Introducing Vietnam
Blessed with a ravishing coastline, emerald-green mountains, breathtaking national parks, dynamic cities, outstanding cultural interest and one of the world’s best cuisines, Vietnam has it all.
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The Vietnamese Experience Vietnam is a nation going places. Fast. Its people are energetic, direct, sharp in commerce and resilient by nature. This is an outrageously fun country to explore, the locals love a laugh (and a drink) and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to socialise with them and hear their tales. The American War is over, and yet its impact endures – you’ll find reminders of that cataclysmic conflict everywhere you travel. That said, the country was never broken and emerged with its pride intact. Poor in parts but never squalid, Vietnam is developing at an astonishing pace. For travellers, there are issues to consider (including minor scams), but little real danger – on the whole it’s a safe, wonderfully rewarding and incredibly varied country to explore.
A Cultural Smorgasbord This is a country of myriad influences and reference points. In the south, Indian and Hindu culture had a lasting influence in the Cham temples and spicy regional cuisine, spiked with chilli and tempered with coconut. Head north and Chinese connections are far more apparent. Between these two competing cultures, you’ll find a quintessential Vietnam in the central provinces: the graceful historic old port of Hoi An, and the royal tombs, pagodas and imperial cuisine of Hue. Oh, and there’s more, far more. Factor in an enduring French colonial legacy, which is evident in Hanoi’s graceful boulevards, in Ho Chi Minh City’s stately museums and in the crispy baguettes and coffee culture you’ll find on every street corner. Add the American interlude, more than 50 hill tribes, and of course the proud (battletested and victorious) ruling Communist Party ideology and you’ve got Vietnam: heady, intoxicating and unique.
Big Nature, Booming Cities If you want visual dramatics, Vietnam delivers. Cruise an azure ocean pierced by surreal- looking limestone islands in Halong Bay, slalom through the majestic inland karst mountains of Cao Bang. Hike mountain tracks and explore tribal villages near Sapa and Bac Ha. Then witness the spectacular sandy bays of the central coastline and explore the reefs and coves of the Cham and Con Dao Islands. Highway 1 is near-relentlessly urban, so get off it at regular intervals to see the astonishing cave systems of Phong Nha, national parks like Cat Tien, and the bewitching back waters of the Mekong Delta. Finally, no visit would be complete without experiencing the energy of big-city life in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, the grand old lady of the Orient, and Ho Chi Minh City, the engine room of the economy and the nation.
Learn a little history, and how to cross the street (!) with our 226 Days in Nam video. Or see the capital in a different light with our Hanoi Hustle video.
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- Travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in 11 days
- Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok in 9 days
- Trek the beautiful Sapa Valley in Vietnam's remote northwest
Last updated: Jun 14, 2012
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Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Travel companions South East Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand) 2013
by sianen85 29 September 2012
@Nindi: Don't think my travel dates corresponds as I'm arriving in mid January. But I would love some advice, so I will be messaging you!…
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RE: Pleiku-Banlung (Le thanh-O'yadaw border crossing)
by rectravel 29 September 2012
+Any updates+ There hasn't been any real news because the crossing is a nonevent, just like at any other Cambodia / Vietnam border gate.…
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RE: Travel companions South East Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand) 2013
by nindichatha 29 September 2012
hello! I am travelling solo through south east asian nations [thailand,laos,cambodia nd may be vietnam] starting mid nov and till mid…
Hotels & Hostels
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Vietnam
Things to do
- All things to do (1,217)
- Activities (141)
- Entertainment (166)
- Restaurants (438)
- Shopping (121)
- Sights (289)
- Tours (62)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Vietnam
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1 Halong Bay
Book an overnight cruise and make time for your own special moments on this World Heritage wonder - rising early for an ethereal misty dawn, or piloting a sleek kayak into grottoes and lagoons.
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2 Hit the beach at Nha Trang
Lap up the beach culture, and decide for yourself if this heavyweight champion deserves its place on our best beaches list
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3 Tantalise your tastebuds in Hoi An
Try a modern spin on traditional Vietnamese cuisine at Mango Rooms in historic Hoi An
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4 Have a Hanoi art attack
Head straight to our faves: Apricot Gallery and Mai Tai Gallery in the Old Quarter, the Oriental Gallery in the Nha Tao Area, Dong Phong Art Gallery in the French Quarter, and perhaps the best in Hanoi: Art Vietnam in the West Lake area.
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5 Karst your eye over Phong Nha Cave
Go underground and explore the nooks and crannies of Phong Nha Cave, the largest and most stunning cave in the country
Fast Facts about Vietnam
- Border countries:
- Number of motorbikes:
16 million and counting
- Currency:
Vietnamese dong
- Most pungent fruit (one to be wary of):
durian
- Population:
86 million
- Fishy business:
200 million plus litres of nuoc mam (fish sauce) produced per year
- Guinness World Records:
largest coffee cup (containing 3,604 litres of coffee); most sumo squats in 1hr (5,135)
- Head of government:
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
- Ba, ba, ba:
not the sound of Vietnamese sheep, but the way to say '333': a popular beer
Our favourite Vietnam Blogs (beta)
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Things To Consider Before Trekking Fancy Pants Mountain
Blog: Lonely Girl Travels - 23 September 2012
1. It is not actually called Fancy Pants Mountain. If you are unable to stop calling it Fancy Pants, because you cannot either remember or pronounce its real name, take this a sign. 2. Fansipan Mountain is the highest peak in Indochina (which sounds totally colonialist, but what the hell do you call the Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos [...]
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The World’s Worst Traffic Jam, or Back-of-the-Bike Cultural Reflections From a Non-Driving Coward
Blog: Lonely Girl Travels - 14 September 2012
Since I am a complete and utter coward (no, traveling sola, moving across the planet to a developing country and regularly publishing uber personal essays DOES NOT count as “brave”), I’m still not driving a motorbike. I was working the whole I-just-arrived angle, then moved on to the I’m-working-6-days-a-week-and-it’s-115-degrees angle. But, after three months and [...]
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New: Video from Van Giang, Vietnam Shows Protests, Riots, Police Brutality
Blog: Fish Egg Tree - 5 September 2012
