VIETNAM: LAND OF THE BLUE DRAGON

PLACES COVERED
● Ninh Binh
○ Bich Dong Pagoda
○ Trang An Boat Ride
○ Tuyet Tinh Coc
○ Bai Dinh Pagoda
○ Hang Mua Caves
● Hanoi
○ Tran Quoc Pagoda
○ Mural Street
○ Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
○ Water Puppet Show
○ Hoan Kiem Lake
○ Train Street
○ Old Quarter
○ Beer Street
● Ha Giang
○ Fairy Bosom Quan Ba
○ Ma Pi Leng Panorama
○ Skypath
○ Song Nho Que Boat ride
○ Tham Ma Pass
○ Lung Cu Flagpole
○ Hmong King’s Palace
○ Km0 Square
○ Can Ty Pass
○ Lo Lo Chai Village

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 ● Halong Bay
○ Ti Top Island
○ Sung Sot Cave
● Da Nang
○ Sunworld Ba Na Hills
■ Golden Hand Bridge
■ Alpine coaster
■ Cable Car
○ Marble Mountains
○ Lady Buddha
○ Dragon Bridge
○ Son Tra Night Market
● Hoi An
○ Lantern boat ride
○ Japanese covered bridge
○ Old Town
■ Ba Mu Temple
■ Hainan Assembly Hall
■ Hoi Quan Phuoc Kien
■ Canton Assembly Hall
○ Coconut village
■ Basket boat ride + Spinning boat
● Ho Chi Minh City
○ Cu Chi Tunnels
■ AK47 or M16 rifle firing range
○ Nguyen Hue Walking Street
○ War Remnants Museum
○ Saigon Central Post Office
○ Tan Dinh Church

Other destinations worth visiting are Sapa, Dalat, Hue, Nha trang, Mui Ne, Can
Tho, Haiphong, Cao Bang.

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Travel Tips (Prices & Costs as of 2023)
★ Sunscreen is a must for Ho Chi Minh City. Weather was very pleasant and
there was hardly any sun in northern Vietnam. Carry a wind cheater for
the cold.

★ Best time to visit Vietnam is from February end to mid May.

★ You can use a limousine shuttle to travel between cities like

Hanoi-HaGiang, Hanoi-Ninh Binh. They are cheap shared transfers. As
such while boarding one always quickly grab a seat anywhere in the back,
otherwise you’ll end up with the driver in the front. The back seats are
reclining massage chairs. A water bottle & USB charging slots are available
as well.
★ We used Klook.com for booking the tickets of Sunworld Ba Na Hills, 2-way
Cab to Ba Na Hills & Cab to Cu Chi Tunnels as these were the cheapest
options. We used first time coupon code, mobile coupon code & Niyo
coupon code for discounts.

★ If it can rain during your Vietnam visit, I suggest you carry wet weather
jackets/ponchos.

★ You can use Uber/Gojek cab or 2 -wheelers wherever available.

★ For photos/videos we used a Sony A6400 with the Sony 18-135. This is a
versatile and portable combo while not losing out on quality. We used the
Samyang 12mm F2.0 for wide angle pictures on the viewpoints.

★ Do not wear short clothes at Pagodas and National Monuments like Ho Chi
Minh Mausoleum. You will be denied entry. Wear clothes covering your
shoulders and knees.
★ Ha Giang is a tricky place to visit. One the first day we did not get haze
anywhere and had an amazing time. On the second day it was way too
hazy everywhere and we didn’t like it as nothing was visible.

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★ If you are confident with riding a 2-wheeler you can rent and ride the loop
either on your own or with a guided group of other travellers. There is
also an option of taking an experienced easy-rider and riding pillion.
However, it makes sense to do this only if you have at least 3 days for
HaGiang. Otherwise it will be way too many kms to drive for a day and you
won’t be able to enjoy the trip as much. It will also be detrimental to your
back. We did not do the whole loop. We only went till Nho Que entrance
and then drove all the way back the next day as we covered other places
on the same route.
★ We booked all our internal flights directly with Vietnam Airlines from
their website. There are other cheap airlines like Vietjet & Bamboo
Airlines but they are notorious for delays and cancellations.
★ There are few scams to be aware of in Vietnam
○ At airports if you book a grab and go towards the parking area there
are touts who tell you that they are your pick up & then take your
phone and cancel your booking and then charge you an extra
amount after reaching the destination. Always look at the plate
numbers and never give your phones to anyone.
○ In Hanoi there are people who pretend to be shoe
polishers/cleaners and forcefully remove your shoelaces and start
polishing/cleaning your shoe without even speaking with you and
then ask for money.
○ Be careful while giving out currency. People might take advantage of
similar coloured currency saying that you have given a lesser value.
★ For the best time to visit Vietnam check our When To Travel page.
★ For currency related info check our Travel Currency Tips page.

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 View from our room Bich Dong Pagoda Tuyet Tinh Coc

Day - 1 (Cherry Homestay | VND 417k | Great view. Cheap bike rental. Free hat)

➔ Early morning arrival in Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi

➔ Withdraw Cash from ATM (We used Bidvest ATM for Niyo card)
➔ Buy Sim (We got 2 SIMs, one only data for
200k VND, another data + calls for 300k VND, both unlimited data)
➔ Transfer to Ninh Binh (We took Mr Linh Taxi | +84
976986399 | 1,200k VND. You can also take a Limousine for 340k VND | Trang
An Limousine)
➔ Breakfast at Stay (It was very simple. They use sweet
milk, so if you aren’t used to sugar in your coffee then ask for black coffee)
➔ Hire a bike & fill Gas (120k VND for bike + 30k for gas)
➔ Bich Dong Pagoda (Go early by 8 AM | 10k VND Parking | Entry Free)
➔ Trang An (3 hrs | 1,000k VND | Route 3 | 15k VND Parking)
➔ Lunch at Nhà hàng pho xua (We had 2 pork pho | 100k VND for 2)
➔ Visit Tuyet Tinh Coc (Did not plan on going here originally. But
it turned out to be amazing! Entry is 50k VND pp. We rented cycles, each at 50k
VND. You can also rent a couple cycle)
➔ Visit Bai Dinh Pagoda (400k VND | 15k VND Parking | We got
200k VND combo ticket that includes Electric buggy to all locations + tower

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 entry. If you get the normal entry ticket the electric buggy drops you to the
starting point then you have to walk. We were short on time.)
➔ Have Dinner at Ha Lan coffee (We just had chicken pho, 100K VND for 2)

Trang An Boat Ride Hang Mua Caves Ninh Binh

Day - 2 (Hoa Cuong Hotel | Price included in tour. Had heater and was very clean)
➔ Mua Caves (We went at 6 AM. Had the whole
place to ourselves and when we saw the crowds at 8-9 AM we were glad | 3
hours | 100k pp Entry | 10k VND Parking)
➔ Breakfast at Stay
➔ Limousine Transfer to Hanoi at 11 AM (Always quickly grab a
seat anywhere in the back, otherwise you’ll end up with the driver in the front.
Our host booked this for us. Trang An Limousine, cost was 185k VND pp. We got
down at the Central Circus Stop which was closest to Old Quarter)
➔ Store luggage at Ha Giang Open Tour Office (Asia Travel Legend on Gmaps)
➔ Collect tickets from Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
➔ Have Lunch at Banh Mi 25 (135k VND for 2 | Banh Mi was
our comfort food in Vietnam)

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 ➔ Dessert at Little Bowl (We tried the Caramel bowl | 30k VND)
➔ Get evening bus (4 PM-10 PM) to Ha Giang (3 PM pick up at Office)
➔ Dinner stop at Tuyen Quang (I suggest you pack Banh Mi for your
dinner. The food at the rest stop on the way to Ha Giang was appalling. The
toilets at the rest stop were pathetic)

Custom Tour with Ha Giang Open Tour (Booked it through whatsapp +20
111 733 3477 | We booked 3 Nights 2 Days tour with private car & guide | Service
was great! Price included 2-way transfer to-from Hanoi-HaGiang, Fortuner car +
driver rental with unlimited mileage, 2 nights hotel in HaGiang, 2 breakfast, 2 lunch, 1
dinner, all entry fees, skypath 2-wheeler rental + easy rider, Song Nho Que boat ride.
Worth it, the guide was top notch & punctual. Took pictures for us, explained about
history & culture, local food experience)

Payment: $ 265 pp

Flower Girl on the way Ma Pi Leng Cafe Pao’s House

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Day - 3 (Hoang Ngoc Hotel | Very clean, had heater)
➔ Breakfast at local restaurant (Guide made us try duck pho)
➔ Heaven’s Gate (this was just a quick stop. Kinda foggy)
➔ Fairy Bosom Quan Ba (there is a viewpoint from where you
can see the Fairy Bosom, two hills in the shape of a bosom. Its beautiful)
➔ Thành cổ Cán Tỷ Pass (Just a pass through. You can stop for
a few pics/videos)
➔ Tham Ma pass (2PM) (Stop for a few pics/videos. Its a
viewpoint where you can see the famous HaGiang hair pin bends. Also click
pictures with flower girl and try local street food)
➔ Lunch at Yen Minh (we tried the most amazing pork belly)
➔ Hmong king’s palace (Historical place. There is also a local
market where you can find authentic local scenes)
➔ Stop at Happiness Road Monument
➔ Skypath with Easy Rider (This is that narrow biking road with
all mountains on one side. It's breathtaking. There is a dangerous cliff point
where you can go and click pictures, there are amazing views. Better to visit in
the afternoon otherwise it will be hazy)
➔ Ma Pi Leng Panorama at Tu San Cafe (Stunning views from here. Need to
buy a drink to enter the cafe. Cost was 60k for a coffee. You can see the Song
Nho Que river and the boats. Sip a coffee sitting on the deck with insane views)
➔ Song Nho Que River Boat ride (Most beautiful boat ride ever! You
can borrow traditional Hmong costumes here. Need to take an electric buggy to
the boat area. Ride is approx 45 mins)
➔ Dinner at Old Quarter (Guide made us try the local chicken
hotpot. Although the meat was very rough and we did not like it much)
➔ Desserts at Old Quarter (Dropped our luggage at the hotel
and went for a walk in the old quarter. It's pretty lively with performances
happening and a lot of street food options. We tried the Thang Den dessert.)

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 Cafe Nui Cam Song Nho Que Boat Ride Tham Ma pass

Day - 4 (Hanoi La Selva Central | 1009k VND | Great location, clean AC rooms)
➔ Breakfast at local market (We had pork pho and it
was delicious)
➔ Lo Lo Chai Village (A touristy
representation of a village. You can check out the actual house though where
the Lo Lo Chai people live. There is a small local coffee shop where we tried
Orange tea for 40k VND)
➔ Lung Cu flag pole (It was too hazy to see
anything. On the way to the flagpole we couldn’t see anything on the road. But
on a clear day it has amazing views)
➔ Sung La valley and Lung Cam. Pao’s House (We tried the local
chestnut cake here. This is an actual house where the Hmong people live. A
vietnamese film was shot here and the lead character’s name was Pao. There
was a Bamboo smoking pipe and a chance to try it)
➔ Lunch at Yen Minh (Was Great)
➔ Km0 square (Great! starting point of HaGiang loop)
➔ Cafe Nui Cam (Must visit if you go to HaGiang.
Amazing views of the city, beautiful)

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 ➔ Limousine back to Hanoi (Always quickly grab a seat
anywhere in the back, otherwise you’ll end up with the driver in the front)
➔ Dinner at Old Quarter (7 PM)

Glass Deck Extension Wine at Sunset Happy Hour

Day - 5 (Halong Ambassador Cruise | 190 $ pp | Great Cruise)

➔ Breakfast at hotel (Was great)
➔ Egg Coffee at Cafe Giang (We had the Egg Coffee w Rum
and Egg Beer. Opens 7 AM. Cost was 100k VND for 2. Egg beer was too sweet
tbh. Maybe try the traditional egg coffee instead!)
➔ Cruise Limousine pick up at hotel (Will be around 8:30 or so)
➔ Board cruise & buffet lunch
➔ Visit Tung Sau Pearl Farm. Free kayak here
➔ Visit the Ti top Island (You can either stay on the
crowded beach or hike up to the viewpoint. We did the no-brainer for some
amazing views!)
➔ Cooking Class (Canapes) & Happy hour at Sundeck (We had wine with
the sunset and it was perfect! Cost was 220k VND for 2)
➔ Live Music at Piano Lounge

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 ➔ Set course Dinner (It was a Michelin star chef on our
cruise and the dinner was pretty good. Any drinks on the cruise are to be paid
for extra. We had a beer and it was 70k VND)
➔ Squid fishing

Halong Bay Ambassador Cruise 1-nights/2-days (Worth it, the

cruise had a Michelin star chef and was very well organised. The food was great. The
ship had a unique glass gallery for great photos and videos. The itinerary was jam
packed though and you hardly get to spend time in the room. The room was also
amazing actually, with a private balcony & chairs. The views from the deck are just
mesmerising)

Payment: $ 190 pp including transfers to/from Hanoi-Halong & Kayaking. Everything

on the boat is inclusive except for the drinks. We negotiated to include Kayaking as
free in the fare.

Day - 6 (Hanoi La Selva Central | 1009k VND | Great location, clean AC rooms)
➔ Tai Chi at Sundeck/Piano Lounge (It wasn’t that great tbh.
I would have rather spent time in the room balcony or deck as the sunrise
brings amazing views)
➔ Light breakfast at Piano Lounge
➔ Sung Sot Cave (This place was freaking
crowded. There is one viewpoint and a pretty impressive cave with multiple
chambers. Chamber 3 is the biggest and the crowd eases up as you reach it)
➔ Breakfast Buffet
➔ Drop to hotel (2 - 2:30 PM)
➔ Have lunch at Pho Thin (We missed this)
➔ Visit Street Murals (Great)
➔ Visit Train Street (The real train street
was closed including all the shops on it. There were 3 cops and it wasn’t
possible to go inside at all. There is another street a little down the road which
has a few shops but the vibe was poor tbh)
➔ Visit Tran Quoc Pagoda (Great. Best photos are near the entrance)

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 ➔ Thang Long Water Puppet Show (6:30 PM) (We chose the
18:30 PM show. We got First Class Row A seats. If you get any other seats you
will mostly see the phone of the person in front of you trying to take a
video/picture. Email them to reserve it and pick it up at least an hour before
the show. In our case they hadn’t reserved at all. Luckily we went a couple of
days prior and got an A row seat. 200k VND pp. Don’t forget to get the audio
translation unit, without which you won’t understand anything. It costs 50k pp)
➔ Have dinner at Bún chả Hương Liên (Bun Cha was good but it
was not hot. I would suggest you go during lunch time or early morning when
they do the actual cooking. 50k VND pp)
➔ Visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Flag lowering march at
9 PM. It was great. Don’t wear short clothes. Cover your shoulders and knees)
➔ Ta Hien Beer Street or Kem Trang Tien Ice cream (Both are great. Do
try the mochi ice cream.)
➔ Visit Hoa Quả Dầm Tô Tịch for dessert if going to Beer Street (Missed)

Kem Tran Tien Ice Cream Mural Street Tran Quoc Pagoda

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Day - 7 (Fivitel Da Nang | 893k VND | Great rooftop pool with amazing views)
➔ Breakfast at Hotel (Great)
➔ Try Dinh Cafe (Egg Coffee was great 25k VND pp)
➔ Try Ban Ran Cao Lau (Great)
➔ Try King Roti (Chocolate was great. Opens 7 AM. 30k VND pp)
➔ Transfer to Airport (Mr Linh Taxi | +84 976986399 | 250k VND)
➔ 12:10 PM Flight to Da Nang (Vietnam Airlines, 52 $ pp)
➔ Landing at Da Nang 1:35 PM
➔ Take Grab or GoJek Taxi app to Fivitel Da Nang ( 71k VND)
➔ Marble Mountains (30K elevator fee | Entry free)
➔ Lady Buddha for Sunset (Entry free | Take a walk along
the end of the mountain to take in the views of the coast and Da Nang form the
right side)
➔ Son Tra Night Market (Carry tissues & Sanitizer. We tried pork
skewers, chicken & egg pancakes, spring rolls. All were great. We spent around
150k VND)
➔ Walk to the Dragon Bridge & get amazing views from the bridge (There is
a Dragon fire/water show every Sat/Sun at 9 PM)
➔ Try frog at MappiDo (Missed)

Pool at Fivitel Da Nang Lady Buddha Dragon Bridge

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Day - 8 (Hoi An TnT Villa | 732k VND | Was great with a bathtub in the room)
➔ Breakfast at Hotel (Great)
➔ Checkout & transfer to Ba Na Hills early morning (Opens at 7-8 AM.
Ticket cost was 30 $ pp after discount)
◆ Take Hoi An station, Ga Marsielle to Golden Bridge (Visit first)
◆ Take CC from Ga Bordeaux to Ga Louvre walk to Alpine Coaster ride
(Visit next. Gets crowded later)
◆ Private Car Transfer from Klook.com (7 AM pick up. Both 2-way
cab to Ba Na Hills & 2-way cab to Cu Chi together cost us 72 $)
➔ Lunch at Bếp Cuốn Đà Nẵng (Return Cab dropped us here.
Was great. We tried pork skewers, prawn congee, pork belly & ribs. Cost was
340k VND)
➔ Car Transfer from Da Nang Hotel to Hoi An Hotel (280k VND. Booked on
whatsapp +84 905120068)
➔ Lenco Cafe & Bar (We tried Orange & Coconut
Coffee. Both were amazing. 120k VND)
➔ Japanese Covered Bridge | Hainan Assembly Hall | Hoi Quan Phuoc Kien | Ba Mu
Temple (If you want to enter these places
there is a ticket costing 120k VND pp)
➔ Hoi An Lantern Boat ride + Lantern release in water (Boating cost is
regulated by a counter and is fixed at 160k + 10k VND for the lantern)
➔ Dinner at Cafe Tuan (Cao Lau Pork Noodle | Pork
Ribs | Caramel pork & shrimp | 250k VND | Another option is 7 Bridges Tapout)

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 Hoi An Night Market Japanese Covered Bridge Sunworld Ba Na Hills

Day - 9 (C’Lavie Hotel Saigon | 707k VND | Cheap stay near airport & to Cu Chi)
➔ Visit An Bang beach early morning (Great. We rented a motorbike at
the hotel. You can hire one for 4-5 hrs for 100k VND)
➔ Breakfast at Hotel (Great)
➔ Coconut Basket Boat (Ride to the location. This coconut
forest is purely a tourist trap. Nevertheless you get your awesome pics/videos.
Entry to the village is 15k VND pp. Coconut boat ride is 100k VND + 100k VND
pp for spinning boat)
➔ Japanese Covered Bridge | Canton Assembly Hall
➔ Lunch at Bánh Mì Phượng (Easily the best Banh Mi in
Vietnam. We tried the BBQ Pork Banh Mi & Pork Fried Rice. It was delicious.
155k VND)
➔ The Espresso Station (Ice cubes coffee | Coconut
Coffee. 200k VND for 2)
➔ Sedan Transfer to Da Nang Airport (280k VND. Booked on
whatsapp +84 905120068)
➔ Fly to Ho Chi Minh City from Da Nang Airport (Vietnam Airlines $ 56 pp)
➔ Take Grab taxi to C’Lavie Hotel (115k VND)

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 Ben Dinh War Tunnels Basket Boat Ride Nguyen Hue Street

Day - 10
➔ Cu Chi Tunnels (Both 2-way cab to Ba Na Hills
& 2-way cab to Cu Chi together cost us 72 $. Booked from Klook.com with
pick-up at 6:30 AM. Reached Cu Chi Tunnels by 8. It was empty and we joined 6
other tourists for a free guided tour. Guide was provided by Cu Chi and spoke
decent English. Entry fee was 110k VND pp. 60k VND per bullet for shooting.
Min 10 bullets per booking. We shared 5 each)
➔ War Remnants Museum (Cab dropped us here while
returning. Entry is 40,000 VND pp. Carry tissues)
➔ Tan Dinh Church (Entry is Free)
➔ Cơm tấm Ba Ghiền (Missed. Pork chop | Pork Rib | 200k VND)
➔ Sai Gon Central Post Office (Tourist trap place. 150k VND)
➔ Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (Not worth going)
➔ Dosh Doughnuts (Was great. Can sit with coffee on the
balcony and watch the lively Nguyen Hue Street. 115k VND. It is located in the
The Cafe Apartments)
➔ Walk along Nguyen Hue Walking Street (Very lively and
happening place in the evening. There are various performers and street food)
➔ Pasteur Street Brewing Co (Prior Reservation needed)

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 ➔ Nam Giao Restaurant (Missed | Bun bo hue | Hen Xao
Xuc Banh Trang | Crab, 300k VND)
➔ Pick luggage from Hotel & Grab to Airport
➔ Apricot Business Lounge (Okayish Lounge nothing to write home about)

Total Costs (All for 2 people)

Halong Bay Cruise - $ 370

HaGiang Tour - $ 530
Hotels - 4867k VND
Other expenses - 11438k VND
Visa Cost - 50 $
Internal Flights - 216 $
Bookings on Klook - 132 $

Total excluding international flights - ₹ 82,000 per person ($ 996)

₹ 1,64,000 ($ 1992)

Approx 100-300k VND per meal for Lunch/Dinner & 60-200k VND for Breakfast for 2

Foods to try List : Pho, Bun Cha, Banh xeo, Cao lau, Goi cuon, Banh Mi, Banh khot, Ga
nuong, Banh uot thit nuong, Chè Chuối, Banh Tieu, Bò Bía Ngọt

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