Visiting Vietnam
Thoughts after a 10 day trip to Hanoi, Ha Long Bay & Ho Chi Minh City
Traveling to Vietnam has become more and more popular, so my girlfriend and I decided to go there on vacation this year. We agreed on November as it seemed the perfect time to visit: the rainy season is over and the high season is just starting, so you avoid the crazy number of tourists you might see in December or January. (more details on when to go).
Getting a Visa
Like most people going to Vietnam, we were required to obtain a tourist visa prior to traveling. Since we live in NYC, we decided to go to the Vietnamese NYC Consulate to get ours. We didn’t need an appointment, and it was enough for only one of us to show up with both our passports, a copy of each passport page, a passport size photo for each of us, and the completed visa application.
We paid $135 for a multi entry visa with 1 month availability. We got a multiple entry because we were thinking of also visiting Cambodia for a few days while we were there.
E-visa: Foreign citizens from the following countries can also apply online for a single entry E-visa on the Vietnam Immigration website. The E-visa is valid for a maximum of 30 days for the purpose of tourism. An E-visa is usually processed within three working days after the Vietnam Immigration Department receives the completed application and E-visa fee. E-visa holders must present the printed E-visa and valid passport at the port of entry. Prior to making travel arrangements with an E-visa it is advisable to review the List of Ports of Entry that allow for foreigners to enter and exit Vietnam by E-visa.
Flights
There are two “main ways” you can get from North America/Europe to Vietnam depending on your time and budget.
- Direct trip to destination – this is the fastest way, but it costs more. Fly one of the major carriers directly to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh or Da Nang. Depending on your location, you might be lucky and find a non-stop flight.
- Trip to Southeast Asia and then low-cost to destination – fly a major carrier to HK, Bangkok, or Singapore and then take a low-cost Asian carrier, like Scoot, to your final destination. This is a bit more risky and you need to factor in enough time between flights to account for delays or cancellations (which are frequent with low-cost carriers).
Our trip was going to be long enough, so we decided to fly Cathay Pacific straight to Vietnam, with Hanoi as our first destination. Unfortunately, there are no non-stop flight from United States to Hanoi (or any other of the Vietnam international airports), so we had a stop in Hong Kong:
- JFK to HKG (16h 15m) – Layover (3h 15m) – HKG to HAN (2h 15m)
- HAN to HKG (2H 00m) – Layover (2h 20m) – HKG to JFK (15h 55m)
We paid $1012 for one roundtrip economy ticket.
Itinerary
After some brief research, we based our itinerary on the following two trips offered by National Geographic Expeditions:
The trip was going to have 3 parts:
- North Vietnam (Hanoi and Ha Long Bay)
- Central Vietnam (Hue and Hoi An)
- South Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City & Mekong Delta)
One thing we’ve learned while traveling and backpacking throughout Asia previously is that it’s best to keep your itinerary as flexible as possible. We don’t make plans too far in advance because of possible unexpected events that might force us to change plans at the last minute. It happened to me and my girlfriend multiple times — sometimes because we wanted to explore an area more, other times because one of us got food poisoning and couldn’t travel… either way, it always paid off to keep our options open.
You don’t need to worry about high fees on last minute bookings or unavailability. Southeast Asia is very cheap and there are tons of accommodations available all the time. You can actually find some amazing last minute discounts, especially for hotels and activities. As for plane tickets, low cost airlines prices do not fluctuate that much, but keep an eye on them since they might sell out.
This is the reason we booked just the first three nights in Hanoi and decided to figure out the rest of our plans after we get there.
Thoughts after 10 days in Vietnam
Overall, we were both disappointed with our trip to Vietnam, and I think it’s because of our expectations. All travel blogs and guides make Vietnam sound like an incredible paradise with amazing scenery, great food and amazing people. While we found some of this to be true, we also experienced a different side of Vietnam that people somehow fail to mention but should talk more about if they want to paint a fuller picture of the country.
The good
Culture
Vietnam is a unique place, and you notice that the moment you step foot in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. The French and Soviet influences, including on the architecture, the decades of war, the tens of millions of scooters, the crazy but somehow manageable traffic, the street food and cauldrons of soup being prepared at what seemed all hours of the day and enjoyed while sitting on the tiniest chairs on the sidewalks, locals selling all sorts of exotic fruits and vegetables balanced perfectly on a carrying pole — all of these combined create a beautiful culture that is amazing to witness.
People
The Vietnamese people are absolutely amazing. They are genuinely nice and kind, very helpful, polite, and make you feel welcomed in their country. Even though most of them speak little to no English, you can still understand each other using the Google Translate application.
Getting around
Getting around the country is very easy and cheap. GoJek (the Southeast Asia version of Uber) works amazingly and is a must have if you are in any of the big cities. If you plan to travel inside Vietnam and do not want to take the train, VietJet Air has plenty of cheap flights that get you to all the major cities. It is known to have delays but we had no issues at all.
The bad
Pollution
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are extremely polluted. I actually checked a few online sources that put Hanoi and HCM in the top 10 most polluted cities in the world. As soon as you land, you can see the smog covering the cities. Some people might not find this an issue; however, to us it was very unpleasant. It felt like we were breathing exhaust gas the entire time we were there, we were coughing non stop and got severe sore throat. We started wearing a face mask after a couple days, and it helped a bit, but not enough.
If you suffer from asthma or have any respiratory problems, you should probably avoid visiting Vietnam, at least the urban areas.
„Amazing” street food
This might be true, but we didn’t really venture off to try it. The main reason was hygiene. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect to have grade A health standards at a street food stand in a developing country; however, most stands are next to piles of smelly trash that killed any appetite. The Ho Chi Minh City famous Ben Thanh Market is no different.
Overall, we found the food in Vietnam to be okay. I realize this is subjective, but we couldn’t figure out why everyone was so impressed with the food because we didn’t find anything to blow our mind. We had tried Vietnamese cuisine before, but were looking forward to experiencing it locally, the real deal. It was very average.
Very Dirty
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are very dirty. This is not surprising given the level of corruption and poverty level, but I think the same travel bloggers who talk about how beautiful Vietnam is should also mention how dirty it is. The French Quarter in Hanoi and the area around the Independence Palace in Ho Chi Minh City were probably the only clean(er) areas.
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay is beautiful and worth seeing; however, there are two things we wish we knew before going there: it is crazy crowded and the water isn’t the best.
We expected such a famous tourist attraction to be packed (even outside the high season), but there are over 500 boats cruising the bay on only 3–4 allowed routes, so in our opinion that was a bit much. You spend most of the time looking out the window at other boats or waiting in long queues when visiting the planned stops along the way.
Unfortunately, and I’m really sorry to say, but the famous emerald color of the water that we were expecting to see looked more like dirty, greenish water. You are also not allowed to go swimming at all, and outside kayaking, there isn’t much to do in terms of water activities. For me personally, this was a big disappointment, since I love being in the water.
Hint: to avoid crowds, visit Bai Tu Long Bay instead.
