*I flew into Hanoi from Tokyo, and my 2-day expedited visa online was $129 through an external company, you can plan ahead and do it for a lot cheaper, make sure you book through the real government website though! 

-My first night I stayed one night at MoToGo for $7 as thought I could walk there from the airport but needed a taxi anyway (no sidewalks so not worth it). Just go straight to Hanoi if you can (also don’t use taxi drivers at the airport, they are very pushy just book using the Grab app as you are aware of the price and can pay by card, also cheaper anyway).

HANOI

-thrift shops: loads of vintage stores around 

• Dong Xuan Market : souvenirs, goods. clothes, fabrics, etc
• Cho Hang Da Market: large underground group of stalls with vintage clothes 
• Cyberslvt Thriftshop : lots of y2k 

hostel:

-stayed two nights in Hanoi at Mad Monkey Hostel (female dorm $8/night)

-one night at Banana Inn $5/night (breakfast not included, it’s ok for a night but small and not super social, also most hostels in the area have breakfast included for the same price)

-one night at Downtown Rooftop Hostel & Bar $5 including breakfast

cuisine: 

-lots of street markets with fruits and vegetables (be careful of raw goods though as the water here is not safe) and other stands of pastries and small shops with traditional cuisines lining the roads

-definitely try traditional foods (a lot include meat if you eat that) such as Bahn Mi, Pho, Bun Cha, etc., below are a few restaurants I enjoyed (mostly western/vegetarian cuisine, there is a lot of veggie options here!)

• Pizza Pomodoro (decent pizza and good avocado veggie burger)
• Pizza Belga 
• Chay Tam Khoi ($1 Pho street food with seating)
• Yalla Kebab&Grill-Halal (falafel wrap)
• Grills and Grills curry 

activities:

-Ruby Spa: ($8 massage-1 hour during ‘happy hour [9-5], also offer facials for good price, better prices than most surrounding salons)

-Train Street: check the schedule online for what times it comes and sit at one of the many cafes right next to the railroad and watch the train go by (good slightly higher priced but still cheap and cute decorations) 

-Mural Street: short sidewalk with painted walls by street vendors and shops in the Old Town

-street markets: everywhere in the old town, surrounded by older architecture and selling fruits, meats, veggies, etc.

NINH BINH

*$10 bus from Hanoi to Ninh Binh was 2.5 hours with stops to pick up other passengers (pick up and drop off from hotels directly, can book in hostels or online which is typically cheaper than the travel desks)

hostel: I stayed 3 nights at Hoala Backpacker Homestay Ninh Binh for $5/night including breakfast and had an additional family dinner option every night for $4, also motorbike rentals and free bicycle rentals, absolutely loved my stay here with the friendly staff, guests, lovely pool and scenery!! 

-booked through the hostel I also paid $58 for a full day tour which included transport, a buffet lunch, and four stops:

1. Hoa Lu Ancient Capital: previous capital of Vietnam, several temples still remain
2. Trang An Boat Tour: 2 hour rowboat tour through caves and around the lines top with a short island stop to see more temples (3-4 people per boat, be sure to tip your ‘driver’ at least 20k Dong as the rice fields they worked on are no longer there since the destination is so popular for tourists and it is their only income source)
3. Mua Cave
4. Bich Dong Pagoda

-Mom’s Kitchen: nearby the hostel, similar to many nearby restaurants had a lovely nature view of the trees/mountains by a small pond, all food was homemade and delicious, not to mention extremely cheap !! (as a side note everyone here is so extremely kind and often bring extra side dishes/snacks like fruits out with the meals! it is always best to finish all your food as it shows respect and that you enjoyed the food, and tipping is not expected but I like to give a bit extra as it is so cheap to begin with and this is the locals main or only income source) 

-other restaurants were within walking distance away from the hostel and also very hospitable and ranging from $2-5 

HA GIANG LOOP

-I booked my Ha Giang Tour through Safari Hostel/Tours 

-I chose the 4 day/3 night option and it included all meals, beds, and transport with an easy rider (motorbike driver) as well as a very nice sleeper bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang for a total of $183. All snacks/souvenirs and additional purchases you pay for yourself, and you should tip your driver at the end as well

-Every day you stop multiple times at rest points for the bathroom, viewpoints, and we also stopped here and there because the police will stop any tourists who are driving themselves so our group had to keep everyone together

*This was hands down one of the best things I have done in my entire life. I am so grateful for this unique way to explore northern Vietnam and make friends with the locals while seeing so many different towns and lifestyles. I have never felt more privileged than I did those few days and I genuinely feel it was a life changing experience. My driver An was so funny and kind and we communicated through hand signals and google translate, although a few of the drivers spoke a small bit of english. Every night we would sing karaoke and dance at the home stays which were mainly mattresses on the floor but super comfortable, and often other tour groups would be at the same homestay as well. The dinners and lunches were always Vietnamese dishes (always mainly vegetarian but meat options as well) and very good. All the people here were so incredibly kind and I again was so overwhelmed by their kindness and selflessness, both drivers and workers in different towns. To see different craftspeople and farmers as well as their kids and their lifestyle up close was genuinely a shock, and I have a new appreciation for my travel and life as well as a feeling of luck. I am insanely lucky to be born with the opportunities I have, and am grateful that I was able to be welcomed into such a beautiful community. I would highly recommend this experience to any and all and would do it again in a heartbeat (besides the bruised butt from four days of sitting in a motorbike!)

*bus from Ha Giang to Sapa was $11 and booked through Safari Hostel Reception 

SA PA

*still traveling with Nicky, we took this time to relax after Ha Giang, and I’m sure it would be more beautiful doing the famous treks and staying further into the rice fields, but the center where we stayed was pretty basic and very touristy to me (I would possibly return for the trekking though)

hostel: the private room shared with Nicky was $11/night ($5.50 each) for 3 nights at Dang Khoa Garden Inn

activities:

-night market: right in thge town center, selling mainly jewwlry, (all stands sell the same things) and dried fruits, some food stands as well

-Cat Cat Village: originally thought it was more authentic but was $5.50 to enter and was mainly touristy trap type stores, pretty waterfalls and nature but personally would not recommend 

(Vegan) Restaurants:

-Sapa Classic Vegan: all fresh ingredients, family restaurant with so many delicious options, highly recommend it!! (veggie burger and Bahn Mi were excellent)

-Thong Dong Sa Pa: cute bookshop vibe with different food and drink options 

-Ladybird Restaurant/Hotel: Pho for $1.50 (and they gave us free banana cakes)

*sleeper bus $11 to Hanoi booked through our hostel (same day) 

HOI AN

*sleeper bus to Hoi An ended up taking around 18 hours, booked online through 12GOASIA for $25 with Sapa Discovery Travel, overall was kind of unorganized, would look into a different company/book through the hostel with pickup again (from Hanoi)

hostel: I booked a private room at Almond Villa Hoi An for $40 total for three nights and it was super worth it! It was more of a home stay with the family immediately greeting me with hugs and fruit, and the room was huge and included bathroom amenities. Cooking classes and other tours were available to book there, and there were free bicycles for use every day!

food:

-Sua Vegan Restaurant & Coffee: well priced, fresh, and worked with deaf staff to help provide jobs and raise money for ethnic minority children in the highlands 

-Búp Cafe 

-Port City Bagels

-Cafe Slow: near the vegetable farms, beauty view overlooking farmland and can enjoy a nice coffee and pastries (also gave us a 10% dicosunt for riding our bikes there!)

activities:

-pottery village: entrance fee 35,000 dong ($1.38), includes a free pottery class (can sculpt a small animal and vase and paint and take home the vase), and a lot of other sculptures and items being sold in the other homes (i got two additional small sculpts for total of $2)

-night market/old town: lantern making classes and lantern river boats, lots of restaurants and street vendors 

-cooking class (BAY MAU ECO COOKING TOUR): booked through my home stay, $27 for a four course, multi-hour class (vegetarian options, all incredibly delicious), included a market trip to show and teach about the ingredients and the market style and rules, also included a coconut boat ride on the river

*basic sleeper bus was about $30 and 20 hours to Ho Chi Minh City 

HO CHI MINH CITY

-I had an afternoon here and mainly just walked around, ate at a few restauraunts and a museum (below) before getting a 30 minute/$5 taxi to the airport

food:

-Pure Bowls (absolutely incredible acai)

-Coma Coffee 

-4P’s Pizza Saigon Center 

-War Remnants Museum: 40k entrance, horrifying but eye-opening to see and read about the brutality and long tragedies of the war through photos, descriptions and some left over tanks and war machinery used by the US army in the Vietnam War

EXTRAS:

*other things to note!

-Vietnam is very long, and many stops feature different natures/cities depending on your interests! All the hospitality here was above and beyond (especially in homestays and restaurants) besides some pushy street vendors/sellers, but even those here with very little shared their food, homes, and culture with such overwhelming kindness. It is genuinely such a beautiful country, and to say I am grateful to have experienced the culture and scenery does not even begin to cover what I felt.

-the food here is very good, definitely try the local dishes and drinks (egg coffee!) and it was very easy to be vegetarian here as there are always a decent amount of options (also to note I was very glad to be vegetarian as I saw a lot of rough animal conditions and animal cruelty between both pets and animals meant for meat)

-the street vendors are a lot cheaper and some sellers only come out early morning and night as they do not pay taxes to sell but police will sometimes kick them out, and be careful with some meats that may be out in the heat for a long time and for vegetables/fruits that are open as if they are not washed and fried properly you may be sick from the water

*Additionally, don’t drink the tap water directly (I did not personally have any problems using it to brush my teeth and shower though)

-I felt that many of the vendors had very similar products and you will see repeated stalls in the same market and areas of the city, even in different cities throughout the country and a lot of the country is becoming very touristy (if that is not your vibe just stay in the more nature-centered parts of the cities/towns)

I would 1000% recommend visiting Vietnam and will try to return someday, as I felt there was so much else to explore in the smaller towns and so much more nature! As I continue my adventure, the sights and people here will continue to stay with me, and it has definitely made it to my top three favorite countries so far!

xoxo,

Ang around the World 🙂