March 2020
Rough Draft: Vietnam
Our big trip of 2020 and our first trip to Southeast Asia – Vietnam!
Well it did not happen – Coronavirus apocalypse canceled it for us.
But I did all this work planning what I was hoping to be a perfect itinerary through Vietnam so I wanted to share it in case others are able to go. I am hopeful we will get to try this on out next year. For now, enjoy these beautiful photos from our Boston turned San Diego Sunshine friends who made it there just broke travel restrictions amped up in February – thank you Lauren and Ben for the pictures!
| Day 0 | Travel to Vietnam Land early morning HCM Check into Airbnb Tao Dan Park Binh Tay Market Saigon Food Tours |
| Day 1 | Breakfast at Pho Ngoc Day trip to Mekong Delta Dinner at Quan Anh Vu (bun cha) |
| Day 3 | Breakfast at Nam Giao Restaurant War Remnants Museum Notre Dame Cathedral / Post Office Lunch at Bánh Cuốn Bà Hanh (Banh Cuon) Independence Palace Ben Thanh Market Dinner at Bánh Cuốn Bà Hanh (Banh Cuon) Bún thịt nướng – Nguyễn Trung Trực (bun thit nuong) |
| Day 4 | Breakfast at Little HaNoi Egg Coffee (Góc Hà Nội) Flight to Dalat Check into Airbnb Lunch at Ms. Xi Noodle Shop (mi quang) (2-4PM) Crazy House Xuan Huong Lake Lam Vien Square Cable Car Dinner at Nem Nướng Dũng Lộc (nim duong) Hanh Sua Viet Anh (soy milk) |
| Day 5 | Rent motorbike Pongour Waterfalls Elephant falls (Thac Voi) Coffee plantation (La Viet Coffee / Me Linh Coffee) Flower Farm Coaster/Datanla falls Tuyen Lam Lake Nem Nướng Dũng Lộc (nim duong) Tiem Mi Tau Cao (wonton soup) |
| Day 6 | Breakfast at Pho Tien (pho) Flight Dalat to Hanoi Lunch at Xoi Gia Truyen Ba Thu Check into Airbnb Hoan Kiem Lake St Joseph’s Cathedral Train Station (1500 or 1900) Dinner at Bún chả Hương Liên (bun cha) (Obama place) Bai Hoi (Beer) |
| Day 7 | Breakfast at Cafe Giang/ Phở Thìn Bờ Hồ Day trip to Ninh Binh and Mua Cave Dinner at Quan An Ngon Overnight train to Sapa – Chapa Train |
| Day 8 | Arrive in Sapa Breakfast at Cộng Cafe Ethos Center check in 0800 Sapa – Mountain Experience Dinner at Little Sapa Check into Airbnb |
| Day 9 | Breakfast Fansipan Terrace Cafe Ethos Center check in 0800 Sapa – Ta Phin Homestay |
| Day 10 | Sapa – Ta Phin Homestay Bus to Train 1700 Overnight train to Hanoi – Chapa Train |
| Day 11 | Arrive in Hanoi at 0530 Breakfast at Pho Gia Truygen Bat Dan (Pho) Halong Bay – Bai Tu Long Junk Boat |
| Day 12 | Halong Bay – Bai Tu Long Junk Boat |
| Day 13 | Halong Bay – Bai Tu Long Junk Boat Arrive Hanoi at 1700 Check into Airbnb Dinner at Bahn Mi 25 (Bahn Mi) Quán Gốc Đa (dumplings) |
| Day 14 | Breakfast at Pho Thin (pho) Hoa Lo Prison Temple of Literature Train Street (1500 or 1900) Lunch at Quan An Hung Lau (bun cha) Tran Quoc Pagoda / West Lake Dinner at Banh Cuon Gia Truygen Thanh Van (rice pancake- banh cuon) |
| Day 15 | Breakfast at Bánh Bao Quán Thánh (soy dumpling) Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (0730-1030) Lunch at Nhà Hàng Miến Lươn ĐÔNG THỊNH (eel noodle) Flight Hanoi to HCM Flight home |
If you have been to Vietnam, let me know what I missed and what your favorites are!
Don’t forget to check out all DESKRIB itineraries here!