Vietnam

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A country marked by a history of wars, that even after all the destruction has developed rapidly and recovered breath. It is lovely to see that even with all this development locals maintained their traditions and continue to do everything as many years ago. Certainly the strong culture of Vietnam is the best of the country.

From north to south and even in the capital, Hanoi, in the north, you can see the local culture in stamped your face, on every street, on every market, on every bicycle passing in the streets. In 20 days we managed to make a smooth ride across the country, from the crazy traffic of motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City to the great North, where is the best of the country.

What was worth it: The tribes and the incredible landscape of Sapa, the capital Hanoi and its Old Quarter, the magnificent Ha Long Bay and the charming ancient town of Hoi An
What was not so paid off: Hue (The Citadel disappointed and the city is not very nice, only go there if you really want to visit the war sites of DMZ)
What we wanted to do but we didn’t: The floating villages of the Mekong Delta, the motorcycle rides with the Easy Riders in Central Highlands and the exotic markets around Sapa (Ba Cha on Sunday and Coc Ly on Tuesday)

A few tips:

• TRANSPORTATION: It is very popular in Vietnam to travel with a open tour bus (the best known company is Sinh Cafe). It is a kind of ticket that runs from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and you can do x stops along the way (in night or day bus). We paid US$ 40 with three stops on the way (Nha Trang, Noi An and Hue). It can worth a little for the convenience and cost, but it limits your flexibility. We think it is best to buy ticket by ticket because you will decide your path better along the way. It can be a little more expensive, but worth the difference.
• HA LONG BAY: If you want to escape from the big tourist boats in Ha Long Bay, take a boat from Ha Long City or Haiphong to Cat Ba Island. From there you can make tailor-made tours for Lan Ha Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Ha Long Bay and you can even have a boat just for you at reasonable prices. We had a boat for 4 people only, with 2 days and one night, food and kayak included for only US$ 55 per person.
• WEATHER: If you want to visit Vietnam from north to south you better check the seasons. Contrary to what anyone could believe, when North and South is the best season to travel, the center is the rainy season, and vice versa. We were caught by surprise and end up falling into a torrential rain in the center. Not really cool!

Our itinerary (20 days)

We arrived in Vietnam by crossing Cambodia border in Chau Doc, with a boat ride, and from there we took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City, where we spent four days at friends home. From there we start with the open bus tour heading north, stopping in Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue and Ninh Binh. In Ninh Binh took a local bus to Haiphong, where we took a boat to Cat Ba Island. We did a tour of two days in Lan Ha Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Ha Long Bay and we left the boat directly in Ha Long city to take the bus to Hanoi. We spent two days relaxing in the Old Quarter and then went by night train to Sapa, where we had two days trekking in the mountains, sleeping in the minority people houses. From Sapa we took a bus to cross the border into Laos.

The best of the country