Vietnam

Vietnam stretches from north to south, and its weather varies along the way. While Hanoi is cool and damp, people are swimming in the south, and the center of the country may be in the middle of its heavy rain season. So the first question in planning is not "to go or not" but which region and in which month. That is where this Vietnam section begins.

Seasons get the most coverage. There are general pieces on when to go to Vietnam, where the dry months are, and where to expect rain and typhoons. There are also separate texts for each month: where you can swim, where you need a jacket, and how Tet affects a trip. Each of these compares the north, the center and the south instead of describing the country as a whole, because the seasons in these regions do not line up.

The second group of pieces covers cities and resorts. We write about Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with a list of places, prices and opening hours. There is a route around Da Lat with waterfalls and coffee farms, an overview of Nha Trang and a list of places in Mui Ne. For a beach vacation there are overviews of islands and beaches, a comparison of resorts by type of vacation and season, and roundups for traveling with a child. The VinWonders Nha Trang park and the national parks with caves and jungle are covered separately.

The practical part deals with accommodation, transportation and shopping. On accommodation, there are neighborhoods and hotels in Hanoi, Hoi An and Phu Quoc, beachfront bungalows, "all-inclusive" options and hotels for a vacation with kids. On transportation: the train through Vietnam with its carriage classes, and the way from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. We also look at what to bring home, what you cannot take out of the country, which fruits are in season and what people drink in Vietnam.

Every piece opens with a short answer to the main question, so the point is clear right away. Practical sections follow: how to get there, where to stay, what to keep in mind for the season. For prices and timetables we give the source and the date we checked them, because this kind of data goes out of date quickly. We write about the downsides plainly: the rain, the long transfers, and who a resort will not suit.

The section is meant for people who have already decided to go and are putting the trip together themselves. It works for a first visit, for a beach vacation with kids, and for a long journey across the country by train. Those looking for a ready-made package tour or a traveler's personal impressions will get less out of it. We do not sell trips and we do not write diaries. We collect verifiable information for planning.

The best place to start is the piece on when to go to Vietnam, or the text for your month. That way you will see at once which region suits you for weather. Then choose a resort or a city: the overview of places for a first trip and the comparison of resorts by type of vacation will help. After that, move on to hotels and neighborhoods, then to getting between your stops, and leave the texts on shopping, fruit and drinks for the days before your flight.

Vietnam belongs to the "Asia" section, which in turn is part of "Destinations". If you are still comparing options for a beach vacation, take a look at the neighboring sections "Thailand", "Indonesia" and "Maldives". Alongside them you will also find "India", "Turkey", "United Arab Emirates", "Armenia" and "Azerbaijan". Vietnam has no subsections yet, so all the pieces sit in a single list, from seasons to hotels.

We keep the pieces in this section up to date. We check prices, opening hours and timetables against the official websites of carriers, parks and museums, and put the date of the check in the text. Customs restrictions and entry rules change, so on these topics we show exactly what to look at and where to verify it with official sources. Before you buy tickets and pay for accommodation, recheck the key details against the sources given: it takes a few minutes and saves you from mistakes on the ground.