Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
North-Central Vietnam
Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003, the remarkable Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park contains the oldest karst mountains in Asia, formed…
Must-see attractions in Central Vietnam
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Hang Son Doong (Mountain River Cave), located in the heart of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, is known as the world's largest cave, and is one of the…
Hue
Built on a small hill overlooking the Song Huong (Perfume River), 4km southwest of the Citadel, this seven-storey pagoda is an icon of Vietnam and as…
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
The Tu Lan cave system comprises of more than 20 wet and dry caves, which are thought to be between three and five million years old. Huge caverns,…
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Surrounded by forested karst peaks, this staggering cave system in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park extends for 31km, though most people only visit the…
Danang
This wonderfully wacky bridge takes the form of a ginormous, colour-changing dragon, weaving its way across the Han River. If that wasn't attention…
Hoi An
Built two centuries ago by an ethnically Vietnamese family, this gem of a house has been lovingly preserved through seven generations. Look out for signs…
Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation
Hoi An
Originally a traditional assembly hall (or guildhall), this structure was later transformed into a temple for the worship of Thien Hau, a deity who…
Hoi An
Emblematic of Hoi An, this beautiful bridge was first constructed in the 1590s by the Japanese community to link it with the Chinese quarters. Over the…
Hue
This hillside monument is a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements. Most of the tomb’s grandiose exterior is covered in darkened, weathered…
Hue
Taking up the southwest corner of the Imperial Enclosure, this highly impressive walled complex has been beautifully restored. The imposing three-tiered…
Demilitarised Zone
A highly impressive complex of tunnels, Vinh Moc is the remains of a coastal North Vietnamese village that literally went underground in response to…
Hue
The Imperial Enclosure or Imperial City is a citadel-within-a-citadel, housing the emperor’s residence, temples and palaces, and the main buildings of…
Danang
This small but important museum contains the world’s largest collection of Cham artefacts, housed in buildings marrying French-colonial architecture with…
Ninh Binh Province
Set amid glorious limestone pinnacles, this tranquil reserve comprises a reedy wetland that’s popular with birdwatchers. Among the bird species that have…
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
This gigantic cave is very close to Hang Son Doong; both have been featured in a National Geographic photographic spread. Getting here involves a trek…
Hoi An
Built for worshipping family ancestors of the Tran (陳) clan, this chapel (more accurately an ancestral hall) dates back to 1802. It was commissioned by…
Hoi An
By Unesco decree, more than 800 historic buildings in Hoi An have been preserved, so much of the Old Town looks as it did several centuries ago. Eighteen…
Hue
This tomb (completed in 1867) is the most popular, imposing and impressive of the royal mausoleums, designed by Emperor Tu Duc himself before his death…
Ninh Binh Province
Chua Bai Dinh is a bombastic Buddhist complex, built on a vast scale, that rises up a hillside near Ninh Binh. Construction was completed in 2014, and it…
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
The spectacular boat trip through Phong Nha Cave is an enjoyable though touristy experience beginning in Son Trach town. Boats cruise past buffalo,…
Hoi An
Founded in 1653, this small temple is dedicated to Quan Cong, an esteemed Chinese general who is worshipped as a symbol of loyalty, sincerity, integrity…
My Son
The main kalan (sanctuary), B1, was dedicated to Bhadresvara, which is a contraction of the name of King Bhadravarman, who built the first temple at My…
Demilitarised Zone
The site of the most famous siege of the American War, the USA’s Khe Sanh Combat Base was never overrun, but it saw the bloodiest battle of the war. About…
Hoi An
This pagoda (founded in the mid-17th century) is associated with An Thiem, a Vietnamese prodigy and monk from the age of eight. When he was 18, he…
Ninh Binh Province
Rowboats bob along the Sao Khe River through limestone caves. It's a relaxing trip, but many caves have also been enlarged to accommodate boats. Boat…
Ninh Binh Province
Established in 1962, this national park is one of Vietnam’s most important protected areas. Though wildlife has suffered a precipitous decline in Vietnam…
Hoi An
There’s a whole block of colonnaded French colonial buildings on Ð Phan Boi Chau between Nos 22 and 73, among them the 19th-century Tran Duong House. It’s…
My Son
The effusive have described this as Vietnam’s Angkor Wat, but that’s hardly fair: My Son contains fewer ruins (and they are very much ruined) within a…
Danang
Known to locals as Con Ga Church (Rooster Church) because of the weathercock atop the steeple, the candy-pink, photogenic Danang Cathedral was built for…
Hue
Planned during Minh Mang’s reign (1820–40) but built by his successor, Thieu Tri, this majestic tomb, on the west bank of the Perfume River, is renowned…
Demilitarised Zone
Quang Tri once boasted an important citadel, but little of its old glory remains. In the Easter Offensive of 1972, North Vietnamese forces laid siege to…
Danang
This pagoda has three giant Buddha statues in the courtyard, and an equally imposing large gold one in the temple.
My Son
Group A was almost completely destroyed by US bombs. According to locals, the massive A1, considered the most important monument at My Son, remained…
Endangered Primate Rescue Center
Cuc Phuong National Park
The Endangered Primate Rescue Center is supervised by the Frankfurt Zoological Society, and is home to around 180 primates (15 species in total),…
Ho Thuy Tien Abandoned Water Park
Hue
Closed for mysterious reasons in 2006, this long-abandoned water park outside Hue centres on a dramatic dragon head poking from the waters of Thuy Tien…
Hue
The principal entrance to the Imperial Enclosure is Ngo Mon Gate, which faces the Flag Tower. The central passageway with its yellow doors was reserved…
Ninh Binh Province
Built in 1892, the cathedral’s wooden interior has a vaulted ceiling supported by massive columns. Vietnamese-looking cherubs swarm above the granite…
South-Central Vietnam
Quang Tri province was the most heavily bombed part of Vietnam and it remains the most contaminated with ordnance. This museum provides an excellent…
South-Central Vietnam
The elegant Cham towers at Chien Dan are located just outside the town of Tam Ky on a wide open field; the only other building nearby is a small museum…
