Vietnam
Asia · Hanoi · VN
Vietnam traces a long, sinuous S-shape along the South China Sea, where emerald waters lap at the bow of fishing junks in Ha Long Bay and ancient lanterns dangle from shopfronts in Hoi An's narrow lanes. The country's landscapes shift with dizzying speed: limestone karsts give way to pine-covered highlands, flat rice deltas, and wild jungle clinging to central mountain passes. In Hanoi, the clatter of mahjong tiles mixes with the hiss of banh mi grills on every corner, while Hue's imperial citadel whispers of a dynasty that once ruled from behind vermilion gates. Ho Chi Minh City pulses with motorbike traffic and rooftop cocktail bars, yet just beyond its ring roads, farmers wade through paddies that look unchanged from a century ago, and the long coastline hides coves that still feel nearly deserted. Vietnam's energy is kinetic, its cuisine fiery, and its people unfailingly generous.
Overview
Vietnam is a country in Asia. Its capital is Hanoi and the international dialling code is +84. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Vietnamese. Local currency is the Vietnamese Đồng (VND). Our guide covers 2 airports, including Noi Bai International Airport, Tan Son Nhat International Airport. We also list 2 cities in Vietnam: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Ha Long Bay's Emerald Waters
Cruising through Ha Long Bay at first light, when the limestone karsts emerge from a veil of mist like sleeping giants, is a moment that recalibrates your sense of beauty. The bay contains nearly two thousand islands, each one a steep-sided pillar of ancient limestone draped in jungle vegetation. Drifting past caves dripping with stalactites, your sampan guide points out hidden lagoons accessible only through narrow rock arches. After anchoring in a quiet cove, kayaking brings you face to face with the textures of the rock walls and the still, green mirror of the water. In the afternoon, a floating village of houseboats appears around a bend, where fishermen haul nets and children paddle between vessels on tiny wooden craft. As evening falls, squid fishermen hang glowing lanterns from bamboo poles and the karsts turn to dark silhouettes.
Hoi An's Lantern-Lit Old Town
Hoi An's ancient town is a perfectly preserved pocket of Southeast Asian trading history, where mustard-yellow merchant houses line narrow streets paved with brick and shaded by bougainvillea. At dusk, hundreds of silk lanterns in every color flicker to life along the Thu Bon River, their reflections rippling in the slow-moving water. Crossing the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, you pass tailors offering custom suits stitched in twenty-four hours and cafes serving ca phe den da over ice. On the fourteenth of each lunar month, the town switches off its electric lights entirely, leaving only candlelight and lantern glow to illuminate the old facades. Boatmen release paper lanterns onto the river as a gesture of hope, and the entire scene becomes a meditation on light, color, and the quiet magic of a town that has not hurried to modernize.
Hue's Imperial Citadel
Behind the moated walls of Hue's Imperial Citadel, the scale of the Nguyen Dynasty's ambition becomes clear. The Ngo Mon Gate opens onto a series of courtyards lined with stone dragons and ceramic mosaics, leading to the Thai Hoa Palace where emperors once held court beneath lacquered columns. Restorative gardens within the citadel walls offer an unexpected sense of calm, with lotus ponds, stone bridges, and pagodas hidden among rows of trimmed hedges. Outside the main complex, the royal tombs scattered along the Perfume River each tell a different story: Tu Duc's tomb is a miniature landscape of artificial lakes and poetry-inscribed pavilions, while Khai Dinh's combines Vietnamese and European influences in dramatic dark stone. Taking a dragon boat along the river at sunset, with incense drifting from village pagodas on the banks, connects you to a more contemplative version of Vietnamese history.
Phong Nha's Cave Labyrinth
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park conceals some of the largest cave systems ever discovered, hidden beneath a landscape of jungle-covered limestone ridges in central Vietnam. Entering Phong Nha Cave by boat, the river carries you deep underground into a cathedral-sized chamber where stalactites hang like chandeliers and the sound of dripping water echoes off walls that have been forming for millions of years. For the adventurous, the overnight expedition into Son Doong Cave takes you through a passage so vast that it contains its own weather system and a jungle of ferns and palms growing beneath a collapsed ceiling. Even without the extreme treks, the park's blue-green rivers and jungle trails feel untouched. Local guides, whose families have lived among these karsts for generations, point out rare langurs in the canopy and explain the geology with infectious enthusiasm.
Hanoi's Train Street and Pho Stalls
Hanoi's Train Street is a narrow residential alley where a working railway line passes just inches from the doorways of houses and tiny cafes. Twice a day, residents pull in laundry, fold up chairs, and press against the walls as a train rumbles through at walking speed, its horn echoing off the buildings. Before the train arrives, you might sip egg coffee at a metal table wedged between two doorways, watching cats dart across the tracks. A few blocks away, the Old Quarter's pho stalls serve bowls of beef pho that have been simmering since dawn: the broth is deeply fragrant with star anise and cinnamon, ladled over rice noodles and topped with fresh herbs, lime, and chili. Sitting on a plastic stool on the sidewalk, slurping noodles while motorbikes weave past, is as authentically Hanoian as it gets.
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- Capital
- Hanoi
- Currency
- Vietnamese Đồng (VND)
- Languages
- Vietnamese
- Calling code
- +84
- Internet TLD
- vn
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Vietnam.
Which nationalities can enter Vietnam?
Current visa status for tourism for the origins we cover, with links to the detailed requirements.
Airports (2)
All airports →Cities (2)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit Vietnam?
For the origins we track, Vietnam requires a visa for tourism (Morocco: e-visa and United States: e-visa). Entry rules depend on your passport, so confirm the current requirements for your own nationality with our entry requirements tool.
What is the capital of Vietnam?
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, and the country sits in Asia.
What currency is used in Vietnam?
You pay with Vietnamese Đồng (VND) in Vietnam. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Vietnam?
The languages we list for Vietnam are Vietnamese. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Vietnam?
The dialling code for Vietnam is +84 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which airports serve Vietnam?
We cover 2 airports for Vietnam, including Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).
Which cities in Vietnam do you cover?
Our guide lists 2 cities for Vietnam: Hanoi (capital) and Ho Chi Minh City.