Visit Hanoi – The Home to Vietnamese Culture

Start your trip here to get a feel for the country’s culture and history. Begin by strolling the Old Quarter, with its ancient shopping streets, French colonial architecture, souvenirs and street food. Delight in sampling regional dishes including bun cha (rice vermicelli noodles with barbequed pork), then take a wander around one of Hanoi’s 20 lakes to see how locals enjoy downtime. There’s a long history of traditional arts in and around Hanoi, so check out the nearby craft villages if that piques your interest.

Indulge In The Beauty of Ninh Binh

Ning Binh is blessed with spectacular limestone karsts that create dramatic scenery. you’ll feel humbled as you travel in between the spectacular rice fields, water-lily ponds and meandering waterways that create mesmerising scenes.

For a taste sensation that you can’t find anywhere else in Vietnam, Trang An Ninh Binh has some unique specialities. One of the most popular dishes is Rice crust, which is crunchy, tasty and fat. Dishes made from goat meat are also popular, such as goat hotpot, roasted goat, rare goat meat and steamed goat meat. There are other specialities such as boiled mountain snail, To Nhu vermicelli noodles, and Nho Quan wine to mention but a few. 

Cruise the 1,000 Islands and Islets of Ha Long Bay

There are a plethora of cruise tours on offer – cruises for a backpacker’s budget or for those ready to splurge on this bucket-list experience. Stay on board for a night or two to truly make the most of the setting, whether by snorkelling, visiting caves or floating fishing villages, or kayaking to teeny-tiny beaches for a swim.

Ha Long cuisine is something you should not miss out on when coming to Ha Long Bay, the specialities are a combination of fresh seafood and skilful processing techniques. 

Banh Gat Gu (Nodding Cake): a roll made from rice powder with minced pork and fried onions.

Chao Ha (Acorn Barnacle Porridge): a dish with nutritious shellfish as the main ingredient.

Grilled Chopped Squid: a dish made of chopped or minced squid.

On land, Ha Long City is worth a short stop. Swim at one of the beaches, try out local seafood, or take a ride on the cable car or Ferris wheel of the Sun World Ha Long Complex. 

Explore Cat Ba Island

Tour The Hang Sung Sot Cave

Allegedly, Sung Sot Cave was first discovered by the French in 1901, who then took it upon themselves to name it “Grotte des Surprises”, or Surprising Cave, because of its ‘surprising’ beauty. However, the name didn’t catch on until a good 40 years later. The first visitors were welcomed to the cave in 1993, just one year before Halong Bay received its first bestowment of World Heritage site status from UNESCO.

You’ll likely kayak onto the island of Bo Hon Island where there’s a small dock at the bottom. Here you’ll have to climb up 100 or so steps to the mouth of Sung Sot Cave. The cave covers a staggering 10,000 square meters, is about 30 meters high and sports a 500-meter-long passage. Separated into 2 caverns, the interior has a small amphitheatre space connected by a small passageway to the larger cavern next door. This is big enough to hold 1,000 people or more! The entire cave is scattered with stalactites and stalagmites, which serve as endless material for the legend and ‘lore of the area.

Admire The Rice Fields

A thrilling and different vantage point to savour the splendour of these grand rice-field scenes is by paragliding over them. If you are visiting in September, make sure not to miss the paragliding festival at Mu Cang Chai, about 300km from Hanoi – a bucket-list experience of note.  

Do Some Trekking In Sapa

Home to the H’Mong people, Cat Cat Village is an unmissable destination in Sapa. The rice terraces are cultivated by the local people, additionally, they make traditional crafts and tourists visit the village to buy their handicrafts as souvenirs. Another popular destination – Ham Rong Mountain is where you can see most of Sa Pa’s tourist attractions such as Muong Hoa Valley, Ta Van Village, and Cat Cat Village.

Sapa sits about 4,921 feet (1,500 meters) above sea level. The climate varies between moderately warm and rainy in summer and cool and foggy in winter. The best time to visit is during the climate sweet spot in the shoulder seasons, from September to November and from March to May. Aim to avoid visiting over the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, as with all Vietnamese tourist destinations.

Travelling to Sapa, you have a chance to discover many typical dishes of Northern Vietnam such as seven-colour sticky rice, grilled pork, grilled chicken, grilled duck, bamboo-tube sticky rice, dried buffalo meat and so much more! Sa Pa is a trifecta of breathtaking views, cultural diversity and a taste sensation. 

Experience The Ha Giang Loop

Should You Self-Drive or Use an Easy-Rider?

Self-Drive

If you have an international motorbike licence and are a very confident driver, then why not? For the most part, the roads are pretty well maintained, except for a few off-road sections. Be warned – in some sections, the roads can be very winding and fairly steep.

TIP: Do not self-drive without an international licence. There are reports of police checkpoints being set up with them asking to see people’s licences. If you do not have an international motorbike licence, they will take your motorbike. You might hear some travellers say they were never checked and that this is a ‘scare tactic‘ to make people choose to go on an Easy Rider Tour. However, this is not a scare tactic! You will get stopped almost immediately by the police as you leave Ha Giang City to do the loop.

Easy-Rider – Sitting Behind a Tour Guide

An easy and very safe option is doing the Ha Giang Loop with a driver. No need to worry about treacherous roads, steep inclines, winding roads, getting lost or not knowing where to eat. Your Ha Giang Loop guide will have all the stops, restaurants/food stalls and homestays already plotted. They do The Ha Giang Loop by scooter/motorbike for you .. you just need to sit back and enjoy the ride!

pssst. Did you see our post on traveller scams to watch out for in Southeast Asia?

The tour guides have done the Ha Giang Loop plenty of times and know it like the back of their hands – the likelihood of getting into any accidents or having any crashes is extremely low. Most guides have done the Ha Giang Loop over 150 times.

If you’ve travelled this far, head to Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark which is located in the northeast province of Ha Giang. The Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark encompasses four districts within Ha Giang Province and stretches over 2,356 square kilometres. Its extraordinary beauty and geological significance have earned it a place among the most captivating natural landscapes in Southeast Asia. Dong Van Rock Plateau is formed by narrow valleys alternating with rocky mountain ranges in the north of Vietnam. Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark has a temperate climate which is divided into two seasons: rainy season (May – October) and dry season (November – April). The annual average temperature is 21 – 23ºC. It may get up to 27 – 28ºC in July and August and may drop down to below 0ºC in January.

Indulge Yourself in Vietnamese Cuisine

As the north, central, and south of Vietnam differ in terms of infrastructure, topography, and buildings, the delicious cuisine of Vietnam changes from region to region and the differences are rather noticeable. Standing as a unique pillar in the diverse culinary landscape of Vietnam, Northern Vietnamese food is unique in its elegance and simplicity, making it distinct from the flavours of other regions.

Discover North Vietnam’s History

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Hanoi): Here you can learn more about Ho Chi Minh’s life and his significance in Vietnamese history. Ho Chi Minh is widely regarded as a visionary leader who played a pivotal role in shaping the course of Vietnam’s history. With his indomitable spirit and unwavering determination, Ho Chi Minh emerged as a revered figure, leading the Vietnamese people towards independence and self-determination. Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body found its resting place in a glass coffin within Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, a site that draws thousands of visitors annually.
• Hoa Lo Prison: When Vietnam was still a part of French Indochina, the French began constructing Hoa Lo Prison in 1896 and finished it in 1901. The prison was initially named Maison Centrale, which was a common euphemism for French prisons. The prison was used to lock up political prisoners fighting for independence in the war. After the French were driven out of Hanoi in 1954, the prison was converted into a Vietnamese facility.  
• Hue Imperial Citadel: Hue Imperial Citadel was not only a military stronghold but also a cultural and political centre of Vietnam. The city served as the capital of Vietnam until 1945 when the country was divided into North and South Vietnam. The Hue Imperial Citadel or Hoang Thanh served as the residence of the emperors and the royal family, and the administrative centre of the royal court. It is also a significant site of worship for ancestors and the late emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty.
• My Son Sanctuary: During the 4th to 13th centuries there was a unique culture on the coast of contemporary Vietnam, owing its spiritual origins to the Hinduism of India. The property is located in the mountainous border Duy Xuyen District of Quang Nam Province, in central Vietnam. The My Son Sanctuary is a remarkable architectural ensemble that developed over ten centuries. It presents a vivid picture of spiritual and political life in an important phase of the history of South-East Asia.

The Best Time to Visit North Vietnam

The best time to visit North Vietnam varies depending on your chosen destinations and experiences. If you are planning to visit locations throughout Vietnam, then the best times to go are January through April or October and November. This allows you to enjoy the best weather that Vietnam has to offer. You can avoid the heaviest rains and the most extreme temperatures.

Local holidays should also be considered and the biggest nationwide holiday to consider is the new year, or Tet. Tet is celebrated on different dates according to the local calendar but falls in January or February.

In the mountainous north, avoiding colder temperatures is something to consider. To get the best temperatures and avoid the heaviest precipitation, the best time of year to visit this region is either in October and November or in March and April. The temperatures are colder in December and January, and the wet season arrives after April.

The rest of Northern Vietnam has lower elevations and temperatures can be much warmer, however, precipitation should be considered when planning a trip to Hanoi or the surrounding region. The best time of the year to visit Vietnam around Hanoi and the lower elevations of the north is October and November. For drier weather and the best temperatures, this time of year offers a nice combination.