Vietnam is a country of extraordinary contrasts: from the calm, warm southern islands through the dramatic volcanic central coastline all the way to the historically layered Hanoi. Each region arrives with its own character, its own food, and its own particular way of making you feel entirely somewhere else.

Together, they make a journey that unfolds as you experience it, one place at a time.

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Southern Beginnings: Phu Quoc

Every good journey needs a beginning, and ours begins on sandy southern shores. Vietnam's largest island sits in the Gulf of Thailand, technically closer to Cambodia than to the Vietnamese mainland. Due to its remote nature, Phu Quoc has always existed slightly apart, developing its own unique character.

Naturally, you would be drawn to the beaches, and rightly so. Bai Sao, on the southern tip, is one of the most photographed places: leaning coconut palms, bright white sand, and water so clear the shadows of fishing boats are visible below.

Long Beach, some twenty kilometres down the western coast, gives you the kind of calm-watered, sun-bleached shore that makes a lazy afternoon easily disappear. If you’re looking for something a little quieter and secluded: Ong Lang to the north, where the development thins and the trees come down close to the water, or Vung Bau, where you might be the only footprints in the sand.

But Phu Quoc isn’t just about beaches, and it has a long history with still-active pepper plantations in the interior of the island that produce what many consider Vietnam's finest. For a taste of something a little different, DuongDong Market offers sugarcane juice that’s pressed to order and bowls of búnquậy you won’t forget quickly.

As evening falls you will find your way back to the sea, with your toes in the sand at an open-air bar filled with locals and travellers alike.

Our favourite stay: Regent Phu Quoc

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Central Vietnam: Where the Landscape Changes

As the journey winds its way further north, the landscape changes. Ninh Thuận is one of the driest regions in Vietnam, shaped by volcanic rock, wind, and a coastline that alternates between stretches of empty sand and coves of startling clarity. Head inland to Núi Chúa National Park, where you will find a landscape of dry forest and scrubland that feels unlike anything else across Vietnam. A diversity that is as beautiful as it is contrasting to the Southern Islands.

Keep going north and dip into the bay at Ninh Vân that is only reachable by boat. The first thing you will notice is that the noise of ordinary travel simply falls away, and you’re welcomed by something entirely unique. Jungle-covered hills dip down into the water below, surrounding the bay and keeping a certain silent watch.

This region, in particular, is shaped by the people who settled here. The Hindu-Buddhist maritime power, the Cham, built the kingdom of Champa here over two thousand years ago, and their influence stretched across trade routes connecting India, China, and the Indonesian archipelago. The kingdom held this coastline for centuries before it was absorbed into Vietnam.

You can see their history living on in the brick towers rising unexpectedly from the landscape; handwoven textiles still produced in Cham villages; and in the food: the curry-like dishes and spiced sauces that reflect centuries of Indian and Malay influence absorbed over time.

Our favourite stays: Amanoi or Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

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Northern Vietnam: Hanoi’s Cultural Pulse

Our final stop, the capital city of Hanoi, takes us full circle. From the soft white sands in the sound, through the more rugged terrain of the central regions, we finally reach a city that has a history as eclectic as the streets of the city itself.

Hanoi will surprise almost anyone visiting as you move from shaded French colonial boulevards into narrow guild streets named after the goods that were traded there for hundreds of years.

The best way to experience Hanoi is slowly, on foot, moving from drink to snack to meal. Breakfast should be standing at a street stall eating bánh cuốn, eaten with chopsticks at the counter. A quick mid-morning stop for an egg coffee in the Old Quarter before a slow walk through the 36 streets that make up the area.

Lunch comes easily, with a plethora of options from banh mi to spring rolls to curry. As night falls and lanterns float through the sky, find yourself a bowl of phở gà and enjoy it at a communal table. A slow, easy experience that completes a journey and turns it into a long-lasting memory.

Our favourite stays: Sofitel Legend Metropole or Capella Hanoi

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Vietnam, Designed Around You

South to north, north to south, or whichever direction suits you best, Vietnam will welcome you. Its special gift is how it changes and unfolds as you move through each region, giving you the chance to visit once or, the more likely option, many times, with each showing you just a little more.

The country has a genuine openness. A warmth that belongs to the place rather than the hospitality industry. For LGBTQIA+ travellers, that openness is felt in quiet but meaningful ways. If you feel Vietnam calling you, let us help design the journey of a lifetime.

<sup>Images & videos credited to:

Amanoi
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Sofitel Legend Métropole
Capella Hanoi
Regent Phu Quoc</sup>