Vietnam, Vietnam

Discovery · Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam stretches from northern limestone and rice landscapes through imperial central cities to a tropical delta, with a cuisine that changes at every stage.

Travel by Ildy tip

Highlights

In Huế, visit the tomb of Emperor Tự Đức (1864–67): left without an heir, he wrote his own epitaph, carved on a stele hauled from a quarry over 500 km away – the largest of its kind in Vietnam.

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

No single month suits the whole country; northern winter, central rainy season and southern monsoon must be planned separately.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

  • For the Hanoi–Huế leg of about 690 km, consider the overnight sleeper on the North–South railway: you arrive in the morning, but the line is mostly single-track, so allow a buffer for delays.
  • In Hanoi, order cà phê trứng – robusta topped with egg yolk whipped with sugar and condensed milk – a drink born at Café Giảng in the late 1940s, when fresh milk was scarce.
  • Check the dates of Tết, the Lunar New Year, before booking: as families travel to their home towns, trains, buses and flights fill up across the country.
  • Hanoi's Long Biên Bridge, built in 1899–1902 by the Paris firm Daydé & Pillé and first named after Paul Doumer, was one of Asia's longest bridges; trains and scooters still cross it.

Travel by Ildy recommends

Follow the rhythm of the place first, then shape the journey around the experiences that feel most like your own.

Location

Vietnam on the map

Vietnam

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Where to stay

Stay ideas — Vietnam

Vietnam, Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam