Things to do in Vietnam, ranked by what they ask of you
On this page
Vietnam is 1,650 km end to end and the list of things to do in Vietnam is longer than any trip. So this is not an inventory of sights. It is what the experiences actually cost in days, money and effort, and which ones repay them.
Everything here links to the page that goes into detail. Use this to decide what goes on the route, then read that page before booking anything.
What should be on a first trip?
Six experiences carry most of the country, and no two-week trip fits more than five of them without turning into a transfer schedule.
| Experience | Where | Days it takes | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A night on the water | Lan Ha or Ha Long | 2 | Yes |
| The Ha Giang loop | The far north | 3-4 | Yes |
| Caves | Phong Nha | 2 | Yes, for the big ones |
| An old town on foot | Hoi An | 2 | No |
| The delta before dawn | Mekong | 2 | Homestay only |
| Eating on a plastic stool | Everywhere | 0 | No |
The last row is not a joke. Ask anybody who has been what they remember and the answer is a pavement, a stool and a bowl. The street food safety guide covers how to keep it a good memory.
What is worth doing in the north?
Mountains and water, and they pull in opposite directions from Hanoi. The Ha Giang loop is the best road in the country, about 350 km over three or four days. Since 1 June 2026 its border districts need a permit for foreign visitors.
Sapa and Pu Luong are the walking versions. Mu Cang Chai is the photograph: a fortnight of gold from mid-September, which the rice terraces guide is blunt about dating.
On the water, sleep on it. A day trip from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay buys about 4 hours afloat for 6 hours in a minibus. Cat Ba and Lan Ha give you the same limestone with a bed in it. The kayaking guide covers the part worth paddling.
What is worth doing in the centre?
Three cities within 130 km, each doing a different job. Hue is the imperial one: a citadel and royal tombs that need a day and a half. Hoi An is the walking one, and its tailors are the only shopping in the country worth planning around. Da Nang is the beach and the airport.
Between them sit the two set-pieces: the Hai Van Pass, and Phong Nha, which holds the largest cave passage on earth. The caves guide explains which ones cost 205,000 dong and which cost thousands of dollars.
What is worth doing in the south?
Two things, and neither is the city itself for long. Ho Chi Minh City is worth two days: the war museums, the markets, and the coffee that is nothing like the coffee at home.
The Mekong Delta is the reason to be down here, and it repays a night rather than a day. Go early for the floating market at Cai Rang. The Chau Doc page has the version of the delta that still runs on water rather than on roads.
What can you do in an ordinary hour?
More than the ticketed list suggests, and this is where the country is at its best.
- Before eight in the morning — the parks, the markets, the pavement kitchens. The mornings guide covers the hour Vietnam actually lives in.
- Mid-afternoon — a coffee shop with a fan, or a massage for the price of a beer at home.
- From five — bia hoi, a grill table, a snail restaurant, or a football match on a pavement screen.
- Any time — a pagoda courtyard, a market, a wedding tent you happen to walk past.
None of that needs booking, and most of it is free or costs a few tens of thousands of dong.
What is overrated, and what is the better version?
Four things, and none of them is bad — each is sold in the wrong format.
| Sold as | The problem | The better version |
|---|---|---|
| Ha Long day trip | 6 hours of road for 4 on the water | An overnight from Cat Ba |
| Floating markets | Roads took most of the trade | Cai Rang at 05:30, or skip |
| Cu Chi tunnels at midday | Four coaches, no atmosphere | First slot, or Vinh Moc instead |
| Resort cooking class | Ingredients you cannot buy at home | A market class that teaches a sauce |
The Ha Long or Ninh Binh comparison and the cooking class guide go further into two of those.
What do you actually need to book ahead?
Four things need booking ahead: the overnight boat and the named caves at Phong Nha, the Ha Giang loop if you are riding with an easy rider, and any train berth or internal flight in the fortnight around Tet.
Everything else is arranged the day before at a hotel desk for less money than a booking site charges. That is the single biggest saving available on a Vietnam trip, and the trip cost guide puts numbers on it.
How do you fit them into a route?
By region and by month, not by wish list. The month-by-month guide says which coast works when, and the itineraries do the arithmetic: five days, ten days, two weeks, three weeks.
Which places those experiences sit in, and how many nights each needs, is the places roundup. The rule that survives every version of this list: two regions in a week, three in a fortnight. A trip that tries for four spends its best days on the transport between them.
FAQ
What are the best things to do in Vietnam?
A night on the water in Ha Long or Lan Ha, the Ha Giang loop, the caves at Phong Nha, a day among the tailors and lanterns of Hoi An, the Mekong before dawn, and eating on a plastic stool almost anywhere. Most trips fit four or five of these, not all of them.
How many days does Vietnam need?
Two weeks covers three regions at a sane pace. Ten days covers two. A week covers one, and the most common mistake is to spread a week across the whole country and spend it in airports and on night buses.
What is worth booking in advance?
A Ha Long or Lan Ha overnight boat, a Ha Giang loop with an easy rider, the big caves at Phong Nha, and any train berth or flight around Tet. Everything else here can be arranged the day before from a hotel desk.
What is overrated?
The floating markets as they are sold, a day trip to Ha Long from Hanoi, most cooking classes bundled into a resort, and the Cu Chi tunnels at midday with four coaches in the car park. Each has a better version at a different hour or a different length.
What costs nothing?
Most of the good part. The morning parks, the markets, the pavement food, the Old Quarter, temple courtyards, the beaches and every street in Hoi An outside the ticketed houses. Vietnam rewards walking more than it rewards ticketing.
Are organised tours in Vietnam worth it?
For four things — the overnight boat, the Ha Giang loop if you do not ride, the technical caves at Phong Nha, and a delta homestay. For the rest, a Grab, a hotel desk and a bus ticket cost a fraction of a tour and lose you nothing.
What should you not try to fit into one Vietnam trip?
Both coasts in their good seasons, the far north and the delta, and a beach week alongside a mountain week. Any two of those is a trip; all four is a fortnight spent moving.