Welcome to Vietnam

Cebu Pacific flies directly from Manila to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city) or fly to KL and then to Hanoi or Saigon via Air Asia. There are tons of things to see and do in Vietnam depending on what your preference is. Most tourists cruise around Halong Bay, party in Hanoi and HCM, sunbathe in the beaches of Nha Trang and trek the mountains of Sapa.

To save some money, I suggest you buy the Open Tour bus. This allows you to hop on and off in a particular location and it’s valid for 30 days. I bought a ticket for seater (Hanoi to HCM) for about $30. There’s also an option for sleeper bus which is a little expensive than the seater. Cruise around the streets of Hanoi to get a good deal with the price. Check Sinh Café although be weary that there are a lot of fake Sinh Café’s too.

Beware of the thousands of scammers that loiter around Hanoi. I met an Australian couple who got ripped off big time and paid $100 for each open bus sleeper ticket. Please check and compare online prices first before you hit the streets. It pays to have an approximate idea of what the cost should be.

Always remember the exchange rate before paying for anything. I have a friend who paid a few hundred dollars equivalent of Vietnam Dong for a taxi ride (Airport to City Center). The driver asked for the amount and they got confused with the exchange rate and just paid him the agreed amount (after bargaining) which was still ridiculously high. Don’t let your guard down even if you’re tired and worn out.

I tried to change Philippine Peso to Vietnam Dong but the exchange rate is so ridiculously bad. I suggest that you check the online exchange rate before you go to any money exchange shops. ATM is abundant in the cities and they give better exchange rates. Credit cards are widely accepted as well.

There’s a lot of cheap food available on the streets and accommodations are pretty cheap too compare to what I experienced in Laos. I’m usually paying $1-$2 for each meal and $3-$5 for accommodation.

Overall, Vietnam is a nice place to chill and relax without breaking an arm and leg. Did I mention that there’s an abundant supply of cheap backpacks and travel gears too. ;-)

Here are some of the interesting places that I went to:

Hanoi

(Hanoi Water Puppets)

Hanoi was my starting point in this Vietnam trip (Vinh was just my transit point from Laos). The old quarter is pretty slick with ton’s of shops that sells Vietnamese goods. For frequent travelers, I suggest you buy a silk sleeping bag sheet. It’s light weight and cheap, I bought one for only $2. A lot of historical monuments abound the streets of Hanoi. One thing that you shouldn’t miss is the Water Puppet show. It’s entertaining and amazing. The puppeteers are really good in making the wood puppets move on the water. This is also a convenient jump off point to Halong Bay. Make sure to cruise around for the cheapest deal.

Halong Bay

(Halong Bay Boats)

Halong Bay is indeed a wonder of this world. I hope it wins the Seven Wonders of the World award. There are hundreds or thousands of towering limestone islets dotting the sea. My tour package was about $35 dollars and it included full board meals, overnight stay in the ferry, entrance tickets to the park and islands and pickup from and to your hostel. I met a girl on the ship who paid only $28 for the same thing. By the way, it didn’t include drinking water or any drink at all so make sure to bring your own.

Hue

(Hue Citadel)

Hue was my first stop in my hop on and hop off Vietnam adventure. I only spent a day because I intended to stay longer in Hoi An. Hue is a historic city located in the central Vietnam. One of the things to see is the Citadel which is a World Heritage site. Inside the citadel was a forbidden city where only the concubines, emperors, and those close enough to them were granted access, the punishment for trespassing being death. Luckily, I didn’t live in that era because I love to trespass (LOL). I went around the Citadel and tried to sneak in for free to the Forbidden City to save some money but didn’t find any way to do it.

Hoi An

(Japanese Bridge, Hoi An)

I love small towns and cities like Hoi an. I have never heard of this place until I came to Vietnam. Hoi An is a relaxing and charming place to go to. I rented a bike and toured around the city and cycled along the river banks. There are plenty of ways to burn your money here. I found out that Hoi An is famous for it’s tailors. You can have custom made shoes, dresses and suits for a very cheap price. Nightlife is abundant in the historic old town and there’s a beach nearby.

Nha Trang

(Nha Trang Beach)

It was a choice between the mountains of Da Lat or the beaches of Nha Trang. Since I missed the beaches so bad I decided to head to Nha Trang. Nha Trang is a highly commercialized beach area. It looks more commercialized than Patong beach of Phuket. I spent almost a week in Nha Trang because I was able to score a very cheap hotel accommodation. I was sharing a twin air conditioned room with another backpacker so I was paying only $2.5 a night. If you don’t intend to stay on the beach everyday, there are plenty of other things to do. I rented a bike and cycled around the city and then me and my friend went to this sulphur mud bath (my first time). Cheap baguettes made me survived the weak without starving myself to death. There were also sidewalk vendors selling grilled seafood at a very cheap price. I remembered paying only $5 for a grilled lobster and a piece of bread.

 Ho Chi Minh

I never had a chance to tour around Ho Chi Minh so I will just leave this portion empty for awhile. I went to Ho Chi Minh and the minute I got there, I booked my ticket to Phnom Penh. I’m sure there are plenty of things to do in HCM. They say the people in Vietnam are nicer down South compare to Hanoi.