I have always heard great things from friends who have traveled to Vietnam.  It’s been someplace I’ve wanted to visit for a while now, and was finally able to get there on the heels of a work trip to Hong Kong.  I would have loved more time to visit central and southern Vietnam, but with our limited time, we really loved exploring Hanoi and Halong Bay.  They are completely different places, and both most definitely worth visiting.

Top 5 – Hanoi

1 – Street Food Tour

Although I am not the most adventurous of eaters, going on a street food tour in Vietnam was something I absolutely wanted to do.  We found our tour on Trip Advisor, with Ha Food tours.  Bob our tour guide, picked us up from our hotel.  He took us to some crazy spots that I was very skeptical about, but ended up being amazing.  The tour started with us eating fresh spring rolls in the bedroom of the family who own the restaurant below, and ended with a stop at Giang Cafe, where egg coffee was created; with tons of other stops between.  I would recommend a food tour to anyone because it’s cheap, it’s a fun way to immerse yourself in the Vietnamese culture, and it’s a great way try many of the local foods while exploring the city.

2 – Halong Bay trip

Halong Bay is a dream. It’s stunningly beautiful and unfortunately pictures just can’t do it justice. We did an overnight cruise with Paradise Cruises and had a fantastic time.  Although they offer day trips, I would recommend at least a one night cruise, because it’s a few hrs drive to/from Hanoi and not as much time on the boat exploring.  The cabins are TINY but otherwise the boat was great.  Our staff on board were so nice and accommodating (special thanks to Ryan, Neal and Sandra!) and made us feel much wealthier than we are.  We were served delicious foods and drinks, while enjoying the 360 degree views the whole time.  We made a few stops along the way, for kayaking and to visit a pearl farm, exploring Surprise Cave, and a “hike” (more accurately a steep climb up 300+ steps) for the money shot of views of the bay.  Dinner was themed for a “Royal” party and they provided traditional outfits for us to wear, which was funny and good for a photo op.  I can’t say enough wonderful things about Halong Bay.  It really is a dream vacation spot and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to visit and experience it for myself.

3 – Exploring the Temples

As majority of the country of Vietnam is Buddhist, it’s no surprise that there are tons of beautiful temples throughout Hanoi.  Whether to explore the architecture or the Buddhist traditions, temples are well worth visiting.  Some of the main places to see are the Temple of Literature, Ngoc Son Temple, and the Tran Quoc Pagoda.  Make sure you dress appropriately as they do not allow open shoulder tops and short shorts or skirts.  Most places offer some kind of clothing to wear if you don’t have a jacket or cardigan, but I’d suggest brining something with you, just to have it.  Also remember it’s a temple, so it’s important to be respectful of the people worshiping.

4 – Spas

There are spas every few store fronts in Hanoi, many of which are in hotels. You will not be without the opportunity for some kind of spa treatment anywhere you go.  We had massages everyday.  They were ridiculously cheap and so wonderful.  I mentioned it in my other Hanoi post, but I was lucky enough to have the same masseuse for 3 of my massages, at 2 different spas, which was just crazy.  Her name was Anh and she had magic hands.  If you stay at The Light Hotel or the Sunline Paon Hotel, request her for your treatment.  You won’t be sorry.  I wish I could have brought her home to live with me in New York for daily massages because she was so good.

5 – Thang Long Water Puppet show

The water puppet show is a Vietnamese tradition. We went to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater and paid somewhere around $5 USD for our tickets. The show is done in Vietnamese and most of the time I had no clue what was happening, but it’s such an interesting thing to watch. The puppeteers are literally in the water and are clearly very good and passionate about what they do.  It is a fun, cultural experience that is specific to Vietnam and not to be missed.

Honorable Mention

Hỏa Lò Prison

We visited Hỏa Lò Prison, infamous for being where John McCain was imprisoned. Obviously a prison isn’t the happiest of things to see on a vacation, but it was interesting and sad to learn more about the history of the Vietnam war.  Being imprisoned in general would be hard enough, but in an impoverished country during a war would be just horrible.  A good reminder to be grateful for what you have.

 

Vietnam is an incredible place, with so much to see and do.  It will take a minute to adjust to the insanity on the streets, in terms of people and traffic, but once you do you’ll appreciate it as a part of the experience.  The people (minus the cab drivers) are so nice and accommodating, and really go out of their way to make sure you are happy.  It’s very inexpensive and a place where you can experience luxury, like you never could in the US.  Take the 16 hour flight and treat yourself to a vacation unlike most others.