Destinations
Where to go, and how to get there
Twenty places across the three regions. Where a route guide exists, the card takes you straight to it — named operators, real pickup addresses, prices in dong.
The North
8 PLACESSa Pa
The North · photo to come
Sa Pa
Rice terraces at 1,600 m, and the valley villages below the town.
How to get there →
Ninh Bình
The North · photo to come
Ninh Bình
Limestone towers rising straight out of the rice fields. Halong on land.
How to get there →
Hà Giang
The North · photo to come
Hà Giang
The loop everyone talks about, on the roads closest to the Chinese border.
How to get there →
Cát Bà
The North · photo to come
Cát Bà
The big island in Lan Hạ bay — quieter water, fewer boats than Hạ Long.
How to get there →
Mai Châu
The North · photo to come
Mai Châu
A flat green valley of stilt houses, close enough for a weekend from Hà Nội.
How to get there →
Hạ Long
The North · photo to come
Hạ Long
guide soonThe famous bay. Worth it if you pick the right boat and the right night.
Mộc Châu
The North · photo to come
Mộc Châu
guide soonTea hills and plum blossom, on the road west towards Laos.
Cao Bằng
The North · photo to come
Cao Bằng
guide soonBản Giốc falls on the border, and some of the emptiest roads in the country.
Central
6 PLACESHội An
Central · photo to come
Hội An
The lantern-lit old town, the tailors, and An Bàng beach fifteen minutes away.
How to get there →
Huế
Central · photo to come
Huế
The imperial citadel, the tombs along the Perfume river, and the best bún bò.
How to get there →
Đà Nẵng
Central · photo to come
Đà Nẵng
guide soonWhere most Central trips land: long beach, cheap food, the Hải Vân pass north.
Phong Nha
Central · photo to come
Phong Nha
guide soonThe largest caves on earth, in a national park most itineraries skip.
Quy Nhơn
Central · photo to come
Quy Nhơn
guide soonThe coast Nha Trang was thirty years ago. Chăm towers and empty sand.
Nha Trang
Central · photo to come
Nha Trang
guide soonA full-scale resort city. Good for diving, islands, and doing very little.
The South
6 PLACESĐà Lạt
The South · photo to come
Đà Lạt
Pine forest, cool nights and coffee farms, five hours up from the coast.
How to get there →
Mũi Né
The South · photo to come
Mũi Né
Red and white sand dunes, and the country's steadiest wind for kitesurfing.
How to get there →
Phú Quốc
The South · photo to come
Phú Quốc
The big southern island — resorts on one coast, fishing towns on the other.
How to get there →
Hồ Chí Minh City
The South · photo to come
Hồ Chí Minh City
guide soonSaigon. Where most southern trips start, and where the street food is loudest.
Cần Thơ
The South · photo to come
Cần Thơ
guide soonThe Mekong delta hub. Go for the floating market, and go before sunrise.
Côn Đảo
The South · photo to come
Côn Đảo
guide soonA remote prison island turned marine park. Hard to reach, which is the point.