Vietnam Tour (Hanoi | Halong Bay | Sapa) Places and Foods

Hello there!

Today I am going to share with you guys about my tour to Vietnam in December 2016. 

I was suppose to blog about Taiwan first but since everybody is more excited about Vietnam, 

I might just follow your will 

see, bloggers do what bloggers do

So Vietnam it is!

So it was a 7D6N tour to Hanoi city, Halong Bay, and Sapa. 

Mum book the flight ticket at the price RM600+  per person so it's consider cheap. 

First thing first,

You guys should watch this video I made just to get an overall idea of what I have done and where I have been.

If you haven't watch it, Please click the play button RIGHT NAAOO

*720p resolution is available so make sure you click it in the bottom right corner. 

Before I start, I just want to say something. 

Blogging has becoming harder ever since I started working. 

And blogging is neither an easy job. 

Take this post as an example, before I even stat blog, 

I have to select the pictures out of TONS OF THEM,

edit them, 

and upload them 

THAT's ONLY the PICTURES Part.

Then video. 

Select, edit, trim, split, filter, caption, music etc etc etc. 

I know for the readers, you guys can just read this post within an hour, 

But I made this up in A MONTH!

well plus minus that. 

So do please appreciate each and every post that the bloggers posted up. 

It might be just me that used up lots of time in editing and blogging,

but each of the bloggers has put up their effort to sit in front of a laptop and think about what to write for the next one. 

I have received quite a few compliment about my blog and I do really appreciate that. 

It shows that my hard work has paid off. 

And I do hope that eleanor dream land is really a platform ofor people to enjoy and have fun reading at. 

So let's begin!

A snapshot from insta story to begin. 😁😁

Me and my beloved mum first selfie upon landing in Vietnam. 

First meal in Vietnam: their famous Pho.

It's some kind of noodles soup which is rich with their local spices. 

The rice noodles are chewy and smooth while the soup are clear and strong with taste. 

One of the Must-Try in Vietnam. 

Another Must-Try is the local Vietnamese coffee. 

You can either drink it plain (without milk), or with milk. 

The milk is not the usual milk but condensed milk so it can be quite sweet for some people,

but with the adding of condensed milk, the taste of the drink can be quite special so give it a try. 

It was quite chilling at the moment so I went out with a jacket and scarf to keep the body warm. 

We went for their popular Water Puppet in Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.

If you are a fans of ancient tradition, 

You should check it out. 

The show play on certain time so you will need to check on their schedule. 

They will provide brochure at the counter to explain the story told in the show since they play it in Vietnamese language.

For those who are not into traditional show, you might want to skip this as it can become quite boring and sleepy. 

Next thing you can try is the buffet at Sen Tay Ho Restaurant. 

It's stated as the biggest buffet in Hanoi and I truly believe that. 

IT'S HUGE.

I'm only able to take this picture since I spent the rest of the time eating and searching for food lol. 

Even so, I manage to capture some food in the video so you can definitely check it out!

Yummy, tasty and absolutely AWESOME.

I love Christmas! 😍😍😍

The next day we went on cruise for a 2D1N at Halong Bay. 

Some of the food that we ate on cruise. 

Visited Sung Sot Cave, the most beautiful cave in Halong Bay.

 

The view captured after hiking up to the Ti Top Hill.

Party at the cruise!

Next day, woke up with the view like this 😍😍😍

Breakfast

Went Canoe with my brother as a team. 

And let me tell you, canoe can be so fun when you are doing it with a nice weather! 😊😊😊

Local street food ordered by my beloved tour guide. 

I will try get the name for each of the dishes and update it again hahaha 😁😆

Next thing, train to Lao Cai  (journey to Sapa)

We booked the night train and it was my first experience to sleep on a train. 

It was fun for the first time but it will be a nightmare if I were to sleep on it everyday. 

The train stop every station and it was so shaky that we have not get a good night sleep. 

Nevertheless, it was a memorable experience. 

Able to take a picture with the captain! 

Ate a bun as hard as rock and as big as my face LOLOL

Everyday I crave for this: Vietnamese coffee. 

It was Sunday so we were able to catch up with one of the most significant market in Vietnam:

Bac Ha market. 

It is a big market epitomized the cultural values of the minorities in remote mountainous areas in Vietnam.

And it is only 7km from China so you can actually went China for round trip (just kidding) 😂

We tried horse meat when we were in Bac Ha market

I'm not really sure if I like it though. 

We have also tried the local rice wine and guess what, 

it contains 40% alcohol.

So my stomach literally feel the burn once I took a sip. 

JUST A SIP.

Once thing special about this market is that it's covered with rich culture where the people are still wearing traditional clothes.

They married at young ages so you can often see young girl with babies around. 

They speak in local languages so it's actually quite hard to understand even if you know the formal Vietnamese language. 

And also, they sell dogs and buffalos at one corner of the market (up the hill),

so be sure to check it out. 

The hotel we spent a night in Sapa. 

I think it's Bamboo Hotel, can't remember hahaha. 

After dinner we spent time chilling at The Hill Station. 

One of the special beer at Vietnam is their Crafted Beer (or called IPA) and this cafe served the best according to my tour guide. 

Some of the pictures of the local people in Sapa.

Mum actually brought some sweets to share with the kids and they were so freaking happy!

It's good to share happiness.💓😊

Night time, we spent time trying another local special coffee

The Vietnamese Egg Coffee.

We ordered the Matcha version since it's their new edition.

The taste was rich with sweetness, but not strong with coffee.

For coffee lovers like me, I'd still prefer the classic Vietamese coffee, 

but it doesn't hurt to try their other coffee. 

So this one is pretty good. 

We tried it at Giang Cafe, one of the best coffee shop located in Hanoi city.

Every morning I woke up with this during the tour, 

and I can never get bored with it. 😋😋😋

Another favourite food of mine is their fish rice noodles. 

they called it  鱼和粉 （yu he fen)

You can check the way of eating it in my video.

Honestly, I never like fish meal that much.

This dish really break my record. 

After lunch we went to 36 Cafe near the street to try the local coffee. 

We also tried sitting on their small stool,

just like the local would do. 😊

Yummy!!!!

Went for beer again at The Hill Station (Hanoi branch)

Tried the buffalo meat and I love it!

It is very hard to bite but it served good with beer.

And yes, the chili is so spicy and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. 

So that's the end of it!

Itinerary:

Day 1 - 15th Dec 2016: Hanoi arrival - Welcome dinner 

Day 2 - 16th Dec 2016: Hanoi - Halong bay - Stay overnight on boat 

Day 3 - 17th Dec 2016: Halong bay - Hanoi - night train to Sapa

Day 4 - 18th Dec 2016:Lao Cai - Bac Ha Sunday market - Sapa 

Day 5 - 19th Dec 2016: Sapa - Lao chai - Ta Van - Hanoi

Day 6 - 20th Dec 2016: Hanoi city tour

Day 7 - 21st Dec 2016: Departure

*For this whole tour, ground tour is about RM 2000 per person (not include air ticket)

*If you are interested to know more about the ground tour, feel free to contact me on the comment down below or straight contact the agent at +60163811611 (Kim)

Have a nice day! 😊😊😊

Recommended Places:

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Sen Tay Ho Restaurant

Halong Bay

Ti Top Hill - view of Halong Bay

Canoe at Halong Bay

Sung Sot Cave

Bac Ha Market

Ho Chi Minh Complex

Temple of Literature

Museum of Ethnology

Recommended Food:

Vietnamese Street Food (soon update)

Pho

Horse meat

Buffalo meat

Rish Rice Noodles

Classic Vietnamese Coffee @ 36 Cafe

Vietnamese Egg Coffee @ Giang Cafe

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Rice Wine @ Bac Ha Market

Crafted beer @ The Hill Station