Regions & Provinces
North, Central, South — plus the 63 administrative provinces.
Central Vietnam: Huế, Đà Nẵng, Hội An, and the Long Coast
The narrow waist of the country, with the most beautiful coastline, the former imperial capital, and the UNESCO old town of Hội An.
Đà Lạt: The Cool-Climate Hill Town
A French colonial hill station at 1,500 m — perpetually mild weather, pine forests, coffee plantations, and the country's flower- and wine-growing centre.
Đà Nẵng: Beach City of the Central Coast
Vietnam's third-largest city — beaches, the Marble Mountains, the Hải Vân pass, the Golden Bridge, and a clean modern feel.
Hạ Long Bay
1,600 limestone karst islands rising from the Gulf of Tonkin — the UNESCO-listed seascape that defines northern Vietnam in travel posters.
Hanoi: The 1,000-Year-Old Capital
Vietnam's capital — old quarter, lakes, French boulevards, and the cultural and political heart of the country.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Vietnam's largest city — commercial, cosmopolitan, hot year-round, and full of motorbikes. Still widely called Saigon by locals.
Hội An: The UNESCO Old Town and the Tailoring Capital
A 15th-century trading port preserved almost intact, famous lantern-lit nights, tailor shops on every corner, and a long quiet beach.
Huế: The Imperial Capital
The Nguyễn-dynasty capital from 1802 to 1945 — Citadel, royal tombs, court cuisine, and a quiet city on the Perfume River.
Nha Trang: Beach Resort City
Vietnam's biggest beach-resort city — long sandy bay, diving, large Russian and Chinese tourist scene, and Cham towers at Po Nagar.
Northern Vietnam: Red River Delta and the Highlands
Hanoi, Hạ Long Bay, the rice terraces of Sapa and Hà Giang, the limestone karsts of Ninh Bình. The historical and political heart of the country.
Phú Quốc: Vietnam's Largest Island
A large tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand — palm-fringed beaches, resort development, fish sauce, and 30-day visa-free entry for everyone.
Sapa: Rice Terraces and Hill-Tribe Trekking
The famous hill town in the northern mountains — terraced rice paddies, H'mông and Dao villages, and Fansipan, Vietnam's highest peak.
Southern Vietnam: HCMC, the Mekong Delta, and the Islands
Ho Chi Minh City, the rice-rich Mekong delta, Phú Quốc and Côn Đảo islands, and the hot, flat, year-round-warm south.