5 Things I Loved About Vietnam

September 2019 was epic. I finally made my much awaited, much planned Vietnam trip. I was there for 5N/6D so essentially Hanoi and around. Here goes what had my heart.

Monkey Island Resort in South China Sea

Once we landed in Hanoi [Took Thai Airways with a stopover at Bangkok], we got a Grab [Uber equivalent] and drove straight to the northern end of Hanoi to take 3 ferry rides to reach a small island called Monkey Island that had 1 resort called the Monkey Island Resort and to be specific, 5 more human beings other than me & my friends.

It’s by far the most remote place I’ve stayed in. Here are some pictures from the place. And you can book it here. Great food, alcohol and warm smiles guaranteed.

Endless Ferry Rides

I touched upon this briefly earlier. I will now elaborate.

You cannot get very far in Vietnam If not for ferries – big & small, motored ferries. There are even the ones that carry buses and cars from one island to the other.

My trip from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island and further on to Monkey Island will always be memorable. It was a tiny motored ferry that could sit 6 people right in the middle of a vast raging sea, the South China.

I can fondly think of that experience now. But back then, while I was on it, I could only hold my breath till I reached shore again. In between I did steal in a few pictures. See them here.

Cruising on Unesco World Heritage Site – Halong Bay

We all have travel bucket lists. My first one got checked in Halong Bay.

Cruising through huge limestone formations on ERA Cruise – I could slowly see the Hanoi shoreline disappear as the cruise drifted further into the Bay.

I also got the best room with a front view balcony. I could ask for little more. The food was delectable served in the fancy 1^st floor restaurant.

But what I absolutely take back from that 1N/2D cruise is the sea kayaking and bat cave boating right in the middle of the sea. Unforgettable… We were barely keeping afloat on the sea, so the pictures don’t do justice. It was also drizzling so just managed to click a few for memories.

Pro Tip – Cruise with ERA with direct booking through the website. They’ll give you a better deal. They’ll also include a one side pick-up from your hotel in Hanoi. We had a MERC pick us up. So aren’t complaining at all.

Beer Scene in Hanoi

This one is personal. I’m a beer lover. So when you get it in HANOI at Beer Street at 1$ after 7PM every evening, it easily tops your list.

The same lanes that were unassuming in the day time, opens us sit out chairs on the street and there’s beer. For 1$ for a glass, till about midnight

There’s also music. And street performances and loads of cultural mingling

We were staying near Hanoi Old Quarter so for us the Beer street was walk able. We made full use of it.

Day Trip to Tam Coc & Village Bicycle Tour

I’m not the kind that goes for a holiday and chills. I move around. A lot. I walk, I take the local transport. I eat at local joints. I take day tours and more. Well the idea is to absorb as much as possible.

So I took the day trip to Tam Coc which has a river surrounded by small mountains and rice fields. It was a couple of hours away from Hanoi. Our hotel arranged the day trip for us. There were a bunch of other travelers from Poland, staying at our hotel, who tagged along.

It was quite a day, my kind of day with a lot of moving round. Did an hour long boat ride down the Tam Coc River, bought a beer from a floating shop, did a cycling tour among villages and then ended up having a lunch with all the travelers hosted by a Vietnamese family.

It was my Eat Pray Love moment.

That sums up what I absolutely loved about Vietnam. It’s a gorgeous country with a lot of greenery in the outskirts of Hanoi. I wanted to but didn’t have much time to do Hoi An. I think I’ll definitely go back some other time to visit Hoi An & Ho Chi Min.

If you’re planning a trip to Hanoi and around, happy to share details of all bookings we did.
With the current new normal, I’m sure you’re looking forward to your next travel plan. I am.