the US, and Europe are arrested at airports, train stations, and nightlife districts for carrying small amounts of cannabis or other drugs. Some face

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Da Lat food scene: coffee, hot pot and street food

Da Lat is Vietnam's most misunderstood food city. Travelers arrive expecting a sleepy mountain town and find a 24-hour food culture shaped by cold weather, French colonial history, and the richest agricultural soil in the country. The city's 1,500-meter elevation changes everything about how locals

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Vietnam for travelers with disabilities: accessibility on the ground

Vietnam is not an easy destination for wheelchair users. That is the honest starting point. Sidewalks are broken, curbs are high, and traffic does not stop for pedestrians. But it is not impossible. With planning, the right accommodations, and a willingness to adapt, travelers with mobility needs ca

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Air quality and pollution in Vietnam: what travelers should know

Vietnam's cities buzz with energy, street food aroma, and the constant hum of motorbikes. They also carry a less visible burden: polluted air. For travelers, this matters more than most guidebooks admit.

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Where to stay in Da Lat: neighborhoods and hotel picks by budget

Da Lat confuses first-time visitors. It is not a beach town. It is not a bustling metropolis. It is a former French hill station tucked into the Central Highlands at 1,500 meters, where pine forests roll over valleys and the weather rarely climbs above 25°C. The city is compact, walkable and built a