Top 10 Central Vietnam Attractions [Must-see]

July 12, 2023 - 1641 views

Central Vietnam consists of many interesting attractions from mountains to beaches, stunning caves, unspoiled forests, from natural wildlife to busy and modern tourism cities, or ancient architecture, romantic landscapes. Tourists are also impressed with tasty cuisines, friendly people, and excellent hospitality services. Here is the list of the 10 most attractive places to visit in Central Vietnam. Come to explore this beautiful land!

1. Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoian ancient town is always at the top of must-see places in the center of Vietnam. Unlike the dynamic Hanoi in the north of Ho Chi Minh City in the south, this town seems to be aside from the busy development of the country. Coming here, tourists will be surprised by its numerous exquisite yellow houses in traditional wooden architecture, blending of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese architecture, lanterns in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and incredible street food such as Banhmi, Banhxeo, Cao Lau, etc. The best time for sightseeing in Hoian is on the 14th of every lunar month, one night before the full moon when the town becomes even more festive than usual, active, and marvelously decorated with colorful lights and lamps along every lane.

  • What to see: Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky Old House, Quan Cong Temple, Museum of Culture, Phung Hung House.
  • What to eat: Com Ga (Hoian Chicken Rice), Cao Lau (Pork Rice Noodle), Mi Quang (Quang Seafood Noodle), Banh Mi Hoi An (Bread)
  • Entrance fee: 5USD

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town

2. Ba Na Hills & Golden bridge

Located 45 km from Hoi An, is Ba Na Hills, a tourist attraction that everyone should not miss during his trip to central Vietnam. What makes Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hill outstanding is its harmonious blend of groundbreaking architecture and spectacular nature. A lot of tourists enjoy taking a stroll around the Golden Bridge, feeling like walking on the clouds across the hands of the God of Mountain. Besides Golden Bridge, tourists also enjoy the visit to Linh Ung Pagoda, Fantasy Park, Wax Museum, French Village Area, Le Jardin D’Amour Flower Garden, Cellar Debay, and Linh Phong Bao Thap, etc. when coming to Ba Na Hills.

  • Entrance fee: 32 USD including buffet
  • Opening hours: 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM

Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge

Da Nang Golden Bridge

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3. Thien Mu Pagoda

Not far away from Ba Na Hill is Thien Mu pagoda, also called Heavenly Lady Pagoda. The pagoda is one of the most ancient and beautiful pagodas in Hue royal city with wonderful Royal architecture, poetic views, and perfect Feng Shui. Located on the left bank of Huong river, in the romantic Ha Khe hill, thick green trees, the Thien Mu pagoda is well known for not only its ancient beauty but also its mysterious stories. It is said that a couple decided to kill themselves in the Huong River yard (in front of Thien Mu Pagoda) to show their true love. The man died, but the girl was saved, forgot the boy, got married to a rich mandarin, and led a wealthy life. The miserable soul of the boy knew the painful story; consequently, he cursed that every couple coming to Thien Mu Pagoda would break up. Tourists in couples still come to visit Thien Mu pagoda, will you dare to visit this pagoda with your partner?

  • What to see: Phuoc Duyen Tower, Giant Turtle, and Dai Hung Chung Bell, Three Door Gate and Dai Hung Shrine, Austin Car, and The Stupa.
  • Opening hours: 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Thien Mu Pagoda

Thien Mu Pagoda

4. Imperial City Hue

Another tourist attraction in the center of Vietnam is Imperial City Hue, which was set up by Nguyen Dynasty from 1805 to 1945. The citadel palace complex is located on the North bank of Huong River (Perfume River), inside Hue city, comprising three circles of ramparts, Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel), and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel). Imperial City Hue is an ideal place for those wishing to get a better understanding of the architectural and cultural beauty as well as the important history of Vietnam. A trip to this complex with a local tour guide is highly recommended as he knows a lot of stories about the life of people here and you can not find in any books.

  • Opening hours: 8:00 AM to 17:30 PM (except Thursday: 8:00 AM to 22:00 P.M)
  • Entrance fee: 6.6 USD/person

Hue imperial City

Hue imperial City

5. My Son Sanctuary

My Son Sanctuary is a cluster of abandoned Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries by the Kingdom of Champa. This Sanctuary has recognized as a world heritage site in 1999 thanks to its historical and cultural significance and is often compared to the Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia. The complex contains about 8 groups of temples and 70 prominent monuments. Each group consists of Kalan (the main sanctuary) surrounded by towers and tombs. This kind of architecture was strongly influenced by Malaysian, Arabian, Indonesian, and Indian, however, these monuments still have their own charm: wonderful convergence of different ancient styles, all of the towers here were built from both red bricks and sandstone, and wrapped in a shroud of mystery among archaeologists and tourists.

  • Opening hours: 6:00 AM to 17:00 PM
  • Entrance fee: 6.6 USD/person

My Son Sanctuary

My Son Sanctuary

6. Cham Island

The next destination that should be on the list of must-see places in the centre of Vietnam is Cham island, a cluster of eight islands including Hon Lao, Hon Dai, Hon Mo, Hon Kho Me, Hon Kho Con, Hon La, Hon Tai, and Hon Ong. The main island Hon Lao, the largest and the only one inhabited and boasts long white beaches, turquoise waters, diving, snorkelling, delicious seafood. Snorkelling and scuba diving on this island will give you a chance to explore the ecological site and see marvelous coral. Tourists to this island also enjoy water activities such as swimming, water skiing, paragliding, kayaking, kite flying, boat racing, or camping

  • Where to visit: Cu Lao Cham Museum (for history, traditional customs, and habits, marine specialities) Yen Island and Bai Chong Beach, Bai Xep, Bai Ong, and Bai Lang (for immersing in the cool and turquoise water) or Nest plantation, Ancient Well, Hai Tang Pagoda, Xom Cam.

 

7. Phong Nha & Thien Duong Cave

Central Vietnam is particularly famous for the UNESCO-protected Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, also known as the Kingdom of Caves. The two most popular caves in the National park are Phong Nha and Thien Duong cave. Thien Duong cave is the longest dry cave in Asia, looks like a landscape painting. The cave can reach up to 72 m high and up to 150 m wide. There are a series of white crystal stalactites (limestone deposits) resembling natural pillars and many other spectacular formations. Phong Nha cave is not only a natural legacy of the world, which is famous for its rock formations looking like the “Lion”, the “Fairy Caves”, the “Royal Court”, and the “Buddha”. This cave is 7729 m long, contains 14 grottos, with a 13,969 m-long underground river. It is also a relic system of the historic Ho Chi Minh trail, a secret hiding place for floating bridges during the US war.

Entrance fee:

  • Thien Duong cave: 250 000 VND per person
  • Phong Nha cave: 150 000 VND per person

Phong Nha Cave

Phong Nha Cave

8. My Khe Beach

My Khe beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the centre of Vietnam and the whole of Vietnam in general. Thanks to its wild and charming look, My Khe Beach has become one of the symbols for the coastal city of Da Nang and attracts tourists from every part of the world. Its fine white sand, gentle waves, warm water all year round, and beautiful coconut trees make the beach become a hot spot for tourists all year, especially in the summer from May to August. It is an ideal place for relaxing, swimming, fishing, windsurfing, diving, yachting… Besides that, there are many luxury resorts, villas of international standards. My Khe Beach is reached via Danang International Airport which is served by several flights a day from across Asia. After only 25 minutes from the airport, you will be able to see the beach and fully enjoy your holiday here.

My Khe Beach

My Khe Beach

9. Cam Thanh Coconut Forest

Cam Thanh coconut forest is about three kilometres from the World Heritage Site of Hoian ancient town, which is reachable by waterway and road. The forest becomes a popular tourist attraction in Hoian, where tourists can row a basket boat through the small rivers, canals, and ditches, pass through two sides of coconut, or experiment as fishermen, join in some water games activities, enjoy the sunset over the river. Traveling to Hoian at Cam Thanh village, you can imagine like you are discovering the Mekong Delta area in South Vietnam. Book a tour to Cam Thanh Coconut forest, tourist can enjoy the beautiful countryside on the way to the village, stop at local houses to take pictures, enjoy the exciting activities in the forest, and also have a chance to learn more about the history of Vietnam War.

Cam Thanh Coconut Forest

Cam Thanh Coconut Forest

 

10. Lang Co

The last destination in the top 10 attractions in central Vietnam is Lang Co. Lang Co is a beach in Hue with beautiful Nature and landscape conditions. Located about 60 km to the South of Hue City, on the AH1 highway, it is endowed with over 10km long beach with white sand and pure seawater. The beach has large waves which are suitable for the type of beach tourism, scuba diving. Especially, it is an ideal place for luxury resorts along the beach for decades. Coming here, tourists will also have the chance to enjoy a variety of high-value seafood including shrimp, snails, oysters, cuttle-fish, crabs, and lobsters.

Lang Co Beach

Lang Co Beach

Above are the top 10 great destinations that you should not miss in Central Vietnam. Book a Center Vietnam Tour with Best Price Travel in order not to miss any places you wish to see.

Jenny Tran

(Images source: Internet)

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