From jungles and mountains to rivers and lakes, Vietnam is the perfect country to discover your adventurous side. Check out our insider tips on adventure tours in Vietnam.
Discover the city
Adventure tours in Vietnam come in all shapes and sizes, and this includes urban experiences. Urban exploration in Hanoi – a city of almost eight million people – is a must. Take in cultural centres such as the Temple of Literature in the Museum of Fine Arts – built in the 11th century for Confucius. The Water Puppet Theatre us also unmissable, with shows giving an insight into Vietnamese life. There are plenty of winding streets and local hangouts to discover too.
Wandering by water
Halong Bay is on the must-visit list for everyone seeking adventure tours in Vietnam. Cruising around the thousands of limestone karsts in emerald waters is the name of the game here. This is a much-loved UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it’s possible to get off-the-beaten-track too. Vung Vieng Village is a fishing village of just 60 households, floating at the end of the river. Ban Chan Beach is also an unspoilt and rarely visited place to stop. In the far north of Vietnam, Be Be Lake is one of the country’s truly special places to discover. Kayaking on the glassy waters is the stuff of dreams – surely helped by the local legends about the magical Fairy Pond nearby.
Mountain villages
Adventure tours in Vietnam are not complete without venturing into the country’s mountainous countryside. The gorgeous town of Sapa is surrounded by terraced rice fields in all directions and is the perfect spot to get further off-the-beaten-track on a trek. Such walks in the mountains take you to the villages of Ma Tra and Ta Phin, home to Dzao and H’mong ethnic minority communities, where you can learn more about their cultures and traditions. Tay people in other villages are known for weaving and knitting intricate textiles. On the weekends, these communities come together at vibrant markets – another must for any Vietnam adventurer. In Vietnam’s mountains, the best way to get to know local communities is by staying in homestay accommodation – we can organise this for you with local people living in traditional houses.
Climbing to your limits
As well as meeting the people of Vietnam’s mountain villages, adventure tours in Vietnam wouldn’t be complete without pushing yourself physically. In the mountains, there are plenty of opportunities for this! The Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark is on the China-Vietnam border and is an amazing 2,350km2 large (907.3 m2). A great place for a proper trek, it also has a lot of history too, with the fossils of ancient animals discovered from 600 million years ago. The French fortress of Pu Lo makes for another great climb and offers unrivalled panoramic views. The Meo Vac mountain range is another verdant, steep and impressive wonderland.
Adventure tours in Vietnam don’t come much better than this. Mr Linh’s Adventures can organise all of this and more in a
15 day/14 night Vietnam discovery adventure. Getting to the heart of Vietnam and its people, adventures don’t get much better than this.