Vietnam is a country of contrasts, with stunning natural beauty, rich in culture and history, an interesting culinary experience, with World Heritage sites that you don’t want to miss and offering amazing experiences for thrill-seekers.

Vietnam is the first country that I explored in Asia, and I might say I was impressed by the big contrast between some of the touristic attractions that seem rather luxurious and the country’s poverty. I have to admit I didn’t get to see everything I really wanted, but who can when they have limited time? The most important thing when visiting a new country is to set up your priorities and plan. Plan everything you can ahead, so you have the chance to see more. In countries that are so different in culture and history than our own, it is important to learn even before the holiday to understand them.

Best time for travelling

According to the weather forecast and the usual seasons in Vietnam, the best time to visit is between December to February, when the temperature is perfect, and it is not raining. Between March and November, it is supposed to be the rainy season.

November had perfect weather for taking this trip and we had sun every day. Some people were even complaining that is still not the summer, but at over 30 degrees for me, it’s summer and a hot one. The lowest temperature that we had was around 24-25° C in the North of the country, in Hanoi. In November it gets dark very fast at around 5pm, but all the cities in Vietnam become even more alive in the night. The good thing is everything is cheaper, including flights and accommodation.

Transport

Because Vietnam is a big country, it is difficult to get from North to South by car or bus, so the best way of travelling across the country in an efficient and time-saving manner is by flying. From the capital Hanoi to the south in Ho Chi Min you would make 26 hours travelling by car and considering how busy some of the cities get and the quality of some roads it can take even longer. In my opinion, renting a car may be an option for some people, or even a motorcycle for the cities, but my itinerary included flights from Ho Chi Min to Da Nang and from Da Nang to Hanoi. The flights were pretty cheap with around 20-30$ each.

Accommodation

Regarding the type of traveller you are, you may find accommodation near nature more appropriate than one in a luxury hotel. From my experience in Vietnam, and compared to the hotels and accommodation in Europe, the 4- and 5-stars hotels were decent similar to the 3 maybe 4-star hotels in Europe. I am a light sleeper, so I had to choose good hotels. From my experience you should:

Double-check the reviews of the hotels on multiple websites because we found hotels who delete their reviews from Booking.com;
Avoid some of the most crowded areas in the big cities because Vietnam never sleeps;
Most of the hotels have special deals for tours around the area so always ask at the reception but double-check online because some of them will ask for a huge price and then offer you a “discount”;
Airbnb is available and I saw some unreal houses in the rural area, in nature, but didn’t have the chance to try them.
I used reliable and friendly Booking.com for our hotels, with the free cancellation options and always including breakfast because I need my coffee first thing in the morning.

Food and drinks

FOOD

The traditional Vietnamese food can be found anywhere, at every corner and every street. On the other side, it is hard to find some Western-ish food or anything other than Asian food unless you are in the centre of the city. I was not a big fan of their food because they use a lot of coriander and lemongrass and I hate both! But every time we went to a restaurant, I found something nice to eat and try everything they do. Every city has a special culinary delight, traditional for the area and in every city, you have something new to try. Some of the things that we tried, and you should try as well:

Pho – One thing you have to do in Vietnam is to have pho for breakfast! As they do. This is their traditional soup recognised everywhere that it usually has a type of meat or tofu, ginger, coriander and noodles, and except for the main ingredients, most of the places will give you multiple extras to add such as spring onion, chillies, sprouts, sauces, herbs and other things.
Banh mi – the most famous sandwich in the country and a quick meal when you are travelling across the city because you can find it almost everywhere. It is one of the French-influenced food and it consists of a baguette filled with different ingredients, with different meats, vegetables, sauces and it can be served both cold and warm.
Goi Cuon – Some of the most photogenic food in the country are the translucent spring rolls with greens, coriander, rice, meat or seafood. Usually, it is served with a peanut sauce to dunk them in. A lot of the foods in Vietnam are serving with peanuts, so be aware if you have any allergies!
Banh Xeo – if you usually eat your pancakes with chocolate and fruits, the Vietnamese serve it as a main with shrimp, pork, sprouts and eggs, greens and fish sauce.
Bun Cha – traditional from Hanoi, these pork patties are similar to the meatballs we are used to, served with noodles and vegetables.
Cao Lau – it is a speciality found in Central Vietnam with noodles, barbecued pork, greens, vegetables, spices and croutons.

Other foods that we tried in Vietnam for the first-time shrimp porridge, raw oysters, frog legs noodles, water fern cakes (banh beo khay) and crocodile.

DRINKS

Beer - Every city has a beer with the name of the city on it. The most important word that you will learn in Vietnamese will be Bia (beer). They have loads of craft beer pubs and different types of beer to try.
Rice wine – brewed with herbs for a month to create this traditional drink.
Coffee – The coffee culture came from the French culture, and it has a few variations including eggs, yoghurt, butter, condensed milk and fruits. The most typical coffees that you will find are the milk coffee (ca phe sua), yoghurt coffee (sua chua ca phe), egg coffee (ca phe trung), coconut coffee (ca phe cot dua) and smoothie coffee (sinh to ca phe).
Coconut juice – drunk straight from the coconut, the colder it is, the tastier.Smoothies and fresh fruit juices – the best that I had, especially the one from tropical fruits such as passion fruit, mango, papaya, etc.

What to pack

For a 2 weeks holiday, I had a cabin trolley and backpack where I fit everything I needed. I can say I am not a fan of the big mountain backpacks, especially in the hot weather, but my friends came with 2 big backpacks and they were fine. Some of my recommendations on what to take with you would be:

Summery clothes, easy to wash and dry, comfortable and breathable;

Walking shoes, whatever you feel most comfortable, no matter if they are sandals or snickers;

Slippers for the hotels;

Any type of hats, glasses, scarves or other things to protect you from the sun;

Pills: for pain, for the stomach, for allergies and anything else you need on day by day basis. Also, consult your doctor for some antibiotics or other pills specific to the area that you are going to;

Technology: only take what you really need and avoid leaving expensive things in the hotels. We read a lot of scary stories about stealing from hotels, even from the vaults, but happily, nothing happened. If you want to be extra careful leave everything important at the reception. I had with me my camera, external battery, chargers, phone, selfie stick and other cables;

Fanny pack or any other small bag to protect your phone, documents and anything else of value, plus it is very comfortable to wear compared to other bags;

I read that I should take with me anti-repellent and sunscreen, but except for the face sunscreen I preferred to buy everything from there because they are different and stronger than the ones from Europe. The best mosquito repellent from our experience are the ones with DEET inside, but because my skin couldn’t support the deet substance, I had to buy a natural one and use a lot of it. Some other tricks that we learnt there is that lemongrass is the best natural repellent to keep in the room;

Guides, maps and books, if you are the type who likes to read. I had my Kindle, and it was enough for me;

Noise-cancelling headphones for the flight. They are a must!

Adaptors depending on the country that you came from. Most of the hotels that we stayed in had both the classic type C plug but also the English Type G.

Resources and guides

The first thing you will need when entering the country will be your passport and your Visa. To avoid staying in another queue at the airport, we applied for our Visa online and we received and printed in 3 days. If you want to apply, check this website: https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn

Travel Insurance is another must for a trip like this in case your trip gets cancelled, you lose your baggage, or you get sick and have to go to a hospital in a different country.

An unlocked phone in order to buy a sim card for internet, for GPS and to search for different cultural stories when you don’t find explanations or anybody speaking English. Also, for ordering a taxi without the locals inflating the prices.

A similar app to the European Uber is used in some of the Asian countries including Vietnam, the app is called Grab, and unfortunately, you can’t create an account without a Vietnamese number, so the sim card will come in handy. You can see the prices on the app directly, the only inconvenience is that most of the drivers don’t speak any English. Use a Google voice translator is you really need it.

Another useful website to get your tours and activities is Get Your Guide that I use all around the world. For most of the attractions outside the city of Da Nang, you can get very good prices on Get Your Guide and the prices are similar to the ones offered at the hotels that we stayed in, so you can easily have your whole trip booked before leaving without wondering if you are paying more than you should. I know in some countries from Asia the prices for tours from the hotels are better, but from our experience in Vietnam, we got some great deals online.

Suggestions and impressions

Some of the things that we learnt from our trip:

Don’t drink water from anywhere unless it is bottled and purified.
The traffic is horrible, their honking never stops and if you have the courage to rent a motorcycle, you may still be stuck in traffic.
Most of the parks in Vietnam are part of the Sun World entertainment brand and if you see any of them in any city, there is a 100% chance that it will be a good one.
There is a big culture for shopping and fake brands, and you can buy extremely cheap, high-quality materials if you know how to recognise them.
Vietnam is the second-largest exporter of coffee in the world, after Brazil.
Some of the most recognisable influences in Vietnam are the French and the Chinese influences are seen in architecture, customs, food and other traditions.
The Vietnamese can’t speak English, and the ones they do they have a very basic level.
We got called: hello motorcycle, hello buy something, hello food, hello massage.
I loved all the juices made out of fresh fruits and that all the food was prepared in front of you in the little restaurants on the street.
The lights of the cities fascinated me and made some of the cuties look amazing in the night while on the day were a little dull and empty.
I double-checked all the names of the attractions and food, but if you find any mistake at all let me know and forgive me.

Things to do and see

One day in Ho Chi Minh

Vietnam was not on my plan for a holiday this year, but because my friends wanted to go, I said why not? And we started this exciting and new experience.

Our flight from London to Ho Chi Minh city arrived at 1am, after a 20-hour total flight with a layover in Beijing, and the only thing we wanted to do is to go to sleep. Happily, we had booked a pickup from our hotel and after around half an hour waiting at passport control, we left to the hotel. We booked a hotel called Rosa Hotel & Spa in District 1 because we only stayed for 2 nights and 1 day and we wanted to have things to do at walking distance. The first shock was the temperature that was around 28-29°C and a lot of humidity compared to chill London that only had around 5°C when we left. After a nice cold shower, we slept like babies.

The next morning, we woke up almost fresh but ready to explore this new country on the other side of the world. We had coffee and breakfast at the hotel and left for a walk around the area. We were instantly shocked by the fact that the city is so busy, especially the streets are full of cars and motorcycles that don’t seem to care at all about the pedestrians, and we had to learn first how to cross the streets. The simple rule is finding space between the cars and motorcycles and walking between them while you hold your hand pointed at them and hope they will go around you because they will not stop. Another simple way of doing it, in the beginning, is finding a local person and following their lead. We started visiting as soon as we left our hotel and the things that we got to see in only one day in the city were:

GODDESS MARIAMMA’S TEMPLE

The first place we found on our way was the Mariamma’s temple, and we walked inside and observed the locals and their culture. The entrance was free, the temple was built in the late 1800s and was full of ornated statues of Hindu gods and goddesses. Unfortunately, at their local attractions, you will not find places where they have the stories translated in English, except for the very big attractions, so you will have to search for the information for yourself. After the temple, we kept walking onto one of the places that everybody recommends for the amazing views of the city, the Bitexco Tower.

THE BITEXCO TOWER

The tower is recommended for the views of the city, but unfortunately, you have to pay an entrance fee of 200,000 VND or around 8.5$ to go to the Saigon Skydeck on floor 49. The view was as good as advertised, and you could see the whole city with a 365° wall made of glass. After taking some photos and analysing everything through the telescopes, we stayed for a bac xiu (coffee with condensed milk) at the cafeteria from the next floor, for a coffee with a view.

After visiting the tower, we went for a stroll in the area, bought some things from the Lucky Plaza (our first souvenirs) and learned a little about the shopping culture in Vietnam and the fake brands that are everywhere and some of them are so good.

NOTRE DAME

Walking around the area, we arrived at the Notre Dame of Ho Chi Minh and learned a little about the French influence in Vietnam. A short history lesson: from 1887 until 1954, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were part of the French Indochina colony, and even nowadays you can still see influences from the French cultures in these countries such as the cuisine, coffee, religion, architecture, fashion and education.

BEN THANH MARKET

Back to the hotel’s area, we had to visit one of the best street food markets in the city and try for the first time some traditional food, in Ben Thanh street food market. The market was full of different types of authentic Vietnamese cuisine, and my friends were hungry and grabbed a little bit of everything. For me, the shock was a little too big and with so many smells around me, I didn’t feel like eating, so I treated myself to a big mango juice and just tried their dishes a delicious oyster, while my friends had pho, banh mi and goi cuon.

BINH QUOI TOURIST VILLAGE

For the sunset, we decided to visit the Binh Quoi tourist village that is a resort in nature, specially created for tourists. Imitating the Mekong Delta, Binh Quoi is divided into three small villages inviting people with their families for a break in nature. We loved the beautiful setting in nature, the bungalows over the water and the views were just perfect both on the day and in the night.

BUI VIEN STREET

In the night we wanted to meet some Vietnamese friends living in Ho Chi Minh, and they decided to show us the Bui Vien party street, the craziest and the most crowded place that I ever saw, where the party was extending from the pubs and clubs to the streets. We went on a Saturday, so it was our luck to see it so busy, but we wanted to have a conversation with them so we decided to go to a sky bar in the hope that it will be a little quieter. Except for the fact that the music was extremely loud in the bar, and we ended up in a so-called “ganja bar”.

Tired after a day full of exploring this busy city, we went back to the hotel pretty early at around 12am, showered, closed our baggage and prepared for the next day and the next city. If you only have one day in Ho Chi Minh, you have to try a little bit of everything. First, you go for a walk and a great view at the Bitexco tower and enjoy a coffee with the best view in the city, then you go for a quick shopping spree around the area, visit Notre Dame, try some amazing food in a street food market, go for an idyllic walk in a village and party in the night.

Some of the first impressions over the country but mainly about the city were that is as busy as you heard it will be, there is a honking habit that if you look online, the number of honks means something, but I don’t think anybody cares and just honk out of reflex, there are loads of motorcycles, the pollution is bad, but you don’t feel it that much in a day, it is very hot and a lot of humidity, the food is very oily but some people like it, what I don’t understand is how they keep the meat outside for the whole day at almost 40°.

The next day we got a flight to Da Nang, for the next adventure. We couldn’t miss the most famous bridge in Vietnam, the Golden Bridge.

Da Nang - 2 days itinerary

The second day after a large coffee and breakfast in Ho Chi Minh, we left for the airport to catch our flight to the next city in Vietnam, Da Nang. There are other options to get to Da Nang, such as:

By train – it costs between 20-30$, and it takes around 16-17 hours to arrive, the only positive I can see is that is an overnight train, and you can get a sleeper this way not having to pay for another night in a hotel, but I am not sure it is really worth it. You can’t see too much either because it’s dark outside.
By bus – the cost of the bus ticket is around 20$, and it takes approximately 20 hours to arrive, but it is a little less comfortable than the sleeper train, making it a good choice only for the people who can sleep anywhere and that is not me.
By plane – this was our choice for this trip with the cost of 32$ per person with a 15kg extra baggage and the flight was 1h and 20 minutes. Not bad compared to the other options because it was not a big price difference, and we got there very fast. The domestic airports in Vietnam are fairly small, and you can get through security and check-in, in less than half an hour. We used Viet Jet, but there are also other national companies that are flying domestic, and you can check the best prices on Skyscanner.

For us, the best choice was the flight because we didn’t have too much time in the country and wanted to see as much as possible without being exhausted. We arrived in Da Nang and took a taxi from the airport to our hotel called White Snow to take a shower and leave our bags in the rooms, then left for some food. We went to a restaurant that had excellent reviews online just near our hotel, and the food was so good and cheap! The restaurant was called Mỳ Quảng Bà Mua and had some traditional food such as my ech (frog noodles), my ca loc (snakehead noodles) and the banh beo khay (water fern cake).

With our bellies full and happy we took a taxi to our first thing to see of the day,

THE MARBLE MOUNTAINS

The first attraction that we wanted to see in Da Nang was the Marble Mountains that have an interesting story and even more interesting views. To get you a little in the scenery, the Marble Mountains are not actually mountains but are a cluster of five hills made of limestone and marble, that are named after the five elements: Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Tho (earth), Hoa (fire) and Kim (metal). The road through the hills will take you through Buddhist sanctuaries, peaks, pagodas, caves, tunnels and different other temples. The folklore history on the other side says that a dragon that came from the water laid an egg and after 1000 days the egg was hatched, and the remains of the shell left on the beach grew into the Marble Mountains. The folklore and culture of Vietnam are fascinating and colourful.

After a little history lesson, our trip started with buying the tickets that cost 40,000 VND (1$) and started climbing the first set of stairs to explore the mountains. There are 15 different areas to visit on the mountain, and you can buy a map from the ticket counter that shows you exactly where to go and what to see. There are 4 main pagodas, 6 caves, 3 incredible viewpoints and a relaxation area where you can buy a beer or a coconut to refresh yourself after trekking in the heat. It is a beautiful experience, and I recommend you spend at least a couple of hours if you want to see everything, take photos and enjoy the views. We spent around 2 hours, but we were running to see everything before it got dark. Another thing that I recommend is the sunset from one of the viewpoints.

DRAGON BRIDGE

Leaving the Marble Mountains, we returned to the hotel to change and took a shower because trekking at 35 degrees Celsius is a little challenging and you will probably sweat, a lot. In the night we went for a stroll around the city with the end scope to see the Dragon Bridge show. The night is very bright and full of lights and transforms the city altogether, by making it a delightful walk, the temperatures go below 30 degrees, and people are going out for walks or to do some sorts of sports around the Han River. We first stopped for some food at a local restaurant and then walked around the shore in order to find our place with the rest of the people waiting for the Dragon show. The bridge is famous for its display that only happens during the weekend or on a national holiday, the show is composed of a mix of lights, fire and water. During the afternoon the Dragon Bridge will create a light’s show, and at 9pm the traffic is stopped for the Dragon to spit fire and water. The show attracts the whole city around, so you need to be early to catch a good spot, but if you are staying on the bridge, you will end up really wet. Another way of seeing the show is from a riverfront bar or from the cruises on the river that stop around at that time. It is something definitely worth seeing so if you can plan your trip in order to arrive in Da Nang on the weekend, you will not regret it.

After the show, you can cross the street and go around the Son Tra night market to buy some street food, accessories and even clothes. We spent a little time in the market trying some sweets and buying some souvenirs for home and then walked back to our hotel for a good night sleep because the next day was an early start.

SUN WORLD BA NA HILLS AND THE GOLDEN BRIDGE

The next morning, we had a big breakfast at the hotel and prepared ourselves for another day of exploring. This time we booked a trip through GetYourGuide to see the famous Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge that are an attraction not to miss in Vietnam. This was an organised tour in a minibus that cost around 50$ per person, that although maybe it sounds a lot, in the beginning, it has included the transport from the hotel and back, the entrance fee and the cable cars, water, wine and lunch in a buffet style and tour guide that will take you everywhere and talk you through the history of the area. If you decide to go by yourself to visit the area the ticket for the entrance that includes the cable cars will cost 32$ for adult and 25$ for children.

Sun World Ba Na Hills is a massive resort on the top of the mountain at around 1,500 metres above the sea. It is a full-day visit, and you can spend here even 2 days if you want to visit and try everything. The views from the top are spectacular, and you can only get there by cable cars that hold records for the widest gap between the stations, the greatest change in elevation and the longest cable car ride in the world with a distance of just under 8km. You will also enjoy the change in the temperatures, on the top, it is much cooler than in the city, and you may even need a sweater or jacket. The first stop for us was the Golden Bridge, and we visited first Le Jardin D’Amour, the Flower Garden, the Linh Ung Pagoda, the wine cellar and 27-metre tall Buddha. After going through all this area, we stopped at the famous Golden Bridge to enjoy this stunning creation of about 150 metres long, that is represented by some giant hands holding the bridge and giving amazing views of the valley. Taking another cable car, we arrived at the biggest part of the resort composed by the Fantasy Park and the French Village, that gets you in a scenery similar to France and you forget you are actually in Vietnam until they give you noodles and crocodile to eat for lunch. Other things you can do in this resort: take the funicular, visit all the gardens, take the alpine coaster 1 and 2, enjoy a big range of arcade games, rock climbing, massage and others. You can even stay in a hotel in the French village for the night, the only problem being that after 5 when the sun goes down, everything closes and it becomes a ghost town, leaving you in the hotel the rest of the afternoon. Being in an organised group, you will probably return to the bus at around 5 o’clock and go back to the city. A good thing is you still have the afternoon free to go around the city.

For most of the attractions outside the city of Da Nang, you can get very good prices on GetYourGuide, and they are very similar with the offers at the hotels so you can easily have your whole trip booked before leaving without wondering if you are paying more than you should. I know in some countries from Asia the prices for tours from the hotels are better, but from our experience in Vietnam, we got some great deals online.

CRAFT BEER AND TRADITIONAL FOOD

Ready to leave after a stop at the hotel, we decided we were not tired enough and walked around the Sun World Da Nang Wonders and back to the area around the Dragon Bridge. Most of the parks in Vietnam are part of the Sun World entertainment brand, and if you see any of them in any city, there is a 100% chance that it will be a good one.

Now we realised how tired we actually are and decided to stop for food and some craft beer at 7 Bridges Brewery, that has a stunning view of the Dragon Bridge and the river from the top floor. After trying some of their craft beer, we slowly walked back to the hotel a well-deserved sleep.

For the next day, we had planned a trip to Hoi An, but I couldn’t be happier with these 2 amazing days in Da Nang. If you are staying for longer, some things were recommended to us such as a trip to the Son Tra Peninsula, visiting and enjoying the My Khe beach and other beaches, touring Hai Van Pass and doing some food tours in the city.

One day itinerary in Hoi An

Hoi An is a small, charming city in Central Vietnam that reflects different influences in its architecture and style, such as French, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. It is an ancient town, full of culture and history, that has a little bit of everything from bars and restaurants, boutique hotels, to tourist attractions and tailor shops.

We only took a day trip to Hoi An, but it is worth mentioning and adding to the itinerary because Hoi An is recognised as an exceptional trading port in Southeast Asia, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and it’s the best place for shopping. We left early in the morning from Da Nang and took a taxi for about 40 minutes to get to Hoi An. Although we only stayed one day, we decided to get accommodation in the city and leave early in the morning for the airport. We stayed at the lovely Fairy Garden villa that we would recommend it so much, and we found it through Booking. Except for all the historical and cultural facts, this city is the best to shop for souvenirs, clothes and accessories because of the big markets in the area, negotiate for the best prices, enjoy some of the best food in Vietnam, admire the beautiful lamps and lightnings in the night and create tailored clothes in one of the many tailors in the city. We didn’t know that this was the best place to buy everything we wanted because we were in the middle of our trip to Vietnam and our only regret is, we didn’t buy more.

Some of the attractions and the things we recommend in Hoi An for a day trip are:

HOI AN TAILORS

Just around the Old Town, there is a whole area with tailors and the clothes in the windows will attract you instantly because they are different than the rest of the shops. We didn’t realise in the beginning that there were tailor shops and went in. Talking to the lovely lady in the store and asking about prices, she said that they can be made exactly how we wanted, and the prices were higher than other stores in Vietnam but similar to the stores in Europe. For example, you could get a tailor-made dress for around 20£, an excellent price for a tailor, but unfortunately for us, they needed at least 1-2 days to make them.

MY LITTLE VIETNAM

This little art gallery/museum was an attraction for my heart, showcasing the culture of Vietnam, the traditions and clothes they wore during the years, through exhibitions and photography. I think the photographer Rehahn did an amazing job photographing the heritage of Vietnam and his photography is stunning, as you can see on his website here.

OLD TOWN

The Old Town or Ancient Town is the best place to be in Hoi An, it is a UNESCO Heritage Site because of the way they kept their charming roots, and it is the best place for shops, restaurants and entertainment. A walking tour around this area will take you to see beautiful architecture, religious buildings, historical sites and street merchants. Especially during the night, the whole place is lit up by lanterns, and it is a magical place to walk through or sit at a terrace and enjoy a beer. We stopped for some food at Vy loi and tried the traditional Cao Lau and the Bun Thit Nuong (grilled meat with noodles) before walking further.

JAPANESE COVERED BRIDGE

The Japanese covered bridge was initially built as a way to reach the Chinese quarter on the other side, but nowadays it became one of the symbols of the influence that the Japanese culture has on the city. It is easy to recognise the different cultures because of their ornaments and designs all over the city.

BOAT TRIP

Another thing to do in Hoi An is to take one of the many boat trips across the Thu Bon River and enjoy a beautiful ride along with the city. Most of the people were taking the boats in the night to see the beautiful lights of the city.

NIGHT MARKET – CHO DEM HOI AN

After taking a lot of photos, we were ready for food and beer and the best place was around the busy night market of Cho Dem, where we enjoyed the best banh mi in the whole Vietnam.

Although it is a small city, Hoi An is a great place to enjoy and relax compared to the big cities in Vietnam. My personal advice is to shop all the souvenirs, and some presents for yourself because you will get some of the best prices in the country, especially if you are good at bargaining. If not, you will pay at least double if not even more for anything you want to buy. There is also a big market for fake designer clothes and accessories in Vietnam, especially in the markets, but I think it’s mostly everywhere in Asia, and some of them are so good that will make you wonder.

If you want to spend more days in Hoi An, you can consider getting accommodation here and visit Da Nang as a day trip or just relaxing and enjoying the country if you have more time than us.

How to spend 2 days in Hanoi

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and a very big city to visit in only 2 days, but with our tight schedule, we tried to include a little bit of everything. We spent the day travelling and visiting the city, and the nights in the Old Quarter having fun and eating Vietnamese food. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already saw a ton of photos from this amazing trip to Vietnam, so it’s time to share with you the story as well.

Hanoi is an incredible city, with French and Chinese influences, a walkable city where you can find something to enjoy at every step. With some of the best food and coffee that we had in Vietnam, this city is a must when travelling around the country and it is close to the iconic Ha Long Bay.

We left Hoi An early in the morning and took a taxi to Da Nang for the airport. The taxis are very affordable in Vietnam, especially when you are a group of 4 people. The flight to Hanoi was only an hour and 20 minutes and it costs us around 32$ each. It is an excellent way of saving time compared to the overnight buses. Our hotel, the Trang Trang Premium Hotel, was situated in the Old Quarter offering great views of the Hoan Kiem Lake and although they had relatively small rooms, they were very comfortable and clean.

Hanoi is a very lively city, especially in the afternoon and night, and from our experience, I would recommend you try the following things to do and see:

TOUR SKY BARS

Most of the hotels in Hanoi, including ours, have a sky bar where they usually have a restaurant or at least a bar. Around the old quarter, there are loads of sky bars that give you some of the best views of the city and a better perspective of what happens around you.

VISIT THE OLD QUARTER

The old quarter is crowded with tourists, bars, street food, shops and other small businesses, but what was interesting for me is that they were separated. On one street you will find clothing shops, on another one pubs, one street for massages, one for street food, even one for stones for graveyards. This is the most alive area during the night when all the clubs and pubs are open and trying to get customers in. We got there on a Friday night, so we got to see the craziness at its fullest, but it is a crowded place all the time. The first night we wandered around the streets looking for a place to eat, we stopped at Zo26 and literally stayed on the street at the entrance steps to eat, while the guy working there kept adding plastic chairs in the street. The next day before starting our exploring, we decided to try the famous Vietnamese egg coffee at the oldest coffee shop, the Giang egg coffee lane, that has a very interesting story. The egg coffee was invented in the 1940s when Vietnam had a milk shortage and except for the egg, they also include butter and cheese, and sometimes different secret ingredients. The recipe was invented by them and although many other cafes are trying to replicate it, it is simply not the same.

DISCOVER TRAN QUOC PAGODA AND WEST LAKE

After our breakfast and special egg coffee, we took a Grab and left to see some of the attractions that the guy at the hotel recommended to us as the most visited attractions in Hanoi. Our first and furthest stop was the Tran Quoc Pagoda that is the oldest Buddhist pagoda in Hanoi, and it is situated on an islet on the West Lake, although it was relocated from its original place on the banks of Red River. It is open daily to visit between 7:30 am and 6 pm, and although it is one of the most famous pagodas in Hanoi it is a little small in my opinion, or maybe I was just expecting something else. The area is beautiful to walk around, and it is close to the next stops the Ho Chi Min Mausoleum and the famous Train Street.

LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF VIETNAM AT THE HO CHI MIN MAUSOLEUM AND BA DINH SQUARE

The Mausoleum is the final resting place of Ho Chi Min, the most famous leader of Vietnam and it is one of the most visited places in Hanoi, people coming around for the interesting history more than the place itself and it is surrounded by the spacious Ba Dinh Square. It is a nice area for a walk, and it was surrounded by tourists.

TAKE A NICE SELFIE AT THE TRAIN STREET

Walking around 10-15 minutes from the Mausoleum, we arrived at the most famous street in Hanoi, the train street. This street is iconic for Vietnam and if you research anywhere about Hanoi, you will see beautiful photos from this location. Every hour a train passes on this street very close to café shops and people’s houses, forcing them to take everything inside and move out of the way. For the visitors, it is a unique place to enjoy a coffee and wait to see the train passing inches neat you. Although some parts of the train street are closed due to safety for tourists, you can still find places where you can take a cute selfie on the train tracks. After leaving the train street, we went back near the hotel and because we were starving, we decided to try the famous Banh Mi 25, where they say they have the best banh mi sandwich in Hanoi. It might be good and the best from Hanoi but for us, the one in the market of Hoi An was even better.

EXPLORE HOAN KIEM LAKE AND NGOC SON TEMPLE

After we filled our tummies, we went for a stroll in the park and around the Hoan Kiem lake and went to visit the pagoda for sunset. From our hotel’s sky bar, we had the best view of the lake, so we taught it would be a great idea to go around the lake and visit the Ngoc Son Temple at sunset because it offered beautiful views, and we were not disappointed. The pagoda is sitting on the lake in the centre of a small island, and it is a commemoration of the 13th-century military leader Tran Hung Dao. The temple is open from 8 am to 5 pm and the entrance fee is 30,000 VND around 1,5 $.

TRY A TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE MASSAGE

Tired from all the walking but with a lot of time left for the afternoon, we decided to try a traditional massage at Midori Spa. The guys went for a Vietnamese massage and the girls chose a Midori massage. The masseuses and masseurs were blind and visually impaired, and they were the most professional and talented people. They have some of the best reviews in the city and it was worth the visit, although I actually felt a little sore after the massage from all the walking we did the past days. We went out for some drinks and food and slept like babies after this long day, but ready for the next adventure the next day.

Cruising through Ha Long Bay and visiting Ha Long City

Ha Long Bay is one of the most beautiful national parks, an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994, and in 2012 it was named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The natural beauty of the thousands of islets and the caves attracts more than 6 million tourists every year, being one of the most visited places in Vietnam. We visited both Ha Long Bay and Ha Long city and we can confirm that it is as beautiful as it looks in the photos and it has to be seen at least once in a lifetime.

1. HA LONG BAY CRUISE

Our plan was to spend 2 days and 1 night on a cruise, but unfortunately, we had to cancel the cruise because we had some problems with the flights, so instead, we decided to take a day cruise and spend 2 nights in Ha Long city at the hotel. The guys from our hotel in Hanoi were really helpful, and they showed us all the trips available for the next day and even called to make sure there is enough space for the four of us. We left in the morning from Hanoi with the cruise bus, most of the cruises offering transport from and to Hanoi old quarter included in the price of the cruise. We paid 55$ per person including the pick-up from and to the hotel, the boat trip, the entrance fee tickets, the lunch and dessert, the bottles water and the guide. Also, all the boats leave from the marina at the Thun Chau Island, so if you don’t want to book anything beforehand, just pop at the ticket counter before 12 and you will definitely find a boat to go onto. The difference though is made by the route and the food. Some ships even claim that they are crossing the Ha Long Bay, but they go to different areas really similar regarding the views but not the one that you actually want. On our way to the marina, we also had a break at a lovely place where they were collecting and selling pearls and creating jewellery.

We boarded the boat at around 12pm and we had lunch while the boat started cruising through the bay. You don’t really want to spend too much time inside the boat, so we had lunch fast, bought a beer and we went on the sun deck in order to enjoy the views. Because it was a day trip, our stops were shorter, and we didn’t get to see as much as the overnight cruises do, but it was all worth it. Our itinerary was:

CRUISING THROUGH THIEN CUNG CAVE, HON TRONG MAY (THE FIGHTING COCKS’ ISLET) AND OTHER ISLETS

The view from the boat was stunning everywhere you looked, but the guide told us a little about some of the most famous areas in Ha Long Bay, the big number of caves and the well-known Hon Trong May islet that looks like two cocks are fighting.

SUNG SOT CAVE (SURPRISE CAVE)

Our first stop of the boat was the Surprise Cave, where we had one hour to climb into one of the biggest caves that I ever saw. Sung Sot Cave is known as the longest, biggest and most beautiful cave from Ha Long Bay. It was found by the French in 1901 at 25 meters above the sea level, it has an impressive size of 10,000 m2 and it is divided into two chambers, the “Waiting Room” and the “Serene Castle”. The legend says that Thanh Giong protected the locals against aggressors, demons and evil spirits and when he died, he left behind a rock formation in the shape of a horse with a long sword to continue to protect the locals, that can still be seen in the cave.

LUON – THE WATER CAVE

The next stop was very close by, and we went for a bamboo boat trip into a stunning cave where the monkeys were living and coming to be fed by tourists. Because of the limited height of the entrance, the only way to visit the Water Cave is by a small bamboo boat or a kayak and when the tide rises, it is hard even for them.

TI TOP ISLAND

The last stop was the Ti Top Island, where you can enjoy the beach or hike the 110 meters and 450 stairs to the top of the mountain to enjoy the stunning views of the bay. Most of the cruises stop there for the viewpoint at sunset, so it was one of the most crowded places in the bay with people waiting in line to climb the stairs to the top. Some other people were laying on the small and crowded beach and taking a bath in the Gulf of Tonkin. It was definitely the perfect stop for sunset although you had to fight to get the picture-perfect spot. After we left from the Ti Top Island, we cruised back to the Thun Chau Island and left for our hotel in Ha Long city, checked in at Ngoc Anh Hotel and went in search of food. We found a nice place near the hotel called the Wander Station, a touristic restaurant with mainly western food, so we enjoyed a burger and beer after all the Vietnamese cuisine.

2. HA LONG CITY

Ha Long city is a 3 to 4 hours ride from Hanoi’s airport and most of the people coming in the area are interested in the bay more than the city. Because it was our last day in Vietnam and we were preparing for the next trip to Cambodia, we decided to have a chill day around the city. We started walking around from our hotel in search of a good coffee and we found a shopping centre called CGV Vincom, where we stayed for food and coffee. After we were full, we walked around the empty park near the shopping centre and decided to take a taxi to the closest beach.

BAI TAM BAI CHAY BEACH

The Bai Chay beach is huge and it is absolutely stunning with views of the Ha Long Bay, palms around the beach and clean white sand. The beach was almost empty, the only people on the beach were us and some other Europeans and Americans, because apparently for them 29-30 degrees Celsius is still cold, and they are walking around with jackets. We hardly found a beach bar open for a drink and of course we had the classic coconut on the beach, ice cream and water, and relaxed in the sun. We left the beach in search for a restaurant, and we found a few open just near the Sun World Park, so we stopped at Tien Qui and enjoyed some traditional cuisines like the shrimp porridge, the seafood noodles and the noodles soup.

SUN WORLD HA LONG

After we had the food, we decided to have some fun and enter into the Sun World Ha Long Complex, that is composed of 3 main parks: the Dragon Park with all the rides and carousels that we went to, the Water park that was closed for refurbishment and the ride to the top of the hill with the gondola and the big wheel that we didn’t get to see, unfortunately. In order to enter the Dragon Park, you have to pay a fee of 50,000VND that means almost 2$ and you have access to the whole huge park. It was crazy cheap for the rides they had, and it was the first time I went in such a big roller coaster. We got there late, and we only had time for 6 rides because they close at 6pm, but for the money we paid, it was well worth it. One of the positives of going this late was that the queues were not as big as usual, and we waited around 20-30 minutes for the big rides. I can’t imagine how big are the queues on the day. We took a taxi back to the hotel and went back to the guys from the Wander Station, where the waiters were so friendly and even showed us how to smoke from their traditional Thuoc Lao, a big bamboo pipe where you add some Vietnamese tobacco that is strong enough to get you high. They even let us try to smoke and it was an interesting experience, especially for the non-smokers, because the tobacco is very strong for us.

In conclusion, Ha Long Bay is definitely one of the most stunning places to see in Vietnam but also one of the busiest places. Unfortunately, it is full of cruise boats, most of them being old and creating a lot of pollution in the area. For a more sustainable travelling in the area we, as tourists, need to be aware and help as much as we can. Some of the tips of encouraging sustainable tourism in Ha Long Bay would be to choose an operator with a Sustainable Tourism Policy, to keep your trash until you arrive at a trash can, to choose community-based tourism, to buy from locals instead of the big chains and to protect as much as you can the natural environment.

Ha Long city compared to the overcrowded Ha Long Bay, was dead in November when we travelled. Maybe we were unlucky to not get there in the season, but almost everything was closed, and the city was kind of dead.

8 days itinerary in Vietnam