Vietnam was absolutely amazing. The people were extremely friendly and had a strong sense of history and patriotism, and the food was incredible and cheap! Vietnam literally had everything – beaches, mountains, cities – there is literally no reason for anyone to ever leave.
Hanoi
As soon as we got to Hanoi it was like we had hit the jackpot. The airport loos were so nice compared to what we’d been using before in Laos and the airport was so modern. Hanoi was a very busy city with so many motorbikes on the road. After checking in to Vietnam Backpacker Hostels (VBH), we planned out (with their travel desks’ help) our 3 weeks in Vietnam. We went for dinner at Hanoi Food Culture with some of Neha’s Durham friends. On our way back we walked via the lake – this involved crossing some roads – apparently, the trick is to keep walking at the same pace and the motorcycles will drive round you – still very scary though!
On our second day in Vietnam, we went on a free walking tour organised by our hostel. Our guide’s name was Lien, a very sweet Vietnamese lady. She taught us the phrases hello (xin chao) and thanks (cam on) and cheers (mot, hai, ba – count to three times). We went to the nearby pagoda (the Vietnamese tend to worship their family and their king rather than any particular gods in these pagodas), the Lake and the pen monument. We also had Bun Cha – aka Obama food (BBQ’d pork with rice noodles, fresh herbs and sweet and sour broth).
Our last stop was at a cafe, where we had the famous egg coffee. This tasted just like sweet coffee ice cream. After the tour and a short rest, we set out to the Temple of Literature (essentially the first university of Vietnam) and visited the Hoa Lo prison (a harrowing experience seeing the cells where the French locked up Vietnamese political prisoners).
After this, we wanted to try some Pho Bo – the famous Vietnamese beef noodle soup. On top of that I had some Nem Ran – Vietnamese spring rolls – the food was absolutely delicious – if anyone knows any Vietnamese restaurants in London that can reproduce this, please let me know.
Trekking in Sapa
Next up, we had a 3 day trip to Sapa (a town in the mountains in northern Vietnam). We had to be ready to leave Hanoi at 6.30am, but luckily we caught up on sleep on the journey there, as we were on a sleeper bus (all the buses we took in Vietnam were like this). I literally had never seen anything like it, but it was very comfortable, as the seats reclined quite far down. We got to Sapa at about 1pm and after basking in awe at our hotel for the night (Sapa Panorama Hotel), we went looking for lunch.
After lunch, we decided to walk around and these 3 local ladies started talking to us. These local ladies are Hmong people (a tribe that came over from China about 300 years ago). They speak their own language, and live in villages in the mountains. They learn Vietnamese at school, and learn English to speak to tourists.
We had a chilled evening back in our hotel, making good use of the hot rain shower, and also watching the second half of Toy Story 3 before bed. The next day we had a wonderful buffet breakfast whilst we waited in anticipation for the start of our 2 day trek. We met our guide and the two other young men (Jan and Lucas) in our group. Our minivan took us to our starting point, and we were on our way.
A group of 5 Hmong women started walking with and talking to us. They moved around with such ease even though they were only wearing slippers, and parts of the path were very slippy. They helped us so much, even holding our hands to stop us from falling. The particular lady who helped me was called Cho. She was 32 and had two children. Cho was fascinated by my braids understandably, but she did not touch it. The weather was fairly cool. We walked through a fair few rain showers but nothing too bad – we did get very wet and muddy though! Nevertheless, the views were amazing, especially some of the rice fields.
After 3-4 hours, we stopped for lunch, where the ladies left us. We then continued for the last part of the trek to our homestay. The homestay was much nicer than I thought it would be – definitely better than some of the hostels in Laos. There was a nice hot spacious shower, mattress with a duvet (quite a heavy one I might add), pillow and a mosquito net. Overall, we walked about 14.8km, climbed the equivalent of 58 floors, and achieved a grand total of 19,250 steps.
To pass the time until dinner, we played card games and got to know Jan and Lucas a bit more. We also tried the local beer, Hanoi beer, which was much better than Laos beer. We ate dinner with the family who ran the homestay at about 7. It was absolutely delicious. There was so much choice – this is one thing I really like about Vietnamese dinners. The family had prepared rice, fried veg and cabbage, chicken, pork, vegetable spring rolls, fried fish, potato and pork soup.
My chopstick skills dramatically improved – so I’m no longer a beginner. During dinner, we also had 3 shots of rice wine with our host family. It tasted nasty but it would have been rude to reject. We cheered, counting to 3 in Vietnamese, to toast the occasion. We pretty much went straight to bed after dinner, in order to get a good night’s sleep before our trek the following day.
I woke up the next morning, dreading the trek a little bit. It had been raining all night. Nevertheless, our hosts cooked us pancakes – accompanied with honey, banana and a weird kind of tasteless apple. The rain didn’t actually ruin our spirits (or maybe it was the coffee we had that morning). Tasha, Neha and I had a good long sing-a-long, DofE style (Lion King, Sound of Music, Grease, Mulan etc.). I’m not quite sure whether our audience enjoyed it as much as we did. Luckily, it was only 6.1km to the lunch place. We then took a bumpy bus ride back to the hotel where I literally had one of the best showers ever before our sleeper bus back to Hanoi.
Ha Long Bay
On the next day, we had another early start in order to catch our 6.30 bus for the VBH Castaways Ha Long Bay tour. We took a taxi to the downtown hostel to start with the rest of the group. After that, we had a 2-hour bus to Hai Phong, a 45-minute ferry to Cat Na, another 45-minute bus and finally a 45-minute boat to our beautiful private island.
After lunch, Neha and I went rock climbing (Tasha bailed), both not getting to the top and panicking about halfway up – in our defence it was really hard, having to find imperfect places to hang off, and then haul your whole body up. After this, we went into the sea (which was so warm) in prep for high-speed tubing, which was so much fun. I found myself hanging off the edge in the water a couple of times and we all fell off at least once. We went kayaking afterwards. After much initial trouble in the water, Tasha and I got a second kayak. We finally made it to the other side of the bay where there was this tiny island.
On our way back for dinner, Tasha and I took in the sunset and the moon. After dinner, the music was turned up and the dancing began. It got sweaty very quickly so we went for a cool-down swim in the sea. After getting stung by a jellyfish, Tasha called it an early night. The rest of us followed shortly afterwards. We slept in these large beach huts which were cool but very sandy.
On the next day, we had a cruise through Ha Long Bay. The cruise was so much fun. There was music and dancing. At certain points, we could also jump off the boat to swim in the sea. We even had a kayaking tour around the monkey islands and through some caves in the emerald green water. Ha Long Bay was so beautiful. I had to continuously remind myself of where I was.
Phong Nha National Park
We returned to Hanoi on the next day, with a quick turnaround before our night bus to Phong Nha National Park. The bus sitch was a bit of a mess not to the say the least. We nearly boarded the wrong bus at first. A second bus came, which had run out of space. We finally managed to get on the 3rd bus. At least this bus had these comfy fake Louis Vuitton blankets.
We arrived in Phong Nha just after 4am. Our hostel (Gecko hostel) thankfully allowed us to check in early. After getting up at a more reasonable hour, we had breakfast. The day’s plan was to go see the main caves in the National Park, so we hired motorbikes with drivers. The first stop on our tour was the Temple and the 8 Lady Cave.
Our next stop was the Paradise Cave, the largest cave in the entire world. We had to walk to the top of what seemed like a mountain to get to the entrance, and got very very sweaty. However, inside the cave was cool, and very beautiful with these massive stalagmites and shining stalactites. We walked inside – only 5km of the 31km stretch is open to tourists.
The final stop on our tour was the Dark Cave. We ziplined down near the entrance to cave and then swam through a freezing cold lake to get to the entrance. We walked the whole way through the cave to the end where the mud baths were. The mud was so soft and we could float so easily. After washing ourselves off and walking back through the cave, we kayaked to the exit of the attraction. This proved very difficult – we had two half paddle things and a very disobedient kayak. There was a mini zip line into the lake at the end which was fun. I did it twice – once with Tasha and once with Neha (who didn’t quite manage to make it to the end – falling off within 1m of the start!).
We rushed to meet our drivers who were waiting diligently for us. We rode through the sunset, past some villages and arrived back at our hotel. Back at the hostel, Tasha and I lay in the hammocks outside and tried the local draft beer. This is quickly becoming a theme of our trip. Then Tasha and I ordered the most western dinner we could possibly get – a chicken burger and a margarita pizza. Sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.
Hue
We had another ridiculously early start at 4am the next day to catch our bus to Hue. We chilled at our hostel (VBH again) and planned our next two days before checking in. Afterwards, we went to a small restaurant called Family House for lunch. It was so sweet – basically a family home with a restaurant attached to it. The food was incredible. I tried the local dish of Bun Bo Hue, a beef noodle soup (much more tasteful than Pho in my opinion).
We then made our way to the Imperial City in the ridiculous heat – think it got to about 38 degrees. The Imperial City within the citadel was absolutely massive even with the destruction caused by US bombing. We walked around for about 3 hours. I learnt a bit about the Nguyen dynasty. Vietnam used to be called Dai Dam (Great South) before it was renamed.
On our way back to our hostel, we found this authentic outdoor restaurant with only Vietnamese customers. We had Banh Canh Ca Loc (a rice noodle soup with fish). It was unreal – literally today food-wise was the best so far – even if Tasha is panicking about getting food poisoning.
Back at the hostel we talked to two ladies, Heather and Bethany, who we had met earlier that morning. They were interested in doing the same motorbike tours as us. We wanted to drive the famous Hai Van Pass, but thought it would be wise to practice around Hue, given our complete lack of motorbike driving experience. We decided to hire scooters and a guide from a company called Motorvina to teach us and take us around the city the next day. This was honestly one of the best decisions we made and one of the highlights of my trip.
After a shaky start on our first practice run on the street of the rental office, we were on our way to the Minh Mang tomb – the burial site for the 2nd emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. The site was massive – only the best for the Vietnamese emperors!
Our next stop was the abandoned water park which was super cool and super creepy.
We then went to the Thien Mu Pagoda, so that we could find the giant turtle. This turtle is known to give good luck to all those who touch it.
Finally, we went to the Pont Couvert de Thanh Toan – have no idea what the significance of it was apart from someone saying it was a lovers’ bridge – but it gave us some extra driving experience.
For dinner, we went back to the Family Home restaurant (yes, it was that good!), where I ordered the Hue rice pancake with pork and shrimp and the fresh veg spring rolls.
Biking the Hai Van Pass
Our bikes arrived at the hostel the next morning and our Top Gear experience was officially underway.
Neha, Tasha and Heather all decided on getting drivers, leaving Bethany and I as the only solo drivers. Our first stop was at a fishing village, where we literally got a full-on photo shoot, courtesy of our guides.
Our second stop was The Elephant Springs, allowing us to cool off in the crystal-clear water and to expand our trip photo albums further.
Then we stopped in Lang Co for lunch, where I had fried rice with seafood and vegetable. The next part of the drive was the actual Hai Van Pass, which was an absolutely amazing experience. It wasn’t particularly easy. I had to concentrate hard to perfect my corners and turns, slowly getting better. Basically, the trick is to slow down going into the turn, lean slightly into it, but accelerate out of it and somehow keep your balance.
At the top of the pass, we took some beautiful photos. I got asked a lot by some Chinese tourists for some photos which I politely declined (someone please tell them that I’m not a tourist attraction). Going down the pass was a bit more difficult as it was harder to control the speed of the bike. I still had fun and the views (mainly of Denang and the mountains) were incredible.
Nevertheless, I started to get tired during the next hour-long stretch to the Marble Mountains. By the time we got there, we couldn’t really be asked to sight-see.
After this it was straight to Hoi An – the roads were getting busier, and the traffic more annoying. We all arrived in one piece at the Motorvina office where the tour officially ended, mainly thanks to our guides who were literally our guardian angels. It was incredible to complete the whole thing without falling off given my little experience. I’m so glad I did it and it’s definitely one thing that I will never forget.
Hoi An
The same evening, Tasha and I explored the Old Town of Hoi An. It was incredibly busy (think narrow streets but Oxford Street crowds) but it had a lot of character.
The next day, whilst Tasha decided to stay and chill at the hostel, Neha and I went into town with two people we had met during Castaways, Steph and John. I bought a nice blue maxi dress after some fierce haggling and then we had a light lunch and a river boat ride. Neha ordered some tailored loafer slippers in the Shoe Market. We then went to Future (one of the units in the cloth market nextdoor), where I ordered high-waisted wide leg silk navy trousers and a skater dress for work. I got to pick out the materials and design, and then the lady measured me.
We then rode to the beach – Neha and I didn’t have any swimming gear so we just sat and watched everything that was going on.
We went back to the hotel to pick up Tasha before dinner in the Old Town. I had My Quang for dinner – noodles with pork and shrimp – another local dish which was delicious.
After dinner, we walked to the night market and the Japanese bridge.
Our last day in Hoi An was mainly spent running errands. Tasha, Neha and I headed into town to pick up our stuff from the tailors. My dress and trousers fitted perfectly, so nice that Tasha decided she wanted to order a cute summer dress. To pass the time before Tasha’s dress would be ready, we tried to find somewhere for her to get her hair cut. She randomly asked some lady at a veg store whether she knew of any hairdressers. After a brief phone call, a woman in a hoodie came running and told us to follow her. We ended up walking to a shoe shop, where she told us she offered haircuts, pedicures, facials and massages as well as tailored shoes. There was literally nothing she couldn’t do. Neha and I got pedicures, the lady cut Tasha’s hair and we ordered some shoes.
Before we picked up Neha and Tasha’s shoes and Tasha’s dress, we went to Banh Mi Phuong. It looked promising as the queue was long and I had previously seen it online as one of the top 3 Banh Mi (sandwich) places in town. I got a Banh Mi with grilled pork for 20,000 dong, which albeit a little spicy was so good. Finally, we picked up the last of everyone’s tailored items before taking an Uber back to the hostel before our night bus to Nha Trang.
Nha Trang
We arrived in Nha Trang around 5.30am. We had some spare time before our shuttle bus to Ninhvana (VBH’s all-inclusive backpacker resort), and so we decided to walk to the beach. The sun was still rising as we sat there. It was crazy to see how busy it was at such an early time in the morning. There were so many people in the water, and people alongside the beach ‘running’ or doing exercises. The Vietnamese really do start and end their days much earlier than us back in the U.K.
After some time we made our way to Iced Coffee (the shuttle bus pick up point), where I had an omelette with a baguette and a caramel chiller – it kind of felt like we were in a Western cafe. The minibus came at 8.30am and then we were on our way. We arrived at the resort which was a little slice of paradise.
I had a facial massage at 12pm (all-inclusive is the life), followed by a dip in the lagoon pool. For lunch, there were BBQ pork ribs and then we all did some holiday reading. Tasha and I went to a yoga class at 5pm, which was challenging to say the least but rewarding. Dinner afterwards was on point. It was ‘shit shirt’ night so we borrowed some shirts from one guy’s suitcase. After this, the three of us chilled by the bar, where I tried an Ace of Spades cocktail (contains iced coffee) which was surprisingly nice. We had an early bedtime in prep for our early SUP (stand up paddle boarding) lesson the next morning.
SUP was really chilled; the surroundings were beautiful – of course it’s Vietnam. If anything, it was a bit tiring on the arms but I didn’t fall in. Breakfast was afterwards – it was like a hotel breakfast – so good! I had chicken pho, scrambled eggs, bread and pancakes. After breakfast came my aroma massage at 10 – which felt like absolute bliss. We lay on our sofa to read a bit, interrupted by lunch and I managed to finally finish my book (The Memory of Love by Aminata Forna). I then started Blink by Malcolm Gladwell – a more philosophical book but written very causally.
At 5, Neha and I joined the Zumba class which was much more enjoyable than the yoga. The Vietnamese instructor was very encouraging and smiley. We showered before dinner and went to ‘teach English’ to some local kids which the three of us had mixed feelings about. I spoke to 3 shy and reserved 10-year-old girls. I went through the alphabet, the numbers 1-10 and some items of clothing with them. I don’t know how much I achieved since most of the other children in the room were running around screaming and playing.
We spent the next day travelling. We had a shuttle back to Nha Trang, before our night bus to Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon). The lady in the bus office somehow thought it was ok for her to fondle my head (did she actually think she was my hairdresser to be touching my head like that and examining my individual braids?!). It was really awkward, because the language barrier kind of makes it difficult to explain where the boundaries lie. There is nothing wrong with admiring my hair from a distance. But she had no right to be touching it and invading my personal space like that.
Ho Chi Minh / Saigon
We arrived in Saigon at about 6am. We had breakfast with some lovely fresh fruit (pineapple, passion fruit, watermelon and dragon fruit). After this we walked to the War Remnants Museum, having to navigate and cross some really busy roads. Rush hour traffic and millions of motorbikes are not the best combination.
The museum was truly eye-opening. I was fully shocked at the atrocities carried out by the French and US forces towards Vietnamese civilians and political prisoners. The museum may have only given one side of the story but this still doesn’t justify the horrors. In addition, not only did the use of agent orange handicap those exposed to the dangerous chemicals during the war, but it has also had ongoing effects on subsequent generations, many of whom have been born with birth defects. Even though there was much opposition in America to the Vietnamese war, it is still slightly scary how proud of their country and military past (and present) some Americans are, in spite of what their country has been guilty of in the past (not just in Vietnam, but in their own country and hosts of other countries).
In the photo exhibits upstairs, we bumped into Heather and Bethany (the two ladies we met in Hue and did the Hai Van Pass with). It was raining so we briefly sat in Highlands Coffee (the Starbucks of Vietnam) and caught up on our travels. We walked together past the Independence/Reunification Palace, which didn’t really look like a palace at all – more like a slightly fancy government building. We also visited the Notre Dame Cathedral (which was shut inside) and the underwhelming famous HCM post office.
We then walked to Ben Thanh market. Afterwards we ate in the Ben Thanh street food market – I had pork ribs and sticky rice, and a sweet lassi. Tiredness started to kick in so we went back to the hostel to rest. For our last day in Vietnam, we booked a group guided tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Our guide’s name was Long. He was talkative and sweet but his accent wasn’t that clear so his English was a bit hard to understand.
It was a long bus journey there (2 hours) as the traffic out of the city was awful. Tasha napped for most of the journey. I am genuinely impressed by her ability to sleep anywhere at anytime! On the way, we stopped at the Handicap Company, where handicapped individuals made these beautiful paintings which were sold to tourists. The actual Cu Chi tunnels were slightly underwhelming – I was expecting much more. Nevertheless, it was still crazy to see how the Viet Cong lived in awful situations just to survive.
The tour bus dropped us off outside the Ben Thanh market by the tour bus. We bumped into Heather and Bethany again and chilled together for a while. We made our way to Walking Street, taking a mini detour through the Saigon Shopping Centre, where we felt so out of place due to our more casual clothing attire.
Finally, we got to walking street, we started to walk back to our hostel. We had a quick dinner (ironically our last meal was KFC) before meeting Steph and John (from Castaways) at their hotel. We chilled on the rooftop of their hostel just listening to music and reminiscing on our amazing experiences of Vietnam.
Next Up: Cambodia