I’ve always wanted to do what every tourist dreams of doing when visiting Vietnam: traveling the country from south to north and hitting all the must-see cities along the way. This post describes my journey with Dave, a once-random stranger I met at a hostel in Ho Chi Minh City, who quickly became a close and dependable travel companion. Initially, Dave had a meeting scheduled in Hanoi and planned to accompany me only until then. However, plans changed, and we ended up traveling together for the entire trip.
One of the most interesting lessons from our trip, reflecting the Vietnamese culture, is the incredible flexibility and adaptability in everyday situations. We learned that many things are negotiable; you just have to ask. Want to visit a specific city but the bus route only passes through it without stopping? There’s a good chance they’ll accommodate a stop for you even if it’s not officially listed. Looking for a drop-off at a slightly different location? Often, it’s not a problem at all. In all our cases we didn’t even have to pay extra, but just had to rely on our broken Vietnamese.
Throughout our journey from the South to the North of Vietnam, Dave and I explored a variety of places, including Mui Ne, Phan Rang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Quang Tri, and Phong Nha. Later on, my mother came to visit Vietnam, and together, we traveled from North to South, revisiting Da Nang and Hoi An, and also exploring Hue and Nha Trang. Since it aligns well with the theme of this post, I’ll also briefly touch upon our experiences in Hue and Nha Trang.
The Sand Dunes of Mui Ne | June 20-21
Starting from Ho Chi Minh City, our first stop was Mui Ne, famous for its red and white sand dunes. We departed in the early afternoon by bus and arrived after a 4h ride in the early evening at our destination. We had a resort like accommodation, which due the darkness looked a bit creepy. However, this didn’t dampen our mood and we set out for a local dinner. During our meal, we decided to explore Mui Ne through a tour rather than walking to the distant dunes ourselves. Fortunately, we found a promising tour (muinejeeptour) and, to our surprise, they answered our call right away at 9:30 PM. The tour included visits to both the red and white dunes, and the fairy springs. The “catch” was only, that it would start in the very early morning to get the sunrise. After giving it some thought, we decided to book it anyway and they promptly replied at 10 PM.
Back at our hostel, besides us, there was only Kim, a young traveler from South Korea, professional Pool player, who wanted to explore Vietnam before having to do his mandatory 2-year military service back home. When we shared our plan for the next day’s sunrise adventure, he was happy and enthusiastic about joining us. And so, the next morning at 04:30 AM we were picked up to set off towards the white dunes. While I wanted to start my journey as a solo trip, I somehow ended up in this situation. In the early morning darkness, with just a faint light on the horizon indicating at the sunrise, with the only sounds coming from our jeep and Dave’s music box, I deeply felt appreciation on how things just unfolded. The freedom for me to be able to choose whatever I want to do and the opportunity to share the memory with others who carry a similar passion for exploration made me feel like truly living in the moment.
Arriving at the white sand dunes (further north), were already several other tourists. We booked a quad ride to get to the sand dune hot spot. The alternative would be walking it up, but seriously, who would do that. The chilly morning air being warmed up by the slowly rising sun was just an amazing feeling. Afterwards we went to the red sand dunes, located south of the white sand dunes, where we had a light breakfast. The red sand dunes were certainly impressive, but they couldn’t quite capture the magic of our earlier experience. After that we had to split up with Kim as he had to catch an early bus. Dave and I then made our way to the fairy springs, a shallow stream leading to a clay valley-like location, lined with souvenir shops on both sides. Wading through the cool morning water was a refreshing contrast to the rising air temperature. Unfortunately, the waste pollution in Vietnam is quite severe, and the stream was no exception. Despite obvious efforts to maintain cleanliness, traces of trash occasionally showed up – a slightly uncomfortable sight in this overwise calm setting.
Back at the hostel, we had a chance to say one final goodbye to Kim. Afterwards, we ourselves slowly headed to our next city – Phan Rang
Short culture trip to Phan rang | June 21-22
My cousin recommended Phan Rang to me because of its historic connection to the Cham people – an indigenous tribe now recognized as one of the 53 minorities in Vietnam. In fact, this was the very first time I was introduced to the concept of ethnic minorities in this country. There are some very distinctly recognizable ruins build by the Chams several hundred years ago in Vietnam, and my first such ruin I was about to visit would be in Phan Rang. Apart from the ruins, the city features a museum dedicated to the Cham minority and a pagoda complex nestled in the mountains.
Fun Fact: Minorities in Vietnam
“Vietnam is a multi-national state, consisting of 54 ethnic groups. Amon them, The Viet (or Kinh) people constitute the majority with more than 85% of population; the smallest groups being the Ro Mam, Brau, and O Du (less than 500 people).”(from Vietnam Museum of Ethnology). Vietnam’s vast geography with its mountains, highlands and river deltas supported the development of distinct ethnic groups, all adopting their own traditions based on the given environment.
So, after Dave and I checked in in the early afternoon, we utilized the remaining sunlight to explore the Trung Son Co Tu pagoda. In the evening, I had my very first Com Tam, a simple plate with rice, a slice of pork, an omelet and some veggies! The next day we cleared the museum first, which to our dismay only provided information in Vietnamese, before finally heading to the Po Klong Garai Cham ruins a little bit further away in the outskirts. This location, now a national memorial, stands as one of the most well-preserved examples of Cham architecture (vietnam.vn). Despite the area not being particularly large, a quite overpriced cart service was offered at the entrance to the ruins to the uninformed. Well, we were uninformed ourself, but are young, thus decided to walk by foot, which also just took 15 minutes. We finished our trip in the afternoon and continued our journey to the north. The next destination – Da Nang.
(Nha Trang Beach vacation with the family)
So, this section is a little detour from when I traveled from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh with my family. Since it was more of a family-oriented journey, we spend most of our time eating, and whenever possible, at the beach. Although Nha Trang is famous for its beach, we found the waves quite rough, making swimming or simply relaxing on the sandy shore less enjoyable than expected. However, here we were able to once again see remnants of the Cham tribe at Po Nogar.
The city beach Da nang | June 23–26
During my trip, I discovered that Da Nang was my favorite city in Vietnam. It’s essentially a city beach, with the entire eastern side facing the ocean. The beach stretches all the way from south to north and is exceptionallyclean. If you stay in one of the hotels at the main street, you literally would only need to step outside and bamm are already at the beach. The city offers a variety of attractions and stunning views. To the north, there is the Monkey Mountains and the Lady Buddha statue, while the Marble Mountains are located in the south, with quite an interesting hike. Further inland lies the famous Ba Na Hills, known for its iconic stone hands, just about 30 minutes from Da Nang. Additionally, Da Nang features an international airport and an abundance of restaurants serving fresh seafood.
We departed Phan Rang in the late afternoon and took an overnight bus to get to Da Nang. It takes roughly 12 hours and we arrived around 5 AM. Not having an accommodation yet, quite tired from the bumpy ride, and dropped off at the middle of nowhere, we decided to get the next available Grab driver and his recommendation for a hotel. Here we quickly freshened up, took breakfast and then fell into a good nap until noon. With half the day still ahead of us, we decided to check out the famous lady buddha first.
The Lady Buddha statue is located at the monkey mountains, on the northern peninsula in Da Nang and is the tallest buddha statue in Vietnam (ladybuddha.org). It was just recently finished in 2010 and the surrounding area does look quite well-maintained and clean. Even though the temple area is located at the base of the mountain, I’d still suggest using some form of transportation rather than walking. There is no proper pedestrian path and the distance is somewhat far, even though google maps says otherwise. Following the road even further up the mountain, it is common to spot small wild monkeys along the way. It’s said, that it is possible to drive or ride a bike to the mountain’s peak, but a manually shifted bike is necessary due to the steep incline. Despite what we read online, our driver eventually led us to a dead end, suggesting an entrance fee to some kind of resort for further access, which did not make any sense. However, considering our long day and the approaching evening, we didn’t pursue further and called it a day. On a return visit with my family some weeks later, we attempted to reach the peak again, this time taking a different route. However, we were still unable to reach the top as guards, now legitimately, informed us the road ahead is closed at 5 PM to prevent difficulties descending after dark.
In our remaining time, we took it slow, slept in, staying at the beach days, and did some sightseeing. We were lucky to be in Da Nang during an international firework festival, where countries competed with their firework shows every weekend, each lasting around 20 minutes. However, I think because of the festival, the usual fire-breathing show at the dragon bridge was put on hold (vietnamtourism.gov.vn).
When I stayed in Ha Noi, I met Dat – a friendly young guy who was exceptional at volleyball, studying German and already trained as a cook, hoping to spend some time in Germany. We kept in touch on Instagram and found out we were both in Da Nang at the same time. Turns out, he was prepping for a German test and so we decided to hang out. At dinner, when Dave and I talked about our plan to visit Hoi An the next day, he offered to show us around in the evening, knowing the area well since he partly grew up there. He also mentioned we could stay in his hometown, Quang Tri, for a more traditional experience. We weren’t sure about the whole plan yet, but decided to start with dinner in Hoi An.
Lanterns of Hoi An | June 27-28
Hoi An is located south from Da Nang, and it takes only 30 minutes by a Grab Taxi costing only 300k Dong. It’s particularly famous for two things – its old town center, characterized by yellow-walled houses and the lanterns decorating both the streets and the river, as well as the unique basket boat tour through the coconut forest, which is partly submerged in water. Naturally, we experienced both of these iconic activities. Actually, just a few weeks before our trip, Dave had explored Hoi An on a similar sightseeing tour with another friend. And, amusingly enough, I found myself revisiting the same sights with my family a few weeks later.
Fun Fact: About the coconut forrest
Our boat coconut boat tour guide gave us the following fun facts:
• The coconut plant, rich in fiber, has been traditionally used for house insulation due to its durable and resistant properties.
• Historically, the Coconut Forest in Hoi An served as a shelter for boats during the typhoon season, its dense growth helping to protect against strong waves by absorbing the impact.
• The specific species of coconut found here reproduces in a manner similar to strawberries, either through seeds or stems from the mother plant.
• The term “Bay Mau” in the Bay Mau Coconut Forest refers to the original size of the forest, which was seven hectares.
There is a very famous and renowned Banh Mi shop in the old town center. Interestingly, just a few weeks after our visit, this shop made headlines in a Vietnamese newspaper for a severe case of food poisoning. It seems, in Vietnam, anything can happen.
We also met up with Dat, who took us to a restaurant located just outside the city center. There, we enjoyed a fresh meal away from the touristic hotspot featuring a variety of traditional dishes, all while enjoying an awesome view of the sun slowly setting at the peaceful rice field.
(Imperial City Hue and the hidden dragon)
While Hoi An is to the south of Da Nang, Hue lies to the north, just about a 2-hour ride away. Knowing my family planned to visit Hue, I decided to skip it while traveling with Dave, and to explore it at a later time with them. This city served as the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors from 1802 to 1945 and is especially rich in historic culture. The notable highlights are the tombs of the passed emperors and the provided historical background information.
Hue feels quite compact, with a river cutting through it that separates the Imperial City from the rest of the town. Near the Imperial City, there’s a lot of green space, so it doesn’t feel as cramped or polluted as bigger cities like Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh.
Fun Fact Lanh Minh Manh ~1820
King Minh Mang, known to have had 500 wives, faced a severe drought during his reign. Pondering over the possible causes of this unfortunate event, he returned home and noticed the overwhelming number of women in his garden, leading to an imbalance between male and female energies. In response, he decided to set 100 women free. Bamm! 3 days rain non-stop.
Also, he had a schedule which involved him having intercourse with 3 to 5 wives per day.
He also made the stairs leading to his pavilion exceptional steep, which would make people who ascend them bow down with each step symbolizing bowing to the emperor himself.
Fun Fact Khai Dinh ~1916
Khai Dinh is often remembered as a controversial emperor, known for his gambling habits, being perceived as a puppet for the French colonial powers, and having a weak constitution. Despite these criticisms, he also played a significant role in introducing and advancing Western culture and art in Vietnam.
Allegations suggest that Khai Dinh may have been gay. He had 14 concubines, with whom he rarely had intercourse. During performances, when women were dancing for him, he would often halt the performance midway and request male dancers instead.
Fun Fact – Name of the flower
The name of a past emperor’s mother was Hoa, which translates to “flower.” Out of respect, it was considered impolite for other citizens to share her name, prompting those named Hoa to change it. As a result, in central Vietnam, the word “Hoa” for flower is less commonly used, with “Bong” being preferred instead.
Fun Fact – The three gates
A keen observer might notice, that in many royal places there are three gates or paths. The middle entrance was reserved for the king, while men and women used the side doors separately.
Another rather untraditional sightseeing in Hue is the abandoned waterpark, which was mentioned as a hidden gem in social media quite often in recent years. It’s basically a place that was meant to be a big waterpark but got left unfinished. Getting there was a bit tricky as there is no official entrance. After we drove to one of the gates, we had to walk additional 15 minutes to get to the main dragon structure. Some sources report, that sometimes you would run into a guard, which asks people to leave, or alternatively pay up some dubious fee, but luckily, we did not experience such thing.
Side Questing in Quang Tri | June 29-30
We spontaneously decided to take up Dat’s offer to visit his hometown in Quang Tri, where we were able to stay at his parents’ house overnight. Our journey from Hoi An to Quang Tri was undertaken by a sleeper bus. Upon arrival, in what felt like the middle of nowhere, I encountered a situation that would later significantly impact my entire Vietnam journey—I couldn’t find my passport anymore. Meanwhile, I faced another pressing matter: an online presentation for my diploma thesis was scheduled for that day, leaving me no time to worry about the lost passport for now. So, as we waited in a coffee shop for Dat, I nonchalantly held my presentation. And that is how I finally completed my studies in an unexpectedly random city, with the weather having the perfect temperature on a random Thursday afternoon.
In the evening, we came together with Dat’s parents for dinner and had a good night walk along the beach. The city was much smaller than I am used to and some areas were completely dark by 8 PM. After such an eventful day, it felt like the right time for us to hit the sheets early as well.
The next day, the hotel owners got back to me but without any good news, they didn’t find anything. So, I had to go to the local police to report my missing passport. Here the young police officer told me, I would need to go back to where I supposedly lost the passport, which would be 4 hours away back to Hoi An. After consulting my embassy and realizing no alternatives, the officer suggested we could report the loss as having occurred in Quang Tri instead.
Interestingly enough, by Vietnamese regulations, one is not allowed to host (foreign?) guests unless they report that back to the city council (or whatever), to probably somewhat track of tourists coming into the country. So technically, Dat would need to testify and report back, that we really stayed the night over at his house. The thing was though, that we already said our good byes and he was off to Laos for a volleyball tournament. After some back and forth, the officer was luckily kind enough to allow me to adjust the report as needed.
However, now that I officially have no passport, I was obligated to go to my embassy as fast as possible, which also meant to cut the remaining trip short.
Fun Fact: The Dividing Line Between South and North Vietnam
On our way to get some breakfast, we drove by a what seemed to be an unremarkable bridge. In fact, that was the Hien Luong Bridge, a site of great historical significance as it once served as the dividing line between North and South Vietnam (bestpricetravel.com).
Detour to the caves of Phong Nha-Ke Bang | July 01
I had to immediately go back to the German embassy … on a Thursday afternoon, while I was in the middle of Vietnam. Well, no way I would make it by Friday, right? So instead, after giving it some thought and with Dave’s reassuring perspective, we instead did go on a short detour to Phong Nha-Ke Bang instead.
This area is known for its extensive cave systems, though it turned out to be more popular with tourists than I expected. I actually thought, that we would be on an adventure tour, but in reality, the caves were accessible via a well-maintained path complete with handrails, making it less exciting than expected. Despite the lack of thrill, the caves’ vastness and depth were undeniably impressive and definitely worth a visit, while in the surrounding area.
Fun Fact: The largest underground cave Hang Son Doon
Here in Phong Nha-Ke Bang there is but a real adventure cave waiting for you – the Hang Son Doon. It is the world’s largest underground cave, with a length of nearly 9km and even has its own eco system (oxalisadventure.com). You can book a guided tour which would take 6 days with a price tag of 3000 dollar, but also include the service of 2 cooks and 17 porters to assist with the journey. However, as of now (April 2024), tours are already completely booked out for 2024.
Arrival in Ha Noi | July 02
Dave and I eventually arrived in Ha Noi. Together, we enjoyed a last Bun Thit Nuong before bidding each other farewell and going our separate ways. Fortunately, I would have the chance to meet him several more times across Vietnam in the upcoming months.
