Top 3 Places to Visit in Vietnam
There are so many places to visit in one country. If you are lucky to spend an extended amount of time there, you will be able to see all the places you desired. But unfortunately, most people have a limited amount of time that they are on holiday, so you want to maximize the time you have with the best possible places for you.
I spent a month in Vietnam and was lucky enough to see a lot of this varied country. I started in the north and made my way down south. This is my top 3 list of my must see places in Vietnam to help aid you in your travel planning.
This is one of those places that has stood still in time. It is an overnight bus ride away from Hanoi and it is totally worth it! Local tribes still all dress in their traditional clothes, you will see the gorgeous terraced rice fields, and you can visit the different villages and tribes, either through a trek, or a drive. Lastly, you can make your way up to the top of the tallest mountain, Mount Fansipan, in the Indochinese Peninsula. You can do this quite easily with their state of the art gondola/cable car, which breaks records in their own right. It is the longest three-rope and nono-stop cable car, as well it holds the record for the highest elevation gain at 1,410 meters. You will still need to climb about 600 stairs to the very peak of the mountain, but the views are worth it. If you are more into adventurous travel, you can trek the mountain with a guide for incredible views the whole way up. If you hate going down you always have the option to take the tram back down after your climb up. There is good reason why this is called the Venice of Asia. The canals that run through the Ancient Town brings the magical element to this city. You can spend your days wandering through the old city, eating all the delicious food, both street and in beautiful restaurants, and shopping till your hearts content. Another reason to love this place is for the seamstresses. This is the Mecca of having clothes and shoes made to measure and created just for you in Vietnam. Bring in photos, (I took mine from Pinterest) or your favourite piece of clothing you have with you and let them recreate it for your measurements. Now it is a bit of a landmine when choosing which tailor to go to, as there are hundreds, and knowing how the process of tailor-made items all works. Definitely do your research before you start the process here on which shops to use and how the process works, and what you should be aware of. You will need to be spending at least a few days here to get everything complete, but in the end you’ll have some gorgeous pieces. The shops will also mail home the clothes that you had made so you don’t have to carry everything around with you, which is what I did. One little tip: don’t get it fitted so closely to your shape, as you will have probably lost weight on your trip so far. To be able to wear your clothes back home once the weight has inevitably come back on, leave room for that shift to happen…speaking from experience on not leaving room! lol Ho Chi Min City is an iconic city that has a multitude of things to do. From shopping to sightseeing, tours, and delicious food plus the one thing that sets this place apart from others is the crazy busy traffic. This is a non-stop city and it is quite a sight to see and experience. You will become very good at walking out in traffic to cross the road…or else you’ll never get anywhere fast. Haha. I spent one full day just standing on a busy street corner taking photos of the traffic and the insane things people carry on their motorbikes. One of the best tours I went on was the Cu Chi tour, which goes through these tunnels and what it was like during the Vietnam War. The most interesting and eye opening tour around here. I also took a side trip from here to Can Tho to experience one of the few floating markets in the area. I highly recommend taking this side trip and spending at least 1 night there, so you can get up before sunrise to get to the floating market for all the action. I hired my own boat and guide, so I could spend as much time taking photos and going where I wanted. It was an amazing experience and would suggest doing the same instead of taking a big tour. I hope you incorporate some of these into your Vietnam trip. If you need any help navigating your plans, get in touch with me and we will go through it together.Sapa
Hoi An
Ho Chi Min City
