Vietnam 2022
We always encourage you to do your own research as everyones experience will be different. Here is ours…
Saigon- We started our journey in Ho Chi Minh City. Honestly the city reminded us a lot of Boston. Very walkable, tons of restaurants and bars, clean, and something interesting around every corner. The city didn’t feel cramped compared to Hanoi (our last stop). We enjoyed our time here and wish we would have spent more time here. We feel like we did alot but there was so much to see and do- we barely scratched the surface.Where we stayed- Grand Cititel Saigon Hotel. We would recommend staying here as the location is central to District 1 where a lot of the tourist attractions are. The hotel rooms are on the smaller side but there is a small gym and a rooftop terrace with a fantastic view as well as a rooftop pool. What to do- Visit Pasteur street brewing. War remnants museum. Food tour- The BEST thing we did. We rode on the back of our tour guides motorbikes and it was THE BEST way to see the city. While the traffic is chaotic, it moves very slowly and flows fairly safely. Get an egg coffee at little Hanoi, drink cheap beers on pub street, vitas the post office and mail a post card back home to friends and family.
Da lat- We took a sleeper bus to Da Lat. It only cost $9 per person. We took the bus during the day and it stopped a few times. There’s no bathroom on the bus but it was very comfortable and felt private with curtains on each side. There are bottom and top bunks. What to do- rent a motorbike if you are experienced otherwise you can walk. But you will need to take a taxi to alot of the attractions. Visit the waterfall and take the alpine roller coaster down (SO much fun). Take the cable car to get incredible views of the city and visit But the best part is the BEAUTIFUL temple at the top- take some time and walk around or sit down and enjoy the immaculate garden. Visit Son Pacamara Roastery & coffee shop- we walked here but it was a LONG walk- but beautiful too. The coffee is locally grown and not traditional Vietnamese coffee. The staff can walk you through the different types of beans and flavor profiles. Stop by The Fox’s den for cocktails and then wander across the street for late night street food snacks. Visit the Da Lat Railway station- great spot to take photos and there are a couple cafes where you can get a beverage. Check out The Maze Bar- even if you don’t drink- this is such a unique thing to do! It’s literally a maze that starts in the basement and you have to find your way to the top. It reminded us a little of the movie The Goonies. What waits for you at the top is a stunning view of the city. There is a night market in Da Lat but for us it was a little too chaotic.
Hoi An- We flew from Da Lat to Hoi An as there weren’t many options to get there. We feel it was worth it. This was one of our favorite spots in Vietnam! While it is INCREDIBLY touristy- it is for good reason. It is the most colorful city in Vietnam. We stayed just across the water (a 5 min walk) from the ancient city and we loved it. We stayed at Bill Ben Homestay and we recommend it. If you book this place ask for the top floor- it has a balcony overlooking the city and exact to be treated like family as the hosts take great care of you. This is the place to get clothing hand made for you. We didn’t because we didn’t have room in the back packs. Visit the Precious Heritage Museum and thank us later- this was the BEST museum we went to in Vietnam and we went to several. Take a nighttime boat ride- try to talk them down to 50k. They will try and charge you 100k but if you shop around you can find them for 50k. Eat at Banh Mi Phuong- Anthony Bourdain once ate here so you know it’s good. PRO TIP- if there’s a line, just walk in past it and find a table or go upstairs to sit. The line in the front is for take away. Get a MOT- I’m not even sure what’s in this delicious drink but it’s only 15K and perfect on a hot day . Take an endless amount of photos and don’t feel guilty for it. Literally everyone is taking pictures everywhere. One thing we did that is near and dear to our hearts was eat at Hi Restaurant which is near the Bill Ben Homestay. They have a large menu of traditional local to Hoi An dishes and plenty of vegetarian options. The owner and her family are incredibly kind and we opted to take a cooking class with her. For $20 USD per person you will get to pick 4 dishes to cook and then she will take you to the market in the morning to get all of the fresh ingredients (which is an experience in itself) and then you go back to the restaurant and she teaches you how to cook them. WORTH EVERY PENNY! And they have fresh beer for only 9K a glass.
Hue-Easily our least favorite place in Vietnam- this was partly due to stress and a SHITTY hotel. Visit the Imperial Palace and GET THE AUDIO GUIDE. You could spend an entire day walking around here. We were harassed in Hue more than anywhere else in Vietnam. But we have friends who went and loved it. If you like history this is a great place to stop. The nightlife here is also wild. PRO TIP- get a nicer hotel here and make sure it’s not near a bar.
Ninh Binh- One of our fav spots in Vietnam. The nature and views are stunning. We did find it hard to find good food here as well as wine so bring a bottle or 2 with you. Goat is the local delicacy and you can find it at most restaurants. We stayed at the Serena Riverside Homestay and recommend it- the views alone are worth it. The rooms are new, large, sparkling clean and they have a restaurant on site. The owners didn't speak any English but their nice is usually there and can translate for you. They are the sweetest family and will take good care of you. Visit the Hang Mua Caves- not known for the “caves” but more so for the 500 step hike up to 2 beautiful viewpoints. If you are afraid of heights then keep that in mind. I (Evan) couldn't make it to the very top but Lemon went and got some great pictures. You can also fly a drone here if you have one and you are guaranteed to get some epic shots. The grounds are beautiful as well and there are plenty of places to eat and drink. PRO TIP- If you take a motorbike here there will be places to park and people waving you in. Keep going until you get to the entrance and you will only have to pay 15K to park. Also there is a bridge/wooden walkway that is free and you can get great pics there too. It’s a little past the entrance on the right hand side. You can opt to take a boat ride here either in Tam Coc or in Trang An. We chose to do the one in Trang An- we were expecting a relaxing 3 hour boat ride but our guide (who spoke literally NO English) made us paddle. It’s 4 people per boat and we noticed that they tried to pair us with other foreigners. While it is a beautiful boat ride and you go through many caves and visit some temples, it was rather expensive and there was a lot of work that went into it. Other places to visit that we didn’t go to- Bich Dong Pagoda, Bai Dinh Pagoda, Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve and many more. PRO TIP- Rent a motorbike and just ride around, get lost and enjoy the views.
Hanoi- We spent 10 days here and while we did enjoy it, hindsight we should have spent more time in Saigon. We stayed at 3 different spots all located in or near the old quarter- the first one was an airbnb that had a GREAT location just 1 minute walk from the St. Josephs Cathedral. It had everything we needed but it needed a good scrub down- the pictures made it look like it was brand new when in fact it was not. Next we moved to an airbnb across the bridge that was new and spacious but it was literally right next to the highway and we left after one night so we won’t list it here. We then moved to the Trang Trang Hotel that was decent and also in a great location. They have rooftop area with a BEAUTIFUL view of Hoan Kiem Lake and the city. There is SO much to do here so make sure you do your own research. Here are our top places we visited- An Cafe- eat a Banh Mi here, they are delicious and plenty of vegetarian options. They also serve very cute and delicious coffee and cocktails here. PRO TIP- walk around the side of the building and sit in the larger section instead of the front of the cafe. Also they are short staffed so don’t expect to be in and out of here in 30 minutes. But it is well worth the wait! We ate here several times and it was always fantastic and also a great quiet place to get work done. Hanoi Social Club- the prices are a little high but the quality of food is 10/10. The cocktails are ok but the coffee is delicious and the service is great too. PRO TIP- walk past the front service area and take the stairs up to the rooftop. Chayfood is a newer restaurant that serves the most tasty vegan Vietnamese food. We ate here 3 times it was THAT good. There is no shortage of street food in Hanoi- and by street food we mean street stalls. Lemon ate at Bun Cha Huong Lien and still raves about it. Stop by King Roti for delicious breakfast bun/pastry things (that’s the best way I can describe them). Western brunch at Lifted Coffee & Brunch. Banh Mi 25. Drink cheap beer and liquor at Bia Hai Corner- it’s wild here 7 nights a week. Great people watching. Make a reservation for cocktails at Polite & Co. For coffee we loved these spots- Cafe Giang is a cafe opened by the man who invented the egg coffee. They also have several different variations of the drink including egg beer and egg coffee with Kaluah. Order a coconut coffee at Old Town Cafe. Cong Cafe has VERY tasty lates and the staff are incredibly kind and helpful. Order Vietnamese coffee literally anywhere on the street- it’s cheap, strong and delicious- also ask for sunflower seeds so you do as the locals do and people watch for hours. Visit the Trang Quoc Pagoda right on the lake. Stop at Hanoi Train Street and have a coffee or a beer at the Railway Cafe. They have a list of train times on the wall. PRO TIP- the train runs more often on the weekends. Get there an hour early to relax and secure a good spot to watch the train come by. St. Joseph’s Cathedral is beautiful- be sure to stop by both day and at night. Visit the Hot Lo Prison- this was a very interesting museum to see how the french colonists imprisoned Vietnamese political activists and later where the Vietnamese held American POWs. No audio guide needed here as all signs have English on them. Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake at night- its beautiful and also romantic as may couples stop and sit to admire the lake. Walk to the french quarter (pricey/ritzy area) and admire the architecture. There is a neighborhood about a 15 minute grab ride away from the old quarter called Tay Ho- its also located near Turtle Lake and where a lot of expats live. Here you will find delicious western restaurants and breweries- check out 7 Bridges Brewery- they originated in Da Nang. Delicious beer and HUGE pizzas. Then go to Turtle Lake Brewing and shoot some pool while sipping on one of their award winning beers. Eat at Bao Wow or Salt n’ Lime if you want to eat something other than Vietnamese food. Sip on carefully curated classic cocktails at Lazy Bear. If we did our trip again we would opt to stay in this neighborhood for 2 nights to explore this area. Things to note- Hanoi is a very busy and LOUD city which can be stressful sometimes so make sure you stop to rest and eat and decompress.
Overall we cherish the time we spent in Vietnam and we look forward to going back to explore more! Fell free to DM us on Instagram or comment on one of the above YouTube videos with any more questions.
