Vietman or the Philippines for solo trekking

In my opinion the unique selling point of the Philippines is the beach, water and tropical island vibes. To me it sounds you are looking for other things, which I think Vietnam can offer (between those 2 mentioned).

The country has been hosting backpackers for decades, so the (tourist) infrastructure is there to support it; busses, trains and planes between cities, or get your own scooter/motorcycle and go from north to south (or vice versa). The north has its hiking hot spots (Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, ..) . The Ha Giang loop up north has great opportunities to see day to day life, and witness some local cultural events. And for history; 50 years of war and independce battles has left its mark on the country, just to name 1 aspect in recent history. The war remnants museum in HCMC still has me in awe, even 2 years later.

The country and its people really want to develop. Kids approaching you on the street to speak some English is a great example of that.

a bit biased since i'm a filipino. but vietnam was the last place we went to before the pandemic so here's my two cents.

vietnam

pros: better scenery and cooler weather (in the north). great jungle/cave treks. easy to traverse with bike rentals. excellent coffee as expected.

cons: surprisingly, didn't enjoy the food that much. it was 'bland' compared to other south east asian cuisines. 99% of the locals you'll meet outside of the cities can't speak english (this was a real struggle when my wife sprained her foot)

philippines

pros: warmer weather and great beaches and waterfalls (if that's what you're after). great food variety. almost everyone can speak english.

cons: harder to navigate the cities without a guide but locals are helpful enough to point you the right way. being an archipelago, the places you might want to visit are literal islands apart.

both places have great historical landmarks and museums you can visit. my wife's really the backpacking expert. i'm just the fat couch potato she drags along sometimes.

I was just away backpacking for the last 3 months and visited both the Philippines and Vietnam :)

While the Philippines is GORGEOUS, amazing water and beaches, bustling cities and beautiful nature all around. I still preferred Vietnam. It was my first time backpacking and for me it was a lot easier to travel in Vietnam compared to the Philippines. The tourist sector is more developed and there are just way more options wherever you want to go. The Philippines was also the only place where we actively avoided walking around after dark, opting for cabs, so take that as you want.

It's also cheaper, and you'll have an easier time if you're vegetarian :) (I adored Vietnamese food)

If you want to hike and explore mountains I HIGHLY recommend Northern Vietnam. Sapa is absolutely lovely, and the Ha Giang Loop was lifechanging. Definitely the highlight of my trip. City life is also great, lots of night markets (I recommend going on a food tour!)

My opinion, go to Vietnam, you wont regret it.

Northern Vietnam is extremely beautiful and I can highly recommend it. Sapa is beautiful and I stayed for a few nights down the valley in a rural house.

I also really enjoyed a cruise in Ha Long Bay. It was the most expensive part of my trip, but looking back on it, it was very worth it. I did a 3-day, 2-night and had a blast.

Vietnam! The mountains are incredible up in the north and there’s so much history and culture to soak up throughout the country.

Philippines is an amazing country too but it’s stand out appeal are the beaches. Luzon has great mountains as does Cebu but it’s much harder to travel around between islands given the time you have and especially if you’re bringing trekking gear.

Based on what you want to do, I’d suggest Indonesia over either of them. Sumatra or Borneo especially, but there’s a lot to choose from.

Or of course, Nepal. Never better trekking than in Nepal, although their new guide laws have kind of ruined the solo trekking aspect recently and I can’t wait until they revoke them.