Sapa is a market town in the Northwest region of Vietnam, near the border of China. Its proximity to Mount Fansipan (the highest mountain in Vietnam) makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. It’s become so popular in recent years that the town has also become famous for over-tourism. There is […]
Sky 22 – A rooftop cafe on the most famous roof in Saigon
Every time I see the rooftop of 22 Ly Tu Trong I can’t help but think about that famous photograph by Hubert van Es that came to symbolize the U.S. evacuation of Saigon. Even if you don’t know the name you would know the photo, as it’s one of the most iconic images of the […]
Notes on Ha Long – the city by its namesake bay
Ha Long is the capital of Quang Ninh province in Northeast Vietnam, and as the name would suggest it’s also the main city of Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam, yet most people visit straight from Hanoi. I visited Ha Long Bay on my first visit […]
Notes on Phan Thiet – Mui Ne Beach, Phan Thiet city, and riding along the Binh Thuan coast
Phan Thiet is the capital of Binh Thuan province, located in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. The main drawcard of Phan Thiet is the beach that runs from Phan Thiet city to Mui Ne town. The beach is marketed as Mui Ne, even though only a small section of the beach is in […]
Hanoi beyond Hoan Kiem – how the metro will open up the city outside the old quarter
Hanoi is a city of over 8 million people that is composed of 12 urban districts, 1 district-level town, and 17 rural districts. Most visitors – including myself – stay in the old quarter in Hoan Kiem district, and visit Ba Dinh District (the political and cultural heart of Vietnam). With a new metro system […]
Notes on Ninh Binh – an abandoned backpacker street and the mega mansions that look like cathedrals
After visiting the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex (the main attraction of Ninh Binh) I visited Ninh Binh City. I had read some reviews saying its not worth visiting, which just made me want to visit it more. To be fair it’s not a place you would choose to visit if you had two weeks […]
Notes on Sam Son Beach – The hyper-local resort city in Northern Vietnam
Sam Son is a beach city in northern Vietnam, 16 km east of Thanh Hoa City (which is 150 km south of Hanoi). It’s not the sort of place that’s listed in Lonely Planet (I checked my 2018 edition), and that’s fair enough. With hundreds of kilometres of beaches to choose from in Vietnam, you […]
Scenic Ninh Binh – The Trang An Landscape Complex
The Trang An Landscape Complex is the name for what most people just refer to as Ninh Binh. That’s the official UNESCO World Heritage name, while in Vietnam it’s the more superfluous Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. Ninh Binh is also the name of the capital city of the province of the same name, though […]
Notes on Thanh Hoa – A provincial capital in the North Central Region of Vietnam
Thanh Hóa is the capital of Thanh Hoa Province, about 150 km directly south of Hanoi. Like Tuy Hoa on the South Central Coast of Vietnam, Thanh Hoa doesn’t get a lot of tourism traffic. I got a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Thanh Hoa as it’s the closest airport to Ninh Binh. […]
Notes on Quy Nhon – an emerging beach city in Vietnam (2020 trip report)
Quy Nhon is a provincial capital in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. I was last in Quy Nhon in 2018, and a 2020 visit wasn’t on my travel radar until I visited the beaches of Phu Yen to the south. After visiting Phu Yen it made more sense to go to Quy Nhon […]
