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Things to do in Vietnam

Here's my itinerary of things to do in Vietnam and where to apply for your visa... With so much to do here, you don't want to miss out on a thing as everyday can be an adventure. Read on to discover the best places to visit and decide where you want to go...


Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Travelling from South to North, I started in the beautiful Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and spent 3 nights there. Here are the top things to do in Ho Chi Minh City:

  1. Cu Chi Tunnels

  2. Mekong River

  3. Vietnam War Museum

  4. Walking food tour (or do this yourself!)

  5. Drinking street

  6. Tháp Bitexco Financial Tower viewpoint

  7. Pink Cathedral

I stayed at both 9 Hostel & Bar and Loan Vo hostel whilst there. Loan Vo hostel was a nicer place, however, I had 9 flight of stairs to walk up before getting to my room each time. I found it was more social at 9 Hostel & Bar, so easier to make friends.


Mũi Né

Mũi Né is a beach resort in the South of Vietnam, with sand dunes that you can go quad biking on. I would recommend staying for 1 night in Mũi Né, and I stayed at iHome - a very sociable place.


Things to do in Mũi Né:

  1. Quad bike on the sand dunes

  2. Visit the white and red sand dunes


Dalat

A little colder than other parts of Vietnam, Dalat is situated in the mountains and offers an extraordinary few days of enjoyment. Here are my top things to do in Dalat:

  1. Maze Bar

  2. Waterfalls

  3. Flower garden

  4. Crazy house

  5. Night market

  6. Canyoning

When you go to Dalat, you need to stay at Tigon hostel! The people there are so nice, especially Hannah, and their pumpkin soup is the best to curl up with whilst overlooking the mountains (They also have a cute dog called Gong).


Hội An

I loved Hội An so much that I actually stayed 4 nights there, which in hindsight was too long, only because I had a 30 day visa so was rushing. One of the main things I did in Hội An was get tailor made clothes, which was such an exciting experience! I got a two piece coordinate set and a linen dress made - they are my new favourite items of clothing, especially as I don't support fast fashion.


Top things to do in Hội An:

  1. Get tailor made clothes

  2. Cooking class

  3. Beach

  4. Take the Hai Van Pass on the way to Huế

  5. Take a day trip to the Danang bridge

Finally, the highlight of Vietnam was the Ha Giang Loop, and let me tell you, you're going to love it! After a whole month of travelling across Vietnam, our friendship group rode the Ha Giang Loop together, navigating ourselves across the mountains. I'll leave it to you to discover what's there...


Huế

I only stayed in Huế to break up the journey between Hội An and Phong Nha as we hired bikes and rode the Hải Vân Pass, so didn't get much exploring done. However, these are some things to do in Huế:

  1. Alba Thanh Tan hot springs

  2. Visit temples

  3. Imperial City of Hue.

  4. Walk along the river

I stayed at Vietnam Backpackers again here, and they have happy hour where you can get free beer! Great for playing beer pong after a 5 hour drive along the Hải Vân Pass.


Phong Nha

I was completely mesmerised by Phong Nha when I first set eyes on the landscape; this national park feels like another world. If you have time to spend a few days in Phong Nha, you definitely should. These are the best things to do in Phong Nha:

  1. Day trip to Paradise Cave, Dark Caves, and Phong Nha Cave

  2. Overnight trekking and camping in the caves

I stayed at Phong Nha Tuan Garden House, and in the evening they cooked us a delicious family meal with Vietnamese spring rolls, sweetcorn fritters, and other delights.


Ninh Binh

Surrounded by glorious shades of green, Ninh Binh will take your breath away with its nature.

Here are my top things to do in Ninh Binh:

  1. Boat trip in Trang An

  2. Hike up to Hang Múa

  3. Hire bike and explore

  4. Karaoke

I stayed in Green Mountain Homestay, which overlooked a lake and left me in awe. My favourite part about this place was laying in a hammock admiring the lake's natural beauty.


Cát Bà

From Hạ Long Bay, I got a ferry to Cát Bà Island, and was super excited as I had been looking forward to this place. To my disappointment, the sea was quite dirty and wouldn't have been great for diving, which was the main thing I hoped to do. I also wanted to stay on a live aboard boat but they were quite expensive. One of my favourite things to do was hire a bike and ride around the island.


Things to do in Cát Bà:

  1. Ngu Lam Peak hike

  2. Tung thu beach

  3. Explore the island by bike

I stayed at Cocoon Inn Cat Ba, which was in a great location and they were really helpful when it came to hiring bikes and booking boats.


Hanoi

I absolutely loved Hanoi, and it has so much to offer in terms of things to do, eat, and see. There's one particular bánh mì vendor called 'Bánh Mì 25' that took my heart, and I'm proud to say that by the time I left Hanoi they knew who I was! You should also go to Cafe Giang to try egg coffee from the cafe it originated from!


Here are the top things to do in Hanoi:

  1. Hanoi Train Street

  2. Go to Cafe Giang to try egg coffee

  3. Hanoi Walking Street (Tom's Bar)

  4. Have a sandwich at Bánh Mì 25

  5. Visit the Old Quarter

I stayed at Little Charm Hanoi Hostel which was beautiful, and the interior reminded me of Europe to my delight.


Ha Giang

Finally, the highlight of Vietnam was the Ha Giang Loop, and let me tell you, you're going to love it! After a whole month of travelling across Vietnam, our friendship group rode the Ha Giang loop together, navigating ourselves across the mountains. I'll leave it to you to discover what's there...

There's so much to do in Vietnam that I'd recommend applying for a visa so you can spend as much time there as possible (If your passport requires you to). There are a few fake websites, but here's the correct one to apply for your Vietnam visa.

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