Vietnam on Your Own Terms: From Saigon to Ha Long Bay

I landed in Ho Chi Minh City with jet lag, zero Vietnamese, and a vacation of two and a half weeks stretching out ahead of me. Saigon did not ease me in. It hit me immediately — the heat, the motorbikes, the noise. But after some delicious Vietnamese food and hitting some amazing shops, I was completely in love with it.

Southeast Asia is one of the best values in international travel. I want to say that clearly up front, because so much travel writing is really just a catalog of expensive restaurants and luxury hotels. That is not this. A lot of what I ate cost less than ten dollars. The spas, even the most high-end ones, the massages cost me about $35 USD. Vietnam in particular rewards the traveler who is adventurous.

Here is what four cities across two weeks actually looked like.

1. Ho Chi Minh City: Say Yes to Everything

Start in District 1 and walk. Eat pho for breakfast — not as a novelty but because that is what people here eat for breakfast, and it is perfect. Get a banh mi from Bep Me In. Order fresh spring rolls from the woman who has been rolling them since before you were born. The food in Vietnam is extraordinary and it is everywhere, and almost none of it requires a reservation.

I did venture into Hoa Tuc and Anan Saigon, more modern Vietnamese restaurants. Anan was excellent and a splurge by local standards, though modest by Washington ones. Honest truth: the pho, banh xeo, and banh mi around the corner were just as good. The food here is really the best in the whole country, in my humble opinion, so take it in. Rice Fields was one of my favorites.

The river itself is so cool to be out on during the day, but especially at night, and I highly recommend it. I stayed at a hotel with a pool and a view over the river, and highly recommend that. Swimming each day cooled me off, but also helped me get on the right time zone when I started feeling sleepy. Walk constantly, even if you’re going slow — it will help keep jet lag at bay.

I didn’t have time at any one stop to get tailored outfits, but I am regretting that I didn’t, especially this one amazing dress store I wandered into. I did get some amazing chocolate from Alluvia and cute graphic tees from Gingko.

2. Hoi An: The Most Beautiful Small City I Have Ever Visited

I was not prepared for Hoi An. The Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — lanterns strung across narrow streets, centuries-old merchant houses in terracotta and mustard yellow, tailors who can copy anything you hand them in 24 hours. I got some beautiful silk from a local silk crafter. Get an entry ticket for the old town sites; they are worth it. I loved the temples and buildings, especially in the early morning before the tours started rolling in.

The food is specific to this place in a way it simply does not exist anywhere else: cao lau, and the banh mi from Banh Mi Phuong, which occupies its own category and is a steal. I could have eaten most meals in the bottom of Vy’s Market; the skewers combo was phenomenal, but Home was a good option for the cao lau.

I stayed at Bel Marina, which sits along the Thu Bon River and which I recommend entirely — gracious, beautiful, right on the water. Two pools, one on the rooftop with a beautiful view of the sunset. Walk to the old town in the evening when the lanterns are lit. Budget a full day to wander without agenda. Have at least one drink sitting at the edge of the river and watch the water. It’s touristy and busy, but fun.

My hotel arranged a private driver for a day trip to the Marble Mountains in Da Nang — a cluster of limestone hills honeycombed with Buddhist sanctuaries, grottos, and shrines tucked inside caves that open to the sky. It is one of the stranger and more genuinely moving places I visited on the entire trip. My driver waited while I climbed through every passage I could find, then drove me directly to the Da Nang airport afterward for my next flight. No taxi scramble, no uncertainty, a known face and a known price. My car had bottled water and cool towels waiting for me. Private driver arrangements are something I have used often in Asia, and it is worth every dollar, but often it is minimally more expensive than a Grab (their Uber).

3. Hanoi: History at Full Weight

Hanoi carries its history differently than Saigon — older, quieter, more deliberate. I visited the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university, founded in 1070, and stood in front of a bronze incense burner flanked by stone dragons and felt the particular weight of a civilization that has been doing this for a thousand years. It is a short walk from most hotels, costs almost nothing to enter, and is genuinely not to be missed. I also enjoyed the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, but I am an art lover. You also can’t miss Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple.

Eat in the Old Quarter. Highway 4 was a favorite. Order bun cha somewhere, which is Hanoi’s signature dish and one of the great lunches on Earth. The pho is also different than Saigon, but also very good. Drink beer on Train Street, watch the spectacle. I loved the local Train Street Legend Craft Beer. Visit the rooftop bars and stroll around the lake. Walk as much as the heat allows. Bring good walking shoes — the dirt streets and sidewalks are hard on shoes. I had to have mine repaired, and luckily a small shop was on the side of the street when I needed it.

4. Ha Long Bay: Where the Earth Gets Surreal

Ha Long Bay is maybe overhyped, but I still think it is worth adding. If you don’t want to cruise, staying on Cat Ba Island is a great alternative, which I would do if I go back. The limestone karsts rising from the water are genuinely otherworldly landscapes, and the peace of cruising by them while relaxing on your ship is amazing.

I booked the Indochine Premium Cruise: small boat, excellent food, a cabin with a clawfoot tub that looked directly out over the bay through iron-laced windows. I wanted the route with two hikes up through caves, and searched for this; that cruise felt approximately as far from the King Street office as it is possible to feel. Sitting on the top deck letting myself relax was something I truly needed.

Book the overnight cruise or stay on Cat Ba Island. And if you need other tips, let me know!

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