Of course you want to see other things after (or before) the wedding. It would be a shame to spend all this time in the airplane just for a single weekend. What follows are some places that we recommend visiting.
Vietnam is indeed a long country with diverse types of nature. Before diving into the details, it’s probably nice to first get to know the country as a whole. Bellows is the picture of different regions in Vietnam.
Central Coast and the two islands near Mekong River Delta area have the best beaches ever. If you are in love with the beaches in Croatia, we would say that the beaches here will blow your mind even more. You can find also plenty of astonishing caves (e.g, Sơn Đoòng, Phong Nha, Tú Làn) up north of the Central Coast.
As shown in the green color, Northern area and Central Highlands are places where you can find fresh air up high, mountains, and those stunning terraced rice fields.
Mekong River Delta area is best known for its floating market on the Mekong river and the plenty mangrove forests.
Ho Chi Minh city (Sài Gòn) is of course the heart of the Southern area. Unfortunately, the nature here is not so special. But, guess what? We have food! Moreover, affordable luxuries. Let’s think about an “expensive” massage at a high-end spa, a fancy cocktail on a rooftop bar with a view which is comparable with the Shard in London, or whatever you never dare to spend the money on that you can name.
So, here is the detailed list of places we recommend you visit according to our taste, experiences, and researches. We made it in four main categories [Beaches & Islands, Mountains & Caves, Mekong area, and Main Cities & More] so it is easier for you to go through the list.
Beaches & Islands
Phú Quốc/ Nam Du Island
Phú Quốc and Nam Du are close to each other so you can choose either one.
Phú Quốc is definitely more famous and has more facilities for tourist activities. There are two giant outdoor waterparks and also cable car service. It was the place where the prisoners during Vietnam war were kept. If you are more into the history part, this is the choice.
On Nam Du island, you can rent locals’ houses or tents for overnight stays. Nam Du has a great nature (natural rocks, coral reefs, etc.) but there are not as many tourist activities as in Phú Quốc. In return, you can enjoy your peaceful time there.
- Distance: About 400km away from Sài Gòn
Getting There
From Saigon, you have to take the bus to Kiên Giang at Bến xe miền Tây (roughly translated Buses to the West station). After arriving Kiên Giang, you take the high speed boat to Phú Quốc/ Nam Du island.
There are two other routes to get to Phú Quốc.
- By bus: Sài Gòn - Hà Tiên - Phú Quốc. Same as above.
- By plane: There are direct flights from Sài Gòn to Phú Quốc Airport.
Nha Trang/ Dốc Lết/ Điệp Sơn Island
Nha Trang is EXTREMELY beautiful and popular beach in Vietnam. It is nowadays fully packed with a lot of Russian and Chinese tourists. If you want to avoid this touristic chaos, we recommend Dốc Lết as an perfect alternative. I went there only once on a school trip and can never ever forget its beauty. While writing this post, I believe that this gem still has not been discovered by most of tourists. The evidence is that I could barely find an okay picture anywhere to show you how amazing it is. Điệp Sơn island is near by and you can have a one-day trip there. Thus, check it out!
- Distance: 481km away from Sài Gòn
Getting There
The best way to directly to Dốc Lết is getting on a sleeping train to Ninh Hòa and then get a taxi or scooter taxi to the beach.
Hạ Long/ Lan Hạ Bay
Hạ Long Bay is a scenic ocean bay often included in lists of natural wonders of the world. Meanwhile, Lan Hạ has pretty much the same nature but a lot less touristic. Its location is on the Eastern side of Cát Bà island and on the Southern side of Hạ Long bay.
- Distance: 1800 km away from Sài Gòn
Getting There
We assume that you will slowly visit the whole country before landing on these islands. So, there are two ways to come to Hạ Long/ Lan Hạ from Hà Nội: by bus and by train.
In case you feel like skipping other places and want to head directly to Hạ Long from Sài Gòn, you can take a flight.
Mountains & Caves
Đà Lạt
Đà Lạt is a beautiful city in the mountains built by the French colonizers to escape the heat of Saigon. You have to try “Bánh Căn” once you get here.
Other than that, every street food you can find at the Đà Lạt night market is recommeded. And, if you have the mood for some “Alney s be your telf” t-shirt like Thomas did, this is the place to find it.
- Distance: 250 km away from Sài Gòn
Getting There
We recommend taking the sleeping bus, which takes around 6 hours to get there. If you don’t opt for the cheapest ones the bus can be quite comfortable. It’s recommended to ask how big the beds are, especially for tall people.
Sa Pa/ Y Tý
Terraced rice fields are the symbol of the Northern area in Vietnam. You can find them at many places. The most famous spot for tourists is definitely Sa Pa. You can do your own reaserch about this town here for more information. Mind you, the weather in the North of Vietnam is pretty cold during January. The rice fields are mostly dead at this time. The nature is of course still stunning but it might not be the same as what you have in your mind about terraced rice fields.
Close to Sa Pa is Y Tý, another hidden gem from Vietnam. Y Tý is the home of four ethnic groups of Vietnam (Mông, Hà Nhì, Dao, and Kinh). 77,5% of the residents living here are listed as “poor”. It means that you might lack a lot of modern-life conveniences during your stay, such as electricity, mobilephone network, or internet, etc. But, in return, you can for sure enjoy your “silent” time here.
- Distance: 2000km away from Sài Gòn
Getting There
You can take train or bus from Hà Nội to Lào Cai. From Lào Cai you can take another bus to Sa Pa. There are also direct buses from Hà Nội to Sa Pa which would take about 6 or 7 hours.
From Sa Pa, you can rent a scooter or go with the bus to Y Tý.
Mekong Delta Area
Cà Mau
You should definitely not skip the floating market on the Mekong river if you come visiting Cà Mau. There are other famous floating markets (Cái Bè/ Cái Răng) in Cần Thơ. However, we do think that it would save you a lot of traveling time if you go to the floating market and the mangrove forest in the same city.
Main Cities & More
Sài Gòn/ Hà Nội
Big cities are just big cities. You won’t find any interesting nature here but in return, as we mentioned above, you can find several affordable luxuries in Sài Gòn and/or Hà Nộ since they are the two largest cities in Vietnam. Besides, food is what you have to try when visit these cities. Here is the list what Hà thinks that you should definitely try at least once:
- Cơm tấm
- Bánh tráng trộn/ bánh tráng cuốn
- Bánh xèo
- Bún măng vịt
- Bột chiên
- Bánh cuốn SG
- Bánh canh
- Hủ tíu khô
- Phở cuốn
- Xôi
- Bún ngan
- Bún ốc
- Cháo trai/ cháo sườn
- Bánh cuốn HN
Huế/ Đà Nẵng/ Hội An
According to Wikipedia, Bà Nà Hills, located in Đà Nẵng, is advertised as “the Đà Lạt of Đà Nẵng province”. Of course, it was founded by the French colonists to be a leisure destination for (French) tourists. If it is the Đà Lạt, what is the reasons to visit, you wondered. Yes yes, here you have beaches and BRIDGES. We don’t really understand why people go crazy for bridges so much. But, since the bridges here got recommended in several travel articles, we have to introduce them to you.
- Distance: 960km away from Sài Gòn
And, because you are already in Đà Nẵng, it’s a pity if you don’t visit Hội An. As it stated here, Hội An is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port from 15th to 19th century. Every lunar month (yup, not western calendar), on the 14th, the lantern festival will take place in this town.
-Distance: 937km away from Sài Gòn
Huế used to be the capital of the country. During the French Indochina, it was the administrative capital of the protectorate of Annam. If you are into good food and history, this is the place where you should visit.
- Distance: 1043km away from Sài Gòn
Getting There
We recommend you to take the train to Đà Nẵng, stay there overnight, rent a scooter or take a cab to Hội An, chill a bit, and go back to Đà Nẵng at the end of the day, and then take the train to Huế. If you have tight schedule, take the flight directly to Đà Nẵng. There is also an international airport in Đà Nẵng. You can also fly to/from Đà Nẵng to/from Amsterdam.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is really close to Saigon. It’s a good option if you want to make a tour around the Southern area Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
- Distance: 250 km away from Saigon.
We believe that this list gives enough information and inspiration for you to plan the trip to Vietnam. If you have any questions, ask Google! ^_^