Vietnam: Hoi An, Hanoi, Halong Bay
Our passports were back in action for the first time post pandemic as we headed off for one of the jewels of South east Asia, Vietnam, for the New Year break. Having six days in hand, we could only do the North and Central, leaving the South for another trip. Indian Nationals need to get an e-visa which ideally needs to be applied two weeks in advance or can be obtained in two days by paying a higher fee. (The link to apply is located here)
After a bit of research, our six-day itinerary shaped up like this
Day 1: Arrival In Danang early morning, Drive to Hoi An, Stay at Hoi An
Day 2: Trip to Bana Hills, overnight stay in Hoi An
Day 3: Fly in to Hanoi, overnight in Hanoi
Day 4: Sightseeing in Hanoi, trip to Incense Village
Day 5: All-day trip to Halong Bay
Day 6: Sightseeing in Hanoi, evening departure to Mumbai
Day 1 : Arrival In Danang early morning, Drive to Hoi An, Spend Day in Hoi An followed by overnight stay
We arrived at the Danang international airport in the early hours of the morning. We flew by Vietjet from Ahmedabad, which was preceded by a domestic connection from Pune. Our hotel had arranged for a pick-up so we headed off to Hoi An where we were booked to stay for the next two nights. Before starting off we needed to do the below important things.
Withdraw cash from the ATM and most importantly get a local sim card.
Tip1: Please carry USD cash for the journey. Vietjet is a low cost carrier and in order to order food on the flight, you will need to be pay in USD or Vietnamese currency in cash
Tip 2: Buy local sim card at the airport. At USD 11, we got a Vinaphone sim card with unlimited local calls and data.
Tip 3: Withdraw cash at the ATM outside or convert the USD into local cash. Ideally 1 Million is fine initially which is roughly INR3700. In general, the people there do not mention the last three zeroes. So if any shop or taxi says 1000, then just multiply by 3.7 to get the equivalent in INR
As we entered Hoi An ancient town (a forty-five minute drive from Danang airport) we were mesmerized by what awaited us for the next couple of days. Cafes, Bars and Shops everywhere. We were booked at the Grace River Villa hotel which was on the other side of the river. We were greeted by their manager (or owner) Anna with great warmth as if we were house guests. This warmth and hospitality would be a norm for the next few days and will be etched on our minds forever. We were allowed an early check-in and breakfast and were soon ready to hit the ancient town. The weather would be a spoilsport but that would not deter us. It was the time for rains and we knew it.
The walk through the ancient town by the riverside was a great experience and a sight to behold. The lantern town was decked up in all colours and getting ready for the new year. The Japanese Bridge is one of the most prominent landmarks (shown in the picture below). With so many cafes around we were confused as to where to have our lunch. We decided on Morning Glory – Original as that was one of the premier cafes in town as suggested by social media (shown in my Instagram post below). However, we had crossed the river and gone a bit far where we saw another Morning Glory restaurant (not the original). We settled for an amazing lunch there. The food would be a major talking point of this trip and was a resounding success. Anything to go with that sticky rice tasted heavenly.
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We returned to have evening coffee at the famous Morning Glory Original and it sure was worth the hype. One of the most beautiful sights is when the evening sets in and the lanterns are all lit up. The river is lined up with boats with the lanterns. A boat ride on the river is a must and we duly enjoyed ours. This was followed by a visit to the amazing night market
The boat ride and market visit was followed by quiet dinner by the riverside. And once again you can see that sticky rice along with Chicken Satay.
Day 2: Trip to Bana Hills, overnight stay in Hoi An
The day started off lazily as the tiredness of the previous evening caught-up. We spoke to the hotel reception and booked ourselves a cab to and fro Bana Hills. It cost us 1100, basically 1.1 Million in the local currency. We were now comfortable with the denominations so we knew how much were paying. The issue was with the weather. There was much more rain in the air and Bana Hills would be no better. Despite that we decided to make a try for it. If not for anything, but an hour long drive.
As we proceeded to buy tickets for 850,000 per head, the lady at the counter showed us the footage up there in the hills on the CCTC camera. It was just clouds and next to nothing could be seen. We still decided to go ahead. A cable car ride up to the hills several feet above. A French village and the iconic Golden bridge awaited us. Just that we could view next to nothing due to the heavy rain and clouds. Surely, some other time as the place is a must visit.
The rain did not subside in the evening so we enjoyed the Hoi An evening under the umbrella sold to us while we were having some lovely Vietnamese coffee at one of the cafes. A relaxed dinner with wine followed with a view of the market (and the rains).
Day 3: Fly in to Hanoi, overnight in Hanoi
We flew into Hanoi by the morning flight on Vietravel Airlines. A taxi from the airport took us to the Hanoi Old Quarters where we were booked at the Brilliants Hotel and Spa. We finally left the rain behind and were greeted to an amazing winter weather with the temperature hovering between 16 and 22 degrees. Walking through the lanes of the Old Quarters was an absolute pleasure. A short walk took us to the lovely Hoan Kiem Lake, where we had our lunch at the lakeside restaurant. The shops and cafes made it the place to be. We then headed to the iconic train street of Hanoi, where we settled by one of the cafes by the side of the railway track. However, we did not get to view the train coming in. As the evening set-in, it was the usual walk in the Old Quarter with some shopping. We bought ourselves a couple of North Face (or ‘fake’) jackets before visiting the night market, rounding it off with another amazing Vietnamese meal at the Hanoi 1930 Bistro right at the Old quarter opposite the lakeside.
Day 4: Sightseeing in Hanoi, trip to Incense Village
Tip 4: Download the “Grab” app on the phone for cab bookings
While in Hanoi it is a great idea to download the “Grab” app on your phone. This is what you need for cab bookings. After a bit of walking at the Old Quarters on New Year’s eve, we decided on visiting the Incense Village around 28 Km south of Hanoi. Why and What was that? A bit of research from Asmi, told us that it was a village where they would colourful Incense sticks which are lined up in rows in various designs and formation giving a wonderful, picturesque look. We were taking a chance as few people in our hotel were aware of it. Our wonderful ladies at the hotel Kim and Hana expressed doubts as they felt the sticks are not laid out in winter as it required sunshine. We went by gut feel and thought of having a go at it. So we “Grab”bed a cab and set-off. As we reached the village, it looked anything but a tourist place and we wondered if we could get a return cab on “Grab”. So we had little hesitation in asking our driver to wait. The apprehensive driver, already wondering where he has been taken to had little option but to agree with us. Just as we thought our visit would be a super flop we spotted a set of red sticks lined up in front of a house. That gave us the confidence that we have come to the right place. The house owner gave some instructions to our driver and he duly followed that, which took us to the main factory which manufactures these sticks. We saw why this was worth a visit. While not in full abundance there were still enough sticks to make it a great view. We had to pay a nominal 60,000 to enter the factory. We were treated to the sight of the friendly workers smiling at us while diligently doing their work. It sure was a great experience and glad that we made it against all odds.
We asked our cab to drop us at the train street. We thought of sitting in one of the cafes there and fulfil our hunger which had built up over the day. Then we got the biggest surprise as we heard the loud horn of the train. We had heard that trains have been stopped on this track and probably only one train passed by at 9 PM. We were wrong. The train appeared and went past right under our noses as we sat on the first floor of the cafe. It almost kissed the chicken on our plate. As if this was not enough, it returned an hour later as we moved on to another cafe to have a drink.
It was time for New Year’s Party at the Old Quarter. We headed back right there after a bit of a rest at the hotel followed by a quiet dinner. The roads were by now completely filled with the crowd. The music was on at full blast at a constructed stage which was beyond us, such was the crowd. So we quietly lined ourselves at the lakeside and hoped for some fireworks to happen at midnight. It did not though created some laser show to welcome the new year. It was happiness all around as we brought in the New Years at the Haagen Daz shop with some Belgian dark chocolate ice-cream, followed by some coffee at the Notebook cafe.
Day 5: All-day trip to Halong Bay
A special New Year’s day lay ahead of us as we were set for a day-trip to Halong Bay. We booked the trip from the travel desk of your hotel and it cost us around USD 77 per head. This would include pick-up from the hotel, drive to Halong Bay, cruise and then drop back. For a comfortable two and a half hour journey we opted for the Limousine which raised our price for the journey. The drive was enjoyable and we were greeted to a great lunch once onboard the cruise. It was the first and only time in the trip that I would have fish. The cruise was comfortable for a day ride. We had a deck on the first floor where we could sit and enjoy the view. The one dampener was that it was a cloudy day and hence it was a bit dark and the gorgeous blue colour of the sea was absent. We cruised through the rocks and hills and stopped at multiple places. The first of them being the Titop Island. There was an option to reach the top of a hill by climbing four hundred steps. The adventurous spirit in me made me do this and I got some good views from the top. Asmi was content on relaxing on the beach that was offer.
Our next stop was where we had the option of kayaking or simply have a comfortable ride on a banana boat. We chose the latter and took a comfortable ride through the rocks and also going underneath a cave. After the monstrous trek at Titop this sure was a more relaxing experience.
Our next stop once again involved climbing steps but this time only a hundred in number. Our destination would be the Sung Sot cave or better knows as the “Surprise’ cave. We disembarked from our boat, climbed a few steps and then entered to this amazing cave which looked like a giant size hall. With the lights and all other technology enhancements, it did not look like a surprise location and some remote destination but more like a museum in some modern city. The space inside was huge and took quite a while for us to get in, walk through it and then come back again to the main balcony. We were so enamored in clicking photos and soaking in the place that our cruise operators had to announce our name on the loud speaker to get back fast.
This was going to be our final stop after which we enjoyed the view of the setting sun from the deck. Soon we reached the port and were on-board our limousine to be dropped back to our hotel. The day was far from over. After a bit of rest at the hotel, we made a walk towards the famous beer street of Hanoi, at the Old Quarters. We were greeted by a lovely crowd, beer and some typically amazing Vietnamese food (for which we would need to create a separate blog).
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Day 6: Sightseeing in Hanoi, evening departure to Mumbai
On to our final day where we had just half a day with us. That did not deter us to see more of Hanoi. A cab ride booked on Grab app took us to the Temple of Literature not very far off. The place was definitely worth a visit. The temple was constructed way back in 1070 and consisted of a number of courtyards leading to the main temple.
Our next stop would be back to the Old Quarter where we visited the Ngoc Son Temple which was located on an island on the Hoan Kien Lake. We have been looking at it from a distance for the past three days but we finally made it there crossing the red footbridge. It was another beautiful piece of architecture, which was worth a visit. The temple was build in the 18-19th century and also called The Temple of the Jade mountain.
Time was finally running out now and after some last minute shopping we finally made our way to the airport and boarded our flight to Mumbai.
