From must-do activities in Vietnam like cruising around Halong Bay or crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels to brag-worthy feats like drinking snake wine or scuba diving in the Phu Quoc Island, here are 100+ incredible things to do in Vietnam.

See how many you can check off on your trip in Vietnam.

Things to do in North Vietnam

HANOI

• Ride a classic cyclo, Vietnam’s ubiquitous three-wheel bicycle taxis: Ignoring the gaggles (for want of a better collective noun) of cyclos carrying tour groups, which clog up streets all over Hoan Kiem district, I’m a fan of cyclo rides and think it’s worth taking a cyclo for an hour or so at the start of a visit to Hanoi
• Tuck into a bowl of steaming Pho at a street-side restaurant in Hanoi: “Crouching on tiny plastic stools in a back alley of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, dripping with sweat in the scorching heat, shaded only by a thick tangle of telephone wires overhead, we blissfully slurped our unidentified Vietnamese soup. It is a moment I’ll never forget — and a meal that will live on in my mind as one of life’s greatest.” 
• Watch a traditional water puppet show in Hanoi.
• Light incense at the famous Perfume Pagoda, one of Vietnam’s most famous Buddhist shrines.
• Try Vietnam’s scariest beverage, Snake Wine – if you dare.
• Take a street food tour of Hanoi.
• Hire a motorbike and zoom along the city streets.
• Pay your respects to the founder of unified Vietnam at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex in Hanoi.

• Walk down Hanoi’s famous train street

See more 40+ incredible things to do in Hanoi

NORTH WEST (SAPA – HA GIANG – MU CANG CHAI -CAO BANG)

• Hiking through the Sapa Hills
• Conquer Vietnam’s highest mountain peak, Fansipan.
• Photograph the spectacular rice terraces surrounding Sa Pa, Mu Cang Chai or Ha Giang
• Attending Love Market in Sapa and try their traditional dance : Múa Sạp

Mu Cang Chai – Spectacular terrace field in Vietnam

• Ride Motocycle to breathtaking terraced lanscape and winding roads in Ha Giang province. 

• Eating five-colored sticky Rice of The Tay Ethnic group in Sapa, Ha Giang.

• Cloud-hunting Trip in Y Ty – an adventure to another world: The experience of motorbike road trip to Y Ty – the foggy land with gorgeous terraced fields and charming beauty – was an amazing journey and I loved every minute of it.
• Take a hill tribe trek through the Sapa Valley.

Cloud Hunting in Y Ty, Vietnam

And what more in Sapa

• Find the pool with the view: one of the most unique hotels in Vietnam and with their new infinity pool overlooking the terraced rice fields outside of Sapa on the far north of Vietnam, it has to be one of the most incredible pools in the world.

• Visit Ban Gioc Waterfall – one of the four largest waterfall on earth in Cao Bang Province

HALONG BAY

• Ride a seaplane over Halong Bay.
• Take a cruise around Halong Bay on a Junk boat.
• Jump off a boat in Halong Bay: take some time to jump off your boat into the warm waters of the bay. It will give you an entire new perspective of how tall those limestone cliffs

Enjoy Halong Cruise

NINH BINH

• Get off-the-beaten-track and explore the natural grottoes of Tam Coc.
• Hike through the Cuc Phuong National Park.
• Ride a board in Trang An Grottoes
• Visit Bai Dinh, Ninh Binh – the largest religious pagoda complex in Vietnam 

A corner of Bai Dinh Pagoda, Ninh Binh, Vietnam 

 See more: This is why North Vietnam attracts people all year round

MAI CHAU – MOC CHAU

• Cycling through the rice paddy fields in Mai Chau, stopping only to take a dip in a fresh-water stream or to let a herd of buffalo cross the road, is one of the most relaxing activities you will do in Vietnam.

Things to do in Central Vietnam 

• Ride the Hai Van Pass on a motorbike: The Hai Van Pass and coastal road between Hue and Hoi An is one of the most fun rides in Vietnam. Whether you have your own bike or choose to sit on the back of someone else’s (you can hire motorbike drivers called Easy Riders to take you along the route), this 200km stretch of spectacular coastline is a thrilling ride full of hair pin bends, narrow roads and even a change in climate as you pass from North to South.

HUE

• Discover Hue’s UNESCO-listed Imperial City.
• Check out Vietnam’s tallest temple, the seven-story Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue.
• Visit Elephant Springs: Slide into the natural pools at Elephant Springs is unique things to do in Vietnam. It’s the kind of place you would never find unless a local told you exactly where it is. Elephant Springs is essentially a network of natural springs, that flow into  a series of pools that are used like swimming pools. Entire families congregate here at weekends, singing, eating and enjoying each others company. 
• Cruise on the Huong River

Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue, Vietnam

HOI AN

• Be a farmer in a day in Tra Que Herbal Village

• Take a bike ride of Hoi An’s charming Old Town.
• Get a suit or dress tailor-made in Hoi An: Hoi An has a reputation for being a tailoring mecca.You can have talored clothes within just 24 -48 hours and at reasonable prices. 

• Attend Lantern Festival in a fullmoon day:  The tranquil little town is so full of colour that it can be difficult to believe it’s all for real. Walking through the streets, which smell of incense and fresh flowers (that grow up the side of the ancient buildings), you get the immediate feeling you are in a very special place. You can buy paper lanterns on the main bridge or anywhere along the river, light them and set them to sail down the river. 

• Visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of My Son.

DA NANG

• Try banh mi the world’s best sandwich

Banh My Phuong in Danang, Vietnam

Diving in Cham Island, Danang, Vietnam

QUANG BINH

• Quang Noodle with Chicken Ba Mua
• Stroll through the spectacular Paradise Cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park – home to some of the world’s oldest karst formations (limestone hills) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Do Zipline in world’s longest zip-line in Phong Nha -Ke Bang National Park.
• Trekking through Spectacular  Vietnam’s Tu Lan cave system, nearby Hang Son Doong Cave  and camp in the lush, primary jungle near Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

Zipline in Phong Nha – Ke Bang

Things to do in Southern Vietnam 

NHA TRANG

• Definitely going to go to the mud baths: Sitting in a tub of mud feels as weird as it sounds, but it has become a quintessential Nha Trang trip. The mud is purported to have all sorts of healthy, healing properties.
• Try scuba diving in Nha Trang.,Cham Island, Phu Quoc

MUI NE

• Go sandboarding down the Mui Ne sand dunes.
  Ride a dug-out canoe around Lak Lake.

• Go Quad Biking in Mui Ne: The sand dunes of Mui Ne are hauntingly beautiful, a real contrast to the rolling green hills and rice paddies to be found in the rest of the country

DA LAT

• Canyoning: What is canyoning? Da Lat is a great place to learn what it is first hand. You’ll navigate your way down a canyon and waterfalls by abseiling (aka rappelling), scrambling, zip lining, jumping and swimming. No previous experience required, just a little .
• See Sakura Cherry Blossom in December
• Take a backroads motorbike trip.

Sakura Cherry Blossom in Dalat, Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY

• Crawl through the famous Cu Chi Tunnels on a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City.
• Experience Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage with a show at the Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh.
• Learn about Vietnam’s turbulent war years at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.
• Hunt for bargains at the markets of Ho Chi Minh City.
• Savor the unique flavors of Vietnamese cuisine with a cooking class.
• Attend a traditional Vietnamese wedding.
• Ride the scenic Reunification Express train all the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city and admire Hai Van Pass
• Purchase some typical Vietnamese souvenirs, like a conical hat, a tailored silk blouse or local handicrafts.
• Look down over Ho Chi Minh City from the Saigon Skydeck.
• Join the festivities at the vibrant Tet Festival, the Vietnamese New Year.

MEKONG DELTA

• Visit the Cai Rang floating market on a cruise along the Mekong Delta.
• Enjoy wildlife spotting and bird watching in the UNESCO-listed Can Gio Biosphere Reserve.
• Try foul-smelling – the unique of Durian is one of the symbols of Mekong delta 
• Standing on giant lotus leaves in Dong Thap’s temple
• Take a steamy bath in the Thanh Tan Hot Springs.
• Enjoy a traditional foot massage while lounging on the beach.

PHU QUOC

• Try lobsters are considered the most delicious and cheapest in Vietnam.

Lobster in Phu Quoc

OTHERS

• Attend one of Vietnam’s unique cultural festivals like the Elephant Racing Festival in Tay Nguyen, the Huong Pagoda Festival or the Le Mat Snake Village Festival.

• Top up your tan at the white sand beaches of Phu Quoc island, Mui Ne, An Bang Beach.
• Enjoy a glass of the world’s cheapest beer

• Eat fetal duck eggs
• Duck egg fetuses, fresh fish having the life fried out of them in front of your eyes, crickets, and dog meat are just four of the culinary options at your feet. 

How deep of an experience do you have in Vietnam?

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