Westerner with 10 years of backpacking across Vietnam reveals 5 destinations to avoid crowds

Joshua Zukas, a traveler who has been exploring Vietnam for 10 years, shares on Insider 5 great, uncrowded destinations in the S-shaped country.

Joshua Zukas has written 3 books and over 100 travel stories about Vietnam. He concludes that there is no destination in this beautiful country that is impossible to visit.

"Every town, city and province has its own value. But I would question some destinations that cannot be missed on a normal tourist itinerary. There are many reasons why tourist destinations here are popular, but popularity leads to an excessive number of tourists, causing crowdedness, noise and congestion," he shared.

Portrait of a Western tourist with 10 years of experience traveling to Vietnam. Photo: Joshua Zukas

However, Joshua Zukas reveals that there are many options to replace Vietnam's tourist hotspots. He introduces 5 outstanding destinations that help visitors escape the crowds, replacing famous landmarks in their journey to explore Vietnam.

Skip Sa Pa for the Northern Mountain Villages

Sa Pa tourism has developed for a long time with many resorts and services springing up like mushrooms. The number of tourists coming here is increasing, making this highland town become crowded, losing its inherent wildness and tranquility.

Ba Be National Park offers kayaking, cave exploration and lakeside homestays. Photo: Joshua Zukas

Instead of crowding in the city center, visitors can go straight to the countryside, more remote mountain villages. Joshua Zukas said there are dozens of great destinations hidden in the mountains of Northern Vietnam for visitors to explore such as Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai), Ba Be National Park, Ha Giang ...

Skip Ha Long Bay for Lan Ha Bay

Ha Long Bay has the advantage of being close to Hanoi, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, every year, millions of domestic and foreign tourists visit here, so overcrowding is inevitable.

Sunset on Cat Ba Island. Photo: Joshua Zukas

Instead of going to Ha Long, Joshua Zukas suggests that tourists should go to Hai Phong to explore Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island, which have similar landscapes. Tourism activities in these two destinations have also increased in recent years, but are still not as bustling as in Ha Long. Here, tourists can climb mountains, hike, cruise on the bay, kayak...

Skip Hoi An for Hue

Hoi An is a famous tourist destination because of its bustling lantern street, full of colorful lights. Because of this, the situation of tourism overload occurs, forcing the local government to propose charging entrance fees to Hoi An ancient town to control the number of visitors each day.

Hue Imperial Citadel. Photo: Joshua Zukas

Joshua Zukas believes that the ancient capital of Hue is an ideal destination for tourists who do not want to jostle in Hoi An. The vast ancient capital also has ancient palaces, historical quarters with long-standing cultural and architectural values. This place also has unique cuisine with many delicious dishes, unique souvenirs, helping visitors have a glimpse of the peaceful life of Vietnamese people.

Skip Da Nang to go to Quy Nhon

As the largest city in the Central region, Da Nang has more than 1 million people with urban and wide beaches. However, because of the large number of visitors coming here every year, finding a quiet place to rest and relax by the beach in the summer is not easy.

Coastal urban area in Quy Nhon. Photo: Joshua Zukas

Meanwhile, located just south of Da Nang, Quy Nhon is also a beautiful, clean and peaceful coastal city. Or going north of Da Nang, visitors can go to the beautiful, peaceful city of Dong Hoi and close to unique caves to explore in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park.

Skip Phu Quoc to go to Con Dao

The pearl island of Phu Quoc is the top destination for tourists when thinking of Vietnam, as famous as Bali (Indonesia) or Phuket (Thailand). However, because of exploiting luxury resort tourism activities, this place does not have many pristine landscapes left for tourists to explore.

Con Dao Beach. Photo: Con Dao National Tourist Area Management Board

Instead, if you go to Con Dao in southern Vietnam, you will find fewer visitors. Construction is limited to avoid affecting the natural landscape, tourist numbers are managed, and environmental protection policies are enacted. Joshua Zukas believes that getting to the island is not easy, but experiencing the unique, unspoiled landscape here makes the trip extremely worthwhile.

Laodong.vn