In 4 years I have travelled a lot of countries around the world, Vietnam is still my favorite one. I came back to this happy country over and over and in total I visited 4 times. I am even planning to go back again this year with my husband and my 2 years old baby.
I wrote this Vietnam travel blog about all the things I know about this country. Everything you should know, from places to see, things to do, itineraries, weather, safety issues, and many more things.
These are three ways of applying Visitor Visa for you:
- Entry Visa to the Vietnam at Vietnamese Embassy in your home country or in Bangkok, if you’re on a multi-country-trip around South East Asia.
- To get Visa online or E-Visa via the following official Immigration link https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
- Entry Visa upon arrival at the international airports (applicable in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City)
There are two seasons: Dry from November to April and Rainy from May to October.
If you want the best Instagram pictures of Vietnam then I think you should come between March and April. The weather is gorgeous in all regions of Vietnam this month. There is no rain, no storm or typhoon,…
A good thing is Vietnamese do not judge the dress styles of the tourists so to walk in the street, you can dress as you want. Be comfortable J
You also can do withdraw local money from distributors in medium and large cities at a cost of about 4% of the amount withdrawn.
Tipping is not a norm in Southeast Asia. The decision of whether to tip or not depends entirely on your satisfaction and no one will judge you on that. However, if the guide, driver, porters of hotels,….gave you a good services, you should tip them as a thank you. It is highly appreciated
For me Vietnam is probably one of safest places to travel. All the main tourist cities are very safe.
However there is one thing I still afraid of even after 4 times in Vietnam: crossing street. That is very annoying. When I was about to cross the street, four main arteries are converging into a muddle of trucks, buses, cars, bicycles and motorbikes. It seemed like everyone in Vietnam has his own motorbike. Remember to be careful when you cross the busy street in Vietnam.
The quaility of hotels in Vietnam is very good: clean, free wifi, breakfast,…
I stayed in 3, 4 and 5 star hotels in Vietnam. If your budget is limited, 3 star is not so bad idea. The quaility is very good: clean, free wifi, breakfast,…
In this blog, I will mention some sites that are fascinating but less known.
The West lake is in Tay Ho district, which is around 15 minutes to drive from the Old Quarter. It is very easy to take a taxi in Hanoi to get to the West lake.
\My Vietnamese friend (we met on my second time in Vietnam) said this is the high-end district in Hanoi. And it’s true. There’re nice restaurants, luxury hotels and coffee houses with awesome view in this area. Even the atmostphere in Tay Ho lake seemed more high-end than other districts J
I had a romantic night at a bar (I don’t remember the name) on the 20th floor of Pan Pacific Hanoi hotel with my boyfriend (now he is my husband). The bar was perfect. We enjoyed cocktails with panoramic views of Tay Ho Lake and Hanoi.
If you are a food lover, “Pho Cuon” and “Pho Chien Phong” in the West lake can’t be missed. It is the perfect combination between fresh vegetable, beef and spices.
It was so lucky for me that I visited Mu Cang Chai in September when Mu Cang Chai terraced festival took place. In this month, the rice field turned yellow and the harvest season begun. The scenery of rice terraces was more than a picture.
The festival includes many activities. I had an unforgetable when enjoying many activities with locals here: cutting rice, weaving fabric….
I spent 3 days in Mu Cang Chai then transferred directly to Sapa before getting back to Hanoi. I recommend you book a private trip from a local travel agent. They will arrange transportation and guide to escort you. Mu Cang Chai is a remote area so it is hard to travel on your own.
But it is a pity not mention this one – Lak Lake which is located in Lien Son town, Lak District, Dak Lak province; on the route between Buon Ma Thuot city and Da Lat city; it is about 50km from Buon Ma Thuot City.
It is a unique eco-tourism destination with its dreamlike and natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and forests. There are a lot of entertaining activities around this area: musical gong performances, taking a dugout to row around the lake, fishing, riding mountain bike to explore the tracks through forest or village of ethnic people,…
Approaching Lak lake is not hard. I took a flight from Danang (the Central of Vietnam) to Da Lat, had a visit in Da Lat then drove to Lak lake.
If you don’t visit the Central of Vietnam, you could fly directly from Hanoi to Buon Me Thuat.
Taking too many domestic flight might be expensive, you could take a night bus from Saigon city to Da Lat, visit Da Lat then drive to Lak Lake.
I hope all these tips, recommendations and advices are helpful for your organizing the trip. May Vietnam is your next wonderful adventure!