The best things to do in Vietnam split into five kinds of experience: cruising Ha Long Bay overnight, riding a mountain pass or a northern loop on two wheels, trekking and adventure sports around Sapa and Da Lat, eating your way through street-food tours and cooking classes, and soaking up culture after dark at lantern nights and water-puppet theatres. This guide is organised by what you do, not where you go, so you can build a Vietnam trip around the experiences you actually want. It also covers the two things no Indian travel guide tends to mention: whether you can legally ride a motorbike here, and how adventure activities sit inside your travel insurance.
How this list works: activities, not places
This page ranks Vietnam activities and experiences, not destinations. If you would rather choose by location first, our companion guide to places to visit in Vietnam organises the same country by region and city. Here, each section is an experience type: water, riding, trekking, food or culture.
On the water
The signature water experience in Vietnam is an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay, and overnight beats a day trip every time. A night among the limestone karsts, with kayaking stops and a dinner on deck, is the version people remember; budget-class overnight cruises start around USD 108 to 120 per person and luxury boats run USD 250 to 450 (Halong Bay Tours; Halong Bay Lux Cruises). Further south, the Mekong Delta swaps karsts for slow boat life among floating markets and coconut-lined canals, covered in our Mekong Delta travel guide . For reefs, the coasts off Nha Trang and Phu Quoc add snorkelling and island hopping.
On two wheels: the motorbike experience
Motorbiking is the classic Vietnam adventure, and two rides define it: the Hai Van Pass, a roughly 21 km coastal mountain road near Da Nang made famous by Top Gear (Vietnam Coracle), and the Ha Giang Loop, a three-day, roughly 350 km circuit through the far northern highlands (Jonny Melon). Both are unforgettable. Both also carry a legal and insurance catch that most guides skip.
Before you ride: licence, helmet and what your cover requires
Riding a motorbike in Vietnam without a licence recognised there can leave you both fined and uninsured, so check this before you rent. An International Driving Permit issued in India is granted under the 1949 Geneva Convention, while Vietnam recognises IDPs issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, which India has not signed (ETHOS). In practice that means an Indian IDP is not, strictly, valid to ride a motorbike in Vietnam, and helmets are compulsory for rider and passenger on all roads, with on-the-spot fines of 400,000 to 600,000 VND per person (AIP Foundation).
This matters for your travel policy. On Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered Indian general insurer, two-wheeler accident cover requires a valid international driving licence and, where mandated, a helmet, and the rental-excess benefit does not extend to motorbikes at all. Read plainly: riding without a valid, recognised licence and helmet can void a motorbike accident claim. If you want the ride, the safe route is a guided pillion tour where a licensed local rider drives. See what a Vietnam policy covers under travel insurance for Vietnam .
On foot: trekking and adventure
Vietnam’s best on-foot experiences run from gentle rice-terrace walks to genuine adventure sports, and the higher-risk ones have cover conditions worth knowing. Around Sapa, trails cross the Muong Hoa Valley to hill-tribe villages, and Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143 m, is reachable on foot or by cable car; the full picture is in our guide to places to visit in Sapa . For more adrenaline, Da Lat is Vietnam’s canyoning capital, where you abseil down waterfalls with a guide.
Adventure activities like canyoning, scuba diving at Nha Trang or Phu Quoc, and altitude trekking are generally covered non-professionally when done under trained supervision and to safety guidelines, and an optional Adventure Sports add-on extends the medical and personal-accident cover for them. The reason “licensed operator” and “trained supervision” are cover conditions, not fine print, is concrete: Da Lat canyoning has seen fatal accidents run by unlicensed operators (Dalat Trip). Book a licensed operator and wear the supplied gear, and check your policy’s adventure-activity terms before you go, so you understand the conditions your cover depends on.
At the table: food experiences
Eating is one of the best things to do in Vietnam, and two experiences are worth booking: a street-food tour and a cooking class. A guided evening food tour in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City walks you through pho, banh mi, spring rolls and the famous Hanoi egg coffee with someone who knows the safe stalls; cooking classes, easiest in Hoi An, start with a market walk. Vegetarians manage well by asking for “an chay” (vegetarian).
Culture after dark
Vietnam’s evenings are an experience in themselves. In Hanoi, the water-puppet theatre stages a centuries-old art form on a pool of water; in Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 (UNESCO), the old town glows with silk lanterns every night and hosts lantern-making workshops. Night markets in most cities turn on after dark for street food and crafts.
Cover the experiences before you fly
Whichever experiences you pick, sort travel insurance before you fly, because the activities that make Vietnam special are the ones where cover conditions apply. A Vietnam policy from Zurich Kotak covers emergency medical treatment, baggage and trip disruptions, subject to the two-wheeler and adventure-sports conditions above.
Travelling to Vietnam? Get covered before you fly. Get a travel insurance for Vietnam quote in minutes: enter your trip dates and travellers, pick a plan, and download your policy instantly.
FAQ
Q: What are the top things to do in Vietnam?
A: The five signature experiences are a Ha Long Bay overnight cruise, riding or being driven over the Hai Van Pass, trekking around Sapa, a street-food tour in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, and a lantern night in Hoi An. Vietnam rewards choosing by activity, then building the route around it.
Q: Can Indians ride a motorbike in Vietnam?
A: Not straightforwardly. An International Driving Permit issued in India comes under the 1949 Geneva Convention, but Vietnam recognises 1968 Vienna Convention permits, which India has not signed, so an Indian IDP is not strictly valid to ride there (ETHOS). Helmets are compulsory with fines of 400,000 to 600,000 VND. The safe option is a guided tour where a licensed local rides.
Q: Does travel insurance cover motorbike accidents in Vietnam?
A: Only if the licence and helmet conditions are met. Two-wheeler accident cover requires a valid international driving licence and, where mandated, a helmet, and rental-excess cover excludes motorbikes. Riding without a recognised licence can void the claim; see travel insurance for Vietnam .
Q: Is a Ha Long Bay overnight cruise worth it?
A: Yes, and an overnight cruise beats a day trip. Sleeping on the bay among the karsts, with kayaking and a deck dinner, is the experience people remember; overnight cruises start around USD 108 to 120 per person for budget class and run to USD 250 to 450 for luxury boats.
Q: Which adventure activities need special cover?
A: Higher-risk activities such as canyoning, scuba diving and altitude trekking are covered non-professionally under trained supervision and to safety guidelines, with an optional Adventure Sports add-on that extends the cover. Always use a licensed operator, as that is a condition of the cover, not a formality.
