Language · 11 published
Country guide
Vietnam covers 331,344.82 km² and its 2025 population estimate is 102,300,000, held mostly in two river deltas at opposite ends of a long, narrow country: the Red River in the north around Hanoi, the Mekong in the south below Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is the capital and Ho Chi Minh City the largest city, and the ground between the two is the trip — a coast measured in days rather than hours, usually broken into three or four stops instead of run in one go. Which end a traveller starts from decides the order of everything after it.
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Clay Gilliland · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph · NKSTTSSHNVN · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Cuong Tran · Public domain
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
100 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Bui Vien Walking Street is the dominant backpacker nightlife street in Ho Chi Minh City and a nationally recognised visitor district. Located in District 1, it forms the western anchor of the city's backpacker quarter alongside Pham Ngu Lao Street.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
A north-to-south first trip needs about two weeks; with ten days, choose two regions such as Hanoi and the centre or Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight trains and domestic flights shorten distance but still consume transfer time.
Apply through Vietnam’s official electronic-visa portal if the passport and trip qualify. Confirm the approved entry point, validity dates and permitted stay before finalising the route, because an authorisation tied to one crossing should not be assumed valid for another.
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are the key gateways for common itineraries. Domestic flights, the north-south railway and coaches connect regions; local systems vary, so use licensed taxis or recognised booking channels and verify the correct station or terminal.
Vietnam’s north, central coast and south have different wet and dry periods. Choose travel dates around the most weather-sensitive region: central beach conditions, northern mountain visibility and southern rainfall cannot be summarised by one nationwide “best month.”
The Vietnamese đồng is the recorded currency, and the high denomination numbers deserve a deliberate check before payment. Cash remains useful for small vendors and local transport; use reputable ATMs or banks and verify each zero on quoted VND prices.
Police, fire and ambulance are recorded as 113, 114 and 115; common power is Type A and C at 220 V. Tap-water advice is Not recorded here, so ask locally and keep transport-provider details available for long rail or coach journeys.
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