Touring Northern Vietnam
It always starts with a picture...
Hello Explorers! For me, travels are constantly inspired by a photo, an Instagram post, or a random video clip. This trip started when I spotted these amazing spriery mountains jutting out of crystal clear waters with fanciful boats jetting everywhere. The photo was the background of the photoshoot for my favorite clothing line, Athleta. I knew I had to see this place in person and added it to my bucket list. So, I headed to my computer and started to search. It turned out my dream destination was HaLong Bay, Vietnam! With a little more searching, I discovered two other unique destinations, Sapa and Ninh Binh, and Northern Vietnam became the target for my next trip. Combining these destinations in one trip was challenging, but I hope you enjoy reading about how we made it happen and perhaps gaining a few tips for your travels.
Luckily for me, my husband travels frequently (thus the title of my blog FORTUNATEtotravel). He had a business trip to Singapore, so we arranged to meet up in Hanoi (the major airport near my dream destination). Although cities are not my thing, I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity to see this one. I read a lot about Hanoi and its 7.8 million people and knew it would be overwhelming to take it on alone, so I found some help in some unusual places. First, I ensured we had a nice hotel that would help out a foreign traveler. We stayed at the La Siesta Trendy, and they were beautiful (as you will discover throughout this post). We arranged taxi pickup from the airport through the hotel (just as cheap and safer than an airport taxi), and they transported us safely, but separately as we were arriving on different flights, to the hotel. I arrived in the late evening, so it was off to bed for me, but my husband had arrived earlier and had a wonderful dinner in the hotel restaurant (he recommends it highly).
Hanoi
On our first day out in Hanoi, we wanted to see the city, and as they say, it is always better to see a city like a local and with a local, Right?. As Hanoi is a city where the primary mode of transportation is a motorcycle and or scooter, I knew that was the way to go. As we are a bit more conservative than many of the younger and braver YouTube vloggers I follow, I found a fantastic alternative to renting a scooter. We hired Hanoi Backstreet Tours to take us on a motorcycle tour of the city. They were amazing! Two fun and very safe drivers came to our hotel on their bikes to show us around their city. We visited several markets, the famous train street, crossed the Long Bien bridge, sampled A LOT of food (lunch at Bun Cha Huong Lien where Obama ate dinner with Anthony Bourdain), and even saw a bird singing competition (who knew that was a thing?). Our guides were even kind enough to stop by the water puppet theater so we could pick up tickets for that night's show (TIP - these tickets are silly expensive. If you buy them in advance online, you can get better seats by just walking up to the theater in the morning). We saw so much on this tour that it might have taken days to see it all if we had visited each site individually. By mid-afternoon, we were back at the hotel stuffed with food and set to regroup for the evening.
Describe your image
Describe your image
Hanoi -Puppet Show, City Lights and The Night Market.
We headed out on the town for the evening! I adore rooftop bars, and Hanoi has more than its fair share. With some research, I learned you could reserve a table with appetizers and drink packages for a fraction of the cost at most of these bars. We went with the Diamond Sky Bar; I can honestly say I selected this location based on the photos on their fabulous website (along with the fact they had food my husband would eat). We had a lovely evening with a sunset over the city, live music, great food, service, and outstanding views.
Next, we headed off to the iconic water puppet show. Some would call this a tourist trap, and overall I would have to agree; however, it was an experience I wasn't willing to skip. Submerged puppeteers maneuver colorful puppets through the water while talented musicians relay a story with traditional instruments and songs. I can't say it was terrific, but it was interesting, different, cultural, and just some basic overall fun. It's a quick one-hour show, and I think if we had skipped it, we would have missed something that is essentially touristy in Hanoi.
People, food, and music - the Hanoi night market was next on the itinerary. This is the time to let your senses lead you. Hanoi closes down the main roads in the old town for the night market, and it's a great time to take a wander, watch people, and taste something new. We started with a plan, but in reality, we just followed the crowds and our noses. We subscribed to the good old tourist guide of "eat where the locals are lining up." Food and drink are plentiful but finding a table to sit at is the challenge. Grab one quick if you see one, and don't be afraid to share - this can be one of the best ways to make a new friend.
Hanoi - Day 2 and the Night Train to Sapa
When traveling with a significant time change, I encourage everyone to plan for the inviable jet lag. My husband is a master at powering through and can manage it much better than I. He changes his clock when he boards the plane and switches timezones with relative ease (it might help that he travels business class). I struggle (and travel coach)! So on our next day in Hanoi, I planned for my difficulty. We spent the morning packing up for our next journey to Sapa and then headed out for some practicals, local SIM cards, snacks for our upcoming travels, and a little general shopping. By the afternoon, I was lagging. Luckily I planned for this and set him up at the adjacent spa for a massage while I caught some much-needed shut-eye. This might sound extravagant, but I think the message was about $40 with tip (which is a ton in Vietnam) but still impressive for over an hour and a half. Here is where La Siesta Trendy was incredible. They allowed for a late checkout and then held our bags while we enjoyed a nice dinner; they even locked away a bag with my husband's business clothes and stuff while we traveled. They then helped us with our transfer to the night train to Sapa.
Sapa
It took me a long time to understand the night train to Sapa and how it's managed and booked. If just one person learns something from this post, building this entire site will be worth it.
So here we go; I learned that multiple companies own and manage individual rail cars that are part of the train between Hanoi and Sapa. Each company supplies a different level of cabin, service, and, well...cleanliness. You can buy your tickets online, with travel agents, or even through your hotel in Hanoi or Sapa. Every additional person you use gets a cut, so the more you can manage out the middleman, the more you can save. You can find reviews online of the different companies/train cars, but it's hard to decipher which is which, like so many people review everything as the "night train." We took the Chapa Train and were very pleased. The room was spotless, linens were fresh and clean, an attendant was present at all times, and the bathroom was well maintained. The only final trick with the Sapa train is obtaining your ticket. There are many trains in the station, and it's challenging to locate where you are loading. On top of this, the rail car companies, Chapa included, do not maintain offices or booths. The companies simply have an attendant wondering about the main train station/lounge waiting for people to find him/her/they and claim their tickets. It's the only part of our trip that made me uneasy, although I am sure we could have managed. As it turned out, there was no need. The amazing staff at La Siesta Trendy arranged a driver to the train station for us. I only arranged for a taxi ride, but their team took us from their lobby, found the Chapa attendant, and put us in our cabin on the train. Outstanding!
The Mountains and Rice Fields of Sapa
We arrived in Sapa well rest rested after our overnight train experience. The Chapa train provided a shuttle that dropped everyone off at their respective hotels. We felt super efficient using our sleep time as travel time and were ready to enjoy our day. After grabbing breakfast at our beautiful hotel, Aira Boutique Hotel, we headed out with a private driver (arranged through the hotel). We visited Heavens Gate (photo above), hiked to the Love Waterfall and the Silver Waterfall, and then took the world's longest cable car to Fansipan (the highest peak in Vietnam at over 10,000 feet). We ended our day with a great local dinner with a sunset view (sorry, according to google, this restaurant is gone).
On our second day in Sapa, we took a guided hike across the rice fields into the neighboring town, where we had lunch. TA hike is a must-do in Sapa. In the end, the hotel had a van waiting to take us back.
A small 1 to 2 mile hike out to this stunning waterfall
sorry it changed owners - no longer open
Please be for-warned when visiting Sapa that you will encounter many women and children aggressively selling trinkets. Small children are also often used to obtain the sympathy of tourists. Although it can be tough to turn down these children, I have been told it's better for the community if you do. By turning down the children, you hopefully save the next generation of children from being removed from school and pushed into the same fate.
Moving forward from Sapa, we once again took the night train back to Hanoi. Originally we had planned to take a taxi from the train station and find a coffee shop until we could meet up with our cruise transfer for Ha Long Bay; however, the fantastic folks at the La Siesta Trendy hotel came through for us. They arranged pickup at the train station and brought us back to the hotel for breakfast until our transfer arrived. Fabulous!
HaLong Bay
Paradise, Ha Long Bay is sheer Paradise!
On our adventure, we took a two-night cruise with Paradise Cruises. Again, we splurged for this adventure. We booked a suite with a balcony at the ship's bow and a bathtub (with a view).
Climb to the top of this islet for a great view
Stop by one of the only remaining floating fishing villages
Climb to the top of this islet for a great view
The cruise companies in HaLong Bay have their itineraries and people moving skills down. They seamlessly move you through all the sites throughout the bay. There are fishing villages to see, caves to explore, kayaks to paddle, and islets to climb. You can partake in as many activities as you want or relax onboard. There is also plenty of food, but Like most cruise lines, they provided quantity over quality, but I had no complaints.
Ninh Binh
If I were to run away and hide from my current life or escape to write a novel, I would disappear into Ninh Binh. Know as the "Halong Bay on land," this otherworldly region of Vietnam offers all the peace and tranquillity you could want with just enough adventure to keep even those of us with a healthy dose of wanderlust entertained.
Ninh Binh is a popular backpacker location, and your hotel can arrange many activities for you. So, if you find a great base like Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow, you will be all set. We came across Tam Coc by finding an excellent guide on the Trip Advisor Forum. When we told our guide, Tommy Pham, where we were planning on staying (a basic hotel in the city center), he redirected us to Tam Coc, and WOW, what a difference this made for our stay. We were now a 1/4 mile off the main drag containing restaurants and bars and tucked up against two limestone pinnacles amid the bright green rice fields. Our room even had a secluded outdoor shower! The outdoor dining area was tucked under the limestone, and the food there was great! Unfortunately, we had two disappointing meals in town before we discovered this.
We spent two full days in Ninh Binh, touring the countryside with Tommy Pham. He was a fantastic guide, willing to customize his tour to our requests (and ensure we saw the best of everything). Below is our two-day itinerary; the highlights for me were the Mua Cave viewpoint and the Trang An boat ride. It was also just great to spend time with Tommy. He is a wonderful person, and we are still friends on Facebook!
Day 1 (via motorcycle)
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Ride through county side
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Visit local village and farm
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Bich Dong Pagoda
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Lunch at a local family-run restaurant
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Thai Vi Temple
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Hike to Mua Cave Viewpoint with views of Tam Coc River (photo above)
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There are a lot of stairs!
There are a lot of stairs!
Describe your image
Describe your image
Day 2 (with vehicle)
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Trang An - morning boat ride
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lunch - local restaurant near Hoa Lu.
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Visit two temples of the kings in Hoa Lu. H
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Bai Dinh Pagoda - the 2nd biggest pagoda in Vietnam.
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Our trip ended with a private driver transfer to Hanoi with Ninh Binh Transfers. We decided it was worth the $70 to hire a driver to take us back in comfort and save time instead of taking the Ninh Binh bus.
Hello!
My name is Tricia and I
have been fortunate to travel to amazing destinations with my husband Jamie. If you are enjoying our travel content and would like to send us a thank you (and perhaps buy us a coffee or glass of wine on our next trip) I invite you to join our Patreon. Happy Exploring!!
