A Week in Vietnam
We had a spring break from teaching in Malaysia, so we headed on a whirlwind trip of Vietnam! Most of the travelers we met along the way were in Vietnam for several weeks for a month and recommend to travel the country that way (and we definitely wished for more time at every location) but you can see a good bit of the country in just seven or eight days. We set out route North to South: Hanoi - Ha Long Bay - Dong Hoi/ Phong Na and Ho Chi Minh City.
Before I get any further into our itinerary: I am an American, so much of my trip/experience and this post is colored by learning more about the Vietnam War. I think many Americans are hesitant to visit Vietnam, fearing either hostility or tackling a lot of hard information/thoughts/feelings about war and the experiences of veterans and civilians on both sides--but I definitely think it is important to use tourism (problematic as it can be) to learn more, view history from another perspective and continue rebuilding relationship between the countries.
Vietnam was a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences, and was one of our favorite countries so far! Here's a sample itinerary of what to see, where to stay, what to eat and what to see during a week in Vietnam.
Day 1: Hanoi
We definitely wanted more time in Hanoi, but after spending the night in the airport and arriving at 8AM, we were able to see a lot in our one full day! We stayed in the Old Quarter, which was a nice centrally located starting point. The Old Quarter View Hostel was insanely nice for the $11 we paid: plus free beer!? The area is nice for all the food options (we found pho the second we arrived), shops and nightlife, but the small pedestrian side streets can be difficult to navigate without getting lost.
It was cold and rainy...(so we were in heaven after baking in the Malaysian heat for 3 months) and still did the city on foot. Most tourist attractions are within a 5-20min walk, and the traffic is pretty congested so walking is the way to go! We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake (located inside the city) which was beautiful in the fog, then headed to the Women's Museum and "Hanoi Hilton" in this same area of the city.
The women's museum was a little off putting at first with an emphasis on gendered duties: but the $2 entrance fee was worth it to see the exhibit on women in the revolution and fighting in the Vietnam War. While the propaganda can be overwhelming (much like the museums in China) the stories of such incredibly tough women were insane! The Hanoi "Hilton" or the prison where John McCain was held as a prisoner of war was an experience as well: learning about the building's longer history as a French colonial prison, an American held prison and then a Vietnamese-controlled prison when McCain was there. The prison was haunting and horrific, and heavily propagandized.
After a break and our first experience with Vietnamese coffee (strongest most delicious espresso of your life with sweetened condensed milk) we made our way to the Temple of Literature.
It was worth going in (just $1 with a student ID) to see the temple and gardens! It was a biggest cultural icon than we realized at first: later in the week it appeared in paintings in Ho Chi Minh city.
Our last stop was Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the palace: unfortunately both were closed but the area around them and the exteriors were really nice!
Hanoi had a kind of grungy, comforting vibe too it, so we enjoyed just walking through the rainy streets and popping in for egg coffee (better tasting than it sounds) or creative street snacks. Hanoi is also a great starting point for day trips: there were agencies all around offering transit to Sappa, with hikes to see the rolling hills, and to Ha Long Bay. Day 2-3: Ha Long Bay
After researching online, we decided to forgo a tour and get to Ha Long Bay on our own! We definitely saved some money, but with time and logistics as tight as they were, we definitely got lucky with all we were able to do. Taking a combined bus-boat-bus ticket with Hoang Long bus company, it took us 4.5 hours to get to Cat Ba Harbor (one of the main islands). From there we grabbed lunch and were able to fanangle an afternoon boat trip despite the dreary weather (most trips are full day) on a boat by ourselves. The tour took us through the bay and between the beautiful cliffs of the islands to a spot to kayak and then to an island with a beach and a hiking path to view the bay from above.
Again we were so, so lucky to be able to do everything we wanted to do right when we got there and for only $10! I would definitely recommend booking ahead if you are both budget travelers and on a time crunch, but hey maybe you'll get lucky like we did!
We then stayed at Woodstock Backpacker's Camp which was one of my favorite hostel's I've ever stayed in! You have to taxi 15-20min to get there from the harbor, but it's worth it. We were booked to camp on the beach but again with the storm blowing through, they switched us to a dorm instead--but we still got to hammock, enjoy the laidback atmosphere and do yoga on the beach the next morning!
Again, you can always travel on a budget but it will take some time. Busing back to Hanoi, we were able to get to Dong Hoi cheaper by taking an overnight train (goodbye accommodation cost for the night!) for $25. Here's some serious advice though: BOOK SOFT BEDS.
Half of our group was in adorable Harry Potter-like train cabins with bunk beds and a snack cart that rolled by: the other half were in seats trying to sleep in a worse situation than an overnight bus. It was worth the extra $5-10 to sleep. Especially since the next day of our trip was trekking! Day 4-5: Phong Na- National Park
We went straight from the train to our hostel, and our guide for the day from Jungle Boss Tours picked us up within the hour and had us in the jungle while still early in the morning. They provided hiking shoes, which became a really awesome deal once we realized the extent of the mud on the trail!
We really could not have seen a fraction of what we saw on our day-long tour of the abandoned valley if we went on our own, so the $65 was steep but definitely worth it. I would recommend the company! We hiked about 13 kilometers through the jungle, boulders, mud and rivers in the pouring rain. It was such a blast!
(But always in the back of my mind: just thinking about veterans who were NOT enjoying trying to navigate these terrifying jungle trails in the dark while soaking wet and being shot at--tourism can be such a strange thing. There was also still boulders visibly cut by American bombs! But appreciating the natural beauty of Vietnam and telling others about it is a beautiful thing!).
We also entered two caves: one on foot and one by swimming! They brought the gear for us, so we strapped on our headlamps and bouldered our way deep into the massive "Dark Cave" and swam into the icy blue waters and pitch black caverns of "E Cave." We also rolled our own pork spring rolls for lunch--just an incredible day!
Our guide filled us in on facts about the plants and animals around us, and some history as well since our hike was near a major supply route of the Viet Cong-- Ho Chi Minh Trail-- and the jungle is still being searching for land mines after over 40 years.
We loved staying in a beautiful hotel-like hostel in Phong Na town (outside of Dong Hoi, closer to the park itself); Duong Homestay had incredible beds, showers and stellar free breakfast. Our friend who wasn't feeling well chilled in Phong Na town for the day while we trekked, and enjoyed the small town's vibe and a trip to one of the many affordable spas!
The next day we couldn't resist the call of the motorbikes. For about $5 we rented the bikes, got gas and set out on some seriously winding hills towards the park! It was about a 45 minute ride from the town to Paradise Cave, with some stops to take pictures of the INCREDIBLE Vietnamese countryside.
The cave itself was more touristy and a little underwhelming if you're not a huge stalagmite/formation fan, but this day was one of my favorites of the trip!
Somehow we biked back on the slippery wet roads after we got caught in a downpour, and loved taking our time seeing the rivers, towns, fields--and even joining a herd of cows for a bit. After the downpour we were ready for some pho (obviously), and to head on to the capital city.
Day 6-8: Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City
Taking a flight down to Ho Chi Minh, we had two full days there--and we packed a lot in! HCMC is surprisingly very walkable, though we did end up cabbing at the end of our day when we were just too hungry to make the 20 minute walk. We stayed near District 1, the area with all the crazy hostel nighlife and cheap bar and restaurant streets, at a sleepier hostel: TownHouse 50 Saigon. (Saigon was the name of the city before Ho Chi Minh, and it is pretty well known and accepted. If you flight out from HCMC, even the airport is still called Saigon).
Some of the museums have pretty odd opening hours, so look into the times on the day you’re there: the War Remnants and Independence Palace both had closing hours for lunch midday. In the meantime we went to see the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica, which is close to an exactly replica of the church in Paris!
Vietnam was colonized by the French, and you can feel the influence: the basilica was lovely and right across from both the Post Office (an architectural tourist spot) and around the corner from a famous bahn mi (sandwich) place.
The Independence Palace was just a 10 minute walk away, and worth going in for a dollar or two! The palace is famous for the morning when a tank burst through the gate and ended the Vietnam War on the Palace's staircase.
The bunker is very cool!
The War Remnants was the next stop on our list, located another 10 minute walk away, and we spent three hours there. This museum was as emotional (to me) as visiting a concentration camp outside Berlin. Photography was a big part of the Vietnam War, so war crimes and the atrocities of war are very well documented (on both sides) and on display in this museum's walls. Incredibly informative and beyond gut wrenching in its refusal to let visitors back away from how horrible war can be and what it leaves in its wake, this museum is necessary to visit no matter what your nationality is.
Our week in Vietnam, again, was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster: after much needed coffee and discussion, we spent our sunset hours walking towards the port.
Along the way you can stop by Markets for inexpensive souveiners (I love the small painting and lantern I purchased in these markets!), see City Hall and the Opera House (both decadent and European-styled) and make your way to "Walking Street."
Hosting a statue of Ho Chi Minh, this pedestrian boulevard reminded me of Shanghai in its neon shining, international vibe. Sneaking under a chain, we caught a glimpse of the skyline at night over the harbor-- and sat still in the wake of the whirlwind that was Vietnam.
Pressing on, we found mexican food and margaritas (we live in Malaysia, it was magnificent) before heading to the nearest rooftop bar.
Air 360 Sky Lounge was like most rooftop bars: dress code and beyond expensive but it was worth it for the view! Like the budget travelers we are, we then headed to District 1, the backpacker and general bar street/party area. If you're looking for foreign travelers and inexpensive drinks, follow in our footsteps!
Our second day in HCMC mostly took us out of the city: hopping on a tour to the Chu Chi Tunnels.
You pretty much have to book a tour to see these since they're quite far: our guide joked that if we paid him off we could sneak over the Cambodian border through the tunnels! There are cheaper ways to see them, but we went to the less touristy side so it was about $25 each--and we were the only people there. (Eerie!) Our guide was incredible--lightening the mood and celebrating the pure ingenuity of the Viet Cong-built tunnel complex, but also being upfront about the brutality there and how his family members fought and died in the guerilla warfare in these tunnels. You can go right into the tunnels--up to 40 meters of crawlspace at a time. It was absolutely terrifying but definitely a good thing to do while in Vietnam. You can also still see craters left by American B-52s, and Vietnamese traps.
Our tour also included stops at a memorial and an eggshell lacquerware shop staffed my artists affected by Agent Orange--incredible to meet and see (and purchase if you'd like) their artwork! We ended our last night in Vietnam (you guessed it) back in District 1!
Vietnam was a wild mix of adventure, learning and fun that had my head spinning, and we couldn't have been happier with our decision to spend our break exploring this wild country. We hit a huge diversity of activities in just a week, so hopefully at least one of these ideas fits your travel needs! As always, let me know if you want recommendations or more information.
P.S. the Vietnamese food was SO AMAZING that I wrote an entire seperate blog post for it. Check it out!