Rest in nature

Picnic in Nature

Slow down and enjoy moment in heart of Vietnam

ChillDry 2–6 hours Dry season: November — April 4 places

What it is and why

Vietnam offers incredible decorations for dinner under open sky. If you look for coolness, go to high-mountain plateau of Da Lat: order basket with farm vegetables, fresh strawberry and French wine in one of local bakeries and settle at Tuyen Lam lake. In north, among rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai, picnic becomes meditative experience, where best addition will be thermos with local high-mountain tea.

For hotter format suit banks of hidden bays in area of Lan Ha bay or groves in surroundings of Mui Ne. Unlike parks in megapolis, here you often will be only guests. Picnic excellently complements active day — whether trekking, trip on bike or visiting waterfalls, allowing to put point in route in maximally comfortable pace.

Where to do it in Vietnam

Points on the map are real places where this activity can be done. Numbers in the list match the markers.

Tuyen Lam lake
Da Lat
Perfect: pines, coolness and convenient glades along bank.
White dunes
Mui Ne
Picnic on sunset among sands — best view for photo.
Ba Vi national park
Hanoi
Mountain air, clouds under feet and equipped platforms.
Cat Ba national park
Hai Phong
Secluded lagoons, accessible by boat or after trekking.

Tips

Shop on markets in morning: fresh exotic fruits (mango, mangosteen, dragonfruit) and baguettes — base of any Vietnamese picnic.
Always take with you dense mat (better waterproof) — grass can be wet even in dry season due to morning dew.
Protection from insects — must-have. In jungle and near water many midges, use products with high content of DEET.
Take everything with you. In Vietnam culture of handling with garbage in nature only develops, be example of conscious tourist.

Caution

Avoid picnics in immediate proximity to rice fields in season of processing pesticides — better choose specially allocated park zones or forest edges.
Watch for monkeys (especially on Cat Ba island or in parks): they extremely dexterous and quickly steal food from bags if leave them without supervision.