News & Advice

How to Take Your Vietnam Trip to the Next Level

We make the case for going beyond Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Cond Nast Traveler Magazine December 2018 Volume VOL. VIII Go Vietnam
The Pandas’ Flavor

Most travelers to Vietnam follow a well-blazed trail between five familiar touchstones: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Huế, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Even returning visitors seldom stray from the H’s—which makes sense; they’re all eminently worthwhile, and strung together on an easy north–south route, with quick flights or scenic train rides between them. But there’s so much more—from the mist-shrouded mountains of Hà Giang to the coffee plantations of Dalat to the coconut-palm idyll of Ninh Van Bay. With fewer crowds and calmer vibes, these B sides are as compelling as the big hits, and even first-timers should consider one or more for a best-of-Vietnam trip. For further guidance, let the experts at Remote Lands—one of our go-to Vietnam specialists—tailor the perfect itinerary.

The JW Marriott Phú Quốc.

The Pandas’ Flavor

Phú Quốc

What & Where
A jungle-draped island off Vietnam’s southwestern coast, just a one-hour flight from Saigon.

Why Go Now
Though PQ’s roughly the size of Phuket, its beaches are far less spoiled, and there’s only a handful of hotels…for the moment. After decades under the radar, this once-sleepy backwater is on the road to overdevelopment. Come before it’s unrecognizable.

Who Loves It
Couples looking for beachy downtime, Saigon expats, and the food-obsessed—Phú Quô´c is renowned for its seafood, intensely flavored peppercorns, and the world’s finest nuoc mam (fish sauce), a cornerstone of Vietnamese cooking.

How to Do It Right
Fly nonstop from Saigon or Hanoi, book two nights on the beach, and have Remote Lands arrange guided visits to a peppercorn plantation and Du’o’ng Đông’s vibrant riverside market, plus a rain forest drive in the national park to look for langurs, macaques, and tropical birds. (Food nerds can tour the Red Boat fish sauce factory.) Or just hit the sand and shake off the city.

Where to Stay
The JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spawas a game-changer for Phú Quô´c; two years on, it’s the island’s best luxury resort, despite new competition from InterContinental. For a more intimate vibe, try the colonial-style La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc - MGallery, on a quieter stretch of Du’o’ng Đông Beach.

Hà Giang

What & Where
Vietnam’s northern frontier has breathtaking mountain scenery criss-crossed with steep rice terraces and hiking trails linking hill-tribe villages.

Why Go Now
While nearby Sapa is overrun, Hà Giang province is even more beautiful, and its H’mong and Tay communities show a different side of Vietnam. The road from Đô`ng Văn to Mèo Vac across karst-studded Mã Pí Lèng Pass is stunning.

How to Do It Right
Remote Lands can arrange trekking tours via helicopter from Hanoi (an eight-hour drive otherwise). Do it as a long day trip, or stay in a rustic mountain lodge like Auberge de Mèo Vac and wake up to H’mong-style breakfasts by the fire.

A H'mong girl in Hà Giang province

Chris Court

Ninh Van Bay

What & Where
On Vietnam’s southern coast, just north of Nha Trang (a 45-minute flight from Saigon), Ninh Van Bay has great snorkeling and diving, reliably good weather—and one of our favorite Asian beach resorts.

Why Go Now
The gorgeously sun-bleached, 58-villa Six Senses Ninh Van Bay has been quietly besting the competition for years, luring a chic yet low-key clientele that’s a world apart from the boozy bacchanal of Nha Trang itself. (The city is largely filled with Chinese and Russian tourists.) Fortunately, you’re far from that ruckus, on a quasi-private cove accessed by Six Senses’ own launch.

How to Do It Right
Book a couple of nights (hell, book a week) in a beachfront villa with a plunge pool, and spend your days paddleboarding, windsurfing, hiking to waterfalls in the forest behind the resort, indulging at the spa, and sailing to tiny uninhabited islands around the bay. Kids can explore Six Senses’ very cool new Earth Lab, and collect their own hen eggs for breakfast at the farm.

Dalat

What & Where
With its cooler climate, this town was a retreat for the French, who built Swiss-style chalets in the pine forests around Dalat’s central lake. Today the city is a kitschy favorite of Vietnamese honeymooners, while the countryside draws active travelers.

Why Go Now
Dalat itself can be overwhelmed with bus tours, and the weather is often chilly. But there’s biking, rafting, and canyoneering just outside town—and Dalat’s food is fantastic, with specialties like bánh tráng nu’ó’ng (rice-paper pizza), kid-goat curry, and superb local coffee.

How to Do It Right
Fly from Saigon (45 minutes) or take the winding drive up from Nha Trang (three hours), and book one of the half-timbered 1920s chalets at Ana Mandara Villas Resort & Spa. Spend the morning cycling in the hills or rafting the Lang Biang River’s Class II–IV rapids, and visit K’Ho Coffee, a co-op growing arabica beans (still unusual in Vietnam, where robusta is the norm). Get your curried or barbecued goat fix at Quán Ăn Diêu Thông, then hit Tung Café, a louche 1960s-era boîte straight out of a Wong Kar-Wai film.

Cần Thơ

What & Where
The Mekong Delta is Vietnam’s rice basket—a watery landscape of floating markets, stilt houses, Khmer-style pagodas, and rippling green paddies.

Why Go Now
The Delta is often done on a cruise or in a day from Saigon, but in Câ`n Tho’, the regional capital, a stylish new hotel is reason to stay the night.

How to Do It Right
Reachable only by boat, on its own private islet, Azerai Câ´n Tho’ is the latest opening from Adrian Zecha’s new affordable-luxe brand. The 60 villas have the indoor-outdoor layouts and minimalist design you’d expect from the Amanresorts founder, with generously sized verandas overlooking the river, lake, or jasmine-filled garden; the staff can arrange boat tours of Câ´n Tho’ and the floating markets.