Vietnam is a favorite destination for travellers who love adventures and nature. It offers beautiful trekking trails with remarkable sceneries, through rice terraces, jungles, valleys and hill tribe villages. Travel Sense Asia would like to recommend to you 8 best places for trekking in Vietnam. If you want to have an unforgettable trip, beside classical sightseeings let’s plan some hiking or trek to get closer to Vietnamese people and nature.
1. Sapa (Lao Cai)
Level of trek: Easy, Medium, Hard
Sapa the most famous place for trekking in Vietnam. There are many trekking level from easy to hard. For the beginners you can spend 1-2 days to hike through Muong Hoa valley and visit some ethnic villages nearby town centre such as Cat Cat, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Y Linh Ho… If you want to trek harder, you can join a 2 days 1 night tour to conquer Fansipan Mountain which is called “roof of Indochina”.
2. Ha Giang
Level of trek: Easy & Medium
As its reputation as one of the most beautiful places in the northeast Vietnam, Ha Giang owns stunning landscape that is hard to be found elsewhere. It has mainly mountainous terrain with steep slopes. Although Ha Giang is less visited by tourists but it is truly a nice place to do trekking in Vietnam. Tourists come here not only to explore the authentic nature but also to visit the most popular ethnic market in the north Vietnam – Dong Van Sunday Market. In Ha Giang tourists can do the homestay or book a room at Panhou Retreat, a new opening resort in Hoang Su Phi.
3. Ba Be National Park
Level of trek: Easy
Also known as Ba Be Lake, the National Park is centered on Vietnam’s largest natural lake. It is home of Tay, Dao and Hmong ethnic groups. What makes this place one of the best spots for trekking in Vietnam is gorgeous scenery with dense rainforests, waterfalls, deep valleys and soaring limestone mountains. There are many hiking trails that you should try.
4. Cat Ba National Park
Level of trek: Easy
Cat Ba is famous for its similar scenery to Halong Bay, the UNESCO Heritage Site. However it offers tourists not only cruise trip but also trekking tour to the National Park on Cat Ba island. There are 2 options 3 km and 10 km through the forest to Viet Hai, a fishing village situates in the core of Cat Ba National Park.
5. Cat Tien National Park
Level of trek: Easy, Medium, Hard
Cat Tien National Park is a tropical forest with bio diversity. That makes it one of the best places for trekking in Vietnam. There are many trekking trails to explore park, underneath the most popular tour is a half day trek in the forest to explore flora and fauna in national park.
Bau Sau is a must-visit place in Cat Tien National Park. It is a great lake where crocodiles live. A trek to Bau Sau can give you the chance to see the crocodiles in their natural home.
6. Mai Chau (Hoa Binh)
Level of trek: Easy & Medium
For those who don’t like to travel so far to the mountainous region in the north Mai Chau is a suitable choice. Coming to Mai Chau in growing rice season from Mai to October, you can trek through evergreen paddy fields and bamboo forest to reach Thai villages with their traditional stilt houses.
7. Pu Luong Nature Reserve (Thanh Hoa)
Level of trek: Easy & Medium
Pu Luong is about 4 hours driving from Mai Chau. It is the combination of Northern Vietnam’s beauty with beautiful terrace rice fields as Sapa, the magnificent passes as Ha Giang and large fields as Mai Chau. Visiting Pu Luong reserve, you also have the chance to experience the daily life and culture of the Thai and Muong people.
8. Cao Bang
Level of trek: Easy
Cao Bang is one of the most beautiful places in the northwest Vietnam. The province is home of Tay, Nung, H’mong, Dao and Lolo ethnic minorities. Here you can trek through the villages or visit Ban Gioc waterfall and Nguom Ngao cave.
