My travel guide to one of my absolute favorite countries is finally here!
I put off writing this (for obvious reasons), but in February, my boyfriend and I took the trip of a lifetime to Southeast Asia. In 16 days we visited three countries, but Vietnam is the one I still think about every single day!
It’s a country you could easily spend a month in – it’s BIG. From North to South you’ve got Sapa up top, then Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Da Nanag, Hoi An, Nin Binh, Ho Chi Minh City and more. And the best part? Each town/city is so different but SO beautiful. They all have their own climates, sub-cultures and charm.
Because we couldn’t hit them all, we chose to visit Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An and I’m so glad we did! These places are relatively easy to get to from one another – we flew to Hanoi first, a major airport, and from there took a mini road trip to Ha Long Bay, then flew out of Hanoi to Hoi An. I shared my full itinerary in this post if you’re curious about timing!
Some quick things to note before traveling to Vietnam: you will 100% need a Visa if you’re coming from the US. We used this website to do some of the paperwork in advance, but we also had to pay $25 cash and wait for the rest to be done at customs. We also visited in mid-February, which was the perfect time for Hanoi and Hoi An because the weather was unreal and it wasn’t super crowded, but Ha Long Bay wasn’t ideal (pretty rainy/gloomy).
Pretty much everyone speaks a bit of English, is incredibly kind, and it was easy to just get Vietnamese Dong from ATM’s all over the place. Last thing – download Grab, it’s their version of Uber and it’s AWESOME, not to mention cheap!
Now let’s get into it, shall we?
Hanoi
Easily the busiest city we visited, Hanoi was both charming and overwhelming. There are an insane amount of motorcycles and the street traffic can feel pretty chaotic. I would absolutely not recommend driving here on any kind of vehicle, but know that your Grab driver will take care of you because he or she is used to it. Parts of this city feel like any other city (crowded and dirty) but other parts are stunning and quaint!
Where to stay – We stayed at the JW Marriott which was absolutely beautiful, but pretty far from the city center and the cutest parts of the area known as the Old Quarter and French Quarter. I would probably recommend staying down there if you want to be near all the action!! *We stayed here because my bf had travel points we could redeem
What to see – The Temple of the Jade Mountain (Ngoc Son Temple) around the Hoan Kiem Lake, the Tran Quoc Pagoda (a bit farther out but easy to Grab to) and the Temple of Literature were all beautiful. We also had friends recommend the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but they have minimal hours and it closes at 10:30am some days!
What to do – Explore the streets in the Old Quarter and Latin Quarter, get a massage (we went to Midori Spa and liked it a lot!) and take a cooking class. We took one from Rose Kitchen that included a market tour and 4-course meal with the class. It was intimate, eye-opening, and so fun!
Where to Eat: Hanoi Social Club (super hipster-y and cute! Make sure to eat up top on the roof), embrace street food, and hit Bun Cha Huong Lien (aka Bun Cha Obama) if you can! The signature dish in Hanoi is Pho and it’s the BEST. Also try Bun Cha, eat a ton of spring rolls and drink all the egg coffees!
Ha Long Bay
Easily the most unique place we visited, Ha Long Bay is a gorgeous limestone rock-formation-filled body of water that you can cruise through and I couldn’t recommend it more. The whole thing looks like a painting! It takes about 3 hours to get to from Hanoi, but if you’re doing a group tour of any kind, you’ll likely stop at a rest stop about halfway through for about 45 minutes where you can get snacks and crafts.
We took a 3-day, 2-night cruise with Indochina Junk Cruises and it was fantastic! We’ve heard from friends (and now understand for ourselves) that a multiple day trip to Ha Long Bay is ideal since it can get quite crowded and if you’re only there for one day, you won’t see much.
While the weather wasn’t perfect for us, the amenities, food and service on our cruise were outstanding. We got to kayak every day with our tour guide, stopped on an island to explore a cave and have a bbq beach picnic, and saw the coolest fishing village on the water where they make pearls! I made a YouTube video about it here.
Hoi An
Just writing this part of the post makes me happy, Hoi An was my favorite place!! This city is the most magical thing – cobblestone streets that are covered up top with colorful lanterns, cute shops, a river that runs through the middle with a night market across the way – it’s so much fun!
Where to stay – We stayed at the Royal Hoi An and loved it so much! The pool and bar areas were beautiful, but breakfast wasn’t included and it was definitely on the pricier side for Hoi An. You definitely don’t need to spend that much to stay in the city, but I’m glad we splurged! It’s also in an amazing location, about a 5 minute walk from the night market and 10 minute walk from anything in the main part of the city!
What to see – Definitely go to the Night Market (once was enough for me), and be sure to walk along the river as often as possible. It will be crowded and there are a ton of craft and food vendors, but it’s the prettiest thing with all those colorful lanterns strung from the roofs and floating in the water or on boats!
What to do – Get massages (we went to Blue Gift Spa twice and loved it!). Get tailored clothes (Hoi An is famous for this) and Kimmy Tailor was highly recommended to us. We had an incredible experience there – for reference, each dress I completely customized and had fitted for me was about $125 not including shipping to the US. Be sure to go there the first day you arrive to have enough time for your fittings! We also took a cooking class here through Cookly that included an epic food market tour as well as a Coconut Grove Basket Tour, which was awesome! Aside from that, just wander the streets because they’re amazing and you’ll find the coolest stuff in stores! Our favorite was Sunday.
Where to eat – Do not, I repeat do NOT leave Hoi An without eating at the Banh Mi Queen! We loved it so much we went twice in two days. The sandwiches are unreal and you can get fresh juices for $1.50. NUTS. Also, Rosie’s Café is a must and insanely Instagrammable. We also visited Cocobox and the Mist for coffee, which were both adorable. Baby Mustard was another favorite – we took a Grab there since it’s a bit far out, but so worth it! The signature dishes in Hoi An are Com Ga (chicken and rice), Mi Quang (a noodle dish) and Ban Xéo. Get a banana pancake, too!
Long story short, you need to put Vietnam on your travel bucket list! I know it’s a strange time to be wanderlust-ing since things are so uncertain, but just know this is all temporary, plus it’s still fun to dream 🙂
xo Jordan