Travel has the ability to encapsulate a lifetime within itself by letting you take a freeway parallel to your everyday life. The pilgrim's rush to see everything and make sure that the memories get enough fodder to craft their story-lines; the growing awareness of the place and independence of being anyone or re-looking at the past with a lens not used before; the ability to imagine a future by the riverside or the mountain ebb where bottles of wine make their voyage for dreamers; dictating the memoir on life, sometimes editing the entries under good – bad – ugly, other times an endless monologue of hope or the promise of change that absconds faster than its arrival.
The last few hours on the way back, one can only recollect the edges while the featureless hours where life flew steadily hide under the labyrinth of mundane activities. Later on, this faint memory becomes a vivid dream that you once saw someone living, on the back page of the travel magazine"
You can travel the country from North to South (vice versa) as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are international airports. Domestic airports in Hue, Nha Trang, Vinh etc. are very well connected with other cities and can help save time. Travel within the cities is very easy with local taxi's or by renting cars/bikes. Alternatively, taxi apps like Uber and Grab Bike offer cheap and quick motor-rides within the city and give you a unique local experience.
Vietnamese Dong (VND) and USD are used across the country. Since the exchange value is very high, Vietnamese use suffix of 1000 while quoting prices for all the items. Hence, 30 for water bottle translates to 30,000 or 30K VND.
Visit French and Chinese colonial architecture, Buddhist Pagodas and museums during the daytime. Spend the evening around Hoan Kiem Lake in the old quarters watching live musical performances, trying segway hover-board rides, drinking Vietnamese condense milk coffee and eating local delicacies on the streets. As the daylight transcends into the cool breeze of night, listen to jazz music at Binh Minh's or drink native beers on the stool packed Beer Street with musical cacophony from adjacent bars culminating into an energized gathering of travelers.
Travel and Stay: You can fly down to Hanoi and stay at Hanoi Backpackers Hostel or some really good homestays through Airbnb.
Travel and Stay: You can take a bus ride from Hanoi to Halong city and book a cruise for 1D/2D for exploring the bay
Travel and Stay: Buses from Hanoi to Sapa take 4/5 hours. We booked a home-stay experience with the Hmong minority through Ethos community group and had a wonderful experience of exploring the local customs and lifestyle while avoiding the common travel itineraries.
Other Things To Do:
Hue to Hoi An Car Ride | spend time in Nha Trang - the beach city | War memorials, Chu Chu Tunnels and floating markets of Mekong Delta in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam offers a view of a country that is miles away from the shadow of destruction and is mysteriously enchanting explorers across the world through its natural beauty, ethnic authenticity, and young spirit.