40 Unforgettable Experiences to Have in Vietnam

From must-do activities like cruising around Halong Bay or crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels to brag-worthy feats like drinking snake wine or scuba diving in the South China Sea, here are 40 unforgettable experiences to have in Vietnam by VIP Tourasia. See how many you can check off on your trip.

1. Ride a classic cyclo, Vietnam's ubiquitous three-wheel bicycle taxis.

2. Tuck into a bowl of steaming pho at a street-side restaurant.

3. Light incense at the famous Perfume Pagoda, one of Vietnam's most famous Buddhist shrines.

4. Take a bike tour of Hoi An's charming Old Town.

5. Hire a motorbike and zoom along the city streets.

6. Attend one of Vietnam's unique festivals like the Elephant Racing Festival in Tay Nguyen, the Huong Pagoda Festival or the Le Mat Snake Village Festival.

7. Take a hill tribe trek through the Sapa Valley.

Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

8. Get a suit or dress tailor-made in Hoi An.

9. Learn about Vietnam's turbulent war years at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

10. Watch a traditional water puppet show in Hanoi.

11. Take a street food tour of Hanoi.

12. Ride a dug-out canoe around Lak Lake.

13. Visit the Cai Be floating market on a cruise along the Mekong Delta.

14. Try scuba diving in Nha Trang.

Hiking through the Sapa Hills

15. Crawl through the famous Cu Chi Tunnels on a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City.

16. Check out Vietnam's tallest temple, the seven-story Tien Mu Pagoda in Hue.

17. Top up your tan at the white sand beaches of Phu Quoc island.

18. Go sandboarding down the Mui Ne sand dunes.

19. Experience Vietnam's rich cultural heritage with a show at the Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh.

20. Hunt for bargains at the markets of Ho Chi Minh City.

21. Enjoy wildlife spotting and bird watching in the UNESCO-listed Can Gio Biosphere Reserve.

Eating out in Vietnam

22. Savor the unique flavors of Vietnamese cuisine with a cooking class.

23. Visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of My Son.

24. Attend a traditional Vietnamese wedding.

25. Ride the scenic Reunification Express train all the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city.

26. Hike through the Cuc Phuong National Park.

27. Get off-the-beaten-track and explore the natural grottoes of Tam Coc.

28. Take a cruise around Halong Bay on a Junk boat.

29. Purchase some typical Vietnamese souvenirs, like a conical hat, a tailored silk blouse or local handicrafts.

30. Discover Hue's UNESCO-listed Imperial City.

31. Pay your respects to the founder of unified Vietnam at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

32. Photograph the spectacular rice terraces surrounding Sa Pa.

33. Ride a seaplane over Halong Bay.

34. Look down over Ho Chi Minh City from the Saigon Skydeck.

35. Join the festivities at the vibrant Tet Festival, the Vietnamese New Year.

36. Scale Vietnam's highest peak, Fan Si Pan.

37. Try Vietnam's scariest beverage, Snake Wine - if you dare.

38. Stroll through the spectacular Paradise Cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

39. Take a steamy bath in the Thanh Tan Hot Springs.

40. Enjoy a traditional foot massage while lounging on the beach.

21 Reasons To Fall In Love With Vietnam

Vietnam should be on the top of everyone's travel list. It's that simple. With its dramatic landscapes, fascinating history, epic food and pulsating energy, Vietnam will electrify all of your senses and seize you from all angles. Vietnam is at once crazy and serene, thrilling and relaxing.

There are endless reasons to hop on a flight to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City and travel down or up this amazing country by train, plane, bus or -- the preferred method of transport -- motorbike. If you need persuading, VIP Tourasia introduces these reasons to fall head over heels in love with Vietnam:

• 1 Street Food
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  The best place to eat in Vietnam is on little, plastic stools on the sidewalk. Whether it's noodle soups, like the iconic pho or bun ca (the fish and pork-based soup garnished with dill pictured here), or bun cha -- char-grilled pork served over rice noodles with herbs and dipping sauces -- the street food in Vietnam is nothing short of amazing. At any hour of the day, you'll find Vietnamese people of all ages congregating under market awnings or outside store fronts, chowing down and enjoying each other's company. Eating on the street is by far the most exciting -- and accessible -- way to truly experience daily life in Vietnam, and it's also where you'll find the best food.
• 2 Motorbikes
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  One of the first and more important things to learn when visiting Vietnam is how to cross the street. It may be intuitive at home, but the traffic in Vietnam's major cities seems so chaotic and incessant, that getting from one side of the road to the other feels almost impossible at first. You'll find cars and people in the street, but the preferred mode of transportation is motorbikes, and the stream of two-wheelers feels like unpredictable, roaring rapids when you're standing on one sidewalk trying to get to the next. According to The Diplomat, there are currently 39 million motorbikes in Vietnam, up from about 4 million in 1996. That's a lot of bikes -- and with at least two people on every bike -- that's also a lot of people. The trick to crossing the street is to walk steadily, at an even pace. If you're moving at a predictable rate, the motorcyclists will move around you. Eye-contact with oncoming bikers doesn't hurt either. The most important thing is to keep moving and not to stop or speed up. Once you've got the hang of crossing the street, you can really appreciate the beauty of the organized chaos.
• 3 Coffee
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  As the second biggest producer of coffee in the world, Vietnam knows a thing or two about coffee. Most importantly, coffee comes with sweetened condensed milk (a.k.a. the best stuff on Earth) pretty much without exception. It's also an integral part of the culture, served in cafes and... drumroll... on the street, of course.
• 4 Mekong Delta
   
  The Mekong Delta is an area in Southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River dumps into the sea. Visitors can go to Can Tho, the largest city in the area, and get a real taste of rural life in this region affectionately known as the "rice bowl." Traveling up the backwaters, visitors will be wowed by the floating markets and above all else, the friendly people who live in the region.
• 5 Caves
   
  Mammoth caves that hold entire jungles and lakes are still being discovered in Vietnam. Son Doong Cave, the biggest cave in the world, was only first explored in 2009, and didn't open to tourists until 2012. Trips into Son Doong are still highly controlled, expensive and limited, but there's a vast network of caves that are much more accessible. Paradise Cave, pictured here, in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, is 19 miles across and offers a variety of tours into its interior, including an easy walk on the boardwalk at the beginning of the cave and a trek past the boardwalk for the more adventurous. Headlamps and nerve are required. Visit before the sights become overrun with tourists.
• 6 Markets
   
  Markets in Vietnam may not be cavernous underground worlds of stunning rock formations and skyscraper high stalagmites, but they can be cavernous worlds unto themselves. Markets like this one in Danang sell everything from fabric for clothing to dried baby shrimp. Needless to say, you can get lost exploring the rows for hours. They're most active in the early morning and late evening, when the temperature cools down a bit and shoppers come out. During the middle of the day, you might find shopkeepers taking a nap in front of their stalls. When we say you could spend all day in these markets, we seriously mean it.
• 7 Fresh Seafood
   
  One of the most extraordinary things about the markets in Vietnam is that the food doesn't smell at all. You'll walk into the food section and see freshly caught fish, snails, crabs and prawns and brace yourself for a fishy smell. But because the fish you see in the market was caught just a few hours ago, you won't smell a thing. We swear.
• 8 Fresh Meat
  
  Same goes for the meat. When you see a pig's head laid out on a table next to a slew of other cuts, you'd assume something would smell. The meat was butchered no more than four or five hours ago so it doesn't give off any smell. You can tell it's super fresh by the bright red color. If you see browning meat, it may be a day old and will cost less. Most people buy their meat the same day it was butchered, however, making for some extraordinarily fresh dishes and surprisingly pleasant market experiences.
• 9 Fresh Vegetables
   
  You might not recognize all the vegetables you'll find in Vietnam, but you should try them all. From bitter melon to morning glory, the vegetables go into everything from shredded salads -- like green papaya salad -- to stir-fries. Like all the other food you'll find in Vietnamese markets, everything is super fresh.
• 10 Fresh Fruit
   
  Don't be alarmed if you see spiky fruits you can't identify. It could be a durian, dragon fruit or rambutan (pictured here) -- and they're all worth a try. (Be warned: durians smell like feet and are not for the faint of heart.) You'll also find mangos, papayas, mangosteens, jack fruit and a fleshy fruit with a bumpy green skin called custard apples, among more familiar fruits like pineapples, bananas and watermelons.
• 11 Vistas
   
  Views of the horizon are magnificent, especially at sunset, all over the country. The mountainous vista pictured here -- filled with sharp undulations, like shoulders standing side by side -- is in the Quảng Bình province in Central Vietnam.
• 12 Halong Bay
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  Speaking of vistas, Halong Bay, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Gulf of Tonkin, is every bit as spectacular as people say. It IS worth the roughly four hour drive from Hanoi, and it IS worth fighting the swarms of tourists to see. The bay used to be littered with a lot more trash, but with recent clean-up efforts, it's much better these days. The 1,600 islands jut out of the sea, seemingly one on top of the other, creating a dramatic scape of mountains, sea and sky.
• 13 History
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  Vietnam's history is tumultuous and complex, the country having been occupied and divided by various countries for decades. Colonial influences are visible everywhere, from the architecture to the food and the coffee. The aftermath of the Vietnam War is apparent too -- in the museums and monuments but also in the faces and stories of survivors and the overwhelmingly young population. Interwoven with our own history, Vietnam's past is not only fascinating, it's also important to learn about.
• 14 Bánh Xèo: Rice Pancakes
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  Bánh xèo are rice pancakes, and while they may sound ordinary, they are anything but. Grossly underrepresented outside of Vietnam, this practically perfect dish isn't well-known to many non-Vietnamese. Made simply with rice flour and water, the pancakes are very basic, but somehow also sublime. They owe their yellow color to turmeric, not eggs, and they'll typically have some small prawns cooked inside. The real fun comes when you add all the fresh herbs you want, and dip them into a sweet and sour sauce.
• 15 Sapa
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  Sapa, a hill station in the Northwest of Vietnam, is one of the country's most stunning areas. Its dramatic rice terraces and surrounding peaks make this mountainous area well worth the short trip from Hanoi. You can take an overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa, which makes it a popular destination on the tourist circuit.
• 16 City Parks
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  In the early morning hours and around dusk, you'll find groups of Vietnamese men and women doing every exercise under the sun. Large groups of people, young and old, gather around an instructor and follow aerobics routines with music blaring in the background. A few feet away, a group will be practicing ballroom dancing, flanked by some guys playing basketball. Meanwhile, walkers and runners will be circling the periphery of the park. It's a wonderful sight to behold and scene in which to partake if you're up for it.
• 17 Beaches
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  Vietnam's beaches may be one of the country's most unsung beauties. While travelers may think of Thailand and Cambodia as the countries to visit for white sand and clear water, Vietnam boasts beaches that rival these countries' beloved tourists spots. Sure, some beach towns in Vietnam, like Nha Trang and Mui Ne, get a lot of attention, but quieter, less-traveled beaches like Doc Let are the real treasures. Con Dao and Phu Quoc are some of the most gorgeous islands in South East Asia, and travelers would be wise to hurry there now, before these isolated, idyllic spots suffer the same fate as the over-traveled beaches in Thailand and Cambodia.
• 18 Fresh Herbs
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  In Vietnam, it's all about the herbs. Plates piled high with fresh herbs like Thai basil, coriander, mint, and dill, and greens like Morning Glory accompany everything from soups to spring rolls. The crisp, refreshing addition of these herbs and greens cuts salt and fat and brings levity to some of the heavier dishes. Used as garnishes or wraps, herbs also serve as great palate cleansers and most of all, they make food really fun to eat.
• 19 Hoi An
   
  A UNESCO World Heritage town, Hoi An is one of the most picturesque, lovely places to visit in all of Vietnam. Located in the center of the country, just outside of Danang, Hoi An used to be a flourishing port town from the 15th to the 19th centuries, before the Thu Bon river silted up and basically halted trade in the region. Fortunately in the 1990s, the town was declared a World Heritage site and tourism has since revived the so-called "Venice of Vietnam." Thanks to the international residents -- from the Chinese and Japanese to the French -- during the port years, Hoi An boasts a variety of local specialities that you can't find anywhere else in the country. Dishes like Cao Lau and White Rose Dumplings are reason enough to visit Hoi An, and when you factor in the gorgeous, canal-side setting and preserved colonial French architecture, it really does become a national treasure.
• 20 Noodle Soups
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  Pho (pronounced fuh, fyi), may be Vietnam's most iconic dish, but it's just the beginning of the country's amazing noodle soups. Noodle soups are typically eaten for breakfast, oftentimes at a street stall or in a market. They run the gamut and include Bun Bo Hue, a beef bone broth-based noodle soup for which people (including Anthony Bourdain) travel to its namesake town Hue. Bun Ca, a pork and fish-based soup with dill and tomatoes, is a noodle soup specialty to Hanoi. You could spend months in Vietnam without eating the same noodle soup twice -- although once you get hooked on one, you'll definitely return for seconds.
• 21 The People
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  Kind, thoughtful, industrious, optimistic, generous -- the people are the heart of country, and if you visit, you should take every opportunity to get to know them.

20 best beaches in Vietnam

With over 2000 miles of coastline, Vietnam has plenty of secluded coves with white sands and waters fit for snorkelling. For days spent sunbathing and evenings watching stunning sunsets, these are the best beaches in Vietnam:

Long Beach, Phu Quoc

Long Beach (Bai Trong), spanning the west coast of Phu Quoc Island, is a 20km stretch of largely deserted soft yellow sand and swaying coconut palms. Ideal for sunbathing, sunset watching and swimming, this beach is great for classic tropical beach views and is undoubtedly the best Phu Quoc has to offer.

Star Beach, Phu Quoc

The largely undeveloped east coast of Phu Quoc is less frequented than, but just as beautiful as, the more popular west. A strong contender for the most beautiful beach on the island, Star Beach (Bai Sao) has dazzling white sands and mesmerizing, often calm waters. A few beach restaurants line the pale blue waters, and in season there are kayaks for rent and half-day snorkelling trips by boat.

City Beach, Nha Trang

Nha Trang, a delightful south coast city, is generally recognised as Vietnam’s premier beach destination. Six kilometres of sand joins the sea to the city, with rolling waves on one side and fringed on the other by cafes, restaurants, and some unusual modern sculptures. Watersports, day trips by boat and of course fresh pineapple are all readily available, but bear in mind the more choppy waters of November and December mean the beach loses much of its appeal.

Hon Chong Beach, Nha Trang

Just north of Nha Trang lies the secluded Hon Chong Beach – less refined than its central counterpart but worth the trip for the night-time views across the bay to the city centre. Cheap seafood restaurants abound at its far end.

Ho Coc Beach, Ho Coc

A spellbinding, often deserted beach, Ho Coc offers a primitive but wonderful five kilometre stretch of golden sand. The beach has clear waters and is backed by fine dunes, and the Binh Chau Hot Springs are located conveniently nearby in case sunbathing gets too much.

Doc Let Beach, Hon Khoi peninsula

Doc Let beach, on the splendid Hon Khoi peninsula, is a pristine location for a day’s beach-bumming. White sands and casuarinas (evergreen trees) make for a delightful, uncrowded scene. Good accommodation options are available, and even more secluded beaches can be found nearby.

Dai Lanh, Hon Ghom peninsula

The Hon Ghom peninsula is coated in largely empty, endless beaches. Perhaps the best is next to Dai Lanh, a tiny fishing village at the northern end of a one kilometre-long beach, hemmed between clear, turquoise waters of the South China Sea and a mantle of green mountains.

My Khe, Quang Ngai

My Khe in Quang Ngai consists of seven kilometres of powder-soft sand, backed by casuarinas (evergreen trees), and is very good for swimming. Hamlets stand along the beach, while fishing boats are sometimes moored off it, and there’s a handful of restaurants that only get busy at the weekend.

Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An

It’s a popular bike (or motorbike taxi) ride from Hoi An to the clean, white sands of Cua Dai Beach. The best way to enjoy this stretch is to take an umbrella and deck chair at one of the many beachfront café-restaurants – you’ll be expected to at least buy a drink – to minimise hassle both from hawkers and other visitors. That way you can sip cocktails and watch spectacular sunsets over the Chám Islands just off the shore.

Cam An Beach, Hoi An

Cam An Beach, just north of its more popular counterpart, Cua Dai Beach, is a pleasantly scruffy alternative to the tourist focused Cua Dai. Ramshackle bars dot the far less visited beach, seen as the local expats’ beach of choice.

Con Son Island, Con Dao Archipelago

Con Son is ringed with pleasant beaches – Lo Voi and An Hai are nearest Con Son town, but Dam Trau to the north and Bat Dat Doc to the east are less frequented and just as nice.

Ca Na, southern coast

Numerous parked coracles (round boats) line the beach at Ca Na, with its invitingly clear water and healthy, but razor sharp, coral. It’s easily accessible and, if wanting a little more solitude, just 2km to the south lies another good stretch of sand.

Ninh Chu Beach, Ninh Chu

Five kilometres north of busy Phan Rang lies the pleasant, wide crescent of Ninh Chu Beach. Less popular with tourists than Mui Ne or Nha Trang, the beach still provides a quiet midweek stop, good for swimming, sunbathing and beach games in general.

My Khe, Da Nang

About three kilometres south of the city of Da Nang, My Khe is a long stretch of sand popular with seafood-craving locals, where US servicemen were once flown for R&R during the war.

Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province

Quy Nhon, a small seaport town, is bordered by a beach admittedly less picturesque than others along the coast, but, for this reason, almost free of foreigners. For more adventurous travellers, this is a good place to get away from tourists, something which only adds to the town’s intrigue.

Non Nuoc Beach, Da Nang

Non Nuoc is a dusty, unkempt village, inhabited since the fifteenth century by stone carvers. Follow the paved road east from the village and you reach Non Nuoc Beach, a pleasant and stretch of beach that competes for business with its northern neighbour, My Khe. A note of warning, however: there’s a powerful undertow off this coast, so riptides are particularly dangerous.

Cat Co 1, 2 & 3, Cat Ba

Three small, sandy beaches lie to the east of Cat Ba Town on the island of Cat Ba, just to the west of Ha Long Bay. Romantically named Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2 and Cat Co 3, One and Three are linked by a cliffside path that’s a joy to walk anytime, day or night, and Two is a quieter retreat.

Doi Duong, Phan Thiet

The unassuming capital of Binh Thuan Province, Phan Thiet is generally of less interest to foreigners than the sands of Mue Ne just along the coast. However the absence of tourists is, for some, a draw in itself. Doi Doung is the town’s own stretch of beach, and is very popular with the locals. To get to the best bit, head around 700m northeast from the main entrance point on Nguyen That Thanh.

Ha Long Bay

Whilst not technically a beach, kayaking across tranquil waters and swimming amidst twinkles of phosphorescent plankton are both possible in spectacular Ha Long Bay. From November to March there can be chilly days of drizzly weather when the splendour and romance of the bay are harder to appreciate, but the gorgeous caves and beautiful scenery make up for this in the summer months.

Quan Lan, Bai Tu Long

A long skinny island on the outer fringes of Ha Long Bay, Quan Lan’s main attractions are the empty, sandy, and relatively clean beaches lining its east coast. Few specific sights in this area mean the beaches are relatively deserted – prepare to find yourself engaging even more closely with locals than you’re used to.

Read more: http://viptourasia.com/895/tour/Vietnam.htm

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