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Hanoi, Vietnam
The country’s capital city, home to the Vietnamese government and resting place
of the great leader, Ho Chi Minh himself. The city retains many French
influences and is home to several lakes and a busy little old quarter where most
backpackers tend to congregate. Although it is smaller than Ho Chi Minh City in
the south, many travellers find Hanoi more interesting and more welcoming.
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Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam
Hanoi is also the closest point on the route to the amazing Ha Long Bay,
Vietnam’s biggest natural wonder with its beautiful emerald waters and literally
thousands of limestone islets. Take a 2-3 hour bus or train to Haiphong and get
a boat to the bay from there. You can either backtrack to Hanoi after that and
start out on the reunification express or take a bus to Ninh Binh from Haiphong
taking roughly 3 hours.
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Ninh Bình, Vietnam
Unremarkable but ridiculously friendly town. Get ready for locals, especially
children coming to say hello to you in the street. It is a short moto or cycle
to the caves at Tam Coc, which are the main reason travellers come to Ninh Binh.
You could just stay for one day and see Tam Coc, which is like an inland version
of Ha Long Bay. However the area is great for cycling or long walks in the
countryside so an extra day may be worth it. By night, there’s not much to do in
Ninh Binh except head to a local restaurant or bar and enjoy some Vietnamese
food, and maybe a few beers with the locals.
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Đồng Hới, Vietnam
Many travellers choose to skip Dong Hoi and instead do the night train from Ninh
Binh to Hue but if you do stop here, you can visit the stunning 55 km long Phong
Nha Cave.
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Huế, Vietnam
The city is popular with anyone backpacking Vietnam and travellers tend to
gather in a small section of town near the wide and curiously coloured Perfume
River. The old Imperial City complex isn’t particularly amazing but is the main
attraction in this city which seems to get the worst of Vietnam’s wet season. It
regularly rains here for days on end but there are some excellent traditional
Vietnamese restaurants and lively Western bars to stay dry in. Central Vietnam
is also where a lot of the most fierce fighting took place during the War. There
are plenty of sites relating to the Vietnam War nearby which you may find
fascinating or otherwise, depending on your interest levels in the conflict,
known as the American War in these parts.
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Da Nang, Vietnam
Da Nang is a big city but has few sights. For most travellers it simply serves
as a gateway to nearby Hoi An, around a 20 minute taxi or moto ride from Da Nang
Station (shouldn’t cost much more than $5).
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Hội An, Vietnam
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Quy Nhon, Vietnam
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Nha Trang, Vietnam
Vietnam’s biggest seaside resort destination. The beach here is actually quite
dirty and there are much nicer offerings elsewhere in the country, but it is
long and has plenty of water sport options including kite-surfing. The nightlife
is livelier here than in most other stops on this route with popular bars such
as Why Not Bar and a decent one on the beach open until well into early hours*
(it can be very hard to find places that stay open after midnight in Vietnamese
cities). Some travellers find Nha Trang a little bit seedy, but there is a
beautiful temple near the train station if you want a slightly more cultural
experience.
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Da Lat, Vietnam
You can also do the trip to the mountain town of Da Lat from Nha Trang although
it is quite a long journey (3-4 hours) on winding roads. The fresh mountain air
is a pleasant contrast to the heat and humidity of the coast and there’s some
wonderful countryside to explore. If you do visit, there are affordable tourist
buses that will take you directly from Da Lat to Mui Ne beach.
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Mũi Né, Vietnam
Mui Ne isn’t really a town, more like a long coastal road about 20 km or so long
with many hostels, hotels and restaurants dotted around it. The beach is quiet
and very relaxing, while the hot sand dunes are perhaps what the area is most
famous for and great for exploring, although avoid the middle of the afternoon
when your feet will burn!
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Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
When backpacking through Vietnam, most travellers head here either first or last
(you could easily do the Vietnam route outlined on this page in reverse). It is
the biggest, and by some distance most westernised city in the country but it is
a bit manic with crowded roads full of motorbikes.