Lonely Planet Vietnam (Travel Guide)

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Planning tip: To fully appreciate the marvelous, lip-tingling variety of HCMC street food, join a foodie-focused scooter tour with Saigon Street Eats. 14. Bask on beautiful beaches Parts of the limestone ceiling have collapsed, bringing in natural sunlight, so Hang Son Doong contains an entire rainforest ecosystem with flying foxes, rare langurs, and even a small population of tigers. Since 2012, one tour company – Oxalis Adventure – has been allowed to take a strictly limited number of visitors into Hang Son Doong on challenging four-day treks; the price is stratospheric but so is the scenery. 13. Walk with the ghosts of French Indochina in Ho Chi Minh City Many families give Vietnam bonus points for its food – while dishes may be unfamiliar, they’re rarely spicy (heat is usually added separately in the form of chili sauces). Crispy Vietnamese pancakes, banh mi sandwiches, bowls of pho (noodle soup), fried spring rolls and bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles) usually go down well. If your teens love aquatic thrills, the beach strip at Mui Ne is Vietnam’s top hub for kitesurfing. There are several schools where you can learn as a family, with prime wind conditions in late October and April. Other watery diversions include sailing courses, stand-up paddleboarding, surfing classes and the mud spa and swimming pool complex on the hilltop. For teens who prefer pampering, there are plenty more spas along the beach strip. Enjoy the beach scene in Nha Trang

For many travelers, the big decision is not whether to visit Vietnam, but where to go after arriving. Do you start off in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)? Do you swap the big city experience for the beaches and seafood suppers of Phu Quoc island? Do you dive headlong into the history of a dozen rival empires, or embrace the dynamic, modern Vietnam that has emerged from the aftermath of conflict? Freshwater treats include well-loved ca loc (snakehead fish), enormous catfish, and the tiny crabs and shrimps that are pounded into salads and dried to sprinkle on rice dishes and soups. The paddies also yield golf-ball-sized snails called oc, served in soups, chopped with lemongrass and herbs, or steamed like French escargot, with a length of lemongrass leaf protruding from each snail shell – give it a tug to pull out the meat. Planning tip: If you’re bound for Phu Quoc, there’s no need to go via Hanoi and HCMC; numerous Asian airlines offer flights from hubs such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul, connecting with long-haul flights further afield. 2. Hanoi The important thing to remember is that how much you spend is largely within your own control. If you’re happy with a dorm bed, bus travel and street food dinners, the basic costs of living in Vietnam will not make a massive dent in your wallet. From the cool climes of the highlands around Dalat to the sunny beaches of Nha Trang, this short and simple road trip is all about changing scenery and microclimates. Get an early start so you have time to appreciate the hilly terrain en route and the coastal views near the end of the drive.Eating out as a family is generally easy – tourist-oriented restaurants can often provide high chairs or a cushion to boost tots up to table height. Families eat together everywhere, so there’s no need to worry about the kids being noisy during dinner. Use antibacterial hand gel to ward off tummy bugs. If you’re looking to drive a motorbike yourself, it’s best to save it for one of the quieter destinations like Hoi An, Dalat or Phu Quoc. Always wear a helmet, and be aware of the exhaust pipe, which has caused many a leg burn. As motorbikes tend to drive closely to each other, keep your feet pointed inwards and think of wearing closed shoes which offer extra protection for your feet. Where to try it: Find the best bun bo Hue in the country in the eponymous Hue; Quan Bun Bo Hue is a great place to slurp down a bowl, but they usually sell out by the early afternoon. Eat rice, often Many of Vietnam’s top hikes are best attempted with local support. The tropical terrain can be challenging, the weather can be unpredictable and you’ll need someone who speaks the local languages to make arrangements for meals and accommodation in hill-tribe communities. If you combine a trek with a village homestay – which we heartily recommend – it’s possible to escape the crowds and find the hospitality and captivating culture that first put Vietnam on the travel map.

If you’re here to hike, seek out trekking routes that you can follow without joining an organized hike, such as the trails on Cat Ba Island or walks to the minority villages near Bac Ha in the far northwest. Many homestays can arrange an inexpensive guide for local exploring – it’s usually cheaper than booking an agency tour and it funnels money directly into the local economy. Prioritize the free sights Begin in the hillsides around Dalat, founded as a salubrious hill station where French colonists came to escape the oppressive heat of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). This is a unique area of Vietnam, where the scent of pine trees hangs in the air and farms cultivate strawberries, coffee and flowers instead of rice. Local insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - whether it's history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, politics Guides can be arranged through local lodges. The most popular trip is the half-day hike from the national park headquarters in search of golden-cheeked gibbons, though this involves an early start to catch the primates’ hooting dawn chorus. Most trekkers drop in on the Dao Tien Endangered Primate Species Centre for more simian encounters; trip fees help fund the park’s conservation activities. 7. Mai Chau villagesWhile travelers mob the regal assembly halls, pagodas and historic homes of Hoi An, nearby My Son offers a calmer vision of Vietnam’s rich and layered past – particularly if you come in the afternoon. The big lure here is the atmospheric collection of Unesco-listed Hindu temple ruins surrounded by jungle in a loop of the sacred Thu Bon river. The former French Hill station of Sapa is surrounded by mountains so impressive that French colonizers called them the “Tonkinese Alps,” and the surrounding villages of the H'Mong and Dao ethnic minorities have become popular destinations for hikers – and somewhat commercialized in the process. Yet there is plenty to see in the cave, with parts of it illuminated by two dolines – or sinkholes – that can flood the cave with beams of spectacular sunlight. Within its depths are the world’s largest stalagmites and a jungle with trees up to 50m high. 'You can see up to 1.5km,' says Limbert, 'but the cave’s own weather system can make clouds that are spectacular but cut down visibility.' Eating and drinking get the most out of your gastronomic experience as we reveal the regional dishes and drinks you have to try Bikes can be rented for local exploring from hotels and travel agencies wherever travelers gather, but the quality and mechanical sophistication of bikes varies. For long-distance trips, join a cycle tour, or rent a higher quality bike through a cycle-tour company such as Vietnam Cycling or Indochina Bike Tours. To cut out long highway rides, bicycles can be transported on the roof of many buses or in train baggage compartments. Domestic flights will save you time (but not carbon)

However, the cave is rich in other forms of life. 'We have seen monkeys that are able to climb down 200m to visit the jungle within the cave where they collect snails,' says Limbert. 'We’ve also seen snakes and other animals including squirrels, rats, flying fox as well as birds and bats.' He and his team also discovered seven new species of fish, spider, scorpion, shrimp, wood lice and plankton – all of them completely white and without eyes, the evolutionary consequences of existing in complete darkness. There’s no need to fly to Vietnam. Trains and buses provide easy access from China, with smooth connections from Nanning through to Hanoi, and from Kunming to Hanoi via Lao Cai. If you’re heading south or west, international buses run daily to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) from Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville in Cambodia and to Hue from Savannakhet in Laos.It was the beaches of Phu Quoc Island and Danang – developed as a playground for GIs during the American War – that put Vietnam on the map for seaside vacations, but both have developed into lively resorts. To find unspoiled stretches of sand, modern-day castaways aim their sights at the kitesurfing beaches around Mui Ne, the island sands of the Con Dao archipelago and long, languorous Hong Van Beach on Co To Island in Bai Tu Long Bay. There are several different routes between Vietnam’s two biggest cities, depending on whether you like beaches, mountains or smooth highways, but for the best balance between driving time (about two weeks) and excellent scenery, hit the Ho Chi Minh Highway, part of which was once used to transport soldiers and supplies during the Vietnam War. Toolkit - all of the planning tools for solo travellers, LGBTQIA+ travellers, family travellers and accessible travel