Best places to visit in Vietnam: TOP 8 Must-See UNESCO World Heritage Sites

For culture lovers, every small moment of discovery is a step closer to understanding a new and different way of life. Scattered throughout the country, Vietnam's UNESCO Heritage Sites are jackpots for these moments of discovery. Each one promises exceptional beauty and exceptional insight into Vietnamese culture. 

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Ha Long Bay

It’s no surprise Ha Long Bay is home to as many legends as it is islands. The name ‘Ha Long’ means ‘descending dragon’ and Vietnamese tell a tale of a dragon that descended from the sky, spitting out thousands of pearls that became the islands and islets we see today. This spectacular bay and Natural Heritage Site stretches across the Gulf of Tonkin, 165 km from Hanoi. Hidden among more than 1,600 limestone formations, are secret grottoes, sparkling beaches, and jaw-dropping caves. The scenery in the bay is enhanced by the local life that continues in this dream-like setting. Floating villages rest on rafts, children row to school, men fish for a living, and women cook and sell their wares – all in the company of Ha Long’s majestic karsts and emerald waterways. (Source: Vietnam Tourism)

Trang An Landscape Complex

Ninh Binh has long enchanted visitors with a melding of sacred temples, serene countryside, and dramatic karsts. Three elements come together to render this one of Vietnam's top heritage sites: the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital -- the national seat of power in the 10th and 11th centuries -- the Trang An Scenic Complex, and the Hoa Lu Forest. Ninh Binh's sublime landscape is made of karst peaks and towers, which rise steeply up from the valley below, itself covered in tranquil waterways and lush rice paddies. Traditional sampans rowed by local guides glide gently along the current, beneath dripping grottoes and past dense rainforest. Take a short climb to the mossy pagodas and viewpoints on the cliffs, and you'll have the entire panorama at your feet. (Source: Vietnam Tourism)

Citadel of the Ho Dynasty

The outstanding feature of Ho Dynasty Citadel is that its stone walls were built to bear earthquakes with an average height of five meters. It is strange that the stones were laid without cement, each of them weighed up to 20 tonnes. Besides four gates covering Ho citadel, there was a canal surrounding the citadel as an extra layer of protection. Witnessing the ups and downs of over six-century history, some parts of the citadel still kept its origins. Ho Dynasty Citadel is stated to be the symbol of power and military fortress. It was also built to represent both royalty and divine powers. It helped to link natural and human space. Especially, time and weather can not damage the major stone sections because of the citadel’s unique construction techniques. In the last days of June 2011, UNESCO recognized the citadel of Ho Dynasty as the World Cultural Heritage Sites. It is the pride of not only Thanh Hoa People, but also Vietnamese people all over the country. Presently, local authorities are trying their best to protect and preserve this site for its unique stone structure and identify it as an important site on the tourist map of all travelers in Vietnam. (Source: Vietnam Tourism)

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

Part of the Annamite Mountain Range in Quang Binh Province, Phong Nha lures adventure lovers with an outstanding limestone karst ecosystem. The national park covers 126,236 hectares of dense tropical forest, enormous caves, and underground rivers. Phong Nha lays claim to the second-largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong, and is home to a wide array of cave types, such as terraced caves, intersecting caves, and suspended caves. Apart from scientifically important caves, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park shelters a large number of endemic species. Asiatic black bear, tigers and saola have all been spotted within the UNESCO-protected area, giving nature lovers even more reason to put Phong Nha on their itineraries. (Source: Vietnam Tourism)

The Complex of Hue Monuments

In the central city of Hue you'll find the last vestiges of the Nguyen Dynasty. Here, against a backdrop of forested hills with a meandering river at their feet, the Nguyen emperors erected administrative offices, military headquarters, palaces, temples and even their own tombs. Vietnam’s feudal capital was strategically built along the banks of the Perfume River, with easy access to the sea. Taking inspiration from Beijing’s Forbidden City, the structures within the citadel were carefully laid out to be in cosmological alignment with the five elements, cardinal points and colors. Although the Nguyen Dynasty ended in 1945, the symbolic significance of the Hue Monuments–once the political, cultural and religious heart of Vietnam–still echoes today. (Source: Vietnam Travel)

My Son Sanctuary  

The monuments of the My Son sanctuary are the most important constructions of the My Son civilization. The tower temples have a variety of architectural designs symbolizing the greatness and purity of Mount Meru, the mythical sacred mountain home of Hindu gods at the center of the universe, now symbolically reproduced on Earth in the mountainous homeland of the Cham people. They are constructed in fired brick with stone pillars and decorated with sandstone bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. Their technological sophistication is evidence of Cham engineering skills while the elaborate iconography and symbolism of the tower-temples give insight into the content and evolution of Cham religious and political thought. The My Son Sanctuary is a remarkable architectural ensemble that developed over a period of ten centuries. It presents a vivid picture of spiritual and political life in an important phase of the history of South-East Asia. The monuments are unique and without equal in Southeast Asia. (Source: World Heritage Convention)

Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An was once a bustling trading port, welcoming merchants from far across the seas. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Chinese, Japanese and Europeans settled along the banks of the winding Thu Bon River. Today, 30 hectares of this ancient town is preserved as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site. Hoi An’s unique fusion of cultural influences reveals itself within its narrow streets. Weathered shop-houses squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder alongside ancestral homes, their tiled roofs decorated in exotic wood carvings. Tucked away from the old ferry quay, you’ll find an open market, pagodas and a timber bridge that once connected the town's Japanese and Chinese communities. Hoi An is even better in the evenings, when the faded streets glow in the light of thousands of lanterns. (Source: Vietnam Travel)