Five Vietnamese attractions, namely the capital Hanoi, the ancient town of Hoi An, the ancient imperial capital of Hue, the mountainous town of Sa Pa, and the spectacular Ha Long Bay, have been listed among the world’s best destinations in various categories for 2024 by readers of TripAdvisor, a leading global travel site.

In its Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2024 awards recently announced, TripAdvisor honored Hanoi in two categories. 

Accordingly, the capital ranked first among the 20 Best Food Destinations while gaining the fourth position in the 25 Top Destinations, after the UAE’s Dubai, Indonesia’s Bali, and the UK’s London. 

The travel site described Hanoi as a charming capital that "has aged well, preserving the Old Quarter, monuments, and colonial architecture, while making room for modern developments alongside.” 

The city’s appeal is enhanced by lakes, parks, shady boulevards, and over 600 temples and pagodas, TripAdvisor said, adding that the Vietnamese capital is easily explored by taxi.

Meanwhile, Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Quang Nam Province, sealed the tenth position in the Top Destinations category and the second place in the Honeymoon Destinations category. 

Located on the central Vietnamese coast, Hoi An is “a well-preserved example of the important Southeast Asian trading port it was from the 15th-19th centuries,” the site described. 

As a common stop for backpackers, the ancient city is becoming better known to tourists who can take tours of the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Quan Cong Temple, among other attractive places, TripAdvisor commented. 

The town trades its electric lights for traditional colored lanterns on the 14th day of every lunar month, the site added. 

Situated in central Vietnam, the ancient imperial city of Hue gained the eighth position in the Cultural Destinations category. 

Hue is well known for the Huong (Perfume) River, a great river that flows through the heart of Hue City, famous for its poetic and lyrical beauty.

This river splits the capital of Vietnam’s Nguyen Dynasty in two, TripAdvisor said.

Hue is home to numerous endless must-see historic sites, especially those recognized as world heritage sites by UNESCO.

Travelers can visit the ornate Imperial Citadel, royal tombs, colorful Thanh Toan Bridge, and the Forbidden Purple City, the site suggested. 

Two other Vietnamese localities that are highlighted as the best places in the Trending Destinations category are Ha Long Bay in northern Quang Ninh Province and Sa Pa Town in Lao Cai Province, which rank third and fifth, respectively.  

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a global attraction for its amazing limestone islands, rock formations, and caves, which are breathtaking after being whittled away by wind and water over centuries, TripAdvisor described. 

At the bay, visitors can rent a kayak or a junk boat, or take a tour to explore its beauty.

Meanwhile, Sa Pa Town, in northern Lao Cai Province, “provides the perfect oasis in the midst of a strenuous mountain trek or rice-paddy tour,” said TripAdvisor.

Serving as a good reminder of the town’s French missionary influence, the Gothic stone church in the heart of Sa Pa is seen as a bull's-eye amid shops and stalls, the site commented.  

Once traveling to Sa Pa, visitors should dine on Vietnamese or European-inspired cuisine downtown, and “don’t miss the Saturday night ‘love market,’ one of the most potent – and strictest – single’s nights imaginable,” TripAdvisor recommended.

TripAdvisor is one of the world's largest travel sites, with nearly 463 million visits every month.

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