Travelling #2 - Việt Nam

Hey!

This is the second post in relation to my South East Asia adventures. If you wanna read about Bali- scroll down:)

..Our next stop was Vietnam.

My "go to" guide, for any travel

 After spending 2 week in Bali, we ventured into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Post Bali, it definitely came as a bit of a culture shock.
The big city buzz, with thousands of cars and scooters on every street was something that took some getting used to. However as the time went by you got to appreciate this unorderly chaos. 

During our one day there we got the chance to taste some local street food (the best way to experience Vietnam is to eat on the street, that's where the best food is). Additionally, we visited the War Memorial Museum. Highly one sided, but nevertheless it truly showed you the terror that the Vietnam War brought upon its people.

                           War memorial museum, in HCMC

I think the best way to explore big cities is to simply - walk.

You'll find food, shops and culture around every corner. No need to stick to the hand book, better to carve your own way around the ever so busy city streets. Just find what you like and explore.

My favourite spot in Saigon definitely has to be L'Usine. A cafe, restaurant and concept store with a French touch. The clothes are beautiful and the food is delicious. Make sure to check it out.. they have two locations:

-70 Lê Lợi, Bến Thành, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam -151/1 Dong Khoi St. District 1, Hồ Chí Minh, VietnamMore at www.lusinespace.com  My delicious pulled pork sandiwich at L'usine in HCMC. As it was monsoon season - I purchased a grey Rains of London rain jacket there. Highly recommended!

My Rains of London rain coat purchased at L'Usine, demonstrating its usefulness during a hike in the rice paddies in Sa Pa, North Vietnam

The Opera House, Saigon (HCMC)

After the day in Saigon, we took a flight to Da-Nang,  and continued onto Hoi An, a town famous for its tailors & clothes. The tailors can literally copy anything from a backpack to a full suit. You just gotta tell them what you need. If you want something in a different material or colour, that you manage to own- I would recommend brining that piece with you. It's much easier for the tailors to do the exact real life- copy rather than from a photo. Saying that, they do manage to copy from photos well too.

In Hoi An, I successfully managed to get a leather backpack and a wool coat made in the time frame of less than 24 hours. We stayed in Hoi An for 2/3 days hence I had to hurry. However if you are there for longer don't rush the tailors and give it more days (the quality could be better ! )

Hoi An also has some beautiful beaches. With it's intense humidity, the water is also very warm. Always have a bottle of cold water near by to stay hydrated. 

The best way to explore this area is probably via bike. Perfect to go to the beaches, check out the old town itself and just explore the area.

Original backpack and my navy copy done in Hoi An:)

The tailor that I used for my coat

A grey coat I had made at Kimmy's tailors

When choosing a tailor, the options are endless. If you have more time, don't rush and browse all of them to see who is best at what. Many guides will recommend the staple tailors like Kimmy's. However that doesn't mean the rest is incompetent of producing equally as nice goods. For example, I had my backpack made at a randomly found tailor because I saw how they reproduced a backpack from a photo and thought they would do a great job- and they did!

Beach in Hoi An

Beautiful lanterns in Hoi An

 A local fruit seller, Hoi An

 Local food market, Hoi An

 Riverside palm tree bliss

Biking through Hoi An

Hoi An

Rice field workers, Hoi An

In Hoi An we also managed to check out the Water Coconut Forest in the local village of Camh Tanh(shown below)on the classic Vietnamese bamboo basket boats.

Bamboo basket boat trip with the bestie

Some local art work that I purchased at an Art store in Hoi An's old town.

Evenings with live music in Hoi An

Breakfast Views in Hoi An, the Riverside resort

After seeing Hoi An we flew into Hanoi, where we took a bus even further up North to Sa Pa, a small town in the mountains at the Chinese border, known for its beautiful rice terraces.

After exploring the town went on a hike through the infamous terraces. After a couple of kilometres of hiking, we stayed at a homestay amongst the terraces. Here, we got to learn more about the local culture and taste the authentic home cooked Vietnamese food. Yum!

"Monsoon kids" we bumped into on our hike

A handmade gift I received from one of the local girls, who accompanied us on the hike

Home - made Vietnamese rolls

Dinner with the locals at a home stay in the Sa Pa mountains . Simply yummy!

Noodle hair and plenty of puppies = only in Asia

 Two little girls we met along our hike. A rainbow in the rain. Beautiful. 

Lunch views in Sa Pa


Local lunch companions in Sa Pa

Flowers in the Sa Pa rice terraces 

Hiking Sa Pa

Local little girl absorbed by the TV

Traditonal Vietnamese Coffe  - very strong, very sweet ( like everything in Asia :)

Nam Coffee 

The local ladies. Gotta give it to them, their persistence to try and sell something lasted over 14km. Now thats real salesmanship dedication.

After Sa Pa, we ventured onto one of the 7 natural wonders of the world - that is - Halong Bay. There we took a boat around the islands and then stayed a night in Monkey Island. I have to note that I was slightly disappointed at the amount of pollution in this area. It's beautiful  yet people don't look after it as much as they should, considering it is one of the seven natural wonders. A magical place, but the consciousness of the human impact on the environment is absent.

Cruising Halong Bay

View of Holong Bay from Monkey Island 

Island Life


Last glance at the Bay, before heading off to Ha Noi

After the couple of days of the island life in Halong Bay, we went back to Ha Noi.  

Here I discovered the best spot for a fresh Mango juice. 

The Lane Juice is such an adorable establishment. I think it opened a couple of days before we got to Ha Noi. They make delicious juices drink in or take away. It's not a chain, so it's always great to support an independent business! Stop by if you're in town, their juices are so tasty;)

It's located on:

• 47 HàngTrống
• Hanoi, Vietnam

I think shopping in Ha Noi is something you can't avoid. So yea, we got matching kicks! With plenty of streets selling trainers, art or clothing to house appliances and DIY tools. There's something for everyone. Never go with the first price the sellers offer. It may seem cheap because of the currency but its often triple the norm. Bargain down as much as you can ;)

Traditional woven accessories 

Ha Noi "fry it yourself" street food ;)

Busy streets of Ha Noi !

Self explanatory;) Not Vietnamese but still: Yum.

Rough costs for flights:

-If booked in advance flights can range from £300-£350 return from Europe to Ho Chi Minh City. This was an example; when flying with Qatar airways. That's the airline I chose. Unfortunately as you probably know, if you book closer to the date of travel the prices will rise. Therefore it's good to plan ahead, in order to avoid extra unnecessary costs.

After Hanoi - we ventured onto the Phillpines 
- more in the upcoming post!

Until the next time,

Questions? Ask away!

MK :)