Vietnam '16

For five weeks, I traveled all throughout Vietnam; four of those weeks mostly with my mom. I wanted to go to Vietnam because I thought it would be a good place to travel with my mom since it is where she was raised and so that I can better understand my roots. Also, I wanted to see how Vietnam celebrated Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), which all of the Vietnamese cities were getting ready for while we were there. Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City): Saigon has changed a lot from the last ten years since I have been there, but I think it has changed for the better. Although it has become more westernized, there’s less poverty, and businesses seem to booming. Nightlife is also abundant with some bars and clubs lasting until the morning. Highlights: Flower Tet Festival, Ben Thanh Market, Bui Vien Street, all the bars (Fox Beer Garden, Brohma Rooftop Bar, Carmen, Chill Sky Bar, KOTO rooftop bar), 3D Art Gallery Ha Long Bay: I went on a three day, two night luxury cruise through Ha Long Bay with my mom. The first night was spent on the boat, while the second night was spent on a bungalow in front of a beach on one of the secluded islands of Cat Ba. Other Highlights: kayaking through Ha Long Bay caves, swmming in Ha Long waters, oyster farm, ocean view cabin Hanoi: Hanoi is a quieter and more cultural town compared to Saigon. It was nice to see some of the old Vietnamese architecture in the Old Town District, which is also where I stayed. Bars are supposed to close at 12AM, but some secretly stay open after midnight until cops come and bust them (fun to witness). Other Highlights: Wave Music Festival (for $4), water puppet show, Hoa Prison Museum Sapa: Sapa was probably my most unique and favorite experience in Vietnam. From Hanoi, I took an overnight train to Sapa and spent two days trekking the mountains and rice terraces of Sapa. It was through a tour where the group was led by local Hmong local villager. We were also followed by other local mountain villagers that helped us from slipping down the mountains. The scenery throughout the trek was breathtaking – felt like I was in a Vietnamese style Lord of the Rings. Our group spent a night at a homestay in one of the villages. Nha Trang: When my mom was younger, she used to live in Nha Trang for a while, so we stayed at this beach town for a few days and hung out with her childhood friends. The town has definitely gotten more touristy since I last been and seems to be overtaken by a lot of Russians. Still a nice, relaxing town though. I stayed a luxury condo (Muong Thanh Luxury Hotel) with my mom on the 43rd floor for $44/night. Other Highlights: Champa ruins, Vinpearl Park South of Saigon Tour: My mom has never explored south of Saigon, so we booked a three day tour through the south of Saigon all of the way down to Camau – the lowest point in Vietnam. Throughout the tour, we dropped by Can Tho, Bac Lieu, and went through the Mekong River. Other Highlights: Floating Market in Mekong River, Tiger Music Festival (free) Central Vietnam Tour: Another three day tour that my mom wanted to book was to check out some of the cities around central Vietnam including Da Nang, Hue, Quang Binh, Phong Nha caves, and Hoi An. We also celebrated the eve of Tet (Vietnamese New Years Eve) in Da Nang, where we watched fireworks over the dragon bridge from our hotel rooftop. Other Highlights: Champa temples in the caves, eating Bun Bo Hue in Hue, Royal Palace Hoi An: One of the most scenic town in Vietnam. A town filled with lanterns and known to be the Venice of Vietnam. I decided to go back to Hoi An because I heard this city was the best place to be during Tet because most other cities are empty during the holiday. It was definitely crowded with tourists, loaded with lanterns, carnival games and nightly concerts. Other Highlights: Champa My Son ruins, 25 cent beer, bikng around the town Phu Quoc: A relatively unknown Vietnamese island that will soon be booming with tourists within the next five years. Some of the beaches here are really nice and probably the best in Vietnam. You can definitely tell that this island will become very touristy soon because there was a lot of ongoing construction. I had a lot of fun on this island and beach hopped almost everyday, especially with the groups of backpackers that I met through my hostel. Other Highlights: Langchia Hostel, beach hopping by motorbike, Bai Sao Beach, hotel pool hopping at night, bioluminescent plankton at the beach, getting our own personal boat ride around the islands