Things to Do in Vietnam: The Definitive List

Vietnam is over 1,600 km long, so Hanoi's weather has nothing to do with Phu Quoc's on the same day. That one fact should shape your trip. The usual Indian mistake is six days split across Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, a third of it lost to airports. Pick two regions and go deep. Below are the things to do in Vietnam worth your money, grouped by mood, with approximate rupee costs, timings and seasons. Rs 1,000 is roughly 300,000 Vietnamese dong.

Water and islands

• Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise from Cat Ba. Roughly Rs 7,000 to 15,000 per person for two days and one night with meals and kayaking. Same limestone karsts as Ha Long, a fraction of the boat traffic. Best Oct to Apr.
• Mekong Delta, Ben Tre or Can Tho. A day trip from Ho Chi Minh City runs Rs 1,500 to 2,500. Cai Rang floating market only works if you leave Can Tho by 5.30 am; by 8 am it is mostly tour boats photographing each other. Dec to Apr.
• Phu Quoc. The Hon Thom sea cable car plus a three island snorkel day comes to Rs 2,000 to 3,500. Nov to Mar is calm; Jul to Sep the water turns murky.

Nature and the big landscapes

• Ninh Binh. The Trang An boat ride is about Rs 800 for two hours, rowed by hand through flooded caves. Add the 500 steps to Mua Cave at sunrise. A day trip from Hanoi costs Rs 2,000 to 3,000, but stay the night.
• Sapa. Two day village trek with homestay, Rs 3,500 to 6,000. Terraces are green in Jun and Jul, gold in Sep. Skip Jan and Feb, cold fog.
• Ha Giang Loop. Three days pillion with an easy rider, Rs 9,000 to 14,000 all in. The best scenery in the country and still off most Indian itineraries. Mar to May, or Sep to Nov.
• Phong Nha Ke Bang. Paradise Cave and Dark Cave, Rs 700 to 1,200 each, half a day per cave. Feb to Aug.

Culture, history and old towns

The best known Vietnam attractions are here.

• Cu Chi tunnels. Half day from Ho Chi Minh City, Rs 1,000 to 1,800. Pair with the War Remnants Museum (about Rs 130, two hours, heavy going).
• Hoi An Old Town. Ticket around Rs 400, covering a few heritage houses. A lantern boat on the Thu Bon is Rs 150 to 400 for 20 minutes. Go at dusk, midweek.
• Hue. Imperial Citadel about Rs 700, plus royal tombs by car for a half day. Rain hits hard Sep to Nov.
• Hanoi Old Quarter, Temple of Literature and Hoan Kiem lake: free to Rs 200 each, one day on foot.

Food worth planning a day around

Hanoi street food is the cheapest genuinely great thing in Vietnam. Pho is Rs 60 to 120, banh mi about Rs 50, egg coffee around Rs 100. An evening food walk (Rs 1,500 to 2,500, three hours) teaches you what to order all week. A Hoi An cooking class is Rs 1,800 to 3,000 for half a day.

Vegetarians, read this twice. Most broths are meat or bone based even when the bowl looks vegetarian, and fish sauce is in nearly everything. Learn "toi an chay" (I eat vegetarian) and look for boards reading "Com Chay" or "Quan Chay", the Buddhist vegetarian kitchens. They are everywhere, and more open on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month. Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City are easiest, remote Sapa and Ha Giang hardest.

After dark

• Ta Hien beer corner, Hanoi. Plastic stools on the street, bia hoi at about Rs 40 a glass. Loud by 9 pm, done by midnight.
• Bui Vien Walking Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Very loud, very touristy, worth one night.
• Rooftop bars in Ho Chi Minh City. A cocktail with a skyline view, Rs 500 to 900.

Family friendly

Family friendly Vietnam activities cluster in Da Nang and Phu Quoc.

• VinWonders Phu Quoc or Nha Trang. Full day, Rs 2,500 to 3,500 per adult, less for children. Water park plus aquarium, good value if your kids are 5 to 14.
• My Khe beach, Da Nang. Free; Marble Mountains entry plus lift is about Rs 250.
• Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge. Cable car and park entry around Rs 3,000 per adult, a full day, with one catch below.
• A Mekong rowboat through the coconut canals, the easiest win with small children.

Two underrated picks

Phong Nha. Most itineraries hop Hanoi to Da Nang and miss it entirely. It has the largest cave systems on earth and free river swimming. Two nights. Son Doong, the biggest cave, is a separate expedition at roughly Rs 2.5 lakh per person, booked a year ahead.

Quy Nhon. A working coastal town with good beaches, superb seafood and no tour buses. Three slow days cost about a third of the same days in Da Nang.

Honest skips

• The Ha Long Bay day trip from Hanoi. Four hours in a bus for four hours on the water in a queue of identical boats. Do an overnight from Cat Ba, or Ninh Binh instead.
• The cheapest cruise on the list. The Rs 3,000 overnight exists, and you spend it moored beside twenty other boats with a buffet nobody wants. One tier up is the best upgrade money buys here.
• Ba Na Hills between 11 am and 3 pm. The Golden Bridge is a genuinely good photo and a genuinely bad queue. Take the first cable car, shoot it before 9.30 am, leave by lunch. On a short trip, cut it first.

Know before you go

• Indian passport holders need a visa. Apply for the e-visa on the official government portal (commonly issued for up to 90 days), fee approximately Rs 2,200 to 4,500 for single or multiple entry. Rules change, so confirm on the official portal before paying and never use a lookalike site.
• Your passport needs six months validity and two blank pages.
• Direct flights run from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Return fares are roughly Rs 18,000 to 38,000, dearest in Apr to Jun and December.
• Seasons split three ways: north Oct to Apr, centre Feb to Aug, south Dec to Apr. What to do in Vietnam starts with the season, so match one region to your dates.
• Carry cash. City hotels and restaurants take cards; boats, homestays, markets and bike taxis mostly do not.
• Domestic flights are cheap (often Rs 1,500 to 3,500) and save days.

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