Food in Vietnam

An Bàng Beach is Hội An's best beach - 4km from the Ancient Town, with a long stretch of fine sand, a relaxed strip of cafes and beach bars, and none of the resort overdevelopment that has overtaken Đà Nẵng's coastline to the north.

An Nhứt Rice Fields in Long Điền district, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu province, is a 2,000-hectare countryside escape near Vũng Tàu city - a 2km winding road through golden rice paddies, a lone tree landmark, drone photography spot, and a weekend countryside food market with bamboo stalls from 4 PM.

Back Beach is Vũng Tàu's main beach - a 9km arc of open coastline facing the East Sea that serves as the primary weekend beach escape for Ho Chi Minh City, with a dense strip of seafood restaurants, hotels, and beach services backed by the Giant Jesus statue on the hill above.

Ben Thanh Market is the defining landmark of central Ho Chi Minh City - a 1914 French colonial covered market with a distinctive clocktower entrance selling food, clothing, souvenirs, and local produce, surrounded by an evening street food market.

Bến Tre is the Mekong Delta's coconut capital - a province of dense palm groves, narrow canals, and traditional villages where coconut is processed into every conceivable product, explored best by bicycle on flat delta roads and by small boat through the shaded waterways.

Bui Vien Street is Ho Chi Minh City's most famous backpacker street - a 400-metre pedestrianised strip in District 1 packed with open-air bars, clubs, street food, and neon lights that becomes one of Southeast Asia's most intense nightlife corridors after dark.

Cái Răng is the largest and most active floating market in the Mekong Delta - hundreds of wooden boats loaded with wholesale fruit, vegetables, and goods trading on the river at dawn, 6km from Cần Thơ city centre, best seen from a small rowing boat at 5 AM.

Cần Giờ Beach is Ho Chi Minh City's own beach district - a 70km drive from District 1 through mangrove forest to a dark-sand coastal town where Saigonese come for weekend seafood, a swim, and a break from the city without leaving city limits.

Cat Ba Town is the main settlement on Cat Ba Island in Hải Phòng province - a compact harbour-front town that serves as the base for Lan Ha Bay kayaking, overnight cruises, and Cat Ba National Park trekking, with a lively seafood restaurant strip, night market, and the new Sunworld beach on its doorstep.

Đồng Văn Sunday Market in Hà Giang province is a weekly gathering of H'Mông, Tày, Nùng, and Lô Lô communities on the Đồng Văn Karst Plateau - ethnic minority families in traditional dress trading livestock, textiles, and food including thắng cố, mèn mén, thịt trâu gác bếp, and phở gà đen. Smaller than Mèo Vạc market but a genuine community event worth timing your loop around.

Đồng Văn Old Town - 40 preserved stone houses at the core of the UNESCO Global Geopark, on Vietnam's northernmost plateau at 1,600m. Sunday minority market at dawn, weekly Saturday-Sunday cultural nights with bonfires and dancing, and a climate that occasionally brings frost and snow in winter.

The Duck Stop is Phong Nha's best-known traveller bar - a riverside terrace on the Son River in Sơn Trạch village where solo travellers, guides, and caving operators converge in the evening, with cold beer, local food, sunset views, and the best information on what's actually worth doing in the national park.

The French Village at Bà Nà Hills is a Gothic and Romanesque-style resort complex at 1,487 metres - cobbled streets, Saint Denis Cathedral, the 1923 Debay Wine Cellar, Fantasy Park, and seasonal festivals, with overnight options at Mercure French Village above the clouds.

Hàm Ninh Fishing Village on Phú Quốc's east coast is the island's oldest surviving fishing community - wooden stilt houses over the water, fresh crab and oysters straight off the morning boats, and a world away from the resort side of the island.

Hanoi's Old Quarter is a dense 36-street merchant district dating to the 13th century where each street historically traded a single craft - today it remains the commercial and cultural heart of the capital, with narrow lanes, ancient tube houses, street food, and the best urban walking in Vietnam.

Hội An Ancient Town is Vietnam's best-preserved trading port - a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 400-year-old merchant houses, assembly halls, temples, and lantern-lit streets on the Thu Bồn River, where Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese architectural traditions fuse into a single walkable neighbourhood.

Mũi Né Fishing Village is a working harbour at the tip of the Mũi Né cape, where hundreds of colourful round basket boats (thuyền thúng) are moored in the bay. The early morning fish market is one of the most photogenic scenes on Vietnam's south coast.

Phước Hải is the best fishing village near Ho Chi Minh City that also has a proper beach - 1.5 hours from Saigon by Toàn Thắng bus, with a morning seafood market, fresh oysters, a 1km seafront promenade, and a beach clean enough to swim in. The combo of fishing village and beach is rare on this coastline.

Phước Tỉnh is one of the largest and most active fishing ports in southern Vietnam - a working harbor in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu where hundreds of fishing vessels dock daily, and the morning market is one of the most photogenic and genuine seafood scenes near Ho Chi Minh City.

Phú Quốc Night Market in Dương Đông - the island's most atmospheric evening gathering, where seafood grills smoke over charcoal, vendors sell pearl jewelry and fish sauce, and the whole town comes out after dark.

Rạch Vẹm on Phú Quốc's northern coast combines two experiences: a traditional stilt-house fishing village built over the sea, and Starfish Beach (Bãi Sao Biển) where hundreds of large red starfish are visible in shallow clear water. One of the last untouched corners of Phú Quốc - under redevelopment pressure as of 2026.

Bãi Sao Beach on Phú Quốc's southeastern coast - over 2km of fine white sand in a sheltered bay with calm turquoise water. Unlike most Phú Quốc beaches, Bãi Sao is at its best June-October when the southwest monsoon keeps the bay sheltered and the water crystal clear.

Ta Hien Street is Hanoi's most famous nightlife street in the Old Quarter - a narrow lane packed with bia hơi (fresh draft beer) stalls, street food vendors, and bars where locals and travellers share plastic stools on the pavement every evening.

Trà Quế is a 200-year-old herb farming village 3km from Hội An Ancient Town - a dense patchwork of organic herb plots tended by hand using traditional methods, where visitors can join farmers for a morning, learn to cook Vietnamese dishes, and eat lunch in the fields.

West Lake is Hanoi's largest lake - a 500-hectare expanse in the Tây Hồ district ringed by upscale cafes, ancient pagodas, seafood restaurants, and a 17km cycling path that offers the most pleasant outdoor escape within the city limits.