The North

The north offers a remarkably safe city, superb landscapes and exotic ethnic minority hill-tribes in the northern mountains, magnificent Ha Long Bay, the Red River Delta, handicraft villages, excellent and varied cuisines, and the best scenery in the country.

Furthermore, it is the heartland of Vietnam. It was there that the Viet people established themselves more than two thousand years ago, and remained as a power based throughout the intervening years. As a result, much of the history of Vietnam is the history of the north.

The north is also the most traditional of the three regions. Buddhism, Taoism and ancestor worship are the dominant beliefs, and the influence of Confucianism remains powerful.

However, the downside is lack of decent beaches, and a more extreme climate than the rest of the country.

The Centre

The centre is the country’s narrowest strip of land and the scenery is extremely diverse. It’s divided into two sections: the Central Coast and the Central Highlands.

The Central Coast of Vietnam is an obvious choice for anyone looking for a beach holiday. Almost the total length of the Central Coast is lined with deserted soft sandy beaches. On the coast, Hue is a centre for three World Heritage areas, and Quang Tri province, where most of the fiercest battles took place during the American War. Further to the south, Qui Nhon and Nha Trang are resort areas. Nha Trang is well established and more commercialised, while Qui Nhon is in its infancy.

Much of the Central Highlands is a series of flat plateau, mainly inhabited by many ethnic groups. Some of the scenery is stunning. Forests, waterfalls, lakes and rivers are accessible for hiking and trekking, and there’s plenty to see. However, tourism infrastructure in this area is very limited.

The South

The southern area of Vietnam is dominated by Ho Chi Minh City with a range of attractions mostly concentrated around District 1. However, there are several interesting places in other districts – Cho Lon, located in the old Saigon area and better known as Chinatown.

Ho Chi Minh City can be accessible by fast boats and hydrofoils to and from locations in the Mekong Delta region, and longer trips can take visitors to Phnom Penh in Cambodia via the Bassac River and the border gate at Chau Doc.

Can Gio mangrove forest reserve, Vung Tau, the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Holy See can be day excursions, but Phan Thiet, Con Dao, and Phu Quoc need at least two or three days to make the trip worthwhile.

In the extreme south-west corner of the Vietnamese mainland is Ha Tien, a little-visited province next to the Cambodian border with a variety of places of interest.

The tropical weather all over the south is the most predictable in Vietnam. There is little variation in temperature between summer and winter, and the monsoon season starts and finishes more or less as expected.