Top Sites in Vietnam

Vietnam has some amazing sites to see. It is one of our favorite countries that we have ever visited.  We spent 30 days in Vietnam and it was barely enough time to see everything that this diverse nation has to offer.  From great natural wonders to fantastic shopping, mountain adventures and chilling beach life, Vietnam has something to offer for everyone.

Once you get passed aggressive nature of the touts on the street, it can be a wonderful and fulfilling travel.  The people will soon win over your hearts and it will become one of your top travel destinations like it is ours.

Here are a few of our favorite things that we did while visiting Vietnam.

View Incredible Ha Long Bay

Halong Bay Vietnam, A top site in Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is definitely the number one attraction on any one’s list of sites to see in Vietnam.  Located about 165 km East of Hanoi on the Gulf of Tonkin.  It is a spectacular destination.  You can book a two night, 3 day cruise from Hanoi at any hotel or hostel.   Tours range in price but start at $80 per person and rise drastically for more luxurious cruises.

Halong bay consists of almost two thousand islands.  Giant limestone karst formations just out of the sea for as far as the eye can see.  You will witness this natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Sight up close and personal from your wooden cruise liner.

Relax on the top deck of your beautiful Junk Boat.  A classic Chinese sailboat made of teak, as the crew prepares your dinner.  You won’t go hungry out on the water, a feast of seafood, fresh vegetables and traditionally Vietnamese dishes awaits you. You will be served breakfast, lunch and dinner while enjoying local beer and wine.

See Spetacular Sapa

Rice Terrace Sapa a spectacular Site

Located in the North West Corner of Vietnam, Sapa is a must for anyone wanting to add a little adventure into their travels while in Vietnam.  Book a tour from Hanoi, or catch a train north to Lao Cai and find a guide to take you deep into the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range.  Sapa has become a little overcrowded with tourists, but if you book a multi-day trek to stay in a home stay with one of the ethnic minority peoples, you will get a feel for traditional life and will be far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Sapa for an authentic experience.

The giant rice terraces cascade down the mountains as the sun reflects in their pools of water.  You will trek right on the ledge of these terraces following your guide through every corner where it feels as if you are in the middle of a National Geographic issue.  The days are physical as the climbs are steep, but you will be rewarded with a feast of rice and vegetables, meats and stews at the end of the day as your hosts prepare dinner over an open fire.

Buy a New Wardrobe in Hoi An

Ever wanted an Armani suite or designer dress?  Or are your tastes more practical and you are looking for trekking pants or a new shirt?  Hoi An is a town in Central Vietnam that attracts tourists for its tailor made clothing.  Even if you think that you don’t need a new wardrobe, once you arrive at this picturesque town on the South China Sea, you will be drawn into the excitement of shopping for quality clothing at extremely discounted prices.

You can’t help but buy an item or two.  The talented seamstresses will have you measured and sized up in an instant.  Just be sure to ask for double stitching. Otherwise your clothes won’t last to the next city.

The best thing about Hoi An is that even if you are backpacking through Asia, you can send your clothes home from the post office in town and they will keep your measurements on file for when you are ready to order more!

Cu Chi Tunnels

Try Going into the Original Cu Chi Tunnel Entrance

Agent Orange, napalm and constant bombing wiped out the jungle during the Vietnam War but it is now lush and green and Vietnam is capitalizing on tourism. The Cu Chi Tunnels are the most fascinating historical site of Vietnam.   Over 250km of tunnels weave their way underground and they were the key component in winning the war.

Most Guides are former soldiers that fought on these very grounds and they will tell you in intimate details of how the Vietnamese outwitted the Americans while living right under their noses.  Entrances were camouflaged by termite hills, cayenne pepper was sprinkled around to confuse the scent dogs and breakfast was cooked in the morning mist so that the smoke from their fires could not be detected.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can go into the original entrance and crawl through 150 metres of a tiny, dark and damp tunnel. If you are in the Saigon Area, make sure you go to see the Cu Chi Tunnels,

Mekong Delta

Don't miss the Mekong Delta Trip

Trips to the Mekong Delta can be booked from Ho Chi Minh City and it is definitely worth the trip.  This is the part of Vietnam that everyone envisions when they picture the country.  Hundreds of tributaries make their way through thick jungle.

You will explore the Mekong area by tour boat, traditional rowboat and minibus.  The highlight of the trip is a visit to the famous Cai Ba floating market. Hundreds of boats line the harbor filled with fruits and vegetable waiting to be sold.  You will also walk through villages and markets, cross canals on traditional bamboo bridges and visit rice paper mills and sample coconut candy and rice wine.

The Mekong Delta tours can be a little touristy, but it is worth the visit to explore the backwaters of this famous area of Vietnam.

Mui Ne

Vietnam's Grand Canyon, Go See it

It isn’t as popular as Na Trang, but Mui Ne is a beautiful beach area perfect for relaxing after the Chaos of Ho Chi Minh city.  Located North East of Saigon on the South China Sea, Mui Ne has everything for beach lovers and adventurers alike.  Perfect conditions allow for great kite surfing.  Be sure to take a lesson however as this adventure sport can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.

There are some amazing sites around the  area such as the incredible sand dunes and red rock.  You can take a tour that includes a visit to the fishing village and walk on the dunes and a stop at the famous red rock and fairy stream.

If adventure is not what you are into, relax on the white sandy beach and enjoy a massage by ladies with bionic hands.

All of these sites are stops on the Vietnam tourist bus that travelers can buy open tickets from Saigon to Hanoi or vice-versa.  Tourist can buy a one month ticket with hop on hop off privileges to take their time exploring the country from North to South.  Price is approximately $32 US dollars giving you the freedom to enjoy the countries top attractions at your leisure.

With so many amazing sites to see in Vietnam, you will need at least 30 days to explore the country properly.

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How to Bring the Romance Back to Backpacking as a Couple

Hectic Kho San Road

So you have been backpacking through South East Asia for a couple of months. You have trekked to the hills, sat on Kho San drinking too much Singha beer, seen one to many pagodas and you haven’t had a decent shower in I don’t know how long.  Not the makings of romance for you and your significant other.

Just like any other time in your life, couples need to make the time to keep the relationship sizzling.  Backpacking is no exception. You can get so caught up in treks, seeing sights and partying, that you can loose sight of each other and simply turn into traveling buddies.  Well, here are some things you can do in South East Asia to chill out and bring a little romance back into backpacking.

Tranquil Terraces of Ubud

1. Go for a massage and floral bath in Ubud, Bali – What better location than the centre of Bali surrounded by rice terraces, volcanoes, lush jungle and a feeling of what Bali must have felt like decades ago.  To the soft sound of traditional Balinese Music, together you can have your aching muscles worked on as you relax side by side.  It doesn’t end there. After you have completely relaxed, walk into the next room where a floral bath awaits.  When was the last time you had a bath?  You milk it for all its worth and sit in that tub until your skin prunes.  But you don’t care, you are rejuvenated, mellow and smelling a whole lot better.  Maybe a trip to the market is in order to spice up your travel clothes.  Top off the night with some wine and cheese at the Delicat restaurant. .

Splurging on a nice Hotel

2. Splurge on a hotel. Through  gtahotels and get an executive suite in Kuala Lumpur (or any big city for that matter).  We did this after months on the road, and it was heaven.  It cut into our budget a bit, but it was worth it.  For under $100 you can stay in a deluxe hotel at an extremely discounted rate.  We loved sitting in our white robes on our queen size bed so much that we went back to the Internet and booked another night.  It was worth every minute and we were ready to face the hassles of travel fresh and relaxed.  Yes, there was a pool too, but as many of you travelers know, a clean, comfortable and decadent bed is a luxury and we didn’t leave it for 2 days.

Cruising Ha Long Bay

3. Take a cruise on Ha Long Bay- Bring along some Vang Dalat, Vietnams attempt at red wine. Lay on the top deck and watch the stars in the clear sky as you are surrounded by giant kharst formations. Thousands of limestone islands burst out of the South China Sea.  Heavenly.

Nha Trang Mud Baths

4.Mud Baths of Nha Trang – So you have been fighting the touts of Vietnam for days, the pollution is taking its toll on your skin and that cracked heel that you developed just won’t go away.  You need a rest.  Just outside of Nha Trang are theraputic mud baths.  Cover yourself in this cool goo and bake away your worries in the sun.  After rinsing off under the shower, pop into a hot tub and clear your mind.  The serenity and peace can lift your spirits back up to face the rigours of travel in Vietnam.  But wait, you can’t leave yet, you need to stretch this out for as long as possible.  Never fear, there is a warm pool that you can swim in and relax by.  Stay all day chatting with each other with no fear of being interrupted to buy a book or some flowers.  Just watch how you start to reconnect with each other, ready to face another month on the road until the next splurge day.

Peace, Relaxation, Meditation

5. Meditate in Chang Mai – You can book a private 2 to 5 meditation course.  What better way to reconnect than to meditate together.  We had a private session where we learned how to meditate to music, did a laughing meditation and eventually worked our way into a full meditative silence.  Our teacher cooked us traditional vegetarian dishes, and we ended each day with learning some Tai Chi.  With both of us centered and relaxed, we could easily get through our travels in a more Zen Like state.  It is a wonderful thing to do together, you will both be feeling refreshed and optimistic at the same time.

Splurge on a nice meal

Other ideas.

• Go on a dinner cruise-you are in a land that has water everywhere.  Splurge on a romantic night out feasting on the water.  Almost all destinations offer dinner cruises and nothing brings two people together more that fresh air, good food and gorgeous scenery.
• Take a traditional cooking course.  These are everywhere and can be a lot of fun. Fun is important in any relationship.
• Massage, Massage everywhere.  The thing that I love about South East Asia are the massages everywhere.  You can get a cheap traditional massage that does wonders for the backpackers body.  On the beach in Thailand, On the Beach in Vietnam,  In Lao, Indonesia.  In Cambodia, get the best massage at one the healing hands massage clinics where highly trained blind masseurs take care of every joint. In Malaysia, try something different and get a traditional reflexology foot massage. It can be painful, but they will fix you right up.
• Take the time to just be.  Too often we run around catching busses, seeing attractions, jumping on a trek and ticking things off of our list, that we don’t stop to just relax for a few days and do nothing. It is important to take the time to watch the sun go down and walk on  the beach with no plans for rushing off any time soon. Just Be.

Relaxing and Connecting

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Vietnam In 30-Days

It is a frantic travel from South to North Vietnam.  30-days is just enough time to scratch the surface of this diverse country.

First Impressions

We drove non stop from the border of Cambodia to downtown Saigon.  A city etched in my brain from all of the war films that I watched as a kid.  Women whiz by on their mopeds, dressed in white from head to toe.  White gloves, white hat, flowing white silk suits and a white mask to block out exhaust pollution.  Motorbikes span the streets in thick packs making crossing feel like a game of Frogger.  The city is a bustle with markets, food stalls, and nightclubs.  Where shopping is the main priority and dodging touts is a full time job.  Trishaw drivers won’t take no for an answer as they follow you down the street looking to make their fare and precocious children sell photocopied books for $2.

The Cu Chi Tunnels

The fascinating Cu Chi Tunnels were our first visit.  Agent Orange, napalm and constant bombing wiped out the jungle during the Vietnam War but it is now lush and green and the Vietnamese are capitalizing on tourism.  Our guide, a former translator for the American army leads our group telling the story of the North Vietnamese and how they defeated the U.S.  The caves were right under the Americans noses, literally.  They showed us how they would escape in the jungle and camouflage the entrances with termite hills.  We learned that they fought in sandals made from tires to avoid jungle rot and we learned how they wore checkered scarves to announce that they were fighting for the North and how farmers snuck food to soldiers.

For Those Who Dare
It was then into the claustrophobic original tunnel to crawl for 100m in darkness to get a sense of just how uncomfortable the conditions were.  The dim lights went out for a few minutes and for a while there and I had no idea where our guide was, being near the back of the crowd.  Earlier, I saw some lights leading to another direction and I was starting to panic that we had taken a wrong turn.  The tunnel system is hundreds of kilometres long and worry was setting in that we might be in here for a very long time.  Three bats flew through our little conga line in the dusty tunnel, but a few minutes later, we emerged drenched from the heat and covered in dirt.  I was feeling proud for making it through, and glad that I did not opt to take the chicken route near the start of the tunnel.

War Remnants Museum

Back in Ho Chi Min, we visited the War Remnants Museum, an emotional look at the effects of war and a fascinating display honouring photographers and correspondents who lost their lives covering the war.  We walked by the Armerican Embassy known for the infamous rooftop helicopter evacuations after the fall of Saigon and we checked out the thriving waterfront with luxury hotels, nightclubs and bustling river.

Mekong Delta Tour

The three day trip to the Mekong Delta is a steal.  Tour companies in Ho Chi Min City offer great package deals fighting for tourist dollars to all destinations.  For only $30 an all-inclusive trip supplies you with a guide, food, accommodation and transport.

Life remains unchanged here as farmers still bring their produce to the floating market and people still wash their clothes by hand on its banks.  Strong women row our boat down an estuary surrounded by thick jungle and we don conical hats pretending to be Rambo.  We are paraded from one shop to another set up strictly as a tourist trap.  At small factories, we learned how to make coconut candy and rice paper being offered a taste to entice us into buying a souvenir. It is all a little contrived at times as they try very hard to make you purchase something, but the scenery is incredible and watching local life unfold is fascinating.

Travel in Vietnam

We return to the city and buy a “tourist” bus ticket north.  This great invention allows us to travel from Ho Chi Min City in the south all the way to Hanoi in the north.  For $30 US, you can stop at as many places as you like for as long as you like.  Just hop off at your destination, and then when you want to move, go to the office in town and book a seat for the next day.  It makes traveling a cinch.

Beach Life

• Our first stop is Mui Ne.  A spectacular beachfront visited by very few tourists. Kite surfers ride the waves in its windy bay, women offer cheap massage on the beach that is so vigorous that it leaves bruising and the sunsets here are some of the most spectacular you will ever see.  The high winds whip and swirl the clouds throughout the day and when dusk sets in the setting sun illuminates the sky with deep reds and bright yellows.

• A short jeep ride takes you out to the town’s main attraction, the sand dunes.  Giant rolling hills of sand surrounded by green fields looking as though a bit of the Sahara has been dropped on the land.  We walk to the top in the scorching heat and take a thrilling magic carpet ride down its sandy banks.

• After wasting away five days in paradise, we decide that we need to see more ot the country and time is an issure, so we reluctantly pack our bags and head north.

Nha Trang

Next stop, Nha Trang, a far busier beach town with high-rise buildings, giant resorts, nightclubs, and fine dining.  This long stretch of beach is well developed and touts are everywhere selling jewelry, hats, t-shirts and of course cheap photocopied books.

We take a day to visit the mud baths to bask in its cool medicinal mud.  All of my travel weary bones and muscles are treated to a relaxing day of pampering and nurturing, preparing me for the days to come.  We will be going to Hoi An next, and I need to be in top form for the ultimate shopping experience.

Hoi An

Hundreds of shops vying for your business to sell you tailor made clothes whipped up in a matter of hours.  Chosing a shop can be difficult and we were standing in the rainy street confused when a lady approached us and said to follow her.  Reluctantly we followed her through winding streets and alleyways, when we finally came to her shop in the market.  We proceeded to pick out patterns and styles, while an army of women took our measurements, aided us in choosing material and colours from the walls of fabric.  Tailors work around the clock to please the many passing travelers and our new wardrobe was ready the next morning for pick up.  From cashmere suits, cocktail dresses and silk shirts to cargo pants and surf shorts, we bought it all for a steal and end up sending 12 kg of clothing home to Canada

Hue

After shopping till we drop for 3 solid days, we are off to Hue close to the North-South border Staying in one of its many clean and cheap mini hotels, we stumble onto Café on Thu Wheels, a unique café with its walls covered in writing from past guests.  We book a motorbike trip to see the sights and it is a thrill to explore the countryside in the fresh air.
Taking another trip to see some tunnels and old war sights, I grow weary and look forward to moving on to Hanoi, the nations capital.

Hanoi

A colonial city full of French architecture, sidewalk cafés, and cobblestone streets.  We explore its sights eating French baguettes and sipping lattes on Hoan Klem Lake, then book a tour to Halong Bay.

A wonder of nature in the South China Sea, where 1000’s of island jut out of the turquoise water creating a never ending horizon of mountains.  We explore the labyrinth on a small teak cabin cruiser, where we have our own private bunk and are treated to a feast.  Sleeping in the bay surrounded by these sleeping giants while looking into the clear night sky is a unique experience.

Sapa

The final destination of our Vietnam adventure takes us to Sapa, a mountain town near the Chinese border.  We stay with the hill tribes in the vast rice terraces and trek for three days in this rugged land.   The beauty is overwhelming as every corner I turn leaves me more awestruck.  Giant terraces filled with water glisten in the sun for as far as the eye can see.  Water buffalo graze in the fields and villagers dress in traditional hand made clothing.

The villagers live by the old ways, harnessing water from the mountain to use as irrigation, weaving their own material, growing their own rice and vegetables and raising their own livestock.  They are a people truly at one with the land, but that hasn’t stopped some of them from owning a satellite televisions.

Vietnam is a fascinating adventure with so much to see, you could easily spend two months exploring its countryside.

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