Northern Vietnam: Part 1

Our first week in Vietnam was delayed approximately 24 hours, and felt like a 7 day dead-sprint of crazy cool adventures. First, we didn't realize you need a visa for Vietnam. You can get a visa on arrival, but you need to have some letter from an online company in order to board your flight [#fail]. Lucky for us, you can get it expedited, so not too much of a delay, but we did need to buy entirely new flights. So, lesson for friends considering Vietnam: get a visa.



We had 2 tours booked back-to-back, which seemed like a good idea before I was dealt the ever-so-comfortable diagnosis of shingles, and Ben began a 6 day stretch of Montezuma's revenge [#travelrealities]. Even with our illnesses, we had such an amazing time meeting cool travelers, and exploring beautiful Vietnam.




After arriving in Vietnam, we spent the whole day going through the Brazilian visa process (in anticipation for our trip to Carnival in February), and jumped on a night train to Sa Pa!

In Sapa, we hiked with some super-cool people from Australia and the US, lead by our fearless guide Shane. Sapa is where the tiered rice paddies are. We trekked for 2 days through local farms, villages and did a homestay (and drank plenty of "happy water"- which is local rice wine that came out of a gas can).  Also: THERE WERE TINY ANIMALS EVERYWHERE! Oh my gawd. So adorable. Like a Vietnamese petting zoo. The whole time

After Sapa, we had a quick 8 hours in Hanoi before we headed for Ha Long Bay! We did 3 days and 2 nights on the boat, which we 100% recommend if you're going to go. 2 days just wouldn't have been enough (plus, you get to go to the pearl farm, and if you are lucky enough to get a husband like mine, you'll walk away with a pair of beautiful pearl earrings!)

We had an amazing time in both places, but we are VERY glad to have 10 whole days in Hanoi to recover and let our bodies find homeostasis again.


If you're looking at either of these places, here are some thoughts/tips:

• November is surprisingly busy for Vietnam. Book in advance.
• We went through Lily's Travel, and were very impressed. They were super responsive and accommodating.
• Sapa:
• This is definitely a tourist hot-spot. Don't plan on staying too long in the town, or heading there without a trekking plan. This isn't a "wing-it" sort of place based on our experiences.
• The homestay is awesome, but it's a homestay. If you don't do well in hay lofts on mattresses covered with a mosquito net, it's not for you. If that sounds exciting to you, it is amazing. And the other people who you will meet are as cool as you, which always makes for a great time.
• The Hmong culture is the most dominant here. Take some time to learn about it!
• There are tons of women and children trying to sell you stuff. Buy it. We didn't, and once we got to Hanoi, we realized people are selling crappy, over-priced, factory imitations of the handmade stuff these women were offering us.
• Ha Long Bay:
• To be totally honest, even though it was beautiful and great, this was the most touristy thing we've done. It is the one thing we both feel pretty "mehh" about. It really felt like you're just tourist cattle getting funneled through the shoot as efficiently as possible. 
• We did Lan Ha Bay, which was further than Ha Long. Another option is Bai Tu Long. If you are going to do Ha Long Bay, splurge for the longer trip to a further bay.
• We've heard horror stories about boats being dangerous or disgusting, so do your research on the ships.
• Take the bus on the way back. They are like luxury buses, and both cheaper and faster than the train.