Vietnam Trip – 8 Things You Must Experience!

I think of Vietnam and see a broad smile on the face of a woman selling soup pho on the street. I can smell the aroma of herbs and spices. The family warmth and exceptional hospitality of our host from the guesthouse in Hoi An. I hear the sounds of crickets rustling in the rice field, motorbike horns and the crackling of ice in my sweet Vietnamese coffee. My senses are working at their highest speed, the street does not give me a break. When an opportunity to rest appears, away from the hustle and bustle of the city - in a mountain valley, curiosity pushes me to the villages, to the local market, to the wilderness. I do not leave the feeling of dissatisfaction with every place...

Northern Vietnam and the beaches of Quy Nhon

VIETNAM - Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Mai Chau, Quy Nhon
Feel the atmosphere of Vietnamese culture in Hanoi, and then fully enjoy the charms of the natural wealth of the green north of the country.

It is wonderful to be able to absorb the atmosphere of a given country, experience it with all your senses, focus on the experience, without worrying about logistics, organizing transport, flights, choosing the right hotels and their locations. Planning and preparing a trip to an unknown country is very time-consuming and often requires studying many sources of information. Choosing a tailor-made journey At Planet Escape, you put yourself in the hands of experienced travelers – specialists who will ensure that you can fully devote yourself to the most enjoyable part of your trip to Vietnam – rest and discovering the world in the form you like the most.

The Coast of Vietnam and Phu Quoc Island

VIETNAM — Hanoi, Ha Long, Hoi An, Saigon, Phu Quoc
A journey through the most characteristic places of Vietnam - artistic Hanoi, the majestic formations of Ha Long Bay, the charming streets of Hoi An and the bustling markets of Saigon.

I have prepared for you a subjective list of 8 Vietnamese experiences that made our repeated trips to Vietnam were unique and unforgettable. We invite you to read!

Streets of Hanoi in Vietnam.

1) Eat Vietnam – street food

Walking around the city, you will smell food at almost every step. You don't have to look very hard to spot them. Small soup kitchens are located every few meters. Entire families sit on small plastic chairs, skillfully using chopsticks over bowls of hot soup. pho. If there are a lot of customers, it bodes well – the food is certainly fresh and tasty. Look into the Vietnamese's plate, ask what they are eating, if it is tasty and order the same. If you are traveling in a larger group, it is best to take different dishes so that each of you can taste different things.

Eat with chopsticks! It will be hard at first, but practice makes perfect. When you get back to Poland, you will want to eat pork chops with chopsticks.

Ask about typical regional dishes. Hanoi is famous for the best soup in the country pho, while Hoi An's specialty is Hello lau. There are many good, elegant restaurants in the cities. We recommend a few worth considering in our Escape Book. However, I personally think that the street serves the best menu.

A real saigon!

2) The street can be liked – a million scooters in Hanoi

The mere thought of driving through Asian streets probably gives you shivers and you think "what a Saigon!". You're right! Traffic in Vietnam is like Saigon, Mexico, just a great ride. Pedestrians have no rights, you can still drive through red lights, and the winner is the one who moves fast and confidently. However, exploring the city from a motorcycle perspective is great fun and full of emotions. During your stay in Hanoi, we will take you on a unique trip on the iconic Minsk motorcycle. You will experience the city with all your senses, with a whole cacophony of tastes and smells. You will see the biggest attractions of the capital, you will meander through the narrow streets of the Old Quarter and the French Quarter. You will get to know the different faces of Hanoi, including what is hidden beneath its entire exterior. You will visit a Hanoi family, taste local street delicacies, see how the residents of the capital live, work, pray and have fun.

Moving around independently on a scooter outside the big cities is child's play and I highly recommend this form of sightseeing. Mai Chau is ideal for this - an extremely fertile valley surrounded by high mountains, inhabited by the White Thai ethnic minority. Just behind Mai Chau Ecolodge, the road leads to a quiet, idyllic village, whose inhabitants cultivate rice fields, breed cows and make chopsticks. In the place where the road ends, you will see beautiful rice terraces. There are many such villages in the Mai Chau Valley, just by setting off you will discover many beautiful places.

3) At the Beer Crossroads – Bia Hoi

Vietnamese people love beer, they are said to be among the biggest beer lovers in Asia, along with the Japanese and Chinese. When traveling to northern Vietnam, be sure to try it. beer. This is an unpasteurized, low-alcohol beer, sold 24 to 48 hours after barreling. It is one of the cheapest beers in the world! A glass costs from 5.000 to 10.000 dong, or a maximum of PLN 1,50. The informal capital of beer is Hanoi, where on the corner of Ta Hien Street and Luong Ngoc Quyen Street there is the so-called "Bia Hoi intersection”. If you want to experience the nightlife in the capital, be sure to head there after dark. There are dozens of small plastic tables set up on the street where you can enjoy a cold beer. For a snack, order the Bug Snack, which is fried crickets, or grilled chicken legs. Be sure to try these delicacies on your trip to Vietnam!

4) The art of fighting for inner peace – tai chi

5:00 a.m., the city comes to life, and the elderly residents of Hanoi meet at Hoan Kiem Lake to welcome the new day with harmonious, slow movements, balance and peace. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese art of relaxation, meditation and combat, the key to achieving inner peace. It has extraordinary health benefits, strengthens the body and allows you to understand its work and the processes taking place in it. The ideal place for your first tai chi lesson will be the extraordinary surroundings of Hoan Kiem - an oasis of peace in the middle of the bustling capital. A delicate mist hangs over the Lake of the Returned Sword and surrounds the Turtle Temple standing alone in the middle. It is impossible to deny this place an aura of mysticism. If you do not manage to get up so early in the morning to practice tai chi in Hanoi, you will have another chance during a cruise in Ha Long Bay. As you glide between giant rocks, in such spectacular, film-like scenery, you may be tempted to take a short tai chi course on the upper deck.

5) Vietnamese coffee

Did you know that Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee producer after Brazil? What's more, the Vietnamese have developed their own method of brewing coffee using a metal drip filter, through which the filtered black elixir flows directly into a cup with a small amount of condensed milk. It's worth knowing that you won't drink coffee with regular milk in a café. It's thanks to the sweetness of condensed milk that the bitter and strong Vietnamese coffee takes on a mild, creamy taste.

Be sure to try it middle school with the addition of egg yolk and milk cream or sua chua ca phe – coffee with thick creamy yogurt. On hot days, coffee tastes best with ice. I recommend starting your day at a street cafe, such a morning will certainly be stimulating and refreshing. 

Hoi An Night Market.

6) Night Market

In every city after dark there is a huge street market where you can find literally everything. From conical hats, handicrafts, clothes, electronics to the best street food. Check which days the market is held in a given city and be sure to reserve time to visit it. In Hanoi it is held from Friday to Sunday, and in Hoi An and Saigon every day.

During your stay in Sapa you will learn about the daily life of ethnic minorities.

7) Authentic Vietnam – stay with a family

Nothing brings you closer to another person than living under the same roof and sharing a meal with them. While trekking in Sapa you will live in a simple, rural homestead, far from the comforts and achievements of civilization. You will eat a delicious home-cooked meal, see what the rhythm of your hosts' day looks like, get to know their daily routine. You will fall asleep in absolute silence, and you will be woken from sleep at dawn by the crowing of a rooster. The Vietnamese are a very family-oriented, hospitable and warm-hearted nation. For this short moment they will make you feel like part of their family and this will be one of the warmest memories brought back from your trip to Vietnam.

The beach at the Chen Sea Hotel in Phu Quoc.

8) Relaxation at its best – tropical Phu Quoc Island

Vietnam is intense in many ways. The amount of impressions, stimuli, oohs and aahs expressed in delight at the beautiful views combined with high temperatures will eventually make you want to escape from this hustle and bustle into the shade of palm trees and umbrellas. The ideal place for such an escape is the island of Phu Quoc. Along its western coast there are kilometers of sandy beaches, from which you can admire an incredible sunset every day. I liked Ong Lang beach the most, in the northern part of the island. I discovered a cozy 3* hotel here Coco Palm Beach, which charmed me with its tropical garden, beautiful peaceful beach and delicious cuisine. For the more demanding, a few minutes walk from Ong Lang Beach there is a phenomenal hotel Chen Sea Resort, which is a real oasis of peace. Here you will be able to forget about the whole world. The hotel consists of large elegant villas, made of natural materials, with attention to every detail. Staying here is luxury at its best during a trip to Vietnam.

Cultural and beach sides of Vietnam

VIETNAM — Hanoi, Ha Long, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, Saigon
First Hanoi - the capital of Vietnam, then Ha Long Bay with its stunning rock formations rising out of the water, the magical city of Hoi An, and, to complete the perfect trip, a tropical paradise island.

I hope that our list will make your trip to Vietnam more enriching, educational and inspiring. And if you haven’t considered a vacation to Vietnam yet, it will be on your travel plans from today.