Vietnam

Katie & Jimmy are heading off to Vietnam and asked me for some tips. I should be paid by the Vietnam Tourist Board as I seem to be constantly telling people how amazing it is as a place to visit. My first recommendation to people who ask me where to head on their trip to Thailand is to go to Vietnam instead! Don’t get me wrong, I love Thailand and appreciate it’s beauty, culture and food. It’s just that my experience of Vietnam was incredible food, amazing people, less hassle and fewer touts, and a great mix of beautiful cultural spots and interesting modern history. And probably the part that won me over the most…it is so cheap! My last visit was in 2011, so things may have changed a bit, but back then a three week stay in Vietnam cost us just £500 for two people. We were staying in clean, private ensuite rooms in guest houses with AC and consuming a LOT of food and beer along the way!

There is a definite tourist route that all the backpackers take, either starting in Hanoi and travelling south, or beginning in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and heading north. We started in Hanoi. Hanoi is very historical with a distinct traditional feel about it. Ho Chi Minh (HCMC) in contrast is far more cosmopolitan with western style shopping centre, bars and restaurants on offer.

As we weren’t particularly tight on time we chose to travel by bus with a ticket costing just $25 for 4 journeys, 2 of which were overnight sleepers. The buses were practical, and great value with the crazy low price, however they were not exactly comfortable, and felt pretty unsafe on winding cliff face roads. But they did the job, if sometimes a few hours later than expected. If you are planning a trip in advance I would look at trains, which we were told got booked up quickly, or cheap internal flights.

Hanoi

Most things are focused around the Old Quarter and the Hoan Kiem lake. Take a walk around the lake and visit the Temple of the Jade Mountain, a beautiful example of a Buddhism. Visiting Vietnam with a boyfriend who is obsessed with the Vietnam war meant that it was never far from our minds, or itinerary and the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ (Hoa Lo) prison is a somber and fascinating place to visit and will only take up a couple of hours.

The Ho Chi Minh museum and mausoleum are slightly away from the old town but easy to get to by tuk tuk or cycle rickshaw (although I did feel quite bad for the driver who was knackered by the end!). We didn’t do our research and weren’t able to go in to the mausoleum as it shuts at lunchtime but the museum is worth a visit.

Halong Bay

My first visit to Vietnam was in 2005 and the difference in the number of people at the port waiting to go out on junks in the bay was astonishing. First time around we went out on a private junk for the day, second time around it is definitely a case of squeezing bigger groups on to each boat. We booked a trip in Hanoi which included the bus pick up from our hotel and full day on the boat. Personally I think Halong Bay is one of those places that looks better on photographs than in person. It is a lovely day out but the water is actually really dirty and full of litter, and its pretty hard to get any photograph without 20 other boats in the background. I have met a few people who did the overnight trips and from what I can gather it is better and cleaner the further offshore you go.

Hue

There isn’t loads to see in Hue, so we stayed for just one night and did everything in a day and a half. We visited the Imperial City (Citadel) for a few hours on the first day which is beautiful and on the second day did an organised trip to the DMZ. This took in an old airstrip and the Vinh Moc Tunnels tunnels which gave a fascinating insight in to a community who lived their lives underground for years avoiding the conflict.

Hoi An

Hoi An is one of my favourite places. We didn’t actually do much whilst we were there but were just blown away by the beautiful architecture, incredible atmosphere and so much food. The town is full of tailors and the best place to get any suits, dresses or even shoes hand made for you. My friend is even planning her trip to SE Asia next year around visiting Hoi An to get her wedding dress made for a fraction of the cost. Hoi An is a sleepy and chilled out place, yet somehow we managed to discover the only two bars that stay open past 10pm and partied pretty hard! A decision which I greatly regretted the following day!

Nha Trang

This was the point that we seemed to cross a border from traditional north to modern south, a beachfront lined with high rise chain hotels. Not usually my kind of place, but I found it fascinating as when we were there were few western tourists and more the middle class vietnamese holidaying. We visited the Thap Ba Hot Springs which was great fun, covering yourself in mud and then washing off in various pools, followed by an hour long massage for about £3! The following day we did a 4 islands boat trip, which was amazing. It cost $5 and took us out all day visiting different islands for swimming and snorkelling, and the best part was the incredible buffet lunch followed by karaoke and a floating bar (a guy in a sombrero pouring red wine on a float)!

Ho Chi Minh

There are loads of great interesting buildings and museums to visit in HCMC, the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the central post office to name a few. Be sure to end a day of sightseeing at the Rex Hotel roof bar. It is the place that the US officers used to have their daily war conferences and is a great spot for a drink. Obviously you pay more for your surroundings but worth it for one or two and then you can head back out to street bars where it is about 50p a beer. All over the city there are street vendors selling the speciality of baked bread rolls with laughing cow cheese triangles! Not what I expected but exactly what I wanted after a month of noodles.

I truly loved every minute in Vietnam, I really can’t wait to go back and if anyone from the Tourist Board wants to offer me a job I am ready to accept!