Top Adventure Tours of Vietnam

Vietnam is ideal for adventurous folks like you! If you are reading this then we can safely assume you are not just a tourist but a real adventure traveler who loves it all about YOLO! More on this in Stream crossing tips for adventure tours.

In the north, you find tall mountains, dense forests, and giant caves. Trekking in the northern mountains, kayaking in the bays and caving in the centre are three different trips, and the sections below take them in turn. See also Vietnam Adventure Guide.

Note: Jungle boss is going net zero and is offer eco tours in Vietnam now.

Starting in the South: Enjoyable Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City

Củ Chi Tunnels: Discover the underground history of Vietnam

• Distance: Approximately 60 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.

• How to Get There: Bus (30,000), Taxi (600,000), Motorbike rental (approximately 150,000 per day).

• Entrance Fee: 110,000 VNĐ ($5)

• What to Do: Tour the tiny war tunnels, fire actual AK-47 rifles on the firing range, and learn the history surrounding the Vietnam War. Just a warning if you are claustrophobic, avoid entering inside the tunnels as they can get super narrow at some spots! 

Mekong Delta Tour: Biking and Kayaking

• It is a 2- to 3-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City.

• Best Fun Activities:

• Kayaking through floating markets (Tour price: 700,000 VND - 1,200,000 VND)

• Cycling through the Vietnamese countryside (Bike rental: ~100,000 VND)

• Visiting workshops for coconut candy and fish farms

Central Vietnam: Where the Adventure Begins

Dalat - Vietnam's Adventure Fun Spot

• How to Get There: Fly from Ho Chi Minh City (~1 hour, $40), Bus (~7 hours, 300,000 VND)

• Best Activities:

• Datanla Waterfall Canyoning – climb down waterfalls (Tour: 1,500,000)

• Mountain biking to Lang Biang Peak (~250,000 VND for bike rental)

• Hot air ballooning over Dalat (From $200. Too many zeros in VND so we just mentioned USD!)

Phong Nha: Great Place for Hiking through Caves

• How to Get There: Fly to Dong Hoi (1 hour, $50) and then bus to Phong Nha for approximately 50,000 VND.

• Top Adventure Vacations:

• Kong Collapse Jungle Tour (Main Jungle)

• Time: 5 days and 4 nights

• Cost: $700-$900

• What the trip includes: Descending a 450-meter-deep sinkhole, underground rivers, jungle camping, and cave exploration.

• Booking Link: Most extreme adventure tour of Vietnam - Kong Collapse

• Son Doong Cave Expedition (World’s Largest Cave)

• Cost: more than $3,000 (Only 1,000

• Time: 4-5 days

• What to expect: massive cave formations, rivers within the cave, and jungle camps inside the cave. You can book it from the oxalis tour company in Phong Pha.

Footwear that drains rather than footwear that is waterproof, because every cave route here involves wading and a sealed boot fills and stays full. Beyond that: a dry bag, more socks than seems reasonable, and no cotton for anything multi-day.

North Vietnam: Ha Long Bay and the Mountains

Ha Long Bay - Rock climbing and kayaking

• How to Get There: 2.5-hour bus from Hanoi (~250,000 VND)

• Top Adventure Trips:

• Overnight kayaking & camping on Cat Ba Island (2D1N Tour: ~2,500,000 VND)

• Rock climbing in Butterfly Valley costs a climbing pass of 500,000 VND.

• A Seaplane tour over Ha Long Bay is $100 for a 30-minute flight.

Sapa - Trekking & Ethnic Homestays

• How to Get There: Overnight sleeper train from Hanoi (~800,000 VND) or Bus (~500,000 VND)

• Top Enjoyable Activities:

• Climb Fansipan (Vietnam's highest mountain) (Cable car: 700,000 VND or Trekking Tour: 2,500,000 VND)

• Stay with Hmong Ethnic Homestay for approximately 300,000 VND per night.

• Motorcycle tour through rice fields (Renting motorbike: 150,000 VND per day)

Final Thoughts

Canyoning in Dalat, Fansipan and the caves of Phong Nha sit in three different regions and three different seasons, so the order you do them in is decided by when you travel rather than by preference. Book the multi-day routes ahead: the ones with permits and daily caps are the first to fill.

A few more questions

How many days does an adventure trip in Vietnam need?

Ten to fourteen for all three regions with anything left over for the adventures themselves. In a week you can do one region properly. The country is 1,650 km end to end, so the time you save on internal flights is what buys you the trekking days.

Which season suits which region?

They do not line up, which is the thing that catches people out. The centre, including Phong Nha, is at its best from February to August and closes core-zone routes in the September to December rains. The north is best from September to November and again in March and April, and is cold and misty from December to February. The south is warm all year with a wet season from May to October. There is no month that is ideal everywhere.

Do I need permits?

For anything inside the core zone of Phong Nha-Ke Bang, yes, and they can only be issued through a licensed operator with a daily quota. That is not a formality: the caps are small, and the multi-day routes book out months ahead in the dry season. Canyoning in Dalat, the Ha Giang loop and Fansipan need no permit.

How fit do I need to be?

For a day trek, enough to walk 8 to 10 km on uneven ground and swim a short distance. For the multi-day cave routes, 20 km of jungle trail with river crossings and rope descents, carrying a daypack while porters carry the rest. Fansipan can be done by cable car or on a two-day hike, which are not comparable activities.

What should I bring that people forget?

If you want one day of the real thing rather than a week of it, the Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley trek is the shortest route into the core zone: jungle trail, a river swim, a permit and a daily cap.