If you are looking for an affordable destination with attractive landscapes and a great culture to match, Vietnam is a country that is worth exploring. An adventure in this land will permit you to dive into a significant part of the ancient times of South-east Asia. With various activities ranging from visiting its World Heritage-listed sites, beautiful beaches, natural parks to different traditional locations reserving traces of the past, Vietnam caters to all kinds of travelers. Here are some unique ways to spend your leisure time in Vietnam.
Ways to spend your Leisure Time
It is said that you cannot claim to have explored all that Vietnam has to provide on one visit.
Take your food fantasy to Hanoi
Hanoi is a haven for all food lovers. You can find in Hanoi the best delicacies in the country and at an affordable price. It is a big city which means that there are several restaurants and places where you can get any kind of meal you want. If you love eating tasty and unique meals, then you must visit Hanoi. It is always better to have a tour guide who will help you to explore the city without much problem while you enjoy the delicious meals readily available at an affordable price.
Eat varieties of street foods you can when you are in Hanoi.
Food and Walking tours in Hanoi
This is one of the interesting ways to spend your leisure time in Vietnam. There are a lot of Hanoi Walking Tours. You will love food walking tours combined. From pork to noodles and different fish dishes, you will find all once you reach Hanoi, Vietnam. If you love going to a fancy restaurant, then Hanoi has many.
Vegetarian Food in Hanoi
Also, vegetarians have a lot of choices when it comes to food in Hanoi. All across Vietnam, you will find An Chay restaurants. This place is regarded as a paradise for vegetarians. Here, not everyone understands what vegetarian means, so they might want to put the chicken on top of Banh Mi, for example. Keep an eye on it and let them know by gestures you do not want chicken on your food, for example.
Vietnamese street sellers are glad to make you your favorite sandwich.
Light a lantern in Hoi An
Another one in the list of ways to spend your leisure time in Vietnam is lighting a lantern in Hoi An. Every Vietnamese New Year, Hoi An is transformed into a kaleidoscope of light and color for its Lantern Festival. The celebration lasts for seven days, with the road starting from Hoi An Bridge to the Hoai River Square adorned with plenty of colorful lanterns.
More than 50 workshops participate in this event, each one of them trying to design the prettiest lantern. The colors are bright and the designs are traditional too.
The heart of the festivities is in the old town, between the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Cau An Hoi Bridge. It is full of crowd, festive and chaotic, with impulsive food stalls at every corner. It is a kind of celebration for locals as it is for the visitors.
The most attractive sight is thousands of lanterns floating on the river; appoint a sampan boat to enjoy a closer look. For a small sum, you can purchase a lantern and set it afloat too.
Don’t get disheartened if you cannot make it to Hoi An for the New Year as small lantern festivals are celebrated on every full moon.
Heritage
To date, Vietnam has 7 World Heritage Sites that are recognized by UNESCO, and all these are easily accessible by travelers. Each of these sites charges a nominal fee that contributes towards their preservation and maintenance. Two natural and five cultural sites exist in Vietnam namely:
- Ho Dynasty Citadel in Thanh Ho
- Mi-son sanctuary in Quang Nam
- The old Hoi An town in Quang Nam
- Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh
- Hue monuments in Thua Thien- Hue
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long Hanoi
Natural Parks
Vietnam has nearly thirty national parks where you can enjoy varieties of flora and fauna. You can enjoy a walk through the national parks of Ba Be, Ba Vi, Nui Chua, and Cat Ba Hoand Lien to name a few popular ones. Do proper research and prepare beforehand if you are planning to carry food along with you to the nature reserves.
Amusement Parks
If you are in Ho Chi Ming City, you can enjoy your day out at the Suoi Tien Park. This is a historical park that depicts the history of Vietnam through its sculptures of legendary Buddha status and dragons. Moreover, there is an artificial beach, zoo, and many other attractions. If you move a little further, once you reach the Dai Nam Van Hien amusement park with swimming pools, merry-go-rounds, zoo, restaurants, pagoda, and theatres. An important tip to remember while visiting amusement parks in Vietnam is if you are in Hue, you must not miss visiting its abandoned water park which, though not functional, is the dream of every historian and photographer.
Beaches
Though its neighboring countries might be popular for its beaches, Vietnam has several beaches and offers large numbers of enjoyable resorts and budget accommodation along with a twisting coast. The most popular beaches are those of Bao Ninh located in the province of Nhat Le, Da Nha, and Quang Binh, situated on the Mui Ne, and South China seacoast. The Sam Son beach is located in the Thanh Hoa province that covers some 6 kilometers from Lach Hoi estuary till the foot of the Truong Le mountain is another beautiful place to visit.
Go for trips
Ha Long is famous for visiting the caves and neighboring islands on a boat. It is also accessible from Hanoi in a car. The islands of The Mekong Delta are famous for river trips, along with which you will access floating markets, Khmer pagodas, and even the villages amongst the long rice paddies. In Mui Ne, you will come across white-sand beaches and orange dunes which are mainly famous for sunrise visits.
Traditional visits
To understand the traditions and culture of Vietnam in a much better way, you can walk through the markets in different cities. You will learn the noisy paradoxical noisy peace of Vietnamese cities along with handicrafts and food products. You will be able to buy local food, souvenirs, jewelry, and clothing at affordable prices.
Drive a tractor to the beach
One of the most adventurous ways to spend your leisure time in Vietnam is taking a tractor to the beach. This is a non-touristy thing to do. You can visit the North of the Mui Dinh dunes. You will find a street food stall near this street. People in the stall will help you get a tractor. They will take you to the beach through the Vietnamese dessert. After approximately 2 hours, they will come and pick you from the same spot. Meanwhile, you can enjoy playing on the beachside, click beautiful photos, enjoy the ambiance, etc. This is the typical Vietnam experience which you must not miss when in Vietnam.
Enjoy hiking through Cat Ba Island
You cannot go wrong by visiting Cat Ba Island. The views are amazing, and the nearby Lan Ha Bay is an extraordinary Halong alternative- another interesting and beautiful bay, without the tourist crowd. What is its USP? The hiking experience. Enjoy trekking through the pristine rainforest that makes up the huge national park. The Lookout Tower Trail is quite an easy hike. Walk upwards for an hour, till you come out at a rusted shelter, from where you can appreciate how untouched Cat Ba is.