Kayaking in Vietnam

Ba Be Lake is Vietnam's largest natural freshwater lake - a 8km-long body of water set within a national park of karst limestone mountains, primary forest, and Tày ethnic minority villages in Bắc Kạn province, one of the most genuinely wild nature destinations in the northern highlands.

Bái Tử Long Bay - Ha Long's quieter, less-visited neighbour to the northeast - shares the same UNESCO-listed karst landscape but with far fewer cruise boats, better beaches, and a more traditional atmosphere. It's Ha Long Bay the way it was 20 years ago.

Bảy Mẫu Coconut Forest is a 7-hectare water coconut palm wetland in Cẩm Thanh village - navigated by traditional Vietnamese basket boats through narrow waterways under the palm canopy, with fishing demonstrations and local music performances.

Con Dao National Park protects 80% of the Con Dao archipelago - 14 islands of pristine coral reefs, sea turtle nesting beaches, hawksbill habitat, and jungle trails through one of Vietnam's least disturbed coastal ecosystems.

Dark Cave is Phong Nha's most adventurous experience - a zip line over the Son River, kayaking into a pitch-black cave, swimming through underground passages, and a mineral mud bath inside the cave chamber, all packaged into one of Vietnam's best adventure activities.

The Hai Tac Islands are a remote archipelago of 16 islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Kien Giang coast, historically known as the Pirate Islands. One of the least visited island groups in Vietnam, with coral reefs, white sand beaches, and almost no tourist infrastructure.

Ha Long Bay - Vietnam's most iconic landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - is 1,553 square kilometres of emerald water, nearly 2,000 limestone karst islands, sea caves, and floating villages in the Gulf of Tonkin. The only way to see it properly is by overnight cruise.

Hang Câu is Lý Sơn's most dramatic coastal spot - a beach at the base of Núi Thới Lới where vertical basalt cliffs meet turquoise water and coral reefs. The combination of volcanic cliff faces, clear water, and accessible snorkeling makes it the island's top swimming and photography destination.

Hòn Tằm is Nha Trang Bay's most developed private island - a resort island 5km offshore with white sand beaches, clear water, water sports, and coral snorkeling, reached by speedboat in 15 minutes from Cầu Đá pier.

Lan Hà Bay is the southern section of the Ha Long Bay karst system - 400 limestone islands, hidden beaches, floating fishing villages, and some of the clearest water in the Gulf of Tonkin, with a fraction of Ha Long's boat traffic and far better kayaking conditions.

Mooc Spring is Phong Nha's most beautiful swimming spot - a natural spring emerging from the karst limestone in a jungle clearing, forming a series of turquoise pools and a gentle waterfall, 7km from Sơn Trạch and one of the most scenic outdoor pools in central Vietnam.

Nho Quế River - a ribbon of impossible turquoise threading through the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia, seen from above at Mã Pí Lèng Pass and explored by boat from Mèo Vạc.

Tà Đùng Lake in Đắk Nông province is called the 'Hạ Long Bay of the Central Highlands' - a vast reservoir studded with 37 forested islands rising from the water, formed by the flooding of Tà Đùng National Park, offering kayaking, island camping, and some of the most unusual inland scenery in southern Vietnam.

Thang Hen is one of Vietnam's most extraordinary lakes - a cluster of 36 interconnected lakes on a karst plateau at 900 metres elevation in Cao Bằng, their water an intense turquoise-blue from dissolved limestone minerals, surrounded by forested cliffs and almost entirely unknown to international travellers.

Ti Top Island - named after Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov, who visited with President Hồ Chí Minh in 1962 - is Ha Long Bay's most iconic stop: a crescent-shaped white sand beach for swimming and a 400-step summit climb rewarded with a 360° panorama of the bay.

Trà Sư Cajuput Forest is a 850-hectare flooded cajuput woodland in An Giang province - navigated by rowboat through mirror-flat green waterways, one of the Mekong Delta's most photogenic natural landscapes and an important bird sanctuary.

Tri An Lake is a large reservoir in Dong Nai province, 60km from Ho Chi Minh City, formed by the Tri An hydroelectric dam on the Dong Nai River. A popular weekend camping and kayaking destination for city residents, with forested islands, calm water, and dramatic sunset views.

Tuyền Lâm Lake is Đà Lạt's largest reservoir - a 320-hectare expanse of calm water surrounded by pine forests, accessible by cable car, kayak, or bicycle, with Trúc Lâm Thiền Monastery on the hillside above the northern shore.

Vân Long Nature Reserve is Vietnam's largest inland wetland - a flooded valley of karst peaks, submerged rice fields, and clear shallow water navigated by rowing boat, home to Vietnam's largest population of the critically endangered Delacour's langur.

Việt Hải is a completely isolated fishing and farming village inside Cát Bà National Park - reachable only by kayak through Lan Hà Bay or by cycling a jungle path through the national park, home to about 50 families who live without road access to the outside world.