There are beautiful places in the north of Vietnam. Those who are planning to see an attractive scenery or tour north Vietnam will definitely have their hands full of lists here. This list can seem intimidating, of course. We will slim it to become simple and here is what we have done for you: we have cut it down to five places you should visit for a start.

Why this five?
Well, it’s best to make your visit to the North Vietnam memorable. That alone isn’t the reason to cut everything to just five. But, they are beautiful. They are perfect for a tour. And they have kept those who visit them coming back for another heartwarming experience.

A little slice out of the whole cake: some of the places aren’t crowded; they give visitors the pleasure of touring and enjoying without screaming their heads off at other visitors.
Maybe you have tagged your adventure ‘tour of North Vietnam,’ and you are ready. So you can’t wait. Let’s dive in.

1.    Ha Giang
If someone should ask where to visit in North Vietnam, the answer is: start with Ha Giang. It’s a place where nature packs and exhibits some great beauty to the world.
Features like the karts plateau and winding roads and hills always impress travellers. They can’t take their eyes off. Blame them not. Ha Giang likes to cast a spell on its visitors especially when they engage in one of the outdoor activities. Camping and trekking are examples.

There are three means of transportation to get around here. Explore the province on a local bus or rent a car with a driver and be driven around. Or, the commonest, take a motorbike among the available bike rental agencies and tour the province as the air touches the hair on your arms.

After you have acquired a means of transport, you should find places and things to do. See the Ma Pi Leng Pass. Drive around it and stop at the pass to enjoy the breath-taking view of mountains, covered in green. The farther you look, the bluer or greyer it gets over these mountains and hills and slopes.

Other places to see are
•    Quan Ba Heaven Gate
•    Dong Van Plateau
•    Hmong King Palace
•    And the markets

Where is Ha Giang?
It is far to the north of Vietnam. It is bordered at one side by the south of China. This beautiful city is made up of 10 districts and it is surrounded by other places such as the Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai.

2.    Halong Bay
UNESCO, those big guys, categorized this bay as one of their World Heritage Site. And you don’t have to wonder why this is so, just look around and the wonder staring at your face.

The bay has many islands which are mostly inhabited by monkeys. Visitors will see monkeys jumping from one mangrove to another tree. And leaving there, there are dozens of caves and a number of quiet and beautiful beaches. Have you seen a tower of limestone around a bay before? It’s time to see one. It stands over the bay. Such a magnificent image towering down like a giant watchman is a sight to behold for all visitors.

The name Ha Long means ‘descending dragon.’ And Halong Bay is located towards the Tonkin Gulf, taking about three hours or more to reach from Hanoi. For a place like this, all the visitors have to do is take a tour around during the day or a cruise around at night. Go with a camera with enough space in its memory.

3.    Ban Gioc Waterfall
It’s a beautiful natural sight and impressively one of the best places to visit. In fact, this waterfall is the widest in the country with about 300 meters in width. Lately, the road networks have been improved and other public transportation, but it is still a quiet place with a few tourists and domestic visitors enjoying the heavy splash of the water.

Ban Gioc is located along the Quay Son River which is flowing across from China in its bluish and jade-like colour. In fact, a part of the fall is clearly located in China while the other side in Vietnam. It flows through a beautiful landscape as well which is made of bamboo groves and rice fields and the pinnacle of limestone. Aside from looking at the water splashing down, visitors get to see the background where nature is at work. The area shows the green of trees, the height of trees, the blue of the sky and the grey at the far horizon.

4.    Ninh Binh
First, it’s safe to ride on rowboat paddled mostly by women. Secondly, you might get too busy with your camera that you forget to enjoy your time. So keep down the camera for a moment.

The distance from this rural settlement to Hanoi is about 100km. It boasts of natural and beautiful scenery which is unarguably why most visitors feel as if they are there to document nature with their cameras. Ninh Binh is quiet with a rural way of living. It presents a laid-back way of life which is one-of-a-kind Vietnam experience.

Visitors can get there on a bus or a train. And the tour around the place can be through the rowboat or though motorbikes. You tend to see the mountain goats, the many small caves, the rice fields and the site’s lush foliage.

5.    Sapa Township
For about a century now, the town of Sapa is a tourist habitat. When you dig further why visitors aren’t getting tired of places like the French Hill Station, you will discover it is as attractive as on the surface and on a closer look.

It shares a border with China. And because it is a collection of beautiful features – mountain ranges, valleys, hills, rice fields – feet keep touring the place every year. With that in mind, you should be there to see what it means when someone says, ‘this takes my breath away.’ For instance, Mount Fansipan is the highest mountain in the country. Hence, the mountains present a colourful terrace to look at nature and the work of man. We mean the rice fields.

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Northeast Vietnam
Northwest Vietnam