Arunabha's 8 days trip to Vietnam
5 years agoWe wanted to explore Vietnam in its true raw form and we did! Binh from Asia Queen was our representative and we were in awe of her politeness. She gave us a deal with optimum coverage. After the tour, whenever someone asked about our experience, here is how I responded: "cheap as hell, scenic as heaven!".
Below I will give a brief account on our complete tour. We covered Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay and Bai Dinh Pagoda.
Day 1, we reached Hanoi, the driver who came to pick us up at the airport was very polite and waited for us to finish our lunch at the airport. We reached hotel and Binh came to welcome us with some traditional Vietnamese food. Our hotel was at the center of the city by the lake. That evening we went for a walk and enjoyed the street food. Also dined at a local restaurant with superb food and local beer to end the night.
Day 2, the bus driver came to pick us up in the morning for Hanoi city tour. We visited the Mausoleum where Ho Chi Min's body is preserved. The take away is, wear long clothes or just make sure to cover your shoulder and legs. Many temple, pagodas and the Mausoleum do not allow bare leg or shoulder. After few more site seeing we had lunch. After lunch we visited 2 more places and in the evening our driver dropped us at the hotel. Another lazy evening for us to enjoy the street food and relax with some local beer.
Day 3, leave early morning for Sapa, a remote town in the north of Vietnam. The sleeper bus was great and very comfortable. We reached Sapa in the afternoon. The town has a beautiful lake and the view surrounding the lake will almost certainly remind you of Scandinavian countries like Denmark, Norway. We checked in at the hotel, had lunch and went for a small hike. The local shops had some good jackets (I got a North Face for Rs 300, and it looks great!). That night we did some shopping to prepare for the trekking next day.
Day 4, we checked out from the hotel and started our trekking early morning. The weather was great and our guide told us we were lucky that it did not rain. She also told us that it gets really rough when it rains. The next several hours were just walking endlessly up and down the beautiful mountains and lush green valleys. We crossed through many rice terraces, villages, jungles, waterfall and muddy terrains. In between we stopped for lunch and replenished ourselves with some local food and beer. We covered a total distance of almost 17 km. After reaching our hotel, we were given a temporary room to shower. After the shower, we got ready and our bus picked us up at around 4:30 pm. It was again a very comfortable sleeper bus. We were very tired and slept off almost immediately. We woke up directly n Hanoi at around 10 pm. We took a taxi to the hotel and fell asleep again.
Day 5, we started early morning for Halong Bay. We reached the port at around 12 pm. Our guide took us to the cruise where we were to spend the night. After some delicious sea food lunch in the cruise, we went to the floating village. Halong Bay is very picturesque in its own way. Just sitting and relaxing on the cruise rooftop itself is a treat. After the floating village we went for kayaking. It was a beautiful experience, the water was calm and we paddled our way to the mesmerizing sunset. In the evening we again had very delicious seafood dinner. Alcohol is little expensive but at par with the service given at the boat. At night we learned to fish squids. I actually caught the first big squid of the night (after almost an hour of fishing)! Also got a loud cheer from the entire crew! We saved the squid for next day's brunch.
Day 6, we went to visit the cave in the rock situated at the bay. The cave led us to the top of the rock. The view of the bay from the top was amazing. We came back, had brunch and headed back to the port. From there, our driver picked us up and droped us at the hotel in Hanoi. We spent the evening walking around the lake and explored the local spa. The foot and the body massage is highly recommended specially if you had gone for the trekking.
Day 7, our guide picked us up early morning. We took a bus with other turists to visit Bai Dinh pagoda. The larget pagoda in Vietnam. The weather was overcast but it never rained. We comfortably walked the entire area which was very scenic. The one hour boat ride on the lake around the Pagoda was great. Our boat went through many caves, overall great adventure! We came back to Hanoi in the evening. Enjoyed more local food and drink.
Day 8, with a heavy heart, it was time to say goodbye to Vietnam. We took our flight back to India.
Vietnamese people are really very polite and courteous. Hanoi is really colorful and it always feels festive. We came back from this holiday relaxed, rejuvenated and feeling really positive. Asia Queen's service was just the cherry on top. This time was north Vietnam but we are definitely coming back to visit south Vietnam in future. Thank you Binh!
AC
Arunabha Choudhury
Chennai