31 Cosas Imprescindibles Que Hacer en Vietnam
El Vietnam actual es un país ocupado y ruidoso, que corre para mantenerse al día con el progreso de China al norte y Tailandia al oeste. Aunque a veces puede ser confuso e irritante, pronto descubrirás un país con un pasado rico y doloroso que mira hacia un futuro brillante y esperanzador.
Desafortunadamente, el famoso conflicto de los años 60 y 70 sigue dominando cualquier búsqueda en Google que hagas sobre Vietnam, pero hay mucho más que explorar aquí.
En esta guía, hemos seleccionado las 31 mejores cosas que hacer en Vietnam para que tengas una mejor idea de los mejores lugares que ver en el país. Comenzaremos con Hanoi en el norte y terminaremos con HCMC y el Delta del Mekong en el sur.
Reservas: Algunos de los enlaces en este artículo son enlaces de afiliados. Esto significa que si decides hacer una reserva, recibiremos una pequeña comisión sin costo adicional para ti. ¡Gracias!
Las Mejores Cosas Que Hacer en Vietnam
Visitamos Vietnam durante 3 meses e incluso terminamos viviendo a mitad de camino.
1. Explora la Ciudad Vieja de Hanoi
La caótica capital vietnamita, con más de 8 millones de habitantes, es una de las ciudades más grandes del sudeste asiático. La Ciudad Vieja es el corazón de Hanoi y presenta calles estrechas y laberínticas llenas de motocicletas, autobuses y personas.
Para explorar realmente la Ciudad Vieja, debes alejarte de las principales calles turísticas y aventurarte en los callejones laterales. Aquí encontrarás pequeñas tiendas que han estado ejerciendo su oficio durante generaciones, desde platería de cobre hasta bienes eléctricos hechos a mano.
2. Visita el Lago Hoan Kiem
Este pintoresco lago se encuentra en el corazón de la ciudad y está rodeado por una leyenda mística. El lago está rodeado de árboles y parques y es un lugar perfecto para relajarse, trotar o simplemente empaparse de la atmósfera.
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Puedes ver la puerta roja 'Thăng Tiên' que se encuentra en una pequeña isla en medio del lago. Puedes cruzar la isla en bote si lo deseas.
3. Visita Sapa
Aproximadamente 350 km al oeste de Hanoi, en las montañas, se encuentra Sapa, un antiguo complejo de montaña francés que se ha convertido en un destino de trekking popular. Las principales rutas de senderismo son Trekking en Sapa.
El mejor tiempo en Sapa es de octubre a diciembre y de marzo a mayo, cuando el aire es despejado y tienes vistas espectaculares de las montañas y los arrozales.
Puedes alojarte en uno de los pueblos locales de los pueblos de la montaña. Esta es una excelente oportunidad para conocer su cultura y forma de vida tradicionales.
Out of all the historic things to do in Hanoi, don’t leave without visiting the ancient Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and the Vietnam Military War Museum. Both are located close to each other in the direction of the Ho Tay (West Lake) area to the north of the centre.
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While the War Museum is one of the most popular places to visit in Vietnam, the Imperial Citadel should also make it to your list of the top things to do in Hanoi. Located in the heart of Vietnam, it’s an 11th Century UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. Visita las Cuevas de Tam Coc
Puedes tomar un bote de remos y remar a través de las cuevas mientras un pescador local rema con los pies.
If you’re looking for the best things to do in Hanoi, consider booking a ticket to see the iconic Water puppet show.
Aproximadamente 170 km al oeste de Hanoi se encuentra el extraordinario área de la Bahía de Halong, uno de los lugares más hermosos para visitar en Vietnam. Alberga aproximadamente 2.000 islotes de piedra caliza impresionantes.
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To see the show head to Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi. For the best experience and the best seat, pre-book your skip-the-lines ticket in advance.
5. Trek Rice Fields in Sapa
La cueva a prueba de bombas de tres pisos, utilizada como hospital durante la guerra de Vietnam(Americana), alberga 17 habitaciones, incluida una antigua sala de operaciones y una cueva natural como cine.
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Trekking rice fields in Sapa is one of the most unique things to do in Vietnam that you don’t want to miss. This area is still home to many hill tribes and the ladies from the local villages can act as your personal trekking guides. This can often include a homestay at one of the nearby mountain villages such as Ta Van.
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The easiest way to get to Sapa is to take a sleeper train from Hanoi. Here’s our detailed guide on how to travel from central Hanoi to Sapa via Lao Cai on a Vietnamese sleeper train and bus.
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Take a day trip from Hanoi, spend a longer stay on a boat in the bay or venture over to Cat Ba Island just across the bay.
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If you decide to venture to the lush island, you can take the ferry from Halong Bay and stay for a day or two. We found many intriguing things to do in Cat Ba on our visit.
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When planning your things to do in Vietnam itinerary, don’t miss the stunning Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set amongst the limestone karsts, it's home to five amazing caves close by, including the world’s biggest cave (so they claim).
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To explore the smaller caves, stay in the small town of Phong Nha. Some cave visits require booking in advance so read up before you go.
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Said to be one of the most beautiful caves in Phong Nha (some claim in the world), the Paradise Cave can be explored independently. It’s one of those places to see in Vietnam that’s easy to reach and doesn’t require any special equipment to explore.
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Hue (pronounced ‘hway’) was once the capital of imperial Vietnam with power transferring to Hanoi in 1945, marking the end of imperial rule. Today you can explore what was once the inner sanctum known as the Forbidden Purple City.
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Alongside exploring the ghostly Purple City, be sure to hop on a bike to discover the ancient tombs of Hue or join one of the tours for convenience.
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With its UNESCO status, the well preserved narrow streets of the old town area draw visitors here to experience a past vision of Vietnam. There’s much to see and do in Hoi An’s old colonial town so be sure to stick around for a couple of days if not more.
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When visiting Hoi An, take some time to visit a complex of Hindu temples dedicated to the god Shiva. Erected in the 4th-13th century, earlier than the Angkor temples, it's a site that celebrates the unique Champa Kingdom that occupied coastal Vietnam at the time.
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Here you can enjoy the best of south-east Asia outdoors from hiking and climbing to canyoning. When it comes to active and adventurous things to do in Vietnam, hiking the tallest peak in Da Lat is one of them.
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The mix of weird and wonderful attractions makes Da Lat one of the most unique places to visit in Vietnam. But Da Lat is so much more than just bizarre things to see and do.
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Just off the main highway around halfway between Dalat and Ho Chi Minh City you’ll find the peace and tranquillity of Cat Tien National Park. It’s over 72,000 hectares of the wildly diverse park offering a range of safaris and hikes for visitors.
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In recent years, alongside the stunning landscape, boats that the locals row with feet have become a major attraction in the area. The flourishing tourism industry in Vietnam brought large numbers of curious travellers to the mythical Tam Coc.
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You can either take a day trip from Hanoi or stay in Tam Coc for a couple of days to explore, which we highly recommend. The best way to reach the village is by catching a taxi from Nim Binh.
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Nguyen Hue Walking Street - this is a wide plaza area in the middle of District 1, with the beautiful City Hall at one end, stretching down to the river at the other. It’s flanked on either side by some beautiful French colonial architecture and is a popular spot for locals to hang out in the evenings.
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Bui Vien Walking Street - is the Saigon's equivalent to Bangkok’s Khao San Road, packed with rowdy bars, spots to eat and regular offers of massages. It’s a fun area to have a wander through even if loud music and cheap booze isn’t your thing, just stay alert to the usual tourist scams on offer.
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When visiting HCMC, don’t miss the French-influenced Notre Dame Cathedral and the striking Post Office building. The latter, built by Gustave Eiffel, is still in operation at full capacity.
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The mighty Mekong river starts in the Himalayas and flows past China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Here, it splits into smaller rivers known as tributaries slowly moving into the sea.
It’s one of the most unique places to visit in Vietnam. With a tour or independently, spare at least two days to explore the wonders of the Nine Dragons River Delta.
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In the bigger towns and cities, you’ll find places to exchange your money. Most banks will offer this service but don’t forget to use a handy app like the XE Currency Exchange app to check you’re getting a decent rate on the go.
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The website 12GoAsia comes in handy for comparing and booking airfares across Southeast Asia to find you the cheapest or most convenient option. It will also link you up with rail and bus travel for an all in one travel option for Vietnam.
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We opted instead to take the public ferry to Cat Ba Island from the mainland and our tickets cost 70,000 VND ($3.15 USD) each for a one-way trip.
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Top Tip: To check information and routes we used the excellent Seat61.com rail travel website. Then we booked our Vietnam train tickets using the super friendly 12GoAsia website. Book online and there’s no need to print your tickets, just show them to the station staff before you board on your smartphone. No running around looking for a place to print anything. Nice.
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You can again use the friendly Vietnam travel website 12GoAsia to check times and prices for the major bus companies and show your tickets on your smartphone. Nice and simple.
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Obtain a visa on arrival at one of the 3 international airports in HCMC (Saigon), Hanoi or Dalat. To do this you will need a ‘letter of approval’ first. This is the route we took due to time restrictions and it avoids embassy visits but costs more.
Approval letters are available from agencies in person or online, however, there are many reports of bogus agencies that are happy to steal your money in return for a fake letter.
We used vietnamvisacenter.org online and had no issues. They are possibly not the cheapest but the service was quick and secure with clear English instructions and emails sent.
How much does a Vietnam visa cost?
As an example, we paid $45 per approval letter for a 3-month visa on the 1-day service. Then when you arrive at the airport in Vietnam head over to the ‘landing visa counter’ to obtain your visa. This cost us another $25 each for the ‘stamping fee’, it was a very nice stamp though.
So you can see that it was $70 each for a 3-month tourist visa but would certainly have cost less if we had taken option 1 at an embassy. Plus you can’t yet use this method if travelling via a land border.
Can you extend a Vietnam visa?
Officially it’s not currently possible to extend a tourist visa once you are inside Vietnam. However, during our 1 month plus stay in Hoi An we learnt of a few local agents that could possibly extend tourist visas.
As it transpired there were local elections taking place so extensions were not possible but that was set to change a few weeks later. Once you are in Vietnam ask around and it may be possible to extend your visa, and if not, there’s always the joy of a border run!
Health Issues in Vietnam
The number for emergency services in Vietnam is 115 from any local phone or cell phone.
Do you need travel insurance?
Make sure you are covered by good health insurance before visiting Vietnam. The country has both public and private hospitals and clinics. Foreigners will generally use the private option where available but it will need paying for.
Do you need injections for Vietnam?
Seek the advice of your healthcare provider before travelling to Vietnam, particularly if you are visiting more rural areas of the country. Getting vaccinated can take several weeks for a course of 2 or 3 injections if needed.
Do you need to take malaria tablets for Vietnam?
There is a low to no risk status for the majority of Vietnam but it’s advisable to take precautions against insect bites. You can find a handy malaria map and further advice by following the link. Again, seek advice before you go as above.
Can you drink tap water in Vietnam?
Do not drink tap water anywhere in Vietnam. Also, be cautious with ice in drinks as this can be made from untreated tap water. Bottled water is cheap and available pretty much everywhere.
Is street food safe in Vietnam?
When eating out use your common sense and avoid anywhere that looks unclean or poorly maintained. We would encourage you to try some street food, very often these spots are cleaner than restaurants where the kitchen is hidden.
At many local food joints, you’ll see some cut-up limes on the table. Wipe these over your forks or chopsticks to help sterilise them, it’s what the locals do. Then don’t forget to squeeze the remaining juice onto your food for even more flavour.
The two times we had a bad stomach bug in 3 months in Vietnam it was from a ‘western-style’ restaurant which says a lot. Higher prices do not always mean higher standards!
When is the Best Time to Visit Vietnam?
Vietnam is a long country, stretching from China down towards the equator, temperature and climate can vary dramatically. This means that there is no one ideal time to visit the whole country weather-wise.
Split Vietnam into 3 sections for the best weather months:
North (Hanoi, Sapa, Cat Ba Island) – October, November and December have less rain and clearer views. We were here in March and it was rather cold and misty.
Middle (Hue, Danang, Nha Trang) – January through to July for dry days with lower more comfortable temperatures.
South (Saigon, Mekong Delta) – November through to February/March are dry and slightly less hot.
Top Travel Tip: If you are travelling the whole length of the country light clothes will see you through most of it. Anything that will dry quickly is great, it can be hard to avoid the occasional storm. An umbrella can be useful too.
You might need warmer clothes for the northern areas. We picked up a couple of jackets in Hanoi for a few dollars each. Remember: don’t overpack!