Vietnam · best-of list
14 Top Things to Do in Vietnam
All 14 things to do our route editors picked in Vietnam, across 3 destinations, gathered in one list. Each one is a stop on a route you can open and copy into a trip.
Our curated picks
14 things to do in Vietnam, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Hue 6 picks
Imperial City of Hue
Hue · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Walled Nguyen dynasty citadel with the Forbidden Purple City and restored palaces.
Tip: Allow half a day; combo tickets include tombs.
Photo: NguyenThanhBac123 · CC0
Perfume River Dragon Boat
Hue · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Slow boat ride on the Perfume River between the city and Thien Mu.
Photo: Boat Tour Huế - Dinner Cruise on the Perfume River · Google
Thien Mu Pagoda
Hue · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Seven-story octagonal tower on a bluff above the Perfume River.
Photo: Marco Alle · Google
Tomb of Khai Dinh
Hue · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Hillside tomb fusing European and Vietnamese styles with mosaic-covered interiors.
Photo: Pablo M · Google
Tomb of Minh Mang
Hue · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Symmetrical tomb complex with lakes and pavilions along a long axis.
Photo: Minh Tuấn Le · Google
Tomb of Tu Duc
Hue · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Pine-shaded tomb complex with lake pavilions where the emperor wrote poetry.
Photo: KTMart Vietnam · Google
Da Nang 4 picks
Dragon Bridge
Da Nang · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Dragon-shaped bridge over the Han River that breathes fire and water on weekend nights.
Tip: Show at 9pm Saturday and Sunday; watch from the riverbank.
Photo: Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên · CC BY-SA 3.0
Linh Ung Pagoda
Da Nang · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Son Tra Peninsula pagoda with a 67-meter Lady Buddha statue facing the bay.
Photo: Sandric Jimmidee · Google
Marble Mountains
Da Nang · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Five limestone hills with cave shrines, pagodas and stairways to lookouts.
Tip: Take the elevator up Thuy Son, walk down through Huyen Khong Cave.
Photo: Julien · Google
Museum of Cham Sculpture
Da Nang · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Largest collection of Cham sandstone carvings from My Son and other temple sites.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Hoi An 4 picks
Japanese Covered Bridge
Hoi An · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Late-1500s covered bridge with a small temple, the old town's landmark.
Tip: Old Town ticket covers entry to five heritage sites.
Photo: ThoiDai Alpha · Google
My Son Sanctuary
Hoi An · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
UNESCO-listed Cham temple ruins in a jungle valley, an hour inland.
Tip: Go at opening to beat heat and tour buses.
Photo: 김대환 · Google
Tan Ky Old House
Hoi An · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Two-century-old merchant house blending Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese design.
Photo: Beat “Baccio” Lipp · Google
Thanh Ha Pottery Village
Hoi An · On our Central Vietnam Food & Heritage route
Riverside village of potters making terracotta wares; try the wheel.
Photo: Pottery Tour · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in Vietnam?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 14 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Vietnam has the most things to do on this list?
Hue has the most (6 of 14), followed by Da Nang (4) and Hoi An (4).
Are any of these free?
3 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Dragon Bridge, Linh Ung Pagoda and Thien Mu Pagoda. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for Vietnam
Top things to do nearby
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.