Vietnam

Itinerary From My Trip

Hanoi & Halong Bay

You need a visa to enter Vietnam. Make sure to sort this out at least 2 weeks before leaving. You need to take passport pictures etc and can take 3-5 business days to actually get the visa.

Where To Stay

Serene Premier Hotel ♡* : Serene Premier hotel isn’t fancy or anything but the service, price ($60/night) & location is what made it amazing. They had a really great breakfast downstairs which is included with you room price (both traditional Vietnamese breakfast & also your typical American/English breakfast options including fresh squeezed juices! They also had the BEST Vietnamese iced coffee). The hotel is right in the middle of the Old Quarter (central to everything really). Staff was exceptional, ask for Rose, she really made sure our stay was extra special. Rose also likes practicing English and spent a lot of time talking with us, giving us great recommendations and ensuring we had the best stay. She even arranged boxed breakfast to-go in the morning for us for an early trip to Halong Bay.

Where To Eat

Bun Cha Ta ♡♡ : This place is sooo good for Bun Cha (popular Vietnamese dish). One of my biggest regrets in Vietnam was not going back here even though my husband begged me to go back. Bún chả is a Vietnamese dish of grilled fatty pork over a plate of white rice noodle and herbs with a side dish of dipping sauce.

Pho 10 ♡ : This place was awesome for Pho! Definitely one of the best spots in town to get great Pho. Only 3-4 items on the menu. You’re in an out pretty quick - they came over to our table immediately and expected us to order & pay.

Banh Mi 25 ♡ : Perfect spot to stop in for a Bahn Mi sandwich for lunch. It’s definitely one of the more popular places (maybe a tad touristy) but food was gerat.

Ngon Villa : If you want to go to a nicer sit down dinner, stop in here (its expensive for Vietnam, about $15-20/person). They have a great menu with a good amount of options. Food was great and decor/patio were really nice.

Banh Cuon Ba Hanh : Tiny cozy & quaint spot on a side street that makes excellent Banh Cuon Ba Hanh. I think it sits maybe 6 people with just 2 people cooking/serving you from the kitchen. Banh Cuon Ba Hanh is a sticky rice roll stuffed with pork, mushroom and onion. The lemon grass stick rolls & pancakes were also great.

Cha Ca Thang Long : Cha Ca La Vong is a Vietnamese grilled fish dish (usually catfish), cut into pieces and marinated in a turmeric-based sauce, with fish sauce, ginger, and chili peppers. It is a delicacy in Hanoi and we definitely enjoyed it. This place is one of the best places in Vietnam you can get it at and they cook it on your table which is cool.

Things to Do

Walk Around ♡ : Hanoi is the wild west, probably one of the coolest cities we’ve ever been to and we absolutely loved it. Hanoi may well be one of my favorite cities of all time. Literally just walking around for a few hours (and trying to just cross the street) is a wild activity in itself. There are tons of shops in the Old Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods worth checking out. You can get tons of gifts cheap to bring back to the states.

Train Street ♡ : Talk a walk to train street where the local train zips down a tiny street, between houses (about 2-3 feet from them!!). The train runs ~2x/day. Definitely try to time it out with the train schedule to see it in action. We stopped at a tiny local bar with sidewalk seating while we waited. You can see a photo of it above :)

Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison Hanoi) : The "Hanoi Hilton" is there - the old prison where John McCain and other US pilots were held during war. Kind of creepy, kind of eerie, kind of cool - definitely interesting.

Chua Tran Quoc Pagoda : Chua Tran Quoc is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi and is located on a small island near the neighborhood West Lake, Vietnam. We enjoyed touring the temple and taking photos one afternoon. I would allow about an hour. Worth walking around West Lake for a little afterwards to see the neighborhood. Make sure to check the hours and dress accordingly (no tank tops or shorts that don’t go to your knees), they’re very strict.

Massage ♡ : If you’re looking for a great place to get a massage after 30 hours of travel to SE Asia, stop in Orient Spa . It was super clean in here with excellent service! We got this free through our Halong Bay cruise in Hanoi and it was an awesome perk.

Halong Bay Vietnam ♡♡: We did an awesome 2 Day (1 night) cruise on Orchid in Halong Bay (overnight trip from Hanoi). Note: Most cruises go out of a main port about 3-4 hours from Hanoi. This cruise line has exclusive port access only about 2 hours from Hanoi! Service was awesome and so was the food etc (which was kind of surprising!). This cruise is a lot cleaner/nicer than the other cruises we found online and saw in Halong (a little pricer than the others but it was worth it). They pick you up/drop you off from your hotel, (about a 2 hour drive from Hanoi) and then is 2 full days on the cruise & 1 evening. Its really beautiful and they have 2 fun excursions - kayaking to a beach for sunset and then going through these cool old caves. I recommend doing both! Also, don’t be alarmed that you have to pay the remainder of your trip cost in cash the day before, apparently that is normal there. We were a tad sketched out by that requirement. They also included a free massage in Hanoi with booking - random perk and massage was AWESOME!

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum : This is where Ho Chi Minh’s body was laid to rest. They have very strict/odd hours and couldn’t go in (make sure to check the times before going). We got to see it from the outside and is on the way to Chua Tran Quoc / West Lake.

Other Ideas (Vietman) that I want to do next time:

Hoi An is supposed to be an awesome, quaint fishing town worth visiting that isn’t too far (1.5-2 hour flight). There is a really nice beach town about 45 minutes from there that is supposed to be great called Da Nang.
Sapa is supposed to be INCREDIBLE and breathtaking (5 hour drive). Great for hiking & dramatic landscapes
Ho Chi Minh City: I hear Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is supposed to be really great to visit. A bit more hip/trendy/high tech than Hanoi from what I hear. I hear mixed things if Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh is better to visit.