Halong Bay
The popular Hang Sung Sot has three vast chambers – in the second there’s a pink-lit rock phallus unsurprisingly regarded as a fertility symbol. Even less…
Must-see attractions in Northern Vietnam
Meo Vac
Head south of town, branching off on the road left towards Khau Vai, and you'll soon get to a homestay and a series of steps that lead up to fabulous…
Bai Tu Long Bay
For coastal scenery beyond the beaches, head south from town for 3km, bearing left at the pond, to the flagpole and headland of Mong Rong, where walking…
Dien Bien Phu
The immaculately maintained Dien Bien Phu Cemetery commemorates the Vietnamese who died in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, with each gravestone bearing the…
Cat Ba Island
Within Cat Ba National Park but accessed from a separate roadside entrance 2km north of Hospital Cave, the multi-chambered Trung Trang Cave is fun to…
Ba Be National Park
One of Ba Be's most popular off-the-water sights is this 800m-long cave complex with a pathway leading down into a soaring 50m-high cavern. It's 6km…
Northwest Vietnam
Sin Ho has markets on Saturday and Sunday; the wildly colourful Sunday market is the more impressive of the two. It's a better place to buy livestock than…
Bac Ha
This market, in the remote border area of Si Ma Cai, 40km from Bac Ha, is a vibrant and chaotic weekly hub for the local Nung and Thulao ethnic minorities…
Halong Bay
Part of the same cave system as nearby Hang Dau Go, Hang Thien Cung has ‘cauliflower’ limestone growths as well as stalactites and stalagmites.
Northwest Vietnam
Take a local bus or xe om to Thuan Chau, about 35km northwest of Son La, early in the morning, when its daily market swells with colourfully dressed hill…
Meo Vac
Meo Vac has a good Sunday market. The timing and its proximity with Dong Van's Sunday market means that it’s easy enough to combine the two by xe om.
Bai Tu Long Bay
Located in the northwestern corner of Co To Island is broad Van Chay Beach. During the summer months it's home to lots of food stalls, as well as kayak…
Northeast Vietnam
This modest museum sits at the entrance to the Coc Bo Cave area. It covers the period in 1941 during which Ho Chin Minh lived here, planning his…
Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu's liveliest quarter is this bustling produce market on the east bank of the Ron River, just east of the old Muong Thanh Bridge.
Ba Be National Park
The Dau Dang Waterfall (also called the Ta Ken Waterfall) is a series of spectacular cascades between sheer walls of rock.
Bac Ha
There’s a waterfall near Huang Thu Pho village, about 12km west of Bac Ha, which has a pool big enough for swimming.
Cat Ba Island
By far the nicest beach in Cat Co Cove is Cat Co 2 with a pretty swathe of white sand.
Northeast Vietnam
After 30 years of exile, Ho Chi Minh re-entered Vietnam in January 1941 and took shelter in this small cave in one of the most remote regions of Vietnam,…
Dien Bien Phu
West of the Ron River, the dank command bunker of Colonel de Castries has been recreated, though there's little to actually see. A discarded tank and some…
Haiphong
With a facade embellished with white columns, Haiphong’s neoclassical Opera House dates from 1904. It's usually not possible to view the interior, but…
Sapa
Turfed out of central Sapa and now in a purpose-built modern building near the bus station, Sapa Market is still interesting, and hill-tribe people from…
Sapa
The road between Sapa and Lai Chau crosses the Tram Ton Pass on the northern side of Mt Fansipan, 15km from Sapa. At 1900m it's Vietnam’s highest mountain…
Northwest Vietnam
Son La’s old prison was a French penal colony where anti-colonial revolutionaries were incarcerated from 1908. It was destroyed by the ‘off-loading’ of…
Dong Van
At the northern end of P Co, just past the old market plaza, a narrow lane, backed by a limestone cliff, meanders into the compact old quarter of Dong Van…
Cao Bang
There's not a whole load to do in Cao Bang town itself, but there are great 360-degree views from the town's hilltop war memorial. Head up the second lane…
Cat Ba Island
Cat Co 3 is the closest beach to Cat Ba Town but its blink-and-you-miss-it sliver of sand isn't really worth stopping for. Head here just to take the…
Dien Bien Phu
The epic hilltop Victory Monument, commemorating the 1954 battles, presides heroically over Dien Bien Phu's main road. Road access leads around the back…
Haiphong
Haiphong’s elegant Roman Catholic cathedral was built in the 19th century and comprehensively restored in 2010. The building’s grey towers are a local…
Cat Ba Island
Cat Co 1 has a decent stretch of beach but is dominated by a rather ugly resort. Don't expect much peace and quiet here during the summer months as it's…
Northwest Vietnam
For an overview of Son La, follow the stone steps to the left of the Trade Union (Cong Doan) Hotel in the north of town. It's a 20-minute uphill walk to…
Dien Bien Phu
The unsigned French War Memorial, erected on the 30th anniversary of the 1954 battle, commemorates the 3000 French troops buried under the rice paddies.
Halong City
This wide and sandy beach offers good sunset strolls and views of the cruise ships and lighthouse. It's accessible behind the massive Sunworld complex.
Sapa
Sapa's small stone church was built by the French and is still a central landmark. It opens for Mass on Sunday and on certain evenings for prayers.
Cat Ba Island
The market at the northern end of Cat Ba Town's harbour is a scruffy local affair with twitching crabs, jumbo shrimp and pyramids of fresh fruit.
Northwest Vietnam
You’ll find woven shoulder bags, scarves, silver buttons and necklaces and other hill-tribe crafts at this market in the north of town.
Cat Ba Island
This monument stands up on imaginatively named Mountain No 1, the hillock opposite the pier in Cat Ba Town.
Mai Chau
Mai Chau's main central market spills out onto the surrounding streets every Sunday morning.
Dien Bien Phu
The old Muong Thanh Bridge is preserved and closed to four-wheeled traffic.
Phat Tich Truc Lam Ban Gioc Pagoda
Cao Bang
There are great views of the Ban Gioc Waterfall and the entire karst valley from this hillside pagoda and temple.
