What is Vietnam Known for? 18 Things Vietnam is Famous For

Wondering what Vietnam is thought for? From aromatic noodle soups and iced espresso, to conical hats and floating markets, Vietnam is legendary for plenty of issues. 

This nation is without doubt one of the most visited locations in southeast Asia, and for good motive. Vietnamese delicacies is each wholesome and attractive, full of aromatic herbs, nutritional vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile the panorama is beautiful, starting from sandy seashores to lovely rice terraces and majestic mountains. In the cities of Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Hue you’ll additionally discover loads of museums and historic landmarks, illustrating Vietnam’s fascinating, and typically turbulent previous.

Here’s a full record of all of the issues that Vietnam is thought and well-known for.

Things Vietnam is Famous For 

Hanoi

Located within the north of the nation, the town of Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital and the second most populous metropolis after Ho Chi Minh. Famous for its thirteenth century Old Quarter and well-preserved French colonial structure, Hanoi has a laid-back vibe and typically feels extra like a city than a metropolis. 

It’s simple to spend days right here simply wandering across the streets of the Old Quarter sampling all of the scrumptious avenue meals Hanoi has to supply. Vietnamese delicacies varies from area to area, and Hanoi is greatest recognized for its bún cha, which consists of grilled pork served over a mattress of rice vermicelli noodles. 

Grab a espresso at considered one of Hanoi’s many espresso homes, then spend a day exploring the town’s most well-known sights, together with Hoan Kiem Lake and the Temple of Literature. 

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City has a very totally different vibe to Hanoi – this bustling metropolis feels extra chaotic and experiences a loopy quantity of visitors. Formerly generally known as Saigon, Ho chi Minh City is the most important metropolis in Vietnam and was the capital of French Indochina throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the town was renamed by the communist authorities in honor of President Hồ Chí Minh. 

Among Ho Chi Minh City’s towering skyscrapers you’ll discover temples, pagodas and examples of French colonial structure. Highlights of Ho Chi Minh City embody Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Saigon Opera House and Bến Thành Market – the town’s greatest and most iconic market. 

Pho 

Vietnam’s most well-known meals dish is pho, a scrumptious soup made with broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. Meats served with pho embody thinly sliced steak, beef tendon, beef meatballs, tripe and typically hen. 

This aromatic, heartwarming soup is served at avenue stalls and eating places throughout Vietnam, and tastes particularly good on a chilly winter’s day. 

Pho has some regional variations; northern Vietnamese pho options wider noodles and a savory, clear broth, whereas the southern model has thinner noodles and a sweeter, cloudier broth. 

Pho served within the north is often garnished with inexperienced onions, whereas pho served within the south usually has all kinds of accompaniments, together with beansprouts, Thai basil, cilantro and contemporary sliced chili. 

Banh Mi

Banh Mi are Vietnamese sandwiches made with a brief baguette that’s crispy on the skin and fluffy on the within. The baguette is full of a mix of meats and greens, akin to pork sausage, cilantro, cucumber, pickled carrots and pickled daikon. To give the banh mi some further taste, condiments akin to pâté, purple chili and mayonnaise are often served with it. 

Banh Mi turned widespread within the early 1900s, after the French launched baguettes to Vietnam. Today they’re served throughout Vietnam and are often eaten as a breakfast meals or snack.

Summer Rolls – Gỏi cuốn

Vietnamese summer time rolls are deliciously contemporary, often consisting of greens, shrimp and vermicelli noodles wrapped in a rice paper roll. Unlike spring rolls, that are deep fried, Gỏi cuốn are served contemporary with some kind of dipping sauce, akin to hoisin sauce or peanut sauce. 

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Love espresso? Vietnam is thought for its iced espresso, which is made with ice, condensed milk and medium or darkish roast beans grown in Vietnam. Coffee grounds and scorching water are added to a metallic drip filter, which is positioned over a thick, glass cup. 

The cup often already has about two or three teaspoons of condensed milk within the backside, making a dual-layered look. Ice is added earlier than serving to make the espresso icy chilly and refreshing. 

Nón Lá Conical Hats

In rural cities and villages you’ll usually see Vietnamese individuals sporting cone-shaped hats, referred to as Nón Lá. These hats are worn to guard the wearer’s face from the solar and rain however will also be used as a basket for carrying issues. Nón Lá are often created from palm leaves, bamboo or bark of Moc tree – no matter pure supplies can be found. 

According to legend, an enormous goddess descended from the sky sporting a hat so giant that it shielded individuals from the torrential rains. It was created from 4 giant leaves that have been woven along with bamboo sticks. After she left, individuals constructed a temple to commemorate her and made straw hats in the identical form as hers. 

If you need to buy a conical hat of your personal, head to Chuong village, which is round 30km south west of Hanoi. The locals of Chuong have been making handmade Nón Lá for hundreds of years and 1000’s of hats are made right here day by day. 

Chu Chi Tunnels

One of the preferred vacationer actions in Ho Chi Minh City is a day journey to the Chu Chi Tunnels – an unlimited community of tunnels situated within the metropolis’s Chu Chi District. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong (communist guerrilla troops) used them to deal with troops, lay booby traps, transport provides, and launch shock assaults. 

Today, the Chu Chi Tunnels are a part of a struggle memorial park, the place guests can be taught what life was like for the resistance fighters and even crawl inside some sections. 

Vietnam War

While visiting Vietnam you’ll have the chance to be taught rather a lot in regards to the Vietnam War, which was fought between North and South Vietnam. Taking place over a interval of just about 20 years from 1955 to 1975, the struggle resulted in huge lack of life, with thousands and thousands of troopers and civilians killed. 

Supported by the Soviet Union and China, the North wished to unify your entire nation beneath a single communist regime, however the South opposed this. The South was largely supported by the United States, which deployed U.S. army troops to Vietnam. 

Today, Vietnam is residence to quite a few struggle museums, together with the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, and  the Hoa Lo Museum in Hanoi.

Golden Hand Bridge

One of probably the most recognizable landmarks in Vietnam is Golden Hand Bridge, a 150-meter lengthy pedestrian bridge in Bà Nà Hills resort, Da Nang. The bridge connects the cable automobile station with the gardens and is without doubt one of the most visited vacationer sights in Vietnam. Visitors flock right here to snap Instagram pictures and to admire the scenic views of the mountains. 

This curved bridge is supported by two big arms, constructed of fiberglass and wire mesh, designed to seem like they’re created from stone. 

Ha Long Bay

Northern Vietnam is residence to Ha Long Bay – an emerald-green bay with unimaginable limestone pillars and roughly 1,600 islands and islets. Hanoi is the principle gateway for excursions to Ha Long Bay, so most guests spend two or three nights within the metropolis earlier than embarking on a junk boat tour of the bay. 

Junk boat excursions often embody visits to the area’s caves and grottos, together with sea kayaking excursions to discover among the islets. Ha Long Bay’s spectacular panorama has been shaped over thousands and thousands of years, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. 

Sapa

Located within the northwest area of Vietnam, Sapa is a mountainous area with a deep valley of lovely rice terraces. A spotlight of Sapa is using the cable automobile as much as the summit of Mount Fansipan, which is the most important peak within the area. At 3,147 meters, the mountain gives spectacular views of swirling clouds and luxurious mountain slopes.

For those that love mountaineering, Sapa gives among the greatest trekking in southeast Asia, with loads of waterfalls, rice fields and distant villages to find alongside the best way. 

Motorbikes

Vietnam is thought for its motorbikes. They’re low-cost, handy and enjoyable to journey, so it’s no shock that many individuals use them as their primary mode of transportation. In reality, Vietnam has one of many highest charges of bike possession on this planet–round 50 million bikes on the highway! 

When visiting Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll see lanes and lanes of motorbikes whizzing down the highway. Crossing the road right here could be a bit intimidating, since visitors lights are just about non-existent. To cross the road you need to maintain up your hand, stroll into the highway and hope the visitors will cease for you!

Floating Markets

Vietnam is legendary for its floating markets, that are discovered on the advanced river system of the Mekong Delta. These centuries-old markets are full of boats promoting fruits, meats, poultry, clothes and family items. 

Many guests to Ho Chi Minh City plan a 2-day tour to Cai Rang floating market, which is the most important floating market on the Mekong Delta. Located simply south of the town of Can Tho, Cai Rang is open from 5am till midday, and largely sells fruit, agricultural merchandise and specialties of the area. Since vacationers must stand up early to go to the market, among the smaller boats additionally promote Vietnamese breakfast. 

Other widespread floating markets in Vietnam embody Long Xuyen, Cai Be, Phong Dien and Tra On. 

Imperial City of Hue

Hue is a metropolis in central Vietnam, situated on the banks of the Perfume River. It turned the imperial capital of Vietnam from 1802 and 1945, after Emperor Gia Long established a brand new dynasty. The emperor ordered the development of a brand new palace advanced and citadel in Hué – the Purple Forbidden City – which was primarily based on China’s Forbidden City.

Hue is residence to a few of Vietnam’s most vital historic websites together with its Imperial Citadel and tombs in addition to many different monuments that mirror its function in Vietnamese historical past, tradition and humanities.

Tailors

Always needed to personal a tailor-made swimsuit however with out the costly price ticket? Hoi An is thought for its handmade clothes retailers and boasts over 500 tailors across the city. These clothes retailers could make all kinds of clothes made to your particular measurements, and manufacturing is top of the range. 

Hoi An’s historical past of textile manufacturing dates again to the fifteenth century, when the city was an vital Southeast Asian buying and selling port on the Silk Route linking China and the west. Today, Hoi An is named the textile capital of Vietnam and is the proper place to get clothes, fits, pants and shirts made at a fraction of the fee. 

Ao Dai

Ao dai is Vietnam’s conventional costume, which consists of a protracted, break up tunic worn over silk trousers.  Áo meansshirt. Dài means “long”. Today’s áo dài originates from a five-part gown referred to as the áo ngũ thân, which was worn within the 18th century by the Nguyễn lords. 

In the Thirties, the gown was redesigned by Hanoi artist Le Mur Nguyễn Cát Tường, who made it longer and extra form-fitting. Saigon designers made it tighter within the Fifties, and by the Nineteen Sixties and Nineteen Seventies, the áo dài was a very fashionable type of gown.

During the communist interval the áo dài was hardly ever worn besides at weddings and formal events, but it surely skilled a revival within the late Eighties, when “Miss Ao Dai” pageants turned widespread in Vietnam and faculties started adopting it as a uniform once more. 

Today, áo dài is worn at weddings, and for celebrating  Tết – one of the vital vital celebrations in Vietnam. It’s additionally generally worn by feminine academics and feminine highschool college students within the South. The cabin crew for Vietnam Airlines put on the áo dài as a uniform, and also you’ll additionally discover the elegant girls of Huế sporting it as their day by day apparel.   

If you need to get fitted with your personal áo dài  in your journey to Vietnam, go to Luong Van Can Street, which is lined with áo dài tailor retailers.  

Beaches

With round 3,260 km of shoreline, Vietnam has 1000’s of seashores and islands simply ready to be found. 

Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is residence to among the most lovely seashores on this planet and attracts vacationers from throughout. 

Nha Trang is one other widespread seaside vacation spot that attracts guests searching for rest and good climate. This coastal resort is widespread for snorkeling and diving, and boasts quite a few offshore islands, together with Hòn Tre Island, which is accessible through cable automobile or boat. 

Phu Quoc Island is considered one of Vietnam’s largest islands at 1,210 sq km (460 sq mi) in space; it

has many spectacular seashores together with Hon Rom Beach (which implies ‘lovely sand)

the place you may chill out beneath palm timber whereas having fun with views out to sea.

A Final Word…

If you need to expertise this stuff for your self, I’ve put collectively the proper 10 day Vietnam itinerary that features Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi and Halong Bay. This itinerary is nice for first-timers and consists of a lot of the nation’s prime sights.