365 Best Sights in Vietnam

This temple is more than just a religious site. Nghe Temple is dedicated to Le Chan, the founder of Haiphong City, a heroic peasant woman who helped organize the popular revolt against the Chinese that was led by the two Trung sisters in AD 40. Ceramic reliefs at the top of the front wall depict the Trung sisters in royal carriages. Ancestral altars and chapels are to the right, through the courtyard.

This pagoda, built by the Chaozhou Chinese congregation in 1872, is worth seeing for its elaborate woodwork. There are intricately carved wooden boats and a large figure of the deified Chinese general Quan Cong's sacred red horse, as well as representations of Quan Cong himself with two guardians. A festival dedicated to Quan Cong takes place here every year on the 13th day of the first lunar month.

Skirting the boundary of Halong and Bai Tu Long bays, Ngoc Vung boasts dramatic limestone cliffs. There's also a very attractive sandy beach with some basic accommodations on its southern shore.

During the daytime Nguyen Hue Walking Street, with its dearth of shade trees, is not very impressive, especially when it's not hosting an exhibition or event. But come evening, it's a charming microcosm of modern Saigon: wandering vendors, canoodling couples, and selfies galore. Ho Chi Minh City's first pedestrian street, which stretches from the People’s Committee Building to Bach Dang Wharf, was a canal in colonial times, and the streets to either side were called Rue Rigault de Genouilly and Rue Charner. Tip: look for the photogenic 1960s apartment building at 42 Nguyen Hue, colloquially known as the "Cafe Apartment" and grab a balcony seat at one of the trendy cafés inside for an excellent vantage point.

Nha Trang's star attraction, this 5-km (3-mile) long city beach is completely free and for public use; there is not a single resort built directly on it. The atmosphere is lovely before sunrise and before sunset, when locals and tourists swim or walk along the clean tree-lined parks and promenade, avoiding the broiling sun. Upscale hotels have a section set up with umbrellas and loungers for their guests. For everyone else, you can rent loungers from vendors for up to 100,000d (be sure to confirm the price first). Beach clubs and restaurants also have amenities for guest use and throw on events with live music and DJs. The beach is not patrolled, so do be sensible as the water can be rough at certain times a year and, unfortunately, tourist drownings occur. Like all public beaches in Vietnam, trash is an issue. The beach is cleaned regularly, but what you experience just depends on the volume of people and what the currents bring in. Amenities: food and drink; showers; toilets Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

Half the allure of Nhat Beach is simply being able to find it. It's a sliver of white sand and pretty boulders along clear, blue-green water found down a short path just off the main road. Check the tide times before heading there as Nhat Beach only reveals itself at low tide. At high tide, the pebbles and rocks at the top of the beach rule out walking and swimming. There's no shade here, so be sure to cover up if low tide is in the middle of the day. Amenities: none. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming; walking.

Completed in 1974, this pagoda at the base of Nho Mountain is considered one of Vung Tau's most beautiful. The serene garden in front of the pagoda represents Buddha achieving the state of Nirvana. The most famous part of the complex, however, is the 39-foot-long Reclining Buddha statue.

Each of these urns within the Imperial Enclosure, weighing approximately 5,000 pounds and cast in 1835--1937, is dedicated to a ruler of the Nguyen dynasty. The central urn, the most elaborately decorated of the nine, features Emperor Gia Long, the founder of this dynasty. Nature motifs cover the urns, including the sun and moon, rivers and mountains, and one or two bullet pocks. Every urn has a name transcribed in traditional Chinese characters.

Just 14 km (9 miles) from either Danang or Hoi An lies Non Nuoc beach, a stunning stretch of white sandy beach overlooking the Son Tra Peninsula to the north and the stately Marble Mountains to the west. Once a popular fishing beach, the area has now become the private playground of some of the finest beach resorts in the area, leaving the surrounding pockets of beach land fenced off for future development. The stretch is home to international standard golf clubs and luxury villas and you can see why it's such a sought-after area—the deserted white sand beaches seem to go on forever and the sea is clean and perfect for swimming during the long dry season that runs from April to September. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: solitude; sunrise; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

Starting at Hon Chong Beach just north of Tran Phu Bridge and running 30 km (18 miles) north beyond Nha Trang city are several beautiful beaches that together are commonly referred to as "North Beach." This area draws college students who attend one of the five nearby universities. It definitely has a more local feel, and like Nha Trang beach, is lively at sunset. A handful of surfers paddle to the point break that whips up decent waves between October and April. Amenities: food and drink; toilets Best for: surfing; swimming

Officially known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, this neo-Romanesque cathedral, built by the French in 1880, was once a prominent presence on the city skyline. Spanish, Portuguese, and French missionaries introduced Catholicism to Vietnam as early as the 16th century and today there are approximately 8 million Catholics in Vietnam, the seventh-largest Christian population in Asia. Sunday mass can be quite a sight, as hundreds of faithful converge on the church and stand in the surrounding square. Some services include short sections in English and French. However, extensive renovations started on the cathedral in 2017, closing it off to tourists until at least 2027.

The former home of the Con Dao Museum, this house now contains somewhat confusing exhibits (signage in Vietnamese and French) outlining the history of Con Son's prisons. Admission is free and the entryway is presided over by a giant bust of Ho Chi Minh. Take time to stroll around the grounds, which have some exotic animals in pens at the rear. Tours can be arranged by the Con Dao Museum.

Destroyed by American bombers (but partially rebuilt), this former French penal colony, with its tiny underground cells and dank corridors, leaves a strong impression of life in captivity. The ticket includes entry to the Son La Museum, housed in a moldy colonial mansion overlooking the prison. Downstairs, the museum displays pictures of life in Son La, past and present, and upstairs is a model of a Thai village and an exhibition of ethnic minority clothing. The prison and museum are on the hill in the center of town, next to the People's Committee building. You can purchase an information booklet about the prison in the gift shop for 25,000d.

The French destroyed this pagoda on their way out in 1954. It was reconstructed by the incoming government and still commemorates the legend of Emperor Ly Thai Tong. It is said that the childless emperor dreamed that Quan Am, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and compassion, seated on a lotus flower, handed him a baby boy. Sure enough, he soon met and married a peasant woman who bore him a male heir, and in 1049 he constructed this monument in appreciation. The distinctive single pillar is meant to represent the stalk of the lotus flower, a sacred Vietnamese symbol of purity. The pillar was originally a single large tree trunk; today it's made of more durable cement. An ornate curved roof covers the tiny 10-square-foot pagoda, which rises out of a square pond. Steps leading to the pagoda from the south side of the pond are usually blocked off.

Just a few yards from the One-Pillar Pagoda is Dien Huu Pagoda, a delightful but often-overlooked temple enclosing a bonsai-filled courtyard. A tall and colorful gate opens out onto the path leading to the Ho Chi Minh Museum, but the entrance is opposite the steps to the One-Pillar Pagoda.

Many deities are represented at this pagoda, but the main attraction is Ong Bon himself, the guardian of happiness and virtue. Ong Bong is also responsible for wealth, so people bring fake paper money to burn in the pagoda's furnace in his honor, hoping the year ahead will bring financial rewards to their families. The centerpiece of the pagoda is an elaborately carved wood-and-gold altar and a finely crafted statue of Ong Bon. Look for the intricately painted murals of lions, tigers, and dragons.

More of a series of coves than one long beach, Ong Lang can be pretty with its rocky outcrops and narrow strips of white sand. Hotels such as Mango Bay Resort and Phu Quoc Eco Beach Resort front the beach, so wonderful views can be enjoyed from their in-house restaurants or by purchasing a day pass. For public access, follow signs to Mango Bay and look for the "public beach" sign just south of the resort. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; sunsets; swimming.

A Khmer temple has stood in this spot since 711 and the beautiful complex, also known as Bodhisalaraja, is now the center of Khmer spiritual life in Tra Vinh. A library with unique wooden features was added in 1916. The monks here are quite friendly and sometimes like to practice speaking English with male tourists.

Smokey incense coils hang from the rafters of this atmospheric temple inside the Guangzhou Assembly Hall, which was built by the Chinese at the end of the 19th century. Assembly halls were important centers of worship, community, and governance. Ong Temple is primarily dedicated to Chinese military leader and diety Kuang Kung (known as Quan Cong in Vietnam), who symbolizing justice, loyalty, and honor. Many of the temple's decorative features were imported from China in 1896.

A centuries-old Chinese pagoda that underwent renovations over the centuries, this active temple is an important cultural and spiritual meeting place for Tra Vinh's Chinese community. The main god of worship is Quan Cong (Guan Yu), a Chinese military general, a model of loyalty and justice. Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, this colorful pagoda hosts Tet Nguyen Tieu, the lantern festival, which marks the first full moon of the lunar new year.

On the west side of Lon Mountain is a 25-meter (82-feet) high statue of the Virgin Mary holding aloft a baby Jesus. The statue is part of the Our Lady of Bai Dau (Mulberry Beach) church complex. There's a path that leads from near the statue to the peak of Lon Mountain. At the end of the path are the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Considered one of Vietnam's most important Buddhist sites, the Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong) is the largest of a cluster of shrines carved into the limestone of the Huong Tich Mountains. In late spring the trails leading up to the shrines are clogged with thousands making their pilgrimage to pray to Quan Am, the goddess of mercy and compassion.

According to a Vietnamese version of the Chinese legend, Quan Am was a young wife falsely accused of trying to kill her newlywed husband. Thrown out of her mother-in-law's house, she took refuge in a monastery, posing as a monk. A reckless girl one day blamed her pregnancy on the monk, not knowing he was a she. Without a word of self-defense, the vilified monk took the child in and raised him. Only after Quan Am died did villagers discover her silent sacrifice. In the past, pilgrims came to the grottoes to pray for Quan Am's help in bearing sons and in fighting unjust accusations.

From the shores of the Yen River, you are ferried to the site, 4 km (2½ miles) away, on sampans that seem to be made of flimsy aluminum. It's a spectacular 45-minute ride through the flooded valley. You'll be let off at Chua Tien Chu. From there, follow a stone path uphill to the various pagodas and shrines. After an hour or so  you'll reach the Perfume Pagoda, or take the 10-minute cable-car (220,000d return ticket) A steep set of stairs takes you inside the impressive cavern, where gilded Buddhas and bodhisattvas sit nestled in rocky recesses. The air is misty from incense and the cooking fires of the Buddhist monks who tend the shrines.

In early spring, from just after Tet to the middle of the second lunar month, thousands of Buddhists make their pilgrimage to the Perfume Pagoda. This is an intense—and sometimes stressful—time to visit as the crowds of Vietnamese faithful clog the Yen River with extra boats and make navigating the slippery stairs more of an exercise in caution than a journey of discovery. The atmosphere at this time of year is positively electric with thousands of Buddhists crowding into the cavern to leave offerings, catch a droplet of water from a holy stalactite, or buy Buddhist trinkets and mementos from the dozens of stall owners. Note that the climb up to the pagoda can be rough going, especially when it's muddy, and that local operators sometimes lead the climb at a very fast pace. Be careful of independent tourist agents—some have been known to take unsuspecting travelers to a smaller pagoda closer to Hanoi and tell them it's the Perfume Pagoda.

The original temple was built in 1785 to honor Phi Yen, one of the 21 wives of Nguyen emperor Gia Long. After the Tay Son rebellion, Gia Long fled to Con Son Island with his family and retainers. From there, he sent emissaries to France to ask for assistance in repressing the uprising. Phi Yen urged him not to deal with the French and was imprisoned for her efforts, suspected of sympathizing with the rebels. As the emperor sailed away from the island, her four-year-old son cried for her, angering his father, who threw him overboard (or so the story goes). A tiger and an ape freed Phi Yen from her prison and she stayed on the island, tending her son's grave, until taking her own life "after an unfortunate encounter with a man." The existing Phi Yen Temple was rebuilt in 1958 so pilgrims could pay tribute to the former queen, revered for her loyalty and honor.

Up until the discovery of Son Doong, the beautiful Phong Nha Cave was the national park's most famous treasure. It’s the park's easiest cave to navigate and there really is no need to visit it with a guide. Buy tickets from the tourism center in the village and hop on a boat from the small pier nearby. The boat takes you on a picturesque journey along the Son River right into the giant river cave where you disembark to explore 1,500 meters inside. Here you'll view the most splendid formations, stalagmites, and stalactites, enchantingly lit in a rainbow of colors. The boat to the cave costs about 360,000d, but this can be split among passengers (maximum of 10 passengers). Don't forget to tip your rower.

Con Dao's oldest prison, Phu Hai was built by the French in 1862. It is now a grisly monument to the appalling conditions in the prisons, with mannequins in some of the chambers providing a potent visual representation of the lives of the prisoners. The church inside the prison complex was never used. Guided tours of this and the other prisons on Con Dao can be arranged at the Con Dao Museum next door with one day's notice.

This family-run organic bee farm west of the national park has staff as sweet as their harvest. Guided 30-minute tours of the peaceful garden and orchards are free (advanced booking recommended), while souvenirs, honey products, and a menu using farm-fresh ingredients are available at the little open-air café.

Phu Quoc is renowned for its pepper, and a guided tour of this family pepper farm, operating since 1998, includes samples of its tasty products, such as chili salt and pepper tea, made with red peppercorn, cinnamon, and honey. Morning and afternoon cooking classes can also be booked, where you learn to prepare and eat four different dishes. Their café has a short menu of simple Vietnamese dishes and island specialty ruou sim (rose myrtle wine).

Covering the northeastern area of the island, Phu Quoc National Park comprises of dense forest, mangroves, and wetlands that supports many flora and fauna. At the time of writing, the interior is not accessible and any explorations, either independent or guided, are limited to the periphery in designated areas. With the island rapidly developing, trails and access can change from one day to the next, so check the latest before setting out. Rough roads spidering through the forest in Ganh Dau, northwest of the park border, give a taste of the park's wilderness.

Built by the French to detain dissidents and later used by the American-backed South Vietnamese government, the prison, also known as Coconut Tree Prison, is a chilling record of the island's dark history. Like the other famous prison-turned-museum in Con Dao, life-size mannequins and archive photos bring to life the horrific caging, torture, and execution methods inflicted on thousands of men, women, and children. The prison is at the southern end of Phu Quoc.

Across Thi Nai bridge (the second-longest sea bridge in Vietnam) is a peninsula that is being developed as an economic zone that includes an industrial park, oil refinery, port, and an over-the-top megaresort. After crossing the bridge, it seems like nothing more than a vast, dusty industrial landscape, but take the road north and be rewarded by delightful, traditional fishing villages and some beaches, including maze-like Eo Gio and Ky Co Beach. This peninsula isn't the easiest to find your way around, so get tips from the hotel first and check Google Maps.

February and March are the months to join the mass Buddhist pilgrimage to the Perfume Pagoda, but be prepared to deal with serious crowds—many thousands each day—if you make the trip during this peak season. Smaller religious festivals take place at Hanoi's temples and outlying villages in March and April. Because all Vietnamese festivals follow the lunar calendar, check online or with your tour operator for exact dates.