Vietnam is a very geographically long county, with big attractions in both the north and the south. Instead of rushing to explore the whole country in 9 days, explore just the northern side of this beautiful country that is rich in culture and food. There's so much to see, you can easily spend 2 weeks soaking up all the unique parts of Northern Vietnam. From cruising the famous UNESCO world heritage site of Ha Long Bay, hiking rice patty fields in Sapa, to haggling over a dollar in Old Quarter Hanoi, you can truly immerse yourself in the rich culture and nature of Vietnam.
Day 1 & 2 - Exploring Hanoi
Over 5 million people call Hanoi home and as you walk around you will see and hear many of them. We spent 2 days walking around Old Quarter - getting suckered into overpaying for some donuts, eating amazing pho, and checking out some of the historical sights. One of the highlights of this was going to the night market. There are hundreds of goodies and souvenirs you can pick up here from magnets, wallets, shoes, and backpacks however, you must plan your trip accordingly because the night market is only open on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Check out my full blog about money, massages, and meals in Hanoi!
Ninh Binh is a city south of Hanoi, but most tourists spend their time in Tam Coc smaller city near Ninh Binh. Traveling to Tam Coc by luxury limousine allowed us to get dropped off at our hotel, Tam Coc Garden Resort. If you can, I would recommend staying closer to the Tam Coc city center since it's fairly small and very walkable. We had access to free bikes and rentable scooters at our hotel and would highly recommend finding some if you can. Finding a taxi or a Grab is not easy in the small town of Tam Coc, but the locals were very helpful and would help us call a taxi when we weren't able to get a Grab.
We choose to spend 1 night at a resort in Ha Long Bay before boarding the cruise and spent a lot of time debating between the VinPearl or FLC. We chose FLC since we were interested in playing golf at the resort and were not disappointed at all. The resort was beautiful and a great place to relax for the day. Read a full post about it here.
Day 6 & 7 - Cruising in Ha Long Bay
We went on Stellar of the Seas for a 3-day/2-night cruise. It was one of the priciest cruises around. If you're balling on a budget, I would choose another cruise line. If you are looking for total luxury with your own assigned butler, then I would recommend giving this cruise line a shot. We enjoyed the small details of the cruise like having snack waiting for us in the room after going out on an excursion. Click to read my full blog post about our time on Stellar of the Seas.
Day 8 - Departing from Ha Long Bay
The ride from Ha Long Bay back to Hanoi was about 2.5 hrs and your driver will likely stop for a small 15-minute restroom break along the way. The new hotel we stayed at was Hanoi Garden Boutique in Old Quarter. Our receptionist was able to point out a place that had great exchange rates, it was even better than what Google was showing for that day! I highly recommend asking your hotel for their recommendation on where to go to get the best exchange rates.
Day 9 - Last minute shopping in Hanoi
On our very last day, we signed up for a food tour, which we wish we had done earlier on the trip. Our tour guide showed us some of the classics that we had been enjoying all along like pho, egg coffee, and B mi but she also showed us some new food like pandan sticky rice.
Alternatives
+ 1 day - I would take a trip to Mai Chau before visiting Ninh Binh for some extra time in Vietnam's natural beauty. There are plenty of tourist vendors that will be able to provide options for getting a tour of rice terraces and the jungle of Phu Luong
- 1 day - I would skip the resort at FLC Ha Long Bay. While it was nice to relax, the Ha Long Bay cruise offers plenty of time for relaxing especially if you choose a nicer cruise line as we did.
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