Physically we’re back in good old Indiana, but mentally- we’re still dreaming about eating a steaming bowl of bún ốc on tiny plastic stools in Hà Nội, sipping a glass of wine while cruising down the Sài Gòn river in HCMc, hiking up a a few hundred stairs for the most beautiful view over Hạ Long bay, or walking barefoot in the warm sand in Đà Nẵng.

Our two-week trip to Vietnam was nothing short of incredible. We had a jam-packed schedule prepared months in advance because there were simply too many things we wanted to do, see, and most importantly: EAT!

I had not been home in two and a half years (since before the pandemic) and Maxime had never been to Vietnam before- so it was a very exciting trip for both of us. There was so much that I had missed and so much that I wanted to share with Maxime.

Even though we have shared 13 days of our Vietnam Food/Travel Diary in video-form with you, we wanted to create a more detailed blog-version that can be easily bookmarked and referred back to! We hope that this will inspire and help you plan your trip!

Let’s get started! In this post, we’ll cover:

• Packing List
• Itinerary
• Sights-seeing & Tours
• Food

Packing List

Here are some essentials that we think you need to bring with you or purchase as soon as you arrive:

• Quick-drying comfortable footwear: if you visit Vietnam during monsoon season, chances are, you will be caught in a downpour (or several). Even if you come to Vietnam not during monsoon season, it will happen anyway.
• Sunscreen: if you’re not from the tropics – be aware that sun rays are stronger there.
• Insect repellent: mosquitoes are vicious in the tropics and love new blood. Do not take any chances.
• Digestive aids: even if you’re not planning on eating as much street food as we did, not being used to the water in a new country or just traveling can cause digestive issues. Smecta is the common brand in Vietnam. We also recommend digestive enzyme supplements.
• Cash: Vietnam is not a card country. Everything is cash (or in bigger stores & restaurants: direct bank transfers. A few places will take card payment, but charge you a 3% fee). Bring cash with you to exchange for Vietnamese đồng.

Itinerary

Of course your trip will look very different to ours and you’ll have to make your itinerary work for you, but to give you an idea and some inspiration, here was ours:

• Day 1: Hồ Chí Minh city (flight arriving 12 AM)
• Day 2: Hồ Chí Minh city
• Day 3: Hồ Chí Minh city → Hà Nội
• Day 4: Hạ Long bay
• Day 5: Hà Nội
• Day 6: Hà Nội
• Day 7: Hà Nội → Đà Nẵng
• Day 8: Đà Nẵng
• Day 9: Đà Nẵng
• Day 10: Đà Nẵng → Hồ Chí Minh city
• Day 11: Mekong Delta
• Day 12: Hồ Chí Minh city
• Day 13: Hồ Chí Minh city (flight leaving 11 PM)

Sights-seeing, tours, and others

Since it was Maxime’s first time in Vietnam, we did some sights-seeing. That being said, since we will definitely be back in the near future- it was not our priority. Here is a list of the things we saw/did by city, but if you’re visiting as a tourist, I recommend doing some more research for more places to see.

We also included the links to the Hạ Long bay and Mekong Delta tours, as well as the tailor and leather shop we used for Maxime’s custom suit and shoes- Hội An is famous for custom-made clothes and we had a great experience!

Hồ Chí Minh city

• Nhà thờ Đức Bà Sài Gòn (Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon) – unfortunately still under reconstruction so you will not be able to go inside for the next couple of years.
• Bưu điện trung tâm Sài Gòn (Sai Gon Central Post Office)
• Đường sách Nguyễn Văn Bình (Nguyễn Văn Bình book street)
• Dinh Độc Lập (Independence Palace)
• Công Viên 30/4 (April 30th Park)
• Phố đi Bộ Nguyễn Huệ (Nguyễn Huệ pedestrian street – at night)

Hà Nội

• Hồ Hoàn Kiếm/Hồ Gươm (Hoàn Kiếm Lake – “Lake of the Returned Sword”)
  • Đền Ngọc Sơn (Ngọc Sơn Temple – on an island within the lake)
  • Cầu Thê Húc (Thê Húc Bridge – footbridge leading to the temple)
• Quần thể lăng chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh (Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum complex)
  • Lăng chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh (Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum)
  • Bảo tàng Hồ Chí Minh (Hồ Chí Minh Museum)
  • Nhà sàn Bác Hồ (Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House)
  • Chùa Một Cột (One Pillar Pagoda)
• Phố Cổ (Old Quarter)
• Nhà Hát Múa Rối Thăng Long (Water Puppet Theatre): Website – we recommend buying front row tickets.

Hạ Long

• Halong 1 day Luxury Tour: Link

Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long (Mekong Delta)

• Mekon Delta 1 Day (Mỹ Tho – Bến Tre): Link

Đà Nẵng

• Resort: Hyatt Regency Danang Resort And Spa

Hội An

• Tailor: A Dong Silk
• Leather goods: Leather 96

Food

Finally, the most important section of all. Food was our top-priority for this trip. The places we ate at on this trip were chosen based on a combination of personal experience, recommendations from local friends and family, and research. Here is a complete list of our culinary stops on this trip:

Hồ Chí Minh city

• Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang Thành Đạt – 34 Cô Bắc, phường Cầu Ông Lãnh, Q1
  Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang: noodle soup consisting of rice noodles with pork stock and toppings like minced pork, shrimp, pork heart & liver
• La Perle De l’Orient (Saigon River Dinner Cruise)
  Dinner on a large boat cruising down the Saigon river at night. Sorry, they don’t have an English page.
• Bò né Thanh Tuyền – 20-6 Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Phường 12, Q4
  Bò né: Sizzling beef on a hot skillet with your choice of other toppings like pâté, fried egg, etc.
• Cơm tấm Ba Ghiền – 84 Đặng Văn Ngữ, Phường 10, Phú Nhuận
  Cơm tấm: Broken rice plate with grilled pork and your choice toppings like meatloaf, pork rind, etc.
• Sushi Rei – 10E1 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Đa Kao, Q1
  Omasake: high-end omakase sushi place
• Bún bò Huế Đông Ba – 207B Đ. Nguyễn Văn Thủ, Đa Kao, Q1
  Bún bò Huế: thick rice noodles in aromatic spicy broth with sliced beef, chả lụa, and pork knuckles.
• Yakiniku Yazawa Saigon – 219 Điện Biên Phủ, Phường 6, Q3
  Wagyu beef: high-end restaurant serving à-la-cart or omakase sets of wagyu beef.

Hà Nội

• Bún Đậu Cô Tuyến – 31 P. Hàng Khay, Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm
  Bún đậu mắm tôm: rice noodles with tofu and shrimp paste, along with choice of other toppings.
• Thịnh Vượng Restaurant – 13 P. Tạ Hiện, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm
  Chim (bồ câu) quay: roasted pigeon right on bar street – good drinking food.
• Phở gà Nguyệt – 5b Phủ Doãn Hà nội
  Phở gà: Chicken phở with delicate broth and your choice of chicken cuts (thigh, back, breast, etc.)
• Xôi Mây – 31 P. Lý Thường Kiệt, Hàng Bài, Hoàn Kiếm
  Xôi xéo: sticky rice with mung bean paste and other toppings like chả (pork loaf), ruốc (pork floss).
• Phở Thìn – 61 P. Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm
  Phở bò: Famous traditional beef phở right on the Hoàn Kiếm lake – open since 1955.
• Kem Tràng Tiền – 35 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm
  Kem: ice cream place open since 1958 with Viet & western flavors (recommend cốm & mung bean)
• Cháo Sườn Sụn Huyền Anh – 14 P. Đồng Xuân, Đồng Xuân, Hoàn Kiếm
  Cháo sườn sụn: rice porridge with rib meat & cartilage
• Kem Caramen Dương Hoa – 29 Hàng Than, Nguyễn Trung Trực, Ba Đình
  Kem Caramen: crème caramel/flan. They also have the signature coconut ice cream.
• Miến Lươn cô Nhung – 9 P. Nguyễn Chế Nghĩa, Hàng Bài, Hoàn Kiếm
  Miến lươn: miến (glass) noodles with crispy fried eels. You can fried eels to take home.
• Quán Bún Chả Số 38 – 38 Mai Hắc Đế, Bùi Thị Xuân, Hai Bà Trưng
  Bún chả: rice noodles with grilled sliced pork and pork patties in a sweet/savory/acidic fish sauce.
• Bánh Khúc Cô Lan – 69 Nguyễn Công Trứ, Phố Huế, Hai Bà Trưng
  Bánh khúc: khúc leaf & mung bean ‘dumplings’ (containing fatty pork) covered in sticky rice
• Chả Cá Thăng Long – 6B Đường Thành, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm
  Chả cá Lã Vọng/Thăng Long: fish marinated in turmeric and other spices pan fried with dill.
• Chè – Xôi chè Bà Thìn – 95 P. Hàng Bồ, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm
  Variety of traditional Vietnamese desserts. We had tofu pudding.
• Bún ốc cô Huệ – 43 Nguyễn Siêu, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm
  Bún ốc: rice noodles with snails in a spicy tomato broth.
• Bánh giò – 16 P. Đào Duy Từ, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm
  Bánh giò: pyramid-shaped glutinous rice flour dumplings containing minced pork and mushrooms.
• Đinh Café – 13 P. Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm
  Cà phê trứng: egg coffee – sweet custardy coffee made by whipping condensed milk and egg yolk

Đà Nẵng – Hội An

• Mì Quảng Ông Hai – 6A Trương Minh Lượng, Cẩm Châu, Hội An
  Mì Quảng: turmeric noodles from Quảng Nam Province with pork and shrimp.
• Quán Cẩm Nam – 679/2 Đ. Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Minh An, Hội An
  Bánh đập & bánh bông hồng trắng: “smash” cake and white rose dumplings.
• Hải Sản Cua Biển – 112 Võ Nguyên Giáp, Phước Mỹ, Sơn Trà, Đà Nẵng
  Seafood restaurant with tanks of live seafood. You can choose weight and cooking method.

We have tried to make this blog post comprehensive, but if we missed anything or if you have any questions, let us know in the comments!