Vietnam: FREE 9 Day Itinerary 🇻🇳
Day 1: Home >> Hanoi 🇻🇳
The best place to stay in Hanoi is the treasured Old Quarter ❤️. We experienced the best weather in Hanoi during our trip in December 2023 - warm but light and breezy ⛅️
Hanoi stay in 📍Ja Cosmo Hotel 🏨
Activity 1️⃣ - Egg Coffee
Hanoi = coffee culture, so what better way to get exploring than with the signature Vietnamese egg coffee from Cafe Giang - an OG hanoi cafe established in 1946 🥰
While egg coffee wasn't my personal favorite, it's still a MUST TRY when in Hanoi!
Activity 2️⃣ - Try a bahn-mi 🥖
At our hotel reception, we were suggested to try our first bahn-mi's at the famous - Bahn Mi 25 😊
The bahn-mi's in different parts of Vietnam taste different! Hanoi bahn-mi's are supposed to be a stepping stone to the Hoi-An bahn-mi's which are even more delish 🤤
Activity 3️⃣ - Walk by Hoan Kiem lake 🌊
There is SO much to do around the Hoan Kiem lake! Walk by to explore its beauty, eat some yum street food (fresh raw mangos, hot crepes, grilled meat and lots of coffee all around!)
A lot of tourists hire photographers there itself to take some photos of them against this scenic backdrop! 📸
Activity 4️⃣ - Visit train street 🚂
A little further out from Old quarter is the treasured Hanoi Train Street 🚂 There's no way you can leave Hanoi without visiting this iconic location.
Prior to entering the tracks of Train Street, a bunch of restaurants/ bar owners will be waiting to guide you to their joint!
Take what you get because once it gets super packed here you'll struggle to find an owner to take you track-side to enjoy a drink or food while waiting for the train.
Also, refer to the train timetable and reach an hour prior to get yourself situated and ready for the amazing experience of watching a train pass by!
Activity 5️⃣ - Grab a pho 🍲
Another quintessential Vietnamese experience, is trying out their wholesome phos.
You'll find a pho joint on every nook and corner - some street side and some restaurants too.
🍜 - For dinner we got the classic beef pho (if you're non-vegetarian, definitely go with this option - you can't go wrong with it)
Day 2: Ha Long Bay 🦋
We had heard and seen so much about this UNESCO World Heritage site that we knew we had to embark on an overnight luxury cruise to experience it in all its glory.
We booked our luxury cruise on the official website - Halong Bay Tours 🛳
We initially booked the popular Genesis Cruise, however due to it being sold out - we transferred our booking to - Orchid Cruises, where we got a room upgrade!
We also paid $30 extra to get door-to-door pick up and drop service from Hanoi sorted ✔️
The journey from Hanoi Old Quarter to Ha Long Bay was around 2 hours. We made a pit stop at Ha Long Pearl Harbour, where we witness the pearl making process before reaching the Orchid Cruise dock.
Our luggage was then loaded onto a mini speedboat which took us to our luxury cruise! By this stage, we were filled with excitement and anticipation of how our cruise would be 🚢
On arriving on the cruise, we were greeted with a rose petal shower and all the staff waving at us! It was super cute 💙
Activity 1️⃣ - Lunch 🍽
Before checking into our room, we were guided to the restaurant to grab a hot and fresh meal!
The cruise lunch had an array of seafood options, meats and they even custom made vegetarian/vegan food for guests on board on-request. The service from then itself was amazing!
Activity 2️⃣ - Check-in 🛋
All filled up on yummy food, we checked into our stunning room, with views of Ha Long Bay all around!! We couldn't believe what our eyes were seeing 👀
Room Tour 😍👇
Activity 3️⃣ - Cave exploring 🗿
One thing about cruises, they have a jam packed itinerary! Quickly after settling into our rooms, we changed up to head for our cave exploring expedition.
A quick boat and ferry ride later, we were at Cat Ba Island to visit the Trung Trang cave 🪨
We got to learn a lot about how the caves were used by the natives during the Vietnam War and the means in which they collected drinking water and managed to survive their time there.
A very rich cultural and historic experience and lesson!
The entire journey and cave exploring activity amounted to about 1.5 hours after which we headed back to the cruise for the next activity ✔️
Activity 4️⃣ : Happy Hour 🥂
This was one activity we didn't want to miss! Sitting on the cruise deck, we enjoyed some exotic cocktails and snagged amazing 1 + 1 deals 🥳
A TEQUILA SUNRISE + THIS STUNNING VIEW = PERFECT EVENING 😍
Activity 5️⃣: Spring roll making 👩🍳
We took our time to enjoy the amenities of our room and skipped 1-2 activities after which we headed to channel our inner chefs in a spring roll making class.
Activity 6️⃣: 5 Course Dinner 🤤
We were so tired by this stage, that we couldn't wait for dinner! Here we got to enjoy another luxury experience with a delicious 5 course dinner 💯
We were started off with yum seafood soup after which we tried some char grilled prawns and fresh spring rolls for the starters. Our main course was a lovely grilled salmon and a pork kebab. For dessert, we had a very light and refreshing mango coconut pudding 🥭
After a wholesome meal, we enjoyed the beautiful ambience from the sky deck prior to heading to bed 🛌
Day 3: Ha Long Bay >> Hanoi Again 😉
We woke up at 6am in Ha Long Bay to watch the most beautiful sunrise from our room!
Sneak peak below 👇
Activity 1️⃣ - Kayaking in Ha Long Bay 🛶
After watching a stunning sunrise, we headed to the bottom of the cruise to take our kayaks and head out onto the water!
Activity 2️⃣ - Breakkie, Photo-shoot & Checkout ✔️
After burning some calories kayaking, we came back and feasted on a lovely breakfast, did a mini-photoshoot because the scenery was stunning and then checked out of the cruise.
WE WERE SO BUMBED TO LEAVE! 1 NIGHT IN HA LONG BAY IS NOT ENOUGH 😢
Activity 3️⃣ - Journey back to Hanoi 🚌
A speed boat ride and 2 hour bus ride and we're back in Hanoi, Old Quarter ready to explore what the city has to offer for the remaining half of the day 🥰.
Activity 4️⃣ - Note cafe 📝
We headed to the cutest cafe in all of Hanoi - Note Coffee 💕
A 4-story cafe radiating positivity and brewing some amazing coffee ☕️
Our go to coffee order - Ca Phe Sua Da 🤤 = Iced Vietnamese Coffee!
Don't forget to write your own note and feel the magic 💞
Activity 5️⃣ - Dinner at Beer Street 🍻
Looking for cheap beers and an authentic Vietnamese dining experience? Head to beer street! 🍺
For dinner we grabbed the famous street hotpot (vegetables and meat that we got to cook along with noodles on a stove top at our own table) 🍜
Activity 6️⃣ - Street shopping 💞
After a yummy meal, we headed off for some street shopping to 👇
TIP 💡: Do not forget to haggle for your buck! You can manage to get a discount of 30-40% when you bargain 🤯
Day 4: Hanoi 🥰
Activity 1️⃣ - Coffee brewing and tasting experience! ☕️
Kicked off the day with a load of caffeine and an amazing coffee brewing and tasting experience at Raaw Coffee ⬇️
THE BEST COFFEE BREWING EXPERIENCE (Link to book below 🔗)
Activity 2️⃣ - Ride a Vietnamese rickshaw 🛺
Use a Vietnamese rickshaw to travel to your next destination. Such a cute and fun experience 😍
You'll see a bunch of these rickshaws all around old quarter in Vietnam but don't forget to bargain your rate before hopping into one of them! 👆
Activity 3️⃣ - Stop by at Vi Lai Restaurant for lunch ❤️
TIP 💡: Make a prior reservation and ask for the 'Lotus' table (one in the photo above) to get the true and full experience of dining at Vi Lai Restaurant.
Activity 5️⃣ - Souvenir shopping and some more street food!
Walk the streets of Old Quarter, Hanoi before wrapping up for the day!
Here is a list of some of the souvenirs we picked up from Hanoi 🛍
📿 Beaded jewellery
😍 Printed t-shirts
🇻🇳 Vietnam branded fridge magnets
💕 A lot of linens!! (skirts, tops)
☕️ Vietnamese coffee beans
Day 5: Da Nang City 🎉
Took a short flight from Hanoi >> Da Nang ✈️
Flight duration: 1.5 hours ⏳
Activity 1️⃣ - Checked into our hotel 🏨
🏝 Close proximity to My An and My Khe beach!
Activity 2️⃣ - Grabbed lunch 🍔
To snag a bit of a break from Vietnamese food, we decided to head out for some burgers and fries 🤤
We headed to a sponge bob themed restaurant with the yummiest food!
Activity 3 - Walk along the stunning My Khe and My An Beaches 🏝
Both My Khe beach and My An beach are on the same coastal stretch! Spend a relaxing evening getting a beach side massage 💆♀️
There are also a bunch of amazing beach side bars and restaurants to grab a drink at 🍹. The most popular beach bar being - Maia bar 🤩
Activity 4 - Dragon Bridge & Han River 🐉
The area around Dragon Bridge is super lively, lit up with a lot of activities around.
The bridge is built over the stunning Han River! If you do get an opportunity, book yourself a cocktail and cruising experience during golden hour ☀️
Activity 5 - Night Markets & Street Food near the Dragon Bridge 🌙
We stumbled into an amazing night market right at the foot of Dragon Bridge which had a lot of local shopping items and a tonne of street food!
🧃 Had some sugarcane juice
🫖 Authentic ginger tea
🍌 Tried the famous banana doughnut - which I LOVED!
🛍 Bought some cute accessories
Day 6: Da Nang City 🐉
WE WERE SOOO EXCITED FOR THIS DAY BECAUSE WE WERE HEADED TO 📍SUN WORLD, BA NA HILLS 🎢
Activity 1 - Car ride to Ba Na Hills 🚙
We hired a local Vietnamese driver in Da Nang to drop and pick us from Ba Na Hills! It's much cheaper than booking a Grab 🚕
The journey to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang is about 1 hour.
We booked our all-access tickets for Sun World from Klook and it was super convenient ✔️
Ticket cost we paid: $40 USD per person 💰
Activity 2 - Cable car up to Sun World, Ba Na Hills 🎢
On arriving at Sun World base, we had to take the World's longest single line cable car to reach the park area 🚠
It was a good 20 MINUTE CABLE RIDE!
TIP 💡: Carry ear plugs if your ears get affected by air pressure 💨
Activity 3 - French village 🇫🇷🥖☀️
Get off the cable car and head straight into French village to stroll through some charming streets and admire the beautiful architecture!
Super aesthetic and a lot of photo ops 📸💞
Activity 4: Fantasy Park 🤩
Fantasy park is a 3 story indoor amusement park at Sun World 🎢
It consists of some arcade games, 4D and 5D theatres, bumper cars, dare to drop and indoor rock climbing!
I would say to time yourself and not spend more than 1.5-2 hours here because there's so much more to see and you can find a lot of these activities in any amues
Activity 5 - Alpine Coaster 🎢
A super fun railway coaster in Ba Na Hills and a very unique experience! We weren't able to ride the Alpine Coaster since the ride was closed in lieu of the damp weather and sporadic rains.
BUT YOU MUST DO THIS!! WE WERE SO SAD TO MISS THIS 💔
Activity 6 - Golden Bridge ✨
The day we visited Ba Na Hills, the visibility was so low and there was fog EVERYWHERE!
Nevertheless, we made the most of our time there and enjoyed the walk across this bridge 🧡
💡TIP: Remember to be patient if you experience bad weather here. It was raining super heavily one minute and the rain cleared up soon after allowing us to walk through the bridge. For when its rainy weather, remember to carry your raincoats because buying them at Sun World is a RIP OFF.
Activity 7 - Photo ops & headed back to the hotel 🏩
After walking around and taking a lot of photos, we started heading out of Sun World ☀️
The journey to the Sun World base takes about 30 minutes. This includes the walk to the cable car and the 20-minute ride down. The park shuts at 5pm, so remember to give yourself enough time to head out before peak closing hour!
We were super tired at the end of this day so we reached the hotel, freshened up but just ordered food in through the GRAB app 🥱.
Day 7: Da Nang >> Hoi An 🏮
Activity 1️⃣ - My An Beach ⛱
We kicked off the morning in Da Nang with the most serene and peaceful morning at the stunning My An Beach.
We enjoyed a lovely coffee at the beach side and took some time to relax from the hectic few days!
Activity 2️⃣ - Head to Hoi An 🏮
We packed up, checked out of our hotel and used the services of the same driver that took us to Ba Na Hills to drop us to Hoi An ✨
Da Nang to Hoi An was around a 45-1 hour drive 🚘
We stayed at the La'An Central Boutique Hotel in Hoi An! The location was great because it was at a great proximity to Ancient Hoi An and the Hoi An Bridge 💯
Activity 3️⃣: Walk the stunning streets of Hoi An 🤩
There is something about Hoi An and the streets filled with lanterns there that makes it feel super magical!
Walk the streets to explore local shops, amazing views and witness a lot of similarities to the French heritage and culture.
Activity 4️⃣: Get a Bahn-Mi at Madam Khahn - the Bahn Mi Queen 👑
Enjoy a refreshing coconut water with a pork roll and enjoy the rich flavours!! 🤤
Activity 5️⃣: Get your custom tailored outfits!!! 👗
Hoi An is known for their amazing tailor shops and their ability to whip up your dream outfit in a day or two 🤩
There are SOO many tailor shops that you're spoiled for choice. We were recommended a specific tailor by our boutique hotel receptionist so we wasted no time and headed straight there.
Tailor shop name: Bao Diep Tailor 🪡
Nimit wanted to get some linen pants made and I had a silk satin skirt that I wanted to get replicated in few colours.
The tailors took our measurements, we paid up and were told to come back the next day for our 1st fitting! The whole experience made us feel like a million bucks - super cool 🥰
While walking by the dozen of other tailor shops, I fell in love with a cute dress at LeLe Clothing and quickly went in there to place an order for that dress in a lovely lavender colour 💜
Here's a photo of the dress I picked out 👇
Activity 6️⃣: Hoi An Bridge and Hoai River Boating & Lantern Release Experience 🏮
THIS MOMENT FELT LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF A MOVIE!! ✨
A super magical experience and a bucket list item ticked off ✔️
Cost: 2,50,000 VND for the boat for 30 minutes
Walk the stunning Hoi An bridge (in the backdrop of this image) and then pay up for a 30 minute boat ride on the Hoai River.
We got to light a lantern, make a wish and release it onto the water! The entire river was lit up with lanterns and other boats streaming up and down and it was just the most memorable!
Activity 7️⃣: Try the famous White-Rose Dumpling 🥟
These rice paper dumplings derive their name from their white rose like appearance on presentation. They were super yum and contain a filling of a mix of shrimp, mushrooms, bean sprouts and spring onions.
The best place to try your white rose dumplings are 👇
Activity 8️⃣ - Lantern backdrop photos 📸
Get your signature Hoi An post card photos with the dreamiest lantern backdrop ❤️
There are a bunch of street shops that sell these lanterns and allow you to take photos in front of them too! Some shops charge you to take a photo with this backdrop but luckily we stumbled across a free of cost one!
Location below 👇
📍Corner of Duong Nguyen Hoang Street
(This street also has an amazing NIGHT MARKET every day during tourist season) 🥰
That's a wrap on Day 7 💛
Day 8: Hoi An 💖
Activity 1️⃣: Coconut Boat Ride & Crab Fishing 🥥 🦀
Our boutique hotel receptionist arranged our coconut boat ride experience for us as well as the transport to and fro - which made it super convenient.
Coconut boat ride cost: VND 2,00,000 (for two people including transportation) 🚙
We had the best oarsman and guide taking us through the That Cha River! He made the experience so much more fun and took ample of photos of us 📷.
We didn't want to leave this experience without rocking and rolling on these coconut boats! See what that means below 👇
Yes, LOL - but super fun! But if you feel dizzy or nauseous easily, you should sit this one out. We were also provided with cute hats and umbrellas during our basket boat ride and some yum lotus tea and rice crackers after the 1 hour boating expedition.
We had to pay an additional: 2,00,000 VND for two people for this experience 💸
Activity 2️⃣: Tailor fittings 👗
First we headed to LeLe Tailor to pick out my cute dress and it turned out to be SO MUCH BETTER THAN I IMAGINED 💜
Then we headed to Bao Diep tailor to pick up my skirts and Nimit's pants (we were so excited
While you might not be able to see our full fits here - we LOVED our tailor made pieces and if we had more days in Hoi An, I'm sure we'd have kept coming back for more!!
Average price for a tailor made skirt: US$40
Average price for a tailor made short dress: US$45
Average price for tailor made mens pants: US$40
(but we did manage to get a 10-15% discount on the full price) 🕺
Activity 3️⃣: Grab a healthy and wholesome lunch at Nourish Eatery 🧆
Nimit and I really wanted to eat a nice, wholesome and healthy meal so we headed to Nourish Eatery 🥗
We both got some delish falafel bowls, juices and do NOT miss out on their mouth-watering dark chocolate 🍫
Activity 4️⃣: Hoi An Night Market Shopping 🌟
This night market was our last opportunity at shopping for Vietnamese souvenirs - super cute wind-chimes, traditional Vietnamese hats, dream catchers, ornaments and there was also A LOT OF yum food!!
Activity 5️⃣: Walk by your favourite spots once last time ✨
For us, this spot was the Hoi An Bridge ❤️
This was our last activity for the day before we packed up and headed to our hotel to prepare for our check-out and travel back home the next morning 🌞
Day 9: Hoi An >> Home 💌
Activity 1️⃣ - Hotel Check-Out
Last day in Vietnam 🥺
Check out from your hotel and prepare yourself for 2 staples before you head to the airport 🛬
Activity 2️⃣ - Get your last street side Vietnamese Coffee ☕️
Take this opportunity to get a whiff of your favourtie Vietnamese Coffee - for us it was the Ca Phe Sua 💞
The street stall coffee is so much more satisfying and SOOO much cheaper as well!!
Activity 3️⃣ - Grab a nice heavy breakkie 🍳
For your last meal, get your favourite breakfast to prepare for the long day ahead ✨
Options:
- Get a street stall bahn-mi 🥖 (or from the Bahn-Mi Queen if you haven't been there already)
- Grab a wholesome breakfast at Rosie's Cafe, Buttercup Cafe or Basket Boat Cafe🌷
- If you love a dessert for breakfast like me, get the yummy Nutella Banana Pancakes 🍫🥞
Activity 4️⃣ - Drive to the airport ✔️
It's time for the 1 hour drive to Da Nang airport and to depart Vietnam with sweet sweet memories 🥰
Tips & Learnings from our Vietnam trip 😊
- The Vietnamese currency is Vietnamese Dong (VND) 💸
- Conversion rate - 1 USD = 25,000 VND 🤯
- Tipping is NOT mandatory but is heavily appreciated! You can tip anywhere between 10,000 - 15,000 VND to taxi drivers, bell boys etc.
- Buying a SIM card at the airport is a rip off although it might be a mandatory necessity. If you arrange a taxi driver through your hotel, those drivers often sell SIM cards for 1/3rd the cost.
- The Vietnamese love tourists and they are SO prepared for you.
- Although there is a language barrier, they are very tech savvy and use google translate to talk to you!
- Do NOT shop without bargaining unless its a big chain store
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