Our Northern Vietnam trip lasted only four days, yet it became one of my most memorable travels. That’s true, even though we missed a few details while planning. Still true, even though one part of the trip didn’t match our expectations.
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Thought you’d want to know:
I was with my friend during this trip, and we were able to achieve our travel goals.
- First, to see some of Vietnam’s most spectacular sights.
- Second, to get home feeling refreshed for the daily grind of our nine to five jobs.
Also, during the trip, we met two new friends from South Korea. I gained a new perspective on travel, an unexpected gift from Vietnam itself.
Let me share the exact details of our trip to Northern Vietnam. I will cover everything you need for planning, as unfiltered as possible. This includes the bad experiences and the lessons we learned. This way, you can avoid the same mistakes we made.
Here is an overview of our trip:
- Day 1 — Hanoi: Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem Lake
- Day 2 — Ninh Binh: Bai Dinh Pagoda & Trang An Boat Tour
- Day 3 & 4 — Sapa: Fansipan, Lake Sapa & Sapa Bamboo Hotel Infinity Pool
Hi reader! It’s Eljon, and before we continue, I want to welcome you to my blog, Explore to Thrive. Here, I share my experiences with traveling, reflections on spirituality, personal growth and insights on building an online business, all to make a difference. But my mission goes beyond that. You can learn more about what I do by visiting my homepage.
Note: More details are in separate posts to keep this one at a reasonable length. You will find links to them within the relevant sections.
Arrival
For this itinerary, the most valuable things I’ll share are the travel experiences I gained while exploring Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Sapa. Still, I have to say the trip would not have felt complete without my experience at the airport.
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I arrived at an unusual time, around midnight, and my time there turned out to be quite interesting. I wrote about it in another blog post, where I also share tips for buying SIM cards at the airport.
By the way, the airport’s name is Noi Bai International Airport. It’s not close to Hanoi city center, but it provides easy access to the city.
After you exit the gates, you can catch Bus 86 to the city center or the Old Quarter. During non-rush hours, the travel time should not be longer than 30 minutes.
If you’re arriving at an unusual time, like I did, it’s not going to be very straightforward. The buses don’t operate 24/7. I shared my experience in another blog post. Check it out. I’ll also explain what to expect with airport taxi operators.
Day 1: Hanoi
After leaving Noi Bai International Airport around 7:00 am, I arrived in Hanoi Old Quarter by 7:30 am. To be precise, the time was 7:22 am.
Simply put, Old Quarter is the historic center of Hanoi, the part of the city that goes back to the year 1000s. It’s also the center of tourism in the city, along with the surrounding areas.
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A wide rage of experiences awaits you in Hanoi. For example, eating and drinking Pho and Egg Coffee while watching the train pass by in Train Street. Another is the time-transporting experience in Hoa Lo Prison Museum.
You can check my maps of Hanoi and Old Quarter to get an idea what are the different places of interest in the city.
During my visit, I did not go to Train Street or Hao Lo Prison. I thought it might be a good idea to make my experience of Hanoi a little different from other travelers.
So instead, I spent more time in Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square. Though that was after wandering the streets for an hour or two, looking for unique sights. You can find the square north of Hoan Kiem Lake and south of the Old Quarter.
What’s nice about this square is that it has several cafes where you can order Egg Coffee. They are located on upper floors, offering some of the most panoramic views of the city. That includes Hoan Kiem Lake.
As a traveler who always has sweeping views on my bucket list, I did not hesitate to hang out there. I kicked back at Coffee Club Cafe and Restaurant and, to my surprise, saw something remarkable.
It was an overlooking view of Hanoi’s streets in synchronized chaos. Motorbikes, cars, and pedestrians shuffled everywhere! Mesmerizing.
You’ve got to check the video in my post about the square.
What happened next was something I did not expect: Hanoi Walking Street. It is a celebration of Vietnamese culture around Hoan Kiem Lake.
The event blew my mind that night. The people, performances, and fun I saw at Hanoi Walking Street? They made me realize never to underestimate a destination. That is, even if you are visiting only a neighboring country, there could still be a whole new world to discover.
I have plenty to share about Hanoi Walking Street, including photos. Check out my special post about it. You can get more ideas about what the event was all about.
Read my travelogue to see how I experienced Hanoi and how the city left its mark on me that day.
In case you haven’t read my article about my experience at the airport, I spent that day in Hanoi by myself. My friend arrived in Vietnam the next day, and we spent that day in Ninh Binh.
Day 2: Ninh Binh
The next day, my friend arrived in Hanoi, and together, we made a day trip to Ninh Binh.
We joined a group tour that day to start achieving our goal for the trip. That is to enjoy Vietnam without the stress and come home completely relaxed.
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First time hearing about Ninh Binh?
It is the province south of Hanoi and the location of Vietnam’s old capital. Ninh Binh is worth visiting because it has something for everyone. You can explore ancient sites, massive pagodas, and towering limestone karst mountains.
You can get an idea of what to experience by checking out my tourist map of Ninh Binh.
What was so great about our day trip is that it let us get a taste of every experience that Ninh Binh offered. And we did that by visiting only two attractions! Bai Dinh Pagoda and Trang An. In my view, they’re enough to give you a sense of what Ninh Binh is like as a destination.
If I remember correctly, we also went to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, the first capital of Vietnam, but it was very quick.
We left Hanoi around 8 am that morning and got to our first destination at approximately 10 am.
What’s the first place we visited? Bai Dinh Pagoda. It’s the largest pagoda in Vietnam, so big that we couldn’t explore it all. I must say: the giant golden Buddhas and the intricate architecture in the complex made my jaw drop.
You can read my blog post about Bai Dinh Pagoda to see what I mean. It also includes a map of the pagoda.
After Bai Dinh Pagoda, we took a quick look around Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and then went for lunch. After lunch, we headed to Trang An, where we spent the afternoon before going back to Hanoi.
Trang An, in short, is a unique UNESCO Heritage Site. It’s both a cultural and natural treasure. Here, spectacular karst mountains tuck ancient temples, with rivers flowing through.
During our visit, we took a boat ride and soaked in all those majestic views. And not only that, we sailed through underground rivers too, with new friends from Korea! It was such an unforgettable experience.
You’ve gotta read my blog post about Trang An to see how much fun we had and get tips for your own visit.
We departed from Ninh Binh around 5 pm that day and arrived in Hanoi around 7 pm, which was perfect timing. Perfect because we had a sleeper bus to Sapa, our next destination in Northern Vietnam, at 10 pm.
We had enough time to eat dinner and rest.
Day 3: Fansipan and Lake Sapa
Among all the places we visited, I was most excited about Sapa.
It’s one of the top mountain destinations in Northern Vietnam. And since I’m a mountain lover, I couldn’t help but feel super excited that day.
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Is this your first time hearing about Sapa? I recommend checking out my reasons to visit Sapa or my Sapa Tourist Map. This will help you get a better idea of what this destination is about.
Back to the story.
From Hanoi, it was still dark when we arrived in Sapa. I guess it was between 4 and 5 am (?). But yeah, that was perfect timing again. Arriving early in Sapa means we could be early for our first destination that day: Fansipan.
Standing at 3,147 meters, Fansipan is the top peak NOT only in Vietnam, but in the WHOLE Indochina region!
What’s interesting is that Fansipan has a sort of cultural park at the top. We figured if we got there very early, we could skip the crowds and enjoy the view and temples by ourselves.
Picture this: temples and statues rising above a sea of clouds without photo bombers. That’s exactly what we were hoping for that day.
The best part?
Getting to Fansipan is an adventure in itself. From the town to the peak, you’ll take three different rides. First, there’s a European-inspired train. Then comes a world-record cable car with breathtaking views of the rice terraces. Finally, a funicular takes you to the summit. That’s what makes it so exciting!
After we dropped our bags at the hotel and had breakfast at a cafe, we headed straight to Fansipan. By 9:30 am or 10, we were already at the peak. Unfortunately, dark rain clouds rolled in that morning and completely ruined the experience.
It was a total bummer, yet I only have myself to blame for not planning better. We would have gotten the view we were hoping for if we had gone at a better time.
Check out my blog post about our Expectation vs Reality in Fansipan to see what you might experience. And to avoid the same disappointing experience we had, read my article on the best time to visit Fansipan.
We stayed at Fansipan until the afternoon, hoping the clouds would clear at the peak. But it never happened, so we returned to Sapa town feeling disappointed. The good thing is, I discovered Lake Sapa after that.
Lake Sapa is a beautiful lake in the heart of town, only a short distance from Sun World Plaza. It’s so picturesque that I couldn’t stop taking photos. I must say, it even made me forget our unpleasant experience at Fansipan.
I’ve mapped all the picture-perfect spots around the lake, so be sure to check them out.
After enjoying the sunset at Lake Sapa, we realized it was too late to visit another attraction. We also knew we needed some quality sleep. So after a little more wandering and having dinner, we went back to the hotel and spent the night there.
Day 4: Sapa Bamboo Hotel
On our last day, we wanted to make sure we returned home completely refreshed and ready for work. So instead of exploring more attractions in Sapa, we stayed at our hotel, Bamboo Sapa Hotel.
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There, we treated ourselves to the indulgence we needed most. The pool with stunning mountain views. Gotta tell you this, their infinity pool is 100% eye-catcher!
I have plenty to share about our stay, so check out my separate blog post for photos and my full experience at the hotel.
After checking out, we headed back to Hanoi by bus. Well, actually, only my friend was returning to Hanoi… she still wanted to explore the Old Quarter. I had to head home.
Luckily, the bus we booked stopped at Noi Bai International Airport. Because of that I didn’t have to go all the way to Hanoi and catch another bus.
Around 7 or 8 pm, I got off and said goodbye to my friend at the airport.
So, that’s the end of the trip!
BUT, before you go, remember, there are other ways to spend a day in Sapa. And if you’re into a laid-back and relaxing trip, I’ve found some alternatives to only staying at your hotel. Check out my list of Relaxing Things to Do in Sapa.
For your Sapa trip planning, I’ve got you covered. I put together a separate guide with tips for visiting the town. I’ve shared everything I learned from my travels, and I’m sure you’ll find it 100% handy!
And that’s everything. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic trip!
Final Words
It is possible to have a trip that is both memorable and relaxing, even if it lasts only four days. BUT, careful planning can make a big difference.
For example, as what I’ve mentioned in my separate posts, it’s important to pick the right season and day of week to travel. To experience Hanoi Walking Street, have your Northern Vietnam trip fall on a weekend. Want to visit the mountains too? Remember to go there during the dry season.
Are you ready to travel now? Check out my travel planning page, which is like a one-stop corner in my blog for everything you need for your trip. From hotels to flights, tours, and rentals, it has everything you need.
Planning to Visit Northern Vietnam?
Don’t forget to grab all my Northern Vietnam maps to make planning easier. Just click any map below to see the details. Also, check out my travel planning resource page (button also at the end). It has everything you need, from flights and hotels to transfers, tours, and more.
Discover more than 30 attractions with my tourist map of Northern Vietnam. It includes 8 towns and surrounding sights, from scenic coastlines to spectacular mountain peaks and time transporting historical landmarks.
Thank you for reading
I hope my trip and experiences spark ideas for your travels and help you plan your next trip. But before you go, if you haven’t checked it out yet, drop by my homepage so I can give myself a proper introduction. Catch you there!
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