Three weeks in Vietnam
Enough time to discover the breathtaking scenery, rich culture and vibrant city life of the north. From the bustling old town of Hanoi to the spectacular rice terraces of Sapa and the magical Lan Ha Bay, the north of Vietnam offers impressive diversity. In this article, I report through the lens of a photographer and show you the highlights and insider tips for anyone who wants to explore Vietnam on their own.
Arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam
November was definitely the right time for us to travel. Winter, if you can call it that, has arrived in Germany. The days are getting shorter, the longing for sun and warmth greater. We hadn't yet thought about a precise plan for our three-week holiday in Vietnam. We wanted to arrive first and knew that we wanted to concentrate on the north. In contrast to the southern part, this region of Vietnam is a little less stable in terms of weather, but very diverse.
For our arrival and to get our bearings, we booked the Downtown Hostel & Rooftop Bar, also known as the Bia Hoi Corner Hostel, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. We were travelling a little more comfortably and had booked a double room. The mattresses were futon beds and therefore very hard. The price was around €15.00 per night including breakfast. A bed in a dormitory costs around €5.00-7.00 for 2 nights. We took a private transfer from the airport directly to the hostel - we used the provider GetYourGuide for this. This worked wonderfully and cost around €15.00. We also bought SIM cards directly at the airport, which are basically the same price everywhere, but are the most reliable at the airport.
The hostels in the centre are the best starting point for your first days of exploring the Vietnamese metropolis. Hanoi is a very alternative and diverse city, lined with hip cafés, temples and great architecture. The city's inhabitants are also authentic and generally open-minded. The north of Vietnam is generally very ‘real’, as I like to describe it. No fake friendliness, but friendly when it counts.
Two days in Hanoi are enough to get you started - you can see the must-sees of the city, connect with other people in the hostel or take advantage of the hostel's offers. For example, the staff will organise students to take you on a short food tour. This usually only costs the really cheap dishes that you order for the guide. But you also have the chance to learn about North Vietnamese culture up close and discover the culinary insider tips of the Old Quarter.
I also recommend booking any bus connections for your onward journey through the hostel. Although there are providers who offer their journeys online, it's more of a gamble as to whether you get from A to B or not - the prices usually don't differ much in any case, or are often even cheaper via the hostel. The connections on offer usually also cover all the popular destinations that can be reached from Hanoi: Cat Ba, Sapa, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, etc.
Ninh Bình, Vietnam
The first and most convenient stop after Hanoi, apart from Cat Ba, is the beautiful region around Ninh Binh. This area is characterised by green karst rocks, swampy areas and picturesque gorges.
We travelled from Hanoi to Ninh Binh on a transport organised by the hostel for around €5.00 and within about 2-3 hours. To be more precise, we travelled to Trang An and booked, in this case actually via booking.com, the La Casa Homestay. In addition to private rooms, this accommodation also offers mixed dormitories, a pool and is located right next to a river. As we didn't seem to be there in high season, we were pretty much the only guests. Although the silence was a little eerie and we sometimes had trouble finding someone in the accommodation and speaking to them using Google Translator, we felt very comfortable there.
We were able to explore the area easily with bikes borrowed from the accommodation. We cycled through the surrounding villages, visited historic temples such as the temples such as the Bai Dinh Pagoda and, of course, went on a kayak tour through the karst gorges of Ninh Binh. Be prepared for parking fees even for bicycles, crowds of tourists and very friendly kayak drivers. You are not allowed to steer the boats yourself, as this is a strictly protected area with sacred temples.
Cát Bà, Vietnam
After a few days, we travelled from Nính Bình with Daichii Travel to Cát Bà near Haiphong and thus to the beautiful east coast of northern Vietnam. In about 4.5 hours by bus and speed ferry, we travelled over to the really very green island.
The overall experience with Daichii Travel was very good. Of course, you shouldn't necessarily expect luxury; it's always a matter of luck which bus you catch, how cheerful the driver is and how punctual the departure is. You should always allow yourself a mental buffer of 1-2 hours.
The pick-up from our La Casa Homestay was a little late, but the transfer got us to our destination quickly. Generally speaking, it's always worth paying attention at the bus transfer points and endeavouring to find your bus immediately. The transfer drivers often help you to find your own bus - if you're unlucky, you might end up on the wrong bus or simply be forgotten.
After about 4-5 hours and a wild speed boat ride, we arrived at Luna's House Hostel, where we once again booked a private room for €38.00 for 3 nights.
Directly from the centre of Cát Bá, it is either a 5-minute walk to the sea or a 20-30 minute walk to a really beautiful viewpoint, which, if you believe the signs, is not legal to reach, but is regularly visited by tourists at sunset. We were told that signs are often put up by private individuals to extort money in order to be allowed to pass. You shouldn't get involved in this, but you shouldn't provoke a physical altercation either. The unofficial viewpoint can be reached by turning left onto a path before the gate.
The day tour through Lan Ha Bay with great food, drinks and a very tasty dinner is definitely recommended. The supporting programme of the tour is the actual trip through the bay, mooring and swimming in a quiet bay, visiting the floating farms of Cát Bà and soaking up the sun. We also booked the tour through Luna's House Hostel. Depending on which type of group you prefer, you should choose the hostel through which you book your tour. Our hostel was generally quieter, which also applied to the tour group for the day.
We also recommend renting a motorbike from the hostel and exploring the island. You won't cover long distances on the 2-3 passable roads, but you'll get a great feel for the island and can stop off at the occasional cafés and restaurants. For the best hot pot in town, I recommend the Yummy 2 Restaurant.
Sa Pa
Insider tip in advance for a delicious coconut coffee: Sapana Café & Bistro with a view
Insider tip in advance for a vegetarian mushroom hotpot: Also Sapana Café & Bistro
After our booking via Bookaway.com with ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ was cancelled, we booked our bus to Sa Pa via Luna's House Hostel for around 650,000 to 750,000 VND (the equivalent of around €25.00 to €28.00). The journey by ferry and bus took around 10-11 hours in a sleeper bus - in these buses it is advisable to be under 1.75 metres tall so that you can stretch your legs.
The region around Sa Pa is one of Vietnam's Alps, with the 3,143 metre-high Fansipan. The town in the north-west is surrounded by marvellous rice terraces and beautiful countryside. In the town itself, you will often be approached by women in traditional costumes to visit a shop or buy something from them. The locals in traditional costumes also act as guides on hikes and trekking tours with tourists through the mountain landscapes and rice terraces of the region.
Once again, we opted for accommodation that was a little out of the way on the mountain, but offered a lot of comfort, good coffee and an incredible view. Once again, we were pretty much the only guests here, but the staff were simply welcoming. The Maison de Lao Chai has beautiful rooms and lovely details. The view in the morning at sunrise is simply breathtaking. The lodges are located in a small side valley with a view of Lao Chai. You are surrounded by nature and opposite you can watch the cows and chickens on the rice terraces of an elderly lady who lives in a small wooden hut. There is a cute yoga place on the outside terrace, the cappuccino in the morning is the best I've had in Vietnam! All the staff were very friendly and helpful. The cost in November 2023 was around 60,00€ per night with a mountain view for 2 people - it's always worth waiting for deals or just booking at short notice.
To get to Sapa and the surrounding area, it is advisable to rent a motorbike (15 minutes away) - the easiest way is to rent one directly from the hosts for little money.You should feel safe on such a vehicle, a motorbike licence is not required. Of course, you shouldn't have an accident. The roads are a little rocky, but you get used to them.
The town of Sa Pa can easily be visited in a day. The only somewhat longer tour we did in Sa Pa was from Sa Pa nach Hau Thao (Komoot Route). On some sections of the trail, especially at the beginning, you could get a little lost in the deforested slopes. However, the trail is definitely easy to find. Along the way there are great views of the surrounding mountains, historic sites and water buffalos. About halfway along the trail, you pass another small settlement with vendors in traditional costumes, which you should simply ignore. You should also ignore the guides of other tourists who tell you that you are only allowed to hike with a guide. This is simply not true.
In addition to this tour, we explored the region by motorbike and drove up and down a few roads, made a short trek to a waterfall and let ourselves drift along the winding roads.
Hà Giang
First of all: an absolute insider tip for cheap & authentic Vietnamese beer in the beautiful city of Ha Giang: Nhà Hàng Phố Beer.
After a few days in Sa Pa, we wanted to see the ultimate in Vietnam's mountain world: The Hà Giang Loop - a multi-day motorbike tour through the breathtaking mountains in the northwest of Vietnam, on the border with China. The journey from Sa Pa to Hà Giang is manageable at 3-4 hours. Once again, we had booked the bus through our accommodation in Sa Pa and Lao Chai.
In Hà Giang, we had booked the Ngan Ha Homestay for one night for the equivalent of €10.00. The homestay itself apparently also offers tours on the Ha Giang Loop, but after some research we opted for the organised tour via Cheers Hostel. There were also several groups that started at the same time and travelled the loop in different directions. The riders on whose motorbikes you ride the entire loop (in our case over 3 days) are called Easy Riders.
The complete tour over 3 days, including accommodation, riders, catering - breakfast, lunch, dinner & ‘happy water’ - cost around €185.00 per person. This also included a pick up & drop off at your own accommodation before and after the tour.
I don't think there's much to say about the tour. The important thing to know is that you can of course do the tour on your own. The accommodation in the area is usually designed for guided group tours, which is why it can be difficult to book accommodation on your own. Avoiding all the traffic controls on the loop can be a challenge. The fine for ‘getting stopped’ and not ignoring the check is around VND 2,500,000, the equivalent of €100.00, if you are driving a motorbike yourself (with or without an international driving licence). This is purely a corruption measure by the local authorities, as you get a sticker after such a check and are safe for subsequent checks. You can also go on such a tour with a guide and drive yourself, but this does not mean that you are safe from these fines.
The views are always breathtaking, varied and majestic. Here and there you stop for lunch, visit workers doing traditional manual labour and always cling to your motorbike when you're going down the hairpin bends.
Most of the riders and the group's tour guide are always concerned about the well-being of their passengers. Unfortunately, my friend had caught a somewhat pushy and reckless riding rider who had to be put in his place at a certain point - but a few clear words were enough.
The nights were spent in really marvellous lodges, in beds protected from mosquito nets, with really excellent dinners, lots of beer and heaps of happy water (Vietnamese rice schnapps) - and of course karaoke and the odd rider who couldn't handle the happy water. Here we often met up with other groups with whom we had originally started in Hà Giang.
Hanoi
At the end of the trip, we travelled back to Hanoi once again. Here we had one last night before heading back to really cold Germany at 11.30 pm the next day. We booked the Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture for the last night. We wanted to have a really good time on the last day before the long flight. The hotel allowed us to use the pool even after we had checked out.
If you enjoyed this article about my trip to North Vietnam, please feel free to share it with someone who is planning a trip to Vietnam and could use some inspiration.
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