10 Most Photogenic Destinations in Vietnam

Endless sandy beaches, epic limestone mountains, seamless greens and paddle fields, gorgeous cities and ancient towns, Vietnam has been becoming a world’s top travel spot with memorable features. Here are the 10 most photogenic destinations in Vietnam for your bucket list.

Ha Giang Loop (Ha Giang)

Situated in the far Northern region of Vietnam, Ha Giang embraces a breathtaking, yet thrilling beauty as it is one of the best destinations in Southeast Asia for road trip, especially on two wheels. Its grandeur loop. For many adventurers, its grandeur loop would be a dream come true, with great canyons, limestone pinnacles curvy backbone passes, plus, majesty landscapes of paddies and minority villages.

The trip between Yen Minh – Dong Van coming across the Ma Pi Leng Pass (a part of Ha Giang loop) to Meo Vac can blow any travelers mind by the great level of local experience. If you fascinate offbeat journeys and need some vitamin ‘Green’ to boost up your worn-out energy, sign up for Ha Giang.

Trang An – Tam Coc – Bich Dong (Ninh Binh)

130km from Hanoi and 2-hour drive from Halong Bay, Ninh Binh boasts amongst Northern Vietnam’s most significant riverine landscapes. From here, visitors can easily access the pristine land of Tam Coc, Trang An and the ancient capital, Hoa Lu by paddleboat. Along the tranquil rive, numerous limestone mountains, once featured in famous blockbuster King Kong, rise spectacularly from underwater, creating an ethereal, picturesque scenery as quintessence of Mother Nature.

The variety of historical relics, tropical forests and ecosystems is also a tremendous highlight for the boat trip. Finding forgone vestiges of palaces, temples, pagodas, tombs related to the three dynasties of Dinh, Le and Ly, trekking to fairylike Bich Dong (the second best cave of the South) or reveling in Cuc Phuong National Park should conclude Ninh Binh journey excellently.

Ba Be National Park (Bac Kan)

Located in the Northeastern province of Bac Kan, Ba Be National Park is a peaceful haven, offers visitors extraordinary landscapes, magnificent biodiversity, interesting geology as well as stunning local life. Perfect destination for kayaking, boat trip, cave exploring, hiking and culture discovery.

The name Ba Be derives from ‘three lakes’ reference, as this destination consists of Pe Leng, Pe Lu and Pe Lam Lake. The place is surrounded by enormous karst peaks, covering 90% of Pia Booc mountain range, age-old evergreen forest and small hamlets of ethnic minority. People in the national park live off the land, maintain their lives by fishing activity from the lakes and river.

Great picture chance for early risers when the mist covers the emerald water lake in early morning.

Halong Bay – Lan Ha Bay (Quang Ninh)

Halong Bay is one of the gems in Vietnam’s tourism crown. It contains over 3,000 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation which rises spectacularly from the ocean. The region draws scuba divers, rock climbers and hikers, the latter favoring the nearby mountainous Cat Ba National Park.

Lying to the South of Cat Ba Island, Lan Ha Bay, on the other hand, embraces over 400 islets and 100 white-sand beaches. In comparison to UNESCO World’s Heritage Halong Bay, Lan Ha is a more modest, tranquil, unwinding beauty yet, with a touch of spectacle. The year-round scenic views from Southeastern emerald bring great inspiration to travelers visiting Lan Ha Bay.

Chuon Lagoon (Hue)

About 6km from Hue city center, Chuon Lagoon – one of the largest aquatic systems in Vietnam – attracts visitors by its wild, bestowed beauty of a peaceful sun-kissed land and four sides embraced by fresh water. The destination is becoming a must-see spot for Hue visitors, especially those who love daytime exploration and photo-hunting because every corner here is extremely charming and captivating.

Chuon Lagoon looks even more magical in early morning and late afternoon with outstanding views of beautiful sunset/sunrise, melting clouds, epic fishing boats zigzagging bamboo-fence maze and floating houses.

Hoi An (Quang Nam)

Hoi An is a city with a fascinating history, being a town much visited by Chinese and Japanese traders in years gone by, and these influences can be seen today in the Old Town’s architecture. The signature mimic yellow walls, quiet narrow alleys, shop-house vintage boutiques and vivid colored lanterns are the most impressive parts of Hoi An, depicted really well on printings and photo collections. Today it is one of the most tourist friendly cities in Vietnam and rightly famous for its tailors, top-notch handicrafts and unique cuisine. Just a few kilometers away is one of Vietnam’s finest beaches and a ‘strip’ of laid back beach shacks, restaurants and bars.

Da Lat (Lam Dong)

Hidden in the Central Highlands, Da Lat – Vietnam’s unique ‘Le Petit Paris’ – has long been a soothing destination for getaway holidays since French colonial time. The hill town features a refreshing atmosphere with year-round cool climate of a plateau, European-inspired shops, cafes and villas, serene nature with immerse evergreen forests. This is where you can the most calming and serene photoshoots with a touch of French and vintage style.

Travelers visiting this land can buy and taste a wide range of flowers, veggies and fruits from surrounding farm lands. Many couples choose Da Lat to be featured in their wedding album due to the romantic ambience and perfect light.

Tra Su Sanctuary (Chau Doc)

The green wonderland calls the name of Tra Su Bird Sanctuary. 25km from the newest Southern travel hub Chau Doc (a part of the Mekong Delta), Tra Su is a surprisingly serene and fascinating spot for soft-core adventure, sightseeing and bird-watching. Most times of the year, this place remains quiet, with tranquil green water and home to a rich array of birds as well as many wildlife creatures living among the canals or by cajeput (tea) trees.

Capturing the moments when a flock of birds flap their wings at the same time or a rare crane with charming feathers here is more than satisfying to passionate photographers.

Mui Ne (Phan Thiet)

Approximately a four-hour drive away from Ho Chi Minh City, Mui Ne is where the sun always shines and life is paradisiacal. “Who would have thought that Vietnam has sand dunes?” – This is a perfect place where adventurers usually wander to, with the golden sand dunes spreading all the way across the skyline and mesmerizing waves made for surfing. Mui Ne offers all the necessary essence of an ideal beach-town with exquisitely pristine beaches, verdant mountains and traditional fishing villages that are extremely picturesque and extraordinary of a tropical heaven.

The down side of this city is the beach has been slowly washed away and getting thinner so the leisure travelers are moving to new destinations and the adventure seekers are coming more by the years.

Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang)

One of Southeast Asia’s best kept secrets and Vietnam’s tropical paradises, Phu Quoc is fringed with white silky sand beaches, dense tropical islands, abundant lives of flora and fauna as well as stunning ocean views from dawn ‘till dusk. Visitors coming to the country love Phu Quoc because the sea here is mostly unspoiled, always as blue as the sapphire color and the reefs are mostly visible, vivid and wonderful when it comes to snorkeling or scuba diving activities.

Distinguished from those of Nha Trang or Da Nang, islands and beaches in Phu Quoc covers a long coastal line, richer natural resources and certain tranquility with few hotels and resorts exploited the surrounding areas. Sunset and sunrise in this destination owns a vanilla purplish tone that can rarely be seen somewhere else.

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UPDATED FEBRUARY 27, 2020

By Le Doan

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