One month in Vietnam - The north

The beginning of a long journey. Vietnam was my first step in the discovery of Southeast Asia. I had absolutely no information about the country, the must-see places. I was lucky to be accompanied and to follow the wind. Vietnam is beautiful, it's a good choice for a first trip in Asia. Here is my itinerary and all the things we discovered, I hope it will help you plan your trip.

TIPS

*Move around : To move between the different cities the best way is the night bus. These are sleeper buses, so you can sleep during the trip, as long as you have earplugs, sweater (!!) and don't get motion sickness. You can book your seats online or through your hotel/hostel (they take a commission so it will be more expensive) or in small offices in the streets (don't hesitate to negotiate! Tip: ask the price for one ticket then say "ok for 2 tickets" and announce your cheaper price. It works every time!). In the big cities you have the Grab application which is very useful because of the traffic there. And there is always the plane, AirAsia offers internal flights. It's more expensive than the bus but it's a time saver for a long trip. Beware of frequent delays.

* Money : The currency in Vietnam is the Dong. Vietnam is not expensive. There are ATMs everywhere but they all take a commission per withdrawal. It is therefore better to withdraw large sums of money once. Most of the local restaurants/shops do not accept the card or take a % on the total amount so you should always have cash on you.

* Tours organised by hostels : All the hostels propose you to organize your trip from A to Z around the country. It is a good solution for a single person who is lost but the price is much higher than if you travel by yourself. Having met travelers who went through this system they were tired of it and would have preferred to do it by themselves. As you travel, you meet people and your itinerary is created, you never travel alone.

* Security : As a woman, you can be afraid very quickly. I didn't feel unsafe there once. You have to stay, as everywhere, close to the crowd and be careful. But a trip alone in Vietnam is quite possible! Little tip: I always carry a pepper spray with me and it goes through the airports without worries. You have to be careful with motorcycle drivers who offer to drop you off after a party at night. They will drop you off where you want to go but when paying they will use a blue light that will make you confuse your tickets. Don't let them look in your wallet, even for help, and give the whole amount at once. They will try to scam you by saying that you didn't give anything. And finally if you ride a motorcycle, especially on the Ha Giang Loop, be very careful. Many accidents happen and it takes hours for help to arrive.

* Phone : I advise you to buy a Sim card with 4G when you arrive in Vietnam. It's really cheap, you can keep your number on Whatsapp and it will make things much easier.

ITINERARY

I advise to go to Vietnam for one month. The country is huge and the trips are long between the different points. For two weeks, you will have to choose between the north or the south. We decided to start with the north, which is according to me the most beautiful part to see in Vietnam. Here is our complete itinerary:

Arrivée à Hanoï - Ha Giang Loop - Cat Ba (Baie d'Halong) -

Ninh Binh - Hoi An - Ninhvana - Ho Chi Minh

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HANOÏ

Hanoi is an incredible city. A lot of people advise not to stay there, I don't think so at all. I stayed there for one week, which allowed me to really discover this city.

* Accommodation : We slept in the Vietnam Backpacker Hostel. It is a chain of hostels very known in Vietnam. It's a party every night! The rooms are clean, the common are very nice and the food is correct.

* Restaurants : Hanoi is a paradise for local food! One of the specialities is the Banh-Mi, a sandwich in short but so good. The best is to stop in small local restaurants that are not very attractive at first. It's cheap and actually very good. Every weekend the restaurants put out plastic tables and chairs in the streets, it's so nice! To test absolutely: the Hot-pot. It will remain one of my favorites. Also I had the opportunity to test Poké Hanoi, very good and great pokés.

* Activities : There are many things to do in Hanoi. You can just walk around, discover the famous Train Street (which was closed at some point but maybe opened since?), go to the big lake with the famous temple, taste the famous egg coffee, take a Vietnamese cooking class (about 20€/pers), go to the big covered market. Friday night is a party in the streets of the center. For the occasion, the center becomes a pedestrian area, which is really nice.

HA GIANG LOOP

The Ha Giang Loop is an itinerary of 3 or 4 days by motorcycle. We cross magnificent landscapes, the most beautiful that I had the opportunity to see in Vietnam.

* Doing the loop alone : You have the possibility to do the loop completely by yourself, just rent motorcycles in the starting city which is Ha Giang. They will provide you with a map but I advise to have the Maps.mee application as well. This option allows you to be completely free but requires organization and timing in advance. Indeed, it is better to avoid driving at night because it becomes dangerous.

* Doing the loop with a hostel : We stayed at Jasmine Hostel in Ha Giang. By renting the motorcycles from them you can leave your big bags there and follow a group that leaves the same morning as you. This option is safer because it's impossible to get lost, they make you avoid police controls, if something happens to you just call them on Whatsapp and they come to help you. Moreover, they take you to very nice and cheap accommodations without you having to search. And then the atmosphere in the evening with a group of 30 people is always nice. You don't have to follow them closely, if you decide to stop you will catch them later.

* Security : The roads are dangerous. There are many injuries. So you have to be very careful and don't drive fast, enjoy the landscapes instead. A scooter is not possible to do the loop, if you have never ridden a motorcycle and you don't feel comfortable you can always use the driver service (a local who will drive the motorcycle for you during the loop). This is a paid service.

I didn't have the opportunity to go there but I heard that the area of Sapa is similar to Ha Giang and it is possible to make a few days itinerary by foot.

CAT BA - BAIE D'HALONG

To visit Halong Bay we chose to stay on Cat Ba Island. This one is less touristic and less expensive than Halong.

* Accommodation : We stayed at the Secret Garden. Very nice hostel, super cozy and in the evening there are acoustic concerts organized. The food is very good!

* Activities : You can visit the island by renting a scooter. The island is beautiful and worth spending a whole day on. Drive on the main road that connects the north to the south. A stop in the national park is a must with the climb to the top which gives an incredible view of the island. I didn't have the opportunity to do it but the climb to the cannon fort looks like an amazing view.

* Cruise : We booked a one night and two days cruise in Halong Bay. Just go to one of the small tourist offices in the center and negotiate. Our experience was incredible. We were 7 on the boat, the food was very good and hearty. We went through the floating village, we kayaked several times. The scenery is incredible. A cruise is really worth it.

NINH BINH

Ninh Binh is considered as the land Halong Bay. Indeed, the resemblance is made on a formation of small mountains, except that here it is a river. And it is beautiful! We were not lucky with the weather, during October it rains a lot. The best period to go there is in May.

* Accommodation : We decided to sleep in the city of Tam Coc in order to be closer to the things to see. The first night we stayed at For You Homestay. It's a nice place surrounded by nature so it's very quiet. But very far from the center and the activities, so I don't recommend this accommodation just for this point.

The second night we stayed at Banana Tree Hostel. It is ideally located in the center. The rooms are clean, comfortable and it has a pool. I highly recommend it.

* Restaurants : A must try, the Banh Moi Ha Noi and its banh mhi with tofu and peanut butter, it's a killer! There is also a very good Italian restaurant, The Napoleon, which makes excellent wood-fired pizzas.

* Activities : Take a boat cruise on the Ngo Dong River, it lasts about 2 hours; go for a bike ride, visit the Jade Temple, Hang Mua with its 500 steps and an incredible view at the top.

Here is my itinerary of the northern part of Vietnam, I hope this article will help you in your travel planning.