Bai Tu Long Bay - A great alternative to the overcrowded Hai Long Bay

The first thing that hits you when you get to Vietnam is the noise - constant beeping from scooters and cars. The second? The smells. Only having two weeks in Vietnam is clearly not enough - we had to take flights twice during our time to get from North to South in the allotted time. We traveled from Hanoi to Phong Nha to Hue to Hoi An and finally to Ho Chi Minh City. Along the way, we picked up some good tips - good, bad and ugly.

Vietnam: The Good

Everyone will say the food is amazing. And everyone is correct. Even when it’s sub-par hotel breakfast foods, it’s still good. Who doesn’t love pho for breakfast? And banh mi for lunch? And bun cha for dinner? Everyone.
Another thing about the country is the openness of the people. We had some amazing conversations with people who owned restaurants, bars and tour companies. They are all excited for Americans to see what their country is all about and welcome you with open arms.
We found out that the smaller towns are really so much more amazing than the cities. We greatly enjoyed our time in a town called Sơn Trạch (we called it Phong Nha because that’s where the National Park is located). It’s really an up-and-coming destination, in the early stages of development - so go now if you can! The largest cave was recently discovered in the area, but they also have 3 or 4 other caves to explore, along with beautiful countryside.

Vietnam: The Bad

The scooter situation is not for everyone. I will admit, it gave me tons of anxiety whenever I heard a beep, or when scooters were driving past me on the sidewalks. Just know going in that it will be noisy and to watch out.
Normally we can rely on TripAdvisor or Google for reviews of companies - take them with a grain of salt in Vietnam. One of our tour guides basically held us hostage and forced us to write him a good TripAdvisor review after our motorcycle tour from Hue to Hoi An.
To say there is a lot of trash in Vietnam is an understatement. It was everywhere - in the cities and the countryside, which is sad. If you go on a trip to Ha Long Bay or Bui Tu Bay and end up on kayaks, pick up some of the trash in the water.

Vietnam: The Best

Meeting other travelers (oftentimes on months-long or open-ended trips), ex-pats, old Vietnamese north rebel fighters who are now gardeners. All of this opened our eyes to how other people in the world live and work. It’s very captivating to visit a country where $250 lasts you 2 whole weeks of food and drinks.

2 Weeks in Vietnam

Now onto our trip. We arrived in Hanoi and stayed for 3 nights. The things we did in Hanoi included the Ho Chi Minh museum and mausoleum (wild!), eating bun cha and bun bo nam bo everywhere and pulling up stools in the bai area for $.20 beers (bais). Hanoi’s old quarter was noisy, crowded and I smelled things I had never smelled before. Amazing!

Places to visit: Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, Perfume Pagoda, Temple of Literature

Places to Eat: Bún Bò Nam Bộ Bách Phương, Bun Cha Ta Hanoi, Old Town Garden Cafe

Places to Stay: We stayed at the Oriental Suites Hotel and Spa. There are tons of places to stay with varying price points. Pick a place, but try and stay near Old Quarter!

From here, we spent 1 day and 1 night with Indochina Junk on Bai Tu Long Bay. Although pricey, it was well worth it for the solitude it provided us. The cruise itself was breathtaking - just sailing beside the huge karats was amazing. The 7-course lunch, kayaking, 5-course dinner and squid fishing just added to the experience. I would recommend Indochina Cruises since they are the only cruise line allowed in Bai Tu Long Bay and you will be one of the only ships on the water.

We then took a quick flight to Dong Hoi airport and a transfer to the AMAZING Phong Nha Farmstay. This place was everything we imagined it to be and more. People there were staying months and I can understand why. Not only was the food good, but they had a great pool, daily farm walks, and talks and can set up tours to Phong Nha Cave, the Dark Cave, and Paradise Cave. We spent 3 nights here and only had time to go to Phong Nha Cave (everything took longer than anticipated, due to the sun setting around 5:30 every day) and the National Park. We rented scooters one day and rode bikes the next. We biked to the Pub with the Cold Beer and had lunch at Moi Moi with a raucous bunch of Australians. Hands down the best part of the trip. There will be an entire blog post dedicated to Phong Nha in the coming weeks!

Things to Do: Visit as many caves as possible! Ride bikes or rent scooters and visit the Pub with the Cold Beer, the Duck Stop and the village.

Places to Eat: The Best Spit Roast Pork and Noodle Shop in the World (Probably), Moi Moi, Mamma D’s Rooftop Lounge, Pub with the Cold Beer, Bomb Crate Bar

Places to Stay: Again, there are tons of places to stay within the village, but there are also a number of homestays in the area. We loved the Phong Nha Farmstay, but also met the owners of Pepperhouse Farm Stay.

After this we took a car from Phong Nha to Hue, stopping at the Vihn Moc Tunnels where people in the village spent years digging tunnels and hiding in them during the Vietnam War. We spent one night in Hue at the Hue Riverside Villas. We did not visit the Citadel, instead choosing to go to the grocery store (it was raining) and have some more street bias.

The next morning, Yo with Hue Easy Riders showed up with a scooter for us and blue rain jacket and pants. We spent the day scooting and motorcycling from Hue to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass. It was amazing, but the end was spoiled when he took us straight to a family tailor instead of to our hotel. Also, please remember that scooting in Vietnam is VERY different than scooting in America. There are people honking, cutting you off and not following road signs. We had Yo take me on his motocycle and Nelson rode his own scooter. Looking back, it was probably more dangerous and we should have just had two motorcycle guides taking us.

We spent 3 nights in Hoi An, which in our opinion, was too much.

I think Hoi An used to be a more hidden secret location and now it feels like Disney World. Had it been a bit warmer, I think we would have enjoyed it more by spending 1 day at the An Bang beach. We ended up seeing 5 of the 18 sights within the ancient city in one day and spending the rest of the time at the pool, walking into the town and getting massages (seriously - they are under $20, so get as many as possible).

Places to See: Old Town requires an entry fee of $10/person to see the ancient sites. We ended up seeing 5 of the 18 - The Assembly Hall Of Fujian Chinese, Japanese Covered Bridge, Old House of Ky Tan, Cam Pho and the Cantonese Assembly Hall. There’s also the beach that is nearby and the option of getting a suit or dress custom-made in town.

Places to Stay: We stay at Lantana Riverside Spa and Villa, but it was a 10-minute walk to Old Town, so if you would rather stay closer to the action, there are tons of places.

Places to Eat: This is THE place to get Banh Mi and Cao Lau. Check out Mot for Cao Lau and their delicious cold tea, Bánh Mì Phượng (my favorite), the Banh Mi Queen and Phin Coffee for some Vietnamese coffee. Oh, and if you want to take some hot sauce home with you, search out Cửa Hàng Tương Ớt Triều Phát.

Our quick flight to Ho Chi Mihn ended our trip and our stay at the Park Hyatt also showed us that we were quickly ending our cheap trip - everything was very westernized, including the prices!

Ho Chi Mihn city included trips to the War Remnants Museum, Norte Dame Cathedral (it was under construction) and the Saigon Central Post Office. Along with ample time at the hotel pool and finding craft beers. We were fairly tired at this point, so we didn’t do a ton.

Places to See: War Remnants Museum, Norte Dame, Saigon Central Post Office, Book Street, Ben Than Market

Places to Stay: We used points to be fancy and stay at the Park Hyatt. It was definitely Westernized, so if you are looking for something more local, check out places in District 1, near the backpackers area.

Places to Eat: Secret Garden, Ben Than Market and Pasteur Street Brewing.

Have you been to Vietnam? Any faves to add to the list or questions to ask? Comment below and thanks for reading!

Amy K

Learn more about amy k's trip to vietnam. read her next vietnam article from her trip “i love phong na vietnam" by clicking here!

2 Weeks in Vietnam - The Good, The Bad and The Best