Vibrant Vietnam & Electric Hong Kong Part 1
- Denisha Miles
- Jun 6, 2024
- 4 min read
I hope this doesn’t offend anyone, but I’ve always said I think I was Asian in a past life. And although this trip was almost a year ago, I feel like it was just yesterday that I returned. Vietnam is BY FAR my favourite country that I’ve travelled to and I can’t wait to go back! I spent a total of one month here, exploring the country from North to South.
The journey there from Türkiye was loooong, and as a budget traveller, obviously I took the cheapest option (re: LAYOVERS). One layover in Abu Dhabi and one in India (traumatic). I didn’t really get to see either country, but after those layovers, I don’t have any desire to. But after 30 hours I finally arrived in Hanoi. Woohoo! I didn’t stay there though, I went straight to SaPa on a sleeper bus. I‘m sure you’ve heard stories about these buses and most of them are true. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but a) it was cheap, and b) I was exhausted from the flight so I slept the whole way there.
When I arrived in SaPa, it was raining, but that didn’t dampen my mood...I was SO excited. The guesthouse I stayed at was in the hills and surrounded by nature; it was surreal. Watching the buffalos come so close to eat their breakfast, it was incredible. I spent 3 days total there, trekking, relaxing, drinking a lot of coffee, and just soaking it all in.
After SaPa, onto another sleeping bus to...HA GIANG. If there is ANYTHING you should do in Vietnam, it is the Ha Giang loop. I could write about this for pages, but I’ll try to keep it short. I only did 2d/1n, and it was basically a private tour because nobody else chose this option. That was fine by me (my bum was sore from all the sitting), but I think my driver felt a little awkward! Anyways, THE VIEWS.
I was a little worried at the beginning because it was so cloudy and raining quite a bit, but then the skies opened up and blessed me with the most magnificent views. I still dream about them. We visited a local weaving village, some local markets where I tried longan for the first time (not my favourite), and stayed at a homestay drinking a lot of “happy water” (IYKYK). The company I used was Lila Inn Hotel, and they were so kind and helpful, when I left, I swear I had tears in my eyes. I didn’t want to leave! I didn’t wander around the city of Ha Giang, so I can’t speak to that, but if you visit Vietnam, the Ha Giang Loop is a MUST DO.
I'm only realizing now how many sleeper buses I took, but it's a great way to save on accommodation and maximize your time (I hate wasting time on the bus during the day). So yes, yet another sleeper bus to Hanoi. I didn’t enjoy Hanoi as much as I thought I would, and the cockroaches are HUGE! I was lucky enough to meet with one of my students, and she took me all around the city. We ate A LOT and visited the infamous train street. It was very still very hot when I went (September) so I took advantage of the cheap Grab Taxis and scootered everywhere. I did do a cooking class, but again, I was the only one so it was a little lonely. But still fun. I was pretty eager to get out of Hanoi though...too loud, too smoggy, and too overwhelming for me.
To escape the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, I headed to Ninh Binh. The nature in the north of Vietnam is so beautiful and I’m not even an outdoors kinda gal. Ninh Binh is a sleepy little town with not toooo much going on; I kind of used it as a rest stop and to wash my clothes. I borrowed a bicycle from the guesthouse and went around the town. There is a beautiful and huge bird sanctuary that was pretty much empty when I went, and I visited a few temples. One activity I highly recommend is the boat tour in Tràng An. There are a few options, mine lasted for aobut 2 hours and it was beautiful and serene. Tickets are cheap (about $10-12).
Up next was Hué. I cut my trip short here, there is nothing to do, and I think one day is enough. I went to the Imperial Palace and walked around a little bit, and decided to get a blind massage! The massage wasn't amazing, but it was cheap, and the money supports the local community. Other than that, Hué was pretty meh, so I took the bus to Hoi An. I’m sure you’ve heard of Hoi An, or have at least seen pictures of the colourful lanterns that it’s so well known for.
I stayed here for 5 days (with a day trip to Marble Mountain in Da Nang). I spent my time walking around the old town, taking a lantern making class, and visiting the night market, which had a very rustic/ancient, but touristic feel. The night market reminded me of Khao San Road in Bangkok. But my favourite thing about the town was the colour. Yellow, yellow everywhere. It was so bright and welcoming. There was one cafe I visited called Reaching Out Tea House, where the staff are hearing and speech impaired. You are literally not allowed to talk, so it made for a really relaxing morning. They had little cube blocks with sentences, and writing utensils to place your order.
Marble Mountain in Da Nang is also totally worth going to, and it’s supercheap. I took a grab to and from Hoi An; it took about 30 minutes and it is huge. You can walk around for hours and get some fantastic views.
I haven’t written anything about food, but the national dish of Hoi An is Cao Lầu and it is so delicious. You have to try it. It’s a dish of rice noodles and BBQ pork, pork crackling, lettuce, and bean sprouts (side note: living in Türkiye where pork is not eaten, I tried to eat as much pork as possible). I had this more than a few times...hehe.
This concludes my time in the Northern/Central part of Vietnam. The next stop is Ho Chi Minh in Part 2...
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