Hanoi
1. Beer Street in Hanoi (Ta Hien Street)
If you’re up for a bar experience like nowhere you could find in the United States, go to beer street. This street is full of bars and restaurants that put tiny plastic chairs and tables in the street for customers to enjoy their food and beer on. It is technically illegal for restaurants to use the street for seating, so be prepared for multiple drive-bys of military police patrolling. When the police come by, all of the restaurant workers become frantic and ask you to quickly get up from your chair so that they can move the chairs and tables off of the street. As soon as the police are gone, they put the tables back out and business as usual. Pretty entertaining! Oh, and you can get a 20-ounce beer for $0.50 at pretty much every bar on beer street.
2. Ha Long Bay
This is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and it’s no surprise why. Ha Long Bay is in northeast Vietnam and is known for its thousands of limestone islands and emerald green waters. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The best way to see this Natural Wonder is by booking a one-night cruise tour from Hanoi. Most tours will provide transportation to and from Ha Long Bay from Hanoi. Check out the top boat cruises here.
3. Try the famous Vietnamese Dish, Bun Cha
Bun Cha is a noodle and grilled pork dish that originated in Hanoi and is delicious! You can order this at many restaurants throughout the city, but Bob and I tried it at Bun Cha Ta Hanoi, a casual restaurant with cool seating, and Gia Ngư Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant, and recommend both places!
4. Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)
This was a prison first used by the French colonists in French Indochina for political prisoners. It was then used for U.S. prisoners of war by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. John McCain was a POW there for 5 ½ years. You can see the various rooms of the prison and read about how North Vietnam portrayed the treatment of Americans at the prison during that time.
Ho Chi Minh City
5. Cu Chi Tunnels
In order to fully grasp the intensity of the Vietnam war, you have to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels outside of Ho Chi Minh City. The Cu Chi Tunnels are preserved tunnels that were used by the Viet Cong (North Vietnam) soldiers to move around without being detected by US soldiers. This is an experience like no other, because you get to crawl through the tiny tunnels (they've been expanded to be more accessible for tourists, but are still tiny), see the deadly traps that were laid for American soldiers, and get a glimpse of what life was like for both American and Viet Cong Soldiers. The presentations shown at the Cu Chi Tunnels are full of anti-American propaganda, but it's pretty crazy and interesting to hear the story from the perspective of the communist Vietnamese government.
Another perk of going to the tunnels: You get an opportunity to fire a variety of Vietnam War era weapons in an outdoor shooting range in the middle of the tunnels!
6. Beer Street (Bùi Viên Walk Street)
This is similar to the beer street in Hanoi but crazier. Here, every random business on the street shuts down in the evening and becomes a make-shift bar. They put little barbie chairs on the sidewalks and streets and serve bottled and canned beer. Bob and I sat outside a laundry mat on barbie chairs one night and a clothing store the other night. As we sipped our $0.50 beer, mopeds, cars, and food carts on mopeds whizzed by us. We thought we would for sure end one of the nights with moped engine burns or a broken foot. It was a rush drinking beer, dodging street traffic, making sure we had all our belongings, and ordering street food from food carts on mopeds, but a neat experience. We had a blast!
7. War Remnants Museum
A somber, but must have, experience when in Ho Chi Minh City is visiting the War Remnants Museum. This museum, which is full of American military vehicles from the Vietnam War, as well as pictures of the war and its aftermath, helps to tell the story of the Vietnam war from the perspective of the Vietnamese. Stroll through the museum and get a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War and the events that helped to form present day Vietnam.
8. Take a tour/cruise on the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is an area with rivers, swamps and islands located just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. It is known for its floating markets, pagodas and villages. We took a tour through the Ben Tre part of the Mekong Delta which is a 2 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City. Our tour started with a small boat ride to see typical workplaces within the villages including a brick factory, a coconut processing workshop, and a local mat-weaving house. We then walked through a quiet village to a nice riverside restaurant for a local lunch. The lunch was a unique experience. The server brought out a huge fried fish displayed on a rack and made spring rolls using the fish right in front of us. This tour allowed us to experience life outside the big cities of Vietnam and allowed us to see how people in these smaller villages live. Interested in this tour? Check out top Ho Chi Minh City tours here.
Hoi An
9. Buy a tailored made shirt, dress, or suit
If you’re in the market for a tailor-made anything, get it in Vietnam! Heck, even if you’re not in the market, get a tailor-made something in Vietnam. It’s cheap, good quality, and a fun experience. Bob and I stumbled upon a tailor shop close to our hotel and Bob ended up buying a few fitted linen shirts for cheap. The owner of the shop took his measurements, we picked out fabric, and the shirts were ready for pick-up the next day. They were fitted perfectly and added a few more options to Bob’s traveling wardrobe. Bob was also in Vietnam a few years prior and purchased the cheapest fitted suit he’s owned and got a couple years of use out of it. You can find these shops all throughout Vietnam, just google tailors near you, and pick one!
10. Release a floating lantern on a romantic Hoi An gondola cruise
Head to the night market and you’ll run into lots of people trying to sell gondola rides along the river. You can barter them down to a fairly low price (typically less than half of their original offer). Don’t forget to run to the convenient store nearby before hopping on a boat if you want to bring on libations. Bob and I brought a few beers on board which was nice. On the cruise, the rower will give you floating paper lanterns that you can put into the river and watch float away—These, along with the lanterns all around the town, made for a very charming scene—and fitting as Hoi An is known as “the lantern city.”
11. Get Vietnam’s best Bahn Mi
They sell them everywhere, but the restaurant known to sell the best is called Bánh Mì Phượng in Hoi An. There’s usually a long line outside of the restaurant but it moves fast. You’ll order at the counter and then take your Bahn Mi to-go. That was one of our favorite meals in Vietnam!
12. Eat Street Food at the Night Market
Hoi An’s Night Market has street food, souvenirs, jewelry, and more. All around are colorful lanterns that light up the city—It’s beautiful. Make sure to try street food while you’re at the market. They sell various types of Vietnamese food there which all tasted incredible. We had egg rolls, bun cha, bahn mi, and Vietnamese pancakes (banh xeo), all for a total of $4. Can’t beat a tasty dinner for that price!
Nha Trang
13. Get on the water with a boat cruise
Visit beaches and reefs across the Nha Trang Bay where you can swim, snorkel, or relax in the sun. Check out the best boat tours here.
14. Spend the day at the beach
Nha Trang Beach is touristy and busy but still beautiful and easy to access from the main part of Nha Trang. Long Beach is a little less crowded with great seafood restaurants and surfing lessons and is located a couple miles south of Nha Trang Center. Hon Tre Beach (Bamboo Island) is the largest beach in Nha Trang and is located 3 miles east of Nha Trang Center. You can access beaches that are outside of the city center by ferry (cheapest option), speedboat, taxi canoe, or over-water cable car.