Although Vietnam’s weather is mostly affected by the tropical climate, each region along the country has different weather characteristics. For example, while the north has four distinct seasons during the year including Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, the south only has two different seasons including the rainy season and the dry season. Therefore, depending on what time you travel to Vietnam, your itinerary in Vietnam can widely vary.

Because we don’t know exactly the time you travel to Vietnam, recommending destinations in Vietnam that suit your time is impossible for us. However, there are some must-visit locations that you do not want to miss when traveling to Vietnam where you can see its beauty at any time of the year. In this article, we will introduce you to those must-visit destinations, including:

Hanoi – The capital city of Vietnam

Hanoi is an energetic city with a harmonious combination of East and West architecture styles. As a capital city, it preserves and maintains the most genuine and authentic cultural traits of Vietnam for centuries which is indicated through its cuisine, influenced Western architecture, and lifestyle. All of it gives off a unique and enchanting atmosphere that you solely can feel when you arrive in Hanoi.

Having a countless number of museums, Hanoi offers you a chance to briefly understand the history of revolutions, wars, and art of Vietnam, especially of Hanoi. For example:

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh or Uncle Ho is the founder of the Vietnam Communist Party. After his death in 1969 caused by heart failure, Vietnamese officials at that time began planning preservation for his body. They came to find Russian scientists who successfully preserved Lenin’s body for help. Although the situation at that time was complicated due to the Anti-American Resistance War for National Salvation. Those scientists had made significant contributions in their experimental embalming routine.

When the war ended in 1975, the mausoleum was inaugurated and Ho Chi Minh’s body was securely laid inside the grand tomb. This mausoleum architecture was inspired by Lenin’s Mausoleum in Russia. However, the designers made distinctive Vietnamese architectural signs, such as the steeped roof.

Hoa Lo prison museum

Being built by the French between 1886 to 1901 in the middle of the city, its capacity was to confine a maximum of 600 prisoners. The initial purpose of constructing the Hoa Lo prison was to make an example of Vietnamese agitators for independence. Despite its maximum capacity of 600 prisoners, over 2,000 Vietnamese prisoners were confined within its walls by 1954. Due to the dense population and awful living conditions in this prison, it became so hated by the Vietnamese. Prisoners who were sent to this prison became furious against the French and their colonialism in Vietnam. Therefore, many political prisoners began to gather like-minded people. By passing notes written in invisible ink and verbal communication, they learned about Communism in Hoa Lo. At least five future General Secretaries of the Vietnamese Communist Party would spend their formative years in Hoa Lo Prison.

Nowadays, coming to Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, although it is already alleviated the brutality which happened in the past, it still can make you feel sorrow and disgust. The exhibits in Hoa Lo focus on the plight of Vietnamese revolutionaries who were imprisoned (and occasionally murdered) here during the French occupation of Vietnam in the early twentieth century.

The current Hoa Lo prison is only a small portion of the original prison complex; the majority of the prison was dismantled in the mid-1990s to make room for the Hanoi Towers. The Hanoi Hilton was razed in the mid-1990s, and in 1999, the International hotel group Hilton erected the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel on the site where the jail formerly stood.

The Vietnam Women’s Museum

Vietnamese women have played a significant role during the history of establishing and defending the country. This outstanding and informative museum, presented in English, French and Vietnamese, highlights exhibits covering every aspect of women in Vietnam from marital rituals to childbirth, but the stories of particular courageous women’s contributions during wartime that are most moving. For visual stimulation, the Vietnam Women’s Museum has a spectacular exhibition of propaganda posters, costumes, tribal basket wear, and fabric motifs from Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups.

The Museum of Ethnology

Vietnam is well-known for its diversity in ethnicity as it has a total of 54 different ethnic groups throughout the country. That’s the reason the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology comes out which helps visitors have an overview of the multi-ethnic country.

Unlike other museums in Hanoi, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has both indoor and outdoor sections. While the indoor section is mostly informative and provides enough information about each ethnic group such as their origin, habits, lifestyle,…, the outdoor one displays actual-sized models of houses of ethnic minorities from Nothern and Central highlands areas.

Another aspect that you should definitely try when you arrive in Hanoi is the cuisine. Hanoi is home to many well-known dishes around the world such as Pho, Banh mi, Bun cha,… Enjoying these famous dishes at the origin country not only does it offer you the truest and original taste of the foods, but it also comes with very affordable prices.

Above are just some of the main activities you can choose to explore in Hanoi; however, it has many to offer visitors such as:

• Take a walk around Hoan Kiem lake.
• Attend a traditional Vietnamese art performance at the Golden Bell Show theatre.
• Take part in cooking classes to learn about Vietnamese cuisine.
• Et cetera.

Read more: Top 5 fascinating museums in Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Sai Gon and the second-largest city in Vietnam, is a bustling metropolis. The city is a vital commercial and cultural hub that has propelled the whole country ahead with its boundless energy.

The hustle and bustle of city life, as well as its vibrancy, excite everyone who lives here, and visitors can’t help but be drawn along for the trip. Wandering through ageless alleys, you’ll notice an incredible contrast in landscape, from old pagodas to busy marketplaces, through rickety wooden stores selling silk, spices, and baskets to slick skyscrapers, gastronomic restaurants, and minimalist bars. HCMC has everything to offer visitors, whether it’s opulent hotels or budget guesthouses, historic restaurants or simple street vendors, elegant shops, or bustling outdoor markets.

Below is a list of typical destinations you should visit when arriving at HCMC:

• Cu Chi tunnels
• The War Remnants Museum
• Cao Dai Temple

Multi-Country Journey

Luxury Cruise Around Vietnam & Cambodia

Visit the renowned towns of Saigon and Siem Reap on a Mekong River cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap. There’s nothing short of arts, culture, and activities for a really local and immersive experience, including historical sites, art displays, nightlife excursions, and trips to villages.

Cycling Saigon to Angkor Wat

Follow the Mekong River upstream to the historic Angkor Wat ruins. Peddle through little alleyways and over small bridges through the Mekong Delta’s maze of rice paddies, and small communities. Explore the ancient temples and villages of Cambodia, as well as the gates of what was once a vibrant metropolis.

Da Nang

Besides Hanoi and Sai Gon, Da Nang is also one of the largest cities in Vietnam. Da Nang has gifted precious a countless number of natural topography and stunning pristine beaches.

The city of bridges is also a well-known name of Da Nang. It’s because the Han river separates this city into several parts, so in order to make ways to travel, many bridges have been constructed. Each bridge in this city has a very unique and spectacular way such as Cau Rong – Dragon Bridge, Bridge Pagoda, Han River Bridge,… Some of them are globally famous for their architecture.

Centuries ago, Da Nang once belonged to the Champa Kingdom and the French Colonial respectively, so when strolling around the city and surrounding areas you might encounter many places, buildings, or even cuisine that have influences from the Champa regime and French.

This is the list of attractions you do not want to miss when visiting Da Nang:

• My Khe Beach – One of the world’s six most attractive beaches
• Marble Mountains – A cluster of five marble and limestone hills.
• Ba Na Hills – One of the top-notch attractions.
• Tam Thanh Mural village
• Linh Ung Pagoda
• My Son sanctuary
• Cham islands

Read more: 6 Reasons to fall in love with Da Nang, Vietnam

Phu Quoc island

Phu Quoc is liberally sprinkled with picture-perfect white-sand beaches and cloaked in the dense, impenetrable jungle. Long Beach is sophisticated, Ong Lan Beach romantic, and Bai Sao simply irresistible. It is bordered by white-sand beaches and with large tracts still covered in the dense, tropical jungle. With its gleaming sands, swaying palms, sparkling water, and glamorous coastal getaways, Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s top beach destination.

Beyond the chain of resorts lining Long Beach, it’s still largely unspoiled. Unlike Phuket, to which it aspires, you won’t find a lot to do after dark but it is never short of fun outdoor activities in the daytime for family, including diving the reefs, kayaking in the bays, or exploring the backroads on a motorbike – or live the life of a lotus eater by lounging on the beach, indulging in a massage and dining on fresh seafood. Especially, good diving and white-sand beauty have led to its growing popularity.

Read this article to know When is the best time to travel to Vietnam.