Southeast Asia · Asia
Vietnam · 5 days
5 Days in Hoi An
Lanterns, tailors and a beach that is losing a fight with the sea. Five days in Vietnam's most photographed old town, planned honestly.
Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →
Southeast Asia · Asia
Vietnam
Discover Vietnam - a country of staggering natural beauty, legendary street food, ancient pagodas, and a resilience that has turned it into Southeast Asia's rising star.
Where Is Vietnam?
Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. Its capital is Hanoi.
- Capital Hanoi
- Population 102M
- Area 331,212 km²
Vietnam is a country shaped like a dragon, or perhaps a letter S, stretching 1,650 kilometers along the South China Sea coast. It is impossibly narrow in places - at its thinnest, just 50 kilometers separate the mountains of Laos from the sea. From the rice terraces of the north to the floating markets of the Mekong Delta, from the limestone towers of Ha Long Bay to the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, Vietnam packs more visual drama per kilometer than almost any country on Earth.
But Vietnam's real genius is its street food culture. Pho, the aromatic beef noodle soup eaten for breakfast across the country, is just the opening act. Banh mi sandwiches, bun cha grilled pork noodles, fresh spring rolls, egg coffee, ca phe sua da - the food is extraordinary, endlessly varied, and served on plastic stools on sidewalks for less than a dollar. Vietnam has been invaded by the Chinese, the Mongols, the French, the Japanese, and the Americans, and defeated them all. The result is a culture with a granite core of resilience, a wicked sense of humor, and an absolute refusal to be told what to do. The motorbike chaos of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is not disorder - it is organized freedom, Vietnamese style.
At a glance
Language
Vietnamese
Currency
Vietnamese Dong (VND)
Calling Code
+84
Drives On
Right
Internet
.vn
Timezone
ICT (UTC+7)
Script
Latin (Quoc Ngu)
Government
One-party Socialist Republic
Independence
1945
Travel guides
Plan a trip to Vietnam
Vietnam · 5 days
5 Days in Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon by any name: French boulevards, Chinese temples, war history and a street food scene that never really sleeps.
Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →
Vietnam · 5 days
5 Days in Hanoi
Motorbikes, lakes, ancient temples and a bowl of pho on every corner. Five days in Vietnam's capital, planned honestly.
Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →
By population
Largest cities in Vietnam
1
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam's largest city and economic engine, a neon-lit megalopolis of French colonial architecture, rooftop bars, and legendary street food
9,300,000
2
Hanoi
Capital and cultural heart, a thousand-year-old city of lakes, pagodas, tree-lined boulevards, and the chaotic charm of the Old Quarter
8,500,000
3
Da Nang
Central coast city with stunning beaches, the Dragon Bridge, and proximity to both Hoi An and the Marble Mountains
1,200,000
4
Hai Phong
Major northern port city and gateway to Cat Ba Island, with French colonial architecture and excellent seafood
2,000,000
5
Can Tho
Heart of the Mekong Delta, known for its floating markets where boats piled with tropical fruit trade at dawn
1,200,000
6
Hoi An
UNESCO-listed ancient trading port of lantern-lit streets, tailor shops, and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge
150,000
People
Famous people from Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
PoliticsFather of modern Vietnam who led the independence movement against France and the US, his image appears on every Vietnamese banknote
Nguyen Du
LiteratureAuthor of The Tale of Kieu, Vietnam's greatest literary work - a 3,254-line poem that every Vietnamese person can quote
Vo Nguyen Giap
PoliticsMilitary strategist who defeated France at Dien Bien Phu and led North Vietnam's army, one of the greatest generals of the 20th century
Tran Hung Dao
Politics13th-century general who repelled three Mongol invasions of Vietnam, considered the greatest military hero in Vietnamese history
Trinh Cong Son
MusicVietnam's most beloved songwriter whose anti-war ballads earned him the title of Bob Dylan of Vietnam
Nguyen Trai
Literature15th-century poet, strategist, and national hero who wrote the Great Proclamation on the Pacification of the Chinese
Dang Thai Son
MusicFirst Asian pianist to win the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1980, putting Vietnamese classical music on the world stage
Phan Thi Ha Thanh
SportPioneer of Vietnamese gymnastics who competed at the Olympics and inspired a generation of athletes in the sport
Food
Traditional cuisine of Vietnam
- Pho
- Vietnam's iconic beef or chicken noodle soup with aromatic broth, rice noodles, herbs, and lime, eaten for breakfast nationwide
- Banh Mi
- French baguette filled with pate, grilled pork, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and chili - the world's greatest sandwich
- Bun Cha
- Hanoi's signature dish - grilled pork patties with rice noodles, herbs, and a sweet dipping sauce, famously eaten by Obama
- Com Tam
- Broken rice with grilled pork chop, egg meatloaf, and pickled vegetables - Saigon's everyday comfort meal
- Goi Cuon
- Fresh spring rolls of rice paper wrapped around shrimp, pork, herbs, and vermicelli, dipped in peanut sauce
- Bun Bo Hue
- Spicy beef noodle soup from central Vietnam with lemongrass and shrimp paste, considered by many to be even better than pho
- Ca Phe Sua Da
- Vietnamese iced coffee - dark roast dripped through a phin filter over sweetened condensed milk and ice
- Banh Xeo
- Crispy turmeric crepe filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, wrapped in lettuce and herbs and dipped in nuoc cham
Nature
Nature and landmarks in Vietnam
- Ha Long BayCoast
- UNESCO World Heritage seascape of nearly 2,000 limestone karst islands rising from emerald waters in the Gulf of Tonkin
- Sapa Rice TerracesMountain
- Stunning cascading rice paddies carved into the mountains by Hmong and Dao ethnic minorities near the Chinese border
- Phong Nha-Ke BangNational Park
- UNESCO World Heritage cave system including Son Doong, the largest cave passage in the world, discovered only in 2009
- Mekong DeltaRiver
- Vast river delta of emerald rice paddies, floating markets, and tropical orchards where Vietnam meets the sea
- Ninh BinhLandmark
- Limestone karsts rising from rice paddies and rivers, often called Ha Long Bay on land, with ancient temples and grottoes
- Cat Ba IslandIsland
- Largest island in Ha Long Bay with a national park, beaches, and the critically endangered Cat Ba langur
- Da LatMountain
- French colonial hill station at 1,500 meters surrounded by pine forests, waterfalls, and flower gardens - Vietnam's city of eternal spring
- Phu QuocIsland
- Vietnam's largest island in the Gulf of Thailand, with pristine beaches, fish sauce factories, and spectacular sunsets
Sport
Sports in Vietnam
- Football
- Most popular sport in the country, the national team has won multiple AFF Championships and is a growing force in Asian football
- Martial Arts
- Vovinam, Vietnam's national martial art, combines kicks, strikes, and grappling and is practiced in over 60 countries
- Badminton
- One of Vietnam's strongest Olympic sports, with rising stars competing at the highest international levels
- Sepak Takraw
- Traditional Southeast Asian sport played with a rattan ball using feet, knees, and head, hugely popular across Vietnam
Facts
Did you know?
Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee exporter after Brazil, producing mostly robusta beans
Son Doong Cave in Phong Nha is the world's largest cave passage - big enough to fly a Boeing 747 through
There are more motorbikes than people in Vietnamese cities - Ho Chi Minh City has 7.5 million motorbikes for 9 million people
Vietnamese is a tonal language with six tones - the word ma can mean ghost, mother, horse, grave, rice seedling, or but
Egg coffee, ca phe trung, was invented in Hanoi in 1946 when milk was scarce and a bartender used egg yolk instead
Vietnam has 54 officially recognized ethnic groups, each with distinct languages, costumes, and cultural traditions
The Vietnamese alphabet uses Latin letters with diacritical marks, introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the 17th century
Ha Long Bay's name means Descending Dragon - legend says a dragon landed here and its thrashing tail carved the islands
Play
Can you find Vietnam on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Vietnam and its neighbours without a second thought.
