Five reasons to visit Vietnam’s north

Which is better: Melbourne or Sydney? East coast or west coast US? The Swiss or French Alps?

These arguments have been raging for decades with no clear winner, for each destination has its diehard fans.

Now, the same battlelines are being drawn in Vietnam.

In one corner is the south with its buzzing metropolis Saigon, beach resorts, tropical islands and year-round hot weather. It’s the clear winner in terms of visitor numbers. In 2023 Saigon welcomed 40 million tourists compared to 24 million in Hanoi, the capital in the north.

But for some, the crowds in the south are reason enough to head north, where the pace is slower. Here are five other reasons to visit northern Vietnam.

THE STREET FOOD OF HANOI

In Hanoi, there are hundreds of restaurants selling pho, Vietnam’s famous rice noodles and beef soup. The most famous is Pho Thin on Lu Doc Street in Hanoi French’s Quarter which charges only $4 for a square meal. It’s not the cleanest restaurant in the city, but their secret recipe can’t be beaten.

La vong fish is another must-try dish in Hanoi. Made using a species of catfish from the Red River revered for its soft aromatic flesh, it’s sliced into thin fillets, marinated in turmeric and grilled on skewers. The city’s most famous la vong restaurant, Cha Ca Thang La Vong, is on Cha Ca Street. They only serve one dish.

Then there’s bun cha, a hearty lunch of grilled patties served over rice noodles and a sweet and sour broth. Traditionally bun cha was a workers’ lunch — a quick meal sold at truck stops and street stalls. But it became a global food sensation in 2015 after Barack Obama and the late Anthony Bourdain ate at Bun Cha Huong Lien, a family-run eatery on Le Van Hu Street, also in the French Quarter.

VIETNAM’S HIMALAYAS

Until 2013, Ha Giang, a mountainous district bordering China in Vietnam’s north-east, was a military zone. To visit, foreigners required special permits that were difficult to get. Today, anyone can travel to Ha Giang.

The road is mind-blowing: an endless array of hairpin turns that snake up mountain passes and sashay across valleys, with scenery cut straight out of the Himalayas. The journey ends at Dong Van, a French colonial town on a 1600m-high plateau.

Tourists stay in the Old Quarter, a maze-like warren of cobblestoned alleyways and flagstone buildings topped with terracotta tiles. The oldest — a terrace with two stone pillar supports adorned with red lanterns — was built by the Luong family 200 years ago and is still inhabited by their descendants.

THE BALI OF VIETNAM

In 1946, Vietnam took up arms against the French colonial government, which had ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 80 years. The showdown occurred at Dien Bien Phu, a strategically important hill set in a valley in north-west Vietnam. The Vietnamese won by carrying hundreds of heavy cannons, piece by piece, up the mountains surrounding the valley, and rained hell on the unsuspecting French down below.

Today Dien Bien Phu is a big city with a gigantic Soviet-style sculpture on the hill to commemorate the battle. The city is nothing to write home about but the lush green countryside around it, inhabited by friendly hill tribes, is as beautiful as Bali.

Set on a winding brook among cherry blossom trees, Muong Phang village, 30km east of Dien Bien Phu City, has three or four little homestays. It is half an hour by bicycle to the former underground hideout of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the mastermind of the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

MUSEUMS GALORE

The century-old hotel Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi is a living museum with hundreds of antiques. Hotel guests can join guided tours of rebel tunnels discovered under the building.

The Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street showcases hundreds of thought-provoking folk paintings about communism, patriotism and agriculture. And don’t miss the Vietnam Military History Museum on Dien Bien Phu Street. Its courtyard is crammed with damaged tanks, B-52 bombers, Russian jets and American choppers.

Set in a space-age building that seems to hover over the hill, the Museum of Dien Bien Phu Victory in Dien Bien Phu City tells the story of Vietnam’s victory over the French.

About 15km from Dong Van in Ha Giang Province is the Palace of the Hmong King. Built in 1902, the fortress-turned-museum has 5m-thick stone walls and 64 bedrooms, where the king’s many wives and children lived.

THE SECRET ISLAND

With limestone karst formations that rise from the sea like giant chess pieces, Ha Long Bay, a three-hour drive from Hanoi, is the most popular destination in northern Vietnam. The conventional way to see it is on a multi-day cruise.

But there’s a more immersive and less expensive way to experience Ha Long Bay: by spending a few days at Cat Ba Island, a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve. With cloud-ringed mountains and valleys pockmarked with karsts, Cat Ba looks like the birthplace of King Kong. The most recent adaptation of the legend — Skull Island — was shot here in 2016.

Throw in a waterfront city riddled with inexpensive hotels and seafood restaurants, and you’ll see why Cat Ba Island is northern Vietnam’s best-kept secret.