5 Reasons Why Visiting Vietnam Is On Our Bucket List

Books, TV shows, films, video games—all sorts of media, really—have shaped our view of Vietnam for as long as we can remember. We’ve seen its beautiful bays in magazines, eaten its delicious food in shoddy imitation restaurants, and absorbed innumerable stories of their bloody civil war on screen since we were but children, but we’ve never been.

To rectify this grave misstep on our life’s long, winding path, we put together five reasons why we have to visit Vietnam {to motivate ourselves, you see}.

Find the perfect island getaway in Phu Quoc. White sand beaches line its edges, while thick, tropical jungles still hold sway over large sections of its centre. A beach bum’s paradise, there is always a new stretch of sand to soak your feet into, or a different resort to be pampered at.

An island to explore, what will you do? You could rent a motorcycle and explore the long roads, take a boat into the bright bays, or go snorkelling through the reefs. You’ll find us sipping on a rum while dozing on the beach, waiting for our massage. And planning out our fresh seafood dinner in our mind’s eye.

The best time to visit would be when the sea is calm and the summer still hasn’t set in, during the first few months of the year.

A hill station established by the French in 1920s, Sapa is actually a pretty popular location for tourists in north-west Vietnam. We love the look of this place because having grown up in Delhi, we’re accustomed to a different kind of hill station. The area is bright green, lush and filled with terraced fields in the foreground, and imposing mountains in the background. Sapa is a great place to check out from the bustling city centers of Vietnam, and is know for its colourful, local hill tribes, stunning views of the gorgeous valley, and trekking through charming fields.

We’re big history buffs, so the former capital of Vietnam is a no-brainer for us. If in the country, we’d have to visit Ho Chi Minh City. A little different to the other, more nature-centric, options on this list, the city is filled with museums and historical sites well worth a visit. Chief among them would be the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the gorgeous Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda.

You could check out the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum for the history branch of your visit. If you, like us, enjoy exploring a city by doing so on foot, there is always the bustling Binh Tay market to wade through.

The unique Phong Nha – Ke Bang national park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dotted with underground rivers, a network of hundreds of caves and some wild terra formations hundreds of millions of years old, this is a cave explorers paradise. Powers that be have installed a variety of coloured lights in the caves, that bounce off the walls and light them up in the most incredible ways. The most popular cave is Paradise Cave, and you can find guided tours for it relatively simply. You can also find the world’s largest cave-Son Doong-right here.

If cave diving isn’t for you, the above ground activities include mountain biking and trekking for the intrepid adventurer in you.

The capital city and seat of the Nguyen emperors, Hue is an ancient reminder of imperial Vietnam. If you’ve read any of our previous travel pieces, you’ll know we’re suckers for some gorgeous architecture, and this is what you will find in abundance here. A quiet city, don’t come here expecting late nights, loud music and heavy drinking. Instead soak in the wonders of the Imperial Enclosure, the To Mieu Temple Complex, the Thien Mu Pagoda, and a host of impressive tombs {even by Indian standards}.