Vietnam is country with diverse terrains, various climatic patterns, sublime natural beauties, colorful ethnic and regional cultures; there is a wide range of activities for foreign visitors to the country. Whether you are a wild life enthusiast, an adventure traveler, a cooking fan,... or just a general tourist, you will surely find something of interest on your trip to Vietnam.
Adventure Travel Guide to Things to do in Vietnam
For your convenience when planning a trip to Vietnam, we'd suggest you consider the adventure travel activities as follows:
1/ Trekking
Vietnam offers great hiking and trekking tours in different regions of the country. The far-northern mountainous region offer amazing mountain trekking tours in Yen Bai (Phu Song Sung Ta Chi Nhu, Ta Xua Mountain), Lao Cai (Ky Quan San Bach Moc Luong Tu, Fansipan, Lao Than, Nhiu Co San, Ngu Chi Son) and Lai Chau (Pu Ta Leng, Ta Lien Son).
Besides, there are several long-distance trekking and hiking tours amid wild nature and through ethnic villages in Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ba Be National Park in Bac Kan, Sapa (Lao Cai), Mai Chau (Hoa Binh), Pu Luong Nature Reserve (Thanh Hoa), Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh), Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve (Hoa Binh).
The Central Coast of Vietnam offers some nice trekking and caving tours at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province.
The Central Highlands offer moderate trekking tours in Gia Lai Province and Lam Dong Province (Da Lat, Lang Biang Mountain, Ta Nang-Phan Dung).
Trekking at Hang Kia, Hoa Binh
2/ Motorcycling, motorbiking
The far-northern mountainous regions in the Northeast and Northwest of Vietnam offer breathtaking sublime nature and you are to have thrilling motorbike adventures through these amazing lands.
Ho Chi Minh Road and the Central Highlands of Vietnam also offer sensational motorcycle tours for experienced bikers.
Motorcycling in Dong Van Karst Plateau, Ha Giang
3/ Backroad cycling, Mountain-biking, Leisurely cycling
For adventure travelers who love to travel by bicycle, you should have good adventure bike tours in the far-northern mountains, or country bike road leisurely experiences in Mai Chau, Pu Luong Nature Reserve or Ninh Binh.
Cycling to the countryside around Hanoi
The Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam is also a good area for leisurely bike tours on country back roads.
4/ Sea-Cruising
Needless to say that Halong Bay and the adjacent Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are the top places for amazing sea cruises in Vietnam, be it adventure boat trips or luxury junk cruises. There are boat trips you may also like if you travel to Nha Trang, Con Dao Islands, Phu Quoc Island.
Junk cruise on Halong Bay
5/ River-Cruising
The Mekong River offers wonderful river cruises for day trips or several day trips. The services range from adventure to luxury. You can cruise between Vietnam and Cambodia via the Mekong River on a luxury cruise.
Cruising on the Mekong River
6/ Kayaking
There are several places in Vietnam where you can go on kayaking such as in Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, in the Lan Ha Bay around Cat Ba Island, in the Nha Trang Bay...
Kayaking on Halong Bay
7/ Elephant-riding
Elephant riding is not available in Vietnam from November 2022. This is a collective efforts by different pro-elephant movements including those by local authorities, local communities and NGOs who wish to protect wildlife in Vietnam as well as in the world.
Elephant-riding at the Lac Lake
8/ Caving and Spelunking
The huge caves at the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province offer the best caving experiences in Vietnam. Some require several days with long-distance hiking through mountains and rivers. Some of these caving tours require adventure travelers with deep pockets.
9/ Wildlife Spotting
There are several places where you can spot wildlife some of which require special permits to enter restricted areas: Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai Province), Yok Don National Park (Dak Lak), Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park (Lam Dong), Son Tra Nature Reserve (Da Nang), Vu Quang National Park (Ha Tinh), Pu Mat National Park (Nghe An), Cuc Phuong National Park and Van Long Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh).
10/ Birding and Bird Watching
Vietnam offers sensational birding tours and some of the major places for watching birds in Vietnam include
- Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai);
- Da Lat (Lam Dong);
- Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park (Lam Dong);
- Deo Nui San (Di Linh, Lam Dong);
- Bach Ma National Park (Thua Thien-Hue);
- Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh);
- Van Long Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh).
