Planet Storybook

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Complete Vietnam travel guide covering Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay & Ninh Binh. Real experiences, costs, food, transport & insider tips.

During my week-long journey through Vietnam in June 2024, I explored Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets and historical sites, took day trips to the stunning landscapes of Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay, and immersed myself in Hanoi’s cultural heart. From climbing Lying Dragon Mountain for breathtaking views to discovering the authentic flavors of bun cha in local eateries, this trip offered a genuine glimpse into Vietnam’s rich history, diverse landscapes, and warm hospitality.

Despite a rough start, I grew to enjoy and love Vietnam more and more during my time there. Here’s what I experienced, learned, and spent during my travels through this captivating country.

As a traveler myself, I often find it annoyingly troublesome to find the relevant practical information on my destinations. So I’ve summarized all of them at the top here before getting into the tourist attractions in Vietnam. At the end, you can also find a summary on Vietnamese food, cultural observations, and budget breakdown.

Practical Tips Summary

Best Time to Visit Vietnam

I visited in June and faced daily temperatures around 36°C (97F) that felt like 45°C (113F). As my hotel receptionist later confirmed, September to March is the best time to visit, with spring (March-April) and autumn (September-November) being ideal for northern Vietnam.

Below are the monthly temperature averages for Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi for reference.

Local Transportation

After a taxi driver tried charging me 900,000 VND ($36) for a 20-minute ride that only costs 115,000 VND ($4.50) on Grab, I learned quickly – use Grab religiously. Grab Car costs $1-2 USD for most city rides, while Grab Bike is usually half the price and even faster in traffic. The app works flawlessly and drivers arrive quickly, unlike other Southeast Asian cities where I had to often wait 20 minutes (cough, cough, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore).

Need to Haves

• Strong insect repellent is an absolute must. The mosquitoes are relentless here.
• Portable fan if needed, ACs are rare unfortunately.
• Sun protection like sunhats and sunscreen.
• Cash. Most local places are cash-only.
• Comfortable walking shoes with grip, if you are planning to explore in nature.

SIM Cards

Unfortunately getting a SIM card was a hassle in Vietnam. After all my trials and errors, here’s what you need to do. Bring your physical passport and cash to a Viettel store for a 30-day SIM card (the only option). Here are the prices for sim cards as of June 2024. The exchange rate during my time there was 1 USD ~ 25.5k VND (Vietnamese dong), so 140k VND was around 5.5 USD.

Traffic Navigation

Crossing roads is genuinely dangerous – even with green lights, cars and motorcycles drive through. You have to walk slowly and predictably, letting traffic flow around you rather than stopping suddenly.

Names for Pho Soups

rare steak (tái), brisket (gầu), well done steak (chín), flank (nạm), tripe (sách), tendon (gân), and beef meatballs (bò viên)

Ho Chi Minh City

War Remnants Museum

Phường 6, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Open 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM every day
Ticket price 40,000 VND

This is a very good museum to learn about the Vietnam war, definitely a must visit. It has a tremendous amount of educational information and valuable details about the war. You begin on the top floor and go from one numbered room to the next. I thoroughly appreciated my learning experience here. You walk around with a heavy heart witnessing more and more of the destruction of wars. Be prepared to spend 2 hours here at least to take in the information presented.

Tip for lunch near the museum

There is a grocery store COOP nearby. Inside you’ll find a cafeteria-like restaurant with humble local home-cooked meals. I enjoyed my food here.

Independence Palace

Ben Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Open 8 AM–3:30 PM every day

There are several floors and you walk through each floor and look at different rooms, such as the conference rooms, cinema room, dining rooms, presidential bedroom, and private apartments. One thing I noticed was that yellow seemed to be a standout color in the palace. The palace is incorporated with Vietnam’s history and warfare, and it is a humble palace compared to the ones in other countries. It is quite a heavy experience visiting the War Remnants Museum and the Independence Palace. You will need a few hours, I’d say three hours in total at least. You could easily spend more time as well reading all the information or following the audio guide (which does incur extra charges). I’m very glad to have visited these two places and learned more about Vietnam’s tragic and heavy history.

(presidential bedroom)

(presidential wardrobes)

(presidential bathroom)

Saigon Skydeck

36 Đ. Hồ Tùng Mậu, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Originally I planned to visit this tower before sunset in order to catch the sunset views, but the excessive heat and all the walking led me to move this up to noon time. I took a Grab to get here. The Skydeck has its own entrance, separate from the Financial Tower. There was no queue anywhere and all the service people were very friendly, as always in Vietnam. The entrance ticket was 240,000 VND. First you take a green screen photo, then you take the elevator up. I was the only one in this entire process, and there were very few people on the observation deck as well. The views were fantastic and I spent about an hour there enjoying the diverse skylines of Ho Chi Minh City. Packed residence buildings, mixed with high rise buildings, intertwined by Saigon river flowing through the entire city, as well as the greenery, all make up these wonderful views.

Tao Dan Park

Ben Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

It was 8 o’clock in the morning and the city was already buzzing. People were out dancing and exercising with loud music in the park. It was as hot and humid as ever and people were using fans everywhere. Another sight I hadn’t seen elsewhere was that people were meditating on park benches. And the crickets here were the loudest I’ve ever heard. Even with all the traffic noise, you were almost deafened by the crickets’ high pitch singing. This is definitely a park for the locals. It’s also great to see so many people exercising in the morning.

Tan Dinh Church (pink church)

289 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường 8, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

This was a beautiful church and I happened to visit during a service. They were all singing and the church was more than full with people sitting outside as well. It was lovely outside and inside. I took a few photos and was then asked to leave.

Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I came here around 6 pm. Many shops were already closed then. There are fabric boutiques that can custom-make dresses and suits for you in one day. I asked for the price of a dress and was given $50 first but then quickly $30. I didn’t need another dress but the selection seemed quite good from my quick glance at the selection book. If my suitcase wasn’t already full, I would’ve loved to have a custom-made suit. There are also dry fruits and other foods here along with the usual souvenirs like magnets and Vietnam t-shirts. Some shops also sell fake designer items. In the middle of the market, there are small restaurants as well but they were mostly closed at the time. I found some unique magnets and gladly bought three for 50k VND ($2).

Ben Nghe Street Food

134 Đ. Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

After a few failed attempts at finding Banh Mi, I decided to walk to this food market from Ben Thanh Market. This place looked very promising upon arrival. I’d, however, have to say that this place seems to be totally for tourists. I ordered a classic grilled pork Banh Mi and it tasted quite mediocre. All the prices are tourist prices and all the people eating here looked like tourists. I doubt any locals eat here, but it is still a fun place to visit and have a quick meal.

Bui Vien Walking Street

This must be the party street of Ho Chi Minh City. I visited during the day and not much was happening. But I could tell that this street must be busy at night with all of its bars and clubs. It also felt very touristy here with insane tourist prices that are higher than everywhere else I’ve seen. I didn’t come back again at night time, so unfortunately I wouldn’t know how fun it is here.

What I Missed

I booked this tour which I unfortunately couldn’t attend:
Cu Chi Tunnels Small Group Tour
https://www.viator.com/tours/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/Cu-Chi-Tunnels-Small-Group-Tour-Morning-or-Afternoon/

I will save this for next time I’m in Vietnam.

Tourist Attractions that I didn’t get to visit this time:

Ho Chi Minh City Book Street
Đ. Nguyễn Văn Bình, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Open 8 AM – 9 PM every day

Saigon Central Post Office
02 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam
Monday – Saturday 7:30 AM–6 PM
Sunday 8 AM–5 PM

Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon
01 Công xã Paris, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000, Vietnam

Ninh Binh

After arriving in Hanoi, my first activity was a day tour to the beautiful Ninh Binh.

Hoa Lu, Trang An and Hang Mua Cave Day Tour from Hanoi

https://www.klook.com/activity/25784-hoa-lu-trang-an-day-tour-hanoi/

I was picked up at 7:15 AM. We had a group of 17 people. The first stop was a historical site. Our tour guide explained that Hoa Lu – Ninh Binh used to be the capital of Vietnam a thousand years ago. The scenery on the way was beautiful with endless mountains and rivers. Vietnam is truly a beautiful country with fantastic nature everywhere.

Here was our first stop.

We visited two temples and listened to the history of those short-lived dynasties a thousand years ago. Afterwards, we went to a local restaurant for a lunch buffet. Our tour guide was worried that we wouldn’t like the local food, but I actually enjoyed it and didn’t find it too different. One thing I’ve noticed in Vietnam is that fruits are abundant and always offered here. Local fruits are very delicious, with lots of watermelon, pineapple, passion fruit, and other fruits I don’t quite recognize. Before lunch, I was starting to get a heat stroke – huge headache, exhaustion, nausea. But I felt a bit better after eating.

Our next activity was a 90 minutes boat tour to visit Trang An, Lam Cave, Dai Cave, Temple of Emperor Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Di sản Tràng An. The boat ride was amazing. This area is known as Ha Long Bay on land and rightly so. It felt like a paradise with these green lush islands and mountains all around you. It was a thrilling experience every time we rode through the caves. One of them was really long with colorful lights and interesting formations all the way. You also have to duck quite a few times, as the caves are so low. I remember feeling constantly amazed by the beauty of nature here and the tranquility to flow around in this little paradise. This would’ve been the perfect place to kayak. I could easily be here for hours and hours. You really forget about the world here and just want to take it all in and never leave.

Now the last stop on the itinerary was a hike up Lying Dragon Mountain. The Mua Cave is also located here. As I only had a limited amount of time here, I quickly went to the cave first.

Then I rushed to hike up towards the mountain top. Wow. I can confidently say that those stairs are more than worth it. The views at the top were absolutely spectacular. There are two tops and you need to go up to both. I mean, just look at this. I don’t need to say more.

You see the arches on top of the mountain? You could actually go across to the right side, but I unfortunately didn’t have time to do that.

There is also a lotus lake here that’s just beautiful, see the green area in the middle of the picture with different walking paths. I saw many people taking photos in traditional dresses and quite a few professional photographers as well, both on the mountain and in the lotus lake. It is truly a beautiful area and my favorite so far in Vietnam. Do not skip this hike, it’s the best view I’ve seen so far in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. As always with fantastic mountain top views, the photos don’t ever do it justice, as it’s so much more fabulous and grander in reality.

All in all, I’m happy with this 12 hour tour. The heat can be hard to manage, so hats and water are essential. We actually had pouring rain both morning and evening, which helped cool down a bit. But the heat and humidity are no joke. I also put on insect repellent and got no bites this day. The best part of the tour is without a doubt the view on top of Lying Dragon Mountain and the boat ride.

PS. The tours are quite expensive but I think the local people actually receive very little pay, most likely a tiny portion of the tour prices. I’ve talked to tour guides before and learned this shocking fact. So if you can, please bring cash to tip the local people. I could see they’re genuinely so grateful when I tip them.

Oh and I saw this pho flavored Lay’s chips and had to try it. It did taste like pho, I’d say.

Ha Long Bay

There were many options for cruises to the famous and highly anticipated Ha Long Bay. This was the one I went on:

Cozy Bay Halong 5-Star Day Cruise, Buffet, Cave, Kayak, Swimming

https://www.viator.com/tours/Hanoi/Deluxe-Halong-Bay-Daily-Tour-Full-activities-Cave-Titop-Island-Kayaking/d351-335204P2

We drove past this church on our way.

Below are some interesting facts from our tour guide (I haven’t fact-checked):

• Cars are very expensive in Vietnam because you have to pay 100% taxes. That’s why most people ride motorbikers.
• Land in the Old Quarter is among the top 10 most expensive in the world, costing around 110k USD per square meter. Land is passed on from generation to generation.
• Northern Vietnam has four seasons, unlike southern Vietnam.
• Egg coffee is a special coffee that only exists in Vietnam. Vietnamese coffee is much stronger than usual coffee.
• Vietnam has 54 minority groups, second most after China. Most of them are in Northern Vietnam.
• Sapa is a special region, also known as the honeymoon place in Northern Vietnam. People get married very early there, girls can get married at 14-15 years old.
• 60% of Vietnamese can speak Chinese.
• Ha Long means the standing dragon. There are 1169 islands in Ha Long Bay.

While cruising around in Ha Long Bay, we have two stops:

• Surprising Cave. It is the largest cave in Ha Long Bay, discovered in 1901 by the French.
• Titop Island. It is supposedly named after Ho Chi Minh’s best friend who is Russian. They visited Ha Long Bay together and it was named after that.

This was our cruise called Cozy Bay.

It was unfortunately a cloudy and rainy day, so the sky was gray and we didn’t get those picturesque sceneries you see online with those amazing colors.

It is a wonderful place with endless islands flowing around you and the water is emerald green. We stopped for the Surprising Cave. It was probably the largest cave I’ve visited and had a lot of interesting passages and formations. Before entering the cave, you get a lovely view of the Bay.

I didn’t have a great experience walking through the cave, as there were several hundred people visiting at the same time and I was eaten alive by aggressive mosquitoes, even with dead mosquitos in hand. It would’ve been more enjoyable if I got to experience it more by myself and I was protected against these small black deadly creatures. The cruise Cozy Bay itself was okay, wouldn’t recommend or recommend against. The lunch buffet was quite mediocre, but the ride on the bay was very calm and I didn’t get seasick at all.

The next activity we had was a kayak or bamboo boat ride. I sat in the bamboo boat with other passengers and really enjoyed the ride, especially when passing under low caves together with other kayaks. Our boat bumped into several kayaks on the way causing a lot of fun kayak and boat collisions.

Our final stop was Titop Island which had a small beach and a 400-step hike to the mountain top.

As we only had 30 minutes on the island, I opted for the hike and was very happy with the views on top. The mosquitoes were just as aggressive here. I got three more mosquito bites within minutes. Here is the magical view on top that’s well worth the hike.

Hanoi

Hoan Kiem Lake

This was a beautiful lake for the locals. I took a leisure stroll around the lake at around 7:30 AM and people were already out and about. There were people exercising, meditating, dancing and sitting around the lake. It was a rather enjoyable experience and the lake has beautiful scenes from all angles.

While walking around the lake, I thought about how we humans seem to always find beauty in symmetry. Notice how all the pictures are symmetric due to the reflection from the water and they just pose such picturesque scenes that are a pleasure for the brain.

French Quarter

Since the lake is located just by the French Quarter, I briefly walked around the area before getting too tired from the heat.

Long Bein Market

I took Grab here but didn’t stay. It smelled like old sour trash and it looked dirty everywhere.

Dong Xuan Market

This is an indoor market, so it’s much cleaner than the streets and doesn’t smell like trash. It reminded me of cheap markets in China many many years ago in less developed areas. I took a quick look around. I think this place could be fun for foreigners who haven’t seen such markets before.

Oh and there is a fountain in the middle of this indoor market.

Old Quarter

Finally, the Old Quarter. There are lots of shops and small restaurants here, but I didn’t have the best experience due to the constant motorbikes and honking. It’s a very noisy and chaotic environment and I felt like some motorbike was gonna drive into me any second. Most of the restaurants don’t look clean or hygienic unfortunately. I also overheated again and it took me 30 minutes to find a café with AC. They had to turn the AC on for me on the third floor. Luckily, I was saved from heat exhaustion.

IVEGAN SUPERSHOP – HEALTHY PLANT-BASED CAFFE

This is the cafe that saved me from heat exhaustion. It is actually very nice and has a great menu. I ordered the green smoothie and it was delicious. This is the one spot I’d even go back to. The prices are of course much higher here, but it’s worth it for the AC and clean environment.

Banh Mi 25

Next, we have this famous spot for Banh Mi and I could tell that it’s all tourists eating here. They’ve made it quite tourist friendly with a bit of AC which is rare in Vietnam and a separate room on the opposite side for sitting. I’ve had four or five Banh Mi sandwiches in Vietnam so far and surprisingly none of them tasted as good as the ones I get in the US. So this was my last try. I ordered their signature pork sandwich for 40k VND. The sandwich was slightly better than the ones I had previously in Vietnam, but still not quite as I expected. I guess they improved it when bringing it abroad. Same experience with pho so far, it’s not as fancy as the ones you get in the US. The flavor of pho soups is similar but just the ingredients are not as nice. This was my Banh Mi. The size was also much smaller than expected and you won’t get full by eating just this.

Tran Quoc Pagoda & West Lake

I took Grab to get here but the temple was closed. The weather was very misty so I didn’t get much of a view of the lake either. Most of my days in Vietnam were cloudy or rainy. I guess summer isn’t the best season to visit Vietnam. According to Google, the summer months (May to August) are typically very hot and humid. The best time to visit northern Vietnam is during spring (March to April) and autumn (September to November), when days are generally warm and sunny. I asked our hotel receptionist later and he gave me the same answer, that September to March is the best time to visit.

Bun Cha Dac Kim

Address:
1 P. Hàng Mành, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

This was recommended by our tour guide and Bun Cha was on my list of foods to try, so I went despite the slightly lower review on Google Maps. Okay now finally, delicious Vietnamese food that I was expecting. This was something I’ve never had before or seen elsewhere. It was simply delicious all the way. From the first bite, my day instantly got better. I was glad that I stayed instead of flying to Cambodia at the last minute. The menu only had three options and I ordered the Bun Cha for 70k VND. The amount of greens was almost comical, unfortunately I forgot to take a photo to show it. I was not sure how to eat this, but the important thing is that I ate it all and enjoyed every bite. Ohh and I ate in the authentic Vietnamese style, i.e. on low small plastic tables and chairs on the ground by the street, with all the exhaust and traffic horns.

I told my hotel’s receptionist that I came here for Bun Cha. He said that this is the most popular place but it’s not the best. So the next day I went to try his recommendation, as I was already 100% satisfied with the food I got. I received some more recommendations from hotel receptionist for pho (Phở Mạnh Cường), bun cha (Bún Chả Hàng Quạt), ice cream (Kem Tràng Tiền), and I didn’t know there was a night market after 6 PM on Saturdays. So I’m planning to do all that before leaving.

Bún Chả Hàng Quạt

Bún Chả Hàng Quạt
74 P. Hàng Quạt, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

This Bun Cha place was recommended by the hotel receptionist. I took a Grab Bike to get here and it was quite an experience. It’s in a tiny alley where they make the food on the ground and people are sitting and eating on the ground all the way leading to a room at the end. I was instructed to sit in this room but you needed to order a drink in order to sit here. I looked over the drink menu and saw fresh apricot juice which I’ve never seen before, so I decided to try it for 25k VND. It tasted, hmm, weird, almost like there’s alcohol in there and also mixed with lots of sugar. The entire environment looked quite unhygienic, but I decided to risk my stomach and give it a try anyways, since the receptionist said this was his favorite Bun Cha place. I had a piano stool as my table and waited quite some time for my food. This spot is popular for sure and entirely full with local people and very few foreigners.

Finally, the food is here. I think it tasted the same as yesterday’s Bun Cha, both very delicious. This costs 50k instead of 70k, but I had to buy a drink and the portion is slightly smaller. Bun Cha is basically foolproof delicious at this point. This was among the most unhygienic place I’ve ever eaten at, but I didn’t get sick from eating here.

PS. The hygiene condition is nothing unique for this specific restaurant. I’ve seen a lot of cooking and cleaning the food on the streets on the ground by restaurants. So it’s quite common here in Vietnam. I don’t know about how safe it is, but I can gladly report that I didn’t get food poisoning in Vietnam, only some stomach pains.

Kem Tràng Tiền (ice cream)

35 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

I was recommended to come to this specific spot for ice cream even though this is a chain and has many shops everywhere. This looked like a fun place to take your kids to get ice cream. I tried the sticky rice ice cream called kem xoi as recommended online. It’s 35k VND and smaller than shown in their posters. I ordered the Durian flavor. The durian ice cream tasted perfect and made me want to eat more durian ice cream. The sticky rice tasted as expected. The whole thing was delicious although quite small in quantity. The ice cream bars are 15k each, so it’s definitely worth it to try a bunch of different flavors. There is also this lovely café here serving cute cakes that I wish I tried. I tried to order those ice cream bars on Grab the next day, but you can only buy them in bulk for 10 pieces in a box for the same flavor. So sadly I wasn’t able to eat more durian ice cream from here.

I’ve also taken the Grab Bike many times now and found it very convenient. It’s not pleasant to be walking on the streets, but it is very pleasant to be taken to places quickly by these motorbikes and also paying half the price of Grab cars. Although the expenses level in Vietnam is so low that most of my Grab car rides cost 1-2 USD within the city. Similarly to Malaysia, a one hour car ride will only cost you around 13 USD, unless you get a taxi that will rip you off by charging 5 – 10 times that..

Another side note about Vietnam, the bed mattresses, the pillows, and the sofas are very firm here and thus very friendly to people with back pains. Although, most restaurants on the streets, i.e. not the fancy ones for tourists, do not have proper chairs and you have to sit on low chairs on the ground.

Phở Mạnh Cường

Phở Mạnh Cường
23 P. Hàng Muối, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

This was also recommended by the hotel receptionist. I ordered the classic Pho Tai (rare beef) for 50k VND and it was perfect.

Quick notes for different pho soups:
rare steak (tái), brisket (gầu), well done steak (chín), flank (nạm), tripe (sách), tendon (gân), and beef meatballs (bò viên)

The rice noodles were very fresh and did taste different than the ones I get in the US. The beef and other ingredients are in the noodle soup, unlike how pho is usually served in the US. I’m a regular pho eater and every time in the US it’s served with bean sprouts and greens/onions on the side. It seems to be a fancier version than the original Vietnamese pho served locally. But the pho soup here was fresh and delicious. I even finished the entire bowl of soup.

The hotel I stayed at offered a breakfast buffet with lots of fresh local fruits (including passion fruits!) and you can also order a fresh pho soup with beef or chicken. I’ve had both and both were fresh and delicious. All the pho I’ve had in Vietnam are served in the same style. The only ingredients not in the soup are just lime wedges and small chili bits.

Night Market (after 6 PM on Saturdays)

127 P. Hàng Buồm, Hàng Đào, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

This was also recommended by the hotel receptionist who I obviously talked a lot with. I somehow missed this night market when planning my Hanoi itinerary. I arrived with Grab Bike and minutes after it started pouring really heavy rain. I went into a souvenir shop and happily found many items that I liked. I’m not able to find this shop on Google Maps but the address is 23 P. Hàng Cân, Hàng Bồ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam. I’ve seen a lot of wonderful paintings in Vietnam, and many are hand-sewn. I wish I could take one of these home as well, as they are just wonderful.

Hair Washing for 100k VND

19 P. Hàng Cân, Hàng Bồ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Right beside the souvenir shop, there was a spa that offers hair washing for 100k VND. I thought that was a good thing to do while waiting for the rain to calm down. It was not a hair salon, but I was still pleasantly surprised by how thoroughly they washed my hair. It was a 20 minute hair washing session, definitely more than what most salons spend washing your hair. I had a great experience and would gladly come back. This one is not on Google Maps either, so here is the address: 19 P. Hàng Cân, Hàng Bồ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam.

The rain was still aggressively heavy by the time I finished, so I waited some more but had to leave in the rain. But that’s just part of being in Vietnam and you soon start to appreciate the rain for cooling down the excessive heat.

Leaving Vietnam

On my last day in Vietnam, I was feeling sad to leave. I’m now in love with the cheap, accessible, and delicious local food and the ease of travel with GrabBike and GrabCar. Life can be quite convenient here, that’s how I felt.

Vietnamese Food: Authentic Local Flavors

Bun Cha – My New Obsession

This went from something I’ve never heard of to my favorite meal in Vietnam! It’s grilled pork with rice noodles and an entire plate of greens. And it’s simply delicious every time.

• Bun Cha Dac Kim (1 P. Hàng Mành): Tourist-friendly spot, 70k VND ($2.80)
• Bún Chả Hàng Quạt (74 P. Hàng Quạt): Local favorite in a tiny alley, 50k VND ($2)

Pho – The Local Version

The classic Pho Tai (rare beef) at Phở Mạnh Cường (23 P. Hàng Muối) was perfect for 50k VND ($2). All the pho soups I had in Vietnam were very fresh and tasted different from US versions. I could simply eat pho every day.

More Local Foods

• Banh Cuon: Soft rice wraps with minced pork, egg, and soup (50k VND / $2)
• Kem Xoi: Sticky rice ice cream – I tried durian flavor at Kem Tràng Tiền (35 Tràng Tiền) which was delicious (35k VND / $1.40)
• Black Sugar Boba Tea: The best boba I’ve ever tasted, super rich in flavor for just $1 (ordered on Grab)

Street Food Reality

I ate at some questionable-looking places without serious issues. Food is often prepared on sidewalks with relaxed hygiene standards, but it’s part of the authentic experience.

Budget Breakdown: Real Costs

Daily Expenses (Mid-range travel)

• Accommodation: $20-40/night (budget to decent hotels)
• Food: $4-10/day (mix of street food and restaurants)
• Transportation: $2-5/day (Grab rides)
• Attractions: $5-15/day (entrance fees)
• Tours: $20-40 (full-day experiences)

Specific Costs I Paid

• War Remnants Museum: 40k VND ($1.5)
• Saigon Skydeck: 240k VND ($9.4)
• Ninh Binh day tour: ~$35
• Ha Long Bay cruise: ~$40
• Pho bowl: 50k VND ($2)
• Bun Cha: 50-70k VND ($2-3)
• Magnets: 50k VND for 3
• Hair wash: 100k VND ($4)

As you can see, Vietnam is really among the most affordable places in the world.

My Top 5 Favorites in Vietnam

• Lying Dragon Mountain in Ninh Binh
• War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City
• Ha Long Bay
• Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
• Saigon Skydeck in Ho Chi Minh City