Hi guys,
Today I want to share a backpacking trip I did several years back when I was 18 with 4 of my friends (I was the only girl and one was 66 years old vet in US-Vietnam war).
All of us traveled by overnight buses the whole trip starting from ho chi min to Hanoi with 4 stops on the way.
To be honest, the whole trip was tough. I always joke and say these days whenever I mention about this trip: it was tough. Been there done that. Never again. Haha
Vietnamese people tried to rip us off in every possible way. Our bills in every restaurant were always wrong. Every one. Wondering why? Vietnamese dong has many zeros and many foreigners suck at math and don’t even check if the total to pay is correct or they simply don’t care for a few bucks. Luckily our veteran friend advised us to check the bills at all times and guess what they were all wrong.
So guys, don’t forget to check your bills if you get a chance to visit Vietnam!
The roads were very shitty and the rides were very bumpy. People honk a lot in Vietnam. Its like their way to say hi to each other on the road. I never had a good night sleep on the bus for a whole month. Everyday I was like a sleep walking zombie.
Below let me touch on every city we stopped along the way with some images.
1. Ho chi min city
Stayed in ho chi min for a week in the city center. Very busy. Lots of motorbikes. We were lucky to witness the national day when we were there. Around 8pm at night on the national day, millions of motorbikes on the street stopped for 15 mins while the anthem was playing thru out the whole city. All the streets were packed by motorbikes and people and all the traffic stopped. How spectacular was it? You have no idea. These images might give you an idea.
2. Da Lat
Da Lat is a French influenced city with a different climate than most other Vietnamese cities due to its altitude. It’s up high on the mountain, which means the bus ride in and out the city was amazing and something I’d never forget. Steep and dangerous. It was like a 3 hour roller coaster ride followed by a disturbed stomach. The view though in between mountains was amazing. It’s definitely worth a try if you can handle the upset stomach after.
3. Nha trang
This is a beautiful sea-side city overtaken by Russians. Tons of Russians and stores with Russian signs on the street. A must visit in nha trang is vin pearl island! It’s an island where you take the longest cable car over the ocean to get. On the island theres resort and an amusement park, water park, beach and all sorts of other entertainment facilities. I’d say that was the high light of the whole Vietnam trip.
4. Hoi an 
Hoi an is an old city where there were lots of old historical structures and lanterns. It was peaceful and quiet.
5. Ha tinh
Ha tinh is in a countryside city in Vietnam, it was in the middle of nowhere. A good stop if you want to get a taste of authentic Vietnamese countryside.
6. Hanoi
Last stop is Hanoi. Hanoi is also a populous city like ho chi min. I liked how people stuffed all these alleys and sit on little chairs and eat and chat. It was just as spectacular as the national day stopped traffic in ho chi min. Good vibes.