At a glance
The country, before you go.
Population
102.2 million
May 2026 estimate. 42% urban; about 33.9 years median age. The 16th most populous country in the world.
Currency
Vietnamese Dong (VND)
About 1 AUD = 18,795 VND (May 2026). Cash widely accepted outside modern resorts. ATMs available in major cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Danang).
Climate range
Tropical to temperate
South: 21–28°C year-round tropical. North: cooler winters (5–15°C in Sapa). Monsoon Apr–Oct south, Sep–Jan north. Best weather Nov–Feb nationwide.
Main economy
Manufacturing + agriculture
Manufacturing 24.4% of GDP (electronics, textiles, apparel). Agriculture 12% (rice, coffee major exports). Tourism growing rapidly across all regions.
Signature festivals
Tết · Mid-Autumn · Reunification
Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year, late Jan–early Feb) is the biggest holiday — cities empty, prices spike. Mid-Autumn Festival (Sep–Oct) features lanterns and mooncakes. Reunification Day April 30 marks national unification.
Cultural foods
Phở · bánh mì · bún chả · gỏi cuốn
Phở (beef broth noodle soup), bánh mì (French-Vietnamese sandwich), bún chả (grilled pork with noodles), gỏi cuốn (spring rolls), cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee). Each region has distinct variations — north favours broths, central is spicier, south emphasizes street food.
Figures verified May 2026.
The country
Vietnam is a country that splits into three — north (Hanoi, mountains, cool), central (Hoi An, Hue, beaches), and south (Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong, hot). The weather is different, the food is regional, and the pace changes as you move down the map. The best trips narrow to one or two regions instead of trying to do all three.
This page is a starting point. Pick a region below, or tell us when you can go and whether you want mountains or beaches — we'll narrow the rest down.
Places to visit
Six regions. Each one a different entry to Vietnam.
Swipe through. Each region has its own pace — the chaos of Hanoi, the limestone mountains of Halong, the slow yellow town of Hoi An, the tea plantations of Sapa, the megacity south, and the floating villages of the Mekong.
Hanoi
The capital, untidy and alive.
A thousand motorbikes, the Old Quarter maze, Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn. Pho stands at six in the morning, a silk-weaving village outside the city, the French colonial architecture softening at dusk.
Talk about this →Halong Bay
Limestone and water.
Two thousand karst islands, cave systems, floating villages. An overnight junk or a private boat changes everything — we avoid the cruise-ship versions and book the ones where you see the sunrise alone.
Talk about this →Hoi An
The yellow town, frozen in the 1500s.
A UNESCO-protected ancient town of yellow-and-brown shophouses, silk tailors, lantern-lit riverside, and a night market that ends when the locals decide it ends. Two hours south of Danang, four hours north of Nha Trang.
Talk about this →Sapa & the northern mountains
Rice terraces and cool air.
The north gets cold. Sapa sits in cloud forest at 1,600 metres, surrounded by Hmong and Dao villages, rice paddies, and hiking trails that run for days. A place where you feel the altitude and the distance from the coast.
Talk about this →Ho Chi Minh City
The southern megacity.
Nine million people, the busiest intersection you've ever crossed, the best-kept restaurants you've never heard of. Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum, Bitexco Financial Tower at night. A different country to the north.
Talk about this →Mekong Delta
Vietnam's river breadbasket.
Can Tho, Vinh Long, floating markets at five in the morning. Narrow canals, fruit orchards, water everywhere. Two hours south of Ho Chi Minh and you're in a landscape most travellers skip — which is why we send them.
Talk about this →When to go
Four seasons. Not all of them work everywhere.
Cool and dry
November to February.
The best time. North is warm and dry (Hanoi highs 20°C, sunny). Central coast is perfect for beaches. South is cool at last. This is when we book most trips — book accommodation by September if you want the best places.
Spring in the north
March to April.
The north warms up but stays dry. Flowers in Sapa. A good shoulder season. The south starts heating up and humidity rises, but Hoi An is still fine. Avoid the Mekong — the delta gets muddy.
The hot south
May to September.
The north stays warm. Central Vietnam (Hue, Hoi An) gets hit by monsoon rains October–November — avoid this. The south heats to 35°C and above. We send travellers north to the mountains during these months or wait until November.
Tet — lunar new year
Late January or early February.
Biggest holiday in Vietnam. Cities empty, restaurants close for a week, prices spike, transport fills up. Timing is everything — book around it, not through it. It's beautiful if you plan for it. Chaotic if you don't.
Culture & customs
What we tell travellers before they go.
Four things you'll meet in the first week. None of them are obstacles — they're the country. We brief every traveller on these before they fly so the first crossing through a Hanoi intersection doesn't feel like a test.
North vs. south.
Different countries in the same border. The north is reserved, French-influenced, colder in every sense. The south is louder, faster, friendlier, more casual. A trip south feels different to a trip north. We brief travellers on the character change before they land.
The motorbike crossing.
You will cross a busy street full of scooters. There is no signal or right-of-way. Look at the drivers, not the traffic. Walk steadily, don't stop, don't run. They'll see you. It's safer than it looks. Everyone does it.
Cameras and soldiers.
Don't photograph soldiers, checkpoints, or military sites. Don't discuss politics with locals. It's a communist state and they take both seriously. Stick to food, travel, family. That conversation never gets uncomfortable.
Tipping.
Not expected. Small notes (10,000–50,000 dong, about $1–2) left on the table at restaurants are welcome but optional. Hotels, drivers, guides appreciate small tips but won't ask. This is not like Thailand or the Philippines.
Food
Three regional cuisines, all different.
North: pho and broths
Hanoi owns pho — beef broth, noodles, a leaf plate of herbs and vegetables you add yourself. This is the breakfast. Also bun cha (grilled pork with rice vermicelli), banh mi (the French-Vietnamese sandwich), crab soup at the old city markets. Food stalls, not restaurants.
Central: bun bo Hue and regional everything
Hue was the royal capital — the food is fancier, spicier, more intricate. Bun bo Hue (beef noodle soup with lemongrass) is a dish you'll chase from Hoi An to Danang. This region owns banh hoai (a crispy noodle cake unique to Hoi An) and the best banh mi sandwiches you'll eat anywhere.
South: com tam and street food
Ho Chi Minh is the restaurant city. Com tam (broken rice with grilled meat) is the everyday working meal. Banh mi stands on every corner. High-end Vietnamese restaurants worth booking ahead: Nha Hang Ngon (cooking school meets restaurant), Quan An Ngon (the same family, different concept), Thanh Huong (French-Vietnamese, old-school comfort).
Plan with us
Three ways our team helps with Vietnam.
Take the quick six-question quiz so we know how you travel — then pick whether we plan the whole trip, brief you on a call, or hand you the tools to do it yourself.
🇻🇳 Tell us how you travel
Six quick questions. Then we'll know how to shape Vietnam for you.
“When I close my eyes and imagine my perfect travel moment, I am…”
Helava Class
We plan, we book, we handle the suppliers
AUD $97 + AUD $55 per person
Our team designs your Vietnam trip with you in a planning session, then books every part of it. Office-hours support with a 24-hour reply window throughout your trip — because we made the bookings, we can call the supplier and fix things on your behalf.
Start the brief →Helava Standards
60-minute planning session, then yours to book
AUD $97
A live session with our team on Vietnam — routes, timings, properties to chase. You leave with the plan and book the parts you want via our affiliate links. Complex trips may need extra sessions, each at AUD $97.
Book a session →Do it yourself
DIY — sample itinerary
Free
Answer the Discovery questions on Vietnam — we email you AI-generated sample itinerary suggestions plus affiliate links so you can book the trip yourself.
Get your sample itinerary →The country, in nine frames
What Vietnam actually looks like.
Tap any photo. Nine frames across six regions and four seasons. None of these are the brochure shot — they're the hour before the brochure shot, or the hour after.
Ready when you are
Vietnam is the country that rewards
slowing down and picking a corner.
We listen first. Then we narrow the country to the region and the week that actually fit you — and we arrange your English-speaking driver, book your tables at the restaurants that matter, and handle every flight and hotel reservation.
Design my Vietnam trip →