Many young people are in a dilemma about whether to wander around Hanoi or take a tour of Sa Pa Town, Lao Cai Province or Phu Quoc Island off the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang in Vietnam's upcoming four-day National Day holiday, lasting from September 1 to 4.

This is one of the longest holidays in the year in Vietnam and the last free time for students before they enter a new school year.

Here are some interesting destinations to visit this year:

A day living in Hanoi

Hanoi is peaceful in the morning sunlight. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Despite being busy and crowded on normal days, Hanoi is peaceful and gentle during holidays. It is advised to spend time discovering and experiencing the romantic atmosphere of the capital.

Tourists should start a day in Hanoi by getting up at 5:00 am and coming to O Quan Chuong, an old city gate, to sip a cup of hot tea.

Hanoi is fairly cold with an extremely fresh atmosphere on autumn mornings, which helps put tourists’ minds at ease.

Visitors can have breakfast at sticky rice, bun rieu (crab paste vermicelli noodle soup), pork rib porridge, and pho stalls on sidewalks in Hanoi's Old Quarter.

A bowl of 'pho' in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors should later travel around the city and seek some backgrounds for photos.

Typical destinations in the Old Quarter include Hang Ma Street, Dong Xuan Market, Phung Hung fresco street, Ta Hien Street, and Quang Dong Hall at 22 Hang Buom Street.

The most ideal time to take a stroll around Guom (Hoan Kiem) Lake or sit in a coffee shop looking at streams of people is at 9:00 am.

Travelers can also sit there until lunchtime, when they can enjoy typical delicacies from Hanoi, such as fish noodle soup, bun dau mam tom (vermicelli served with fried tofu and shrimp paste), and bun cha (rice noodles with grilled pork and meatballs).

In the afternoon, they can spend time visiting Hoa Lo Prison, the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, the Vietnam National Museum of History, and the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art.

Ho Tay (West Lake) on Thanh Nien Street is the best destination to visit at the end of the day due to the romantic sunset.

A section of Ho Tay (West Lake) on Thanh Nien Street is an ideal location to admire the sunset in Hanoi. On beautiful afternoons, the sky is dyed red and reflected on the lake’s surface. Photo: Duy Pham / Tuoi Tre

In addition, if travelers want to get closer to nature, they can visit the Ba Vi National Park and Dong Do Lake in Soc Son District, the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Son Tay District, Duong Lam ancient village, and Quan Son Lake to wrap up a relaxed day.

Admiring sunrise in 'infinity sea' in Thai Binh

Local residents get up early to harvest oysters and razor clams in Thuy Xuan Commune, Thai Thuy District, Thai Binh Province. Photo: Doan Ngoc Anh / Tuoi Tre

Infinity sea has become a new hotspot for tourists in August thanks to photos of the magnificent beach in Thuy Xuan Commune, Thai Thuy District, Thai Binh Province.

The site is actually an alluvial flood plain which is around seven kilometers long. The water comes up to people’s ankles only.

On windless days, the beach looks like a giant mirror reflecting the sky.

To see the sunrise, tourists should be present at the beach at 4:00 am to enjoy the heaven-like place where the sky and the ground seem to merge into one.

However, tourists should get updates on the weather forecast before arriving at the beach. If they visit it on rainy or gloomy days, their trips will not be as expected.

Traveling to northwestern region to see ripe rice fields

Terraced rice fields look like stairs amid forests. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Early September and October are the best times to visit the northwestern region as terraced rice fields there will turn yellow. The weather in the region will be mild, appropriate for discovery tours.

The most well-known sites to admire ripe rice fields include Sa Pa in Lao Cai Province, Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai Province, and Hoang Su Phi in Ha Giang Province.

Small rice fields overlap one another, which looks like stairs amid the forests, creating romantic and imposing scenery.

Food tour in Hai Phong

The food map of Hai Phong City has brought pleasure to travel lovers. Photo: Hai Phong Tourism Department

When it turns into autumn, food tours in Hai Phong City are a good choice, especially when promotions for the Hanoi-Hai Phong railway are launched.

Passengers buying three tickets will receive a free one, while those buying six tickets will get two more at no charge.

The program is applicable to all passengers and trains departing on any day from Monday to Thursday, except for those on August 31 and September 1.

Arriving in the port city, tourists can try many dishes, including breadsticks, bun rieu cua (crab paste vermicelli noodle soup), banh da cua (crab noodles), banh cuon (steamed rice rolls), sweet snails, thunder crab nippers, banh beo (steamed rice pancakes), banh bo (rice flour sponge cakes), and more.

Beautiful beaches, islands

An overall view of Co To Town in Quang Ninh Province. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

From October, the weather in the north becomes colder with cold air masses, so tourists can bathe in the sea until the end of September.

The upcoming four-day holiday will be an ideal chance for tourists and their families to visit beaches before the sea tourism season in the north ends.

Beautiful beaches and islands in the northern regions are Co To Island, Quan Lan Island and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province; and Cat Ba Island and Do Son Beach in Hai Phong City.

However, the northern region tends to experience tropical pressure and storms, so travelers should keep a close watch on the weather forecasts to update their plans.

Lan Ha Bay in Hai Phong City attracts multiple international tourists. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Thanh Ha - Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre News