7 Best Sights in Vietnam

Often included in countryside motorbike tours, Ba Ho Waterfalls are a refreshing stop for a hike and a swim. It's a 20-minute walk on a paved trail past the picnic tables, restaurant, and other tourist accoutrements before the real hike begins, which requires walking up and across boulders to reach a series of three pools. The second is busiest as this is where you can cliff jump, and you'll no doubt encounter tour groups leaping from rock ledges into the water---do consider the risks before joining in. If you're looking for a quieter place to hang out, few venture to the third pool. Note that arriving when it first opens usually buys an hour of peace. Water levels are low in the dry season, but there is always enough for swimming.

The biggest waterfall in Lam Dong Province, the thundering Dambri Falls are 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Dalat and 19 km (12 miles) from the village of Bao Loc, near Cat Tien National Park. If traveling by motorbike or car, it can be a detour en route between Dalat and Cat Tien. Like many of the falls in the region, tasteless touristy trinket shops and a mini alpine coaster have been added. The 70-meter-high falls can be viewed from paths in front, or from behind. According to local legend, the waterfalls are the tears of a girl called Bri who cried as she waited for her love to return from the forest. The boy, Kdam, never did, and when Bri died, her body turned to stone but her tears kept flowing.

Avoid Dambri Falls on weekends and public holidays when it's very crowded.

Just 5 km (3 miles) south of the city, Datanla Falls has touristy attractions such as ziplining, a high rope adventure course, and an alpine coaster to the falls (plus a giant gorilla statue), saving you from the 15-minute walk down and the climb back out. What tourists see here is just a small portion of the falls. A canyoning adventure at Datanla has you navigating a long series of cascades and pools. For canyoning and any adventure activity in Dalat, only use authorized, reputable companies: In 2016, three British tourists died at Datanla while climbing the falls with an unauthorized guide. There have been other accidents since on other adventure tours.

About 25 km (15½ miles) southwest of Buon Ma Thuot are three pretty waterfalls that are a good place to break up the journey between Lak Lake/Dalat and Buon Ma Thuot. To no surprise, they are owned by coffee company Trung Nguyen, which has developed it for tourism with cafes, restaurant, and a picnic area. Pay the admission at Dray Nur and walk down to see it; from there, cross the bridge and it's a short hike to Dray Sap. Swimming is not permitted at the falls. A short drive away is Gia Long, where the company offers camping and rafting tours mainly geared toward Vietnamese tourists.

Cascading over a series of wide rock ledges and cliffs, Pongour Waterfall is impressive because of how close you can get to it. However, signs indicate that no swimming is allowed, and it is a popular picnic area resulting in litter. There's a shuttle service available between the parking lot and falls, which is 47 km (29 miles) southwest of Dalat, about 30 minutes past the airport.

It is a 20-minute walk through rainforest to reach this small but picturesque waterfall, which is far more spectacular in the rainy season; water levels are very low at the end of dry season, around March to May, and it may not be worth visiting. Like so many nature tourist sights in Vietnam, the park has been built up with kitschy animal statues, an artificial pond, flowers, and food/drink vendors.

If you are staying in Bac Ha during the summer months, this attractive waterfall is an inviting place to cool off. Around 12 km (7 miles) east of Bac Ha, it has a large pool that is deep enough for swimming.