Asia · Destination guide
Food, cities, landscapes and beach time in a country that rewards good pacing.
Where to go
Choose it if you want to start with street food, lakeside mornings and the Old Quarter's noise, using the city as a base for the north.
Atmospheric, energetic and a natural northern starting point.
Explore Hanoi
Choose it if you want a night or two on a boat among limestone islands and are happy for the crew to set the timetable.
A landscape people travel for, with the cruise choice deciding the quality of the experience.
Explore Ha Long Bay
Choose it if you prefer cycling past rice paddies and being rowed through caves to cruising, and can spare a night or two.
Karst scenery, rivers and a slower counterpoint to Hanoi.
Explore Ninh Binh
Choose it if you are drawn to modern history, Mekong day trips and a city that eats and trades around the clock.
A fast, modern southern city with history and strong onward connections.
Explore Ho Chi Minh City
Choose it if you want the route to end with warm sea and sunsets rather than one more city.
A practical beach finish to a Vietnam journey, with growing resort choice.
Explore Phu QuocIs it right for you?
A strong fit for
Culture, multi-centre travel and travellers who enjoy contrast.
We would think twice for
Travellers who want one hotel, one beach and no moving about, because Vietnam is a journey by nature, and treating it as a static beach destination wastes what makes it special.
What we would want you to know
North, central and south can have very different weather at the same time.
We’ve been here
We have travelled the length of Vietnam ourselves: Hanoi, Sa Pa and the Fansipan cable car, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh in the north, Da Nang and Hoi An in the centre, and Da Lat, Mui Ne and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Phu Quoc and Hue are the stops on our client routes that we know from research, and our own trip is the yardstick for how much moving about a fortnight can take.
Weather and seasons
Vietnam never has a single forecast, because the country stretches across very different climates. In Hanoi, January highs average only 21°C under grey skies, while June climbs to 35°C and August brings about 322mm of rain in thunderstorms. The central coast around Hoi An takes its heavy rain and storms from about September to December, just when the north is clearest. The south stays hot all year and is dry from roughly December to April. For a top-to-bottom route that includes Hoi An, March to May treats every stop most fairly. Tet, in late January or February, closes many businesses for a week and fills every train and flight.
Worth timing a trip around
Vietnam's biggest festival, when families travel home, peach blossom fills the north and yellow apricot blossom the south, and many shops, restaurants and museums close for several days. Transport is booked solid either side.
On the fourteenth day of each lunar month the old town traditionally turns to lantern light and families float candles on the river for luck. A lovely evening to time a Hoi An stay around.
Two public holidays back to back, often stretched into a long break, when Vietnamese families head for the beaches, Ha Long and Phu Quoc. Prices and crowds rise sharply, so we plan around them.
Independence Day brings flags, ceremonies in Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square and a long weekend of domestic travel, with busy roads and full hotels at the coast.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°C | 16°C | 23 mm |
| February | 22°C | 17°C | 20 mm |
| March | 25°C | 20°C | 45 mm |
| April | 28°C | 22°C | 89 mm |
| May | 33°C | 25°C | 169 mm |
| June | 35°C | 27°C | 174 mm |
| July | 34°C | 27°C | 285 mm |
| August | 33°C | 26°C | 322 mm |
| September | 32°C | 26°C | 175 mm |
| October | 29°C | 23°C | 104 mm |
| November | 27°C | 20°C | 55 mm |
| December | 22°C | 16°C | 23 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Ha Dong, 11 km away at 8 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°C | 20°C | 24°C | 92 mm |
| February | 27°C | 20°C | 23°C | 15 mm |
| March | 29°C | 22°C | 24°C | 29 mm |
| April | 32°C | 24°C | 25°C | 33 mm |
| May | 34°C | 26°C | 28°C | 86 mm |
| June | 36°C | 26°C | 29°C | 95 mm |
| July | 35°C | 26°C | 29°C | 130 mm |
| August | 35°C | 26°C | 30°C | 184 mm |
| September | 33°C | 25°C | 29°C | 355 mm |
| October | 30°C | 24°C | 28°C | 443 mm |
| November | 29°C | 23°C | 27°C | 494 mm |
| December | 26°C | 21°C | 25°C | 238 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Danang Intl, 23 km away at 10 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°C | 23°C | 21 mm |
| February | 34°C | 24°C | 3 mm |
| March | 35°C | 26°C | 19 mm |
| April | 35°C | 27°C | 50 mm |
| May | 35°C | 27°C | 151 mm |
| June | 33°C | 26°C | 263 mm |
| July | 33°C | 25°C | 252 mm |
| August | 33°C | 25°C | 252 mm |
| September | 32°C | 25°C | 278 mm |
| October | 32°C | 25°C | 266 mm |
| November | 33°C | 25°C | 126 mm |
| December | 32°C | 24°C | 41 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Tan Son Nhat Intl, 7 km away at 10 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it.
Things to do
A former trading port of wooden merchant houses, clan assembly halls and the Japanese Covered Bridge, lit by silk lanterns after dark. Walk it at dawn or in the evening, when the day-trippers have gone; the entry ticket covers the historic houses.
Tailors here can copy a suit, dress or coat in a day or two, but the good ones want several fittings. Order on your first morning rather than your last, and bring a photo or a favourite garment to copy.
A mountain town near the Chinese border, surrounded by terraced valleys farmed by Hmong and Dao villages. Walk with a local guide rather than alone, stay at least two nights, and pack a fleece for the cool evenings. The terraces turn gold before the September harvest.
We rode it on our own trip: the cable car from Sa Pa climbs towards the top of Fansipan, Indochina's highest mountain, with a funicular and steps for the final stretch. Cloud can hide everything, so go early and carry a warm layer.
The walled citadel of the Nguyen emperors beside the Perfume River, badly damaged in the Vietnam War and still being restored. Allow half a day with a guide, then see the royal tombs outside the city by boat or car.
The old mountain road between Da Nang and Hue, climbing over a headland with long views down the coast. Take it by car, or behind an experienced rider on a motorbike, instead of the tunnel, and stop at the fortified gate on the summit.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park hides some of the largest caves on earth. The river trip into Phong Nha Cave suits all ages; the expeditions into the giant caves are for the very fit and are booked many months ahead.
Brick temple towers of the ancient Cham kingdom in a jungle valley inland from Hoi An, scarred by wartime bombing but still atmospheric. Early morning is cooler and quieter, before the tour buses roll in.
Food and drink
Rice noodle soup in a clear, long-simmered beef or chicken broth, eaten for breakfast at street stalls across the country. The north keeps it plain; the south piles on herbs and sauces.
A crisp French-style baguette stuffed with pâté, cold cuts or grilled pork, pickled vegetables, coriander and chilli. Hoi An's versions are famous and worth the queue.
Strong coffee dripped through a small metal filter over sweetened condensed milk and ice. A café stop is part of the rhythm of every Vietnamese day.
Hoi An's own noodle dish: thick, chewy noodles with sliced pork, crisp croutons and herbs in a little rich broth. Local tradition says it needs water from particular old wells.
The spicy beef noodle soup of the old imperial capital, fragrant with lemongrass and shrimp paste, and heartier and hotter than pho.
Shape of the trip
Nights 1 to 3
Street food, the Old Quarter and the temples, with time to adjust to the clock before the country opens up.
Nights 4 and 5
Rowing boats through the caves of Trang An, a cycle among the rice paddies and the climb to Mua Cave's viewpoint, staying over to have the valleys to yourselves early in the morning.
Night 6
A night afloat among the limestone islands, on a boat that sails the quieter bays, then back towards Hanoi for the flight south.
Nights 7 to 9
The war history with a guide, Cholon's markets and a day on the Mekong Delta, finishing with an evening above the city on a rooftop.
Nights 10 to 14
Five slow days of warm sea and sunsets on the west coast before the long journey home.
An idea to react to, not a fixed package. We shape the real thing around your dates, your pace and what the flights are doing that season.
Money
Once you land, Vietnam is one of the best-value countries we sell: food, guides and good hotels cost a fraction of European prices. The budget lives in the long-haul flights, the number of internal flights (each one also costs half a day) and the grade of the Ha Long cruise. Spending on a better boat, a private car for the northern leg and a couple of guided days lifts the trip more than any room upgrade. Tet week carries surcharges.
Flights and transfers
Direct flights operate from Heathrow to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; from the northern airports it is one stop, through an Asian hub or Istanbul. We compare both on total journey time and arrival state, and internal flights within Vietnam are short, frequent and cheap.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
7 hours ahead of the UK in winter, 6 hours in summer
Vietnamese dong (₫)
Vietnamese
Type A, C and F, 220V
On the right
Not safe to drink; hotels usually provide bottled water
Not traditional, but appreciated by guides, drivers and boat crews
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for stays of up to 45 days. Check the exit date stamped on arrival, because it cannot be changed after you leave the airport.
Passport. Valid for at least 6 months after you arrive, with 2 blank pages and no damage.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Twelve to sixteen nights for a first trip that takes in the north, the south and a beach. With less time, choose one half of the country: Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay make a strong ten days on their own. Trying to see everything in a week turns the holiday into a string of airports.
The month matters more than the direction. In spring, starting in the cooler north and finishing on a southern beach works well. In midwinter we often begin in the warm south and end in Hanoi, so the grey northern weather is a short final chapter. The distance is the same either way.
From London Heathrow, allow about 11 hours 55 minutes. The long journey and the time difference mean we keep the first day light, with an afternoon walk and an early dinner rather than a full programme.
Yes, for families who enjoy moving around and trying new food. Children tend to love the boats in Ha Long and Ninh Binh, the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An and a beach finish on Phu Quoc. Long travel days and summer heat are the catches, so we keep journeys short and build in pool time.
Generally, yes, and it is one of the best reasons to go. Choose busy stalls where food is cooked fresh in front of you, and go easy on raw herbs and salads for the first few days if your stomach is sensitive. A guided street-food evening early in the trip builds confidence quickly.
With fourteen nights or more, yes. Hoi An's old town, beaches and tailors make a gentle middle chapter between north and south. Check the season, though: from about September to December the central coast gets heavy rain and the old town can flood.
Photographs
Also worth a look
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