If you have plans of exploring Vietnam without any planners, this article might be of some help!
Included some tips too.
A friend and I, both girls, went on our own and I must say, the entire trip was so eventful.
Firstly, Apply for e-visa through :
https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/
We took a flight from Chennai to North Vietnam planning to move through to the South and then to Cambodia.
We reached Hanoi airport(Also called Noi Bai International Airport) and the immigration was pretty quick and hardly took 40mins.
Tips once you have reached here:
Do NOT pay heed to the taxi services/drivers asking for your destination. They would hurry up and make you decide to travel with them. But, hold ON. There are shuttles (Volvo AC buses) running to the city, frequently. Wait for them before you get ripped.
Keep the destination address handy, either a hard copy or a screenshot on your phone. Its pretty hard to find english speaking locals here.
Day 1-3 : Hanoi
Our stop was at Old Quarter. Once you are here, you will see hundreds of hotels/hostels everywhere. So, its not necessary that you book your hotel in advance. Instead, decide on the area and keep the area name handy. Once you reach, walk around and find out rates in a couple of them and then decide where you want to stay.
Around Old Quarter, Hanoi:
This city is filled with life. In the mornings, you would find local women selling fruits/vegetables in the hanging-baskets.And there are a lot of eateries/cafes around. This place is known for street food. The best part is that the menu card is placed on a stand outside every eatery. You can enter only if you like the menu. How thoughtful! And every street is filled with such eateries. And in the evenings, the same streets are filled with tiny tables and chairs..all on the roads. Yes! every street is an open place to eat, with a lot of happening spots. We came across people playing traditional art, bands playing western songs, bands playing Korean songs,etc. It felt like an open music festival with ample cafes around. Every street had something new to offer.
Traditional street performances:
Street Food Area: Hang Buom
Go to Hoan Kiem Lake in the evening, and you would never want to come back home. Such a happening crowd here. It was Halloween when we were here and the streets had kids dancing in costumes. It wasn't just a one-day thingy. We were here for 3 evenings and they were all unique experiences. Felt like it was a new place everyday.
Hoan Kiem Lake
There are many historical places around. Go only if interested.
Street shopping is pretty cool here. Once you are at the Hoan Kiem Lake, walk around. You will find the shopping area. Bargain and bargain more. There are sunglasses,perfumes,clothes,souvenirs for throwaway prices. Also try the sugarcane juice here.
Day 4 : Halong Bay
From Hanoi, we booked a bus from one of the tourist agents(the streets are filled with them). Our hotel was charging more than the neighbouring one. We booked at the cheaper one and they picked us up from our hotel. Ask around for prices. Never assume that your hotel would offer the best only because you stayed there. You are a tourist for them after all. We headed to Halong Bay. It was a 4hour journey.
On our way, we were taken to a ceramic factory where beautiful ceramic ware were being created. It was a feast to the eyes to witness such beautiful things get it's shape.
We asked the driver to drop us somewhere near our hotel so that we could drop our bags and then visit Halong Bay. But he did not listen. He dropped us at the harbour and we had to spend extra for cabs to come back to hotel area.
So, the place to stay close to Halong Bay is Anh Dao Street, Bãi Cháy. There are a couple of hostels and backpackers pubs here. We stayed at Alex hotel. I would suggest you consider a hostel if you would like to meet fellow travellers. The street is so calm and beautiful, unlike Hanoi. You get free beer for an hour if you are staying at any hostel here. You MUST try out this : Pub while you are here. We met a solo traveller from Netherlands who suggested us to visit Hoi An. Glad he mentioned it. There's snooker in the floor above. Best way to make friends! I played a game after like 5yrs and surprisingly I won against this Netherlands guy. What a proud moment I had!
Take a walk out in the street, late in the evening, as close as you can get to Bai Chay Bridge. You will find open dancing floor on the road with party lights!
Visit Bai Chay beach too if you have time.
We opted for a package tour from other hostel as our hotel was charging more. We took a day long tour (7.30am till 5pm) to Halong Bay which included lunch on the boat and entrance fees to Halong Bay. Also booked a bus to Ninh Binh through the same agents.
The lunch consisted of sea food and if your are a Veggie, make sure that you inform them beforehand, while you book the tour. The Veg menu had : French Fries(Cold 'cz it was fried in the morning before you left the shore!), sticky sushi rice, boiled green leaves, fried tofu, fried peanuts, omlettes, sliced cucumber. Nowhere close to an Indian menu. So yeah! Good luck!
Halong Bay was definitely breathtaking with ~1900 islands. You will be given an hour to enjoy at an island where you can go swimming, play at the beach or simply enjoy the view. You get to walk up the Ti Top Island and the view from here is so beautiful. You will also be taken to a limestone cave. Not that great as a cave but if you look at it being one of ~1900 islands and being discovered as a huge cave, sounds thrilling. You will also see women selling fresh crab,fishes,etc on their boats.
There was a kayak spot too. Cannot explain how marvellous I felt with rocks surrounding and a cave like exit spot.
Happy Kayak-ers.
Tips: Check rates at different places before you settle with any package to Ha long Bay.
Once back from Halong Bay, we took a bus to Ninh Binh. It was 4hr journey again and we reached Ninh Binh around 10pm. And unfortunately, neither the driver nor the conductor spoke English. We were dropped at some bridge. And we were clueless as to what next. We had the address of the hotel but there were not many people around at that time. Though we showed the address to whomever we met, nobody could figure out anything.
We walked for hardly a min and saw an old couple watching TV in their shop with full concentration. When we peeped in to see what they were watching, to our surprise, it was one of the Saas-Bahu serials from India!! OMG! That moment!! We showed the hotel name again and they pointed to the building behind their store. It was right there! Our hotel! If we hadn't stopped at the TV staring couple, we would have walked past our hotel at 10PM in an unknown town.
We stayed at AIQ Hotel and the guy at the reception was too drunk to understand us. He called a English speaking person over the phone and we were able to tell her that we had a booking there. Phew!
Day 5-7 : Ninh Binh
Once it was morning, we were hoping to have an English speaking receptionist at desk and there she was. The same girl whom we had spoken to, over the call, the previous night.
There's beautiful landscapes here. This place is called "Ha Long on land". Rightly so.
Trang An, Mua Caves,Tam Coc, Bai Dinh pagoda are the best places to visit. Don't look for any agents. Instead, get the google map downloaded on your phone and hire a bike. It was 120k dong per day plus you pay for the fuel. You will have to pay at the entrance of these sites. It was 200k dong per head at Trang An and 180k dong at Tam Coc if I remember it right. Prefer Trang An if you plan to visit either of it.
The road leading to Trang An is such a beauty.
There are a couple of western food outlets at Ninh Binh. We went to Chookie's, a tiny cafe offering burgers, ice creams and shakes.
One evening we were so lazy to go out and decided to go out walking in the streets instead. And guess what we found! A senior's Badminton club. We were so amazed to see people who were 50+yrs old actively playing and socializing. Such good way to keep up the physical and mental health.
So, using some gestures, I asked if I could join them, and with wide warm smiles, they welcomed. We spoke absolutely nothing except through smiles. What a wonderful way of connecting with people without worrying about the language.
I found that people were very warm here, unlike in Hanoi and Ha Long.
Let me share 2 more instances.
I would take a walk in the neighborhood streets wherever we were, as my friend loved to sleep til 8am. So, 6am-8am was all mine and I have walked around a lot. One day here at Ninh Binh, I went to the local market to buy some fruits and one lady grabs my waist from behind and then hugged me and then laughed saying something to the other lady. Both of them laughed. And then she made signs which meant, "Eat well and put on a li'l!! ". Did I miss my relatives? Absolutely No! All that she did was what my relatives normally do to me, feel my hands and waist and comment how thin I am and give some gyan to put on weight. Though it was a li'l awkward, I loved it. I laughed at it and gave her a hug too.
Another was when I walked a street around 8pm. Kids were playing Badminton and while I passed by, one girl said "Helloo!". I stopped and said a Hello too. She started a conversation. Right after asking which country I was from, she asked if I would like to join them. I happily agreed. While the kids' parents were monitoring from their homes, I learnt that the kids learn English at school and the parents dint speak the language. So, I exchanged smiles with them while I played and answered a lot of curious questions from the li'l girl.
From Ninh Binh, we took a train (Train station was hardly a KM away from the hotel we stayed at.) to Da Nang. The booking can be done online or at the station. Preferably online as your pronunciation of time/place is pretty confusing for the officials there and vice versa. We had some tough time explaining to cancel and book tickets as we made changes to our plan and decided to visit Hoi An next.
Book your domestic train/flights here. This is way cheaper than the govt sites: Book here.
To be continued in the next blog! Cheers!
Included some tips too.
A friend and I, both girls, went on our own and I must say, the entire trip was so eventful.
Firstly, Apply for e-visa through :
https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/
We took a flight from Chennai to North Vietnam planning to move through to the South and then to Cambodia.
We reached Hanoi airport(Also called Noi Bai International Airport) and the immigration was pretty quick and hardly took 40mins.
Tips once you have reached here:
Do NOT pay heed to the taxi services/drivers asking for your destination. They would hurry up and make you decide to travel with them. But, hold ON. There are shuttles (Volvo AC buses) running to the city, frequently. Wait for them before you get ripped.
Keep the destination address handy, either a hard copy or a screenshot on your phone. Its pretty hard to find english speaking locals here.
Day 1-3 : Hanoi
Our stop was at Old Quarter. Once you are here, you will see hundreds of hotels/hostels everywhere. So, its not necessary that you book your hotel in advance. Instead, decide on the area and keep the area name handy. Once you reach, walk around and find out rates in a couple of them and then decide where you want to stay.
Around Old Quarter, Hanoi:
This city is filled with life. In the mornings, you would find local women selling fruits/vegetables in the hanging-baskets.And there are a lot of eateries/cafes around. This place is known for street food. The best part is that the menu card is placed on a stand outside every eatery. You can enter only if you like the menu. How thoughtful! And every street is filled with such eateries. And in the evenings, the same streets are filled with tiny tables and chairs..all on the roads. Yes! every street is an open place to eat, with a lot of happening spots. We came across people playing traditional art, bands playing western songs, bands playing Korean songs,etc. It felt like an open music festival with ample cafes around. Every street had something new to offer.
Traditional street performances:
Go to Hoan Kiem Lake in the evening, and you would never want to come back home. Such a happening crowd here. It was Halloween when we were here and the streets had kids dancing in costumes. It wasn't just a one-day thingy. We were here for 3 evenings and they were all unique experiences. Felt like it was a new place everyday.
There are many historical places around. Go only if interested.
Street shopping is pretty cool here. Once you are at the Hoan Kiem Lake, walk around. You will find the shopping area. Bargain and bargain more. There are sunglasses,perfumes,clothes,souvenirs for throwaway prices. Also try the sugarcane juice here.
Day 4 : Halong Bay
From Hanoi, we booked a bus from one of the tourist agents(the streets are filled with them). Our hotel was charging more than the neighbouring one. We booked at the cheaper one and they picked us up from our hotel. Ask around for prices. Never assume that your hotel would offer the best only because you stayed there. You are a tourist for them after all. We headed to Halong Bay. It was a 4hour journey.
On our way, we were taken to a ceramic factory where beautiful ceramic ware were being created. It was a feast to the eyes to witness such beautiful things get it's shape.
That's Binks!! My travel Bud! :)
We asked the driver to drop us somewhere near our hotel so that we could drop our bags and then visit Halong Bay. But he did not listen. He dropped us at the harbour and we had to spend extra for cabs to come back to hotel area.
So, the place to stay close to Halong Bay is Anh Dao Street, Bãi Cháy. There are a couple of hostels and backpackers pubs here. We stayed at Alex hotel. I would suggest you consider a hostel if you would like to meet fellow travellers. The street is so calm and beautiful, unlike Hanoi. You get free beer for an hour if you are staying at any hostel here. You MUST try out this : Pub while you are here. We met a solo traveller from Netherlands who suggested us to visit Hoi An. Glad he mentioned it. There's snooker in the floor above. Best way to make friends! I played a game after like 5yrs and surprisingly I won against this Netherlands guy. What a proud moment I had!
Calm and empty streets.
Take a walk out in the street, late in the evening, as close as you can get to Bai Chay Bridge. You will find open dancing floor on the road with party lights!
We opted for a package tour from other hostel as our hotel was charging more. We took a day long tour (7.30am till 5pm) to Halong Bay which included lunch on the boat and entrance fees to Halong Bay. Also booked a bus to Ninh Binh through the same agents.
The boat that took us to the islands.
There was a kayak spot too. Cannot explain how marvellous I felt with rocks surrounding and a cave like exit spot.
Tips: Check rates at different places before you settle with any package to Ha long Bay.
We walked for hardly a min and saw an old couple watching TV in their shop with full concentration. When we peeped in to see what they were watching, to our surprise, it was one of the Saas-Bahu serials from India!! OMG! That moment!! We showed the hotel name again and they pointed to the building behind their store. It was right there! Our hotel! If we hadn't stopped at the TV staring couple, we would have walked past our hotel at 10PM in an unknown town.
We stayed at AIQ Hotel and the guy at the reception was too drunk to understand us. He called a English speaking person over the phone and we were able to tell her that we had a booking there. Phew!
Day 5-7 : Ninh Binh
Once it was morning, we were hoping to have an English speaking receptionist at desk and there she was. The same girl whom we had spoken to, over the call, the previous night.
There's beautiful landscapes here. This place is called "Ha Long on land". Rightly so.
The road leading to Trang An is such a beauty.
 |
| Ah! The joy of finding this food! |
There are a couple of western food outlets at Ninh Binh. We went to Chookie's, a tiny cafe offering burgers, ice creams and shakes.
One evening we were so lazy to go out and decided to go out walking in the streets instead. And guess what we found! A senior's Badminton club. We were so amazed to see people who were 50+yrs old actively playing and socializing. Such good way to keep up the physical and mental health.
So, using some gestures, I asked if I could join them, and with wide warm smiles, they welcomed. We spoke absolutely nothing except through smiles. What a wonderful way of connecting with people without worrying about the language.
I found that people were very warm here, unlike in Hanoi and Ha Long.
Let me share 2 more instances.
I would take a walk in the neighborhood streets wherever we were, as my friend loved to sleep til 8am. So, 6am-8am was all mine and I have walked around a lot. One day here at Ninh Binh, I went to the local market to buy some fruits and one lady grabs my waist from behind and then hugged me and then laughed saying something to the other lady. Both of them laughed. And then she made signs which meant, "Eat well and put on a li'l!! ". Did I miss my relatives? Absolutely No! All that she did was what my relatives normally do to me, feel my hands and waist and comment how thin I am and give some gyan to put on weight. Though it was a li'l awkward, I loved it. I laughed at it and gave her a hug too.
Another was when I walked a street around 8pm. Kids were playing Badminton and while I passed by, one girl said "Helloo!". I stopped and said a Hello too. She started a conversation. Right after asking which country I was from, she asked if I would like to join them. I happily agreed. While the kids' parents were monitoring from their homes, I learnt that the kids learn English at school and the parents dint speak the language. So, I exchanged smiles with them while I played and answered a lot of curious questions from the li'l girl.
From Ninh Binh, we took a train (Train station was hardly a KM away from the hotel we stayed at.) to Da Nang. The booking can be done online or at the station. Preferably online as your pronunciation of time/place is pretty confusing for the officials there and vice versa. We had some tough time explaining to cancel and book tickets as we made changes to our plan and decided to visit Hoi An next.
Book your domestic train/flights here. This is way cheaper than the govt sites: Book here.
To be continued in the next blog! Cheers!
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