Vietnam is someplace I’ve wanted to visit for a while, but because it’s so far away, it has been on the back burner. However, when I decided to go to Hong Kong for a work conference, I figured it would be a perfect addition to the trip since geographically, it’s relatively close. Due to time restrictions, we had to choose only one place in Vietnam to visit. We decided on Hanoi, with a side trip to Halong Bay, and loved our time in both places.
Accommodation
The Light Hotel is located in the Old Quarter and in walking distance to most sights and tourist attractions. The hotel is very nice, with more spacious rooms than we had in Hong Kong. The staff were so wonderful and accommodating. The only weird thing about this hotel is there were really no windows. The “window” in the room looked out to a dark wall, so it was hard to differentiate between day and night. Breakfast here was the real highlight. A buffet of typical Asian foods (noodles, rice, sushi, phở), fresh fruits and fruit juices, sweets, breakfast meats and an an egg/omelet station for made to order eggs. It was delicious and we literally couldn’t get enough.
The spa in this hotel, The Light Spa, was fabulous. We booked luxury foot massages 2 of the 3 nights we stayed and couldn’t have been happier. And although it was just advertised as a foot massage, at the end they also perform a brief arm, neck, shoulder and scalp massage. It was heaven, for less than $15. Ask for Sunny or Anh…they were amazing.
We stayed in the Sunline Paon Hotel for our last night in Hanoi, after returning from Halong Bay. It was also a beautiful hotel, located in the Old Quarter. Although I enjoyed The Light Hotel more, the location of Sunline was a little better in my opinion. It was within a 3-4 minute walk to many of the best restaurants in Hanoi as well as Hoàn Kiem Lake. The rooms were spacious with a large shower stall. Breakfast here was only okay. (Although to be fair, after The Light Hotel’s amazing breakfast, I’m not sure anything could have compared.) It had a few Asian food options, fresh fruits and juices, breakfast meats and an egg station, but on a much less grand scale. It did the job, but we were spoiled after the other spread.
The spa here, Jasmine Spa, was also nice. We “splurged” for the hour foot massage AND a 75 minute facial, for under $35 total. And to my delight, while we were drinking our welcome tea and filling out our paperwork, in the spa door walked Anh, my fav masseuse from our other hotel spa. We both started laughing and were in shock that we were seeing each other, in a completely different hotel and spa, across Hanoi. I mean, what are the chances?! There are probably 8-10 spas per block in Hanoi, so the fact that Anh walked into our second spa really was crazy. But very lucky for me because she is amazing.
A funny story, about half way through my facial while waiting for the mask to dry, I stopped to take a picture which made both masseuses laugh. A couple of minutes later I opened my eyes briefly and I see Anh holding her phone over me, sneaking a photo mid facial. In the U.S., I would have been livid and demanded my money back, but anything goes in Vietnam, so I just went with it. It was so weird but we had a good laugh about it after.
Getting Around
As a U.S. Citizen, you are required to get a visa before entering Vietnam. My advice would be to get it before you leave, if you live in a city with a Vietnamese consulate. It will save you time and your sanity at the airport. If that is not possible, you can get your visa on arrival. However, you will need to have your approval letter with you upon arrival. We used MyVietnamVisa.com for our approval letters, and even with the normal processing, received them via email very quickly (2-3 days).
You will need to have your approval letter printed out, then join the line in the back of the room for the visa application. You will have to wait for them to process your paperwork, which takes 45-60 minutes, then you are able to join the ‘All Passengers’ line to formally enter the country. It’s a huge pain in the ass and a major time suck, but there is no way around it.
Once you are in Hanoi, you can easily walk most places, as the downtown area is relatively small. However, taxis are widely available, as well as Grab, which is like Uber. Grab offers pick up in a car or a motorbike, depending on your preference, and you pay in advance on the app. We didn’t take Grab as we didn’t learn about it until the end of our trip, however we were told it is very cheap and reliable. Taxis however, you have to be VERY careful with as a westerner. Taxi drivers do not seem to have any regulations and will completely rip you off, and there is nothing you can do about it.
In the one taxi we took, the driver manually turned up the meter as he was driving us and refused to stop when we asked him. The ride itself cost us over 600,000 VND, which was almost half the cash we took out of the ATM upon arrival and straight INSANE. I tried to argue with the driver and give him less money because I knew he was ripping us off, but he began to threaten us so we threw the money at him and left. I don’t remember ever being so angry on a vacation, but because of the lack of rules and regulations, and him being a man, we did not think pushing the issue was the safest thing for us. And in the grand scheme of things it was only about $30 USD, but I was insanely angry on principle alone. All I can say is, thank God for Marisa’s ability to keep calm and put up with my temper. Moral of the story, walk or take a Grab.
For transport from the airport to Hanoi, I recommend purchasing a taxi at the counter near baggage claim. For both of us, the trip was $24 USD, paid in advance. I’d suggest booking transport to the airport with your hotel. Anything to avoid a metered cab. Our hotel offered transport for $8 each, which was a steal.
For our trip to Halong Bay, we used Paradise Cruises. They picked us up at our hotel in Hanoi and drove us in a luxury van to the check in area for the boat. Once you check in, you have some time to grab a drink or a bite to eat before boarding the boat. The cruise itself is wonderful and I would highly recommend it. More to come about the cruise itself in my next post. Upon disembarking the boat, you are taken back to the check in lobby where you will have a buffet lunch before the luxury bus takes you back to your hotel in Hanoi. Most cruises offer pick up and drop off from central Hanoi, but be sure to check because it’s about a 3 hr drive, so getting there on your own is not so easy.
Food and Drinks
Red Bean Restaurant
We found Red Bean online and the reviews were excellent so we decided to check it out. And I’m so glad we did because this was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We did one of the many 5 course menus, which was a ton of food and beautifully presented. They were also kind enough to allow substitutions, as I don’t eat shellfish and Marisa doesn’t eat meat. Our waiter, Vincent, took the best care of us and made the experience even better than it would have been. When Marisa told him the soup was the best soup she had ever had, he insisted on bringing her another portion, free of charge. The meal itself was pricey for Vietnam, however we found it to be very cheap (roughly $20 USD for all 5 courses). There are a few locations around Hanoi and this is one place not to be missed.
Hanoi Garden Restaurant
We also found Hanoi Garden Restaurant online and decided to try it out for dinner on our last night. It’s very centrally located and easily walkable from any hotel. They have a beautiful courtyard dining area and delicious food and drinks. We spilt a rice and a noodle dish and they were both incredible. You can make a reservation online which makes it even more convenient.
Phở 10
We wanted our first meal in Hanoi to be phở and our hotel recommended Phở 10. It was just down the street, so it worked out perfectly. The cleanliness of the restaurant (in westerner standards) was questionable, but do NOT let that put you off. The phở is exceptional. Of all the phở we had in Vietnam, this was my fav.
Hanoi Cooking Centre Cafe
We found Hanoi Cooking Centre Cafe when we were near West Lake. It was one of the only restaurants open in the mid afternoon, so we did not have many choices, however it ended up being perfect. It’s so cute inside and the food was great. We didn’t have time to take a cooking class, however it would be something fun to do to immerse yourself more into the Vietnamese culture.
Ha Food Tour
This food tour was by far one of the best experiences I’ve had on any vacation. Our tour guide, Bob, was so nice and knowledgable, in terms of food and about Hanoi. He took us to places that I wouldn’t have even known were restaurants, but wound up making us some of the best foods. We tried a variety of traditional Vietnamese foods, my favorites being the steamed roll pancake, Vietnamese fried pancake, and of course the egg coffee, which is maybe my favorite thing about Vietnam. It is the creamiest and most delicious beverage I’ve ever had.
General Tips
1 – Vietnam uses the Vietnamese Dong (VND). The exchange rate was roughly ₫ 23,000 to $1 USD. Surprisingly, most restaurants and shops accept credit cards, however it’s a good idea to have cash, as there are places that are cash only.
2 – There are literally no traffic rules in Vietnam. A red light is just a colored light for decoration. Cars and motorbikes do whatever they want. Because they are used to it, somehow traffic flows pretty seamlessly, and without accidents. For out of towners, it can be a little frightening, because you have to just chance it and cross the street when there was a lull in traffic. You have to just commit to it and run or you’ll never be able to get anywhere, because traffic won’t stop for you. After a day you adjust to the craziness, but it’s wild to watch the organized chaos as it happens.
3 – The sidewalks in Hanoi are made of smooth rocks. When it rains these rocks get VERY slippery. Flip flops and slippery rocks don’t go very well together so be sure to pack some shoes with good traction.
4 – The weather in Vietnam is relatively warm, however it did tend to cool off at night. We typically brought a jacket or scarf for an extra layer. Also bring an umbrella or a light rain coat to stay dry because there was brief, light rain almost every day.
5 – One thing I love about Asia is the toiletries provided at hotels. In addition to the standard shampoo, body wash, shower cap, etc, each hotel also provides a toothbrush and toothpaste daily. They aren’t always the best, in terms of quality or taste, but they work, and it’s one less thing to think about when you are traveling.
6 – Vietnam is dirt cheap by American standards. It’s somewhere that you can stay in upscale hotels and take advantage of the 5 star services available and not go broke. Treat yourself while you’re there, because the lifestyle you can have there is not affordable for the majority of us back in the US.
Hanoi is a vibrant and lively city. There is so much to experience culturally and so much delicious food and drinks to be had. The hustle and bustle of the city will be an adjustment for everyone, even coming from a place like NYC, but it is so worth it. I loved Vietnam and would like to have the opportunity to visit the central and southern parts of the country some day as well. However, visiting Hanoi and Halong Bay was amazing and honestly one of my favorite travel experiences to date. If you can mange the travel, you’ll be so happy you went.
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