Vietnam was not on the top of my list for travelling until my travelmates suggested to me 2 years ago and the trip has become my favourite trip till today! Our wonderful trip begin from Hanoi and end in Hoi An.
Before reading through this guide, have a look of my vlog!
Day 1 - Be stunned by Hanoi's Traffic and Egg Coffee
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and it is an ideal starting point for an itinerary as we are travelling down to Central Vietnam. Speaking of Hanoi, people will definitely think of the crazy traffic, the special egg coffee and the UNESCO World Heritage Halong Bay. The city itself has some tourist spots that worth visiting - Old quarter, Hoam Kiem Lake and Train Streets or if you enjoy watching show, you can watch their water puppet show too!
Besides, there's certainly plenty mouthwatering local cuisine to enjoy. We had our lunch at Pho 10: a restaurant that sell Vietnamese Rice Noodle soup, the local named it as 'Pho'. When you are sweating after stroll around the city, get into Cafe Pho Co, Hanoi's oldest cafe, enjoy their famous egg coffee (personally prefer the egg coffee at Cafe Giang). If your stomach is still not full, just grab one of the best Banh Mi in Hanoi from Banh Mi 25!
Day 2 & 3 - Immerse in the beauty of Halong Bay
No trip to the north of Vietnam is complete without a visit to Halong Bay. Before coming to Vietnam, we booked our Halong Bay overnight cruise with Oriental Sail. The price for 2 days 1 night tour in Halong Bay cost around RM630 per pax. There are many cruise options available with different star of services, you may choose based on your preference.
You will be amazed by the spectacular seascape in Halong Bay where there are thousands islands and islets surrounded by the emerald waters. Meanwhile, the cruise tour also offers other activities like visiting the floating village, kayaking, squid fishing, exploring caves and joining the cooking class on the cruise.
Day 4 - Taking Vietnam Airline heading to Hue
Hue is the old capital of the country from 17th to 19th century and thus there are many historical sites in this offbeat travel destination in Vietnam. There are lots of hidden gems to be explored such as the Imperial City, the royal tombs as well as the biggest pagoda in Vietnam! Before you starting checking in all the tourist spots, feed yourself in the inexpensive and popular local restaurant - Hanh Restaurant. This restaurant serves local cuisines such as Bánh Bèo (rice cakes with dried shrimp and crispy pork skin as topping - a dishes from Hue), Bún Thit Nuong (Vietnamese rice noodles with grilled meat) and Goi Cuon Tôm Thit (Vietnamese Springrolls).
Travelling around Hue can be tricky if without a car, so a private car tour or a city tour is a good option to travel between the notable sights without a hassle. We booked a private car tour on the day we reached Hue and it cost us 700,000 VDN (around RM130) for a half day tour. There are many royal tombs in Hue and the top 3 are Minh Mang Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb and Tu Duc Tomb. We only managed to visit Khai Dinh Tomb - a royal tombs that is a mixture of Eastern and Western concept.
Dive into ancient history at Hue's Imperial City, also known as The Citadel, which much like China's Forbidden City. Unfortunately, part of the building structures was left damaged after destroyed during a war. In the evening, you may drop by Thien Mu Pagoda, the seven-storied pagoda, and enjoy the sunset view at the Perfume River.
Day 5 - From Hue to Danang, winding through the stunning Hai Van Pass
There are different ways to travel from Hue to Danang, you can take the scenic train to travel on coast-clinging train route and enjoy the spectacular scenery and views over the Hai Van Pass or you can ride on the cosy and flexible coastal drive from Hue to Danang which will be taking you through the unique combination of rural, mountain and coastal settings.
We booked our private car service in advance with VM Travel which cost us 1,870,000 VDN (around RM340). The driver picked us at Hue's homestay and depart for Hoi An. On the way, we stop to visit the Lap An Lagoon (the 3rd largest lagoon in Vietnam), Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Marble Mountain, Stone Carving Making Village and My Son Sanctuary, before the driver dropped us at Hoi An's homestay.
* This travel guide does not include Bana Hills as we did not visit it in our trip. You can add this massive theme park, which located on top of Truong Son Mountain, into your itinerary if you want to take a memorable photo on the instagramable Golden Bridge and the French Village!
Day 6 & 7 - Explore the lantern ancient town - Hoi An
I love Hoi An and I am grateful that we spent a whole-2-days in this lovely ancient town. There are many descriptions that people use for this town: a UNESCO World Heritage town, a lantern city, the Yellow City of Vietnam and the Tailor town! The ancient buildings in Hoi An is town with mixture of Vietnam, Chinese and French style, the walls are painted yellow and the streets are lighten up by lanterns at night!
The foods in the restaurants located in the ancient town are slightly pricey, you can cross over the river and heading to another side of the town where you can enjoy cheaper and delicious foods. You can also hunt for local foods in the Hoi An Central Market and have your foods like a local! Must-try foods: Cao Lau (rice noodles served with broth, Hoi An regional dishes), Mi Quang (another regional noodles dishes) and White Rose (rose-looking dumplings).
Day 8 - Bye, Vietnam!
All the expenses are not listed down in this travel guide as the prices are subjected to changes. For a reference, I spent around RM2500 for the whole trip, including every expenses in Vietnam and the flight tickets.
Flight tickets: KL-Hanoi and Danang-KL RM444.58, Hanoi-Hue (Vietnam Airline) RM281
Accommodation: Hanoi- Especen Hotel-RM64 (2 nights), Hue- Riverside Airbnb-RM40 (1 night), Hoi An- May Tranh Homestay (RM124)
Halong Bay Cruise: Oriental Sail (3 stars Cruise) RM630 for 2 days 1 night
Private Car Service: Hue RM130 (booking for one car); Hue-Danang-Hoi An USD85 (booking for one car, itinerary includes Lap An Lagoon, Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Marble Mountain, My Son Sanctuary)
Entrance fee: Hue- The Citadel 55,000VDN (RM10), Khai Dinh Tomb 100,00 VDN (RM18); Danang- Marble Mountain 15,000 VDN for elevator (RM3), My Son Sanctuary 150,000 VDN (RM27); Hoi An Entrance pass 120,000 VDN (RM22) for entering certain buildings in the ancient town
Personally, I’m already itching to return to Danang to visit the Bana Hills and Golden Bridge that I missed last visit and Hoi An definitely deserves a second visit too!
