TRAVEL REFLECTIONS - VIETNAM
Another beautiful trip behind me and it’s time to reflect. 10 days wasn’t nearly long enough to experience everything Vietnam has to offer but here are my thoughts based on the experiences we were lucky enough to have.
Accommodations
My family and I moved around quite a bit during our time in Vietnam which is why we opted for hotels as opposed to Airbnbs and I definitely think we made the right call. We stayed in some beautiful places that were so nice to come back to after spending a day exploring.
Victoria Hotel and Resort in Cần Thơ
This beautiful hotel right on the Mekong River is where we spent the night before our river cruise adventure. Victoria Hotel hosts the overnight river tour that we booked so it was very convenient to spend one night at their resort and get picked up on the river right from the hotel the next morning.
Mia Saigon Boutique Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
This was by far the nicest place we stayed in Vietnam and may be one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. The rooms are bright and spacious, the staff is incredible, and the hotel is completely Vietnamese owned.
La Siesta Hotel in Hanoi
Our last hotel was ideally located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi making it easy to walk to shops, food, and museums. Although it wasn’t quite as polished as the other two, we received amazing service here and the location definitely made it a good choice for us.
There will be room tours from all 3 stays in my upcoming Vietnam travel vlog. Subscribe to The Livermore Lens on YouTube so you don’t miss it!
Activities
Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi both have so much to do! On this trip my family stayed fairly focused on cultural activities (museums, temples, markets, etc) but Vietnam definitely has beaches, hiking, and other adventures that we just didn’t have time to get to. Of the things we did see or experience, here are some highlights from each city.
Ho Chi Minh City
The War Remnants Museum - Experience the Vietnam War through the Vietnamese perspective.
Markets - Roam Vietnamese markets like Ben Thanh or Binh Tay and see what local treasures you can find.
Shopping - From high end brands to souvenirs and everything in-between.
The Rex Hotel - Grab a cocktail at the rooftop bar of this landmark hotel that was once a car dealership and garage in the French colonial era of Vietnam.
Vinh Khanh Street - Visit this street to get some authentic mud creeper snails (a very popular dish in Ho Chi Minh) and pair them with a cold Bia Saigon.
Hanoi
The Temple of Literature - This beautiful temple began as the first university in Vietnam. Visit to learn about the history of education and Confucianism in Vietnam. Bonus: Writers are encouraged to say a prayer at the temple so they can someday write and publish a masterpiece.
The Old Quarter - The Old Quarter of Hanoi has it all. Markets, souvenir shopping, great food, and Water Puppet Theaters.
Water Puppet Show - I highly recommend getting tickets to a water puppet performance in Hanoi. Musical numbers and stories are illustrated by dancing marionettes on a stage of water. The shows are short and mostly in Vietnamese but with an English program it’s not too hard to follow. This is a mesmerizing experience that’s hard to understand until you just see it for yourself.
Hanoi has endless activities to offer and you’ll get to see more in my upcoming vlog. But for additional inspiration for your trip check out this article.
Cost
Overall I would say Vietnam is a fairly inexpensive place to visit and vacation but here’s a more specific breakdown of where you should anticipate spending the most and the least.
Where you spend: Airfare + Accommodations
There are ways to save on these 2 things if you are willing to fly budget airlines or stay in cheap hotels/hostels. However, depending on your budget, I would argue it makes sense to splurge on these and be comfortable while you sleep and travel because you will be saving a lot on food, activities, and transportation.
Where you save: Food, Activities + Transportation
Despite the fact that Vietnam is a fairly popular tourist destination, the restaurants and attractions in both the major cities we explored were surprisingly cheap. Most restaurants we ate at had entrees for $6-$10 or less. Most of our activities (The War Remnants Museum, The Temple of Literature, and The Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts) had adult tickets for less than $5. Worried about getting to and from all of these things? Download Grab. This is Southeast Asia’s version of Uber without US Uber prices. This is an especially good idea for tourists because rates are set by the app and not the driver so there is no chance of you getting scammed.
Food
I’ve always been a big fan of Southeast Asian cuisine and Vietnamese food was no exception.
Eating Pescatarian
While I couldn’t try all the local dishes as a pescatarian, it was fairly easy to find authentic food that was also suitable to my diet. Vegetarian Phở and veggie rice paper rolls were probably the dishes I consumed the most. Here’s a helpful article on ordering as a vegan or vegetarian in Vietnam.
Favorite Meal
My favorite meal of the trip was Chả Cá, catfish grilled with turmeric and dill served over rice noodles and topped off with fish sauce and chilli. We ate at a restaurant called “Chả Cá Thang Long” where Chả Cá is the only thing on the menu so I think it’s safe to assume they know how to do it right.
Hanoi vs Ho Chi Minh
While both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh seem to have quite a variety of both local restaurants and international cuisines, Ho Chi Minh definitely has more diversity in restaurant options. This may be because it’s a city that brings in many internationals on business as compared to Hanoi that draws so many backpackers and other tourists. I always recommend sticking to the local cuisine when you travel but if you are suddenly craving sushi, pizza, Thai, etc, you will probably find the best options in Ho Chi Minh City.
There are tons of articles out there on the best Vietnamese dishes and how to order them so I’ll just end my reflection of the food with this: Vietnam is most definitely a foodie destination.
People
Like most people I’ve encountered through years of traveling back to Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese people I interacted with on this trip were consistently warm and welcoming. I already mentioned the outstanding service we received at all of our accommodations but even outside of the individuals in service positions, locals were very friendly. As an American, this warm and welcoming aspect of the Vietnamese people is all the more humbling after a visit to the War Remnants Museum.
Safety
After living in Cape Town, I’m extremely sensitive to how safe a city feels. For those that haven’t spent much time traveling, and, more specifically, traveling to Southeast Asia, the unfamiliarity of cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh can be uncomfortable and therefore can make you feel unsafe. Rest assured, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, for being massive cities, felt very safe throughout our time in each one. I felt completely comfortable walking around with my family even after dark. Would I walk around after dark on my own? No. But as a woman, there are very few places in the world I would feel comfortable doing that.
The two things you should watch out for are:
Scams. Do your homework and know what taxis are legit and which ones are not if you plan to use them. And don’t indulge the street vendors handing out samples. They may end up giving you 10 pieces of fried dough you didn’t want, charging you for it, and not giving accurate change back. (Just ask my mom about it.) As in any big city, just be street smart and you will survive.
Motorbikes. In Hanoi, motorbikes rule the road and 50% of the drivers are on their phones while whipping through the narrow streets. Stay alert.
Taking time to reflect after a trip is a super important part of travel! I often make realizations or observations about a place or culture once I’ve had a week or two back home to process my experiences. Interested in similar posts or need ideas to start writing down your own travel reflections? Check out my reflections from Ethiopia, South Africa, and Mexico.
Want to hear more about this trip? Check out last week’s post all about my overnight river cruise through the Mekong Delta and watch my 3-part travel vlog on YouTube!
