Hang Son Doong 1Watch-Out-For-Dinosaurs-Sunbeam
Jarryd Salem/CNN
13 essential Vietnam experiences
Vietnam has stunning variety in cities, landscapes and food. We’ve come up with a list of the top 13 things to do – from an aerial tour of Halong Bay to a tea experience steeped in culture.
Visitors offer flowers at a war memorial dedicated to the victims of the My Lai massacre in the village of Son My during a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the massacre on March 16, 2018.
NHAC NGUYEN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
My Lai: Ghosts in another Vietnam wall
02 state run food hanoi photos
Diana Diroy
Embracing the past, Hanoi restaurant dishes up nostalgic dishes and decor
Anantara Quy Nhon resort Quy Nhon, Vietnam
Quy Nhon Anantara Villas
Welcome to Quy Nhon, Vietnam’s hottest new luxury beach destination
koto kitchen hanoi
Courtesy KOTO
The Hanoi restaurant where empowerment is on the menu
long bien bridge hanoi
Getty Images/Westend61
Hanoi’s Long Bien Bridge replaces Train Street as selfie hotspot
A local woman cycles past a shop in Dong Ngac
Ronan O'Connell/CNN
Dong Ngac: Hanoi’s village of scholars
05 Ho Chi Minh mausoleum
Diana Diroy
A visitor’s guide to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, a Hanoi highlight
train street hanoi
Ashit Desai/Getty Images
Hanoi to shut down ‘train street’ cafes
LANG-TOI_6
courtesy Lune Production
Lang Toi: The world’s first bamboo circus show
_TOM9015
Courtesy Crazy House
The story behind Vietnam’s ‘Crazy House’
Ken Cave (Oxalis Adventure) (2)
courtesy Oxalis Adventure
Otherworldly landscapes: 7 of Vietnam’s best cave experiences
Japanese bridge hoi an
Christian Berg
7 reasons to visit Hoi An, one of Vietnam’s most beautiful towns
Halong Bay helicopter tour 1
courtesy Bell Flight
Vietnam launches first helicopter sightseeing flights over Halong Bay
The first thing you'll notice about Bún riêu -- a meat or seafood vermicelli soup -- is its deep red color. The soup gets its hue from tomato paste and annatto seed -- from achiote tree seeds. The flavor is just as enticing, featuring chunks of crabmeat, fried tofu, tamarind paste, and light vermicelli noodles.
Dan Tham
More than pho: 5 dishes every Hanoi visitor needs to try
Hang Son Doong 1Watch-Out-For-Dinosaurs-Sunbeam
Jarryd Salem/CNN
World’s biggest cave is even bigger than we thought
Pullman Danang Beach Resort 4088-14
Pullman Danang Beach Resort
10 of the best Da Nang hotels on the beach
Courtyard area
Courtesy Sofitel
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi: A tour of the historic Hanoi hotel where Trump and Kim are meeting
Azerai Hotel Can Tho - Floating Market - Beautiful Vietnam
From Azerai Hotel Can Tho
30 of Vietnam’s most beautiful places
There's a street in Hanoi that's entirely dedicated to chả cá -- a vermicelli noodle dish with turmeric-spiced catfish that diners grill themselves. The street's most famous address is Chả Cá Lã Vọng, which has been open for more than a century.
Dan Tham
Cha Ca: An entire Hanoi street dedicated to one special dish
hanoi train tracks
Nhac Nguyen/Getty
Hanoi’s ‘train street’ becomes selfie central
Hanoi Sidecar Tours
Sidecar Tours Vietnam
Zip through Hanoi’s Old Quarter on a vintage motorbike
mother goddess worship vietnam_00000000.jpg
The UNESCO-listed religion that worships women
Hanoi shrimp cake
Christina Choi/CNN
West Lake shrimp cakes: The one food you have to try in Hanoi
Viet Palace Hanoi
Christina Choi/CNN
Thanh Chuong Viet Palace: Hanoi’s epicenter of cultural heritage
vermicelli village hanoi
CNN
Vietnam’s ‘vermicelli village’: A delicious Hanoi side trip
PQC_5787
Quintessence of Tonkin
This pioneering Vietnamese show is performed entirely on water
Pho Binh serves some of the finest noodles and was once the secret headquarters of the elite Viet Cong unit that planned the Saigon chapter of the infamous TET Offensive.
Mark Eveleigh
Hanoi vs. Ho Chi Minh City: What makes these cities unique?
In 1994 UNESCO declared Halong Bay a World Heritage Site and since then researchers have discovered 14 endemic plant species and no less than 60 species of endemic animals.
Mark Eveleigh
Halong Bay: A journey into the dragon’s jaws
Hai Au Airlines started operating Vietnam's first commercial seaplane service out of Hanoi in the summer of 2014 and plans are already in place for small seaplane fleets in Danang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Mark Eveleigh
Vietnam by planes, trains, automobiles… and then some
Night at the opera: As its name suggests, Hotel de l'Opera is just a few steps from the beautiful Hanoi Opera House, which regularly hosts ballet, music, and folk performances. The largest of its kind in Vietnam, the theater features a magnificent neo-classical French facade, imposing pillars, balconies and opulent interiors.
From Hotel de l'Opera Hanoi
Hanoi’s best boutique hotels
The summit terrace mapping hanoi
From Pan Pacific Hanoi
Hidden Hanoi: Map creators share city’s secret spots
An aerial view of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay's "Rock Retreat," a private cluster of pavilions overlooking the bay.
Kiattipong Panchee/Six Senses
Island hopping in Vietnam: Beaches, retreats, ex-prisons
POV Hanoi contemporary food Spices Garden Nha Trang Lobster
From Metropole Legend Hanoi Hotel
Find out what’s new with Hanoi street food
HANOI, VIETNAM - NOVEMBER 05: Minsk enthusiasts mostly from northern Vietnam gather for a Minks off-road tournament on November 5, 2017 in Hanoi, Vietnam. A new generation of Vietnamese have started to ply the roads across Vietnam on the Soviet-era Minsk motorcycle, a smoke-belching dirt bike that was introduced by the USSR in the 1950s. Despite being known for breaking down regularly, the retro looking motorcycle is still favored among Vietnamese students with its economical cost and ability to customize. Costing between $300-$400USD for a well running two-strokes engine motorbike, some riders further modify the Soviet-era relic during off-road races. The primitive Minsk motorbikes have been known to be a reminder of Soviet's influence in Vietnam decades ago, and often nicknamed by Vietnamese at far-flung villages as "buffaloes." (Photo by Linh Pham/Getty Images)
Linh Pham/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty Images
Soviet motorcycles come roaring back in Hanoi
Hanoi Street Food Tours POV
Hanoi Street Food Tours
Hanoi locals share music, food and culture secrets
the lounge at Savage - the city's most cutting edge venue for bips and bleeps with visiting interntaional djs_ acts and the finest homegrown djs_ electronic artists
From Savage
Hanoi after dark: 7 fantastic outings
Saigon Guitar Street Duy Ngoc
courtesy Guitar Duy Ngoc
Sweet sounds on Ho Chi Minh City’s ‘Guitar Street’
Bot Chien
PJjaruwan/iStockphoto/Getty Images
Vietnamese food: 40 delicious dishes you’ll love
eBuddies, which has more than 40 volunteer guides, offers full and half-day city tours as well as a three-hour Hanoi street food experience.
Hanoi eBuddies
See Hanoi through the eyes of a local – for free
Hang Son Doong 10Hang-En-Campsite
Alesha Bradford
Explore Hang Son Doong, the world’s largest cave
Women hawk hand-made bamboo baskets in downtown Vientiane on February 29, 2008. Laos is among world's poorest countries. AFP PHOTO/HOANG DINH Nam (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)
HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty
Visiting Vietnam? Insiders share tips
Young girls wear traditional conical hats and "ao dai" dresses in honor of a celebration at Hoan Kiem Lake, a popular hangout for locals.
Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP/Getty Images
Just 3 days in Hanoi? Here’s how to see it
Vinpearl Nha Trang Resort, on Hon Tre Island, also has a lush 18-hole golf course designed by IMG Worldwide.
Courtesy vinpearl
9 of the best beach resorts in the South China Sea
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - FEBRUARY 23: Vietnamese women cruise down the street on a motorcycle February 23, 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Over the past year many luxury brands have surfaced in new shopping centers as wealthy Vietnamese spend their money for high priced cars and expensive items. Vietnam has experienced rapid growth since it made a shift to a socialist- oriented market economy, slowly integrating into the world's economy. In 2010 the GDP reached $104.6 billion. According to a forecast by the Pricewaterhouse Coopers in 2008, Vietnam may be the fastest growing of emerging economies by 2025, with a potential growth rate of almost 10% per year. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Visiting Ho Chi Minh City? Insiders share tips
Vietnam's bite-sized crunchy spring rolls might not enjoy the same popularity as their healthier fresh equivalent, but they aren't to be overlooked. Featuring a crispy shell with a soft veggie and meat filling, they're dunked in a tangy sauce -- perfect appetizers. In the north these parcels go by the name nem ran while southerners call them cha gio.
Karen Miller/CNN
Street food in Vietnam: Your Top 10 dishes
13 halong bay
Courtesy Pandaw
Cruise Vietnam’s scenic and lush Red River
Bun Bo Hue -- If you're ready to graduate from banh mi sandwiches and pho noodle soup (for the record, adding sriracha and hoisin sauce: totally kosher), consider bun bo Hue, a noodle soup that originated in the former imperial capital. It's made of vermicelli, generous slices of beef shank and a broth in which lemongrass and shrimp paste are the star players. Add some basil leaves, banana flower and diced green onion to bring some freshness to the piquancy of this classic central Vietnamese dish. To really kick things up a notch ask for some cubes of congealed pork blood.
Dan Tham/CNN
Beyond pho: 5 of Hanoi’s top noodle dishes
Cafe Giang
Cafe Giang
Egg coffee in Hanoi: Where to get your caffeine fix
New Vietnam prop poster 2
courtesy dogma collection
Propaganda posters: Life during war in Vietnam
1. Ca tru tease
CNN
Ca tru: A night at the opera in the streets of Hanoi
Ho Citadel 3
Ron Emmons
Ho Citadel: Vietnam’s unlikely UNESCO site
Vietnam by motorcycle
Alesha Bradford/CNN
Motorcycle tour: Vietnam’s history, culture on 2 wheels
02 bourdain vietnam 23596_053_0061_R
Zero Point Zero for CNN
Obama, Bourdain chew the fat in Hanoi
Long, tall and dead houses: Unusual architectures in Vietnam
Ron Emmons/CNN
The extraordinary wooden houses of Central Vietnam
cnngo travel ho chi minh secret cellar
CNN
Tour Vietnam War tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City
cnngo travel ho chi minh
CNN
Ho Chi Minh City with historians, rappers, Vespas
Vietnam vespa scooter 1
CNN
Hop on a retro Vespa in Ho Chi Minh City
04 bourdain vietnam food
David S. Holloway/CNN
In Hue, Bourdain finds memories and ghosts

Destination Guides

Destination Sydney
CNN
Sydney
Destination London
CNN
London
Destination Qatar
CNN
Qatar
Destination Tokyo
CNN
Tokyo