Must See Heritage Sites In Vietnam

Scattered throughout the country, Vietnam’s UNESCO Heritage Sites are jackpots for these moments of discovery. Each one promises exceptional beauty and exceptional insight into Vietnamese culture. Of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites found in Vietnam, here are five you absolutely must not miss.

The Complex Of Huế Monuments

In the central city of Huế you’ll find the last vestiges of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Here, against a backdrop of forested hills with a meandering river at their feet, the Nguyễn emperors erected administrative offices, military headquarters, palaces, temples and even their own tombs.

Vietnam’s feudal capital was strategically built along the banks of the Perfume River, with easy access to the sea. Taking inspiration from Beijing’s Forbidden City, the structures within the citadel were carefully laid out to be in cosmological alignment with the five elements, cardinal points and colours.

Take a leisurely amble around the complex and watch Imperial Vietnam come to life in full colour. Imposing statues, priceless treasures and intricate mosaics wait around every corner. Although the Nguyễn Dynasty ended in 1945, the symbolic significance of the Huế Monuments–once the political, cultural and religious heart of Vietnam–still echoes today.

Tràng An Landscape Complex

Ninh Bình has long enchanted visitors with a melding of sacred temples, serene countryside, and dramatic karsts. Three elements come together to render this one of Vietnam’s top heritage sites: the Hoa Lư Ancient Capital — the national seat of power in the 10th and 11th centuries — the Tràng An Scenic Complex, and the Hoa Lư Forest.

Ninh Bình’s sublime landscape is made of karst peaks and towers, which rise steeply up from the valley below, itself covered in tranquil waterways and lush rice paddies. Traditional sampans rowed by local guides glide gently along the current, beneath dripping grottoes and past dense rainforest. Take a short climb to the mossy pagodas and viewpoints on the cliffs, and you’ll have the entire panorama at your feet.

Hội An Ancient Town 

Hội An was once a bustling trading port, welcoming merchants from far across the seas. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Chinese, Japanese and Europeans settled along the banks of the winding Thu Bồn River. Today, 30 hectares of this ancient town is preserved as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site.

Hội An’s unique fusion of cultural influences reveals itself within its narrow streets. Weathered shop-houses squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder alongside ancestral homes, their tiled roofs decorated in exotic wood carvings. Tucked away from the old ferry quay, you’ll find an open market, pagodas and a timber bridge that once connected the town’s Japanese and Chinese communities. Hội An is even better in the evenings, when the faded streets glow in the light of thousands of lanterns.

Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park

Part of the Annamite Mountain Range in Quảng Bình Province, Phong Nha lures adventure lovers with an outstanding limestone karst ecosystem. The national park covers 126,236 hectares of dense tropical forest, enormous caves, and underground rivers. 

Phong Nha lays claim to the largest cave in the world, Sơn Đoòng, and is home to a wide array of cave types, such as terraced caves, intersecting caves, and suspended caves. Multi-day excursions will take you deep into these spectacular caverns, where you can dive into glowing rock pools and camp beside subterranean rivers. For more gentle exploration, local boats will ferry you noisely through Phong Nha Cave and down the winding Son River.

Apart from scientifically important caves, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park shelters a large number of endemic species. Asiatic black bear, tigers and saola have all been spotted within the UNESCO-protected area, giving nature lovers even more reason to put Phong Nha on their itineraries. 

Hạ Long Bay

It’s no surprise Hạ Long Bay is home to as many legends as it is islands. The name ‘Hạ Long’ means ‘descending dragon’ and Vietnamese tell a tale of a dragon that descended from the sky, spitting out thousands of pearls that became the islands and islets we see today.

This spectacular bay and Natural Heritage Site stretches across the Gulf of Tonkin, 165 km from Hanoi. Hidden among more than 1,600 limestone formations, are secret grottoes, sparkling beaches, and jaw-dropping caves. The best way to go is on an overnight cruise. Mornings are for watching the sunrise, practicing tai chi or sightseeing in the caves. Afternoons are spent swimming, kayaking or simply relaxing on the sun deck. Evenings arrive with striking sunsets and soothing sea breeze, and leave behind a sky riddled with stars.