Here are the diary of our
vacation to Vietnam. My
boyfriend and I booked on a 15-day luxury backpack trip in Vietnam in January
2016, from north to south, which meant that all planning was done. The
highlights of the trip were Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa, Hue & Hoi An As well as
Ho Chi Minh City &
Mekong Delta, which I share great travel memories from ???
For me, personally, it's also great to read each post again as I recall all the
little details of the trip. I'm glad I blogged along the way ??
Days 1-2 Hanoi.
Hanoi capital
We arrived on Sunday at Hanoi Airport, where we were welcomed by our travel
guide, which included the sign: Tommy. Our first two days in Hanoi, Vietnam's
capital, has been wild. Temperature in the north is between 20-23 degrees. We
got a bit of a traffic-cultural shock here; most people travel on mopeds, and
there are really, really many of them. We were visiting both days and ate lunch
at a local restaurant where they served beef noodles , which was really clumsy
if I should be honest ??
Days 3-4 Halong bay.
Halong bay
The trip for the third and fourth days was on the ocean at Halong Bay! We had
exactly one day on a sailing cruiser - a beautiful and not least big
ship where we had our own cabin with bath and sea view from the double bed. We
were received at the harbor,
Bai Chay wharf and headed down to a small boat that
was going to sail us out to our ship. When we arrived we were given a
ginger-cinnamon-tea-welcome drink while we were informed about the ship's
"rules". We got the key to the cabin and were very pleasantly surprised by the
beautiful room with attached bath and toilet and sea views. We got lunch, sailed
past the Bat Cave Area and were rowed around for an hour of local Vietnamese
where we saw how they lived on the ocean. ??
Days 5-6 Sapa.
Sapa mountain
The fifth and sixth days of the voyage took place in northern Vietnam - Sapa.
Sapa is known for its beautiful rice fields, which are "built" by the mountains.
The days consisted of trekking (mountain hiking) between the mountains, rice
fields and in local little towns that we passed. On the first day it was sunny
and sunny overcast as well as approx. 18 degrees, but the day after it was clear
and 25 degrees ?? The trip should be top of the whole package, if you ask me.
Days 7-9 Hue and
Hoi An
Hoi An ancient town
The seventh and eighth days of the trip took place in the small town of Hue,
located in central Vietnam. We flew to the city from Hanoi after two wonderful
days in Sapa . It can be difficult to surpass the amazing experiences we had in
Sapa. It was therefore also the "downturn" of the trip as it rained crazily with
lightning cloud continuously for the two days we were there.
On the ninth day of the trip, the weather was clear and we were taken to Hoi An
through the beautiful Hai Van Pass. Hoi An is a nice little town - and in many
ways is special. The flashing neon store style was replaced with nice wooden
signs, the streets were quiet, the locals were less "seller" - aggressive, and
there were filled with skilled tailors.
Days 10-14 Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh city).
Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh city)
After one day in Hoi An we flew on to Ho Chi Minh City (South Vietnam). During
the last six days of the trip, we found ourselves in Ho Chi Minh City, located
in South Vietnam, with a day out at the Mekong Delta river.
At 12 we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City where we were picked up by a driver who
drove us to our hotel, the New World Saigon Hotel . It was the most beautiful
hotel in town if you ask me! We checked in and got our key card to the room on
the highest floor. Later we went for a walk in the area, ate lunch at a big
"street market" with a shadow area (we did not bother us over the heat, haha!),
Handed our laundry to a laundry shop. After that we rushed back to the pool at
the hotel. It was lovely with a little sunbathing, pool and relaxation ??? The
weather was amazing with high sun and 35 degrees.
Personally Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta were the tour's greatest experience
followed by beautiful Sapa areas, we will remember for life.
To be continued.
By VTP