The guide · 27 chapters
Vietnam Guide
From Hanoi to Saigon: a thousand years of empires, wars and street food
Chapter 02
History
6 chapters
02·01 · 6 min
The Hung kings and Van Lang
Dragon-king mythology, Dong Son culture and the first Vietnamese kingdom of the Red River delta.
Read the chapter → 02·02 · 6 min
A thousand years under China (111 BC – 938 AD)
From Han annexation to Ngo Quyen's victory at Bach Dang: the Chinese mould of traditional Vietnam.
02·03 · 7 min
Independent dynasties (938–1858)
Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen: nine hundred years, three Mongol invasions stopped and the push south.
02·04 · 7 min
French Indochina (1858–1954)
Almost a century of colonisation: coffee, baguette, rubber plantations and Dien Bien Phu.
02·05 · 7 min
The American war (1954–1975)
Twenty-one years of conflict, two names for the same war and 30 April 1975 in Saigon.
02·06 · 7 min
Doi Moi and today's Vietnam (1986–today)
From famine to economic miracle: forty years of controlled opening and single-party rule.
Chapter 03
North
4 chapters
03·01 · 13 min
Hanoi
The millennial capital: lakes, mausoleums, thirty-six guild streets and the most sought-after pho bo in the country.
Read the chapter →
03·02 · 11 min
Halong Bay
Southeast Asia's most photographed bay — and how to see it without getting caught in the tourist loop.
03·03 · 11 min
Ninh Binh (Tam Coc, Hoa Lu, Bai Dinh)
The inland Halong: paddy fields between vertical karst walls, a forgotten imperial capital, and Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist complex.
03·04 · 11 min
Sapa and the northern mountains
Rice terraces, Hmong villages and the Chinese border: the highest and least Vietnamese Vietnam.
Chapter 05
South
2 chapters
Chapter 07
Practical information
5 chapters
07·01 · 7 min
When to go to Vietnam
Three climates in a single country: how to pick the right month by region.
Read the chapter → 07·02 · 8 min
Getting around Vietnam
Reunification trains, sleeper buses, domestic flights, Grab and motorbikes: how to travel without agencies.
07·03 · 7 min
Vietnam budget
What an independent trip really costs in 2026, with three budget tiers detailed.
07·04 · 7 min
Safety and daily life in Vietnam
Common scams, real traffic risks, health, connectivity and plugs — everything nobody tells you.
07·05 · 6 min
Visa and documents for Vietnam
E-visa, 45-day exemption and the step-by-step process for Spanish, European, British and US citizens.
