We spent 40 days in Vietnam and crossed the country from south to north. Here is what we’ve seen and done during that time:
Ho-Chi-Minh-City
Our first stop was Ho-Chi-Minh-City and we had a blast!
It’s a modern, clean city with many things to explore, and it was a breath of fresh air after our time in Phnom Penh.
Despite exploring the city and taking a 3-hour-long course to learn how to make Vietnamese coffee:
We also explored three places:
It was a short trip as we only stayed for a few days, but it was well worth visiting.
Da Lat
Our next stop was Da Lat; we first noticed the lack of tourists.
Despite Vietnam being overly popular for tourists (more on that later), we enjoyed finding a spot that wasn’t yet flooded with people, and we also visited some incredible (and some FREE) places there:
Places we visited:
Oh, I’ve also recorded a video climbing up the crazy house, here you go:
Hoi-An
Our next stop was Hoi-An, which was inspired by French architecture and often called the Venice of Asia.
To keep it short, I was disappointed. The buildings are in a terrible state, they are massively crowded, and this place is a tourist trap.
Don’t listen to these mid-20 influencers on YouTube and Instagram; stay away from that place.
If you still want to visit it, here is a tip: get a zoom lens and use the crowds to hide.
I took the first picture, sneaked behind a massive tourist group, and when she approached me (that’s one of the tourist traps I was talking about), I sneaked back into the crowd and was out of sight.
Great photo for me without paying a hefty “photo-fee”.
Danang
One of the largest cities in Vietnam, but there isn’t much to share because my girlfriend caught a cold, and we spent quite a bit of time in the apartment. At least we had a pool!
However, we still managed to visit two places:
I probably wouldn’t recommend the Marble Mountains, but the Ba Na Hills are a remarkable experience – expensive but worth it.
It’s a bit sad that we haven’t managed to visit more of Danang, but that’s the trade-off of permanently travelling—you get sick, you need a break, that’s just how it works.
Ninh Binh
Our next stop was Ninh Binh – a small area surrounded by mountains.
While certain spots were overcrowded with tourists, we still had a good time.
It was also the first time I had to drive a semi-automatic motorbike. It took some time, but I finally got used to it, and it turned out to be a way better vehicle than the fully automatic bikes we used in the past (especially in mountain areas!).
We’ve also done a boat tour through the caves:
Places we visited:
Cat Ba
Next was a trip to Cat Ba. There isn’t much to say about this place—it has some beaches and hotels, and that’s it. I’m sure it will be flooded with tourists in a couple of years.
Getting around is tricky as you can’t use Grab on the island, and taxis are expensive and unreliable.
One cool thing was a lazarette in the middle of the mountain used during the Vietnam War.
Sapa
Oh, you’re looking for mountains? Sapa is in the north of Vietnam and in the middle of the mountains.
Despite the strong wind and having difficulty getting our little motorbike up and down these mountain streets, we had a great time here!
Hanoi
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam.
It’s cool, a bit more trashy than Ho-Chi-Minh-City but a pleasant experience – night markets, busy streets, tourist scams (Hello, bicycle riders!) and so much more.
That’s a wrap, folks! We only have two days left until our flight to Tokyo.
As this is my number one spot to visit in Asia, writing the following article might take some time. Take care and wait until the next one!