Things To Do in Vietnam
Written by specialists who have done them — every experience below is chosen because it genuinely changes how you understand Vietnam.
Not a checklist. A collection of moments.
Vietnam rewards those who move slowly and choose deliberately. The activities listed here are not tours — they are doorways. Each one leads somewhere that generalist travel cannot reach: into a hidden lagoon, a century-old kitchen, a festival that has been repeating since the 11th century. They are written in the voice of people who were actually there.
Watching Water Puppets in Hanoi: A 1,000-Year-Old Art Form
They have been performing this art in flooded rice paddies for a thousand years. The puppets move through water in ways that should not be possible.
- •Watch 1,000-year-old Vietnamese water puppetry at Hanoi's most celebrated venue
- •Live traditional orchestra with dan bau one-string instrument and trong drums
Trekking the Rice Terraces of Sapa: Walking in a Painting
The Hmong have been carving these terraces into the mountains for centuries. Walking through them is to walk through a landscape that is both ancient and alive.
- •Trek through the Muong Hoa Valley — Sapa's most dramatic landscape of terraced rice fields
- •Walk with a Black Hmong guide through Cat Cat, Ta Van, and Y Linh Ho villages
Hoi An's Full Moon Lantern Festival: The Most Beautiful Night in Vietnam
At 8pm on the 14th lunar day, the electricity switches off and 400 years of history reappear under silk lanterns.
- •Every 14th day of the lunar month — typically once per calendar month
- •Release a floating flower lantern (đèn hoa đăng) on the Thu Bon River for luck
A Cooking Class in Hue: Learning to Cook Imperial Vietnamese Food
Hue's imperial cuisine was designed to express artistry as much as flavour. A cooking class here is unlike anything you'll do in Hanoi or Saigon.
- •Learn to prepare bánh khoái (Hue-style sizzling crepes) with local ingredients sourced from Dong Ba market
- •Master the technique for bún bò Huế — Hue's famous spicy beef noodle soup, more complex than Hanoi's pho
The Mekong Delta by Sampan: Vietnam's Other World
Twenty-two thousand kilometres of canals. A world where the road is always water.
- •Float through Cai Rang Floating Market — the largest in the Mekong Delta, largest before 8am
- •Navigate the narrow back-canals of Ben Tre province by traditional wooden sampan
Private Guides
All experiences are led by private, expert local guides — no group tours
Year-Round
Most experiences are available all year; we match activities to the best season for you
Fully Bespoke
Every experience is tailored — timing, pace, depth — to your exact preferences
Expert Planning
Speak to a Vietnam specialist who has done every experience listed here personally
Combine the Experiences That Matter to You
Tell us which of these experiences resonate and we will build an itinerary that weaves them into the best possible sequence — at the right time of year, in the right order, at the right pace.