30 days journey across Vietnam (under 80k INR)

Hanoi was everything I imagined it to be. Humid, chaotic, filled with aroma & fragrances. It’s a picture perfect mess. It can overwhelm your senses and that's coming from an Indian. I had bad beginning though because of the hotel I was staying in. I won't get into details but basic thing was, they changed the dorm I booked into room. Made me pay extra for room. Then after a day asked me to move to different room which was still under construction. Plus there no way to meet fellow travelers here. Name of the hotel is "Hanoi Family Homestay 2". Avoid staying at this place if you can. I had enough of the crap from them so decided to leave the place and booked hostel near Bach Ma Temple - Hanoi old city gate. I highly recommend staying near this area if you like to meet travelers and love night life.

Reality check: I found attraction to be underwhelming aesthetically. But I did love visiting Ho chi minh museum. I had amazing time visiting ancient merchant house. Though at first, it was not impressive. Later a free guide approached me. It's pretty common here. Students who are studying to be guide for foreigners often approach you to provide free guided tour to practice English. She added meaning to even a simple wall hanging. Learning more about history certainly makes every attraction an experience. Food in Vietnam was not my cup of tea to be honest. I did love pho, fried noodles & assortment of vegetables with rice. But meat was too chewy for my liking. Coffee however was best one I have ever had. Especially coffee in Hanoi is better than anywhere else in Vietnam. I couldn't get enough of it despite the ridiculous amount of sugar they add in them. You must try "CAFE DINH" near Hoan Kiem lake. It's one of the oldest and in my experience best coffee in Vietnam (recommended by local). You must try their egg coffee.

Do visit Hoan Kiem lake on weekend. Roads are closed for traffic. People perform on streets. There are activities ranging from art, DIY to games. It's quite festive atmosphere. You can spend hours people watching here.

While I was visiting Temple of literature, I met 2 Indian women. Who happened to be from Bangalore as well. It was really nice to have sense of familiarity. We decided to meet later for drinks but couldn’t as it rained pretty heavy that night. But I ended up meeting this other guy Dhiphen, whom I met at temple as well. It was quite nice. He told me about “must try food joints of Hanoi”. He told me about Vietnamese language. How it has few words but depending on how word is pronounced, meaning is defined. He is quite knowledgeable I must say.

Next day I went to beer street. I was aimlessly pub hopping when I met Ricardo. He stayed at same hostel as me. He was hanging out with couple of friends. Then we went around for more drinks. Met 2 Spanish guys and a Australian family. Went dancing to a club where we met 3 new people. Ricardo and Tim were being kissed, hugged and kicked by a woman. Who thankfully didn’t kick me LoL. By the end of the night we don’t know how many people we met? when they left and what happened most of the time. Thankfully Ricardo was with me. So we were able to go back together. It was probably one of the craziest nights of my life.

Sa Pa has pleasant chill weather. This was welcome change after hot and humid Hanoi. There are two options to see around Sa Pa. Either you can stay in town and take tour or stay in nearby village at home stay and hike around. Most of the tourists prefer staying in nearby villages with locals. I chose to stay in town because travelling from Hanoi to Sa PA is already long journey. I didn’t want to do another hour journey via taxi from SaPA. Plus I wanted to take motorbike tour so that I can see more. Which would be limited if I chose to hike and stay at home stay. But home stay & hiking are more authentic experience.

I took Motorbike tour with local Hmong guide next day. We drove through villages after villages. Circling back to Sa Pa. He stopped at multiple view points. We had lunch together at Cat Cat village. After which he took me to highest view point around. The roads were quite muddy and steep. Because of this we couldn’t go any further on bike. So we both started to push the bike uphill. He tried to accelerate bike to ease the push. This in turn splashed mud at me. It was hilarious. We were dirty, stumbling and couldn’t stop laughing. But it was all worth it. Because that view, OMG the view of mountain after mountain of rice plantation was majestic. There were very few people. So I am guessing not many come to that view point.

After freshening up. I went out for a stroll around town. I sat down at a bar where I met Jack. He was sitting at the table next to me. The bar owner cracked some joke and introduced us. So we sat together and started talking. He was quite funny. Then some Hmong women approached us to sell some stuff. Jack started having fun with them and teased them little bit. He didn’t want to buy much but he offered to sell some stuff to help Su. So he went from person to person making sales pitch. Needless to say he wasn’t very good. I decided to help him and we made 3-4 sales. Then he bought fanta for them. There were 2 Spanish girls sitting on next table. I invited them to join us. There name was Clara and Paula. We got drunk. They asked me to show some Bollywood moves and I asked them to show me some flamenco dance moves. We tried to copy each other. I failed miserably. But that didn’t stop us. We went to another bar and played Jenga on repeat. Guess we finally went back to our rooms somewhere around 2-3 am. Needless to say I had to cancel the tour next morning.

I took night bus from Sa Pa to Hanoi. It dropped me off close by to cat ba express office around 3:30-4 am. Streets were quite empty. I decided to sit on footsteps of a hotel. Men walking by were staring but no one bothered me. Then through the dark street I saw that small street side restaurant lights were on. They were preparing meal for the day. It was the scene I had read about and was referred in Anthony Bourdain’s videos. I moved closer to them to feel safer. I could smell the aromas of Pho. Family chattering like it’s middle of the day. As the day began to break, a lady opened her bakery. Flower sellers began to prepare the cycle. In quiet scary time of wee hours. I found tourist free authentic Hanoi.

I decided to go to Cat Ba instead of Halong Bay. I thought Halong would be too touristy and concrete. I didn’t like Cat Ba much either. Day tour was not great. They just take you close by on boat and since it is all limestone cliffs around. It’s hard for tourist to even comprehend with the scam. Thankfully I had nice company on cruise. Met 2 girls Nadia, Nicky from Amsterdam. Conversations with Nadia were particularly interesting. She is psychologist. We talked about Politics, gender discrimination, movies, our love for Emma Watson. Later we decided to meet for dinner. Dee the receptionist of the hotel where I was staying at, asked me to meet for drinks with some locals after dinner. Her friends were so sweet, funny, flirty and man do they look young!

Next day I spend walking around and relaxing. In the evening I met few guys Roger, Paulo & their friends from Switzerland. If you guys remember I wrote earlier about drunken night in Hanoi. So, when I was in dance club with my friends this guy approached me for a dance. But I had to leave with my friends to another club. That guys friends where shouting “kiss”, “kiss”, “kiss”. We were sharing stories about Hanoi. I was telling those guys story about those foolish guys from Hanoi club and it turned out it was THEM!!! We were so drunk that night we couldn’t recognize each other. Well, that was embarrassing.

I have recommended staying here at least 3 days. Even though I stayed only 2 days. I fell in love with Tam Coc town. It’s so damn beautiful. I use to walk on small concrete path or bridge which connected town & hostel I stayed in. On either side of the path, there was wet land. Filled with lotus with the back drop of beautiful mountains. Tam Coc center has lake in the center with plenty of rowing boats and surrounded by mountains. Walking through the town is such a joy. Winding lanes with artistic homes all around and somewhere in the middle you’ll pass through a bridge with lake beneath. Everywhere you go people are walking or cycling or boating. This is a town where you’ll feel serene slow pace life.

Next day I rented cycle from town center. Cycles are in pretty terrible condition here. They look ok but by the end of the day your butt is going to hurt real bad. It gets really hot here. You’ll feel dehydrated. Plan to stay indoor in afternoon. Despite drinking plenty of water I felt extremely dehydrated. I sat outside Thai Vi temple to feel better. The vendor outside turned fan towards me and wanted me to feel cold water bottle on my neck. Needless to say I ran the hell away from there. After resting for few hours. Even though I didn’t feel up to it. I really wanted to see Hang Mua. After cycling for 5 KM and climbing 500 steps, I finally reached top of Hang Mua. View is quite incredible from here.

TIP: people will try to stop your vehicle in the very beginning of entrance for parking. But don’t stop there. Cause you will have to walk quite a bit and there is parking in Hang Mua complex.

I had booked motorbike tour next day for Trang An, Bai Dinh Pagoda and Hoa Lu ancient capital. Most of the structures in Trang An seemed similar. It’s all recent construction from 2014. Boating is pretty nice experience here. From there we went to Bai Dinh pagoda. It’s huge complex. You have to walk around quite a bit. View from the top of pagoda was highlight of my visit to Bai Dinh pagoda. After this we were suppose to go to Hao Lu. But I was exhausted due to heat. So, I decided to skip.

After coming back, me and my roommate were talking about our traveling style. Turns out she’s my traveling soul sister. She also love to play beautiful melodies and imagine as if the whole scene is being picturized on it. We notice details like how light is falling or notice some quirky details about building, watching people, their reaction. Next day she left for Japan and I to Phong Nha.

Weather in Phong Nha was pleasant. Town is pretty much quiet. Though there are few nice bars, eateries and café in town center. By town center I mean 1 lane where they have few super markets, bars, restaurants etc. I booked tour via hotel I was staying. Tours here were most expensive part of my trip. Cheapest tour was around 1100000 VND/ 3500 INR/ 50 USD. For me cave tour was ok. Maybe because I haven’t done much research. Tour guide did explain us about each cave on way.

I stayed in Tam’s home stay in Phong Nha. He arranged everything at reasonable price. His family is pretty kind as well. I am afraid of lizards. So, Tam took care that there were none in my room. They invited me for dinner. They made some 6-8 varieties of dishes. His 4 year old son was showing me all cool stunts he has learnt. His eldest daughter who is barely 14 is a wonder woman. She is outstanding in sports, studies, and cooks every day before going to school. She showed me her favorite Japanese and Korean pop band. They sounded groovy. I would recommend everyone to stay here. Bonus, they provide you bicycle to go around for free.

Well, my original plan was to go to Hue from Phong Nha. I had planned to stay 2 days in Hue. But I was pretty exhausted with running around after every 2-3 days. Hence I decided to go to Hoi An directly. On way to Hoi An we stopped in Hue for an hour. I felt like I should have stayed in Hue as well. But thought will do day trip from Hoi AN. I ended up not doing that. I skipped Hue, Danang. Instead stayed in Hoi An for 8 days.

Hoi An is picturesque town. You are bound to end up with couple of amazing shots. Old town has many picture perfect spots. Bougainville flowing down from warm coloured buildings. Which are decorated with quirky décor. As I ventured into back lanes of town. Kids were playing, they were extremely friendly and often approached to high-five me. This small things remained with me even after I left. I didn’t see many attractions while I was here. Just walking around streets, eating in beautiful restaurants, drinking cheap beer by river was pretty much all I did. Some guys whom I had met in Cat Ba, before that in Hanoi were in Hoi An as well. Though only Roger stayed behind. We took boat ride at night. Next day we went to Hai Van Pass. It’s pretty incredible. Entire stretch was pristine. After that we went to Da nang to see dragon bridge.

I was lucky to have met my roommate Ron. She is fun, bubbly, friendly and beautiful inside out. We shared love for harry potter, Politics, traveling and feminism. She even has a snitch tattoo on her ankle. We spoke for hours, got dinner and drinks together. Next day went to beach and guess who I ran into on beach? It was Jack from Sa Pa. He was walking by , when I shouted “Hey Jack-ass”. He looked up with utter surprise and gave a big hug. We decided to meet later. I and Ron went to meet her friends, some German couple. After spending few hours on beach. We came back to town. As we were walking to hostel. Ron introduced me to kickass singer called “Todrick Hall”. She played “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels” which is such a upbeat funky song. We danced our way back to hostel LoL.

While I and Ron were discussing gender issues. Another roommate spoke to us. Her name is Nakita. Three of us sat talking for few hours. Sadly Ron had to leave that day and Nakita left the same day. Thankfully my new roommate was pretty awesome as well. Her name is Phili. She is from Bali. This is my favorite country so far. We spent whole day together. Talking, eating, and walking around. She clicks amazing pictures. Her instagram page is amazing and informative.

Next day Jack asked me if I would like to get some fish tacos in Da nang. So we went there. Spent rest of the day by the pool. Sipping cocktails. I finally decided to do My son day tour. It was good to go on tour after days of doing nothing. My son structures are pretty average now, as most of it was destroyed by American bombing. Though learning about history and its importance during war makes the site fascinating.

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) 21 September 2019

Recommended duration of stay: 2 days

Best way to reach: Flight or bus depending on where you are coming from. I flew in.

Recommended area to stay: District 1.

Must see: Cu chi tunnels, War remnants museum, Bitexco financial tower, Emperor jade pagoda, Saigon Notre Dame cathedral, Ben thanh market.

I hadn’t heard much praise about Saigon from fellow travelers. Attractions in the city are pretty average. Night life is good in district-1. But I found few places problematic. They were meant purely for male gaze. My favorite part in city was sitting on street side eateries, drinking cheap beer. Having conversations with locals and travelers. Among attractions, visiting Cu chi tunnels was intense and a must have experience. The rush of emotions I felt while visiting Cu Chi tunnels. I haven’t felt anywhere else in the world yet. I couldn’t hold back tears. Imagining the conditions in which they fought and survived. Really gets to you. I went into tunnel for just 40M stretch, felt suffocated and got out. Remember it is made bigger for tourists now.

So, while visiting Saigon, do remember. City is not impressive. But history here is majestic.

Phu Quoc 23 September 2019

Recommended duration of stay: 3 days

Best way to reach: Flight

Recommended area to stay: Any beach or town center.

Must see: Beach hopping.

Since it was off season, most of pubs in town center were pretty much dead. After dinner I went to House no:1. Which was highly rated on Google. When I went there, It was just me and another guy. The guy who manages the place came over to talk. His name is Philip. Little did I know that this man is going to give me an advice which would deeply influence me to learn new things. We were discussing about stuff to do around. I told him that I am afraid to drive two wheeler to get around here. Cause I don’t drive regularly. He said “Listen, you’ll be afraid to do something first or second time. I understand you are terrified. Start slowly. By the third time it’ll be as easy as breathing”. I hold his words dear to me. Because of him I learnt swimming after coming back. I love beach and this was something I had been thinking I should learn for quite some time.

He offered to take me to Rory’s next day. Because he was going there to spend the day anyway. He picked me up next morning. We went to Rory’s it is bit far from town center. It is definitely a place where you should spend whole day lazing in pool, overlooking sea. After sunset we sat talking to the group of girls from England. One of the girls introduced me to an amazing podcast.

Next day I decided to spend day alone by beach. Finally sitting down to write my diary. Later I met with a Tinder match Domi. We spoke for hours. Took a walk on beach. We shared more common interest then I had imagined. We are still in contact. He wanted come to Bangalore to meet. I think I have been extremely lucky to have met so many wonderful people throughout my trip. Frankly, amazing people are the reason trips feel more wonderful.

I have changed as person a little after this trip. I am open to meeting more people. Trying new things. Learning new skills. Getting over pain more easily. To answer my question in beginning. No. There are parts of Vietnam I wish to explore and few places where I want to spend more time. One month wasn’t enough.

CAM ON VIETNAM