Pho for Days: Labor Day in Vietnam
My childhood friend, Ami, was visiting me in New York in January. We were having breakfast, she turns to me, and asks me - “Hey. Do you want to go to Vietnam?” And that was that.
I had been itching to go to Asia more since I had only gone to India. Asia always seemed overwhelming to me, maybe because it’s so far away, but I am so grateful we managed to come together for this trip since it is now one of the most epic places I’ve visited.
Not going to lie, trying to plan out where to go in Vietnam was overwhelming. The more I researched, the more conflicted I was on which region to visit since Vietnam is a large country with a lot to offer. At one point, we were trying to tackle the entire country, from North to South. My friend who had been to Vietnam suggested focusing on just one part of Vietnam to make it more enjoyable. We stuck to Central/Northern Vietnam and below, you’ll find a quick snapshot of our day to day -
Day 1: Hanoi (Flew Cathay Airlines - overall pleasant experience!)
Day 2: Ha Long Bay Tour + Cat Ba Island
Day 3: Cat Ba Island —> Hanoi —> Overnight train to Sa Pa
Day 4: Sa Pa
Day 5: Sa Pa Trek —> Overnight train to Hanoi
Day 6: Hanoi —> Hoi An
Day 7: Hoi An
Day 1: Hanoi, New York on Steroids
After ~28 hours of travel (with a layover in Hong Kong), we made it to Hanoi at around 9am. We were pretty disoriented, but also ready to tackle our first day in Vietnam. To put it simply, Hanoi felt like New York times 10. The energy, busy streets, and hustle was almost a bit overwhelming at first. The heat was also rough. We were in Vietnam in August, just after rainy season, so the humidity was brutal. And another thing - crossing streets is HARD and makes NO sense. So, if you’re visiting Hanoi - good luck and hold hands with your friends while you cross the street.
Attractions in Hanoi: Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, Hanoi Railroad Street, Hanoi Prison Musem. While the Hanoi Prison Museum was hard to process, it made me realize I honestly didn’t know much about Vietnam’s history. I briefly had studied about the Vietnam War, but it was all from the U.S. perspective. It was one of the more interesting museums I’ve been to and would definitely recommend to all.
In terms of food - you can’t go wrong. We didn’t have any set places we wanted to go to, so we pretty much just walked around until something caught our eye. But I can safely confirm everything I had in Hanoi was delicious. Below are a few spots that were on our list, although we ended up winging it -
Hoang’s Restaurant
Gia Ngu Restaurant
Cau Go (view of the lake!)
Accommodations: Airbnb in downtown Hanoi. It was above a restaurant and the apartment was very large and comfortable. And most importantly, had air conditioning and fans. We had arranged transport from the airport with this Airbnb contact & everything was seamless!
Day 2: Vietnam’s Independence Day
We had a Ha Long Bay tour with transfer to Cat Ba Monkey Island scheduled for the day, which you can find here. We were picked up from our Airbnb in the morning and taken to the coast where we’d take a cruise through Ha Long Bay. The rock formations and caves were unreal. We did a one day tour, but I would’ve been just fine spending 4-5 days there, island hopping (which is what some people do).
After the Ha Long Bay cruise was finished, somehow, someway, a bunch of boat transfers were organized to get us to Cat Ba Monkey Island. I couldn’t even tell you how we got there, just that we listened to the boat drivers and we eventually made it to Cat Ba (sorry, not helfpul, but my guess is that most tour operators handle the logistics!)
Accommodations: Monkey Island Resort. We got the standard bungalow which was perfect! It overlooked the water and we had our own little porch. The resort prepares a complete feast for you on the beach for dinner as well, which was a great way to meet other guests on the island. Breakfast the next morning is also included!
Day 3: Cat Ba Island to Sa Pa
We woke up in the middle of the bay and enjoyed breakfast, a hike to the top of the island, and some monkeys before we had to depart on our long journey to Sa Pa.
We had a boat transfer from Cat Ba to Hanoi which took ~2 hours. We had an overnight train scheduled from Hanoi to Lao Cai in Sa Pa, so we spent the late afternoon/night bubble tea cafe hopping in Hanoi, which was awesome.
On travel from Hanoi to Sa Pa: There are several different train lines making the journey. You can find all train times here. I’d recommend getting there ~45 minutes prior to departure just to play it safe. We decided to go with Chapa Express based off reviews. The train experience was great - beds were comfortable, bathrooms clean, and we got there in a timely fashion. You can request a 4 person room or a 2 person room. Since there was 3 of us, we opted for the 4 person and had a stranger with us. This may raise safety concerns, but all of us just wanted to sleep. I did sleep with my wallet and passport under my pillow just in case, but there were no issues.
Day 4-5: Rice Paddies of Vietnam
Sa Pa is a region northwest of Hanoi wellknown for its rice fields. There are several villages throughout the region with different communities, so there is a lot to explore & do. Below is information/basics on visiting Sa Pa
It’s worth the trek out there. Pictures below to convince you.
Lao Cai is the name of one of the main village in the area.
Our acommodations which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED: Eco Palms House. I’m not exaggerating when I say one of the most hospital places I’ve ever been. We had a bungalow overlooking the rice paddies, the food was out of this world, the lodge owners incredbly generous, and all treks were organized easily by the staff. My stay here was one of the best lodging experiences I’ve ever had. I would go back in a heartbeat.
One day was dedicated to a Sa Pa trek (the muddiest hike I’ve ever done), and the second day dedicated to Fansipan Peak and nearby waterfalls.
Days 6-7: Central Vietnam
As much as we didn’t want to leave Sa Pa, we had one last Vietnamese adventure waiting for us - Hoi An. We took the same overnight train from Sa Pa to Hanoi, and caught a domestic flight from Hanoi to Hoi An (about 1.5 hours). My friend, Olivia, had raved about Hoi An, so I was pretty pumped. Hoi An is a charming, laidback, colorful city along the coast, priding itself on its fashion design shops. Many people go there to get clothes/shoes customized at a very affordable price. A few quick notes about our time in Hoi An -
Accommodations: Thanh Pho Hoi An Airbnb
We signed up for a bike/kayak tour of Hoi An and the riverways surrounding the city
7 days in Vietnam wasn’t nearly enough. After getting back to New York, I knew immediately that I would 100% go back to explore the rest of Vietnam, and hopefully it’s nearby countries, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. If you’re visiting from the states, Vietnam is absolutely worth the trek, seeing as I’d go back in a heartbeat. After coming back, I’ve also takenm it upon myself to learn more about the Vietnam and Cambodian Wars, since I was slightly disappointed in myself that I didn’t know more about the country I was visiting. However, this realization encouraged me to come up with the resolution of reading up more about the culture and history of places I visit.