Top 10 must-visit places in Vietnam in 2023
- Trang An
- Ba Na Hills
- Mua Cave
- Lan Ha Bay
- Hanoi Old Quarter
- Hoi An Ancient Town
- Vung Vieng Village
- Cai Rang Floating Market
- Phong Nha Cave
- My Son Sanctuary
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Find perfect tours and activities in Vietnam
Top 10 must-visit places in Vietnam in 2023
On top of travelers' bucket lists, Vietnam is a charismatic country with gorgeous off-the-beaten mountain areas, pristine tropical long-side beaches, hidden islands, sanctuaries, and cities that are a mixture of ancient and modern. A trip across Vietnam should need complete package preparation. Hopefully, the detailed list of the best places to visit in Vietnam is included below for you.
1. Lan Ha Bay
Located southeast of Cat Ba Island, Lan Ha Bay boasts a classic Halong Bay Complex seascape with untouched beauty. It is considered an exquisite fabric spun from the deep blue seawater and the lush foliage of over 400 different islands.
This bay area is over 7,000 hectares, of which more than 5,400 hectares are protected by a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve - Cat Ba National Park. Additionally, the waves are very peaceful here, and the water is so calm that you can both relax and see the majesty of the sea and brilliant coral reefs on islands such as Cu Island, Monkey Island, and Sen Island, row into Dark & Bright cave or bike along Viet Hai's ancient fishing village.
The best way to discover this area is to join an overnight Lan Ha Bay Cruise. It also becomes a new trendy cruising in Vietnam recently.
Lan Ha Bay - a must-visit place in Vietnam
2. Trang An
- Opening time: 6:00 - 16:45 (summer) - 7:00 - 16:30 (winter)
- Entrance fee: Adult: 250.000 VND/person - Children (3ft - 4ft): 120.000 VND/person - Children (< 3ft): free
Gorgeous Trang An complex area created by natural limestones, caves, valleys, rivers, lakes, and streams. All merge to create a beautiful space that looks like a fantasy, with a total area spanning over 2,000 hectares.
The best time to visit this beautiful eco-tourism is the harvest season when all rice fields along the stream pour yellow. You can immerse yourself in cool pristine water when traveling on small boats that glide to see seaweed under the river and save the most sparkling Vietnamese ripe rice photos.
The journey continues with a bamboo boat rowed by locals that will take you deep into the karst topography and admire the sparkling stalactites hanging down, appearing miraculous inside the Dark and Bright caves. Also, the enigmatic lake's stories at the bottom of the cave that humans have never been to will boost those who love to conquer.
Rowboat trip through the temple at Trang An
3. Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge
Sun World Ba Na Hills is one of the best amusement parks in Vietnam, located approximately 23 km from downtown Da Nang District. And Golden Bridge is a new building belonging to Ba Na Hills Resort (Da Nang) in Thien Thai Garden, which recently opened to visitors in early June 2018.
After taking the cable car to Ba Na Hills and admiring the majestic scenery, it is the right place to enjoy the amusement park for young couples and the whole family. You can also drown yourself in the French village, a miniature Europe with medieval French architecture beautifully built on every corner.
Especially Golden Bridge, considered by Times Magazine a global sensation, became the most majestic sight on earth. And the ideal time to save your photos with impressive giant gray hands and the entire Ba Na tourist area landscape is from April to August.
Take hooked photos at Gold Bridge
4. Mua Cave
- Opening time: 6:00 - 19:00
- Entrance fee: Adult - 100.000 VND/person and Child under 10 - free
Mua cave is regarded as one of Tam Coc's muses, so you can have the most authentic and vibrant panoramic view of Tam Coc at the top of Mua Cave with fields, blue rivers flowing slow and lazy, and magnificent limestone mountains, creating a marvelous picture of combination.
Unlike other tourism hubs in this area, Mua Cave has a charming and quiet traditional beauty that is difficult to find anywhere else. If you could conquer 500 steps up to the mountain, the stunning scenery would blast away the pickiest minds from the highest point of Mua Cave's range.
A great viewpoint on top of Mua Cave
5. Sapa
Thanks to stretching rice terraces on the hillsides, considered one of the most breathtaking landscapes in this area. Sapa spread its fame for its pristine and romantic beauty. It is a top destination to visit in Vietnam for trekking.
Bordered by the jagged peaks of the Hoang Lien Son Mountains (often still known by their French colonial era name of the Tonkinese Alps). In that pleasant land, you will get experiences that you might never have before
- Visit ethnic villages and interact with local tribes (Mong, Dao, Tay, and Giay). They do not live in the central region but in hamlets dispersed in the Sapa district between valleys. Cat Cat and Ta Phin villages are.
- Pass the challenge of trekking through meandering trails and listen to the hill tribe's famous melody.
- Prevail Fansipan range - peak roof of Vietnam.
Sapa, up to now, has become a bustling and growing tourist center that starkly contrasts the great tranquil countryside right on its past.
Sapa trekking
6. Hanoi Old quarter
Surrounding Hoan Kiem lake, Hanoi's Old Quarter is the oldest in the heart of Hanoi. And the origin of the name "36 streets" in the past involves thousand-year-old streets in the theme of colonial architecture dating from the 15th century.
Time after time, the Old Quarter has changed so much today. Still, it preserves the ancient charm of history. You can see these antique places of interest in Hanoi and learn about 1000 civilizations, such as Saint Joseph Cathedral, Ngoc Son Temple, and Bach Ma Temple.
The hustle of the rhythm of life here might make some visitors uncomfy. But if you want to join the line of street vendors and small nooks between the tube houses, Hanoi is the place to be.
One of Hanoi's Old Quarter gates at night
7. Vung Vieng Village in Halong Bay
You must use a local rowing boat or kayaking to enter Vung Vieng or other Halong bay fishing villages. Tourists coming here will have a chance to learn about the everyday local life of fishermen, such as fishing, rowing, or growing pearl.
On the way to reaching the village, you can dip yourself in nature, float on a boat watching mountains, go kayaking, go sightseeing across the bay, and feel the cold sea breeze. In addition, visitors can see sea-cultured pearls and fish cages as they come to Vung Vieng village.
Perarl shopping here also is a good idea where you can get a good pearl at a great rate, remember to do some bargains.
Do local rowing boat in Vung Vieng fishing village
8. My Son Sanctuary
- Opening time: 6:00 - 17:00
- Entrance fee: 150.000 VND/person
Located in a rainforest, the impressive complex of My Son Sanctuary is a highlight while traveling to Hoi An. It will bring you from the busy city life of Vietnam to a history-rich Jurassic park setting.
My Son was both a political center and a royal burial ground. This complex consists of over 70 buildings dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses. Shiva, the most noticeable, was considered the guardian of the kings of Champa.
The journey from an ancient city to My Son gives a glimpse into local village life along the riverbank, and it feels like we are entering another country when we emerge into the lush jungle environment of My Son. The site's past is fascinating, and overgrown ruins have been adequately preserved and reconstructed to allow us to grasp in adequate detail what My Son looked like.
My Son Sanctuary
9. Phong Nha Cave
Phong Nha Cave is renowned for its striking karst mountain formation honeycombed and huge caverns, home to stellar stalactite and stalagmite displays.
In connection with architectural merit, Phong Nha is the most peculiar cave in the history of Phong Nha-Ke Bang, voted by the British Royal Association as one of the most magnificent caves in the world. You can easily hire a boat rowed by locals in the Son Trach district to get deep inside.
Another attractive excursion is Paradise Cave, which extends an incredible 31 kilometers below the ground. More extraordinary, Son Doong was confirmed in 2009 as the largest cave in the world. With moss-covered stone steps at the entrance illuminated by the bright rays of the sun from above, Son Doong is the highlight of any Phong Nha promotional activities.
Jade green water inside Phong Nha cave
10. Hoi An ancient town
What is so special about Hoi An ancient town, is that it is in an incredible state of preservation in this little port town. Its old streets, bordered by ancient houses and assembly rooms, pagodas, mosques, ancient wells, and tombs, provide some of Vietnam's most densely concentrated sights.
Besides, Hoi An is still mindful of its customs, folk festivals, values, and sophisticated culinary art after many decades. In a peaceful environment, Hoi An is surrounded by friendly villages with crafts such as carpentry, bronze making, ceramics, etc.
On the other hand, Hoi An people, rich in traditions and introduced to the outside world early on, have a distinctive cultural identity that has been well maintained from generation to generation. This town is a vast ancient home in the minds of inhabitants of Hoi An, sheltering a large family of many descendants. Together, they form a harmonious group that, over various centuries, has lived happily, side by side.
To get more information about the most interesting attractions in Vietnam, continue to read the below detailed articles.
All Vietnam Place to Visit
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Hanoi -
Halong Bay -
Hoi An -
Ho Chi Minh City -
Hue -
Sapa -
Nha Trang -
Ninh Binh -
Da Nang -
Mekong Delta -
Cat Ba Island -
Da Lat -
Quang Binh -
Phu Quoc -
Phan Thiet -
Buon Ma Thuot -
Ha Giang -
Yen Bai Province -
Cao Bang -
Quang Tri Province
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