Days there: 24

Route: Hanoi-Halong Bay-Catba Island-Hanoi-Sapa-Hanoi-Hue-Hoi An-Nha Trang-Mui Ne-Ho Chi Minh City

Costs: $756.40
$31.52/day Including all transportation, tours, admissions, food, drinks, and accomodation.

Overview: Vietnam is an amazing country from top to bottom. The land is beautifully picturesque and diverse, the culture is rich, and the history is unbelievable. After struggling with independence and being at war for 1000 years, Vietnam is a country of survivors. There is a natural edge and toughness to these people that I have never before encountered, and understandably so when you learn what they have been through. Hard work and raw capitalism seem to thrive. Fashion and technology are as modern as it comes and the economy seems to be exploding. With a massive population of 85 million, and 60% of that being under the age of 30, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this emerging powerhouse.

Best Experience:

Spending the christmas holidays on the beach with amazing people I now consider good friends. It was one of those weird circumstances where the right people were in the right place at the right time.

Cultural Highlights:

-Fighting off the local hill tribe villagers selling merchandise in Sapa’s streets.
-Taking in the sights, sounds, and traffic in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
-Walking the charming streets of Hoi An and getting tailor-made everything.
-Visiting the shocking War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City for a slightly biased Vietnamese angle on the war. Wow!

Party Spots:

-Nha Trang. If you are looking to cut loose, luckily for you, there is not much else to do here, so spend your days on the beach and nights on the sauce. Good times were had.
-Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh were great cities with a lively nightlife and variety of bars to wet your whistle.

Chill spots:
-Mui Ne. A long and very chill beach town with enough to do to keep you around for a few days.
-Lounging in the sun on top of your Junk boat in Halong Bay.

Best Adventures:

-The 3 day Halong Bay tour. Spend the extra money to stay on board one of these old Junk boats. You get your own room and decent meals. The boats are old, shady, falling apart, and might actually sink in the middle of the night, but the journey is amazing.
-The Mui Ne sand dunes make a great day trip. I went twice. Try sand boarding, it might not be the next national sport but it’s a lot of fun.
-Renting a motorbike and trying to keep up with the traffic.
-Playing human Frogger in Hanoi traffic.

Food:

Great food known for its freshness and healthiness. Typical ingredients would be fish sauce, shrimp paste, rice, noodles, coriander, Thai basil, mint, lemongrass and other fresh herbs. There are 3 main regions of Vietnamese cuisine ranging from the most traditional in the north to central to south, where the cuisine tends to diversify more and more and fuse with other cultures. Notable bites to be tried are: Pho, Banh Cuon, Cao Lao, Bun Bo Hue, White Rose, Banh Bao. The food is very cheap and best in the markets. Get adventurous with it.

What to Expect:

-Expect the craziest traffic you have ever seen (maybe next to India). Watching a traffic light change is like watching the start of the Daytona 500, that is, if they wait for the light. It is a land of motorbikes, optional traffic signs, and pointless lanes. Pull up a chair and a beer and just watch the streets. It is a site in itself because it works so well. It is truly organized chaos.
-Crossing the street. This must be done sooner or later. Wait for an opening, walk slow and don’t stop. They will most likely avoid hitting you. Good luck.
-A very open and proud gay scene.
-Spitting and public urination.
-Very intense hockers trying to sell you anything they can. Capitalism at its finest.

Travel Tips:

-Eat off the street. So cheap and delicious.
-Pay for your massages AFTER the 60 minutes.
-Check the weather before you go to Sapa. I did not see a mountain or tree line once (the city is surrounded by mountains and jungle) due to thick fog. So trekking plans were not possible.
-Night buses and trains will save you money on accommodation.
-There are no price tags, so everything is negotiable. Hold your ground. They smell weakness.
-You can buy ripped off DVD’s and books off the street for a great price. This depends on your morals.

Scams:

-The Infamous drive-by bag snatch is very prevalent here. I witnessed it twice.
-’Massages’ are not always massages.
-If you think you picked up the hottest Russian girl in the world, brace yourself, you didn’t. She might just be on the clock.

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