The Trip to Vietnam was our first international of the New Year 2025!
With Wifey's birthday approaching in Feb, Vietnam made the cut, and that turned out to be a great, fun filled trip and value for money.
Our 5 days trip to Vietnam was quite packed with a lot to cover but we experienced a great flavor of Vietnamese culture and history.
With its fascinating history, gorgeous landscapes, tasty food, and vibrant energy, Vietnam will awaken all your senses and pull you in from all angles.
Vietnam as a country stabilized mainly after 1995 and to make such progress in 30 years is really phenomenal; thanks to the courageous citizens who did not loose hope and are striving hard to strengthen their economy.
Tourism is growing rapidly in the country thanks to the citizens their humble attitude are winning tourists hearts. Vietnam for me stands out to be a brilliant travel destination in terms of hospitality.
Travel Agent: Seni Travel Ltd. Contact Name and Number: Jasmine @ +84 39 432 7986.
The service was excellent and covered everything as per the itinerary. Jasmine helped customize my package along with E-Visa formalities and was always available to assist on any queries. Our trip was very well coordinated and everything was covered as per the itinerary.
Flights: VietJet is economical to travel between Mumbai and Hanoi. We used the below flights:
Vietnam Airlines Mumbai --> Hanoi --> Da Nang Booking source: GoIbibo
VietJet Air Da Nang --> Hanoi (Internal) Booking source: Yatra
VietJet Air Hanoi --> Mumbai Booking source: Yatra.
Hotels: 1. Santa Luxury, Da Nang - Rated with 4.8* on Google. 5 mins walk to My Khe Beach. 15-20 Mins drive to Da Nang Airport.
2. L'Heritage Hotel, Hanoi - Rated with 4.8* on Google. Walkable distance to the Hanoi Night Market.
Food: Vietnamese cuisine is good which is the most popular, but in tourist places you do come across a variety of options eg: Thai, Indian, Chinese cuisines. Personally, food is not a challenge in Vietnam for Indians.
Experience: We had a packed 5 days 4 nights schedule as detailed below.
Flight: Mumbai --> Hanoi --> Da Nang (Total 9 hours with a 3 hrs 45 mins layover at Hanoi)
Our trip to Vietnam began from Da Nang.
Places covered: Da Nang --> Hoi An
After a quick check-in at the Hotel at Da Nang; our group tour to Hoi An began.
Hoi An is such a colorful city; you can find lanterns all around the Hoi An city.
Things to Cover in Hoi An:
1. Coconut jungle boat ride
2. Hoi An Market; Chinese temple; Japanese bridge.
3. Boat ride releasing the flower lanterns (in the evening).
4. Hoi An is famous for Egg Coffee.
Monkey Mountain -- Marble Mountain -- Bana Hills -- Da Nang.
Lady Buddha Statue: We started off the day visiting the Monkey Mountain; where enormous 67-meters-tall white statue with the mountain backdrop is built - the Lady Buddha also known as the Goddess of Mercy as believed by the locals.
The Marble Mountains is good for hiking experience.
Tip: Involves a lot of steps to climb, tourists should be prepared with good shoes in case this needs to be covered. Not recommended for people who do not like to climb too much.
The best part of our trip was visiting the Ba Na Hills. Da Nang visit would not be complete if Ba Na Hills trip is not covered; I would say it is as 'Must' visit place when in Da Nang.
Ba Na Hills is absolutely huge and offers a lot of activities, covering every part may take an entire day.
Ba Na Hills includes 3 zones: foot of the mountain, the Flower gardens and French village in order of altitude.
Foot of the Mountain: This is where the cable car stations, parking, ticket counters, a large three-arched gate, and various services are located.
Flower Gardens: This area features various gardens and is a popular spot for photos.
French Village: This zone is known for its French-inspired architecture and attractions, including the Mercure Ba Na Hills French Village.
On our journey back to the hotel we chipped in to visit the beautiful Dragon bridge.
Flight: Da Nang --> Hanoi
With an early morning flight we landed at Hanoi and transferred to the hotel and post lunch we started off for Hanoi city tour.
Things to Cover in Hanoi city:
1. Temples of Literature; first university of Vietnam
2. Trấn Quốc Pagoda, located in middle of the West Lake.
3. Hoa Lo Prison, built by French.
As per the schedule we began our trip early morning from Hanoi to the Ha Long bay.
About Ha Long Bay: Located a distance of 173 km from Hanoi; the Ha Long bay is a very popular travel destination. The name Hạ Long means "descending dragon". The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and sizes.
Experience: Upon arrival at Tuan Chau Harbor we were transferred to a Premium Cruise where our trip began.
The Day trip at Halong Bay started off with Lunch and included the below activities:
1. Sung Sot Cave - Also known as 'Surprise Cave'. A huge and beautifully maintained cave
2. Titov Island: A small island with a beach and a viewpoint offering panoramic views of the bay.
3. Bamboo Boat Ride / Kayaking: We chose the Bamboo Boat ride.
After some snacks and celebrations we were transferred back to Hanoi.
The Hanoi Train Street is offers a unique and thrilling experience with cafes; shops; houses close to the railway tracks and the trains pass by.
The area is usually flocked with tourists; a good spot for clicking pictures.
Flight: Hanoi --> Mumbai
As our departure was scheduled in the evening, to make the best use of our time we visited a lovely place Quang Phu Cao Incense Village.
To summarize; we had a wonderful trip to Vietnam and an amazing time, the tour was very well managed. We will definitely look forward to travel once again in future to cover other places in Vietnam eg: Saigon / Sapa, etc.
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