12 day trips worth the trip across Vietnam, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Vietnam guides.
Ninh Binh (Goat Meat Country) ★ 4.7 · Hanoi
day-trip
Ninh Binh is Hanoi's limestone-karst day-trip 100 km south, where the country goat is the regional dish: grilled, spring-rolled and hot-potted at Tam Coc.
Tip: Most organised tours include a goat-meat lunch; Nhat Yen near Tam Coc is the consistent rec for individual travellers.
Duong Lam Ancient Village ★ 4.4 · Hanoi
day-trip
Duong Lam is Hanoi's living-museum ancient village 50 km west, with laterite houses and food specialties Ga Mia chicken and bamboo-spit roast pork.
Tip: Easy half-day or full-day; combine with King Ngo Quyen temple. Lunches arranged in-village by local families.
Bat Trang Ceramic Village ★ 4.3 · Hanoi
day-trip
Bat Trang is Hanoi's ceramic village 14 km east, founded in the 14th century, with regional dishes canh mang muc and steamed banh te rice cakes.
Tip: Pair with a pottery workshop. The ceramic-market street fills with food stalls at lunchtime.
Hoa Lu (Tam Coc Com Chay) ★ 4.2 · Hanoi
day-trip
Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh is Vietnam's 10th-century first capital, where com chay scorched-rice crackers come with goat ragout in stalls along the Trang An row.
Tip: Pair with the Mua Cave climb for the rice-paddy view. Most Ninh Binh day-tours include both Hoa Lu and Tam Coc.
Mekong Delta (My Tho and Ben Tre) ★ 4.2 · Ho Chi Minh City
The nearest slice of the Mekong Delta, My Tho and Ben Tre pair boat trips through the coconut canals with orchard lunches and coconut-candy villages.
Halong Bay (Bai Chay Seafood) ★ 4.0 · Hanoi
day-trip
Halong Bay is Hanoi's limestone-bay day trip, with day cruises from Bai Chay port serving onboard seafood lunches of clams, prawns, squid and grilled fish.
Tip: Standard packages $35-50 per person including transport, meals, kayaking and cave visit. Departures typically 07:30 from Hanoi.
Can Gio ★ 4.0 · Ho Chi Minh City
Can Gio is the city's coastal mangrove district, a day trip built around the Hang Duong seafood market where you pick live crab, prawns and clams.
Cai Be (Floating Market) ★ 4.0 · Ho Chi Minh City
Deeper into the Mekong Delta, Cai Be is known for its river floating market and cottage food industries, where boats sell tropical fruit and workshops make.
Cu Chi Tunnels ★ 3.9 · Ho Chi Minh City
The Cu Chi Tunnels northwest of the city pair the war-history site with a taste of the tunnel diet: steamed cassava dipped in peanut-sesame salt.
Tay Ninh (Cao Dai) ★ 3.9 · Ho Chi Minh City
Tay Ninh pairs the psychedelic Cao Dai Great Temple with a strong vegetarian food culture, from com chay at the holy see to the province's own goi cuon.
Vung Tau ★ 3.8 · Ho Chi Minh City
The coastal town of Vung Tau is the classic Saigon seaside escape, a beach day built around cheap fresh seafood and the town's own banh khot.
Buu Long and Bien Hoa ★ 3.6 · Ho Chi Minh City
Just east of the city, Bien Hoa and the Buu Long lake area make an easy green escape, with lakeside restaurants serving Dong Nai river fish, grilled.