The Best Things to Do in Vietnam for First Time Visitors

Vietnam stretches over 1,600 kilometres from north to south, with the landscape, food, and pace shifting with every region. You can walk through centuries-old temples in Hanoi, eat phở on a plastic stool in Ho Chi Minh City, and reach a quiet beach in Da Nang, all within the same trip.

If you're looking for things to do in Vietnam, it helps to plan around a few key cities and regions rather than trying to see everything at once. This guide covers where to go, what to prioritise in each region, and how to connect your stops into a route that doesn't leave you rushing between destinations.

• Best for: First-time visitors, food-focused travellers, and multi-city itineraries
• Ideal length of stay: Seven to ten days for two to three regions, 10–14 days for a broader trip
• Top experiences: Street food in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, beaches in Da Nang and Phu Quoc, cultural sites in Hue and Hoi An
• Getting around: Domestic flights connect major cities, with trains and private transfers for shorter routes
• Free highlights: Old Quarter walks, markets, temples, public beaches, and waterfront areas
• Where to stay: Accor hotels in Vietnam offer options for city breaks, beach stays, and longer itineraries

In northern Vietnam, Hanoi is where most first-time visitors start. The best things to do in Hanoi centre on the Old Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and the French Quarter. Two or three days gives you enough time to cover the main sights.

The streets around Hoàn Kiếm Lake are easy to navigate on foot, with cafés, small temples, and food stalls in every direction. You can try phở or bún chả at small shops, then stop for Vietnamese coffee between sights.

Read on:

• Food: Where to find the best pho in Hanoi, with routes through the Old Quarter.
• Offbeat: A local guide to offbeat things to do in Hanoi, including Hoa Lo Prison's night tour.
• Families: A family guide to things to do in Hanoi, with shorter days and a mix of cultural and outdoor stops.

In southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) moves faster than Hanoi. The traffic is heavier, the layout is spread out, but the best things to do in Ho Chi Minh City are concentrated around District 1, where major landmarks, markets, and street food stalls are located.

You can walk between historic sites, cafés, and food stops along Nguyen Hue Walking Street, then loop through the streets around Ben Thanh Market in a single day. Street-side stalls and more modern restaurants are both easy to find in central neighbourhoods. Explore where to find the best food in Saigon to build a food route into your itinerary.

Day trips from Ho Chi Minh City are also popular. The Mekong Delta is one of the most common. A guide to Vietnam's top floating markets is worth reading if you want to see how river trade and local food culture work beyond the city.

Read on:

• Short stays: A 24-hour guide to Ho Chi Minh City, for structuring a quick visit.
• Families: A guide to fun things to do in Ho Chi Minh City, with more options for longer stays.
• First-timers: A short-break itinerary for Ho Chi Minh City, a practical plan if you only have a few days.

Located in central Vietnam, Da Nang is one of the easiest cities to plan around. The best things to do in Da Nang combine beach time along My Khe Beach with day trips to Hoi An and Hue, both reachable within one to two hours by car.

The stretch from My Khe Beach to the Dragon Bridge covers the main city area. From here, you can base yourself for a few nights without needing to change hotels, then take short trips to surrounding towns when you want a change of scenery.

If you're interested in local food culture, try visiting a local Da Nang market and cooking traditional Vietnamese dishes as a half-day activity.

Read on:

• Beaches: The best things to do in Da Nang, covering beaches, day trips, and where to eat.
• Families: A family guide to Da Nang with kids, with family-friendly days at the beach and nearby attractions.
• Local culture: A neighbourhood guide to Da Nang, for where to eat and explore beyond the tourist areas.

Vietnam's best beach destinations sit along the south-central and southern coasts. After a few days in the cities, most travellers add one of these stops to break up the itinerary.

On the south-central coast, Nha Trang runs along Tran Phu Beach and combines beach time with short cultural visits like Po Nagar Cham Towers, boat trips around Nha Trang Bay, and theme parks like VinWonders.

You can alternate between outings and time at the hotel, which is useful if you're travelling with younger children. This family guide to things to do in Nha Trang shows how to space out attractions without overloading each day.

Off the southern tip of Vietnam, Phu Quoc is an island better suited to a resort-style stay. Most visitors split their time between the beach, snorkelling or fishing trips, and hotel pools. If you're planning your stay, a three-day Phu Quoc itinerary gives a clear way to structure your time.

Three smaller towns are easy to add to a Vietnam itinerary without complicating your route. Each one pairs easily with a nearby city.

In central Vietnam, about 30 minutes south of Da Nang, Hoi An is a walkable riverside town along the Thu Bồn River. The old town is known for its preserved merchant houses, lantern-lit streets, and tailor shops. One or two nights here is enough to break up a city-heavy itinerary.

Also in central Vietnam, Hue sits between Hanoi and Da Nang. The Imperial Citadel, royal tombs, and the Perfume River are the main draws. It's a natural stop if you're travelling between the two cities by train or car.

About 90 kilometres south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh is surrounded by limestone hills, rivers, and temple complexes like Bai Dinh and Trang An. It can be done as an overnight trip from Hanoi.

For ideas across the country, have a look at unmissable things to do in Vietnam's coolest cities before locking in your route.

Two major festivals shape the travel calendar in Vietnam: Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnamese New Year) and Tết Trung Thu (the Mid-Autumn Festival). If your dates are flexible, planning around either one can add a cultural layer to your trip.

• Tết Nguyên Đán falls in January or February and affects the entire country. Transport, restaurant hours, and accommodation availability all shift during this period. If you're considering travelling during the Vietnamese New Year, a guide to celebrating Tet Festival in Vietnam explains how the holiday can affect your travel plans.
• The Mid-Autumn Festival, usually in September or October, is especially popular with families. You can read about the Mid-Autumn Festival with kids for lantern displays and family-friendly activities. For a broader look at Tết Trung Thu traditions across the country, this overview of Vietnam's Mid-Autumn Festival is a useful starting point.

The best time to visit Vietnam depends on which parts of the country you're planning to cover. Northern Vietnam, including Hanoi, has its driest and most comfortable weather from October to April.

Central areas like Da Nang are best from February to May, before the summer heat builds. Southern cities like Ho Chi Minh City are warm year-round, with a wet season from May to November.

If you're combining north, central, and south in one trip, a seasonal guide to visiting Vietnam can help you map it out.

A first-time Vietnam itinerary is easiest to plan when you group destinations by region. Most travellers pick two or three of these:

• North: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Sapa
• Central: Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue
• South: Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and Phu Quoc

For a seven to 10-day trip, focus on two regions. For two weeks or more, you can connect all three using domestic flights. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is roughly two hours by air, while Hanoi to Da Nang is about an hour and 20 minutes.

Build in at least one rest day after each transfer. Back-to-back travel days across regions can cut into the time you'd otherwise spend exploring.

If you're just starting to plan, these bucket-list destinations in Vietnam can help you decide where to go first.

Where you stay will shape how smoothly your days run. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, central hotels reduce travel time between attractions. In Da Nang and Nha Trang, staying near the beach makes it easier to switch between sightseeing and downtime.

Accor hotels across Vietnam include city-centre properties, beachfront stays, and resort-style accommodation. Booking directly through ALL.com or the ALL app gives you access to the best available rates.

Joining the ALL Accor loyalty programme is free and gives you member rates with savings of up to 10%, along with the ability to earn points that you can redeem on future stays.