Fodor's Essential Vietnam

by Fodor's Travel Publications

Overview

Whether you want to cruise through Halong Bay, eat street food in Hanoi, or trek to rice terraces in Sapa, the local Fodor's travel experts in Vietnam are here to help! Fodor's Essential Vietnam guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos.

Fodor's "Essential" guides have been named by Booklist as the Best Travel Guide Series of 2020!

Fodor's Essential Vietnam travel guide includes:

• AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do
• MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time
• MORE THAN 25 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently
• COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust!
• HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, activities, side-trips, and more
• PHOTO-FILLED "BEST OF" FEATURES on "Vietnam's Natural Wonders," "Vietnam's Pagodas" and more
• TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money
• HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, cuisine, geography and more
• SPECIAL FEATURES on "What to Watch and Read Before You Visit," and "What to Eat and Drink"
• LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems
• Vietnamese LANGUAGE PRIMER with useful words and essential phrases
• UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Sapa, Danag, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, Dalat, Nha Trang, Haiphong, and more.

Planning on visiting Southeast Asia? Check out Fodor's Thailand and Fodor's In Focus Singapore.

*Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.

ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor's has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640973664
Publisher:	Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Series:	Fodor's Travel Guides Series
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	160,463
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel advice for every stage of a traveler's trip. We hire local writers who know their destinations better than anyone else, allowing us to provide the best travel recommendations for all tastes and budget in over 7,500 worldwide destinations. Our books make it possible for every trip to be a trip of a lifetime.

Table of Contents

1 Experience Vietnam 7

18 Ultimate Experiences 8

What's Where 16

Vietnam's Natural Wonders 18

Vietnam's Temples and Pagodas 20

What to Eat and Drink in Vietnam 22

What to Buy in Vietnam 24

Vietnam Today 26

History You Can See 29

People of Vietnam 33

What to Watch and Read 35

2 Travel Smart 37

Know Before You Go 38

Getting Here and Around 40

Essentials 49

Great Itineraries 62

On the Calendar 66

Contacts 67

3 Ho Chi Minh City 69

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City 70

Planning 73

Around Dong Khoi Street 80

Around Pham Ngu Lao 98

Around District 3 106

Beyond the City Center 109

Side Trips from Ho Chi Minh City 121

4 The Mekong Delta 141

Welcome to the Mekong Delta 142

Planning 145

My Tho 148

Cai Be 152

Vinh Long 154

Chau Doc 156

Sa Dec 159

Ha Tien 161

Phu Quoc Island 163

Can Tho 172

Tra Vinh 178

Soc Trang 181

Ca Mau 184

5 The South-Central Coast and Highlands 187

Welcome to the South-Central Coast and Highlands 188

Planning 191

Phan Thiet 193

Mui Ne 197

Nha Trang 205

Cat Tien National Park 217

Dalat 219

Lak Lake 228

Buon Ma Thuot 229

Pleiku 231

Kon Turn 232

Quy Nhon 234

Quang Ngai 238

6 The Central Coast 239

Welcome to the Central Coast 240

Planning 243

Hoi An 247

Marble Mountains 272

Danang 274

Danang Beach 284

Lang Co Beach 287

Hue 289

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) 305

Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park 309

7 Halong Bay and North-Central Vietnam 315

Welcome to Halong Bay and North-Central Vietnam 316

Planning 319

Ninh Binh 321

Phat Diem 327

Cue Phuong National Park 329

Haiphong 330

Halong Bay and Around 336

Cat Ba Island 344

Bai Tu Long Bay 348

8 Hanoi 351

Welcome to Hanoi 352

Planning 354

The Old Quarter 364

The French Quarter 375

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Nearby 384

West Lake and True Bach Lake 394

Side Trips from Hanoi 401

9 The Northwest 407

Welcome to the Northwest 408

Planning 413

Sapa 418

Bac Ha 428

Dien Bien Phu 430

Son La 432

Mai Chau 433

Index 437

About Our Writers 448

Maps

What's Where 16-17

Ho Chi Minh City 70-71

Around Dong Khoi Street 82-83

Around Pham Ngu Lao, and District 3 100-101

District 14 and Around 110

Thao Díen and Around 116

Side Trips from Ho Chi Minh City 122

Mekong Delta Orientation 142-143

Mekong Delta 149

Phu Quoc Island 164

The South-Central Coast and Highlands Orientation 189

The South-Central Coast and Highlands 194

Nha Trang 208

Dalat 222

The Central Coast Orientation 241

The Central Coast 244

Hoi An 252-253

Danang 276-277

Hue 290-291

Halong Bay and North-Central Vietnam 317

Ninh Binh and Nearby 322

Haiphong 332

Halong Bay and Around 339

Hanoi Orientation 352-353

The Old Quarter 366-367

The French Quarter 376-377

The Ho Chi Minh Museum and Nearby, and West Lake and True Bach Lake 388-389

Side Trips from Hanoi 401

The Northwest Orientation 408-409

The Northwest 412

Editorial Reviews

Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher….aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times

“The Fodor’s guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions.” – Chicago Tribune

“In terms of comprehensiveness of coverage, the very accessible format, and the enthusiastic tone, this series remains one of the best on the market.” – Booklist

“Fodor’s super-informative guidebooks are known for accuracy and attention to detail.” – Sacramento Bee

“Fodor’s can help you plan the perfect adventure.” – Arizona Republic

From the Publisher