AsiaOriginal Research

Vietnam

Pho, Ha Long Bay & motorbike adventures

Guides3

Comparisons1

SafetyExercise Normal Precautions

— Overview

Why we keep coming back.

Vietnam stretches from the karst-studded north to the Mekong Delta in the south, serving up some of the best street food on earth along the way. It is affordable, friendly, and endlessly photogenic.

Live · right now

38° / 100°F

overcast in Ho Chi Minh City

Feels 42° · 33% humidity · wind 9 km/h

Next 3 days

Wed, May 13

36° / 27°

Thu, May 14

37° / 27°

Fri, May 15

38° / 26°

Next holiday · Vietnam

Quốc khánh

Wed, Sep 2, 2026

In 113 days · National Day

Also coming up

Fri, Jan 1Tết dương lịch234d
Fri, Apr 30Ngày Giải phóng miền Nam, thống nhất đất nước353d
Sat, May 1Ngày Quốc tế lao động354d
Thu, Sep 2Quốc khánh478d

🇻🇳 Fast facts

Capital: Hanoi
Language: Vietnamese
Population: 101.3M
Currency: Vietnamese đồng (₫)
Timezone: UTC+07:00
Calling code: +84
Drives on: Right

Best time to visit · based on 10-year climate

Year-round varies — see below

Avoid May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct if you can.

Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 (Ho Chi Minh City)

JAN

27.1°

31mm

FEB

27.7°

18mm

MAR

28.8°

20mm

APR

29.4°

86mm

MAY

28.7°

249mm

JUN

27.5°

265mm

JUL

27.1°

310mm

AUG

27.1°

315mm

SEP

26.8°

368mm

OCT

26.6°

321mm

NOV

26.8°

153mm

DEC

26.6°

72mm

IdealGoodDoableTough

— Regions

Where to go in Vietnam

Hanoi & the North

The Old Quarter's bia hơi corners, Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, and the day-trip belt — Tam Coc, Ninh Binh, and the karst country of Cao Bang and Ha Giang. Three days minimum, plus an overnight cruise on Halong or Lan Ha Bay.

Hue & Hoi An

Hue for the imperial citadel and tombs along the Perfume River; Hoi An for the lantern-lit old town, beach time at An Bang, and tailor-made suits at sane prices. Connect by the Hai Van Pass — rent a bike or take the coastal train.

Ho Chi Minh City & the South

HCMC for District 1 streetlife, banh mi at Huynh Hoa, the War Remnants Museum, and rooftop bars. Side-trips to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre or Can Tho) and the Cu Chi tunnels.

Sapa & Northern Highlands

Hill-tribe trekking around Sapa and Bac Ha, the Ha Giang motorbike loop (the country's best three-day ride), and Mu Cang Chai's terraced rice fields. Best September–November for harvest colours.

Phu Quoc & Con Dao

Phu Quoc has gone resort-heavy in the south; the north stays quieter. Con Dao is the under-the-radar pick — empty beaches, sea-turtle conservation, French-colonial prison history.

— When to go

The seasonality call

Period	Verdict
Mar–Apr	Sweet spot — north warming up, centre dry, south not yet humid.
May–Sep	Hot and rainy; central coast (Hoi An, Da Nang) flooding-prone in October. North highlands at their greenest.
Oct–Dec	Best overall north and central — clear, dry, mild; south still warm but drying out.
Jan–Feb	Cool and grey in the north; Tet (Lunar New Year) shuts much of the country for a week.

— Entry & visa

Visa requirements

US, UK, Canadian and Australian passport holders need an e-visa (valid 90 days, single or multiple entry, $25–50). Apply at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn at least 5 working days ahead. Passport must have six months validity.

— Budget

What you'll spend

Shoestring: $20–35/day — guesthouses, street pho and banh mi, sleeper buses, public ferries.
Mid-range: $60–110/day — boutique hotels, sit-down dinners, domestic flights, overnight Halong cruise.
Luxury: $350+/day — Six Senses resorts, Reunification Express premium berth, private guides, Sofitel Legend Metropole.

Vietnam is Southeast Asia's best value once you leave Phu Quoc and central HCMC. Hoi An, Hue and the highlands are the cheapest of all.

— Getting around

Transport on the ground

Domestic flights (Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo, Vietjet) cover Hanoi–HCMC in 2h for $30–60 booked ahead. The Reunification Express train Hanoi–Saigon is one of the world's great rail rides if you have 36 hours. Grab is the everywhere-app (motorbike or car); never use street taxis. Rent a motorbike only if you've ridden in Asia before — traffic is intense.

Edited by

Sarah Chen

Editor-in-Chief · Singapore

Sarah Chen is editor-in-chief at destination.com. Before joining in 2024, she spent eight years as travel features editor at Monocle and three as a staff writer at Condé Nast Traveler.

Food & markets
Southeast Asia
Editorial strategy
Hotels

Vietnam hub last reviewed May 1, 2026

— Topical guides

Vietnam by topic

Deep-dives across the angles travellers ask about most — food, itineraries, wellness, off-season picks. Each guide pulls together our reporting on a single slice of Vietnam.

Vietnam Food Guides
Pho, banh mi, bun bo Hue — and the regional dishes that never made it onto the western brunch menu.
Read the guide →

— From the journal

Vietnam guides

All 3 stories →

Experiences

21 Unusual Things To Do In Ho Chi Minh City Locals Don’t Say

Ho Chi Minh City, often called Saigon by locals, is a place that never stops moving. It’s Vietnam’s biggest city, with over 8 million people…

20 min read

Beach Getaways

9 Best Beaches In Vietnam Tourists And Locals Love

If you’re looking for the ultimate guide to the best beaches in Vietnam, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve been all over this amazing…

23 min read

Food & Drink

Before Dawn at Đồng Xuân: Hanoi's 5 a.m. Phở Ritual as Early Lychee Season Arrives

Before Dawn at Đồng Xuân: Hanoi's 5 a.m. Phở Ritual as Early Lychee Season Arrives — an expert guide with local insights and Expedia booking.

7 min read

— Head to head

Pair it with.

Thailand

Vietnam

— Safety advisory

Current level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions

Vietnam is safe for travelers with vibrant culture and affordable costs. Petty theft and traffic are the main concerns.

Read the full briefing →

— The scorecard

How Vietnam scores.

Our editorial team rates every destination 1–10 across 10 travel dimensions, calibrated against the full catalogue. Strongest on value for money and food scene; weakest on luxury options.

Value for money

10/10

Food scene

10/10

Beaches

7/10

Culture & history

9/10

Ease of travel

6/10

Nature & landscapes

9/10

Nightlife

7/10

Family-friendly

7/10

Adventure

8/10

Luxury options

6/10

Compare Vietnam with another destination →

Editorial itineraries

Day-by-day plans for Vietnam

14 days

2 Weeks in Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City

A 14-day north-to-south Vietnam itinerary — Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue and Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City — with domestic flights and one overnight train.

— How we report this hub

What you read here, and where it came from.

On-the-ground reporting. Every section of this Vietnam guide is sourced from destination.com editors who have reported from the country in person, in many cases more than once. We don't pivot from press releases.
No paid placement. Hotels, restaurants and operators named here are recommended on editorial merit. When we earn an affiliate commission on a booking link, we say so on the page — it never affects what we recommend or in what order.
Data we use. Visa rules, prices and seasonality call-outs cite official government sources, our editor's most recent in-country reporting, or the operator's published rate (in that order). Numbers age — see the verified date below for the last review.
Corrections. Send corrections directly to our editors; we publicly log every correction we make.

Reviewed by Sarah Chen✓ Last verified May 1, 2026

— Plan the tripAffiliate · We may earn

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Where to go in Vietnam

Hanoi & the North

Hue & Hoi An

Ho Chi Minh City & the South

HCMC for District 1 streetlife, banh mi at Huynh Hoa, the War Remnants Museum, and rooftop bars. Side-trips to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre or Can Tho) and the Cu Chi tunnels.

Sapa & Northern Highlands

Hill-tribe trekking around Sapa and Bac Ha, the Ha Giang motorbike loop (the country's best three-day ride), and Mu Cang Chai's terraced rice fields. Best September–November for harvest colours.

Phu Quoc & Con Dao

Phu Quoc has gone resort-heavy in the south; the north stays quieter. Con Dao is the under-the-radar pick — empty beaches, sea-turtle conservation, French-colonial prison history.

The seasonality call

Period

Verdict

Mar–Apr

Sweet spot — north warming up, centre dry, south not yet humid.

May–Sep

Hot and rainy; central coast (Hoi An, Da Nang) flooding-prone in October. North highlands at their greenest.

Oct–Dec

Best overall north and central — clear, dry, mild; south still warm but drying out.

Jan–Feb

Cool and grey in the north; Tet (Lunar New Year) shuts much of the country for a week.

What you'll spend

Shoestring

$20–35/day — guesthouses, street pho and banh mi, sleeper buses, public ferries.

Mid-range

$60–110/day — boutique hotels, sit-down dinners, domestic flights, overnight Halong cruise.

Luxury

$350+/day — Six Senses resorts, Reunification Express premium berth, private guides, Sofitel Legend Metropole.

Vietnam is Southeast Asia's best value once you leave Phu Quoc and central HCMC. Hoi An, Hue and the highlands are the cheapest of all.

Transport on the ground

What you read here, and where it came from.

On-the-ground reporting. Every section of this Vietnam guide is sourced from destination.com editors who have reported from the country in person, in many cases more than once. We don't pivot from press releases.

No paid placement. Hotels, restaurants and operators named here are recommended on editorial merit. When we earn an affiliate commission on a booking link, we say so on the page — it never affects what we recommend or in what order.

Data we use. Visa rules, prices and seasonality call-outs cite official government sources, our editor's most recent in-country reporting, or the operator's published rate (in that order). Numbers age — see the verified date below for the last review.

Corrections. Send corrections directly to our editors; we publicly log every correction we make.

Reviewed by Sarah Chen✓ Last verified May 1, 2026