Vietnam Travel Guide! What’s it like to travel through Vietnam from south to north?

“Việt Nam ，Xin chào！”
Vietnam, a long and narrow country located in the eastern part of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Traveling from south to north, passing through four cities, starting from Ho Chi Minh City, passing through Mui Ne, Nha Trang, and finally to the capital Hanoi, embracing beaches and seas, encountering cities and towns, feeling the blend and integration of French colonial style and Southeast Asian tropical atmosphere.

Ho Chi Minh City, locals all know its former name [Saigon], and it seems they still prefer to highlight its former name. The sign of [Saigon] can be seen everywhere on the streets and alleys. Even the largest beer brand in Vietnam, [Saigon Beer Bia Saigon], uses its name. This name is no longer just a city name, but more a historical silhouette and cultural symbol of an era.

Duras’s “The Lover” seems to have added a layer of lingering love filter to this “Little Paris of the East” full of rich French style.

Saigon was the capital of the former Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). After the Vietnam War, it was named after the highly respected national father “Ho Chi Minh” and was officially renamed as Ho Chi Minh City today.
Here, the modern and the historical are integrated, the booming and the chaotic are intertwined. A “Mysterious Saigon” City Walk is perfect! You need to know these check-in points!

📍 Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral 

This pink church that explodes with girlish hearts, whose full name is Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, has complex Gothic and Renaissance elements. It is the second largest church in Ho Chi Minh City, second only to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Be sure to go to the opposite side of the road and use a wide-angle lens at a low angle to take a beautiful photo with the pink church!

📍 Ho Chi Minh City Hall

Currently known as Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Hall, it is modeled after the Paris City Hall in the Renaissance period. It is a century-old building with French characteristics. There is a bronze statue of Ho Chi Minh waving at the entrance of the main building.

📍 Ho Chi Minh City Opera House

Also known as Saigon Opera House, it was inspired by the gorgeous style of the Third French Republic. It is a typical Baroque building. The shape is exquisite and beautiful, and it also has lifelike figures and patterns carved. Performances can still be watched inside.

📍 Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral 

One of the landmark buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, it is also called the Red Church because it is built with red bricks. The overall architectural style imitates the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It is said that all the building materials were airlifted from France. There is a sacred statue of the Virgin Mary of Peace at the entrance. (Ps: The Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral is currently under renovation, and the scaffolding has not yet been removed)

📍 Saigon Central Post Office 

Located opposite the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, it is another well-preserved example of French colonial architecture. It is a popular tourist attraction and still serves as the central post office of Ho Chi Minh City. Mailing a postcard here is also a good experience.

📍 Independence Palace 

Also called Reunification Palace, it is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. It was once used by colonial and South Vietnamese leaders. Inside you can see various restored government office scenes. It is a symbol of the Vietnamese people’s struggle for national independence and national unity.

📍 The Cafe Apartment 

Ho Chi Minh City’s new internet celebrity check-in place, a must-visit for literary youths. It is transformed from an old apartment building. Ten floors are filled with different coffee brands. Perhaps because of the towering buildings nearby, the old cafe apartment seems to be unique and attracts attention.

📍 Bui Vien Street

A bustling bar street, dazzling neon lights, deafening disco music, and crowded crowds. If you want to understand Ho Chi Minh City’s nightlife, you can come here and have a look.

Traveling north, we came to Mui Ne, a small fishing village in Phan Thiet City, Vietnam. Unexpectedly, it hides so many new and interesting ways to play!

📍 Mui Ne Fishing Village

This is the Vietnam cover of “Lonely Planet”, and it still retains its original appearance. Many colorful fishing boats are docked on the shore, and the busy scene is beautiful. You can also see a special kind of round winnowing boat. From a distance, it looks like a bowl floating on the sea.

📍 Red Sand Dunes 

This is a red sand dune near the coast. The sand is quite soft, and it is very comfortable to step on it. There are some dense forests on the north and west sides of the sand dune. When taking pictures, you can take pictures of the sand dunes, coasts, and forests at the same time. One side is the sea, and the other side is the desert. Not only that, you can also sit on a sandboard here and have a fun sandboarding experience.

📍 White Sand Dunes 

Here, the endless white sand dunes rise and fall, forming graceful curves, like a miniature desert. On the other side of the sand dunes, there is a lake surrounded by green plants, pure and beautiful. Sitting on a popular jeep here, you can have an exciting and thrilling adventure.

📍 Fairy Stream 

Fairy Stream is a small stream winding through the Red Sand Valley. It is very comfortable to walk barefoot in the stream here. The red sand ridges on the left bank and the vast coconut groves and rice fields on the right form a beautiful and refreshing picture scroll.

📍 Kitesurfing at Sea 

Mui Ne is one of the world’s famous watersports destinations. Here, the stable and powerful wind and less rainfall provide very good conditions for kitesurfing. The best season is from November to April of the following year. Kitesurfing dances in the sky near the coast of Mui Ne West, which has become a beautiful scenery of Mui Ne.

Continuing north, we came to Nha Trang, Vietnam, a cost-effective resort paradise in Southeast Asia. It is located on the “Vietnam Golden Coast” in central and southern Vietnam and has the best beaches in all of Vietnam! The average temperature here is 28 degrees Celsius all year round, and the warm climate allows you to enter the sea for more than 300 days a year. Coming to Nha Trang, these things are worth doing!

✔️ Take a mud bath and relax in the mineral-rich mud. 

 Mud bath, also called thermal mineral mud bath, uses mud as a medium, at its own inherent temperature or after heating, and applies it to certain parts of the human body, transferring heat to the body, and interacting with its chemical components, microorganisms, etc. to achieve fitness and prevent diseases.

The medical and health, beauty, and treatment effects of mineral mud have been recognized worldwide.
The I-resort we came to ranks very high among the many experiences in Nha Trang. Here, you can not only enjoy relaxation and mineral mud bath services, but the beautiful and comfortable environment of the scenic spot is also a highlight; it combines the simple and romantic features of resorts in Asia. It is also the representative of Nha Trang mineral mud bath brands and a representative club for high-level luxury mineral mud bath services. The unique architectural style and perfect service quality are worth exploring!

✔️ Visit the Po Nagar Cham Towers and experience the historical Cham relics 

Po Nagar Cham Towers, also called the Goddess of the Sea Temple, is an ancient Hindu site dating back a thousand years. It is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea who protects coastal fishermen, equivalent to Mazu in the minds of Chinese fishermen. Many locals also often come here to worship.

✔️ Take a “Customer Dies First” and experience the unique three-wheeled vehicle 

This Vietnamese traditional tricycle is commonly known as “Customer Dies First”. The reason for its invention is very “exaggerated”. Basically, only tourists ride it! The passenger sits in front, and the driver pedals behind. It is said to have been designed by French colonists at that time. It can avoid smelling the driver’s body odor and allows for an unobstructed view of the scenery, truly the best of both worlds.

✔️ Stay at a five-star oceanfront swimming pool hotel, and you can enjoy the ocean from the balcony 

Nha Trang Queen Anna Hotel is located in the heart of Nha Trang City, with luxurious rooms equipped with European facilities and ocean views. The hotel is 900 meters from Nha Trang Night Market and 1 kilometer from Nha Trang Beach. You can enjoy panoramic views of the beautiful coastal city from the room balcony.

✔️ Have a tile barbecue, taste the sizzling deliciousness in the hot charcoal 

This kind of tile originates from Vietnam. It is said to be made of red clay. It is used to roast meat. It is not easy to catch fire, not easy to burn, and it lacks the high-temperature aroma of making food charred, but instead restores the original taste of the food.
A hot charcoal stove, a tile, the tile is placed on the charcoal stove, tilted, and then peanut oil is poured over. Because the tile is tilted at one end, the peanut oil will slowly flow into the bowl, so the grilling process will not be too greasy due to the accumulation of oil.

✔️ Drink a drip coffee, savor the Vietnamese style in the drops that fall 

Vietnam was once a French colony, and the French people who are both romantic and know how to enjoy life brought coffee culture here. Over the years, the Vietnamese have maintained this ancient way of drinking coffee – drip coffee.

The method is simple. Sprinkle coffee powder on the press plate of the drip cup, press it tightly, pour hot water in, and the rest is patiently waiting for the coffee to slowly drip drop by drop through the fine holes. However, the coffee obtained by dripping is very dark and bitter. Few people can enjoy such bitter coffee. 

It is said that this coffee is also called dripping gold, which is in line with the Chinese proverb “every inch of time is worth an inch of gold”. The drops that fall are not only fragrant coffee, but also beautiful time.
The creative Vietnamese people also added a thick layer of condensed milk to the bottom of the cup, and this improvement created a magical pairing effect: the sweet and greasy and bitter tastes coexist in the mouth.

✔️ Go to the Five Finger Rock, check in at the filming location of Duras’s “The Lover” 

Five Finger Rock, also called Zhongyu Rock Cape, is located north of Nha Trang. It is one of the rare granite coasts in Nha Trang. Many reefs are stacked on the beach. Among them, one huge rock stands out. There is a lifelike five-finger handprint on it, which is the origin of its name.

✔️ Take a picture of Nha Trang Cathedral and feel the French style 

Nha Trang Cathedral is located not far from the center of Nha Trang City. It is a Gothic cathedral.
The church holds mass services every morning and evening. You can often hear the sound of chanting or the beautiful singing of the choir outside the door.

✔️ Climb the Long Son Pagoda and see the solemnity of the White Buddha 

Long Son Pagoda is located in the west of Nha Trang City, Vietnam. It is a Chinese-style Buddhist temple. The temple is built on the side of a mountain and is famous for its white Buddha statue. After visiting the Buddhist temple, you can walk up the not-so-high mountain top, where there is a huge white Buddha statue. From the top of the mountain, you can overlook the entire city of Mo Trang and the coastline. The coconut groves in the east and north are dense. The scenery is natural and primitive, and it becomes more charming under the setting sun.

Traveling north, we finally came to this city with green trees and lakes – Hanoi. It is the former Thang Long Imperial City, and now the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with its red flag flying high. It has the shadow of the millennium Chinese culture rooted here and the romantic style under French colonial rule. These destinations in the city cannot be missed!

📍 Internet Celebrity Train Street

Here, you can witness the unique scene of the train passing through narrow streets, replicating the wonderful experience seen on Douyin. It’s also nice to order a coffee at a coffee shop on either side of Train Street and sit down to enjoy your leisure time!

📍 Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake is located in the center of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. There are tree-lined paths around the lake, which are a leisure place for local people to cool off and take walks. In the center of the lake is a tortoise tower. Legend has it that a tortoise on the lake asked Emperor Le Loi to throw back the mysterious sword he used to fight against the Ming Dynasty of China into its waters. The lake was renamed Hoan Kiem Lake, meaning “Returning the Sword Lake”.

📍 St. Joseph’s Cathedral

The oldest church in Hanoi, modeled after Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, it is also a representative French building in Hanoi. The church’s intricate main altar, stained glass windows, and square tower are extremely worth appreciating. Walking into the church, the ethereal music fills your ears. At that moment, it seems as if the whole person is sublimated in heaven!

📍 Thirty Six Streets Old Quarter

The Thirty Six Streets Old Quarter is Hanoi’s main commercial street. In the past, each street basically only sold goods of the same industry, so it was called “Line Street”. The entire street district is prosperous and primitive, fashionable and old, with many characteristic handicraft shops and some local artists’ studios. This place is simply a treasure trove for store explorers! It’s also a good experience to take a sightseeing tour on an electric car.

Vietnam, the exploration continues…