December 2023
General Tips / Notes
- Grab is the ride sharing app in Vietnam
- If you want to do any shopping (suits, art, shoes, bags, clothes, gifts, etc.) during your time in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a good place to do it. Ideally shopping is done during the last stop so it might not always work this way (I did mine in Bali) but in a perfect world it is done here
- As an American, you need a visa. Look into it at least 1 week in advance
- Highly recommend trying to fit the 3-5 day Ha Giang Loop (see Hanoi section). More bummed about not being able to do this than anything else I couldn’t do on my trip to SE Asia
- Eat so much street food
- Specialty coffee drinks include egg coffees & coconut coffees. Recommend trying both
- If you are an American, they won’t always love you everywhere you go here due to recent history. I didn’t find much of this myself but heard things here and there
- Be very careful if you will be renting a motorbike. I heard multiple horror stories including one person who got in an accident which claimed an old lady’s leg (he is now stuck in Vietnam awaiting trial / stuck with large hospital bills) and another of someone who was the victim of a fraudulent injury charge (person ran up and pretended they were hit by bike, witnesses backed up the false narrative) and dealt with jail time and hefty fines
Hanoi
Capital city of Vietnam with lots of culture and some remaining French influence. Population of over 9 million and over 4 million scooters exist throughout the city. Worth mentioning we really only spent 1 day here (not counting the Ha Long Bay day).
General Notes / Tips
- There are vendors going around offering to wash your shoes. Not a bad deal at all, they do a great job
- Be ready for the millions of scooters being driven everywhere. Don’t necessarily wait to cross the street as you’ll be waiting forever, and when you go just hold up your hand if you need but don’t ever stop mid-street
Food
Bun Cha Huong Lien
- Place where Anthony Bourdain and Obama had a super famous link up in 2016 and now the whole restaurant is centered around this link up
- Only thing on the menu really is Bun Cha (Hanoi famous dish)
- Pretty good but people said there’s better Bun Cha to be had. Solid experience
Bep Viet
- Traditional Vietnamese place, I’m sure every other place is similar
- Really good Bun Cha, thought the Pho was decent
Hanoi Bami
- Best bahn mi place I went to in Hanoi, but this says more about the other places I had as many bahn mi spots are too touristy and actually not good
Nightlife
Beer Street
- Busy walking street with bars / restaurants / clubs all along
Hanoi Cloud Sky Bar
- Nice rooftop bar with decent views and cocktails
Activities
Ha Long Bay
- Must visit but is 3 hours away, can take a bus from Hanoi then take a day-cruise which will take you to a few locations such as Titop Island (swimming at beach & short hike to beautiful viewpoint), Luon Cave (can kayak here), & Sung Sot Cave
- Beautiful bay with many isles, where they filmed Kong: Skull Island a James Bond movie
- Can extend visit and stay overnight
Ha Giang Loop
- Start is ~6-7 hours from Hanoi
- One of SE Asia’s highest regarded excursions, didn’t get to do this myself
- Takes 3 days to do this fast, 4 to do it medium, and 5 days for the full experience
Walking Tour
- Can learn about the city and see some places around town
Lodging
Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel
- Decent hostel, right in the hustle and bustle of Hanoi’s very busy foot traffic heavy streets
Hoi An
City on Vietnam’s central coast with a lot of cultural feel and an awesome Ancient Town. Was probably my favorite stop of my trip to Southeast Asia.
General Notes / Tips
- This is a good place to shop for things like art, clothes, shoes, suits, etc.
- If looking for suits, Lin at Bao Diep was absolutely fantastic
- This is as of late 2023, not sure if she is still at the same spot
Food
Morning Glory
- Must visit, nice Vietnamese restaurant, one of the best meals of my entire trip
- Get the Stuffed Squid, was the star of an ensemble cast
Com Linh
- Slightly worse version of Morning Glory but still excellent food
Bale Well
- Very good food
- We didn’t even order, they just bring a bunch of items to the table and come over and put everything in a wrap, you watch them then do it yourself
Phi Bahn Mi
- Pretty average bahn mi but sat 1 foot from a cage that had a very large reptile named Danny
Bahn Mi Phuong (READ BELOW)
- Worth mentioning this place as it is one of the (maybe #1) most famous spots in Hoi An since Anthony Bourdain featured it, but they had a massive food poisoning ordeal where 800+ people got sick and a couple people even died
- They apparently paid someone or multiple someones to keep this hush hush as it is generally regarded as a secret to tourists. It’s weird
Nightlife
An Hoi Island
- Right next to Old Town Hoi An, small island where all the nightlife seems to be centered (Tiger Tiger Bar, Why Not Club Bar, etc.)
- The most famous bar / club is Tiger Tiger Bar, where we had a really fun night but later heard stories from our hostel’s workers that some of the workers are gang-affiliated & have assaulted women at the bar in the past with no repercussions. Can’t confirm that but I trust a hostel worker about as much as I trust anyone
Activities
Bay Mau Coconut Forest
- A must do, go in a basket boat down the river that runs thru the city and then thru the Coconut Forest
Lantern Lighting
- Only takes an hour, can go at night and just sail on a boat in the river in the middle of the city and set a lit lantern into the water
Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
- One of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to
- Displays the work of French photographer Réhahn who has traveled all around Vietnam and interacted with dozens of Vietnamese ethnic groups around the country
- Featured in the New York Times & National Geographic
Cycling Tour
- Bike through the city & Old Town, making stops at places like a lantern crafting activity, Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum (see above), Phi Bahn Mi, Ancient House (old house where they try to sell you jewelry), etc.
My Son Temple
- Grounds of temple ruins and the ethnic group from the area performs a tribal dance. Interesting but not necessarily must see
Marble Mountain
- I slept late and missed this but didn’t seem too necessary to go to, maybe a nice to have and can see some monkeys. I didn’t lose any sleep over missing it
Lodging
Mad Monkey Hoi An
- Awesome social hostel with great & comfortable rooms