360 Best Sights in Vietnam

Like many other pagodas built by Fujian congregations, this one is dedicated to Thien Hau, goddess of the sea and protector of fisherfolk and sailors. It has four stone pillars encircled by painted dragons, brought from China when the pagoda was constructed in the 19th century. Also note the scenes in ceramic relief on the roof and the murals next to the main altar.

A little way outside of Hoi An, this peaceful beach, located midway between the award-winning Nam Hai and Le Belhamy resorts, is the best place to head to escape the hawkers and crowds that frequent the more famous Cua Dai Beach. With just a few incredibly good seafood restaurants and a couple of loungers and umbrellas, this regularly cleaned, gently shelving beach offers great swimming conditions, a chilled-out atmosphere, and plenty of space for children to run around safely. Amenities: showers; toilets; food and drink; parking (free). Best for: swimming; walking; solitude; sunset.

For adrenaline-filled road adventures, jungle-clad mountains, hairpin bends, and incredible views, you can't top the 21-km (13-mile) long, ex-military feeder road known as the Hai Van Pass. Although cyclists have tried it, it's advisable to take a motorbike (experienced riders only) or driver to take on the winding incline to the pillboxes at the pass's peak, where you can stop for photos. After, you can descend towards the lagoon on the Lang Co side where you can pull up a plastic chair for delicious seafood at one of the stilt restaurants, before returning via the Hai Van Tunnel.

In the heart of the city, a huge shuttered French villa with creaky wooden staircases, musty corners, and occasionally rotating ceiling fans houses this museum—an underrated gem of a building that rivals the Opera House in classic design. Although it attempts to cover all of the history, geography, archaeology, agriculture, and wildlife of the region (the stuffed owl with a rodent in its claws is rather macabre), the museum's main focus is on Vietnam's struggle for independence from various forces. In recent years, the museum has closed its doors to visitors except for prearranged tours. 

One of the most beautiful buildings in Haiphong, the Opera House, built by the French in 1907, has all the exterior designs of a classic, except for its coat of splendidly yellow paint. Once the site of lavish French and Vietnamese productions, the 400-seat theater was taken over by the Vietminh following World War II. President Ho Chi Minh addressed the world's youth from the steps in June 1946, and a huge portrait of him, visible from hundreds of yards away, hangs above the wooden front doors, making this feel eerily like the focal point of the city. In a way it is; the Haiphong People's Committee now holds its major meetings and assemblies here. Stage productions and concerts do take place, but they're rare. If you're not attending a show, you need written permission from the authorities to step inside, although tourists have been known to be waved in on occasion. The stone courtyard in front of the opera house is a popular place for families on weekends and couples after sunset.

The battle of Hill 937 (Hamburger Hill) raged between the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and the North Vietnamese for 10 long days in May 1969 and marked the beginning of the end for the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The senseless battle claimed many lives, both Vietnamese and American, and despite the battle being called a victory for the U.S., 16 days later troops were pulled off the hill. Like many of the old U.S. bases along the DMZ, there's little to mark the atrocities that took place here and you need a permit to enter the area. But with a specialist, military guide (for translation and to keep you on the right path) and equally good level of fitness, the 7-km (4-mile) uphill hike through beautiful Ca Tu hill-tribe villages and jungle paths to the base and the steep 900-meter (3,000-foot) climb to the top are rewarded by views stretching over the Laos border to the west and Quang Tri to the east. The drive from Hue takes two hours; on a DMZ tour Aluoi would normally be one of the last photo stops. If you plan on doing the guided trek, leave early and keep further sightseeing plans for other bases in the vicinity—Cunningham, Ershine, and Razor, as well as Hill 1175. Due to the small risk of unexploded ordinance in the area, a guide is recommended. If going it alone, take enough water and keep to the paths.

The military specialist, Mr. Vu at Annam Tours, provides excellent day trips from Hue to Hamburger Hill and can arrange your permit in advance. Apply three days in advance.

Hang Bac means "Street of Silver," which explains why silversmiths, jewelry shops, and money changers have dominated this strip for centuries. The Dong Cac jewelers' guild was established here in 1428, and it later erected a temple (now gone) in tribute to three 6th-century brothers whose skills, learned from the Chinese, made them the patron saints of Vietnamese jewelry.

The Street of Hemp now sells a variety of goods, including ready-made silk, lovely embroidery, and silver products. With plenty of art galleries, crafts stores, and souvenirs, this is a popular spot for tourists. Many trendy boutiques also line Hang Trong, which runs perpendicular to Hang Gai.

While the cave itself is not that impressive, the views from the top of the mountain are breathtaking, featuring Tam Coc River on one side and rice paddies on the other. The climb and its 486 steps are steep but worth it. There are several parking lots outside the entrance where you will be charged 10,000d for a bicycle and 20,000d for a motorbike. The views are the best on a clear day and comfortable footwear is suggested. If you are visiting for only a short time, skipping the cave is advised. 

This Khmer temple was built in 1637, and the tall trees on its 5-acre grounds are home to a small school and hundreds of storks, explaining one of its nicknames—Stork Pagoda. The pagoda, about 5 km (3 miles) from Tra Vinh, is also known as Cave Pagoda because of its cave-like entrance, as well as by its Khmer name of Kompom Chray (banyan tree wharf). It was once also called Bat Pagoda but bombing in 1968 scared the bats away and they've never returned. The monks here are famous for their woodworking skills and the intricate bonsai garden they tend while not studying, praying, and chanting.

Hang Pagoda is a best visited in the late afternoon when the birds come home to roost, but try not to stand under a tree because the bird droppings come down like rain.

Shops along the Street of Fans sell a stunning selection of religious paraphernalia, including beautiful funeral and festival flags, porcelain Buddhas, and lacquered Chinese poem boards. Giant plane trees shade the street, which is bookended by Berry Temple (Den Dau) and a traditional wooden house honoring Vietnamese soldiers (Nha Tuong Niem Liet Si). Shooting off the street is To Tich, an alley bursting with bright, lacquered water puppets, rattan and bamboo baskets, porcelain and ceramics. If you can pull your attention away from all the eye-grabbing street-level sights, above you'll discover the timeworn facades of several French colonial teahouses.

On the southern edge of the Old Quarter's Street of Rattan stands a Chinese-style house built at the end of the 19th century. A rich dark-wood facade fronts a sparsely decorated interior. Exquisitely carved chairs, bureaus, and tea tables decorate the second floor, where a balcony overlooks a courtyard festooned with Chinese lanterns. A Chinese family that sold traditional medicines on the ground floor originally occupied this house until they resettled in 1954 in southern Vietnam, along with many other Chinese living in the Old Quarter. It's hard to imagine that from 1954 until 1999, when a cooperative venture between the local government and a group of architects from Toulouse, France, turned the house into a museum, five families shared this small space.

Some of the battle's most intense combat took place at Hill A1, a position labeled Eliane by the French. Once considered impregnable by the French, it was the last key position to fall to the Viet Minh. A decrepit French tank and a monument to Viet Minh troops now stand here.

These two museums are located in the same complex, a few kilometers outside of the city. Although neither compare with their larger contemporaries, the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi or the War Remnants Museum in HCMC, a visit here is a great way to learn about the anti-French and anti-American wars and the weaponry utilized, from a purely Vietnamese mindset. The smaller of the two, the Ho Chi Minh Museum has a small replica of Ho Chi Minh's home in Hanoi and three display rooms documenting the life and career of the nation's hero. Information is sparse, but the photo display is worth a look, even if it's just to get a glimpse of a pre-war Vietnam. Adjacent is the military museum courtyard where you can amble around a huge collection of aircraft, tanks, cannons, and armored vehicles confiscated from the enemy by the Vietnamese Fifth Division. Inside, twelve showrooms house a collection of photos, weapons, and artifacts representing the struggle and victory of the Vietnamese, including the very slippers Special Task Force member Phan Thi Mua used to smuggle enough dynamite powder to blow up the U.S. Fuel Depot in Danang in 1972.

Spread over three floors in a reportedly haunted French-colonial villa known as Chu Hoa's mansion, the city's Fine Arts Museum offers a comprehensive run through the main stages of Vietnamese art. Strolling around is a pleasant experience as the building itself is architecturally beautiful. While there could be more information to enlighten visitors, the examples of wartime propaganda art and lacquer art are superb.

Completed in 1890, the building has been the residence for the French governor of Cochin China, the Japanese governor during Vietnam's brief Japanese occupation, and the envoy of Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, and also served as the Supreme Court. Since 1975, it's been a museum (formerly known as the Museum of the Revolution) with a strong focus on the Vietnamese struggle against the French and Americans. Displays focus on famous marches, military battles, and anti-French and anti-American activists. Exhibits include photos of historical events, uprisings, student demonstrations, and the self-immolation of the monk Thich Quang Duc as a protest against the war. The building itself is as interesting as many of the exhibits inside: a neoclassic design, it has huge columns outside and 19th-century ballrooms with lofty ceilings inside. Beneath the building are concrete bunkers and tunnels connecting to the Reunification Palace. It was here that President Ngo Dinh Diem (1901–63) and his notorious brother Ngo Dinh Nhu hid before being caught and eventually executed in 1963. Outside on the grounds are Soviet tanks, an American helicopter, and antiaircraft guns.

Built by the French between 1901 and 1908 to be Saigon's Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), this elaborate yellow-and-white colonial building now houses the city's main governing body. The building is not open to the public, so you can't get a peek at its ornate interior, but it remains one of the most photogenic buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, especially at night when it's floodlit.

This riverfront museum traces the life of Ho Chi Minh from his humble beginnings to his death in 1969, with displays of objects from his life. Some exhibits relate to the history of Phan Thiet and there are also some preserved specimens of local wildlife and large squid. The museum was built in 1986 on the site of Ho Chi Minh's former home, when he was a teacher at the Duc Thang School across the road.

This example of early French-colonial architecture in Vietnam, nicknamed the Dragon House (Nha Rong), could be considered more interesting than most of the displays within. Sitting quayside on Ben Nghe Channel, at far end of Ham Nghi, it was constructed in 1863 as the original French customshouse; any individuals coming to colonial Saigon would have had to pass through the building once they docked at the port. Ho Chi Minh (1890–1969), who was known as Nguyen Sinh Cung as a child, Nguyen Tat Thanh as a schoolboy, and later Nguyen Ai Quoc as well as other aliases, passed through here in 1911 on the way to his 30-year sojourn around Europe and America. Inside are some of his personal belongings, including his journals, fragments of his clothing, and his rubber sandals. Uncle Ho, as he's now affectionately known, was an ascetic type of guy, known for wearing sandals made only from tires; these are now scattered in museums around the country.

With English commentary on the propagandistic and occasionally bizarre exhibits, this museum is a must-see on the Uncle Ho circuit. A collection of manifestos, military orders, correspondence, and photographs from the Communist Party's early days to the present are mixed with historical exhibits covering Vietnam's revolutionary history, the fight against fascism, Ho's revolutionary world movement, and Vietnam's struggle against imperialism.

The elaborate network of paths of the Ho Chi Minh Trail was used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to Vietcong strongholds in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum (Bao Tang Duong Mon Ho Chi Minh) provides color on the trail, one of the war's most riveting symbols of dedication and perseverance. Renovated in 2017, the museum is decidedly more modern. Displays are heavy on photojournalism from the period. There's also an extensive collection of captured American ordnance and military equipment as well as personal artifacts such as helmets, IDs, and uniforms. This museum lies some distance outside of Hanoi's Old Quarter and can be hard to find, so it's best if you hire a taxi or car and driver.

This one of the most beautiful beaches in the area, and although two state-run resorts own part of the casuarina-lined golden sands, the remainder is available for strolling and swimming. There's a small collection of thatched huts containing deck chairs, which can be rented, as well as a few vendors selling drinks and snacks. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming; walking.

The centerpiece of the cultural center of Ho Nuoc Ngot (Freshwater Lake) is an artificial lake with swan-shape paddleboats. The lake complex also includes garden cafés, a swimming pool, a movie theater, a children's funfair, and a playground. Ho Nuoc Ngot usually hosts the opening ceremony for the Khmer community's annual Ngo boat races on the lake on the 13th, 14th, and 15th days of the 10th lunar month.

The Hoa Binh Dam on the Black River is the largest hydroelectric dam in Southeast Asia. Experts say it produces about 27% of Vietnam's electricity. The reservoir is an epic place to go boating, kayaking, or swimming during the summer in Mai Chau. On a darker note, the dam's construction forcibly moved more than 89,000 residents, and dam displacement can be a controversial topic in Vietnam.

This ancient town is an interesting excursion on a number of different levels. Significantly, it was the first capital of independent Vietnam, and equally arresting is its stirring location amid the karst scenery that distinguishes Ninh Binh Province. Both the stunning natural surroundings of limestone outcrops and meandering streams and Hoa Lu's status as a former seat of power make for a worthy addition to any travel itinerary. Consider hiring a guide to enhance your experience.

The Dinh Tien Hoang Temple at Hoa Lu honors the emperor who established the capital here. The musty, dimly lit back chamber here houses statues of the king and his three sons. The main hall has been heavily restored, and much of the wood construction visible today is from renovations done in the 17th century. In the temple, courtyard stands a 3-foot-high sculpture made of stone. The dragon lying atop it is meant to symbolize the king sleeping, while unicorns stand guard on each side to protect him. To the left of the temple is a small structure containing three stone stelae inscribed with the king's blessings and details about various restorations. In 1696, the entire temple compound was shifted from its original northward orientation, the direction of evil according to Taoist belief, to face the more auspicious east. In 1898, Emperor Nguyen Thanh Thai had the temple raised 2 feet as a gesture of respect to Dinh Tien Hoang. The entire walled-in compound was designed in the shape of the Chinese character meaning "country."

The Le Dai Hanh Temple is named after the general who became the first emperor of the dynasty in 980. The back chamber here houses ornate wooden statues of Le Dai Hanh, his son Tri Trung, and one of his five wives, Duong Van Nga, arguably the most interesting of the three figures. Upon the emperor's death, Duong Van Nga beseeched the head military mandarin of the time to prevent Chinese invaders from entering the country. She promised that she'd take away the rule of her six-year-old son and put it in the mandarin's hands, marrying him if he succeeded. When the mandarin repelled the Chinese, she made good on both promises. Her lifetime saw her become the wife of two kings, as well as the mother of two kings—the only woman with such a distinction in Vietnamese history. Depending on the angle from which you view her statue, her face will appear to reflect one of three feelings: seriousness over her daily affairs, sadness for the death of her husbands, and a half-smile of satisfaction after the military mandarin defeated the invading Chinese forces and reinstalled her as queen.

A grand palace in humble Bac Ha, this unexpected and somewhat outlandish structure was built by the French between 1914 and 1921 to keep the fractious Flower H'mong chief, the so-called Cat King, Hoang A Tuong, happy. The result is one of the more striking architectural sights in this part of Vietnam, resembling a fusion of a French château and a church.

Sapa is part of this mountainous 7,400-acre landscape covered by temperate and subtemperate forests. The reserve provides a habitat for 66 species of mammals—tigers, leopards, monkeys, and bears among them—16 of which, including the Asiatic black bear, are considered endangered. An impressive 347 species of birds, including the red-vented barbet and the collared finchbill, can be found only in these mountains. Among the area's geological resources are minerals from sediments deposited in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic periods. From the Muong Hoa River to the peak of Mt. Fansipan, the eastern boundary of the reserve is formed by a ridge of marble and calcium carbonate. Also found in this region is kaolinite, or China clay, used in the making of porcelain.

Guided walking tours of the nature reserve are recommended and are easily arranged through hotels, guesthouses, and tour agencies in town. Motorbike drivers will be happy to take you down the road from Sapa for a full day of hiking, swimming in waterfall pools, and visiting H'mong and Thai villages. Hoteliers and tour companies can also make arrangements for you.

One of the local attractions offered through the Heritage Pass, this 200-year-old house has 30-minute musical performances daily. In the workshop, children and adults can make Hoi An's traditional silk lanterns or paint masks at additional costs. Tickets are available on the corner of Bach Dang and Chau Thuong Van beside the Japanese Covered Bridge.

The hour-long craft workshops run daily (bookable on-site), and are great for kids.

Every month on the 14th day of the lunar calendar, Hoi An closes Old Town to traffic, switches off its lights, and hosts the magical Lantern Festival. Domestic travelers flock to the streets, and temples and pagodas open their doors for ancestor worship. Most people choose to watch the festivities from a restaurant balcony, but to really get the best experience you need to tackle the crowds head on and mingle with the locals at street level. Festivities start at sunset and this is the best time to visit the candlelit pagodas (which are free to enter on full moon) and take in the street entertainment, pop-up poetry reading groups, and live music. As darkness falls, approach the small river boats that line Bach Dang and arrange for a half-hour cruise, ending at An Hoi, where a short stroll on quieter streets lined with restaurants leads you to the glowing night lantern market where you can pick up souvenirs and grab a taxi back to your hotel.