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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Vietnam

55 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Vietnam

Updated April 17, 2023

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  1. Côn đảo
  2. Dalat
  3. Da Nang
  4. Hanoi
  5. Ho Chi Minh City
  6. Hội An
  7. Hương Thủy
  8. Phan Thiet

Unusual Attractions in Vietnam

See All 55 Things To Do in Vietnam

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Vietnam

See all 6 Places to Eat in Vietnam
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Atlas Obscura Trips

Vietnam: A Culinary Adventure from Hanoi to Saigon

On this nine-day journey, we’ll explore Vietnam through its unique cuisine, tasting our way across north, central, and south Vietnam by way of steaming pork belly meatballs in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and the white rose dumplings of Hoi An.

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Explore Vietnam

Military 7
War History 6
Sacred Spaces 6
Caves 5
Statues 5
Geology 5
Vietnam War 5
Ecosystems 5

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Stories About Vietnam

Along the Vietnamese coast, temples constructed in reverence to whales and other marine mammals—such as this one in Phan Thiet—house valuable information on the country’s little-studied cetaceans.

How Vietnam’s Ancient Whale Temples Are Helping Science

For centuries, hundreds of shrines have preserved crucial information about the marine mammals' diversity and distribution.
by Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
An artist's rendering of the moment an ancient crocodilian really stepped in it.

An Ancient Croc Stepped in Poop and Created a Portal to the Past

Scientists braved rain, mud, and a close encounter at a crocodile farm to learn what fossilized feces reveal about life 33 million years ago.
by Kate Golembiewski
A springy bamboo pole helps a villager lighten his load.

How Bamboo Sticks Help Vietnamese Villagers Shoulder Mighty Loads

It's a matter of simple physics.
by Isaac Schultz
A strong solar flare from 2012.

The Sun Set Off 4,000 Sea Mines During the Vietnam War

Only now do scientists fully understand just how strong a 1972 solar storm was.
by Sarah Laskow
Solid proof the muntjac is still around.

Found: A Rare Tiny Deer in Vietnam

It's called a muntjac, and the last time it appeared was nearly two decades ago.
by Christina Ayele Djossa
This perfect flower was injected right into the jelly.

The Beautiful Cakes Injected Full of Flowers

Watch as jelly masters create 3-D designs with needles and syringes.
by Anne Ewbank
The elfin mountain toad.

Found: Tiny ‘Elfish Eyebrow Toad’

It is very small.
by Sarah Laskow

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