Help Me Plan Our Vacation!
Hanoi & Halong Bay, Vietnam
Have you been to Vietnam? Ever traveled to Hanoi or Halong Bay? Do you live in one of these areas? If so, I would love your insider tips! Jonathan and I are leaving big city life behind for a bit and dusting off our suitcases for another trip to Asia.
We love good food, unusual experiences, and more off-the-beaten-path kind of ideas. If you have an idea, I would love to hear it! Please give us your tips/secrets/advice below in the reply/comment section. If you are viewing the link from my homepage, then you must find the ‘leave a comment’ tab to make the comment box open. If we happen to go with one of your suggestions, I will be certain to connect with you after our trip to share our experience.
Photo Courtesy of:
http://baitulongtravel.com/hanoi/
Here are the details that may help you narrow down your suggestions:
- We are there for one week
- We already have a hotel in Hanoi booked (in the Old Quarter)
- We plan to travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay for an overnight boating experience
All my best,
Miranda
Traveling on an Empty Stomachs 
I don’t have any advice, but I’d love to follow in your footsteps. We’ve been further south in Vietnam and I don’t remember it taking much planning – the tourist industry was pretty efficient and quite friendly and accommodating. Of course, it’s good to have a few ideas before you set out, isn’t it? Will be eager to hear what others have to say.
Flying by without a real plan is always fun and we will do so when we feel the need to slow down or be spontaneous. But I’m hoping others will enlighten me on a few ‘musts’ that I may overlook in my planning. I just followed your blog. I see that you’ve been to Taiwan. I will be writing a similar ‘Help me plan my vacation’ post on Taiwan this week. Once we leave Hanoi we’ll be heading to Taiwan for about 11 days. Hope to hear from you then! ~ Miranda
Would be happy to talk about Taiwan, although we followed a rather restricted itinerary when we went with the 10mo along – I can tell you what I know, for sure! In the meantime, you could have a look at Woodlands to Waterloo as they went through Hanoi last week.
I am sorry, my words will not be that thing what you would like to hear. I lived in the Old Quarter of Hanoi two days; it was the most uninteresting city in my life. More over, it was the worst city I ever visit.
Ah, thanks Victor. Lucky for me, I can completely entertain myself anywhere I go. It is a rare occasion that I’m bored but if that happens and my silly humor runs out, I will plan to eat my way through the city. Speaking of which…I better leave my ‘skinny’ jeans at home.
Question for you: What is the most interesting city you have visited?
I live in HCMC and have been up to Hanoi many times. If you like unusual things, Hanoi is the place for you, but I certainly agree that not having a plan is the best part! Just wander around some of the back alleys and you’ll find hidden away markets that the tourists haven’t yet discovered. Some of the old buildings are just stunning as well. I understand why some people think it’s an ‘uninteresting/boring’ place, as it is a city of museums and pagodas – what I enjoyed most was just finding a café on the lake and people watching! I’d advise staying in Ha Long Bay for at least for a night – I did the trip in a day, and while it was a fabulous experience, there just wasn’t enough time to explore. Kayaking in the caves is a must! Also, if you’ve never been to Vietnam before, please be wary of your belongings at all times! Hope this helps and have a lovely holiday 🙂
Your response confirms my decision to start off my vacation in Hanoi. I am hoping to relax, enjoy good food, and get over the jet lag before heading off to meet and travel with friends in Taiwan for two weeks. I basically want down time to spend the days leisurely. Some of my favorite memories of traveling abroad (and really days spent here in NYC) are the times I’ve explored sans map and plan. We are going to book an overnight cruise of the bay so that we will have enough time to explore the area before heading back to Hanoi.
And thanks for the tip – it is easy to let your guard down when having fun so I will keep that in mind! ~ Miranda
To name a few, Rome (Italy), Bruges (Belgium), Segovia (Spain). You can read and see photos of these cities in my blog posts.
Just checked out your blog. Looking forward to reading more and comparing some thoughts on places we’ve both traveled 🙂
Don’t forget to give me comments about the results of comparing. And be careful with a food in Hanoi.
Will do! Looks like we’ve both done quite a bit of traveling but not necessarily to the same cities. I will comment as I read through. Take care. ~ Miranda
Such a lovely place!
I would like to visit this place one day.