Phan Thiet
Around 30km south of Phan Thiet, the spectacular Ke Ga lighthouse dates from the French era. Constructed in 1899, it sits on a rocky islet some 300m from…
Must-see attractions in Vietnam
Mekong Delta
On the road between Can Tho and Long Xuyen, this magnificent 1.3-hectare bird sanctuary has astonishing views of thousands of resident storks and snowy…
Ninh Binh Province
Down a sleepy road between rice paddies, this cave (the name means 'Cave of Dance') is not terribly impressive, but there are panoramic views from the…
Quy Nhon
This pair of Cham towers sits within the city limits in a pretty park. Steep steps lead up to the temples, which are open to the sky. Atypically for Cham…
Mekong Delta
Tram Chim National Park is around 40km north of Cao Lanh and notable for its rare red-headed cranes (Grus antigone sharpii), although more than 220…
Lung Cam Cultural Tourist Village
Dong Van
Located in the narrow, incredibly picturesque Sung La Valley is the village of Lung Cam. Deemed a 'cultural tourist village' by the local authorities, the…
Quy Nhon
Backed by coastal cliffs, this drop-dead-gorgeous cove beach is 23km east of Quy Nhon. Ky Co's turquoise waters and fine pale sands have not gone…
Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine
Ho Chi Minh City
A lovely piece of traditional architecture in itself, this absorbing and very well-stocked museum with over a dozen exhibition rooms affords fascinating…
Kon Tum
Ya Chim is the collective name for a group of eight Jarai villages that start 17km southwest of Kon Tum. In them you'll find traditional nghia trang …
Southwest Highlands
The biggest of the three waterfalls located on the Krong Ana River, the impressive 250m-wide Dray Nur is best experienced in the rainy season (May to…
Phu Quoc Island
The island’s main town and chief fishing port on the west coast is a tangle of budget hotels catering to domestic tourists (although foreigners are…
Phu Quoc Island
Not far from Sao Beach in the south of the island, Phu Quoc's notorious old prison, built by the French in the late 1940s, contains a small museum that…
Hue
Located immediately behind Thai Hoa Palace, on either side of a courtyard, these halls were used by mandarins as offices and to prepare for court…
Danang Region
Across the Song Han Bridge, My Khe is fast becoming Danang’s easternmost suburb. In the early morning and evening, the beach fills up with city folk doing…
Con Dao Islands
This simply beautiful cove consists of a kilometre-long crescent of pale sand, fringed by wooded hills. The beach's profile is gently shelving and there's…
Southeast Coast
This group of four towers sits atop a wooded hilltop 16km northwest of Quy Nhon, just east of Hwy 1, with sweeping riverine views towards the distant…
Dalat
The Truc Lam Pagoda enjoys a hilltop setting and has immaculately tended flower and bonsai gardens. It's an active monastery, though the grounds…
Vinh Long
Sitting in pleasant grounds across from the river, this temple is southeast of town. Confucian temples such as this are rare in southern Vietnam. The…
Tra Vinh
This modern Khmer pagoda is also known as the stork pagoda after the birds that nest in the tall trees here. It’s a beautiful, peaceful complex, and…
Ho Chi Minh City
HCMC's best contemporary art space is in District 2 on the east side of the Saigon River. Interesting exhibitions and showcases of local artists are…
Mai Chau
This interesting weekly market, 30km northwest of Mai Chau, makes for a fine excursion. The back section has a small but high-quality section of batiks…
Ha Tien
The best of the Gulf of Thailand beaches, Mui Nai is 8km west of Ha Tien. The water is incredibly warm and becalmed, so great for taking a dip, and the…
Chau Doc
These rustic houses, the floats of which consist of empty metal drums, are both a place to live and a livelihood for their residents. Under each house,…
Demilitarised Zone
Once the border between North and South Vietnam, Ben Hai River’s southern bank now has a grandiose reunification monument, its stylised palm leaves oddly…
Phan Thiet
Vietnam's whale-worship cult is thought to have originated in early Cham times. Fishing communities in southern Vietnam revere whales as near-divine…
Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu is ringed by Tay villages, and this one, 5km north of the city, has been deemed a 'culture and tourism village', ostensibly because of its…
Hue
The stunning, partially ruined Dien Tho Residence (1804) once comprised the apartments and audience hall of the Queen Mothers of the Nguyen dynasty. The…
Dong Van
Around 25km north of Dong Van and just a few kilometres from the Chinese border, Lung Cu is a massive flag tower erected in 2010 to mark the northernmost…
Southwest Highlands
Located on the Krong Ana River southwest of Buon Ma Thuot, the 100m-wide Dray Sap (‘smoky falls’ in Ede) waterfall gushes during the rainy season. From…
Mekong Delta
On the eastern edge of town off Hwy 30, the War Memorial is Cao Lanh’s most prominent landmark, a Socialist Realist–style sculpture featuring a large…
Northeast Vietnam
Paths follow the the Ngoc Tuyen River through this beautiful cave for about 1km. The entrance has a series of poems carved in Chinese characters by the…
Phan Rang & Thap Cham
This large modern structure is dedicated to Cham culture. There's some superb photography of Cham people, village life and customs exhibited here, as well…
Hoi An
Just a few steps down from the Japanese Covered Bridge, this old house has a wide, welcoming entrance hall decorated with exquisite lanterns, wall…
Phu Quoc Island
Climb the stairs of this pagoda, on a remote stretch of coastal road 10km north of Sao Beach, for one of the best views from any temple in Vietnam: blue…
Sapa
An excellent showcase of the history and ethnology of the Sapa area, including the French colonial era. Dusty exhibitions overview the various ethnic…
Bai Tu Long Bay
The beautiful 1km-long crescent-moon sweep of Minh Chau Beach, 12km from Quan Lan town on the northeastern coast, is the island's main drawcard. Between…
Can Tho
Trying to hide down a quiet backstreet, but gloriously gilded in gold, this rare three-level Khmer Theravada Buddhist pagoda from 1948 contrasts sharply…
Precious Heritage Museum by Réhahn
Hoi An
Hoi An–based French photographer Réhahn has conceived this cross between museum and gallery, combining his outstanding photos of Vietnam's hill tribes…
Mekong Delta
At the heart of the city and encompassing a temple and lake with a topiary outline of Vietnam in the middle, this lush park is a wonderful place to…
Haiphong
In a splendid colonial building, this small museum concentrates on the city's history, with English translations on displays. The front hall's taxidermy…
