After actively travelling for 2 months straight in Indonesia and the Philippines I decided to take some time off and stay in one place for a longer time. That was my second time in Vietnam, so I had already visited the south and central part before. In that way, I did not feel pressure to go around that much and could relax in Hanoi and discover northern part of Vietnam more in-depth.
Why Hanoi?
There are many reasons why to visit Hanoi. I am going to briefly write about some of them and what did I personally manage to experience.Old Quarter
The historical part of Hanoi makes the capital of Vietnam so special. A relatively large area with narrow streets filled with small shops and businesses really deliver the Vietnamese feeling. Old Quarter is still the main commercial center in Hanoi. Many low priced hostels and main nightlife are also in the same area so it is a really convenient place to stay at for a tourist. Each street has its own purpose and hosts similar kind of businesses. For example, there are different streets for shirts, iron works, similar kind on food and on one occasion I needed to buy underpants and there was a street for even that! On the weekends’ locals gather around the Hoan Kiem lake which is the heart of the city. There are many activities and concerts going around the lake.Price level
Living cost in Vietnam is generally really low. Compared to other South East Asian countries it is even cheaper. I am going to give you a little breakdown of what I was spending in Hanoi. I was living hostels dormitories for the whole time. Personally, I am pretty used to staying in a dorm so it was really happy with that. Plus, the hostels quality is really good. Cheaper and better than I experienced for example in the Philippines. One night in a hostel – 85.000 VND (ca. 3.20 €). It also included free breakfast and free beer in the evenings. So breakfast was already sorted out. I have not been eating that much in Asia, so sometimes I only had one more meal per day. Some examples of food: Pho Bo/Ga (Vietnamese soup)- 30.000 VND (1 €) Fried rice/noodles – 50.000 VND (1.88 €) Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) – 30.000 VND (1 €) Bun Cha (Barbecued Pork with Rice Vermicelli) – 35.000 VND (1.32 €) Fruit Juice/Smoothie – 35.000 VND (1.32 €) Water 1.5L – 10.000 VND (0.33 €) Of course, I wanted to treat myself occasionally to some western food. For example burger & fries (included free beer as well) for 55.000 VND (2 €). So eating would be usually in between 50.000 VND (1.88 €) to 150.000 VND (5.65 €) per day. I was also attending a gym for which I paid 200.000 VND (7.53 €) for 2 weeks pass. Bia Hoi (local living beer) costs 5000 VND (0.20 €) for a 250 ml cup on the streets. So the cheapest days in Hanoi cost me as little as 5-6 €. Of course, there are more expensive days (taking trips out of Hanoi, visiting touristic sites, some cocktails in the evenings) which would be up to 30-40 €. In conclusion, staying in Hanoi for a month cost me about 500-600 €.Around North Vietnam and Hanoi
Besides staying in Hanoi there are also plenty of things to do in Northern Vietnam as well.Ba Vi National Park
Being just 60 km west of the Old Quarter visiting Ba Vi makes a perfect day trip. We rented scooters and were off for a day. Even though it is only 60 km, it still took us 2-3 h to get there. Traffic inside of the city is pretty intense and it takes a long time to reach your destinations. The national park is part of a mountain range so it has hilltops, a cave, and a waterfall. There are temples at the top of the peaks you can visit. I made a short video of our trip there so check it out – Discovering Ba Vi National Park.Ha Giang province
There is motorbike loop right next to the border of China in Ha Giang province. We took a bus to Ha Giang town, slept a night there and rented some bikes the next day. It took us 4 full days to do the whole loop and it was just amazing. The scenery there is just out of this world! Limestone cliffs, green hills, valleys, rivers, local villages and you are driving on a winding road through all of it. One of the best trips I have done so far. I also made a video of that trip – 4 days on Ha Giang loop. And check out Ha Giang gallery.