Vietnam#
We spent nearly 4 weeks travelling in Vietnam and I wanted to share our experience and some tips you may find usefull.
It was our first time in Asia and it was wonderful. Locals are extremely kind and friendly, nature is amazing and the food is delicious and very diverse.
Personally it was the best trip of my life and I’m looking forward to return to South-East Asia. Hopefully, next winter!
Before the trip#
The only things you need to think in advance are the flights and vaccinations. Besides, you may also consider looking for good travel insurance. Sometimes getting a family coverage for a year is better than getting dedicated insurance for a single. Also check you current services, possibly your bank or credit card provider already covers the trips and medical expenses.
We signed up for a visit with a doctor roughly a month before a trip and in effect we were vaccinated only 2 weeks before departure. This is rather short, so I’d recommend to start thinking about vaccination at least 2-3 months before your trip.
Our kid received some vaccinations ahead of normal schedule (hepatitis A). We all received a vaccine against typhoid fever and some probiotics to better deal with local microflora. You may consider additional vaccines if you travel to areas with disease outbreaks.
The doctor also recommended us to always put a sunscreen and a repellent against mosquitos (honestly we encountered mosquitos only a few times!). Using N95 mask is also recommended in bigger cities, because air pollutions is often very high.
Finances#
Everything in Vietnam is so cheap! We spent approximately €4.5k for the family of 3 (including shopping) over nearly 4 weeks. We were not saving money, but also not spending lavishly.
We haven’t prepared any food (I boiled water a few times for coffee or tea). We usually eaten street food, spending €5-10 per meal. The most expensive/spectacular meals were rouguly €15-20, seafood and pizzeria, respectively. In general, Western food is more expensive than local options (even the fancy ones).
We rented rooms always with bathroom, rated 8-9+, usually with 2 queen beds, paying €10-25 per night (sometimes including breakfast).
The most expensive were flights (€2.3k). We reserved them in summer (roughly half a year before the trip) and went for the cheapest options including luggage. We were travelling over Christmas and New Years, which means higher prices. We are lucky to be quite flexible with our work, but limited by school holidays: we left a week before Christmas and came back on 10 Jan.
We decided to travel light, so we can move around easily. We had 4-5 days worth of clothes, doing laundry every ~3 days, paying €2-4 per laundry (€1-2 per kg). We took one large (50l) and 3 small backpacks (~25l each). We figured handling 3 small bagpacks is troublesome, so next time we’ll travel with 2 large backpacks and 1 small one.
On the way back, we bought a large suitcase and another large backpack (55+15l), so we could fit souvenirs and clothes. We bought stuff as we need it, but most of the things we got 2-3 days before returning.
We brought cash and two debit cards. Exchanging money locally is much better than using ATMs. In our experience, money exchange had little overhead (1%). Withdraving from your card adds at least 2% fee (usually more) on top of your bank fees, which easily accumulates to 4% in best case scenario. Some card providers offer no fees but may include them in exchange rate spread (Wise) or require annual subsription (Revolut).
Paying by card is sometimes possible, but usually the hotel/restaurant charges you 3% more for using a card (including airlines). We were able to pay only twice without such overhead. So I’d recomment to bring as much cash as you feel comfortable with and exchange it as you go.
People are honest, we haven’t felt anyone tried to scam us. But be careful.
Getting around#
Getting around will be easier with following apps:
Booking.com: initially we were reserving acomomdation a day or two before, later on we were reserving it just in the morning upon arriving to the destination often getting better deal. in higher season it may be smarter to book accommodation in advance, but then you limit your flexibility. we changed our plans several times depending on weather, atmosphere and our mood.
Grab: taxi (car/scooter) and food/shopping delivery, worth to pay by card and sign up for their premium programme (it was free of charge for 60 days in 2025)
Vexere: bus and train reservations, they offer also flights, but we always book those directly with the airline
Google Maps and Organic Maps (offline maps with more hiking/biking paths although coverage in Vietnam is still so so)
Kiwix with downloaded Wikivoyage - offline travel guide (although internet coverage is at least decent everywhere we went, we we only used it during flights)
The trip#
Hanoi#
We started our trip in Hanoi. We took transfer from the airport provided by our hotel (10€), but using Grab right away would be better deal. Also it may be beneficial to associate a card with your account and enable premium subscription (2 months free when we used it).
We exchanged €100 at the airport - exchange rate was worse than in the city, but it was good to have some pocket money right away. You can get your sim card at the airport (€10), but getting it in travel agency in the downtown offers better deal. We got two SIM cards with internet for 30 days (€8 each):
physical SIM with 2 GB of data per day
eSIM with 5 GB of data per day
In the cities there was good coverage on both networks, but eSIM (Viettel) worked better in less populated areas.
When we arrived, the air pollution was extremely high (PM2.5 >400!), so we used masks outdoors.
We dropped our bags at the hotel and went looking for breakfast. At first we were a bit shocked by how food is prepared. For example there was this BBQ around the corner, that just blew smoke directly outside onto passing pederastrians. But we decided to be adventorous… and we had some really good food in Hanoi. Mostly we ate at very local places. Pho was delicious everywhere. We even tried it at Michelin restaurant once. Naturally, there was a queue to enter. Surprisingly, the food at this renowned restaurant wasn’t better than in over-the-corner place we went usually. And the atmosphere was much more pleasant at the local place ;)
Multiple times we were invited (nagged?) to take a rickshaw. We yielded already on the first morning, but I have to say it wasn’t pleasant. Going in a heavy traffic and not having any security and control of where we are turning was definitely too much for me. Beside, walking would be not only faster, but definitely more pleasant imho!
You just need to get used to chaotic traffic and pavements being blocked by all sort of stuff… This takes a couple of days and later on you will be able to spot easily a tourist that arrived recently struggling to walk or cross the street ;)
We took a taxi to the spectacular monastery by the big lake. And then walked back to the old town passing an amazing parks. Already on the first day we noticed, people are super friendly and curious. Especially kids!
We stayed in old quarter, near beer street. It was great experience, but this area is loud at night. If you are lucky, the police car will pass, transforming the party street into regular one in a matter of minute or two!
One of the landmarks was definitely a train street!
After spending 3 days in the center of Hanoi, we were looking for calmer place.
Hue, Da Nang & Hoi An#
We booked a night bus to Hue. Our first revervation was cancelled. Someone from Vexere called offering to find alternative but I decided to look myself. The second reservations (G8 SAPA Travel) worked. The bus had nice cabins, but if you are over 175 cm tall, you won’t be able to stretch completely. Also, because of me doing two separate reservation and the bus company moving one of them, eventually we ended up with only one cabin for the three of us. The company said it’s fine, but don’t do it… You can sleep rather comfortably with a kid in the cabin, fitting two adults is hard. Luckily, another cabin got released quickly, so we all could sleep comfortably.
We arrived around 7 in Hue. We changed and left the bags at bus agency (no fee).
After breakfast, we visited imperial city in Hue. It’s spectacular!
Later we took the afternoon train to Da Nang. The train is super slow, but it’s more comfortable that travelling by minibus. Plus the views are great. And there are some nice surprises along the way including herbal foot bath for €2. Definitely take it! And ask for more hot water once it gets cold.
We cancelled our initial accommodation we planned for Da Nang and went with another hotel with rooftop pool and saunas. It was great choice!
Also it was the first time we rented a scooter (€4-5 / day). There is plenty of traffic, but streets are wide and it’s not as crazy as Hanoi or HCMC.
Suprisingly, they didn’t mind the three of us going on one scooter. But helmets for kids are rarely offered, so we needed to buy one. Finding a shop selling helmets for kids was challenging - for some reason parents drive their kids around on the motorbike without helmets in Vietnam! Also, the first helmet was of poor quality and broke after a day… So we got better one, which we brought back with us.
Our daughter felt in love in motorbiking from the first trip! After a few rides, we let her go in the front on the calm street. She loved it and refused to go in the back…
In general motorbiking was rather safe, but returning to the accommodation after dusk with a kid falling asleep in front of you proved to be a bit challanging. So consider this before allowing your kid to go in the front, because once you do it there is no way back!
Also, after returning, we have hard time to explain to our kid that it’s not allowed to go around with her on the motorbike in EU… Luckily we don’t own one yet. And apparently, in Spain parents can motorbike with their kids starting from 7 years old.
The first motorbike had a phone holder, but this is usually not the case, so we got a phone holder (€5) and 14cm key to be able to install it by ourselves. It’s best to physically attach the phone holder to mirror. But keep in mind, not all motorbikes have mirrors suitable to install a phone holder! So the best install it right when you rent a bike. And additionally secure your phone with a rubber, so you don’t loose/break it on the bumpy roads that are rather common!
Motorbike rentals never provided us with any documents. Also, no one asked about driving license or our insurance. We passed several police patrols - no one ever bothered us, but I’m not sure if it’s legal to drive a scooter with EU driving license. Also no idea if you are covered in the case of accident.
We have annual travel insurance from mountaineering association. I chose it because it provides coverage up to 6000m asl and covers most extreme sports I’m interested in, beside being a good deal for entire (extended) family. Not sure if motorbiking in Vietnam is covered tough…
We went to Lady Budda and tried to get to the hill above it - unfortunately automatic scooter were not allowed due to landslides. We tried a couple of entrances, but all were guarded.
At the local seafood restaurant I tried one of the most spicy foods in my life! It was delicious, but took an effort to finish.
We stayed a day longer in Da Nang than we initially planned. It was raining one day, so we didn’t manage to visit Marble mountains and Hoi An. Because of that we had to cancel train reservation. The train operator is not very flexible - you can change the trip only up to 24h before the trip (<1€ fee) or cancel up to 4h before the trip (20% fee).
Phan Thiet#
We took another night bus (two cabins this time) to Phan Thiet. We arrived after 6 am (earlier than expected!). The bus dropped us on the gas station of the highway. There was hardly anyone around. We booked nearby accommodation and reached it walking under 10 minutes (perks of travelling light!). Upon arriving we were suprised that our rooms were available around 7am! So we went to sleep some more :) Our accomodation had a spectacular aquarium. We spend there plenty of time chilling and watching fishes.
And then we took a motorbike again visiting the town (buying phone holder) and went to the beach. On the second day we went to another beach. The coast around Phan Thiet is very beautiful, especially in the north. Also, you can find plenty of really good seafood restaurants. There we tried a shark for the first time, it was delicious!
The following day we left to HCMC by train. We wanted to eat lunch around train station, but discovered that the area is rather secluded and all places listed on google maps are either not existing anymore or closed during lunch… Here Grab came to rescue - we ordered take away and ate it on the train.
Ho Chin Minh City & Delta De Mekong#
The train connecting HCMC with Phan Thiet is cheap, but rather a disappointing: old, uncomfortable and loud. We were offered upgrade of our seats to premium class for ~8€ each (while each tickets was worth ~5€!). Naturally we declined and stayed with locals. It was good decision: our daughter made some acquaintances while colouring and playing with local kids :)
Phan Thiet was warm (~30C), but HCMC was hot. We arrived late afternoon and were waiting nearly 30 minutes for a taxi. Traffic in HCMC is crazy! Getting to the hotel took another 30 minutes. Walking would probably be faster, but we waited having coffee. Beside it’s hard to walk in bigger cities due to extensive traffic…
We went to the party street (probably it would be more fun without a kid) and had amazing food in the dodgy restaurant in the side street. This was rather a rule: the worse the place looked the better the food, as long as there were locals eating there. So I’d recommend to follow not your feelings, but the locals. You’ll be positively surprised!
The night was warm, but next morning surprised us: it was sunny and the temperature was reaching 35-37C before midday. Our dauther was really struggling, so we split, I went walking and they took seightseeing bus tour. I met with friends in the part in the evening. It’s very modern, fresh and perfect for families with kids. With tall modern towers around and BBQs, it reminded me Australia… We went back to the centre by metro - it’s very nice. But getting to the station from the park was rather traumatic experience.
HCMC has much to offer, but we were not amused to be honest. We found Hanoi to be much more authentic. The following morning we left to Ben Tre (delta the Mekong). We took local bus… that broke in the middle of the highway. Waiting in the burning sun in the middle of the highway wasn’t pleasant (we had only a bit of shadow behind the bus). Luckily, the connection was frequent, so we were picked up by another bus in 15-20 minutes. We stayed in Homestay Nam Hàm Luông that was recommended by my friend. The place is truly stunning that’s why I’m mentioning it here. I’d recommend to stay for a few days if you have time and want to relax. We stayed just one night, it was less hot that in HCMC, but still way too hot for us to feel comfortable in the long run.
Sa Pa, Fansipan & Cat Cat village#
We took a bus back to HCMC and after shopping in local market, we took a flight to Hanoi and right from the airport night bus to Sa Pa (G8 SAPA Travel). Yes, it’s possible. We considered several options, but this seems the least hassle. Make sure to arrive to the airport 2-3h before your flight - we spend over 1h waiting in the queue to check-in/drop bags! We planned to arrive in Hanoi airport over 2h before the departure of the night bus. Still, there was a bit of anxiety involved. First, the JetAir airline delayed our departure by 50 minutes. Our flight was additionally delayed by over 30 minutes. And we were waiting rather long for our luggage. So our 2h window shrank rather dramatically. The bus arrived 30 minutes late, so in the end we had to wait a little anyway.
And we arrived to Sa Pa earlier than planned. We reserved accommodation, dropped our bags and went for breakfast. During breakfast after talking with local guide, we decided to go to Fansipan right away, because there was good weather forecast for that day. And that’s rare! Sa Pa is called the city in the fog not without reason ;)
Before we went for shopping… We travelled from over 30-35C in the South to 0-15C in Sa Pa in the matter of several hours. And because we travelled light, we didn’t bring any winter clothes. So we desperately needed something warm. We we recommended small souvenir shop with just exact amount of clothes to stock up in reasonable amount of time. And cheap it was! We got 3 warm jackets, thermal clothes and a pair of gloves for ~35€.
We got our tickets to Fansipan. This is expensive, one adult return is over 30€. We got the last lift only one way. Nowadays, I’d skip the last lift completely: we had to wait nearly half an hour in the queue… walking up would take similar amount of time and would be more pleasant than squeezing in the crowd. Note, they are constructing new lift, so the situation may improve in the future.
There was plenty of peole on the peak, but it’s rather spacious, so you can find nice place without much crowd around you. And the views are fantastic. Being there was really emotional for me. I put my headphones and enjoyed it to the fullest. Keep in mind, it’s very high (3147m asl), so it’s cold and windy. Dress accordingly! We were lucky, it was just above 0C, with plenty of sun and large clouds moving along. All the valleys were covered by clouds, with only higher mountains breaking through the clodus. It was spectacular view.
We spend most of the day there. We walked down after 15:00 just in time to catch one of the last lifts going down (they close at 16:00). We had snacks and water. Next time, I’d take a thermos with hot tea. Everything is rather expensive on the top.
After arriving in the accommodation we were given smaller room with single bed. They gave our room to someone else. We decided to book another hotel next door and moved there. It was good choice. Although, it left us with mixed feelings, because the owners of the previous place were nice and we wanted to support them.
Next morning I went for coffee and because initially clear view on Fansipan got cloudy, I decided to climb up a bit. I used Organic Maps, there were some paths marked just above our hotel. But getting to them proved slightly complicated. (Organic Maps lacks countour lines marking altitude changes in Vietnam, which further complicates navigation!) I managed and I was able to climb hills overlooking the Fansipan. Although I lost a path couple of times and had to jump through a fence. Also there were rather dangerous dogs around, luckily they were attached. Anyway, the view was worth the trouble: I went just above the clouds, so I was able to see surrounding mountains very clearly. Fansipan was covered by clodus most of the time, but the view was spectacular anyway!
After delicious breakfast (brunch?) we walked to Cat Cat village. I though we’ll spend there a moment, but we did the rest of the day there! It’s rather pleasant walk down the hill. We stopped for a coffee in a place with breathtaking view. Walking down you’ll pass through endless stands with souvenirs and food. Finally arriving in the valley with waterfalls, river and local shows. We spent super pleasant afternoon there. We took a taxi back to the town and went for street food BBQ. It was delicious!
This was New Year’s Eve. There was a big party already warming up in the amphitheatre. We went to rest and I came back just before midnight. It was very cold and foggy. The DJ was playing, the stage and lights were impressive, but only a few people were dancing in front of the stage. The rest were sitting with their drinks and waiting for the countdown. The firework spectacle at midnight was impressive, lasted for 15 mintues. But we were not able to see it fully due to fog/clouds covering most of the horizon. Surprisingly, the party finished when fireworks stopped. It was very abrupt! So I went to bed like most of the people. Only some representatives of the youngest generations headed to one of the two clubs that were still open.
The following morning, we borrowed a bike again and went to Tram Tom. We had breakfast on the way. The road was impressive. Unfortunately, it was cold, foggy and cloudy. We went above the clouds around Tram Tom pass. We walked around and later had a coffee there. The views from the restaurant were stunning. Also it was warm inside and the sun was shinning. For a while we considered continuing motorbiking, but it was just to cold to continue. Instead, we went hiking to Love Waterfall. It’s very pleasant walk. Here, the path to ascent to Fansipan starts. Next time, I’d like to climb it. My map suggests it takes 7h, but I met people doing it under 5h (return). Guide is recommended, but the path is well marked, so doing it on your own is probably fine. We were returning arond the dusk, realising the rear light doesn’t work. Also, it was getting very cold.
We went straight to a restaurant with a fireplace to warm up. Also, for the first time we asked for pizza - we all missed european food a little after 2 weeks.
Ninh Binh#
We picked up our bags and went to bus station to catch our bus to Ninh Binh. Where we arrived again earlier that expected. We reserved our accommodation while having coffee and walked there.
Unfortunately, our room wasn’t ready, so we had breakfast and chilled on the sofas. After check-in, we rented a motorbike and went to Trang An. There we took a boat trip, passing through really some impressive caves and valleys. Trang An is uber popular. We had hard time to get there by motorbike, the road was blocked by large cars, minivans and busses!
The following day we went to less popular, but imho even more amazing Thung Nham. The caves there were shorter, but less crowded and more authentic. You enter with headlights and we seen some bats sleeping attached to the ceiling.
The park is perfect to spend whole day. It’s so relaxed and laid down, that I would be happy to stay there for a day or two. There is nice (but rather expensive) hotel there with outdoor pools. It could be great option in warmer weather. On the way back we passed by abandoned pagoda. It’s worth to visit, especially early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It has spectacular accoustics!
At night we went to party. We visited all 3 clubs/discos, in most of the we were almost the only clientele. It’s definitely low season :P We really liked Nihn Binh. If the weather was better, I’d be more than happy to stay a few days more because there was a few more place we wanted to explore.
Cat Ba & bays#
The following day we took a bus to Cat Ba. First half of the trip was rather bumpy. Second part was more pleasant. And the crossing on the ferry at sunset was very nice perk. We went for dinner to Ladybird restaurant and it became our favourite spot in Cat Ba! Our hotel offered us boat trip, but because the weather was cloudy and cold, we rented a motorbike and went to the other side of the island. We had delicious lunch there and later went hiking in national park. We climbed the observation tower and The Forrest Palace. It seems easy, but requires a bit of effort and skill. We haven’t seen any monkeys (they are hidden deaper in the park), but the hike and views from the top are great. There is very good echo from the top! On the way back we pass by the new district (still under construction) and enjoyed the magic fountain. That night we tried seafood hotpot for the first time. And we felt in love! Funnily enough, the waiter knew eactly what we returned for 2 days later :) Also, they accept cards and didn’t charge additional fees!
The atmosphere in Cat Ba is very chilled, so we decided to delay our return to Hanoi by a day or two. It was tempting to rush to Ha Giang Loop, but we had only a few days left and I’d like to spend there a week or so. We’ll need to return to Vietnam! We decided to chill. After a stroll along the beach and brunch, we did small shopping. I took a beautiful stroll along the coast near Flamingo hotels. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to climb the hills from there, so I went to rooftop bar for sunset instead :)
There is no Grab in Cat Ba, so I grabbed some street food BBQ for dinner on the way back.
Also, there are hardly any ATMs, so ideally come with cash.
The weather forecast was promising, so we eventually we went on the boat trip. Aside, I tried to arrange the boat by myself, but it proved hard and expensive. Best, just go with whatever your hotel offers. In our case, it wasn’t too expensive (~23€ per person, kids pay half price), but totally worth it! It incldued lunch, tea, swimming, kayaking and visit to monkey island. We were super happy!
And we went for seafood hot pot for the last time.
Hanoi#
The following morning we left to Hanoi. Arriving in this busy city was a bit shocking for us after spending several days in calmer places. But this time we choose rather secluded accommodation (a flat for the first time) with a lake view. It’s was quiet and peaceful, ideal for morning and evening walks. Plus the sunset view from the rooftop was mindblowing! It was rather far from the downtown, which complicated shopping. Nevertheless, we got additional suitcase which we easily filled with clothes and souvenirs. And we tried meat hot pot in the garden BBQ - we can recommend the place, but it’s rather hard to get there. If you are not looking for adventures with stray dogs, probably go there by taxi ;)
Last night we were too tired to go out for dinner, plus there were hardly any tempting places around, so we ordered a food from Grab. It was delicious like always! Looking back I’m amased to realise there was no single meal we didn’t like! As a side note, I encountered problems with Grab online payments in the last days. After reporting this to the support team it was resolved in 24h or so. But my payments still didn’t work for food or delivery orders. I’m sharing this, so you have enough cash on you just in case.
If you have questions suggestions, please reach out via Mastodon or leave them directly on the codeberg repo. I’m considering sharing public an album from this trip. But I have doubts mostly regarding our privacy. Let me know if you would find it useful.