Sports in Vietnam

Sports in Vietnam happen mostly on water or on foot, and the venues are specific. Lan Ha Bay and the Luon and Dark and Bright caves are kayak country: sheltered water between karst towers, paddled in a morning. Cat Ba National Park has forest trails to Viet Hai village, and Sapa and Pu Luong have day and overnight treks from village to village. Dive boats work the reefs of Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and the Cham Islands off Hoi An. Da Lat, in the hills, adds stand-up paddling on Tuyen Lam Lake, trekking on Langbiang and a high rope course with ziplines.

Most formats are short and guided. Kayak and paddleboard sessions last half a day, and snorkelling and sea-walking trips take one to seven hours. A dive day with a professional guide runs six to eight hours, and the Cham Islands trip takes certified divers and beginners alike. Longer options are the Mekong by bike and kayak over two to four days with a night in a local family home, and Sapa treks of two to three days. Almost everything runs as a small group; speedboat and dive trips also come privately.

Practical. Sea sport follows the dry season. Nha Trang is mostly rainless from January to August and rough from September to December, Phu Quoc is calm from November to April, and boat days on the central coast are lost to typhoons from September to November. Northern treks are best from March to May and from September to November; the nights near Sapa stay cold, and summer rain makes the paths slippery. Divers should bring a certification card, and anyone paddling or snorkelling in the sun needs a hat and reef-safe sunscreen.