Vietnam: From Hanoi's Ancient Quarter to Ho Chi Minh's Electric Streets

Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province is Vietnam's most celebrated natural landscape — a UNESCO World Heritage Site (recognized twice: for natural beauty in 1994, for geological significance in 2000) of 1,969 limestone islands and islets rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. The karsts were formed over 500 million years of tectonic activity and marine erosion, producing formations of extraordinary variety — from vast islands with caves and beaches to narrow pillars that emerge directly from the water. The definitive Ha Long Bay experience is a 2-night cruise aboard a traditional wooden junk, departing from Ha Long City or Tuan Chau Harbor, with kayaking through caves, swimming stops, and sunrise over the karsts from the bow deck.

Hanoi's Old Quarter is one of the most atmospheric urban areas in Southeast Asia — a 36-street commercial district whose street names reflect the goods historically traded there (Silk Street, Paper Street, Tin Street, Bamboo Street) and whose French colonial facades and ancient temples create a landscape of extraordinary historical layering. Hoan Kiem Lake at the heart of the city — home to the Ngoc Son Temple on a small island connected by a red bridge — is the social center of Hanoi, its lakeside promenade busiest on Friday and Saturday evenings when it is closed to traffic. The Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), founded in 1070 as Vietnam's first university, is the finest Confucian temple complex in the country.

Hoi An Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of remarkable preservation — a 15th to 19th-century trading port whose Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and European merchant houses have been maintained with extraordinary care, creating the best-preserved historic town in Southeast Asia. The Japanese Covered Bridge (1590), the Phung Hung Ancient House, the Tan Ky Old House, and the Chinese Assembly Halls are the architectural anchors. The town is most magical at night, when hundreds of paper lanterns illuminate the Thu Bon River and the lantern-lit streets fill with visitors.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is Vietnam's commercial capital and its most kinetic city — a metropolis of 9 million people in the south of the country where French colonial buildings stand beside glass towers, where the War Remnants Museum provides the most powerful account of the American War available anywhere, where the Reunification Palace (April 30, 1975 — the day North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates — is one of the defining moments of 20th-century history), and where the street food scene of Ben Thanh Market and the surrounding alleys constitutes some of the finest casual eating in Asia. The Cu Chi Tunnels — 250 kilometers of underground tunnels used by Viet Cong fighters during the war, 40 kilometers from the city — are the most visited day trip from Ho Chi Minh City.

Hue is Vietnam's imperial capital — the seat of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945, whose Imperial Citadel (modeled on Beijing's Forbidden City, though on a smaller scale) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary historical significance. The royal tombs scattered in the countryside outside the city — particularly the tombs of Minh Mang and Tu Duc — are among the finest examples of Vietnamese imperial architecture. Hue's cuisine is considered the most refined and historically significant in Vietnam — it was the royal kitchen, and the city's banh khoai (crispy pancakes), bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup), and banh beo (steamed rice cakes) are specific to this city.

Vietnamese food is one of the world's great culinary traditions — a cuisine of extraordinary freshness, balance, and complexity that has been shaped by Chinese influence in the north, Indian and Cham influence in the center, and Khmer and French influence in the south. The foundational principle is balance: the five elements (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy) in every bowl, the combination of hot cooked protein with fresh uncooked herbs and vegetables, the dipping sauces that transform rather than overwhelm. Vietnamese food is also exceptionally healthy — rice, noodles, fresh vegetables, herbs, lean proteins, and minimal cooking oil.

Pho (pronounced 'fuh') is Vietnam's most internationally recognized dish — a clear broth simmered for hours or overnight with beef bones, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, poured over flat rice noodles with thin slices of rare or well-done beef, served with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, lime, chili, and condiments on the side. Hanoi's pho (bo kho style, with a cleaner, more austere broth) and Ho Chi Minh City's pho (sweeter, with more garnishes) are both exceptional and different. The best pho in Hanoi costs approximately 60,000 VND ($2.50) at a local shop.

Banh mi is Vietnam's greatest colonial legacy — the French baguette transformed by Vietnamese cooks into something entirely new: a light, crispy roll filled with pâté, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, fresh chili, cilantro, and a choice of protein (grilled pork, pâté, fried egg, or sardines). At approximately 20,000 VND ($1) from a street cart, it is one of the finest sandwiches in the world. Banh mi Phuong in Hoi An is the most celebrated bakery in the country. The street food culture of Vietnam — bun cha in Hanoi (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles and dipping broth, made famous when Barack Obama ate it with Anthony Bourdain in 2016), cao lau in Hoi An (noodles with pork and herbs, made only with water from the Cham wells), and com tam in Ho Chi Minh City (broken rice with grilled pork and egg) — is among the finest in the world.