Vietnam: towering karsts, lantern towns & dynamic cities

Hanoi

The layered capital of narrow old streets, lakes and faded colonial grandeur.

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia and wears its layered history openly. The Old Quarter is a dense tangle of narrow streets, each historically dedicated to a single trade, alive with motorbikes, street vendors and tube houses. Tree-lined boulevards and ochre French colonial buildings give parts of the city a faded European air.

Lakes punctuate the urban fabric, with Hoan Kiem Lake and its small red bridge forming the symbolic heart of the city. Street food culture is central to daily life, eaten on low plastic stools along the pavements. The pace, density and constant motion of the Old Quarter make it most rewarding to wander on foot, particularly in the early morning and after dark.

Where to take photos

• Hoan Kiem Lake — a calm central lake with the red Huc Bridge leading to a temple on a small island, serene at dawn.
• Old Quarter — a maze of trade streets thick with motorbikes, vendors and tube houses, best explored slowly on foot.
• Train Street — a narrow residential lane where a working railway passes within feet of cafes and homes.
• Temple of Literature — Vietnam's first university, a serene walled complex of courtyards, gateways and ponds.

Hoi An

A preserved trading port lit with silk lanterns along a riverside old town.

Hoi An was a major Southeast Asian trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries, and its remarkably intact old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The architecture blends Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and European influences in a compact, vehicle-free riverside core of wooden shophouses, assembly halls and a famous covered bridge. Much of it is painted a distinctive weathered yellow.

Silk lanterns define the town after dark, filling the streets and reflecting in the Thu Bon River, especially during the monthly full-moon lantern festival when electric lights are dimmed. Nearby beaches and surrounding rice paddies add variety. The pedestrian old town is at its calmest at dawn before the crowds and at its most magical at dusk when the lanterns come on.

Where to take photos

• Japanese Covered Bridge — an ornate 18th-century covered bridge that is the town's emblem and best-loved landmark.
• Hoi An Ancient Town — vehicle-free streets of yellow shophouses and assembly halls, lit by lanterns at night.
• Thu Bon River — the riverfront where lantern light reflects on the water and small boats carry floating candles.
• An Bang Beach — a stretch of palm-backed sand a short ride from the old town, quiet at sunrise.

Ninh Binh

An inland landscape of towering limestone karsts rising from rivers and rice fields.

Ninh Binh province, south of Hanoi, is often described as an inland version of Halong Bay, where dramatic limestone karsts rise sheer from flooded rice paddies and slow rivers. The Trang An landscape complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site combining the karst scenery with caves, temples and historical sites of Vietnam's ancient capital. The region is easily reached as a day trip or overnight from Hanoi.

Visitors explore the waterways by small rowing boats that thread between the cliffs and through low river caves, the quintessential experience of the area. Viewpoints such as the climb at Hang Mua open sweeping panoramas over the karsts and the winding Ngo Dong River. Rice fields turn deep green and then gold across the growing season, remaking the look of the landscape.

Where to take photos

• Trang An — a UNESCO karst landscape explored by rowing boat through caves and past riverside temples.
• Hang Mua — a steep stairway climb to a hilltop viewpoint overlooking the Ngo Dong River winding through the karsts.
• Tam Coc — a river route by sampan between towering cliffs and rice paddies, deep green or gold by season.
• Bich Dong Pagoda — a multi-tiered temple built into a karst hillside, reached past lotus ponds.

Hue

The former imperial capital, home to a walled citadel and riverside royal tombs.

Hue was the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945 and remains the country's foremost repository of imperial heritage. Its centerpiece is a vast walled and moated Citadel containing the Imperial City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site modeled in part on the Forbidden City. Much was damaged in 20th-century conflict but extensive restoration continues.

The Perfume River runs through the city, lined with pagodas and leading to the elaborate tombs of the Nguyen emperors set in landscaped grounds outside town. Hue has a more measured, refined feel than Vietnam's larger cities, and its cuisine is distinctively royal and varied. Mist and the river's reflections lend a soft, dreamlike quality to many of its monuments.

Where to take photos

• Imperial City — a vast walled citadel of palaces, gates and courtyards modeled on a Chinese forbidden city.
• Thien Mu Pagoda — a seven-tiered riverside pagoda on a hill above the Perfume River, an icon of the city.
• Royal Tombs — elaborate landscaped mausoleums of the Nguyen emperors set in gardens outside the city.
• Perfume River — the waterway threading through Hue, traveled by dragon boats and softened by morning mist.

Da Lat

A cool highland retreat of pine forests, flower farms and French villas.

Da Lat sits at around 1,500 meters in the Central Highlands, where its elevation gives it a temperate, spring-like climate that contrasts sharply with the tropical lowlands. Developed by the French as a hill station, it retains colonial villas, a notable train station and a lakeside center surrounded by pine-clad hills. The cool air made it a longtime escape from the coastal heat.

The surrounding region is intensively cultivated with flower farms, vegetable greenhouses and coffee and strawberry plantations, and waterfalls tumble through the hills nearby. Da Lat has also developed a quirky reputation for offbeat architecture and themed attractions. In the early hours, fog drifts over the valleys and lakes and gives the highland landscape an ethereal calm.

Where to take photos

• Xuan Huong Lake — a curving lake at the city's heart, ringed by gardens and reflecting the surrounding hills.
• Da Lat Railway Station — a preserved art-deco French colonial station, one of the most distinctive in the country.
• Linh Phuoc Pagoda — an elaborate temple decorated entirely in mosaics of broken glass and ceramic.
• Datanla and Pongour Falls — multi-tiered waterfalls in the forested hills around the city.

Ho Chi Minh City

The country's largest, fastest city, blending colonial landmarks and frenetic streets.

Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, is Vietnam's largest and most economically dynamic city, a sprawling southern metropolis of relentless energy. Its central District 1 mixes grand French colonial landmarks, such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office, with rising glass towers and dense, motorbike-choked streets. The pace and scale dwarf the rest of the country.

The city carries weighty modern history, recorded at the War Remnants Museum and the nearby Cu Chi tunnels. Street markets, rooftop bars overlooking the Saigon River and round-the-clock street food define daily life. The constant flow of traffic, neon and commerce gives the city a relentless energy, most palpable after dark.

Where to take photos

• Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica — a red-brick French colonial cathedral with twin spires at the city's heart.
• Central Post Office — an ornate colonial-era post office beside the cathedral, with a vaulted interior hall.
• Ben Thanh Market — a bustling covered market of food, goods and produce stalls, busiest in the morning.
• Bui Vien Street — a frenetic nightlife strip of neon, bars and street food, alive after dark.

Nha Trang

A coastal resort city with a long beach, offshore islands and ancient Cham towers.

Nha Trang is a major coastal resort city on the south-central coast, known for a long crescent of beach backed by a high-rise promenade and a sheltered bay dotted with islands. It is one of Vietnam's most established seaside destinations, popular for swimming, diving and island-hopping boat trips out into the clear waters of the bay.

Beyond the beach, the hilltop Po Nagar Cham Towers, dating from around the 8th to 11th centuries, recall the ancient Champa civilization that once ruled the coast. Mud baths, offshore reefs and viewpoints over the bay round out the area. Sunrise over the sea and the sweep of the bay from elevated points are the most rewarding moments of the day.

Where to take photos

• Nha Trang Beach — a long curving city beach backed by palms and promenade, finest at sunrise over the sea.
• Po Nagar Cham Towers — hilltop brick towers of the ancient Champa kingdom overlooking the river mouth and bay.
• Hon Mun Island — an offshore marine area with clear water and reefs popular for snorkeling and diving.
• Long Son Pagoda — a temple with a large white seated Buddha on a hill above the city.

What to eat in Vietnam

Bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls)

Bánh cuốn are delicate steamed rice-flour crêpes rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushrooms, topped with fried shallots and served with nuoc cham.

Egg coffee (cà phê trứng)

A glass of Hanoi egg coffee, strong coffee topped with a thick, creamy whipped egg-yolk foam dusted with cocoa. This rich, dessert-like drink is a signature of the capital's café culture.

More guides to explore

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An Travel Guide: Lantern-Lit Streets & the Ancient Town

Can Tho, Vietnam

Can Tho Travel Guide: Floating Markets of the Mekong Delta

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi in 3 Days: An Old Quarter Itinerary