Cruise Tours in Vietnam

With 1,600 limestone towers rising from its turquoise waters, Halong Bay is rightly considered one of Vietnam’s most beautiful spots. As a result, it’s on every visitor's list – and hundreds of boats offer cruise trips every day. The bay is huge, but it can still feel crowded.

Bai Tu Long Bay, just a few miles away, offers the same jaw-dropping scenery but sees only a fraction of the visitors. Here, you can explore uncrowded caves and tiny beaches, and feast on super-fresh succulent seafood.
Boat trips to Bai Tu Long Bay leave from the crowded dock at Halong City, just like the ones to Halong Bay. But you'll head off in the opposite direction, to where the islands are a little less taller and a little more spread out – but, according to locals, are just like what those in Halong Bay used to be like.

Here is the full Ha Long Travel Guide

You can't go wrong with a visit to Cat Ba Island. The views are spectacular, and the nearby Lan Ha Bay is a brilliant Halong alternative - another breathtakingly beautiful bay, without the tourist masses.

Enjoy trekking through the pristine rainforest that makes up the vast national park. The Lookout Tower Trail is a popular and fairly easy hike. Walk upwards for around an hour, until you come out at a rusted shelter, from where you can appreciate just how untouched Cat Ba really is.

If you want more, venture up a little further to reach the stunning Ngu Lam Peak. It's worth the effort to look out over the jagged, green mountains that blur out into the distance.

For more of a challenge, book a guide and embark on the Cang Viet Hai Trail – an 18km, undulating trail that requires a good fitness level. Prepare to climb steep, slippery paths and scramble over thick knots of tree routes that block the path.

After travelling over 4,000km from the Tibetan Himalaya, the Mekong hits Vietnam and slows down to a more languid pace. With islands, rice paddies, stilted villages and a way of life that hasn’t changed for centuries, it’s as if the river wants to take it easy and soak up the view.

Hitch a ride with a cargo boat and you can do exactly that. Simply find a shady spot to hitch your hammock and gaze at faraway riverbanks as your boat, weighed down with fruit and rice sacks, ploughs the treacly brown flow.

Or, take one of the many commercial cruises that ply parts of the river. The cruise from Cai Be to Can Tho is a great way to experience a night on the river. As you travel southwards along the Mang Thit River linking the Tien Giang and Bassac systems, the channel becomes so narrow that you can peer into the riverbank’s rickety stilted houses.

Off the coast of Cambodia lies the idyllic Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc: a haven for travellers hoping to get away from the hustle and bustle of Vietnam's cities.

There's no shortage of things to see and do on Phu Quoc. Wildlife lovers can head to Vinpearl Safari Care and Conservation Park, to meet, elephants, white Bengal tigers, macaques and silver langurs, among others. Head out into nature, with a hike through the dense forests of Phu Quoc National Park, and admiring the gentle trickle of Suoi Tranh Waterfall.

Once you're all walked out, ride in the incredibly long cable car to Hon Thom Nature Park, or sit back and relax on the pristine white sands of Sao Beach, Ong Lang or remote Khem Beach. Surrounded by palm trees and forest, you'll feel like you're sitting on the edge of paradise.

Tucked into the far north-west corner of Vietnam, close to the border with China, you’ll find the picturesque alpine-style town of Sapa.

Set in a stunning mountainous region, the town sits at around 1500m above sea level with great viewpoints all around. Most visitors come here to trek amongst the rice terraces and along the winding valleys away from Sapa.

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.

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.

Also, you’ll need some warmer clothes for this experience as the valley can be misty, cold and rainy.

As well as a charming UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hoi An is also one of the most reputable places to visit in Vietnam for updating your wardrobe with tailored garments.

It’s a truly amazing experience to have something custom made for you. The tailors here are known for speedy delivery, high finish, and competitive prices.

Depending on the clothing you are after, it can take from 24 hours for shorts to a few days for a 3-piece suit to be made. And with tailors on-site, alterations can be made here and now. In our case, the pieces were made so well we didn’t even need any changes.

If you can spare extra pennies, shop around for silk produce too. It’s fabulous.

Further south from Da Nang, on the coast of the South China Sea, Mui Ne is another beach destination that you’ll want to explore when visiting Vietnam. The white-sand beaches, clear waters and good wind conditions attract many water sports aficionados as well as sun-seekers.

Both Ganh and Suoi Nuoc beaches are studded with resorts and restaurants if you are looking to have some downtime on the coast.

But the most impressive part of the area is the giant white and red sand dunes. The white sand dunes are the most popular with plenty of activities such as quad bike rides available for adventurous travellers. The dunes are also the only place in Vietnam where you can have a hot air balloon experience.

bThe troubled Vietnam of the past is brought crashing into the modern age in the cauldron of sights, smells and sounds that is Ho Chi Minh City. Even the briefest of stays here and you’ll feel the energy of this lively metropolis embracing its bright new future.

We’d recommend heading out at night to soak up the city’s atmosphere and enjoy a cheeky beverage or two. There are two main ‘Walking Street’ areas with a real buzz to explore.

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.

When we last visited at night time there were several folks whizzing around on flashy hover-boards or just sitting in groups and enjoying the vibe. Make sure you pop into the old tower block building at No.42. It’s now full of funky cafes which provide the perfect spot to people watch from several floors above the street.

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.

If you’ve had your fill of noodle dishes then we’d recommend Baba’s Kitchen at No. 274 for some world-class curry dishes.

Your Vietnam holiday wouldn’t be complete without trying Bia Hoi, the fresh beer especially popular in northern Vietnam. Although we found it in Hoi An too.

Bia Hoi, also known as street beer is a weak draft beer that’s brewed daily by the locals. It has a refreshing crisp taste and should be consumed within 24 hours since it doesn’t contain any preservatives.

You’ll find it on every corner in northern Vietnam, especially Hanoi. Squat on one of the tiny plastic stools on the street and give it a go. At $0.13 – $0.30 per glass, it can be cheaper than water.

Immersing yourself into the local food is a great way to learn more about a country, and luckily Vietnamese food is some of the best in the world!

There are cooking classes all over Vietnam, and each class will offer different dishes and experiences. There is such diversity in the food from North to South, so you can literally do one in each major town and you’ll probably learn a new dish each time.

Some of the cooking classes will take you to the markets where you can buy the ingredients and cook it together. We love this type of class as you get to be part of every step of the process.

Coming home from your holiday and knowing how to cook some different dishes is a win, and will ensure you’re forever popular with your friends and family!

You go on holidays to see the new place but also to meet people. Don’t be shy to chat with locals. Practice your Vietnamese and they can practise their English.

It is amazing who you can meet by putting your guard down sometimes. It can be hard to have a real, authentic experience with locals when you travel, so do everything you can to be open to genuine invitations.

If you are interested there are local university students in the bigger cities that have groups where you can contact them for a time and day.

They love chatting with foreigners, just buy them coffee or lunch. Check out Saigon Hotpot in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi Kids in Hanoi.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are both very busy cities, and one of the best places to admire the hustle and bustle is from above on a rooftop.

We found a lot of great bars and cafes near busy intersections or roundabouts, and watched day turn into night with the thousands (and thousands) of scooters zipping around below.

It was crazy watching all the traffic take on the large roundabout and the occasional scooter bumps which causes some quick arguing, looking and then they move on.

Check out the EON51 Restaurant and Lounge on level 50 of the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City. This has a great view, but you do play for with the prices of the drinks and food.

The rooftop views are some of our favorite things to see in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s third-biggest city is quite awesome, so don’t be surprised if you end up spending more time here than you expected.

Da Nang is in the centre of the country and has a wonderful cultural vibe about it. The food is amazing, the people are cool, and there’s so much to see and do!

If you love beaches, then Da Nang has you covered. There are long stretches of sand perfect for swimming, surfing or sunbathing, and you can find lots of cheap hotels and resorts along them.
The peninsula is a great spot to spend the day, with lots of cool little hikes and coves to check out.

But one of our favourite places in Da Nang is the Marble Mountains, a collection of hills that have been mined for marble over the years and are now left rising out of the flat city landscape.

You can climb them to visit some temples and get gorgeous views over Da Nang. Definitely worth visiting!

Don’t forget to include this highlight on your list of what to see in Vietnam!

We bet you didn’t know Vietnam had its own version of Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway! Well, now you do, and it’s definitely one of the most unique things to do in Vietnam.

Ganh Da Dia in the south is a spectacular rock formation that juts out from the coast and into the sea.

Thousands of hexagonal basalt columns come out of the earth in mesmerising ways, often with not even a millimetre of space between them.

It’s pretty off-the-beaten-path, so chances are you’ll have this entire site to yourself.

There are so many beautiful and iconic pagodas to visit throughout Vietnam. These pagodas are full of traditions, beliefs and interesting architecture, with the stunning decorations.

Some of the most famous pagodas to visit are Perfume Pagoda and Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi, One Pillar Pagoda near HCMC, Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, Linh Phuoc Pagoda, Linh An Pagoda and Van Hanh Pagoda in Dalat.

When visiting the pagodas please be mindful to respect the culture. Walk into the pagodas on the right and exit on the left, take off your shoes when entering, be respectful of people praying, don’t point your feet at the alter or statues and dress conservatively, so no hats, no exposed shoulders and no shorts.

The best time to visit a pagoda is in the morning before the crazy crowds come in.

Vietnam isn’t known for being a Mecca for diving, especially with hotspots like Indonesia and the Philippines close by, but if you love getting under water then there’s some good spots to do it.

Nha Trang in the south is quite a popular place for Russian tourists, and if we are completely honest with you, it really isn’t that nice.

It’s busy and the beaches are quite developed, but there’s a couple of good reasons you should go here anyway.

First of all the motorbike ride from Dalat to Nha Trang is amazing, and well worth checking out.

If you’re a certified diver then once you get to Nha Trang why not head out for a couple of fun dives?

We did two dives in Nha Trang and were pleasantly surprised with how good it was. We weren’t expecting much, but it turned out to be really enjoyable, with a couple of caves to swim through and a decent amount of fish.

Vietnam has a number of beautiful tropical islands, which are all worthy of taking a relaxing island getaway to.

Check out Con Dao Island in the south. This is a quieter option compared to Phu Quoc, which is very overdeveloped. The Con Dao Archipelago is one of the most beautiful destinations in Vietnam.

You will find stunning mountains, thick canopies of forest and amazing marine life. Yep, it is a diving paradise. If you are in the north check out Cat Ba Island, which is the bigger island of Halong Bay.

There are 3 lovely beaches located near the main town on Cat Ba and a gorgeous national park for exploring.