Travel Tips

The Best Beaches in Vietnam: Where and When to Go

Vietnam has more than three thousand kilometres of coastline, and the beaches are genuinely good, but they are not all good at the same time. The country runs through several climates, so a beach that is faultless in January can be grey and choppy in October. This guide covers the beaches worth your time and, more usefully, when each of them is actually at its best.

Why Vietnam's Beaches Depend on the Month

The single most important thing to understand is that the south and the centre have opposite seasons. Southern Vietnam, including Phu Quoc and Con Dao, is dry and sunny from roughly December to April, and wetter from May to October.

Central Vietnam, including Da Nang, Hoi An and Quy Nhon, works best from around February to August, and sees its heaviest rain and rough seas from September to November. So if you are travelling in December or January, go south. If you are travelling in June or July, the centre is the better bet. Our Vietnam weather by month guide has the full regional breakdown.

Phu Quoc: The Best All-Round Beach Island

Phu Quoc is Vietnam's largest island, sitting off the south-west coast, and it is the closest thing the country has to a proper beach destination. Long Beach runs for kilometres on the west side and catches the sunsets, while Sao Beach in the south has the white sand and clear turquoise water people picture.

It suits almost everyone: families, couples, and anyone who wants to finish a busy trip lying still for a few days. It has direct flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which makes it easy to bolt onto the end of an itinerary. See things to do in Phu Quoc for more, and note it is at its best December to April.

Da Nang and An Bang: Beaches With a Town Attached

Da Nang has a long, wide, genuinely impressive city beach, My Khe, with soft sand and good swimming, and a modern city immediately behind it. A few minutes south, An Bang serves the same coast for Hoi An, with beach clubs, loungers and a lovely sunset crowd.

This is the pick if you want a beach alongside something to do, because Hoi An's Ancient Town, the Marble Mountains and the Hai Van Pass are all close. Best from around February to August. Our guides to Da Nang and Hoi An cover the rest.

Con Dao: The Quiet One

Con Dao is an archipelago well off the southern coast, and it is the most beautiful and least developed of Vietnam's beach destinations. The water is clear, the beaches are near empty, and there is nesting turtle activity in season along with a sombre and important prison history.

It is harder to reach, which is exactly why it stays quiet, and it suits travellers who want nature and stillness rather than restaurants and nightlife. Like Phu Quoc, it is at its best in the southern dry season.

Quy Nhon: Coastline Without the Crowds

Quy Nhon sits on the central coast and has risen fast with travellers who want good beaches without the development. Ky Co is a turquoise bay hemmed in by cliffs, Eo Gio is a cliffside walkway with proper sea views, and Bai Xep is a small fishing village turned laid-back beach hangout.

It also has Cham heritage and excellent seafood, and it is far quieter than Nha Trang. Our Quy Nhon travel guide goes through it properly. Best March to September.

Nha Trang and Mui Ne: The Busy One and the Windy One

Nha Trang is Vietnam's best-known beach city and has a long sweep of sand, plenty of hotels and island-hopping trips. It is also busy, built up and heavily geared to package tourism, so it divides opinion. If you want facilities and a lively strip, it delivers.

Mui Ne is the wind and kite-surfing capital, with red and white sand dunes behind it. The wind that makes it brilliant for kitesurfing from roughly November to April makes it less appealing if you simply want to lie still.

Ha Long and Lan Ha: Not Beaches, but Swimming

People often ask whether Ha Long Bay has beaches. Not really, at least not in the lie-on-the-sand sense. What it has are small coves and swimming stops off the boat, which on a warm day are lovely but brief.

Cat Ba Island has a few small beaches, and Lan Ha Bay has the better swimming of the two bays. Treat a cruise as scenery and swimming rather than a beach holiday, and plan a separate stretch on the coast if sand is the priority. See Ha Long Bay for the cruise side of things.

Which Beach for Which Month

A simple way to decide. December to April: go south, to Phu Quoc or Con Dao, which are in their dry season and at their best. February to May: the centre works too, so Da Nang, An Bang and Quy Nhon all come good, and this is the window where almost the whole coast is viable.

June to August: stay central, as the south is wetter and Da Nang, Hoi An and Quy Nhon are hot and sunny. September to November: this is the hardest stretch, with the central coast in its storm season, so the far south is the safer choice.

So How Long Should You Spend on the Coast?

For most trips, three or four nights at the end is the sweet spot. It is long enough to properly unwind after the cities, the cruise and the travelling, and short enough that you are not bored.

A week or more suits travellers who want a genuine beach holiday with a bit of Vietnam attached, and in that case Phu Quoc is usually the answer. If you only have two weeks in total, three nights by the sea is plenty.

How a Beach Stay Fits a Wider Vietnam Trip

The beaches almost always work best at the end. Most of our itineraries run north to south, finishing with a few nights on the coast so the trip winds down rather than stopping abruptly, and the internal flight that gets you there is short and cheap.

Picking the right coast for your month is the part that matters, and it is easy to get wrong. We are private specialists, not a tour reseller, we choose every hotel on merit rather than commission, and we run the whole trip for you, arrival to departure. We are rated five-star on Tripadvisor. Tell us your dates and we will build a tailor-made itinerary around the right stretch of coast.

Common questions

What is the best beach in Vietnam?

Phu Quoc is the best all-round beach destination, with long sandy stretches, clear water and easy flights from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. For quieter and more beautiful, Con Dao wins, and for a beach with a town attached, Da Nang and An Bang near Hoi An are the pick.

When is the best time for beaches in Vietnam?

It depends which coast. The south, including Phu Quoc and Con Dao, is at its best from December to April. The central coast around Da Nang, Hoi An and Quy Nhon is best from around February to August. September to November is the hardest window for the centre.

Is Phu Quoc or Da Nang better?

Phu Quoc has the better beaches and suits a pure stay-put beach stretch. Da Nang has a very good city beach plus Hoi An, the Marble Mountains and plenty to do nearby, so it suits travellers who want more than sand. Their best seasons differ, which often decides it.

Does Ha Long Bay have beaches?

Not really, not in the lie-on-the-sand sense. Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay have small coves and swimming stops off the boat, and Cat Ba has a few small beaches. Treat a cruise as scenery and swimming, and plan a separate stretch on the coast if you want a beach holiday.

Which Vietnamese beach is best for families?

Phu Quoc, for the calm water, the choice of resorts with pools, and the short direct flights. Da Nang is a strong second because the beach sits beside a city with plenty to do when the children tire of the sand.

How many days should you spend at the beach in Vietnam?

Three or four nights at the end of a trip is the sweet spot for most people, long enough to unwind after the cities and the cruise. A week or more suits those who want a genuine beach holiday, and Phu Quoc is usually the best choice for that.