This is an overview of my trip to Hanoi so you can plan yours easily!

This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

Overview of a perfect trip to Hanoi

• Where to stay in Hanoi
• Must-try foods in Hanoi
• Must-see museums in Hanoi
• Notable Places to visit for free on your trip to Hanoi
• What to do in Hanoi
• Day-Trips from Hanoi
• Tips for your Hanoi trip
• TLDR, show me a map with everything important

Where to stay during your trip to Hanoi

Similar to pretty much everywhere in Vietnam, Hotels and AirBnB can be both high-quality and affordable choices. Of course, there are also Hostels, which are mostly frequented by young backpackers and are great if you are one and want to meet like-minded people. But for everyone who is a bit older, chronically ill or just wants more privacy there are options.

The Old Quarter* is the best district to stay in, in Hanoi, since it is walkable, most sights and attractions are there, as well as great food and delicious coffee.

I stayed in a room at Wecozy Nội Miếu, with my own bathroom and a communal kitchen. The room was spacious, the bed was comfortable, the filtered water from the kitchen was a big plus, but above all it was clean and quiet, despite being in the most busy district of the city.

They have a second building near the famous Hanoi Train Street: WECOZY HANOI – Railway Side, The Old Quarter* with many different rooms and apartments to rent.

Must-try foods on your trip to Hanoi

The main reason I wanted to go to Vietnam in the first place was the food. During the time I was there, I tried something new every day. This is my list of must-eat foods in Hanoi: What to eat, where to eat it and how much money to plan for food in the budget (spoiler: it’s not a lot).

I linked all of the mentioned foods in the map at the end of the blogpost!

Xôi xéo is sticky rice with shaved mung bean, chicken fat, crunchy fried onions and pork floss. It’s delicious and fills you up for the entire day without making you feel stuffed. It was my favourite breakfast I had in Hanoi by far!

A Bánh mì is the perfect sandwich. Nothing more. Nothing less. You get a crispy baguette with different fillings. The one you get at most places has liver paté, fried pork, cucumber, carrots, coriander, chilli and soy sauce. My favourite was a pate and egg Banh Mi at Banh Mi Paté, a street food cart in the Old Quarter. It’s perfect for a quick snack, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And it’s great to take on day tours if you’re not sure how much food is included!

Phở is Vietnam’s de facto national dish, a delicious soup with savoury broth, rice vermicelli, herbs, and beef strips. It’s delicious, it fills you up, it hydrates and especially when it’s cold (or raining) outside it’s the perfect meal. A famous spot in Hanoi “Pho 10” has even gotten a Michelin Star in 2023.

Bánh Rán are Vietnamese sticky rice doughnuts with mung bean filling and either coated in sesame, covered with sugar or drenched in honey or in the case of Bánh Rán Mặn filled with pork meat and wood ear mushroom. They are heavy but delicious street snacks. Be on the lookout for scammers selling days-old ones in baskets. The place I tagged on the map belongs to an old couple who have been selling them for years and fry them fresh several times a day.

Bánh Cuốn are a special kind of pancake, made by steaming a slightly fermented rice batter on a cloth that is stretched over a pot of boiling water. These thin rice pancakes are often eaten with fish sauce, fried shallots, and cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage). They go great with a light beer.

Bún chả is a Vietnamese dish that became very famous when then US-President Obama ate it in a small restaurant in Hanoi. This soup like dish has of grilled fatty pork in a savory-sour sauce with young papaya inside, served with rice noodles and greens.

Egg coffee is made from egg yolk, sugar, coco powder and Vietnamese Phin Coffee. Cafe Giang is supposedly the birthplace of egg coffee when it was invented in 1946 by Mr. Nguyen Van Giang. Today egg coffee can be found at almost every café in Hanoi. The most “instagrammable” version of egg coffee is undoubtedly served at the two establishments of eggyolk coffee.

Banana Fritters or Bánh Chuối are bananas, battered and deep fried. They go incredibly well with a delicious dessert-like drink called coconut coffee, made from sweet slushy coconut ice cream, topped with espresso.

When you go to the hawker stall I linked in the map: Be decisive, but friendly. Don’t wait in line, you will never get food. Go to the front, get one of the ladies attention with a smile and a wave, point at the banh chuoi, show her how many you want, give her the money, get the food, leave. Then enjoy your snack with a coconut coffe in the cong cafe nearby.

Our plate of Bún đậu had of vermicelli rice noodles, fried tofu, boiled pork leg, rice pork cake, intestine/blood sausage, fermented shrimp paste, greens and herbs. We also got green tea and chewing gum on the side, because if you eat the fermented shrimp paste your breath will smell horrible.

Travelling is an adventure. Food should be too. The fermented shrimp paste is not for everyone, but you’ll never know until you try it. Also if you are with a Vietnamese person they will love to watch your expression as you eat it.

Must-see Museums on your trip to Hanoi

Like most capitals of the world, Hanoi has a lot of museums to show off the country’s history, culture and traditions. They might not be the top spot on everyone’s to-do list while in the city, but even if you’re just here for a day or two you should try to incorporate at least one of these into your itinerary.

Temple of Literature

The Temple of Literature was the first university in the country, founded in the year 1070. Now it’s the museum in Hanoi that attracts the most visitors every year. This is a must-see for everyone who wants to learn about history, education or the history of education in Vietnam.

I was lucky to go here with a guide who was able to tell me about the history of the building and the traditions people still follow, but you can also get an audio guide.

Museum of Ethnology

To get a comprehensive overview about Vietnam and it’s people, as well as the different minority groups and the origin of traditions all in one place visit the Museum of Ethnology. You’ll need 3 – 5 hours for this museum, it has an amazing audio guide, two buildings and an outdoor living-museum area!

Vietnam National Museum of History

This museum covers the history of Vietnam from prehistoric times the different ruling dynasties, the French colonial regime, the war to drive out the French, the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam up to the Vietnam-US war and the unification of the country.

Not only the exhibits inside the museum are interesting, the building the museum in located is interesting as well. It was built during the French colonial rule of Vietnam and originally served as the archaeological research institution of the French School of the Far East.

Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum

The National Fine Arts Museum of Vietnam in Hanoi is one of the best curated fine arts Museums you will ever see. It also has a super modern audio guide that works directly on your own phone with an app you can download on their free WiFi, with a pair of headphones you can lend for free (or use your own).

Vietnam Military History Museum

Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City have big military history museums, showcasing the war with the USA. While the fighting happened all over Vietnam, the two cities were the major players in the war with Hanoi being the capital of the Vietnamese Communists and Saigon (now Ho Chi Min City) being the capital of the Americans in Vietnam.

The military history museum in Hanoi is divided into several exhibitions. One is about the war effort, one about notable people who fought in the war and what they did, one about Ho Chi Min and then there are two changing ones. Outside of the main buildings, but still on the museum’s grounds, you can find an old fortification which you can climb, to see how people lived and worked who defended the city, as well as several planes, tanks, boats and other military machinery. 

Maison Centrale – Hoa Lo Prison

Maison Centrale, otherwise known as Hoa Lo Prison, “Hell on Earth” by the Vietnamese prisoners during French colonialism or sarcastically “Hanoi Hilton” by imprisoned American soldiers during the Vietnam War, is a prison complex turned museum. I recommend this for everyone who wants to learn from history so the horrors of the past may not be repeated.

Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long

When you look up “Imperial Citadel Hanoi” most pictures will be of the Đoan Môn gate, but said gate is only one part of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among other places, it also includes the flag tower and an archaeological site at 18 Hoàng Diệu Street. Those ruins were discovered in 2008 and belong to the former imperial city. The digging site is still being worked on, but it is open to the public. The compound is right between the National Assembly Building and the Ministry of Defence.

Inside the citadel, you can also find house D67, which was used during the war between 1954 and 1975 as the military headquarters of the People’s Army of Vietnam. The rooms look untouched from when they were in use (and are a great way to escape from the heat of the city).

Vietnamese Women’s Museum

The Vietnamese women’s museum is a very interesting one. Sure, a lot of it is propaganda, especially the entire floor about the war, but at the same time it gives a fascinating overview about:

• The role of women in the ancients tribes of Vietnam
• The role of women, a few handpicked ones in particular, during the Vietnam war
• Changes in women’s clothes over the centuries
• Vietnamese princesses and emperors’ wives and their impact on the country
• The religion or cult/sect/religion that worships „Mother Nature“

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

As a Vietnamese friend of mine put it “You wait for an hour to see a dead body for 15 seconds.” Of course, it isn’t as simple as that, but that’s an interesting way to look at it. I did not go inside the mausoleum itself, but I did spend several hours in the gardens and on the grounds of the mausoleum. In the gardens, you can see several hundred different plants from all over the country, as well as the one-pillar-pagoda, a famous small pagoda in the middle of a lake.

Ancient House

One of the remaining ancient houses of Vietnam, this living exhibition offers a glimpse into the past of the country. It is often quite full, so make sure to get there super early in the morning or go here with a guide who knows when the big tourist groups have passed through already.

Again, I was lucky to go here with a guide who could tell me about the history of the building, the traditions you can see inside and the meaning of several architectural specifics. I recommend this approach, as there are no plaques or explanations inside and you would miss a lot of the cultural specifics.

Notable Places to visit for free on your trip to Hanoi

Hoàn Kiếm Lake, adjacent to the Old Quarter is a small lake in the middle of the city. The streets around the lake are turned into a pedestrian zone every weekend. Around the lake families, students and seniors enjoy the spot of nature to sit, play or for exercise. In the middle of the lake, on an unreachable island stands the Turtle Tower. For many years large turtles called the lake their home, but sadly the last one was found dead sometime after 2015.

With the train passing through this narrow street, filled with colourful houses, shops and cafés the Train Street in Hanoi is a highly frequented Instagram-Photoshoot location.⁠ ⁠The cafes have been completely shut down before and now there are barriers in some places. Maybe the train street will one day return to the bustling spot it became famous as, but with how many people try to get as close to the moving train as possible to get the perfect shot, I seriously doubt it…

At its construction during the French colonial occupation of Vietnam / French Indochina Long Biên Bridge was one of the longest bridges in Asia. Today half the bridge is still original, with rustic (and rusting) metal pillars carrying the structure. It is still used as a railroad, but also by pedestrians and motorcyclists.

St. Joseph’s Cathedral was one of the first structures built by the French colonial government and is the oldest church in Hanoi. After the colonial period, the catholic church in Vietnam was persecuted, priests arrested and its assets and buildings seized. The church is not in a great state, but it was not destroyed either and since 1990 mass has been held here again.

Explore the Old Quarter! This hub of commerce reminds of the Hanoi of old. Tiny shops, cafes, workshops, hostels, homestays, restaurants and much more line the small maze like streets and alleyways. There is something to discover every step you take!

Along the Phùng Hưng street a Vietnamese-Korean street art project has turned a former railroad bridge into an outdoor gallery of street art murals depicting cultural and historical scenes from everyday life drawn in many different styles.

What to do in Hanoi

Silver Smith Workshop

Always on the lookout for unique things to do and more things to learn while travelling, I stumbled upon a silversmith workshop in Hanoi. In the silver crafting village Dinh Cong, about 30 minutes from the Old Quarter of Hanoi, held inside a community house, this workshop takes you back to the time when Hanoi was still called Thang Long (1010 AC).

More on my experience at the workshop here: Silversmith Workshop – Hanoi

Traditional Watercolour Workshop

Watercolor painting is an art form that creates artistic representations using a real-hair brush on rice paper. Traditionally the pictures are focused on nature and natural elements. In this workshop we learned the basic techniques of watercolour painting and how to draw a certain flower.

Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Water puppetry in Vietnam dates back to the 11th century and has survived to this day. In the Old Quarter Hanoi you can see this age old tradition live at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. The music and story are in Vietnamese, but you don’t have to understand the words to understand the story.

Dao’s Care

You might have heard of Thai Massages, but Vietnamese Massages are equally as amazing. At Dao’s Care near the West Lake, you can take a medical herbal bath, based on the herbal baths of the Dao tribe, or get a massage by one of their visually impaired masseurs. They are really talented with their hands and will have you leaving the place feeling refreshed, but also kind of mushy. It’s perfect after a long day of walking or an exhausting tour day!

Go Bar Hopping in Hanoi

Hanoi has a very innovative cocktail scene, with many bars dotted over the city and the beer street where most tourists like to get tipsy off 1€ beer, there are some bars that stand out over others, such as The Haflington, Nê Cocktailbar and the Rabbit Habit in the Old Quarter as well as the Bar Dinh Rooftop Bar & Lounge which overlooks the West Lake.

You can read more about my experience and which cocktails I recommend here: Bar hopping in Hanoi – Vietnamese cocktail innovations

Visit the NAGOCHA Matcha House

Day Trips from Hanoi

With it’s location in the centre of northern Vietnam Hanoi is the perfect starting point for day trips (or even two-day trips). Since there are numerous tour providers and guides it is important to do your research before booking your day trip so you won’t get scammed on your trip to Hanoi.

Ha Long Bay

On top of my list of places I wanted to see during my trip was Ha Long Bay; the Bay of the Descending Dragon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with over 2000 limestone mountains emerging from emerald water.

Its a 3-hour drive from Hanoi to Tuan Chau Marina, from where most Ha Long Bay cruises start. We were about 45 people on a boat similar to the one in the left picture. Every tour has a set of stops across the bay, like the Incense Burner Islet (featured on the 200.000 đồng note), Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and TiTov Island.

Despite several things being less than ideal on the tour to Ha Long Bay I went on, I would still say a visit is more than worth it, but I would recommend two days instead.

Ninh Binh

The province Ninh Binh is located south-west of Hanoi. The two main excursion locations are the ancient capital of Hoa Lư and Tam Cốc, which are part of the Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoa Lư was the capital of Đại Cồ Việt (today northern Vietnam) until 1010. Its location, surrounded by mountains and rivers was perfect to defend it, but less perfect for trade.

During the Ninh Binh day trip I went on we cycled from Hoa Lư to Tam Cốc, where we had lunch with a local family, then visited a cave next to a Buddhist monastery and finally came to our last stop: the bank of the Ngô Đồng River where we boarded a sampan and paddled through the limestone mountains and rice fields locals also call “dry Ha Long Bay”.

Tips for your Trip to Hanoi

Bottled water is your best friend

The water from the tap in Vietnam is not drinkable. To avoid dehydration in the tropical climate you have to drink enough though. So get bottled water and keep one bottle on yourself at all times.

Get an E-SIM

While public wifi is widespread in Hanoi, as well as free wifi at cafés and restaurants, none of it is very protected. A passwort that is 123456789 is about as safe as no password at all. So if you need to acess payment info or any sensitive data, better do it via mobile data on an E-Sim. I have had good experiences with airalo* in the past, since you can pick the plan that fits your needs best.

Hire a student guide for your Hanoi trip

Student Guides contact them through Trip Advisor* for the first trip, rate them, then when you enjoyed the tour, book directly since TripAdvisor takes over 20% commission. And they are happy about gas money since what’s left of the 5€ is usually a fee for connecting the students to tourists and they will pick you up and drive you around.

Grab VN

Upon arriving in Hanoi you’ll quickly realize that the best way to discover the ins and outs of this bustling city is on the back of a motorbike with a local. It’s also the best way to get from point A to point B.

To avoid scams, simply download the Grab VN App to your phone, set up a profile and add a payment method. Now you can book rides wherever and whenever and always see upfront what your ride will cost you. It also works for food deliveries.

Working Space Hanoi

All Day Coffee has strong and stable free WiFi, as well as good aircon. It’s a modern two story cafe in an industrial style. While working you can try different modern takes on vietnamese coffee, selfmade lemonades and tea-drink creations like Earl Grey Hot Chocolate.

They also have two bookshelves with books you can read while you’re there, sipping on your tea.

Map for your trip to Hanoi

How to read the map: The orange ones are the restaurants and street food, the green spots are cafes, the blue are spots to visit I mentioned above and the reds are everything I couldn’t categorise. You can open the menu on the top left and choose the layers of the map.

You can save the map to your Google Maps for your trip to Hanoi by clicking here.

Der Beitrag A perfect trip to Hanoi erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

History of Indigo Batik in the Hmong tribe

Before the workshop started, Sue (the homestays owner) explained the process and how the Hmong started with Batik: The people who went into the forest to collect honey came across forests of Indigo and got caught in wax and indigo, which turned their clothes black. When their clothes were washed the wax came away and the original white colour was left on those pieces of cloth, while the rest turned blue. The Hmong people thanked the bees for this discovery and to this day patterns of bees are drawn onto the traditional dress.

Indigo Batik Workshop

To create the pattern you first have to melt wax over a small fire and flatten the cloth with a hot and smooth item to turn it into a smooth canvas – although it is not made from canvas, but from hemp. I could choose to learn how to create the traditional symbols and patterns of the Hmong or do my own design. I chose the traditional one. If given the chance to learn a tradition that has been carried on for generations you have to take the chance.

It is very complicated at first since you have to make sure the wax is neither too hot nor too cold, you don’t have too much or not enough on your tracing tool. It was also hard for me to trace straight lines, which made me admire the skill even more.

Since Sue had broken her wrist a few days before my arrival her mother taught me, like she had taught her daughter and granddaughters before. She didn’t speak much English besides “Yes. No. Too hot. Too much.” but that was no problem at all since it was a very hands-on activity. And while the younger generations are happy that some… less body-autonomy-positive traditions are changing, it felt special to share in one that is still practised today.

Once the design is complete the cloth is dipped into an indigo dye vat. It has to be dipped, left to soak, hung up to dry somewhat, and then dipped again. This process has to be repeated a few times.

Finally (usually in the evening or the next day) the wax is boiled out of the cloth, a process that also sets the colour. Then it is hung up to dry, which takes a few hours, but can take several days, depending on the air humidity.

While the cloth was dying we had an enormous portion of fried rice for lunch and a Vietnamese Coffee.

Traditional Hmong Embroidery

After the cloth had been hung up to dry Sue’s daughter Mai showed me how to do a traditional flower pattern on a slip of embroidery cloth. It looked a lot easier than it was ^^

It took me almost 3 hours to do six of the other flower shapes. Mai told me that the Hmong girls start learning how to embroider by the age of eight, some even earlier.

In the end, when three tour groups had arrived and it was time for dinner she offered that she or her sister-in-law finish it for me. I thanked her and agreed. I don’t think I could have finished it in the next two days I was still staying with them either way.

Where to book the Hmong Batik Workshop in Sapa?

If you are interested in ethnic crafts and culture and are in Sapa I can recommend this workshop on Tripadvisor* (this is the exact workshop I did and described here, 6h including lunch and drink)! If you stay stay at her homestay, you can just ask about it once you arrive and pay in cash for a different price (without commission).

Or if you are staying somewhere else and are only interested in the batik you can book a similar workshop here with Sapaweather, 2 – 2.5 hours.

Der Beitrag Hmong Batik Workshop – Sapa erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

Why go bar hopping in Hanoi?

When people talk about a pub crawl, I think about too many drinks around too many people, where the main focus is getting drunk. Meanwhile bar hopping, to me, means special drinks at selected places in good company or even alone. I have been informed that the two phrases are actually interchangeable, but for the sake of this blog post I will talk about moving from bar to bar with the latter intention.

Of course, if alcohol isn’t your thing there are many other things you can choose to do during a week in Hanoi.

Where to go bar hopping in Hanoi?

The Haflington

This bar, as many great locations in the old quarter of Hanoi, can be found at the end of several small alleyways. Fear not, though, as there will be someone out front to guide you! I have seen The Haflington used as a photo op on some luxury travel themed Instagram accounts, with it’s fantasy dinosaur skeleton hanging from the ceiling and the glass roof, illuminated by a bar shelf that reaches up the entire height of the back wall.

The Haflington was designed with European natural history museums in mind. Even their menu is fancy, it reminds me of an old book, with golden lettering “A Guide to Fantastic Cocktails & Wonders” on the leather bound cover. They created their own signature drinks, but also offer the classics.

Cocktail: Song of the Birds – 290k VND
Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Orange Juice, Lime Juice, Grenadine Syrup, Peychaud’s Bitters

Location: 94 P. Hàng Mã, Hàng Bồ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam

Nê Cocktailbar

Nê is treated as one of the “inventors” of modern Vietnamese cocktail culture. The bar opened in 2017 and it’s founder has even won an award for his Phở cocktail. The cocktail, as the name suggests, is inspired by Phở, Vietnams de facto national dish – a hearty beef soup. Watching the cocktail being made is an experience in itself, since the alcohol is set on fire and then poured through three stages in a tower-like contraption, specifically invented for this cocktail. It smells like Phở and is served in a bowl, together with a small dish that has the same additions you will see at every restaurant and street vendor serving Pho.

To build on the success of this first modern Vietnamese cocktail they created several more, inspired by other foods, herbs and regional fruits. One of theses cocktails is Áp Thổ, inspired by “Vietnamese pizza” – grilled rice paper with different toppings.

Cocktails: Phở – 260k VND
Gin, Cointreau, Cinnamon, Black Cardamom, Star Anise, Coriander, Sweet & Sour – it’s served with lime and chili, try it by itself first, then add the chilli and lime

Áp Thổ – 230k VND
Chicken Fat Washed Vodka, Elderflower Liqueur, Lemongrass Syrup, Lime Juice – it’s served with a slice of ricepaper pizza

Location: 3B P. Tống Duy Tân, Hàng Bông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Rabbit Habit

Another bar hidden at the end of an alley, in the maze of alleys of the Old Town. This bar gives off the vibes of an 1890s US speakeasy. You have to ring a doorbell to be let inside, the stairs are lit up with candles and nothing else, most windows are covered with newspapers and don’t allow any light inside or outside. Dark and heavy leather couches surround dark wood tables.

Sitting at the bar you get the feeling that people here know each other, the barkeepers and customers are familiar with each other and you have barely any tourists making a scene or any loud noises. It truly feels like a cozy space away from home.

Cocktail: Cheesy Movie Night – 300k VND
Irish Whisky, Infused Caramel Popcorn, White Cacao Liqueur, Lime, Cacao Bitter, Salted Cheese and Butterscotch Foam – my recommendation: try it creamy!

Location: 4 P. Trần Phú, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Bar Dinh Rooftop Bar & Lounge

On the 12th floor of the Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture you can find the Bar Dinh Rooftop Bar & Lounge. From this rooftop you have a great view over Ba Đình and the eastern part of the West lake. They do classic cocktails and alcohol free ones, as well as serving some select dishes and snacks. I recommend the Crème Brûlée and the Hanoi Corner cocktail.

Since this bar is close to the old town, where most of you who are reading this will be staying, this can be a perfect “last spot” to visit on your trip. To end it on a high note time your visit around 30 minutes before sunset.

Cocktail: Hanoi Corner – 250k VND
Grey Goose Vodka, Cointreau, Sweet & Sour Kumquat Mix, Fresh Orange Juice, Ginger, Lemongrass, Chili, Orange Peel – my recommendation: normal spice level, more sour

Location: 105 P. Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Quán Thánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam – inside the Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture

Bar hopping in Hanoi – my experience

I went to most of these places (with the exception of the last one) with a friend and we had a great time. Of course this is something I’ll only recommend if you drink alcohol at all and while you can also enjoy your time and drink (maybe even spread out over several days) by yourself, as I usually do, I have to admit that exploring these places and making memories with another person was very special.

The cocktails I tried carried their heritage well and I am most certain that you won’t be able to get them outside of Vietnam any time soon. Despite their novelty they also tasted great, with a focus on each singular ingredient, which at the same time supported the overall taste when all came together.

Der Beitrag Bar hopping in Hanoi – Vietnamese cocktail innovations erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

Lan Ha Bay Cruise from Cat Ba

To see Lan Ha Bay in a slower way you have to start from Cat Ba Island. Depending on where you book and with which company the cruises take different routes and schedule their activities for slightly different times to avoid running into each other and overcrowding places.

For my Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise from Cat Ba, I went with Serenity Cruises* (on Viator*/ on Klook*).

Use code LNYVNATT5 to get 5% off selected Vietnam Attractions on Klook

I booked my cruise through my homestay, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Not only did I have to reschedule on the day I was originally supposed to go due to a migraine, but they got me a great price as well!

Around 8 AM a motorbike showed up at the homestay to pick me up, since I was staying in the residential area they didn’t send the bus that was picking up everyone else. I joined the rest of the group at Cai Beo harbour where we got tickets to pass the turnstile and board the small connecting boat that would drop us off at the bigger (60 people capacity) cruise boat.

At about 8:30 AM, we departed the harbour and the captain steered the cruise ship through the landscape of the bay. At this time it started raining heavily, which meant nobody was outside on deck. However, my homestay mom had lent me her raincoat and I enjoyed the peace and quiet on the roof of the boat. We drove through many tree-covered limestone islands, floating villages and small fishing and transport boats.

The rain made everything feel very tranquil and picturesque. One and a half hours later the rain cleared up and the boat anchored near the Sang-Toi Cave. We were paired up and boarded Kayaks to explore the area around the caves, right on the border between Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay. I didn’t take my phone, but my Kayak buddy did and he took some pictures during the trip.

Back on the boat, we had lunch with a selection of seafood and local Vietnamese food… and for some reason also french fries.

After lunch, we anchored near Ba Trai Dao Beach (Three Peach Islets). Surrounded by more islands, some with beaches, we could take the Kayaks out to explore the islands or go for a swim. I chose to do both. On one of the islands, you can crawl through a cave and find a hidden beach!

The last thing to do for me on this tour was to jump from the roof of the three-story high ship. Back in 2019 at Ha Long Bay, I said “next time”, but since this time was “next time” there was no getting around it. I did it. I won’t do it again XD

Once everyone was back on the ship we had the opportunity to take a hot shower, before the cruise headed back to Cat Ba by a different route than in the morning. I got myself a coconut coffee as a reward for getting over my fear of heights and enjoyed the landscape of Lan Ha Bay on the way back.

At around 4 pm we got fruits, cookies and tea on the roof deck. Depending on the time of year this is when you can also watch the sunset. Sadly that time is not at the end of March.

We arrived back at the harbour at 5 pm and were dropped off back at our accommodations (or got onto a bus to Hanoi in some cases).

For my Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise from Cat Ba, I went with Serenity Cruises* (on Viator*/ on Klook*).

Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay?

If you are pressed for time and want to see as much as possible in as little time as possible you can take a two-day, one-night cruise of Ha Long Bay from Hanoi. That way you don’t miss out on the beautiful coast! From Ha Long you can move directly to Ninh Binh after the cruise to continue your journey.

If you have three days or more, to spare, do yourself a favour and take a bus and speedboat from Hanoi to Cat Ba and then take a Lan Ha Bay cruise from there.

Comparing both cruises is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are fruit, but one is more juicy. (In this case, the Lan Ha Bay cruise is the orange.) I preferred Lan Ha Bay for the same reasons I almost didn’t want to write this article: There are fewer ships, fewer people and fewer tours operating in this area. So if everyone tells everyone to come here instead of Ha Long Bay it’s not going to stay like this for much longer.

Der Beitrag Lan Ha Bay Cruise from Cat Ba erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

Overview of Cat Ba Island

• How to get from Hanoi to Cat Ba
• Where to stay on Cat Ba
• What to do on Cat Ba
• What and where to eat on Cat Ba
• How long to stay on Cat Ba
• Map of Cat Ba
• Tourism and Controversies on Cat Ba

How to get from Hanoi to Cat Ba

There are lots of different operators who organize bus transports and ferry tickets from Hanoi to Cat Ba and back again. Then there are three main tour companies (that I know of) who offer transportation from Hanoi to Cat Ba (and back again) with their own buses and speedboats. The good thing about that is that you are guaranteed a spot on the speedboat after getting off your bus, with the ferry you’re leaving it up to luck.

The three companies are Good Morning Cat Ba*, Daiichi, Cat Ba Express*. All companies run buses several times a day. It can take anywhere from three to five hours to go between the two destinations and you usually get water on board, as well as one toilet break in the middle.

Where to stay on Cat Ba

For me, there is only one choice: An Homestay*. This small family homestay has two rooms: One bigger one with a breathtaking view of the mountains from the bed and a private bathroom down the hall and a smaller one without a view, with a directly accessible private bathroom. The rooms are super clean, smell nice and the bed is HUGE and incredibly comfortable, with two blankets in the colder months and several pillows.

Tam, who owns the homestay with her husband Quyen, is a phenomenal cook and you’ll get to taste her cooking every morning with a delicious Vietnamese breakfast. They also offer dinner menus here and I can only urge you to at least book one, I have not found any better food on Cat Ba. Especially the grilled oysters are to die for.

If you stay here, please greet them from me. They will know who you mean when you say “Kaya told me to come here.” <3

What to do on Cat Ba

Cat Ba is a natural paradise. So to explore the nature of the island is the best you can do. There are many (MANY) tours being offered on Cat Ba, but you can do most things by yourself.

Learn about the Hospital Cave

When you drive from the city center towards the national park you can stop at the Hospital Cave on the way. You pay 40k VND admission to the lady in front of the cave to park your bike and enter the cave itself. When I went there two guides showed people around at random intervals, just when people showed up they would be shown around in English.

The Hospital cave served as a shelter and medical facility for Northern Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War and was never discovered. Inside the cave, they set up some equipment as well as dressed up some mannequins to show how it could have looked like back in the day.

While walking through the cave system your steps and voices echo. Pictures on the walls from the wartime make you consider what it might have sounded like with people in pain, injured or being operated on without anaesthesia…

You need about 30 Minutes for the entire cave, including the tour.

Visit Cát Bà National Park

Cat Ba National Park is one of the prettiest in Vietnam and is the heart of the UNESCO Cat Ba Archipelago Biosphere Reserve. So the National Park is much bigger than just the “park” you can visit on the main island Cat Ba.

Admission to the park is 80k VND. Keep your ticket to see both Trung Trang Cave and climb to the top of Ngự Lâm Peak. And to park in front of the entrance to the park you have to pay 5k VND, but honestly to keep the scooter from overheating that is a price I will happily pay.

Trung Trang Cave

This cave features lots of stunning stalactites and stalagmites. It has been lit up and there is a small paved path in the middle, for visitors’ convenience. While I was there I met only four other people, all Australian, who took a picture of me as well.

Ngự Lâm Peak is the highest peak on Cat Ba island. The round trip trek through the national park and up the mountain is only about 1,5 km long, but also over 550 m elevation one way. It took me 45 minutes to go up. And then after spending almost an hour at the peak about 15 minutes to go down.

Some parts of the trail have steps or stone plates, while others (like in the third picture) are left wild.

Day cruise of Lan Ha Bay

Visiting Lan Ha Bay (the less crowded cousin of Ha Long Bay) is one of the things you should do with a tour since you most likely don’t own a cruise ship. My homestay helped me book a day tour, with pickup and drop-off. It was less than half the price of the Ha Long Bay tour I did and so, so much better.

Read more about it here: Lan Ha Bay Cruise from Cat Ba

See the glowing plankton by Kayak

Another tour I can recommend is seeing the glowing plankton of Lan Ha Bay by Kayak at night. I booked this tour with Cat Ba Local* and our guide Ryan was amazing. First, we got shipped out to the bay by a small boat, which stopped at a fish research place that operates like a floating village. Here we learned about the different kinds of fish in the bay and had some green tea.

Then we were picked up by a bigger boat, where we had dinner (grilled oysters, seafood spring rolls, fried fish, tofu, omelette and rice) and cruised slowly through the darkening bay.

When we got to the Kayaks everyone teamed up and our small group headed into the darkness. To see the glowing plankton was the highlight of the evening and it looked way more intense in reality than anything a phone could capture.

Cat Ba Cuisine Cooking Class

If you read my Cooking Class in Hoi An post you know I love taking cooking classes. The cuisine on Cat Ba is very different from Hoi An since as an island they have a stronger focus on seafood and things they can farm on the island itself. Even the influx of food from the mainland has not changed the cooking style that much.

You can choose your own menu for the private cooking class on Cat Ba and it starts with 1 person, so it is doable even for solo travellers! But if you want to do it with people you met at your hotel or hostel you can book for a small group, too.

First, we were welcomed with a Tamarind Juice. Then we got the recipes (we got to keep them!) and made spring rolls, Bò Lá Lốt (grilled lo lot leaves with minced beef inside), banana blossom salad, a special Vietnamese dessert and egg coffee under Tam’s guidance! While we were eating it we also got to try their infused rice wines for free!

More things to do on Cat Ba

Cat Ba has three white sand beaches, aptly named Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2 and Cat Co 3. There is one more back close to Cat Ba town: Tung Thu Beach. It is more grey/brown, but still mostly clean and less frequented, which makes it a lot more peaceful than the other three.

You can take one of the tourist boats from Cai Beo Ferry Terminal and Dock to the pier at Cổng chào làng Việt Hải. From there you can rent a bicycle for 80k and explore the island road and Việt Hải Village. To get back to Cát Bà town you can take a small bamboo boat that takes you through the limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay for about an hour.

If you visit Cat Ba around September you can see many butterflies in Lien Minh Valley. It is even called butterfly-valley from the sheer amount you can see here. You can also go rock climbing here if that is your thing, but stick to the dry season (November to April) for that.

What and where to eat on Cat Ba

I linked all of the mentioned foods in the map at the end of the blogpost.

These are some restaurants I was recommended, but didn’t go to, since I was very happy with the food at the Homestay: CƠM NGON THUỶ PHƯỢNG – Here you pick what seafood you want, they make it for you, then you pay for it and eat it. They are right next to / in the market, so they get very fresh produce. And Quán lẩu nướng Thuý Anh for seafood hotpot. It is well-loved by locals and you won’t even get an English menu, but google translate will help you. Yummy 2 Restaurant for varied Vietnamese food, seafood and mango sticky rice.

For drinks, I can recommend Nam Phuong Coffee Shop. I went here several times during my week on Cat Ba, after being very disappointed with a different cafe that just had way too loud music. Drinks I can recommend here: Oolong Macchiato (hot and iced), Jasmine Macchiato (iced), Coconut Coffee (iced, different than in Central Vietnam or at Cong, but so so good) and Matcha Latte (hot).

I also had a good Latte at Like Coffee, but the music was way too loud for me.

How long to stay on Cat Ba

I would stay at least five days, even though after five days I wished I could’ve stayed even longer!

You need the first day to arrive there from Hanoi. The second day you go to the national park and caves in the morning, followed by a cooking class in the afternoon. On the third day, you go on the Lan Ha Bay cruise to relax from the national park climbing and hiking. During the fourth day, you can go to see the Canon Fort and relax on one of the beaches, before going kayaking at night to see the glowing plankton. On the fifth day, you take one of the tourist boats to Việt Hải Village. On the first day and both after the cruise and Việt Hải Village you can get a local dinner. The cooking class and the kayaking tour will have dinner. On the sixth day you leave and have a travel day to either Hanoi or Ninh Binh (there are direct bus connections to each from Cat Ba).

If you only have three days I would skip the cooking class (you can get similar great food in a private dinner) and Việt Hải Village, since you will cruise past it on the cruise and you saw Lan Ha Bay from a (albeit bigger) boat already.

Map of Cat Ba

How to read the map: Places to stay are purple, restaurants and cafes are green, things to do and see are blue and beaches are red. You can open the menu on the top left and see the names of the places on the map.

You can save the map to your Google Maps for your trip to Cat Ba by clicking here.

Tourism and Controversies on Cat Ba

Disclaimer: The following statements are my own opinions and are in no way connected to or representative of any of the people or companies I mentioned before.

Five-star resort buys a beach

In 2019 a new five-star resort opened, which has bought one of Cat Ba’s three main white sand beaches. Yes, an entire beach. As a foreigner, you can still access the beach (since they’d rather let you go there as a non-guest than risk sending someone away who is a guest), but the locals who LIVE HERE are sent away and told they can’t access the beach anymore.

Cable cars

Currently (2024), in the summer months, the Sun World group operates a Cable Car going from the station Cáp Treo Cát Bà to Cáp Treo Phù Long station on Cat Ba island. Supposedly the view over the island and the bay is amazing. However, they are planning on building three more cable car lines along the west coast of the island, forever altering the natural landscape and nature.

Work on the next line has already begun and several hundred trees have already been cut down. By buying a ticket for the cable car you signal to the company that these new cable cars will also be profitable.

Canon Fort

One of the pre-covid destinations was the Canon Fort on the south-eastern side of the island. It was maintained as a viewpoint and museum. Nowadays it “belongs” to one man living there and when you want to enter the grounds you have to give him money, despite neither the land nor the museum parts are taken care of.

Floating Villages

One of the floating villages has allegedly been in Lan Ha Bay for around 7000 years. Now less than 50 families are living there, not because they wanted to move, but because they are supposedly responsible for the pollution of the bay and to reduce the pollution they have the choice to update their floating houses for a lot of money they don’t have or move to the island or the mainland.

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• Booking transportation from Hanoi to Sapa
• Sleeper trains in Vietnam
  • Sleeper train from Hanoi to Sapa
  • Sleeper train from Sapa to Hanoi

Booking transportation from Hanoi to Sapa

Of course you can show up at the bus- or train-station on the day you’d like to travel and try to book a ticket there, but you might end up staying another night in Hanoi. Especially sleeper trains fill up quickly and the later you book the less choices you have.

I opted for a sleeper train for my transportation and booked my ticket online about a month in advance. On 12Go* you buy tickets directly from the companies operating the trains, securing your seat.

Use code “TP12GO” for 5% off.

After booking you’ll get an electronic ticket which you can use to check in on the day of.

If you want to take the train to Sapa there is something very important you need to know: You can’t actually take the train to Sapa. The train ends at Lao Cai. Then you either need to take the local bus for 50k VND or take a taxi for 200k to 400k VND to Sapa itself.

If you are worried to arrive early in the morning, in the dark, in a town that is still fast asleep, while waiting for your bus: Worry not. Lao Cai is waking up at 4:30 am and even if you miss the first bus (or it’s too full) you’ll have plenty of opportunities to grab a coffee or a bite to eat while waiting for the next one.

Sleeper trains in Vietnam

A lot of backpackers and budget travellers will take the sleeper bus, but since I know that their Vietnamese nickname (coffins on wheels) is very fitting they weren’t an option for me. Next consideration was the private transfer by van. I didn’t choose it, since you can’t lie down in it and you will loose six hours during the day for the drive.

My choice was the sleeper train. It departs at 10 pm, arrive at 5:30 am and you save on one night of accommodation. For your ticket on a sleeper train you have four choices:

1. Hard berth 4 – 6 people in one cabin
2. Soft berth 4 people in one cabin
3. Premium travel with two people in a four person cabin
4. First class VIP cabin that usually has a bed

I tried to book one bed in a two person cabin, but apparently you still have to book the entire cabin, which effectively means booking four tickets. So instead I opted for a bed in a a 4 person soft berth cabin. Your journey will depend a lot on the people you share a cabin with and I got lucky, all four of us were very considerate for each other and also all went to sleep at around 11:30 pm.

Sleeper train from Hanoi to Sapa

I took the sleeper train twice, both times with a different company. I went with Haraco from Hanoi to Sapa (although I had booked with Violette).

I showed up to the train station an hour before departure, as stated on the ticket. I exchanged my online ticket for a physical one and went to the platform where the train to Sapa was waiting.

Everything was fine until I got the the train car I was supposedly sitting in. A french couple got there at the same time and the woman had the same cabin and same bed as me on her ticket. Some discussions between the travel agent from our train company, one of the conductors and an agent from a different train company later I was issued a new ticket and told to go somewhere else.

When I arrived at my new cart my first thought was “oh :/” because it immediately looked A LOT older than the one I had booked.

However it turned out that this train journey was the best I went on in Vietnam. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, clean, smelled nice and we got some snacks and water for the journey. For a train it was relatively quiet and with earplugs I managed to get a full 6 hours of sleep!

The toilet was clean, although there was no toilet paper I didn’t have a problem since I always bring my own.

Sleeper train from Sapa to Hanoi

For the way back from Sapa to Hanoi I went with Laman Express, the company that is recommended by most travel agents, tour companies and even on 12Go.

When a company is that heavily recommended, while the reviews average out at the same level as most others there are two reasons: Either they have to advertise heavily or nobody would go with them anymore, or they are new. In this case Laman Express opened new train cars on the Hanoi-Sapa route not too long ago.

The bedding was newer, the amenities were mostly the same as on Haraco, except for an extra can of cola and supposedly there was free WiFi, but my phone wouldn’t connect to it.

I got quite lucky again with the people I shared a cabin with, one female solo traveller from Switzerland and two ladies from HCMC and again we tried to sleep. Sadly this time the main door of the train car was broken and didn’t lock anymore, causing the metal door to slam into the metal wall of the train cart at every turn. I didn’t sleep much that night.

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Overview of Sapa

• Where to stay in Sapa
• What to do in Sapa
• What not to do in Sapa
• What to eat and drink in Sapa (and where)
• Map for your Sapa trip

How long should you stay in Sapa?

In my opinion 4, a maximum of 5 days is the perfect amount of time to stay in Sapa. I stayed for 10 days and that was way too long. This could be your perfect trip:

You arrive early in the morning with the overnight train from Hanoi, then you do a trek through the rice fields (one or two days) and stay at a homestay. The next day you do a handcraft workshop at that homestay. That evening you go to Sapa city. The next day you relax, take it slow, explore the city and visit the small museum to learn about all the different ethnic minorities around Sapa. On your last day, you climb up to the top of Fansipan Mountain. Then you are tired enough to sleep all night on the train back to Hanoi.

Where to stay in Sapa

You have two choices, either you stay in one of the surrounding ethnic minority villages or you stay in the city of Sapa. I recommend you do both.

Hmong family homestay – Ta Van Village

First I stayed with a Hmong family for three nights. Every day around 4 PM trekking tour groups stopped by who were on a multiple-day trek through the rice fields and ethnic villages surrounding Sapa and Lao Cai. A handful of other people also stayed for multiple nights.

If you want to explore rural Vietnam and learn more about traditions from different ethnic groups I highly recommend staying at a family homestay. You’ll learn a lot and you contribute to a more sustainable way of travelling.

It’s not for everyone though. In Ta Van, you are in a rural village in the mountains of northern Vietnam. There is hot water, but not always. There is heating: a fire. And there is food: You eat what’s on the table.

Hotel in Sapa

After that, I stayed in the small, family-run Botanic Sapa Hotel* in the city Sapa. They have only four rooms and the family lives on the ground floor in the same building, so technically it could be considered a homestay as well.

With the cold temperatures (sometimes under 10 C at night) and high air humidity (>85%) the heated mattress and dehumidifying AC were very welcome. The water pressure and temperature were also a very pleasant surprise. Vân and her family are super helpful if you need anything and take good care of their guests. Some of the older reviews say that there is breakfast, that is not the case anymore, but there are good places nearby to get breakfast.

D Home Sapa 3* – While I did not personally stay here, a friend of mine did, who is more on the budget-travel side and she was happy with this hostel. They have beds in dorm rooms and also single rooms. She said they were clean and praised that you could do your laundry here for free as well.

What to do in Sapa

While Sapa district covers an area of over 650km², Sapa the city is not very big. Especially the tourist areas can easily be covered on foot within half an hour. There also isn’t much to do in the city itself, the beauty of Sapa is found in its surrounding area.

Visit Sapa Museum and explore the city

If you are lucky you will arrive in Sapa on a day with low visibility. In this case, the town turns into a magical place in the evening when all the lights are turned on and the fog gives it a whimsical feel. During this time you can visit Sapa Museum, which is in need of care, but still gives you some good information about the ethnic minorities around the town, Thiền viện Trúc Lâm Đại Giác – one of the Truc Lam Zen Monasteries in Vietnam on the north-east of the big lake and have a hot drink in one of the Cafés.

Climb to the top of Mount Fansipan

Fansipan is the highest mountain peak in Vietnam and is often called the “Roof of Indochina”. From Hoang Lien Station in Sapa a funicular takes you along the mountain, afterwards a cable car (that holds two Guinness World Records: The longest three-wire cable car = 6,282 km and the highest ascent by a cable car = 1410m) takes you to the base of the peak, then you can climb the roughly 630 steps to the peak… if the straight way isn’t blocked off, as it was in my case.

I had to go all the way around, to all the pagodas and statues on the mountain, which wouldn’t have been a problem, even welcomed, if I could see anything. The fog was so thick that for most of the ascent, I could only see a white wall. You can see the “breathtaking view of swirling clouds, mountain peaks and forest slopes” in the third picture when a kind traveller I met on the way took a picture of me at the peak.

When I got back down it cleared up for about 3 minutes, I took as many pictures as I could and then as quickly as it had appeared the sun disappeared again.

Trek through the rice fields

You can’t leave Sapa without doing at least one trek through the stunning rice fields.

When you have a clear view you can see the stacked fields, the ethnic minority villages in between and the mountains as a backdrop.

From Ta Van in the Mường Hoa Valley, you have the perfect starting point to take two-day treks: one north-east towards Lao Chai and other villages and one south towards the bamboo forest and waterfall.

If you are staying with a local family, ask them about trekking. If you are staying in Sapa consider a 2-day 1-night trek, otherwise, you always have to start and return from the city.

Do a crafting workshop

While staying with a Hmong family in Ta Van I did an indigo batik and embroidery workshop with the women of the house, it took a whole day, but in the end, I took home my own Hmong-style batik cloth and a bracelet.

Explore Ham Rong Mountain

This park on a mountain is worth a visit, although it either was once better taken care of or they are slowly starting to take better care of it, to turn it into a tourist destination. Maybe both.

I liked the nature aspects and the viewpoints over the city, especially at sunset, but there is also a flower garden, a sculpture path and some photo ops that other people might enjoy as well.

What NOT to do in Sapa

• Visit Moana
  This place is a knockoff from a popular picture spot on Bali, which is the reason a lot of tourists flock here, to take pictures of themselves for social media. You pay an admission fee that doesn’t seem to go towards keeping things in good condition. I know this isn’t Europe, but if it was, it would’ve been shut down ages ago due to being unsafe.
• Visit Cat Cat village
  If you want to visit a village that was set up for tourists, where you pay 150k VND to get in, only to be asked “buy something?” every five minutes, then Cat Cat is for you. There is a supposedly “traditional dance” performance, but the people look like they would rather be doing anything else.
• Buy something “ethnic” in a store in the city
  A lot of stores in Sapa are not owned by the minority they’re selling produce or handicrafts from. If you are interested in buying something consider doing so while at a homestay or while trekking through the villages. The ethnic crafts in Sapa are beautiful.

What and where to eat in Sapa

Sapa has a lot, and I mean A LOT, fake Google reviews. Here’s how to spot them:

1. Level 1 – Easy
   10-30 5-star reviews with no comments, no pictures, within the last 24 hours or all the same amount of time ago
2. Level 2 – Intermediate
   10 or so 5-star reviews with comments, but they all say almost the same thing, just in a different order, posted within a small timeframe
3. Level 3 – Hard
   The reviews look legit, five stars, varied comments, varied pictures, but the “people” who left them only left very few (if any) other reviews, which are all EXACTLY the same.

If you want to be sure, here are the places I ate at and enjoyed it, plus what I ate. I linked all of the mentioned foods in the map at the end of the blogpost.

Chestnut Cake

Sapa has roasted chestnuts everywhere. And while they are a treat by themselves, I prefer the local Chestnut Cake. You can find several places selling them in Sapa, but freshness and price differ greatly. I enjoyed them freshly grilled at the two spots I linked in the map below, for 5k VND a piece. Ask them to make ’em extra crispy

Pork belly with local herbs and black rice

While ChuSu Kitchen also had one of my favourite breakfasts (french toast and seasonal fruit salad with passion fruit cream) in Sapa, the reason I am recommending them here is their Sapa pork belly. The meat was on point and even though I was a little confused by the herbs and veggies at first, since my European palette couldn’t place them, I finished the entire plate and would’ve licked it clean if it was socially acceptable. On another day I shared a hotpot here with a fellow solo traveler, since even the small portion is easily enough for two people. We barely managed to finish it, but it was delicious.

Sapa Health Drink

Another great choice at ChuSu Kitchen is the above-mentioned drink. Fresh orange juice is blended with mint and a local herb, then sifted and served. The consistency is still a bit thick, but it is delicious.

European-Vietnamese Fusion

At a family-run restaurant called Tim’s Sa Pa Kitchen, I had several of the things on this list. My favourite was the grilled eggplant with sweet potato and mushroom, the Sapa salmon curry and the beef Wellington [Yes, I know, but I just HAD to. And it was one of the best I’ve ever had. Worth the 45-minute wait (you can also pre-order.).] They also have a great selection of whole teas and give you a refill of hot water for a second pour once you’ve finished the first.

Red Dzao Tea

I had this tea at Tim’s and it was one of the most interesting teas I’ve had so far. The flavour is very smoky and reminded me of Scottish Whiskey, specifically Rock Island Whiskey, but tea.

Roasted Ginger Tea with Crème brûlée

This tea is a treat, especially in the winter months. The roasted ginger shavings give it a pleasant heat and the crème brûlée topping gives it a creamy and slightly sweet flavour, without being overbearing.

Honey Kumquat Tea

For the warmer days, I recommend this drink iced. It has a great mix of sour, sweet and bitter notes.

There are two restaurants that are recommended by many that I did not like: Little Sapa and Le Petite Gecko. They weren’t bad (no food poisoning) per se, but I didn’t go back a second time or even consider it.

Map for your trip to Sapa

How to read the map: Places to stay are purple, restaurants and cafes are green and things to do and see are blue. You can open the menu on the top left and see the names of the places on the map.

You can save the map to your Google Maps for your trip to Sapa by clicking here.

Der Beitrag Sapa – In between mountains, fog and rice fields erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

Silver Smith Workshop

Once I got to the community house I was welcomed warmly by a master silversmith and his pupil, who explained that silver smithing in the Dinh Cong village is one of the few ancient crafts of old Hanoi that still exists today in its original form.

First, you flatten the silver string by pulling it through several holes, each a fraction smaller than the previous one. Once it is thin enough it is forced through a press until it becomes a flat silver band.

Then you pick your shape and bend the silver to fit. Afterwards, the big band is put away for the moment and you twist very thin silver strands into tiny circles which you fit into the frame you crafted before. Once they are in place you cut off the tail ends to make them fit. Finally, the silver is welded together by adding a silver-borax-powder and applying heat from a torch you have to operate with your foot. It was a little scary at first, but I figured out how to do it with help.

Before I went here I had never done any smithing or jewellery work. I only had a rough idea of the shape I wanted to create and they helped me bring it to life and craft a beautiful pendant I will wear as a necklace at home.

If you are interested in this silver smith workshop you can book directly on GetYourGuide Traditional Silversmith Workshop in Hanoi*:

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Hidden Gem – Ninh Binh Daytour

Bright and early at 7:30 am I was picked up in front of my homestay with a small, modern minivan. This driver, Cuong, obviously had more experience than the bus driver the day before. He stopped for a few seconds in front of the homestay, giving our tour guide, Cuong / Kevin, just enough time to jump out of the car, greet me and walk with me to a spot where the van could stop for long enough to let us on board.

Inside I marvelled at the leather seats and the pleasantly cool temperature. I met half of our group, three women from New Zealand and our guide informed us that the last two people we would be picking up were a couple who had their first wedding anniversary on this trip, that he had planned something and that we please don’t spoil it.

The couple from the Netherlands got on last, then our group was complete and we started towards the outskirts of the city. Our tour guide introduced himself as “Kevin”, his chosen “western name” that he got from the movie Home Alone, and explained the planned itinerary to us.

First came a hearty, hot breakfast of “Bún Chả” (noodle soup with pork belly, a whole plate of noodles for each of us, herbs and greens), with a choice of drink. Of course, I chose the Vietnamese Cà Phê, because coffee. The other popular choice among our group was fresh coconut.

Invigorated by the delicious food, we embarked on the two-hour drive to Ninh Binh. We stopped about halfway, at a motorway service station that looked almost identical to the one the day before, despite being about 100km south.

On the drive, we learned about the region of Vietnam’s history with cement and about the richest person who lives there, saw the palace he built for himself and two more he built for his sons.

Just before we arrived Kevin had a surprise for us: Each person in the group got a hand-embroidered cloth which looked like a combination between a scarf and a face mask. Small touches like this really made this tour stand out and made it clear that they cared about showing off Ninh Binh as a hidden gem.

The ancient capital of Hoa Lư

Around 10:30 am we arrived at the ancient capital of Hoa Lư, we left all our stuff in the car (save for cameras of course) and followed Kevin through the east gate into the city. He told us a lot about the almost thousand-year-old history of the fort we were standing in the middle of, pointing out how its location, surrounded by mountains and rivers was perfect to defend it but less perfect for trade. Then we had time to explore on our own, take pictures and just enjoy having most of the place to ourselves since the big tourist buses hadn’t arrived yet.

We headed to a homestay in Tam Cốc and grabbed bicycles, water bottles, rain ponchos (since it was looking like rain all morning) and a conical hat. Riding along rice fields we occasionally passed tourist groups of around 30 people at a time, all heading in the same direction. Instead of following them, we turned from the road into quieter paths through the countryside.

Linh Coc cave

Those dirt roads led us through the rice paddies, to a Buddhist monastery in the countryside. From there we followed a monk along a very steep rocky path up a limestone mountain until we reached the entrance to Linh Coc cave. With the rocks still wet from the day before, it was a very slippery endeavour.

The cave rewarded our daringness with cool temperatures and absolute silence. When none of us moved, all we could hear was the occasional drop of water falling from a stalactite. We explored as far as the flashlight would allow, exiting the cave in a different way than we had entered and finding stairs that some locals had hewn into the mountain.

Back in the monastery, the monks gave us bananas, oranges and tiny plums to give us energy for our way back.

Around 12:30 pm we got back to the homestay where we picked up the bicycles and gathered around the table to have lunch. For our meal, we had a myriad of foods, served family-style. This means everything is laid out on the table and you can take whatever you fancy.

My favourites were the fried spring rolls and the deep-fried crunchy rice that we dipped in a strong broth. The most surprising food was goat testicles marinaded and fried. They had a very chewy texture but didn’t taste weird at all!

After everyone had eaten as much as they could, because we didn’t want to look rude and leave the food they had prepared for us with so much care, we got back onto the bus and drove to our last stop for the day.

Tam Cốc

The last stop of the hidden gem Ninh Binh tour was at the bank of the Ngô Đồng River. We boarded a sampan, but since only two foreigners are allowed per boat we paired off and our small fleet of four boats departed the docs.

In the boat, we navigated through floating paddy fields and several caves, the Tam Cốc grottoes. They are only accessible by boat, which makes them another quiet and breathtaking location to visit. At some points, there was complete darkness around us, which made me wonder how they found their way through them, not only without crashing into the walls or the stalactites but also without crashing into each other.

Some of the rowers pedal the oars with their feet to ease the pressure on their backs and arms. Some use the occasion to check their phone or gesture in a conversation with the person rowing the boat next to them.

Both Hoa Lư and Tam Cốc are part of the Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh province, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, also known as “inland Ha Long Bay”.

We got out about halfway back and instead walked back to the nearest road, through fields and paddies where parts of the movie “Kong: Skull Island” were filmed in 2015/2016.

We got into our van for the last time and headed back to Hanoi. On this last part of the tour Kevin had one more surprise up his sleeve: The van had Wifi! We created a WhatsApp group and exchanged pictures we had taken during the day.

Recap of the Hidden Gem – Ninh Binh tour:

This tour was more expensive than the one to Ha Long Bay, but it was worth every penny. The itinerary was well-planned, our guide was knowledgeable and funny and the food was incredible.

Der Beitrag Hidden Gem – Ninh Binh Province Vietnam erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

A very long and detailed search online brought me to a company called OneTrip, which offered a Ha Long Bay Tour for two days and one night, away from the tourist masses. Sadly the minimum number of guests wasn’t reached, since I was there during shoulder season.

Instead, I was recommended a company called OceanTours. Their one-day tour was considerably cheaper and in a much bigger group than I had planned, but at that point, they were my only option, since I wasn’t going to risk just booking something at random. 

Only want the conclusion? TLDR here

Ha Long Bay Daytour

At 8:12 am I was picked up by a quite old-looking tour bus, which turned out to be an adventure in itself since my homestay was between a busy intersection and a road that was blocked off for busses and cars. After circling the block three times, the tour guide waved for me to walk down the street so I could hop onto the bus.

Once onboard I walked to the back since most of the seats in the front half were already taken. That choice soon proved to be a bad one. Due to the bus’ age, the axles were super springy and with every bump in the road and every pothole all four people sitting in the back of the bus were catapulted a few centimetres into the air.

During the 3-hour drive to Ha Long, I got to talk to the three people sitting closest to me: Matthew from Canada in his late 20s and two older gentlemen from Malaysia in their late 40s to early 50s. We talked about our respective travels and gave each other tips on visiting our home countries.

We stopped once for roughly 20 minutes, everyone had to leave the bus and walk through the building we had stopped in front of, through rows and rows of souvenirs and a line of food stalls to entice us to buy something. We also had a chance to go to the toilet, which was surprisingly clean. On the other side of the building, our bus was already waiting.

The Ha Long Bay Cruise part of the Day Tour

At around noon we arrived at Tuan Chau Marina, a harbour where tour buses were lined up on one side and cruise ships on the other. Following our tour guide, who carried a blue and gold flag with him at all times, we managed to find our ship without losing anyone. Quite the contrary, we picked up around 12 more people, a group of students from Hanoi.

Once all 45 people were on the ship we were seated with six people each around each table. For lunch, we had spring rolls that we could fill ourselves, rice, vegetables and one fried fish per table. What sounds good in theory wasn’t much of a feast. Every table got six sheets of rice paper and just enough to fill it sparsely. We stayed hungry and hoped that there would be more, or that chance to buy something to eat, later. During lunch, we went past the Dog Islet, the Incense Burner Islet (which is featured on the 200.000 đồng note), the Fighting Cock Islet (pictured above) and many others.

Cave hunting at Ha Long Bay

Our first stop was Sung Sot Cave or Surprising Cave. When we arrived there were already two moored ships. Members of the crew quickly came around the cabin and told everyone to keep their arms inside and close the windows. A second later screeching metal gave away why, as the captain of our ship rammed it in between the other two. The manoeuvre finally ended with a loud bang as the ship hit the stone pier.

We had the choice to stay with the group or explore the cave on our own. I chose to stay with the group until our tour guide had given us some background information on the cave, then went off on my own. The first thing you notice as you step into the cave is its incredibly high air humidity. After just a few steps you are immediately covered with a sheen of water (pictured below).

What was most surprising about this cave was how it was perfectly done up for tourists walking through it, with walkways, lights and even steps leading through the three chambers that are open to the public. Inside you are far from alone since this massive cave is included in most itineraries.

That doesn’t mean that the sights aren’t incredibly breathtaking. Nature proves, over and over, that she is, and forever will be, more impressive and more beautiful than anything humans build.

Kayaking and island hopping

This time we didn’t spend much time on the ship before we landed at a swimming wooden island. There we paired off, were given a (more or less fitting) life vest and a paddle then lined up and waited for a kayak to explore the Luon Cave and the lake behind it. It was my luck that Matthew does kayaking as a hobby back in Canada and offered to do all the work, so I could just sit back and take in the breathtaking scenery. As you can only get to the lake through the cave it was free of cruise ships and since there are only so many kayaks to go around there aren’t too many people inside at the same time.

The last place we stopped at, around 3:30 p.m., was TiTov Island. This island boasts a viewpoint and an artificial beach. The beach was overrun and the water wasn’t very clean, but the view from the top of the island was worth climbing over 300 steps to the viewing platform!

After just 15 minutes on the island, we were herded back to our ship and set off towards the harbour. On the way back most of us were too exhausted to do anything other than lounging on the sundeck. The sun was hidden behind clouds and the temperature was perfect. We also went past the same islets as on the way into the bay, which was nice, since we didn’t really get the chance to see them the first time.

Around 5:30 pm we arrived back at the harbour and quickly got onto the bus back to Hanoi where we arrived at 8 pm and started dropping people off. Since I had been one of the first to be picked up I was also one of the last to be dropped off again. I ended up getting off at the end of the street, so I could grab a Banh Mi for a much-needed dinner.

A short recap, to answer the question in the title:

• 4 – 6 hours of the trip are spent on the road, remember that when choosing your tour company
• When you are going where everyone else is, don’t be surprised that there are masses of tourists and cruise ships
• Bring your own food. Grabbing a Banh Mi (or three…) before pick up is quick, cheap and easy
• Make sure your camera battery is full because the nature around you will be breathtaking
• Having said that, don’t just look through the lens of your camera the entire time. No picture or video can compare to the feeling you have when you just focus on your surroundings

The Ha Long Bay daytour I went on cost roughly 37€. Which means I paid 3,10€ per hour. For that money, it was excellent value. However, I would rather pay more and have more, than “get a great deal” and leave with mixed feelings (since the lack of food and drinkable water resulted in a serious headache).

The tour was worth it for the once in a lifetime sights and the people you meet on the way. Just remember to bring extra food.

If there is any way to fit it into your itinerary, you should stay in Ha Long or on one of the nearby islands for a night or two. You can still go on a cruise directly from there, but you can also explore the coastline of the bay and make use of the lesser-known beaches.

If budget isn’t a problem, I would recommend a Ha Long Bay daytour “off the beaten path” or even a private tour. You can (and should!) choose a two-day option if you can, so you don’t rush it and don’t have to deal with the tourist masses.

Have you been to Ha Long Bay? How was your experience?

Der Beitrag Ha Long Bay Daytour – Is it worth it? erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.