Amazing Experiences You Can Only Have in Vietnam

In our globalised world, you can get a taste of most cultures in any urban centre, but there’s just so much you’ll miss if you don’t get out and travel. Here are some experiences you can only have if you hop on a plane, train or boat and make your way to Vietnam.
You can now book an exclusive adventure with Culture Trip to take in all that Vietnam has to offer on our specially curated small-group Vietnam tour, led by our Local Insider.
Go to the Cái Răng Floating Market
Market, Vegetarian

Ride a motorbike over the Hải Vân Pass
Natural Feature

Lovers of the Top Gear television show will already know this is a must-do in Vietnam. For those who haven’t seen the episode, we assure you: the Hải Vân Pass should definitely be on your itinerary.
Visit a Hmong family
Natural Feature

The moment you get off your bus in Sapa, in the north of Vietnam, you’ll be accosted in a friendly way by Hmong women in colourful garb. If you’re a seasoned traveller, your instinct might be to shoo them away – but don’t. They offer immersive tours where they bring you to their villages to show you their traditional ways of life. It’s an intimate experience, and you’ll be glad you didn’t wave them off.
Have a pho cocktail
Bar, Restaurant, Vietnamese
Take a Xe Ôm ride
Natural Feature
All through Vietnam, you’ll see these leathery old men napping on their motorbikes, catching some midday snoozes in the shade. They’re motorbike taxis, and there’s no feeling that quite matches the full-on adrenaline rush of cruising through insane traffic on the back of a moto. Be sure to negotiate the price first, though. They’re notorious cheats.
Take a boat tour on the Saigon River
Bridge

It’s surreal to watch palm trees and sheet-metal huts drift away to reveal the downtown skyline of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s like going through a time warp. There are numerous companies offering tours on the river, and most of them you can book through your hotel or hostel.
Kayak through Hạ Long Bay
Natural Feature

Although Hạ Long City is an underwhelming place, the limestone islands jutting out off the bay are a spectacular sight to behold. Lounging on a tour boat is a fine way to go, but a kayak is a more intimate experience.
Visit Hội An
Natural Feature
This Unesco World Heritage site is one of the most sought-after locations for tourists in Vietnam – and for good reason. It’s a special place, and, even though it’s about as touristy as you can get, it doesn’t feel wrong as the town has a sort of timeless charm. Keen to visit? It’s one of many fantastic destinations featured on Culture Trip’s specially curated Vietnam tour.
Eat seafood within sight of a turquoise fleet
Architectural Landmark
You can find quaint fishing villages along the whole length of Vietnam’s coastline. There’s just something very humbling about eating seafood in a place where you can see the boats that went out before dawn to catch your meal.
Visit the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City
Museum

This is a sobering experience, but one which captures the visceral pain of the tumultuous years when tiny Vietnam fought against the strongest military in the world.
Ride on a cyclo
Natural Feature

You can find these holdouts from the French colonial days near most urban tourist landmarks, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Hanoi. They’re a bit bumpy, but the drivers are excellent guides with detailed knowledge of your surroundings. On Culture Trip’s exclusive 12-day Vietnam adventure, you can enjoy a food tour by cyclo in Hue.
Go to an elephant race
Natural Feature
This is a weird one. Every March in Đắk Lắk province, there is an Elephant Racing Festival, with gongs and horns, and gentle giants competing for a wreath.
Climb Fansipan
Natural Feature

Looming over Sapa in North Vietnam is Fansipan, the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. There are many options available for people who want a guided trek up to the summit, and, unless you’re a veteran hiker, you should try to spread it out over two or three days.
Visit the Củ Chi Tunnels
Natural Feature

Check out Hanoi Train Street
Architectural Landmark
It’s amazing how the Vietnamese utilise space, and this is a perfect example of the pragmatism that seems to be in their DNA. Hang around long enough, and you’ll get to see a train roll through.
Go to the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve
Park, Natural Feature
This Unesco Biosphere Reserve is a short haul from Ho Chi Minh City, and, after any amount of time in Saigon’s madness, you’ll love escaping to mangroves, wetlands, salt marshes, mud flats and seagrasses.
Ride the Reunification Express
Train Station

If riding a motorbike the length of Vietnam sounds like your idea of hell, then, perhaps, a ride on the Reunification Express is more for you. Catch the train, and rumble through countless picturesque scenes.
Look out from the Saigon Skydeck
Building

Check out Bùi Viện Street
Architectural Landmark

For a look at some debauchery, you can’t do much better than the infamous Bùi Viện Street in the backpacker area of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s the epicentre of vice in Vietnam, and pretty well anything goes. Be careful with your belongings, though. Petty criminals are always watching for you to let your guard down.
Try some egg coffee
Cafe, Vietnamese
Explore the largest cave in the world
Natural Feature

The Sơn Đoòng Cave, which is 150m (492ft) wide and approximately 5km (3.1) long, was only discovered in 1991, when a man heard a whistling noise and rushing water. The entrance was impassible without climbing equipment, so locals never knew what was hiding from them.
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!


Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.


KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.