“Do you smell that? Motor bike exhaust, fish sauce, incense, the faraway smell of... something. Is that pork grilling over charcoal?
Vietnam: It grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever.”

— Anthony Bourdain

The long awaited trip finally made it out of the group chat, and at the end of January I found myself leaving NYC in the middle of a historical polar vortex for warm and sunny Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is one of those places that’s been on my bucket list for the longest time, yet the country remains somewhat of a mystery to me. My knowledge of her is anchored on its history as Indochina, the Vietnam War, a textile giant and the various Vietnamese dishes that I’ve been sampling in New York (which I have been told many times that it’s nothing compared to real authentic Vietnamese food). With that, I find myself uncovering so much more from this trip than I thought I would, and I’m loving all the surprises and adventures along the way.

Day 1 - The group Chat unites in Ho Chi Minh City

One of the biggest challenge of traveling from NYC in the dead of winter to a warm destination is how to NOT pack bulky winter gear but stay warm for your journey to the airport. I layered up as much as I can and was lucky enough to catch a ride to the airport for our late night flight, and made it to Hong Kong for our layover. We had breakfast at the Kyra lounge and continued onwards to Ho Chi Minh City. With everyone’s arrival time just an hour apart, we decided to wait for everyone at the airport, and had our first meal in Vietnam… at Burger King. We came in with very low expectations since we wanted a quick meal to hold us over, but to our surprises the wings, which I learned is not available in the US, were very good.

After our group of five reunited at the airport (my boyfriend had departed early and spent 10 days in Hanoi and northern Vietnam, and I am incredibly jealous of his Ha Giang loop trip), we took a grab to our airbnb in district 3. We were a bit early for check-in, and after a mix up with the wrong apartment we finally made it to our stay for the next 4 days.

Our first order of business after a LONG flight was straight to a head spa for some relaxation. I discovered Rose Spa while scrolling on Instagram and decided to give it a try based on the reviews. All of us went for the 60 min refreshing hair wash with neck and shoulder massage, and my only complain was the water temperature was slightly too cold.

For our first real meal (not counting Burger King) we took a short walk to Quán Thuý 94 - Miến Cua, a Michelin guide restaurant that specializes in everything crab. Right outside there are tables and chairs lined up, and multiple woks going with deep fried soft shell crab and crab fried rice. We were seated upstairs and sampled that menu - ordering the Vietnamese crab spring rolls (these were FAT rolls), crab fried rice, crab fried vermicelli (this was my fav), crab thick noodle soup (Bánh Canh Cua), and fried soft shell crab. Our first meal was not completed without some local beer 🍺

After our meal the jet lag was hitting but we walked around the neighborhood checking out a badminton store, an eyewear store SEESON (which reminded me of Gentle Monster). A failed grab pick up led us to the convenience store, a supermarket, and then finally back to our airbnb. The night was also my first experience crossing the streets in Vietnam, and I can attest it is more gut wrenching than when I was in India.

Day 2 - Exploring HCMC and Saigon by night tour

Slept really well last night and woke up around 8AM, and the crew had already been up and gone out to get breakfast. Our friend came back with some fruits from the market! (Vietnamese milk fruit/ star fruit and rose apple anyone?) Our actual breakfast was Phở Hòa Pasteur, a restaurant that has been around since 1968 and one of our friend’s favorite pho spot in HCMC. At the table there are all sorts of appetizers like the lean pork paste (chả cây) and the meat pie and you pay for what you eat. We all ordered our own pho and my bowl of combo pho was great (my photo isn’t doing it justice!)

With a full belly we walked over to the White on Denim signature store, located inside an old building. We met a very cute girl dog named Durian who was a rescue, and I picked up a cute white top for just $12. (Fun fact - I am a size L in Vietnam). Also stumbled upon a roadside coffee cart and it was a vibe!

We continued our shopping in District 1 - first to the Muji store that has a bunch of Vietnam exclusive items, then to Uniqlo because everything is basically sold at a discount since most of their items are made in Vietnam. I scored a denim jacket for $30 cheaper than US, and they also had a lot of Vietnam exclusive items that would be great for souvenirs! We did more boutique shopping in the area, hitting up boutiques like Rubies and Libé. These boutiques are located in an older commercial building now transformed into a trendy market called The New Playground, and you can easily spend the whole afternoon there. We stumbled upon a cute cafe on the 3rd floor called Nicotin Tearoom and Coffee, which was great for a break from all the shopping. The shop has a window that looks out to the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, but unfortunately the exterior is currently under renovation so it’s covered by scaffolding. I ordered the fermented apricots tonic and it was absolutely refreshing.

For a quick bite (and late lunch) we stopped by a touristy banh mi shop called My Banh Mi for some slightly overpriced banh mi, but they turned out to be quite good. We stopped by the money exchange and continued onwards to Rue Miche L’edition, located on a bottom floor of a fancy mall near the Opera House. The space reminds me of the Gentle Monster flagship store in Seoul because there is also a mechanical horse and various installations that elevated the shopping experience. There were high end local fashion brands featured, as well as accessories that made great souvenirs.

Our evening activity was a fun one on motorcycles! We joined XO Tours’ Saigon by Night tour, an all-female motorbike tour that takes you beyond the touristy spots and into the lesser known places. We greeted our drivers at our airbnb at 6PM, and hopped onto our individual motorbikes (my first time!) heading to our first stop, the flower market. The flower market was still bustling at night, with motorcycles weaving through traffic on both directions along narrow streets. We saw a bunch of flowers including the lotus flower that I don’t typically see, and the market seems especially busy because Tết is just a two weeks away. While we didn’t eat at the flower market, we got some sugarcane juice with kumquat. Our next stop was to a residential area, in District 10. The residential buildings reminded me of the older buildings my grandparents used to live in in Hong Kong, but what’s different is the first floor homes that double up as storefronts. The stoves are firing, the fans are running right in front of the home, with tables and plastic chairs lining the sidewalks. We enjoyed our bánh xèo dinner with meat wraps, before exploring the childhood home of the founder of XO Tours. There is a water tank in the middle of the neighborhood, a former gathering spot for the community as families would need to carry water back to their apartments. Our guide tells us how in the old days boys would court girls by offering to carry their water from the water tank into their homes. These apartment units are studio apartments, and typically house families as big as fourteen. Space was tight, but the community was strong. These homes are slowly getting replaced by more modern high rises, so who knows when they would be completely phased out. The tour concluded with a dessert stop for chè in District 4, and we were dropped off back at our airbnb.

To close out the night, we decided to head out for a drink at Can You Keep a Secret. We were seated in a private area, with two adorable cats that refused to give up their seats. The drinks were great - the one I ordered was a pho drink and it really did taste like pho!

Day 3 - CoFFEE, WAR MUSEUM and MORE FOOD in HCMC

First meal to kick off the day is a neighborhood pho spot called Quán Phở Anh our friend recommended. It’s tucked inside a very cute alley, with no tourists in sight. We each ordered our pho and bò kho hủ tiếu - Vietnamese beef stew, which was very flavorful. The fresh bani mi bread dipped into the broth was heavenly! Our friend also recommended a coffee spot nearby but we weren’t able to find it - probably because it was inside someone’s home and they weren’t opened that day.

Since we weren’t able to get coffee, we took a grab to Lacàph for a mini coffee experience. The coffee shop offers coffee classes and some of us did a 30 min brewing class - for the Vietnamese phin, and Vietnamese egg coffee. The ingredients for egg coffee is pretty simple - 30g of coffee, 2 egg yolks, 1 egg white, 5 drops of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, a 3 tsp of coffee blossom honey. Egg coffee originated from Hanoi when the French brought coffee to Vietnam but milk wasn’t readily available, and eggs were used as a substitute. Our coffees were all pretty strong so that got us wired up!

After coffee we headed to the War Remnants Museum, and spent about 2 hours learning about Vietnam throughout the war time and the atrocities that you read about in history books in great detail. It’s hard to believe that Vietnam had been at war for 30 years post WWII, and everything we saw at the museum wasn’t from the distant past but still relatively recent. Be prepared for some very graphic photographs especially when you reach the 2nd and 3rd floor exhibits (I feel like there should have been warning messages for graphic content for young children?)

On a happier note we walked a short block over to Mặn Mòi for a late lunch. This spot is known for its aesthetic decor both inside and outside, and its elevated Vietnamese food (aka more expensive). We waited in the lobby which is also a gift shop for a short while before we were seated upstairs. Their menu was huge and we ordered a bunch of items to try, but the duck breast two ways and the grilled eel sausage dish were my favorites.

After our late lunch we headed to The Cafe Apartments, a commercial building that features not only cafes, but a wide range of shops and eateries. It reminded me of the older commercial buildings in Hong Kong with a single antique elevator, but they’ve converted this one to be a commercial complex where most visitors just take the stairs to explore the different floors. We didn’t really come for coffee (still pretty caffeinated from the coffee this morning!), but we enjoyed checking out the different stores on each floor!

We continued our shopping in another apartment complex nearby that was much harder to spot. This apartment complex looks unassuming from the outside - just like any other residential building. If you didn’t keep a eye out you would not be able to find the entrance to the building, cross the corridor, go up two flights of stairs to find Forward Perfume, a local perfume store. I would highly recommend getting a gift here as their perfumes and candles in tea cups are really well made and the gift packaging is so nicely done. What’s interesting about this apartment complex is that it’s a mixture of commercial and residential. There are still people living in some of these units while your corridor has people shopping around.

We made a short stop at Ben Thanh Market towards closing time (or at least that’s what Google said since it was still popping), stayed for about 5-10 mins before we collectively decided that we have seen enough and continued onwards to more boutique shopping.

We picked up banh mis from 2 spots, Bánh Mì Thịt Nướng Ngon Saigon, a street stall that operates only in the evening and features meatballs on fresh banh mis, and Bánh Mì Hồng Hoa, another popular spot just a block away. We ordered to go and brought them back to the airbnb to sample, and they were each very tasty.

The banh mis split 4 ways weren’t enough for dinner and we decided to head out for another meal. Quán Cơm Tấm Hồng Calmette is located at a very busy intersection (we actually passed by this spot on our way home from the motorbike tours yesterday and our guides recommended the spot), and it was PACKED at 10PM on a Sunday. You definitely won’t be able to make out their sign but you can spot the crowd from far away. It’s not the most comfortable seating with low tables and plastic stools, it’s crowded and slightly smoky with the grills and the woks, but it’s the perfect cơm tấm (broken rice). It’s grilled pork chop, shredded pork skins, meatloaf and fried egg over the broken rice, and we added a side order of the grilled pork belly as well.

We rallied and went to COI jazz club to close out the night, but unfortunately just missed the live band performing.

Day 4 - Post Office, Lunch Lady, Cu Chi Tunnels and Fine Dining

Our morning kicked off with Book Street and the Post Office just around the corner. We took a short walk down some bookstores as browse for postcards, while a group of preschoolers visiting on a school trip gathered on the street. I didn’t find any postcards to my liking and we continued onwards to the big yellow Saigon Central Post Office. Since it’s almost tết many people were dressed in áo dài for their photoshoots.

Completed in 1891, the post office is still in use but now doubles up as tourist central with multiple souvenir shops inside. I did find a postcard but didn’t mail it yet as I wanted to wait till later on in the trip to document my journey.

Our breakfast spot was at “the Lunch Lady” - Nguyen Thi Thanh. Here’s how Anthony Bourdain described her:

“She’s something of a maverick, because she does a different soup every day, which she makes from scratch, in a sort of cyclic menu throughout the week.”

We got there right when it opened so we were the first group, and while the OG Lunch Lady wasn’t there, another lady ran the shop and began preparing our noodle soups with fresh ingredients as soon as we sat down. Today’s soup was something in between a pho and a tom yum, and it was absolutely delicious. In Bourdain We Trust.

We killed a little bit more time in the area doing some shopping before a smaller group of us got picked up by our airbnb and spent the afternoon on a Cu Chi Tunnel tour. The Cu Chi Tunnels are located in Cu Chi, a rural district of Ho Chi Minh City, about 1.5 hours north of downtown HCMC. It’s part of a massive networks of tunnels built and used during the Vietnam War. Our guide directed us through the woods, pointing out air vents made to look like termite hills, discrete openings to tunnel entrances, and traps designed to injure South Vietnam’s tunnel rats if they ever breached the tunnels. The actual openings to the tunnel entrances are very narrow, maybe just a little longer than the width of your hand. The tunnels that tourists get to experienced were actually made 30% larger, and even that was quite tight. We first went through a short tunnel, and a much longer one that was about 50m long. Hard to imagine the Cu Chi guerrillas staying down in the tunnels for weeks or months at time, salvaging any materials left behind by the American soldiers and repurposing them - like making sandals out of tires, recycling gunpowder from bombs to make traps and explosives. At the end of the tour we get to sample the tapioca plant with a dipping salt which was their main source of food.

The car ride back to HCMC took a bit longer because of the traffic, but we have a very nice dinner planned for our last evening in HCMC. On our way there our friends in another car accidentally left their phone behind in the Grab and we went through an ordeal to trace it back, but the staff at the restaurant was very helpful in assisting us and helped us translate to the driver in the other car. It was exactly moments like these that made our trip that much more exciting and memorable!

Nephele Restaurant is located in the residential alley of a renovated white villa, and features a homey dining experience designed by Chef Francis Thuan Tran. The whole concept is designed around visiting someone’s home, where we started off on the ground floor at the bar with our appetizers and pre-dinner drinks, and then move up to the “living room” with the wood fire ovens in the kitchen for the main courses, and ending with desserts on the ground floor again. The courses are highlights Vietnam with seasonal ingredients and allows Chef Francis to “reimagine the local seasons through the art of wood fire cooking”. Our group got both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings. and both were excellent. The most memorable dish for me was the appetizer lemon crab dish, the pigeon main, and the dessert with caviar, ice cream, fish sauce and walnut oil. What a great way to end our stay in HCMC!

Day 5 - Breakfast in HCMC, Lunch in Da Nang, and Dinner in Hoi An

Our last morning in HCMC was spent at a local coffee shop and a banh mi stand just across the street from our airbnb. The coffee shop had an ancient vibe, and we ordered our coffee from the counter and walked over to the banh mi cart lady for some breakfast banh mi with eggs and sticky rice. We sat outside at the cafe at the intersection and enjoyed a quick meal before we have to pack up and check out of the airbnb to catch our late morning flight to Da Nang.

After a short flight from HCMC to Da Nang on Vietjet, which is notorious for delays, it was already past lunch time and we quickly settled into our Da Nang villa. It’s located not too far from the beach area and has a swimming pool in the middle of the living room on the ground floor! It was very spacious for our group of 5, and some rooms even have balcony space.

For a late lunch we headed straight to Bếp Cuốn Đà Nẵng, a highly rated Michelin selected restaurant in town. They have an extensive menu and the food came out so quickly - which was absolutely a plus as we were all starving. We sampled the local beer, the banana flower salad, beef salad, Bánh xèo combo (served with rice paper roll that does not require you to soak it in water), Xiên que nướng ăn kèm bánh hỏi (pork skewers with woven rice vermicelli noodles) and a spicy hot pot. All were amazing and we left very satisfied.

After lunch in Da Nang we called a grab to take us to Hoi An which took about 50 mins. On our way driving along the coast heading south, there were a lot of hospitality projects that appeared unfinished or abandoned, so we looked it up online - it turns out there were large investments made a few years back to turn Da Nang into a beach town but many of those projects halted due to covid-19 and the industry is still recovering. It was a stark contrast to Hoi An, an ancient town and trading port that has now mastered the custom tailoring business for tourism. We arrived shortly after 5:30PM as the sun was setting, and came to know that the banh mi spot we were hoping to visit is closed for the day (we’ll try again tomorrow). The first order of business was to Ba-Ri, the custom tailor shop that can custom make any article of clothing you want (there are 2 locations one closer to the main entrance of the town). They have books and books for inspiration, or you can show them a photo of what you’re looking to make. The boys in our group got started with their custom made suits, and the turn around time is a day so you come back tomorrow morning for the fitting. I wasn’t in the market for anything specific but I would recommend bringing photos of any Reformation dresses as they can definitely do it for cheaper!

While the boys were getting their suits done, we walked around the ancient town and stumbled upon the Ba Mu Temple Gate. Hoi An being a spice trading port back in the day, there are a lot of Cham, Chinese, Japanese and European influences in its architecture. The Ba Mu Temple was originally built by the Chinese in 1626 and moved to the current location in 1686. Only the gates remain now as the rest of the structure was destroyed by fires and wars.

Once the boys were done we met back up to explore the main street, sampling the chicken rice, enjoyed a refreshing Mót herbal drink, and walked over to the canal for a night time lantern view. The town was very lively with lots of people enjoying their canal rides or browsing stalls at the street market. We even saw some fireworks as storefronts are preparing for Tết!

We met up with my boyfriend’s friends from his Ha Giang trip at Mì Quảng Ông Hai - Mr. Hai Noodles and tried both the Mì Quảng and Cao lầu noodles. Both noodle dishes are native to the region, with the Mì Quảng made with tumeric-infused yellow rice noodles served with shrimp, quail eggs and pork, and the Cao lầu with thick and chewy alkaline noodles served with pork. For a night cap we headed to Hem, a new Vietnamese Sake cocktail bar that was full of rustic charms. The drink I had was called the dreaded MSG and it was the perfect umami flavors.

Day 6 - Spending my birthday in Hoi An and Da Nang

It’s my birthday and I am spending it in Vietnam! Woke up around 8AM today and got a juice nearby, before we got a car to Hoi An around 9:30AM. Once we got into town the first stop was to Ba-Ri Tailor for the first fitting, and then back to the Bourdain Banh Mi spot that we didn’t get to try yesterday. Bánh Mì Phượng has a photo of Bourdain’s visit next to its store sign, and crowds are usually forming at this popular spot. We ordered 3 different banh mis to try - the mixed, the BBQ pork and the grilled pork, and I honestly didn’t think it was that memorable? We continued the food tour to Ba Buoi Chicken Rice for chicken rice, and Cơm Linh for roasted duck. These three spots are all on the same street, I think I would rate the banh mi and the chicken rice the best value, the roast duck was good but not too different from a canto style roasted duck.

We visited the Ba Mu Temple Gate again, which looked totally different from at night, and continued onwards to Chùa Cầu, the 16th century wooden bridge built by Japanese merchants to cross the canal. The Japanese Bridge the only covered bridge in the world to house a Buddhist temple, and it’s featured on the 20,000 VND bank note!

Our group decided not to do the coconut basket boat rides through the nearby waterways (it is a bit of a tourist activity and we weren’t feeling like it) and opted for a short scroll the main street and a stop at Faifo Coffee for a drink and a rooftop view. At the coffee shop we researched our mode of transportation to our next city, Hue the next day and decided on the train. That took us quite a bit as there were many different websites for booking different trains and we were trying to find the optimal seating for the best scenic views (this part requires some reddit searches, identifying train orientations etc). We picked up the finished suits just before 4PM and headed back to Da Nang for a late afternoon massage sesh.

After our relaxing massages, we headed to Mộc Quán for a seafood dinner. The place is on Michelin Selected list and there were chairs lined up in the front of the restaurant for everyone waiting for a table. We put our name down and took a walk in the neighborhood as we work up our appetite, stopping at a convenience store to check out the local snacks and a bakery for a small cake (we decided on a small Vietnamese pork floss and salted egg yolk chiffon sponge cake). Once we were called back when our table was ready, we were seated on the ground floor in the outdoor space. We ordered a bunch of seafood including mantis shrimp, prawns, oysters, lobsters, clams and snails, and you get to pick your own seafood straight from the tank. All the seafood dishes were very fresh, and the best part was the service - you don’t lay your hands on a single shell and the staff will hand peel everything for you! I wasn’t a huge fan of the salted egg sauces on the snails and the sweet and source sauce on the lobster, but it was overall still a great dinner. They even gave us their own cake for my birthday celebration! It was a long dinner and we ended up being one of the last tables to leave. We got back to the airbnb to chill by the pool to end the night, as tomorrow morning we depart for our next city!

Day 7 - Train to Hue the Imperial City

We have a train to catch at 8:55AM to Hue and so we got ready to leave the bnb by 8 on the dot. We took a grab to the Da Nang train station, and to board our train we walked across a train track to the middle track at the station. The train itself has an antique feel - both the color scheme and the interior gave off 70s vibes. We managed to get all of our luggages in the overhead compartment, and the train traveled backwards and up along the coast towards Hue, so the scenic views were on the left hand side of the train. The ride took about three hours total, and some parts of the coast were undergoing heavy constructions and development. There are no luxury resorts in sight yet, but with tourism booming in the area I can see the coastline undergoing significant changes in the next few years.

We got into Hue around 12:30PM and was able to meet our host at our airbnb around 1PM. Our stay for the night is a home tucked away from the main street (but has a new beer garden next door!). It’s got an indoor pond as well! Once we settled in we went to lunch at Quán Hạnh, a spot not to far from our stay. We tried many local dishes including Bánh bèo (Vietnamese steamed rice cakes served in saucers), Bánh nậm (steamed rice flour dumplings wrapped in banana leaves), Nem lụi (grilled lemongrass pork skewers) and a local Hue beer! We were also on a hunt for a Bun Bo Hue but couldn’t find a spot that was opened (we learned that this is a morning or evening dish) so we opted for a refreshing chè instead.

For the afternoon we visited the Imperial City of Hue, shaped as a perfect square on the northwestern side of the Perfume River. We started off from the outside of the citadel at Phu Van Lau Pavillion, built in the early 19th century and is featured on the 50,000 VND bill.

We made our way into the citadel and as we have about an hour and half at the Imperial City before our sunset boat tour along the Perfume River to the pagoda, so we opted for the e-bikes that would maximize the grounds covered (there are about 147 architectural constructions, on 36.3 hectares. We went clockwise and visited a few main sections, including the inner Forbidden Purple City. It’s like a maze in there and I would definitely recommend renting the e-bikes to go around and explore!

Trường Sanh Cung (長生宮), Trường Sanh Palace

Kiến Trung Điện (建中殿), Kien Trung Palace

Thái Bình Lâu (太平樓), Peace Pavilion

We left the imperial city at 5PM to meet our boat lady right outside to kick off our sunset boat tour along the Perfume River. Our first stop was Thiên Mụ Pagoda, a 7-story Buddhist temple built in 1601. We made it just before sunset and got the to take some photos with the sunset, and sat down to enjoy some Bánh bột lọc and Dau hu which is the sweet tofu pudding. We looped around the Perfume River as the sun sets and made it back to town.

After a full afternoon of activities we took a grab back to our bnb. We passed by a barber shop and our friend decided to take a risk and try out a $12 perm, while the rest of us continue our search for the best Bun Bo Hue in town. Since it’s a breakfast or dinner dish, not all the spots we found on Google were open. The first one we tried near our bnb was just ok and not the Bun Bo Hue we expected (perhaps it was done in a different style?). We continued onwards to a second spot - one we had bookmarked through an instagram reel. We followed the directions on our map, went through multiple unassuming and dark alleyways, to look for a place that only has 24 Google reviews and is opens at night at 8:3oPM. Despite all that, Bún O Ty had the single best dish I tried on this entire Vietnam trip.

At the end of the alleyway was some dim lighting, sounds of chatter, and signs of cooking. We knew we were at the right spot. The sign to the storefront was barely noticeable, but the round table was packed with locals waiting for their food. In the back behind the kitchen station there is a one auntie cooking in front of two giant boiling pots. Another auntie prepares the noodles, and customers eagerly serves themselves by walking up to the aunties when the bowl is ready. We waited patiently for the other groups to be served first, and a gentleman helped us order the special that has all the ingredients, pig’s blood and all the special cuts of meats. To this day I still think about that dish from time to time. It was so flavorful and everything worked so well together. I also have not had a Bun Bo Hue since returning from the trip because I think that dish has ruined all other BBHs for me.

We of course couldn’t leave without bring a bowl home to our friend getting a perm so we ordered one to go, and we got to watch him fill the bnb with the aromas of the BBH and devour the bowl.

The original plan to close out the night was to go out and have a drink but the group was too tired after a day of traveling so a few of us grabbed a craft beer at the newly opened brewery next door. We were the only ones there as they were closing shop but I’m glad we got to try their beers!

Day 8 - MORE BBH and Heading to Hanoi

We had one last attempt to find another BBH before leaving town! My boyfriend and I got up early around 8AM to hit up the one of the spots we tried to go in the afternoon. Unlike yesterday afternoon when they were closing shop this time around it was popping with locals enjoying their first meal of the day. The ladies are busy cooking and we managed to order 2 bowls, but the first try was missing the pig’s blood. My boyfriend managed to get the help of a local and ordered a second bowl that did have the special ingredients (we learned that there are many variations of the dish and you can customize it to your liking, we just didn’t know how to order the special one with everything on it). We picked up some breakfast and coffee on the way for our friends, and it was time to head back to the bnb, pack up our bags and get picked up for the airport.

Our airbnb host helped arranged our ride, and the journey to the airport was a little bit further than we expected. What’s also surprising was how modern this Hue airport is. As it turns out terminal 2 of the Phu Bai International Airport was inaugurated in April 2023, just 3 years ago. The airport is quite large with not many passengers when we were there, and there is a full service lounge where we spent a good hour and a half eating pho and all sorts of food when our VietJet flight to Hanoi was delayed (once again).

The flight itself was just 50 mins and we made it to Hanoi! After checking into our hotel in the Old Quarter the group split up as I went with my boyfriend to his coat and dress shirt fitting at Tailor Bros, where he had gotten his measurements done the week prior to meeting up with the rest of us in HCMC. The tailor shop is located above a coffee shop, where the owner has the cutest poodle.

Before meeting up the rest of the group for our dinner reservation, we stopped by a souvenir shop called CULCAT for some postcards and a cute magnet (they have cats in most of their designs as their name suggested so I couldn’t resist), walked around Hoàn Kiếm Lake that’s at the center of Hanoi. On our way to the restaurant we actually stumbled upon the famous train street - the first section we crossed wasn’t crowded with coffee shops and tourists, but since we had some time before the dinner reservations we stopped by to check it out.

Tam Vi is a northern Vietnamese restaurant featured in the Michelin Guide and it was founded by a mother daughter pair in 2019. The place was tucked in a quiet alleyway (you’ll pass by other outdoor eateries on the way) and the decor is homey. They actually have a few outposts within the same alley probably because it exploded in popularity after earning the Michelin recognition. We were brought to our seats in one of the Tam Vi buildings and ordered a bunch of dishes to share. The total came out to less than $20 USD per person!

Post dinner the group made stop back at the Hanoi train street to try our luck with the train and learned that the trains haven’t been passing in the area since last week due to repairs. The area is still very busy with visitors regardless!

We were on our way to the night market and stumbled upon an outdoor Tết market on our evening stroll. There were so much red decorations everywhere and you can really feel the liveliness of the city.

Our last stop of the night was The Haflington, a cocktail bar voted one of the Top 50 Best Bars in Asia. It was conveniently located just a short walk from our hotel and we had to check it out. We put our name down for a table thinking it would take a while so we walked back to our hotel, and got a call back not too long after. The bar has a full skeleton of a dinosaur above the bar and a great selection of drinks - would recommend for a night out in Hanoi!

Day 9 - Ninh Binh Day 1: Mua CavES, Thung Nham Ecotourism Zone

The next 2 days we’re on our excursion to Ninh Binh, the Halong Bay on land. We had booked this tour via Viator and was set up with Amazing Travel Corp. It was an early start for everyone to pack up and store our larger luggages with the hotel as our tour guide Son and our driver would be picking us up from the hotel at 7:15AM. It turns out the small group tour was actually a private tour of our group, and we rode down towards Ninh Binh right away. While we were learning how to pronounce our tour guide’s name in proper Vietnamese in the car, we made it to the first rest stop for the morning and got some very mid banh mi for breakfast.

Our first actual stop on the tour was a small village and a visit to a Viet grandpa’s home. Various fruit trees are grown in the garden and area surrounding the each home. Son explained that many locals have left town so only the older generation remains in their ancestral home. Grandpa welcomed us in with tea, and showed us pictures of his family and children who have left for work in larger cities and even aboard. He also showed us how he makes his rice wine right in his home. Starting from milling process, Son walked us through the labor intensive steps to get to a small bottle of wine. The fermentation takes about a month, and multiple distillations to get the right alcohol content. Every part of the ingredient is use resourcefully - the leftover paste from the fermentation is used to seal the distillation setup to prevent the wine from getting smoky. We got to sample the rice wine, and grandpa showed us his chickens and garden of fruits like dates and pomelos, and even gave us some to take with us.

We continued our journey to Ninh Binh and our next stop was the famous Dragon Hill hike - Mua Caves is home to the Ngoa Long Mountain, and it’s a 500 stone steps hike up to the peak to enjoy the amazing views of the Tam Coc rice fields, lotus fields and river. The views were truly breathtaking, despite the weather being slightly overcast (honestly I am not sure how I would fare with the steps in sunny and humid weather as it was already pretty challenging as it was - definitely stay hydrated and take it easy going up!). There are a few mountain goats that will likely take the journey up and down with you as well!

At the peak stations a lying dragon statue and a pagoda, but our guide Son had warned us about getting close to the dragon statue as it gets very crowded and it’s not an actual walking path. We avoided the crowd and saw the dragon head from afar and enjoyed the rest of the views instead.

We spent a little time at the rice and lotus fields as well. In the month of June the lotus would be blooming and it would be a stunning view.

Our next stop was to pick up our bikes to bike to our lunch spot while our driver drives our bags directly to our stay for the night. Son let us through town and we stopped at Nhà Hàng 0km Tam Cốc for lunch. Food was included as part of the tour so I wasn’t expected much but the duck and the eggplant were surprisingly good!

Son sent us to our hotel to rest for the afternoon before our next activity around 3:40PM, but with about an hour and a half I wanted to check out a duck cafe in Ninh Binh that I saw on instagram. It was 6 mins by motorbike and 30 mins walking so I figured we would have enough time to take our bikes out for an adventure. We passed more rice paddies to get to the duck farm Toàn Tôn, and there were a bundle of little chicks huddled up, while the adults and teenage ducks roam around. We ordered some drinks and chilled a little before it was time to head back.

Once we met back up with Son, he took us on our bikes through the backroads for more rice paddie fields, and we came across a family of goats before we made it to Thung Nham Bird Park, an ecological sanctuary for endemic and migratory birds. We first visited the Buddha Cave, Hang Bụt Hiện. The caves itself is totally dark, about 500m long and the waters are around 2m deep. There is a buddha statue formed from natural limestones which was cool to see.

From there we rode our bikes to the next stop to take another boat ride, this time to see the birds. Son had timed our boat ride for when the birds are back, and we saw moon flamingos that have grey and black feathers. Babies of the moon flamingos have black beaks, and as they get older their beaks turn white. They can fly high riding the wind without much flapping, while the stork need to flap and tend to stay higher up on the mountains. We spent about an hour on the boat ride till sunset and it was time to head back.

Just before dark we were leaving the park and heading back to our stay for the night, and while riding on the flat road my boyfriend and I were trying to be cute and hold hands while riding with one hand but we held on for a little too long and I lost my balance. We ended up crashing our bikes and we both ended up with some scraps. My boyfriend took a bigger fall while trying not to fall onto me and ripped his shirt as the bike handle got caught in his shirt. Thankfully we weren’t that hurt but it wasn’t safe for my boyfriend to keep riding as we have a little bit more biking to go tomorrow. We cleaned up our wounds and Son called him a car to take him back to the hotel, while the rest of us biked back (Son biked back while holding onto the extra bike). I felt so bad the whole night and my boyfriend kept joking that he was find riding on the back of someone’s motorcycle for 4 days in Ha Giang but ended up getting on riding a normal bike 😅. Dinner was at the hotel by the pool and we called it a night after a very adventurous day.

Day 10 - Ninh Binh Day 2: Bich Dong Pagoda, Tam Cốc and Hoa Lu, Back to Hanoi

Our breakfast buffet was at the hotel and we were surprised at the selections available! We had an early start today at 8:15AM and the first stop is a short bike ride to Bich Dong Pagoda. Bich Dong is actually 碧洞 in Chinese characters because the stones here are green when you shine a light on it. The Buddhist temple is built inside the cave, and we saw the first level, second level and then the top level. There was a betelnut tree that we saw on the grounds and Son said we could try it later at the market.

After one of the oldest temple/ pagoda in Vietnam, it started raining so instead of biking through rice fields to the local wet market, Son called us a car and gave us all raincoats. At the Chợ xã Ninh Thắng market, we sampled a bunch of fruits. We tried the Vietnamese jujube (the one we tried yesterday was not ripen and this one was much better), sapodilla, a brown fruit that tastes very sweet like brown sugar, eggfruit (Quả trứng gà) that is brown on the outside and yellow on the inside, tastes like sweet potato and egg yolk. We also saw other veggies we’ve tried on this trip like the chayote buds, one of the more expensive veggies in the market. We ordered some fried bananas that were very sweet as well. We stopped at a cafe for coffee to warm ourselves up and Son also let us try the betelnut. We were supposed to chew it a bit and then spit it back out but I didn’t enjoy the bitterness.

The rain didn’t look like it was letting up, but thankfully the boats have umbrellas for us for the Tam Cốc boat ride. All the rowers row with their feet and take you on a 1.5 hour ride down the river and back, passing three caves the name ‘Tam Cốc’ refers to: Ca, Hai and Ba. The scenery was great despite the bad weather, and we saw the dragon hill mountain we climbed yesterday (it looked very empty I guess due to the rain).

Our lunch was at Amazing Garden Ninh Binh and it was too cold to be seated outside after doing the boat ride so we opted for indoor seating. For the final stop of our Ninh Binh tour we headed to the ancient capital city of Hao Lu, built back in the 10th century. There was a king’s ride on display and we saw the temple for the emperor and his sons.

Traffic was pretty bad on the way back to Hanoi and we didn’t get back till closer to 6:30PM. We were dropped off at our hotel, bid goodbye to Son and checked into our rooms to switch to warmer clothing after a whole day of being out in the rain. We then headed to find the turmeric fish spot we found on instagram. Chả Cá Lã Vọng is an iconic Hanoi dish featuring a whitefish marinated with turmeric and other ingredients and cooked table-side with dill and scallions. The place we’re looking for is just called Chả Cá, founded in 1871 and they only sell that one single dish. The restaurant did not have a specific Google pin so it took a little bit for us to find it - it was just about a block from this pinned address. It’s located on the 2nd floor of this family home with its original decor. We all thought the dish was great, but not enough food for the four of us for the price compared to everything else we’ve had in Vietnam.

Post dinner the group split up as my boyfriend and I wanted to make one last attempt to see a train pass by on train street. This time we tried for the other train street future south from town. Grab was very difficult to get in the middle of Old Quarter so we had to walk a little bit and wait for a car. We finally made it to our destination and the coffee shop owners were able to confirm the train times for us. The street wasn’t too crowded in the evening and we picked a spot in the middle because the store owners gave us different info of which direction the next train would be coming in from. The store owner was very nice, and they’ll help you place a beer bottle cap on the train track to have the passing train flatten it for you as a souvenir to take home. We stayed for two trains and even caught a 3rd one as we were heading out. The trains do get very close to you with only about 1 foot clearance if you’re seated (you can hear us screaming in the video), so please follow the store owners’ directions and seat as far back as you can especially if you have long legs. Very glad we got to catch the trains since they may be scaling back operations due to the safety concerns.

It was already 10PM when we were done with the trains, and we decided to meet up with our friends at Purple Blues Bar for some live music. We finished around midnight and walked back to our hotel, passing by beer street and the touristy part of town.

Day 11 - Pho, Temple of Literature, shopping and Bun Cha

Early start today as it’s my boyfriend’s last day in Hanoi and he’ll be returning home first. It’s a bit rainy today but we were out the door by 8:30AM to get breakfast pho at Phở Gia Truyền Bát Đàn, a spot that received a Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2023 - 2025. The place was busy in the morning with people waiting to place their orders. We ordered the everything pho with egg and watched the staff put everything together. The egg was a great addition and it was probably one of the best pho I had on this whole trip!

Once we filled our stomaches it was time for some sightseeing - at the Temple of Literature. Located in the southern part of the ancient capital Thăng Long, the temple dedicated to Confucius was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông. It was initially the Imperial Academy and in 1253 it was renamed and expanded to admit students from common families. Like other structures of the Imperial Citadel, the temple was restored and made smaller for urban planning. It is divided into five courtyards, and despite the rainy weather, there were a lot of people dressed up in traditional Áo dài and taking photos for Tết.

We had a little bit of time after the temple and decided to check out some badminton stores not too far away. We found a few mom and pop stores that actually have some fakes, but also authorized sellers as well. Apparently pickleball has become so huge in the country that a lot of stores switched to selling pickleball gears instead (we did see signs for a pickleball courts in the more rural parts of the country). We didn’t end up getting anything and took grab bikes to meet up with our friends for Pizza 4P’s.

Let me tell you about this spot - we actually tried coming here the first day in Hanoi. At 4PM they had no availabilities and were completely booked out, not only in one locations but all of their locations. So we tried again for a reservation and finally got to try it towards the end of the trip. I had to go try out this pizza spot if it’s getting so popular that they’re opening a location in NYC. Their restaurants are really nicely decorated, and the menu features very innovative pizzas like Thai tom yum pizza with seafood and mozzarella, soy garlic beef pizza, pizza bò kho, and crab tomato cream spaghetti with ricotta cheese. We ordered all of those to share, and they were… just ok for us. I guess we have very high expectations from pizzas as New Yorkers. I wonder how they would be priced in NYC since Pizza 4P’s is considered a bit more elevated in Vietnam compared to other cheap and very good food options, and they’ll be entering a very well established market. I haven’t seen the Korean creative style pizzas take off in the US so it’ll be interesting to see.

The afternoon was spent doing shopping, first in the Old Quarter, then after sending off my boyfriend I met up with others in the other shopping district on the south side of town (P. Bà Triệu). There were many boutique stores but I didn’t end up getting anything - they were either too formal or too girly for my liking. We ended up at a big supermarket WinMart and I did the remaining of my souvenir shopping - picking up some Viet coffee, snacks and dipping salt to load my suitcase.

Since we were already on the south side of town, for dinner we decided to walk to Bún chả Hương Liên, THE Obama Bun Cha spot he visited with Bourdain. The restaurant was pretty busy but has plenty of seating on 4 different floors (one floor seems to be their home and is blocked off), and you’ll spot the encased seating where Obama and Bourdain sat on the second floor. The bun cha was actually very delicious - the pork was tender and I loved adding garlic and the condiments to mine for the extra flavor boost. Their spring rolls were also crispy and packed with meat, just how I like them. My friend and I each took our grab bikes back to the hotel and called it a night.

Day 12 - Final dash to try all the food in Hanoi

First stop of the day was actually to walk to the closest post office to mail myself a postcard. I walked by the market and the first location I got to was open but the person told me the staff won’t be back till the afternoon, and guided me to a different location about 5 mins away. After mailing the postcard (which made it back to the US almost 3 months later!) I walked to get a solo breakfast at Bánh cuốn Bà Xuân. I sat across from two Viet uncles and they recommended the banh cuon dishes they ordered and showed me how they customize their sauce. It tastes like a more meaty version of the Cantonese rice rolls, but I quite like the dipping sauce.

Round 2 of breakfast was for Bun Rieu with the rest of the group, at Bún riêu Cô Hoàn Hàng Lược. It’s a very local eatery tucked in an alley. You know you’re at the right spot when I enter and it was packed with locals. We found a spot to sit (it’s almost squatting really with the low plastic chairs - but you know you’re doing it right the lower the table and chairs) and ordered the soup with everything. The dish came with pork ears and balut but unfortunately no mantis shrimp as it was already sold out when we got there. The broth was flavorful and I wish I was more hungry so I could eat more!

We spent the rest of the morning/ early afternoon walking around town, did some shopping, passing the market and seeing a variety of products packed on bikes (I’ve seen flowers and plants but today I saw porcelain and chayote). I also finally saw the train through the central train street while on a grab bike to our next destination!

We didn’t get to go to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (it is closed on Mon and Fri, and has limited hours only from 7:30 -11:30AM), so we decided to head to the Ho Chi Minh Museum instead. The museum has two main entrances, as it is connected to the park that also houses the Presidential Palace (that’s a separate ticketed entry if you’re interested). The permanent exhibit on the 3rd floor details Ho Chi Minh’s life and the historical events of Vietnam, where from 1945 onwards the country was at war for 30 years total and he passed before seeing the unification of the Vietnam. The museum was smaller than I thought as it was mainly the permanent exhibition that I enjoyed the most. Before leaving the museum grounds we checked out the One Pillar Pagoda, built in 1049 to resemble a lotus flower. We passed by the mausoleum on our way exiting Ba Dinh Square as well.

I had to run some errands so I split up with the rest of the group and headed over to the Old Quarter after I finished. I passed by St Joseph Cathedral on my way to check out a gift shop called Collective Memory, picked up a cute print and a kitchen towel, and had to stop for an early dinner because my stomach was complaining about my irregular meal times. Quán Bánh Canh Ghẹ Út Còi serves Bánh Canh Ghẹ which is a crab noodle that’s much thicker. It wasn’t my favorite of all the dishes I tried but glad I tried out another Vietnamese noodle dish! I finished off my solo wandering at Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake. The highlight was the lit up bridge and the specimens of the famous Hoan Kien Lake turtles. It was said that the Golden Turtle lent his claws to a warrior to make a magic sword to win the resistance war against the Ming invaders - and the warrior returned the magic sword on this very lake after, and the lake was named the Lake of the Restored Sword, Hoan Kiem. The two specimens of the Sword Lake turtles are HUGE, with the most recent one passing in 2016. They weigh over 169 and 250kg each! On my way back to the hotel I took a different route through the Old Quarter, browsed a few more stores before joining my friends for one last hurrah.

We made a last minute reservation at Workshop 14 with instagram message and secured a 9PM slot. The cocktail bar is located in the fancy part of the neighborhood, and its name came from the location - it’s on royal land and there used to be 13 craft villages here, and this cocktail bar is the 14th craft. The decor of the bar reminds me of a Japanese garden and it feels very warm. Our first rounds of drinks included their signature Is One Un Oeuf which was the “bastard child of an espresso martini and a classic Hanoian Egg Coffee”, and The Stormy Weather, a refreshing drink with rum and clarified Dongzu Guava. After 2 rounds we were ready to call it a night!

Day 13 - Heading Home

Can’t believe our Vietnam trip is coming to an end already. Our flight was in the morning and I had one last dash to get some breakfast for the road. I found a banh mi spot not too far from our hotel and was glad we squeezed in one final meal before leaving. Hoping to be back very soon for my Ha Giang loop tour!

Vietnam. January 2026.