If it's your first trip to Vietnam, where would you recommend? About choosing a city

Xin chào! We're a Japanese husband, Papa-san, and his Vietnamese wife, Mama-san, living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam! On this blog, we share information about moving to and living in Vietnam, as well as travel information from all over the country. If you find an article that catches your interest, please follow us first ♪ This time, we'd like to talk about the topic "If you're visiting Vietnam for the first time, where would you recommend going? The Vietnamese tourist destinations known to Japanese people can be broadly divided into three places: Hanoi in the north, Da Nang in the central region, and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. In fact, for travelers who aren't used to traveling, any of these three cities would be recommended. This is because currently there are no direct flights from Japan to other Vietnamese cities m(__)m Have you decided on your Golden Week 2026 plans yet? Vietnam might see a rush of tourists! Wow, an unexpected surge in oil prices... Because of this, fuel surcharges for trips to the Middle East, Europe, and the West have shot up, and it seems more and more people are switching their destinations to Asia instead. Also, with the worsening of Japan-China relations, apparently Chinese travelers are coming to Vietnam as well... Come to think of it, a few days ago there was also news saying something like, "Vietnam's tourism momentum has been growing lately, and Thailand is starting to feel a sense of crisis.(Despite that, it's strange that the number of Japanese travelers visiting Vietnam is decreasing. I wonder where everyone is going instead.) Vietnam is still very much worth targeting! Tourism development is progressing year by year, so even those who say "I went once five years ago, but there was nothing to do and it was boring" should definitely come and visit again! When it comes to choosing which city in Vietnam to visit, I most recommend deciding based on whether it's the best season or not.

When choosing which city to visit in Vietnam, what I'd most recommend is to "choose the area that's in its best tourist season." When people think of Southeast Asia, they tend to imagine a hot and humid tropical climate everywhere all year round, but in fact, it's only Ho Chi Minh City in the south that stays hot all year. First, let's check the dry and rainy seasons for Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City respectively. In Hanoi, the rainy season runs from May to October. First, let's talk about Hanoi in the north, famous for Halong Bay. The rainy season runs from May to October. Rainfall decreases starting in November, so generally speaking, the dry season from November to April is the best time to visit. However, from December to February, Hanoi's temperatures are similar to November in Japan, and on some days it gets cold enough that you'll need a jacket. "This isn't the Vietnam I imagined!Some say this, so if you imagine Vietnam as a "southern country," it's best to go sometime between March and September. Da Nang has its rainy season from September to February, with the typhoon season falling in October and November. Central Da Nang is a very popular sightseeing spot among Japanese travelers as one of Vietnam's beach resort areas. Danang has its rainy season from September to February, with October–November being typhoon season (though sometimes typhoons can arrive as late as December–January). So the best season to visit Danang is from March to August or September. Also, please note that when a typhoon comes, hotels may prohibit guests from going outside, so be careful! Ho Chi Minh City's rainy season runs from May to November. Basically, Ho Chi Minh City has a rainy season from May to November and a dry season the rest of the year, but temperatures stay high all year round, and it doesn't rain all day—it's more like localized downpours (squalls)—so it doesn't get in the way of sightseeing too much. So if you're thinking, "Hanoi has rain, and Da Nang has typhoons..." during months like September or October, heading to Ho Chi Minh City is a safe bet!      If there's a domestic flight connection, we also recommend sightseeing in two cities.

For example, if someone says, "This is my first time going to Vietnam, but since I'm used to traveling abroad in general, taking a domestic flight isn't a problem for me," then why not consider planning a two-city tour of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, both popular tourist destinations? With the beach resort city of Da Nang and the metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, you can fully enjoy the many charms of Vietnam. Major travel agencies also offer package tours that cover both cities, so please take a look at one.     Personally, I recommend Ho Chi Minh City + Nha Trang or Phu Quoc Island. However, personally, rather than Ho Chi Minh City + Da Nang, I recommend Ho Chi Minh City + Nha Trang or Phu Quoc Island. Da Nang has a wide sightseeing area including Hoi An, so I feel it's really a place you'd want to visit on its own.   On the other hand, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc Island have the same year-round climate as Ho Chi Minh City, and since the sightseeing area isn't all that large, 2 nights there is more than enough to enjoy fully. That makes 4 nights total: 2 nights in Ho Chi Minh City and 2 nights in either Nha Trang or Phu Quoc Island. Including travel time before and after or an overnight flight, you can put together a 6-day itinerary. In summary: in Vietnam, there's always a "best season" somewhere. Vietnam has a best-season city for whichever month Japanese travelers can get their holidays — Golden Week, Obon, Silver Week, or the New Year season — so no matter when you go, there's a great destination waiting. And if you can't decide, you really can't go wrong by simply choosing one of the year-round summer cities in the south or south-central region, like Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, or Phu Quoc Island. We really, truly hope you'll come visit Vietnam!