Good Morning Vietnam

Amongst the chaotic streets of Vietnam lies a beautiful and unflappable culture.

When you first step into Vietnam you’re overwhelmed with so much chaos that you’re not sure what to do. From the motorbikes and cars zipping around with no regard to streetlights and lanes to the endless solicitations from street vendors…Vietnam is a lot to take in at first sight. It’s a country that’s constantly on the go with no time to waste. You either learn to go with the flow or you’ll just end up falling behind…literally.

The country of Vietnam has been through many traumatic times throughout its history. From Chinese rule to the French colonization, and then the Vietnam war (known as the “American war” by the Vietnamese)…each has left tough marks on its past.

However, you can feel the strength of the Vietnamese culture and people in their food. The way they birthed the Banh Mi (a delectable baguette sandwich made of meat, pate, and veggies) from the colonization of the French or the incredibly satisfying egg coffee that was birthed from a milk shortage during the French war - the Vietnamese are resourceful and serendipitous. Vietnam has an enduring culture and people that I’ve never experienced elsewhere.

Banh Mi and Coconut Iced Cofee @ Banh Mi 25

Vietnamese Egg Coffee

There are endless food choices all throughout Vietnam and for newbies like ourselves, making it hard to choose. Many of our choices were based on the tried and true method of “go where the crowds are” and “point at what others ordered.” Even when there were no lines of communication you gotta find a way through hand signals or pointing at photos on google to get what you ultimately want.

Travel Tip: Most places in Vietnam are cash only and if they do take credit cards, they are likely to charge a 2-3% charge fee. Even with Grab, the Uber of South East Asia, you won’t find drivers if you try to pay with a credit card but if you switch to cash payment you’ll all of a sudden get a driver almost instantly.

The Charles Schwab High Yield Checking Account is crucial in places like this. We’ve had to access the ATM at least 10+ times and it’s good to know we didn’t have to pay extra fees to get the cash we needed.

Another amazing thing about Vietnam is how each city has its own personality and style. This offers a wide variety of options as you travel throughout the country.

Here is a quick summary of the cities/places we traveled to in Vietnam. We’ll be blogging in future posts with more details about each of the areas so stay tuned!

Hanoi

The capital city of Vietnam is a balanced blend of new and old. From the Old Quarter to the French Quarter, you can travel around the city where you’ll have a chance to experience and enjoy a large variety of Vietnamese culture. There are many delicious places to eat and sites to see within a small radius making it easy to venture around. Hanoi has a wide range of offerings across the spending spectrum so it can work for all types of travelers.

Our amazing hotel staff and travel specialist, Viet, at the Bendecir in Hanoi

Ha Long Bay

Unquestionably the most outstanding natural landscape that Vietnam has to offer. The majestic limestone hills bring about a calm and zen-like appreciation for your surroundings. You can do a two-day/one-night cruise or a three-day/two-night cruise based on your preference. Most people chose the two-day cruise which really is just one full day because you head back the second day at 10-11 am. I would highly recommend choosing the three-day cruise because then you get a whole day to explore the bay and also travel to Cat-Ba island to see how the locals live. We chose the three-day cruise with Capella Cruises and it allowed us to enjoy all the bay had to offer while not feeling rushed. Although costly, it was pretty worth it.

One unfortunate thing we discovered on the trip however was how infested with trash the bay had become. At the base of the limestone hills are large bodies of floating trash. We had gone to a small beach area of the bay to swim but instead of swimming we just collected trash to try and help clean up the beach. The trash was sad to see but I still wouldn’t skip Ha Long Bay because of it.

Sunset view from our cruise ship

Sapa

Sapa is a mountain area about 6 hours north of Hanoi. The city itself is a busy place with just as much chaos, but not quite the flair or scale of Hanoi. However, when you venture out of town you’re transported to a different world. You’re surrounded by endless stretches of perfectly tiered rice terraces amongst the mountains displaying endless greenery. We hiked through hillsides and villages and it all felt so surreal. As busy as Vietnam's cities are, the villages are far from it. The village people hold to simpler truths of community and living off the land. We were told that the rice fields aren’t commercialized and are instead harvested to feed the local communities.

View of rice fields from our hike in Sapa

Ninh Binh

A countryside town in the middle of Vietnam that was once its capital back in the 900s. Today it’s a quiet, small city that is known for some amazing sites. Ninh Binh has its own majestic limestone hillsides like Ha Long Bay but along its rivers and countrysides of Tam Coc and Trang An. These places offer you boat rides through limestone caves and to historic temples. There’s also a long hike to see the Mua Cave, 500 steps to be exact, where you get a birdseye view of Ninh Binh’s terrain. If you’re looking for a quiet town this is the place. It’s also a decent stopping point between Hanoi and Hoi An/Da Nang.

Views on our Tam Coc river tour

Our boat driver in Tam Coc

Hue

We only stayed here for one night but we definitely loved it. By the time we got to Hue, we were looking for a little different flavor from all the other places we had been to. In Hue, we found a nice boutique hotel at the Sline Hotel and then some delicious Korean food at Soul Kitchen. All we did there was chill and find good places to eat, but we all wished that we had more time in Hue. If given a chance I think we would definitely go back to experience more of their food and culture.

Enjoying some Korean food in a hip spot called Soul Kitchen in Hue

Hoi An

Hoi An is well known for its tailors and banh mi. It’s a very cute town with nice, warm beaches nearby and wonderful shops and restaurants along a river. During the day it’s quiet and calm where you can easily get around on a bike and enjoy things at a slower pace. However, at night the town comes to life with crowds in the streets taking part in all that Hoi An has to offer. There are great eats, activities all along the riverside, and beautiful sites throughout the town. We also got some custom-tailored clothing from one of the local tailors.

Our EZRider tour from Hue to Hoi An

Enjoying the river side nightlife in Hoi An

Da Nang

This is a touristy beach town about 30 minutes north of Hoi An. It was once a quiet beach town but the development here has exploded ever since they built an airport about 5 years ago. The city has nice beaches and good eats in the city center. We stayed at a fabulous beachside Airbnb and ate at lots of great places from Moroccan food to Sushi. While there are lots of tourist sites near Da Nang like historic temples in My Son, The Dragon Bridge, and the Golden (Hands) Bridge, we were a little touristed out and just did some slow travel during our time there. Overall we enjoyed Da Nang and especially the Airbnb that we stayed in.

Enjoying our beachside pool in Da Nang

Da Lat

Vietnam in the months of August and September is hot and humid. At times it feels like the sun is beating down on you while the humidity simultaneously strangles you. But then there’s Da Lat - sweet, refreshingly cool Da Lat. Up in the mountains of Vietnam is this wonderful town where every day is a cool 70 degrees and the humidity is an afterthought. Da Lat was my favorite town not only because of the weather but also because of the fun things to do. There’s a local roller coaster and zip line course within the nearby forests. There were plenty of great cafes and restaurants that allowed us to conduct homeschooling as well.

Then there’s the night market in the city center with amazing food stalls and shops. It was my favorite night market in all of Vietnam. Da Lat is also known for great produce from strawberries to mangoes, to apples but they aren’t cheap. I would highly recommend Da Lat for folks looking for slow travel and cooler weather.

Nightmarket in Da Lat

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is modern and contemporary and has a similar look and feel to Kuala Lampur and bits of Seoul. It’s a great city with all the bells and whistles that you need - definitely the most modern and upscale city in Vietnam. By the time we reached Ho Chi Minh City, our last stop in Vietnam, we weren’t looking for any more tourist activities, but we took this time to do “life” things. Replacing some worn-out clothes, getting haircuts, and enjoying our last bit of delicious Vietnamese eats before heading to Korea. It was the perfect place to end our Vietnam trip.

Enjoying a little city life at the Ho Chi Minh bowling alley

Elle getting her hair done at a local Ho Chi Minh salon

Final Thoughts

After being in Vietnam for a month, here are a few opinions we’ve formed:

It’s not too difficult to travel around Vietnam but at times you can feel lost or unsure if you’re choosing the right path. There are numerous resources to help you on your journey from blogs to websites, and usually, your hotel should also have some resources to help you plan your way around the country. Our hotel in Hanoi, The Bendecir, had a great travel specialist, Viet, who provided firsthand insights into the places we wanted to go as well as aided us in booking tours, transportation, and some accommodations when needed.

The Vietnamese cuisine was unquestionably good however we felt it didn’t quite meet our lofty expectations. While the food was delicious and incredibly affordable, as with anything in life, keeping expectations low will leave more room to be pleasantly surprised. Maybe your experience will differ.

What really made the trip for us was the incredible culture and history throughout Vietnam - from the landscapes to the food to the rich history, Vietnam has so much depth and personality that it’s impossible to ignore.

Overall we’ve concluded that Vietnam is one of those rare countries that has such a wide range of things to do that it can fill the needs of almost all travelers. I recommend allocating at least 2 weeks to travel the country as there are so many different places to go to and things to do.

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