I’ve bragged many times on this blog about how seasoned we’ve become at traveling by bus. We know exactly what time to show up, what to bring for the journey, how to get comfortable, and which seats to choose. I often gloat about how cheaply I find tickets and how I’m more than willing to spend a few extra hours on the road to save money.

On the flip side, I’ve also learned when not to take the bus. This is the case for our trip from Luang Prabang to Hanoi, Vietnam. Let’s look at our options.

Option 1: Bus
Type: Sleeper bus
Route: Winding mountain roads
Time to Destination: 24 hours
Cost: $53/ticket

Option 2: Plane
Type: Lao Airlines
Route: In the air
Time: 1 hr 20 min
Cost: $100/ticket

We flew to Hanoi.

Experiencing Burnout

Aside from the major cities, most of the recommendations we receive are located in the north of Vietnam and include:

• The Rice Fields of Sapa: breathtaking hills of endless rice patties in the rural area of northern Vietnam
• Cat Ba and Ha Long Bay: Amazing emerald waters dotted with towering rock formations along the western coast
• Driving the Ha Giang Loop: a rural mountain route, usually taken by backpackers on a rented motorcycle over the course of five days, nears the border of Vietnam and China

I feel pretty worn out at this point in our trip, to be honest. I’ll admit this is one of those times where I surrender to the path of least resistance.

It’s not that I don’t want to see these things. I definitely do. But in my current mindset, the thought of getting north, planning a route, learning how to ride a motorcycle and saying my prayers while driving the treacherous mountain roads of Northern Vietnam was absolutely daunting.

Add the potential for the forecast of rain in the next two weeks and it’s too much for me.

In the end, the best I can muster for our two weeks in Vietnam is one guided trip and exploring within the city limits. As I’m writing this now, I do think we missed out on a lot that Vietnam had to offer by leaving the planning of this country to the last minute.

Regardless, we had plenty of adventures. Here are some stories and anecdotes from our time in Vietnam.

Vietnam Does Its Best to Put Us In the Christmas Spirit

Christmas is my favorite holiday but I know this year it will be different. The heat, humidity and lack of celebration in this area of the world don’t really put me in the spirit.

But as we explore Hanoi, it surprises me to find there is Christmas decor everywhere.

The displays are mostly at high-end hotels and restaurants. They somehow manage to be elaborate and kitschy at the same time.

Glitter and Christmas trees adorn hotel entrances. Giant wrapped Christmas gifts dot store windows. The nativity sits in front of a Cathedral near the French Quarter. I do some research and learn that Vietnam has the highest rate of practicing Christians in Southeast Asia. This has mostly to do with the French and Spanish occupation beginning in the 1600s.

I clearly do not capture enough photos, but it was nice to see the decorations and I start to feel a little of the Christmas cheer.

Spiders? Not Today, Satan.

Since we arrived in Asia, we have been finding guesthouses or hostels through booking.com. It’s cheap to eat in Asia (full meals for $1.50), but I miss the comfort of making our own meals. We decide that for our time in Hanoi, we’ll head back to Airbnb to find an apartment with a kitchen.

We find a cute little room for a good price. When we arrive, it’s clean and the internet speeds are fantastic. I explore the space and realize that the bathroom is beyond a barn-style sliding door. You know, the type that sets away from the wall an inch or two? I step over the threshold and look up to see that I’m now outside. The bathroom is outside. It’s all concrete and still really nice looking. I take a step further and notice movement on a plant vase. SPIDER. Nope.

I walk back toward the main area of the small room while Stephen goes to take care of business. “It’s too fast,” he says. “I can’t find it anymore.” NO.

A shiver goes down my spine but I bravely continue to check out the galley kitchen. I see something move to my left. Another spider, this time on the trash can between the bed and the kitchen. NO.

Since the bathroom door is that particular style, there isn’t a way to make sure it’s sealed to keep more spiders from getting in.

I have an internal pep talk and debate about whether I’m getting too soft. That lasted about four seconds and we find another place to stay.

Ha Long Bay

The only real excursion we did in Vietnam was a trip to Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is about three hours east of Hanoi and is known for its stunning bay of blue water and thousands of towering limestone islands. The area offers lots of excursions, including hiking, kayaking, diving (which we won’t be doing), and rock climbing. But since the weather is supposed to turn and we only have one day without rain in the forecast in the next few weeks, we decide to book…GASP…a guided tour.

A guided tour is something I rarely do. I prefer to explore a place on my own terms and not be shuttled around on a schedule with 50 other people. However, it’s a few hours drive to get to Ha Long Bay and once you’re there, you’ll need to organize boats, tickets, and tours anyway, so we decide to go with a day trip that starts and ends in Hanoi to make things less complicated.

The morning of the tour, we wait outside our apartment at the appropriate time for our van. Our place is located on a side street and I’m sort of looking forward to seeing how the van is going to navigate the narrow streets. After 15 minutes, I get a little worried and start double checking our booking times and the address we provided.

A few minutes later, a motorbike pulls up to the curb.

“Kristin?” the driver says. I nod. “I pick you up to take you to the van. Hop on.”

“Which one of us?” I ask.

“Both,” he says with a laugh.

My first reaction is um, absolutely not. Hanoi is a city with 7 million people, and 5 million motorbikes. The traffic rules are taken as suggestions but the use of a horn is constant and mandatory. There is swerving, overtaking, merging, blocking, and lots of close calls, but no one seems nervous and I didn’t witness any accidents.

At this point, what choice do I have? Alright then! Nervously, we both straddle the bike and get cozy. The driver tells us to relax, and we merge into the endless school of motorbikes that flood the streets.

After 10 minutes of casual swerving and dodging, he safely delivers us to the van and we’re on our way out of the city towards Ha Long Bay.

When we arrive at the bay, the parking area is full of tour buses and hundreds of tourists swarm the entrance. In our group, there are about 20 people, and our guide is so concerned with the real possibility of being lost in the crowd that he is just short of telling us to hold hands as we navigate the ticket lines.

We spend our day on a boat that takes us to three points of interest – lagoon kayaking, a network of caves, and a beach with a beautiful viewpoint. The landscape and views are stunning, but the number of people makes it difficult to take in the magnificence of the place.

Overall, we enjoyed our time, and my favorite part was spotting monkeys from our kayak on one of the cliff faces.

The King of Counterfeit

So far, we have been in Asia for about six weeks, so I have seen my fair share of markets. From the open market in Bangkok to the endless stalls of the same souvenirs in Luang Prabang, I am a market expert.

Well, I’m here to declare Vietnam the King of Counterfeit. Or at least it seems to be that way.

The North Face, Uniqlo, Victoria Secret, Supreme, Gucci. If it’s trendy, you can find it in Hanoi’s Weekend Market. For $10.

I am not an expert in clothing goods, but a little internet sleuthing tells me that the items could be real. Vietnam is the location for many of the clothing factories, and what you see in the market are over-produced or faulty items. These are either purchased or stolen by the vendors, who then hawk them at the markets.

Ethics aside, I have no room to spare in my bag, and I definitely don’t need a North Face jacket in the foreseeable future.

The Southeast Asian Cup

One evening, we have a casual dinner out and leisurely make our way back to our Airbnb. As we walk near Hoan Kiem Lake, we see people sitting in plastic chairs clustered around small TVs set up outside every restaurants and shop lining the street.

They’re watching a soccer game. Stephen looks up the game and we learn it’s the semi-finals of the Suzuki Cup, which is sort of like the Southeast Asian cup.

The situation has piqued our curiosity enough that we join a group outside of a coffee shop. It feels like the whole city is watching the game, and as the time clock marks the end of the second half, Vietnam is victorious and the city goes crazy.

We’re soon surrounded by thousands of motorbikes that flood streets, their riders waving flags, honking and cheering. The pride is palatable and I can’t help but cheer and chant right alongside them.

Hoi An, or, Let Me Measure You For a Suit

Our next destination is Hoi An, which is a beautiful little city on the coast between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Again, I weigh the cost/benefit of bus vs plane. You just can’t beat domestic flights for less than $100, so plane wins again.

Rain plagues most of our time in Hoi An, which means that excursions and Instagram-worthy bike rides through this picturesque city are sadly off the agenda.

There is a small break in the rain that lasted long enough for us to spend one evening out in the Old Town, where colorful lamps hang from every tree.

Captains wait on the edge of the canal, ready to whisk you through the water on a scenic night boat ride, and street vendors sell snacks and chachkis.

The market stalls are basically a rinse and repeat of every other market we’ve visited in SE Asia so far, but what is unique about Hoi An the alarming number of tailoring shops. In fact, it seems like every shop in Hoi An specializes in dress or clothes making. And trust me, every person in Hoi An wants to make you a dress. You cannot walk down the sidewalk without a salesperson lassoing you with a tape measure, fabric choices at the ready.

I don’t have room (or the budget, although it’s very affordable compared to anything you’d get in the US) for even a single piece of clothing, but I do justify a pair of custom sandals. I also have a fabric sleeve made for the yoga mat I recently decided to carry around so I don’t have to stretch or do workouts on what I consistently find to be the most disgusting part of an Airbnb – the floor.

As a side note, I realize I have no photos of these streets full of tailor shops. I think I was too worried I’d be harassed into getting measured for a new wardrobe if I showed even the slighted interest.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We finally arrive in our last city of Vietnam, the city formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City aka HCMC aka Motorbike Sh*tshow aka Real Life Frogger.

A brief history on the name: this city was called Saigon until 1976 when it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. Many people still call it Saigon and lots of businesses still use the original name of Saigon. From what I can tell, it’s generally acceptable to use either name as a traveler, however, the choice of which name locals use can indicate political or cultural stances.

This city is built for traffic with its wide thorough ways and after-thought crosswalks, but its narrow, maze-like alleys give you a pretty intimate peek into the lives of the 8.7 million Vietnamese that call this historical city home. As you walk through the alleys that are more sidewalk than street, you see everything from kids kicking a soccer ball to people napping in hammocks.

Our guesthouse is tucked into one of these winding alleys in the popular backpacking area known as Bui Vien. Bui Vien is like little Las Vegas. Bars, street vendors, and lots of prostitutes. If you can imagine, it’s not really my scene, but it does serve as a good jumping off point to explore the rest of the city.

Saigon Central Post Office

We visit the Saigon Central Post Office, which is where we mail our Christmas cards from. In case you’re wondering, they take about 5 weeks to arrive.

Guesthouse Views

As with most guesthouses in SE Asia, our stay includes breakfast, which we eat on the rooftop each morning. It’s a beautiful way to begin the day, even if the breakfast isn’t what I’m used to eating first thing in the morning.

Egg Coffee, or cà phê trứng

As a coffee drinker, I learned that in Vietnam you have to order your coffee with “fresh milk,” otherwise they use sweetened condensed milk for their coffee.

Egg coffee, or cà phê trứng is a specialty in Vietnam. It’s made with egg yolk, sugar, condensed milk and coffee. You only need the one, but it’s sooo decadent and worth a try.

War Remnants Museum

We spend a day at the War Remnants Museum. As heavy and difficult as it is to see, I feel like the museum does a very factual and fair job of accounting the events and timeline of the war and educating about the abhorrent war crimes committed by both sides of the conflict.

The museum heavily documents the use of Agent Orange and other chemical warfare by the United States, the effects of which are still felt by the Vietnamese people today and will be for generations to come. It also exhibits the emergence of war journalism and the outcry and reaction from countries throughout the world who opposed the conflict.

Propaganda (the restaurant).

We find delicious pho at a place called Propaganda, which is near the Saigon Central Post Office. Highly recommend!

Vietnam Takes Home the Cup

We venture into the throngs of fans to watch Vietnam win the championship game of the Suzuki Cup. The whole city celebrated by revving up their motorbikes and ripping around the streets and sidewalks. We spend hours watching thousands of fans on scooters, waving flags, blasting horns, and raising small children into the air.

The police presence is heavy but only a handful of behaviors that crossed the line, most of which involved fire. Everything else is pretty well tolerated.