The 10 Most Beautiful & Famous Rivers in Vietnam

1. Mekong River

As one of the 2 major rivers in Vietnam, Mekong is a favourite destination for tourists who are eager to learn about the particular river life in this country. Thus, nowadays, Mekong travel takes up about 50% of travel volume via the system of Mekong river cruises. These cruises offer worldwide travelers the chance to explore Indochina countries with their best riverside attractions, non-touristy local villages and many many interesting workshops.

Mekong river is famous for not only its peacefully colourful river life but also the unique floating markets where thousands of goods are sold on rustic bamboo boats.

Traveling to Mekong river in Vietnam and visiting the simple life via images of floating markets in Mekong Delta, you have chance to experience the difference of this river as well as understand more about the rustic beauty of people, nature and culture.

2. Serepok River

Located in the West of Truong Son mountain ranges, Serepok river is 406km long and flows through Cambodia before flowing into Vietnam. Serepok river is known as the paradise of many impressive waterfalls like Virgin waterfall, Dray Sap waterfall, Dray Nur waterfall and Gia Long waterfall, which are also highlights for travellers and familiar images of Central Vietnamese children. Besides, Serepok river is known for a legendary love story which stole much of tears of hearers.

Once upon a time, a man of Kuop village fell in love with a girl on the other side of the Serepok river. Their love became bigger day by day but never be allowed because of strict custom between 2 families which had had conflict with each other for hundreds years. One day, the couple was detected but they tried to fight for their love. One night, when the sky was full of stars and ambiance was full of cool breeze, they hold hand and jump into the river to suicide together. After their death, the black cloud suddenly came, sky came dark, and the river billowed. On the following day, the Serepok river was separated into 2 rivers which are called now Krong Knoo and Krong Ana (names of the couples).

>> Check out Vietnam to Cambodia River Cruises for unforgettable cruise trips with us  <<

3. Hoai River

Hoai River is a branch of Thu Bon, which is a main river in Vietnam for travel in Hoi An. For the locals people in particular and tourists in general, the river seems to be an indispensable symbol of the ancient town. Not only that, this poetic river is also associated with the daily life of the people. Their main livelihood is to row boats and take tourists to visit around. One of the best here is that all boats are not run by machine, which can help travellers feel the authentic ancientness and simplicity.

If the unique floating markets are special things you can experience when you visit Mekong river, a boat trip in Hoai river is good chance for you to listen to many interesting stories about their daily life. With sound of paddles rowing in the water among the peaceful ambiance, the impression of the Hoi An ancientness in the heart of tourists becomes bigger and bigger.

» Consider our Hoi An Tours to experience one of the most famous and worth-visiting destinations in Vietnam «

4. Han River

Located in Danang, the main city of Central Vietnam, Han River is very important with Vietnam river network and crossed by 6 famous bridges of Danang: Thuan Phuoc Bridge, Han River Bridge, Dragon Bridge, Tran Thi Ly Bridge, Nguyen Van Troi Bridge and Tien Son Bridge, of which the Dragon Bridge is the most special symbol of travel in Danang.

>> Suggested Read: Top 10 Luxury Mekong Cruises to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2024 & 2025

The bridge is designed and constructed in shape of a dragon which can breathe out fire and water. Currently, that occurs on every Saturday, Sunday and important festivals.

5. Perfume River

Sittuated in Hue City, Perfume River is a famous river in Vietnam with 33km at length and flows through many rustic villages like Kim Long, Nguyet Bieu, Vy Da, Dong Ba, Gia Hoi. Moreover, Perfume River was once the feeling source of tourists when floating by boat along the river to enjoy landscapes and listen to traditional rhythm of Hue songs.

Perfume River is beautiful from its source, bringing the perfume of forest herbs into the city, which explains why it was named Perfume River. The river looks much more green in the sunshine and mixed in the romantic songs, which even makes it more and more poetic than ever.

6. Ben Hai River

In spite of not being one of Vietnam major rivers, Ben Hai River in Central Vietnam is known for its position that separated the North and South during the historic Vietnam war in 20 years and caused a big influence on geography of Vietnam in that period.

Together with Ben Hai River, Hien Luong Bridge crossing the river is also an indispensable image once referring to Quang Tri province. Hien Luong Bridge, until now, has been changed in structure so many times: in 1922, it was built by simple woods to serve pedestrians but in 1967, it was destroyed by American bombs. Now, Hien Luong Bridge is a not-to-be-missed place to visit once travelling to Quang Tri, the historic land of Vietnam.

>> Suggested Read: The Most Amazing Dishes in Vietnam

7. Red River

Being the longest river in Vietnam, Red River is an important river for the daily life of people in Northern Vietnam. With the length of about 510km, Red river is the main livelihood of people for fishing and some other short-visiting activities.

Red River is not simply a river, it’s where tourists walking along Long Bien street can enjoy its beauty and where Bat Trang Ceramic Village has experienced many years of traditional pot-making works.

8. Lam River

Despite not being popular for any activities of Vietnam river cruises, Lam River (also known as Ca River) is originated from Xiengkhuang, Laos where it is called Nam Khan river. Together with Hong Linh mountain, Lam River is considered as the symbol of Nghe An, Vietnam.

On 2 banks of Lam Rivers, there are many traditional cultural villages of Nghe An and Ha Tinh province like Yan Ho, Tien Dien, Uy Vien, Trung Luong, … all of which creates a great culture area of Lam Hong culture.

9. Ngo Dong River

Ngo Dong river is very famous but not the largest river in Vietnam, it is a small one in Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh – an attractive tourist destination in the North of this country. Ngo Dong river flows from the low area in the heart of limestone mountains of Trang An Landscape Complex World Heritage, creeps through mountains cliffs and rice fields.

There are many tourist attractions located along the river such as Tam Coc (the most famous in Ninh Binh) and Thai Vi temple. Visiting Ninh Binh, tourists usually travel floating by boats on the river to contemplate the picturesque scenery: long-history limestones and immense rice fields. April and May are the period when Ngo Dong river is at its best: when the rice fields are in harvest season and covered with a mesmerizing yellow.

10. Nho Que River

Travelling to Vietnam, especially Ha Giang, the most-referred destination is Nho Que River which is located at the foot of the legendary Ma Pi Leng Pass, the dream place of motorbike-riding lovers. If you wish a nice adventure to conquer this pass, a journey along this river is also an interesting choice.

Conquering this travel route is a strange feeling: surrounded by cliffs and highlighted with sound of Nho Que River at the foot, a good chance to find happiness and immerse in the immense scenery of nature.

♦ We hope that we have just given you some useful ideas about the best rivers in Vietnam. Please have a look at our website for more travel ideas, or check out our Blog Spots to gain more experiences your travel on Mekong River.