Vietnam Travel Guide: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An & Where to Go in 2026

If you only have one or two weeks, pick two regions and connect them with a domestic flight. The north (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Ha Giang) is best from November to April — cool, dry, mountainous, deep Vietnamese culture, and the country's most cinematic landscapes. Central Vietnam (Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue) is best February to August — old imperial capital, lantern-lit Hoi An nights, the country's best beach weather. The south (Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc) is best December to April — chaotic energy, French colonial layers, floating markets. A classic 14-day route: 3–4 days Hanoi/Halong, 4 days Hoi An, 3 days Saigon/Mekong. Skip the temptation to do all three in 10 days.

Citizens of around 90 countries — including France (45 days, extended to March 2028), Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and most Nordic countries — can enter Vietnam visa-free for short stays (15–45 days depending on nationality). Citizens of countries not on the visa-exemption list, including the US, Canada, Australia, India, and Russia, need either an e-Visa (90 days, single or multiple entry, applied online via the official Vietnamese government portal, around $25–50) or a traditional embassy visa. Always check current rules before booking flights — Vietnam updates its visa policy frequently. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry, and you'll need proof of onward travel.

Halong Bay is still extraordinary — 1,600 limestone karsts rising out of emerald water, a UNESCO site for good reason — but the day-trip routes from Hanoi are now overcrowded with junk boats and floating tourist circuits. Two ways around this: book an overnight cruise (not a day trip) so you're on the water at dawn after the day boats leave, or skip Halong entirely and head to Lan Ha Bay just south, which has equally dramatic karst scenery and a fraction of the visitors. Lan Ha is accessed via Cat Ba Island. For the truly off-the-radar option, Bai Tu Long Bay further north is what Halong looked like 20 years ago. Avoid July–August: rough seas often cancel cruises.

Vietnamese food is regional — each major city has its own dish you can't get right anywhere else. Hanoi for pho bo (the original beef pho, especially at Pho Gia Truyen on Bat Dan), bun cha (grilled pork with noodles — try the spot Obama and Anthony Bourdain made famous, Bun Cha Huong Lien), and egg coffee invented at Cafe Giang. Hue for bun bo Hue — the country's most complex noodle soup. Hoi An for cao lau, the local noodle dish you literally can't replicate elsewhere (the water comes from one specific Cham-era well). Saigon for the southern, sweeter, more herb-heavy version of everything, plus banh mi (Banh Mi Huynh Hoa for the iconic one). Street food is safer than most restaurants — busy stalls with high turnover, watch the cook, follow the locals.

Two windows to avoid if you can. September to November in central Vietnam — typhoon season hits Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang hardest, often causing flooding that closes riverside Hoi An and disrupts flights. The week of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), which falls late January or February — much of the country shuts down for family celebrations, intercity transport gets impossible, and prices spike. Book around it or visit elsewhere. The deep summer (July–August) brings heavy rain to both north and south but is fine in central Vietnam and Phu Quoc. If the dates are flexible, late October to early December and March to early May are the sweet spots for a north-to-south itinerary in one trip.