Two Weeks in Vietnam: Our Vietnam Itinerary

A recap of our Vietnam itinerary from when we spent an incredible two weeks in Vietnam! Our trip took us from Ho Chi Minh City to Hoi An, followed by Hue, Halong Bay and finally Hanoi.

Two Weeks in Vietnam - Halong Bay Vietnam

Wow guys. So Vietnam...

Every trip I take changes me in some little way, but our two weeks in Vietnam truly had a profound impact. Interacting with the people, learning about the history beyond our very American perception, and seeing day-to-day life left me feeling changed.

We really didn't know what to expect when we booked our Vietnam trip. Southeast Asia was always high on our bucket list and I had a special interest in Vietnam, mainly because Anthony Bourdain (my celebrity crush) frequently cites it as his favorite country. We found a great deal on a Gate 1 tour of Vietnam, on a whim (and one bottle of wine) we booked it!

In the two weeks we spent in Vietnam, we learned that even though they have pretty much every reason to not really like Americans, the people we met were some of the kindest and warmest people we've ever met. Everyone we talked to truly just wanted for us to love their country and experience all the wonderful things about it.

We also learned that even though most people think of it as a poor country, it's not really. There's almost no unemployment (the rate's about 2%) and practically zero homelessness. While visually, it might be easy for Americans to see things they’re not used to seeing, like street food, open markets, and mo-peds vs cars, and presume poverty, that’s not the case.

Politically, we weren't sure what to expect. It’s a communist country, but we got the impression it was basically communist in name only. I jokingly called it diet communist. Although it's a single party, communist government, it's a free market economy, and out of the 90 million who live in Vietnam, only 2 million are part of the communist party.

Itinerary for Two Weeks in Vietnam

Next week, I'm going to share a post on the incredible food we enjoyed , but for now, here’s a recap of our Vietnam itinerary and how we spent our two weeks in Vietnam.

Vietnam Itinerary: Ho Chi Minh City

After a 14 hour flight next to the worlds smelliest man (no really), followed by a 3 hour layover and another 4 hour flight, we finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. You probably know it best from the picture of Americans escaping to a helicopter after the fall of Saigon, which ended the war. Now it's the largest city in Vietnam.

After meeting the rest of the group and our (fantastic!) tour guide Tuyen, we started our day with a walking tour of Dong Khoi, a neighborhood once nicknamed 'Paris of the Orient' from when Vietnam was colonized by France. We visited French buildings from that era like the Municipal Theater, old Post Office, City Hall and Notre Dame Cathedral. The highlight of the tour was exploring the alleyways most middle-class Vietnamese call home in the city. They live in very narrow, tall homes, living in the top floors and keeping the bottom floor open for business - selling street food, produce or other goods. It felt really special to get a glimpse into everyday life outside of the touristy locations.

After lunch, we took a bus out to the Cu Chi tunnels. These were impossibly narrow tunnel complexes used for guerilla warfare during Vietnam war - most were only 2 ft wide yet they spanned hundreds of miles. While it was fascinating to learn how they were made and used, it was pretty awful to think about. A place you definitely need to go, but no where I want to go back.

Our tour guide Tuyen showing us how Vietnamese hid in the Cu Chi tunnels. This one was actually expanded for tourists.

By the time we got back it was dark, so Scott and I went out to explore the city at night. We ended up picking up dinner and enjoying it in the big square in front of City Hall. It was absolutely gorgeous lit up at night! After dinner, we went to the rooftop bar at the Rex Hotel, which overlooked City Hall and the brightly lit square. The Rex was an important place for American military activities, both social and strategic during the war, and they definitely were running with that old nostalgia! They had the cheesiest cover band playing pop songs from the sixties and seventies. I debated sharing a couple videos we took, but I just don't think I can bear having a video of me dancing and lip syncing for permanent view on the internet.

Vietnam Itinerary: Hoi An

After an early flight followed by a quick stop for pictures and a beer at China Beach, we arrived in Hoi An for a walking tour. Hoi An was hands down the prettiest town we visited. It's long history as a trading port has given it a unique mix of architectural styles - warm yellow French-colonial homes, intricately carved dark teak wood tube houses, and brightly colored Chinese assembly halls line the flower filled streets. There's also great shopping! Some highlights from the walking tour were the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (I took about 500 pictures of the pretty tiled floors!), the market, and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

Our second day in Hoi An, Scott and I went off on our own and visted My Son, the remains of a complex of Hindu temples built from the 4-14th centuries. The site was pretty heavily damaged during the Vietnam War - you can see the holes from bombs pockmarking the site - it's still incredible. We got there early and were some of the first people at the remote site, so it felt like we were discovering it ourselves. For me, My Son was the highlight of our trip! There's something romantic about old ruins, imagining all the lives

Two Weeks in Vietnam: Our Vietnam Itinerary - My Son

We got back to Hoi An in time for lunch then spent the rest of the time wandering the city and shopping until our Vespa street food tour that night. More on that in next weeks post where I share all the amazing food we had in our two weeks in Vietnam!

Vietnam Itinerary: Hue

As a city itself, I didn't love Hue. It felt kind of depressing - maybe because it poured the whole time, or maybe because of it's tragic history. Still, the Imperial City and tombs we visited were one of the most studding things we visited in our two weeks in Vietnam, and worth a trip to the city on it’s own.

After arriving in Hue, we spent most of the day taking a walking tour of the Imperial City built by the Emperor in the early 1800s. The massive complex was severely damaged during the Tet Offensive, a battle during the Vietnam war, but most of it is well restored except for the Forbidden Purple City, where only the emperor, queen and his concubines were allowed. I couldn't get over the gorgeous distressed red and yellow palette!

In front of the Mgo Mon Gate, the main entrance to the Citadel at the Imperial City.

The next day, our group took a boat cruise down the Perfume River, stopping at the tombs and pagodas lining the countryside outside of Hue. First stop was the Thien Mu Pagoda, which translates to Source of Happiness Tower (love it!!). We also explored the monks quarters out back and learned more about Buddhism (I think they said 60% of the country is Buddhist). Then we went to the royal tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, which sits in this gorgeous location in the mountains. Even though it's only 100 years old, it looks much older than that as time has blackened the concrete structure. From there, we visited the tomb of Tu Duc, then enjoyed an incredible vegetarian lunch prepared by female Buddhist monks. Because Hue is a Buddhist hub, there's a ton of vegetarian food. YAY!!

The emperors afterlife army at Khai Dinh's tomb

The tomb of Kahi Dinh. Somebody was compensating...

After lunch, Scott and I went back out on our own to visit the tomb of Minh Mang. I think it was the most beautiful of the tombs we visited. There were only three other people at the site so it felt really special to be there. Plus, it finally stopped raining, although it was still muddy (as Scott learned the hard way - keep scrolling!)

This path takes you straight back to his tomb, but no one knows exactly where in his tomb he was buried because they were afraid his successors would pee on his grave. I kid you not.

Slippery shoes and mud. Bad combination. At least he made the day of this little Vietnamese boy selling bananas, who about peed his pants laughing.

Vietnam Itinerary: Halong Bay

Halong Bay...no words. Okay, I do have a few words, but none to fully describe how stunning it was. One of the New Seven Wonders of the Natural World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Halong is a large bay filled with thousands of tall, limestone islands. The unique geology was formed by tectonic action and erosion, which created a labyrinthe of oddly shaped islands jutting up from the sea. We took a cruise of the bay, first stopping to visit a cave called the Grotte des Merveilles that was filled with stalactites and stalagmites, then winding our way through the less trafficked areas of the bay. Everywhere you looked there was a new and equally gorgeous landscape!

Vietnam Itinerary: Hanoi

I just loved Hanoi. There was something really charming about the city. Walking the streets, everywhere you looked there was life happening. I pinpoint any single reason, but I kept thinking to myself, "I could totally live here."

The first night we were there, we got in late, so a group of us went out for beers. They have these little stands all around the city where you just pull up a seat and they serve you (pretty crappy watered down) pitchers of beer for about 10 cents. While the beer isn't that great, it's a fun experience and great people watching! After that, we walked all over the bustling area around our hotel, stopping for street food and more crappy, watered down beer.

The next day, we took a walking tour of the city. First we explored the Old Quarter, where each street specializes in selling a different type of good. We also spent quite a bit of time in the food market, which was one of my favorite things to do in each city we visited during our two weeks in Vietnam. From there, we went to the political hub and visited Ho Chi Minh's tomb. While the tomb itself wasn't anything special, it was fascinating to learn how important he is to the Vietnamese. I always thought of him as this 'bad' Communist guy, honestly just because I didn’t know much about him, but we learned he actually wanted Vietnam to join the United States some 20 years before the war so they could gain independence from France. Really, he was just a guy trying to free his country from colonial rule. Visiting his tomb is a huge deal to many Vietnamese - our guide told us with tears in his eyes how heartbroken he was to not be able to help fulfill his grandmothers lifelong dream of visiting his tomb.

These ingredients were assembled together to create this mixture that turns your teeth black when chewed, once a sign of beauty, but now only women in their 80s and up do this.

We spent the rest of the morning at the Hoa Lo Prison, a prison originally used by the French colonists, then used by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam war to house US prisoners of war, including John McCain. Afterwards we visited the Museum of Ethnology. It was really fascinating to learn about the ethnic minorities in Vietnam from our guide, who is also a professor of ethnic minorities. The neatest part was touring recreations of various traditional homes of various cultures found around Vietnam. After a lunch break, we went to a water puppet show, which historically was done in flooded rice fields for entertainment. We spent the rest of the day wandering around town and shopping, essentially finishing our Christmas shopping!

Touring a traditional above ground Vietnamese home

The next day, we wandered around the city with two other couples from our tour. We visited the Temple of Literature, which was packed with students taking graduation pictures then wandered around the picturesque Hoan Kien lake. After a late lunch, Scott and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the city, shopping, exploring markets and eating random street food. We wrapped up our last night there with dinner with the group before heading to a pub with our new friends!

Two Weeks in Vietnam: Street Market in Hanoi

Last night in Hanoi at The Unicorn Pub. This was before our failed karaoke mission!

I hope you enjoyed this recap of our two weeks in Vietnam, and that our Vietnam itinerary helps you if you’re planning a trip! It was honestly one of the most incredible countries we’ve ever visited, and I am already dying to go back. Stay tuned next Wednesday for a recap of the incredible food we had (the street food!!) and fun produce finds at the market!