Tips for traveling Vietnam
Recently, a friend asked me for tips on traveling in Vietnam: A friend of his wanted to travel to Vietnam for 10 days (!!). The tips I compiled on this occasion, I’ve since shared at least 5 more times. That’s why I’m writing them down here now. And thus in dialogue form…
Hi Till - a young colleague of mine is going to Vietnam with a buddy for 10 days in mid/late November. So far, they don’t have any concrete plans. Do you have a few tips on what a tourist in Vietnam absolutely must see? Thanks a lot in advance. Best regards
Ugh, that’s not so easy. It depends on what he likes: more city, nature, party, museums…
He will most likely land in Hanoi or Saigon. He should definitely check out the respective city—and probably sleep off the jetlag.
- Cinnamon Cathedral Hotel38 Ấu Triệu, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam+84 24 3938 6761
- Cinnamon Hotel Saigon74 Lê Thị Riêng, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam+84 28 3926 0130
Hotel in Hanoi & Saigon where I like to stay. Very nice, small (I don’t like the big boxes), Vietnamese, super central…
In both cities, the rule is: EAT! Street food, typical dishes in each case. Try everything, be brave 😂Getting around: Grab bike. It’s like Uber. Install the app, click on the map, moped comes. You sit on the back and see everything from a Vietnamese perspective. Car just sits in traffic.
In Saigon, I once did a great Vespa Tour to the Mekong Delta. One day long, on the back of a Vespa. The tours are also available in Hanoi and Hoi An: Vespa-Adventures
Coffee: VN is the largest coffee producer in the world. They have a unique coffee culture. They drink Coffee Phin. A young coffee farmer from the highlands (Da Lat, also very worth seeing) has the coolest coffee shop in Saigon: The Workshop Coffee27 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam+84 28 3824 6801
Note: The coffee is only original if you’re sitting on stools that are way too small at tables that are way too small ;)
Nature highlights for us were the north: Mountains, jungle, beautiful. Sa Pa is the Chamonix of VN: the town is ugly, but from there, beautiful tours start. The Fansipan, the highest peak in VN, is considered the last peak of the Himalayas. There’s now a gondola going up. But it’s all quite crowded. We preferred the northeast: fewer tourists, more authentic. The place is called Ha Giang. Best visited by moped if you dare. If you want to hike there, Panhou Village is a great base camp (you can also get guides there). Ecolodge Panhou VillageThông Nguyên, Hoàng Su Phì District, Ha Giang, Vietnam+84 96 661 50 50
Our area was the beach: Central Vietnam, with Đà Nẵng and Hội An. Đà Nẵng is Vietnamese, a medium-sized city. Hội An is a UNESCO World Heritage site, accordingly full of tourists. Besides the typical landmarks from the travel guide, our highlight was diving. You can also do it as a non-diver, just to try it out. If diving, say you’re from Till - then the service will be nicer & cheaper. Every Dive Master responds to the name 😀 Vietnam Scuba Diving
North of the Hải Vân Pass is the old imperial city of Huế. Very nice - again, the food. Besides the palace, Perfume River, and standard places, the following hotel is highly recommended: luxury from the last century, very nice service, right on the beach… Villa Louise Huế - Beach Hotel and Spathôn Hòa Duân, Phú Vang District, Thua Thien Hue 530000, Vietnam+84 91 767 36 56 Between Đà Nẵng and Huế, the train is recommended: you see a lot, can chat with the Vietnamese - and buy great food from the mobile vendors at the stations.
Further north by train, you reach Đồng Hới: in this area are the largest caves in the world. We were there 4 times, visited different caves, some VERY adventurous. Best guides and equipment: Oxalis
10 days?? Never enough for VN 😂 So, I’m sitting on the bus from Prague to Munich and now I crave Vietnamese food… Best regards, Till.