TRANSPORATION
-between cities? fly. its pretty cheap and painless
-uber all the time
-I think it's important to experience one overnight train. I trained from Da Nang to Nha Trang was pretty amazing. minus the bathroom and lack of fresh air
FOOD
[under each city, you will find specific recommendations for where to eat this food]
...street food everything. seriously
...bring probiotics and take one every morning
...bring imodium
-Bún Chả (grilled pork, noodle, with a sweet and tangy broth // hanoi)
-Chả Cá Thăng Long (tumeric & dill fish // hanoi)
-Pho Chien Tron (crispy fried pho with veggies and meat // hoi an)
-Bun Bo Hue (beef noodle spicy soup //everywhere)
-Chè (an icy, coconut milk, tapioca dessert // everywhere)
-Bánh Mì ốp la (breakfasty- eggs and meat served with a baguette // everywhere)
-Bánh xeo (its a pancake/crepe and you stuff it with herbs and meat and its amazing //best one was in Saigon)
-Bánh khot (mini savory pancakes topped with chicken, beef, or squid //nha trang)
-Bánh cuon (like a rice noodle stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms- fuck i am so hungry rn! // everywhere)
-Bánh chung (banana leaf wrapped rice + meat deliciousness //everywhere)
-Bot chien (fried flour with egg, its heavy and delicious // saw it a lot in saigon)
CITIES
HANOI
-I stayed at the Blue Sky Hotel in the Old Quarter ($16/night/superior double room). I wouldn't necessarily recommend this specific hotel- but the location was amazing and so was the price. It was simple, clean enough. and right across the street was an amazing Bánh cuon spot)
-You MUST MUST MUST eat bún chả. its served during lunch 12-2/3pm. I found a little street food spot in a tunnel. You won't find this dish outside of Hanoi.
-You also MUST eat Chả Cá Thăng Long (it's fish with dill and turmeric). This dish is also specific to Hanoi. eat it here:https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ch%E1%BA%A3+C%C3%A1+Th%C4%83ng+Long/@21.033087,105.8461958,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xf237fcd9e8f26eff!8m2!3d21.033087!4d105.8461958
-Do a day (or overnight) trip to Hạ Long Bay, I don't know which tour group I used, but I think they're all pretty similar- transportation to the boat, lunch, fishing village, a cave walk, should be about $40/person
-The HCM memorials were interesting- at least the grounds where (I didn't go inside)
-Walk around everywhere. especially the alleys. I found the most delicious grilled dog at a hidden market
-Hoàn Kiếm Lake is beautiful
-The temple of literature aka Văn Miếu - Quốc Tử Giám was <3
-Be sure to stop everywhere for cà phê sữa đá (aka iced coffee w/ condensed milk)
SAIGON
-I was in Saigon at the beginning and at the end of my trip. I wouldn't recommend the first hotel because it was in the backpackers district (aka district 1). But our second hotel?! YAS. The location was great too http://senviethotel.com.vn/en/ (I think this was $30/night)
-I really enjoyed the Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine. It's in a beautiful, old house with beautiful views of the city.
-Make sure you eat bánh mì ốp la. there's a "famous spot" in Saigon- Bánh Mì Hòa Mã. It was good, but pricey compared to the other amazing bánh mì ốp la I had in Saigon and Nha trang
-Def hit up the Bến Thành Market for food and other goods
-If you can brave it- rent a motorbike. It was a really fun way to experience the city's energy
HOI AN
-this is a really beautiful ocean and river town. it's pretty white/touristy (but a chill touristy). you MUST bike around. be sure to bike along/with the rivers and towards the beach- take back roads!
-I loved where I stayed. Sunshine hotel-the location/price($30/night)/free bikes/the fresh fruit in the mornings <3
-I would recommend a half/day trip to the Marble Mountains in Da Nang. You can also visit the Marble Mountains on your way to or from Hoi An
-Coconut Island Eco Tour. I stumbled upon this after taking a bunch of back roads on my bike. Look it up and bike in that direction! it was so beautiful
-Be sure to keep an eye out for Pho Tron or Pho Chien Tron- it's crispy fried pho noodles with veggies and meat. SO good
-Hoi An is known for Cao Lau which is made from water from an old well in Hoi An- imo it was nothing special.
-There's famous banh mi spot that anthony bourdain went to- i enjoyed it! there were tomatoes in it which was weird
-GET. CLOTHING. MADE. i got a bunch of silk suits and a dress made. I loved the spot I found- Bao An Clothing - it's not where all the other tailors are, and the prices were great. My absolute favorite coffee shop (from all of the cities) is across the street from the tailor. def hit that up even if you're not getting clothes made!
-Fun fact- Hoi An provides free wifi thru out the entire town. kinda cray!
NHA TRANG
-super beach resort town. there are direct flights between Nha Trang and Moscow so it's super Russian which is weird and fascinating!
-I LOVED our homestay Binh An Hotel. the couple was so kind and welcoming. their niece helped me pop a massive disgusting blister. they brought us fruit every day <3 and the location- its 2 blocks from the beach but super cheap (get a balcony room for $18/night)
-Tháp Bà Spa is straight outta a friggin miyazaki film. specifically spirited away lol. its a mud bath spa. I biked to it, which was a bit of a trek, but AMAZING- it exposed me to so much more of the "real" nha trang, not just the touristy beach side.
-stop for street food when you're out and about on bikes in this city- I had some of the best grilled chicken feet in Nha Trang
-I spent a day on a private boat taking us around different islands- I highly recommend this. I used - fuck- no clue it was down the street from the National Oceanographic Museum. The store front was yellow.
-I stumbled upon the National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam. what can i say- some of it was really sad because the animals and their living spaces weren't in great condition. But it was kind of amazing in a historical sense, the grounds, and there's a massive archive of sea creatures in jars which was pretty cool
happy eating
<3