(Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
I’ve had the privilege of visiting Vietnam twice, spending over two weeks exploring this incredible country—and even that didn’t feel like enough time. While I did make stops in Halong Bay and Ho Chi Minh City, they didn’t make my list of highlights. In my view, there’s so much more to discover in other parts of Vietnam. That said, I should note that I haven’t toured the Mekong Delta yet—an experience that could very well change my perspective in the future. I visited in early April and November, and hands down, November was the best time to go, with temperatures being much milder and less humid.
Quick Tips
Download Grab for easy transportation.
If you are traveling with babies or toddlers, leave the stroller at home and stick to a carrier in the busy streets.
Start your visa two to three weeks before your trip and have a printed copy with you.
Bring a few more tops than usual, in the humidity sweating through clothing is not uncommon.
Hanoi
If you are planning to visit northern Vietnam, you will likely find yourself in Hanoi as a starting point. The bustling motorbikes skillfully balancing household appliances, the locals in traditional hats pedaling produce from their bikes and the local cuisine make Hanoi a top destination in Vietnam. There is so much always happening in Hanoi and the food is phonomenal, pun intended. My favorite pho place is Pho Suong, located in a quiet, unassuming alley. Pull up a plastic stool, order your favorite pho and wash it down with a refreshing Bia Hơi (fresh local brew).
Pho at Pho Suong (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Pho Suong (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Another popular Vietnamese delight is banh mi, a delectable Vietnamese sandwich served with a variety of toppings (vegetarian or meat) on a fresh baguette. A great place to get one is at Banh Mi 25. What started as a food cart quickly morphed into a must-visit Banh Mi location in Hanoi. There is almost always a line, but generally, it moves quickly. If you are lucky enough to snag a seat inside, congrats. If not, don’t be afraid to dig in while standing on the side of the road. I did both and they were equally satisfying.
And since I am talking about food, egg coffee is something you must try when you visit Hanoi. Although it sounds a bit off-putting, it is light and tasty. Stop by Little Hanoi Egg Coffee to try a cup. Egg coffee aside, my go-to drink when in Vietnam is frozen coconut coffee. It’s made with condensed milk and is the perfect drink to cool off in the Vietnam heat. You can sign up to take a coffee class in Hanoi and learn to make both coffee styles and more. Check out Airbnb Experiences or Get Your Guide for class offerings.
Coffee-making class in Hanoi. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Hanoi is home to many popular sights, most of which revolve around the Old Quarter, my favorite place to hang out and take street photos. If you want to see the popular Hanoi Train Street, be aware that as you approach, what I like to call the Train Street “fixers” will approach you to ask if you want coffee or beer and then escort you to a restaurant along the street. It’s getting harder to get a seat inside the track area because officials are cracking down on tourists being inside the area while the train is coming through.
Hanoi Train Street (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Train Street Hanoi. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Old Quarter Street photography (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
There are barricades in place — something to be aware of.
Other great places to visit are Hoan Kiem Lake, where, if you go at sunrise, you will find locals exercising and enjoying their morning. If you go later in the day, you can visit Ngoc Son Temple, located on the lake.
Other top sights
Saint Joseph’s Cathedral
Hanoi Opera House
Temple of Literature
Hoa Loa Prison
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
Take a walking tour or food tour with a local guide
Quang Phu Cau Incense Village
Though technically, this could be considered part of Hanoi, I wanted to highlight this location. Located approximately 36 kilometers from Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi, is a century-old village called Quang Phu Cau, renowned for its incense production.
The village produces approximately 50 tons of incense each month, which is consumed in Vietnam, India, China, Malaysia and many other countries. The craft generates jobs and income for about 70% of the village households. Workers make 5-6 million VND ($215-$258) each month; more experienced workers can make 6-8 million VND ($258-$345). This is the average salary in Vietnam, which enables locals to afford larger homes and maintain public infrastructure.
Incense Village in Quang Phu Ca. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
According to a documentary by Business Insider, until 2019, the village of Quang Phu Cau exported roughly 300 tons of incense each year to India. In 2019, India imposed a partial ban on incense imports from Vietnam to bolster its domestic production. This gap meant the small village had to be creative. One man, Nguyěn Thi, led the charge in creating a co-op for incense production. The co-op was registered as a legitimate business in Vietnam.
To make the incense sticks more appealing to Vietnamese people, the incense sticks were lengthened, with bright colors and scent added. The colors you will most often see in photos online or on a stroll through the village are pink and red. Pink represents the country’s flower, the lotus and red represents the Vietnam flag.
Incense Village in Quang Phu Ca. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
If you are planning a trip to any of the thousands of craft villages located throughout Vietnam, I encourage you to appreciate the workers who are keeping the crafts alive. Be respectful of their time, ask before taking photos, and, above all, be friendly. The kind locals are working very hard under those hats in the unrelenting heat to support their families.
Tips on visiting village
Many online platforms like Get Your Guide offer tours departing from Hanoi. This may be the best way to secure transportation to and from the village and have a guided experience.
Book a private car from Hanoi to and from the village. You may not be able to secure a ride back since the town is remote. I opted to visit the village alone because I wanted autonomy while photographing and I did not want to be constrained by a specific timeline.
Go on a sunny day, and bring water, a hat and sunscreen.
Arrive early, no later than 9 a.m. They will start to lay the incense out to dry by then, and the temperature outside may be more tolerable. An early start also gives you more time to explore the village. Give yourself a few hours there.
Cell phone service is sparse, so make sure you have a return transportation plan in place before arriving, especially if you do not opt for a guided tour.
Smile and greet the locals; we are all human and crave interaction.
Bring cash. The entrance fee for the two main incense drying areas is 50,000 VND (about $2). I also tipped the workers who posed for photos.
Ninh Binh
As you approach Ninh Binh, widely regarded as “Halong Bay on Land,” you are greeted by towering limestone formations. Though it’s less than two hours away from the bustling Hanoi, you get a sense of remoteness as you make your way into town. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot to do, but when removed from the buzz of the city, the quiet is a welcome change of pace.
I checked into my hotel, dropped my bags and walked roughly 500 meters down the road to jump on the first boat tour of the trip, the Tam Coc Boat Tour. On this tour, the boat is rowed primarily using feet instead of hands.
Peddling with feet along the Tam Coc. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
The tour lasted just under two hours, and we rode through the most picturesque scenery of towering limestone cliffs and through three caves that had us ducking to avoid being speared by the stalactites hanging all around. This tour offers excellent views of the Mua Lua Cave peak from below, which got me even more excited for the hike up there, which I had planned for early the next morning. Despite what I had read online about being inundated with locals attempting to sell you things while on the boat, we were only approached once, asking if we wanted a souvenir photo taken, which I kindly declined. The ride was tranquil and lovely, the perfect way to kick off my time in Ninh Binh.
Mua Lua Cave (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
The next morning came an early alarm and I hopped on a bike at sunrise for the 15-minute ride over to Mua Cave. It’s named for the one small cave that is at the entrance of the stairs, but the star of the show is the breathtaking views of the Ngo Dong River after you ascend 500 stone steps on Ngoa Long Mountain. The hike up can be challenging with the uneven stone steps, but the reward at the top is worth every step. Because it was early in the morning, there were only a few other people around during my visit. I spent about an hour at the top, hiking to both viewpoints and soaking in the quiet views of the harvested rice fields below.
After the hike down, I pedaled back into town for breakfast and some much-needed coffee from An Tom Coc Restaurant & Coffee. Nourished and caffeinated, I set out for Trang An, the second boat tour of the trip. Trang An is approximately 20 minutes by car from Ninh Binh and the longest of the boat tours. The tours are quite scenic and feature numerous historically rich temples and pagodas. There are three options for tours along Trang An, the most popular being the second option (I chose this option), which takes you to a mix of temples and through a few caves. This route takes roughly two to three hours, depending on how long you explore the temples during your stops. It also takes you by some of the areas where Kong: Skull Island was filmed.
The next stop was Hoa Lua Ancient Capital and I only spent about 30-40 minutes there before calling a Grab and heading back to the hotel. A quick bike ride from the hotel had me at Minh Trang Handmade Gifts. This beautiful shop is filled with exquisite handmade embroidery, clothing, ceramics and much more. During my time at the shop, I was shown the upstairs area where the craftsmen and women work on their sewing projects for the shop or buyers overseas, and I highly enjoyed watching them work skillfully.
After some time wandering the shop and chatting with the fabulous Nhi, I ended up next door at Chookies Beer Garden to finish out a full day with some adult beverages. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this place, but the drinks blew me away. I enjoyed the well-crafted cocktails in a poolside booth, reflecting on my favorite parts of the last two days in Ninh Binh.
If I had to choose between visiting Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh, I would pick Ninh Binh. There is so much more to do if you enjoy being outdoors and the scenery is just as stunning. There are plenty of lodging options, ranging from hotels to eco-lodges and exploring by bike is the best way to experience the area.
Hoi An
Our family flew from Hanoi to Da Nang and stayed in a quaint villa outside of Ancient Town. Chi was an exceptional host, offered a breakfast service each day and the pool was the perfect oasis to escape the afternoon heat. She also provided bikes, so exploring the rice fields and quiet outskirts of Hoi An was especially enjoyable on two wheels. If you want to get some quality beach time, stay in Danang and then do a day trip from there to Hoi An.
Ancient Town
Our first full day in Hoi An was spent exploring Ancient Town, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. We purchased a ticket for 120,00 VND (roughly $5) to visit any five sites within Ancient Town during our trip. You simply hang on to the ticket while you are visiting and show them at whatever site you decide to explore. There are 21 sites, including temples, the Japanese covered bridge, museums, tombs and ancient houses. Sadly, while we were visiting, they had just started the restoration of the Japanese-covered bridge, so there were no good angles to see it from the outside, though you can still walk through it.
Hoi An is a photographer’s dream. By day, stroll the streets filled with colorful old French architecture, vibrant lanterns and overflowing street markets. By night, enjoy the shift in energy as the city comes alive with glowing lanterns lining the water and storefronts. The energy at night is palpable – live music emanates from restaurants while visitors enjoy boat rides, ice-cold beverages from rooftops and decks, and sample street fare from carts that line the road.
Enjoy a leisurely boat ride at night and release a lantern into the water. We did this after an excellent dinner, making it the perfect date night in Hoi An.
Local in Hoi An. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Hoi An at night. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Some fantastic places to eat in Hoi An:
Tok: We were blown away by this place. We ordered most of the tapas on the menu to share and everything was fantastic. The restaurant itself is stunning, with great views of the rice paddies. Their staff even brought out toys for our kids to play with while we ate; they truly went above and beyond.
The Field Restaurant & Bar: Great views along the water and great drinks.
Mango Mango: Located in the Ancient Town, this vibrant Asian fusion restaurant is in a great location to watch the nightlife in Hoi An and listen to the live bands that play at nearby restaurants. You can make a reservation to sit on the top deck upstairs or opt for the downstairs deck or restaurant if you don’t have the time to make a reservation. I ate here twice during our stay and ordered the tuna each time; it was delicious!
Coffee
There are numerous options, and most places are likely to be great. We ended up getting coffee from these two places several times. I’ve mentioned this before, but I cannot get enough of coconut coffee while in Vietnam.
Puff Puff: They have two locations, but we visited the one in Ancient Town twice. It’s located conveniently right as you walk through the open-air market at the beginning of ancient town, so it’s the perfect location to grab a frozen coconut coffee to explore with or sit and relax on your way out.
Tin Coffee: This coffee place was right around the corner from where we were staying (outside of Ancient Town), so it was an easy walk or bike ride to get over there. They also have great coconut coffee, cold brew and egg coffee.
Another popular activity in Hoi An is purchasing custom clothing or leather goods. I had a pair of sandals made for $30 at Kha Thi Leather Shop and they were ready the next day. Be prepared to negotiate a bit and don’t settle for the first price they give you (but also, don’t lowball them).
Kha Thi Leather Shop in Hoi An. (Photo by Erin Henderson/www.erinhendersonmedia.com)
Although I haven’t yet explored all of northern Vietnam, the places I have seen remain some of my favorite destinations in the world. From stunning landscapes to great food and friendly people, Vietnam has a lot to offer. I hope you enjoy your time in Vietnam as much as I did.
Speakin’ Vietnamese
Hello: Xin chào (sin chow)
Thank you: Cảm ơn (gahm uhn)
Yes: Vâng (vuhng)
No: Không (khome)
Please: Làm ơn (lam uhn)
Excuse me /Sorry: Xin lỗi (sin loy)
Goodbye: Tạm biệt (tam byet)
About the author
For 15 years, Erin Henderson has been a photographer capturing compelling stories around the world – from travel and food to conservation and military life. She’s published internationally and mentors entrepreneurs from her base in Stuttgart, Germany. You can find more of her work at erinhendersonmedia.com.
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