Getting to know Vietnam
Vietnam runs close to 1,650 kilometres from the terraced hills above Sa Pa to the mangrove tip of Ca Mau, and a route built for the north rarely suits the south. Most first-time visitors picture temples, a boat trip through limestone islands and a night market or two, and Vietnam delivers all of that, but the country we work in most closely is the flat, green stretch below Saigon where the Mekong finally reaches the sea. That is the Mekong Delta, and it shapes how we build almost every Vietnam itinerary, even the ones that never touch it directly.
Weather here is regional rather than national, so there is no single forecast that covers the whole trip. The north, around Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Sa Pa, runs warm and humid from May to October and turns cool and often grey from November to April, with a real cold snap possible in Sa Pa in December and January. Central Vietnam, from Hue down through Da Nang and Hoi An, flips that pattern: dry heat holds from roughly January to August, then rain builds through September, October and November, sometimes into typhoon season. The Mekong Delta and Saigon sit on a simpler two-season clock: a wet season running roughly May to November, when low fields and canals fill and a boat becomes the practical way to cover ground in parts of the delta, and a dry season from December to April, when the far south sees its highest risk of salt water pushing up into the rivers.
One change matters more than any other if you have read an older Vietnam guide. On 1 July 2025, Vietnam cut its provinces from 63 down to 34. The Mekong Delta alone went from 13 provinces to 6 provinces and 1 city, with several well-known towns folded into a new provincial name and, in some cases, a new administrative capital some distance from where the old one sat. Ho Chi Minh City absorbed Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau provinces on the same date, making it by far the largest urban area in the country. If a map, an old blog post or even a printed guidebook names a province that does not match what you see signposted on the ground, trust the sign rather than the paper. A good part of the English-language material still online about this region reflects the pre-2025 map, and we would rather flag that here than let it catch you out mid-trip.
Where to go in Vietnam
Good to know before you go
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Wet season in the delta | Roughly September to November, when low fields and canals flood; a boat becomes the practical way to get around in places |
| Dry season | December to April; peak saltwater intrusion in the delta falls late March into April |
| Visa | E-visa up to 90 days, USD 25 single entry or USD 50 multiple entry; citizens of 24 countries get a 45-day exemption under Resolution 229 |
| International airports | Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Noi Bai (Hanoi), Da Nang International; Can Tho International Airport currently has no international routes |
| Getting around the delta | Highway from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, about 2 hours |
| Currency | Vietnamese dong (VND); US dollars are useful for visa fees, not for everyday spending |
| Electricity | 220V, mostly two-flat-pin or two-round-pin sockets |
Planning your Vietnam trip
Trip length varies hugely. A two-day escape from Saigon into My Tho and Ben Tre sits at one end; a full run from Hanoi down to Ho Chi Minh City, with Sa Pa, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Da Nang, Da Lat and Mui Ne worked in along the way, sits at the other, at fifteen days. Most travellers land somewhere in the middle, booking between five and ten nights and combining two or three regions rather than trying to fit in every stop on the map.
A Mekong Delta add-on is the one extension we push harder than any other, because it is the part of Vietnam most operators leave as a rushed day trip rather than a proper stop. Tell us your travel dates, how many people are travelling, and whether an early floating-market start or a slower canal-and-homestay pace matters more to you, and we will build the route around it rather than asking you to fit one of ours exactly as printed.
How your trip is run in Vietnam
Vietnam trips are handled by a team who know the delta as well as they know Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, which matters on a route most operators treat as an afterthought south of Saigon. Hotel confirmations, guide bookings and any changes needed mid-trip are managed locally rather than passed along a chain, so questions get answered quickly while you are still planning, and there is a direct contact if something needs adjusting once you are already on the road.