Top 10 Unmissable Destinations in Vietnam

You'll fall in love with Da Lat from the moment you set foot in this land of tranquility, known by many names such as the city of thousands of flowers, the land of love, the melancholic city, the dreamy city... With an altitude of 1500m above sea level, the weather here is cool and pleasant, making it the ideal resort for all types of tourists.

Some interesting quirks about this beautiful city include: no traffic lights system, no traffic police at intersections, no cyclos for tourists, no air conditioning, no nightlife, no Lâm Đồng newspapers at newsstands in Da Lat... Unlike other seasonal tourist destinations, you can visit Da Lat all year round as each season has its own beauty. You can comfortably choose the most suitable time for your trip to Da Lat. Here, artichoke tea, Oolong tea, and coffee are all favorite specialties that tourists love and choose as gifts. If you want to choose souvenirs, wood carvings, firewood paintings, and embroidered paintings are perfect choices to give to your loved ones.

If you want to admire the blooming cherry blossoms around Xuan Huong Lake, then from February to April when spring comes is the best time to enjoy the flowers. The purple phoenix flowers on the streets during this time also start to show off their sparkling colors in the gentle spring breeze. In the sudden rain on a sunny summer day, the beautiful scenery of Da Lat makes tourists exclaim in amazement. The memory of a peaceful trip to Da Lat with its peculiar summer weather will only increase the endless longing. The heavy rains in August will further enhance the attractiveness of waterfalls like they're infused with extra power to rush and foam white. Pren Waterfall, Pongour Waterfall, Dambri Waterfall... sound as mighty as the love songs through the night and day.

At the end of the year, if you travel to Da Lat from October to December, you'll see faint misty clouds floating in the bright blue sky. From October to December, wild sunflowers stretch out to welcome the beautiful sunshine gracefully swaying in the fresh breeze. And there are many other vibrant flowers such as white mustard fields, sunflower gardens, rose gardens, and green grass fields... Each season, Da Lat appears with its own unique charm, always attracting tourists.

Mù Cang Chải is a highland district of Yen Bai province, located in the northern part adjacent to Van Ban district of Lao Cai province, the southern part adjacent to Muong La district of Son La province, the western part adjacent to Than Uyen district of Lai Chau province, and the eastern part adjacent to Van Chan district of the same province. The district is situated at the foot of Hoang Lien Son mountain range, at an altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level. To reach Mù Cang Chải, one must pass through Khau Phạ Pass, one of the four great mountain passes of the Northwest.

About 300 kilometers from Hanoi, every rice harvest season, tens of thousands of tourists from all over the country come to visit Mù Cang Chải to admire the grandeur of the terraced fields here. In the past, mentioning Mù Cang Chải was mentioning hardship due to its remote geographical location and poor population. It wasn't until many tourist groups who love the Northwest came here, capturing beautiful images and moments of the local life, the majestic landscapes of nature that Mù Cang Chải began to appear on Yen Bai's tourism map. With the increasing number of tourists, the infrastructure in Mù Cang Chải has also been invested more to serve tourists, and local people have more forms of income through providing services to tourists.

Mù Cang Chải has 2 quite beautiful seasons that you can arrange your time to visit, while other seasons visiting Mù Cang Chải don't have any special features but you can still drop by if it's convenient. Mù Cang Chải is also an intermediate point on many other interesting journeys. Around mid-September to mid-October is the rice ripening season, at this time the entire Mù Cang Chải will be golden with rice, the weather is beautiful, convenient for visiting this place. Usually, the most suitable time is from around September 15 to October 10 every year, before this time, the rice is still somewhat green, after this time, it is almost completely harvested.

Around May - June is the water pouring season, when the summer rains begin to pour down on the mountains, water is led from the mountains into the terraced fields. The water flowing into the fields makes the dry soil softer and swells to help people cultivate rice. This is also the time when people start to go down to the fields to prepare for a new crop season. That's why in the terraced fields in the mountainous areas of the North, rice can only be grown for one crop. The terraced fields filled with water under the afternoon sun create a beauty that makes many tourists amazed.

3. Danang

Danang is known as the most worth-visiting city in Vietnam, gradually becoming a bright spot of the country in the tourism sector, attracting millions of tourists every year with its youthful, civilized, and modern beauty. Located 776 km north of Hanoi, 961 km south of Ho Chi Minh City, and adjacent to the ancient capital of Hue, Danang has a North-South transportation axis with both road, railway, and sea routes passing through, while also being a gateway for exchanges with provinces in the Central Highlands.

Not only that, Danang is surrounded by three world-famous heritages such as the ancient capital of Hue, the My Son Sanctuary, and the ancient town of Hoi An. In addition, the coastal area of this city includes the Hoang Sa island district. Therefore, Danang has a strategic and extremely important position in terms of tourism, economic exchange, trade, and national defense and security. Danang is famous for many attractive tourist destinations both domestic and international. Among them, mention must be made of My Khe beach.

It was once voted the most beautiful and charming beach in the world by Forbes magazine of the United States. Just about 3 km from the center of Danang city, from above, My Khe beach is a vast expanse of blue, and when you arrive, you will see its radiant beauty. My Khe beach attracts many tourists with its wild beauty, smooth white sand beaches, gentle waves in a very cool and fresh atmosphere. When visiting Danang, tourists should come here once to experience a sparkling dawn like emanating from the horizon and immerse themselves in the cool water stream.

Being the convergence of the only natural forest ecosystem attached to the sea in Vietnam, Son Tra peninsula is 10 km from the city center with 3 sides bordering the sea. The climate here is very fresh and clean, according to research by scientists, every day the forest here regenerates enough oxygen to supply 4 million people, a giant green lung of the city. This is also the home of many rare and precious species listed in the Red Book, the most prominent of which is the population of langurs with about 300 - 400 individuals.

4. Sapa, Lào Cai

Sapa is a town in Lao Cai province, Vietnam, which has been a famous tourist destination since the early 20th century. Mother Nature has favored Sapa with a picturesque landscape that is both romantic and majestic, vast with intertwined mountain ranges embracing clouds, terraced fields stretching to the eye's limit, contemplating silent pine forests witnessing countless stories from the Indochina period in the heart of the town...

The climate in Sapa is cool all year round along with unique indigenous features, including the culture of the two major ethnic minorities in Sapa, the H'mong and Dao people, combined with classical European architectural space. All these factors have created a special attraction for tourists who want to explore this land. When visiting Sapa, you must conquer Fansipan Peak. There's nothing more wonderful than standing at an altitude of 3143m, stretching your shoulders to breathe the high air, enjoying the feeling of touching the clouds and casting your eyes down on the panoramic picture of Sapa below. You can experience that lofty place thanks to the world's longest cable car system. The cable car ticket price is 600k/person round trip. The Fansipan cable car has realized the dream of conquering the roof of Indochina for everyone with that desire.

Ham Rong Mountain is located right in the center of the town, with a ticket price of 70,000 VND/person. You can stay at a hotel near Ham Rong tourist area to admire the panoramic view of Sapa, Muong Hoa Valley, Ta Phin hidden in the mist... On the way up the mountain, you will encounter many colorful flowers competing to bloom or explore the Love Waterfall about 12km from the town center, located on the way to O Quy Ho Pass.

When visiting one of Sapa's most beautiful waterfalls, you will not only feel refreshed by enjoying the cool water vapor but also hear the legendary story of Love Waterfall. On the way to Love Waterfall, don't forget to visit Silver Waterfall too! Sapa Stone Church was built in 1895, considered a rare ancient architectural work bearing the French architectural imprint still intact in Sapa. Through many ups and downs, changes in regimes, the church still stands there proudly as a symbol of Sapa.

5. Phu Quoc Island, Kiên Giang

Phu Quoc, also known as the Pearl Island, is the largest island in Vietnam, and also the largest within the cluster of 22 islands here, located in the Gulf of Thailand. Phu Quoc Island, along with other islands, forms Phu Quoc district under Kien Giang province. The entire district covers a total area of 589.23 km². Duong Dong town, situated in the northwest, is the capital of the island district. Phu Quoc is 120km away from Rach Gia city and 45km away from Ha Tien town.

In 2006, the Coastal and Marine Biosphere Reserve of Kien Giang province, including this district, was recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve. Tourism in Phu Quoc has seen significant investment in transportation infrastructure and accommodation facilities, with many direct flights established to Phu Quoc from both domestic and international destinations, and hundreds of resorts built. It is due to these factors that Phu Quoc is gradually becoming one of the top resort destinations in Vietnam.

The coastal area of Phu Quoc consists of 22 islands of various sizes, with Phu Quoc Island being the largest covering an area of 574 km² (56,200 hectares), stretching 50 km in length, with its widest point in the north of the island being 25 km. The highest point reaches 603m (Mount Chua). The natural terrain runs smoothly from south to north with 99 hills and mountains. The sea areas around the island are shallow, with depths of less than 10m. However, the small island cluster of An Thoi port is completely separated from the southern tip of Phu Quoc Island by a sea strait with depths of over 60m.

You can visit Phu Quoc at any time of the year, but if you want to avoid discomfort from prolonged rain, it is best to avoid the rainy season (from June to October) each year. The dry season in Phu Quoc is from around November to April. If you don't plan your trip a few months in advance (to hunt for cheap flight tickets) and only schedule it a few days ahead, you can monitor the weather on various mass media platforms to choose a suitable time.

Tam Dao is located about 80km from Hanoi, where it was discovered and developed by the French from the late 19th century. A series of constructions such as villas, dance floors, swimming pools, playgrounds, and bustling restaurants were built in Tam Dao, but after undergoing many historical ups and downs, not much remains.

Tam Dao town covers an area of over 214ha, consisting of 2 villages, most of the famous tourist spots are located in village 1. Tam Dao tourist area is surrounded by pristine forests, so it has a cool climate, combined with picturesque and enchanting natural scenery, bringing visitors a wide range of emotions. The weather in Tam Dao offers unique experiences to visitors, such as gentle spring breezes blowing in the early morning, warm summer sunshine, faint autumn winds calling for autumn to come, and when night falls, it brings a bit of coldness of winter. Therefore, choosing a hotel in Tam Dao for rest and relaxation is something that travelers surely cannot ignore.

Dubbed as the Dalat of the North, Tam Dao enjoys a cool climate all year round. Each season in Tam Dao brings unique experiences and feelings. Tam Dao always has a lower temperature than Hanoi, so in the summer, this is an ideal destination for people to travel, avoiding the scorching heat of the capital. In winter, it brings a romantic and serene beauty with dense fog covering the sky and earth. If you want to go cloud hunting, the end of November to January is a suitable time because the weather is getting colder and the fog is dense. However, during this time and in March, April, you should be careful on the slippery roads due to thick fog. Please pay attention!

Dubbed as an outdoor studio, the cloud bridge is an extremely hot check-in point not to be missed when visiting Tam Dao. Standing here, you can admire a peaceful and poetic Tam Dao without any dust. The best time to check-in here is early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Enjoying Tam Dao in the early misty morning, seemingly touching the white clouds, or watching the sunset gradually recede towards the horizon will bring you wonderful feelings.

Ha Giang is located 300km from the capital Hanoi, known for its majestic and magnificent landscapes, the most grandiose in the Northern region of Vietnam. In January and February, Ha Giang becomes vibrant with traditional festivals such as the longevity celebration of the Tay ethnic group, buffalo fighting festivals, horse racing festivals, and the Lồng Tồng festival... These festivals attract a large number of tourists from various places.

March is the best time to visit Ha Giang with peach and plum blossoms blooming in full spring colors. The peach and plum forests are filled with thousands of white and pink flowers like a watercolor painting that enchants the heart. In April, the big festival is the Khau Vai love market. The market space is bustling and lively with many people coming to attend the festival. Here, you will see the humanistic beauty of the Khau Vai love market, the image of young men and women gathering to chat, and share life stories with each other.

The festival is a short time for lovers who cannot meet each other to reunite, talk, and share their feelings. May and June are the flood season. This is also the time when people start bustling down to the fields to prepare for the new crop season. August and September are the rice ripening season. The terraced fields shining with golden yellow stretch to the horizon, attracting many tourists to visit. October and November are the season of triangular oat blossoms covering the hillsides, the mountainsides like a romantic carpet of purple and pink flowers.

When visiting Ha Giang, you will discover Hoang Su Phi - Hoang Su Phi is located about 50km from Ha Giang city, this is a highland border district that attracts adventurous tourists because the road is quite treacherous. The terraced fields stretch to the horizon, whether it's the ripe rice season or the flood season, all have their own beauty. Bac Sum Slope is a majestic slope of Ha Giang that many people compare to the Pha Din pass of the rocky plateau. The winding slope stretches for several kilometers, from above, it looks like a gentle winding road amidst the wild and mysterious natural scenery.

Én Cave is located in Yen Minh district, about 60km from Ha Giang city. Én Cave is still primitive with strange-shaped stalactites. This is a tourist attraction that attracts many visitors. Noong Lake is a freshwater lake likened to the fairy of the Ha Giang rocky plateau. The lake belongs to Phu Linh commune, Vi Xuyen district, about 23km from Ha Giang city. The natural lake has a special feature of trees floating on the water surface, changing depending on the season.