Vietnam wants travellers to decide which of its countryside gems deserve national recognition. Public voting opened on November 7 for the 2026 Best Rural Tourism Destinations contest, running until November 20, with 35 shortlisted spots competing across the country — from misty tea hills to craft villages and river islands.
The contest, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, was launched nationwide in September. Its goal goes beyond a beauty contest: organisers want to spotlight rural destinations that use local culture, farming and natural scenery to create jobs and genuine benefits for the communities living there. Criteria include landscapes and tourism resources, but also cultural value, community involvement, visitor experience, management quality and commitments to sustainable development.
The shortlist reads like a backroads itinerary. In the north: Khun Village and Nà Tông in Tuyên Quang Province, Khun Há and Sì Thâu Chải in Lai Châu, the Thái Hải stilt-house village in Thái Nguyên, and the photogenic Long Cốc tea hills in Phú Thọ. Hà Nội contributes the Chuyên Mỹ mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquerware village, while Ninh Bình puts forward the well-known Múa Cave plus Sinh Dược craft village.
The centre offers Tân Hóa Village in Quảng Trị, Ngư Mỹ Thạnh and A Nôr around Huế, and Gò Cỏ Village in Quảng Ngãi. Further south, candidates include the Cánh Đồng Bất Tận ("Endless Field") site in Tây Ninh, Cồn Chim Islet in the Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long, and Vietnam's southernmost tip at Cà Mau Cape.
Anyone can join in — Vietnamese citizens and foreign visitors alike — across three channels: the official online voting portal (log in with Gmail, verify with an OTP), Facebook likes on official posts, and TikTok hearts on official videos. You can vote for multiple destinations and stack all three platforms. Only interactions on official contest posts and verified portal votes count, and organisers have banned fake accounts and bots.
Voting wraps November 20, final scoring is due by November 30, and winners will be honoured at the 2026 Vietnam OCOP Festival in Ho Chi Minh City from December 3 to 6.
For travellers, this list doubles as an insider's map of Vietnam beyond Ha Long Bay and Hoi An. Whether you fancy homestays in mountain villages, watching lacquer artisans at work, or paddling out to a Mekong islet, the 35 candidates are exactly the kind of low-key, community-run spots where your money actually reaches local families. Voting yourself is a quick way to support them — and browsing the list is a handy excuse to start planning a rural detour for your next Vietnam trip.
