This month long journey to Vietnam this past April is the longest I’ve stayed In Vietnam. It has given me a chance to explore new regions, such as Ninh Binh, Tam Coc, and Sa Pa which is near Hanoi, the northern part of Vietnam. I also got to explore the island of Phu Quoc and nearby port city of Ha Tien with my extended family, consisting of my aunts, uncles, cousin, niece and nephew. Not to mention that my cousin and I made it out alive (with some pocket money) of Cambodia (jk, kind of, lol). Note: It cost much more than just $2 USD to get into Cambodia from Ha Tien, Vietnam as I originally thought (based on unreliable google search lol). I’m not really sure how much we ended up paying because there were many security/border checkpoints along the way. I’m not kidding. If I have to guess, we probably paid around $75-$100 per person. We only stayed less than 5 hours in Cambodia. Ahhh…a story for another day..lol…or maybe never unless you really want to know, lol. Phu Quoc is so beautiful with its many small islands. We stayed in Grand World for the first 2 nights. It is inspired by Venice with its canal and bridges in the middle of colorful buildings and gondolas along the water. We went on a full day – 3 island tour with cable car ride for only $55! Seafood lunch was also included in the price! It included stops on 3 small islands, snorkeling, cable car ride back. There is also a spot for diving on this tour! Not the usual scuba diving but where you have this giant clear bubble contraption covering your head. You have a guide who leads you as you walk on the floor of the ocean and see the beautiful corals and fishes all around you.
We also went to beautiful Starfish Island, okay I’m not sure of its exact name, but wow, it’s the most starfish I’ve seen! Alive and still breathing, lol.
Ha Tien is only a 1hr30 min ferry ride from Phu Quoc and we stayed there for a night. Small port city with cute light up, electric xich lo, mechanized pedi-cab for 4 people. Such a fun way to see the city!
Group Tour with my mom/dad/aunts/uncles/cousin/niece/nephew! We got this really cute and cheap “pajamas Hawaiian set” in Vietnam for only $5 a set!
We have a lot of families in Vietnam which makes lodgings so convenient and not to mention financially feasible since we are staying for such an extended period of time! I think this is the first time I get to really experienced the daily life of living in Vietnam. I really enjoy the 5 am morning swims at the beach near my grandpa’s and aunts’ houses. It is as close to beach side living that I always dreamt about. The water such a perfect cool temperature in the morning. Watching the sunrise and taking in the beach breeze is so soul-nourishing that I feel so content and grateful for life. As usual, there are a lot of family get-togethers or cong (where we pray to our ancestors and offer food) as part of the Vietnamese culture. I even attended my nephew’s wedding and got to experienced firsthand a traditional Vietnamese wedding in Vietnam! It’s not so different from the weddings my families have in the states. Except that the bride and groom have separate wedding reception for each side. I find that strange since a wedding symbolizes a merging of two families.
Another city we visit was Hoi An, 30 minutes from Da Nang. I didn’t expect it to be so touristy but that night was filled with so many people milling about that it was hard to really enjoy it. Between navigating through throngs of people and keeping track of a large group I felt the magic of the ancient city lost on me. But, if I have a chance to do it again, in the low season, when it’s less busy I would definitely go there again. Hoi An is beautiful with its many lanterns lighting up the streets and shops. The vibrant colors reflected in the moonlight on the swaying water.
We rented a 4 bedroom villa, complete with usage of the swimming pool and kitchen nearby Hoi An and we spent the day grocery shopping to make dinner at our hotel. This short overnight trip was with my mom’s side of the family.
There is so much beauty here, I can never get enough.
Beautiful Hoa Lu lit up at night! After hectic Hoi An I prefer this area a lot more. You get the lanterns without the crowd. Temples on the water.
My cousin and I took the bus and train in different class/price range for our trip to Northern Vietnam. We took a domestic flight via Vietnam Airlines from Hue to Hanoi where we stayed in the city center of Hanoi for one night since the bus ride to Ninh Binh doesn’t have much frequency and we came at nightime. This is us on the 5-hour bus ride where we can lay down and sleep. They had 1 restroom break where we can also fuel up also. There is a restroom on board the bus…which I didn’t use so can’t tell you the verdict, lol. I have to say, traveling long distance on a bus and train with sleeper cabins/seats are pretty affordable (cheap) compared to a lot of other countries. And pretty comfortable, temperature and seat/bed wise.
We went on the longest cable car ride (that I’ve been on) to Mt. Fansipan which is in Sa Pa. It probably took around 20 minutes of just going upwards and beyond. It was cold and misty below the mountain but up here in the clouds, it was hot. Many stairs and even a funicular train to a big buddha statue in the sky if you get tired of walking.
I find Ninh Binh so peaceful. Full of lotus ponds and temples. We went Hang Mua where we took a water tour where our tour operator was a 70 year old woman who paddle the boat with just her legs!
If I’m being honest, I kinda forgot which places/pictures is where since we went to ALOT of places in our 5 days at Ninh Binh and Sa Pa. It’s a little too fast paced for my liking, but nevertheless it was quite an adventure and it gave me a quick look of the area and where I want to spend more time the next time I go to Vietnam again.
After getting back from Hanoi, I had a week in Thuan An, where my grandpa’s house is. It gave me a chance to relax and to enjoy the day to day again. Drinking Vietnamese iced coffee, swimming at the beach, going to town on a scooter/motorcyle. I’m not really sure what the difference is, lol. As a passenger of course. I’m too scared to drive in Vietnam’s traffic, for now. 🙂
This trip to Vietnam has been such a special experience to me, since I got to spend longer time here and really live like a native. Spending time with my extended family and embracing my culture. Where I got to really live in the present and cherish it. I miss it and if given the opportunity I would definitely go back and create a tour package because I would love to share this beautiful country. My native country where I was born and heritage I possess.
Til next time!