Vietnam

Vietnam is a solo backpackers haven. It is chaotic – in the best way possible, easy to navigate and filled with an abundance of natural beauty. From the moment you land you are greeted with the busy streets, lantern filled streets and the beautiful smell of street food fills the air.

When you first land in Vietnam it can seem overwhelming. Traffic is constant and the beeping of horns just seems never ending, but once you’ve conquered the art of crossing the road, everything else in Vietnam seems so easy. Whether you are craving adventure, culture or food Vietnam has it all. In Vietnam you can have the best of all worlds sipping the worlds nicest coffees, learning about Vietnams history, sharing stories with backpackers or trekking through rice fields.

As always I will speak about my own experience of backpacking Vietnam. There are so many places I will go back to visit next time I am here!

Hanoi

Where I stayed: The One Hostel, Hanoi https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/319525/the-one-hostel-and-rooftop-pool-hanoi/&utm_source=shared_property&utm_medium=clipboard&utm_campaign=319525

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and is rich in culture. The city never sleeps, with the constant honking of horns from mopeds to bustling shop fronts.

When I think of Hanoi, I think of how much fun it was just to walk around the city and simply allow myself to get lost. It is so easy to navigate and I honestly would walk for hours, just exploring little side streets and eating my bodyweight in bahn mi’s. 

During my stay in Hanoi I visited Hỏa Lò Prison Museum, a prison built by the French in the 1800s. The museum offers stories from and about prisoners during the Vietnam war. The entry was 50,000 VND(€2.00)

There is a never ending supply of food stalls and coffee vendors around Hanoi. It is without question that you have to try the range of coffees they have to offer. I would usually just pop into a random vendor I would find on my travels and eat/ drink there. 

I did pay the famous Note Coffee shop a visit. Tucked in the bustling streets of Hanoi lays this famous 4 storey cafe. The walls are covered from floor to ceiling in aspirations, quotes and dreams from previous travellers. I think it is worth the visit for the concept. It is such a wholesome idea and when you are a solo traveller it does spark a sort of sense of comfort. The iced coconut coffee was banging.

I ate an unhealthy amount of Bahn Mi’s while I was in Hanoi. I couldn’t get enough of them. The “TikTok” famous Bahn Mi 25 is one of the only places I say is worth the hype. The combination of the pate, meat and vegetables made my mouth water along with the low price ranging from 25,000-35,000 VND. I would recommend trying the Bahn Mi’s from the little food vendors along the way as they are equally as tasty and usually can be cheaper! My favourite go to was anything pork related!

The one restaurant you have to go to, even just for the experience is Bún Chả Hương Liên located in Hanois Old quarters. It is renowned for having Barck O’Bama and Anthony Bourdain eat here in 2016. The restaurant has made its whole theme all about this visit from the menu design, to pictures around the restaurant to even a glass enclosed table and chairs where Barack O’Bama sat and ate his food. The menu is limited to about 6 options.

Of course when you are in Hanoi, you have to visit the famous Train Street. I entered the train street from 222 le Duan Lane Hanoi. It seemed to be a lot less busy than the famous spot. We easily got a seat outside a cafe. The vendors weren’t pushy about us buying stuff from them, but we each got coconuts anyways to support them. We watched maybe three trains go by in the ½ an hour we spent there. It is crazy how close they get to you! People would place bottle caps under the wheel to take home as a souvenir.

The Ha Giang Loop:

Company I chose: Bong Hostel, https://www.bongbackpackerhostel.com/

After a lot of consideration and chatting with a girl I met in Laos, I decided to opt with Bong Hostel for my Ha Giang Loop experience- honestly it did not disappoint. 

We all met at Bong hostel in Hanoi, before being transported by a 5 hour sleeper bus to Ha Giang. Everybody was divided into dorms before being split into groups of 11/12 the next day. I did a little exploring around the markets in Ha Giang, where I saw my first sighting of dog meat!!!!

The loop is one of the best things you can do as a solo traveller. You will become insanely tight knit with the people in your group and more often than not you will end up travelling the rest of Vietnam with them. I would recommend you do the 4 Day, 3 Night tour. Over the course of the 4 days you will pass through emerald green mountain valleys, beautiful waterfalls, boat trips and stop at the most breathtaking viewpoints, all while travelling the border of China. You will have 3 family meals a day with your team, sing ample amounts of karaoke until your voice goes and drink an unhealthy amount of Happy water. You will create the most beautiful memories and become best friends with people who were strangers only 4 days prior. It is so hard to describe the Euphoria you feel when on the loop and the pure heartbreak you feel when you realise the experience is over. 

Things to know for the loop:

Before you head on the loop it is important to know that you don’t bring your main backpack with you. You will have to pack a smaller bag which will travel with you on the back of the bike around the loop. Your main backpack will go into holding at the hostel.

As you are in mountainous areas, the weather can be unpredictable, with heavy rainstorms. I would recommend bringing waterproofs. The hostel do provide plastic coverings, but they can get hot and sweaty and your own rain gear might be more comfortable.

Bring runners!! It might seem like common sense but I didn’t. You will do some minor hikes and walks throughout the loop so you need the comfortable footwear.

Make sure to stock up on suncream. Although it was cloudy, I ended up getting a gnarly sunburn on my shoulders. 

Bring extra cash in case you fancy some drinks along the way and also bring enough to tip your Easy Driver. I tipped 1,000,000 VND at the end of the trip.

Sapa

Bong Hostel, offered a direct tranfer to Sapa from their hostel in Ha Giang. For 50,000 VND we were able to get a sleeper bus. We arrived late into our homestay and went straight to bed. The next day we booked a day long trek through our homestay. I think we paid around 250,000 VND. It was a cold and miserable day, which added to the fun. We got picked up in our van around 11.00am and headed to the start of our tour. Our tour guide was a lovely local lady. She was extremely informative and was open to any questions we had. A local family joined and helped us trek through the cascades of water flooding the paths. Our guide showed us the rice crops, as we passed through the bright green rice fields and past gushing waterfalls. We visited a little textiles shop and ate dinner with one of the families in their home, before taking a shot of happy water!

Sapa is a beautiful city to explore at night with an abundance of markets, restaurants and lights that nearly give it a Christmas feel!

While in Sapa you have to visit Fansipan! Fansipan is home to the tallest mountain in Indochina and Vietnam. To get up to the mountain you can either take the steepest cable car in the world and a fanicular, a cable car and a 30-45 minute hike or if you’re brave you can hike the whole mountain which will take roughly 1-2 days.

We took the cable car and hike to the summit. It was honestly one of the most amazing rides and well worth spending the money on. It took about 20 minutes to get to the top where you fly over bright green rice paddies and float through the beautiful fog that rolls over the mountains! It was super foggy at the top of the mountain and cold so I would recommend taking a jacket but the air was so beautiful and crisp.

Ninh Binh

Where I stayed: Banana Tree Hostel https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/299332/the-banana-tree-hostel/

First lets give this hostel a special mention. This place is amazing for making new friends for your travel adventures. The dorms are modern, with spacious beds and even a fan to each dorm bed. The social area offers places to eat, chill or socialise with a decent sized pool in the centre, table tennis tables and a pool table.

Ninh Binh, a couple of hours south of Hanoi is a peaceful region which swaps the chaos of the city for winding rivers, beautiful limestone mountains and an endless vision of green.

Here we hired bikes and cycled through gorgeous rice fields, passing farmers tending to their crops, buffalos grazing and quiet streets to Mua Cave. Here we hiked the Dragon Hill. There are roughly 500 steps to reach the top. It can be quite a tough climb depending on the humidity as the steps are steep and hap hazard, but it is totally worth the climb for the views of Ninh Binh and surrounding areas on top!

At the base of this climb there is a beautiful pond of lotus flowers which bloom from May- July. We just missed the blooming season, but it was still gorgeous none the less and worth the visit!

Ninh Binh is also famous for its Trang An boat tours– a unique world heritage site through a variety of limestone karsts. Women and men will expertly row you in their small paddle boats with their bare feet down the river. We opted for the tour that would take you through a long limestone cave where you have about a foot of headspace before it opens into a tall cave space. You may spot some bats flying around as well. This tour will also stop off at some temples along the river front!

Hoi An

Where I stayed: Fuse hostel, Old Town. https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/317286/fuse-old-town-hoi-an/

Well Hoi An, what can I say… What a place! Hoi An is decorated with beautiful golden-yellow buildings, glowing lanterns and a bustling atmosphere. Hoi An is another Vietnamese city which is amazing just to allow yourself to get lost in. It’s narrow streets are lined with plentiful tailor boutiques, tiny cafes and temples. During the day there is a vibrant, but calming atmosphere.

At night the city is alive, heaving with people and life. The river that run throughs the centre of Hoi An lights up with colourful lanterns as tourists release lanterns holding good wishes down the river and locals gentle paddle small boats.

You cannot come to Hoi An without getting something tailor made! I went to a business called Tailor No.90. I paid $150 dollars altogether, where Ms.An took her time taking measurements and designing the outfits I had requested. I got 1 dress, 1 jumpsuit and a two piece made here. She called me back 2 times for fittings until she was happy everything fitted correctly! Her attention to detail was immaculate.

Through Fuse hostel I booked a day long cycling tour around the city. This tour took us on a tour of the bean sprout industry, where we met the cutest bean sprout farmer who taught us all about how he grows the crop. He even let us sample his bean sprouts. You could tell he had so much pride in his work. We cycled through small alley ways to sample salt coffee, through bright green rice paddies and past buffalos grazing. We visited the Heritage museum, which through photography and art delves into the archives of Vietnamese culture and ethnics. We visited Quan Thang Ancient House, one of the oldest houses standing houses in Hoi An, where we sampled tea and a traditional Vietnamese yoghurt which was delicious! To cap off the day we were brought to a lantern making workshop where we were able to make our own lanterns and take them home as a souvenir. At the end of the tour we got to try a Hoi An speciality dish called Cao Lau noodles. Cao Lau noodles consist of thick, chewy noodles, pork, crispy cracklings and an insanely flavoured broth. This tour cost about 26$, so a bit on the pricier side, but I think it was worth it!

When in Vietnam, you have to do a cooking class. I could not highly recommend Mimi’s cooking class enough. Mimi offers private transport which will pick you up from your hostel and drop you at a local produce market. Here you will help shop for your cooking class and learn all about Vietnamese ingredients and delicacies. You will then be brought out to her kitchen where you will prep a 3 course meal, create fire storms with the pans, and learn about each dish you are cooking. She even accommodates dietary requirements!

To make this cooking class even more fun after you have finished cleaning and eating you will be brought out to the river to meet Mimi’s family. This part of the day honestly felt like I was in a dystopian. You will be split into pairs and sat into a unique circular boat- coconut boats, where a member of her family will row you down the river. The lovely lady we had rowing our boat was hilarious and sang “Gangnam Style” the whole duration of the journey! The boats row down about 500metres to where among the murky water and reeds there seems to be somewhat of a rave going on. People are being spun violently around in circles in their coconut boats whilst Gangnam Style plays full blast at different times, from 4 different speakers! I contacted Mimi via her Facebook page! 10/10 could not rate this cooking class high enough!

Outside of the Old Town in Hoi An, you can also have a calm beach day. You can rent a lounge on the beach and an umbrella and just chill for a couple of hours soaking up the sun and the quietness around.

Although I had an amazing time here, it is the one place on my travels I felt on edge a little bit. You have to be extra cautious at night. There is a famous row of bars along the river canal such as The Mr.Bean bar, Tiger Tiger and the Hair of the Dog. There is a motorcycle gang who will offer you free lifts. Although it seems like common sense it is very important you NEVER take lifts from these people and organise a Grab lift home at the end of the night. Take it from someone who had a very close call………….

Da Lat

Where I stayed : Da Lat Family Hostel https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/302311/dalat-family-hostel/

Hands down the cheapest hostel I stayed in during my travels, coming in at a whooping €1.00 per night. This hostel is nestled right in the heart of Da Lat and although its not the most glamarous place one could stay, it really does have that family feel. You honestly can not expect a huge amount of luxury at the price you pay! Each evenings there are offers on 2 for 1 cocktails and they also offer a wholesome family dinner experience. The social vibe is also there which makes it perfect for the solo traveller.

I took an 11 hour sleeper bus here from Hoi An. I only ended up staying 1 night, before moving on, but I got plenty packed into my day here. I visited the Maze Bar in the town centre. This is a unique bar, which as the name suggests is designed like a maze. You can get lost in this place, exploring for hours, playing hide and seek with your friends. There is a guy here dressed like Mario who you can challenge to a game of chess to make the experience more enjoyable- if you know, you know.

The next day I woke up early and took a trip to Cao Nguyen Hoa Park, Da Lat, otherwise known as the real life Mario Kart track. The whole experience is so funny from start to end. Everybody looks like the Tellytubbys with theirs helmets and a phone mount on top of their heads. You sit into these toy car look a likes and are in control of a steering wheel and brakes. After a quick safety briefing you are sent on this downhill track, through tunnels and around corners where you race your friends, crash into obstacles and more often then not end up flying outside of your car. You get two turns around the track for 300,000 VND (€9.80). My stomach was in bits from just hysterically laughing the whole way around the track.

About 10 minutes away is an adventure park called Mongo Land. Mongo Land is famous for its panoramic views, fun and active experiences. The main attraction and my favourite was the Rainbow slide. As the name suggest its a rainbow decorated slide, with hundreds of wheels where you sit into a fabric donut and go flying down the hill simultaneously with your friends. the queues can be long but the 30 seconds of adrenaline you get is well worth the wait. There are also food stalls littered throughout, a go karting track, a big swing, yurts littered throughout and a little pet farm- although I do question the ethics behind the pet farm side of it.

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Where I stayed: Mobylette Saigon Hotel https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/account/trip/571101641

& Saigon Rooftops Hostel https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/account/trip/571138269

Ho Chi Minh, formally known as Saigon is fusion of Vietnamese and French colonial buildings. In some ways it give the feel of a European city, which is no surprise due to its complex history.

I loved Ho Chi Minh city. Like Hanoi and Hoi An, it is a lot of fun to just simply get lost in. I think it is important to visit here and learn about Vietnams heartbreaking history.

The War Remnants museum is one of the most powerful and confronting stops you can make whilst in Ho Chi Minh. This museum offers you raw photographs and preserved military equipment which tell the human side of the Vietnam war. Throughout you will see photography from both Vietnamese and American journalists, learn about the lasting impact of Agent Orange and the brutality the war carried. It is a deeply emotional walk through history and will leave you with a heavy heart as you exit. It is so important to learn about the countries history and resilience.

Another important tour is the Cu Chi Tunnels. I booked my tour through Get Your Guide, and it was very informative. On the way to the tunnels, the guide pointed out key landmarks from the Vietnam War. In the War Remnants Museum, you’ll see the famous photo “Napalm Girl,” which shows a young girl running naked with other children, followed by a cloud of smoke from a bomb that hit their village. The tour bus will drive down this street. This moment stuck with me.

The tour also includes a stop at an art studio that helps people affected by agent orange express themselves through art and earn a living. Agent Orange was a toxic chemical herbicide used by US troops. It had devastating long term effects on Vietnamese families, causing birth defects such cleft lips, limb defects and congenital heart defects. The artwork was beautiful and it was quite an emotional & powerful part of the tour.

The tour through the Cu Chi Tunnels was fascinating. Our tour guide walked us through the horrifying, yet fascinating defense systems the Vietnamese set up to protect themselves. There were trap doors and booby traps filled with nails. The tunnels themselves were an impressive array of underground hide aways, where soldiers would crouch down to hide from the enemy and live / eat during the war. You get to experience hiding in their hidden doors and crouching/ walking through their tunnels. I found their defense tactics fascinating and how every little move they moved was calculated to perfection.

The most iconic landmark in Ho Chi Minh, has to be the Ho Chi Minh City post office. It is a piece of French colonial architecture and is bustling with people all day long. Backpackers famously post postcards and parcels home. I of course was no different and posted a wide range of gifts home to my family.

Another unique place of visit is the apartment blocks of cafes and boutiques. You will have seen the famous one on TikTok, but honestly these buildings are scattered throughout the city and are definitely worth checking out while you are here!