Here’s a list of some of the places I visited in Vietnam:
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
-Diamond Palace for Lunar New Year displays
-Ho Chi Minh post office
-Book Street (grab a coffee here and chill!)
-Independence Palace: a must-see, in my opinion for historical context and perspective
-Ate at Runam D’Or
-Ben Thanh Market (bartering section & fixed price section)
-Mekong Delta Tour/ Ben Tré area (stopping via boat in villages to visit a coconut farm, riding bicycles through the town to see a brick factory & making rice crisps at a family home)
-Hoa Tuc Cooking class (so fun!)
-Landmark 81 (coffee & a view from the 75th floor) and walk the gorgeous Park across the street
Hoi An
-Old Town Walking Street & Night Market
-Old Town Walking Street & Night Market
-Naia Yoga
-Cua Dai Beach
-Hidden Beach
-An Bang Beach (loved this spot! Beautiful at sunrise)
-Ate at The Fisherman vegan restaurant (delicious! With amazing beachfront seating and a great story behind the establishment)
Da Nang
-Ba Na Hills (Golden Bridge)
-Beaches!
Hanoi (city)
-Old Quarter
-Train Street
-Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
-Try egg coffee at Cafe Giang
-Try sweet soup at Che 4 Mua Hang Can
-Try young rice & tea at 26 Nha Tho
-Visit Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation
Vietnamese Villages
-Nguyen Trai
-Nghièm Xuyen
-Hong Minh
-Sao Beach (check out Paradiso)
-Khem Beach (touristy!)
-Sunset Town
-Starfish Beach (Ganh Dau) – visit in the morning before 11am for less crowds
-Bich Dong cave temples & Pagoda (free entry)
-Trang An boat tour (route 3 is great!)
-Mua Cave climb
-Hoa Lu Old Town/ Tam Coc for dinner
There is still plenty I’d like to see in Vietnam.
What I Skipped Due to Weather & TIme, but will return to see:
Sa Pa
Ha Long Bay, Cát Bà Island, Lan Ha
Hue
Additional rural/ remote mountain towns in North Vietnam…
Ban Gioc waterfall (North Vietnam)
Thac Ba Lake (NW of Hanoi)
Bac Son (NE of Hanoi)
Mu Cang Chai (west, toward Laos)
Ta Chi Nhu (to hike above the clouds!)
It’s not easy to get from place to place in Vietnam. It requires time. What I outlined above could take a month (if done properly) to actually enjoy the journey.
So, I haven’t seen it all, done it all and I don’t have answers to all of your Vietnam travel questions. But I loved my experiences enough to know that I will be back. Perhaps I will see some of what I intend— and probably a whole lot more that isn’t even on my radar.
