1. Sam Son – A familiar destination for tourists every summer
Every summer, Sam Son is always among the most attractive beach tourist destinations in the North, thanks to its convenient distance, vibrant atmosphere, and the increasing emergence of modern entertainment and resort experiences.
Only about 170km from Hanoi, this Thanh Hoa coastal city is suitable for both weekend trips and short breaks with family and friends. Thanks to the increasingly complete highway system, travel time is now only about 3 hours, making it easy for tourists to plan a summer getaway without having to travel too far.
Sun World Sam Son brings a vibrant cooling atmosphere for summer in Thanh Hoa province. (Source: Collected)
One of the most attractive destinations for tourists in Sam Son today is Sun World Sam Son – a large-scale water park located on Nam Song Ma Avenue. With an area of over 33.5ha, it stands out thanks to a series of modern water games, the Wave Bay wave pool, and many play areas suitable for both families and groups of young people.
Thrilling games such as Vortex Abyss, Shark's Maw, or Furious Serpent often attract many young people in the summer due to the sense of speed and extremely vibrant atmosphere. Meanwhile, areas like the Legendary River or the wave pool are more suitable for visitors who want to relax and cool off gently.
In the evening, Sam Son Beach Square is a favorite spot for many tourists to stroll thanks to its modern and bustling atmosphere. The festival landscape axis, about 2.6km long, combined with artistic lighting systems, water music, and decorative clusters reflecting the culture of Thanh Hoa, makes this place a prominent check-in point every summer.
Many tourists often choose to walk around the square after swimming or playing during the day to enjoy the sea atmosphere at night and capture summer photos in the water music area, fountain, or the illuminated Hon Trong Mai (Husband and Wife Rock) model.
Besides the beach and modern entertainment complexes, Sam Son also boasts many cultural and natural landmarks. Among them, Doc Cuoc Temple is a destination visited by many tourists on their journey to explore the coastal city.
The temple is located on Co Giai Mountain, part of the Truong Le range, notable for its sea-facing position, creating a rather open and distinct landscape compared to the central area. Not only does it hold spiritual significance, but it is also suitable for enjoying a panoramic view of Sam Son beach from above and experiencing a quieter atmosphere amidst the bustling summer tourist season.
Combined with Doc Cuoc Temple, the Truong Le Mountain route is also an experience many tourists enjoy when visiting Sam Son. This mountain-hugging road offers many beautiful sea-viewing spots, suitable for walking, sightseeing, or summer check-ins.
Especially in the early morning or late afternoon, this area often has a pleasant atmosphere with sea breezes and beautiful light, creating many suitable backgrounds for taking photos or relaxing after hours of exciting play at the beach and water park.
The combination of the beach, entertainment, natural scenery, and summer tourist atmosphere has helped Sam Son continue to be one of the hottest tourist destinations in Northern Vietnam for Summer 2026 chosen by many tourists.
2. Ha Long, Quang Ninh – A prominent beach and entertainment destination for Summer 2026
In the list of hot tourist destinations in Northern Vietnam for Summer 2026, Ha Long continues to be a name chosen by many tourists thanks to the combination of bay scenery, resort, entertainment, and an increasing number of international-style experiences.
Not only famous for the World Natural Heritage site Ha Long Bay, this coastal city has in recent years attracted young tourists with modern entertainment complexes, new check-in spots, and increasingly vibrant nightlife activities.
One of the experiences many tourists love is combining resort stays with relaxation at Hilton Onsen Quang Hanh – a Japanese-style hot spring resort nestled amidst the limestone mountains of Quang Ninh. The space here is likened to a "miniature Kyoto village" with an Onsen hot spring bathing experience in a quiet and secluded environment.
Besides entertainment, Ha Long is currently one of the prominent check-in spots for young people thanks to many "international" style locations. The Ben Doan port area (Hon Gai) with its coastal road and modern marina is often compared by many to a "Hong Kong corner" in Quang Ninh. Meanwhile, the rocky beach area near Tuan Chau Marina has emerged as a "miniature Busan corner" thanks to its gentle sea scenery and vibe reminiscent of Korean dramas.
Fireworks light up every night, becoming a summer highlight in Ha Long 2026. (Source: Collected)
In the evening, Ha Long continues to become vibrant with VUI-Fest Ha Long – a seaside night market located at Sun Porto Town, Sun Elite City. The space here stands out with a series of food kiosks, beachfront mini bars, light shows, and street art activities.
The highlight that many tourists eagerly await is the art fireworks display at 9:30 PM every night, along with light shows, 3D Mapping, and sailboat performances on the bay. This is also one of the reasons why the night tourism experience in Ha Long is increasingly attracting tourists in the summer of 2026.
3. Cat Ba – The "Pearl Island" attracting tourists in summer with a series of new experiences
In recent years, Cat Ba has consistently been on the list of hot tourist destinations in the North thanks to its characteristic island and sea landscape, along with the increasing appearance of new entertainment, resort, and leisure complexes.
As the largest island in the Cat Ba archipelago belonging to Hai Phong, it boasts a landscape combining sea, limestone mountains, primeval forests, and Lan Ha Bay – an area famous for hundreds of rocky islands and many beautiful beaches.
Not only offering familiar natural experiences such as swimming, kayaking, or visiting Lan Ha Bay, in the summer of 2026, Cat Ba continues to attract a large number of tourists thanks to its rapidly developing entertainment and night experience complexes.
Cat Hai – Phu Long cable car offers a sea-viewing experience from above in Cat Ba. (Source: Collected)
One of the experiences many tourists have mentioned recently is the Cat Hai – Phu Long cable car route. This cable car route makes traveling to the island much more convenient, while also offering an experience of viewing the entire panorama of the sea, mountains, and bay area from above.
Many tourists often choose to combine the cable car in their journey from Hanoi or Hai Phong to Cat Ba to save time and enjoy more summer check-in experiences right from the start of their trip.
Besides the island and sea scenery, Cat Ba in summer 2026 also stands out with the VUI-Fest Cat Ba complex – a creative night market located by the central bay, operating under a festival-entertainment model that lasts from morning till night.
The space here combines cuisine, street art performances, DJs, live music, creative workshops, and coastal entertainment activities. Especially in the evening, artistic fireworks displays, fire dancing, and light effects make this area extremely vibrant during the summer tourist season.
In addition to entertainment and check-ins, VUI-Fest is also becoming a favorite gathering spot for many young people thanks to Cat Ba's new 
Sun Bavaria Cat Ba is a prominent chill spot by Lan Ha Bay this summer. (Source: Collected)
The restaurant impresses with its Bavarian-German architectural style, open space overlooking Lan Ha Bay, along with its rooftop, swimming pool, and outdoor area by the sea. Many tourists often choose to come here in the late afternoon to watch the sunset, enjoy Sun KraftBeer craft beer, and soak in the night sea atmosphere.
The space at Sun Bavaria is also heavily invested in for check-in experiences with rooftop areas, sea-facing tables, outdoor bars, and many modern European-style decor corners. At certain times of the week, there are also artistic fireworks displays right in the central bay area, adding a highlight to the night experience in Cat Ba.
In addition to new entertainment complexes, visitors to Cat Ba can still combine many characteristic natural experiences such as exploring Cat Ba National Park, light trekking, kayaking in Lan Ha Bay, or swimming at Cat Co beaches.
The combination of island scenery, entertainment, night experiences, and an increasingly modern tourism ecosystem has helped Cat Ba become one of the hot Northern tourist destinations for summer 2026 that many tourists are interested in.
4. Ha Nam – A new emerging destination in the North for summer 2026
No longer just known as a stopover on the journey from Hanoi to Ninh Binh or southern provinces, Ha Nam (now part of Ninh Binh province) has gradually become an emerging tourist destination in the North in recent years thanks to the appearance of many large-scale entertainment, resort, and experience complexes.
Ha Nam's great advantage lies in its proximity to Hanoi, just over 1 hour's drive via the Phap Van – Cau Gie expressway. This makes it suitable for short trips, weekend getaways, or summer fun trips for families and young groups.
Sun World Ha Nam attracts tourists with a modern water park near Hanoi. (Source: Compilation)
One of the most attractive destinations for tourists in summer 2026 is Sun World Ha Nam - a new entertainment complex that is attracting the attention of many families and young people this summer.
The special feature of Sun World Ha Nam is its design inspired by traditional Vietnamese water puppetry, creating a distinct color compared to many current water parks. The park boasts 14 game complexes with about 40 modern slides, suitable for both families and groups of thrill-seekers.
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High-speed game areas, wave pools, and multi-level slides often attract a large number of young tourists in the summer. Meanwhile, family play areas and relaxation pools are more suitable for young children or groups of guests looking for a gentler way to cool off.
Another plus point of Ha Nam is its convenience for combining play and short-term relaxation. Tourists can easily combine Sun World Ha Nam with activities like strolling around Phu Ly city, enjoying local cuisine, or continuing their journey to Ninh Binh within the same itinerary.
In addition, the Sun Urban City area is also developing more facilities such as festival squares, water music spaces, and new entertainment complexes, helping Ha Nam gradually become a more attractive summer destination for tourists from the North.
Thanks to its advantage of being close to Hanoi, easy to travel to, along with the emergence of modern entertainment complexes like Sun World Ha Nam, Ha Nam is gradually becoming one of the hot Northern tourist destinations for summer 2026 chosen by many tourists for short summer trips.
From vibrant islands, modern water parks to increasingly diverse entertainment and resort complexes, summer 2026 is witnessing an explosion of many attractive Northern tourist destinations. From Sam Son with Sun World Sam Son and Sam Son Beach Square, Ha Long with its series of night entertainment experiences – fireworks, Cat Ba with its bay-side entertainment complexes, to the emerging Sun World Ha Nam in Ha Nam, each destination offers a unique flavor for the summer journey. If you are looking for hot Northern tourist destinations for summer 2026 for a trip with family, friends, or loved ones, the names above are definitely worth considering with many attractive entertainment, relaxation, and check-in experiences.
