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Introducing Vietnam
Vietnam offers an intoxicating blend: vibrant yet traditional cities, unashamedly idyllic coastline, incredible scenery, pulsating history and culture, and delectable cuisine.
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The country is hot right now: the summer monsoon (April to October) has arrived, bringing hot, humid weather to the whole country. And if you’re looking for a place to cool off, you’ll be spoilt for choice – Vietnam has some of Southeast Asia’s best beaches.
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City to see Vietnam at its most dizzying: it’s a high-octane city of commerce and culture - and a challenging place to cross the street. It’s also a fascinating place to step back into Vietnam’s turbulent past - any visit should include the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum.
To escape the buzz of millions of motorbikes, head west to the watery landscape of green fields and sleepy villages in the Mekong Delta. There’s adventure galore to be had on Phu Quoc Island and stunning white-sand beaches to relax on. Back on the east coast at Mui Ne Beach, you’ll be faced with a similar dilemma: action or inertia?
Hoi An might weigh you down - but in a good way - you’re bound to add kilos of made-to-order clothing to your luggage. With an estimated 300 to 500 tailors working in this beautiful city, this is fashionista heaven.
To feel the intellectual, cultural and spiritual heartbeat of Vietnam, make a stop in the old imperial capital, Hué. Home to palaces and pagodas, tombs and temples, and host of the biennial arts festival, the Festival of Hué (www.huefestival.com), it’s the place to go for historical, cultural and culinary stimulation.
In Hanoi, the country’s captivating capital, rise early to watch the city exercise by Hoan Kiem Lake, then pay your respects in person to Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (a truly surreal experience). See if you can locate ‘pickled fish street’ in the Old Quarter (it’s somewhere near ‘wooden bowls street’), and cool off with draught beer at ‘bia hoi junction’ (a truly rewarding experience).
Eventually you’ll be enticed out of the city by the stunning offerings of the country’s northern provinces. Nothing can prepare you for the beauty of Halong Bay and its 2000 limestone karsts, nor the experience of trekking around mountainous Sapa.
Vietnam has it all. Go expecting the unexpected, be ready for an adventure as much as a holiday, and Vietnam will deliver.
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.
Make it happen
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- the Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi trek takes you on a 12 day tour of Vietnam
- Take to two wheels and cycle Vietnam
- search cheap flights to Vietnam
- get in early and save on travel gear backpacks, sleeping bags and more
Want more? We can recommend these Halong Bay tours, as well as a wide selection of other Vietnam trips
Last updated: Oct 22, 2009
Tips & articles
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Dining for a cause
23 October 2009
Food for the body is good, but food for the soul is great. You have the opportunity to get both at these...
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Your favourite destinations September 3rd-11th
14 September 2009
You may have noticed around the Lonely Planet website that you can save your favourite places. The destinations...
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Let it rain: enjoying Southeast Asia’s wet season
27 July 2009
It’s the rainy season in Southeast Asia. Don’t worry, it probably won’t rain all the time...
Vietnam
Our Top Picks For Vietnam
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1 Kayak Halong Bay
Explore hidden caves and secret lagoons among the limestone peaks of Halong Bay using paddle power - one of Vietnam's many activities for adrenalin junkies
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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:
what's the Vietnam dong worth today?
- Head of state:
President Nguyen Minh Triet
- 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
Related Groups
Our favourite Vietnam Blogs (beta)
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White Waterfall (Thac Trang, Tam Lanh)
Blog: Travel Details on worldX.info - 23 November 2009
Vietnam » It has been theorized that if one gathers large enough samples one will eventually find multiple identical occurrences; for instance, in a clump of sand on the palm of one's hand one is not likely to find two identically shaped motes, however, if one is to sample ten thousands more clumps or even all the sands on the beach one will most likely find two or more identical motes in terms of shape and, perhaps, weight.
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Hanoi, Vietnam
Blog: Patrick and Katrina do the Globe - 23 November 2009
We quickly learned that in Vietnam there is never a need to worry about transportation. The streets are teeming with people making offers, from taxis and trishaws to motorbike drivers with room on the back of their rides.
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Thailand's Internet Problems Bigger than Vietnam's Facebook
Blog: Fish Egg Tree - 20 November 2009
As frustrating as Vietnam’s apparent government-initiated black-out of Facebook has been this month, we can be thankful that Vietnam is not Thailand. It might surprise people to know that Thailand is one of the most repressive countries in Southeast Asia when it comes to internet access.
