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

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

This nation is among the most visited locations in southeast Asia, and for good purpose. Vietnamese delicacies is each wholesome and attractive, filled with 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 generally turbulent previous.

Here’s a full checklist of all of the issues that Vietnam is understood 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 generally feels extra like a city than a metropolis. 

It’s straightforward 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 identified for its bún cha, which consists of grilled pork served over a mattress of rice vermicelli noodles. 

Grab a espresso at certainly 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 totally 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 biggest metropolis in Vietnam and was the capital of French Indochina in the course of 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 embrace 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 embrace thinly sliced steak, beef tendon, beef meatballs, tripe and generally rooster. 

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 surface and fluffy on the within. The baguette is stuffed with a mix of meats and greens, comparable to pork sausage, cilantro, cucumber, pickled carrots and pickled daikon. To give the banh mi some additional taste, condiments comparable to pâté, crimson chili and mayonnaise are often served with it. 

Banh Mi turned in style 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 season 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, comparable to hoisin sauce or peanut sauce. 

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Love espresso? Vietnam is understood for its iced espresso, which is made with ice, condensed milk and medium or darkish roast beans grown in Vietnam. Coffee grounds and sizzling 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 carrying cone-shaped hats, known 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 produced 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 carrying a hat so giant that it shielded individuals from the torrential rains. It was produced 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 wish to buy a conical hat of your individual, 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 most well-liked vacationer actions in Ho Chi Minh City is a day journey to the Chu Chi Tunnels – an unlimited community of tunnels positioned within the metropolis’s Chu Chi District. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong (communist guerrilla troops) used them to accommodate troops, lay booby traps, transport provides, and launch shock assaults. 

Today, the Chu Chi Tunnels are a part of a warfare 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 loads 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 warfare 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 all the nation underneath 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 dwelling to quite a few warfare museums, together with the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, and  the Hoa Lo Museum in Hanoi.

Golden Hand Bridge

One of essentially 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 automotive station with the gardens and is among the most visited vacationer sights in Vietnam. Visitors flock right here to snap Instagram images and to admire the scenic views of the mountains. 

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

Ha Long Bay

Northern Vietnam is dwelling to Ha Long Bay – an emerald-green bay with unbelievable limestone pillars and roughly 1,600 islands and islets. Hanoi is the primary 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 embrace 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 fashioned 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 gorgeous rice terraces. A spotlight of Sapa is driving the cable automotive as much as the summit of Mount Fansipan, which is the biggest peak within the area. At 3,147 meters, the mountain affords spectacular views of swirling clouds and plush mountain slopes.

For those that love climbing, Sapa affords 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 understood for its motorbikes. They’re low cost, handy and enjoyable to experience, so it’s no shock that many individuals use them as their primary mode of transportation. In truth, Vietnam has one of many highest charges of motorcycle possession on this planet–round 50 million bikes on the street! 

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

Floating Markets

Vietnam is legendary for its floating markets, that are discovered on the complicated river system of the Mekong Delta. These centuries-old markets are stuffed with 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 biggest floating market on the Mekong Delta. Located simply south of the town of Can Tho, Cai Rang is open from 5am till midday, and principally sells fruit, agricultural merchandise and specialties of the area. Since vacationers need to stand up early to go to the market, among the smaller boats additionally promote Vietnamese breakfast. 

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

Imperial City of Hue

Hue is a metropolis in central Vietnam, positioned 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 complicated and citadel in Hué – the Purple Forbidden City – which was primarily based on China’s Forbidden City.

Hue is dwelling 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 position 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 understood for its handmade clothes outlets and boasts over 500 tailors across the city. These clothes outlets could make all sorts 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 called the textile capital of Vietnam and is the proper place to get clothes, fits, pants and shirts made at a fraction of the associated 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 known as the áo ngũ thân, which was worn within the 18th century by the Nguyễn lords. 

In the Nineteen 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 Nineteen Fifties, and by the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies, the áo dài was a highly regarded type of gown.

During the communist interval the áo dài was not often worn besides at weddings and formal events, but it surely skilled a revival within the late Nineteen Eighties, when “Miss Ao Dai” pageants turned in style in Vietnam and colleges 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 carrying it as their day by day apparel.   

If you wish to get fitted with your individual áo dài  in your journey to Vietnam, go to Luong Van Can Street, which is lined with áo dài tailor outlets.  

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 dwelling to among the most lovely seashores on this planet and attracts vacationers from throughout. 

Nha Trang is one other in style seashore vacation spot that pulls guests on the lookout for rest and good climate. This coastal resort is in style for snorkeling and diving, and boasts quite a few offshore islands, together with Hòn Tre Island, which is accessible by way of cable automotive or boat. 

Phu Quoc Island is certainly 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’ll be able to loosen up underneath palm bushes whereas having fun with views out to sea.

A Final Word…

If you wish 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 many of the nation’s high sights.